reaching into distant history to find the original curse. It spoke of hidden mossy glens where ley lines ran, of star-filled nights with no moon, and of the elves who gathered to pool their magic into angry, aggressive, terrible deeds. It was a power so great that it had been lost to save the world. And as the drums beat into me, I was there. I was seeing it. I could smell the grass soft under my feet, feel the wind that made the leaves whisper, sense the power of the earth making me one with it.
I floundered as the power wrapped itself around me, making me less, and more, demanding I let go, and move on. Become something else. Become one with death.
My heart stuttered to match the drum’s beat. Frightened, I backed up, right into Hodin.
His hand wrapped around my biceps, holding me firm. “You’ve walked the spiral once and survived,” he said, as if not having believed me before, and I nodded, attention fixed to the glowing lines coaxing me forward to my death. I didn’t care if he knew I was scared.
I’d felt this before. The lure was unmistakable. The drums were in my head and heart, the beat familiar as they tried to force my pulse to match it. I struggled to keep my breathing uneven and random, anything to be at odds with the force Trent was creating. He’d done this to me once in love to give my body time to mend on life support, and my eyes went to the baby bottle still on the pool table as Trent’s song soaked into me, a muzzy warmth promising succor, an end to strife. It would grant me everything if I listened.
“Never,” I whispered. I wasn’t done yet. I had no rest waiting for me.
“Rachel?” Bis said, red eyes wide. And when our gazes met, he flew to me. I sagged in relief as his feet clamped about my shoulder, his light weight and sharp nails grounding me. With a shocking ping, the haze in my mind was gone and the drums were silent.
“Thank you, Bis,” I said as I risked a glance up at Hodin standing behind me.
“Get me out of here. No. No!” Landon begged, shrieking in fear when his skin began to glow—his soul was leaving him. “Please, no!” he cried. “Let me out! I’ll stop trying to bring down Trent. I’ll leave you alone. I’ll make a retraction. Anything!”
But it was too late, and I swallowed, glad I stood between Hodin and Bis as Trent twisted his terrible magic. Thank God Zack isn’t here, I thought as Landon began to scream in agony as his soul was pulled from him—alive.
“I’m not dead!” he shrilled, voice high. “Trent, I’m not dead!”
It’s the only way to get it out, I thought, staring at him. God, I’m sorry, Landon.
But then his eyes bulged, and his high-pitched, piercing cries came again and again. His body was hazed with purple and black and green. It was what was left of his aura. His soul would follow.
My mouth was dry, and Hodin swore softly. The lure of the drums was gone, lost in the terrifying sounds of Landon as his soul was ripped from him. It’s a good thing we’re at my church, I thought as Bis hunched deeper against me, his ears pinned to his bony skull. It was probably the only place in Cincinnati where no one would call the I.S. if they heard such terror.
What kind of a life am I living?
“It’s working,” Hodin whispered, eyes fixed on Landon. “I thought you were exaggerating. He does have the skill.”
Yes, Trent had the skill. And the drive, and the stomach to pull a soul from a still living body. It had been different when he’d pulled mine free. I had wanted to go, trusting Trent to keep me alive and return my soul to my body when it was healed. But this? This was not being done in love, and I thought I was going to throw up as Landon shrieked in anguish, his skin glowing with a rising blue and green.
“You interfering demon spawn,” Landon rasped, the bile in his voice shocking me. “I was to be the dewar’s leader!”
My breath caught. That was the baku, I thought, then I jumped at Landon’s high-pitched agony. His eyes were fixed on me in hate, and he was no longer able to speak.
Trent stood resolute, his voice strong as he demanded obedience. I watched in