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Suck in the spirit, speak the words,
Let secrets of the dead be heard.
The second victim was as unhelpful as the first. The only question he was able to answer was “How did you die?”
“Don’t know . . . was there, then . . . eating at me . . .”
I frowned and glanced over at the others, who looked as puzzled as I did. The soul vanished before I could ask what it meant. The Corpse Talker moved to the third victim, who was gone, and the fourth, who also had joined her ancestors. The fifth, however, gave us a little more to go on.
“What killed you?” I asked after the ritual kiss.
In the same rustling voice all spirits used, the Corpse Talker said, “Demon. A demon. I could smell it. I was so afraid . . .”
I stared at the body. This man had realized it had been a demon. “How did you die?”
“Something entered my mind and ate away at me until it broke through the silver cord that tethered me to my body.”
Delilah had mentioned feeling like there was something crawling around in her brain. Could it have been looking for her cord?
Curious as to how the man had recognized it as a demon, I asked, “What were you when you were alive? What did you do?”
“I worked in Y’Vaiylestar as a seer for the Court and Crown. They sent me over Earthside to do research . . .” His voice began to fade. “Mother—” was the last word he said, and then he vanished, and I knew that he’d gone to his ancestors. Grateful his mother had come for him, I rested my hand lightly on his.
After a moment we led the Corpse Talker to the two victims Chase had called us about, but they, too, had vanished to the Land of the Silver Falls. The Corpse Talker stood silent, then turned to Sharah, who nodded.
“Come with me,” she said. “I’ll take you to a place where you can wait until I . . . procure your payment.”
As they headed out the door, Chase shuddered. “All of their hearts?”
Camille shook her head. “Only of those whose souls she actually touched. It’s the rite. Communion with the dead through the consumption of the heart.”
“Why not of those who she couldn’t reach?” he asked.
“Keeps them honest,” I said with a short laugh. “Prevents deception. Or maybe they have no interest in the hearts of those who were already gone. I don’t know, and I doubt anybody knows the answer.”
Chase frowned, then pushed it aside. “So what did we find out? The last one seemed to know we were up against demons. And he said that it ate him up?”
I nodded. “My bet is that the thing sucks souls dry.”
At that moment, Sharah entered the room, carrying a pan and several opaque plastic bags. “I’m going to excise their hearts. I suggest you leave unless you want to watch me prepare dinner for our guest.” She had a faint look of disgust on her face. Elves didn’t like Corpse Talkers and vice versa, but she’d do what was necessary.
Chase was at the door in a flash. “Come on, let’s check on the survivors.”
We followed.
As she brushed past Sharah, Camille laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, and the elf gave her a brave smile. Sharah’s job had turned out to be incredibly bloody compared to what she could be doing at home in Elqaneve. Though she was Queen Asteria’s niece, she chose to stick it out here for the greater good.
One of the survivors was fading fast, his vital signs dropping even as we stood by his bed. The other drifted in and out of consciousness, barely coherent.
“It’s in my mind,” he whispered. “I can feel it . . .”
“Whatever we’re dealing with is still feeding on their life energy,” I said.
Vanzir spoke up. “It’s probably trying to spawn as much fear as possible. Fear spurs on adrenaline, meaning more energy.”
“He’s right,” Camille said.
“Okay,” Chase said. “So we have a passel of demons that can get inside your mind and feed on it, then can drain you of your life without a scratch. But why did Delilah show wounds?”
