Page 33 of Any More Questions for the Corpse?

On the floor surrounding the center of the blast were three bodies. Two had been facing the door when they fell; the third (the one they’d seen fall) faced the fireplace. The two facing the door had burnt, blackened eye sockets and the soles of their feet were scorched by the blast. The one facing the fireplace was coated in purple blast marks all up and down his person. He must have taken the brunt of the explosion. He seemed stiff, as if frozen, and the dagger in his ear was unusual, long and thin with a short cross-guard. Blood and brain slowly leaked out past his blond hair and onto the floor. Mal recognized this man as Erik Lind; the other two, however, the men with burned-out eyes, Mal didn’t recognize at all.

Des immediately checked their vital signs but found no breath or heartbeat. Mal entered cautiously after her; his head still throbbed and he could feel adrenaline rising up within him. Hala and Yu looked on from the landing; Yu seemed calm but Hala looked as though she might lose her lunch. Mal realized, in unison with Des, that whoever had plunged that knife into Erik must still be in the apartment. It certainly wasn’t done by the pair with burnt eyes. Des barged through the door on the right and searched the rest of the apartment while Mal stayed put. She came back a moment later empty-handed.

“I’ve called the cops,” Des said.

“How long do you think they’ll be?” said Mal, watching where he stepped.

“I told them I’ve got control of the scene so probably twenty minutes.”

“What do we do until then?” Yu said, poking their head in.

“Take a look around,” Des said. “We’re not gonna be allowed back in once they get here.”

“They’ve got to be close,” Mal said.

“Who?” said Hala, concerned.

“Whoever did this to Erik.” Mal mimed something going into his ear.

“Could it have been one of those two?” Hala said, pointing to the other bodies.

“They went down first. Look at the bottom of their shoes,” Des said.

“So where’s the stabber? Maybe they blinked out?” Yu said, taking a step into the room.

“Yeah, they could have warped away, I guess,” Mal said.

“Warping and blinking are different things, but I get your point,” Yu said.

“Can you sense anyone, Hala?” Des said, ushering her in. “Just make sure not to touch anything.” Des gave Mal a look as he tried to turn the lamp on; he flicked the switch several times but it refused to do anything.

“There is someone else here,” Hala said, taking steps as though the floor was about to fall out beneath her.

“Can you tell where?” Des said, suddenly on edge.

“It doesn’t work like that,” Hala said. “I need to be able to focus on them, otherwise all I get is the emotional background noise of the city.”

Mal went back over to Erik and a hideous thought came over him.

“Des,” Mal said, “should I?” He waved his hand out in front of him, over Erik.

“Yeah, best do it now.”

“What about the stabber? What if they see?” Yu said, concerned.

“Who’s gonna believe them?” Mal said, as he prepared himself.

He’d been using his powers so much recently the dread and anxiety that so often accompanied them had faded; Mal wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. He was still, however, having panic attacks; he would need to work on that if his usage kept up. He dug deep, finding that which was not him, and embraced it. His eyes went black with three white circles and he felt his breath quicken. He stopped what he was doing, taking a moment to concentrate. He took a long, slow breath in through his nose, then a long, slow breath out through his mouth. The swaying world slowed. A long, slow breath in. A long, slow breath out. The tingling in his hands abated. In … Out …

He waited for a moment of calm while the shadows that lapped at the edges of his skin flailed and swirled. He held his hand out over Erik’s face and began. Immediately, Erik awoke.

Searing fire shot across the room and hit the ceiling. Everyone jumped back with so much force even the lamp shade wobbled with shock.

“WHat the FuCK iS hApPENING?” Erik screamed as he leapt to his feet. Erik held his hand out in front of him, two fingers pointing at Mal; the tips burned with a searing fire. Mal knew the dead could still do magic—magic is in the soul—but it never crossed his mind that that magic would be aimed at him.

“ANSWER ME!” Erik screamed, the flames on his finger intensifying as he spoke.

“It’s okay, it’s all okay,” Mal said, eyes darting to the others in panic. “What do you remember last?”