The City Of Death

Chapter Twenty-Four- Macy

I make it to the river just as the Vultures approach the trailhead. When I see them, a shiver runs down my spine. Ice runs through my veins, freezing me to the spot. They haven't seen me yet, so the possibility of running back up to the trail and to safety is still open. But running away would endanger all of the other Renegades, which I came here to avoid. I can't hear Atlas anymore, so he must still be on the cliff. If I'm lucky, we'll be long gone before he makes his way here. Taking a deep breath and steeling my face, I step out into the open. The Vultures all stop when they see me, and from here, I can see the corner of Lucifer's mouth lift into a smirk. 

"And here I thought getting to you would be a challenge. Instead, you deliver yourself to us," he laughs, and on his right side, Jezebel laughs. It's a cruel-sounding thing, and new ice runs through my veins. "Are you here to face the consequences of your actions?" 

"I'm here to negotiate," I answer, and Lucifer tilts his head in curiosity. That wasn't exactly the answer he was expecting, but he's curious what I have to say. "I'll leave with you. I'll go back to the City willingly if you only leave the rest of the Renegades alone." 

"You think you're that valuable?" Belial asks, and my head whips to him. I know they came for me, and now that I'm practically handing myself over, they don't even want to take it? I can't tell what game they're playing, but I'm going to find out. "Do you think we only came for you, Macy?" 

"I know you came for me. My Mark is gone, so you came to extract your failed spy," I say, and Lucifer hums in thought. 

"We did come for you, yes. But we didn't only come for you. There's someone else we came to find," he tells me. I try to hide my thoughts, but my face betrays my reaction. For a split second, my eyes go wide and my breath catches. I wipe my face clean, but judging by Lucifer's smirk, he saw it. They didn't just come for me. They're also here for Atlas. One way or another, my mission will be completed. If I'm smart, though, I can stop that from happening. If I play my cards right, I can convince them to walk away with only me. 

"You're wasting your time. You won't find him," I say. "You might as well just take the one person you do have." 

"Oh? Is that so? And what do you have that would convince us to leave the Renegades alone? I don't suppose you'll be willing to answer all of our questions?" Satanus asks. 

"I could tell you why you can't get to the Renegades, but it wouldn't matter. You still wouldn't be able to break through their defenses," I respond, turning back to Lucifer. "You won't find him. He knew you were coming. He's probably long gone, taking the Renegades somewhere safe." 

"Oh, I don't need to find him. He'll find you," Lucifer states. A retort forms on my tongue, but before I can unleash it, he shakes his head. "Don't forget, Macy, I've seen your mind. The distance and the Renegades' influence made it difficult at times, I'll admit. But I've seen enough. He'll come looking for you, and then we'll have what we want."

"I told him not to follow me," I lie. It's not a good lie and the seven blank stares I receive tell me that none of them believe me. My brain goes into overdrive, trying to figure out how to get away from this safely. If I run away, they'll follow me. They might not get far, but Atlas had a point. They might wait until there's a break in the protection. I have to go with them, but the hard part is trying to convince them to walk away with only me. Just as an Idea forms in my head, I hear a voice coming from the ridge, and my heart drops into my stomach. 

"Macy!" Atlas cries, and my breath catches in my throat. No, no, no. Getting out of this situation just got a whole lot harder. I look up to see him standing on the edge of the cliff, looking down on us. Israel is about ten steps behind him, almost like he's waiting for instruction. My eyes go wide, and my hands start to shake.