The blade flashed toward my face. I didn’t duck fast enough: it caught my arm. Nick let off a round. The bullet hit the Reph in the chest—to no avail. I sent my spirit at his dreamscape. The second attack weakened him. I picked up the blade he’d thrown and drove it into his throat.

My mistake was forgetting about his companion. All the breath was knocked from my lungs as the second Reph crashed into me, pinning me to the ground. His giant fist smashed down, half an inch from my head.

Nick tossed his gun away. As the Reph raised a fist for a second try, Nick snatched three nearby spirits and hurled them in quick succession. I sensed the surge in the æther as he sent a vivid snapshot into the Reph’s dreamscape, blinding him. In the second the Reph rolled off me, fighting the spirits and the vision, I was on my feet and running back to Nick.

We hadn’t gone far before my my sixth sense stung. My head jerked around to face the threat.

“Nick!”

He knew. In one seamless movement, he threw down his backpack and reached for another spool. The target was familiar: Aludra Chertan.

“Dreamer.” She didn’t even glance at Nick. “I believe I still owe you for your little display in the chapel.”

“Stay back,” Nick warned.

“But you look so refreshing.”

Her eyes changed color.

Nick’s face contorted. Blood swelled in his tear ducts, and the veins in his neck strained out. “Almost as refreshing as the walker,” Aludra continued, moving toward us. “I might just keep you, oracle.”

Nick grasped his knees, trying to hold himself upright. I killed your heir apparent,” I said. “Don’t think I won’t do the same to you. Just crawl back to the rotten hell you came from.”

“Kraz was an arrogant creature. I am not. I know which of my enemies are worth my precious minutes.”

“And I’m one of them.”

“Oh, yes.”

I grew still. There was something behind her: a shadow. A massive, cumbersome shadow. She was too greedy to see it. The rotten giant. I recognized that blot in the æther. “How many minutes?”

“Only one.” She raised her hand. “But a minute is more than enough time to die in.”

Then her expression changed. Shock. She’d felt it, but she didn’t turn fast enough. The thing had her in its grip before she could move. White eyes. Dead eyes. I could only see bits of it—the gas lamps had gone out when it appeared—but it was more than enough to scar itself onto my memory, deep into the tissue, grating the delicate fabric of my dreamscape. Aludra stood no chance. Her scream was cut off before it started.

“Yes,” I said. “More than enough.”

Nick was frozen stiff. His eyes were wide, his mouth clenched. I grabbed his arm and ran.