I should have guessed. We weren’t the only ones watching the line, but with the enemy able to strike anywhere at any given time, all bets were off. For all I knew, they planned to escalate the situation and go for a more major target while our attention was elsewhere. But this was the closest we’d get to tracking the bastards down.
“Ivy as in Ivy Lane?” asked Ilsa, turning to Isabel.
“Yeah… you’ve met?” asked Isabel.
“Once or twice.” Ilsa fidgeted, shooting Keir a look. He stood with his brow furrowed in concentration, probably jumping between his three vessels to make sure they stayed on track. Sending more would look suspicious, but if anything happened to them, it wasn’t like he couldn’t seize control of any nearby dead if he wanted to.
Winning a battle wasn’t a problem. To win the war, we needed to find the enemy’s real location.
“Go in,” Keir said, through the side of his mouth. “Jas, Ilsa. Watch the dead.”
The candles lit up at my command, I nodded to Ilsa, and we plunged into the spirit realm.
Keir was easy to spot, a brightly outlined shadow. Feeding on my soul yesterday had done him a world of good. Threads of blue light spun from his hands, directing Ilsa and me to follow their trail through the spirit realm to the vessels.
Soon enough, the blue lights came to an end beside the run-down church chosen as the meeting place. Weird choice, or maybe not. Old churches were often haunted, and it made some sense for humans to feel more connected with the spirit realm at a place of religious significance.
It would be expecting too much to find the enemy’s plans hidden inside, but it was nice to imagine. One of Keir’s vessels walked around the church, setting down candles. The other two walked to the doors, looking for all the world like an ordinary pair of friends, venturing into an abandoned church on a whim. Nobody else was around, which was probably why they’d chosen this location. I scanned the spirit realm for interlopers, and spotted a faint glow. Looks like we got here just in time.
Ilsa floated to my side. “The candles will stabilise the spirit line, but I think the perpetrator’s close.”
“Shit.” I whirled around as she pointed at a blurred figure at the end of the road, approaching the church. From the glow around his spirit, he must be a necromancer. There you are. He hadn’t spotted us yet, too focused on walking towards the church to notice two ghosts floating above him. The third vessel had disappeared from sight, and I really hoped he’d complete the candle circle before the necromancer reached the church’s doors.
I remained still as he drew closer. If he tapped into the spirit realm, he’d see both of us, but if we kept our distance, we might be too late to stop him.
The necromancer reached the doors, putting a hand into his pocket. When he pulled out a familiar shiny metal device, my breath caught. The contraption seemed a mirror image of the one that’d exploded. But this one was whole, glowing with blue-white light.
Oh, man. Judging by the bright glow, the device had taken in at least a few spirits already. Maybe it’d been the device used in the first attack. All that energy must have gone somewhere, after all.
The necromancer pushed at the door, and stepped back when he found it open. “Who’s in here?”
The necromancer shoved the door inwards and marched in. Ilsa and I followed close behind, not impeded by the doors, to the sight of the vessels standing silently in the darkness.
“Who the devil are you?” demanded the necromancer. “What are you doing here?”
“Isn’t there a meeting?” said one of the vessels, with the barest hint of Keir’s voice. “The door was unlocked.”
The other vessel moved in front. “That’s cool,” he said, eyeing the device in the necromancer’s hand. “What is it?”
I hope you know what you’re doing, Keir.
The necromancer took a step back, and the vessel moved swiftly, catching his arm in a tight grip.
“Vampire,” the necromancer hissed, and his body glowed brighter as he tapped into the spirit realm.
“Surprise,” I said, right behind him, and gave him a shove, bolstered by kinetic energy. Ilsa did the same, and he tripped backwards—right into the path of the third vessel. The zombified man grabbed the device from the necromancer’s hand, leaping over the threshold to the door.
The instant he did so, twelve candles snapped on, imprisoning the necromancer inside the church.
Ilsa and I were on him before he could dive out of the circle. He yelled and struggled as we grabbed him by the shoulders, wrenching him from his body. Ilsa’s expert movements suggested this was not the first time she’d liberated someone from their earthly form.
