I learned something new on our way to Revelation Springs. Traveling with a pack of dogs is a hell of a lot faster than with a gang of outlaws.

  For one, hunting was a cinch. Now, I may not have needed sustenance, but the skinwalkers and Rosa sure did, and there wasn’t a rabbit or snake on the plains safe from their prowl during rest breaks.

  Next, a bit of the obvious: four legs are faster than two unless you got a horse for every man. And with my tireless limbs helping Rosa along, we kept a good pace.

  Last, there’s less arguing. Put a bunch of hotheads eager for a fight into a crew and it’s a recipe for a scuffle. Riding with the Scuttlers was sometimes like herding idiots. And no arguing meant very little talking, which was more than copasetic with me. Takes some time to decompress after being party to a massacre, especially when one finds themselves on the losing side. Make no mistake, these people I now called traveling companions were stoic and brave, but they’d just lost their ancestral home. And for my part… I’d invited that ruin upon them.

  I knew they wouldn’t shell out blame, especially Mukwooru. “We chose to take you in,” she’d say. Or, “The wind blows where it blows. It is not ours to control.” Something poetic and artful when all she meant was, “Don’t feel guilty, taibo.”

  If only I couldn’t. Must be peaceful living in a heartless mind like Ace’s. No remorse. Just plowing onward through anyone and anything that stands in the way of his latest fancy.

  Me, on the other hand? I’d join that lonesome Padre and add to the pile of guilts I wore like a wet blanket, growing heavier and heavier the more the years ticked by. I don’t know how Ace found us, and in the end, it didn’t matter—that was why he’d been chosen, I guess.

  I could’ve been faster. Should’ve been faster.

  My only consolation was the woman hanging on my arm. Though she was too exhausted to offer many words either. No. This was a great big funeral march for a race of people who’d endured more than enough already.

  We’d had a pretty easy go of things since Hangman’s Hollow too. No Nephilim veering us off path. Not even the distant howl of some might-be werewolf. Our only near bit of trouble was the vision of three riders watching us from a far ridge; mere strips of shadow against storm clouds. For all I knew, they were just curious about a guy and gal out walking a couple of dozen dogs through the badlands.

  Honestly, must’ve been quite a sight.

  A few days later, the details of hazy buildings started painting in on the dawn horizon—an indication that Revelation Springs was imminently upon us. Now that it finally felt like we were about to achieve some semblance of safety, I vowed with every fiber of my being that Ace would pay. How? Hell if I knew. The how of it was far more complicated than the intention.

  The messed-up part was I’d already killed him once, and now he couldn’t die. How do you break a man who can’t be broken? I’d find out. By all the Saints and Elders, I would.

  I gave Rosa a hand—no pun intended—traversing some rocky terrain. Then it was a straight shot to Revelation Springs, a jewel of life amidst the crusty desert plains. I can’t say it was good to see the place again, though after weeks lying in dirt, a bed would do. While comfort does nothing for me physically, there’s still something about knowing the mattress is soft and the bath is hot that relaxes a weary and wounded soul.

  Something kicked up dust from behind a little rocky outcrop to the west. In my line of work, that usually meant trouble. And I won’t lie, I didn’t sense her at first, but it only took a snout for me to recognize my girl.

  I’m embarrassed to say I nearly let go of Rosa. Capable as she was, she caught her footing the instant before I realized it.

  “Nothing warms my heart more than to see a man like you nearly toss me down a cliff for the horse he loves,” she said.

  My gaze snapped to her, but I could tell she was only poking fun.

  “It’s alright, I see where I stand. I’m fine.” She laughed, and brushed my hand off before standing tall. After a slight wobble, her legs did seem steady enough not to need me for a crutch any longer.

  Good thing too. Timp barreled toward me as fast as her arthritic legs could go, with Mutt clinging to her back, trying to slow her down, as if the stubborn girl could be tamed.

