“What’s the plan, then? I can’t just take this lying down.” I sniffled a little, sure it was the recycled air of the cabin wreaking havoc on my respiratory system, not my emotions overwhelming me.

“I know you can’t.” He paused. “What did the Oracle tell you?”

“She said I should ‘seek the toothsome ones in the land of the dead.’ All I can think is that she meant the Fangs.” I grimaced at the memory of the uncouth vampire gang I’d met at Cyrus’s mansion. “Do you think they could raise someone from the dead?”

Max sighed. “Unfortunately, yes. They actually started out as a mystic cabal. They did a lot of ceremonial magic, raising demons and stuff, before the motorcycle thing started getting mixed in. Nowadays there’s a pretty healthy blend of both. They’ve got enough mystics left that the Movement is afraid of them. They devote a huge block of training to learning about them.”

“Well, that takes a load off of my mind,” I said, sarcasm dripping from each word. “So, would they be able to make the Soul Eater into a god? Because that’s the other bomb the Oracle dropped.”

“A god?” Max’s eyes actually bulged at the suggestion. “I…hope not?”

“Great.” I leaned my head back and closed my own eyes, trying to calm my mind. If I decided it was impossible now, how would I feel when we were actually in a position to solve this mess?

“The thing is, they have these witches,” Max continued. “They still actively train them. And you know how bad it can be going up against one of them.”

Ugh. Witches. The very idea of them made my skin crawl. The granola-crunchy earth worshippers that came into Nathan’s shop calling themselves witches had no idea of the true power that existed out there. It was a frightening force, capable of destruction I’d never known. Until I’d met Dahlia.

Dahlia had been Cyrus’s most fervent admirer, until he’d made the mistake of trying to serve her as the main course at a dinner party. She’d managed to get herself turned, though I didn’t want to imagine the fate the poor vampire who’d supplied her with blood had met. After that, she’d calmed some. She was still out there, though, with the power of a true sorceress and the strength of the undead.

“Could Dahlia have had a hand in this?” I asked.

The mention of her made Max visibly uncomfortable. He’d been thrown on her mercy the night I’d killed Cyrus, but he’d somehow escaped. I didn’t want to know what she’d done to him to put that haunted look on his face. “Do you think she would want him back?”