Mouse didn’t speak, she just continued, examining each corridor briefly before finally turning down one, just as the lift doors opened again. Niel saw the men wrestling a huge statue inside on a wheeled dolly before he followed her. He waited, wondering if he’d hear shouts or evidence of pursuit, his agitation and worry abnormally exaggerated because of the horn, but fortunately he hadn’t been spotted, and he found Mouse entering another storeroom.

“This is the one, I’m sure.”

He waited by the door while she searched the room. It was similar to the others they’d seen, containing big cabinets and long shelving. In here, though, there weren’t any boxes. Instead, a range of textiles and paintings in frames were stacked haphazardly. What a waste. So much art going unseen. He should just smash it all. That would teach them.

Niel gasped in shock at his thoughts. Damn Belial. He was certain that being surrounded by old objects was intensifying his experience, but perhaps that was just stupidity. It really shouldn’t make any difference at all.

“Niel! Over here!” Mouse summoned him with a raised whisper, and he hurried to her side.

A large, round metal cover was set into the floor, a padlock securing it in place. It was also partially covered by a long worktable. No wonder they couldn’t have entered that way.

“I’ll unlock the padlock,” Mouse said, already on her hands and knees, lock picks in her hand, her face covering removed once more, “while you move the table.”

Preparations complete, Niel lifted the heavy cover with a grunt of exertion, and edged it aside. Below was blackness, and the pungent scent of damp welled up to them. He flattened against the floor, gripped the edge, and peered inside, and as his eyes adjusted to the light, saw the reason why it was so hard to enter.

“For fuck’s sake, Mouse,” he hissed, “we’re thirty feet off the ground!”

“I know.” She crouched opposite him. “There used to be access, a ladder, I think; however, this cistern was dug very deep, and it’s been built on over the centuries. Now there’s just a big drop, but seeing as you can fly—”

“How do you know that there’s a way out? It could be our tomb!”

“I found a way in through the other end. We’re actually very close to one of the cisterns that’s open to the public. We can exit to the street that way.”

Niel didn’t speak as he once again assessed the space. Below, he could discern the inky sheen of water, and enormous stone columns emerged from it to support a vaulted roof. There was plenty of space to fly, at least in the area he could see. The hatch he was looking through was set into the roof at the side of the room, and he could see evidence of where ladders had once been fixed to the wall.

He looked up at her, suddenly amused at the situation. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I want to get out without being chased or arrested. Yes!”

“You’re plucky, I’ll give you that. Potentially insane, but that works, too.” And at least he’d have an excuse to hold her again. “Okay, I can’t get in this hatch with my wings visible, which means I’m going to have to hang from the rim, then extend them. There is no way I can carry the box and you, so the horn will have to be wedged into my backpack. You will hand me the pack, then you have to clamber down and wrap yourself around me. You face me, and wrap your legs around my waist. Then you can make sure the backpack doesn’t fall off.”

“I have to hold the backpack and you?” She looked down at the drop and then at him again. “That’s a big fall if lose my grip.”

He smirked, feeling like he was getting his own back for the Taser incident. “Don’t you trust me?”

“Yes, or I wouldn’t have suggested it!”

“But the reality of it is becoming clear, right? Don’t worry, I’ll hold you. Whether I keep holding you when I think of what you did to me is another matter.”

Her lips twisted with annoyance, and she jabbed him in the shoulder with her finger. “I told you, I did it to save you! When will you listen to me? I could wait here, let you exit in a blaze of fucking glory upstairs, and sneak out tomorrow, but no, I’m here, helping!”

That poke in the shoulder was enough to give him a thrill of desire again. Oh yes, he liked Mouse a lot. She was feisty, and the urge to kiss her was strong. Plus, she’d apologised plenty of times, so maybe it was time to move on. Time to flirt, instead. “You’re just wanting to wrap yourself around my bare chest again. I get it. I look great naked.”

A gleam of amusement flashed in her beautiful, almond eyes. “Perhaps we should talk about that another time.”

