Page 87 of Shadows of Nightshade
Why couldn’t I warn them? Why couldn’t they see what was coming? The women continued to argue, and no matter how much I fought, no one except me noticed the rising shadow.
It rose through the room, surrounded the air in a suffocating stillness, until the scene was swallowed by it and the light was plunged into darkness.
“Bianca!”A familiar voice rang loudly in my ears. “What are you doing here?”
Rough hands pressed against my shoulders, guiding me from my hunched-over position to sit on my bottom instead. The floorwas rough against my shins, but I ignored the discomfort as I blinked.
I raised my hands and touched Finn’s wrists. What was he doing here?
“Finn?” I asked, my voice breaking. The scrambled pieces of the room around me gradually returned to place. “What—”
It hadn’t been a dream. Yet, somehow, I really was in Professor Hamway’s kitchen. But, unlike in my vision, there was no ghost, and no darkness outside of the usual night. The space was bright and clean, and no resounding thrumming was pounding against the floor.
What was I doing here? What washedoing here?
And after all his dramatics and denial, how could he have the nerve to show up now?
“Are you okay?” Finn asked. Worried lines formed around his eyes, and his blond hair fell over the side of his face as he glanced around the room. “I think they’re gone,” he said.
He saw them too?
“You…” I began, my heart sinking. He really had been lying to me. “You can see ghosts.”
I thought it was just me. That I was alone.
And in a way, I really had been.
“Not quite,” Finn answered, nose wrinkling. “Not normally. Only when I’ve summoned my shikigami.”
“Well.” I was being abrasive, but he deserved it. “Where is it?”
He stood and brushed off his knees, even though there was no way he’d gotten dirty. “Already gone,” he replied. His features were drawing closed as he began to pull his emotions behind his mask. “It’s too much of a risk to keep her around for long.”
What, exactly, would he be risking?
I wanted to be mean, to hurt him as he’d hurt me, but a coldness stirred against the back of my neck, brushing the loose locksof my hair against my cheeks, and I involuntarily shivered. So, instead of responding, I ignored Finn as I looked at the now-opened basement door.
Did I open it? I didn’t remember.
“Bianca?” Finn questioned.
“We have to go down there.” I wasn’t sure why. But as I moved to my feet and looked into the darkened stairwell, my heart began to race with an important urgency.
There was something there I was supposed to see.
“Why, for the love of God, do we always do this?” Finn remained true to his kill-joyish ways. “Why can’t we find a nice twenty-four-hour restaurant, order some coffee and pie, and talk like normal people?”
“You’re obligated now,” I told him. This could be part of his penance. Besides, I’d had a massive dinner—thanks to Miles. Pie would not deter me from my mission.
“No, I’m not.” He leaned past me and reached for the door. “I can’t do this with you anymore.”
I bit my lip, unable to stop him. One side of me was relieved—maybe we should follow his plan—but the other was disappointed.
Why did I have to go down there?
“Ow!” Finn pulled his hand back and looked at his red-tinted palm. “What was—” he began, but his surprised statement halted when I moved forward. “Bianca!”
“Come on,” I said, already stepping into the stairwell. He was here now, so I might as well make use of the company. “Let’s go.”
