NICOLE SNATCHED THE horn from Sarah’s hands and moved cautiously toward the blood splatter that was all that was left of the ram. “Wait!” Sarah called, rushing after her. “Shouldn’t we have some sort of plan just in case there are algifs, or something worse, inside the city?”
Hopper moved slowly up beside her, hunched over from the pain in his back. “Sarah,” he said calmly, “the city has been abandoned for thousands of years. Whatever danger caused these elves to seal off the city is long dead.”
Sarah could see the pain in his eyes. “I guess that makes sense. But the magic that disintegrated that ram was powerful. Let’s take it slow. We can’t save Mikado if we’re dead.”
“That’s exactly what you will be if you enter that city,” Cabal’s voice came from behind them.
They turned as one to