  Like any good animal, when she got excited, Timp forgot how damn big she was. Didn’t even seem to realize she was coming in too hot until only an arm’s length separated us. Her hooves dug in as she slid to a stop, though not before the crown of her head struck my chest and took me clear off my feet. Next thing I knew, her slimy tongue was blotting out my vision like I was still in the belly of that Slide-Rock Bolter.

  “Good to see you too, girl,” I said as I tried to escape her onslaught. It took Mutt hopping down and extending a hand for me to break free.

  “She give you any trouble?” I asked him once on my feet again.

  “Only this.”

  As I tenderly touched my forehead to Timp’s, Mutt strode to her back and pulled a rope. A pale body came tumbling off. He was buck naked, with one eye scarred over and an arrow through the other.

  “One less hunter,” Mutt said.

  I moved around Timp, and she turned with me so I’d be kept in view the whole time. Even when Rosa went to greet her, her head stayed steady at my hip.

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  Kneeling by the body, I gave it a quick once-over. I thought I recognized the face, though it was badly bruised. I readied myself, and pulled my glove off using my teeth. Letting it drop to the ground, I muttered my usual Latin phrase before laying my hand over a patch of scars on his muscle-bound back.

  “A tenebris ad lucem.”

  The red and brown around me first turned gray, then stark white as the searing light of Heaven entered my vision. Everything faded… everyone… Mutt, Rosa, Timp… gone and replaced by the vision of my Divining.

  * * *

  Rage.

  I registered little else in my host’s mind besides that.

  Dry badlands raced by as he ran, bounding along on four massive paws with each claw as long as a hunting knife. I was inside the body of a werewolf. A big one, not bent on bloodlust, still with his own mind, which meant this was one of the rare loup-garou, able to turn on a whim.

  Timperina galloped a short distance ahead, with Mutt in her saddle. A storm gathered overhead, lightning flashes painting all dirt and rock like snow.

  “I will rip you limb from limb, dog!” I knew that voice, and what little there was left of me within the vision blanched. The throaty voice of Rougarou screamed out from a mouth—my mouth—full of razor-sharp teeth.

  Mutt twisted, taking aim with his bow and let an arrow loose. It zipped by harmlessly.

  “You inferior beast!” I roared. “Your extinction has come!”

  The words felt like melted cheese coming out of my mouth. Mutt nocked another arrow. I used a rock to gain the height advantage and pounced downward, my great paws swiping at Timp.

  It was rare that my own emotions spilled through into these visions, but I felt it, my anger, my fury mingling with Roo’s at the sight of him attacking my Timperina once again. Then Mutt turned her into my path.

  As the gap between us closed, I wound up with a clear slash at Mutt’s head instead of the horse. At the last second, Mutt shape-shifted and leaped from Timp’s back. My knees drove hard into Timp’s side on the way over her back. Behind me, I could hear her slam into the ground, rolling before sliding to a stop.

  I skidded to my own stop, then whipped around to finish the job.

  The James Crowley in me protested, even though my body stood firmly before Timp, knowing she was alright. But that was how my Divinings went. They felt real. They felt… present.

  Mutt stood only feet away, back in human form and with his bow somehow drawn and still holding the arrow fast even through the double transformation.

  Lightning blinked again, and he released. This arrow glinted in the moonlight more than the last—silver-coated. Before I knew what hit me, the tip shredded right through my one remaining eye and into my brain. The silver seared with white-hot fire as I crashed face first into the hard-packed dirt. An unimaginable agony which lasted only a fraction of a second.

  * * *

  I snapped free of the Divining, grasping my eye. I think I was screaming. Everything was black and fuzzy as I adjusted to normal sight again—through two of them. I still felt the fire of rage coursing through my bloodless veins. Usually, feeling death took a toll on me, but in this case, I welcomed the brief headache.

  I stood, vaguely hearing the voices around me, Rosa and Mutt. Couldn’t tell what they were saying—sounded like concern for me. Which was nice.

