“Blood oath,” Connor muttered, gazing at Logan’s ravaged skin. “It’s a bitch.”
Logan began chanting, his voice low and feverish.
“Oh God.” Shay stepped back as one by one the scars on Logan’s back opened.
Fresh blood began to seep from the wounds. Then it was flowing, spilling down his back and dripping onto the varnished wood floor.
The fireplace, which had been empty and silent, stirred. It began like a gentle breeze. As if a breath of wind had been caught in the tall chimney, so that the sound barely reached us. The murmur of sound grew louder. Within the darkness a shape began to form. The angry noise buzzed like a swarm of insects.
My father snarled, pacing restlessly in the space between me and the fireplace.
The flowing mass began to congeal, stretching into the shape of a man. A putrid green aura surrounded the moving body that stood tall in the shadows.
Connor swore, shielding Adne as the sickly light grew brighter. Behind the dark figure shadows flickered in and out of the gleaming green, creatures that remained just out of sight.
“There it is,” Ethan murmured. “The Rift.”
Sabine shifted into wolf form, hackles raised. Shay moved forward so he stood directly behind the chanting Keeper.
Logan’s voice rose to a shout and then he collapsed.
Bosque Mar laughed as he stepped from the fireplace. Bryn snarled, scrambling to her feet and placing herself in front of me, as if she feared I wouldn’t be able to fight for myself.
“Logan, Logan.” Bosque’s smile glinted like the edge of a blade. “Whatever are you up to?”
“Master,” Logan breathed, though he scuttled backward like a crab, only stopping when he ran up against a bookcase.
Bosque scanned the room; his eyes settled on Efron’s body. “How tragic.”
“Hardly,” Shay said.
“Welcome back, my nephew.” Bosque’s voice almost sounded warm. He turned a stony gaze on Logan. “Did your actions lead to your father’s untimely demise?”
Logan stammered something, but all I could hear was the chattering of his teeth.
“I think you’ll find the price of treachery to be quite high,” Bosque murmured. Logan moaned, pressing his body tight against the wall.
Shay moved sideways, blocking Bosque’s view of the Keeper. He slowly withdrew the Elemental Cross. The power of the blades reacted instantly to the aura of the Rift, making the air around Shay crackle as if it were alive with electricity. The sight stirred something inside me. I forced myself to my feet, keeping my gaze fixed on Shay.
Calla? Bryn’s ears flicked as she watched me uneasily.
I’m fine. I bared my teeth. Get ready to fight.
I crept toward Shay, keeping my body low. Positioning myself behind him, I crouched, ready to leap at any hideous creatures that Bosque might conjure.
Bosque’s gaze flitted over Shay’s swords. “What a pretty toy you’ve brought me.”
“The better to kill you with,” Connor said. Beside him, Ethan raised his crossbow and Sabine growled.
Bosque glanced at the two Searchers. “Oh my, toy soldiers as well.” He flicked his wrist and the men went flying. They crashed into the far wall, books tumbling down around them. Sabine yelped and tore across the room.
Go! I didn’t want to leave Shay, but Bryn could help the others. Without hesitation, Bryn bounded after Sabine.
“No!” Adne shouted, running toward the mess of wood, pages, and limbs where Sabine had already begun digging in an attempt to reach the bodies of Ethan and Connor.
“What a lovely young thing.” Bosque watched Adne move, running his tongue over his lips as if tasting the air. “And with such power. You’ve been playing with my garden, dear. Without permission.”
He twisted his fingers and Adne stumbled. “Please stay awhile. I think you could be quite useful to me.”
She rolled over, clawing at the rug beneath her feet, which had begun to unravel. Its loose threads wound together into thick ropes that wrapped around her ankles and continued to snake their way up her body.
“Logan, do it!” she screamed. “Do it now! Finish the ritual!”
Logan cowered, his eyes rolling up at Bosque, full of fear. My father ran to Adne’s side. More ropes appeared to bind her even as he chewed through the first cords that had sprung out of the rug.
He stared at me and then at Bosque, who was laughing as my father struggled to free her.
“Let her go!” Shay advanced on Bosque. The blades of the Cross moved with such speed I couldn’t make out either weapon. It appeared as though Shay was walking with a fiery tornado clearing his path.
Bosque laughed. “You can’t touch me, boy. Put those down before you hurt yourself.”
“Stop talking,” Shay snarled. “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.”
“Whyever not?” Bosque said. “I still have room in my heart to forgive you.”
Shay shook his head, lunging at him. Bosque raised his hand. Shay wasn’t thrown backward as Connor and Ethan had been, but the swords were blocked as if Bosque had thrown up a shield.
Shay snarled and swung the swords again, but he couldn’t pierce whatever force Bosque held up against the attack. Bosque’s human shell was protecting him. We had to strip it from him.
I heard groans and was relieved to see Ethan and Connor struggling out from under the rubble as Sabine and Bryn clawed through broken shelves and mounds of books.
“You coward!” Shay gritted his teeth, holding the swords low. “Fight me!”
“But the fight isn’t happening here, is it?” Bosque closed his eyes and smiled. “It seems we have quite the gathering happening just outside.” He lifted his arms. “I believe I’ll invite a few more guests.”
The sound sent chills up and down my limbs. I barked a warning to Connor and Ethan as a hundred tormented sighs swelled in the air around us.
“It’s the Fallen!” Ethan shouted.
The sighs became moans, but more noises layered on top of the Fallen’s cries. Shrieks and hisses followed the cracking of stone. Rowan Estate’s statues were coming to life.
“Not just the Fallen,” Connor yelled. “Here they come!”
“Block the door!” Adne shouted, still futilely twisting against the ropes around her. She shook her head at my father. “Go help them. You can’t get me out of these!”
