It was his gift. More than music, more than murder. His gift was to destroy.

Liam was still holding his hand in the dark, cool silence of the chalet. He’d unraveled his story of Pitr’s betrayal and the rift opening to accept its first sacrifice. It should have terrified Daniel; it should have warned him away from this angry, hungry boy. Instead it made him fall harder.

“You found out how to control it better, though. Afterward.”

Liam hunched his shoulders. “I got better at opening rifts on my own—by digging my nails into my palm, mind you, not by any more sacrifices. I wasn’t about to look for him, though. I’d seen how twisted the creatures on the other side were—some dark, horrible, hateful version of our world. Always figured that if Pitr survived, he’d end up that way.”

“Hard to believe that’s even possible,” Daniel said grimly.

“They were . . . corrupted. Sicarelli stole their energy away, and it destroyed their civilizations. Left behind those hungry, ravenous monsters.”

“And now Pitr has learned how to control them. He’s working with Dr. Kreutzer to imbue soldiers with that energy. You’re certain?”

Liam nodded slowly, his thumb making slow circles over the back of Daniel’s hand.

“He was always obsessed with medieval mysticism, alchemy, all that nonsense. Convinced he was the greatest, that his breakthrough would make some kinda celebrity out of him. I’m sure he’d cozy up to all kinds of monsters to get the power he thinks he deserves—and that includes Kreutzer.”

“You think Kreutzer helped him find a way out of the shadow realm?”

“He must’ve. Though someone like Pitr . . . he probably likes that world better than our own. There, he gets to play God.” Liam shook his head. “There’s no telling how much his time in the shadow realm has twisted him. And if Kreutzer’s offering him the manuscript, a permanent way to link our two worlds . . .”

“You want the manuscript too, though.”

Liam’s thumb stopped. Shadows stretched along his face, and the air between them felt suddenly cold. “We need that energy. All of it. And if we’re gonna have it, then someone has to be in control of the gate between the two worlds. Better me than him.”

Daniel watched him for a moment. “Are you so certain it isn’t the corruption driving you?”

Liam blinked. “I—no. I can resist it. I have been resisting it, I promise.” He scratched at the stubble on his jaw. “And once the bridge is open—”

“But what if instead you were to close it for good?” Daniel asked. “Seal the rifts, like you and Phillip talked about. So no one could access it. Not you, not them.”

Liam was quiet a minute too long. “That isn’t a choice for me.”