Arlo's final words settle over the room like a shroud. The dust motes dancing in the dim light from the high windows seem to freeze, and the only sound is May's soft, rhythmic sucking on her candy.
"A broken mind…" Valentine murmurs, his usual lazy cheerfulness replaced by a thoughtful frown. "That's a steep price for curiosity."
"It's the price for foolishness," Arlo corrects sharply. "There's a difference. You seek a man of myth in a place that is not for men. That is the height of foolishness."
Lucas leans back in his chair, his earlier intensity now masked by a veneer of casualness, but I know him too well. He's processing, analyzing every word. "So, let's say for the sake of argument that this 'Shadow Man' is real. If he's not a wizard, and he's not a man, what is he? A spirit? A demon?"
