“He’ll be fine,” Kline coos. “Neck wounds bleed, especially when you nick the carotid. He’ll have a nasty scar though, and I’m not making any promises about his vocal cords, but we don’t need those anyway, not when we can see every little thing for ourselves.” Kline leans over Bursa, talking directly to him in a taunting manner. The man twitches a few times, like he’s actually trying to fight Kline from saving him, but his effort is fruitless.
Wuornos walks through the doorway with Lewis at his side. “Hello, Bishop,” he greets conversationally, and I notice he has a shadow behind him—Gavin, the necromancer. Should a kid be seeing this?
Gavin walks directly to my side and looks at the floor, seeing the same thing I am—a whole lot of blood. “He’s a bad guy, right?” He turns his head to examine me.
I nod because I don’t know if I’m capable of more.
“Why not let him die then?” He shrugs.
“He has information I need and—” I try to think of another reason we shouldn’t just let him bleed out, but I come up blank. Maybe my brain isn’t working right.
Gavin nods like he understands now. “I can reanimate his corpse, but his soul won’t be there to answer your questions,” he explains. I nod again, because in some strange way, I think it’s his way of saying he’s sorry he can’t be helpful if Bursa dies.
“Kline thinks he’ll make it,” I state out loud, hoping it will help bring meaning to the words.
“I just reacted,” Felix says, looking like he’s in a daze.
“I wanted to punch him too, it’s okay.” I wrap my pinky around his cold finger. Gray is quiet. I look over at him. While his face is still pale, it’s calm too. “It’s not your fault,” I tell him. “Bursa created this mess, we just reacted to it.”
Gray looks at me, his hazel eyes steady, and murmurs, “He’s rotten on the inside. I would have been doing him a favor.”
I’m a little shocked by the cold statement, but I try not to let it show.
“He’s ready to be moved.” Kline stands up from his crouched position, and two medics move in to flip Bursa onto a gurney, none too gently from the looks of it. “He’ll need a transfusion to speed up the healing, we want him fresh for his truth probe.”
“Which I will be handling myself,” Wuornos informs the room.
Bursa makes a strangled sound, and his lips move, but nothing more than air passes from his mouth.
“Safe travels, Mr. Bursa. I’ll be seeing you very soon.” Wuornos pats the side of the gurney, letting the medics know they can move Bursa. I notice Percy slinking along the wall to avoid being stepped on as people start filing out of the house.
Lewis allows everyone to pass, then makes her way over to me. “Looks like my elaborate plan to get Bursa to come to us was a bust. Thankfully, you’re a good closer and you got it taken care of anyway.” Her dark eyes reflect her smile when she continues, “I put a call in to the team with your dad. He and Belinda will probably be here soon. I don’t think they will be able to hold him off for long.”
I ignore everything else she said. “I need to find Remy.”
“And you’ll have the support of the entire MBI. We have a team on the ground already searching the property,” she informs me. “Do you have any clue where he might be holding them?”
“They can’t be far. I made a tracker, and it led me here,” I tell her and shove my hand into my pocket. When I pull my fist out and open my palm, the stone is no longer attached to the chain. Both lie idle in my hand. My heart sinks.
“You crafted a tracker?” Wuornos inserts himself into the conversation.
“It was a scrying spell. I adapted it.” If he wants to charge me with use of unsanctioned magic, he can, right after I find Remy.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t like to work for me?” he asks instead.
“We’ll find them, Bishop.” Lewis ignores the Assistant Director of Seers trying to recruit me after I just admitted I may have used illegal magic.
At least we know who to call if we need to hide a body, Percy observes.
Gray starts coughing as if he’s choking on his own air. I think it has more to do with what my mink said though.
“Bursa said we’d never find them alive. I’m worried he’s done something,” I share, voicing my concern about what Bursa promised.
“Frankie, you know he’s okay, right?” Gray places his hands on my shoulders and directs me to look at him. I agree and follow the movement of his head when he nods, because I can still feel that glowing piece of Remy within me.
“We need to find him,” I repeat uselessly.
“We will, they are loading Eugene—” Gray closes his eyes briefly. “Him into the ambulance. They’ll look in his head and find out where Remy is.”
