Page 33 of Godslayer
We descend the staircase slowly, scanning the floors below us as we pass them by just in case there are people here. But it’s clear there aren’t. The place has been abandoned.
Each floor has a living space in full view of the stairwell and they’re all in disarray.
The bottom floor is a disaster. Couches upturned, broken windows, piles of debris on the floor, and even a few holes in the plaster walls.
“What the hell happened here?” Finn asks.
“Looks like some kind of battle.”
“The city rebelled?” he asks.
I like this about Finn. He knows it’s probably true, but he likes to refrain from making statements before asking my opinion about things. Even if it’s just to get my agreement, like now. “Yeah. Probably.”
“I guess they got tired of sending their Spark Maidens into the fake tower where there’s no god.”
I nod, still looking around. But my gaze lands on the front door. It’s open. And broken. “I think they came up here to kill the Extraction Master.”
Finn’s gaze goes to the door as well. “I don’t blame them.” Then he grabs my hand. “Come on, let’s go outside.”
My feet stay firmly planted right where they are. “No! Are you crazy? I don’t wanna go out there. We’ve seen enough. Something bad happened here. Let’s just blow the tower and leave.”
“But we’re scholars. It’s our duty to ask questions and look for answers.”
“There are workers down there.”
“So? They can’t even see us. It’s like we’re invisible.”
“Underthe city, that’s what it’s like. What if it’s different out there?”
“Why would it be different out there?”
“I dunno.”
“Well, if they are, we need to know that, Jasina. It’s an important detail.”
“You’re right. I know you’re right. But the thought of going out there makes me… jittery. My heart is racing. Feel.” I take the hand I’m holding and put it up against my chest, proving it to him.
“You’re scared,” he says.
“Yeah. And I’m not a girl who scares easily.”
“I think it’s good that you’re scared.”
“Why? Because you’re not?”
He nods. “Exactly. We’re a… complement. There are empty spaces inside of us where we’re missing critical character traits. Everyone has flaws. But we’re gonna do this, Jasina. Weneedto do this. So you stay scared so you can alert me to any danger and I’ll be brave, so we can find answers.”
My breath comes out in a rush, like I was holding it in.
“Deal?” he asks.
“All right.” I nod. “Complements.”
He’s leading me over to the door before I can change my mind. There’s an elevator here, just like it was in the TauCity Extraction Tower, but the doors are wide open and there’s nothing but empty space below us when we peek down.
We take the stairs, coming out into the lobby of the Extraction Tower—which is also a disaster. Furniture upturned, all the windows in the front of the building have been broken out, and there’s a lot of water on the floor, though none of it is deep like it was below the city.
We go outside and find that the canal is black. There’s no blue light in it at all. Which we saw from above, but it didn’t really register until right now, when we’re standing in front of it, that it’s… dead.
