Farnsworth nods, a stern set to his mouth. “It’s about your latest case.”
“I guessed. What’s going on?”
He holds his hand up, producing a tablet. I’ve often wondered how it works down here, but there are many mysteries when it comes to the underworld.
“Your target is a curious one,” Farnsworth says. “He seems to be dabbling in contacting the spirit world.”
“He mentioned as much. Did something happen?”
“Not yet, but it’s almost a given that it will. In fact, I’m certain that he’s up to something as we speak.”
“He has a medium he knows. After my visit, he asked if he could attempt to contact his father through the medium one more time before the Horror is banished.”
“And you said yes?” Farnsworth raises a perfectly groomed eyebrow. “Have you lost the plot?”
“I am not at liberty to stop someone from ruining their life if that’s their goal. I gave him the proper warnings. The Horror hasn’t manifested yet, so there’s minimal damage to be done at this stage.”
“Still unwise.”
“On the target’s part, yes. But, Farnsworth, I’ll remind you that I’ve been doing this a very long time. I’m completely aware of the dangers, but I’m also clear on how to work best with my targets. Denying his request would lead to a contentious relationship, which inhibits my ability to do my job.”
Farnsworth nods. “Very well. I suppose you know what you’re doing. That said, there’s something unusual about your target. He seems to attract interest from the spirit world. Perhaps he’ll only summon benign spirits, but the door is open for a Horror to slip through.”
“Attracts spirits? The medium he worked with said as much too. I’ve only heard of that once or twice before in my tenure. Any idea why?”
Farnsworth shakes his head. “That’s for you to figure out. I suspect that’s how the Horror got through so easily, especially since it already had a connection to the target.”
“Right.” I scratch my chin. “I assume he’ll call me shortly. They always do.”
“You know this Horror is a class five.”
I crinkle my brow. “I don’t recall reading that in my materials.”
“It wasn’t there. That’s the other reason I summoned you. There was a bookkeeping error and it was missed.”
I stare at him like he just turned green. “It was missed? Not alerting a Chaser to a class five Horror is insanely dangerous.”
“Which is why I rectified the error as soon as it was brought to my attention.”
I nod as my thoughts swirl. My tactics will have to change to suit the problem. “Alright. I suppose that’s why it was assigned to me.”
“Yes. It’s no task for the inexperienced.”
After dragging a hand through my hair, I glance over my shoulder at nothing. “I should get back then. Is that all?”
“Yes. Be careful with this one, Wilder. You and I both know how unpredictable a class five can be.”
“Yep. I’ll keep you posted.”
I close my eyes again, concentrating for a second before landing softly in my living room. The shift between realms is hardly noticeable to me anymore, having done it so many times in my life, but today the sun is shining brightly, flooding my eyes and temporarily blinding me after the pitch darkness of the Revival House.
I blink a few times to orient myself, then walk to my kitchen to make a cup of coffee. I’m going to see what I can dig up about the Horror when it was still a mortal. The more information I can find, the better I’ll be able to manage it.
Tomorrow I’ll check in with Keagan and impress upon him the need to get started. That is, if he doesn’t call me first. Based on what I just learned, I have a feeling he might.
Chapter 6
Keagan
