write because not writing will kill you

More importantly, she saw what it saw. There were docks, and shipping containers, and boats. Kira wasn’t familiar with the dockyards themselves, but she was confident it wouldn’t matter.

“Do you know where it is?” Cedric asked. Kira wasn’t keen on the skeptical tone in his voice.

“Sort of?” Kira said slowly. “I used the telluric current to, I dunno, put a tracker on it?”

“You manipulated the telluric currents?” Salazar asked, standing. There was a strange look on his face that Kira couldn’t quite read.

She just shrugged and began leading them towards the back of the warehouse. “I guess. I was kinda making things up as I went along,” Kira explained as they walked. “It’s looking for something. No idea what. Hopefully it won’t be too hard to spot.”

While Kira couldn’t see Salazar and Cedric, she could feel them exchanging looks behind her back. Whatever, she was on a mission. There was a eight-foot tall animated statue on the loose.

Outside, Kira couldn’t help but blink in surprise. She was just here, among the shipping crates and cranes. The only problem was that there weren’t any directional landmarks in the dockyard. Worse; with the rings on she couldn’t sense her way out of a wet paper bag.

“Dammit,” Kira hissed. She tried looking around, but the crates obscured her vision. “Sorry, guys. I thought I’d still be able to sense it, but-”

“No, I can definitely sense it,” Salazar spoke up. Kira turned to him, but his gaze was fixed intently on some point in the distance.

That made sense. Out of the other three, Salazar was the most familiar with telluric currents. He took over the search, leading them through the maze of crates.

After some running, Lix let out a surprised, “Oh! I think I can sense it too.”

So they really were getting closer. Kira tried her hardest, but all she felt were the presences of the Otherworlders beside her. This would be incredibly embarrassing if she wasn’t the one who created the tracking spell in the first place. Good thing she didn’t have to admit that out loud.

Kira heard it before she could sense it. What she first assumed was another part of the soundscape - the sounds of the river on one side and bustling downtown traffic noise on the other - didn’t quite seem to fit.

Several seconds later, Kira realized why she recognized it. This was the same scream she heard from the statue just minutes ago. It almost sounded like a human scream, but there was something off...It never ended. The statue wasn’t living, so it didn’t need to breathe. It just kept letting out one long roar of rage without needing to stop.

“It should be right around this corner-” Salazar said as he took the next turn. Then he stopped short and it didn’t take long to figure out why. Watching a giant stone statue wildly beat at the air was pretty intimidating.

More surprising was the reason. As a neutral mage, Kira was always surprised when her spells took visible form. The telluric currents were wrapped in rings around the thing’s shoulders, just like she pictured. It glowed orange, bands of energy forming loops and peeling off at random intervals, like the surface of the sun, or Kira whenever she had a meltdown.

The statue was so busy thrashing at the magic it didn’t notice the group’s arrival. It just stood there, swatting uselessly at the magic, like watching a cat go after a penlight. Kira couldn’t help but laugh, from both pride and the surprising amount of humor in the situation.

Unfortunately, it was her laugh that finally got the thing’s attention. Its head swiveled in their direction, singular scream suddenly cut short. “Oh, shit,” Kira managed before the thing started heading right for them.

“Watan!” It shouted. Because of course.

Kira took a step back and was fully prepared to pivot when the statue froze mid-step. Cedric and Lix also stopped their sudden retreats. She watched telluric energy around the statue constrict, holding it in place.

When she turned to the side, she found Salazar with an arm outstretched, fingers clenched in a fist. “Just because I’m no longer the Guardian of Mixba’al doesn’t mean I no longer know how to control telluric energy,” he smirked. The smirk wavered as the creature struggled against his bindings. “It would certainly make it easier, though.”

No, shit, Kira thought. She could hear the tension in his voice. If she was going to do something, she needed to do it fast.

The answer was so simple and Kira was embarrassed she didn’t think of it sooner. Wasn’t her specialty neutral magic? She’d seen into the core of the statue’s magical essence when she tracked it down. She knew exactly how it was constructed. Breaking down the enchantment would be a breeze.

Placing her palms together, Kira drew on that magic deep within herself. The part of the magic that was intrinsically her. In the blink of an eye, she had enough there to begin stringing a counterspell together. Her hands moved in swirling patterns as she wove them together.

Before she could complete the spell, a hand on her arm stopped her. “Hold on, I can’t let you destroy this thing,” Cedric said. “It’s not outwardly malicious. We just need to contain it, not destroy it.”

“Wa! Tan!” The statue cried, inching closer to them.

The spell fizzled out between Kira’s hands. “Well, what the hell am I supposed to do?”

“Wait!” Lix shouted, suddenly holding an arm up. She turned to the creature and said...something Kira couldn’t understand. Whatever it was, it made the statue stop struggling immediately.

“Watan?” The statue said again. This time, Kira could hear something almost like sadness in its voice.

“I thought I recognized the way this golem was crafted,” Lix sighed, looking back at the others. There was a frown on her face. “It’s late Nabataean. Watan is the Arabic word for home.”

Lix turned back to the statue, slowly letting her arm down. Salazar still had an arm up to channel the binding spell, but Lix looked back over her shoulder and gestured for him to drop it. There was a quick, nonverbal back-and-forth, but Salazar relented. He still kept a wary eye on the situation.

From this far away, Kira couldn’t make out exactly what Lix was saying, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to understand it anyway. She could only wonder if the words were as pretty as they sounded. Even though it had no discernable facial features, Kira could see the slight tilt of the statue’s head as it listened to what Lix was saying.

Then, in a moment that had Kira blinking out of shock, it said something back. They were slow and stilted syllables, but it was more than Kira had heard out of it in two encounters.

The conversation didn’t last long. Before she even knew what was happening, the statue inclined its head towards Lix as she produced something from her pocket. A piece of chalk, Kira realized, as Lix began to draw some kind of sigil on the statue’s head. Without turning around, she gestured for everyone to come over and join her.

The trio exchanged various glances and shrugs before acquiescing. They got there just as Lix finished drawing the sigil. Suddenly, the statue stood to attention and froze in place. Everyone but Lix jumped back, only to realize the statue wasn’t going anywhere.

“It’s resting now,” Lix said. She reached a hand out to the statue. “All it wanted was to go home. It was taken by some men not long ago and brought here. It was just retracing its steps.”

That mixture of loneliness and nostalgia Kira felt when she saw into the statue earlier...It was homesickness.

“And where’s home?” Kira asked. She might’ve been weeks away from a master’s degree in history, but she knew woefully little outside of the European Middle Ages.

“A town not far from Petra, Jordan,” Lix explained. “This golem was the guardian of a tomb. It stood there for hundreds of years, but then the tomb was raided and it was stolen.” She turned around, seeking out Cedric. “You have to make sure this golem makes it back so it can fulfill its duty once more.”

Cedric’s nod was solemn. “I intend to.” He paused. “When you say it was taken…?”

“The grave it protected was robbed. And recently,” Lix amended. The frown on Cedric’s face deepened.

“I don’t think it’s the only thing,” Kira spoke up. “When I was tracking this guy down, I could sense hundreds of magical items in the warehouse. I thought, since you knew the guy who owned it, that this was something you oversaw. But…”

“It’s not,” Cedric finished for her, his expression hardening. “Shame. A lot of my revenue came through that auction house. Now I have that to search as well as Sterling International. No rest for the wicked, I suppose.” He let out a particularly tired sigh. “Well, I guess it’s time we headed back to the shop.”

Everyone gathered in a tight circle around the statue. This time, Lix was the one to grab onto Salazar first. Kira, meanwhile, wrapped her free arm around the statue while Cedric grabbed the other side.

Once everyone was secure, Salazar pulled the crystal from his pocket. “Everyone ready?” He asked, waiting for nods. Kira gave hers, then immediately braced for the spell to take effect.

Before Kira knew it, they were in the alleyway behind Vestibulum Venenatis once more. She blinked a couple times to adjust, but the vertigo was already clearing. Cedric really wasn’t kidding when he said this got easier with time. Considering how often they were using the herkimer diamond these days, it probably wouldn’t be long before Kira could just shrug it off the way Cedric always did.

Speaking of, the incubus was currently in the process of inspecting the statue. This was the first time he’d seen it, Kira realized. She wondered what he thought looking at the thing. Kira was still a little nervous around it herself, worrying it would suddenly spring to life again and come after her with stone fists swinging.

“How do you plan to get it back to Jordan?” Lix asked.

“Oh, I have my ways,” Cedric replied. He sent a secretive smile Kira’s way that made her guess she was part of the plan. It didn’t last long enough for her to return, however, and soon he was back to frowning at the statue. “Now the real question is how I bring this inside…” Cedric trailed off, leaning in like he was going to lift it up himself. Halfway there, decided against it. “Actually, one of my employees is a werewolf. This is his problem now.”

Kira couldn’t help but laugh. An actual joke from Cedric. How long had it been? When he looked her way, she waved him off.

“Would you be alright watching this while I grab his attention?” Cedric asked Salazar and Lix. He turned to Kira and nodded towards the shop. Behind them, Salazar and Lix were making quiet conversation in Spanish. “What was it earlier?” Cedric asked. He leaned in, lowered his voice, and raised an eyebrow. “Not checking me out are you?”

All at once, Kira was hit with a feeling almost like the homesickness from the statue. A tidal wave of longing for the times before Layla’s resurrection, before Kira’s nightmares came back, before the grimoire was stolen. Cedric’s joke earlier and his flirtatious comment now both had a glimmer of easier days in them.

For Cedric, those words seemed so natural. Over a thousand years of flirting with people probably made it a pretty ingrained habit. He seemed to realize a second later, drawing back with the shadow of a wince on his face.

Cedric wasn’t the only one fighting off a knee-jerk reaction. After so long of dealing with her boss’s passes at her, Kira’s first instinct was to let out a defensive no! But she held herself back. She wasn’t about to discourage Cedric from getting back to his old, flirty self - particularly if it meant he was happier. And, well, there was no point in denying that she’d been staring at him.

“That smile earlier,” Kira said instead, holding the shop door open for him. “The genuine ones aren’t a bad look on you.”

As Cedric passed by, Kira watched his expression carefully. The smile came back, and Kira nearly congratulated herself. But then his look changed. Maybe she was just being too oversensitive, but Kira swore she saw something in his eyes. It looked like a dawning realization. And he looked horrified.

Before she could spend too much time on it, Gus was calling their names. Kira looked up and found her best friend waving them over to the register. At first she thought he was just excited to have them back. However, she quickly recognized the distress on his face.

“You said it would just be lunch!” Gus cried once they were close enough. “You were gone for over two hours-”

“And we’re really very sorry about that, Gus,” Cedric sighed apologetically. Then, in a quieter tone, “Someone called in about the statue from last night.”

Gus’s eyes widened. “Did you, I dunno, stop it?”

“It’s in the back alley right now,” Kira answered, smiling proudly.

“And I’m sure you did just fine without us,” Cedric assured him. “Nothing’s on fire and I didn’t get any distress calls. I daresay you did an excellent job for your first time.”

“Yeah, you dare,” Gus hissed. He waved his arms at Old Reliable, voice rising in pitch. “This thing nearly broke on me, and then we had a line of customers who wanted to make their purchase now. And I had to...”

Very suddenly, Kira was reminded of the fact that Gus had never had a job in food service. Or retail, for that matter. That was just another thing that happened at the shop once a week, sometimes more. Besides, the customers here were actually a lot nicer here than they were the fast food places Kira used to work. She didn’t doubt he could handle it once he got more comfortable. The upcoming supermoon probably didn’t help, though.

Gus broke off his upcoming rant to roll up his sleeve. Kira watched in confusion as he placed three fingers on the inside of his wrist before clamping down where he placed the lowest finger..

“It’s a pressure point,” Gus explained to Kira and Cedric’s surprised faces. “Supposed to relieve stress. Toni taught it to me.”

The Harbinger, who had been talking with a pair of customers since they’d walked in, was at their side a second later. “Not like that. All you’re gonna do is give yourself a headache,” she sighed.

She held out her hand and Gus dutifully dropped his arm into it. Toni measured out the same three fingers before kneading small circles into the same spot Gus had been working at before. Kira watched in fascination as Gus’s breathing slowed and the tension left his shoulders.

“See? You don’t have to press so hard,” Toni told him, drawing back once she was satisfied with the results. She shot a smirk at Kira. “Men, right?” Kira had to place a hand over her mouth to suppress an ugly snort and she was pretty sure she saw Gus blush.

Cedric cleared his throat - probably to clear his grin, but it had the added benefit of drawing everyone’s attention back to him. “Now that you’re feeling better, what do you say to helping me lug a thousand-pound statue inside?” He asked.

When Gus’s eyes widened this time, it was even more comical. “Uh, sure?” He most certainly did not sound sure, but obligated.

While the two of them disappeared out the back, Kira hopped the counter and took Gus’s place behind the register. Toni watched the whole thing, seemingly fascinated. When Kira asked what she was looking at, Toni just shrugged. “I’ve seen Gus do it a couple times, but I guess I haven’t been here with you much. Does Cedric parkour over the counter too?”

“He started it, actually,” Kira confirmed.

“Just when I think I have the Warden figured out,” Toni shook her head. Then, she hopped up on the counter and swung her legs over. When she was done, Kira was staring at her. “What? Don’t look at me like that. I know I’m short.”

Out the corner of her eye, Kira saw the couple Toni was talking to earlier making their way to the register. Toni stared at her like she was in the way. Kira watched in surprise as Toni rang up their purchases. Gus must’ve taught her how to work Old Reliable, then. Huh.

Since Toni seemed perfectly content behind the register, Kira opened the door to the back rooms. What she found almost made her laugh. Gus was the only one with a hand on the statue, grimacing as he brought it over to the store room. At first, the appearance of fangs and glowing eyes made her nervous, but he probably needed to shift a little to help pick up the giant hunk of rock. He seemed pretty focused on the task at hand anyway. Salazar was spotting for him and holding open doors while Cedric appeared to be nothing more than moral support.

And Lix...Lix was staring at something just over Kira’s shoulder. She turned just in time to catch Toni wave behind her. That seemed to do the trick, but Lix continued to shoot them looks.

“What? Is my fly down or something?” Toni asked.

As if she didn’t already know. Kira moved to stand behind Toni, meeting Lix’s stare. She seemed to get the point after that.

Moments later, the rest of the crew emerged from the back. It was getting a bit crowded behind the counter, but Kira didn’t know how to politely excuse herself to the other side.

“Well, now that everything’s settled,” Cedric was the first to speak, cutting through the awkward tension. “Toni, you’re free to go. You too, Gus, if you’d like to get back to the labs.”

“Sweet,” Toni nodded. “Oh, before I peace out, you’re gonna need to put me on the payroll with the way you keep dragging me down here.”

“That can be arranged,” Cedric shrugged after a moment’s consideration.

Halfway across the counter, Toni hesitated. Looks like Cedric really did never stop running out of ways to surprise her after all, Kira couldn’t help but smile. Toni did too. She didn’t really say anything else after that. Maybe she was still too shocked to come up with a witty goodbye. Or, well, a verbal one at least. She did manage an impressively sarcastic salute. The bells above the door played her out.

“I’m gonna stick around for a bit, but I’m gonna head out on my lunch break now if that’s alright?” Gus asked a moment later.

Once Cedric gave him the okay, he was running out the door too. With no customers left in the lobby, the shop went quiet. “Have you decided what-” Cedric began just as Salazar said, “So I should let you know-” They shared a look before laughing. Cedric stopped first, deferring to his friend.

Salazar took a deep breath before saying, “After weeks of stalling, I have to return to my Ward.”

It was like a punch to the gut, Kira couldn’t help but think. Still, one she saw coming. Hearing him say it hurt, but at least she’d known to brace for impact. It was bound to happen eventually. It needed to happen. Still, that didn’t mean Kira had to like it.

“I’ve left it without a leader for too long and that alone is inexcusable for a Warden,” Salazar went on. “I’ve also neglected the Temple of Mixba’al and...” He stopped to wrap an arm around Lix’s shoulders. She leaned into the embrace with a kind of ease that suggested this was a common position for the two of them. “And I’ve been neglecting the woman I’ve asked to marry me. I need to head back.”

Cedric was the first to speak. “Ah, I figured that’s what this was about.” He nodded solemnly, but there was a smile on his face. “I’ll be sad to see you go, my friend. Don’t be a stranger.”

“Don’t worry, I intend to make plenty of visits,” he replied, throwing his smile in Kira’s direction. “As long as you still want my help, of course.”

“Of course I still want your help!” Kira said immediately.

It wasn’t so much a want as a need. There was still so much about the Mark she had yet to learn and the thought of doing that on her own was terrifying. What she wanted to do was tell Salazar to stay. Stay until she understood just what she’d inherited, stay until she knew him. But after seeing the look in his eyes when he smiled at Lix, Kira knew that was out of the question. Selfish! Her mind screamed at her. She shut her lips tight.

At least Salazar seemed to think her response was funny, or maybe his chuckle was his attempt to lighten the situation. Kira swallowed and tried to stop herself from tearing up.

“Just know you’re welcome here any time. My guest room will be lonely without you,” Cedric told him.

If nothing else, Kira could tell Salazar and Lix loved each other very much. They acted like newlyweds, not people who had been in a relationship for three years. It was the little things Kira noticed, like how they were so comfortable around each other that personal space was a bubble they shared, or the look on Lix’s face when she caught Salazar stealing a fry from her plate.

What Kira found most fascinating about Lix was her job. She her work as an etymologist focused on ancient languages and translating newly discovered texts into both Spanish and English. Kira actually wondered if she’d ever read any of her translations.

“That was actually how we met,” Lix mentioned in the middle of one story.

“Ah, yes, the Scroll of Astar,” Salazar said, blinking back to the memory. He leaned across the table to keep the conversation away from prying ears. “Someone in my Ward had gotten ahold of a copy, but I’d never seen one before, so I took it to a translator to make sure it was safe.”

“Technically, we had met before, but only in passing,” Lix picked up where he left off. “Salazar was my Warden, of course, but my parents were also lobbying hard to fix him up with my older sister - before they realized she wasn’t interested in men, I think.” Now she was leaning across the table, speaking in a low voice. “It was only for the status, really. My whole family is quite adept at sigil drawing, which they felt was a good match for the Guardian of Mixba’al.”

“They were right.” Salazar placed a hand on Lix’s shoulder. “You and I make a great match.”

Lix shook her head at him, but couldn’t quite wipe the smile off her face. Their shared glance was a little too personal, so Kira turned to the only other person at the table. Cedric was watching them fondly, probably basking in the love radiating off of the pair, but he turned to Kira when he felt her eyes on him.

What is it? the raise of his eyebrows seemed to say.

“It’s nothing. Nevermind,” Kira mouthed back.

That should’ve been the end of their conversation, but Kira found she couldn’t look away just yet. Cedric didn’t give her many opportunities to look him in the eye these days - she’d forgotten how stunningly blue they were. And this was...nice. A private little moment in the middle of a bustling diner.

“So that’s enough about us, I think,” Lix spoke up, breaking the staring contest between Kira and Cedric. “How did you two meet?”

