I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. I could feel the celestials’ magic. It radiated in the air, brushing against our skin. And I knew which one was Papa—I could sense him. He was floating over the gym.

I bit down a scream as purple and black ribbons pierced through the mist and struck Papa and the other celestials—Yemoja, Nana Buruku, Oshun, Ogun, Eshu, Shangó, Obatala, Principal Ollie, and a dozen more. Sparks of magic flew everywhere as they fought back, but it was no use. The ribbons lashed out again and again, and the celestials’ light grew dimmer. The Lord of Shadows was draining the life from them.

Frankie inhaled a sharp breath. “We’re too late.”

“We have to go,” Zeran said, yanking on my hand.

“No,” I whispered in shock. This couldn’t be happening.

When the Lord of Shadows fully emerged from the mist, he was as I remembered: tall with an angular face, skin the color of the moon, glowing violet eyes. His arms were long and crooked like tree branches, and his upper body was abnormally slender. The rest of him was made of hundreds of writhing ribbons. As the second perimeter disintegrated, some of his ribbons reached out and struck the veil around our neighborhood. It lit up for one fleeting moment before blinking out.

The magical creatures came at once, flooding the streets and sky alike. Darkbringers, adze, elokos, werehyenas, werewolves, elves, centaurs, bogeymen. The prisoners from Alsar. Oya and the other celestials had failed to stop them. Nulan swooped down from the sky and kneeled before the Lord of Shadows, and I had an urge to whack her with my staff. The rest of his army kneeled too, their heads bowed.

“This world is yours for the taking, my lord,” Nulan groveled.

“Of course it is,” the Lord of Shadows cooed, his voice ancient.

Some of the magical creatures laughed nervously, glancing around at each other. The Lord of Shadows turned to the darkbringer kneeling next to Nulan. “See that the other celestials and their supporters do not disturb me. I will take care of them in due time.”

“Of course, my lord,” the darkbringer said, getting to his feet. He barked some orders, and half of the Lord of Shadows’ forces left with him. They must have been talking about Oya, Orunmila, Mama Wata, and the others.

“Where’s the girl?” the Lord of Shadows hissed.

“She’s hiding in her house,” Nulan said, amused. “Putting up quite a fight, so I’ve been told. Shall I have her brought to you?”

“No.” The Lord of Shadows smiled. “I shall stretch my legs and go for a little stroll.”

“What legs?” Eli whispered.

This was not the time to be cracking jokes.

“As you wish, my lord,” Nulan said, her head still bent.

The Lord of Shadows glared down his nose. “Well, take me to her, Tyana! She’s your niece.”