Lillas laid on her back, staring at the ceiling, fingers locked across her stomach, urgency and wonder locked across her face. The lights were back on and the blacklight off, but she still had a perfect memory of what she saw and it still drew her in. Around her was static made up of noises and voices. People tried to speak to her, tripped over her, but everything was muffled as if she were under water. The power and mystery this thing held was captivating.

 

The sigil did not get here by accident. Someone dedicated hours, days even, to every detail. It was beautiful, but its strength was alarming. The fact that it was done in lemon juice meant the knights weren’t meant to know it was there. It would take extraordinary ability. No knight in the current Knighthood lineup could do this. Maybe Boyd, but he was a magician. And in prison. “Hahaha!” Maybe another magician…oh Fuck! The Drays!

 

“Mik,” Lenshrader said. His voice alone managed to break through her bubble. He knelt beside her. “Do you know what it is?”

 

“I have no idea. But it’s strong. I’ve never felt anything like it.”

 

“Come on.” He reached a hand to her. She accepted and allowed him to pull her up. “We still need your help downstairs with the bodies.”

 

“Oh! Right! The Knighthood Is dead. Why is the Knighthood dead?” she asked herself. “They are not easy to kill. Why are they dead?” She frowned and walked off, muttering.

 

Downstairs, the CSIs took samples, fingerprints, and pictures, gathering what evidence they could. No sign of forced entry. Not surprising. Even a low-level magician could open locked doors. A magician at this skill could make a door. Could probably make a house… after making the door. Even more troubling was, “How could the knights not feel this?” Why would they walk in here if they felt it? Officer Whatshisname didn’t feel it. But he was also very weak. Maybe… “Hey…” She called a vampire CSI. “Do you feel that?”

 

“Feel what?”

 

“That power. You don’t feel that?”

 

“There are a lot of spectrals around here. Is that what you…”

 

“No, no, no. Nevermind.”

 

He bent to whisper in her ear. “You’re in bad shape. I can give you blood…”

 

“No, it’s ok. Vampire blood doesn’t work for me. I’ll be ok. Just need to get bandaged and get home.” She pat him on the shoulder then walked away.

 

Lillas surveyed the bodies. They were all blue and cold, but not hard like ice. “I don’t know anything that can do this, but my knowledge is limited to knights, cleaners, demons, and ghosts. This looks like magic. If Boon weren’t already in prison, I’d drag his ass there on principle.”

 

“You’d drag his ass to the chair.”

 

“Also true.” She stood over one of the bodies. “You know, Philip Hale here also fancies himself a magician. He’s not nearly as good as Boyd, but his ego makes him think otherwise. I bet anything this is a spell gone wrong.”

 

“But wait. If this is magic, that sounds like Dray territory.”

 

“I’m not calling them. Lens, they threatened to kill me!”

 

“And you’ve worked with them how many times since?”

 

“One time too many and out of necessity, not choice.”

 

“Well, it doesn’t seem like we’re going to have much of a choice here, either.”

 

Lillas sighed. This was the second time Drays had come up. Someone was going to end up calling them, and it couldn’t be her. “Kratt can do it. It’s his job to call people anyway. Hell, with any luck, they’ll take this case so we don’t have to.”

 

“Is he coming?”

 

“He should be here any minute.”

 

“And Jet?”

 

“I don’t know. I didn’t call him.”

 

“Why not? He’s on your team. You two have a fight?”

 

“No. It’s just not my job to call him. Besides, it’s late. If Kratt wants him here, he’ll call him.”

 

“Uh huh. You know, just because you like him, doesn’t mean you should avoid him. It’s good to like people.”

 

“Mm, is it? So, when you gonna marry my mother? You two have been making googly eyes at each other for years.”

 

He cleared his throat and went back to taking notes or whatever he was doing.

 

“Yeah. Exactly.”

 

A quick tensing of her body got Lillas’s attention. “Oh, great. Kratt’s here. Finally.”

 

“God damn!!!” Kratt was by far the tallest man Lillas knew. He was basketball star tall. He had to duck under every doorway. If he held his arms up to take a picture, it was like an aerial view. On top of that, he wore boots that added even more inches. He had hair like cotton candy and skin like chai latte and a deep tenor that commanded attention. He stood at the cabin door, mouth open, frown on his face. Seeing everything up close was much different than in the pictures. But despite the silent chaos, there was a question that needed an answer first. “That power…”

 

“Yeah, exactly. I need to show you…”

 

The cleaners felt a far weaker knight’s presence.

 

“Oh, hell!” She turned to the detective. “You called your partner?”

 

“Of course, I called my partner,” he said. “What kind of question is that?”

 

“He’s a goddamn knight! I’ve told you this.”

 

“Hey! Watch your mouth! And you’ve never proven anything.”

 

“You’ve never asked him.”

 

Kratt moved and stood next to Lillas as a stout portly man rushed in.

 

Detective Farris stuttered, looking over the scene. His pale skin turned red. His hands shook. “Oh my God!” he proclaimed rubbing what little hair was left on his head. “They’re all dead.”

 

“You know these guys?” Lens asked.

 

Farris turned his gaze to Lillas and Kratt. His eyes were full of hate and redness from the welling of tears. “You! You did this!”

 

“I didn’t. None of us did.” She was calm like a scientist observing a subject.

 

“You took them!!!”

 

“But I didn’t! Can you not feel that?”

 

“I will take something from you.” His body tensed, arms flexed down at his sides. Then, without warning, he froze. His mouth and eyes opened wide as blue light poured out of him and floated upwards.

 

Lillas and Kratt ran upstairs. Lillas was surprised to see the sigil lit up bright blue as each ball of light absorbed into it. “Quick! Take a picture! Take a picture!” Kratt snapped a couple pictures on his phone before it disappeared.

 

“Mik!” Lens yelled. They raced back downstairs, worried the knight was harming him. But what they found was the exact opposite. He laid face down on the floor to be counted among the others.

 

“He just dropped dead,” Lens said.

 

Confused, Lillas and Kratt look to each other. Neither had anything.