Cedric suddenly paled, the weirdo, so Kira took initiative. “Well, it was before I knew about, um, everything.” She paused to give the word proper emphasis. “My aunt gave me the address when I was looking for work. I think it was about a year ago?” She turned to Cedric, but he was still fumbling. What the hell was his problem?

“And that’s how you became his second-in-command. I see,” Lix nodded. “And how long have you been together?”

Oh. Oh. So that’s what was up with Cedric. Instantly, Kira found herself making the same face, lips moving around invisible words as she searched for an answer.

“I, um, I...We don’t- We aren’t,” Kira tried. She turned to Cedric for help. Unfortunately, said incubus couldn’t see her distress signals because he was too busy burying his head in his hands to avoid the question. Useless!

“They’re, um, not dating, love,” Salazar explained and Kira breathed a silent prayer to whichever deity was listening to her prayers. “They’re only together in the sense that they work together.” The wince on his face was impressive. Kira would’ve gotten a good laugh out of it in any other situation. No doubt this was awkward for Salazar too; his fiancée had just asked if his best friend was dating his daughter.

By contrast, Lix didn’t share any of his embarrassment. “They aren’t? But I thought this was a double date?” It took every ounce of self control Kira had not to vault out of the booth in that moment.

Kira’s mortification was cut across by the sound of a phone ringing. Cedric finally stopped trying to smother himself with his own hands to look around at the other members of the table. His eyes lit up in realization and he quickly scrambled for his back pocket.

“Hello?” Cedric answered. There was a pause and then, “Yes, this is he.”

Kira watched as his face slowly changed from frazzled man out to lunch to Cedric, Warden of the Greater Tristate Area and Otherworld Council member. Even Lix and Salazar seemed to notice the switch, stopping their conversation to stare at him as well.

“Alright, I’ll be right there,” Cedric said, then hung up. He pulled out his wallet and began rooting through it before he even looked at anyone else.

“Well, are you going to tell us what’s going on?” Kira asked, watching as he threw several bills down on the table.

“The thing you faced yesterday,” Cedric began, already shrugging into his peacoat. “It’s been spotted across town. I’m sorry to cut this lunch short, but we need to run before we lose track of it again.”

“Shit,” Kira hissed under her breath, racing to pull her jacket on and grab her purse.

It was only when she stood up that she realized Lix and Salazar were still with them. By the looks of things, they were getting ready to go as well. “No, no, no. Stay, enjoy your meal,” Cedric insisted.

He tried to stop Salazar from adding to the money he’d thrown on the table. Not only did he not succeed, Salazar actually managed to get a twenty back in Cedric’s hands. At that Cedric abandoned ship and tried every tactic he could to keep them seated.

“We’re terribly sorry for running out in the middle of lunch. It was lovely seeing you again, Lix. You really don’t have to-” was all he managed to get out before Salazar cut him off.

“Yes, I do. I was part of the reason this thing managed to escape yesterday,” Salazar said, and rose to his full height. He looked Cedric in the eye, neither budging. “And like hell I was letting you pay the full bill.”

Cedric’s sigh was one of resignation. “Well, if it was enough to give three people trouble yesterday…”

“Then you have four today,” Lix finished for him, standing as well.

Kira could see the debate playing out behind Cedric’s eyes. Would this argument cost them time and lose them the statue once more, or would having another person on the retrieval team be an asset? Cedric closed his eyes tight, shaking his head.

“Alright,” Cedric nodded after a moment. He headed immediately for the door. Once they were out of the diner, he turned to Salazar, “Do you have the crystal on you?”

The other Warden nodded, but Lix spoke first. “Wait, do you mean herkimer diamond?” She asked. Salazar and Cedric shared a look while Kira just shrugged. She didn’t see what Lix was so up in arms about. “Couldn’t we just use your car? I thought that was only to be used for Council meetings. Or dire situations.”

“I don’t want to risk losing this thing again,” Cedric replied. “Perhaps not dire, but the situation certainly requires swift action.”

“Trust me, you don’t want to try crossing Midtown at noon,” Kira added once they reached Cedric’s favorite alleyway.

With everyone assembled, Salazar pulled a leather cord from his pocket. The double-ended crystal dangled from it, reflecting dimly in the shade of the alley. After checking around for mortal witnesses, Salazar handed the crystal off to Cedric. “You’re the one who knows where we’re going.”

“Well, alright,” Cedric replied.

He didn’t need to tell anyone what to do next. Even Lix seemed to know the procedure, leaning in as Salazar wrapped an arm tight around her shoulders. He placed his free hand on Cedric’s nearest shoulder while Kira took the other one.

“Close your eyes and take a breath,” Cedric instructed.

Kira was already way ahead of him, bracing for the spell to take effect. She still wasn’t ready when it hit, space warping around her and spinning the air from her lungs. At least the journey was short and the sensation stopped soon enough.

It took until the count of three before the vertigo cleared and Kira felt comfortable enough to open her eyes. She patted herself on the back for not stumbling. That might’ve been the first time she could say that.

Lix wasn;t so lucky. She still clung tightly to Salazar, even after Kira had recovered. This was probably one of her first times, Kira guessed, which would also explain her hesitation. The pair was whispering in Spanish as Lix blinked her eyes back into focus. That probably meant it was the conversation wasn’t meant for her.

Instead, Kira averted her eyes by checking out the space they’d found themselves in. The spell had planted them right between two rows of shelves, stacked high with boxes and crates. Based on Cedric’s phone conversation and her immediate surroundings, Kira figured they were in a large warehouse. Just to make sure… 

“Cedric, I know you mentioned this thing was across town,” Kira said. “But where exactly was that?”

“We’re at the storage and processing center for Sterling International,” Cedric explained. He handed back the crystal to Salazar. “Luckily for us, the owner of the company is a witch. When he spotted what he believed to be a stone golem breaking into his facilities, he called me. Of course, he suspected its intention was to steal from him, but I suspect we’re already familiar with the cause of the disturbance.”

“Yeah, I’m thinking the same thing,” Kira replied. “But how the hell are we supposed to find this thing? Last time we just followed the yelling and the path of broken expensive shit. The only thing I’m hearing right now is traffic.”

The only response Cedric had was to raise his hands in the air. Oh, great. It wasn’t like they had anything to scry with and the thing could be surprisingly stealthy when it wanted. Unless they came across a wake of destruction in the middle of the warehouse, they could be S.O.L again.

“Actually,” Salazar spoke up, drawing both Kira and Cedric’s focus back to him. He looked Kira right in the eye and the intensity within them made her heart skip. Oh, no, he couldn’t be thinking of- “There is something we haven’t tried yet.”

Oh, shit, he was.

“I can’t do it!” Kira said immediately.

The words rushed out so fast, she felt short of breath. Or maybe that was just the panic. She hadn’t had a meltdown in days, and she wasn’t keen on having one now.

What if it worked? Kira’s mind spat an immediate, Yeah, right. The only thing this would lead to was property damage. And that was an optimistic outcome. At worst, she could hurt everyone around her. She could burn herself up from the inside, reducing herself to a hollow, magic shell. She could-

“Do what?”

Lix’s voice broke up the whirlpool spiraling in Kira’s mind. “Track our target using the Mark of Mixba’al,” Kira answered, hardly aware of the words coming out of her mouth. In her periphery, Kira saw Lix nodding to herself, like she just remembered who carried the Mark now. Her head snapped up and she glanced wildly between the rest of the team. “I- I can’t!”

“Yes, you can,” Salazar told her, his voice calm. His gaze didn’t waver as he moved closer to her and how did he know that? Kira shook her head and took a step back, but Salazar was already there. He grasped Kira’s hands in his, eyes still firmly fixed on hers. “You may not believe in yourself, but I believe in you. All I’m asking is for you to trust in me that I know you can do this...if that makes sense.”

“No,” Kira repeated, still shaking her head. “What if- What if I hurt you? Or-”

“You have to,” Cedric cut in. Kira took a welcome reprieve from Salazar’s intense stare to glance over at Cedric, only to find him giving her nearly the same look. “Listen, this was one of the worst cases of magical exposure I’ve ever dealt with and it has the potential to become much worse. Every second this thing is on the loose, the greater the risk becomes. You’re the only one who can track it right now. We’re all counting on you.”

More pressure. That was the exact thing Kira needed.

The worst part of it was knowing they were right. Aside from waiting for eye witnesses, they had no idea where this thing would pop up next. That was assuming the witnesses would know to call Cedric, much less that they were Otherworlders in the first place. Kira made a tearless, sobbing sound, bouncing on her feet as she tried to accept this responsibility.

“Hey, it’ll be alright. I’ll be right here to talk you through it,” Salazar said. As he spoke, he dropped slowly to the floor. He sat there, cross legged and beaconing for Kira.

Reluctantly, she followed his lead. Kira remembered some of this from her earlier training sessions with Salazar and mirrored his movements. There were three inhales and two exhales. Then, on the third breath, Kira removed the first ring.

Instantly, Kira was reminded just how much ambient magic there was surrounding her. It was like suddenly gaining another sense. Like waking up from a dream and remembering she could smell. It had never been this strong before the Mark, or maybe she just hadn’t been aware of it.

Before taking off the second ring, Kira prepared the neutral magic shield around herself. She made sure to set her intention; nothing could get through that she didn’t want getting through. It helped prepare for the onslaught of magical energy she felt upon removing the second ring. Kira placed each ring beside her knees before looking back up at Salazar and nodding.

This was the hardest part; intentionally letting the shields down. It had become a reflex, like holding a hand out to break a fall. Trying to unlearn it had been one of the hardest parts of her training.

“Close your eyes and just remember to keep breathing,” Salazar told Kira. “Go without fear. I’m at your side and I can contain any destructive force you conjure.”

If nothing else, Kira believed in that. Salazar could handle anything she threw at him. So Kira did as instructed, closed her eyes and let the magic wash over her.

It was too much at first and Kira nearly cried out. The pulse of the telluric currents was strong enough when she was keeping them at bay. It was an entirely different matter when she was part of them herself. The sound was overwhelming, threatening to deafen her. White hot energy crept into the corners of her being, ready to overtake her at the slightest slip.

“Shh, Kira, just keep breathing,” Salazar reminded her. His voice helped to ground her.

How quickly she’d forgotten there were people counting on her. Not just the three nearby, but every Otherworlder in the Ward. Possibly beyond. Not to mention, Cedric’s reputation was on the line. She had to do this for him. For all of them.

“Good, that’s good,” Salazar continued. “Don’t get caught up in the flow of the currents, just let them pass through you. In, out. Just like your breath.”

Kira tried to visualize the telluric currents around her. A river, just like Salazar was talking about, bright white and swirling viciously. She breathed the water, the energy, into her lungs before letting it go in her next breath.

“Now, try moving through them,” Salazar told her. “Move with them, don’t let them carry you too far. Stay on top of them.”

Forget her earlier reservations, this was the hardest part. In the past, she’d done just that. The currents around the shop were just too strong and Kira had to force the rings back on or risk becoming caught up in them. Here, things were a little less bustling. Currents flowed lazily as the Hudson River at her back.

Slowly, carefully, Kira could feel her awareness expanding. The magical signatures of the three people nearby were the first things she became aware of. It was different than sensing their presences, it was like becoming a part of it. Kira saw through Cedric and Lix - even Salazar. It was always surprising when Kira could feel his magic. His presence was so much like her own. If nothing else, she could find comfort in that.

Then she saw beyond. Beyond the walls of the warehouse, beyond the street, all the way to the river. She could see all Otherworlders out there. She was doing this for them, Kira reminded herself, but it was all becoming too much. There were too many of them, too many presences, each one unique. Each on threatening to draw their energies into her.

“Stay with me, Kira,” Salazar spoke up and Kira heard herself whimper. At least, she thought she did. Her consciousness was in too many places at once. “Remember your objective. Remember why you’re doing this.”

For the Otherworld. For Cedric.

The statue.

Kira could remember the magic that surrounded it. Not quite a presence of its own, more like a lingering spell. Magic had been infused with its very physical form, had. It was almost like the magic of Ravid’s talismans, but this was more ancient, almost tired.

When Kira tried to focus in on enchantments, the first things she picked up on were the rings sitting on either side of her. Then, almost distressingly, there were enchantments all around her. That was why her senses had been going wild at first; this warehouse contained hundreds, possibly thousands, of magical artifacts.

It was easy to get caught up in it all. That is, until Kira realized none of them were moving. So Kira widened her search for anything that wasn’t staying in place.

There was a presence at the edge of her senses that Kira initially brushed off as an Otherworlder. However, there was something off about it - an ancient magic she remembered from the night before. And once she got close enough, she could feel that magic. In that moment, she was hit with a sudden wave of nostalgia. Not déjà vu from the other night, but an intense longing that seemed to radiate from the statue itself.

The statue, whatever it was, was still on the move. Kira already knew she couldn’t do this again, her control was slipping. She had to think quickly.

It was a bit of a Hail Mary, but Kira had to try. She reached out through the telluric currents, pulling and twisting at them until they looped around themselves. Kira knew this couldn’t hold the statue, but it was the only thing she could think to do.

The moment the ring closed round the statue, it let out a roar. Kira felt it flail wildly, but it couldn’t snap the bonds of the intangible magics.

What it did do, however, was throw Kira’s consciousness all the way back into her body. “Holy shit,” she breathed, coming back to her senses.

Fully in the present once more, Kira opened her eyes and scrambled for the rings. She hurriedly drew neutral magic around herself before placing the rings back on her pinkies. At some point, Salazar reached out and started rubbing her arms comfortingly. The touch helped.

“You did good,” he was saying. “You did so good.”

Somewhere behind her, Cedric sighed. “It’s okay, we can figure out some other way to track it.”

He couldn’t see her, of course, not when he was focused so intently on the wall of candles before him. “Yellow!” Gus exclaimed after a moment’s deliberation.

When the werewolf turned around, Kira was already waiting with a high five. “You’re picking this up really fast,” Kira told him, with her signature good-natured shoulder punch. “Not gonna lie, I kinda hate you right now.”

“You could never hate me,” Gus grinned.

There was an odd tension in his jaw Kira spotted when he smiled. For a second, Kira thought she was imagining it. But then a customer bumped into him from behind and Gus nearly jumped out of his skin. However, once he spotted the woman and the infant in her arms, the tension left. They both murmured apologies before parting ways. Gus groaned, rubbing frustratedly at his cheeks.

“Full moon coming up?” Kira guessed.

Head still in his hands, Gus nodded. “It’s this weekend,” he confirmed. Well, considering the weekend started the next day… “For some reason, it’s really bad this month.”

“Maybe it’s the supermoon,” Kira replied and Gus blinked up at her. “Come on, like you haven’t been all those Facebook posts?”

“You know I hate Facebook,” Gus frowned.

Well, that was fair, Kira hated Facebook too. It just surprised her that a guy who had a lunar phase calendar app on his phone didn't know about the upcoming supermoon, nevermind hearing about it from other members of his pack of werewolves.

Hell, Kira heard it plenty herself around the shop. Tomorrow was going to be the perfect time for everything from dedications to kitchen witchcraft. And if Gus had somehow missed out on all that with his superhuman hearing, then he really was distracted.

“Hey,” Kira said, dropping her voice. “Is something else going on? You know you can tell me.”

“I just...I have a lot of stuff on my plate right now,” Gus sighed. He deflated with the admission, sinking into himself. “Rent’s been tight without the track scholarship, even after picking up shifts here. And now there’s all this drama about whether or not my parents can make it out for graduation.”

Kira wanted to say something comforting, but she wasn’t good at this kind of shit. These kinds of delicate responses took time for her to craft. As she was working on one, her phone buzzed in her hand. She looked at the message notification on her screen, eyes going wide.

“Well, safe to say I understand you’re coming from. Families are a lot,” Kira replied. She opened her messages, turning the screen to Gus.

Based on Gus’s facial expressions, she could tell the exact moment he got to the message in question. “She wants to get lunch?”

“I mean, she is going to be my…” Kira had to wince at the absurdity of it all, “-future step mother. I guess.”

“Alright, you win this round for sheer absurdity,” Gus held his hands up.

Kira, who hadn’t realized they were competing, could only shrug. “At least if it’s awkward, it’ll be over soon. Once Cedric finishes damage control, we’re saving them a table at that diner on the end of the block.”

“Wait, if you and Cedric are gonna be gone, who’s going to watch the shop?” Gus asked. He put two and two together before Kira could answer the obvious. “Oh, no. Kira,no,  I can’t. I don’t know enough about magic and the- the moon phase!”

Shit, Kira realized, he was right. For as good as Gus was picking things up, he just didn’t have enough experience to run the shop during peak hours by himself. But Salazar had specifically requested Cedric’s presence and Kira sure as hell wasn’t attending what was sure to be the most awkward lunch ever by herself. Maybe Gus could join her instead-

“Hey, do you think Toni would want to come down?” Gus spoke up. “I mean, we did pretty okay last time, right?”

Actually, that was a pretty good idea. “Yeah, hang on, let me text her.”

As Kira worked on a text explaining the situation (oh, she couldn’t wait to hear Toni’s response to this one), she picked up on a familiar presence. Ravid’s rings might’ve made sensing harder, but Cedric’s magical signature was the first one she’d ever become familiar with. She sent off the text and looked up at the door just as the bells jingled.

Immediately, Kira could tell that something was wrong. The set of his shoulders, the lack of focus in his eyes - even his beard looked like it could use a good trim. Not that it was particularly long, but he generally kept it very neat. Cedric picked the two of them out of the crowd quickly and made his way over to them.

There was a question ready and waiting on Kira’s tongue, but a customer intercepted him first. She watched as Cedric’s face changed from serious and determined to the smile he wore around all customers. As much as she preferred a smile on Cedric’s face, this one was quite right. It sat a little too perfectly on his features.

“What did Toni say?” Gus asked. Kira nearly gave herself whiplash turning back to look at him. His words hadn’t fully processed yet and all she could do was stare blankly at him. Gus just gestured eagerly to her phone.

Oh. Right. Kira opened her phone to see a new message staring back at her. lmao sure why not? gotta be done by 7 for my night shift tho

“She’s in,” Kira told Gus. She sent Toni a Yeah we should be back by then it’s just lunch before looking over at Gus. Instead of the sigh of relief she’d been expecting, Gus let out a rather enthusiastic ‘Yes!’ complete with a victorious fist pump.

“What are we celebrating over here?” Cedric cut in. Kira was disappointed to find that smile still on his face, just like they were any other customers.

“Toni’s coming over to help Gus watch the shop while we’re out,” Kira explained.

That seemed to do the trick. Cedric’s smile wavered before devolving into a much more sober look. Without the smile to hide it, the tiredness in Cedric’s eyes was more plain. On second thought, maybe Kira did like the smile better.

“I mean, she’s just an interesting person to-” Gus began

Cedric cut through his excuse, perhaps accidentally, with a curt, “You ready to head out?”

“Yeah, let me grab my jacket,” Kira nodded, already heading over to where she’d stashed it behind the counter.

