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“That’s because zombies are little more than flesh marionettes for whoever raised them. Wraiths are returned from the dead rather than simply raised, and they’re fully capable mentally and physically. They should have some form of energy output, even if it is different to what they had in life.”
“Huh.” Once the coffee machine had finished doing its stuff, I did a quick clean, then picked up my cup and moved across to the counter.
As I did, a premonition hit.
Hard.
I stumbled and would have fallen had Eli not moved with lightning speed to catch me. The cup dropped from my fingers and smashed on the floor, the coffee spraying across the bright white tiles, glistening as brightly as the blood in the vision.
For several seconds, that was all I could see. Then, gradually, it dissolved into darkness, firelight, and magic so foul it made me gag.
I could hear Belle and Eli talking, knew I was being guided across to a chair, but the image was all consuming and I had no power to speak or move on my own. I could only watch as the image shifted abruptly, and my field of vision widened. I was in a wide green field. The fire I’d seen stood at one end of a stone oval. On a stone in front of it was a gutted rabbit, its carcass smoldering in the heat of the flames. Another gutted rabbit had been placed at the opposite end of the oval. The rocks connecting the two were covered in blood and entrails. As was the man who lay within the circle.
He was pale skinned, had crimson hair, and was well built despite the beginnings of a paunch.
The image swirled upward again and focused in on the stranger’s face.
Only it wasn't a stranger.
It was my brother, Julius.
Chapter Eight
“It’s Juli,” I said, when I could. “He’s the next target.”
Eli squatted in front of me, his hands on my knees, as if to keep me from sliding off the chair. “We already knew—”
“No, I mean, yes, but he’ll die tonight if we don’t find a way to stop it.” I drew in a sharp shuddering breath. “We need to find him. Now.”
“Your mom will have his phone number,” Belle said.
I was shaking my head before she’d finished. “Ringing won’t do any good. He’s not going to believe me face-to-face, let alone over the phone.”
“I have his home address,” Ashworth said as he strode into the room. “I got the address of their listed—and unlisted—residences the minute we knew what was happening.”
“Such a clever man,” Belle said.
“He does have his moments,” Eli said, voice wry. “I’ll go find Saska.”
He pushed to his feet and hurried out. I drew in another deep breath and then glanced at Belle. “You’ll have to remain here.”
She nodded. “Juli’s mood was never improved by my fabulous presence.”
“I think he always felt threatened by you.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Why on earth would he fear me?”
“Did you not make him strip off and run naked around the street once?”
She laughed. “God, we weren’t even teenagers then, and it happened well before he came into his full power.”
“Yeah, but it left an indelible mark on his pride.” I walked into the laundry to grab a mop. “His power has no counter for your telepathy, and he’s never forgotten it.”
“Leave that, lass,” Ashworth said. “I’ll deal with the mess later.”
“The coffee will stain the white grout, so I’d rather get the bulk of it up now.” Besides, it took my mind off the images that were still flickering through the darker recesses of my mind. If I didn’t get to Juli soon, he’d die. I might hate my brother, but not to the point of death.
Ashworth took the mop from me and began to clean up the mess. “What did you see?”
