They took the stairs two at a time, Luci ghosting between them, the air getting colder as Alexei let the temperature fall without thinking about it.
Breath fogged in front of their mouths. Frost traced the rails where his hand brushed them.
A man in a helmet burst around the next landing and stopped dead when he saw them. He lifted his rifle.
Zubair was already moving.
He hit the man high and hard, took the rifle, and threw the soldier into the two behind him.
All three went down in a tangle.
Alexei flicked his wrist and a thin sheet of ice ran over the steps under them. Boots lost grip. Bodies slid.
Zubair grabbed the first one by the vest and bounced his head off the wall. Luci took the second by the throat and dragged him backward, growling deep, satisfied.
The third tried to crawl. Alexei put a heel on his calf and pushed until the bone popped. The scream cut short when Zubair's hand closed.
