VEE

"Do you have a real name?" I blurt as the Collector leads us along the wooden hallway towards a wide set of stairs.

He pauses and smiles at me. "I did, but I don't use it anymore. It's not relevant to this world."

We tramp up the carpeted stairs, behind him, passed closed doors with ornate gold handles, until we reach a locked door. The Collector pulls a silver chain around his neck from beneath his shirt revealing a small key.

I imagine all studies to be like Joss's, compact and claustrophobic, filled with a musty-book scent. This one is as big as my whole flat was. Books span the wall, floor to ceiling, co-ordinated by their leather-bound colour. The largest are stacked out of reach, smaller ones at knee height.

Besides the shelves, the room contains period furniture to match the overall feel of the house: a large desk with high-backed chair and a large cabinet with glass doors at the far end of the room.

Joss stands, hands in pockets, and watches as the Collector rests against a large desk and flicks his fingers. A spiralling white energy drifts from the tips across the room before darting upwards. The magic flares as it hits a book that flies into the Collector’s outstretched hand.

"Is the answer in there?" asks Joss.

"I suspect so." The Collector turns and opens the large book, placing a slender hand on the pages to prevent the book closing. He closes his eyes and a faint ultraviolet light surrounds his finger, leaving an imprint when he pulls it away.

"Pass me the phone so I can examine the rune." He holds his hand out and Joss passes it to him. He places the phone on the table and flicks through the book, eyes darting between the screen and pages covered in symbols and letters that don't form words I know.

The longer the Collector flicks through, the faster he moves, and he hunches over, swearing as he reaches the last few pages.

"I can’t find it, but that symbol is definitely from a school of magic not practiced any more."

"Not even by you?" asks Joss.

"No." He crosses to another shelf and crouches, before pulling a book out. The tiny book is half the size of the note pads Ewan writes on. The paper inside is thick, the scratchy writing in black ink. The Collector leafs through to the back and compares a symbol on the page to the image on Xander's phone screen.

"Where’s the book from?” asks Joss.

"I don't remember. I like collecting books." He gestures at the wall to ceiling shelves crammed to overflowing, and the pile on his table, then to the cabinet across the room. "Amongst other things.”

"Can I look?” I ask.

His face brightens. "Of course, I’m very proud of my collection.”

The "proud collection” is set neatly inside, grouped into varieties of artefact. Some are small figures crafted from clay or china; others are carved bone or wood. Ornate jewellery set with gleaming blue and red gems draws my eye, and a shiver trips along my spine. Is anything here dangerous?

"I'm always looking for powerful items; I like to keep them out of others' hands.” He sighs. "Humans put items in museums if they find them, which is dangerous. Anybody could take them, although most have no idea what any of these do.”

"And I don't suppose you're going to tell us, are you?" asks Joss.

He smiles broadly. "Correct." He waves the small book. "Let’s return to your friends so we can talk about this.”

* * *

XANDER

Sitting between Ewan and Seth, I watch with scorn as Seth drinks the herbal tea the fae chick brought him. While Joss and Vee are with the Collector, I itch to leave the room and snoop around the guy’s house. But we’re running out of options and pissing the Collector off won’t help.

His admission he knew other Horsemen before freaks me out. I avoid thinking about what happened to our predecessors, confident we can’t die. On days the questions enter my head, I push them away before answers I don’t like appear in my mind. But what happens? Did past Horsemen fail to keep portals closed and find themselves stuck on the other side? Is there somebody out there who’s strong enough to kill us, and that’s why Horsemen need replacing?

I freeze the thoughts out.

The dreams we share are enough to deal with. Are they hints at what I was? Or where I was? The visions come in snapshots, never clear enough to see, but the voices and sounds around hit a familiarity inside that I can’t explain.

Two places alternate in mine: one filled with men shouting and crying in agony. The other: me, doing the same.

I’m worried that one day the veil will lift, and I’ll see what’s happening and where I am.

I’m terrified I’ll see blood on my hands.

"Are you okay?”

I blink back to reality, surprised by Seth’s concern. "Yeah. Impatient. As usual.”

Seth gives a wry smile. "I want answers as much as you do. I always knew something was wrong with the world. But this...”

Seth. I want to trust him. I need to trust him, and he’s cooperated with everything so far. Am I too harsh, unable to see past my suspicion to his attack and the death sentence over his head? But there’s something weird about him I can’t place my finger on. He’s too quiet. I don’t know what’s really going on with him.

I sure as hell want that laptop back from Seth and him kept off the internet in case he leads anybody to us.

