Scar’s jaw dropped. “What?”
Lorenzo stroked his chin. “Yes, I believe his name did come up when I asked.”
Realization dawned in Scar’s eyes. “Wait—I just remembered something. That night when he first showed up at the bar, he said he wasnewhere. I thought he meant to the bar itself, but could he have meant new to Cinderhollow?”
“Maybe,” I added. “Perhaps that’s why none of us recognized him.”
“There’s another thing you should know,” Lorenzo said. “The night that the fox shifters arrived, something… strange happened with the barrier itself.”
“What do you mean somethinghappenedto it?” I asked, somewhat frantic. “I’ve never heard of anything happening to that barrier. From a magical standpoint, it’s completely solid.”
“You’re right, Ryu. That’s just it,” Lorenzo said seriously. “It concerned me deeply when the guards told me about this.”
“Well, what the hell is it?” Scar asked, clearly getting fed up. “And not all of us are amazing mages, so put it in terms I can actually understand.”
Lorenzo gazed at us seriously. “It flickered.”
I gasped.
“Like a lightbulb?” Scar asked.
“Yes,” Lorenzo said slowly.
My head was spinning. “Hang on… Are you telling me it flickeredout of existence?”
“Yes, I am,” Lorenzo added gravely.
“The whole thing?”
“Yes, Ryu.”
I leaned back as the weight of this news hit me.
“Wait, what’s the big deal? It came back, didn’t it?” Scar asked.
“It did, but there are only three conditions under which the barrier should theoretically disappear; one, if Halo Fire-Eater’s magic was somehow suspended; two, if someone employed evenstrongermagic against his, which is highly unlikely given that Fire-Eater was one of the most powerful mages of all time; or three, if Fire-Eater was dead.”
Scar narrowed his eyes. “Well, it’s obviously not the last one, since it came back. So everything should be fine.”
But Lorenzo and I both knew it was more serious than that. The barrier flickering out of existence, even for just a single moment, was critically important to our future. The uncertainty was the worst part. If it went out once, who was to say it wouldn’t go out again—forever?
“Since nobody knows where Fire-Eater is, it’s impossible to know what happened,” Lorenzo said.
“Scar is right. Let’s rule out the idea that he’s dead,” I began. “Out of the other two options, which is more likely?”
Lorenzo frowned in thought. “I would say the first. That Fire-Eater’s magic was momentarily suspended.”
“Right—but how? Why? If he’s so powerful, he wouldn’t just let it drop,” I countered.
Lorenzo’s eyes widened in shock. “Are you suggesting someone evenmoreskilled than him interrupted his magic?”
“Okay, okay, wait,” Scar declared. “What the hell doesanyof this have to do with Angel?”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Lorenzo sighed in frustration. “This happened the night before you found Angel. The barrier’s flickeringandHenry’s appearance. They all have to be connected somehow.”
Scar glanced up suddenly. “Hang on. Do you guys think this has anything to do with the scent trail?”
“The one that vanished into thin air,” I added, the realization dawning on me. “Yes, it has to. That’s the only way any of this makes sense.”
