Sin & Surrender (Demigod of San Francisco #6)(75)

“Demigod Kieran, you must come now.” Henry stepped up beside Dylan. He lifted his hands, and a shot of red veered off toward the ceiling. He’d assumed someone else’s magic in order to deflect the halfhearted attack. He was good in a crowd like this, Demigod or no. “Demigod Aaron set loose a Spirit Walker, and he is killing people within the halls. He set Thane off, and—”

A chorus of complaints interrupted them. “What?” “Preposterous!” ”Get out of here!” “This is a closed meeting!” “Leave them to sort it out!”

Zander, though, turned toward Aaron. His voice boomed, amplified by his magic. “Is this true? Your people called the last Soul Stealer?”

Aaron’s smug smile said it all.

“How did you get the items to summon him?” Zander demanded, but from his tone, he already knew.

Aaron shrugged. “Finders, keepers.”

“Get these fools out of here,” Lydia said. “Get them out and let’s proceed. The battles of the servants are nothing to us.”

But Kieran sensed the fear riding her words. It seemed like she was desperate to stay in the meeting.

He didn’t have time to wonder why, as Henry worked farther into the room. A zip of magic splattered where he’d just stood, his luck almost more potent than his magic.

“Besides, those items never belonged to you, they belonged to my son,” Aaron told Zander. He puffed up as he stood. “He is mighty. Better trained than that girl. My Necromancers will help him steal the show.”

“Oh, he stole the show all right,” Dylan said. “He killed your Necromancers, set off our Berserker, killed anyone he came across, and caused a riot in the tech convention.” Dylan turned to Kieran. “He looks like he has a grudge against our crew. He followed them and is moving to intercept. Lexi is en route, but she asked for you. She might need backup. And someone needs to handle Thane. He’s ripping this place apart with no sign of slowing. Hurry!”

Raw fear and desperation rode that last word. It radiated through the soul link. It was clear that Dylan thought he was about to lose his new family—a thought he could not bear. The sentiment was clear on his face, in his pleading tone and the urgency in his eyes. In his willingness to silence other Demigods to deliver his message.

The decision was made before Kieran could think it through. He’d lose an incredible amount of status if he walked out these doors, he knew. Demigods typically left the battles alone. His team would seem weak if he intervened. Normally, he’d let them handle it.

This was not a regular battle. Perhaps the other Demigods were content to let their groups die, but he wouldn’t leave his people to handle Aaron’s screw-ups. Nor would he leave Lexi out to dry.

He’d always known he was a family man first and a leader second. It didn’t even feel like a choice.

“I’m coming.” Kieran tucked his laptop under his arm and strode from the room. He’d pass it off when he got outside, along with his jacket. There was a time for politics, and there was a time for fighting.





22





Alexis





Bertha pushed the crowd away, and I strode down the aisle toward the zombie filled with not-Harding. Pressure pushed on my shoulders and black shapes darted at the edges of my vision. I was being watched again, and the next time I saw Harding, I was going to turn him inside out and shove him where he’d never see the world of the living again.

“Hey,” I said, loud and clear, before flicking the other Spirit Walker’s soul casing.

The Line pulsed in the room, and it struck me that I’d seen this soul before. He’d shown up at the mark hearing, looking out at us from spirit.

I let my touch linger on his soul casing as he turned around, keeping it gentle so as not to alarm him while I gauged the strength of his prongs. He deserved a chat, to air his grievances. He hadn’t chosen to be pulled from beyond the Line and fastened inside this body—maybe he just wanted to go back.

“There you are,” he said, though his lips didn’t move. “I’ve been looking for you. Remember me?”

“From the other day? Yeah. What were you doing spying?”

“Me spying? What were you doing spying? You came all the way to find me, tap-tap-tapped at my cage, and then walked away? Were you scared?”

I stopped just out of his range. He could slash at my middle, but he couldn’t pry out my soul. Behind him, Zorn pushed everyone farther back, putting as much distance as possible between them and the zombie.

“What…” I let my very real confusion soak into my expression as I delicately analyzed the magic keeping his soul in that body. It was truly a work of art. One I could learn. But it had been done with more power than I possessed.

Could the two Necromancers have combined their power to achieve this?

A light trance allowed me to see the violet lines connected to him, feeding him with power. Most looked small and easy to break. One was thick and strong, however, larger than any I’d seen.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“You sought me out. Why? Is it because you wanted to know one of your kind?” He started walking toward me. I let him do it because he was distancing himself from my crew. If they had more room, hopefully they could run for it while still staying outside of his range. Hopefully they’d be able to find Kieran. “I went looking for the Soul Stealer before me when I was still alive. I didn’t have anything of his, but when I was strong enough, I searched for him anyway. Never could find him. I would’ve liked to talk about our craft. It’s lonely at the top, as they say. And then you came along. I knew exactly what you were even though your presence was meager. You’re just starting out, right? Just learning? You’re old for a beginner. Do they train Spirit Walkers differently now?”