“Of course,” Antony whispered back. “They’ll be waiting for me after I see you home.”
He led her into the mansion and onto the dance floor. Alba shook her head in disbelief at the sheer luxury, ranging from colossal tables groaning under the weight of food to golden statues and expensive paintings that dominated the room. A couple were explicit enough to make her blush. She had no idea how the artist had managed to convince anyone to do that long enough for him to make the preliminary sketches. Antony paid no attention to them, much to her relief. Hopefully, they wouldn’t give him any ideas. She liked him more than she cared to admit, but she wasn’t ready to do more than kissing yet.
Besides, there were other complications.
“We’re just here to dance,” Antony said, when a pair of middle-aged men tried to call him over. Alba was relieved. They’d been on the dance floor for nearly an hour, but neither of them wanted to leave just yet. “I’ll be back in the office tomorrow.”
Alba smiled at him. “What do they want to talk about?”
“Business.” Antony beamed. “We’re hot at the moment, you know.”
“I know,” Alba said.
She leaned in and kissed him, then jerked her head towards the door. Many of the younger boys and girls were heading home, clearly hoping to get back before curfew. She wasn’t the only one who’d sneaked out, she was sure. Being caught at the dance, particularly as the night wore on, would ruin a young person’s social life. Everyone knew what happened in the wee hours of the morning, even if no one could put it into words.
Antony grinned back at her as he led her through the doors and out onto the streets. The air felt colder now, a faint…edge…flickering at the periphery of her awareness, but she barely noticed. Antony led her back into the maze of alleyways, picking his way through the darkened streets with easy assurance. And yet…Alba found herself glancing from side to side as she realized what was missing. The alley was completely empty. It shouldn’t have been, even at such a late hour. Beneficence was the city that never slept.
“We’re nearly home,” Antony said. He turned to face her. “Did you have a good time?”
“I did.” Alba’s heart was suddenly pounding in her chest. “I…”
She leaned forward, lifting her head so he could kiss her. His lips felt soft and warm against hers, just for a second. And then he tensed…
“I don’t want to end up like Ridley,” he said. “Is it safe…?”
Alba felt another flicker of irritation. Jaya, Alba’s elder sister, had dated Ridley until he’d put his hand under her shirt and discovered, the hard way, that their mother had layered protective spells on her daughters. Alba had been too young to be interested in men at the time, but she still recalled the shouting match. Ridley hadn’t even known she’d been protected until it was too late. Jaya had left the city afterwards and never been seen again.
“It should be,” she said. She lifted her lips for another kiss. “As long as we don’t go too far.”
He kissed her again. The world seemed to darken, just enough for Alba to notice. An electric shock ran through the air. For a horrified moment, she thought she was wrong, that Antony’s kisses had triggered a protective hex. And then her boyfriend looked up, his eyes looking past her. His mouth dropped open.
They were no longer alone.
Alba turned, one hand snatching her wand from her belt. She might not be a powerful magician, but she could make any unwary footpads regret they ever saw her. And then she froze as she saw the…entity…standing behind them. For a long moment, her eyes seemed to blur as her mind struggled to make sense of what she was seeing. The entity was no taller than Antony, yet he seemed infinitely tall; he was human, but somehow far more real than any mere human. His face and beard seemed carved from granite. His dark eyes were deep pools of shadow. She couldn’t even look at him.
“Justice,” Antony breathed.
Alba started. It was a trick. It had to be a trick. Some sorcerer’s idea of a joke, perhaps. Or maybe her mother had decided to scare them both…she lifted her wand, casting a cancellation charm.
The entity didn’t vanish. Instead, its presence seemed to grow stronger and stronger until it overpowered her. It was so big.
She heard her wand clatter to the ground. A moment later, she fell to her knees. She couldn’t help herself. Her body felt utterly drained.
The entity strode forward, its footsteps shaking the cobbles below her knees. It was all Alba could do to keep watching as it came to a halt in front of Antony. Her boyfriend had fallen to his knees too. She saw him trembling as the entity stared down at him. Her mouth was dry, with fear and…and something she didn’t care to identify. It couldn’t be a real god, could it?
“Antony, Son of Emil,” the entity said. It spoke in a quiet voice that boomed in Alba’s ears, each word precisely enunciated. “You and yours have led this city to ruin.”
Impossible, Alba thought. She could barely think clearly. He’s so young!
“Mercy,” Antony gasped.
“There is no mercy,” the entity said. There was a power in its voice, a sheer conviction that every word it spoke was the unquestionable truth. “There is only Justice.”
Antony’s body blazed with light. Alba screamed, feeling as if daggers were being driven into her very soul. She squeezed her eyes closed, desperately trying to block out the pain. And then the light faded. She fell backwards, bumping her shoulder on the cobblestones. The pain made her jerk her eyes open…
…She was alone.
Her fingers touched her wand. The tingle, the sensation she felt whenever she touched a charged wand, was gone. She couldn’t muster the energy to prepare a spell, let alone power it. The darkness seemed stronger, somehow, as if the moon and stars had been blotted from the skies. And yet…