Soul Eater

Chapter 2

Jaecar looked from a sleeping Elora to Thad to Ric and lastly to Leo. “You two—” He gestured at Ric and Leo. “Take her home.”

Ric nodded and lifted Elora from her chair. She didn’t as much as stir. Ric hefted her up over his shoulder as if she didn’t weigh a thing, before turning to Thad. His face was neutral, his eyes the dark brown of his human self. “Is it safe to leave her alone?”

Thad flattened his lips. “It should be, but…”

“One of you stays with her until she tells you to leave.”

“I’ll stay.” Leo waved a hand. “We’ll all work the case, right? If we were wrong—”

“We weren’t.” Ric’s voice had a dangerous edge to it.

“We’ll all work the case.” Jaecar didn’t leave room for objections. “Leo, stay with Elora. Ric, go home and talk to your mate, tell her you have to work, at least for a couple of days. Thaddeus—” Jaecar’s eyes glimmered in yellow again. Was it cat eyes? Thad straightened his back. “I want to know everything about magic scents, flavors, patterns, or whatever you call it.”

Thad wanted to shrink under his gaze, but nodded.

“Is it…If the perpetrator—” Jaecar shot Ric a glare, probably to prevent him from interrupting, “—is attracted by a scent, a magical scent, does it mean the victims were all wizards?” A small frown formed between his eyebrows.

Thad didn’t know. He assumed they’d all been listed as normal humans since no one had mentioned otherwise, but the listings weren’t always true. He was listed as an Ezax, one of the most powerful magical families in the world, and all he could do were simple spells any wizard child could master.

Jaecar continued to frown. “If the Angel Maker can scent the victims’ powers, is he or she—” He gave Ric a hard look before he could object, “—a shifter?”

Thad shook his head. He’d never believed the Angel Maker to be a shifter. It was Ric’s theory, but shifters couldn’t scent magic, only the effects of it if the spell cast was something that left an odor. And while Thad hadn’t been part of the investigation, he’d always suspected they were on the wrong track when they hunted the killer.

Giving the victim wings could be part of a ritual, and while shifters had some rituals, it didn’t include playing with the dead—not as far as he’d heard, at least. He’d tried to tell them his theory, but they hadn’t listened.

“I’ve never believed he or she is a shifter.”

Ric gave a low rumble, but Thad ignored him.

“The way he killed them seems like a ritual thing to me.”

“Have you been snooping around our case? What do you know about how they were killed?” Ric took a step closer again, and Thad held in a sigh. Stupid werewolves.

“I don’t know any details, but you talked about the case while the rest of us were around.”

“So what do you think about the carvings?” Jaecar studied his face.

“Carvings?” What carvings? Thad didn’t want anything to do with carvings. He stayed as far away from carvings as he possibly could.

“Tell me something about carvings, Thaddeus.” Jaecar must have caught some of his unease since the frown had deepened.

“Carvings into an item…” He took a deep breath, fighting the ice wanting to replace the blood in his veins, “…or someone’s skin is a ritual thing. Deliberate cuts in different patterns can either infuse power into an object or detract from it.”

“Someone’s skin? What will cutting into someone’s skin do?” Jaecar’s teeth appeared sharper than normal, and Thad’s heart sped up.

“Eh…Forcing power from or into a living being is strictly forbidden.”

“But you have familiars.”

Thad didn’t have one. He’d tried with cats several times but had never managed to establish a connection. He was defective. Every mage he’d ever met could form a connection with a familiar, it was child’s play, five-year-olds did it. “Familiars and wizards are in symbiotic relationships. A connection is never forced—”

“But can it be?”

Oh, this was not an area Thad wanted to get into. The guys weren’t wizard-friendly on a normal day…

Both Ric, with Elora still slung over his shoulder, and Leo were watching him intently.

“Yes.” He winced at how he hissed the word. “It can be forced. But then it’s not a familiar…And you’re not a wizard.” He gritted his teeth and prayed no one would ask questions about the last statement. “If you do something like that, you’re turning a living creature into a puppet, you’re stealing their ability to form decisions on their own, and it’s strictly forbidden.”

“So is killing, and yet people do it.” Ric’s eyes flashed blue.

Thad ran a hand through his hair and sat on the edge of the desk. He needed to change the subject. “So, I’ll go through—” He reached for the folder on Elora’s desk, winced at the Halloween decorations on the floor, and bent to pick them up.

“Hold on.” Jaecar crossed his arms over his chest, and Thad’s heart sank. “What did you mean ‘then you’re not a wizard’?”

Dammit! “You know how you…eh…don’t always reveal your animal?” Thad didn’t know why some were careful. The stupid wolves more often than not told people what they were, but other shifters were tight-lipped unless you were close to them. Jaecar nodded. “Well, it’s the same with wizards.”

“It is?” Ric adjusted his hold on Elora. “Wait, I want to hear this.” He stomped off toward the small kitchenette where they had a coffee maker, a too-small refrigerator, and a microwave oven. Along the wall was a tiny two-seat sofa, and despite Elora being a short woman, her back hardly fit across the seats and her legs draped over the armrest. Thad hoped she wouldn’t try to turn over in her…sleep.

