little scratches in the stone, all written in the same language she had seen on the floor of the museum. Together they made up a circle far bigger than the one she had seen there, and this one was not just surrounded by a ring of symbols, it was covered with them. The four staircases leading up from it matched the points of a compass perfectly and Kate was willing to guess that the upper level had its own row of smaller symbols running around its edge, just like the ones that she had seen around the perimeter of the museum’s hall.
Silas nodded to her secretly.
They were standing in the heart of an enormous listening circle.
The crowd was still chanting ominously. If any were against the idea of a public execution on a day meant for celebrating the dead, none spoke up. A few people were trying to slip quietly toward the tunnels, but the doors were locked and wardens stood guard, refusing to let them out. Da’ru clearly wanted witnesses to what she was about to do, whether they wanted to witness it or not.
Artemis struggled against the guards as they tied him tightly to the table. Da’ru opened Wintercraft and an icy wind swept around the circle as she began opening it to the veil. The carved symbols closest to her feet began to flicker and glow, the horses harnessed to the carriages whinnied and stamped, and blue light spread out across the ground, flooding the circle and creeping steadily up the staircases, parting the crowds as it went.
Then Kate had a terrifying thought.
She, Silas, Da’ru, Artemis, the wardens, and the councilmen were all inside the central circle, a place of protection. If this circle behaved in the same way as the one in the museum, in a few moments the entire city square would shift into the half-life and the mist of the veil would spread around the galleries, exposing hundreds of living people to a place they were not meant to see. Every one of their souls would be vulnerable to the pull of the half-life, and Edgar was nowhere to be seen.
“This circle will not open fully for Da’ru,” said Silas, speaking quietly beside her. “This is the oldest and most powerful listening circle in Albion, capable of channeling many thousands of souls. Da’ru does not have the ability to command it herself. She will need you to complete it.”
“But, those people . . .”
“Are about to see what the Night of Souls is truly about,” said Silas. “Do what Da’ru says, and leave the rest to me.”
“You, girl,” said Da’ru. “Here.”
Silas allowed Kate enough loose chain for her to walk over to the councilwoman, who was standing beside Artemis with her glass dagger by her side.
“I am told this man means something to you,” she said. “If you want me to restore his life, you will do exactly as I say. If all goes well, Wintercraft will confer upon him a life free from injury and death. He will be the first of many soldiers and will serve Albion faithfully, as every man and woman should. If you choose to do nothing, his death will be permanent and you will never see him again. Do you understand?”
One of the wardens had tied a cloth gag over Artemis’s mouth but he tried to shout through it, glaring at Kate and shaking his head.
“Answer!”
Kate did not want to watch Artemis die, but she could not let his spirit be torn apart, cursing him to live a life of pain at the hands of the High Council. Even death would be better than that. She looked away from him as she made her choice. Silas had a plan. She had to trust him to do his part. “Yes,” she said. “I understand.”
Da’ru clasped hold of Kate’s hand. “A wise decision,” she said quietly. “Together, the two of us are about to create history.”
Kate felt Da’ru’s energies connect with her own. It was a sickening feeling that began at her fingertips and felt as if spiders were crawling inside her, burrowing beneath her skin. She let it happen, allowing the cold grip of the veil to creep over her as the mist descended and moonlight streamed down across the square. Da’ru’s eyes were bloodshot, her body quickly becoming exhausted by the effort of opening the circle, but Kate found it easy this time. She knew what to expect, she knew what she had to do, and when the