“There’s one more thing I haven’t been able to fathom. If Jenny was Pestilence, why was she so afraid of the Slip Demons at the carnival?”
“She wasn’t. She was the one who let them in. She was luring you into a trap, Sailor. The horsemen can’t kill you directly until you have the weapon, but they can trick you into death at someone else’s hands.”
“That’s reassuring.” She smiles.
TWO WEEKS LATER
I think Sailor is slowly letting go of the guilt she feels over Dr. Hill’s death. I wish I could feel the same about Grace’s death, but I just can’t. I’m the team leader and Grace died on my watch. I should have been more vigilant. I should have realized she was missing sooner.
I can’t change any of that, but it eats at me. It took us a lot of arguing with the authorities to get Grace’s body back. Finally, Nexus stepped in and used a spell to convince them she was Grace’s grandmother. We had a beautiful burial ceremony for her and everyone shared their memories of her.
Grace wasn’t the only life lost that night. There were seven fatalities including Jenny and her parents. The people affected by the virus slowly began to recover once Pestilence died, and everyone has now made a full recovery.
That’s good news, but seven lives are seven lives. It’s too many to have lost. I can’t bear to lose anyone else. I’ve lost my parents and Grace. I won’t let anyone else die. I won’t.
I keep asking myself what that vow means for Sailor and me, because although I have tried to ignore my feelings for her, I just can’t. They’re too strong. It’s not a matter of if something will happen between us. It’s a matter of when. And before it does, I’ll find a way to convince the gods to leave her family the hell alone. I can’t lose Sailor. And she can’t lose her dad.
One good thing has come out of all of this. The people of Whisper have really come together as a community. People rallied to help those who had lost loved ones, those who were still ill in the clinic. Friendships were made, bonds that can’t be broken. Out of tragedy came joy. Out of heartbreak came love.
And the mayor of Whisper wanted to celebrate that. He has declared today an official holiday and put on a party in the town square to celebrate the community spirit of the people of Whisper.
“Earth to Rye.” Jinx laughs.
“Huh?” I say.
“Man you were spaced out there. How the hell can you even concentrate on your own thoughts with all of this noise?”
The party is in full swing. The whole town has turned out and a band is playing. People are laughing and dancing, drinks are flowing, and the whole place has a party atmosphere. Aziza wanders over to the rest of us, carrying a tray of drinks.
“How on earth did you get those with the sheriff and all of his deputies here?” Sunday asks.
“Because they’re soda,” Aziza says as we all take a drink. She winks. “But not for long.”
She looks around making sure we’re not being watched. She pulls a bottle of vodka from her inside pocket and spikes everyone’s drinks.
“To Grace,” I say, holding up my drink.
Everyone drinks to her.
“And to Sailor and the success of her mission. Welcome to the team, Sails,” Aziza says, raising her glass.
We all drink again. Adam and Raven spot us through the crowd and begin making their way over to us.
“Incoming,” Ya-Ya hisses.
“Evening, guys. How are you enjoying the party?” Adam asks.
“It’s great,” Mel says a little too enthusiastically. She blushes a little and laughs. “Sorry. I don’t get out much.”
“Don’t apologize,” Raven says. “It’s nice to see local teens enjoying the party instead of off trying to drink or smoke weed.”
“Dad, I was going to stay with the girls tonight if that’s okay,” Sailor says.
Adam hesitates and Sailor gives him her most winning smile.
“Oh, come on, Dad. We both know you and Raven don’t want me hanging around like a third wheel,” she says.
“Biscuit, we don’t think of you that way at all,” Adam says.
“We don’t,” Raven confirms with a smile. “So just be honest and admit it’s us cramping your style rather than the other way around.”
Sailor gives her a grateful smile and I think given time, Sailor will come to like Raven.
“Please, Dad,” she says.
“Fine.” Adam laughs. “Just …”
“Be careful,” Sailor finishes for him. “I will. Don’t worry.”
The rest of the night goes by in a blur of fun and laughter. It’s exactly what we all need after everything we’ve been through, and when we finally have to call it a night and return to the cabin, no one is ready to go to bed. Aziza turns the music on and we continue the party there.
We haven’t been back long when my cell phone buzzes. I check it and show Sailor the message. It’s from Nexus.
“Meet me in the warehouse. Just you and Sailor.”
“What’s that about?” Sailor asks me.
I shrug. I have no idea. Nexus has already been by several times to check in on us and congratulate us on killing Pestilence.
We head out to the warehouse. I have a sense of foreboding inside of me. For Nexus to use a cell phone, it has to be important. And for her to want to see only me and Sailor, it means there’s something wrong. I just know it.
We reach the warehouse and Nexus ushers us inside and closes the door.
“You didn’t tell anyone else about me being here, did you?” she asks.
I shake my head.
“No. Nexus, what’s going on?”
“I have some information about the next horseman, War. He might be closer than any of us thought,” she says.
“Enough with the riddles, Nexus. Just tell