“I think we should sit down.” Jaecar gestured at the conference room. It was a small room, with a table taking up most of the space, and the only room on this floor with flowers, albeit plastic ones, in the window.

Thad didn’t want to sit. If it got out that he’d shared information with a bunch of shifters, his mother would disown him—she wasn’t especially happy with him as it was. On the other hand, how would she ever find out? It wasn’t as if they met up for a cup of coffee, they didn’t have any friends in common, and she never called to hear how he was doing.

A woman’s life was at risk, he couldn’t care about what his mother would say. He’d stopped caring about her opinions years ago.

Ric and Leo took the seats next to each other closest to the windows and Jaecar motioned for Thad to sit next to the door.

“I don’t mind standing.”

“Sit.”

Thad nodded and sat.

“Okay, you were saying you’re not all the same.”

“Of course, we’re not.” Being snippy wasn’t the way to go, but shifters could be so ignorant.

Jaecar nodded. “Noted, carry on.”

Thad rested his elbows on the table and cradled his head before looking up at his colleagues. “Okay, it’s like this. Hundreds of years ago before we all came out to the humans, the wizarding world was divided.” No one spoke, so Thad continued. “When it was decided we wouldn’t be in hiding anymore, the council deemed it best if some things were kept a secret.”

Ric snorted. “Like?”

“Like…” Thad shrugged. “Well, they didn’t think humans would accept us if they were aware some of us drew their powers from the spirits of the dead, for example. So the council decided we were all to be called wizards—better they saw us as wand-waving idiots who studied books to learn how to cast a spell than something that could—”

“You’re not using a wand.” Ric’s eyes turned blue and he increased the distance between them. When Thad glanced at Jaecar, his eyes were yellow, and Leo flashed his teeth.

“Really, guys.” Thad held up his hands. “I’m probably the least powerful wizard you’ve met.” He wished it wasn’t true, but it was.

“You’re an Ezax.” Jaecar narrowed his eyes. “All Ezaxs are powerful.”

“Yeah…the power must’ve skipped a generation.” Though it never had before. “We’re mages. We’re born with power, all wizards are, but real wizards—”

“You’re not a real wizard?” Ric looked confused.

“Eh…It’s complicated.” He sighed. “Okay, we have sorcerers. They draw power from spirits.”

“Ghosts?” Jaecar’s face was blank.

“There’s no such thing as ghosts.” Ric laughed but gave Thad an uneasy look.

“Ghosts is one word for it.”

“No!” Ric shook his head. “There is no such thing as ghosts.”

“Spirits, if you prefer that term.” Thad nodded. “Sorcerers draw their powers from the essence of the dead.”

“What? No! When you die you become one with nature. You’re put to rest. You’re given eternal peace.”

Thad grimaced. “Unless—”

“No!” Ric shot to his feet, eyes blazing blue, teeth sharp, and dark hairs dusting his arms. The seams of his shirt were ready to burst as his shoulders grew wider.

“Wulfric Hunter.” Jaecar stood, his animal close to the surface as well. “Get yourself under control or leave this room.”

Ric snarled before looking away while panting hard. Thad had no idea what was going on and glanced at Leo who was still sitting in his chair. Jaecar walked around the table, grabbed Ric’s arm, and looked at Thad. “We’ll be right back.”

Thad nodded and swallowed hard. A heavy silence settled over him and Leo as the door clicked shut behind Thad’s back.

“Ric’s brother was murdered.”

Thad looked at Leo. “What? When?”

“It’s nine years ago now, I think. On Halloween. So he’s a bit…Anyway, the circumstances were…” Leo frowned. “There was a ring drawn around the body, the head was missing, and there were candles in north, south, east, and west. It was before this department was created and humans were in charge of the investigation.” He was quiet for a few seconds before continuing, “They never caught the one who did it, and all they could say was that the circle he was found in, wasn’t where he’d been killed.”

Thad was gonna be sick. “What the f**k, Leo. You don’t think that’s something I should have known? No wonder he hates me.”

There was a twitch at the corner of Leo’s mouth. “You curse.”

Thad fisted his hair. “You’ve heard me curse before.”

“When you’re arguing with Ric perhaps, but not in everyday talk.”

Thad waved a hand without looking at Leo. “So his spirit was harvested?” A chill traveled down his spine.

“What?” The whisper came from behind him, and Thad held his breath as Ric walked past him to his seat.

“Leo told me about your brother. I didn’t know.”

“What do you mean harvested?”

“Perhaps I shouldn’t—”

“Tell me what the f**k happened to him!”

Thad took a deep breath and looked Ric in the eyes. “A sorcerer is born with a magic ability to draw energy from spirits, give it to them too—it’s a symbiotic relationship, much like mages and familiars. Maintaining the spirit of a werewolf takes a strong sorcerer, but in return, the spirit is a powerful source of magic. There are spells performed by warlocks that can trap a spirit in a skull to keep it from leaving this realm. The spirit can later be released by a sorcerer or be kept trapped forever.” Thad was talking fast.

