Page 6

6

T he goddamn rifts keep opening,” Maggie Khan says without preamble, sliding a folder across her desk to Ez. “Frankly, I’m annoyed.”

“Same,” Ez says, picking up the report and flipping through it. In the two weeks since that first rift at Lakeside with the one summoner, three neophyte demons, and unfortunate preponderance of humans, at least six more rifts have opened in various civilian areas around Redwater?—mostly within the past week. So far, Ez was in the immediate vicinity for three of them, much to her displeasure. “Does Central Office have any idea what’s going on?”

“Nope,” Maggie says, leaning back in her chair. Her Public Safety Outpost is a single-demon office space, really only large enough for her desk and a lonely printer in the corner, but Ez thinks Maggie prefers it that way. “Or nothing they’ve chosen to share with me, in any case. But our Public Safety resources are stretched thin. We were already dealing with an uptick of summoners in Redwater before this, and these summoner-less rifts are just more strain on the system. We don’t have enough personnel to keep up.”

The words pique Ez’s interest. “Is that why you called me?”

“Yep.” Maggie slides a second folder across the table. “Registered members of the Chain are expected to close rifts to Tamaros whenever they arise, but that provision of the membership agreement is really just a failsafe for any stray rifts that we can’t get to right away. But with this sudden influx of incidents, Central Office wants Public Safety to bring in a few extra demons on a contract basis. Since you’re Redwater’s best spellcaster, you were at the top of our list.”

Ez skims over the terms of the agreement, frowning. “Should I be flattered?”

“Personally, I think it’s best to stay off the Chain’s radar whenever possible,” Maggie says. “And I say that as someone who’s literally employed by them. But, if it makes you feel any better, you’re actually considered the best in the state, not just in Redwater. And you and your friends have a habit of being in the right place at the right time.”

Ez stops halfway through a sentence, narrowing her eyes at Maggie. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Maggie arches an eyebrow. “You tell me.”

Ez scowls down at the contract, wracking her brain for a suitable answer. Unfortunately, it’s the same brain-wracking she’s been doing for the past week.

Because it’s not just Ez who’s inexplicably been around whenever these bizarre rifts open. Her heart almost stopped on Friday when Cass texted their group chat to say that he, JJ, and Desi were having poutine by Lakeside when a rift billowed to life, and just a few days earlier, Obie was supremely annoyed by one that opened outside Redwater Bowl right in the middle of his team’s final frame.

Obviously, Cass and Obie are perfectly capable of closing normal rifts to Tamaros. The problem is that these rifts?—these strange, summoner-less rifts that don’t even seem to involve any summoning in the first place?—have been twice as powerful as usual. Luckily?—or un luckily, in Ez’s opinion?—she’s managed to trip over Roma twice more and another hunter the third time.

Cass and JJ ran into Roma, too. And JJ was very quiet that night when they all had dinner together.

But the fact does remain that it’s strange how Ez and her friends were nearby almost every time one of these rifts opened. Normally, summoners open rifts in unpopulated areas specifically to prevent demons?—or hunters?—from immediately closing them, but now, it’s almost like the rifts are purposefully opening near people who can shut them down.

“I wish I could tell you,” Ez says eventually, grabbing a pen and tapping it against her leg. The Chain is offering her a generous amount of money for her spellcasting services, but she doesn’t want to look too eager. “Frankly, it’s a hassle. It’s getting to the point where I can’t even finish a good meal without one of the stupid things popping open ten feet away.”

Maggie lets out a slow breath. “I’m hoping it’s just a coincidence. You and your friends spend more time in public than most Redwater demons, so my running theory is that you’re just the most accessible. But we’re still trying to figure out why these summoner-less rifts…” She scrunches her nose. “New rifts? Big rifts?”

“Desi is calling them ‘mega-rifts,’” Ez offers.

“‘Mega-rifts’ it is, then,” Maggie says. “We still don’t know why these mega-rifts are preferentially opening in areas with a high density of humans and demons. If something destabilized the Deep, I could see the fallout mainly affecting the town itself, but…”

Ez looks up sharply. “You think the Deep is involved?”

Honestly, Ez doesn’t even want to consider that possibility. It’s a well-known fact to demons and humans alike that Redwater was built on top of a particularly large magic reservoir, a vast source of raw power churning right underneath their feet. Like all magic reservoirs, the Deep exists in a state of careful equilibrium, perfectly docile and dormant until an outside force disrupts it?—with predictably disastrous consequences.

