“Bryn,” I said carefully, “I think you should see an exorcist.”

She shot up from the chair. “Are you fucking kidding me? You think I’m possessed! No way. Forget it. I’ve gone to two of those damn ash meetings—I’m not going to an exorcist.” She paced back and forth, completely shell-shocked and disgusted at the thought. “You really think I’m possessed? Look at me. Look at me! I’m not. I know I’m not. The only thing that could possess me is a Wraith. Revenants contract first—Wraiths don’t. Wraith possession changes your eyes to glow-in-the-dark green. Do my eyes look glow-in-the-dark green to you, Charlie?” She forced down a swallow, her jaw tight as she tried valiantly to stay calm, but the tears were there, they just hadn’t spilled over yet.

“Okay, okay,” I said, her anguish tugging at my heart. “You’re not possessed.” I went to her and hugged her tightly because I couldn’t help myself. My sister was in pain and didn’t know the hows and whys. “Something else is wrong, then. We’ll find out what it is, okay?”

She nodded against me, her entire body trembling. “You believe me, don’t you? I need you to believe me, Charlie.”

I stroked Bryn’s hair. She smelled the same. Felt the same.

“Yes. I believe you.” I looked over her shoulder to Hank. “Let’s get a surveillance team on the warehouse, see if anyone else shows up. I’ll take Bryn home.”

I drove Bryn back to her apartment and escorted her straight into bed. Then I called Aaron.

He arrived on the landing outside of Bryn’s door ten seconds after I called, a perk of being a Magnus mage. I let him in, being as quiet as possible. His strong face was pale and shadowed. I had to put my hand on his chest to stop him from going right into the bedroom, but the damn nymph instantly transformed into a black wolf, his clothing disappearing, and loped around me.

Well, that was just great. Usually Aaron was one of the more controlled nymphs I knew, which came from his dedication and study as a Magnus-level warlock. But control obviously didn’t have a place when it came to my sister. Those two had a history neither one would talk about.

I followed him into Bryn’s dark bedroom. He stood at the side of the mattress, staring at her for a long time before looking back at me, his eyes catching the light behind me and glowing green. Emerald green. With that strong Celtic face, tough muscled frame, and black hair, I wasn’t surprised at all that his animal form was a black wolf.

Aaron shifted back to nymph, a process that took less than three seconds, calling his clothes to his body in less time than that. He stood at the bed dressed as before, his head bowed, all of his attention on Bryn. He mumbled under his breath. A current of energy electrified the air, making it waver for a moment. Then he turned to me. “I put her in a deep sleep. She won’t wake up until I say so.”

“What do you think is wrong with her?”

“I detect no evidence of possession by either a Wraith or Revenant.”

“Well, those are the only two beings that I know of that can possess a person. So what now? Mind control? Llyran is powerful, but why would he make Bryn bow down in front of an agate sarcophagus?”

Aaron’s brow raised in surprise. Concern settled over his features as he escorted me from the bedroom, closing the door quietly. “Are you sure it was agate?”

“I’m sure, and it had the same script around the rim that’s written on the warehouse wall; why?”

He shoved his hands in his pockets, his face shifting into deep contemplation. “That star your victim mentioned …”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been doing some research … The star is synonymous with Ahkneri or the Sword of Ahkneri. Most often these two are interchangeable, as though they are one and the same—the being and the sword.”

“Llyran mentioned raising ‘the star.’ Could he mean liberating this sword? Is that possible?”

A sharp laugh, devoid of humor, escaped Aaron’s pursed lips. His head shook. “You think it’s bad now with the darkness … Supposedly, the weapon is divine, Charlie. Ahkneri was the Creator’s chosen one, a First One, his ‘star,’ but some unknown transgression caused a rift between them. Ever since that rift, she was known as … how do I put this … as Vengeance. Retribution. Punishment. The sword is a named weapon, which means it is divine in nature. It’s called Urzenamelech, which loosely translates into ‘Anguish by fire’ in your language. You transgress, and you answer to the blade.”

“That’s a little dramatic.”

“No, that’s me putting it mildly. Llyran must believe in the myths. And he might for good reason. Better to believe as he does for now. To think like him. If it is true … He’ll think he can handle it, but he has no idea what he’s about to unleash. Charlie, you need to strike him down, and fast. And if the weapon does, indeed, lie inside that tomb, do not touch it. It’ll kill you. Instantly.”

“Great,” I said. “Then I’ll let Llyran open it and when he grabs it, he’ll be dead. End of story.”

“No, it’s not ‘end of story.’ If Llyran wrote that script on the warehouse wall, then it’s likely he knows a great deal about the myths in the Old Lore. He’ll know he can’t touch it. Only a divine being can wield the sword.” Aaron’s eyes widened. “That’s why he needs you. That’s why he changed his plans after searching your mind. And that’s why you can’t touch it, because you’re only halfway there, if that, if my theory about you is even correct. Either way, touching that sword means you die.”

I rubbed my temples and muttered, “God, this is making my head hurt.” I looked up. “None of this explains why Bryn was there in that warehouse, and what Llyran’s connection to Grigori Tennin is, or what Solomon and his artifacts have to do with a First One.”

Aaron shook his head, black hair falling over his profile and obscuring my view. “May I stay here tonight?” His green eyes had become glassier, more worried than I’d ever seen them.

“Sure. I think that’s a good idea.”

“I’ll need to retrieve a few things from the League and then I’ll be back.” He paused. “How is Emma doing?”

“She’s fine. Mad, but fine.” I shook my head. “I’m at a loss with her …”

“Sometimes, Charlie, the best thing you can do for those you love is give them the freedom their spirit craves. When it’s a child, it’s a give and take, but she’s a smart child, and that’s because of you. Trust her. Trust yourself. It’ll work out.”

I gave him a halfhearted nod and then watched him stride to the front door, one second a physical body, and then, the next, a mist that vanished, clothes and all, into the door. For a long moment I stared at the spot, my mind a total blank. I was tired and hungry, and didn’t know what to do next. But I could eat.

I grabbed a water from the fridge, and the half-eaten bag of Doritos that I’d bought for Bryn the day before, and then slumped into the loveseat and finished the bag.