“You said it,” Trenton answered as they found their seats and settled in.

  “Okay. Everyone ready?” Monika asked, to a murmur of affirmative replies from Katy’s classmates. “Alright. So, who can tell me what the Arcanum is?”

  Katy watched several hands go up and raised her own as well, but she wasn’t chosen to answer.

  “You help keep the Magi secret from the Riven,” Jasper answered.

  “Basically, yes. That’s right. The Arcanum is a Riven organisation, run and controlled by Riven with some Magi help here and there. The Arcanum’s focus is the Riven populace of Earth. Humanity. We’re here to deal with all aspects of Riven society that intersect with Magi Society. We’re independent of the Magi Council, although we work very closely with them, and part of our job is to keep the Magi and everything supernatural secret. That’s one aspect of our job. Another, and you have all probably had direct contact with this, is that we monitor the globe and watch for Novice Magi like yourselves, going through their Epiphanies, and help bring them into Magi society. Yes, I can see several of you nodding your heads. So you’ve probably met members of our Enrollment Teams that work for the Academy. Excellent. Good to know they’re doing their jobs.” Monika smiled.

  Katy didn’t find her terribly funny. It all felt a little forced, like she was trying hard to talk to them on their level, but was failing miserably.

  “There’s more to us than just that, though. We usually deal with anything that impacts the Riven, from arranging Magi events and keeping them hidden, to dealing with the clean-up from Magical occurrences or conflicts that become a bit too public. We’re able to manipulate the media and governments around the world to keep you hidden and safe. An example of that would be the dragon attack on New York. Now, admittedly, that was of an unprecedented scale and scope, but we’re getting pretty good at this now. There are other things too, such as being able to adjust the financial markets, as some Magi have a habit of putting a little too much money into the system.

  “But, despite our best efforts, things do slip through the cracks. There are an awful lot of Riven out there who do have some small amount of knowledge about us. These Initiated Riven are usually easily handled, but some use their knowledge for personal gain, and a lucrative black market in Magical items has grown over the years, in the shadows of Riven society. There are gangs of Initiated who buy and sell Magical items, and sometimes those items get into the wrong hands, and we need to step in. That’s where our Black Ops teams come in.

  “So, as you can see, we have quite a wide remit…”

  Katy listened as Monika went into greater detail about various aspects of the Arcanum and started taking questions, but Katy kept finding herself only half-listening as she watched Mr Spiros and tried to puzzle out what was going on.

  The talk lasted for a while until Monika wrapped it up after a final question. For a moment, Katy hadn’t noticed the talk had stopped and that people were getting up, but jumped to her feet when she did.

  “Distracted?” Felix asked.

  “Yeah, a bit. Still wondering what’s happened to Mr Spencer. I just have a really bad feeling about it.”

  “I get that. But we don’t know anything yet. This could all be totally innocent.

  Taking a breath, Katy sighed. “Yeah, I know. I just can’t help but think about it, though.”

  “Mmm,” Felix said, and Katy noticed he wasn’t even looking at her. She followed his gaze and found that he was looking at Yuki, who’d been sitting with Jasper. She looked back at Felix.

  “Now who’s distracted?”

  “Hmm? Oh, yeah. Sorry.”

  “You need to tell her,” she suggested.

  “I know, but she’s with him now. I can’t ruin that for her.”

  “Maybe you wouldn’t be ruining anything. Maybe you’d be doing what she wants you to do.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” Felix sighed.

  “So, if you’d all like to come and line up out in the corridor,” Monika directed. “We’ll take you on a guided tour. You can leave your cases here, we’ll come back for them later.”

  Mr Spiros and Miss Hunt began to guide them out into the hallway, and Katy followed, watching the staff and the Arcanum officers who were already out in the corridor.

  As she stepped out, she noticed a woman in black walk up to the man Monika had introduced as Harry Fleming and show him something on a tablet.

  “What’s this?” she heard him ask in low tones.

  “It’s that new group we’ve been monitoring, the Squires. We’ve had a tip-off that they’re making a buy today, here in London, in less than an hour.”

  The Squires.

  Katy’s ears pricked up as she glanced back at Harry and the woman. She wore a fitted black outfit with straps and holsters attached to her and she had long brown hair.

  “They’re small-fry though. What’s the buy? Do you know?” Harry asked.

  “No idea.”

  “And who’s selling this mystery item?”

  “The Circle of Pendragon.”

  “Right. Okay. I doubt it will be anything major then. Just track them for now, we can’t spare anyone to go and stop the deal right now. We’ll catch up with them later,” Harry replied, and handed the tablet back to the woman.

  “Shit,” Katy cursed quietly to herself.

  This was it.

  This had to be it.

  The Squires were buying a Magical Item, and Katy felt certain that it would be the Lazarus Scroll. It had to be. The timing was just too perfect, and the Arcanum wasn’t going to stop it.

  But if the Squires retrieved the scroll, then the Red Witch might get it.