And, from years of extensive and extremely delicate study, Ez also knows that the Deep is a weird magic reservoir. Not only does it provide a ready and apparently unlimited source of magic for anyone brave?—and idiotic?—enough to use it, but it also amplifies the power of all the spellcasters in town, keeps a record of every spell that’s cast within its borders, and has enough juice to disguise certain energy signatures. Hell, Ez wouldn’t be surprised if Nostringvadha himself could hide out unnoticed under the cover of the Deep’s massive aura?—not to mention that it’s one of the biggest reasons why Cass and JJ elected to stay in Redwater rather than moving to a different continent once they became fugitives.

In short, it’s precisely the kind of magic that Ez really doesn’t want to mess with.

“I sure hope not,” Maggie says, “but Central Office is investigating.” She nods at Ez’s contract. “You want more money? I think I can get you more money.”

“Really?”

“Mm-hm. I’ll tell them you asked for a higher salary commensurate with your abilities and get you the modified paperwork by the end of the week. Probably no retro pay for any rifts you close between now and then, but you’d just be closing them anyway, right?”

“Right,” Ez says, and she gratefully hands the unsigned contract back to Maggie. Bless the unionized Chain employees and their skills in collective bargaining. “Thanks, Mags. You’re a real one.”

“I try,” Maggie says. “For now, it’s just business as usual?—try to keep closing the rifts whenever you find them, but don’t stress about chasing them halfway across town. If Public Safety gets overwhelmed and needs you to cover, I’ll call you directly.” She hesitates. “And Central Office is exploring the possibility of enlisting some human spellcasters, too. We’ve been lucky that hunters tend to be around to help us close the mega-rifts, but we’d rather train a few civilians than have to rely on lackeys any day.”

Ez briefly thinks of Roma and fights back a scowl. “Anything to get away from them,” she says flatly, and she steps away. “Thanks again, Maggie. See you??—?”

“One more thing.”

Ez frowns. “Yeah?”

Maggie leans back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. She looks uncomfortable. “I’ve been ordered by the Chain to inquire with you into the whereabouts of Cassius Chin.”

“No idea,” Ez says casually. “He keeps switching safe houses. You know how he is.”

Maggie looks thoroughly unconvinced, but she also doesn’t look like she’s going to press the point. Not for the first time, Ez is exceedingly grateful that Cass and Maggie have fought so many wars together. That level of battle-born trust is hard to betray, even for the bureaucrats who sign your paychecks. “Well, I’ve been ordered by the Chain to alert you to the fact that he’s considered a fugitive, and that any information about him should be brought to your most convenient Public Safety Outpost.”

Ez fights back a laugh. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Maggie.”

“Stay safe out there,” Maggie says, and she turns back to her paperwork.

Letting out a slow breath, Ez shoulders her way out of the office and squints against the afternoon sun, getting her bearings. It’s rare that she visits any Chain Outposts, much less Maggie’s Public Safety Outpost across town, but it’s not a long walk back to her house.

Her original plan was to rift straight to Cass’s safe house for dinner, but she’s definitely not doing that within eyeshot of any Chain employees. Grimacing, Ez hangs a left on the cracked sidewalk and starts walking in the opposite direction, unease curling in her stomach. Even though Maggie clearly wouldn’t tell her superiors Cass’s location even if she knew it, Ez knows that Cass put himself firmly at odds with the Chain when he hid Desi from them?—and even more so when he took in his stray hunter.

She’s really hoping all the drama settles down soon. Obie is taking the entire situation in stride, as he always does, and Cass is mostly ignoring the tension altogether, but she can tell that it rattles JJ.

And with good reason. After all, he’s currently a fugitive from both the Chain and the Sanctum, and he’s entirely reliant on his former enemies to keep him from being kidnapped, tortured, and probably burned alive. Even though he trusts Cass implicitly and likes Ez and Obie well enough, too, she knows that this entire situation is difficult for him.

It’s honestly good that the Chain seems to suspect Ez and Obie of harboring Cass. Keeps them from snooping around any other locations, like the suburban safe house where he, JJ, and Desi are actually staying.

Even if the safe house in question is technically owned by Obie. But Obie owns approximately a third of Redwater’s real estate, so Ez doubts that information would help the Chain.

But, right now, that’s not Ez’s concern. Right now, she just has a leisurely walk back to her house, a quick rift over to Cass’s place, and a delicious dinner of dal makhani waiting for her.

She can worry about the rest later.