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“Back in old times, people used to visit the Crossroads to speak to loved ones who had passed away. They would go on the shortest night of the year, when the divide between our world and the spirit realm is rumored to be at its thinnest. The divide is often called the Veil. If a Crossroads wasn’t handy, a person could seek out a weak spot by going to a place of heavy darkness, or perhaps an area where elements meet with constant movement, such as waterfalls.”

Jack interrupted. “Aren’t those just bedtime tales?”

“Jack,” Dom and Travis warned, their voices thick with discontent.

The jokester of a Devil pretended to zip his mouth shut and tossed the invisible key over his shoulder.

Tamika looked unimpressed, her lips set in a thin line.

“I apologize for my rude brother-in-law,” Darien said. “Please continue.”

Tamika cleared her throat. “Where was I?”

Tanner offered, “Relatives and friends of the dead visiting the Crossroads on the shortest night of the year.”

“Right.” Tamika crossed her legs. “Visiting the Crossroads has always come with a cost, even back then. The person had to pay a toll to the guardian of the Crossroads they chose to visit. Most of the time the payment came in the form of—”

“Coins,” Darien said.

“Right. Do you know the history behind paying with coins?”

“I’ve heard things here and there, but I’m more interested in what you have to say.”

Tamika glanced about the room. “I’m sure you’re all aware of the tradition of placing silver coins over the closed eyes of a person who’s passed away?”

Everyone nodded.

“The coins serve as payment. The Crossroads creatures exist in pockets between our world and Spirit Terra. When the Veil was cast thousands of years ago, these creatures got trapped in these pockets, unable to commit to life in any of the three realms. Supplying them with silver coins briefly weakens the barrier between here and the spaces of liminality, allowing us to temporarily cross over into their habitats, sort of like how dead bodies will cross the river once silver has been paid.”

“Makes sense,” Logan offered, sharing a look with Sabrine.

“I believe these creatures you’ve been seeing are pushing through the Veil,” Tamika said. “Somehow, your Sight—” She nodded in Darien’s direction. “—has picked up on their presence before they’ve fully made it through. And I believe the Veil is weakening. Bleeding into our world.”

“Then we need to figure out why,” Lace said. “If Spirit merges with our world…” She shuddered. “Who knows what will happen?”

“Death,” Tamika concluded. “Death will happen. You’ve seen it—we’ve all seen it. All these animals dying, people falling sick with mysterious illnesses. Even bodies of water are turning stagnant or filling with blood. If Spirit fully becomes one with our world, it doesn’t have the means to support life—it is a place of death, of the in-between. Everyone currently living will die.”

“How was I able to see the creatures before anyone else?” Darien asked. “I saw one when I was with a few Reapers, and none of them could see it.”

Tamika drummed her fingers on her knee. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “Maybe you are somehow connected to the spirit realm.”

Loren shared a glance with Darien that suggested they were thinking the same thing.

Could this have anything to do with him dying on Kalendae?

Travis cut in. “His magic is visible now. Hellseher magic has always been invisible. What could that mean?”

“Is it just Darien’s?” Tamika asked.

The front door swung open, and everyone turned in its direction.

Loren couldn’t see who it was from here, but she recognized the voice of the former weapons technician immediately.

“I come bearing information.” Arthur’s statement echoed. It sounded like he was taking off his shoes. Next came the thuds of his socked feet hitting the floor as he hurried into the sitting room—

He stilled at the sight of the group gathered around the furniture. In his arms he carried two papers rolled up in long tubes.

“Join the party, Art,” Darien said, gesturing to the free spot next to Sabrine and Logan. “Doctor Isley brought some information for us too.”