Considering how powerful Cyril was and how many people he’d helped, Vale was ready to bet that Meridian had probably heard of him, but that depended on how isolated they were.Iris made it sound like they lived on top of a mountain, but if Meridian used email, they might keep up with the world outside of their home.
Either way, they needed to talk to Meridian.Vale wasn’t sure how they’d do it, but Rachel was always up for a challenge, and after it took her two days to find Iris, he was sure she’d want to try her hand at this.She’d taken how long it had taken to find Iris personally.
He didn’t like any of this.While everything pointed to Meridian not being the killer, there was a chance they might be, and Vale felt like he was putting Cyril in danger.The problem was that they didn’t have an alternative.They didn’t have any other way to get answers.
“Tell us everything you know about Meridian, please,” Cyril said.“I understand what you’re saying, and I promise I’m not trying to cross the Threshold, but I need to know how to avoid it and what’s going to happen if I can’t.Unfortunately for me, I always seem to end up in trouble, and considering that, there’s a good chance that I’ll be pushed closer to the Threshold.”
“You need to avoid that as hard as you can,” Iris warned him.
“I will.I promise.I’m just not sure that this killer will allow me to do that.”
That gave Iris pause.“Do you know anything about the killer?”
“I don’t, but now that I know what was happening to Marcus and Diana and what I heard the killer say, I’m willing to bet that he knows about the Threshold.It sounds like he might be killing necromancers who are close to it or are getting close, and that might include you.”
Iris fell silent.Vale wanted to push, but he knew better.When she sighed, he knew that Cyril had won.It was bittersweet because Vale wished they hadn’t needed to win this fight.
“I know the general area where Meridian is.It’s an abandoned island.”
Vale blinked.An abandoned island?
Rachel was going to have a field day with that.
* * * *
CYRIL AND VALE LEFTIris’s cottage with vague directions to Meridian.All Iris had been able to tell them was that it was up north from her and that Meridian lived on an abandoned island.Cyril was incredibly confused.
What kind of island was this?Had people lived there before?They had to because, otherwise, it wouldn’t be abandoned; it just wouldn’t have been lived in.How had Meridian found the place?How were they living there on their own?Were they so isolated that they didn’t have electricity or running water?That was a possibility, but Cyril didn’t like it.Why was Meridian keeping themselves so isolated?Were they really dangerous?What did that even mean?
Iris had said that Meridian had returned changed from having crossed the Threshold.Changed how?And what about the Threshold?Cyril knew it wasn’t physical since they were talking about death, but how did one cross it?More importantly, how did one ensure theydidn’tcross it?
“That was something,” Vale said once they were both back in the car.
Cyril snorted as he watched the cottage.He could see Iris behind one of the windows, watching them back.He wondered if he should wave.They weren’t friends, but he liked her, and he had the feeling that she was a little bit lonely.She would be since she was isolating herself, although not as much as Meridian.
“I’m not sure we learned anything useful,” he said.He liked Iris, but he was glad when Vale turned the engine on.He wanted to go home, grab Oscar, and not let go of him for a few hours.He needed to spend a little time with Vale, possibly not thinking about what a mess this was and that he might die or go mad in the next few weeks.Iris hadn’t said how long it would take him to reach the Threshold, or even if there was a way for him to stop that from happening.From what he’d learned today, his ability was changing and bringing him closer to it every time he used it.
The problem was that he didn’t want to stop.
He was a necromancer.He’d been one his entire life, and he didn’t know how not to be one.What was he supposed to do if he wasn’t using his ability to help people?
It wasn’t even about the money, though that was something he did wonder about.He knew that whatever happened, Vale would support him.Even if Cyril decided not to work another day in his life, he wouldn’t go hungry.Being a necromancer was part of who he was, though.He didn’t want to give that up, but the thought of what might happen terrified him.
That was why he needed to talk to Meridian.He wanted to know what would happen if he reached the Threshold or if he crossed it.He suspected he wouldn’t have a choice, not with a killer around.If the man had decided that Marcus and Diana were dangerous, there was no way he wouldn’t come after Cyril.It was a question of when that happened.
“I think Meridian will have answers for us,” Vale said.“I’m just not sure they want to give us those answers.Iris was a bit cagey when it came to talking about the Threshold.”
“Well, she didn’t cross it.”
“Only because she stopped using her ability.That’s not something you’re willing to do.”
Cyril loved that his boyfriend knew him this well.“It doesn’t mean I’m going to cross it, though.”
“But you might, and I want to be ready for that.We both should be.”
Cyril could only agree.He already knew that coming close to the Threshold would happen.He had to prepare for it, and that was where Meridian came in.Hopefully, they’d have answers.Hopefully, they’d share with Cyril how they’d changed and why they thought they were dangerous.Cyril needed to know all of that before he got anywhere closer to the Threshold.
Having a killer coming after him didn’t help, but Cyril suspected that the more they knew about the Threshold and what happened there, the better they’d be placed to find out who this killer was.It was clear that they were killing necromancers whose abilities were changing, and Cyril was surprised they hadn’t come after him yet.Maybe it was because they hadn’t had the opportunity.From what Cyril had seen, both Marcus and Diana had lived alone.Cyril didn’t.He not only had Vale, but also Oscar.