“Let me go!” he shouted.
“Not until you tell us what you’re doing here,” I said. “You’re not acting alone. Where is your boss?”
He struggled, swearing, but one spirit couldn’t overcome two, and the candles held him captive. “I will not bow to you.”
“I’m the Gatekeeper,” said Ilsa, pinning his arms behind his back. “I will send you through the gates of Death before you even have the chance to use that device of yours. Are you trying to shut down the spirit line altogether?”
“No…” He struggled again, sweat beading on his forehead even as a ghost. “The spirit lines are infinite. So is their power. The more we gain, the more we can use to find what we seek.”
“You’re brainwashed,” I said. “By who? Who is the vampire controlling you? Where is he?”
His mouth opened and closed, then a glint consumed his eyes as blue light spread from his form. “Right here, Jacinda Hemlock.”
My body stiffened. Ilsa maintained her grip on his shoulders—but she’d heard my birth name. How does he know?
“How are you piloting people who are still alive?” I demanded. The necromancer’s spirit might be outside of his body, but the Soul Collector was speaking through him. Through his spirit, not his body.
“How indeed.” The ghostly man’s eyes gleamed blue-grey, but no shadow lurked behind him. He was no ordinary vampire.
“You called yourself the Soul Collector,” I said, thinking fast. “But that’s not what you’re doing, is it? You’re stealing energy from the key points as well as from people.”
And he planned to use that energy to break down the Hemlocks’ spirit line. That much, I could guess. But Ilsa’s presence made it impossible to force my way past the geas to ask what in hell he wanted with my coven. They hadn’t even believed vampires existed at first.
“What’s your purpose in tapping the spirit lines?” Ilsa asked. “What is it you’re after?”
“What am I looking for?” he said. “The Ancients, of course. And my path to them is through you, Jacinda Hemlock.”
What…?
The light disappeared from the necromancer’s eyes, and he vanished. The spirit was gone.
Ilsa’s hands dropped to her sides, no longer restraining the necromancer. “Where did he go? I didn’t see the gates.”
“No…” Crap. Ilsa was the Gatekeeper. If even she hadn’t seen where the guy’s spirit had vanished to, I was clueless.
No… the Soul Collector was no vampire. But what was he?
“The spirit device!” I spun on the spot, but the vessels had disappeared from the circle. The necromancer’s body lay inert on the ground, and I didn’t need the spirit sight to know he’d departed when the Soul Collector did.
“Relax, the vessel still has it,” said Ilsa.
I’d take her word for it. I felt unbalanced, out of sorts, and not just because my body was a mile away.
I jumped at a sound from nearby, but it was only the other vessel collecting the candles. Trusting Keir to handle it, I floated out through the open doors. “I don’t understand. Where did he go?” The Soul Collector couldn’t live beyond the veil. There was no returning from that place. But Ilsa’s weighted stare told me she hadn’t missed hearing my real name. The geas hadn’t broken, but I was right—the person behind this was
linked to the witches. The Hemlocks knew where the Ancients were hidden, if they still existed. That alone was enough reason for him to want to get to my coven.
Then… why did he pick this spirit line first?
“C’mon, Jas. We should head back.” Ilsa glanced around, then her transparent form disappeared, leaving me alone.
With one last glance at the church, I closed my eyes, feeling my way back into my body—
I slammed into an invisible forcefield, spinning on the spot, the church wheeling below me. What the hell?
Gritting my teeth, I focused again on inhabiting my body, moving my hands… and again, I hit a barrier so hard it was like it was solid.
Icy fear washed over me. Oh, no.
I felt my way back to my body, concentrating fiercely. Let me back.
Evelyn Hemlock’s presence brushed against mine, triumph and anger mingling in conjunction. “You won’t shut me out again, Jas.”
Once more, I was thrown into the air, spinning above the spirit line. I squeezed my eyes shut, releasing a stream of curses. Ever since the explosion, I’d felt traces of Evelyn, closer than before. When I’d sealed her away, I’d instinctually known it was a temporary solution, and the shock of nearly dying must have woken her up again. And now she was in control of my body. My friends are there. They don’t know.
