stop him?"
"I think the only thing they can do is send him to the Blood, but that's the last thing they want because it'll put Damon back together with his army. No, they want Damon destroyed, and I don't think they have that ability."
" And we do?" Sydney asked.
"Not 'we.' Me. I'm a spirit. I can move through the Black and use one of those spirit-killing swords on that bastard. That's how this is going to end. It's the only way it can end."
"So what are we supposed to do?" Sydney asked.
"Nothing," Cooper answered quickly. "I mean it. Noth ing. Stay together and keep the crucible with you. As long as you two have that thing, Damon is powerless over you."
"No," Marsh said flatly.
Cooper shot him a quick, surprised look. "What do you mean 'no'? I told you—"
Marsh stood up to face his friend. "I heard what you said, Coop. I get it. But I'm not going to sit around doing noth ing. None of this would have happened if my mother hadn't gone digging around under that temple and destroyed the first crucible."
"So what?" Coop shot back. "This is serious, Ralph. We're not playing army."
"Do you really think I'm playing?"
"No, I don't," Coop said, backing down. "But I mean, c'mon, you're in way over your head."
"I'll be the judge of that," Marsh said quickly.
Coop walked away from Marsh, his mind racing, trying to come up with the right thing to say.
"Look," he said sharply. "I may be a spirit but I can't be hunting for Damon in the Black and babysitting you at the same time."
"I don't need a babysitter," Marsh said, bristling.
"No? How many times did I bail your butt out when Damon was coming after you?"
"This is as much my battle as it is yours," Marsh said through gritted teeth. "You may think I'm still a little kid that you have to coax into trusting himself, but things have changed."
"I'm sorry, Marsh," Cooper said, softening. "I know you've been through a lot and you aren't the same guy you were before and blah, blah, blah, but this is way more important than you trying to prove something to yourself."
"Do not put me in the same category as Damon," Marsh snapped.
"That's not what I meant—"
"I don't care what you meant. I'm telling you that I'm going to do what I can to make this right. You're just run ning around like you always do, thinking you can handle anything. Well, you can't. Damon got you. He killed you, remember? You're in as far over your head as I am. The only difference is that you won't admit it."
The two stood toe-to-toe, neither backing down. "Okay, Ralph," Coop said coldly. "I'm going to the Black to track down and kill a demon. What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to find Ennis Mobley," Marsh said with authority.
"Why?" Coop asked with surprise.
"You haven't thought of everything, Coop. You never do. There were six crucibles. One was broken in Damon's tomb when my mother and Ennis found it. The second one I broke. Your grandfather broke the third in the Black. The fourth I've got right here, and the fifth is protecting the poleax, which is why Damon can't find it himself. That leaves one more. If these things have as much power over Damon as you say, I think we should try to find it, and who has a better chance of knowing where it is than the guy who found them all in the first place?"
Coop started to argue, but held back.
Sydney smiled. "He's got you there, spirit boy."
" All right," Coop said. "Go for it. But stay close to my sister. And keep that crucible with you. I don't want to have to come back here to save either of you. Again."
"Just worry about yourself," Marsh said coldly.
A colorful, swirling mist appeared behind Cooper. "What I'm worried about is ending this, and there's only one way that can happen. Damon has to be destroyed."
"So stop talking and find him," Sydney called out. Cooper took a step backward and disappeared into the mist.
Marsh and Sydney stared wide-eyed at the colorful cloud as it quickly vanished.
"Well," Sydney said with a sigh. "That went
"I think the only thing they can do is send him to the Blood, but that's the last thing they want because it'll put Damon back together with his army. No, they want Damon destroyed, and I don't think they have that ability."
" And we do?" Sydney asked.
"Not 'we.' Me. I'm a spirit. I can move through the Black and use one of those spirit-killing swords on that bastard. That's how this is going to end. It's the only way it can end."
"So what are we supposed to do?" Sydney asked.
"Nothing," Cooper answered quickly. "I mean it. Noth ing. Stay together and keep the crucible with you. As long as you two have that thing, Damon is powerless over you."
"No," Marsh said flatly.
Cooper shot him a quick, surprised look. "What do you mean 'no'? I told you—"
Marsh stood up to face his friend. "I heard what you said, Coop. I get it. But I'm not going to sit around doing noth ing. None of this would have happened if my mother hadn't gone digging around under that temple and destroyed the first crucible."
"So what?" Coop shot back. "This is serious, Ralph. We're not playing army."
"Do you really think I'm playing?"
"No, I don't," Coop said, backing down. "But I mean, c'mon, you're in way over your head."
"I'll be the judge of that," Marsh said quickly.
Coop walked away from Marsh, his mind racing, trying to come up with the right thing to say.
"Look," he said sharply. "I may be a spirit but I can't be hunting for Damon in the Black and babysitting you at the same time."
"I don't need a babysitter," Marsh said, bristling.
"No? How many times did I bail your butt out when Damon was coming after you?"
"This is as much my battle as it is yours," Marsh said through gritted teeth. "You may think I'm still a little kid that you have to coax into trusting himself, but things have changed."
"I'm sorry, Marsh," Cooper said, softening. "I know you've been through a lot and you aren't the same guy you were before and blah, blah, blah, but this is way more important than you trying to prove something to yourself."
"Do not put me in the same category as Damon," Marsh snapped.
"That's not what I meant—"
"I don't care what you meant. I'm telling you that I'm going to do what I can to make this right. You're just run ning around like you always do, thinking you can handle anything. Well, you can't. Damon got you. He killed you, remember? You're in as far over your head as I am. The only difference is that you won't admit it."
The two stood toe-to-toe, neither backing down. "Okay, Ralph," Coop said coldly. "I'm going to the Black to track down and kill a demon. What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to find Ennis Mobley," Marsh said with authority.
"Why?" Coop asked with surprise.
"You haven't thought of everything, Coop. You never do. There were six crucibles. One was broken in Damon's tomb when my mother and Ennis found it. The second one I broke. Your grandfather broke the third in the Black. The fourth I've got right here, and the fifth is protecting the poleax, which is why Damon can't find it himself. That leaves one more. If these things have as much power over Damon as you say, I think we should try to find it, and who has a better chance of knowing where it is than the guy who found them all in the first place?"
Coop started to argue, but held back.
Sydney smiled. "He's got you there, spirit boy."
" All right," Coop said. "Go for it. But stay close to my sister. And keep that crucible with you. I don't want to have to come back here to save either of you. Again."
"Just worry about yourself," Marsh said coldly.
A colorful, swirling mist appeared behind Cooper. "What I'm worried about is ending this, and there's only one way that can happen. Damon has to be destroyed."
"So stop talking and find him," Sydney called out. Cooper took a step backward and disappeared into the mist.
Marsh and Sydney stared wide-eyed at the colorful cloud as it quickly vanished.
"Well," Sydney said with a sigh. "That went
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