Page 75 of Cheater Slicks

As if a divine finger had plucked a string within my chest, an answering twang reverberated through me.

“I’ve got him.” I could have kissed Anunit for her guidance. “I can feel him.”

“Imagine the cord binding him to you as a knot coming undone. Then, and only then, allow the cord to slip through your fingers.”

“Okay.” I pushed through the visualization, and a sharp prick stung me. No wonder Dis Pater had felt it when I tugged Rollo free. “I don’t…” I shoved down my rising panic. “I don’t feel him anymore.”

A thud snapped my eyes open to find Pascal lying on the floor in a crumpled heap.

As I watched, blue light drifted from his still form, coalescing in the air above Matty’s body.

Pascal.

“What happened?” I lost my buoyancy and hit the floor, rolling my ankle from the unexpected force and ending up on my knees. “Pascal?”

“Pascal?” Josie dropped beside our brother’s body. “Matty?”

“H-he’s in there.” Pascal hovered above his host, rubbing his arms. “But he’s not right.”

I crawled to him and placed my palm on his forehead, searching for his soul and coming up against an oily sensation writhing under his skin. Maybe oily wasn’t the right word. Goopy? Syrupy? Then it hit me.

Rollo had kind of, well, melted, the more I handled him, but he had started out as solid as a soul got. But Matty had been gone so long, he was already liquid. Almost like the enchantment was a web and Dis Pater was the spider.

That chain of logic meant whatever got caught in the web was hit with a paralyzing agent, explaining why no one except the newbies in the parade fought to leave. But, over time, as Dis Pater fed, the souls liquified. And, eventually, he sucked up every last drop.

“He was gone too long.” I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans. “I’m going to have to do this manually.”

“Manually?” Josie squeaked as she clutched his hand. “What does that mean?”

“Rollo had trouble reentering his body, and he was gone no time compared to Matty. Matty’s soul is in there. I can feel it. But it’s like when the last piece of a puzzle has a broken tab. You can put it in the right place, but it still won’t fit.”

Maybe Matty’s soul sank in fast because his body was used to cohabitating with spirits. The act was a familiar one for him. But his own soul, unused to leaving his body, was either too weak or too confused to lock in place.

That, or Dis Pater had consumed so much of him that, as I explained to Josie, his soul wasn’t the correct shape anymore. Altered beyond recognition. Not that souls had a form, exactly. But still.

“Can you fix it?” Josie laced her fingers through his. “Will he be okay?”

“We won’t give him a choice.” I exhaled through my teeth. “Give me some room.”

After Josie scrambled back, I sank into the core of my power. I entered that peculiar state of being in my body and out of my body, allowing my spectral hand to reach for Matty. I sank to the wrist in his chest, a tremor in my hand, but I coddled his frantic spirit and held it steady.

The edges of my memory glowed and wavered as I tried to recall what, exactly, I had done to Rollo.

What remained of Matty’s soul was weak, too fragile for me to fumble. I had to be careful. I had to get this right. Unlike with Rollo, I could tell there would be no second chances.

“Breathe,”Anunit soothed.“You can do this, Frankie Talbot.”

“You’ve got this, Mary.” Josie sounded close to tears. “Bring our brother back.”

Power flooded my palms, fusing his soul in place with the same ease as I had crushed others. Before I could retract my hands, his gasp filled the room, and his eyes flew open.

“Mary…?” His gaze spun a full circle before his lids snapped shut again. “I…”

Palm to his forehead, I could sense him now. His soul felt settled. Weak. So weak. But secure.

“Jean-Claude.” I screamed for him, even though he stood against the wall. “Physically, is he…?”

“We won’t know for sure until he wakes,” he said after a quick examination. “I’ll carry him to his room and check him over again there.” He cut his eyes to Vi. “Will you go after her next?”

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