Chapter 31

Up three more passes.

It's my fault she's dead. It's all my fault.

Theo tried to encourage them, but in truth, Ren didn't listen to a word he said. Cora made no response either. A glance showed the girl scratching nervously at the skin by her eyebrow piercing. She'd clearly been at it a while, because the spot was an angry red compared with the rest of her olive complexion. Ren had no comfort to offer. She'd lost too much to summon any form of hope.

Now their bodies moved out of instinctual preservation. Ren's thoughts returned again and again to that rock wall. She watched the moment Timmons was drawn over the cliff. She couldn't stop replaying it in her mind. The helpless feeling of being dragged into her own memory. The dark shadow that stood at her shoulder. All of it.

She remembered the surprise that had been nestled into Clyde's magic. A chain spell. That was some advanced damn magic. Empty as she felt, her mind ran inexorably back through everything she'd read on the subject. Different spells and strategies for countering one. All the weaknesses and strengths and historical references. Mental research was the only thing keeping her from drowning.

They reached a flat stretch laden with snow. Theo asked if they wanted to stop. The sun would be setting before long. No one replied, so they pressed on. They were high enough now to have some clarity on their aim. The target Avy had chosen, even from the distant valley below, was perfect. A slice of a pass that slipped between Watcher Mountain and the Eyeglass. There were no trails, but the land itself acted as their guide. Ren saw a natural valley running between them. It wouldn't be easy hiking, but finally seeing a path through to the right side of the mountain was the only hopeful offering of the day.

When the sun vanished from the hills, Theo finally convinced them to stop for the night. They had enough logs—and book pages for kindling—to get a proper fire going. The switch from warming spells to clothing enchantments meant cold noses and frostbitten hands. Ren stared at the flames as her fingers thawed. Theo and Cora kept exchanging looks, both silently urging the other to say something. Ren caught the glances and cut them off before they could make the attempt.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said. "I want to talk about how we survive what's chasing us. There's no way to honor Timmons if we die out here. We have to survive. For them."

Another exchanged glance. Theo nodded. "Fair enough."

"The retreating ward should have worked, but her spell fizzled."

Cora nodded. "That was so unlucky."

In truth, her friend had always been a subpar spell caster. That wasn't the strength she offered the world. Ren had watched her falter with any number of spells during undergrad. It was a sign of poor execution—a lack of focus—but there was no point saying that out loud, because it changed nothing about their circumstances now.

"The failed spell left her exposed. And that left us exposed. Clyde used a chain spell."

Theo frowned. "Are you sure about that?"

"I could feel the way it spread through the air," she replied. "It hit Timmons first, then leapt to Cora, then struck me. It's not like he was casting new spells for each of us. It was a chain."

"Chain spells are illegal," Theo pointed out.

Ren frowned. "I doubt the revenant is concerned with the codes."

"I just mean they're illegal for a reason. Incredibly difficult to control. They were outlawed because people figured out that if you alter one link in the chain, the entire spell can transform. That's how the Harpy murders happened. It's possible we can figure out how to alter the spell."

Not a bad thought. Those murders were relatively recent. A disgruntled makeup artist realized her boss had gotten lazy, using a chain spell to regularly refresh the mascara of her clients. Harper—nicknamed Harpy—made a slight alteration that poisoned seventy-three women. It was the largest mass murder in Kathor's history. It also offered a potential plan for them. Ren was still sorting through the other pieces of the puzzle, though.

"I was right about the functional opposition theory. The spell he cast back there took me into the same memory I've been dreaming every night. I was immobilized by it."

Cora scratched her eyebrow piercing. "Same."

"I barely felt anything," Theo said. "But that's normal with a chain spell, right? Each iteration would be slightly weaker. Timmons was deep under, but I just blinked once and I was free of the spell, because I was the last link in the chain."

"That's the one silver lining, then," Ren answered. "I wasn't under for more than a second. If the paralytic is weaker in each iteration—and if we use our retreating wards—there's a good chance we can face him on our own terms. That gives us options for beating him."

Theo nodded, but it was Cora's turn to object.

"I'm worried he'll be much stronger next time."

"Why?"

"Did you see him?" Cora asked. "The way he looked and moved?"

Ren nodded. "Yes, he was definitely sturdier."

"It was more than just strength. It was Avy."

That dark pronouncement brought silence to the group. Theo was pacing around nervously. Ren had noticed a clear change in Clyde. The broadness of his shoulders. The unexpected height.

"He consumed him?" she asked.

"In a far more literal way than I anticipated," Cora answered. "I've watched Avy's wrestling matches. The way Clyde climbed is a perfect copy of how he moved. It's the way his body worked. Clyde somehow consumed those qualities and made them his own. He also consumed his knowledge. Remember when Avy brought up chain spells the other day? While we were hiking?"

Theo answered, "Which is why the revenant knew what they were. Unbelievable."

Ren's mind leapt ahead to the darker conclusion.

"And now he's consumed Timmons."

"An enhancer," Cora confirmed. "His magic will be distinctly stronger. I'm not even sure a retreating ward will work. It will be like trying to stop an arrow with a piece of paper."

Ren saw a fleeting image of Timmons as she fell. Her silver-white hair flung wide. Her eyes closed. It's my fault you died. It's my fault you were here in the first place. I'm so sorry, Timmons. A dark part of her mind wondered if Clyde would adopt some physical quality of her friend, the way he'd taken on aspects of Avy. Would he wear the bright hair? Or the perfect smile? She couldn't bear the thought.

Theo cleared his throat. "So we're facing a creature who won't stop hunting us until he consumes each of us. He uses a spell that temporarily paralyzes his victims, and his magic might be even stronger the next time we face him. How do we fight against that?"

No one had an answer. Ren's mind felt like it had been operating at half capacity ever since losing Timmons. His question hung overhead as the embers of their fire crackled quietly. Cora was the first one to suggest sleep. Theo stood, resetting the wards as snow dusted their shoulders. Ren watched the flames as darkness stole over the mountain. A great veil of clouds cut off the stars and the moon. Nothing outside the glow of their fire was visible. Ren's entire body trembled.

"Get some rest," Theo said. "I'll take first watch."

She rolled onto her other side. Lying there, eyes roaming the dark, Ren finally felt her friend's absence in full. Timmons had slept beside Ren every night so far. Adding her warmth. Her entire life had been an unconscious improvement on those around her, magical or otherwise. Ren cried now as she stared at the empty stretch of grass beside her.

It's my fault,she thought. It's all my fault.

She cried in silence. It was as if a star had been erased from the sky above. No one else would know its light or warmth or beauty ever again. The tears were still sliding down Ren's cheeks when Theo moved his pack over to the ground beside her. He sat down, and a moment later she felt his hand settle on her shoulder. Its weight anchored her back to the earth. She no longer felt like she was drifting off into the unknown. She took a few deep breaths before reaching back to set her hand on top of his.

They sat there for a long time with the starless night bearing down from above. Ren gave the slightest tug. She felt him obey the pull, nestling in behind her. He shifted his weight and held her close. She liked the way his body bent to match hers. She felt his knee resting in the tangle of her own legs. His chest pressed against the blade of her shoulder. She turned so that they were face-to-face in the dark.

"I'm sorry… I…"

She shut him up with a kiss. Quieted him with the slightest dig of her nails. Buried him there, slowly but surely, beneath the weight of that darkness. The two of them kissed until there was no room for what had happened earlier that day. No need for words at all.