“I don’t understand. What do you mean believe their own press?”
“The Black Orchid may have started out honorable and with good intentions,” I started. “Somewhere along the millennia, something got twisted, something broke.”
“What are you saying?”
“How can you not see it?” I said. “They sent you out here to die. Either Monty was supposed to blast you to little orchid bits, or one of your own sect will take you out. One of the mages who has more than two cases under their belt.”
“I’m not denying it,” she said, her voice full of denial…and anger. “It’s just that…”
“It’s hard to process,” I said. “I know. You better speed up the processing phase if you want to keep breathing” Before she could say anything, I looked up at the deli entrance. “This is it.”
“Death lives in a deli?” Jessikah said, looking at the storefront of Ezra’s place. “You’re kidding, right?”
“I don’t think you can use the term ‘lives’ with Ezra,” I said. “He resides here, but the real question is: Where is here?”
“What?” Jessikah said, confused. “What does that even mean?”
“Sorry,” I said, holding up a hand in surrender. “I spend so much time around mages, I’m beginning to sound like one.”
“I’m a mage and I still didn’t understand what you said.”
“Right,” I said, looking at Ezra’s. “This place is a place Ezra chooses to inhabit. It looks like a regular deli until you cross the threshold, and then we shift planes to wherever Ezra wants it to be. That clearer?”
“Not by much, but I think I get it,” Jessikah answered. “This is an interstitial pocket dimension existing outside of time and space, but controlled by an entity named Ezra. Created to look like a…deli? Of all things?”
“There you go,” I said. “You sound like you just left one of Ziller’s classes.”
“You know who Ziller is?” Jessikah asked, surprised. “His work is required reading.”
“He sounds worse in person, trust me.”
“You’ve met him?”
“I still have the headaches to prove it,” I said. “It wasn’t all fun.”
“Amazing,” she said. “There are mages who go their entire lives without meeting him.”
“I’m sure the ones who do wish they hadn’t,” I said, heading toward Ezra’s, and noticed something was missing. “Where’s your cat?”
Jessikah shrugged.
“He does that sometimes,” she said. “He’ll be back. Doesn’t your familiar go off on his own?”
“He’s my bondmate, not a familiar, and no…he doesn’t.”
“Bondmate? Really?” Jessikah said, glancing from Peaches to me. “He doesn’t go off on his own at times?”
“He goes where I go,” I said, looking at my still-vibrating hellhound. “Sometimes even when I go. He never leaves my side.”
“Ink isn’t my bondmate,” Jessikah said, “but he’s there when I need him…always.”
“You don’t know where he is?”
“No, but he’ll be back. He always comes back.”
“Must be a cat thing,” I said, remembering TK’s cat-being, Dinger. “Once we cross the threshold, we’ll be in Ezra’s. It’s a little different in terms of customers. I can’t believe I’m saying this: try not to cause trouble or destroy anything.”
“Why would I cause trouble?”
“Olga knew you were Black Orchid,” I said. “Stands to reason some of the customers in here will sniff you out as well.”
“Sniff me out?” she asked, smelling the air around her. “I smell?”
“Wow, you really are new, aren’t you?” I asked. “They will tell you’re Black Orchid.”
“It shouldn’t be an issue if they aren’t up to anything nefarious.”
“You can’t possibly be that naive,” I said. “Did you really just use ‘nefarious’?”
“Now my vocabulary is under scrutiny?”
“Just dial it back a bit,” I said. “You can’t be a mage cop in here. Unless you want to end up smushed by Ezra.”
“Are you saying this place is a den of criminals?”
Jessikah stepped back to examine the deli entrance with narrowed eyes.
“It’s a neutral location,” I said. “Ezra will not tolerate you to apprehending or detaining anyone in there, so don’t try it.”
“I sincerely doubt this supposed angel of death or his deli customers can hinder me in the execution of my duties as a member of the Black Orchid.”
“Do you even have jurisdiction here?”
“The Black Orchid has jurisdiction everywhere.”
“I get the impression that some of the customers in Ezra’s aren’t exactly fans of your sect,” I said. “Probably all of them. Keep your jurisdiction in your pocket. If you attract attention, you’ll alert the other Black Orchid—remember those? The ones who probably want to reduce you to little orchid petals?”
“Good point,” she said with a nod. “I’ll make sure to keep a low profile.”
“Sure,” I said, giving her the once-over. Her energy signature stood out like beacon in the dark. “Can you dial down the energy? You’re blazing all over the place.”
“Sorry,” she said, taking a breath. “That sometimes happens when I’m nervous.”
“How new are you?”
“I’ve been a Farsight Mage for ten years and a Daughter of Bast for twice as long,” she said, pushing out her chin defiantly. “What of it?”
“Ten years a mage?” I said. “Officially?”
“Yes. Black Orchids take much longer than the other sects to advance,” Jessikah answered. “We have to master several disciplines before we can become ranked mages.”
“What rank are you?”
“I’m not,” she said, looking away for a moment. “Daughters of Bast are not allowed to be ranked.”
I could sense she was upset by the topic and let it go…for now.
“Rank isn’t everything,” I said. “Especially out here on the street.”
“It is in the Black Orchid,” she said after a moment of silence. “I’ll get my signature under control. Give me a moment.”
“Good plan,” I said. “I’d prefer not to cause an incident in Ezra’s. This is Peaches’ favorite pastrami place. Meat is right up there with breathing, for hellhounds. That makes Ezra’s extremely important. The last thing I need, or want, is an upset hellhound.”
“Understood,” she said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. After a few seconds, I could barely sense her energy signature. “Better?”
“Much. Once we cross the threshold, we’ll shift over. Let’s go.”
FIVE
The runes on the threshold blazed with orange energy as we crossed it and stepped
