“No, thanks.” I’d barely been able to finish my burger, but needed to keep my strength up. I was starting to have second thoughts about what I’d agreed to do with Burr, but if I didn’t find my grandparents soon, the
Obscurus
would win.
And I can’t let them win.
The blue moon was tomorrow night, so I had a limited amount of time to find a child, convince the parents to let me use him/her as bait, and pull this off without losing the kid to the shadows. The shadows preferred their victims to be under ten. I didn’t know anyone with small children, but the note that magically materialized in my pocket said Lavie would be able to help.
“So, Lavie I need your help with something.”
“What is it?”
I pulled the scrap of paper from my pocket and slid it across the table. “Does this mean anything to you?”
She scanned it. “It sure does. How did you get it?”
“It appeared in my pocket.”
“This looks like Saul’s handwriting.”
“I think he put it there.”
She slapped the paper and laughed. “I’ve never seen him do anything like this before, but it does sounds like something he would do.”
“What do you mean?”
“If there’s something troubling you when he’s around, he picks up on it and can’t help himself, he
has
to help. Sort of like what he did when he showed you where the van was. He could sense you were worried.” She looked at the paper again. “I’m not sure why you were thinking about this, though.
Parents Against Shadow Things
is a support group.”
My heart picked up. “Is it a support group for parents who’ve lost children to the shadows?”
She nodded. “They meet every week at the local town hall to talk about their loss. Most people think they’re crazy but they’re not. These parents have actually lost kids to those monsters.”
“What do you know about shadows?”
Lavie shrugged. “Probably the same stuff you do. They’re malicious beings who like to steal and devour children.”
“Sounds about right.”
“These horrid creatures are harmful bastards that ruin lives.”
“Can you take me to this meeting?” I sighed. “But by the way, how do you even know about this group?”
Her hazel eyes clouded over. “One of my closest friends lost a child to these monsters. Kitty was only four when a shadow monster stole her right in front of her mother. Casey had a nervous breakdown shortly after and was institutionalized. She’s been there for over two years. All she does is murmur about them and draws the scene over and over again, like she’s caught in a nightmarish loop.”
My heart went out to this poor woman. “I’m so sorry, that’s awful.” I knew firsthand what it felt like to lose someone to the shadows because my grandparents were taken by them, but to lose your own child…I couldn’t even begin to understand how much that would hurt.
“Yeah, it is. I visit her as often as I can, but she doesn’t acknowledge anyone.” Lavie looked down at her plate. “Her husband never gave up hope. Gary’s the one who started this group to help other parents ease their pain by talking about it.”
“Can we go to one of the meetings?”
“Sure, they meet on Tuesday evenings.”
“That’s too late. I need to speak to someone about this today.”
Lavie looked at me. “What exactly do you want to know?”
I looked away, knowing this wasn’t going to be easy but if anyone could help, it was her. “Remember how I stuck around the other night to talk to Burr?”
She nodded, but didn’t say a word.
“I asked him if he could help me cross into the shadow patch.” I raised my hand before she could interrupt. “He told me he could, but only if I found a kid to use as bait.”
Lavie gasped and sat forward. “Are you serious?” she hissed. “You can’t do that.”
“I know I shouldn’t, but it’s the only way I can save my grandparents.” I met her gaze, trying to make her understand how important this was—and not just for me. “If I can crossover into their patch, I might even be able to help the children trapped inside. I know it’s a longshot, but I think it’s worth a try.” I paused long enough for my words to sink in. “So I have to ask, do you know anyone desperate enough to use one kid to save the one they lost?”
This was the only scenario I could fathom as a possibility. No parent would sacrifice their child this way, but if it meant saving the other…maybe it changed the situation.
Lavie shook her head. “Sierra, this is insane.”
“It’s the only way—”
“I can’t expect anyone to willingly offer their child for something this risky.”
“If there was any other way to deal with it, I would. But I’m out of options.”
Lavie’s hazel eyes were wide when she looked into mine. She seemed determined to reject this idea. If she did, I might never get to my grandparents.
“Please,” I whispered.
“Ahhh.” She sat back, closed her eyes and rubbed them. “I’m going to regret this.”
“So you’ll help me?”
“I can’t make any promises, because Casey and Gary only had one child.”
“Lavie, this might be my only chance.”
She looked thoughtful. “This is such a huge thing to ask of anyone…”
“I know it is. But finding my grandparents and completing the cycle will help me get a step ahead of the
Obscurus
, and that’s something that will benefit everyone.”
Lavie was quiet for a while, just looking at me. “Okay, okay. Gary knows a lot of suffering parents and there might be someone desperate enough to do this. Give me a sec.” She pulled out her phone and started pressing buttons before holding it up to her ear. “Hey, Gary, how’re things? Good, good. Listen, I need to ask you something…”
Not wanting to be rude by listening in, I decided to check my own phone to see if there were any messages from Papan. Nope, he still hadn’t called. So I typed a quick text and sent it.
All I could do was remember the red dot moving along the road, and question why he hadn’t checked in yet. What if Vixen had woken up mid-trip and attacked him while he was driving? She could’ve caused an accident—he could be hurt. I shook my head, overreacting and making up worst-case scenarios wasn’t going to get me anywhere but Crazy Town.
I put the phone down on the table and decided to look around the diner.
Monster Coffee Break was set up like an old-style American diner, including the long chrome-lined counter at the back and matching stools with red vinyl padding. The rest of the place contained an array of booths pressed against the walls, and tables screwed to the black-and-white-tiled floor.
