Was I weakened by the fact that Maggie was here, in my apartment, making me distinctly uncomfortable?
Maggie had taken her time examining the Hyena’s sword, then explored my place. I already had my doubts about her, but being under her scrutiny didn’t help.
I’d picked up art here and there. A piece of wood that had been sat in the water of some lake or river long enough to be smoothed over, dried, painted and varnished. A little white dog, a little abstract in shape, but recognizable enough. A black and white series of images of women with their shirts off, backs turned or chests covered with arms, showing off their tattoos.
Maggie’s attention turned to my bookshelf, which was only half-filled with books. The rest was trinkets and odds and ends, and admittedly two shelves of junk like screws, bill notices and change that I had stuck up there because I couldn’t be bothered to put them away where they belonged.
I wasn’t the only one looking. Joel was studying her too. He saw me seeing him looking.
“Where’s she sleeping?” Joel asked. “Or are you not sleeping tonight?”
“I spent last night in a jail cell. I’m definitely going to try to sleep tonight,” I said. “Maggie? Any preference? Do you need to get home at some point?”
She considered. “It might get complicated if I’m gone long enough for someone to notice how long I’ve been gone.”
“How did you arrange things with your dads?”
She shrugged. “My parents and I don’t always see eye to eye when it comes to what I’m doing here. It’s been worse since the change of location, coming to Jacob’s Bell.”
“Please tell me you told them you were coming. I don’t want to get arrested for kidnapping a minor. I was just in jail for being accused of murdering one.”
“For murdering me,” Evan clarified, sagely.
“I took measures. There shouldn’t be trouble,” Maggie said. “If there is, it shouldn’t inconvenience you. But if I explain now, it will inconvenience you.”
“How does that work?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I can tell you, if you want. But maybe it’s better to focus on other things?”
“Maybe,” I said. I met her eyes. “You understand where I might be a little concerned by the fact that you’re dodging my question? Unknowns are bad.”
“If I hadn’t taken measures to get out of Jacob’s Bell, I wouldn’t be standing here. You wouldn’t have my particular brand of help. I didn’t have many options, and the option I did find was pretty dratting fragile. You could be grateful I’m even here, helping-”
“I am bribing you with access to magical tomes.”
“Something you were offering before. I’m not complaining, I’m only saying.”
“You’re here, you’re helping. It’s… it’s great. Really. But I think it’s a dumb move to let our guard slip, so I gotta ask. Are you doing anything nefarious here?”
“There’s no real malice or hostility in my heart, honest. I’m here because it’s a way to improve my personal situation, because I don’t like guys like the Lord of the City, or even the idea of Lords in general. Besides, it’s a heck of a lot more interesting than sitting in podunk nowhereville and going to high school.”
“People have been hurt. You’re putting your life at risk, and it’s interesting?” Joel asked.
“Yes. Believe me, I’ve seen stuff that makes this seem pretty tame,” Maggie said. “This gives me a chance to explore. It’s great.”
Joel latched on to the first part of her statement. “Stuff that makes this seem tame? I’m not sure I want to know.”
“You don’t. You want to know why I can stand beside your buddy right now, when most won’t? I’ve seen things that might rate an eight on the cosmic scale of bad.”
“You might be overestimating that,” Fell commented.
“I’m not,” Maggie said.
“I second what Fell said,” I added. “Rose, Evan and I have squared off against a small demon. Knowing what I know, putting it in context, I might rate it a six, and we almost didn’t make it out.”
“I’ve seen an eight,” Maggie said, a little firmer, “I’ve seen a lot of stuff. Take my word for it. A lot more suffered, and a lot more didn’t make it out.”
She sounded so calm about it. From my perspective, when I thought about the demon in the factory, I felt vaguely sick to my stomach, or I felt like I could start seeing things in the darker corners of my apartment. Could she really be talking about an eight without any sign of distress?
I sighed. “I guess I’ll take your word for it, then.”
She nodded.
“This is going to take a while,” Fell said. When I looked, he was pouring powder onto the floor, then using one of my tools to scrape it into shapes and patterns, building on and inside the diagram we’d taped out. “In a minute, I’ll have to cover other rooms, and then I’ll go. If we’re going to figure out what we’re doing tomorrow, we should do it now.”
I nodded.
Fell said, “I’m going to leave you guys when I’m done, so I can look after my family.”
“I wasn’t aware you had one,” Rose said.
“He told me he has siblings, and his parents and uncle were involved, if I remember right?” I suggested.
“I do have a family,” Fell told Rose. “Conquest might try to use them against me as leverage.”
Family. Did that mean allies? “Can I ask who they are, or is it too personal?”
“You can ask. My niece hasn’t been inducted into this world yet. She benefits from the protections of innocence, and she’s in capable hands, but I’d still like to be sure.”
The niece couldn’t be another ally. A shame.”Not going to stop you,” I said. “You’ve helped me protect people close to me, it’d be hypocritical to deny you the chance to do the same for yourself.”
“Thank you,” Fell said. “Frankly, you can’t stop me if I do want to leave, I don’t need your permission.”
“That too.”
“What’s the plan, as it stands?” Fell asked. “We’ll need to set up somewhere else at some point tomorrow.”
“The plan,” I said, “Is to sleep, eat, and then I visit the police station. If I don’t, they might start thinking I look a little guiltier. Besides, I need to collect June.”
“Who?” Joel asked.”Ghost in a hatchet. I left her behind.”
He nodded.
“The same police station where you ran into the Behaims?” Fell asked me.
“Yeah.”
“That sounds like a potential problem. Do they know you’re coming?”
“They’re chronomancers who dabble in augury,” I said. “Divining the future. I wouldn’t be too surprised.”
“Can you avoid going?” he asked.
“I could,” I said. “I’m wondering if I should. I mean, for reasons beyond the charges against me and getting the hatchet.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I’m thinking of going after Laird. I’ve had three wins against him, I’m not sure what that means in the grand scheme of things, but I can’t help but feel I’ve got the advantage and I should use it.”