I left the church behind, floating as fast as I possibly could. If I couldn’t get into my body, I could at least warn my friends through the spirit realm. I floated, the ground disappearing below me, and halted at the alley entrance. My body remained standing in the candle circle, and none of the others knew the person inside it wasn’t me. Ilsa stepped out of the circle, while Lloyd stood beside Keir and Isabel.
Evelyn Hemlock lifted her head, her eyes opening. She smiled, oh-so-faintly.
“Let me back,” I mouthed at her. “Move.”
I concentrated on my body once more, my hands clenching, and this time, sensation came back piece by piece. Ice cracked on my hands, and my breaths came quickly. I needed to seal her away, but not with witnesses. I’d acted on instinct when I’d done it the first time around and wasn’t sure I could repeat the performance or if I needed to be close to the forest to do so, but whatever the case, I had to get her out of the way before she took control again.
“You won’t stop me,” she whispered in my ear. “You were lucky to be on our spirit line at the time, and that’s the only reason you were able to bind me. But if you go back to that line, I’ll make you pay for it.”
Cold sweat trickled down my back. She had me cornered.
“Where are the vessels?” Ilsa asked Keir. “Hey, Jas, glad you’re back.”
Yeah, the problem is, it’s not just me. “Slight problem,” I said.
“You’re telling me,” Lloyd said.
A tall, cloaked figure walked towards us. Lady Montgomery approached our hiding spot, Keir’s vessels just behind her, the spirit device in her hands. My heart dived into my shoes.
The boss’s gaze went to the candles at my feet, and then to Keir. “Mind telling me what you’re doing?”
Oh, bloody hell.
“Stopping the Ley Hunters,” answered Ilsa. “We found an address where they cancelled a meeting yesterday and decided to take the initiative. Again, the perpetrator died on sight when the person calling himself the Soul Collector possessed him.”
I nodded mutely, not trusting myself to speak in case Evelyn stepped in. With the boss watching like a hawk, it’d take a miracle for me to get away in time to shut my second soul away.
“So I see,” Lady Montgomery said. “Pick up those candles and come with me.”
“Dammit, I don’t have time for paperwork.” The words burst out before I could hold them back. “Erm, I mean, the Soul Collector escaped right in front of us. We have to stop—"
“Our best necromancers are watching the spirit lines,” she answered. “The candles, please, Jas.”
There was nothing like the sharp tone of an authority figure to snap everyone into action. Even Keir and Isabel moved in to help, the former leaving his vessels behind once Isabel had retrieved the spells they hadn’t used. Lady Montgomery watched our every move, then accompanied us back to the guild on foot. Every time I contemplated making a run for it, she was there, her gaze sharp, as though she knew I planned to make a run for it at the first opportunity.
Chill, Jas. The guild’s in an iron-covered building. Besides, I’m stronger than Evelyn is. I’ve had enough practise keeping her out.
Evelyn remained suspiciously quiet while we walked to the boss’s office. Between us, we cobbled together an account of the day’s events. What Keir had done hadn’t been illegal and had clearly worked, so the boss was less pissed off than yesterday, but it took all the self-control I could muster not to scream that there was a mad spirit on the loose in my head, and if I didn’t get her locked away soon, she might try to kill everyone in this room.
“I will take this contraption to the council,” Lady Montgomery said, indicating the metal device. “I can’t say I know how it works, but I can guess. I have also asked if anyone saw the man in the picture you drew, Jas, but nobody recognises his face.”
“I only saw him as a ghost,” I said, as all eyes turned to me. “This time, he… he was possessing a ghost. I don’t know what he is, but I’m getting the impression he’s no normal vampire.”
“Possessing a ghost?” repeated the boss. “That certainly isn’t possible. Not for one of us.”
Then what is he? Even Keir looked utterly confused. Only Ilsa’s confirmation told me I hadn’t imagined what the Soul Collector had done to the necromancer.
