Page 89 of Death Warden
“Idon’t understand how you can draw that conclusion,” Logan said. “Where’s the evidence?”
“Think about it,” Spectre said. “Adi came to town and fangs and ghosts, controlled by some other entity, appeared. Adi tangled with them and then they vanished.”
“Okay…” Wendall said. “So?”
“You think it was a test of some kind,” Curo said. “Like a poke, to see what she would do and how powerful she is.”
“Maybe,” Spectre said. “But hear me out. We haven’t had a murder in Frostgate for decades and now we have several all in the space of a couple of days.”
“You think that’s my fault?” I stared at him in horror.
“It has to be,” Chrissy said with a sniff. “Frostgate is one of the nicest, safest cities in Grave Spirits territory.”
“I’m glad I punched you in the head.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Maybe my strangling you was my subconscious at work.”
I smiled coldly. “And here I was, thinking that we’d bonded over our disclosure moment earlier.”
Logan’s gaze flicked between us like he was watching a tennis match.
“Focus!” Spectre snapped. He shook his head in impatience. “Of course I’m notblamingAdi for anything. I’m trying to say that the only thing that’s changed in the quiet city of Frostgate is your arrival. It seems to have kicked a hornet’s nest.”
“Or you’ve somehow brought something with you,” Logan said.
Okay, so they had a point, but… “I’m kinda feeling attacked here, guys.”
“You heard a strange voice on the spirit plane,” Curo reminded me. “You said it was probably some spirit that had heard of you, but what if it wasn’t?”
My skin prickled. “You think it could have been Dralos?” I dismissed the idea quickly. “No. He’s locked up.” I touched the amulet.
“But where?” Logan asked. “Is his body locked up too or just his spirit? Did Tobias explain it?”
He hadn’t. Damn it.
“And the dreams,” Finley added. “The ones that feel important, but you can’t remember because someone doesn’t want you to.”
“But why now?” Curo said. “Why surface now?”
I knew the answer to that. “The lock is weak.” I touched the amulet around my neck.
Logan sat forward. “That amulet is a lock to keep this Dralos away, right?”
“Yes.”
“So it’s connected to him somehow?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure how it works, to be honest.”
“Mystical locks that hold entities at bay are usually linked to the entity in some capacity. Which could explain why he’s able to have an influence now that you’re in Frostgate. Your life force feeds that lock. Maybe he’s prohibited by the spell from feeding onyourenergy, but not from the energy around you.”
Oh, shit. “Wait, are you saying he’s feeding off the leyline power just like I am?”
“I think so.”
“But Tobias would have said something. He would have known.”
“He knows,” Finley drawled. “But it’s a risk he was willing to take.”