“Did he suffer?”

“I-I don’t know. I’ve never…My family are mages, we’re like wizards but without the wand. We cast spells, we need to learn those spells to be able to use them, and the power comes from within us. Wizards use a wand to direct magic, but they also work with potions.” He took a deep breath. “And warlocks are said to have demonic powers, only they were around long before people invented demons.”

“So what do they have?” Jaecar gave him a solemn look.

“They draw powers from rituals.”

“Like?”

“Like…” He shrugged. “Like carving magic symbols into something, blood sacrifices, stuff like that.” Thad rubbed his forehead, staring at the light-yellow wall.

“Are there any more?” Jaecar didn’t move a muscle, and yet he looked uncomfortable.

“There are variations, mixed races, but that’s frowned upon. Wizards are big on bloodlines, merging the wrong bloodlines leads to family feuds, so imagine tossing different species together. But, technically, if your dad’s a warlock and your mom a sorcerer you’ll be something in between, but generally speaking, mages, wizards, warlocks, and sorcerers are your four types of magic users.”

“And why have you kept this from us?” Ric sounded tired.

“I haven’t. You’ve never shown any interest in magic, always treated Elora and me as if we’re beneath you. And we might not have your skills, but we have others. You’ve never consulted us. Not on a single case, not even when it’s been obvious it’s been magic-related, have you welcomed our input.” Though to be honest, they were pretty useless, both of them.

Jaecar winced.

“So who’s evil?” Leo grinned at him.

“Evil?”

“You said the council decided to call you all wizards, I assume to hide the evil. So which kind is the evil one?”

Thad huffed. “Anyone can be evil if they decide to be.”

“But?”

“But…Sorcerers can be either or. People assume they’re evil because they draw power from the dead, but it doesn’t have to be any worse than having a familiar. A powerful sorcerer can fuel a spirit enough for it to be sentient, and if he or she can, the spirit might want to be in this realm and by…belonging to the sorcerer it gets to stay. If he or she is less powerful, the spirit won’t be aware. And not all sorcerers kill the animals of their spirits. Some do, I’m sure you’ve all heard the stories, but it doesn’t have to be bad.”

Jaecar frowned. “Animals?”

Thad winced. “I meant…Wizards or mages most often have cats as familiars, that’s common with sorcerers too, but they need the cat’s skull…”

Ric looked ill but kept his mouth shut, and Jaecar rubbed his forehead before looking at Thad again. “The spirit is sentient?”

“The more powerful the sorcerer, the more…lifelike the spirit.” He hadn’t met enough sorcerers to know the hows and whys behind it. Sorcerers were rare. “Warlocks are the ones you have to look out for.”

“Oh, they’re the ones to look out for.” Sarcasm was dripping from Ric’s every word. “The guys playing puppet masters with the dead are fine, but warlocks—they’re bad?”

“Well, yeah. They absorb power. The more rituals they do, the more powerful they get. Once they’ve used their power, they need to recharge by doing another ritual. And rituals don’t have to be gruesome, but…” Thad winced. There were law-abiding warlocks who did nothing more than light candles and burn herbs in a circle to soak up power, but there were much quicker and more powerful ways to recharge.

“But?” Jaecar studied him.

“The more carving into things they do, the more blood they spill, the more powerful they get.”

“Wait, what?” Jaecar pinched the bridge of his nose. “You mean, all those cuts on all those girls…”

Thad didn’t want to confirm. “If they were magic beings, pain makes you lash out with your powers, and if the perpetrator is someone who can soak it up…” He shrugged.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Thad flinched at the growl in Jaecar’s voice.

“I didn’t know there were cuts, but I tried talking to Ric several times.”

Ric glared at him.

Jaecar pursed his lips. “Ric, I want a word after this.” He put his hands on the table and stood. “Thaddeus, I want you to go through all the folders, see if any of the victims are wizards. Talk to their families if they aren’t listed and try to get some intel. Can you tell if someone has powers?”

“Not unless they use them.”

Jaecar nodded. “Ric, I want you to go through all the former suspects we had, see if anyone is a warlock.” He turned to Thad again. “It’s not a sorcerer, right?”

“I don’t think so, no. The bodies were all intact, right? No missing skulls. My guess is the Angel Maker is a warlock and I would be very surprised if it was Ms. Davis. I’m not saying what Elora…saw was wrong, but all we know is that what she saw was linked to the earring. Ms. Davis might not be wearing it anymore. I think she’s a victim like the rest of them.”

Jaecar nodded. “Leo, you stay with Elora until she wakes, then you help Ric, and Elora will help Thaddeus.”

“We don’t have time. We need to go down to where she went missing and sniff around, see if we can pick up on a trace.” Ric drummed his fingers against the tabletop.

Jaecar bared sharp teeth, and Thad sucked in a breath. Apart from shifting eye colors, no one had shown as much of their beasts to him before.

“I will go down there.”

“Alone?” Thad didn’t particularly want to go with him, but working in pairs was for their safety.

Jaecar grinned. “I always work alone.”

Right, not a wolf, most definitely not a wolf.