“I think you’re right,” I said, my worry building. If the mist kept getting stronger, then eventually we wouldn’t be a match for it.
Finn exhaled a tired breath. “I better drive you home. Ira and I will be gone tonight. Pamphrock’s asked that we guard Rebecca while he goes to visit her mother to get the blood for your spell.”
“But I haven’t even figured out what else I’ll need yet,” I said, panic rising.
“Then that’s what you can occupy yourself with while we’re gone,” he replied.
“I guess it couldn’t hurt to hit the books,” I admitted. “The sooner I know how to hide that little girl’s blood the better.”
As soon as Finn dropped me off, I grabbed the books I needed from Rita’s RV and brought them into the house with me. I also borrowed Finn’s laptop to check my email. I didn’t have high hopes for a response from E.J. Edwards, but when I logged into my account, there it was.
A brand-new email from Evan James Edwards. My heart pounded as I hovered the cursor over the message anxiously, praying that he’d written with info on how to bring Dad back. When I finally clicked on it, I read his response rapidly.
Dear Miss Stolle,
You were wise to contact me. I’ve read your very detailed email, and I understand that your situation is one of great urgency. I have unrivalled knowledge and experience pertaining to the methods of retrieving individuals such as your father, and I feel in this circumstance it’s my duty to put them to use. In truth, I have not encountered a predicament such as yours in a long time, and I feel a sense of invigoration for the challenge that lies ahead. I am an old man, and one last expedition into the realms I once journeyed through is something I have longed for, for quite some time. I will be boarding a flight first thing in the morning and will arrive in Tribane at approximately nine-thirty tomorrow night. I would like to get straight to work, so if you could please arrange to meet me at the airport, I would be much obliged.
At your service,
E.J. Edwards.
Holy hell. I scrambled for a pen and paper to write down the flight details he’d attached. That was when I saw that the email was sent yesterday, which meant he was arriving tonight. I glanced at the clock to see it was already seven-thirty. He’d be here in two hours! Why did this have to happen when nobody else was around?
Rita, Gabriel, Alvie, and Noreen had gone to visit a top-secret magic market outside the city for supplies, and they still weren’t back yet. Finn and Ira were on babysitting duty. That left only one option. I was going to have to go across the street to Ethan’s and ask for help.
In a hurry, I threw on a coat, grabbed my phone, keys, and wallet, and headed out the front door. I walked over to Ethan’s, but none of the lights were on, and it didn’t look like there was anyone home. I knocked on the door and was surprised when I heard footsteps coming down the staircase. A moment later the door swung open, revealing Ethan topless, messy-haired, and looking like he just pulled on a pair of jeans. The button above the fly was still undone. The V at his hips distracted me as I swallowed and dragged my eyes up to his face.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, curious. I’d forgotten that he’d normally only be waking up around now.
I coughed nervously. “Um, is Delilah around?”
“No. She and Lucas went out just a little while ago.”
I worried my lip. If Delilah wasn’t available, then my only option was to ask Ethan to bring me to the airport, and sitting alone in a car with him was likely to be rife with tension.
“What did you need Delilah for?” he asked, his voice gentler now. He must’ve sensed my nervousness.
“Do you know what happened to my dad?” I asked, tucking my hands into my coat pockets to stave off the cold.
“Yes, my sister informed me.”
“Well, I’ve been searching for a way to bring him back, and I found this guy who might know how to do it. He’s a physics professor who wrote a book about other dimensions. The thing is, he’s arriving at the airport tonight and I don’t want to meet him alone in case he turns out to be a lunatic.”