Chapter 22
Madeline was happy, almost delirious, when Jo squatted down, her pretty face hovering over her own. The painting hadn’t turned Jo into a skeleton as it had Calla and Xin.
“Are you okay, Madeline?”
Madeline scrambled up to her feet. “Yes, I’m okay. More than okay. I thought that painting would burn you the way it did those two…”
She trailed off, looking at Xin’s and Calla’s clothes piled on the floor like innocent scraps of fabric. There was no sign of their skeletons. Not a single speck of ash was left on the floor.
Madeline pointed at the clothes.
“I just shoved a man to his death right here.”
Jo frowned. “All right, who was he?”
“Not exactly a man. He said he was some kind of soul catcher.”
“A soul reaper?”
“Yes, that’s it. He said his name was Xin and meant me no ha
