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T his is a disaster,” Maggie says flatly, spreading a map of Redwater over her Outpost’s desk. There are pinpoint dots indicating all the locations where mega-rifts have opened over the past three days, and even in those scant seventy-two hours, Ez sees that the paper is covered with so many marks that they practically black out the town. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. Obie, have you?”

“Nope.” Obie’s arms are crossed over his chest and jaw is twitching with frustration. “Before now, I didn’t even think rifts could be weaponized like this. Leave it to the humans to figure out how to turn anything into a weapon.”

Ez’s stomach churns. “You think they’re trying to use them as weapons?”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense,” Obie says, smoothing a hand over the map. “Especially since none of the mega-rifts have opened outside of Redwater. Obviously, they’re not being used for a direct attack, but?—but they’re definitely trying to distract us. Exhaust us. Make us expend all our resources countering them instead of noticing a larger threat.”

Maggie’s eyes narrow. “And do we have any idea what that larger threat could be?”

Her tone is more suspicious?—and more knowing?—than Ez likes. She glances at Obie, and Obie grimaces back at her.

Maggie notices. Impatiently, she snaps her fingers, draping a soundproofing spell over the office. “All right,” she says, planting her hands on her desk and leaning forward. “Level with me here. Does this have anything to do with Chin and Jackson?”

The words take Ez off guard. “With Cass and JJ? No, of course not,” she says, and she frowns at Obie. “Right?”

He hesitates briefly before shaking his head. “It’s highly doubtful. There’s something going on with them, I’ll grant you that, but it’s strictly local to them.” He meets Maggie’s eyes. “I swear on the name of Nostringvadha.”

Maggie’s jaw works. “Then what are you two hiding? You know more than you’re saying. If it’s relevant to this case, then I need to know about it. I’ll keep your names off the record, but this?—this isn’t sustainable. We’ve contracted every local demon to help us close these mega-rifts, and we can still barely keep up?—not to mention that most of the Sanctum’s spellcasters aren’t as harmless as your pet, Ez.”

“Gutierrez isn’t my pet,” Ez says wearily. “She’s my situationship. My significant bother. The bane of my existence.”

“Those sound like pet names to me,” Maggie says, and she continues before Ez can argue. “Come on, guys. Give me something to work with here.”

For a long moment, Ez wavers.

On the one hand, she and Roma have all but confirmed that there’s corruption at fairly high levels of both the Chain and the Sanctum, and neither of them has any idea how deep that corruption runs. On top of that, Micah and Gregorio tacitly admitted that there’s even more going on than Ez suspects?—and that they’re somehow caught up in the middle of it. In light of all that, it only makes sense to assume the Sanctum might be fabricating this epidemic to distract them from something.

Something huge, by the looks of it.

On the other hand, though, Ez just doesn’t know who she can trust in the Chain anymore. She’s reluctantly willing to trust Micah and Gregorio, but only because they’ve been helping Cass, JJ, and Desi?—and because they looked honestly surprised when Ez confronted them about the “G. Ricci” signature last week.

Magdalena Khan, though? Even though Ez jokes that Maggie intimidates her, she truly does like her as a person. But Maggie is also one of the oldest, most powerful demons on Earth besides Obie himself, and if anyone has been alive for enough millennia to truly understand the long game, it’s her. She could very well be involved in whatever conspiracy Micah and Gregorio are investigating.

But before Ez can finish grappling with the implications of trusting Maggie, Obie steamrolls ahead. “Someone in the Chain is delivering neophyte demons directly to the Sanctum’s prison.”

Ez gapes at him, appalled. “Well, that was very abrupt.”

Maggie goes still. “What are you talking about, Obie?”

“At the very least,” Obie says, “the last four demons who’ve been summoned in Redwater?—the one in midtown two weeks ago and the three at Lakeside last month?—all ended up in the Sanctum’s prison within twenty-four hours.” He nods at Ez. “Her pet told her all about it.”

Maggie’s eyes snap to Ez. “Is that true?”

Ez crosses her arms over her chest, fighting back a scowl. “Yes. And the Education Department lied to my face when I asked about the neophyte from midtown?—they claimed she was transferred to Oregon.”

“What else has Gutierrez said since then?” Maggie’s expression hardens. “What else has she said since three days ago?”

“Nothing, Mags,” Ez snaps, and she takes a deep breath, forcing down her temper. “We were there when the epidemic first started, and Roma looked genuinely shocked that the mega-rifts kept opening. If the Sanctum is behind this, then they’re not telling her anything.”

