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Theo frowned. “Are you sure about that?”

“I could feel the way it spread through the air,” she replied. “It hit Timmons first, then leapt to Cora, then struck me. It’s not like he was casting new spells for each of us. It was a chain.”

“Chain spells are illegal,” Theo pointed out.

Ren frowned. “I doubt the revenant is concerned with the codes.”

“I just mean they’re illegal for a reason. Incredibly difficult to control. They were outlawed because people figured out that if you alter one link in the chain, the entire spell can transform. That’s how the Harpy murders happened. It’s possible we can figure out how to alter the spell.”

Not a bad thought. Those murders were relatively recent. A disgruntled makeup artist realized her boss had gotten lazy, using a chain spell to regularly refresh the mascara of her clients. Harper—nicknamed Harpy—made a slight alteration that poisoned seventy-three women. It was the largest mass murder in Kathor’s history. It also offered a potential plan for them. Ren was still sorting through the other pieces of the puzzle, though.

“I was right about the functional opposition theory. The spell he cast back there took me into the same memory I’ve been dreaming every night. I was immobilized by it.”

Cora scratched her eyebrow piercing. “Same.”

“I barely felt anything,” Theo said. “But that’s normal with a chain spell, right? Each iteration would be slightly weaker. Timmons was deep under, but I just blinked once and I was free of the spell, because I was the last link in the chain.”

“That’s the one silver lining, then,” Ren answered. “I wasn’t under for more than a second. If the paralytic is weaker in each iteration—and if we use our retreating wards—there’s a good chance we can face him on our own terms. That gives us options for beating him.”

Theo nodded, but it was Cora’s turn to object.

“I’m worried he’ll be much stronger next time.”

“Why?”

“Did you see him?” Cora asked. “The way he looked and moved?”

Ren nodded. “Yes, he was definitely sturdier.”

“It was more than just strength. It was Avy.”

That dark pronouncement brought silence to the group. Theo was pacing around nervously. Ren had noticed a clear change in Clyde. The broadness of his shoulders. The unexpected height.

“He consumed him?” she asked.

“In a far more literal way than I anticipated,” Cora answered. “I’ve watched Avy’s wrestling matches. The way Clyde climbed is a perfect copy of how he moved. It’s the way his body worked. Clyde somehow consumed those qualities and made them his own. He also consumed his knowledge. Remember when Avy brought up chain spells the other day? While we were hiking?”

Theo answered, “Which is why the revenant knew what they were. Unbelievable.”

Ren’s mind leapt ahead to the darker conclusion.

“And now he’s consumed Timmons.”

“An enhancer,” Cora confirmed. “His magic will be distinctly stronger. I’m not even sure a retreating ward will work. It will be like trying to stop an arrow with a piece of paper.”

Ren saw a fleeting image of Timmons as she fell. Her silver-white hair flung wide. Her eyes closed. It’s my fault you died. It’s my fault you were here in the first place. I’m so sorry, Timmons. A dark part of her mind wondered if Clyde would adopt some physical quality of her friend, the way he’d taken on aspects of Avy. Would he wear the bright hair? Or the perfect smile? She couldn’t bear the thought.

Theo cleared his throat. “So we’re facing a creature who won’t stop hunting us until he consumes each of us. He uses a spell that temporarily paralyzes his victims, and his magic might be even stronger the next time we face him. How do we fight against that?”

No one had an answer. Ren’s mind felt like it had been operating at half capacity ever since losing Timmons. His question hung overhead as the embers of their fire crackled quietly. Cora was the first one to suggest sleep. Theo stood, resetting the wards as snow dusted their shoulders. Ren watched the flames as darkness stole over the mountain. A great veil of clouds cut off the stars and the moon. Nothing outside the glow of their fire was visible. Ren’s entire body trembled.

“Get some rest,” Theo said. “I’ll take first watch.”

She rolled onto her other side. Lying there, eyes roaming the dark, Ren finally felt her friend’s absence in full. Timmons had slept beside Ren every night so far. Adding her warmth. Her entire life had been an unconscious improvement on those around her, magical or otherwise. Ren cried now as she stared at the empty stretch of grass beside her.

It’s my fault, she thought. It’s all my fault.

She cried in silence. It was as if a star had been erased from the sky above. No one else would know its light or warmth or beauty ever again. The tears were still sliding down Ren’s cheeks when Theo moved his pack over to the ground beside her. He sat down, and a moment later she felt his hand settle on her shoulder. Its weight anchored her back to the earth. She no longer felt like she was drifting off into the unknown. She took a few deep breaths before reaching back to set her hand on top of his.