Page 49 of Shadow Scorching

“Which is stronger? The shadow man or the revenant?” Orik asked.

“That’s a toss up. Both are strong, both are deadly.”

“What can they do to you?” Sophia asked.

“Shadow people can drain you dry—they devour life force and they can make you physically ill, as well. Revenants—well, they can beat the crap out of you, feed on your life force, throw things, and, if they kill you, they can absorb you.” She shuddered. “Both are bad news, and both can be deadly.”

“So, as Orik asked, how do we distract them so you can go after the others?”

“Lazenti will be there, and I’m assigning him the job of distracting the shadow man. As far as the shadow man, well, I’m going to attempt to send him through a portal, back to his realm. I’ll bind him so he can’t return, at least for a while. As for the revenant, I’m going to teach you how to use charmed crystals and an incantation to deflect it. I’ll train you on what to do. As for the revenant, well, I’ve got several spells ready and I hope that one of them works.”

“You candestroythe revenant?” I asked.

Penn nodded. “Yes, because it’s an amalgamation of other energies. The shadow man is a creature in his own right. In a sense, he’s harder to destroy, but I can banish him. The revenant can be destroyed, but they aren’t easily banished. They’re tied to our plane more than they are to the astral plane.”

With that, she brought out a bag of rainbow quartz crystal spikes that were practically humming with energy. She gave oneto each of us, and then spent the next hour teaching us how to focus our energy through them.

Penn stuck around soshe could listen in while I talked to Jet. Carson showed her some more of the footage of the entities haunting Michael’s house. She listened intently, soaking up the information and asking questions.

“Okay, quiet people. Let’s get ready for my scammer beau to call.”

Carson had come up with a device that hooked up to my phone. If Jet had his location services turned on, we might be able to pinpoint where he was. Carson had tried to make a video out of the picture but it looked too jerky.

“Just tell him your camera’s not working,” he said. “At least the voice alteration app works.”

“Will I hear the difference?”

“Not really, but don’t worry.”

“I guess I’m ready,” I said. “Is everything ready to try to find his location?”

“As long as your phone is hooked up to the device.” Carson took a deep breath. “Okay, chief. You’re ready to rock.”

At that moment, Dante’s phone rang and he answered it. A few minutes later, he returned, pale.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“That was Aunt Tilly. She’s still at the hospital, but Diana called. She found Tilly’s safe open and empty. Also, her banker called to ask if she had written a check for fifteen thousand dollars made out to ‘Pay to Bearer.’ Tilly told them no, and set up a password.”

I sighed. “We’ll deal with that after Jet calls. When he does, I’ll put him on speaker, so nobody make a sound.”

Before I could finish, my phone rang. I glanced at Caller ID. “Okay, folks, it’s show time!”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

I turnedon the app to change my voice, then answered. Immediately, Carson went to work, trying to pinpoint where the call was coming from.

“Hello, darling, it’s so good to talk to you,” Jet said. His voice was smooth—too smooth.

“I’m not sure what to say. I’m so happy to be talking to you.” To me, my voice sounded normal, but Carson gave me the thumbs up, so I assumed the voice changer must be working. “How has your day been?” I reminded myself I was supposed to be a wealthy, older socialite, which means she would be gracious and mindful of her manners.

“Tiring. So, my dear, what are your plans for the rest of the afternoon?”

“Shopping, I think. I need to buy a new handbag, and I thought I might look for a new necklace.” I scrambled, trying to think of a way to dangle my supposed wealth in front of him.

“Do you like to shop?”

“Oh yes, it’s one of my joys. I love giving presents,” I added.

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