I feel discombobulated for a second. What did he mean by, “There’s going to be a fight?” Then I remember that volant revenants can see a little ways into the future, and I jump up and book it out the door. I sprint down the stairs, crashing into Arthur when I get to the ground floor. He steadies me with his hands, then jogs along the hallway beside me.

“What happened?” I ask.

“No clue,” he says. “Gaspard told me to suit up.”

Jeanne bursts out of the kitchen as we head down the stairs. She’s carrying a tray of croissants and fruit, and bustles behind us to set it on a table. “Kate called me,” she says. “She’s on her way. Get some food inside you while you’re suiting up. You’ll need your strength.”

She runs for my locker and starts laying out fight gear. “I’ll help you,” she says, motioning to my jeans and sweatshirt. “Take those off.”

I strip to my underwear and start layering on what she hands me—a silk T-shirt overlaid by a thin Kevlar vest, black leather pants, and a long-sleeved T-shirt made of some sort of metallic fabric. Adrenaline is running through my veins as I realize I’m heading into my first real battle since I was a numa. I’m not afraid of the danger. I’m just desperate to prove myself a valuable member of my new clan.

The outside door opens and Kate and Vincent charge through, already wearing their fighting gear. “We’re taking the motorcycles,” Vincent says. “They’ll be faster than the cars. Arthur and Louis—you take the Navigator.”

Although we’re in a hurry, he’s giving us the SUV. It can only mean one thing—that we might need to transport a body.

“No, Gaspard,” Vincent says to the air. “There’s nothing more to do here. Go back to the park.”

“Who is it?” Arthur asks.

“My family,” Kate says.

Arthur freezes. “Who do you mean?”

Kate hesitates. “Mamie, Georgia and Odette.”

Arthur’s face clouds with confusion. “Georgia’s supposed to be working this morning. She texted me last night to say she’d be in the office.”

“She must have changed her mind,” Kate says. “She and Mamie stopped by a while ago to take Odette to Luxembourg Gardens. I sent Ambrose and Charlotte with them, just in case, with Gaspard volant.”

“And?” Arthur asks.

“Gaspard said that just inside the gates—in that hidden garden near the beehives—they were ambushed by humans wielding swords. Ambrose and Charlotte are down.”

“Down?” I ask, not understanding.

“Dead,” Kate says. “These guys mean business.” The steel in her voice cracks, and Vincent takes her by the shoulders and turns her toward him.