Page 100 of The Shop on Hidden Lane

“They’re both lying,” Victoria said, putting a little extra dose of charm into the words. She kept her attention on Sophy. “We’re all running out of time.”

Sophy glanced at Bea, who gave her a reassuring smile. Themessage was clear:Remember the first rule of the psychic consulting business:never let the audience see you sweat.

She turned to Luke. Cool confidence gleamed in his eyes. His message was easy to read, too:You’ve got this.

Deke winked.I’m in.

Bruce padded close so that he was standing next to her. Message:You’re not alone.

She patted the top of his head, straightened, and walked toward the circle of mirrored towers. She slipped between two of the batteries and stopped in front of the pedestal. She studied the six glittering crystals and selected one. It was locked, but a frisson of awareness zapped through her senses.

She looked at Luke.

“So much power,” she said.

His eyes heated. “I know.”

She concentrated on the crystal, feeling her way into the complex pattern of the lock, searching for the anchor current. It didn’t take long. Tobias Harper had been good with locks, but she was even more talented. She pulsed a little buzz of energy to neutralize the currents that secured the crystal.

The stone blazed to life in her hand, pulsing with vermillion flames. Her thrill level was suddenly off the charts. She was intensely aware of the wild energy flooding the chamber, aware that, with the aid of the crystal, she could channel some of it, at least for a short while.

“You did it,” Victoria said, euphoric with relief. “Unlock the others. Hurry. We don’t have much time.”

“I can do that,” Sophy said. She set the crystal back down on the glass pedestal and took the chimes and mallet out of her trench coat. “But I’ve got options.”

“What are you doing?” Victoria demanded.

The charm had evaporated from her voice.

Sophy ignored her. She struck a pure, delicate note, releasing it into the chamber. The crystalline tone soared, growing louder and more resonant until it pealed like a great bell.

Bruce unleashed an unearthly howl.

“What’s happening?” Victoria screamed. “Stop.”

“The towers,” Whitley shrieked. “They’ll overheat.”

Sophy dropped the chimes and the mallet into a pocket and once again picked up the flaring crystal.

“Here’s the really interesting thing about channeling vortex energy,” Sophy said. “I just realized I might be able to use it to let you see what I see.”

She went all the way into her talent, pulling on the wild forces in the chamber to project her visions.

“No,” Victoria shouted. “Stop.”

Hatch got to his feet, his eyes wide. “What are you doing?”

The Tuxedo Twins stood frozen, open-mouthed. Luke, Bea, and Deke watched her, but they made no move to stop her.

The otherworldly fog coalesced swiftly, filling the chamber. Shadowy figures appeared in the mist. There was no sound, but the visions needed no audio. It was all too obvious that the figures were screaming, running for their lives, and in the center of the room the mirror towers burned with a terrible radiance.

“Welcome to my world,”Sophy said in her trance voice. “Welcome to the past. The explosion will happen any minute now. They tried to channel the power of the vortex and they discovered too late they could not control it.”

“Ghosts,” one of the twins said. “Impossible. What’s happening?”

“There are no ghosts,” Victoria shouted. But her elegant features were tight with fear. “She’s creating a mass hallucination. Trying to scare us.”

“It’s working,” Hatch said.