The door opens, and the Collector reappears with Joss and Vee. They remain standing in the doorway. I’m happy to see Joss more animated; he’s been odd recently. Is Vee putting pressure on him that he doesn’t want? Something isn’t right, and I need to talk to him later. Normally, I would’ve quizzed him, especially after the incident at the storage place, but everything has been non-stop crazy. At least nothing hurt him when we were there.

"Well?” I ask. "What did you discover?”

The Collector crosses to sit in his chair and holds up a small book. "Your rune is in here.”

I sit upright. "What does it mean? Can you help us find whoever cast it?”

"This isn't fae, or demon, or even witch. This predates us all... Whoever used this rune on Taron is more powerful than any entity I’m aware of.” He flicks through the pages. "I can’t read every word in this language so I have no clear idea how to cast this spell, I'm afraid, but I can understand enough to know basically how it works.

"How?" I ask.

The Collector places the book down. "The spell works like a time bomb. The magic from the rune spreads like wires through the victim's body, ready to detonate and is painless until activated. The text explains a predetermined action will trigger it, as if setting something to self-destruct."

"So Taron was a weapon?" asks Heath.

"Or somebody wanted him dead after he fulfilled his role." The Collector snaps the book closed. "What happened to trigger the spell?"

"We were questioning Taron about who employed him."

"And the spell stopped him answering. That was the trigger."

Joss reaches out for the book but the Collector moves it out of his reach. "What energy does the rune use to focus the magic? If you can't, who could? Demons?"

"No. I told you, this is primordial. Whoever created this book existed before any of us." He pushes the book closed. "And whoever did this to Taron has access to magic thought to be trapped in other realms."

Joss takes a sharp breath. "Are you saying someone passed through a portal into this world recently?"

"Or has been well hidden for some time." He steals a glance at Vee, and his mouth curves into a smile. "As you were, Verity."

"I don't know magic!" she protests. "And I certainly didn't attack my friend."

"I was not implying such a thing.” He turns to Seth. "Why does somebody want to kill you?"

"Because of my hobby.” I frown at his strange answer.

"Is that so? A dangerous one it seems." He turns his attention back to Xander. "As the humans like to say, you have your work cut out."

Ewan sits forward. "We bloody know that. What we want is to know if you can help us?"

"If you can find a cipher to translate the full text or name the runes, you’ll be a step closer to pinpointing how far back this magic goes. I’m afraid I don’t know where to find anything connected to this. I focus on collecting fae items.”

"Could Syv find it?” asks Vee.

"Possibly.” He laces his fingers together on his lap. "She has some interesting skills and usually locates items quickly. The problem is, you don’t know what you’re looking for.”

"For fuck’s sake,” mutters Heath. "Here we go again.”

Seth clears his throat. "May I look at the book, please?”

The Collectors mouth curves into amusement at his overpoliteness. "Why? Do you speak an ancient language?”

"No. But I have come across people sharing symbols recently.” He glances at Ewan. "On the message boards.”

"Why didn’t you say?” snaps Ewan. "I never saw them!”

"You didn’t ask. All you asked for was Nova Pharm info.”

Ewan’s face darkens, but he doesn’t respond.

The Collector leans forward and passes the small book to Seth, who opens it and leafs through as if the pages might tear. Seth pauses on some pages, and flicks back and forth, pushing his glasses up where they slide along his nose.

His mouth parts and cheeks redden as he points at a page with a shaking finger. "This one. I’ve seen this one.”

Resisting temptation to snatch the book off him, I peer over his shoulder. A symbol very different to the one we saw marked on Taron is written on the page with the archaic language beneath. This one is a series of lines that create a sideways triangle with interconnected squares arranged inside.

"Somebody pass me their phone.” Seth holds out a palm. "Quick. Let me show you this.”

I’ve never seen the guy this animated; and the room falls silent as Seth locates something online. Smiling in triumph, he shoves the phone at me. "Look at this site for a new charity foundation. It’s linked to Nova Pharm because one of the board members founded it. We’re not sure of the link between the two yet. That’s one thing we were getting close to when figuring out all their hidden projects.”

The symbol onscreen is the same as on his page. Hidden in the centre of the logo representing the Myriad Foundation black against the blue, is a runic message to anybody who recognises the magic.

I break into a smile to match Seth’s. "Fuck, yeah.” Taking back the phone, I then pass it to Ewan. Each of us studies the symbol; Ewan brightens and Vee smiles, but Joss blinks and passes it to Heath with no response.

What the hell is with him?

Heath stands and waves the phone. "Take some photos of what’s in the book and we get onto this. Xander?”

For the first time in days, the fog clears and a new optimism steps forward.

A connection.

A direction.

We’re going to end this.