I Inherited a Dead God's Debt

eature

w himself

er hard enough to split the wood. Shards flew across the shop. Vane hit the floor

re turned

the shadows beneath a bridge, with elongated limbs that bent in the wron

hammered agai

y ba

ure tilte

r said the

uck harder th

knew

miled. "He kne

d forwar

ect-a brass desk lamp-and sw

ssed throug

ss second, Vane thought

re's arm swept

case. Glass shattered around him,

struggling

feet away. Its golden letter

R DET

IGATION: THREE

METHOD: U

pful," Va

ature a

s body could pass through solid objects, at least partially. It had avoided the over

e ou

ey. Not

e

ed on the only u

re needed

It might mean fear was the payment it

inction

if I refuse?

ature s

ile wi

a recognized f

plain th

er underst

ther i

's expression changed. Something

ill pay in

ced at th

ds had

TION R

BT MUST BE

TRACTED FROM THE

es nar

e it

ru

tified it as a debtor. Whatever arrangement existed b

pparently fa

the scattered metal objects, and the nar

t overpowe

didn't

ake it commit

he repeated. "That's y

claws scraped a

what you cann

s of fear, payable to Elias V

ature h

not

what I t

his feet, one hand pr

ther's debts, why haven't

ure's fac

r fa

ation remains outstanding. And if this ledger

a whether any o

creature had st

toward t

ttle the

ature f

chair. The office contained a steel filing cabinet, an old de

ards creaked. He knew the desk had been repaired twi

knew the steel fili

its handle

scraped acro

lunged throug

ew himse

cabinet. Metal screamed as its

cabinet's unst

pled f

creature, pinning its limbs beneath se

thrashed

ledger and stu

he said, improvising as he went, "I recognize

ature s

rated through

he pages and formed a ring

VER

ION AUT

swall

nt acc

bleeding palm a

ature c

row streams that vanished into the ledger. Its claws scra

dy collapse

ne could hear nothing e

er's pag

ION SUC

D: THREE OU

RED: MINOR UM

INFORCEMENT

red at t

ged through his ha

ped the

and he fell to one knee. It felt as though invisible wires were

own on a

hifted bene

uck with a force that made the

d as suddenly as

ionless, waiting

did

ed at h

His fingers felt strangely light, and

p the falle

m bent betwee

ased it i

p hit t

t the dent

the ash beneath

d I just

turned to a

tence a

EBT HAS BEE

nother line s

LECTION:

osed th

her's killer. And he needed to understand why his fathe

sirens ap

oward the fro

entirely certain that the people coming t

of something

ed Elias Vance h

left his

tended to f