still digging.”
“I . . . I have a theory,” I said, hesitating to put to words the thought that had been slowly forming in my brain. “I think this person could be human. It’s just the purpose of the magic that might be confusing us.”
Gideon stopped and turned so that he was facing me. “What are you talking about?”
“I think the person is trying to set Lilith free.”
“Lilith who?”
“Lilith who?” I gasped. Had he lost his mind? “The Lilith. Queen of the Underworld, mother of all monsters, and keeper of those souls paying a debt to magic.”
A soft snort escaped Gideon and he turned his attention back to the once-peaceful street in North Carolina. “Lilith doesn’t exist. She’s a myth.”
“She’s real. I’ve met her.”
“You’ve been tricked then,” Gideon snapped. “You would have had to die to meet her!”
I just stared at my companion and part-time mentor, watching his face pale as the idea took form in his head. It had been tricky, but I beat death once already, narrowly escaping Lilith’s clutches. At our first meeting, she’d argued for me to free her.
Gideon cleared his throat, getting his thoughts reined in. He pointed one long finger at me, holding it so that it nearly touched the tip of my nose. “We have much to discuss. But not now.”
“Agreed.” It would be best if Gideon knew something about the things I’d done and seen recently.
“But you think she’s behind this?”
I nodded. “She’s been haunting me for the past several months, trying to get me to free her, but she’s never been specific about how I do that.” Pushing back my cloak, I shoved my hands into the pockets of my trousers against the frigid air as it nipped at my fingers, making them stiff and sore. The air was significantly colder than Florida, though not quite as cold as Low Town. “I really don’t think I’d be her only way out of the Underworld. She’s probably working over as many people as possible. Someone is bound to give in to the temptation eventually.”
“She’s as powerful as the stories?”
“It’s certainly the impression she gives. I haven’t tried to fight her and I definitely don’t fucking want to. Do you think it could be her?”
“I don’t know, but the use of death magic would fit.” Gideon turned away from the now empty park and started down the residential street at a brisk pace with me hurrying to catch up with him. “This new wrinkle has left me wishing that we are actually facing a dragon.”
“Why the hell would you ever say that?”
A wan smile lifted the corners of Gideon’s mouth as he slowed his pace. “We’ve beaten dragons before. We can do it again. Last I read, Lilith was more akin to a . . . a . . . demi-god, and I don’t know how to win against something like that.”
It wasn’t something either of us wanted to contemplate. Lilith was far better off staying in the Underworld, where she belonged. If some bastard was keen on setting her free, we were better off stopping him before we had to face Lilith.
“Where are we going?” I demanded, turning my attention back to the current problem at hand.
“There. That’s our first issue to tackle.”
Gideon pointed to a large white Victorian house farther down the block we were on. All the windows reflecting back the bright late-morning sun were covered with heavy shades, while some on the first floor were even covered with metal blinds used by several of the races that were vulnerable to sunlight. Evergreen wreaths with big red bows hung on the tall black metal fence surrounding the front yard. It looked like your average house in a high-rent neighborhood. Except for the thin wisps of black smoke rising from several different points in the front yard and coming down to the sidewalk.
Squinting, I nearly stumbled as I tried to clearly make out the strange scene. “Are . . . are those vampires? What the hell’s going on? Group suicide?”
Each creature’s steps were slow and jerky, as if their joints didn’t properly bend with each movement. They were more like puppets on strings, or worse, zombies from too many late-night horror movies out in search of delectable brains. Despite the excruciating pain they had to be in, not one of them made a sound as their pale white skin blackened in the rays of the sun and then flaked off in papery ash to gently float away.
Recovering from my initial horror,