“It’s not that we’re not a little freaked out by what you’re throwing at us. It’s more that we’re on board,” Alexis said.
There were nods from everyone but Joseph.
He seemed to be having a harder time getting into this.
“Joseph?” I asked.
It seemed to be all the cue he needed. “I’m gonna head out.”
“Hold on,” I said.
“I’m not saying I don’t believe it,” he said. “I’m… it just doesn’t make a lot of sense in terms of how it all fits together.”
“I can’t say it’ll make more sense after I explain, but it won’t magically start making sense on its own.”
“Give me a bit to wrap my head around it,” he said.
“How long is that ‘bit’?” I asked. “The next two hours are pretty vitally important.”
“I’m not so good with stuff that I don’t get,” he said. “I’d be more liability than help. Check in with me in a day or two.”
“You’re running?” Tyler asked.
“No. I’m not scared. I’m unprepared.”
“I’ve been unprepared since day one,” I said. “I know remarkably little, and I’ve had to face down some big problems.”
“That’s you. I get it, I respect it, and I don’t envy you at all. But you gave us a choice about whether we’d get into this, and I’m exercising that choice now.”
“You’re running,” Tyler repeated himself. A statement this time.
“Don’t stop him,” I said.
“Maybe I am running, I don’t know,” Joseph said. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m abandoning you, Blake. Is there anything you need?”
“Sure. Supplies,” I said. “Tools. Stuff I can use to draw. Possible weapons?”
He fumbled with his keychain, then got his key. He tossed it my way. My reactions were too slow to catch it. I picked it up from my lap.
He explained, “My place is yours. Raid it for whatever you want. But I’m going to stay out of this for now.”
“Where are you going?” Joel asked.
“I don’t know. I’ll figure it out. No hard feelings?”
“I’m sorry to see you go,” I said. “But I’m glad you’re going, if you feel the need.”
“I’m sorry to be going, too, but…”
He trailed off, leaving the sentence for someone else to pick up. Nobody did.
“Raid my place,” he said.
He made his exit.
It was bewildering and it hurt. It was all the worse because I could see why it was happening. Joseph wasn’t someone I was overly close to, but I’d considered myself closer to him than I was to my own parents. I’d worked for him and with him, we’d confided in one another. I respected him. No shenanigans seemed apparent with a glance, no connections or other meddling. He was doing this of his own volition, as far as I could tell.
Joseph was the most successful of us in the broad sense. Yes, Alexis had steady work, but Joseph had garnered attention as an avant-garde artist, and was making it at a job that very few people did well at. He succeeded because he was keenly aware of what his broader audience wanted. He kept his finger on the pulse of the community, identified what would work, and made it happen, with a somewhat perfectionist manner.
I’d really wanted him on my side, in the midst of this. To have his observant eye reading the situation would have made a world of difference. I felt like he would have been an exemplary practitioner, given the opportunity.
I looked at the others.
“I’m in,” Ty said.
Alexis nodded.
Goosh hesitated.
I could read her expression.
“No?” I asked.
“If it was mental illness, I could get that. But… you’re talking about something I’d have to keep secret from Amanda.”
“Yeah,” I said.
“Or, admitting that she’s only a new relationship… that we probably aren’t in it for the long haul, it’d mean cutting myself off from future relationships.”
“I’ve found,” I said, “That that’s maybe the hardest part. And that’s what I’m trying to fix here, reaching out to you guys.”
She nodded.
“That’s a no, then?” I asked.
“For now?” she asked.
Now was the most important time… but the thing that was going on with Conquest was just words to them. The meaning and gravity of it wasn’t clear, and it wouldn’t be.
“I’ve got your back,” Goosh said. “If that counts for anything.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
I saw eyes turn to Tiff.
“Don’t feel pressured to say yes because others are saying yes,” I told her. “I asked you how you handle stress, a few days ago. You said you don’t generally manage it well.”
“No.”
“It’s okay if you’re not into this.”
“Is there any part of this that isn’t horribly stressful?” she asked.
“Very little.”
She frowned. “But this is major.”
She was trying to convince herself to move forward.
Why had Alexis invited her? Tiffany liked me, and I liked her too, but I didn’t trust her on the same level I trusted the others.
“This is major,” I agreed.
“Then I’ll try to help, and I’ll do that very little that I think I can do.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “I had arguments with a companion, not long ago, and I don’t think this is the sort of thing where half measures will do. It might be better to back off.”
“I’m sure,” she said. She sounded more confident, and left no room for argument.
Damn it.
Well, I wasn’t going to turn down help.
“Okay. Three people. There are things we need,” I said.
“What things?” Alexis asked.
“A dagger,” I said. “An hourglass. A skull. A coin…”
■
By the time the Knights arrived, half an hour later, I’d given the others a brief idea of everything that had happened to date. I had stayed out of the way while they moved furniture in my living room, and we had a set of circles drawn. My visual memory was strong, and it was stronger still when it came to stuff I’d worked on with my hands.
I already had the bowls set out along the diagram. We had stuff for most.
Ty was at work using a hacksaw to take a chunk off an iron poker from Joel’s place. Joel, for his part, was going from apartment to apartment, trying to find Myrrh and an old coin.
“Hey,” Nick said.
“Hi,” Evan replied.
“Hi,” I said.
“You’re up to something,” Nick said.
“Yeah,” I said. “Nick, meet Alexis, Tyler, Tiffany, and Goosh.”
“Goosh?”
“Yep.”
“You’re awakening these guys?” Nick asked.
“Yeah.”
“You’re aware that it’s typically very important to ask the local Lord for permission for this sort of thing?”
“Is it?”
“Failing to do so gets you in hot water.”
“Are they in hot water, or am I?”
“You, I’d think.”
“Then I can deal,” I said. “He’s probably going to be ticked at me later tonight, whatever happens.”