Wade reaches up, dropping my hand from his face. His fingertips press against his lips as he turns away from me.
Turning to Colton, I say, “Are you absolutely sure you can do this?”
“Now that we’ve reached out to your dad’s remains, I can sense them. It’s almost as if they’re an extension of me,” he says, his eyes going slightly distant.
“That’s your god essence,” Diana offers. “Once they’ve become a part of you, it’s hard to let go.”
Colton glances her direction, nodding in understanding.
“Do you need anything else from me?” I ask.
Colton’s lips tug down as he shakes his head. “No, I don’t think so.”
“So, assuming you Puppet Master his bones, how do we know when it’s safe to head in?” Dominic asks, crossing his arms over his body. He’s clearly not happy about being on the bench for this, but he’s just as vulnerable as Wade and Blake.
Everyone turns their gaze to Colton. His shoulders tighten and he takes a deep breath to release them.
“Once the remains rise, I’ll be able to sense the movement. At least, that’s the way it was before. To know for sure if they’re doing as they’re told, I just need to tune in to him. Honestly, it’s just like doing a meditation. We wait until he’s outside the catacombs. Then, the three of us will follow,” Colton says.
“Hopefully, all of this goes unnoticed by the Lemure. The entrance isn’t all that far into the woods between the two properties. Once we get inside, my guess is my dad’s power will diminish,” I say, chewing on the side of my cheek.
“And what if it doesn’t?” Wade asks, lowering his eyebrows.
“Then I’ll have no choice but to start my end of the bargain early,” Cat says, snapping her fingers together and lighting a fire between them.
“Are you clear on what this Flames of Eternity thing is?” Dominic asks, tipping his head to the side.
Mrs. Gilbert smiles, rubbing a circle on her daughter’s upper back. “I can assure you, she does. It’s one of Caitlyn’s specialties.”
“Mom,” Cat says, rolling her eyes.
“What?” Mrs. Gilbert says, shrugging. “Don’t be so modest. You’ve worked hard on your gifts through the years.”
“Yeah, but I’ve only used it on the dog,” Cat says, scrunching her face. She looks up, her gaze flitting around each of us. “It’s a fire that’s only meant for the dead. Our dog died, so I got to practice.”
“But you executed it perfectly,” Mrs. Gilbert says, smiling softly.
Cat grins back, her cheeks filling with color.
“I think we should get started,” Diana says, eyeing the sky. “Sun’s setting and it’ll be dark soon. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have this over before that happens.”
“Agreed,” Blake says with a nod.
Taking a deep breath, Colton tips his head to the side, then walks over to the circle of salt still evident in the driveway. He raises his gaze to Cat and she nods, prancing up the stairs and heading back inside.
All of my emotions swirl, making it harder to breathe. It’s barely been a day since I found out about my dad’s death. And here we are, getting ready to raise his bones and turn his body into a revenant. There’s something so wrong in all of it.
Slowly, each of us makes our way back to the circle, taking up our previous locations outside of it. A couple of seconds later, Cat comes back with a new jar of salt in her hands.
“Ready?” she asks, making sure to capture Colton’s gaze before she begins.
He nods, kneeling down again and placing his hands on his knees. As he closes his eyes, Cat starts laying down a fresh circle of salt. When the tunnel of light erupts, locking him within it, Colton’s eyes flick open. The blazing white light consumes his irises, glowing brightly.
For the longest minutes of my life, he sits there like that, completely unmoving. Each of us seems to be holding our breath and ignoring the foreboding and uneasiness swirling around us. The tension continues to build until Colton’s body sways slightly from side to side.
Wade leans in and whispers in my ear. “I feel like we should all be holding hands and singing kumbaya or something.”
I chuckle softly, letting the lightheartedness of his statement release some of the pressure.
Then, with eyes still white in magickal concentration, Colton’s body bolts upright and begins to quake. Sweat breaks out across his forehead and his arms splay out wide. His fingers twitch, contorting at odd angles in the air.
“Colton,” Cat gasps, taking a step closer to the circle. Her mother reaches out, grabbing her by the shoulders, pulling her back.
Diana narrows her gaze, holding up a hand. “Give him a minute.”
As if suddenly released, Colton bends forward, clutching at the dirt in front of him. When he sits back up on his haunches, blood trickles from his left nostril. It glistens in the dying sunlight as it drops from his lip to the ground.
Mrs. Gilbert cries out, covering her mouth with her hand.
“What’s happening to him?” I ask, my pulse hammering in my ears. The question is for anyone who might have an idea, but no one says a word. “Is this normal?”
Diana’s concerned gaze matches my own and she shakes her head ominously.
Colton continues to jerk, but his eyes remain white and open wide.
“Someone should help him,“ I sputter.
Raising a hand toward me, Colton shakes his head. “No, I have him,” he says breathlessly. “But there’s something—strong magick—that doesn’t like what I’m doing. It’s…difficult.”
“Is it my dad’s Lemure?” I ask, dropping to my knees beside the circle.
Colton drops his chin to his chest and winces. “No, I don’t think so. It’s bigger than that. Much, much bigger.”
“It’s the Moirai,” Diana whispers, turning her palms are upward at her side. Despite not
