A flock of Encre swarmed the roof, staring down at him. The creatures didn’t seem to notice the sheeva, and Titus had a growing suspicion they weren’t there for the parade of souls.

“Not a good sign,” Shade observed. Titus hated it when Shade was right. “Remember, try to get killed so the body stays mostly intact.”

The lock on the door was unlocked, or delocked, whatever it’s called when the lock is burned clean from the frame. Titus studied the hole for a moment before pressing on, pushing opening the door into the dark world beyond.

The place felt wrong—a place that was supposed to be so full of energy and motion was now sitting still, stale and dark.

Titus remembered his phone had a flashlight on it. He pulled up the sc...

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