“Lann said the first shot was aimed at him.”
“He was standing in front of the window, a clear target. Luckily for him, he moved at just the right moment.”
“After that, are you sure the shots were not aimed at the girl?”
“The shots only targeted my team. The assassin steered well away from me. I’m guessing it’s because I was covering Clelia and the shooter didn’t have a clean shot without the risk of taking her out. Maya recorded the bullet holes and reconstructed a hologram that shows the bullet path directions. You can look at the report if you want.” Joss narrowed his eyes. “Who else would be interested in abducting a fisherman’s granddaughter? Is there something you’re not telling me about Clelia?”
Cain smiled. “Is there something about her you’re not telling me?”
Joss’s muscles tensed, but he managed to keep a calm face. “I told you what I knew, that there were rumors about her mother.”
“Just rumors?”
“So far, yes, they’re just rumors. We’re trying to track down anyone who was on the trawler that rescued Clelia’s mother.”
“There’s nothing else?”
“No.”
“For someone who grew up with her in a town where everyone knows everyone, you don’t know much about her, do you?”
Joss gritted his teeth. “I did a thorough background check. She’s clean. No funny business. A fucking straight line. What else do you want me to say?”
“I was hoping for something more personal like what her character is like. What was she like in school?”
Joss studied Cain. “Why are you so interested in her? You’ve never come out on any mission. Why did you come here?”
“You said you tasted her blood.”
“She’s clean.”
“No magic? No potential for ancient arts?”
“I told you. No.” About that he was sure.
“Interesting, considering what you said about her mother.”
“I don’t like where this is going,” Joss said. “When we came out here, it was to investigate a paranormal crime. Why do I get the feeling this is about something entirely different?”
“Oh, I think for you it is about something different. Did you really come out here to investigate a crime?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Cain’s smile was indulgent. “You’re not asking who attacked you.”
Joss crossed his arms. “I was hoping you’d tell me.”
After a short hesitation, Cain said, “The game has changed.”
“Meaning what?”
“It has started.”
“What has started?”
“The evil that’s been dormant for the past four centuries is about to be re-awakened. We’re facing the beginning of the second Dark Age, and it’s our job to prevent it.”
“Fuck, Cain, you sound like a goddamn horror movie.”
“There’s a dark force in the making, and it has started to harvest power. It’s worse than anything we’ve dealt with. I don’t know who’s behind it, but whoever he is, he has disciples reaping art. His followers are hunting people with the ancient skills of forgotten magic. By killing them, he can steal their talents and add them to his own to grow his power, provided that his victims’ hearts have gone to the dark side. One of his greatest followers, a man named Lupien, is said to be a very powerful pyromancist. No one has heard or seen a trace of Lupien for nearly thirty years.”
Joss had an uneasy feeling. “You think he’s here?”
“I sense his presence.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before I embarked on this mission?”
“I only got the intel yesterday.”
Cain had informants and spies everywhere. Joss didn’t envy them their positions. He’d rather face a fight head-on and tackle evil with his bare hands than play psychological games and live a lie.
“If you feel his presence, then it’s most probable that this Lupien, or whoever he works for, is responsible for this morning’s attack.”
“It’s a possibility we have to face.”
“Clelia’s clean. She’s not a firestarter.” He said it with all the certainty he could muster, if not to convince Cain, then to at least win some time. “If Lupien wants her alive, it can only be for the same reason we want her, to use her as bait to bring Erwan into the open. That can only mean Erwan is the one who’ll lead us to the truth, to our firestarter.”
“Any chance of finding Erwan without using the girl?”
“The team is on it. We’re using all the technology at our disposal, but Erwan has a lot playing in his favor. He grew up here. He knows the islands and the sea like the back of his hand. There are a million places to hide. The fishermen said he left on a trawler for a few months. Mayor confirmed the story. Only, we’ve had the trawler intercepted. There’s no one by the name of Erwan d’Ambois on board, and no one fitting his description. I’m willing to bet my life the captain is lying through his teeth, saying he took the old man aboard but left him in Port Navalo. Erwan made it up. He couldn’t have gone far. He’s too old, too weak. He’s here. He’s watching, waiting. Sooner or later he’s going to know we’ve got his granddaughter. Then we’ll learn the truth.” Joss regarded Cain. “What do you know about this Lupien?”
“All I know is that he’s a European male.”
“We don’t even know the cause of these fires yet. There may still be a logical explanation.”
Cain chuckled. “My intuition is never wrong. This is a pyromancist’s work. We may have a new firestarter in Larmor or an old one looking for a new one. Do you get what I’m saying?”
“No.”
“If there is a dormant pyromancist in your village, the only way for Lupien to awaken that person’s art would be