After waving goodbye to Gus, Kira hurried over to the door where Cedric was waiting for her. They caught Toni as she was coming around from the alley in back of the shop. When Cedric greeted her with that same customer service smile as earlier, that was all the confirmation Kira needed.

However, just because she knew something was up didn’t mean she knew what to say. It was like the situation with Gus all over again. They’d gotten to the diner and were in the process of being seated before Kira had even gathered the courage to bring it up.

“Oh, I didn’t expect you to…” Cedric began when Kira slid into the seat next to him.

“And then who would Lix sit next to?” Kira narrowed her brows.

A resigned sigh came from Cedric’s lips and he quickly turned to stare out the window. It was beginning to dawn on Kira just how small this booth was, and Cedric’s broad shoulders certainly weren’t helping. She watched as he actively tried to shrink himself down every time they brushed against each other, which was an impressive task for someone with Cedric’s frame.

Up close, Kira could see something in his body language she hadn’t noticed before. It wasn’t so much that he was uncomfortable around her, more like he was trying to make himself uncomfortable.

Something bubbled up in Kira’s veins alongside worry. This was a job that was probably better suited for someone with a more delicate touch. Someone who could empathize with Cedric and talk him through it. Unfortunately, Kira was not that person.

“Okay, what the hell’s up?” Kira asked, unable to keep the frustration from her voice. Cedric turned back to her and seemed to be in the middle of formulating a pleasant and convincing way to say ‘Oh? Hmm, nothing’. Kira cut that shit out with the raise of her hand. “No, you don’t get to to just tell me nothing’s wrong, alright? I’m not some random store regular. I know you. I know you’re not just tired.”

That seemed to do the trick. Cedric’s casual customer service smile cracked before dissolving completely. “Well, I am quite tired,” Cedric said eventually. He leaned back against the window sill, but at least he was facing her this time.

Kira leaned her chin on her hand and stared back. She wanted to let him know that she was listening, but also that he wouldn’t get away with such a simple answer. Cedric managed to hold out under her intense stare for all of five seconds before he let out a defeated sigh.

“This morning was more work than I’ve done in a single day since-” The incubus cut himself off, blinking as he tried to recall some kind of memory. “I honestly couldn’t tell you. It’s been...decades. And this wasn’t necessarily work I enjoyed either.”

“Well, if you want to talk about it,” Kira offered with her most casual shrug. She watched as the debate played out across Cedric’s face.

After a quick glance around the diner, Cedric leaned in and dropped his voice to a whisper. “This is the largest case of Otherworld exposure in recent memory. Not just in my Ward, but Wards across the country. I think I was able to contain it, but between cleaning up the site and all the memories I had to erase…” He ran a hand over his face, which had the added effect of muffling a groan. “The other Wardens haven’t had the highest opinions of me since Central Park. And now, this?”

Guilt crawled up Kira’s throat. How selfish was she for thinking this was all about her? “If there’s something I can do to help - you know, as your second-in-command,” she said, slowly letting her fingers wander over to where Cedric’s hand was sitting on the table. “I mean, it’s what you hired me for and all.”

At that moment, Cedric finally noticed Kira’s hand encroaching on his personal space. Good, she’d done it slowly on purpose in order to gauge his response. For a moment, Kira feared he would flinch away like he’d been burned. Cedric’s whole body, not just his hand, froze. But then, he relaxed again. This time, he was the one to close the distance. It may have only been the barest brush of fingertips, but it was something.

Touch had never been something Kira used to show affection. There weren’t many people she trusted in her personal space, nevermind to put their hands on her. Cedric, however, seemed to prefer it. This was probably an incubus thing, Kira realized long ago, something about drawing energy and emotions through contact. She remembered all the ways he used to reach out to her, like when he was proud of her for learning a new spell. But he was also so respectful about it once he figured out her personal boundaries. Now, Kira couldn’t help but wish she’d appreciated it more before. Maybe, she thought, touch wasn’t so bad after all.

While they were in this good place, Kira wondered if she could ask him what else was going on. What had been going on. However, just as Kira was drawing in a breath, Cedric’s head whipped towards the door. That air rushed back out her mouth when her eyes landed on the couple that had just entered.

It made sense that she didn’t sense Salazar. Even without the Mark, he was a powerful neutral mage. The woman at his side, however, Kira really should’ve picked up on. She was surprised she only noticed her presence after spotting her. Had she really been that distracted?

Upon seeing Cedric and Kira, Salazar’s face lit up. He gave them a friendly wave before heading over, a hand on his partner’s lower back.

She was rather petite, which was the first thing Kira noticed. Maybe it was just an issue of scale - herself, Cedric, and Salazar were all well above average height. The second thing Kira noticed was how beautiful she was. Her skin was a smooth, light brown and her thick, black hair had been curled neatly over her shoulders. She was smiling as she walked over, giving her a youthful look.

Or maybe she was that young. Despite appearing to be in his late thirties, Kira had to occasionally remind herself that Salazar was, in fact, eighty-something. As if that weren’t a strange enough thing to think about, his fiancée was certainly closer in age to her than to him. Kira might’ve even been older than her. It was an uncomfortable thought until Kira remembered the age difference between Cedric and everyone else in the room.

Cedric was the first to stand and nearly tried exiting the booth until he realized Kira was boxing him in. She jumped up, managing to get out just as the other couple reached them. The two Wardens hugged like they hadn’t seen each other in months, not hours. Not that she would ever tell them, but Kira found it adorable when they got like this.

“Lix, congratulations!” Cedric exclaimed, turning to shake her hand. “Though I must say, I’m quite jealous. You’ve found yourself a wonderful man.”

“Oh, please, I’m the lucky one here,” Salazar shook his head. The way he smiled down at his fiancée actually made Kira’s heart warm. She almost had to look away. “I still can’t believe she said yes.”

“You’re telling me,” Lix said flatly. Then she broke out that big grin again, leaning back into Salazar’s embrace. “I tease, I tease.” Okay, Kira liked her already. Next thing she knew, Lix was turning that smile on her. “And you must be Kira?”

Kira stumbled for a second, almost forgetting what it was she was supposed to do in this situation. Saying um, yeah, that’s me probably wasn’t the right answer here. But what was the right answer when you were meeting the woman engaged to a man you only just found out was your biological father? “Kira Nguyen. It’s nice to meet you,” she settled on.

“Nice to meet you too,” Lix echoed. Her accent was just as pretty as she was. “My full name is Calixta Maroun, but everyone calls me Lix. You’re welcome to as well.”

“Well, now that we’ve all been introduced,” Cedric gestured to the booth. “Why don’t we get started on lunch?”

Everyone made noises of agreement, settling into their seats. Kira found herself across the booth from Lix, who busied herself with undoing her jacket and hanging up her purse. Although they’d hardly said five words to each other, and Lix seemed like a nice woman so far, she couldn’t help but stare awkwardly. The situation was just so strange and Lix was acting like it didn’t faze her. How the hell was she doing that?

“So,” Lix began once she’d settled in. “Tell me a little about yourself, Kira. You’re the only one here I haven’t met and I would like to get to know you better. You are the daughter of my future husband after all.”

At the same time, Kira missed this - missed the rush of being out in the field. She hadn’t gone on an Otherworld mission since the battle in Central Park. Even Toni was handling things these days.

Training with Salazar totally didn’t count. There wasn’t any excitement in hours-long meditation exercises. No adrenaline pumping deliciously through her veins. A giant, stone figure hurdling valuables at her head was much more of a thrill.

“‘The hell are you laughing at?” Toni shouted. For some reason, that only made things funnier. “Alright, laugh it up! Just do something useful in the meantime!”

Okay, fine. Time to get serious. Kira shook herself out, then stood to get a better view of the thing.

Between the thing’s size and the general clutter of the basement storeroom, it’s figure was difficult to make out. Several missing or dented ceiling tiles that stood as a testament to its height. It was roughly human in shape, but abstractly carved. If only Kira had taken the second semester of art history, then she might’ve recognized the style.

The strangest thing about it, however, was the way it moved; sluggish and smooth at the same time. Seeing stone bend like putty was unnerving. It reminded Kira a little too much of the moving sculptures fiasco. But judging by the weathering on its sandstone surface, it was much older than anything in Central Park.

In the middle of her assessment, the figure shouted something that sounded like “what, on!” Kira couldn’t make it out clearly. Plus, the bronze statue suddenly flying towards her face was pretty distracting.

At least the cry gave her a good enough warning. She held out a hand and the statue froze in mid-air. Carefully, Kira let it drop to the floor. The piece sure looked expensive.

Considering the fact that they were in the basement of one of Manhattan’s most reputable auction houses, chances were high it wasn’t even the most expensive thing in there. Every time she heard a new crash, Kira felt herself wince. While she was no stranger to property damage, the insurance fees in this fight could’ve easily put her further in debt than grad school.

“Watan!” The creature shouted again and something went flying overhead.

“Wow, great job,” Toni deadpanned, currently peeking out from the side of a bookshelf. “So glad we agreed to let you on this mission.”

“And what have you done, huh?” Kira shouted back as another crash sounded.

Salazar interjected before this could continue on any longer. “Kira, Toni - maybe some other time?” He asked, tone casual despite the strain in his voice. “Right now, I need your focus with me.”

The creature gave another cry of “Watan!” and Kira braced for the crash. This one sounded more like a crunch. Kira didn’t want to know what that meant.

“Hey, Warden?” Toni asked and Salazar gave a slightly distressed hum. “Where’s Cedric? This is his Ward.”

“The call sounded low-risk. He actually thought sending three witches was overkill,” Salazar replied.

Which was why Kira had to fight so hard to get on this mission in the first place, but the same thing that managed to win everyone over. The call had been about strange crying noises and rumblings coming from one of the storage rooms beneath the auction rooms. Who could’ve guessed there would be a stone giant on a rampage?

Crash. “Watan!”

“What do you think it’s saying?” Kira asked after a moment. She looked between the shelves, watching as it picked up another box. “Do you think that’s like, it’s name or something?”

“No clue,” Toni replied. “How about you, Warden?”

The creature yelled the word again and they all waited until the object left it’s hands. “I don’t know either. This isn’t something I’ve come across within my own Ward. My best guess is that it’s some sort of golem?” He guessed. Then there was a moment of silence Kira swore she could hear the lightbulb flicker above his head. “And if it’s a golem, that means it’s being animated by magic. Good thing we happen to have two neutral mages with us tonight. Hold on, everyone, there’s something I’d like to try.”

So Kira waited, seconds ticking on. Faintly, she could hear something vibrating and she caught Toni’s gaze. They exchanged confused looks. It wasn’t her phone, which was currently set to ‘do not disturb’, and it didn’t seem like Toni’s either. Then that just left…

The two witches turned around at the same time, peeking around their hiding places. Salazar looked equally confused, scrambling through his pockets.

“Hey there, Lix,” Salazar said quickly. “Now’s a bad time. Can I call you back?”

Kira could feel her eyes grow impossibly wide. No freaking way. Toni caught her expression, a single eyebrow rising in confusion.

“Umm, I’m not really sure,” Salazar said. “Thirty minutes at most? I promise to call you right back.”

Salazar’s fiancée, Kira tried to mouth at Toni.

He has a fiancée? Toni mouthed back.

Okay, so Salazar was effectively out of the fight. He was wrapped up in a different one, if the rapid-fire Spanish coming from his general direction was any indication. What incredible timing. Kira rolled her eyes. At least Salazar had given her an idea of how to fight this thing.

The hard part would be getting in close. Kira couldn’t both immobilize all the things the statue was throwing at them and break the spell animating it at the same time. Luckily, she had Toni with her.

Just as Kira was about to relay her plan, the other witch said something. “Hey, Kira…” Her voice was slow. “That statue hasn’t done anything in a hot minute.”

Oh, shit. Kira stood up abruptly, eyes scanning the room. However, the only thing Kira’s scan revealed was Salazar, curled up behind another stone sculpture and arguing into his phone.

“Where the hell did it go?” Toni asked, popping out of her hiding spot to stand by Kira.

Given their height difference, Toni probably couldn’t see over the shelves like Kira could. However, Kira found herself rolling her eyes anyway. “You mean the missing door wasn’t your first clue?” She gestured to the giant hole across the room.

“No shit, Sherlock. I meant after it pulled a Kool-Aid man and smashed its way out of here,” Toni replied.

Ah, and here Kira had nearly forgotten who she was trying to out-snark. Suddenly not in the mood to reply, she just nodded her head towards the door and Toni followed after her. When they passed Salazar, Kira tried the same gesture. Salazar only gave her a thumbs-up and waved her on ahead.

The second they left the room, the trail went cold. The hallway really opened up, so the creature didn’t leave any marks of where it had bumped into things. Even the floor remained undented and untouched.

Kira swore, throwing her hands in the air. What were they supposed to do now? Split up and search the whole basement by themselves? There was far too much ground to cover and not nearly enough time to do it.

“Hey, don’t get like that,” Toni said, giving her a slight push with her arm. Belatedly, Kira realized it was probably meant as encouragement. Probably. “You’re the Guardian of Mixba’al or whatever. Can’t you do some next-level sensing now?”

Technically true. Kira had the Mark, but Guardian…? Besides, this was Midtown; easily the busiest part of the busiest city in the world. Just thinking about opening the Mark here made Kira’s stomach clench.

“No,” Kira shook her head after a moment. “It would be...way too much. I don’t think I could make it out the other side.”

Now Toni was the one swearing. “What was the point of you having it, then?” She cried. Sometimes, Kira found herself wondering the same thing. “Well, if you’re not going to be any help, what the hell are we supposed to do now?”

“We could split up and search for it?” Kira suggested, but even she sounded unsure.

“And if we actually manage to find the thing?” Toni narrowed her brows at Kira. “No, thanks. I’m not as much a fan of the Fight Club look as you are.”

Kira could only roll her eyes. Still, she was right. The three of them were no match for this thing on their own. What could they supposed to do alone? Just as she was readying a response, Salazar burst into the hallway.

“Oh, this should be good,” Toni muttered under her breath. “You absolute asshat. You left us alone back there-”

“I- I know, and I’m sorry, it’s just-” Salazar scrambled. “We have a problem. Well, not a problem, but it’s definitely… something that is going to happen. Soon.”

Kira blinked at him, finding herself in the same position as Toni. “No, we definitely have a problem. That statue up and disappeared during your phone call,” she told him, her voice cold. “But go ahead, what’s your thing?”

“I assume we all know why we’ve gathered here today?” Abhilash was the first to speak once the echoing of the room had faded.

“To judge the crimes of Miltiades, Warden of Canada’s Maritime Provinces,” a woman spoke up. There was a subtle malice in her soothing voice as she glared Mill down.

“And to learn more of what transpired during Layla’s resurrection,” someone else added.

There was a murmur that went up through the room at the sound of Layla’s name. She had that kind of effect on people. Kira’s hand moved unconsciously to her chest.

“She isn’t resurrected yet. Not fully, at least,” said a man with an Aussie accent. “I heard she had to resort to a knife on the battlefield. That would imply part of her is still trapped in Mixba’al.”

“Then how would you explain the presence my blood borne sensed during the battle?” Emese argued back.

“And that’s a topic that will be addressed in the coming discussion,” Cedric said, raising a hand to quiet the two members. “But before we recount what transpired that night, there are more pressing matters to address.”

While everyone’s eyes turned to Cedric, it was Salazar who spoke up next. “I am no longer the Guardian of Mixba’al.” He’d taken a large breath to prepare himself for that announcement. Too large. His shaky exhale was the only sound in the room after he finished speaking. A wide range of emotions played out on the faces of the Council members, but no one spoke. Tiên actually turned right towards her even before Salazar went on. “The duty has now fallen to the next in line. My daughter, Kira Nguyen.”

Now it wasn’t just Tiên’s eyes on her. Kira felt frozen, trapped under the weight of every single Council member’s stares. Normally, Kira didn’t have a problem with public speaking or similar situations. However, this was nearly two dozen of the most powerful beings in the world all staring at her. At least one or two were openly gaping like they’d only just noticed she was there. Some part of Kira’s mind, the dark childlike corner that only knows how to be afraid, was currently telling her to hide under the table.

“Go on. Introduce yourself,” Cedric encouraged, voice soft.

As Kira stepped forward, her movement robotic in her panic, his fingers brushed against hers. At first, Kira thought it was an accident, but then they wove loosely between her own. Kira could feel Cedric trying to direct some kind of calming influence her way, despite knowing it wouldn’t do a thing. That didn’t matter. His hand on hers was more than comforting enough.

Across the room, Salazar nodded to her. That was the final confidence boost she needed. “Good afternoon. I’m, um, sure you’ve heard about me from Cedric, but this is my first time I’m meeting most of you,” she said. Only two Council members laughed, and one was Cedric trying to hide his embarrassment. The part of her mind that was whispering for her to throw herself under the table before started screaming. “My name is Kira Nguyen and I’m Cedric’s second-in-command...like he already mentioned.”

“She’s- Kira is your daughter?” Helena was the first to ask, actually tripping over her own words in surprise.

“Neither of us was aware of the fact beforehand,” Salazar shook his head. Kira could see his fingers twitch towards his eyepatch. “We’re still trying to put the details together ourselves.”

It was his use of the word ‘we’ that really stuck with Kira. Oh, are we? Her mind hissed, but she wasn’t about to call Salazar out in the middle of a Council meeting. There was aready more than enough family drama here for one evening.

Another round of discussion broke out from the crowd. Calls of “I have a pretty good guess what happened” and “Cedric, did you know?” echoed through the room. The volume built and built until the room was completely swallowed by sound. Even Cedric, who wasn’t one to be taken by arguments, soon found himself involved. He was quick to defend Salazar’s honor in particular, along with Kira’s own.

Kira, however, just found herself staring into the crowd in shock. At first, she was intimidated by the yelling and the power that rose with it. But then a switch flipped. This was the Otherworld Council, a collection of the most ancient and powerful beings in the world, and here they were, fighting like high schoolers at lunch. Suddenly, all the foot-dragging Cedric had done in regards to Counil meetings made sense. Cedric’s on the Council, Kira realized, And I’m around him every day. It’s no big deal. The Council was a lot less intimidating when she just thought of them as twenty-two Cedrics.

A plan began to form in Kira’s mind. Not a great plan, but so long as it stopped this ridiculousness. Harbingers can use chaos to strengthen themselves, Cedric’s voice flitted through her mind. Salazar’s was close on its heels. Two sides of the same coin…

Taking off her rings went against all Kira’s better judgement, like walking into a winter storm and then taking her coat off. The second one ring was off, she was hit with wave after wave of ambient magic. Everyone’s rising energies within the Council room and beyond. Cedric hadn’t been kidding when he talked about the extreme vortex surrounding the island. It felt like being trapped in the eye of a strong storm. The power overwhelmed her quickly, and Kira didn’t hesitate to release it.

A wave of energy swept through the room, one more violent than Kira had originally intended. It threw all the papers off the table and even pushed several chairs back. Two more waves followed before Kira could get the ring back on her finger. Kira no longer felt embarrassed to have every Council member’s eyes on her.

