Savage Saints (Monsters of Saint Mark's)

But then Batty is right in front of me, trying to hand me another sandstone rock. I take it and nod. “Thanks, Batty. I’ll bring it back tonight.”

“He’s doing magic with those, ya know,” Tomas says.

“Good for him,” Pell says.

But I’m curious. “What kind of magic, Tomas?”

“Time magic,” Tomas says. “And it’s risky. Like sands through the hourglass. Hmm? Sound familiar?”

“‘These are the days of our lives?’” I snort.

All three monsters just stare at me.

“It’s a joke. That old soap opera—never mind. Anyway.”

“What’s he doing with the time?” Pell growls.

Tomas shrugs. “How should I know? I’m not the monster-keeper around here.”

“Wait. Was that a dig at me?” I ask.

“No, no, no,” Tomas says. “Sorry. Pell’s indifference is always infuriating.”

“We don’t need to worry about the hunt, Tomas.” Now Pell is defensive. “They can’t get in. Pie banished the sheriff. And that spell was powerful. It will take decades for it to wear off.”

But I suddenly get a really disturbing thought. “What if there are more of them, Pell? What if his whole family is like that?”

“What family?” Pell asks.

“I dunno. He once mentioned a sister’s mother’s brother-in-law or something like that. Eileen? The dispatcher?”

Even Tomas is confused. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“He must have family. Hell, the whole town could be of the same bloodline for all we know.” Then I get an awful idea. “Tomas!” I turn to him. “You be careful around that girl you’re seeing.”

“Oh, she’s harmless,” Tomas says. And he gets a dreamy look in his eyes. “Trust me. She’s not like the rest of them.”

“Why do I suddenly feel like this is turning into something bigger than it needs to be?” Pell asks.

Then we just stand there in silence. Because maybe this is a bigger deal than we first thought? And maybe we’re too busy with our new lives to see it?

Pell must be reading my mind because he says, “OK, tonight, when you get home from work, Pie, we’re going to do another banishing spell. This time, we’ll cast it for the whole town.”

“Um.” I put up a hand. “That sounds like a horrible idea.”

“Why?” Pell asks.

“Well, correct me if I’m wrong, because I’m just a new student here, but didn’t you tell me that banishing spells were dark magic?”

He did. And he knows this. So Pell’s face falls.

But before anyone can say anything, Batty is suddenly very talkative.

“What’s he saying?” I ask.

“Yeah,” Tomas says. “He says don’t do it, Pie. Magic is another way into debt.” Then Batty points at his wings.

“Oh,” I say. A chill shoots up my back and makes the little hairs on my neck stand up. “Is that how he got those wings?”