A Book of Spirits and Thieves

She decided it would be smartest to play to his ego. “This world has no real magic that I know of. Obviously yours does. What must it be like for someone like you to end up in a place like this? Maybe your magic is fading, which means you won’t be able to play the hero here as much as you want to. That book would be the answer to this problem, wouldn’t it?”


His singular smile fell as he sent a sharp stare toward Crys. “I am made from magic, Ms. Hatcher.”

“Well . . . if someone made from magic starts losing their magic . . . ,” she began. “Does that mean you’re dying and you hope that book will save you?”

Markus’s eyes widened a fraction and something very unpleasant slid behind his gaze, making Crys regret speaking her thoughts aloud.

She was baiting a tiger with sharp claws and teeth.

Suddenly, Becca gasped. With a violent jerk, her back arched up off the wooden table, as if she were having a seizure. Crys gripped her hand as her sister’s eyelids fluttered and opened.

“Becca! You’re awake!” Crys dove in for a tight embrace.

“Did you heal her?” Daniel asked Markus, his voice low.

“No, this wasn’t my doing. Hold this.” He handed Daniel the Codex and moved closer to the table, his gaze now fixed on Becca.

“What’s going on?” Becca murmured, her voice hoarse. “Where am I?”

That was an excellent question. Where had that tunnel led them? Crys only knew it had to be a theater somewhere in the city, but she didn’t recognize it.

“Shh. Don’t worry about it,” Crys said. “The important thing is you’re finally awake. Can you get up?”

“I think so.”

Crys helped Becca sit up and then supported her as she stood on shaky legs.

Becca finally glanced around and noticed the gathered group of others watching her. “Um, okay. This is weird.” She frowned. “Dad? What are you doing here?”

Daniel nodded at her. “Hello, Becca. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

Her gaze fell on the Codex, and her face froze up in shock. “That book . . .”

Crys squeezed her hand. “It’s okay. We’re leaving. We can talk about everything later, at home.”

Crys put her arm around Becca’s waist and directed her toward the stairs. Farrell stood in her path.

“Move,” Crys growled.

“Not going to happen.”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you leave, Ms. Hatcher,” Markus said.

This was what she’d been fearing the most. She felt foolish now for thinking she might be able to get away so easily. “Are you going to just stand by and watch him kill us, Dad?”

“Kill you?” Markus exclaimed. “Why would I do such a thing? Especially after you brought me the Codex. Yes, you lied to me, but that is forgivable now.”

Right. For a moment, Crys had forgotten that Markus thought he was the superhero star of his own comic book, saving the world, one teenager at a time.

“What do you suggest, Markus?” Daniel asked.

“Your elder daughter has requested to join us in our mission, so I’d like to fulfill her wish by inviting her into my society. Both her and her sister.” Markus gestured toward Farrell and Lucas. “We’ll all return to my home. They will need a comfortable place to recover.”

“What do I need to recover from?” Crys asked warily. Was this why she hadn’t been blindfolded? Because Markus had already decided how this night would end?

“You’ve been exposed to too much, too soon. It takes years for the rare few of my most promising followers to learn as much as you know now. I will have to give you all three marks tonight, which, I’m afraid, will be an unavoidably difficult undertaking for you. And, if you resist in any way, the recovery time will be much more extensive.”

“What the hell is he talking about?” Becca asked.

“It’s okay,” Crys said, even though she knew it wasn’t. Having one mark would be bad enough, but three could turn them both into Markus’s unquestioning minions.

“Do you take issue with my decision?” Markus asked Daniel.

“No,” he replied. “It has to be done.”

Crys’s heart twisted to hear his unquestioning agreement.

She still hadn’t heard from Julia or Jackie. She and Becca were all on their own.

Damn it, what was Jackie’s first lesson of self-defense? Why couldn’t she remember? This might be the last chance they had to attempt an escape.

“Come on, don’t make a fuss.” Farrell took Crys’s arm, but she shrugged him off. He gave her an unpleasant smirk. “Sounds like we’ll be seeing eye to eye soon enough. Maybe we’ll make this crazy romance of ours work out after all.”

She gritted her teeth.

Groin and eyeballs. That was still all she could remember, and it would have to suffice.

Crys’s father put the Codex under his arm and fished his buzzing cell phone from his pocket, glancing at the screen. He answered it, frowning.

“Who is it?” Markus asked.

Daniel glanced at him. “Jackie Kendall. She says she wants to speak to you.”

Crys looked right to Markus, eager to see his reaction. But there wasn’t one. His expression had gone completely blank, as if someone had pressed his Pause button.

Why was Jackie calling Markus?