“I’m sorry, but that was the only way I could think to shut you all up,” Kira said, her voice  strong despite her clear exhaustion. “But if you want answers, you’re going to have to listen to this from the beginning.” In the quick silence that followed, Kira was pretty sure she heard someone whisper ‘I like her’.

“Alright,” Cedric called, clapping his hands together. “This begins in late summer, after Mill made his first attempt on Kira’s life...”

And from there, Cedric told them everything - from Kira defeating that first shade to her first prophetic dreams and on. Occasionally, Kira would chime in. By the time they got to the battle of Central Park, Salazar was offering details as well. He even threw in a joke about his new eyepatch.

“It seems like the Harbingers are laying low for now,” Cedric concluded. “We have a contact inside who will warn us when make their next move. The question now becomes what we can do in the meantime.”

A quiet murmur went up from the crowd as various Wardens whispered ideas to one another. “Now would be a foolish time to gather our forces,” one woman spoke up. “You said you no longer know their base of operations and we can’t join the search in your Ward without leaving our own unprotected.”

“At the very least we should set up a network to notify each other of Harbinger activity within our own Wards,” Anthousa suggested. “The Wardens that aren’t part of this Council should be allowed this information as well.” Which was actually a pretty good idea and Kira was willing to agree with her, first impressions be damned.

“Speaking of, who will be given command Mill’s old Ward or his position on the Council? Is anyone within his Ward willing to succeed him?” The Aussie from earlier asked.

Actually, if Kira was remembering correctly from what Jeremy had told her… “No, there isn’t,” she sighed. “They haven’t had a Warden in months. The Ward is in chaos.”

“I know someone, though they’re not from that province,” Chris volunteered. “They’re a huma bird, hailing from Alexandria.”

“But aren’t the Homa notoriously skittish? They never land,” one man asked.

“But they’re always willing to help,” Chris argued. “Nasim a good friend and I think they’d make an excellent Warden. And there’s more than one way to be a good Warden, as I’m sure you know, Tionge.”

After a few murmurs of agreement, Helena spoke up. “Are you sure this isn’t an attempt to ensure you have a three-strong vote on the Council once more?”

“While I agree with Helena,” Cedric began. Somewhere across the table, Anthousa muttered a dangerous ‘of course you do’. He sent her a glare before continuing, “I also have someone in mind. I’m sure you all know Achachak, Warden of New England?”

“Achachak’s turned us down every time we’ve asked,” Emese rolled her eyes. “What makes you think he’ll say yes now?”

“He’s a good man,” Cedric insisted. “I’ll talk to him again, I’m sure he’ll understand the situation.” Kira had never heard of Achachak before, but if Cedric vouched for him, she was willing to believe him. “But that’s a conversation for another day. Both candidates will be vetted through a proper process in the coming weeks. Like Tionge mentioned, some of us need to return to our Wards as soon as possible and we still have one item left on the docket for today’s meeting.”

Everyone’s attention turned to Mill. “I suppose you mean me?” He asked.

“Ah, so you can speak,” the Australian gave a mirthless bark of laughter. “And here I thought Layla had taken your tongue when she took your dignity.”

“Enough, Manaia,” Anthousa, who was sitting next to him, hissed. “This is a trial, not a sniping match.” There were a few choice things Kira wanted to say, but she had a feeling they would only contribute to Anthousa’s argument. “Son of mine or not...Miltiades must stand trial today for what he’s done. And we can’t have a fair trial if it’s filled with nothing besides name calling and slander. So Miyake Ōkami, if you would please.”

Kira looked around, but no one moved. Cedric held out a hand, pushing Kira back. Before she could ask what he was doing, a sound reverberated through the room, not unlike a door opening after being shut for some time. The center of the table dropped until it sunk a foot below the floor. By the time it was done, the place looked like a courtroom.

“Miyake Ōkami is a kunitsukami, like a guardian spirit of the island,” Cedric explained in a lowered voice. “He can’t manifest in the realm of the living, but he can manipulate the land as he sees fit. He also presides over all our Council meetings.”

As Kira was still coming to terms with the fact that oh, that had just happened, she heard a gate swing open. She watched as Mill, still bound to his chair, slid along the floor until he was seated in the center of the room.

“I now call to order the trial of Miltiades, Warden of the Canadian Maritime Provinces and member of this Otherworld Council,” Abhilash spoke. Again, a rousing cry of ‘To Order!’ echoed through the room. Thankfully, Kira was a little more prepared this time. “Your accusers are two members of this Council. They will now read the charges laid against you.”

Cedric and Salazar locked eyes from across the table and the incubus gave a resigned sigh. “Miltiades, you stand accused of multiple counts of attempted murder - against both my life and that of my second-in-command,” he began. His voice was that tightly controlled Official Warden Business tone, but Kira could still hear anger corusing though every word he spoke. “You have also committed multiple acts of treason against my Ward, your own, and the Council and Otherworld at large. You have been an active co-conspiritor of the Harbinger forces and Layla. There are an untold number of crimes you have committed to aid her and her cause.” Cedric paused, letting the weight of all the accusations settle over the room. “To these charges, how do you plead?”

Without an ounce of hesitation Mill replied, “I plead guilty.” Several gasps sounded throughout the room and Kira found herself blinking in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to answer so freely. “But these charges you and the Council have brought against me...I do not see them as crimes.”

“No?” Salazar asked. There was a quiet fury in his eyes that Kira hadn’t seen since the battle in Central Park. “What would you see them as?”

“Necessary measures,” Mill replied easily. “They were difficult decisions, to be sure, and they weigh on me even now. But they were all sacrifices I was willing to make. Can anyone on this Council tell me they haven’t done something that went against their morals in an instance where it meant ensuring the wellbeing of the greater good?”

The room went utterly silent. There was no murmurs between neighbors this time, no defensive cries. People were holding their mouths shut because even breathing was too loud. Kira could understand why - just the mention of Cedric’s stolen grimoire still sent guilt crawling up the sides of her chest. At least she’d never attempted murder.

“No? No response?” Mill asked, after the silence had gone on long enough. “Then how about trapping Layla in the void for all eternity? After she volunteered to take on Chaos herself?”

“That was-” Manaia began, but Mill cut him off.

“What? Necessary?”

While it wasn’t like she really knew him, Kira had never seen Mill genuinely angry. He was always so polite and composed. The change was shocking and abrupt. Kira felt herself shrinking back, even if it wasn’t directed at her. In some way, because of the Mark, Kira felt like she was the only person his anger was directed at.

“No,” Cedric spoke up. “That was different. Layla knew what she was signing up for and she fell anyway. We had to seal Chaos away before the world became a burning hellscape and that meant sealing its current host. You tried to murder an innocent woman in cold blood to undo all that hard work in the first place. The Layla we knew wouldn’t agree with your actions in her name.”

“The Layla we knew has been stuck inside the void for the last nine hundred years,” Mill fired back. “She deserves to be freed. And Kira, as the next in line as Guardian of Mixba’al, stood in the way of that. Her life was a price I was willing to pay.”

It was only in these silences that Kira was reminded of how large the room was. For a moment there, the conversation had become Cedric, Mill, and her. Now she was aware of the stares of every single Council member on her. It felt like an eternity before Cedric spoke again.

“You’re wrong again,” he said, his voice soft. “One life is never worth another. But now we know where your morals lie. You think none of us feels terribly about what happened back then? We share in that remorse every day, nut never once have we tried to free Layla because of it. We understood what the consequences were, as did she.”

This time, Mill had no clever response. No one in the Council did. All they exchanged were glances and nods. Resigned stillness had taken over Mill’s form and he could no longer meet Cedric’s eyes.

“Has the accused exhausted all arguments?” Abhilash asked after the quiet deliberation had finished.

Mill’s voice was quiet as he stared at the floor. “I never wanted to free Chaos,” he explained. “It was a byproduct of freeing Layla. Nine hundred years of suffering is long enough. All I wanted was to help someone for whom I care deeply. I stand by my actions.”

“Then it’s time for deliberation,” Abhilash sighed. “What punishments does the Council propose?”

“I propose he be put to death,” Emese said rather immediately. Kira felt her jaw drop open, and a quick glance around the room told her she wasn’t the only one.

Unsurprisingly, Mill’s family didn’t seem to take kindly to Emese’s suggestion. “This is my son!” Anthousa cried. “And a former friend to many of you. We cannot speak of killing him so casually.”

Before the yelling could begin again, Emese added, “Let the punishment fit the crimes. Besides, keeping him alive is a liability. If we foolishly believe there’s some kind of redemption in sight for Mill, what do we expect he’ll do once freed?” She turned to Anthousa and said, “I’ve killed plenty of my blood borne. Sometimes removing the problem entirely is the only way to properly deal with it. Lest you forget, I was born out of an experience not ulike his.”

“Your vampiric offspring are not the same as your own flesh and blood,” Chris argued back, jumping to her mother’s defense. “And you’re undead. You take death too lightly.”

“While I agree that Mill can become a liability for us, I don’t think he should be killed,” Tiên spoke up. “Wouldn’t that only prove his arguments?”

Salazar raised a hand in agreement. “And you’re all forgetting, if he’s killed, we won’t be able to learn more from him. In his time collaborating with the Harbingers, he’s gained all kinds of intelligence on them. I suggest we imprison him here, Miyake Ōkami willing.” He paused, offering a plantive gesture to the ceiling. Kira heard no response, but that was apparently a good thing.

“Not to mention, we moved to this location after Layla’s sealing, so she doesn’t know of it,” Tionge agreed.

Abhilash raised a hand. “Alright, if anyone has any further suggestions…” No one spoke. “Then the final verdict shall be put to a vote. All in favor of death?”

Of course, Emese’s hand was the first in the air. Malaia and, surprisingly, Helena raised a hand as well.

“Then all those in favor of imprisonment?”

As Abhilash trailed off, Council members slowly began to raise their hands. Salazar’s was the first hand Kira spotted, then Tiên’s next to him. Unsurprisingly, both Anthousa and Chris were particularly enthusiastic about their answers.

For one heart-stopping moment, Kira thought Cedric had abstained from the vote. But then she spotted his hand, propped up against the table. He buried his face in his free hand as Abhilash read the votes. Before she heard the final numbers, Kira knew what the verdict would be. Mill’s sigh was answer enough.

“It’s been decided,” Abhilash said, turning to Mill, who looked like he was trying to restrain a laugh. “Miltiades, you are hereby stripped of your titles as both Warden of the Canadian Maritime Provinces and as a member of the Otherowrld Council from this day forwards. You are to remain here, at Miyake Island, indefinitely as a prisoner. During this time, you will reflect on your crimes and serve penance. You will only be released in the event that we find adequate time has been served, that you understand the weight of your actions, and that you no longer wish to consipre with the Harbinger coven or their leader, Layla. You will also be subjected to tests of truth to gain insight into those you betrayed us for.”

He looked up, to address the Council. “Does anyone have any final thoughts to impart? News we should be made aware of?” Several people shook their heads, but most people remained quiet. “Alright, we will be meeting subsequently to vet claims for Council positions by both Warden Achachak of New England, and Nasim. We shall also set up a line of communication to relay any information we receive about the increased Harbinger threat. Until such time, we have ajurned for the day.”

Everything after that felt like a blur to Kira. Mill was taken from the room. The table reverted to normal. Council members were already filing from, eager to get back to their own Wards.

This whole time, Cedric had been watching Mill’s exit, but the second he was gone, Cedric decided he wanted to be as well. Salazar had to run to catch up to them. While Kira wanted to ask about saying goodbye to Helena, Cedric and Salazar were keeping staunchly silent, so she figured she could as well. Besides, she wanted to get out of there just as badly.

The moment they were outside the tunnel and back in the forest, Cedric wordlessly took out his Herkimer diamond and she and Salazar latched onto him. They were in the basement of the shop seconds later.

Gus was waiting for them on the other side of the door, bouncing excitedly. The bouncing died, along with the smile on his face, when he caught a glimpse of everyone’s expressions. “How, um, was it, guys?” He asked hesitantly.

Catching the strange sound in Gus’s voice, Toni looked up from her phone, glancing between the three new arrivals. She said nothing, but kept a curious eye on all of them.

“Exhausting as always,” Cedric sighed. It was meant to be a little melodramatic and playful, but a very real exhaustion carried through anyway. “I think heading off to bed. Have a good night everyone.”

He was already halfway up the stairs to his apartment when Salazar called, “Mind if I join you?”

“I’m not too sure how Lix would feel about the two of us sharing a bed,” Cedric began, a teasing smile on his face.

Kira missed the look, even if it wasn’t directed at her. “Good night!” she called to them both. They only responded with waves, continuing their discussion in hushed tones.

“Well, if they’re gone then so am I,” Toni announced. “Deuces!” She yelled from the door, despite throwing up proper peace signs.

“Yeah, man, you too!” Gus called back, waving enthusiastically. The second she was gone, he turned right to Kira, expression sobering. “Okay, so what went down at that meeting? Tell me everything.”

Kira could only sigh, staring out at the shop. She’d made sure to close up with Cedric before they left, so all that was left would be to lock up. “Want to walk back together?” She asked, leading Gus out the front door. “This is gonna take a while.”

“All that’s waiting back at my apartment right now is my rent payment, and I don’t even want to think about that right now,” Gus assured her.

With the sun just beginning to rise over the water below, lighting her surroundings with a dull orange glow. For a moment, Kira allowed herself to forget about everything so she could focus on the beautiful scene before her.

“Are we on a tropical island?” Kira asked. She was almost willing to bet Hawai’i or the Galapagos until she spotted Salazar shaking his head.

“The island is subtropical, I believe - but close,” he told her.

“It’s certainly been a while since I’ve visited Council headquarters,” Mill mused.

Salazar clapped him on the back a few times. “Well, I trust you can still find your way around,” he said, placing a guiding hand between Mill’s shoulder blades.

And he did, but not before issuing a small, annoyed huff. While the two of them moved ahead, Kira opted to stay behind with Cedric.

“So, kind of important question,” Kira said. “Um...where are we?”

Cedric, whose face had been twisted into an impressive grimace for the last fifteen minutes or more, softened a little. “Ah, I’ve never told you the location of our current Council headquarters, have I?” He asked like he didn’t already know. “Forgive me, it’s a bit of a secret.” He turned to Kira, issuing her a small grin. “Tell me, have you ever heard of Miyake-jima?”

Not once in her life, but Cedric probably knew that as well. The name was Japanese, Kira could tell that much, but that hardly narrowed it down. Not knowing her location was nowhere as bizarre as the revelation that they were just in downtown Manhattan and now they were halfway across the world.

“How about the Dragon’s Triangle? The Devil’s Sea?” Cedric continued.

Kira could feel her eyes widening. Neither of those places sounded like somewhere she wanted to visit. “Wait, is this some kind of Bermuda Triangle situation?” Kira asked. She was only halfway serious. Cedric’s proud ‘I’m impressed you caught that’ smile was not reassuring.

“I’m impressed you caught that,” he told her. Kira could’ve rolled her eyes, but refrained. She didn’t want to jeopardize the conversation what with Cedric still in his weird mood. “We did have the headquarters located in the Bermuda Triangle at one point, but it gained a bit too much notoriety after the early twentieth century and we decided to move it. I know you can’t feel the ambient magics right now, but there are only a few places around the world where telluric currents spiral they way they do here. It has to do with the strange ocean currents around the Devil’s Sea. Miyake Island sits right in the center of it all.”

The forrest was thick with roots and branches crossing the path before them. Kira wanted to admire their surroundings, but she had to keep her eyes to the ground or risk eating shit. That would be even more embarrassing than asking a stupid question.

After a few minutes of hiking through the trees, Kira could feel herself beginning to get winded. As much as she liked to brag about her endurance when it came to walking - she was a born and bred New Yorker, after all - hiking was a different matter entirely. There wasn’t much hiking in the city.

“So the Council purposefully picks these locations because they make a good place to hide?” Kira asked. “Like, the currents direct things away from here or something?”

“Exactly that,” Cedric responded, his voice hardly strained. Kira kind of hated him for it. “It directs most non-magical animals and nearly all humans away from the island. Unfortunately, those seeking it out on purpose often end up lost or worse. We’ve already seen it happen once, but thankfully it hasn’t happened recently.”

Kira said nothing in response, choosing to hum thoughtfully and save her breath. She made a mental note to look up the island later and see what Cedric was talking about.

Another five minutes or so of walking brought the group to an overlook. On one side of the trail, the forest opened up and Kira could see all the way out to the Pacific. The view was incredible. So much that she didn’t even pay attention to what was happening behind her until she could feel some sort of magic being weaved through the air.

When she turned, she spotted Salazar’s hands moving through the air. His movements were subtle, as was the magic he was casting with the aid of his herkimer diamond. As Kira got closer, she spotted shallow engravings of familiar magical runes. The sigils glowed brighter and brighter until she couldn’t look at them directly. Through her squinted eyes, Kira could see the rock start to tumble away, exposing the entrance to a cave behind it.

“After you,” Salazar said, motioning Mill ahead.

The cave was more than wide enough for them to walk side by side, but their line became single file. Kira lagged behind from a mix of exhaustion and curiosity. It wasn’t long before the cave became a polished tunnel complete with Greco-Roman sconces. As they walked by, the lightbulbs flickered to life. When Kira got close enough, she realized the fixtures lacked any kind of wiring.

Something rumbled behind them and Kira turned. Magic is so weird, Kira thought as she watched the entrance of the cave seal itself up behind them. Looking ahead once more, she could see the tunnel coming to some kind of door. It was large and ornate, like the ones on brownstones near Central Park. Mill reached out a hand to the gold filigree doorknocker, then hesitated and Kira wondered why he didn’t just turn it.

“Wow, Miyake Ōkami must have changed the locks already,” Salazar commented, gently moving Mill out of the way. “Allow me.”

Once Salazar placed a hand on the door, the filigree designs twitch and move. It was only then that Kira realized they’d been covering the seam of the door. Within seconds, they’d reformed as the doorknobs and hinges.

“Wow,” Kira muttered. This was one of those times she just couldn’t help it.

“Yeah, it’s a bit grandiose,” Cedric sighed in what he probably thought was agreement. “I knew we shouldn’t have let my mother design the base.” Wisely, Kira held her tongue.

The room inside was even more impressive. It was bigger than any of Kira’s lecture halls with floor-to-ceiling marble, gold detailing, and dark wood furniture. There were several dozen chairs arranged in a circle around a raised table in the center, each within their own alcoves. 

Several humanoid figures were gathered at the other side of the room, talking amongst themselves. A few glanced their way when their group entered then went back to their conversations. Some just glared directly at Mill. Only one or two even acknowledged Kira’s presence.

While Kira studied the room, Salazar led Mill to one of the chairs. A man was standing by with a binding spell by the time Mill sat down. Kira watched the glowing bands wrap around his wrists, tying him to the armrests.

“It’s all a little knights of the round table, isn’t it?” Kira mumbled to herself as she went back to studying the architecture.

“I think my mother stole that one from King Arthur, actually,” Cedric replied. Again, Kira found herself staring blankly at Cedric. “Or, well, from my brother. I think he might’ve been the one to suggest the round table in the first place.”