“He’s not carrying out the attacks in person,” Ilsa said. “He’s sending other, weaker people to do the same, people who can be sacrificed. He seems to think he can break open the spirit lines.”
“Not with this,” she said, her mouth tightening. “But I’ve issued a security warning, and the entire guild will take measures to protect ourselves against this individual. That includes all of you.”
“What do you need us to do?” I shifted my weight, hoping for a dismissal.
“Ilsa, tell the psychics to be on their guard. Lloyd, Jas, you’re dismissed, but please be careful if you leave the guild. And if any other attacks take place, I’ll expect you to be ready at a moment’s notice.”
“Gotcha,” I said, another bead of sweat trickling down my back. For a moment, I expected her to call me to stay behind, but the gleaming device on her desk took priority. I bloody well hoped she had somewhere safe to secure it.
As we left, Lloyd said, “I thought she’d read us the riot act. Guess she doesn’t mind if we break the rules and don’t royally screw up in the process.”
“Yeah.” I quickened my steps. “I’m just gonna head up and get something from my room, okay?”
Or rather, sneak out and fix Evelyn’s prison before anyone realised she was free. Her quietness was too good to be true, and it was only when I rounded the corner that I realised I hadn’t given my body permission to walk that way.
A tingling began in my fingertips and ran down my spine, and my legs continued to move, without my permission. Dammit, Evelyn, stop that!
I picked up speed, and nearly walked into Morgan coming the opposite way. A psychic was the last person I needed to be near with a potentially dangerous spirit inside my head.
“Ilsa said you might be interested in getting to Lady Montgomery’s book stash,” he said. “I assume you’ve got spells, but just in case—”
My hand shot out of its own accord and grabbed him by the throat.
Evelyn! Stop!
I pushed, hard, and wrenched control away from her. Morgan staggered back, gasping for breath, and Ilsa appeared behind him. “What in hell is going on?”
Morgan gave me a confused stare. “She tried to strangle me.”
“I—” Crap. What the hell, Evelyn? You can’t attack the other necromancers. “Sorry,” I managed to gasp, shoving Evelyn’s
presence aside. “I—I need to get outside.”
“What did you do, Morgan?” asked Ilsa.
“Me? Why assume I’m the one who did something?”
“I’m guessing you’re the one responsible for leaving that disembodied zombie hand lying around the cafeteria, for one thing.”
“What else was I supposed to do with it?”
“Put it literally anywhere else, idiot.”
Oops. I’d kicked off another sibling war. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled, and then ran for it before Evelyn decided the Gatekeeper was a threat, too.
I have to bind her. Now.
“Not anymore,” Evelyn whispered in my ear. “I won’t be contained again.”
I broke into a sprint across the lobby, out the doors—and ran smack into Keir.
“Whoa.” He caught his balance, his eyes wide. “Jas, what—?”
Evelyn pushed into my head, and I pushed her out, my control slipping. “She’s in control,” I gasped at him. “Take me to the forest—to the spirit line—”
Grey light rose around me, then blackness.
17
My eyes opened, taking in the sight of the Hemlock forest’s endless dark trees all around me. I’d made it over, but where was Keir?
I scanned the path, my heart dropping. Thick tree roots bound Keir’s whole body so tightly, I couldn’t even see his face, just a tuft of dark hair sticking out and his arms hanging limply between the roots.
“Cordelia,” I said. “Cordelia, let him go. He didn’t do anything wrong.”
I walked towards him—or floated. Oh, crap. I wasn’t in my body.
“Dammit, Evelyn!” I yelled. “Where did she go? Cordelia, let Keir out so I can find her. Now.”
“He has trespassed.” Cordelia’s face appeared in the branches, staring down at me. “This one knows the Ancients. We can’t let him go.”
“Please.” My voice cracked, desperation breaking through. “He wouldn’t have brought me here if Evelyn hadn’t hijacked my body. Can you at least tell me where she went?”
“She left the forest.”
I swore loudly. “Let Keir go. If you make me choose between leaving him to die and saving my own skin, then I swear I’ll unleash your own power on you sevenfold.”
Witch's Soul Page 17
