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Dallas shook her head. “No,” she whispered. “It doesn’t make me feel better at all.”

Max swallowed. “It should’ve been me.” His lungs still ached, as if someone were squeezing them. “If my magic had manifested before Maya’s, my mom would’ve sold me instead.” He said again, “It should’ve been me.”

Dallas reached across the SUV and loosened his fist, interlocking her fingers with his. “You can’t do that to yourself—blame yourself for your mom’s actions. That was all her, Max. There was nothing you could have done.” Maybe she was right, but it still felt like he had failed. Big brothers were supposed to protect their younger siblings, and he hadn’t been there for her. Maya hadn’t even trusted him enough to tell him about her magic.

Where had everything gone so wrong?

In the corner of his eye, Max caught sight of the barefoot asshole his mother was dating. Tim was heading toward the house, but stopped and pivoted on a mud-caked heel the moment he realized Max was still here.

He started the engine. “I might have to take up fighting,” he muttered. Maybe Darien was onto something with that outlet.

“I don’t mean to be a negative Nancy, but how are we going to find out what that symbol is, without Tanner here to help us?”

“I’ve got plenty of hacker friends, remember?” But none as good as Atlas. And, considering how elusive that symbol was, he wasn’t so sure that even someone as gifted as Tanner would be able to trace its origin. “We’ll talk to the Butcher,” Max said. “See if he can find anything on that rental car, maybe talk to Blue—go from there.”

It would be a long road—he could feel it now. But he wouldn’t give up until he found Maya—Scarlet, whatever her name was, it didn’t matter. She was still his sister, and she deserved not to be lost anymore.

12

Border Stronghold

PARADISI, STATE OF KER

“Hey, Menace.” Darien spoke into the quiet of the truck, hoping Mortifer was listening—and wasn’t too upset with him to answer. “You there?”

In the back seat, a sleeping Joyce stirred at the sound of his voice, but quickly drifted off again. As for Tanner, he was still wide awake, monitoring multiple programs on his laptop in the passenger’s seat, one foot propped up against the dash. Twilight was falling, and the cars on the interstate were desperate to get out of the dark and under the protection of a forcefield.

The radio came on, the buzz of static filling the vehicle, interrupted by blips of audio from multiple stations as Mortifer flipped through them.

Finally, the Hob found a station with a man’s voice saying, “Yes.”

The radio flicked off again.

Darien felt the ghost of a smile on his mouth. “Do me a favor and see if you can find out what this traffic jam is all about.” They hadn’t reached it yet, but it was showing on the navigational system displayed on the screen—and it was right by the entrance to the city of Paradisi, the border stronghold between the states of Witheredge and Ker. It was the last major city on their route to Yveswich.

Tanner murmured, “I told you I can find it, if you’d just give me a second.”

“You’re doing enough. Let Mortifer feel involved.”

“He’s got his hands full with Hell’s Gate.”

Darien grunted. “That house is safer without me there.”

It was Tanner’s turn to grunt his disagreement. “The rest of us beg to differ.”

Mortifer began flipping through the radio stations. He found one and cranked it to the highest volume. Static exploded in the truck—but with bits of audio from intercepted police radios coming through.

“…directing traffic into Northern Paradisi…”

Another burst of static. “…there have been multiple casualties. Paramedics are on site, with a helicopter on the way…”

“…demon attack. There was a security breach in the Desert Canyon district…”

One last bit of audio came through, and Darien swore he heard them say—

“Angelthene.” He and Tanner said the name of their city in unison.

They shared a loaded look.