Now, Kira knew quite a lot when it came to Arthurian legend. She was a student of medieval history after all. As much as Kira wanted to grill Cedric on everything King Arthur, there were more pressing matters. “You have a brother?” Kira asked. Cedric’s nod-and-shrug combo suggested it was more than the one. “Which knight was he?”

“Oh, he wasn’t a knight,” Cedric replied, hesitated. He almost looked embarrassed, but it was a look she saw on Cedric’s face so infrequently, she couldn’t be sure. “You do know Merlin was a cambion and not a wizard, right?”

A cambion? Kira poured back through her training with Cedric. Weren’t cambions rare because they were the child of a witch and an incubus or succubus? And, wait...If Merlin was a cambion then-

“Your brother was Merlin?” Kira hissed. How had Kira known Cedric for almost a year and not known this?

Yeah, that look from earlier was definitely sheepishness. Cedric rubbed at the back of his neck. “Half-brother,” he clarified. “But yes, he was.”

“Oh...I’m sorry,” Kira said, her voice dropping back down to a whisper. “The legends, I forgot...I should’ve been more sensitive.”

“No, it’s alright,” Cedric shook his head. “He died nearly a millennia ago and I only met him a few times. Horrible as it sounds, I forget sometimes myself. But if you’re curious, I can do my best to answer your questions some other time.”

Some other time? Kira wanted to cry. She wanted answers to everything she’d wondered about Arthurian legend right now. But before she could complain about Cedric rebuffing her yet again, she spotted someone striding over to them in five inch stilettos that looked enough to cover a month of her rent. Kira promptly forgot every question she was about to ask.

“Caratacos,” Helena cooed, pulling her son into an embrace and placing an air kiss on both cheeks.  She looked over Cedric’s features, hands worrying at his hair. “Time has not treated you well since we last spoke.”

“It’s nice to see you as well, mother,” Cedric replied, an ironic drone in his voice. He tried unsuccessfully to dodge her grasp. “And I’m sure you know the reason for- Stop it. Please.”

Helena gave a well-natured huff, but retracted her arms nonetheless. “Am I not allowed to worry about the health of my son?” She clearly wasn’t expecting an answer to her question. Cedric might’ve said something sarcastic under his breath, but Kira didn’t catch it. She was too preoccupied with Helena’s piercing stare, which was now directed at her. “Oh, Kira, lovely to see you again so soon.”

Faced with the same greeting Cedric had just received, Kira’s thoughts pretty much short-circuited. Helena wears tuberose perfume, her mind supplied.

“Salazar’s speaking with Emese and Tiên if you’d like to relay your message from last month,” Cedric cut in, casting a worried glance to Kira. She gave him a quick ‘it’s alright’ shrug. He didn’t seem so convinced.

Oh, wait, Salazar. Between his imperceptible presence and, well, Helena, Kira had nearly forgotten about him. She followed the direction Cedric was pointing and found Salazar in deep conversation with two women. It seemed amicable enough, though one of the women had an impressive scowl. There wasn’t much she could tell about them from so far away, though they were both brunette and looked human enough. Actually, one of them might’ve been glowing and the scowling woman had a familiar magical signature.

“Hmm, I’d prefer to have a private conversation with Salazar. I’ll wait until I can get him alone,” Helena sighed, waving dismissively.

“You want to corner him, you mean?” Cedric deadpanned.

To Kira’s surprise, Helena actually laughed. She swatted his arm, the way parents do when their kid does something bad, but they can’t tell them off in public. It wasn’t really something she saw often growing up. Her mother had never been a fan of her sarcastic streak.

“Actually, there are a few things I’d like to discuss with you before the trial gets under way,” Helena said eventually, sending Kira a Look. While she couldn’t imagine what she and Cedric could possibly discuss, she was more than willing to leave them to it.

“I think I’ll see what Salazar’s up to,” Kira said. She wasn’t even sure why she felt the need to excuse herself The words just tumbled out of her mouth. A few yards from Cedric and Helena, realized she hadn’t said goodbye. “It was nice to see you again!” Kira called, a little louder than she’d meant.

Helena and Cedric, who were already embroiled in a serious looking conversation, turned at the sound of her voice. Even though Helena smiled back at her, Kira thought she would be content if she suddenly sunk through the floor.

Salazar didn’t seem to notice the wince that was now permanently etched into Kira’s face. “Ah, there you are, Kira! What perfect timing,” he said, holding his arm out to welcome her into the discussion. Once she had joined the circle, Salazar clapped a friendly hand on her shoulder. “Tiên, Emese, I’d like you to meet Kira. Kira, this is Tiên, Warden of Vietnam.”

When Salazar gestured towards the shorter of the pair, the woman lit up. “Hung Phuong Tiên, child of Au Co,” she said, holding out a hand to shake. Kira recognized the name, the cadence of her accent. It felt a little like home.

“Nguyen Anh-Xuân Kira,” she replied. It wasn’t often that she introduced herself with her full name like that, given how rare the opportunities were. But her mother had taught her what was polite when meeting her elders.

If it were possible, Tiên brightened even more at Kira’s introduction. When she spoke again, it was in Vietnamese. “A Nguyen witch,” Tiên breathed in awe. “I thought I’d never meet another in my life. I’m glad to have lived to see your line alive and well.” She brought up her free hand to pat Kira’s. The gesture brought a smile to Kira’s face.

“Emese,” the other woman said once Kira and Tiên had finished their introductions. Her accent was definitely European, but hard for Kira to place. When she shook Kira’s hand, her touch was icy. The realization of why her presence was familiar clicked just before the next words came out of her mouth. “I heard you helped out my dear Martin a while back,” Emese’s voice, which had been droning before, switched to something a little lighter. “I thank you for that.”

“Of course,” Kira told her. So this was Martin’s sire. Wasn’t she supposed to be the first vampire? Suddenly Kira was much more intimidated by the two women in front of her. Then, remembering just who it was she was addressing, she added, “All part of the job, really.”

“We were actually talking about you just before you joined us,” Tiên informed her. Oh, those were just the words everyone loved to hear. “Cedric always speaks so highly of you at Council meetings. We were very interested to finally have the chance to meet you.”

To her left, Salazar cleared his throat. “Actually, there’s, um...another reason I mentioned you earlier,” he explained. Kira knew what was up since that ‘um’. Salazar brought a hand up, leaving it hovering for a moment before finally dropping it to her shoulder. “You see…Kira’s my daughter.”

It was only after the words left his mouth that Kira realized this was the first time Salazar had said those words out loud. And, man, was the silence intense. Kira could hear doors around the room opening and closing, letting more and more Council members in, but she couldn’t quite tear her eyes away from the shocked faces of the women before her. Tiên was struggling with an appropriate expression. Apparently several centuries worth of Otherworld politics hadn’t prepared her for this moment. In the end, she decided that there was in fact no polite way to take the news and stared off at a spot over Salazar’s shoulder, nodding to herself.

Emese, who already had an intense resting face, opted to stare open mouthed at Salazar. Her dark brows were furrowed as she stared Salazar down, as if she were trying to figure out whether he was bullshitting them. He met her stare with an increasingly sheepish smile.

“Mazel…tov- You have a daughter?” Emese blurted finally, unable to contain herself. She looked rapidly between Kira and Salazar like she was trying to see the resemblance. She wouldn’t find any, Kira couldn’t help but think, she’d already tried. “When did you find out? Did you know about this?”

In Salazar’s moment of hesitation, Tiên spoke up. “Does Calixta know about this?”

“This was a very recent revelation. For everyone involved,” Salazar tried to explain, gesturing to Kira and himself.

“The Harbingers seemed to know about it before we did and that’s what worries me the most,” Kira added. It looked like Salazar could use some help. “Mill sending that shade to kill me was what led to me learning about magic in the first place.”

There was a reaction from the two women at the mention of the Harbingers, but an even more visceral one when Kira said Mill’s name. While Tiên gave a solemn nod, Emese let out a sound that was almost a hiss. It reminded Kira of the sounds Gus made. There was a terrifying moment where Kira swore she saw her eyes flash red.

Kira looked across the table for Mill, but found her eyes drawn to Cedric instead. Helena hadn’t left his side, but there were two more women standing by them. Neither one was facing her, so Kira couldn’t make out much about them. From the way they were standing and their similar features, Kira could only guess that they were related. None of that should’ve worried her, but there was something about Cedric. There was animosity in his tight-lipped stare.

“Salazar, who are those two speaking with Cedric and Helena?” Kira murmured as Emese and Tiên continued their conversation behind them.

When Salazar did look over, he muttered something in Spanish under his breath. It sounded like a swear. “That would be Chris and Anthousa - Mill’s sister and mother,” he replied, keeping a careful eye on their conversation.

Just then, everything made a lot more sense. This whole Otherworld Council really was one big family affair. “I’m willing to bet there’s some bad blood there,” she guessed.

“Plenty,” Salazar nodded in agreement. He gave Kira another look. “You may want to rescue him before someone destroys another Council chamber.”

Kira nodded, giving Salazar a parting wave before heading over. She could feel his eyes on her as she turned back around, but he hadn’t followed. By then, she’d passed Mill’s place at the table. He was still bound to his chair, eyes fixed on the conversation between his family and Cedric’s. Kira couldn’t help but notice that everyone was actively avoiding Mill’s. It was the only empty space in the room.

Mill wasn’t the only one staring at his family. The Council members who weren’t glaring at him seemed pretty interested in his mother’s conversation with Helena. Even though she could hardly hear them until she got close, Kira could feel the animosity radiating from their circle. Thankfully, they seemed more interested in their conversation than Kira’s appearance, and she was more than fine with sitting this one out for now.

“-he trusts the most shall be his downfall,” the older-looking of the pair was saying as Kira approached. She had a feeling this was Anthousa, Mill’s mother. “I’m sure you know of his birth prophecy just as well as I do.”

Birth prophecy...Kira had heard those words before. She was pretty sure Helena had mentioned it when she visited the shop.

Speaking of the succubus, she was currently staring down the two nymphs across from her. “Well, of course we know it as well as you, dear,” Helena simpered, a dangerous smile stretching her lips. “You’ve been quoting it to us since our children announced their involvement. Are you choosing today to finally admit you’ve been insinuating Caratacos is the other person in the prophecy these last few centuries?”

“You were the one to capture him! Bring him here like some kind of criminal-” Chris, his sister, cried. However, her mother cut her off before her sudden change in volume could attract any more stares.

“Chrysanthe, calm yourself,” Anthousa warned and Chris shut up pretty quickly. She turned to the other pair, adding, “But my daughter is right. You’ve made a criminal of Miltiades and from this day forth he will no longer remain a Council member. How can anyone disagree that this is not his downfall?”

Cedric, who had been silent until that moment, chose that moment to speak up. “What I find funny here,” he said, a kind of mirthless chuckle in his voice. “Is that you’re acting like Mill isn’t a criminal. Your son has not only made an attempt on my life, but several on that of my second-in-command - not to mention his consorting with Harbingers. You son is, and has been, a criminal for some time now.”

“And, forgive me if I’m wrong, but are you accusing Caratacos of causing Mill to commit these acts? Because I’m fairly certain those were choices he made of his own volition,” Helena added. Her grin turned triumphant. “How can you be sure he isn’t the second person mentioned in his birth prophecy?”

The nymphs went silent, but Kira could see them bristle at Helena’s latest argument. When Anthousa spoke next, it was with all the fury of her daughter before her. “Are you forgetting the time our situations were reversed?” She was close to yelling now. Only the size of the room prevented her voice from echoing off the ceiling. “How could you be so heartless to condemn your own-”

“How dare you deprive your child the chance of love-” Helena fired back, speaking over her.

“And you would rather start a wars over your fragile vanity-” Chris argued at the same time.

From across the argument, Kira could see Helena’s eyes begin to shift from blue to red. It was something she’d seen Cedric do a hundred times, though there was something dangerous in the way Helena did it. It was also at the same time Kira spotted her boss staring right at her. There was a pleading look on his face that she understood immediately.

“There you are, Cedric!” Kira called, raising her voice over the yelling. Immediately, the shouting match stopped. Everyone turned to stare at her. Trying to ignore the stares of Mill’s family, Kira waved to Cedric. “Sorry for wandering off. I just wanted to talk with Salazar for a bit.” she walked between Anthousa and Chris, coming to stand at Cedric’s side. Kira forced a smile, which was a little easier staring up at him, before turning it on the nymphs. “Sorry for the intrusion. I’m Kira Nguyen, Cedric’s second-in-command. It’s nice to meet you.”

There was a flicker of recognition in Anthousa’s eyes. “And the same to you,” she said without a trace of honesty. Anthousa then turned to her daughter and added, “I believe the meeting is just about to start. We should probably resume our spots at the table.” When she headed off, she only nodded her acknowledgement to Kira.

The three of them watched the pair go until they were safely out of earshot. “As much as I hate to agree with those two…” Helena trailed off. She held out a hand to Cedric’s cheek. “Be well, Caratacos. And to you, Kira.”

“Blessed be,” Cedric whispered as she walked off, so softly Kira wondered if Helena could hear it. They were quiet for a moment longer before Cedric spoke up. “I’m so sorry you had to see all of that. Even Otherworld families aren’t without their own share of drama, I suppose.” he sighed. “And thank you.”

“I mean, it was no problem at all,” Kira said. She gave him a knock with her arm as he plopped his face into his hands. “I’ve had to break up worse at my own family get-togethers.”

Cedric gave a small laugh from behind his hands, dropping them to give Kira a small smile. He leaned back against his desk, not really needing to say anything more than that.

Kira, meanwhile, was content to lean against his chair. The shape of the room made it easy to scope out the people within it. People were filing in regularly now, but no one was standing around anymore. When someone entered the room, they went directly to their seats. Only a few were left unfilled. Two questions still weighed on Kira’s mind. If she wanted to ask them before the meeting began, this was her only chance.

“So, do I get a chair for this, or…?” Kira began. Unfortunately for her, Cedric’s immediate response was a wince. “Oh my god, I was kidding. Really?”

“We don’t usually get visitors,” Cedric’s tone was apologetic. “And there’s a rule about how all Council members need to sit for meetings. It makes it harder for them to affect their magic on other members.” He looked around before turning back to Kira. “I’m sure they wouldn’t mind you sitting my desk - or even the arm of my chair.”

Wonder if they’d mind me sitting on your lap, Kira’s mind provided for her. She bit her tongue to stop herself from saying it. If Cedric still wasn’t flirting with her the way he used to, then flirting with him didn’t seem right. And what kind of question was that? Kira had no idea where it came from, but her embarrassment was enough to cause a blush to rise to her cheeks.

“Something wrong?” Cedric asked. His concerned tone almost made Kira laugh.

Well, it wasn’t like she could tell him. Deflect! the rational part of Kira’s mind urged. There was one more item on her list of questions for Cedric. “Um, that conversation with Chris and Anthousa,” Kira started, the jumble of thoughts in her head making the question come out sideways. At the mention of their names Cedric’s expression darkened. “It’s nothing bad. I’m just curious...When they mentioned your mother starting a war- It’s just, I was wondering-”

And Cedric’s expression brightened all over again. He laughed, shaking his head. “Is the face that launched a thousand ships as beautiful as you imagined?” Cedric asked and Kira’s mouth dropped open.

“Your brother is Merlin and your mother is Helen of Troy,” Kira stated, the words coming out muted in awe. Then, in a slightly more aggressive voice, she added, “How have I known you for this long and not known...that?”

“It can be a little embarrassing when you’re the only one in your family who isn’t famous,” Cedric sighed, clearly enjoying himself. “Now, I believe the meeting is starting soon. Would you mind giving me my chair back?”

Kira did, backing off the back of Cedric’s chair, but she kept her eyes on him the entire time. “Who are you?” She whispered as he sat down. If she wasn’t mistaken, that was a chuckle out of him. Not quite the laugh that kind of remark used to get, but it was something.

Either way, it seemed like Cedric was right. There was only one empty chair, and in under a minute, it was taken by a man with long, dark hair.

“So it would seem I’m the last one to arrive,” he spoke, his voice both deep and melodic. There was a quiet murmur of agreement from the other Council members and the man cleared his throat once more. “Then the task of calling the meeting falls to me. I, Abhilash Das, Warden of the West Indian Ocean Islands, now call this meeting of the Otherworld Council to order.”

Well, it couldn’t be helped. Gus needed to be in the lab for his project, so that night had been the last time he was in the shop. Meanwhile, Kira was free to annotate her bibliography in between helping customers.

And then on her actual breaks, Salazar was teaching her everything he could about the Mark of Oblivion. Once again, Kira found herself spending hours a day in Cedric’s basement. All they had to do was plaster soundproofing sigils across the door and it became the perfect training room. There really wasn’t a lot Kira could break down there.

Unlike her original lessons with Salazar, these comprised almost entirely of meditation and visualization. Once, when she was younger, Kira’s mother tried to teach her how to meditate. Now she had another reason to regret brushing her off.

Pracitce turned out to be just as difficult as theory. Suddenly, Kira was back at the beginning of last fall, right after she’d discovered her own magic and even levitating a chair seemed impossible. The problem was drawing in ambient magic while simulaneously redirecting energy around the Mark so that it didn’t open while she was trying to accomplish even the simpliest of spells. She’d broken a lot of chairs that week.

Once Salazar felt she had the basics of not accidentally opening the Mark down (an opinion Kira did not share), he moved onto opening the Mark on purpose. Not that she didn’t understand the point of all the mediation before, but it was beginning to make even more sense now. As it turned out, that’s all tracking really was.

So far, Kira had only achieved that level of higher consciousness one time; and it was that morning. In a moment of release, she was no longer bound to her own form. Instead, she was everywhere at once, flowing outwards from every ley line that crossed the shop. Every living being - she could see them all, feel them all. She was connected to each and every one of them.

And it was terrifying. Kira hadn’t experienced such a strong sense of existential dread since her first trip to the Hayden Planetarium at the age of five. Learning about the boundless reaches of space was the first time she confronted infinity. Twenty-two years later, sitting cross-legged on the cold cement floor of the shop’s basement, she was able to see the shores of infinity firsthand.

Every excruciating second, Kira felt herself slipping farther and farther away. Those presences she touched rushed to fill the vacuum left behind. From people milling around on the street, to the trees and flowers they passed, to the bugs living on those plants. Nineth street...tenth street...By the time she reached Union Square, Kira feared there was no more space left within her. That she would overflow like a Phin filter.

By the time she realized what was happening, it was already too late. Panic had set her heart racing, an icy chill radiating out from her core to every part of her body. A searing heat followed in its wake. Kira was so overwhelmed by the information pouring into her skull she didn’t have the attention to devote to realization that this wasn’t normal. It wasn’t until the burning in her chest grew to the strength of an open flame that it all snapped back together.

She opened her eyes in time to watch the first wave of orange-hued energy tear through the room. The sight of Salazar, trapped behind his forcefield, might’ve been the only possible thing that could’ve made Kira’s pulse climb higher in that moment.

