loneliness.”
“Damn,” I breathed. “What the hell?”
“It was a trap for you, in case you were here with Katie, your true love. Your soul mate. It was a way to drive a wedge between you, to break your bond.”
I looked back at him and then out at Stuart. “Wait, does that mean…?”
Gunther shook his head. “It is weak, callous magic. Stuart and I have seen too much, been through too many rough times to be influenced by this pettiness.”
I took a deep breath. This magic stuff was dangerous and tricky. “Is he okay, then?”
He nodded.
“I get it,” Jimmy chimed in. “The only way he could see it is if you and he still had your bond.”
“Exactly,” Gunther said, smiling. “His fear of our bond being riven by Anezka, or anyone else, has been settled. Our bond is as strong as it has ever been.”
“If this is the necromancer you name Justin,” Gunther said, “he is both bold and foolish. This is a desperate act. Anyone with even the slightest bit of training could uncover the hidden messages here. There must be more to this.”
“Maybe he looks for her,” Bub chimed in. “But maybe he also looks for me.”
I looked around, as if Justin would suddenly appear.
“That could explain that tremor we felt when we came in,” Gunther agreed. “Maybe it’s time we got you back to someplace more sheltered.”
“If he has marked me somehow,” Bub said with a shake of his scaly head, “it would follow me, allowing him to trace me to you. Better I try something he cannot.”
And with that, Bub stepped into the sideways. There was the expected pop as the air around him collapsed into the space he’d just vacated.
“A trace on him?” I asked, looking around for him to return. “Will teleporting remove a magical trace?”
“Perhaps,” Jimmy said from the aisle. “He and I have been discussing the difference between this world and his home. I don’t believe he goes all the way back to Múspell, back to the land of fire, but he goes far enough away to be undetectable with any means we know of.”
“We’ve been practicing,” Gunther added. “Trying to get a handle on Anezka’s trauma.”
“What about the rest of us?”
Stuart was leaning against the truck, not moving.
“I think we need to split up for a few days,” Gunther said. “We’ll avoid Black Briar, so this magic can’t triangulate us all to one place. The police, vet tech, and even the horse have this same taint. Our necromancer will have a hard time following all of us.
“We’ll just go about our lives without congregating at any one point.
“Except you, of course,” he continued. “You stay here, help out Mrs. Campbell. That way, he’ll likely mistake you for a farm hand or one of the horses. It isn’t an exact magic, more of a wide net to capture the most fish.”
“Can we de-magic the barn?”
“Easy,” Gunther allowed. “Once the body has been removed, clean the stalls down with bleach. After the blood has been removed as best you can, burn sage throughout the barn, making sure to get smoke in every stall.
“Finally, circle the entire building with salt. This will leach away any residual magic that may remain.”
Bleach, sage, salt, got it.
“We should split up,” Jimmy said. “Deidre and I will head home after dropping you folks off. How long should you stay away from Black Briar?”
“Only a couple of days,” Gunther said. “Like I said, the majority of the magic here was in scrying for Sarah. The rest is to track down anyone else who may pose a threat to this man. Recall, he did not go after Mary. She was not a target.”
“Good to know.” I walked out with them—hugged them individually, making sure to squeeze Stuart extra tight. I think he’d been crying. Silly man.
Once Deidre was in Jimmy’s big four-door pickup, Jimmy stopped and turned to me.
“Do me a favor, Beauhall. If you will.”
“Sure.”
“Tell Katie we miss her, in a way she’ll hear it.”
I studied him. He
“Damn,” I breathed. “What the hell?”
“It was a trap for you, in case you were here with Katie, your true love. Your soul mate. It was a way to drive a wedge between you, to break your bond.”
I looked back at him and then out at Stuart. “Wait, does that mean…?”
Gunther shook his head. “It is weak, callous magic. Stuart and I have seen too much, been through too many rough times to be influenced by this pettiness.”
I took a deep breath. This magic stuff was dangerous and tricky. “Is he okay, then?”
He nodded.
“I get it,” Jimmy chimed in. “The only way he could see it is if you and he still had your bond.”
“Exactly,” Gunther said, smiling. “His fear of our bond being riven by Anezka, or anyone else, has been settled. Our bond is as strong as it has ever been.”
“If this is the necromancer you name Justin,” Gunther said, “he is both bold and foolish. This is a desperate act. Anyone with even the slightest bit of training could uncover the hidden messages here. There must be more to this.”
“Maybe he looks for her,” Bub chimed in. “But maybe he also looks for me.”
I looked around, as if Justin would suddenly appear.
“That could explain that tremor we felt when we came in,” Gunther agreed. “Maybe it’s time we got you back to someplace more sheltered.”
“If he has marked me somehow,” Bub said with a shake of his scaly head, “it would follow me, allowing him to trace me to you. Better I try something he cannot.”
And with that, Bub stepped into the sideways. There was the expected pop as the air around him collapsed into the space he’d just vacated.
“A trace on him?” I asked, looking around for him to return. “Will teleporting remove a magical trace?”
“Perhaps,” Jimmy said from the aisle. “He and I have been discussing the difference between this world and his home. I don’t believe he goes all the way back to Múspell, back to the land of fire, but he goes far enough away to be undetectable with any means we know of.”
“We’ve been practicing,” Gunther added. “Trying to get a handle on Anezka’s trauma.”
“What about the rest of us?”
Stuart was leaning against the truck, not moving.
“I think we need to split up for a few days,” Gunther said. “We’ll avoid Black Briar, so this magic can’t triangulate us all to one place. The police, vet tech, and even the horse have this same taint. Our necromancer will have a hard time following all of us.
“We’ll just go about our lives without congregating at any one point.
“Except you, of course,” he continued. “You stay here, help out Mrs. Campbell. That way, he’ll likely mistake you for a farm hand or one of the horses. It isn’t an exact magic, more of a wide net to capture the most fish.”
“Can we de-magic the barn?”
“Easy,” Gunther allowed. “Once the body has been removed, clean the stalls down with bleach. After the blood has been removed as best you can, burn sage throughout the barn, making sure to get smoke in every stall.
“Finally, circle the entire building with salt. This will leach away any residual magic that may remain.”
Bleach, sage, salt, got it.
“We should split up,” Jimmy said. “Deidre and I will head home after dropping you folks off. How long should you stay away from Black Briar?”
“Only a couple of days,” Gunther said. “Like I said, the majority of the magic here was in scrying for Sarah. The rest is to track down anyone else who may pose a threat to this man. Recall, he did not go after Mary. She was not a target.”
“Good to know.” I walked out with them—hugged them individually, making sure to squeeze Stuart extra tight. I think he’d been crying. Silly man.
Once Deidre was in Jimmy’s big four-door pickup, Jimmy stopped and turned to me.
“Do me a favor, Beauhall. If you will.”
“Sure.”
“Tell Katie we miss her, in a way she’ll hear it.”
I studied him. He
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