Page 18 of Backwoods Banshee

It wasn’t unlike his Sight. He had to grip it loosely, the idea of it, the feeling he wanted to chase. Otherwise he’d strangle it and shut down, or it would simply fade, set aside too easily.

The need was there. The want was there, but he could not hold the balance.

Adam frowned, but he just couldn’t, not today.

“Not today. Next time.”

“Okay.” Vic smiled, but Adam could tell it was forced.

6

Adam wouldn’t say he was in desperate straits, but he could see them from where he stood. He needed information, but his access to the Guardians’ network and the library at Rogue Community College had been cut off when he’d turned in his sword.

He’d searched what sites he could and found nothing useful or conclusive.

The more he pondered his conversation with Dautre, the more he realized he believed the elven religion had something to do with the attack at the concert.

The Between was an elven hell, a myth the Knight of Swords didn’t want to talk about.

Someone had stumbled onto the stage at the concert and died, unleashing a creature that had killed Cathedra and put the crowd to sleep, some of whom weren’t waking up.

Whatever the thing at the concert had been, it was connected to the song of the Between, the song he heard in his dreams, especially when he dreamed of Ian, who’d eventually fall there and be trapped, unless Adam found a way to stop it.

The questions and mysteries haunted him through his class on electric vehicle fundamentals, which didn’t improve his mood. He needed to focus. His agreement with Jesse was that he only got compensated for the tuition if he passed the class.

Today’s lecture was about health and safety, and Adam was developing a fear of batteries that was nothing like his comfort around combustion engines.

Tuning out for a moment, he sent an email and tried to focus on the lecture while he waited for a reply.

It came just as class was ending.

It was just a link, nothing else. It could be spam or some kind of phishing scam.

Adam packed up his laptop and headed for the school’s library.

Whoever had built this place had been really fond of concrete, but the space was open and graced with enough natural light to keep it from feeling oppressive.

Adam chose the computer with the most privacy. There weren’t many students around and those that were seemed engaged with their own work. Still, he scanned the room with his Sight to make certain no one was spying on him from beneath a glamour before opening his email and clicking on the link.

He couldn’t afford to brick his laptop. Though he felt bad about risking the school’s computer, at least they would have firewalls and security he didn’t.

A site opened and after a moment, a chat window appeared.

I’m not supposed to talk to you.

But you are, right?

*Sigh.* I’m sending you an app.

At least Adam was now certain it was Jack. Who else would type *sigh*?

His phone buzzed with a text.

Adam clicked the link and was asked to install the app.

It took a moment to download on the school’s Wi-Fi, but once he opened it and went through the installation he had a fresh chat window. Adam closed the site and logged out of the computer.

That’s better. We’re more secure this way.