Chapter 31: The Prize

I balk, want to shout at him we can't fly, only to find myself heaved over the side to land with a clatter on a rusting fire escape. The dog comes at me as if he too has been thrown, landing hard on my chest. I grasp for him, hold him tight to keep him safe. The railing behind me is missing, fallen away, a large gap below me. Beckett lands beside me as the metal groans under our weight.

It's a very long way down.

"Go," he snaps, grabbing the dog from my arms. I secure the book inside my jacket before drawing a breath and leaping down the distance to the next step. Its unhappy protest is an empty threat, at least so far. I reach up, accept the dog from Beckett and retreat down three steps so he can join me.

We both shout out a warning, mine in words, the dog's an anxious bark as someone lunges out the window at Beckett, but the Howl is too slow, too late. Beckett lands hard on the step which finally lets go, but not before he skips down to the next.