He turned to the next photograph in his collection—a university ID badge showing the face of his next target.The man was older than the others, with silver-threaded hair and the confident gaze of someone who had spent a lifetime studying death rituals without truly understanding the power they contained.The irony pleased the Shadow's Apprentice.This academic would experience firsthand the transition between worlds he had so meticulously documented from the safe distance of scholarly analysis.
Only after completing this third point of the star would he be ready for the fourth killing, and then the fifth—the culmination that required a very special sacrifice.Someone who had witnessed the original murders.Someone whose family connection to past and present would create the perfect ceremonial bridge.
The Shadow's Apprentice smiled as he considered this final target.He was going to enjoy this.
He gathered the herbs he would need for the next ceremonial bundle, selecting only the freshest specimens from his carefully maintained collection.The white prairie aster proved most elusive, requiring him to trek to remote locations where it grew wild, untouched by human cultivation.Each element must be perfect, each proportion exact.His father's notes had been explicit about the consequences of deviation from the prescribed formula.
As he worked, the Shadow's Apprentice felt the presence in the chamber intensify, the ancient consciousness pressing closer as the ritual neared its midpoint.Soon, very soon, the power that had walked between worlds for countless generations would have a new vessel.The interruption of fifty years would be rectified, and the boundaries that modern minds deemed inviolable would learn to fear the shadows once more.
He carefully wrapped the bundle in red thread, securing it with knots that formed patterns older than written language.Then he extinguished the ceremonial herbs, leaving only the faint glow of a single candle to illuminate the underground chamber.In the flickering light, his shadow stretched and twisted against the stone walls, momentarily taking forms that seemed independent of his physical movements.
"Three more," he whispered to the presence that filled the chamber."Three more, and the cycle will be complete."
In the silence that followed, he thought he heard an answering whisper—ancient words that carried the weight of centuries, promising power beyond mortal comprehension.The Shadow Walker was returning, and this time, nothing would interrupt the transference of his terrible gift.
The Shadow's Apprentice settled into meditation, his consciousness already reaching toward his next hunting ground, where the third point of the star awaited its sacrifice.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Agent Paul Daniels had commandeered the department's main conference room, spreading case files across every available surface with the same meticulous precision Kari remembered from their previous collaborations.He looked up from a stack of photographs as she entered with Ben, his expression that peculiar mix of professional neutrality and barely concealed frustration that seemed to define federal attitudes toward reservation investigations.
"Detective Blackhorse.Detective Tsosie."Daniels nodded, gesturing to empty chairs."Good timing.We need to coordinate before this case gets any more complicated."
"Since when are the feds involved in this case?"Kari asked, surprised to see him.
"Professor Jennifer Holbrook was from Chicago," Daniels said."Her body was found at Antelope Lake early this morning.Same signature—herbs in the mouth, ceremonial positioning.The cause of death is different, sure, but the herbs alone tie the cases together.This is now a cross-state investigation, which brings it under FBI purview."
Kari noticed the conspicuous absence of any mention of the historical murders from 1973-74."Have you reviewed the files we discovered on the original cases?"she asked."The pattern—"
"Let's focus on current evidence first," Daniels said, his tone suggesting the topic wasn't up for discussion."Standard FBI protocol for serial killings looks at present victims, recent patterns, forensic evidence—not fifty-year-old cold cases that may or may not be related."
This was familiar territory.During both the Skinwalker case and the uranium mine investigation, Daniels initially dismissed cultural and historical elements as irrelevant complications rather than crucial context.Both times, he'd eventually been forced to acknowledge their significance when standard procedures failed to yield results.
"With respect, Agent Daniels," Kari said, keeping her voice professional, "the ceremonial aspects aren't just decoration.They're integral to understanding the killer's motives and methods.The specific herb combinations used are identical to murders from 1973-74."
"The herbs again," Daniels said with a sigh."Look, I understand you believe there's a cultural element here, but these could simply be a signature the killer adopted from public sources about Native American practices."
"Public sources wouldn't include white prairie aster in the specific proportion found in these bundles," Ben interjected."That knowledge comes from healing ceremonies rarely documented outside traditional communities."
Daniels leaned back, studying them both with the evaluating gaze of someone recalculating their approach."You're convinced this connects to the old cases?"
"Five victims in 1973-74, all academics studying sacred sites," Kari said."All killed with single stab wounds, herbs placed in their mouths post-mortem.The killer was never caught.Either he's returned after fifty years, or someone with intimate knowledge of those murders is recreating them."
"Five victims?"Daniels frowned, reaching for his laptop."FBI records show only three murders with that signature from that period."
"Two weren't officially documented," Kari said."One occurred on Hopi land, outside tribal police jurisdiction.The other victim's family refused investigation, insisting on immediate burial according to traditional practices."
Daniels was silent for a moment, processing this information.Then, surprisingly, he nodded."After our last two cases together, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.What else have you uncovered?"
The shift in attitude caught Kari off guard, but she recovered quickly."We've identified connections between the original victims—all were involved academics.My grandfather investigated those cases but I'm told he kept separate notes that weren't included in official files.Notes we haven't recovered."She considered mentioning that she had recovered some of her grandfather's notes, but she decided to keep this information to herself for now.They felt personal to her, and she didn't want to be asked to hand them over.
"Joseph Chee," Daniels said, recognition flickering across his features."I remember hearing about him during my early years with the Bureau.Solid detective, by the sound of it."
He opened his laptop and began typing rapidly."I've been busy, too.When I ran the herb signature through our database, I found similar cases in New Mexico and Utah—isolated incidents in the 1980s and 90s that were never connected to a larger pattern."
"How many cases?"Kari asked, leaning forward.
"Seven total over two decades," Daniels replied."Each appeared to be a one-off, different jurisdictions, no apparent connections between victims beyond academic backgrounds.But looking at it now…"