There were quite a few folks having late lunches, which shouldn’t surprise me on a Sunday. People of all shapes and sizes sat in groups, chatting while eating or sipping from their cups, and for the first time I couldn’t help but wonder how many were more than human. Sheila had hinted as much, so I was curious.
As I scanned the counter and past a waitress wearing a not-very-flattering peach uniform, I noticed a man watching me. He was wearing a black bowler hat and tufts of his long white hair stuck out underneath, framing his almost skeletal face. The dark circles under his light eyes made them stand out more, and when I saw his black outfit I couldn’t help but think of Oren. He dressed like this too, almost as if he belonged in another century—though I’d never seen this man before.
I looked at him and he didn’t look away, not bothered by the fact I’d caught him staring.
After a few seconds of intense observation he raised his bowler hat off his head and tipped it towards me, as if in greeting. That was when I noticed the head of a dragon tattoo popping out from beneath the cuff of his jacket. He stood, leaning heavily on a cane.
My heart sped up because I recognized the tattoo. I’d seen it enough times—it was the mark of the
Obscurus
. I was about to stand when the person seated beside him swiveled around and looked right at me.
Mace!
The bastard grinned, raised his drink of whatever in a salute and vanished. The cup shattered against the tiles, causing the waitress to jump.
My heart raced. Had the man with the bowler hat been talking to Mace, or was it a coincidence that they were sitting next to each other? No, that was no coincidence.
I jumped when someone tapped my forearm. “What?”
“Gee, why are you so jumpy?” Lavie asked.
“I’m sorry,” I said, “It’s just that…” When I turned back to follow the man’s progress out of the diner, he’d completely vanished. Both of them had disappeared, and
that
couldn’t be a coincidence.
“It’s just what?” she asked, exasperated.
“I thought I saw someone, but he’s gone. No big deal.”
“
Ooookay.
I spoke to Gary and he thinks there might be a couple willing to help.”
“Really, someone would actually let us use their kid for this?”
Her smile disappeared. “Well, we have to speak to them first and reassure them nothing will happen to their little boy, but Gary seemed pretty confident. Their daughter was taken last week, and the boy is her twin. Since her disappearance, he’s been sick and they’re convinced it’s got something to do with whatever the shadows are doing to their daughter. They sound desperate enough to help. Gary gave me their number and they’ll meet with us tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you so much for doing this. I know how crazy this plan sounds, but it’s our only shot. I really appreciate your help.” At least one of the things I needed to get out of the way had a semi-solution, which reminded me about our next job. “Are you ready to go?”
She looked down at her unfinished plate but nodded. “Yeah, where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
“What are we doing back here?” Lavie spun in a circle, scanning the deserted storefronts surrounding us. Some were covered with moldy cardboard and newspapers, but most had their display windows shattered years ago, and were plastered with ugly graffiti tags.
We stood in the middle of the abandoned part of town after sneaking past the chain-link fence. Decades ago pedestrians and cars—as well as horses and carriages before them—would have travelled up and down these narrow streets. But large shopping centers killed these places, forcing family businesses to shut after people stopped coming.
Now, they were going to get rid of this piece of Sydney history and build enough apartments to swamp the place.
“I need to see something,” I finally said, “and I want you to be my witness.”
Her hazel eyes lit up. “That sounds very mysterious. I’m in!”
I laughed, because her enthusiasm for all things strange was contagious. Where Papan made me forget the bad stuff, Lavie made me feel like it was okay to be inundated by the bizarre. She had a knack for turning incidents into adventures.
“So, which way are we going?” she asked.
“This way,” I said, grabbing a hold of her hand.
Strolling down the middle of the road with my friend beside me and kicking stray litter aside, I decided that daylight made everything look worse. I closed my eyes and mind, longing to be in the past. When I opened them, I could see what this location used to look like superimposed onto the ghost town it had become. Imprints of people ambled by. Some noticed me and stared, while others didn’t. But they all faded too quickly.
These impressions weren’t spooks, more like very thin inklings of their former activity.
“It’s so sad,” Lavie said. “There’s nothing here.”
“Not to the naked eye.”
She squeezed my hand. “I can feel something moving beneath the ground we’re walking on, though.”
“What does it feel like?”
“It feels like a constant hum.” She was quiet for a moment. “It’s hard to explain.”
I nodded. It
was
hard to explain, but it was something I’d also noticed during the last few months. Yet, it hadn’t felt as strong as it did now.
That’s why we’re here to do a little scrying.
I wanted to test a theory, something Oren had taught me the day he used my blood to reveal the ley lines he hoped would lead to my grandparents. Back then, in the middle of Sydney, the line had hit the top of the Spook Catcher Council Tower—which is exactly where the gateway to Grandma and Grandpa had been. Now, I was hoping to get a different type of reaction.
I stopped in the middle of the road. “Okay, this is the spot.”
Lavie pulled her hand from mine and spun in a circle. “We’re at the crossroads.”
“That’s right.” Wallace Street stood behind us—Martin Street to our left, Living Street to the right. We stood where three paths met, which was precisely where I wanted to be.
“This is where deals can be made, where wishes come true, and pathways can be opened into other worlds.” Lavie frowned, and turned to look at me. “I don’t think we should be here. We should go before Hecate finds us.”
At the mention of the name, a warm tremor swept through me and the buzz beneath my feet intensified. Hecate was the Goddess of many things—including three-path crossroads.
“This is exactly where we have to be.” Burr sparked this idea on Friday when he’d said,
“It’s not the building that lures us, it’s where it stands.”
That’s when I’d decided a little scrying was in order.