“Wait, Kira,” Salazar cried. “You can do this on your own! Just focus-”

But the rings were already back on her fingers. Kira breathed a long sigh, hands bracing on the floor so she could assure herself that she was safe once again. Her heart was still beating a mile a minute when she heard Salazar let down his shield and start walking over. The anxiety that struck her in that moment was the kind that stuck around. The kind Kira couldn’t get out of her head. Every time she thought back to it, she found new things to frighten herself with. Salazar had once mentioned that the Mark connected her to every ley line on the planet. Even his projection to the Cloisters was intimidating.

“You rely on those too much,” he said from somewhere above her.

Kira sat back so that she could look up at him. You were almost fourty when you received the Mark, she wanted to tell Salazar. You grew up surrounded by magic and had a lifetime of training for this. How much easier did you have it? But she was too preoccupied with trying to control her breathing to actually say anything.

“If you want to get better control of the Mark, you’ll have to learn how to properly shield yourself,” Salazar went on. “And you can’t do that if those rings are doing all the work for you.”

“A neutral magic shield?” Kira got out as her breathing continued to slow. Salazar nodded. Huh, that was actually the exact thing she’d been thinking of during those three days in the basement, when she only had herself to rely on. Then another thought came to her. “Is that why our line was given the Mark? Because of our neutral magic?”

“I was wondering when you would figure it out,” Salazar nodded, taking a sip of his water. He handed the bottle to Kira, who gratefully accepted. Normally, she wasn’t one to share drinks, but knowing that Salazar was related to her made it less weird somehow.

“And why you were so hard to sense before?” Kira guessed.

Salazar did that finger wiggling thing he always did when someone made a good point. No matter how often he did it, Kira always felt proud when it was directed at her. “Now you’re getting it,” he said. “By the time you gain full mastery over your power, not even witches with a sensing specialty will be able to track you.” Another terrifying thought, but she could couch that one for now.

When she looked up, Salazar’s face was pensive, like he was studying her. It wasn’t the first time. Sometimes when Kira was meditating, she could feel the force of his stare on her. Maybe he was trying to seek out the similarities between them like Kira had.

If you’re going to say to me something, spit it out, Kira thought. The hesitation in his stare was familiar. She still had a few questions she wanted to ask herself.

Just as Salazar opened his mouth, Kira cut him off. “Gus is here!” She said, jumping to her feet when she felt his familiar presense walk through the door. “Hey, mind if we take a break?”

Salazar said nothing, but he nodded. The questions in his eyes would have to wait for another day. Any other time, she would’ve stuck around to hear what Salazar was going to say...Who was she kidding? He’d been staring at her like that all week and hadn’t said a thing.

Besides, Kira hadn’t seen her best friend in a week and she missed him. Gus still had to tell her whatever it was he’d sent that text about. She hoped it wasn’t anything too serious. Turns out she should’ve known better.

“You broke up with her?” Kira cried.

Gus winced, poor guy. She hadn’t meant to yell in his face like that. Her outburst was loud enough to attract the attention of several shop patrons, but she knew it wasn’t a volume issue with Gus.

“I’m sorry, I just…” Kira trailed off, her voice quieter this time. She placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder, giving it a small shake. The smile he gave her in return was weak, but there. “It’s you and Sophie. The last time you saw her before Central Park, weren’t you running off to tell her you loved her?”

Suddenly, the shop seemed very interesting to Gus. He gazed out over the various customers, lips pressed into a thin line. “And I did,” Gus admitted. He bounced between his feet several times like a jogger caught by a red light.

“But if you love her, why didn’t you try to make things work?” Kira asked.

“W-what?” Gus stammered after a solid half-minute of unintelligible noises.

“I’m not repeating myself,” Kira replied.

There was a response somewhere in the gibberish he’d just spouted. Kira could tell that much. Articulating seemed like the only problem. “Because she doesn’t love me,” Gus said finally. Kira opened her mouth to argue, but Gus went on, “Not properly at least. That night - when Sophie found out who I really was…” Kira could see the conflict raging behind his eyes, the pain of a fresh memory. “She asked to forget, Kira. She said she was fine not knowing, that she wouldn’t mind me running around doing Otherworld things behind her back. But how could I feel okay lying to her like that?” Then, so quiet Kira almost didn’t catch it, “How did I feel okay doing that for the last few months?”

So this wasn’t just guilt over losing Sophie after all. Kira really wasn’t a touchy-feely person, but she wrapped an arm around Gus anyway. He responded by resting his head on her shoulder. “There wasn’t really a good outcome for that situation, was there?” She asked.

The question was more or less rhetorical, but Gus still grumbled, “This is the jacket I was wearing that night. I can still smell her perfume and tears on it from when she hugged me goodbye for the last time.”

“Oh, come on,” Kira groaned, pulling back to shake his shoulder. “Don’t do this to yourself, dumbass.”

“No, I need to suffer,” came Gus’s muffled reply.

Despite everything, Kira could hear the smile in his voice. So Gus was on the self-pity stage of his breakup, huh? In all the years Kira had known him, Gus tended to bounce between relationships fairly quickly, so she’d seen him go through plenty of breakups. If he was already this far along on his guilt trip, then he’d suffered plenty.

The bells over the door jingled and both Kira and Gus looked up. Cedric was already halfway across the shop, a scowl on his face and a paper bag in his hand. However, all the determination left his frown once he reached the bottom of the stairs.

“I can do it,” Kira told Cedric once his pause reached a whole ten seconds. He looked over, eyes wide like he only just remembered there were other people in the room. “Yes, really,” she added before he could argue.

Any last shreds of token protest left Cedric when he finally let out the breath he’d been holding. “I’m sorry,” he whispered as he handed off the bag.

“It’s fine. I understand.” Kira tried to offer him a sympathetic smile, but considering the subject matter, it was more of a grimace. “He tried to kill you last, so it’s only fair.”

In the week since the battle in Central Park, Kira had seen more of Mill than she had before the battle combined. And that was more than she ever wanted to see him, period. Now, she was delivering him meals upwards of twice a day.

Over the course of the week, he’d gotten quite cozy in the guest room. Cedric and Mill were about the same size, so he got a lot of Cedric’s old clothes. He was also an avid reader, finishing War and Peace in three days and Kira’s copy of A Hundred Years of Solitude in half that. Only because it was his fourth time reading it, he assured her. Most of the time, when she was bringing Mill food, she was bringing him a new book too.

A couple times, he’d attempted to strike up conversation with her. Kira was always quick to shut him down. Polite as he was, Kira found herself having a hard time forgiving him for those murder attempts.

Well, this was probably the last time she was going to see him. That was a happy thought. “Hey, Mill! I brought dinner,” Kira called, holding the plastic bag above her head.

Mill looked up at the sound of his name, shutting his book. “Why thank you, Kira,” he replied. “I’m sorry to have inconvenienced you with the particulars of my order.”

“Don’t thank me. Cedric was the one who picked it up,” Kira shrugged. The less time she spent down here, the better.

Kira took a small breath, bracing herself before she crossed the threshold of the anti-magic ward. The sensation that greeted her was unpleasant, but subtle - like an oncoming headache that hadn’t become painful yet. One week in and she still hadn’t gotten used to it. Thankfully, this was the last time she would do this.

When Kira handed Mill the bag, she was content to just go and let him eat in peace. Of course, Mill had other plans. “Thank you,” he said. “I also wanted to thank you for lending me your copy of The Grapes of Wrath. I’ve never had the chance to read it. Steinbeck is quite the literary genius, isn’t he?” Kira said nothing, only gave him a small huff in response. “I would love to hear your thoughts on the symbolism of the death of the Joad family’s dog.”

“I’m sure you would,” Kira replied. Then she promptly turned on her heel. She made it as far as the doorway before Mill’s voice stopped her once more.

“Kira?” Mill called hesitantly. When she turned around, he looked so nervous. It almost made her feel sorry for him. Almost. “Would you mind telling me what day it is?”

Ah, so he did know. “It’s Saturday,” she replied. That was all the answer he needed. They both understood what it meant.

Even though she was facing away from him, Kira didn’t let her scowl falter until she made it to the apartment foyer. The tension melted off her and she melted with it, resting her head against the door.

Out in the shop lobby, she could hear several voices. All with distinct accents, all male. Kira was glad to see all of their faces when she finally entered the room.

“Well, don’t stop talking just because I walked in,” Kira made a face.

Cedric cleared his throat. “We were just discussing who should watch the shop,” he answered. “Salazar and I are both part of the Council, so our appearance is mandatory - as is yours as the current Guardian of Mixba’al.”

The Guardian of Mixba’al...That was still a phrase Kira had a hard time connecting to herself. It was pretty impossible to forget about the Mark she now bore, but she had a hard time connecting herself to the title that went along with it.

“Why doesn’t Gus do it? I mean, you’ve done it before,” Kira asked. She knew Gus hated being voluntold, but the question was too obvious not to ask.

“Because my track record is miserable,” Gus grumbled. It sounded to Kira like he’d already made the same argument.

Cedric’s sigh was one of disagreement. “I tried to convince him he would be more than sufficient, but he insisted against it,” he explained, giving Gus a sidelong glance. “And with Alvaro out of the city for his aunt’s funeral, we’re running low on options.”

“Has anyone asked Toni yet?” Kira tried.

“It was certainly brought up, but none of us have the means to contact her,” Salazar nodded. Then he considered. “She kind of...pops in when she feels like.”

“I can just text her,” Kira spoke up. Three pairs of wide eyes turned to stare at her in disbelief. “Why are you all so shocked that I have her number?” Seemed like an obvious choice to Kira, particularly after the last time. “So is that a yes?”

The guys stayed silent for a moment longer, exchanging various stares of shock, disbelief and impressed surprise. Kira had to roll her eyes as she pulled her phone from her back pocket and sent Toni a quick text. If working with two Wardens was this frustrating, she could only imagine how the Council meeting would play out.

Soon after, her phone chimed. sure not like i have anything better to do, Toni’s reply. Without hearing the words come out of her mouth, Kira had an even harder time figuring out if she was being sarcastic. Another text came in a second later. what does gus mean about a bad track record? And then, a second later. wait that’s my fault nevermind. be there in five.

“She’ll be here soon,” Kira announced, holding up her phone.

“That was...surprisingly easy,” Cedric spoke slowly. Kira stifled a laugh. She could only imagine what a nightmare it was for him to keep up with technology. After a moment, he added, “Gus, would you mind staying behind?”

“To watch Toni?” He guessed and Cedric nodded. “Umm, that’s fine I guess.”

As much as Kira wanted to jump in and defend Toni, she knew arguing right now would be pointless. Toni had more than proven herself over the last month. She didn’t want to start an argument before the Council meeting anyway.

Later, Kira told herself. She was always going to want to discuss things with Cedric later, wasn’t she? Regardless, leaving Toni and Gus alone in an empty shop was an entertaining idea. Either they got along - which was hysterical on its own, but almost likely - or they’d manage to burn the shop to the ground. Oh, to be a fly on the wall for that one.

Just as the thought ran through her head, she sensed it; a sudden flare of chaos magic originated from somewhere behind the shop. Toni walked in a moment later to the tune of the jingling bells over the front door. “Afternoon, guys,” Toni called when she finally made it through the doors. “Heard you wanted me?”

“You and Gus will be watching over the shop in our absence,” Cedric explained with a nod.

That response got a laugh out of Toni. The sound was particularly dry and sarcastic, but carried some humor. “No, I’m watching the shop,” she said. “And Gus is babysitting me. I understand. You don’t need to be so gentle around me. I’m a big girl. I can take it.”

Clearly unsure of what else to say after being called out so openly, Cedric opted to stare open-mouthed at Toni for several seconds longer than necessary. Once he finally managed to gather himself, he turned to the rest of the group, clapping his hands together. “Alright, then. I think it’s settled,” Cedric said. “Gus, you already know the drill.”

“We act like the shop’s answering machine message?” Gus finished for him.

“I suppose we’ll be off then.” Cedric was all smiles, but Kira could see the dawning horror in his eyes. He was just beginning to understand what he was about to do. And what he was about to do was leave Gus and Toni alone in the shop together. Kira wanted to laugh, so she did.

“Looks like I’ll finally get to have that chat with Helena,” Salazar mused as they started for the stairs. He didn’t sound particularly enthused either.

Cedric led the way with Salazar at his side and Kira bringing up the rear. There was a second of pause before they got to the door, then Gus called out to them. “Wait- you mean I’m missing my chance to meet Cedric’s mum again?” Toni’s resulting laugh was the last thing Kira heard before the door shut behind them.

They made the rest of the trip in silence. There really wasn’t much to say. All three of them understood what they were about to do. Cedric, in particular, seemed more intense than usual. He always got like this when it came to Mill.

Kira had been picked for jury duty once and walking into the courtroom for the first time was a bit like this. However, she wasn’t some impartial juror this time. Maybe this is more like how the prosecution witnesses felt instead. That was her role in all this, wasn’t it? Just because it was an Otherworld trial didn’t change anything.

When they reached the guest room, Mill looked up with a resigned sigh. If the glance he gave Kira’s copy of The Grapes of Wrath was any indication, he was more disappointed he’d never finish the book than anything else.

“Good afternoon, Miltiades. I assume you know what today is,” Salazar greeted. While his words were friendly, his tone was colder than Kira had ever heard it. To her knowledge, Mill hadn’t exactly done anything to harm him. At least, directly. The protective way Salazar stood in front of her told Kira exactly where this anger was coming from..

“Kira was kind enough to inform me earlier,” Mill replied. He leaned to the side, just enough to catch Kira’s eye.

Salazar took the smallest of steps to put her back out of Mill’s line of sight, head cocked in warning. “I’m going to dismantle the wards now,” he explained. “You will be met with force if you attempt to escape after the seal is removed. Rather enthusiastic force.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dare dream of it,” Mill held his hands up placatingly. “You and your daughter are more than enough of a match for me on your own. I can’t imagine what a fool I would be to attempt to fight both of you at once.”

As Salazar stepped forwards, Kira stepped in line with Cedric. While she could see the tension in his shoulders from behind, she hadn’t pictured the look on Cedric’s face. He usually liked to hide his aggression behind a veneer of politeness, however thin.

There was no veneer this time, no mask, no expression carefully crafted from a childhood at court and a thousand years of experience. There was just open, raw anger. It was enough that Mill seemed to have a hard time meeting his eyes. Instead, he watched as Salazar carefully broke the seal restricting magic around his quarters.

Not really sure of what else to do, Kira opted for the only thing she could think of. She placed a hand on Cedric’s arm. Even under the thick fabric of his sweater, Kira could feel the tension in his bicep. When he realized what was happening, he finally tore his eyes away from his ex. There was hesitation there - she could see the debate raging in Cedric’s eyes, and Kira hoped for once he wouldn’t pull away.

To her surprise, Cedric didn’t. He just closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. The muscles in his arm loosened under her grip. It wasn’t much, but Kira would count it as a victory for today. With his eyes closed like this, she allowed herself to stare at him.

Kira had been so focused on Cedric she forgot to pay attention to Salazar’s work. In a single moment, she could feel the ward fall apart, like a piece of fabric reduced to fibers at the pull of a loose string. Mill took a huge breath of relief. Kira had only spent so long behind the anti-magic barrier. She couldn’t imagine leaving it after a week spent inside.

“You have my thanks, Salazar,” Mill told him.

Salazar stared back at him, unblinking. “I can’t imagine what I’ve done to earn your gratitude,” he replied, tone even. The Warden motioned for him to stand up and join them. “Come on, you know where we’re going and you know it wouldn’t be smart to delay any further.”

The sigh that Mill gave this time was almost sarcastic. He stood up, letting Kira and Salazar take hold of his outstretched arms. It made Kira feel like a guard escorting a prisoner, which in a sense, they were.

While the former Harbinger rolled her eyes, Gus took hold of Sophie’s hand and led her over. “You’re gonna want to close your eyes and take a deep breath,” he warned. “And don’t worry, I’ve got you.”

Without anything to go on, Sophie just nodded her head and followed along. Gus looked to Cedric, then Toni, as they each took hold of her outstretched arms. That same feeling from before and after the Central Park battle greeted him almost immediately - the one of losing form and slipping through the earth. The other times he’d traveled with magic, it was more of a spinning sensation. This was like one of those dreams where he did nothing but fall.

When they landed, it was with the same kind of jolt as waking up suddenly. Gus gasped, letting the air fill his lungs once more. Sophie, on the other hand, let out a yelp of surprise, covering it up with the back of her hand. “Where are we?” She whispered, looking around at the alley they’d suddenly found themselves in. “How...We were just in the subway-”

“That was a teleportation spell,” Gus explained. He could see the reality of the last hour settling over her. He recognized the mix of chemical signals she was giving off. They were the same emotions he’d experienced himself after his first brush with the Harbingers.

“Chaos-guided transference spell, but not bad for a non-caster,” Toni cut in. She turned to Cedric and added, “Speaking of, I think that’s my cue. Have a good night - oh, and you’re welcome.”

Her last words were still echoing about the alley as she disappeared in a mass of shadows. Yeah, that’s about what he expected. Gus shook his head, but he couldn’t help admiring her style. He’d have to remember to thank her properly next time he saw her.

“A spell?” Sophie asked. “Like magic?” Her voice cracked on the second syllable and Gus’s attention snapped back to her. Even after watching Toni dissolve into smoke, Sophie still seemed unsure. Looked like she was having a harder time reconciling the idea of magic with her scientific background than he had all those months ago.

Gus sighed, looking to Cedric for some kind of assistance. The Warden said nothing, but nodded for them to follow him into the shop. Of course Cedric wanted him to do this himself - Gus heard him say as much when they were on the platform. Really, though, he was probably the worst person out of everyone to explain the concept of magic. But this was Sophie. He’d be damned if he didn’t give it his best.

So he followed after Cedric, hand automatically moving to Sophie’s lower back. There was a split second where Sophie jumped away from the touch before allowing herself to settle back into it. It was like their first date and he was a stranger all over again.

Heart sinking lower and lower into his chest with each step, Gus struggled to find the words. “So, you, erm...during my fight with Bryce, you asked what I was,” Gus started, careful to keep his voice low. Sophie looked up at him in surprise. “Yeah, I caught that. I have really good hearing - well, superhuman hearing - because I’m…” He trailed off as they reached the shop entrance. Gus held the door open for Sophie, but the bells overhead didn’t jingle until he stepped over the threshold himself. “Because I’m a werewolf, Sophie.” There it was. Telling her so plainly didn’t make the words any easier to say. Three months in, and he was still getting used to the idea himself.

The look of shock that took over Sophie’s features didn’t make the gnawing in Gus’s stomach any better. She was simultaneously the first and last person he wanted to confess to. And it was all because of this right here. Seeing that expression firsthand was far worse than what he’d been picturing.

Rather respectfully, Cedric decided to give them the room. It was only after he’d left for his flat that Sophie spoke. “When you started disappearing all of the sudden...this definitely isn’t what I was expecting,” she admitted and Gus let out a nervous chuckle.

“Yeah, I don’t think it would make most people’s lists,” he agreed. Gus thought back to when Kira first started taking on Otherworld cases. How distant she was, and the mysterious bruises and cuts appearing on her skin. His worst fears ran the gamut of drugs and underground fight clubs. Magic was the farthest thing from his mind.

