“And what about me?” I turned in surprise. Ansel was walking toward Logan slowly, his hands still hidden in his pockets. “Do I get an apology?”
Logan tilted his head, frowning. “I suppose. . . .”
“You suppose?” Ansel began to laugh. A thin, horrible sound. “You killed my mother. You might as well have killed me for all that you left alive.”
“You look quite well to me,” Logan said. “And as for your mother, that wasn’t my—”
His words became a shriek as Ansel lunged, pulling pruning shears from his pocket and swinging his arm down with all the force he could muster. Ansel was fast, but Anika’s reflexes were even faster. She dove forward, wrapping her arms around Ansel’s waist. Thrown off balance, Ansel’s blow left a long gash along Logan’s shoulder. Unchecked, it would have pierced his throat.
“Ethan!” Anika jerked Ansel around and shoved him into Ethan’s waiting arms. “Get him out of here. Find Tess. We’ll deal with this later.”
Ethan hauled Ansel out the door. Sabine didn’t even bother to make an excuse. She simply followed Ethan without another word.
I started to go after them, but Bryn caught my arm. “I’ll help. You need to be here—something’s going on. I’m not sure what, but Logan has a bigger issue on his mind. I’ll stay with Ansel.”
Part of me wanted to argue. Ansel was a live wire, dangerous and unpredictable. I wanted to talk him down. But I also knew that Tess and Bryn were probably the better ones to soothe my brother. He still viewed me as part of the reason he was no longer a Guardian.
“I’m going too,” Mason said, taking Bryn’s hand. “I just can’t be here.”
“You want me to come?” Nev asked.
Mason shook his head. “I’ll be okay. Fill me in later.”
“Is someone going to help me?” Logan’s hand was pressed against his shoulder. “I’m bleeding!”
“It looks good on you,” Ren said.
“I’m sure Ethan will send an Elixir,” Anika said calmly. “You won’t bleed out in the meantime.”
Logan’s eyes bulged.
“What else do you have to tell us, Logan?” I asked. “Because an apology is pretty much a waste of our time. Your words don’t hold much stock with us.”
“Fine.” Logan straightened as much as he could while still cradling his injured shoulder. “I want to help you.”
“Help us how?” Shay asked.
“I’m more interested in the why than the how,” Ren said.
Logan smiled, regaining some of his confidence. “Like I said before, I’ve come to respect your skills, and I’ve learned quite a bit about the Searchers.”
“Have you?” Anika folded her arms across her chest.
“Only by accident,” Logan said. “The entire building has been buzzing with news of your last mission.”
He looked at Shay, his eyes wandering up to the sword strapped across Shay’s back. “Congratulations.”
Shay shifted on his feet, regarding Logan warily.
“This turn of events has forced me to consider my own position,” Logan continued. “I’m a betting man, and I’d wager that your side will win this war.”
Though I didn’t want to, I gasped. That was the last thing I’d expected Logan to say.
“You’re hardly a man,” Nev spat, unaffected by the gravity of Logan’s statement. “You’re a spoiled, arrogant boy and now you’re afraid. That’s all.”
“That’s true,” Logan said. “Well—the part about being afraid. I’m going to ignore the rest of what you said . . . for civility’s sake.”
“You’re afraid?” I asked, not quite able to keep the smile off my face. A Keeper afraid of Guardians. That might have been the best thing I’d ever heard.
“Of course I am.” Logan met my eyes and I knew he wasn’t lying. “The writing is on the wall. It probably was the moment you stopped Shay’s sacrifice at Samhain. He has one of the swords. He’ll soon wield the Elemental Cross.”
“And the Keepers will be no more,” Anika said.
Logan shrugged. “The odds seem to be stacking in your favor.”
“You don’t seem too upset at your impending doom.” Ren’s laughter was cold.
“That’s because I’m hoping to alter my own fate,” Logan said.
“And how would you do that?” Shay asked. “Your legacy isn’t working for you.”
“Actually . . .” Logan smiled slowly. “I believe it will.”
Anika was standing directly over Logan, staring down at him. “What are you offering?”
“In the final battle when you face Bosque,” Logan said. “It needs to be at the Rift’s current location. Correct?”
Anika nodded.
“I know where it is.”
“We can simply force you to tell us that,” Anika said.
“But you know that’s not enough.” Logan was smiling now. “Don’t you?”
Anika didn’t reply, but her eyes narrowed.
“The location you could probably figure out for yourself. Even if it took longer than you’d like,” Logan continued. “It’s at Rowan Estate, after all.”
“We suspected it might be,” Anika said, but the Guardians were exchanging puzzled glances.
“What is the Rift?” Ren asked.
“The gateway by which the Harbinger and his minions entered this world,” Anika replied. “It was opened at the turn of the fifteenth century, but the beast moved it at his pleasure, so we were never certain where its current location might be.”
“And the gateway has to be closed,” Shay said slowly. “That’s how you win the war.”
Anika smiled at him grimly. “That is part of how we win.”
“It’s also how you get your parents back,” Logan added.
“What?” Shay whirled, staring at him.
“The Rift can only remain open by way of a ritual sacrifice,” Logan said. “That sacrifice, for the time being, was your parents.”
Shay’s jaw clenched. “You said my parents were alive.”
