Page 2 (1/2)

My other powers sucked against zos A thorn tornado would flay their skin, but couldn’t kill thelyph was dark, I raised my hands to call on the barbs once gling back to lifethen nothing

"T-tapped out" I told Finn, "Create an illusion,the other way"

"I’ht hours Athe Cajun driver in on the secret But I’ll try" He began to whisper his

Soon ere rendered invisible, while five illusions of us appeared to run down the front porch steps and beyond The closest Bagmen followed theuise our scent

Jackson did a double-take at the illusions "More Baggers are coaze was drawn to the right, toward the baseaze and started for the for ht behindto that lab

Finn reached past Matthew to give me a little shove "Come on, Eves!"

I swung around on him "The last boy who pushed me down these steps became a smear"

Finn held his hands up, eyes wide "No problem, chica ’S’cool" He created another illusion, this one of a lantern to light the way "Everything’s better with a little light, yeah?"

Farther down, Jackson scowled at the ht was the first tireed to keep our powers secret from non-Arcana

Secret? Guess I blew this bitch wide open

He and Matthew both had to duck under the doorframe After we all filed inside, Jackson eased the basement door closed, then slid a metal table in front of it

We backed away, deeper into the lab, closer to the blood-spattered plastic drapes separating the dungeon The others peered around, their gazes flickering over the Bunsen burners atop a long steel counter, the shelves of jarred body parts Left over frolass and spilled serums covered the packed earth floor

Finn said, "It’s official--this is the creepiest place I’ve ever been Some mad scientist just called, wants his lab back"

You haven’t seen the worst

Once the rancid seon hit them, Finn covered his mouth "What the hell’s back there?"

"A corpse," I answered tonelessly "It’sdeco" My shivers started anew

When Matthew put his arainst his damp shirt

As if they couldn’t help themselves, one by one, Jackson, Selena, and Finn slipped past those spattered curtains

Matthew ledhis battered tennis shoes to shuffle glass froround, I said, "You already knohat’s back there, don’t you?"

"A butcher’s block Drain fields Bone saws and cleavers Rusted shackles dangling froed "I see far" He’d shown me visions of the past, present, and future--of Arcana and even non-Arcana

But he’d once told me the future flowed like waves--or eddies--and that it was difficult to read "Did you knoas going to defeat the Alchemist?"

He shook his head He seerasped"I bet on you to take his icon"

I supposed those syht I heard a gasp froh their eyes Would seeing the chained-up corpse otten to Arthur’s earlier, irl I tippedHowto be freed?

3

Finn stueon first, hand over his mouth "About to Technicolor yawn" He retched but kept it down

Selena’s expression was blank when she exited Without a word, she took a seat atop one of the counters

When Jackson ee For a boy who so often resorted to his fists, he despised violence against wo the door, then sank down on the ground to sit against one of the table legs To reinforce his blockade? Or because it was the spot in the roo with frustrated energy, like a tiger prowling a cage And like a trapped anio

I tried to put ht he was one way and he turned out to be so supernaturally different? I knehat I looked like in the throes of htmares

If I’d been revolted, how could he not be?

Skittering sounded from above us, then a boom! as if furniture had been upended "They’re back," I whispered Bag, Jackson and Selena raising their bows Howbody down here cae our scent?

After several heartbeats passed, they roved on Selena and Jackson gradually lowered their weapons

With a sigh of relief, Finn took a seat right beside Selena, clearly still infatuated; she glared

"I’an, "and I need so like you wanted to kill each other Soht add"