Page 119 of Dead Vengeance

“They make them so fancy these days. Perfect for any necromancer’s office.”

I cackle out a laugh that brings that grin back across his handsome face. “Does the dust come with it?”

“Hey, I’ve been very busy. Yet still managed to keep the vibe.” He throws me a wink, then he flips the book open.

My smile dies on my lips.

There, in huge, glossy, full colour, is a face I’d recognise anywhere.

It’s a picture of an Aztec mask, enormous eyes staring back at me. It’s made from a skull. A real human skull that still has its teeth, only it’s covered in a mosaic of tiny shards of stone. A band across the eyes is set green and blue in turquoise. Another band just the same runs along the line of the mouth, those unmistakably real teeth grinning back at me. The rest is black, shining, tiny pieces of obsidian all over.

It’s unmistakable.

This is the face that’s haunted my days and nights since I walked in Archer’s door.

“That’s him,” I whisper, pulse throbbing so hard it’s making me dizzy.

Archer does a double take between me and the image. “That’s who?”

“That’s him!” I shout at him. “That’s it! That’s the thing! The thing in your attic. That’s the creature who’s been haunting us.”

“What?” He studies the page, looks back at me like I’m mad. “No. That’s Tezcatlipoca.”

“No, that’s the thing upstairs.”

“No, that’s…” His eyes grow large, then he falls silent. Deathly silent, like whatever he might say next is going to seal both our fates.

After too long of a time, all that comes out is a soft and low, “Liam, are you sure?”

“I’m dead sure,” I promise him. “I’d stake my life on it.”

He swallows. “Okay, maybe don’t say that.”

“Sorry.”

“Okay. Okay.” Sweeping his fingers into his hair. “Okay. We’re just slightly… a little bit… um…”

“Fucked?”

“Fucked. Yeah. Maybe quite fucked.”

“Fuck.”

“Fuck.”

“Fuck. Okay. How bad is this?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do we do?”

“I don’t know. What do you think we do?”

“I don’t know! What do we do?”

“I don’t know! Shit.”

“Shit!” I pace all of two steps away, then I’m right back by his side. “Well, you’re the necromancer. Can’t you use y-your necromancy skills to… to…”