give her exactly what she had wanted: the perfect protector, as much a slave to her as any that was bound by a chain, but Silas could no longer be controlled by someone who had stolen his freedom and torn apart his soul. Da’ru’s blood had forged an unnatural bond between them. Now that bond was about to be broken.
Kate struggled to keep control of the energy around her. The veil descended across the entire hall, hanging like white mist that gathered upon the ceiling and crept slowly downward, smothering everything in the room and making the outer symbols around the walls flare into life, marking the boundary beyond which it could not pass. The wardens stopped their advance and lowered their weapons, too busy staring upward to do anything else. Silas smiled. He knew what to expect, so when the circle’s energy reached its peak, he was prepared.
Kate, Edgar, and the wardens were not.
The blue light beneath the floor intensified, making the mist glow brighter until it flared suddenly into an immense burst of dazzling silver light. A shockwave of energy blazed out from the central circle, striking the wardens hard enough to slam them against the wall, knocking them into unconsciousness, while Kate and Edgar covered their eyes with their arms, shielding themselves from a glare so powerful it was like looking into the sun. Then the light began to dissipate, fading slowly back to a transparent ripple that hung in the air.
Kate checked the book. Everything was exactly as it was meant to be. According to what was written, everything within that room was about to be exposed to the unpredictable realm of the half-life, and only people who were standing inside the central circle would be protected from its full effects. The protected area was marked by the blue light that was still rising from the floor, forcing the mist back until it was moving gently around them like a gathering storm. The mist hung like a soft wall just a few feet from their faces and Edgar stared at it with fascination, reaching out to see what it felt like.
“Don’t touch it!” shouted Kate.
Edgar snatched his hand back at once. “What is it?” he asked.
“It is the veil,” said Silas, standing perfectly still as the strange cold sank into his skin, trailing through his fingers until they were bristling with ice. “This is as substantial as it can appear to the human eye. Beyond this room, the world no longer exists. We are standing in a place outside the laws of time.”
“Kate?” Edgar said warily. “What is he talking about?”
“The book says that this circle acts as a gateway to the half-life,” said Kate, reading as she spoke. “It’s like we’re standing in a viewing room. The circle on the floor will keep us safe so long as we stay in the middle of it. Out there is a different story. The veil drains life out of anyone who doesn’t have enough Skill to resist it. Without a physical connection to someone grounded to the circle, any normal person—even a Skilled—would be vulnerable out there. According to this, the spirit could become trapped and the body would die.”
Edgar took a step back, keeping his hands well away from the mist. “So, what happens now?” he asked. “I know Da’ru used to be obsessed with circles like these but I never saw her actually use one.”
“That should be obvious,” said Silas. “The circle has been opened. The shades are coming.”
Kate and Edgar followed Silas’s eyes up to where the mist was thickening quickly, spreading out as if it were being kept from their heads by a clear glass dome. Then, like a silent wave gathering speed, the room flooded with moving shadows as the veil opened and the shades poured in. There were hundreds of them, all massing together until the mist was filled with twisting wisps of black and gray. They swept around the circle, moving in quick short bursts, speeding around desperately like insects caught in a jar.
“What are they doing?” asked Kate.
“The half-life is filled with lost souls,” said Silas. “Their spirits are trapped here inside the veil. Part of them is still bound to the living world so they are unable to pass fully into death. They know you are in control of the circle. They are waiting to see if you intend to help them or harm them.”
“What should I do?”
“Exactly what you came here to do,” said Silas.
The shades moved