25
“Whatever elixir he was taking was strong,” Jacques tells me, pulling a string to turn on the light at the bottom of the basement stairs. “He’s already aged several years.”
“That fast?” I ask, still holding my mug of coffee. I got out of bed only twenty minutes ago, and Jacques, who’d been on Trent babysitting duty, told me it was imperative that we go down and interrogate Trent sooner rather than later.
“Yes. I’ve been able to get information out of him—”
“Is that your way of saying you’ve been torturing him?”
Jacques turns around, lips pressed together in a thin line. “Maybe.”
“You’re turning me on, Jac.”
He rolls his eyes. “Hasan has done more of the physical work.”
Laughing, I take another sip of coffee and follow Jacques deeper into the basement. It’s funny, in a way, to see Trent tied up in the same spot where the guys used to turn to stone for the day.
“Shit, you weren’t kidding.” I stop short, noting the wrinkles around Trent’s eyes. He’s gone from distinguished and handsome businessman to being a regular at senior Bingo night, which means he’s aging fast. It won’t be long before time catches up with him and he withers away to nothing. “How long do you think he has?”
“A day at most,” Jacques tells me. Hasan is down here, keeping an eye on Trent. He looks at Jac, who nods, and they both step away, letting me have my moment with Trent.
I sit on a wooden chair, leaning back and crossing my legs. “Mr. Trent,” I start, and he pulls against his restraints. He’s tied to the chair he’s in and isn’t going anywhere. “It’s time for some answers.”
He grumbles something incoherent, words lost through the gag in his mouth. I take another drink of coffee, looking at the man who’s destroyed so much. And if what Rachel said was true…then he’s in for a world of hurt.
“But first, listen, and listen carefully. I’m only going to say this once.” I scoot the chair a little closer to him. “Not that long ago, there was a young girl. She was bright and happy and believed in fairytales. Until someone took it all away. She made it her life’s mission to stop as many evil people as she could, and if you ask me, she’s doing pretty damn well for herself right about now.” I finish my coffee and set the mug on the ground.
“But there’s still one thing she’s not sure on, and that’s where you come in.” I put my hand on the back of my neck and rub my sore muscles. “And I know you’re probably thinkingwhat’s in it for me, and I’ll be frank: there’s nothing in it for you. But if you cooperate, I’ll make sure your passage into the spirit world is quick and quiet. If not…well, I’m more than happy to try my hand at mixing up an anti-aging potion. I might get a few of the key ingredients wrong, but hey, I’m still learning. And we have the rest of our lives to sort things out together.”
Trent trains his eyes on me and becomes very still.
“I’m going to go ahead and take that as a yes,” I say, and stride over, pulling the gag from his mouth. I move around, crouching down right in front of him. “So you decide: tell me everything or make me take it from you.” I tap his temple. “It’s all in there, I know. It’s only a matter of learning how to magically pull it out of your head.”
“What do you want to know?” he asks through gritted teeth.
“Who killed my parents.”
Trent smiles, throwing his head back. I conjure a bright fire and bring my hand close to his face. The heat doesn’t hurt me, but it can hurt Trent. I bring my hand closer, searing his hair.
“I did!” he admits. I pull my hand back and shake my head.
“You’re not old enough to be behind the murders. You said you stopped aging fifty years ago, but the timeline doesn’t match up.”
“The first few killings were a demon,” he spits, doing everything he can to lean away from me. “My father was going after the demon to collect a bounty from another procurer who displays demon heads in his office like someone would with deer.”
I make a face. “Gross. But go on.”
“My father realized the demon was seeking magic. It sucked it right out of each and every victim.” A sick smile comes over his face as he talks. “That’s how it feeds, you know.”
I inhale slowly, needing to stay calm. “My father found it once—the demon, that is—but he wasn’t fast enough. I got to see it all firsthand. The way the demon rose from the shadows. How he put his hand over the hearts of his victims and drank in their spirit until there was nothing left.”
“But there was something left,” I say, feeling hollow inside.
“Most of the time, there was.” The smile on Trent’s face grows. “There were children left behind. None possessed enough magic at that point to satisfy the demon, so they were left behind.” He leans forward, ropes creaking as he moves. “But I…I knew better. One day the nasty little things would grow up and have powers greater than mommy and daddy.”
My throat feels thick. I grind my teeth, needing all the restraint in the world not to throw a ball of fire into Trent’s face. “You’re disgusting.”
“Thank you,” he says, and then laughs, but his laugh turns into a cough.
