An elf enters a street-race tournament to escape a corrupt city trapped in endless night.
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|| Voltyss is one of the last-standing cities caught in the Evernight, an endless night that spread across the land when the moon and stars fell from the...
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The House of Teeth's warehouse is tucked behind their main complex on Dead River's edge. The river used to be named after one of the extinct dragons, but the new name took hold when the black sky's reflection turned the water into an inky darkness rumored to be laced with death. There's no proof that part though.
The warehouse is one of the taller buildings in this part of the district, wide and windowless with one ladder stretching down the back of the building for roof access. My crew is nestled close inside the parked, double-wide zoomer Macon picked us up in, and Gidget is typing away on her portable mediadesk she's set up in the open backseat area. We've waited until late into the sleeping hours to make our move, the time finally arriving once Gidget stops typing on her glass keyboard.
"I'm done hacking the exterior cams," she says as she pops her knuckles. "I've got the last half-hour playing on loop, so we only have thirty minutes until every cam returns to normal. Let's hope we're long gone by then." She reaches into a small bag and pulls out three ear-pieces, handing them to Macon, Tiny, and I. "We'll be able to communicate with these. I won't have eyes on the inside, so keep me updated while I keep the Teeth's cybershield down."
"Aye-aye Captain," Macon says with a mock salute. We're all so close together that he nearly pokes Tiny in the eye.
I twist the circular earpiece into my ear, cringing when a high-pitched beep nearly shatters my eardrum. Tiny squeals as he rips the piece from his ear and Macon lets off a string of curses.
"Holy shit, Gidget," he says, his breathing heavy. "What was that?"
"Sorry," she says, her face twisting with guilt. "Mic feedback. I should've turned the earpieces on before you put them in." She glances at her screen which now says twenty-nine minutes. "Clock's ticking people. Get out."
Macon opens the back door and three of us exit the zoomer, leaving Gidget and Zero behind to keep watch.
Tiny hikes two thick white ropes over his massive shoulders, his fingers trembling as we move forward toward the warehouse. Without thinking, I reach out and take his clammy hand in mine. He looks down at me, surprise filling his bottomless black eyes.
"You don't have to go in there if you don't want to," I whisper to him as we creep forward. "The Nether should knock them all out, so Macon and I should be able to handle it. In and out."
"I-I can't let you guys go in there alone," he whispers back. "W-What if something goes wrong?"
"Then maybe it will be better if you're watching from above. Do you think you can do that? Watch our backs? Get the zoomer early if anything goes wrong?"
"I can do that." Tiny gives my hand a squeeze before dropping it, then grips the ropes draped over his shoulder as we reach the ladder.
"Would you like to go first?" Macon asks me with a wag of his scarred eyebrow.
