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Kerris was quiet for a few seconds. “Every month or two, maybe ? It’s not all that often. So, you’re probably right. In fact, the only reason I knew about this is that Veronica, the Queen of the Unliving, found out and contacted me. And I definitely don’t hang out with her.”

I picked up my plate and carried it into the kitchen, thinking.

The Covenant of Chaos had one flaw that would help us.

They were arrogant, and that arrogance led them into trouble more often than not.

They were built on male ego. Though women belonged to the group as well, men were the backbone of it.

So if they insisted on running the show, they were most likely operating with at least a few false assumptions.

And those would probably give us an edge.

I stood at the sink, staring out into the night. A moment later, Rowan joined me.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “Just thinking. Kerris’s job seems incredibly difficult.”

“It is,” Rowan said. “I knew her grandmother. It’s not at all like how you work with the dead.

Spirit shamans live in two worlds at once—the world of the living and the world of the dead.

It can be a dark and lonely existence, which is why they rely so much on their guardians.

” She leaned against the counter and, together, we stared out the window at the blustery night.

“Do you think we can help her?” I asked, as the first big windstorm of autumn started to play out.

“I think we can. But this won’t be comfortable.

Penelope…I saw her once. When you think that her mother did that to her…

Well, there’s a special place in hell for people like Magda.

” Rowan shook her head, then wiped her hands on a tea towel and motioned for me to follow her.

“Let’s get back to the others before they think we’ve deserted them. ”

More curious than ever, I followed my grandmother back into the living room.

“I found that Pest House online,” Tarvish said. “It’s open during weekday afternoons, from October through the end of November, and then again in February and March, and June and July. From one-thirty until six.”

“We can go out there tomorrow afternoon, then,” Rowan said. “Can you get the afternoon off?” she asked me.

I nodded. “Kerris, I was wondering if you’d come into the office with me. My boss’s parents used to live in Whisper Hollow. They left before he was born, because they didn’t want to bring him up in the town. But he’d like to meet you.”

“I can do that,” Kerris said. “Is that all right with you?” she asked Bryan.

He gave her a smile. “Whatever you like. You know I’ll always have your back.”

“I’d be happy to,” Kerris said to me. “Just give me the address and we’ll meet you there. What time do you want us?”

“How long will it take us to reach the Pest House?”

Rowan opened her phone. “About fifteen minutes’ drive from Moonshadow Bay, so we should leave around one. Where do we want to meet?”

“My office,” I said. “Kerris, why don’t you come over around noon. We can eat lunch, you can meet Tad, and then we can head out when Rowan gets there. Rowan, did you want to come for lunch?”

“No, I have an appointment at noon for about thirty-five minutes. I’ll be there around quarter to one.

We can talk about what to look for at the Pest House when I get there.

” Rowan glanced out the window. “It’s supposed to rain nonstop the next few days.

We’re looking at the first freeze next week.

I’m harvesting the last of my tomatoes tomorrow. ”

“I wish I could garden,” Kerris said. “Bryan takes care of that. He’s got a real green thumb.”

“I have a greenhouse, for winter veg. Would you like to see it?” Rowan asked.

Bryan nodded. “I’d love to get some ideas for building one of my own.” He followed Rowan toward the kitchen.

I turned to Kerris. “My grandmother taught me to garden, but it’s not my biggest passion.

” I paused, then said, “I’d love to pick your brain.

I’ve dealt with a number of hauntings and ghosts, and I feel like there’s more I could learn about the dead in order to effectively work with them.

I’ve had to exorcise too many spirits who were causing havoc. ”

Kerris leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

“The truth is, there are far more Haunts than I ever thought. And then there are the dead that get twisted up with astral creatures and become something entirely new. I’m still learning, even though I’ve been in Whisper Hollow for quite a while now. ”

“Did you ever think about giving up the post?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Oh, I’ve fantasized about it, but I’ve always known I can’t escape what I was born to be.

My mother only escaped because she was murdered.

But the lineage of my family…there’s no choice.

One way or another, I would have ended up back in Whisper Hollow.

Which is why, when the Crow Man summoned me home, I knew there was no escape. So I answered.”

“You’ve been there awhile now, haven’t you?”

“Nine years. I was thirty-three when I arrived there. I’m forty-one now.

I suppose I’ve just accepted my part in life.

” She met my gaze, and I could see a certain weariness in her eyes.

“But it would have been nice to have a choice. I live in a world of bone and ash, of shadows and death, January. I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.

I’m supposed to produce an heir—a daughter, so she can pass on the lineage. ”

There wasn’t much I could say to that, but it seemed so unfair to me. “You said you’re trying?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “We are. I’ll do my duty if I can. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against having children, but if I have a daughter, she’ll be brought up to take my place. And I’ll feel so conflicted about raising her to the same fate with which I’m bound.”

I started to ask her what would happen if she just let her daughter run off to do whatever she wanted, but at that moment my grandmother and Bryan returned. I glanced at Killian, who was fiddling with his phone. He caught my gaze and gave me a subtle shake of the head.

“We’d better go,” I said. “We’ll see you tomorrow, Rowan.”

I gave her a hug and then she paused, and gave Kerris one, too. “I’ll meet you at your work,” she said, her voice unusually soft.

As we left, Kerris and I said goodbye, and I thought about her position all the way home. She was trapped in a world of death. I shuddered, grateful that I was “just” a witch, and not born into the spirit shaman families.