Logan began chanting, his voice low and feverish.
“Oh God.” Shay stepped back as one by one the scars on Logan’s back opened.
Fresh blood began to seep from the wounds. Then it was flowing, spilling down his back and dripping onto the varnished wood floor.
The fireplace, which had been empty and silent, stirred. It began like a gentle breeze. As if a breath of wind had been caught in the tall chimney, so that the sound barely reached us. The murmur of sound grew louder. Within the darkness a shape began to form. The angry noise buzzed like a swarm of insects.
My father snarled, pacing restlessly in the space between me and the fireplace.
The flowing mass began to congeal, stretching into the shape of a man. A putrid green aura surrounded the moving body that stood tall in the shadows.
Connor swore, shielding Adne as the sickly light grew brighter. Behind the dark figure shadows flickered in and out of the gleaming green, creatures that remained just out of sight.
“There it is,” Ethan murmured. “The Rift.”
Sabine shifted into wolf form, hackles raised. Shay moved forward so he stood directly behind the chanting Keeper.
Logan’s voice rose to a shout and then he collapsed.
Bosque Mar laughed as he stepped from the fireplace. Bryn snarled, scrambling to her feet and placing herself in front of me, as if she feared I wouldn’t be able to fight for myself.
“Logan, Logan.” Bosque’s smile glinted like the edge of a blade. “Whatever are you up to?”
“Master,” Logan breathed, though he scuttled backward like a crab, only stopping when he ran up against a bookcase.
Bosque scanned the room; his eyes settled on Efron’s body. “How tragic.”
“Hardly,” Shay said.
“Welcome back, my nephew.” Bosque’s voice almost sounded warm. He turned a stony gaze on Logan. “Did your actions lead to your father’s untimely demise?”
Logan stammered something, but all I could hear was the chattering of his teeth.
“I think you’ll find the price of treachery to be quite high,” Bosque murmured. Logan moaned, pressing his body tight against the wall.
Shay moved sideways, blocking Bosque’s view of the Keeper. He slowly withdrew the Elemental Cross. The power of the blades reacted instantly to the aura of the Rift, making the air around Shay crackle as if it were alive with electricity. The sight stirred something inside me. I forced myself to my feet, keeping my gaze fixed on Shay.
Calla? Bryn’s ears flicked as she watched me uneasily.
I’m fine. I bared my teeth. Get ready to fight.
I crept toward Shay, keeping my body low. Positioning myself behind him, I crouched, ready to leap at any hideous creatures that Bosque might conjure.
Bosque’s gaze flitted over Shay’s swords. “What a pretty toy you’ve brought me.”
“The better to kill you with,” Connor said. Beside him, Ethan raised his crossbow and Sabine growled.
Bosque glanced at the two Searchers. “Oh my, toy soldiers as well.” He flicked his wrist and the men went flying. They crashed into the far wall, books tumbling down around them. Sabine yelped and tore across the room.
Go! I didn’t want to leave Shay, but Bryn could help the others. Without hesitation, Bryn bounded after Sabine.
“No!” Adne shouted, running toward the mess of wood, pages, and limbs where Sabine had already begun digging in an attempt to reach the bodies of Ethan and Connor.
“What a lovely young thing.” Bosque watched Adne move, running his tongue over his lips as if tasting the air. “And with such power. You’ve been playing with my garden, dear. Without permission.”
He twisted his fingers and Adne stumbled. “Please stay awhile. I think you could be quite useful to me.”
She rolled over, clawing at the rug beneath her feet, which had begun to unravel. Its loose threads wound together into thick ropes that wrapped around her ankles and continued to snake their way up her body.
“Logan, do it!” she screamed. “Do it now! Finish the ritual!”
Logan cowered, his eyes rolling up at Bosque, full of fear. My father ran to Adne’s side. More ropes appeared to bind her even as he chewed through the first cords that had sprung out of the rug.
He stared at me and then at Bosque, who was laughing as my father struggled to free her.
“Let her go!” Shay advanced on Bosque. The blades of the Cross moved with such speed I couldn’t make out either weapon. It appeared as though Shay was walking with a fiery tornado clearing his path.
Bosque laughed. “You can’t touch me, boy. Put those down before you hurt yourself.”
“Stop talking,” Shay snarled. “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.”
“Whyever not?” Bosque said. “I still have room in my heart to forgive you.”
Shay shook his head, lunging at him. Bosque raised his hand. Shay wasn’t thrown backward as Connor and Ethan had been, but the swords were blocked as if Bosque had thrown up a shield.
Shay snarled and swung the swords again, but he couldn’t pierce whatever force Bosque held up against the attack. Bosque’s human shell was protecting him. We had to strip it from him.
I heard groans and was relieved to see Ethan and Connor struggling out from under the rubble as Sabine and Bryn clawed through broken shelves and mounds of books.
“You coward!” Shay gritted his teeth, holding the swords low. “Fight me!”
“But the fight isn’t happening here, is it?” Bosque closed his eyes and smiled. “It seems we have quite the gathering happening just outside.” He lifted his arms. “I believe I’ll invite a few more guests.”
The sound sent chills up and down my limbs. I barked a warning to Connor and Ethan as a hundred tormented sighs swelled in the air around us.
“It’s the Fallen!” Ethan shouted.
The sighs became moans, but more noises layered on top of the Fallen’s cries. Shrieks and hisses followed the cracking of stone. Rowan Estate’s statues were coming to life.
“Not just the Fallen,” Connor yelled. “Here they come!”
“Block the door!” Adne shouted, still futilely twisting against the ropes around her. She shook her head at my father. “Go help them. You can’t get me out of these!”
