Page 68 of Ashes

“Something like that.” I laugh and sip the coffee. “If I’m honest, I’m still new at this stuff.”

“It’s a lot.” Sam tucks one leg up underneath him. He’s wearing a pair of Mack’s sweatpants and a loose navy tee. “Learning you’re destined to save the world? That’s…” he widens his eyes, “big.”

I tilt my head to the side. “I guess so. Although, it’s all happened so quickly I’m not sure I’ve had chance to really take it in.”

Sam chuckles. “I know that feeling. Yesterday I woke up in a cage. Today, I woke up on a big comfy couch looking out at a lake and a bunch of trees.” He sighs and shakes his head. “Do you know when I last sawtrees,Nova?”

I close my eyes. The idea of him being shut away for so long makes my chest hurt.

“It’s okay.” He nudges my leg with his foot. “It’s a good thing. There’s a whole world out there I need to experience. I’m not going to waste it feeling sorry for myself.”

I study his face. His softness reminds me of Tanner, but he’s got something else too; a youthfulness, an optimism I didn’t expect.

“So, what’s the plan today?” he asks. “Can we spend some time catching up or is there some urgent business to attend to?”

I’m about to answer him when a waft of cooking smells drifts up from the kitchen. “Pancakes,” I tell him, wriggling my eyebrows. “Before anything else… pancakes.”

* * *

Downstairs, Kole is cooking while Mack, Tanner, and Luther stare at a large map of the woods. The table is set with plates, glasses, a pot of coffee, and a jug of juice. It reminds me of the very first morning I met them all, except now there’s one more.

Sam greets the guys with handshakes and patting of backs. It’s different with him than with Nico. They distrusted Nico from the second they laid eyes on him. With Sam, it’s like he fits right in. As if he was always supposed to be here.

While Luther points at something, and Mack nods, Tanner checks Sam’s wounds. “Looking good,” he says.

Their eyes catch… or was I imagining it?

We sit down and, for a while, talk about nothing important. The guys make fun of Mack, explaining he’s the daddy of the group—and that he sometimes turns into a polar bear. They tell Sam that Luther built the cabin with his own bare hands, and that back in town both Mack and Luther were cops. Then, finally, chatter descends into something more serious.

“Now that Sam’s here, we need to decide what we do next.” Luther pushes his plate away and places his palms on the table. “We think the Bureau has started to scour the woods. So far, they haven’t got close to the cabin, but we can’t hang around much longer. We need a plan.” He hesitates then adds, “So, does anyone have any suggestions?”

“We need the Bureau on side.” Mack strokes his beard. “I still believe that.”

“Why?” Tanner asks, a little sharply. “They haven’t helped so far. In fact, they seem determined to do the opposite of helping. Shouldn’t we be focussed on what Ragnor’s next move is?”

At the mention of Ragnor’s name, a shiver creeps up my spine.

“He’s trying to prevent the prophecy. Hewantsthe underworld to rise.” Tanner is thinking out loud, waving his hand as if it will help his brain to work faster. “He must be close to whatever he’s planning on doing to unleash it. Otherwise, Nova wouldn’t have set fire to her apartment.”

My forehead creases as I try to work out what he means.

Darkly, Kole says, “Something triggered the prophecy. Your power has been dormant for ten years. If Ragnor wasn’t close, none of this would have happened.”

“Raising the underworld?” Sam asks, almost laughing. “Is that actually possible? I mean, the occasional demon has come throughSpineover the years. But it takes a heck of a lot of dark magick to capture one. How much would H.E.L need to set the entirety of the nether realms free?”

“A lot.” Kole inhales deeply. His jaw twitches. “They’d need a lot.”

“Maybe I’ll have another vision.” I tap my temple with my index finger. “A vision that’ll tell us what to do next.”

“I don’t think we can afford to sit around and wait for that to happen,” snaps Luther. “I say we divide forces. Mack and I tackle the Bureau. Get Nova’s test results to Annalise. If she sees them, if we canspeakto her face to face, she’ll help us.” He taps the map. “Kole and Tanner go into town. Be discreet. Find out what the heck is going on, because if Phoenix Falls is the center of all this—and folk have started acting strangely—I’m willing to bet dark magick is floating around somewhere.”

I’m about to object to the idea of Kole and Tanner going into town alone, risking being caught, when Sam says, “Nova and I? What do we do?”

“You two are on research.” Luther folds his arms.

“Research?” I narrow my eyes at him.

“Search every archive, every copy of every ancient text. Look for something that might indicate when this uprising is supposed to happen.” Luther looks at Mack for help.

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