“I like the sound of that.” He leapt to his feet, stripped his jacket and t-shirt off, and then pulled the horn from the box again. Its touch slithered over his skin, but he ignored the sensation and quickly wrapped it in his clothes and stashed them in his backpack. He couldn’t zip it closed completely, and the wrapped horn stuck out of the top, but it was reasonably secure. “Pass it to me when I’m ready.”

He clambered into the open hatch, fingers gripping the rim, muscles straining as he hung from it. He unfurled his wings carefully, angling slightly backwards so he was almost horizontal as he looked up at Mouse’s pensive face, because his wings extended above his head. This was far trickier than he’d expected. He couldn’t even use his wings to brace himself. The columns weren’t close enough.

“You’re going to have to wear the backpack,” he told her.

She didn’t question it, instead securing it tightly. “What now?”

“Lower yourself onto me, and grip very tightly.”

“This is insane. You’re taking up most of the space.”

“Too late to change your mind now, so please, just get on with it! And just so you know, I’m going to drop pretty quickly.”

Mouse rolled over the hatch, wrapped her arms around his neck while her legs braced on the rim, and said, “I can’t get my legs in!”

By now, despite his considerable strength, the weird angle was proving too tricky to maintain. “Hold on tight, and when you can, wrap your legs around my waist.”

Her face was inches from his, her eyes wide with genuine terror. He dropped, leaning backwards to allow her legs to slide through the gap, and they plummeted through blackness together. His arms wrapped around her body, clutching her to his chest as she screamed shrilly in his ear. With a flap of his huge wings, he suspended their fall, and she tucked her legs up like a gymnast, gripping his waist.

“Fucking fuckery!” she said, breath hot against his ear. “That was insane.”

He adjusted his grip, so that his arms were wrapped around her and the backpack, the swell of her breasts tight against his chest. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. Are you ready? It’s going to get twisty.”

Fortunately, the columns were set far apart, and he weaved through them, heading towards a tunnel that was lower than the vaulted roof. The columns seemed sturdy enough, but moss lay thick in places.

“How can you see where you’re going?” she asked, her breath coming in quick, sharp bursts. “This is terrifying.”

“I can see in the dark. Don’t worry. I’m aiming for a tunnel lower down—is that the right direction?”

“Yes.” She steadied as she talked. “I think you can fly through it. There is water on the ground, but it’s shallow. It leads to another cistern, just like this, and then there’s another tunnel that’s gated at the far end. That connects with the next cistern that opens to the public.”

“And you travelled through here on foot? On your own? I’m impressed.”

“You don’t know half of what I get up to.”

“I’d like to,” he said, lips brushing her ear.

She didn’t answer, but she seemed to settle more closely to him, legs tightening around his waist. Then again, she was hardly likely to pull away.

He flew through the tunnel, which was just wide enough to accommodate his wings, eventually soaring into the next cistern. It was as stunning as the last one. It seemed incredible that humans had designed such beautiful places that were just meant to be filled with water. He wished he could linger, but focussed instead on getting them out of there. When they finally reached the gated entrance, he dropped to his feet, finding that the water came up to his knees.

“Let me open the lock again.” Mouse slid down him, her breath catching. “Give me some light.”

He took the pack from her, and in a few more moments they were through and Niel relaxed. He’d become used to the horn, and the effects seemed to diminish. Perhaps it was the circumstances, and he suspected it wouldn’t last, but he’d enjoy it while it did. He took a moment to orientate himself, noting how this cistern had been cleaned, and walkways erected. Columns stretched ahead, and he couldn’t see the way out.

“Where now?”

She pointed across the chamber using her torch. “That way. There are steps up to street level. We’ll have to break out of the main entrance, but it opens on to the road, and then we can return to the hotel. But first, I want to show you something.”

Rather than fly, they walked, using torches to highlight the details, and a peculiar feeling of peace descended over him. They were almost out. He’d secured the horn, avoided pursuit—for now—and he was with Mouse. And neither of them was unduly influenced by Belial yet.

The cistern was huge, and she chatted while they walked, talking about the cistern’s history. When they reached the top of the steps, she flicked a bank of switches, and light bloomed through the chamber.