13
The days that followed unraveled into chaos, and I could do nothing but watch Salem spiral into panic.
There was no undoing what had been set loose.
All I could offer was what little help I could give at Emberheart Place, working with Nick to care for those injured or displaced by phantom attacks and rogue magic, all of it born from the chaos I had caused.
Sitting in Nick’s office at Emberheart Place, I bounced my leg anxiously as breaking news flashed across his laptop screen.
At first, there were scattered power outages rolling through the city, entire blocks going dark as electrical lines burst in showers of sparks. People brushed it off as infrastructure failures, bad weather, anything explainable. Then the phantoms started moving.
The situation escalated fast. Hospitals overflowed with patients suffering from strange, rapidly spreading illnesses no doctor could identify.
Emergency broadcasts warned people to stay indoors as reports of violent attacks flooded in.
Dozens of people had vanished within the last twenty-four hours alone, seemingly disappearing without a trace.
The city felt haunted. Not by harmless ghosts or restless spirits, but by something angry, intelligent, and growing bolder with every passing hour.
To combat the growing threat, the city deployed a specialized unit, not surprisingly, composed of rift wardens.
Of course, the public didn’t know the Syndicate was operating this group of soldiers.
As far as Salem was concerned, they were elite officers sent to protect the city from the chaos spilling through the veil.
And people believed it. The city praised their work, and with each new incident that occurred, their support only grew stronger.
“This is such bullshit,” I muttered more to myself than anyone around me.
News stations painted the rift wardens as heroes, broadcasting footage of armored wardens using those black rings and silver magic to drag screaming phantoms into containment vehicles while frightened civilians applauded from behind police barricades.
Every successful capture fed directly into the Syndicate’s narrative that dangerous magic needed to be monitored, controlled, contained. Fear made people easy to convince.
I stared at the screen, my stomach twisting as another phantom was forced to the pavement beneath glowing restraints. They called it containment, but I knew better. The Syndicate didn’t capture people to help them.
Alex sat next to me, shoulders caved inward and gaze drawn to the floor.
On the other side of me sat Ivy, repeating her own nervous habit as her fingers twisted the edge of her sweater, pulling the fabric until it strained.
Behind me stood Ren and Stella, staring grimly at the small screen as they scowled.
Nick was looking at the stained glass window above his desk, rubbing his chin, deep in thought as he processed everything we had just explained and the situation we were now in.
“This Syndicate was prepared for this,” Nick finally spoke.
The New Jersey Devil, the reformed demon who had built Emberheart Place into a sanctuary for Salem’s outcasts, turned around to face me, his dark black eyes locking onto mine, their intensity making my throat tighten.
He was a gaunt man, but imposing, and although he was one of the nicest people I had ever met, his presence often made people feel uncomfortable.
“What do you mean they were prepared?” I asked, shutting the laptop and pushing it aside. I couldn’t stomach another second of it.
He leaned his back against the wall and crossed his arms as his expression darkened.
“While you were gone, I noticed a sudden shift in the city. New emergency response protocols. Increased magical surveillance. Specialized containment equipment being shipped into Salem weeks before the attacks started. They were planning something, even before all this happened.”
A cold knot formed in my stomach.
“The rift wardens weren’t thrown together overnight,” Nick continued.
“They might have always existed in the underworld, but the group here in Salem was established months ago under the excuse of protecting the city from dangerous magic users, from illegal magic transferring across realms. Most people thought it was paranoia. Now they look like heroes.”
Stella sniffed, rolling her eyes and defensively crossing her arms. “Please. There’s no way the Syndicate could have known this would happen. Sure, Theo’s presence in the underworld wasn’t exactly a secret, but I find it hard to believe they knew Theo and Alex would literally destroy the veil.”
I thought of Alistair winking at me when he removed the chains binding my magic. I didn’t think too much of it at the time, but that couldn’t have been a coincidence. Perhaps he wanted me to escape, to see what my power could truly do.
“You give the Syndicate far too little credit for how easily they manipulate a situation to work in their favor.” Nick dropped into his chair with a heavy sigh, dragging a hand through his wavy black hair. A few strands curled around the sharp curve of his dark horns.
