Page 77

Covenant of Nightshade was accused of practicing human sacrifices.

But not only were they never interrogated by the authorities, the church even tried to cover up the rumors for some unknown reason. It made no sense why two parties who stood at the opposite ends of the religious spectrum would try to help each other. If Evan had any more interest in the subject and free time on his hands, maybe he would’ve dug deeper and probably set himself up as bait so he could be kidnapped by these Nightshade freaks and see for himself exactly what they were doing behind the scenes.

Of course, other than banging their ugly bits together under the moonlight.

“Did the disappearances all those years ago have anything to do with the Nightshades?” Evan asked, sensing the direction of Choi’s vague response.

Choi grimaced, and that was enough of an answer.

Evan tossed the earring into the air, catching it without glancing at it as he studied the spirit, who swayed with every toss of the earring, agitated.

How had Victor gotten his hands on an earring from a member of the Nightshade? Did the disappearance of the loggers have anything to do with those cult freaks?

If spirits could talk, Evan would have directly asked Victor and gotten it over with. But as he watched the spirit in front of him, he worried things were just beginning to get complicated.

A rustling at a distance jolted Evan’s senses into alert. Victor’s dislodged head cracked as he sensed something, and without a word, vanished into a fog of black smoke.

Evan, Xen, and Choi glanced over their shoulders as a glimpse of silver hair peeked above an overgrown bush. Two wide eyes poked up, then ducked behind the leaves again, muttering and whispering something under their breath.

Evan sighed.Old Mila.

No wonder Victor’s spirit had disappeared. If their bond was anything like Choi had described, Mila would probably be able to sense her husband’s spirit. And if she could sense it, eventually, she’d see it. And Victor’s spirit wasn’t exactly a pleasant sight to behold.

Just then, something occurred to Evan.

“Say, Steve,” Evan turned back, sliding the earring into his pocket as Xen unblinkingly watched Mila’s head poking out of the bush. “By any chance, would you happen to know where the Nightshade freaks crawl out from every night? A secret hideout, a cave, or something like that?”

Choi thought for a moment, then shrugged. “I’ve never dug into them too deep, for the same reason as everyone else. But…” he scratched his chin, “I’ve caught a few of them wandering near the Old Oak.”

Evan had figured that much. Logger’s disappearing, a tree crashing down on a house and taking an innocent life, and the spirit of the same deceased roaming around with a souvenir from the cult.

If the authorities had taken Victor’s death seriously, the clearing of the forest would have ceased immediately. And while Victor’s spirit was lingering around, he didn’t seem to be haunting anyone. So the rumors about him haunting the ruins of his house were possibly fake too.

Someone was, quite aggressively, trying to stop the clearing of the forest.

After this area of the forest, the loggers would have headed towards the Old Oak. And if Evan’s deduction was true, all these incidents—the fake haunting stories and the disappearance of the workers—were to prevent the falling of the oak. But why?

Guess I’ll have to pay a personal visit to the site.

As they made their way back from the forest clearing, Mila vanished just as swiftly as she’d appeared. Once they were out, Choi invited Evan and Xen to stay for tea in his treehouse cabin.

Xen stared at him, completely unmoved by his hospitality, while Evan politely declined.

“My sister's home after a long time,” a corner of his mouth lifted. “I should head back soon.”

10. A Good Sign

After bidding goodbye to Choi, Evan ambled back home with a brooding demon in tow. Excitement and nervousness kicked Evan’s organs around, making each step heavier than the last.

One year. One whole year without seeing Celie. How much could she have changed?

The last time they’d talked, she seemed to be in herI’m-a-moody-teenagerphase. Genuinely, it was as adorable as it was scary. One minute she would make lemonade, leaving a glass on the counter for Evan, and the next, it would seem like she wanted to squeeze that lemon juice into his eyes.

But they hadn’t parted on good terms, and that had upset Celie to the point that she’d refused to see or talk to Evan for a whole year. Just when he’d convinced himself that they would become strangers like their mother and her siblings, Celie decided to come home.

This has to be a good sign.

“Do you like her?”