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else would I hang around you so much?”
    Arthur rolled his eyes. “Whatever.” He glanced at the final doorway that led to the INNER SANCTUM, where Kjor the warlock awaited him. Arthur shivered. “Let’s get the numina and clear the office. I’m ready to find out more about my destiny, and where I came from.”
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    With Lexi and Vassalus flanking him, and Morgan right behind him, Arthur opened the door to the Paladin’s Office. An almost formless mass of shadow stood just beyond the doorway. The shades, at least a dozen of them, which was how many each dark-heart could summon, crowded near the door. Each shade was skinny and a little more than six feet tall, with unnaturally long arms and legs. They were completely featureless. Gathered like this, it was almost impossible to tell where one shade ended and the next began. Unlike some they had faced before, these were smart enough not to run right into the glowing sigil and destroy themselves.
    But while the shades couldn’t pass through the triskelion sigils, Arthur and his companions could. More importantly at the moment, his raygun blasts could. Arthur opened fire with both guns. White energy circles blasted out from the array at the end, growing from an inch to almost a foot wide as they traveled. Since the guns only hurt what Arthur wanted them to — they wouldn't even kill unless that’s what he wanted — he didn't have to worry about shooting up the room or destroying things accidentally when he missed.
    Arthur let loose, enjoying the distinctive WHUM-WHUM-WHUM sound the guns made. He pulled the triggers as fast as he could. In moments, he had taken out all the shades they could see.
    “Did you get all twelve?” Morgan asked.
    “I couldn’t tell,” Arthur answered.
    “I think you only got eleven,” Vassalus said.
    “Nope, nope,” Lexi replied. “Only ten.”
    “Any sign of the dark-heart?” Arthur asked. The Office was bigger than his Aunt Carolyn’s dining room and living room put together, and the door was in the middle. There was a lot of space to either side where a shade could be hiding, or behind the big desk toward the back of the room.
    “Don’t see it,” Morgan said.
    “Must be out of view,” added Vassalus.
    “Only one thing left,” Lexi cried. “Charge!”
    Lexi rushed toward the door, but Vassalus stepped in front of her.
    “Watch it, garbage breath!” Lexi growled as they collided.
    “We need to let Lady Morgan go first,” said Vassalus. “She has the shield. We follow along behind her.”
    “Boring!” Lexi snarled.
    “It’s a lot safer, though,” Arthur said.
    Morgan stepped into the room with her shield up and spread as wide as it would go. She turned toward the right, and as soon as she did, a shade leapt out from the left side toward her.
    “Morgan, watch out!” Arthur cried.
    “I see it!” she yelled. But she didn’t turn.
    Arthur understood why half a second later, when a shade crashed against the front of her shield. Lexi had been right — there were two of them left: one to each side of the door. Arthur took two shots at the one behind Morgan. One shot soared over the shade’s shoulder; the other blasted one of the creature’s arms off. That didn’t even slow it down. Their arms could regrow. Only a headshot or a shot to the chest could destroy them. The touch of a shade could burn flesh, so all it really had to do to hurt Morgan was run into her. Arthur had gotten burned by one the first day. It had felt like both fire and ice at once. And Morgan wasn't even wearing the companion armor the Manse had made for her.
    Just before the shade hit Morgan, Lexi and Vassalus slammed into it and ripped it to shreds. They were immune to the shades’ burning touch. Wraiths, on the other hand, were a whole lot tougher and more deadly.
    Morgan glanced back and saw what had happened — her eyes went wide — then she bashed the one in front of her with her shield. “Dark-heart is on my side. Above the bookcase