I could feel Kellan’s instant irritation, but I couldn’t focus there because the first black mist had zipped outside the house. Kellan tore after him, blasting through the front door with enough force that the wood exploded.
“Fuck!”
“What was that?”
Damien came into the room, pushing his way through the crowd to my side. “What’s going on?”
I opened my mouth to tell him what I knew, when we heard, “Uh…”
We turned.
Crowman was still there, still holding his beer, his eyes skirting from Damien to me. His shoulders lifted up and down on a deep sigh, and a look of resignation came over him. “You guys are doing your thing again, aren’t you?”
Damien frowned, his eyebrows pulling together. “Um...”
Crowman shook his head, handing his beer to Damien. “Here, dude. You need this more than me. I’m out of here. Call me when it’s safe for us humans.”
Damien took the beer, and Crowman left, not rushing. There was a defeated look to him, his shoulders hunched as he moved through the stampede.
Damien turned back. “Did he just—”
Then Kellan yelled in our heads, “SHAY!”
Damien and I both jumped. We’
d forgotten for a brief second.
“Kellan, where are you?” I asked.
“In the back.”
We took off.
The house was still emptying, and people ran in every direction, including the backyard. A crowd had formed when we got there, and we pushed through.
At the front I could see two floating black veils of mist trading blows. Kellan was still non-corporeal.
“What are you doing?” I asked him.
“How do you kill it?” Damien added.
“I can’t.”
“What? Why not?” I demanded.
The thinner black mist swerved, and the larger black mist countered. They weren’t forming hands, just bunches of black mist as they hit each other.
“What is that?” Damien shrieked.
I could feel Kellan’s reluctance, but I was losing patience. “Kellan!”
He sighed. “It’s me.”
“What?” Damien squawked out loud before flushing, rolling his eyes, and asking in our heads, “What?”
“My father lied to me. He got me to cross the boundary to the Underworld so a part of my darkness could separate from me.”
My mouth dropped. “Wha…”