Page 94

Everything died, and here was an undeniable reminder.

A skull mask, translucent, overlaid Vic’s features. The scythe came last, formed from the shadow stuff, from the void. The blade unfurled and gleamed, dully and cool, like a perfect slice of moonlight.

Cole’s soul flitted back and forth, as if seeking a perch in a cage it could no longer find.

Vic extended a hand wrapped in bone and curled it around the soul.

He brought it to his mouth, whispered to it, before tilting his head to hold it to his ear.

This went on, question, answer, question, answer, until at last, Vic closed his hand and snuffed out the butterfly’s mossy light.

The Reaper receded, fading as quickly as it had come. The flow of time returned, and the sounds, the little noises, rushed back into place.

The entire thing had only taken a moment. Adam and Jodi had seen it before so he expected her to be in better shape than Emily, but when he looked, she wasn’t nearly as shaken as Dautre. The elf had gone pale.

Emily took his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

“Well?” Jodi asked Vic. “What did he say?

“You’re not going to like it.” He pulled out a chair and gestured for them to do the same.

Adam hadn’t noticed how tired Vic looked until then.

He’d worked a double, but it had to be more than that. Sometimes he forgot that Vic also had a second, supernatural job. In the moment, Adam felt pretty shitty for asking him to do this.

It could have waited until the morning. He could have let Vic get a good night’s sleep.

No one else sat. Adam went to start the electric kettle. He could at least make Vic some tea.

Vic turned his eye to the empty jar.

“He was proud of what he’d done, said it was the only way to make a change, to tear it all down. He would have ranted on like that forever if I’d let him.”

“Damn him,” Jodi spat. “Why the concert? What about Cathedra?”

“It was a crowd of witches. He figured they’d be able to snare a dozen souls. He wanted more bottles, to go bigger, but that was all he could get at the market.”

“Did he say who his seller was?” Adam asked.

“He said he bought them from the imps.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Adam growled. “Wendy and Joey?”

“That’s what he said.”

“Where did he get the plan and the rituals?” Jodi asked, prompting them to look at her. She shrugged. “What? He wasn’t smart enough to come up with this on his own.”

“And someone had to tell him about the banshees,” Adam said. “I get the sense Wilcox didn’t know about this.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t Wilcox. This was a pivot, a way to go bigger when Wilcox failed. The guy didn’t have a name. He claims they communicated by email, but he also said he’s not the only one.”

“That tracks. We know Cole was already in the bottle when the attack at the Night Market happened, and we haven’t found those jars yet.”

Emily hugged herself.

“So whoever is behind it is still out there.”

“It seems so.”