Tenzen’s lips pulled back, and his voice was full of malice when he ordered, “Helios, I wish for you to kill everyone in this room except me and Shadow.”
My fingers flexed, squeezing Franklin’s to the point of pain. I sat there, holding my breath, waiting for death. It would take Helios longer to get around the wards Pops wove in our wedding rings, but he’d eventually find a way.
I expected Helios to ask for more specifics, to try and drag out the inevitable. What I didn’t expect was for him to cross his arms, lean against the nearest wall, and look for all the world to be impossibly bored.
Crimson flooded Tenzen’s skin, flushing his neck and cheeks. “Helios. You will do as I wish!”
“I don’t believe I will,” Helios answered while casually examining his fingernails. “You see, I was created to do as mymasterwishes and currently, that is not you.” A wicked grin raised Helios’s lips, that humor far from meeting his deadly eyes.
Tenzen stood there, momentarily dumbstruck. Realization hit him and he quickly stared at his hands—his empty hands. “W-what? Where is—”
I’d recognize Pops’s deep chuckle anywhere. Some thought Pops rarely laughed. I knew better. What I also knew was thatthe deepness of his laughter indicated different emotions. This level told me Pops was satisfied. Very satisfied indeed. And when I saw what he was holding in his hand, I understood why. Helios’s object of attachment, his inkpot, sat in the palm of Pops’s hand.
Phlox sat on Pops’s shoulder, his Pallas’s cat tail flicking while his head was held high. His pixie wings fluttered, scattering dust down Pops’s back.
“Shadow. Come to me.” Gone was the haughty cadence from before. Wariness sat in its place as Tenzen slid along the fireplace, inching his way along the wall. The shadows in the room quickly slid across the floor, coalescing into a singular, dark figure. It didn’t exactly meld with Tenzen, but it was close enough to be mistaken for an average, run-of-the mill shadow.
Pops stared at the inkpot. The power he could wield with it would be tempting, but I knew Pops. He was too wise to allow himself to get sucked into the lie.
“Turns out it is very handy having a shifter with pixie wings around.” Pops reached up, pressing his fingers into Phlox’s plush fur and scratching along his neck. Phlox leaned into the touch, and for once, Leon didn’t get upset with the affection. “He’s quick and can capture lost items before it’s supposed owner even realizes the item has been lost. You’d make an excellent thief.”
Phlox hissed but rubbed against the side of Pops’s head before he flew off, settling in Leon’s waiting arms.
Hand gripping the inkpot, Pops’s shoulders tightened as he drew up to his full height. “Tenzen Huxley, you’ve haunted my son for long enough. You’ve proven that shadow borne no longer have a place in this world. Willingly or not, it’s time to put you to sleep. Helios, I wish for you to help Aurelia put Tenzen Huxley to bed. Bury him deep within the earth. Leave no opening for even the barest hint of light to find him. Make certain his tombis impenetrable. Make shadow borne little more than myth and legend.”
This time, Helios didn’t ask for clarification. He rounded, going to Aurelia’s side. “Shall we open the earth?”
“Not here,” Aurelia calmly answered. “I do not wish the structure to fully fall.” She meaningfully glanced around the room, her eyes landing on the scuttlebutt still cradled within Momma’s arms.
“We cannot transport him. It is one of our restrictions.”
A pleased smile lit up Aurelia’s face. “It is no longer one of mine.”
Franklin took a barely felt breath. It wouldn’t be long now. I had to clear my throat twice before speech became possible. “Aurelia.” Her gaze immediately found mine. Something shifted in her eyes when she saw Franklin on the ground, his life nearly gone. “Please hurry back.” It took every ounce of patience I had to phrase my next words. “If you’re willing, I’ll need your help soon.”
Aurelia’s eyes narrowed before she offered the barest nod.
Tenzen’s low, feral growl filled the air and drew our attention back to him. Tenzen braced against the wall at his back, crouched low and ready to defend himself. He never had a chance. Between one breath and the next, Aurelia’s arms were around him and they were gone. Helios quickly followed.
The room quieted. All the monsters were gone, leaving us with the greatest fear of all—Death.
Franklin’s fingers were now ice cold, each stuttered rise and fall of his chest a battle he couldn’t win. Momma’s fingers found their way to my shoulder. “Erasmus, I’m… He’ll be fine,” Momma insisted. “We’ll get him help. It’s not too—”
“He’ll be dead soon,” I said, voice empty but steady.
Momma sucked in a harsh breath. Pops went to his knees on the other side of Franklin’s body. He was still clutching theinkpot tight. “I’m so sorry, son. Warlocks can’t perform healing magic. If I could, I’d… I can do something for the pain, but I’m afraid that’s all.”
My free hand brushed through Franklin’s hair, pushing it away from his pallid face. Franklin’s blue-tinged lips were slightly parted, barely whispered air slipping through at far too sedate a pace.
“It’s okay, Pops. It’ll be fine.”
Pops reached over Franklin’s body, gripping my wrist tight. “Erasmus, you’ll need to let him go. He won’t—”
“I’m not letting him go.” My voice was steady, my thoughts calm.
“Honey.” Momma sounded concerned. “Nikodemus is right. You’ll—”
“Franklin isn’t going anywhere,” I insisted.
