Page 21 of Devour the Dark

“A witch,” Wendy tells him.

“A Myth Maker witch,” I clarify.

“Fuck.” Vane turns a circle, his hand over his eyes, his jaw flexing with a grind of his teeth. “Fuck!”

Winnie tucks a lock of hair behind her ear as the wind picks up on the dock. “Share with the class. Why is this bad?”

“I know why he’s come here.” Vane drops his hand and starts off down the dock forcing us all to catch up to him.

“I second Darling,” Bash says. “Care to share more?”

Vane follows the path that Roc took, his pace quick. “We rarely have control when we devour and sometimes we devour something we shouldn’t. There is one rule we must abide by: do not devour power.”

At the end of the harbor road, a row of shops leads inward to the heart of the city and further beyond, screams rent the air.

“Devouring power has…” Vane pauses and turns to Pan. “It has its consequences. A device was crafted to offset the mistake.”

“What kind of device?” Kas asks as he ties his hair back.

“A hat.”

Kas stills, his knot of hair only half done up. “Hold on…did you say ahat?”

“Yes, I said a fucking hat. The particulars don’t matter.”

“I think they do,” Bash counters. “What kind of hat is it? A baseball hat? A cowboy hat? A bucket hat?”

Kas frowns at his brother. “What the fuck is a bucket hat?”

“I don’t know, honestly. I just heard a mortal talking about them. I imagine it’s a bucket you wear on your head.”

Pan turns to the twins. “Will you two shut up?”

More screams fill the air. Impatience is beating at my temples. “Do you have this hat?” I ask.

Vane shakes his head. “It’s not on Neverland.”

“Then where?” Wendy asks.

Vane looks away. “It’s on Darkland.”

Bloody hell. We’ve come here for nothing. How much time does Roc have left before he can no longer turn back?

A gun is fired around the next street corner and a crowd goes running past the intersection.

“I can help him.” I come to stand in front of Vane and Pan. “I’ve been able to talk him back into his form. Let me help.”

“He’s right.” Wendy stands beside me. “He’s been shifting rapidly for days. We know how to bring him down.”

Pan scowls at us but quickly relents when another bullet is fired. “Fine. Kas and Bash, fly to the north. Vane?”

Vane is already following the sound of the commotion.

“Never mind,” Pan mutters. To Winnie he says, “Fly back to the Treehouse and don’t leave.”

“Nice try.” She snorts. “I’m not going.”

“Darling,” Pan growls.

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