heart of the issue at hand.
I sat quietly, thinking through our options. Can we keep up with the vehicle? Can we chase it without us being seen? Surely, they are watching for Grim forms. But if we let it leave, can we find them again? Or will this be our only chance?
“Inside,” Trace announced. “The vehicle poses too many problems while the building remains static.”
“But doesn’t that mean that we should take the vehicle? After all, we can come back at any point,” Axton countered.
Trace shrugged and glanced at Axton. “Sure, the building might be standing, but the things inside will have disappeared, and the individuals won’t be here.”
In the end, our opinions didn’t matter because the vehicle hadn’t been waiting on the Reaper to return with another piece of equipment. Instead, they gave it power and zipped through a wide turn on the street before leaving us alone with the house and our bush.
“Well, I guess that ends that,” Axton grumbled, his gaze still focused on where he last saw the vehicle.
“We’ll do as we planned. Go through the back,” I said, waiting for them to agree before I pulled my soul forward.
Together in a line, we crept from our hiding place, carefully maintaining a distance until we rounded to the rear of the house. Luckily, no one came outside as we crossed the street, and they had covered the windows with cloth, likely to keep prying eyes from seeing what lay hidden inside.
The hole in the back seemed to result from a tree fall, one that ravaged this area but left the front intact. It gave us an opening wide enough that we could slip through in our incorporeal forms, lessening our chances of being spotted. Once inside, we paused to study our surroundings.
Vines grew over the decaying cabinets and surprisingly functional flooring. The walls were bubbled and chipping, a result of having no barrier from the rainy seasons. Vaulted ceilings made the room seem massive. Beyond that, it held an air of abandonment that gave it a depressing patina.
Most importantly, the door to the inner parts of the house remained hanging, blocking anyone inside from catching us while we changed. While it would have been more convenient to continue on as souls, they lined all buildings with a material that blocked essence from simply passing through. Even old structures had it since they’d discovered the material long ago. It maintained privacy and kept others from traipsing where they shouldn’t be.
I switched forms, becoming solid, and gestured for Trace and Axton to remain as they were. One individual sneaking around could be caught easily enough, but three bodies would only increase the chances of being seen. Besides, if someone spotted me, they likely wouldn’t search the area with their Sight. Axton and Trace could appear behind them and get me out of whatever fix I found myself in.
My heart thudded loudly in my ears as I crept forward and placed a trembling hand on the knob. Turning, I looked to the souls following me, nodded, then twisted the knob. It let out a soft squeak, and I winced but continued until I heard the click I’d been waiting for.
Sucking in a deep breath, I pushed the door open and stepped into the lair of Corlia and his band of rogue Reapers.
Chapter Seventy-Three
Everything seemed to go well at first. I could hear the low hum of voices, but they came from our right, somewhere at the end of a long hallway that I rushed past. To my left, the direction I knew would lead me to the boxes, I heard nothing.
I turned left. We needed to grab at least a few of the Reapers, but I wanted to see what those boxes held first. There was a chance that they’d already removed them all, but the urge pressed me onwards, anyway.
My monster was growing impatient with waiting, and I winced as its claw pierced the vine-covered surroundings of the well. Just a bit longer, I told it, hoping to placate it. Until I’m sure that I won’t need to switch back.
It seemed to contemplate this, tilting its head and tapping its claws along the edge of the well in a rat-a-tat-tat motion. Finally, it nodded and pulled away from the side.
Before I could feel any relief, though, the floor squeaked beneath my weight. I paused, holding my breath as I waited for someone to come investigate. When no one did, air whooshed out of me, and I floated forward,