as I chipped away at their spectral forms. Then Coby punched the siren hard in the stomach, and she released her hold on me. My mind began to clear.
Coby hadn’t betrayed me. He’d pretended to side with Neos so they wouldn’t see him as a threat—to get me close, close enough to kill Neos. It was brilliant. He’d played his role so well, I’d believed him. But I should’ve known he’d never betray me. He was Coby, and I could trust him to the very end. And the strength in that was enough to lift the siren’s haze and propel me forward.
I drew my dagger and leaped at Neos, but he rose in a flash to the ceiling, crowing loudly. The final rite is happening as we speak—and feeding me more power than you can imagine.
He lifted his arms and summoned, and more wraiths swirled into the room in whirlwinds of filth and decay. They took form and started savaging Coby and the ghost jocks.
I flipped my dagger in my hand to throw at Neos, and three more wraiths rose in front of me. I kicked one in the throat and stabbed another in the gut and felt the chill fingers of the third clawing at my back.
I dropped and rolled and snapped its neck, but more formed even as the dead ones dissolved into greasy oil slicks on the Oriental carpet.
I heard Coby and the jocks losing their battle, and felt the siren clawing at my mind again—but she couldn’t find a toehold. Maybe she couldn’t slip into my head unless she preyed on my self-doubt, my fear. Right now, all I felt was anger.
Coby swore and Moorehead screamed, but before I could help, Neos flew at me.
I dodged, then spun to return the attack, but wraiths filled the room. I couldn’t help Coby and the jocks—I couldn’t even see them. I heard Moorehead scream again, and fought my way through the writhing mass of wraiths toward the sound. I stabbed two more wraiths before someone stepped through the door—shining with power and a rage that equaled my own. He wielded spears of light as easily as a couple of chopsticks.
Bennett.
Still wearing the faded-blue long-sleeve T-shirt and jeans. Still looking strung out. Still gorgeous enough to stop my heart, even now. He skewered four wraiths before they knew he was there. They hurtled at him, shrieking in hunger, and he burned them away into reeking wisps of smoke.
“Emma!” he shouted. “Finish him!”
His lance of light turned into a blade and sliced through the wraiths—and cleared an opening for me, to Neos.
I sprinted at Neos, jumping from a chair onto the desk, my dagger flashing as he fired spectral blades at me. I deflected them and fought closer and closer. As the battle raged behind us, Neos’s power oozed at me from all around, oily black tentacles groping toward me, but I pressed forward, closer to those glittering black eyes.
Then Neos shouted a command, and a ghost dropped from the ceiling to hover between us. For a moment, I didn’t recognize him; then I saw his big eyes and Dickensian outfit, and froze.
Nicholas! I said. Are you all right? Did he hurt you?
No, mum. He glanced fearfully at Neos. Not yet.
Sheathe the dagger, Neos sneered. Or I will introduce your friend to places in the Beyond that can drive even a ghost mad.
A wraith screamed behind me. I heard Coby grunt with effort, and Craven gasp. Dispelling lightning rods of power flashed. Yet all of that felt very far away—my whole world shrunk until nobody existed but me and Neos and Nicholas.
You’ll pay for this, I said. He’s just a boy.
Darling Emma, Neos said. He’s been a ghost for two hundred years. It is you who is the child. Sheathe the dagger. Oh, you are special, my little girl. I’ve never seen a ghostkeeper use a knife like that.
Please, mum, Nicholas said, shaking with fright.
I lowered my dagger, my heart thundering in my chest.
“Emma!” Bennett yelled from behind me. “Whatever he’s saying is a lie! Nicholas betrayed you—he’s been spying for Neos.”
I didn’t turn my head; I didn’t move an inch—but my mind worked furiously. I remembered the jolt of fear when Nicholas had approached with that icicle. I remembered him hovering in the hallways and at team meetings, always listening. And I remembered Nicholas had given me the metal disk that stank of Neos, and had lured us away from the museum. I looked at him and saw the