“They are.” Logan glanced at Anika. “I don’t suppose you could get me some more cigarettes?”
Logan tilted his head, frowning. “I suppose. . . .”
“You suppose?” Ansel began to laugh. A thin, horrible sound. “You killed my mother. You might as well have killed me for all that you left alive.”
“You look quite well to me,” Logan said. “And as for your mother, that wasn’t my—”
His words became a shriek as Ansel lunged, pulling pruning shears from his pocket and swinging his arm down with all the force he could muster. Ansel was fast, but Anika’s reflexes were even faster. She dove forward, wrapping her arms around Ansel’s waist. Thrown off balance, Ansel’s blow left a long gash along Logan’s shoulder. Unchecked, it would have pierced his throat.
“Ethan!” Anika jerked Ansel around and shoved him into Ethan’s waiting arms. “Get him out of here. Find Tess. We’ll deal with this later.”
Ethan hauled Ansel out the door. Sabine didn’t even bother to make an excuse. She simply followed Ethan without another word.
I started to go after them, but Bryn caught my arm. “I’ll help. You need to be here—something’s going on. I’m not sure what, but Logan has a bigger issue on his mind. I’ll stay with Ansel.”
Part of me wanted to argue. Ansel was a live wire, dangerous and unpredictable. I wanted to talk him down. But I also knew that Tess and Bryn were probably the better ones to soothe my brother. He still viewed me as part of the reason he was no longer a Guardian.
“I’m going too,” Mason said, taking Bryn’s hand. “I just can’t be here.”
“You want me to come?” Nev asked.
Mason shook his head. “I’ll be okay. Fill me in later.”
“Is someone going to help me?” Logan’s hand was pressed against his shoulder. “I’m bleeding!”
“It looks good on you,” Ren said.
“I’m sure Ethan will send an Elixir,” Anika said calmly. “You won’t bleed out in the meantime.”
Logan’s eyes bulged.
“What else do you have to tell us, Logan?” I asked. “Because an apology is pretty much a waste of our time. Your words don’t hold much stock with us.”
“Fine.” Logan straightened as much as he could while still cradling his injured shoulder. “I want to help you.”
“Help us how?” Shay asked.
“I’m more interested in the why than the how,” Ren said.
Logan smiled, regaining some of his confidence. “Like I said before, I’ve come to respect your skills, and I’ve learned quite a bit about the Searchers.”
“Have you?” Anika folded her arms across her chest.
“Only by accident,” Logan said. “The entire building has been buzzing with news of your last mission.”
He looked at Shay, his eyes wandering up to the sword strapped across Shay’s back. “Congratulations.”
Shay shifted on his feet, regarding Logan warily.
“This turn of events has forced me to consider my own position,” Logan continued. “I’m a betting man, and I’d wager that your side will win this war.”
Though I didn’t want to, I gasped. That was the last thing I’d expected Logan to say.
“You’re hardly a man,” Nev spat, unaffected by the gravity of Logan’s statement. “You’re a spoiled, arrogant boy and now you’re afraid. That’s all.”
“That’s true,” Logan said. “Well—the part about being afraid. I’m going to ignore the rest of what you said . . . for civility’s sake.”
“You’re afraid?” I asked, not quite able to keep the smile off my face. A Keeper afraid of Guardians. That might have been the best thing I’d ever heard.
“Of course I am.” Logan met my eyes and I knew he wasn’t lying. “The writing is on the wall. It probably was the moment you stopped Shay’s sacrifice at Samhain. He has one of the swords. He’ll soon wield the Elemental Cross.”
“And the Keepers will be no more,” Anika said.
Logan shrugged. “The odds seem to be stacking in your favor.”
“You don’t seem too upset at your impending doom.” Ren’s laughter was cold.
“That’s because I’m hoping to alter my own fate,” Logan said.
“And how would you do that?” Shay asked. “Your legacy isn’t working for you.”
“Actually . . .” Logan smiled slowly. “I believe it will.”
Anika was standing directly over Logan, staring down at him. “What are you offering?”
“In the final battle when you face Bosque,” Logan said. “It needs to be at the Rift’s current location. Correct?”
Anika nodded.
“I know where it is.”
“We can simply force you to tell us that,” Anika said.
“But you know that’s not enough.” Logan was smiling now. “Don’t you?”
Anika didn’t reply, but her eyes narrowed.
“The location you could probably figure out for yourself. Even if it took longer than you’d like,” Logan continued. “It’s at Rowan Estate, after all.”
“We suspected it might be,” Anika said, but the Guardians were exchanging puzzled glances.
“What is the Rift?” Ren asked.
“The gateway by which the Harbinger and his minions entered this world,” Anika replied. “It was opened at the turn of the fifteenth century, but the beast moved it at his pleasure, so we were never certain where its current location might be.”
“And the gateway has to be closed,” Shay said slowly. “That’s how you win the war.”
Anika smiled at him grimly. “That is part of how we win.”
“It’s also how you get your parents back,” Logan added.
“What?” Shay whirled, staring at him.
“The Rift can only remain open by way of a ritual sacrifice,” Logan said. “That sacrifice, for the time being, was your parents.”
Shay’s jaw clenched. “You said my parents were alive.”
“They are.” Logan glanced at Anika. “I don’t suppose you could get me some more cigarettes?”