“Hm.” Maggie slowly sinks down into her seat, folding her hands together in front of her. “And?—and did Roma say how long this has been happening? Or how many neophyte demons have been funneled to the Sanctum?”

There’s the slightest hint of a tremor in her voice. With a sharp pang, Ez remembers that Maggie has escorted dozens?—if not hundreds?—of neophytes to the Education Department over the years, wholeheartedly convinced that she was bringing them to a better life. She probably feels the weight of that in her very bones now. “Roma didn’t say,” Ez admits softly. “She just recognized the three from Lakeside and started watching for a repeat performance afterward. She?—she actually let me take the neophyte from midtown to test her theory. The Sanctum wasn’t happy about it, apparently.”

Maggie’s eyes narrow. “Why?”

“Why wasn’t the Sanctum happy about it?” Ez asks blankly. “Well, I presume because??—?”

Maggie shakes her head. “No, why was Roma willing to risk their wrath in the first place? She had nothing to gain and everything to lose?—if there’s a corrupt Chain demon sending neophytes to the Sanctum, then that aligns with the hunters’ goals. So why would she take such drastic measures to confirm her theory? Hell, why would she even tell you about it?”

Ez’s heart does something funny. “Well, I…”

She doesn’t know. She really, truly doesn’t know what Roma’s deal is. Back when Roma first told Ez about her suspicions, Ez was convinced that she had a sinister ulterior motive, but now??—

Now, Ez isn’t so sure. So why would Roma risk the Council’s condemnation just to prove that the Chain has a rogue element? Why wouldn’t she just stay quiet and write it off as a stroke of luck?

Roma Gutierrez is confusing, is what she is. She seemed so sincere when she first helped them break JJ out of prison all those months ago, and then she stabbed them in the back in the worst way. And now she’s back again, and she’s helping Ez close the mega-rifts, and she’s sharing her conspiracy theories, and she’s asking after JJ??—

JJ, who she still refers to as her friend.

Ez hugs her arms across her chest, disconcerted. “Honestly, I don’t know. But she?—she betrayed JJ pretty badly a few months ago. Maybe she regrets that. Maybe she’s trying to… atone for it.”

It’s the first time Ez has voiced that thought out loud?—the first time, in fact, that she’s really let herself consider it. Obie shoots her a sharp look, but he doesn’t comment.

“Hm.” Maggie leans back in her chair, considering. “I’ll do some digging on my end, too. I have dozens of demons who owe me favors, so??—?”

Obie cuts in before she can finish. “Maggie,” he says, “I respect the hell out of you, and you know that. So I’m asking you as a friend here: stay on the sidelines for this one. There are a few other demons looking into this already, and frankly, we’re not even sure if we can trust them. I’m afraid that if we involve too many people at once, the entire covert investigation will come crashing down, and…” He smiles ruefully. “No one has ever accused you of being subtle.”

Maggie’s jaw twitches, but she doesn’t deny it. “Then you two need to keep me in the loop, understand? If there’s something shady happening in Redwater, then I want it nipped in the bud as soon as possible. Ez, stop by to update me whenever Roma gives you new information, no matter how innocuous it might seem; Obie…” She gestures vaguely. “Just tell me the highlights at bowling whenever Trevor and Sasha are distracted.”

“Sure thing,” Ez confirms, nodding.

“On it,” Obie agrees.

“All right.” Letting out a slow breath, Maggie waves a hand and releases the soundproofing spell over her Outpost. “Ez, you’re agreeable to us changing the terms of your contract to account for the evolving situation?”

“I am,” Ez says. “I mean, I’m going to keep closing the stupid things regardless of how much money the Chain gives me, but, ah. Don’t tell them I said that.”

“Noted.” Maggie’s eyes flicker to Obie. “And you’ll help, too?”

“My spellcasting isn’t nearly as precise as Ez’s,” he says breezily, “but I’m sure I can rustle up a human spellcaster and close a few rifts.”

JJ. Ez bites back a grimace. She knows how skittish Cass is about involving JJ in this conflict, especially after their mutual brushes with death a few months ago?—and especially now that so many hunters are prowling the streets to help close mega-rifts?—but for now, it looks like they don’t have any other options. Obie can definitely protect JJ, probably even better than Cass himself can, and as for Ez??—

Well. Like Maggie and Obie said, Ez has her pet hunter.

She’s not going to analyze too closely the twinge of satisfaction she feels at the thought of working more regularly with Roma Gutierrez.