“The spell for lighting up the darkness, can you crank that up so that it’s like a burst of light?”
Her footsteps on the pavement faltered, her pale brows furrowed in thought. “Yes, I think so.”
“Okay, when we get there I’ll give you the go, and you give a good burst of light. Then I can get in, grab our perp and be done with this.” It all sounded so good, so easy.
It had to work.
But with a plan, you just never knew if it was going to pan out or not; which was why I loathed to make them.
14
The three of us crouched behind a thick hedge, two houses down from the pristine old Victorian manor where the thrum of the deceased kid’s threads beat. Four stories high, the house was beautifully painted in blue with gold and cream accents along the windows and the columns. Stained glass was set in on some of the windows, giving off a splash of colour.
“It’s very pretty,” Pamela said, her eyes wide.
Alex sniffed the air. “Pretty stinky alrighty.”
I couldn’t smell anything over the greenery we were using for cover.
“You ready?” I looked over at Pamela, who nodded, her fingers clenching one another.
“Yes.”
“Okay, let’s go. I’m going to make my way onto the front steps. When I get there, you do a blast of light, okay?”
Again, she nodded, blinking rapidly. “What if I can’t?”
“You just stay back, that’s your job. If you can’t give off a burst of light, don’t worry about it.”
Patting her on the shoulder, I slipped out from behind the hedge and, using what I could for cover, made my way up onto the steps of the Victorian house. The kid’s threads were stronger yet, mingling inside my head like a steady pull, drawing me forward. I thought about Milly and her ability to twist threads and make me believe people were alive when they weren’t. No, she wasn’t in on this case, even if she was in London. I knew that much.
Turning ever so slightly, I raised my right hand, giving Pamela the signal and waited with my eyes closed.
Nothing. I peeked back at her and she shook her head.
Okay, going in on my own then. Nothing new here. I had a brief moment of guilt flash through me since Agent Valley had specifically asked that I wait on them. But this was different now; I had to get Liam away from Milly, which meant I had to get this case dealt with. Besides, the FBI and Interpol officers were likely in the middle of something important. Like a donut run. I wouldn’t want to disturb their routines.
One hand on the knob of the door, I twisted it carefully, slowly, and felt the door give a little. What bad guy didn’t lock their door? Either this idiot was so full of himself he couldn’t care . . . or a thought hit me, a rather unpleasant one that only just occurred. He could have a horde of the undead waiting for me. I’d never fought an actual zombie before and wasn’t sure what I felt about it, if anything. Like most supernatural creatures, if you remove the head, it was a safe bet you dealt the deathblow.
And if not, burn baby burn.
I stepped across the threshold, felt the slightest tingle of magic slither over my skin, disappearing as it touched me. Score one for the Immune. I closed the door behind me with a soft click.#p#分页标题#e#
Creeping into the house, I strained my ears, listening for the sound of anything that would give the Necromancer away. But the place was beyond silent.
Making my way to the stairway, I worked my way up, startled by the first picture I saw. Sophia, the first little girl who’d gone missing; her face relaxed in sleep. Or in her case, likely death.
All the way up the stairwell were pictures of the missing children, all of them with eyes closed, sleeping. Ripples of unease whispered down my spine. What the fuck was this guy into? Was he a pedophile of small dead children? Gods, I hoped not. I couldn’t imagine trying to tell any parent that their child’s body was used in such a way. Even if they were already dead.
I shook my head to clear the downward spiral of my thoughts. This guy would get his dues in a very short while. The second and third floors were clear. Which only left floor number four. As I stepped onto the final landing, the air around me shifted, tensing as if it were a living thing ready to strangle me. Not exactly a comforting image. Across from me was a single door painted in a garish red that seemed out of place with the rest of the house’s comforting paint job. The handle on the door was a gold lever, one that wouldn’t take much to break if I had to.
The scent of rot and mold lingered in the air, teasing my nose into a wrinkle. Yup, this was the right place. Adrenaline ticked through my bloodstream; close, I was so damn close! I could feel the kids, their threads humming along quite nicely. Perfect. I took a step and the threads seemed to quiver and then . . . fuck . . . they were hundreds of miles to the south!