A 508 area code—all the way down near the countryside of Sudbury. My heart sped up.
Were there some remaining hunters trying to get in touch with Shai?
I picked up the phone, staying silent.
“You have a collect call from”—a robotic voice cut off, and I heard my old friend’s voice say, “Shai Morton,” before the recording continued—“at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Concord. Do you accept the charges?”
My heart hammered as I cleared my throat. “Yes.”
The phone line clicked. “Hello? Camille?” I’d recognize my friend’s voice anywhere.
“Shai?”
A long pause. “Wait. Rowan? Oh, thank the gods. What happened? Fuck. Did Orion win? I haven’t been able to get any demon news in here.”
My mind whirled at her barrage of questions. “Shai. Why are you in prison?”
“I was arrested in Sudbury when I was waiting for you by the southern entrance. Even though I was invisible. I can’t really go into the specifics here on the phone. But is there any chance you can bail me out? I’ve been desperately calling my aunt and my mom to get me out of here so I could get to you. There are things I need to explain. Someone screwed us over, Rowan. We just…can’t talk about it on the phone. But I really need to warn you.”
Yeah, I supposed we couldn’t mention murdering an entire cadre of demon hunters on the jail phone. “Why didn’t you call me?” I practically shouted.
“They took my phone when they arrested me. These are the only numbers I have memorized.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered anyway, I guess,” I muttered. “My other phone evaporated.”
“What?”
“Never mind.” I gripped the phone tightly. “So…that’s why you disappeared? You’ve been in jail this whole time? How much is the bail?”
She cleared her throat. “Can you get a hundred thousand dollars? I know it’s a lot.”
Fuck.
Orion could easily get a hundred thousand, but it’s not like I could hit him up for that right now. Or really anyone I could think of. “I’ve been kicked out of the City of Thorns. That’s why I’m hiding here. Something’s happened to Orion. I’ll try to get the money, though—”
“So he won the trial and just kicked you out?” Anger laced her voice.
I closed my eyes, trying to understand how to explain this to her without sounding like an absolute fucking moron. “That’s what it looks like on the surface,” I said carefully. “But like you said, we need to talk in person.”
“Hang on.” I heard the sound of her muffling the phone and talking to someone behind her. “Shit. Rowan, I’ve got to go. I’m going to try to call back soon.”
Shouting echoed in the background, and then she hung up. I needed to talk to her now, though.
I crossed to the window, staring at the exact spot where I’d seen the boy with his cotton-candy fingers in my dream. Now, casually sitting on a bench outside, sipping a coffee, was my disturbingly hot cousin.
Sabazios—Mr. Esposito—had a habit of turning up when I needed him. I remembered him. He’d come to our house for tea and biscuits and bring my mom books he liked. He’d given me warnings when the hunters were coming for me. Sabazios was the one who’d given me the demon trials book. He’d been there on the fringes, helping me the whole time, without ever being intrusive or pushy.
I turned and ran down the stairs to find him.
41
ROWAN
The wind whipped at Sabazios’s red hair as he drove away from the Concord prison, the windows down in his new convertible. Chilly October air stung my cheeks.
The setting sun tinged the sky with honey and lavender, warming our faces as we drove toward Osborne.
From the back seat, Shai leaned forward. “How did you get the money?” she shouted over the wind. “And the Porsche?”
“The first thing I did when I got back into the City of Thorns was find my family’s buried gold,” Sabazios replied. “So if I’m stuck in Osborne again, at least I can do it in style.” He coughed. “Or as much style as an old man can have. My magic is already fading. I hate it. But at least I’ll be rich, and I can buy a fancier walker.”
“We’re going to get you home,” said Shai. “This is just a temporary setback. But Rowan, here’s what I need you to know. Someone fucked us over. Someone told the state police where I was the day we went to the demon hunters’ headquarters. They were waiting for me right at the southern entrance, and even though I was completely invisible, they were able to find me.”