“Have you been a werewolf...the whole time we were dating?” Sophie asked. And before Gus could say anything, Sophie answered for him. “Or did it start that time you said you were visiting family?”

For a few seconds, Gus was silent. In all honesty, he knew he shouldn’t be surprised. That was probably when he did a complete one-eighty. “Yeah,” Gus sighed. It sounded pretty defeated. His girlfriend had been onto him since day one, she just didn’t know what she was onto. “As it turns out, not a total lie; my family is full of werewolves. Who knew?” Sophie offered him a dim smile. She was trying. “And then I, um, had to quit the cross country team because being a werewolf gives me a bit of an unfair advantage. So I started working here to make up the money I lost with the scholarship. That’s why I had to run out on so many dates. This shop is kind of a magical...hub for the Tristate area. We basically do municipal jobs here and there, but mostly all we’ve been doing recently is fighting the Harbingers - that’s guys like Bryce- Sorry, this is getting off track.”

Poor Sophie, he could see the confusion in her eyes. At least when the masquerade had lifted for him, it was easier to follow. “No, no, it’s fine,” Sophie assured him, though that was probably the farthest thing from her truth. “So are Kira and your boss and, um, Toni werewolves too?”

Now that actually made Gus laugh. “No, Kira’s a witch and Cedric is an incubus,” he explained. When Sophie’s brows narrowed at the last word, he went on, “An incubus is, I dunno, like a sex demon - No, wait, that’s a terrible description. He’s a really cool guy, I promise.”

“And what did you call Bryce? An arbiter?” Sophie’s face scrunched up as she struggled with the recollection.

“A Harbinger,” Gus corrected. “But he’s technically a witch, he just also happens to be a Harbinger. Toni was in the same boat- Well, she still kind of is. Think of it like switching fields of study. You’re not in ecology anymore, but you still have a couple months left in your subscription to The ISME Journal. I’m... I’m doing a terrible job of explaining this right now, aren’t I?”

Magic was a confusing mess; Gus knew that better than anyone. He had hoped to ease Sophie into this, not throw her to the wolves - metaphorically speaking. It was inevitable, Gus knew that much. For their relationship to progress, the truth would have to come out eventually. Some nights, he stayed up for hours imagining how the confession would go. He had the whole spiel memorized. But now that the opportunity was staring him in the face, it was wiped from his mind like an emergency cram session before a big test.

“I’m sorry,” Gus sighed. He just couldn’t erase the memories of Bryce’s smug face from his mind. “I’ve been wanting to tell you about this ever since it happened, but there’s all kinds of laws in the Otherworld - the magical world - about telling mortals. Plus, Kira and Cedric were involved and I didn’t want to out them without their knowledge. You deserve to know the truth about me, but I’m so sorry that it happened this way. Promise, I can do a much better job of explaining this if I start over-”

“No, it’s alright,” Sophie cut him off with a shake of her head. “You don’t have to explain anything more to me.”

For the first time that night, Gus saw something genuine in Sophie’s smile. She even reached out a hand to him; another first of the night. Gus accepted it gleefully. Here was the thing he’d been dreading telling his girlfriend for months and all that anxiety was for nothing. Really, he should’ve guessed she’d be able to take it all in stride. He knew his girlfriend better than-

“You don’t have to explain anything more because I don’t think I want to know,” Sophie told him. Her smile turned to an apologetic wince that made Gus’s nerves start pinging off each other. Wait, what was she saying? “Your boss mentioned he could help me forget? I think I’d like that.”

Gus tasted something acid on the back of his throat. He tried to swallow it down, but it refused to leave. “So you...don’t want to be with me anymore?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, of course I still want to be with you,” Sophie gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “But I just can’t know about...any of this, really. The magic, and the witches, and everything else. You said I wasn’t supposed to know, and I don’t know how else to explain it, but I can feel that. You understand, right?”

No, Gus really didn’t understand. But, then again, he’d been destined to become part of the Otherworld his whole life. He nodded anyway.

“I mean, I’m alright with you being a...a werewolf,” Sophie continued. God, she had an even harder time saying it than he did. “But I’m also alright going back to not knowing. You can just keep telling me whatever it was you told me before when you had to do, um, werewolf things. That way you can still keep it a secret. I’ll be fine with it, really.”

Except for the fact that she was lying. Months ago, Toni had called him a walking polygraph. Gus hadn’t fully grasped what that meant until that moment. And he didn’t like forging ahead in their relationship by building off that lie, whether her memories were changed or not. Gus wanted to say this, along with a hundred other things, but all that came out was;

“Alright.” He even smiled when he said it. Either he’d gotten better at covering his emotions or Sophie was just eager to buy the lie, because she brightened at his response. “Let me just get Cedric for you.”

While Sophie waited in the lobby, Gus ran to grab Cedric. To his utter lack of surprise, the incubus had been standing in his living room, waiting for him. He may have been leaning against the couch with Kira and Salazar, but the way he’d been watching for the door gave him away. Gus could see the resignation in Cedric’s eyes when he beaconed him over.

“You knew this would happen, didn’t you?” The werewolf asked, once they were alone in the hallway.

The sudden difficulty Cedric had meeting his eye was very telling. “I should’ve warned you,” was all he said.

“Yeah,” Gus agreed before Cedric could apologize. “Yeah, you should’ve.”

Across the room, Kira gave him a look. No doubt Cedric had briefed them on everything that just went down, but there was still a question on her face. “Later,” Gus mouthed, and left it at that.

Cedric and Gus made their way back to the lobby in silence. Sophie hadn’t moved an inch from when he’d last seen her. When she smiled up at Gus, his lips curled into a mirror of her own. It was only once he reached the bottom step that he realized the reaction was Pavlovian. An automatic physical response to visual stimuli. On his emotions did not warrant.

While Cedric approached Sophie, Gus hung back. The lights in the shop were all turned out, but the large bay window out front let in more than enough streetlight for him to see. Combined with his enhanced hearing, it was like he was standing right next to the two of them.

“Hey, there,” Cedric’s voice was soft. It reminded Gus of the way he spoke to Matilda during the séance. “I heard you were thinking of taking my earlier offer?” He paused, waiting for her nod of confirmation. “You won’t be able to forget entirely. The memories may return as dreams, but they won’t feel real. I can’t undo what you’ve seen. All I can do is make it a little easier for you.”

After a small breath, Sophie nodded. “I’m ready.”

“May I take your hand?” Cedric asked and Sophie held hers up. It was the same hand Gus had held just moments before. “Alright, now close your eyes and think back to everything that just happened.”

Just like before, Sophie did as Cedric instructed. From where Gus was standing, he could see Cedric tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, then place the fingers of his free hand to her temple.

But that was it. He wasn’t Kira - he couldn’t see magic or read the flow of energy. All Gus could do was watch and wait.

Thankfully, it didn't last long. Gus had only gotten to the foot shaking phase of his boredom fidgets when Sophie let out a sudden gasp and his attention was back on her. She blinked, looking around the room, before her eyes landed back on Cedric. The confusion cleared a moment later.

“Well, it was nice to meet you, Miss Maxwell,” Cedric said, shaking the hand he was still holding. “I’ve heard so many wonderful things from Gus.”

“It was nice to meet you too,” Sophie replied. Strike what Gus said earlier; this was her first genuine smile of the night. “Sorry again about making you open up your store after closing.”

Cedric leaned back, laughing. “Oh, it’s alright.” He sounded like he was talking to a customer. Then he turned to flash Gus a meaningful look. “You find your keys alright?”

So that’s what they were going with? Yeah, Gus could play along. “They were right where I left them,” he replied, pulling his keychain from his pocket. “Sitting behind the register this whole time. You good to head on out?”

“Ready whenever you are,” Sophie was all smiles as she took Gus’s hand. “Have a good night, Cedric!” She added as they left, throwing Cedric a friendly wave.

“And to you as well. Come back any time!” Cedric called. He waited until Sophie was out the door before whispering, “I really am sorry.” All Gus could do was turn around in the doorway and give his boss a solemn nod.

Once they were out in the cold night air, Sophie wasted no time wrapping herself tighter in her jacket. “God, it’s freezing out here,” She muttered. “Isn’t it supposed to be spring next week? I’ll never understand how your hands are always so warm. But...that does make them pretty nice to hold.”

Right, they were still holding hands. Gus looked down at where their hands were joined before letting his fingers slowly untwine from hers. When he looked back up, Sophie was staring at him strangely. He could smell the confusion wafting off of her, but there wasn’t a trace of fear. Dammit, this was so much harder when she was looking at him like that.

“Literally, exactly what I said,” Toni replied. “I was coming home from work when I caught Gus’s name over the typical Harbinger chatter.” Toni tapped her head twice. “Did a little digging, and it looks like Bryce was approached by Gus’s girlfriend, Phoebe-”

“Sophie,” Kira corrected.

“Sophie, whatever,” Toni waved her off. “Anyway, she apparently noticed something was up between the two of them and guessed Bryce was involved somehow. Since Gus hasn’t spilled the beans about this whole Otherworld business, she figured Bryce would. So he took her to the old 6 train station beneath City Hall, lured Gus there, and tricked him into revealing magic to her first.”

Cedric could see Kira’s breathing hitch. “You mean they’re fighting right now?” Her voice had risen several notes along with her nerves.

“Well, I would’ve gotten here sooner, but someone sealed off the basement from teleportation magics,” Toni sent a withering glare in Cedric’s direction. He was ready to argue back, but Toni just charged right ahead. “The second I figured out what was up, I made it down as fast as the 4 train would take me. Y’all owe me a subway fare, by the way.”

Ignoring Toni’s last comment entirely, Salazar spoke up. “If I’m remembering correctly, Gus’s girlfriend is mortal.” He received three nods of confirmation. “Then this is a lot bigger than just some battle against a Harbinger. The exposure risk-”

Cedric didn’t wait for him to finish. “I agree. We need to send someone immediately.”

“I’ll do it,” Kira’s response was so quick, she ran over the tail end of Cedric’s words. She jumped from the couch, already going for her jacket.

However, Cedric’s hand on her shoulder stopped her. “Perhaps you’re not ready for this yet,” he said, his voice low.

“What?!” Kira cried. “This is my best friend. I have to go-”

“As much as I hate to agree with him, Mr. Warden’s right,” Toni cut in, giving her what was probably supposed to be a consoling shrug. “You’re probably worse off than he is right now,” she added, throwing a nod in Salazar’s direction. Salazar gave an impressive eye roll for a man with only one eye. “Alright, Cedric, looks like it’s you and me.”

Realizing that he really was the only option they had at the moment, Cedric sighed. He let his hand linger on Kira’s shoulder for a moment, unspoken promise in his eyes. We’ll get him back safe, don’t worry. Just before he let the hand drop, Kira covered it with her own. Cedric was grateful she had to turn away to speak to Toni, because he was having trouble thinking past their points of contact.

“So why come up here in the first place?” The witch asked. “Why not grab Cedric and go? To put me in a situation where I’m utterly useless?” Even Kira seemed surprised by how loud she’d gotten by the end of her rant.

To her credit, Toni didn’t flinch. “Because you were right earlier,” she explained. “Gus is your best friend and you deserve to know what was going on.” She paused, shrugging. “I mean, I could’ve just texted you, but it’s not like I have your number.”

Every time Cedrd thought he had Toni figured out...Kira opened her mouth, but seemed to have trouble getting the ‘thank you’ out. Cedric could feel her stare on him as he shrugged on his coat. “Kick Bryce’s ass for me,” Kira said eventually. “And stay safe, alright?”

“We will,” Cedric assured her. Then he turned and headed out the door because if he didn’t look away now, he knew he would never be able to. It wasn’t until they were out on the street that he found the words again. “There’s an alley behind the shop that will provide enough cover for a transference spell.”

Toni nodded, a couple steps behind Cedric. He figured, given the situation, Toni would want to stay on point. Honestly, Cedric should’ve known better. “So judging by how that went down in there, I’m gonna go ahead and guess you still haven’t told Kira? Like, anything, I mean.” Her voice cut through the nighttime traffic like a well-honed knife. Cedric was glad he was turned away so she couldn’t see him wince.

“How about we discuss this some other time?” Cedric asked, once he’d managed to school his expression back to normal.

Years in court when he was a young man had been good practice for exactly this type of situation. But that training never taught him how to stop thinking about something, or remove the ache it caused from his chest. Cedric actually found himself looking forward to the battle, if only because it would give him a momentary respite.

Toni muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like, “It’s not me you need to discuss this with.” He ignored it and held out an expectant hand, which Toni took with a shake of her head. “Alright, Mr. Warden, hold onto your scarf.”

Which was all the warning Cedric got to close his eyes before the world dropped out from under him. Over a thousand years living in the Otherworld and Cedric still had yet to get used to transference via chaos magic. Few other things provoked this kind of instinctual fear in him. Unconsciously, he tightened his grip on Toni’s hand.

At least it was over quickly. The world wasn’t spinning the same way it did for most other transference spells. That Cedric knew how to handle. This was like coming back to consciousness after suddenly falling asleep. Cedric needed a moment to get his bearings back.

The moment he opened his eyes, nostalgia hit him like a tidal wave. Aside from rust and water damage, the old City Hall Station looked exactly like it did the last time he’d stood on this platform over seventy years ago. Cedric only noticed Gus seconds later when the werewolf nearly bowled him over.

Gus didn’t stand fully to his feet, remaining in a crouch. He shook himself off, growling under his breath while his jacket continued to smoke. The intimidating image was completely undercut by the tone of his voice. “Oh, hey, guys! I was kinda hoping you’d show up soon.”

“Thought I said this party was supposed to be invitation only,” someone else said, prompting Gus to switch from friendly to snarling once more.

Cedric followed his line of sight across the platform to where another man was standing. He was a Harbinger, that much was obvious from his appearance and the chaos-tinged smoke of black magic curling around his body. And while Cedric was only vaguely familiar with him, there was an intrinsic loathing tied to his face. It was Gus’s, Cedric knew, still lingering in his mind from when they’d been linked during their last battle against the Harbingers. That same hatred was pouring off of him right now.

“Oh, honey,” Toni simpered. A wide grin broke out across her features as she let her eyes turn black. “I know I’m not your boss anymore, but a little respect would be nice.”

When Bryce’s eyes widened, Cedric didn’t need his empathy to guess why. “Who...who are you?” The air of superiority in his tone did little to hide his stumble.

“Hmm, guess we must’ve just missed each other,” Toni sighed. She turned her head, staring wistfully into the distance. “Too bad. That would’ve been a much more effective threat if you’d been around for my reign of terror.”

While Toni’s gaze was diverted elsewhere, Bryce attempted to strike. It was a desperate maneuver - he must’ve noticed the difference in power between himself and Toni - and even Cedric could sense the spell before it left his hand. He watched in horror as the cloud of black smoke sailed right for Toni, only for her to deflect it casually back at him.

“Everyone’s always trying to use my own tricks against me,” She pouted, dropping the expression to return fire.

Taking that as a sign the battle was back on, Gus rushed back in. Cedric nearly followed suit, until a thread of emotions wandered into his consciousness. It had been there the whole time, overshadowed by everyone else’s because it wasn’t wrapped in a magical presence.

Once Cedric put it all together, he whirred around. The woman standing behind him was petite, with vibrantly red curls and blue eyes that were wide as she took in the scene before her. Cedric already knew that this had to be Sophie, Gus’s girlfriend. With one last glance at the battle raging on the other end of the platform, Cedric turned and ran towards her. Toni and Gus were more than a match for Bryce. Right now, Sophie needed him most.

“Are you alright?” Cedric asked, kneeling down once he got to her feet. Even like this, he was practically eye to eye with Sophie. She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice, pulling back when her eyes landed on him. “Don’t worry, I’m Gus’s friend. I won’t hurt you.”

“I-I’m alright,” Sophie stammered automatically. She was more preoccupied with accessing Cedric’s threat level than telling the truth. The incubus sensed the moment she decided he was trustworthy and watched her begin to backtrack. “No, what am I saying? This sucks and I have no idea what the hell is going on right now.”

Cedric nodded slowly in understanding. “Can you tell me what you remember about how you got here?”

“Umm, I don’t remember much, actually,” Sophie replied. She sounded surprised by her own answer. “I got a message from Gus about him coming back to Henderson, so I decided to go in. But then I bumped into Bryce. I might’ve taken my frustration out on him and he said something about having Gus tell me himself...And then I wound up here. It was really dark for a while, but then Gus was here and they started fighting.” She stopped short, seeming to realize she had been rambling. Cedric was impressed she caught onto his influence so quickly. “Gus…” Sophie trailed off, gaze now on the battle. Cedric was prepared to give her reassurance that he was going to be fine, but Sophie’s next words surprised him. “What is he?”

Of course, Cedric sighed. Sophie was a mortal, she wasn’t used to Otherworld matters the same way his regular clients were. “Much as I hate to admit it, I think Bryce was right about one thing. This is a private discussion for the two of you,” he said.

It was a massive breach of protocol, but at this point, Cedric felt he owed it to Gus. He’d done the same thing when Kira had accidentally exposed Gus to the Otherworld. Of course, Cedric also knew there was a chance Gus would become an Otherworlder himself, so the situations weren’t exactly the same. With Sophie, he couldn’t feel a single glimmer of magic.

What he could feel from her was a confusing mass of emotions. Given the circumstances, that was to be expected. Sophie was putting on a strong face, but that didn’t stop Cedric from sensing the anger and frustration welling up within her. The betrayal. To her credit, Cedric knew she hadn’t shed a single tear.

She’s like Gus that way, Cedric couldn’t help but think. He could almost visualize the close bond between the two of them, stretching out from her to him like a thread. It had become frayed in the past few months, but her concern over him right now was keeping it from snapping.

“You know,” Cedric added after a moment of listening to Sophie’s emotions. “This is something you were never meant to see. If, after this is all over, you want to go back to not knowing...I can help you forget.”

There was a strange look in Sophie’s eyes when she finally turned back to him. The conflict of emotions reigning over her thoughts swirled more furiously. Before she could settle on an answer, a voice cut through the usual sounds of battle.

“Why?!”

Cedric recognized Gus’s accent immediately. Both he and Sophie turned to see the battle still raging behind them.

It was an interesting fight to behold, but it was clearly one-sided. Bryce was perpetually losing ground, trying to get out of range of Gus’s fists while simultaneously dodging the spells Toni threw his way. Cedric could feel his regret at his choice of opponents, even from here.

In response to Gus’s question, Bryce let out a laugh. The sound was quickly cut off by a burst of chaos magic that slammed into his back. While he was still stunned, Gus seized the opportunity. He grabbed a handful of Bryce’s turtleneck, using it to slam him against the nearest support beam. The impact rang throughout the platform.

“Why?” Gus repeated. Even though he was closer to Bryce now, and didn’t have to compete for volume, his voice was just as loud. “Why would you- Sophie did nothing to you! Why would you hurt her?!”

Again, Bryce let out a laugh. There was some fear and frustration in the sound, but it was masked by an overwhelming sense of victory. He certainly chuckled like he’d won. When Gus did nothing, only continue to glare him down, he appeared to roll his eyes - it was difficult to tell if that was the intention when he lacked scleras.

