“I hope you know what you’re doing,” I muttered as I scraped another layer of skin off the side of my neck and the back of my hand. The flashlight speared Isabeau’s back, the fal of her dark hair, pale glimpses of skin. She turned her head slightly, reached up to flick the light off.

“We’re nearly there. If we keep these on we’l give ourselves away.”

I shut mine off as wel . After a moment of blinking away the sudden change in light I could differentiate al the shades of black and gray. If I’d stil been human, it would have been unrelieved pitch-black. I could smel a change in the air too. It was stil cold and damp but every so often a warm breath of leaves and mud snuck its way in. It wasn’t long before I could hear the wind.

We stumbled out into a very smal cave that opened up to the glimmer of stars and the shifting of branches from a stunted tree near the opening. The outcrop was relatively narrow, we’d have to climb our way down. I reached for my cel phone.

“I should cal my parents. Can I get reception here?” Isabeau nodded. “You should be able to. It’s not reliable but at least it shouldn’t be blocked by magic this far away from the main cavern.”

The faceplate of my phone was cracked and it wouldn’t turn on at al . “That just figures,” I said, frustrated. “I wasn’t sure I believed in magic before, but I total y believe in curses now.” I stuffed it back into my pocket, disgusted. “I must have landed on it when Morgan was kicking my ass. It’s useless.” Kind of like I was starting to be. It was doing nothing for my mood.

Isabeau handed me her phone. “Here, try mine.”

“Thanks.” I dialed quickly, listening with growing agitation as it rang and rang. I tried my mother’s number, my dad’s, Sebastian’s. No one answered. That was virtual y unheard of unless they were hunting or fighting. Someone always answered. “This is not good,” I said, dialing the farmhouse.

Solange answered on the second ring. “Hel o?”

“Sol? What’s going on? Why isn’t anyone answering their

“Sol? What’s going on? Why isn’t anyone answering their phones?”

There was a long pause and when she spoke again her voice squeaked. “Logan?”

“Yeah, who else?” I answered, irritated.

“Logan!” she shouted so loudly and suddenly I nearly dropped the phone.

“What are you yel ing for? And, ouch.” Isabeau looked at me questioningly and I shrugged. I couldn’t explain my family at the best of times.

“You’re alive! Oh my God.”

“Of course I’m—”

“Nicholas! It’s Logan. He’s okay. I don’t kn—hey, you’re such a pain in my—stop it!”

They were clearly fighting over the phone. Solange won. I could hear Nicholas shouting: “You kicked me!”

“Oh, Logan, I am so happy to hear your voice.” Her own voice wobbled a little, as if she were crying.

“Hey,” I said. “I’m okay. Don’t cry, Sol. I’m fine.”

“Okay.” She sniffled once. “Where the hel have you been?” I had to angle the phone away from my ear again when she got shril . “I’m at the caves with Isabeau. I told one of the guards to let you know. Jen came with me …” I paused. “She didn’t make it.”

“What happened?”

“We got attacked by Hel-Blar. Kind of like we are right now, so I can’t exactly chat.”

“Logan, everyone thinks you’re dead. That guard never told us anything except that he found a death charm with your scent on it and Isabeau’s mark. Dad’s been trying to stop Mom from attacking the Hounds. Finn’s been calming her down.”

“Shit. Listen, I real y can’t talk. Montmartre has been setting the Hel-Blar on al of us. It’s misdirection. He wants us to fight among ourselves so we can’t fight him. He’s probably at the courts right now. Can you get hold of Kieran? If neither Mom or Dad are answering their phones we’re going to need help. And fast.”

“I’l cal him now.”

“Good. Tel him I’l meet him there.”

“You’l meet us al there.”

“Stay home, Solange. I mean it.”

“I’m glad you’re alive but bite me, Logan. I mean it.”

“Montmartre wants you.”

“Duh. But if misdirection has worked so wel for him, we can make it work for us too.”

“I’m not using my baby sister as bait. Not after what happened on your birthday. He almost had you, Sol. If it hadn’t been for Isabeau and the Hounds …”

“See you soon. Bye, Logan.”

“Wait, you can’t—argh! She hung up on me. Brat.”

“You can’t expect her to sit at home when her family is being threatened.”

I glanced at Isabeau thoughtful y. “Maybe you could go sit with her. Protect her.”

She snorted. “You’re very transparent, Logan.”

“Please?”

“Non. Absolument pas. ”

I would have argued a great deal longer if something heavy hadn’t struck the side of my head, sending me teetering on the edge of the outcrop. I stumbled back, blood dripping into my eyes. Pain lanced through my skul . Isabeau whirled, sword in hand, but we were too late. Hel-Blar dropped down from the cliffside above us and others climbed up from below. Their skin was an odd shade of blue in the darkness, their teeth like bone needles. The stench of rot was suddenly overpowering. Isabeau gagged, swore in French.