The Silent Deal (The Card Game #1)

Ch 5 - The Drunken Warning

CHAPTER 5

THE DRUNKEN WARNING

Viktor gasped. It felt as if his very bone would snap in half from the pressure. He tried to tear the rope or untangle his leg, but the sheer weight on the rope crippled any hope of freeing himself.

"Light it, light the rope!" Romulus wheezed, flinging a pack of matches at Viktor. "It's Fire Wire!"

Viktor had no idea what "Fire Wire" was, but he had no mind to ask. Sweat slid down his fingers as he struck a match that fizzled out from the wind. A waft of cigar smoke rose above the tiles. His shaky fingers snapped another match in half. Captain Ulfrik hooked a hand on the roof. Viktor gritted his teeth and struck one more.

A spark landed on the cloth rope, and instantly fire shot down its entire length, transforming it into a wisp of smoke. Ulfrik had his weight on the rope as it burned past his hands and vanished, sending him falling sideways toward the pavement. At the same time, Viktor felt a fiery snake coil around his ankle and then evaporate into the air, leaving only a singed pant leg behind. Ulfrik slammed into the ground on his back, shaking the building foundations.

"Captain, are you hurt?" cried one guard.

He groaned. "Kill them."

Romulus recovered his strength and slung Viktor's arm over his shoulder. He half-ran, half-staggered across the shingles while Viktor limped alongside. As guards shouted orders and organized in the alleyway, the blood rushed back into Viktor's foot, and the boys began sprinting across rooftops. They jumped and climbed from building to building, rising and falling with the roofline. Minutes passed while they stole across ridges, silhouetted by moonlight.

Romulus made a sharp turn, dashing toward a large gap in between shops. With a hard kick, he planted off a smoking chimney and sailed through the night, crossing over a narrow lane in midair, where a horse pulled a carriage below. Viktor followed and leapt over the void. With the ease of an acrobat, Romulus landed on the opposite rooftop and somersaulted to absorb the impact. Viktor landed next to him, but his knees buckled as he absorbed the full shock of the landing.

The guards' voices were far away, and on the wrong side of the street, so the boys rested for a moment. Viktor bent down to stretch his throbbing legs, massaging his singed ankle.

"I think we're alright," said Romulus. "The dog can't follow our scent up here."

"Were you seen?"

"No."

Viktor sucked in breaths. "What mess have we landed in? What's happening?"

"I don't know, but I'm sorry I dragged you into this. My card nearly got us killed."

"We'd already be dead if it wasn't for your inventions," Viktor said. "Blackbirds, huh? And that Fire Wire—genius."

"Eh, just cloth soaked in strong-water solution. Come on, let's move."

The boys hung down from the roof's edge and dropped into a backstreet overgrown with weeds. There were no more street lanterns in the area, and the dead-end lane was pitch black, so they had no choice but to go forward. As they crept along, rats scampered past them in the darkness. Muffled noises sounded ahead, growing distinguishable as music, laughter, and chatter. The lane opened into a wide avenue that ran parallel to Prospekt Street.

"We shouldn't be here," whispered Viktor. "If this is Elli Way, we're next to the Beaten Horse. It's no good."

"We'll soon be gone." Romulus peeked around the corner of the lane and scanned the surroundings. "You're right. We're next to the bar. We've got to wait till the coast is clear."