Page 117 of Deck of Scarlets

“I’ll call the morgue. Kal, check on Josh. Anna, find the Aces, have them check the perimeter, and get everyone into the dining hall. Make sure everyone is accounted for,” instructed Father Benedict. I got my wits about me, wiping the back of my mouth as they left to follow Father’s orders.

Dean Poverly and Thatcher arrived, their eyes bulging from their sockets. Father Benedict explained what they needed before moving to the bed, placing two fingers on Asher’s forehead and whispering some type of prayer before shutting his eyelids.

Baron became a ghost, swaying as he stood, watching the interaction.

“Baron, did you see what happened?” Poverly interrogated.

He could only stare at Asher’s lifeless body, the color completely drained from his face.

I held onto the wall with clammy palms and tried to stand up, my legs shaking with the effort to do so. “No,” I managed to say, my voice hoarse from vomiting.

“Where’s Heather?” asked Thatcher. Her attitude was thick with each syllable.

“I don’t know,” I admitted harshly, trying to breathe through my nose, nausea rising again.

“You don’t know?” she snarled.

“Enough, Nora. Remi doesn’t know,” snapped Father.

Dean Poverly had taken it upon himself to help remove Baron from the room, hopefully to allow him to recuperate from the shock of losing a member of the Order and his friend.

“Nora, go to the dining hall,” ordered Father.

“I will no—”

“NOW.”

His command echoed off the walls. Thatcher stilled, shocked by the force in his voice. Without another word, she turned and stalked out of the room, her white cape trailing behind her.

Father Benedict turned to me, his expression eased, and said, “Remi, did Asher say anything to Baron before he departed?”

It took me a second to register what Father Benedict had asked, “What did he say?”

He nodded once, waiting for an answer.

“His words were jumbled, choking on his blood,” I said.

“No mention of a demon?” The words Ulro and dak came to mind. Words that meant absolutely nothing to me, yet Asher was desperate for Baron to hear.

“Asher managed to say only two words. Ulro and dak. Does that mean anything?”

Father’s face drained of color as he whispered, “That’s impossible.”

Father Benedict and I finally joined the others in the dining hall; hushed voices filled the room until we approached. My eyes landed on Josh.

He was awake, sitting next to Anna, with a sling over his left arm. He took notice of my presence, but there was a lack of emotion on his face.

Not the reunion I wanted.

My heart twisted, afraid to mind-speak, fearing a wall was back up.

Dean Poverly rose from his seat, his lips in a hard line before he said, “One of our own has been welcomed back into the arms of the Lord.”

The air was thick with sadness, heads bowed in response to Poverly’s unfortunate news. Images of Asher’s body flashed in my mind, his blood staining every corner until my nails dug into my palms.

Dean Poverly let the weight of his words seep in and said, “But another has been stolen.”

Observing the looks of my fellow Scarlets and Saints, I took notice of Zoey’s absence, remembering that he was her guardian.

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