“First of all, I didn’t hurt her. She came to me for help, and that’s exactly what I provided,” Byce answered. “But this really isn’t about her. No offense to you, Sophie. Hope there aren’t any hard feelings after this,” he spoke the last bit to Sophie directly, nodding to her from across the platform.

“Go to hell,” Sophie spat back.

“Actually, I’m trying to bring hell to us, but that’s a little besides the point right now,” Bryce grinned. Turning back to Gus, he added, “But I’m man enough to admit it; you won our fight on Saturday. I had to find some other way to settle the score.”

“You sound pretty confident for someone currently pinned to a wall,” Gus fired back.

The smile that spread across Bryce’s face was directed across the platform. “Yeah, I probably do,” he sighed and the sound was almost wistful. “But the Warden over there looks about ready to bust me for magical exposure, so I think it’s time I ghosted.”

Suddenly, shadows enveloped Bryce’s form, which quickly dissolved in smoke. Toni, who was in the middle of a binding spell, cut herself off with a loud swear.

“No!” Gus cried, claws slashing through the air in a vain attempt to grab anything. They passed harmlessly through the smoke that was left behind, gouging lines out of the paint covering the support beam. The frustrated shout he let out sounded close to a howl.

In the following silence, Toni surprised Cedric by beating him to a comforting statement. “Hey, chill out, alright?” Well, perhaps not comforting, but there was an undercurrent of concern in her voice. She placed a hesitant hand on Gus’s arm, which Cedric could see shaking even from so far away. When she did, the shaking stopped. “There’s someone over there who needs you right now and that’s more important.”

At that, Gus’s head snapped up. His glowing gaze flew right to where Sophie and Cedric were huddled by the stairwell. By the time he’d jogged over, his eyes were back to their natural shade of hazel.

“Are you alright? He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Gus asked. The words tumbled from his mouth so fast, all Sophie could do was nod or shake her head to keep up.

The only mistake the RA had made was planning the trip for a Friday night. Sure, there was the thrill of breaking the law, but who wanted to see some old subway station when it was the first official party night of the year? Gus hadn’t really made it onto any guest lists yet, so one illegal subway ride it was.

However, Gus wasn’t the only one to show up. Besides their RA, there was one other kid there waiting with him at the Union Square station platform. Standing on that same platform almost ten years later, Gus struggled to remember just what Bryce said in the first ten seconds that pissed him off so much. Gus was pretty sure he deleted the memory as a form of self-defense. Something about making sure he thanked them for being patient enough to wait up for him? Yeah, that sounded pretty on-brand.

Even if he couldn’t recall Bryce’s first remark word for word, taking this subway ride again was bringing up all sorts of memories. Everything was so much easier back then. No werewolves, no Harbingers, no magic. Not to mention Gus didn’t have to deal with his senses going into overdrive in a subway car, empty as it was. On the other hand, he didn’t have Sophie back then either. They hadn’t met until she started grad school two years ago. Gus would be damned if he lost her now.

When the subway approached City Hall Station, Gus made his way between the train cars. It was the last stop in the line before the train turned around, making its way through the abandoned platform. Everyone was supposed to get off, but not those who were peeking at the old station. The trick his RA had taught him and Bryce was to duck below the seats when they got to the end of the line. But catching a glimpse was all that trick was good for. Gus was aiming to actually get onto the platform itself.

This was technically...really dangerous. Going between subway cars while the train was in motion was obviously sketchy, but there was a reason they had to post PSAs warning people off it on every line. This route came with an additional corner so sharp newer cars weren’t equipped to make the turn with people on board. It was the reason the station fell into disuse and here Gus was, standing on the bridge between cars, waiting for the platform to come into view. Good thing being a werewolf gave him superhuman strength, because he knew there was no way he would’ve kept his grip on the railing otherwise.

As the train neared the old station, Gus readied himself to jump. With his strength and the added boost from the train’s speed, he was airborne for a little longer than he’d predicted. Thankfully, he had enough wits about him to roll as he landed. Gus came to a stop in the middle of the platform, crouching low enough that he could lay a palm flat on the floor.

The first thing Gus noticed looking around the platform was a strange sense of familiarity. He’d only seen this place once before from the window of a speeding train car, but it hadn’t changed in ten years.

The second, and arguably more pressing thing was the distinct absence of Bryce and Sophie. Leaded glass skylights let in enough light from the street above that Gus found himself wondering if he was alone on the platform. And yet, he caught faint traces of Sophie’s perfume in the air. The combination of peony and vanilla was overwhelmed by the distinct scent of Harbinger chaos magic.

As the train finally began to leave the station, Gus noticed another sound coming from somewhere closer. By the time he realized it was clapping, Bryce’s voice was already echoing off the tiled walls. “So nice of you to finally join us.”

Gus could feel his senses flip into overdrive in an instant. He jumped to his feet, wildly scanning the room as Bryce’s voice came from everywhere at once. With the ambient light and his improved night vision, he initially assumed he could see the entire platform. On his second pass, he found himself coming back to the far stairwell, which was shadowed so heavily even Gus’s sight didn’t offer him any assistance. As he stared, the shadows began to lift, twisting into Bryce’s form, with Sophie’s much smaller figure at his side.

A million things went through Gus’s mind at the sight of his girlfriend alive and well and staring right back at him. Fury that Bryce had actually gone so far as involving her, relief that she was actually alive, confusion at the unreadable expression on her face. Gus wanted nothing more than to run over to her, but he restrained himself. Bryce was closer to her and he could hurt either one of them before Gus made it halfway across the platform. Not unless he shifted. But with Sophie standing there, that was out of the question. He forced himself to disregard everything his instincts were telling him - protect, attack, defend - and stayed where he was, frozen by indecision.

“You know, you should probably thank us,” Bryce continued and Gus’s attention snapped back to him. “Seeing as we were patient enough to wait up for you.”

Belatedly, Gus remembered exactly what Bryce’s first ever words to him were. He could feel a warning growl rise in his throat, but suppressed it after a quick glance in Sophie’s direction. “Bryce, I’m going to need you to tell me exactly why you kidnapped my girlfriend,” Gus said, his words measured. “Before I do something we’ll both regret.”

“Who said anything about kidnapping?” Bryce’s grin widened. “Sophie’s here with me of her own volition. In fact, she was the one who approached me.”

Both men turned to Sophie at the same time, but Gus was the only one on her radar. That stony, unreadable expression was still on her face, giving up no clues as Gus searched for answers. Now that Bryce’s glamour was gone, Gus could get a better sense of her emotions. She hadn’t cried recently, not that he could smell on her. There were traces of anger, but most of what he was smelling was fear. Or something like it, at least. He wasn’t hearing the raised heart rate that normally went along with panic. Had he put her under a spell?

In the wake of their silence, Bryce gestured to Sophie. She jumped slightly at the hand suddenly in her field of view. “Isn’t that right, Sophie-”

“Don’t. Touch. Her,” Gus ground out, fighting to keep his voice level. It had already taken on that low, rumbling quality that preceded the shift, but Gus refused to let his control slip. In any other situation, he would have at least let his eyes flash in warning. But that was Sophie and this was the one secret he had to keep from her.

“Aw, cute, but how about an actual growl, hm?” Bryce asked. That damn Harbinger was just mocking him now.

Gus closed his eyes, willing them back to their natural hazel before opening them again. “Just let her go,” he said. “Or I’ll make good on all those threats from earlier.” He was shaking with an anger so strong it was threatening to tear him apart from the inside out. This no longer just about trying not to shift in front of his girlfriend. If his control slipped for a fraction of a second, it wouldn’t be him standing on the platform anymore.

Bryce’s laugh sent another burst of rage flooding through his veins. His hands tensed and Gus could feel his claws bite into his palms. He would not shift. He would not-

“Like when you said you would rip my throat out or that time when you told me you were going to break every bone in my body?” Bryce asked, sarcasm heavy in his tone.

“Both if you aren’t careful,” Gus warned, prompting Bryce to laugh again.

They were standing far too close for Gus’s liking. Bryce was smart with his positioning. There wasn’t much Gus could do at this range. A quick check of his pockets told him he only had one talisman on him, and it was one of protection. He was at a serious disadvantage right now and he had no idea what Bryce was planning. And, judging by the way his lips were curling, he was about to try something.

“So, I’m curious,” Bryce began with relish. “How long have you two been dating? I missed a lot while I was in England.”

A second later, Sophie seemed to realize he was speaking to her. Her stare had been so fixed on Gus. “Six months,” was all she said. Like her face, her tone gave away nothing but intensity.

Bryce let out an appreciative whistle. “Damn, congrats, you two,” he nodded excitedly. “Now, I’m just curious...Has he told you where he disappears off to every couple weeks?”

“Don’t you dare!” Gus shouted out before he could stop himself, pointing an accusatory finger at Bryce. His hand shook with an emotion that wasn’t quite anger.

It was anxiety, he realized. Gus was still getting used to his new instincts and the way they could so easily blind him. But with a single question, Bryce had exposed his number one fear and pulled him right back to humanity. If he was really about to do what he was implying, it wouldn’t just be Gus he put at risk.

“No, he hasn’t,” Sophie answered, after a moment spent glancing between the two men. It was the hesitation in her voice that really got to Gus. All he could do was stare at her, open-mouthed. There really wasn’t anything he could do in this situation.

“Pretty big secret, don’t you think?” Bryce pouted, as if he hadn’t already guessed. “Tell me, what would you do if I just told Sophie right now? What would you do to stop me?”

He began to walk down the steps as he spoke. Gus smelled it before anything else, the acrid tang of dark magic rising in the air. Immediately, he looked at Bryce’s hand and found he could just barely make out tendrils of smoke trailing between his fingers. His gaze flew to Sophie next, but she was entirely unfazed. Gus wondered if she could even see the spell Bryce was weaving, if it was pinging off her fight-or-flight response the way it did to his. 

“What’s wrong? You look a little deer-in-the-headlights there,” Bryce said, bringing Gus’s attention back to him. He quickly noticed how careful Bryce was being with his gestures, keeping the chaos magic out of Sophie’s line of sight. He was a right bastard, but he was a smart one too. In the wake of Gus’s silence, he went on, “Or is it more of a cat-got-your-tongue situation? Nah, I’m sure there’s another animal analogy here that I’m missing.”

But for once, Gus was too caught up in his own thoughts to register Bryce’s comments. On one hand, Gus still hadn’t talked to Cedric about what he could tell Sophie, and getting her out of there without showing her some kind of magic looked to be impossible. He would be responsible for breaking some kind of Otherworld exposure laws and Cedric would totally have his ass. But if he did nothing, and Bryce really was planning on using some kind of spell on her, then he would be responsible for whatever happened to her.

“Sophie, you’re the animal behavior expert here. What does Gus’s stance remind you of right now?” Bryce’s words registered somewhere in the back of Gus’s mind. Until then, he hadn’t even noticed his own defensive posture or the curl of his hands.

It was the little point to Sophie with the smoke-covered hand that did it. As if the implication wasn’t clear enough, he let his eyes fade to black and threw in a wink. Gus didn’t even need to think about which option he preferred less. Once again, he felt his senses kick into overdrive and he ran forwards. Just because Gus was an endurance runner didn’t mean he didn’t know how to sprint. The world blurred around him as he raced forwards, preternatural strength pushing his body past the limit of human speeds.

When he reached Bryce, Gus stopped short and grabbed hold of Bryce’s jacket. Using the momentum of his body, Gus threw him as far away from Sophie as he could. Bryce landed with a surprised cry, but seemed otherwise unharmed. Good. That meant Gus was still in control enough of his powers and his emotions.

Finally, Gus let out the growl he’d been holding back, the sound loud enough to echo across the tiled platform walls. In the dim light of the platform, his eyes seemed to glow particularly bright. He sank down into a crouch, one arm up to shield Sophie from whatever Bryce decided to throw at them next.

“Ooh, there it is,” Bryce sounded an awful lot like someone bragging for a man literally picking himself off the ground. “And here I was wondering if I’d get to hear that sound at all tonight.”

“Gus? W-what’s going on?” Sophie’s voice sounded from over his shoulder.

For the first time tonight, Gus could hear genuine worry in her voice, and he spun around to face her. However, it wasn’t Bryce she was staring at - it was him. Gus could see the moment worry turned into actual fear, and it was right when her eyes landed on his face. He knew exactly what she was seeing. The glowing eyes, sharp fangs and claws; he probably looked like a monster to her. Gus winced. Watching her shrink away hurt more than any blow Bryce could’ve landed on him.

“Don’t worry,” Gus tried to assure Sophie, giving her a careful nod. He turned back to Bryce, meeting his pitch black eyes and smirk with a canine-bearing grimace. “I’ll make sure you get out of here safe.”

In just a few hours of work, Kira learned that she wasn’t the only one coming back to Vestibulum Venenatis after some time away. A lot of customers remarked on their disappointment over the sudden closure. But, she was quick to note, none of them were Otherworlders. Cedric offered them all the same understanding frown and excuse;

“I’m so sorry, there was a family emergency over the weekend. None of us saw it coming, it was just so sudden. I really wish I could’ve given more warning, you know I hate letting you all down like that.”

He was so genuine that the customers always offered their condolences and backed off immediately. No one asked what the family emergency was. Only Kira could see the slight tension in Cedric’s jaw, the singular flaw in his perfect excuse.

Either way, Kira was glad to be at work again. It was nice to get back into the swing of things, to feel like she was helping out. Every once and awhile, she even forgot about everything that happened in the past week. The battle in Central Park, Layla’s return…

“You don’t have to help me close if you don’t want to,” Cedric told her as they were beginning to clear out. “You’ve already stayed longer than I would normally ask of you, and I know you have homework to catch up on.”

Kira waved off Cedric’s concern with a shake of her head. “I want to. I’m all caught up on my reading and I’m ahead of schedule with my thesis anyway,” she explained. It wasn’t like she had much else to do when she was trapped in the shop’s basement. “Besides, I want to stay and wait for Salazar to wake up. I need to see him.”

“I understand,” Cedric replied, sighing. “You know what? I can do this on my own. Go upstairs and wait for him. I’ll be down here if you need anything.”

“Are you sure?” Kira asked. It was only to be polite, of course. When Cedric only gave her a nod in response, she promptly dropped the empty jar she was holding and bolted up the stairs.

Finding Salazar wasn’t a hard task. He was still sprawled out across the couch, ChannelOne news playing at a low volume on the TV. His visible eye was closed, and his breathing was calm and slow. Judging by the empty bowl on the coffee table, he’d made himself dinner and went right back to sleep.

As frustrating as it was to see him asleep once more, the fact that he’d gotten up at some point was comforting. Kira walked over to the couch and sat down gently on the arm. Not like she had anything else to do. Again, she found herself staring at Salazar’s unconscious form, studying his features for any similarity to her own.

“Have you been there long?”

Salazar’s raspy voice shocked Kira back into reality. She nearly jumped off the couch, but managed to keep her composure. Just barely. His eye was still shut, so she figured he probably sensed her. Or maybe he just hadn’t been asleep the whole time.

“Oh, um, I’m not sure,” Kira replied eventually. “Less than ten minutes...Did I wake you up?” She cleared her throat awkwardly, willing her heart back down into her chest. For all the time Kira imagined seeing him in the hospital, or her entire shift that afternoon, she hadn’t come up with a single thing to say to him. What was she supposed to say to a father she’d spent her whole life without?

Salazar shook his head in response. “No, I actually almost wasn’t sure I was sensing you until just a moment ago. It’s these damn pain meds the doctors have me on. I’ve been in and out of consciousness all day.” That certainly explained the grogginess in his voice. “What time is it, by the way?”

After a check of her new phone, Kira gave him a quick, “Nine thirty. At night.”

And then they both went quiet. Apparently Kira wasn’t the only one at a loss for words.

“Hey, Salazar,” Kira blurted right as Salazar said, “Kira, there’s something I would like to…” But then he trailed off. This time, he did open his eye, locking gazes with Kira. “You go first,” he told her.

“Did you know?” Kira asked. It was something she’d wondering for days now. The question he’d buried in his mind during the battle, that strange expression on his face when Layla confirmed the truth for the both of them. It wasn’t a look of surprise. “About me...being your daughter, I mean.” There, she’d finally acknowledged the big, paternal elephant in the room.

At that, Salazar let out a sigh. No longer able to keep Kira’s stare, he turned his head away. “I...had my suspicions,” he confessed.

“When did you figure it out?” Kira went on. She’d been so determined to give him the benefit of the doubt, but his answer was making that a little difficult.

“A couple days before the battle. It was something Cedric said to Toni. I realized that was the first time I’d heard your full name,” Salazar explained. “There’s only one other woman I’d met with that name and I think that was when I figured out why I thought you were so familiar in our first meeting.”

Because he thought she looked like her mother. For some reason, Kira could feel her eyes begin to water. She swallowed harshly, blinking the tears away. It had been a long time since Kira had felt the loss of her mother this strongly.

In the absence of a response from Kira, Salazar continued, “That, combined with your neutral magic...I’m sorry, by the way. About how I gave you the Mark. Everything was happening so fast, and the world needs a successor to the line of Mixba’al more than ever. I wanted to warn you, but I thought I might die-”

“It’s alright,” Kira said, cutting off what was probably a very long apology that Salazar had spent the last few days rehearsing at the hospital. “You didn’t have time to explain. I’d say I forgive you, but I’m not mad about what happened.” Yeah, the situation sucked, but Kira understood. She would’ve done the same thing in his place.

“Heard you had some trouble with it when we got back from the park,” Salazar’s apologetic frown deepened, if possible. Kira only gave him a sheepish nod. “It can be a lot to handle. If you’d like, I can try and teach you. I should’ve taught you before the ritual, but...” He winced.

Again, Kira found herself nodding. “Yeah, lessons would be nice,” she told him. “Oh, and I’m not calling you ‘dad’ by the way. It’s just a little too weird right now.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not asking you to,” Salazar replied, giving her a soundless chuckle.

When silence fell over the room once more, it was a lot more comfortable. Kira found herself trying to suppress a small grin, turning to the TV when the task proved impossible.

Close to ten, when conversation between the pair turned to small talk, Kira felt something prickle at the base of her spine. It was so faint at first that she just ignored it. By the time she realized it was dark magic, the presence was already downstairs.

“Damn power-dampening rings!” Kira hissed, jumping to her feet. Seconds later, she let out a calm breath. Now that the presence was closer, she could finally recognize it. “Oh, nope, nevermind,” Kira added for Salazar’s benefit, encouraging him to lie back down. “Don’t worry, it’s just Toni.”

Salazar nodded, leaning back against the opposite arm of the couch. Before Kira could argue with him to actually lie down, she was cut off by the sound of two pairs of approaching footsteps. Cedric and Toni burst through the apartment door a moment later. Toni looked particularly winded for a run up a single flight of stairs.

“Kira, Salazar - we have a problem,” she got out between breaths. Then, after a quick nod to Salazar. “Glad to see you back. Nice eyepatch, by the way.”

“Wait, what problem?” Kira asked quickly.