“Think about it,” he continued. “Leon lured Theo into the underveil from the very beginning. Then they tossed him into a cell with no restraints, barely any security, and suddenly planned to auction him off the next day? After spending all this time trying to recruit him?”
His black eyes narrowed. “That doesn’t add up.”
A cold unease settled in my stomach. Leon had pointed out the same logic to Alistair. What had the fairy been thinking?
“I don’t know if they expected the veil to rupture exactly the way it did,” Nick admitted, “or if they expected Alex to have any part of this plan, but they were already experimenting on people before Theo arrived. They knew his magic was powerful and connected to death itself. Letting him loose down there may have very well been intentional.”
The room fell quiet. I swallowed a lump in my throat and my skin started feeling flush. “Do you think they know that Alex and I share the same magic? Because I’m not even sure I understand what’s going on between us.”
Nick scratched his chin. “It’s hard to say, but you didn’t exactly hide it when your powers intertwined to rip open the veil. You can bet your ass it caught their attention, and they'll hunt the pair of you for more information.
“I … I’m sorry.” Alex’s voice came out small and strained, like the words hurt just to say. “This is my fault.”
“Hey. None of this is your fault.” I rubbed his back in slow circles. “I’m the one who fell into their trap, and no matter the consequences, I have no regrets taking either you or Jordan with me.”
Ren scoffed behind me.
“Theo’s right,” Nick smiled gently at Alex.
“You have nothing to apologize for. You’ve suffered long enough at the hands of the Syndicate.
You’re free now. Don’t let them continue to control you.
Instead, work with Theo to make things right.
Repair the veil, send those phantoms home where they belong. ”
“So, what exactly are they planning to do with these phantoms?” Stella picked up a hard candy from a bowl on Nick’s desk and popped it into her mouth.
“Experiment, probably,” Nick answered. “Phantoms are unnatural creatures to begin with. Ghosts that become phantoms by acquiring magic as they pass through the veil? Now that’s something to take advantage of.”
“So … I’ll just use this magic against them.
Right? If Alex and I have a connection to the veil …
to these phantoms, then we just have to work together with them to fight back.
” I gazed around the room. It was silent for a moment until Ivy spoke up.
“Surely those phantoms don’t want to be controlled by the Syndicate. ”
“Perhaps. But look at what’s happening on the news. When these phantoms pass through the veil, they’re not … normal anymore. The magic is corrupting them and they’re causing havoc across the city. You won’t be able to approach them with reason. They may already be beyond saving.”
“Then repair the veil first.” Alex finally spoke up. “Sealing the realms means no more phantoms come through, and no new phantoms for the Syndicate to exploit.”
“Kid’s got a point.” Stella crossed her arms as she picked a piece of lint off her sweater.
“It won’t be easy, though. The tear might be small now, but it’s growing bigger with each phantom that slips through. I can probably stabilize it a little bit, but Theo needs to be the one to stitch it together.”
My phone buzzed in my back pocket. I pulled it out, and the moment I saw my sister’s name, my stomach dropped. My eyes widened as I read her text message, dread sinking straight into my chest.
SOS. Mom’s in trouble.
“Theo, what’s wrong?” Ren stepped up behind me, peering over my shoulder, trying to read the message.
“I … I gotta go! It’s my sister and mom! Something happened!” My heart jolted and hands trembled, and suddenly I couldn’t pull in a full breath. Air came in short, frantic gasps.
“Calm down, Theo.” Ren caught hold of my arm. “Just wait a minute.”
“Don’t, Ren. Let me go.” I stared at him, anger surfacing in my words.
“I’m not trying to stop you.” He let go of his tight grip. “I’m telling you to wait because I’m coming with you.”
Stella, Ivy, and Alex grabbed their belongings to follow.
Nick was shrugging on his winter coat. “We’ll take my car.”
“You too?”
“Of course.” He zipped it up, grabbing a blue knitted scarf he wrapped around his neck.
“You’re treading on thin ice, Theo. We don’t know what the Syndicate plans for you two, whether they even want you alive or dead.
You’re a threat, but also a valuable asset to them.
You’re like a son to me, Theo. I may have vowed that I was done with violence, but I still have a conscience.
I won’t sit back and let the Syndicate take your life while they continue to terrorize innocent people. ”