  As my vision fully returned, I gazed down at Roo. It was different seeing him in human form, outside of his finely pressed suit and prim hat, but he was a fine feast for vultures if I’d ever witnessed one.

  “Nice shot, kid,” I said, giving the arrow fletching a flick. Werewolf hide and bones are thick and sturdy like iron. He’d snuck a headshot right through Roo’s eye socket at the perfect angle. Hard to come back from silver to the brain.

  “Arrow better than bullet,” Mutt said, standing proudly beside his prey.

  “That all depends on who’s handling ’em.” I turned back to examine Timp. She had some scrapes and dirt-burn where she’d fallen. A bit of her tail was shaved down, no doubt thanks to werewolf fangs or claws.

  “You kept her in one piece,” I said.

  Mutt nodded. “I swear I would.”

  “You steer her damn well.”

  “She is like a gun, huh?”

  “What?”

  “Better with the right handler.” His sly smirk was exactly the sort of lift I needed under the conditions.

  I gave his arm a playful punch. “I think I liked you better when you barely spoke.”

  “Was that it?” Rosa asked. “One of your… what do you call it, Divinations?”

  “Divining,” I corrected. “Yeah. I lived his last moments.”

  And it gave me more satisfaction than I cared to admit to her.

  “Does it… hurt?”

  “Only if they did at the end,” I said. “This time, I’m happy to say it did.”

  She spat at the body. “Estoy feliz de que esté muerto.”

  Before we could say any more, Mukwooru returned to her human state and embraced her son, exchanging words in their language. I took the chance to give Timp my full attention. Not in the least bit because Mukwooru stood in her birthday suit. It really would help if they could retain their clothing, but some things are truly impossible.

  “What next?” Rosa asked.

  “Well, we can’t well go marching into Revelation with a herd of dogs or naked Indians without giving ourselves away,” I said. “I know Ace. He’ll have eyes around the region.”

  “We can’t just abandon them,” she whispered.

  “Maybe we should.” I shrugged.

  She shot me a cross glare. “Haven’t we done enough to hurt them, James?”

  “That’s my point. Ace don’t give a hot damn about them. The werewolves did, and Mutt sent a message straight through their head honcho’s thinker. Around us, they’re just bait.”

  That word didn’t seem to fill her with good feelings. “What if we stop running?”

  “And what?” I scoffed.

  “Give ourselves over to the angels. They’re angels, right? They can’t be that bad.”

  I thought about it for about two seconds before saying, “What about Ace?”

  This time, she shrugged. “Without us to hunt, they won’t need him. Would they?”

  She might have had a point, but I wasn’t convinced. “As much as I like the idea of my dear old boss becoming useless, you know how many people just died to get us out of there? And you wanna just throw yourself in cuffs?”

  “You don’t know what Heaven wants with me. You said it yourself.”

  “They wanna make you a goddamn weapon, Rosa!” My voice echoed out across the dry plains, causing both her and Timp to flinch. “It’s always that in their war. I won’t have you become like… like…”

  She took my arm before I could say “me.”

  “It’s okay, James. I trust you. I’m just tired of other people getting hurt on my account.”

  “Now, there’s a sentiment we can share.”

  I placed my hand on hers, giving it a squeeze before gently pulling my arm free. Then, I hopped up onto Timp’s back and extended my one remaining hand for Rosa to join me.

  Her brow furrowed.

  “I have an idea,” I said. “Thought you trusted me?”

  That was all it took to get her on board, and I instructed Mutt and the others to wait for us to return so I could get a lay of the land. Though first, I removed my severed hand from Timp’s saddle bag.

  “Hold this for a second?” I said to Rosa.

  She looked down on it, trying to hide the disgust.

  Then I reached back in and grabbed a spare bit of fabric.

  “Hold it against my stump,” I told her.

  Though she looked confused, she did as I’d asked.

  Then, using my good hand and teeth, I wrapped the cloth around my wrist and thumb to keep it tight. My innate healing abilities as a Black Badge would do the rest in time.