Chapter 70

Carl and his team rush to the Larracos College of Magic amid a siege by zarogoth mobs while gods approach the city. Donut locates the signal generator in the Piccadilly Theater, but becomes trapped in the Nest Tower; simultaneously, Louis is discovered paralyzed and bound in the Reaver Castle, prompting Samantha to rescue him while an unknown female crawler attacks the tower's lower levels.

Carl bursts into the saferoom to find Mordecai reading Anne of Green Gables to Ruby, a moment that weighs on him given the impending danger. The group quickly uses the doggie door to the Larracos gate, with Dong Quixote riding Gonk to the pet stables. They exit into chaos at the College of Magic's cafeteria on the 50th level, where the city is under siege by zarogoths—corrupted soul-based creatures resembling overweight ghouls made of black oil. Defense towers are powering up; Tower 22 will fire ten times per second in 13 minutes. Carl receives a terrifying update: the god Harpocrates has arrived, though he remains at the city's edge, stopped by changelings in ogre form at the Shanty Town threshold. Donut reports from the Nest Tower that another god, Yarilo, is also approaching. From the tower, Donut spots the signal antenna's reflection in a building across the way—it's hidden inside the Piccadilly Theater on the 9th level, shielded and about to be blocked by falling lava. Carl orders Donut to evacuate immediately. Juice Box and other Team Retribution officers arrive, including Britney with Ferdinand the cat. Juice Box urgently asks about her husband Louis, revealing genuine love for him. Carl discovers Louis is paralyzed and bound in the Reaver Castle. Juice Box offers Samantha any body she desires if she rescues him; Samantha makes a deal contingent on a "hall pass night" with Louis, claiming to know who Juice Box really is. As the group prepares to push toward the railing to bomb the generator, Donut reports she cannot leave the Nest Tower—a net has appeared around it. Simultaneously, messages indicate a female crawler with a dog is attacking the tower's lower levels, with Bomo, Toyotomi, and Sergeant Bret S dying in defense.