mind—just as Callie had used his ring to find him that night, tonight he would use it to find her. Shielding his eyes, he pushed himself into the between place on the other side. It was like swimming through quicksand, viscous and unrelenting. But he made it through.
Here it was all dark. The smell of burnt timber and overloaded energy assailed his nose and mouth, collected in the back of his throat. He saw the demon, just like in his dream. It roared and thrashed. He saw Donal and Chase in the middle distance, groggily pushing themselves to their feet. He saw Callie, running.
He ran after her.
Callie’s breath burned her lungs and throat raw. She grasped the leather grip of her sword, worn comfortable from decades of use. Then she reached inside for the light that made her what she was. A Keeper of the Flame, one of Brighid’s nineteen champions.
Correction: eighteen champions.
She searched for the fire in her, deeper and deeper, and found nothing but a muted glow beyond her reach. In that startling moment she knew why Eva had died, her soul lost. She hadn’t ascended, because she couldn’t. And neither, it seemed, could Callie.
A strong arm caught her around the waist, dragging her back. “No!” she screamed, jolted off balance. She hung like a hissing, spitting cat from Liam’s arm.
“What the hell are you thinking?” Liam snarled.
“It’s not about me.” She continued to struggle. “Get Donny and Chase and go!”
“What are you talking about?” His dark eyes blazed, marble planes of his face stiff with barely contained fear finding release in stark anger.
“The raven.” She turned in his one-armed grip until she could see the burning tree. “It’s not a death omen. It’s a messenger. It’s not about betrayal, it’s about war. Maeve and Yshotha are just means to an end. It’s Lilith killing us.” She spun him about and shoved him in the other direction, to no effect. “Get them and go. Donny will know how to contact the Tuatha .”
Turned about in Liam’s grip as she was, she saw Donal was already long gone, haring it away as if all the hounds of hell were on his heels. Chase glowered at her every bit as much as Liam. “I’m staying,” he growled.
Callie wanted to scream. “And what were you planning to do? Fell the demon with all the might of your stubborn Texan pride?”
The fire that had so recently gone out ignited again. It raced toward them. Callie knew it was a matter moments before the obsidian would be burned dry of life and they would be trapped.
Liam turned and belted Chase across the face, catching his wilting bulk. Callie caught her friend on the other side, glaring at Liam.
“Yell at me later,” he said. “Move!”
They moved, dragging Chase along with them, his boots scraping furrows in the gray, moon-washed dirt at their feet. Together they barreled out of the Voudon between just as the veil winked out of existence. They all tumbled into the night-cooled grass of the real Jackson Square.
“You were supposed to get them out,” she told Liam, huffing humid air in and out of stinging lungs.
“And let you deal with the demon on your own?”
“Yes.” She gulped. “It’s what I do, Liam.”
“You couldn’t ascend, could you?” Donal examined the already magnificent bruise coloring Chase’s face, apparently bemused. “That’s why we lost Eva.”
Callie stared at him. “You knew?”
“I guessed.” He smiled at her. “You always ascend at the last possible moment. I never knew why.”
“I have to save it for when I absolutely need it.”
Donal nodded his understanding. “It has to be a sacrifice every time.”
“I have to be willing to die in order for it to work.”
Liam crawled over to her and took her surprised face in both hands. “I’m not ready to let you die, Keeper.” He kissed her before she could respond.
“Liam—”
“I know. Not an option, too many things at stake, never going to be the right time, end of the
Here it was all dark. The smell of burnt timber and overloaded energy assailed his nose and mouth, collected in the back of his throat. He saw the demon, just like in his dream. It roared and thrashed. He saw Donal and Chase in the middle distance, groggily pushing themselves to their feet. He saw Callie, running.
He ran after her.
Callie’s breath burned her lungs and throat raw. She grasped the leather grip of her sword, worn comfortable from decades of use. Then she reached inside for the light that made her what she was. A Keeper of the Flame, one of Brighid’s nineteen champions.
Correction: eighteen champions.
She searched for the fire in her, deeper and deeper, and found nothing but a muted glow beyond her reach. In that startling moment she knew why Eva had died, her soul lost. She hadn’t ascended, because she couldn’t. And neither, it seemed, could Callie.
A strong arm caught her around the waist, dragging her back. “No!” she screamed, jolted off balance. She hung like a hissing, spitting cat from Liam’s arm.
“What the hell are you thinking?” Liam snarled.
“It’s not about me.” She continued to struggle. “Get Donny and Chase and go!”
“What are you talking about?” His dark eyes blazed, marble planes of his face stiff with barely contained fear finding release in stark anger.
“The raven.” She turned in his one-armed grip until she could see the burning tree. “It’s not a death omen. It’s a messenger. It’s not about betrayal, it’s about war. Maeve and Yshotha are just means to an end. It’s Lilith killing us.” She spun him about and shoved him in the other direction, to no effect. “Get them and go. Donny will know how to contact the Tuatha .”
Turned about in Liam’s grip as she was, she saw Donal was already long gone, haring it away as if all the hounds of hell were on his heels. Chase glowered at her every bit as much as Liam. “I’m staying,” he growled.
Callie wanted to scream. “And what were you planning to do? Fell the demon with all the might of your stubborn Texan pride?”
The fire that had so recently gone out ignited again. It raced toward them. Callie knew it was a matter moments before the obsidian would be burned dry of life and they would be trapped.
Liam turned and belted Chase across the face, catching his wilting bulk. Callie caught her friend on the other side, glaring at Liam.
“Yell at me later,” he said. “Move!”
They moved, dragging Chase along with them, his boots scraping furrows in the gray, moon-washed dirt at their feet. Together they barreled out of the Voudon between just as the veil winked out of existence. They all tumbled into the night-cooled grass of the real Jackson Square.
“You were supposed to get them out,” she told Liam, huffing humid air in and out of stinging lungs.
“And let you deal with the demon on your own?”
“Yes.” She gulped. “It’s what I do, Liam.”
“You couldn’t ascend, could you?” Donal examined the already magnificent bruise coloring Chase’s face, apparently bemused. “That’s why we lost Eva.”
Callie stared at him. “You knew?”
“I guessed.” He smiled at her. “You always ascend at the last possible moment. I never knew why.”
“I have to save it for when I absolutely need it.”
Donal nodded his understanding. “It has to be a sacrifice every time.”
“I have to be willing to die in order for it to work.”
Liam crawled over to her and took her surprised face in both hands. “I’m not ready to let you die, Keeper.” He kissed her before she could respond.
“Liam—”
“I know. Not an option, too many things at stake, never going to be the right time, end of the
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