Page 86 of The Bone Man

“It’s a big forest.” But not unsearchable, especially if I put some wildlife to use.

“Okay, if we know where to look, then we just have to figure out how to cut off its power.” I stare down at the bone hand. “And prevent Berdherst from making any more sacrifices to it.”

“Sacrifices like this can’t just be pulled off the street.” Xander traces a finger over the faint symbol burned into the bones. “This kind of sacrifice has to be marked and promised from birth, then raised until it achieves a specific power level before the sacrifice is made.”

My stomach sinks. “That’s why he’s so persistent about getting Aediva back. He doesn’t have time to mark a new sacrifice.”

“But isn’t Aediva dead?” Johannsson asks. “I remember that news story. Your people went after the demons who kidnapped her, but it was too late.”

Reese shakes his head. “If the sacrifice died before its time, then the spell would revert to the current contract holder, and the mayor is still very much alive.”

As all eyes turn to me in question, I grimace at the way his quick mind so readily uncovers the secret we’ve been keeping.

I glance at Johannsson. “I plead the fifth.”

“Wait, she’snotdead?” Johannsson stands. “Did you guys kidnap a little girl?”

“Her mom brought her in to be exorcized, but she’s half-demon.” I throw up my hands in frustration. “She knew she was signing the kid’s death certificate and insisted it be done anyway because she didn’t want to be caught cheating on her husband. A husband who apparently planned to sacrifice her! What were we supposed to do?”

“Save the kid!” Johannsson yells.

“Exactly!” I say, feeling strange to be on the same page with Johannsson for once. “And since the contract didn’t revert, Berdherst knows she’s not dead, which is why he’s been sending his people after us.”

“What if we just destroy the hand?” Johannsson demands.

Xander shakes his head. “We’ve tried that. It just absorbs the spells.”

“Not with magic,” Johannsson says slowly, as if talking to a child. “With a hammer. Just bash the thing to dust.”

We all look back at the hand.

“It can’t be that easy,” Xander murmurs.

“Burning the bones weakened the Bone Man’s power,” I say with uncertainty. “But smashing them probably would have worked, too.”

“Smash it, then set it on fire,” Johannsson advises. “Only way to be sure.”

“We can use the forge.” Reese’s eyes light with excitement. “It’s hot enough to burn bone.”

Johannsson shakes his head. “Do I even want to know what you witchblood are up to out here?”

“No,” Xander and I say at the same time.

Reese’s shoulders slump. “Destroying just this hand won’t weaken the Bone Man by much, though.”

“Why not?” Johannsson demands. “Isn’t that what you’ve been trying to do this whole time?”

Xander shakes his head. “No, we’ve been trying to undo the spell, which is entirely different. Reese is right. This is onlyoneof the sacrifices. There have to be hundreds more like it buried in the forest. We need to destroyallof them. It’s the only way to make sure no more power funnels to the Bone Man.”

Johannsson falls back into his seat. “So, we’re screwed.”

“Maybe not.” I frown down at the hand. “Sacrifices like this would share a link. If we can use that link to locate the other sacrifices, then we should be able to destroy them all at once.”

Xander’s shoulders slump. “We’ve tried running spells to trace the hand back to the rest of its body, but it didn’t work.”

“I’m not talking about performing a spell.” My hand drops to the top of Orianna’s head, and the ley line rises to my fingertips. “I’m talking about summoning a spirit.”

Xander’s eyes widen. “Can you do that?”

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