Something Strange and Deadly (Something Strange and Deadly #1)(59)

Joseph started when he saw me. Likely he thought I had left by now.

Daniel bolted to the telegraph. “It’s the alarm in the U.S. Government Building.”

My knees wobbled and I grabbed at the door frame. “Have you destroyed the grimoire yet?”

“No,” Joseph said. “It is not easy to destroy a book of magical power. It takes time. I have hidden it.” He knelt to heft the electricity device onto the table.

Daniel moved to help him, but Joseph shook his head violently. “No. You must go to the factory.”

Daniel recoiled, his eyes widening. “What? Now? You can’t be serious. We can go another night.”

“Your job is at the factory.”

“But you can’t fight the Dead alone.” Daniel flung his hand in the direction of the U.S. Government Building. “What if the necromancer has come for the book? It could be the whole cemetery out there.”

“Yes, and if you stay, will that improve our chances?” Joseph straightened, his eyes glowing in the dim light. “Without that dy***ite, we are lost.”

“No.” Daniel swung his head. “I can’t abandon you to the Dead.”

“You won’t be.” Joseph spun to Jie. “You will stay here, Jie. You are our best fighter, and I will need you to lead the guards in defensive maneuvers... if any of the guards are able to help, that is. We will do what we can until Daniel’s return.” He paused, and his eyes flew to me. For several long moments he watched me. Then he nodded once, as if settling a debate in his mind.

“Miss Fitt,” he said. “You must go to the factory.”

“What?” Daniel threw himself between Joseph and me. “Are you crazy? She can’t come! She doesn’t stand a chance, and she’s not one of us—”

Joseph slid Daniel aside with a single, cool hand. He stared at me. “She has proven her worth on more than one occasion. It is our turn to trust her. Will you go, Miss Fitt?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“No.” Daniel’s hands flew to his forehead. “Please, no.”

“Listen to me.” Joseph’s tone was firm and final. “We will fail without dy***ite.”

“But the risk to her—”

“Daniel, if you do not succeed in your task, then at least she will be left to alert us. She need not be put in danger, but she must be there in case you fail. She knows the risk, and we must rely on her.” Joseph pivoted to me, his chin raised high. “You were right, Miss Fitt. It is your duty, and you must do everything that you can. We all must. Now hurry.”

Jie dropped to the floor and flung clothes from a trunk. She shoved a pile in my arms. “These are Daniel’s smallest clothes, and here’s a wrapping for your chest, yeah?” She set a piece of white linen on top of the clothes. “You’ll have to wear my boots, though they’ll probably pinch.” She gave me a tight smile and added, “Good luck.” Then she moved to help Joseph with the electricity machine.

I clutched the clothes to my chest. “Should we ring the fire alarm—would it bring more help?”

“Perhaps,” Joseph answered. “And the Exhibition guards may be of some use.”

“And what about the police?”

“Stop talking,” Daniel snarled. He advanced on me, his face lined with anger. “Get changed.”

I stumbled back. “Yes.”

He pushed me toward the door. “And one more thing. You will do exactly as I say, do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Then stop standin’ there with that dumb look on your face. Get dressed. We have work to do.”

We went north for several miles until the sounds and lights of the city were long gone. The Schuylkill River at our right was barely visible in the clouded moonlight, but I could smell its aroma. A jumble of mud and river water laced with the spice of impending rain.

The trousers were both strange and liberating, as was the replacement of my corset with a linen wrap. I didn’t feel bare as I’d first feared. Instead I was keenly aware of the strength and flexibility in my legs, the ease with which I could breathe. I could run, jump, kick, fly. The thousands of opportunities that erupted with the unlacing of my corset were now stretched before me. But I stuck with the path that needed me most. One foot in front of the other with Daniel’s back ahead.

“Listen,” Daniel whispered. He had two empty burlap sacks slung on his back. “When we get there, I’ll need to scout a bit before I head in. There’s a fence around the property, and the factory sits right on the river’s shore. It’s constantly under guard, and if it’s like it used to be, then there’ll also be guards outside the fence. They circle every thirty minutes, so I don’t wanna try to jimmy the lock until I know their locations.”

“You said, ‘before I head in.’” I patted my chest. “What about me?”

“You’re going to stay outside.”

“Why can’t I come?”

“You’re backup, remember?”

I clenched my mouth shut.

“That’s what I thought.” He stopped walking, though he still bounced from foot to foot. Something flashed from his pocket, and he placed a warm piece of metal in my palm.

I looked down at a knife, glinting in the dim moonlight.