Page 14 of Back in the Hunt

“Bless his heart,” Merlin murmured. “And bless that brother of yours, Bryn. He has the patience of a saint.”

That got a smirk out of Bryn. “I taught him that,” he said, making Fletcher chuckle in agreement.

“No doubt,” Merlin replied, giving his head a shake as he turned away from the window. “I can’t pass through to the veil and I don’t know of any other witches who can,” he said thoughtfully, then smiled warmly at Nox. “Except for one.”

Nox whistled and nodded. “It’s not easy and it’s not the kind of magick you can do with a spell or any kind of potion that I know of,” he told them, making Bryn pull a face.

“Because youcan’tlearn it. Being in the Nothing is like being in outer space, only astral bodies can withstand and pass through it. You’d have to be a soul, a god, or spectral like me and Arawn. There’s no potion that can split a witch’s soul from their body and send it back.”

“No,” Merlin confirmed. “That’s what is particularly confounding about this ‘Abhartach.’ The first Abhartach was a witch whomadehimself into a vampire who fed on blood and souls, but he couldn’t pass through the veil, as far as I can recall.”

“Could he have come back as a demon?” Nox asked but Merlin shook his head.

“No. He forfeited his soul to become Abhartach and many of us have made the pilgrimage to see his grave. There is no doubting an old evil is still resting there, but it is petrified and has no strength. He would not be able to see both sides.”

“Okay… We’re looking for victims like Everly and someone who can pass through the Nothing,” Bryn summarized as he opened the first folder and looked at the window when Nelson groaned. Everly had tripped and scuffed his chin on the pavement.

“I know you’re going to take this wrong but try not to anyway,” Nox whispered at Bryn. “Have you found anything he can actually…do?”

Bryn’s face fell and he blinked at Nox, reminding himself to behave because he was a guest in Nox’s home and the slum god had proven useful. “It’s hard to be good at anything when you’veneverhad a normal encounter with another person in your entire life.”

“Sure,” Nox agreed readily before holding up a finger. “But it’s also because he’s a fae and fae aren’t really good at…anything,” he added gently, mouthing an apology.

“Except mischief and fucking,” Merlin countered and Nox hummed and pointed.

“That’s true. But changelings are even less…functional. Sorry,” he whispered and winced at Bryn. “There’s a reason why the fae don’t keep them. Too much fae to be a functional human. Too much human to be good at being fae.”

“Not to say that he can’t learn!” Merlin said quickly when he caught the flaring of Bryn’s nostrils. “And there have been clever changelings or changelings who grew quite powerful. It’s just very rare,” he said softly and grunted sympathetically when Everly tried to catch the ball and punched himself in the face. “Oh, dear. I think his nose is bleeding.”

“I’ll get some frozen peas and paper towels,” Nelson said, shaking his head as he left them.

“I’ll go too,” Fletcher said.

Merlin waved them off, brightening as he swung back to Bryn. “Is he any good at fu—” he started but Nox’s hand slapped over his mouth.

“We’re trying tomakefriends,” Nox scolded and gave Bryn a weary look. “Why don’t you get started on lunch, Merlin?” he suggested with a hard shove, sending the old man scuffling sideways toward the door. “Anywho…” He widened his eyes at Bryn. “What were you doing at Sheila Forsythe’s that night? You don’t work in New Jersey,” he said, catching Bryn off guard.

“I thought you’d forgotten about that.”

“My first spectral hound?” He shook his head. “I had other matters to attend to at the time, but I was hoping to run into you again. I can’t believe Bixby never said anything.”

“That he was onto you?” Bryn asked, laughing when Nox nodded. “Everyone in the occult world knows who you and Merlin are. We didn’t know what you really were before, just that you were more than some famous witch dick. But Fletcher saw your Netflix thing and Arawn told him everything else about you and Merlin.”

“He wanted to meet us in New Castle,” Nox realized.

Bryn shrugged. “It wasn’t exactly the sort of thing you hand off to the Roanoke field office. He asked me to keep an eye on you two and be ready to help if you needed it.”

“Thanks,” Nox said and gave Bryn’s shoulder a playful punch. “And thanks for taking care of Nelson. I owe you one.”

“We’re even,” Bryn said flatly. “It wasn’t that hard to steal a uniform and blend in. Sheila put on a hell of a show and I wanted a closer look at you and your lovesick sidekick.”

A soft laugh huffed from Nox as he studied Bryn. “We disappointed you, somehow.”

“Not that night. I thought that monster got what he had coming to him.”

“It came after I…changed,” Nox guessed with a knowing hum. “Why haven’t I fixed the world? Why aren’t wehunting?” He gave Bryn’s shoulder an urgent shake, mocking him and striking his temper.

“Now that you mention it, why aren’t wehunting?” he whispered back in the same dramatic tone. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for one of you to come back and lead us?”

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