“Only those trying to corrupt my hellhound.”
“I see,” she said, glancing into the backseat where Sir Peaches Sprawlington, the sprawl master, occupied the entire backseat. “Do you really think your hellhound is capable of being corrupted?”
“It’s a long story. I’ll deal with it,” I said. “I have a question for you.”
“Ask,” she said. “If I have the answer, I will provide it.”
“The orb you used on clueless Richard back there,” I started. “Was that the extent of your power?”
She remained silent for a few moments, and I knew the answer before she replied.
“Yes,” she said, hesitantly. “With the exception of my farsight ability, which does…unpleasant things to my reality, that was my power.”
“I see,” I said in my best Monty voice. “We are truly and rightfully bolloxed.”
“Excuse me?” Jessikah said. “I don’t think that word means what you think it means.”
“This farsight ability you have,” I said, “does it make you go Super Saiyan or something?”
“I’m not familiar with this term ‘Saiyan.’ Is it like a mage?”
“When you use your farsight, does it increase your power?” I clarified. “Does it make you like an Arch Mage?”
“Arch Mage?” she asked, shaking her head slowly. “Impossible. I would need at least half a millennia of extensive training to even approximate that level of power. Farsight gives me the ability to sidestep time for three seconds. It can still be thwarted.”
“So we really are bolloxed.”
“That word means…”
“That we are screwed,” I said. “In over our heads.”
“Fair enough,” she conceded. “Why do you make this assessment?”
“Did you know that Monty has faced an Arch Mage?” I asked, quietly. “Along with a few gods, and beings too scary to even describe?”
“The only official Arch Mage we have on record in this city is…”
“Julien, I know,” I said, “and his creepy assassin-assistant Claude.”
“Arch Mage Julien,” Jessikah corrected, “is quite accomplished and powerful. I have to doubt you and Tristan faced him in combat…and survived.”
“It wasn’t really combat, more like fleeing,” I admitted, “but Monty has faced some serious heavy-hitters and walked away from them. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you are outclassed…way outclassed. That was before the schism. Now, you’re not even in the same galaxy.”
She remained silent for a few more seconds.
“How will you stop him?” she asked. “You have less ability than I do.”
“I don’t know,” I said as we approached The Dive. “I have to hope that Monty is still Monty. If anyone is going to get close, I have the best chance of doing it.”
“Why? You have no special ability,” she said. “In fact, outside of your hellhound and your peculiar gun with runic-suppressing ammunition, you seem quite…ordinary.”
“I still have a few surprises.”
“I highly doubt these ‘surprises’ of yours will allow you to confront Mage Montague,” she said. “If he’s as powerful as you say he is, you’re as outclassed as I am.”
“Normally, I would agree with you,” I said. “If it were just me and you, this would be a suicide mission. It’s a good thing we have help.”
“Help?” she asked incredulously. “Who? His uncle? The proprietors of Fordey? Your idea of help is misplaced. They are rogue mages who only care for themselves. They are not ‘help’. They are dangerous and to be avoided at all costs.”
I glared at her before slowing in front of The Dive.
“You’re entitled to your opinion, as narrow as it may be,” I said, checking my anger. “Just make sure you keep that opinion to yourself. Those people you just named are the closest thing to a family I have…and no one, no one messes with my family.”
“Understood,” she said, eyeing the matte black 1970 Chevy Camaro parked in front of The Dive as we coasted past. We turned at the intersection and parked across the street. “Is this Grey part of your family as well?”
“Grey?” I said, surprised by the question. “I’ve never dealt directly with him. I try to keep my mage interactions down to a maximum of one, whenever possible. Monty worked a case with him a while back. If Ezra says I need to see Grey, then I’ll see Grey.”
“That was a roundabout way of saying no.”
“It’s not a no and it’s not a yes,” I said. “If he helps me with Monty, then I’ll be indebted to him, and I don’t take that lightly.”
We came to a stop in front of The Dive.
“That vehicle back there…it’s…”
“Cursed,” I said. “That’s the Beast. Stay away from it. The person who runed the Dark Goat runed that thing, and must have been angry on the day he did it. The runes on that thing are lethal. Don’t go near it.”
“Right, then,” she said, looking out of the passenger window at the entrance to The Dive. “We’re here to get help from a dark mage who drives a cursed vehicle, and carries around a sword capable of death and destruction. What could go wrong?”
“I’m going to assume that, like most mages,” I said, “he won’t be in a pleasant mood.”
“That’s just a myth,” she assured me. “Not every mage is continually angry.”
“A myth that hasn’t been debunked…yet.”
“Is this where this Frank person lives as well?” she asked, looking up and down the street. “The one you threatened earlier?”
“If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll be inside.”
“This place looks…”
“Run-down?”
“I was going to say quaint, but run-down fits,” Jessikah answered. “It’s quite protected. The wards on and around the property are considerable.”
“The place is a fortress, if Grey wants it to be,” I said, turning off the engine. “Grey moves in some questionable circles.”
“The runework is impressive. Outside of the Black Orchid, I’ve not seen such a level of detail,” she said. “There are layers upon layers of defenses, most of them lethal.”
“They should be,” I said, getting out of the Dark Goat. “It’s an unofficial neutral location, and Grey, as a dark mage, has more than a handful of enemies.”
“Are you certain this is
