Excerpt: Last Rites

“Hold up, Cerberus.”

The great black stallion slowed down, swiveling his ears back at the same time inquisitively. -They’re waiting for us, you know.-

“I know.” Nikki Jeffries sat back, looking up at the large house looming over the horizon, suddenly loathe to finish the ride. Once the residents of the mansion saw her, she’d have some decisions to make, and she had no inclination to make them at this moment. -Alex. What am I going to do with you, Alex?- That was the biggest one.
She was tired. Bruised, too, in spirit as much as in body, although how she’d managed to escape Thom’s blast without serious injury was a mystery to her. -Sad that I’m getting used to being blown into things,- she thought ruefully, running her fingers along the leather reins she held loosely in one hand. -Either that, or it’s because he’s not used to magic.- Probably the latter – her newly-found brother was a Healer first and foremost, until his Horseman took over. She wondered how Thom was going to reconcile his obviously magical acts with his faith. -That’s going to be an interesting conversation. I wonder if he’ll come out with his sanity intact.-

Cerberus stopped moving all together and turned his head towards her. -If he doesn’t, you have an even larger problem on your hands,- he said. -An insane Horseman is a danger to more than just the Cleansing. An insane Horseman could wipe out this world without blinking.-

“If he’s insane, then we’ll kill him,” Nikki said, shrugging.

-If you can.-

“If I can’t, then we’re all screwed,” she pointed out. “I’m Death. I should be able to kill anyone, including another Horseman.”