Chasing Magic
The fifth book in Stacia Kane’s gripping and gritty DOWNSIDE GHOSTS urban fantasy series, perfect for fans of Charlaine Harris, Laurell K. Hamilton and Kim Harrison.A DEADLY HIGHMagic-wielding Churchwitch and secret addict Chess Putnam knows better than anyone just how high a price people are willing to pay for a chemical rush. But when someone with money to burn and a penchant for black magic starts tampering with Downside’s drug supply, Chess realizes that the unlucky customers are paying with their souls – and taking the innocent with them, as the magic-infused speed compels them to kill in the most gruesome ways possible.As if the streets weren’t scary enough, the looming war between the two men in her life explodes, taking even more casualties and putting Chess squarely in the middle. Downside could become a literal ghost town if Chess doesn’t find a way to stop both the war and the dark wave of death-magic, and the only way to do that is to use both her addiction and her power to enter the spell and chase the magic all the way back to its malevolent source. Too bad that doing so will probably kill Chess – if the war doesn’t first destroy the man who’s become her reason for living.
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STACIA KANE
CHASING MAGIC
Book Five of the Downside Ghosts
To the doctors, nurses, and surgical staff at Lister Hospital Stevenage, without whom I would literally no longer be alive
Table of Contents
Chapter One
The pursuit of material goods must never eclipse the pursuit of Truth.
âThe Book of Truth, Veraxis Article 1745
All of the documents were in place: the Affidavit of Spectral Fraud, the Statement of Truth, two Orders of Imprisonment and two Orders of Relinquishment, and, of course, the list of Church-approved attorneys. The Darnells would want thatâwell, theyâd need it, because they were about to be arrested for faking a haunting.
At least, they would be when the Black Squad got there to back Chess up. She didnât always want the Squad to come along; police presence tipped people off, made things more difficult, and most people came pretty quietly once they realized they were busted, anyway. The Darnells didnât seem like the come-quietly type, though. Something told Chess they werenât going to take this well.
But sheâd told them sheâd be there at six, and it was five past already and their curtains kept twitching. They knew she was there.
Right. Sheâd taken a couple of Cepts before leaving her apartment in Downside, so they were starting to hitâsmooth, thick narcotic warmth spreading from her stomach out through the rest of her body, a pleasant softness settling over her mind.
That was the best thing about the drugs, really; she could still think, still be coherent, still use her brain. She just didnât have to if she didnât want to, and it was so much easier to keep that brain from wandering into all those places she didnât want it to go.
And she had so fucking many of those places.
She grabbed the Darnell file from her bag, locked her car, and started walking along the cobblestoned path to the front door, weaving around the flowers and plants scattered like islands across the impossibly green sea of grass. Bees made their way from bloom to bloom, doing whatever the hell it was bees did. Sure, she knew it was something to do with pollen or whatever. She just didnât give a shit.
By the time she reached the porch sweat beaded along her forehead and her body felt damp. Summer sucked. Only the middle of June and already it was scorching.
Brandon Darnell opened the door before sheâd finished raising her hand to knock. âMiss Putnam. Youâre late.â
Asshole. She faked a smile. âSorry. Traffic.â
At least they had air-conditioning.
The entire Darnell family sat in the pretentious high-ceilinged living room, slouching on the ridiculously overpriced suede couch and chairs that were partly responsible for the enormous debt they were in. Debt theyâd planned to clear by faking a haunting and getting a nice fat settlement from the Church of the Real Truth.
Too bad for them, the Church wasnât stupidâbeing in charge of everyone and everything on earth for twenty-four years proved thatâand had contingency plans for such things. Chess was one of them.
Brandon Darnell indicated an empty chair along the back wall. âHave a seat.â
Alarms started ringing in Chessâs head. He seemed a little too calm, a little too ⦠cheerful.
But all the other chairs were full, so she sat, shooting a glance out the window to see if the Squad had arrived yet. Nope. Damn it!
The Darnells sat there, unmoving. Watching her. Because that wasnât creepy at all.
Mrs. Darnellâfrowsy, bad perm, blue eye shadow up to her browsâshowed her perfect white teeth in what could pass for a smile. âDo you have any news for us? When will you Banish the ghost?â
Chessâs phone beepedâa text. A text from the Black Squad, thank fuck, they were almost there. Good. She didnât have to sit around wasting time with these people.
âI do have news.â She pulled the forms from the file. âThis is my Statement of Truth, copies of which Iâve already filed with the Church. This one is for you to sign. Itâs the Affidavit of Spectral Fraud, which is basically your confession, and this oneââ
âWhat the hell are you talking about? We havenât committed any fraud, thereâs noââ
âMr. Darnell.â Normally sheâd stand up for this part, but what the hell. The chair was pretty comfortable. âI found, and photographed, the projectors set up in the attic. I wonât bother to point out to you where the holes in the ceiling are, since you already know. The âectoplasmâ on your walls has been analyzedâtwice for confirmationâas a mixture of cornstarch, gelatin, iridescent paint, and water.â
