The shadows in the corner of the room appear to grow denser and take human form. Iago continues to growl. I stand my ground as the figure emerges, tall, strong, with a face that could be described as handsome were it not for the harshness of his eyes and the evil that surrounds him like a cloak of bitterness.

“Freddie is gone and Bram is beyond your reach. The Lazarus Coven has never been better prepared and better protected. You must realize that the Sentinels will never succeed. Go back to the Darkness where you belong.”

And whom might I find there—your brother, perhaps? Your little maid? You should never have made her a witch, you know. She wasn’t strong enough. Nor were you strong enough to save her. How many more loved ones will you sacrifice to your cause, Daughter of the Night? How many?

And he is gone. Disappeared in the beat of a bat’s wing. As if he had never been. But he was here. And the words he spoke tear at my soul. I place my hand over my heart and wait until it steadies before quickly putting on my green cloak. I must go to the chamber. I must summon spirits in the safety of the sacred circle and ask for their advice. It is clear I must act, but I cannot do so alone. I need the guidance of far older souls than my own.

As I cross the garden I become aware of further whisperings of the spirits. They are ever present now, and I fear what might happen if the Sentinels were ever to regain the Elixir and the Great Secret. So many souls, lost and wandering, hankering after a physical form again. How readily they might try to cross the Rubicon if Stricklend were to practice his dark magic again. What is more, they are also affected by the collective fear that washes through the city when the zeppelins come, bringing with them their lethal cargo. By the time Iago and I have descended the twisting stone stairs, however, I realize that there is something else. Something more. I have been here during other air raids, but I have never heard so many voices, so noisily raised. It is as if Land of Night spirits are all trying to make themselves heard, each and every one of them. Louis was right, they are no longer content to remain where they belong, many of them. And it is my fault. They saw what I did for Freddie. They think I could bring them all back to tread the earth.

But I cannot!

I will go into the Great Chamber and will do my best to settle these poor spirits and to ask guidance from those who know more about these things than I ever shall.