Chapter 4

Midnight arrived with a chill that had nothing to do with the mortal night.

A shimmer in the air, a distortion, and then the Harbinger stood before us.

It was tall, cloaked in shifting shadows, its face a void from which two points of cold light gleamed.

Harbingers were ancient, impersonal entities, servants of the Shadowlands' balance.

This one, however, was subtly attuned to my will. A perk of being a Spirit Marshal.

Chloe pushed Liam gently behind her and stepped forward, holding up the Beacon Charm.

"Harbinger! We called you. We need passage back to the Shadowlands."

The Harbinger' s gaze swept over them, lingering on the dark stains of Taint that clung to Chloe and Liam like oil slicks.

Its voice was like stones grinding together. "I see you. I see your transgressions."

Liam whimpered from behind Chloe.

"We were trapped," Chloe said, her voice defensive. "We had to survive."

"Survival does not excuse the defilement of mortal life force, nor the accumulation of such Taint," the Harbinger intoned.

It then looked directly at Chloe. "The destruction of a Patroller' s Sigil is also a grave offense."

Chloe flinched but stood her ground. "It was necessary to save a life."

"The Shadowlands' laws are not concerned with your perceived necessities," the Harbinger stated coldly. "Due to the severity of your Taint, and the resources required for purification during emergency transit..."

It paused, letting the silence stretch.

"...I can purify only one of you for safe passage. And only one may return with me."

The words hung in the air, heavy and final.

Chloe stared, her bravado crumbling. "One? But... there are two of us!"

Liam peeked out from behind her. "One?"

The Harbinger remained silent, its cold eyes fixed on them.

Pip, who had been silent until now, gasped. He knew the implications.

This was the moment. The first true test of their bond.

Chloe looked at Liam, her expression a mixture of disbelief and dawning horror.

Liam' s eyes darted between Chloe and the Harbinger, his mind clearly working fast.

Then, it happened.

Faster than I even anticipated.

Liam shoved Chloe aside. Hard.

She stumbled, catching herself before she fell, shock etched on her face.

"Me!" Liam cried, scrambling towards the Harbinger, almost falling over himself. "Take me! Purify me!"

He pointed a shaking finger at Chloe. "It was her idea! All of it! Draining the mortals, everything! She made me do it! She even broke the Patroller' s badge!"

Chloe' s mouth fell open.

The look on her face... it was a masterpiece of devastation.

Betrayal, raw and absolute.

"Liam?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

"She' s the one who' s deeply Tainted, Harbinger!" Liam babbled, groveling at the entity' s feet. "I was just following her lead! I' m weaker, I was scared! Please, you have to save me!"

The Harbinger looked down at Liam, its expressionless void-face impossible to read.

Then, it slowly turned its gaze to Chloe.

Chloe was shaking, not from fear, but from a rage so profound it was almost visible.

Her hands clenched, and the Ectoplasmic Flame ignited, not green this time, but shot through with streaks of furious, fiery orange.

"You... liar," she hissed, her voice dangerously low.

Liam scrambled back, away from her, towards the Harbinger' s protection. "See? She' s violent! She' s always been the aggressive one!"

"I saved your miserable life!" Chloe roared, the flames around her hands growing larger, hotter. "I held the Rift open for you! I drained mortals for you! I faced oblivion for you!"

Each word was a blow.

"And this is how you repay me?"

She took a step towards him, her eyes burning with a mixture of heartbreak and murderous fury.

"You selfish, cowardly... worm!"

With a scream of pure anguish, she lunged, her flaming hands aimed at Liam' s cowering form.

The show was getting good.