Brach swung around smartly as I approached.“You must be Jack Solomon.” “And I’m guessing you’re Muster Brach.” I reached out to shake his hand. He gave my hand a strong pump as I looked down into his shadow. It was dark, shimmering, and rimmed in gold like mine. I was looking into an occlusion shaped like an eight-pointed star with a tobacco leaf at the center when Brach whispered “lumen.” All around us the candle flames
brightened and washed out his shadow.
“It does become habit forming,” said Brach, “looking into a man’s shadow before looking into his eyes.”
I lifted my gaze. “Sorry.”
Brach waved a hand, simultaneously dismissing my apology and returning the candles to normal. “Your friends tell me they’ve had no word from Henry since the incident.”
“How did you even find out therewasan incident?” I asked.
“Many ears to the ground, as they say.” Brach tugged at one ear. “My people are among the few even looking for Henry.”
“He’s right,” said Church. “The recovery team in the alley last night bore the mark of the Shiguan.”
I thought back. “The invertedYthing?”
Brach nodded and settled his gaze on me. “Have you remembered anything new about the attack? Anything that might help us find Henry?”
I shook my head.
“Time is not our friend,” said Brach. “If he escaped the attack, one of us should have heard from him by now. If he did not, well, each rebirth is more dangerous than the one before it and takes more time, but at this point we’re getting beyond . . . anyhow, if anyone can do it, it’ll be Henry.”
Church tamped his cane. “There was no body recovered. That’s a good sign. Let’s hold on to that.”
Brach pointed at my chest. “How about you? Still feeling the f ire of rebirth?”
I stared back at him. He seemed to know an awful lot. He glanced down at my shadow. “I can see the residue.”
“Burned off last night,” I told him. “Left me with a hell of a headache this morning, though.”
“Aches are good,” said Brach. “Helps a man know he’s alive. More to the point, though, Mr. Solomon, how are you faring with your new reality? Other than seeing the light in a man’s shadow?”
Before I could answer, Chuey chimed in, his voice low the way it got when it was just me and him talking. “Mi abuelatold me stories about Luz Mala—a light that shines near the ground in certain places. My ancestors believed it was the light of lost souls who hadn’t moved on to heaven.”
“Not lost,” said Brach, giving us a long look. “Just not ready.”
“Well, if you’re asking aboutmyreadiness,” I said. “I won’t lie, man, it’s a lot to take in.”
“How about you?” Jimmy said, pointing his mop handle at Brach. “What haveyourfolks learned about what happened to Henry?”
“Nothing useful,” said Brach. “But what I do know is that the Iron Horse is now at risk. Part of why I’m here is to understand who will serve as acting steward of the Abyssal Steps until either Henry returns or we know what’s happened to him.”
I looked around at my friends. “We’ll do it together.”
“But with you as its thanatist?” Brach reached out and gently took the field manual I still had in my hand. “Armed with this?”
“With all due respect,” said Church. “The lad was reborn not twenty-four hours ago.”
“Precisely my point.” Brach sighed. “Have you ever played the violin, Mr. Solomon?”
Chuey tapped my foot. “Careful, Jack, he’s going to hit you with a music metaphor.”
“Henry was teaching me,” I told him. “But he was doing it on a Viper.”
Brach chuckled. “Leave it to Henry to use a modern electronic toy when an original violin would have served so much better.”
He handed me back the field manual, pulled the violin bow from his belt and a lantern from his black leather bag. “You’ve read about these in your little book, no doubt.”
