Free Black City by Christina Henry Page B

flicked the switch on the wall and realized the point was moot. The electricity didn’t seem to be working.
    Was the whole city out, or just this part of it? It was bad enough to contemplate vampires running loose in the daytime. The thought of a lightless night crawling with monsters was too horrible to think about.
    The day passed, and night fell, and Nathaniel slept on. I was half dozing on my feet, my shoulder leaning against the wall, when I saw something moving outside on the concourse. It was too dark and too far away for me to see clearly, but I could see enough to tell that it didn’t move like any human.
    I glanced back at Nathaniel. My first instinct was to investigate and possibly destroy without disturbing him. But if there was more than one creature or it was a protracted engagement, then we might end up separated. Nathaniel could die, sleeping and defenseless, while I was off playing Sherlock.
    So I backed slowly away from the door, praying my movement would not be detected by whatever was out there. I knelt at Nathaniel’s side and put my mouth close to his ear.
    “Nathaniel,” I whispered.
    His eyes opened immediately. “You have let me sleep too long. There is something near.”
    “Yes,” I said quietly.
    He sat up with much more vigor than he’d had before his nap and picked up his sword. In the darkness I noticed a phenomenon I had observed once before. Nathaniel was surrounded by a faint aura, a glow that I did not have because I was not a full-blood angel. He moved toward the door without making a sound.
    “Wait,” I said. “Can you hide your halo? Otherwise whatever is out there will see you as easily as they would a firefly.”
    Nathaniel paused for a moment. “It is likely that whatever is out there will be able to scent us, but you are correct. We should not advertise our presence. Do you feel that your power has returned to its former strength?”
    I shook my head. “I’ve probably got enough for a couple of nightfire blasts, but that’s about it. I need sleep and a lot more food before I’ll be back to normal.”
    Nathaniel nodded as if he’d expected this. “I will veil both of us; then we can investigate.”
    I felt the spell drop over me, and a moment later Nathaniel winked out of sight. The glass door to the aid station opened, and I eased out. The door closed behind me.
    I had no idea where Nathaniel was because of the veil, and the darkness was almost total. It belatedly occurred to me that this was a very stupid idea. I’d been worried about getting separated, and now we were.
    I slid as quietly as I could along the floor. Nathaniel could move as soundlessly as air when he chose, but I am not the ninja type. I gripped my sword in front of me, the blade raised high, ready to slash at anything that came near.
    I had only a second to swing when the monster came out of the darkness. There was a skittering noise, and then the gaping maw of the vampire appeared, grainy and blurredin the heavy darkness. I didn’t stop to think. I just let muscle memory do its job and take the vampire’s head off as it had so many times before.
    The whole episode lasted less than a minute, but my nerves were strung so tight that I stood there panting for a moment. Nathaniel spoke from behind me.
    “There are more in the building. I can hear them investigating.”
    “How many? Can you tell?” I whispered.
    “It seems like an exploratory party. Perhaps twenty. If they find anything of note, they will report back to the horde.”
    “Do you think they know this one is dead?” I asked.
    “Vampires generally cannot sense the death of one of their own unless there is a blood bond, such as that between a maker and his child. But we must assume that all of these vampires consumed Azazel’s serum, and we do not know what kind of effect that may have.”
    “Let’s just try to get out of here as quickly as we can,” I said. “And stay near me. I don’t want to lose you.”
    The aid station