  She couldn’t let that happen.

  Turning to her friends, she spotted Yuki a short distance away and reached out. Taking her by the arm, Katy guided her into their group.

  “Guys. I just heard an Arcanum Agent say the Squires are making a buy today. They’re buying a Magical item. It has to be the scroll. It makes perfect sense.”

  “So the Arcanum knows about it, then?” Trenton asked as Katy saw Harry walk past and make for Monika and the teachers who were beginning to lead them down the hall.

  “That’s just it, they don’t. Harry just said to monitor the buy and not stop the deal. If the Squires get the scroll…”

  “Then so does the Red Witch,” Dana finished.

  “What do we do?” Felix asked.

  “We need to go after that agent,” Katy said, looking up the corridor as the woman disappeared down a side hallway. “We need to go, now!”

  “We can’t just walk off,” Yuki said. “They’ll see us.”

  “We need a distraction,” Katy suggested and found her gaze swinging over to Trenton.

  He nodded once. “I’ll do it, leave it to me.”

  “Thanks,” Katy said and pulled him in for a quick kiss on his cheek. “I owe you one.”

  Katy, Felix, Yuki, and Dana began to set off up the corridor.

  “And where are you going?”

  Katy looked left, right into the faces of Mikayla and Titus, who were just leaving the room.

  The Deal

  “Nowhere,” Katy answered.

  “Doesn’t look like nowhere to me,” Mikayla answered as they stepped out into the corridor. Mikayla was looking particularly superior, clearly understanding she’d caught them doing something they shouldn’t.

  “It’s none of your business,” Katy protested.

  “I beg to differ.”

  “Hey,” Trenton said, stepping up beside Katy. “Don’t be a dick, Titus. This is important, life or death stuff.”

  “What?” he asked.

  “I mean it. And if you’re a decent man, you’ll do the right thing. Help us. Help Katy. Be a part of the solution rather than the problem, for once.”

  Titus stared at Trenton, and then looked over at Katy.

  Silently, Katy mouthed the word ‘please’ at him, putting as much silent emphasis on it as she could with her look.

  Titus blinked, and then looked back at Trenton. He nodded. “What do you need me to do?”

  “What?” Mikayla spat. “What are you—”

  Titus whipped around to her and raised a finger. “No. I’m doing this, and if you ever want to speak to me again, you won’t get in the way. Got it?”

  Mikayla clamped her mouth shut and crossed her arms, frowning at him. “Whatever.”

  Titus turned and looked back at Katy. “Go. We’ve got this.”

  Katy nodded.

  “What do we do?” Titus asked Trenton.

  “Get over here and hit me,” he urged. “Just, not too hard, okay?”

  Katy watched as the two guys moved across the corridor and started shouting at each other and then started swinging. It was typical macho crap, but it worked. All eyes were suddenly on them.

  “Go,” Katy said, and the four of them hurried up the corridor after the woman in black.

  Halfway along, Katy glanced back from where they’d come, but only Mikayla was looking in their direction, a scowl marring her otherwise pretty face. So, all systems normal, then, Katy thought. Satisfied, she returned her attention to the task at hand. They turned down the same corridor that the woman had taken, but she was nowhere to be seen.

  “How do we find her?” Yuki asked as they walked up the hallway.

  “We use the gifts we’ve been given,” Katy replied and used her Aetheric Sight to look at the corridor head. She focused on finding the woman and got an immediate impression of where she most likely went. She could see fresh footprints on the floor where her shoes had slightly depressed the carpet. She could see the air currents she’d disturbed, and her general sense of fate all helped point her up a left-hand corridor up ahead.

  “This way,” Katy said.”

  “I see it,” Yuki added, who was also using her Aetheric Sight.

  Turning left, Katy spotted the woman up ahead. “There,” she called out as the woman turned another corner, and Katy set off at a quicker pace, almost jogging. Turning right, Katy spotted the woman a short distance ahead, waiting for an elevator.

  “Come on,” she muttered and led her friends over to her. “Hi.”

  The agent looked up, her eyes pinballing between them. “Can I help you?”

  “Actually, I think we can help you. I know what the Squires are buying, and it needs to be stopped.”

  “Oh, and how do you know that?”

  “It’s a long story, and I’ll tell you, but we need to go now, we need to stop them. The deal’s in less than an hour, right?”

  “Why, what are they buying?” she asked.

  “The Lazarus Scroll.”

  The woman’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “She’s right,” Yuki agreed.

  “Yeah,” Dana added.

  “Who are you, again?” the woman asked.

  “I’m Katy, we’re students, just here visiting, but I overheard you talking to Mr Fleming. When I heard you mention Squires, I knew what you were talking about.”

  “You’re students?” the woman clarified.

  Katy nodded.

  “I’m Yuki.”

  “Felix.”

  “I’m Dana.”

  The woman frowned. “This is a serious allegation you’ve made. You need to be certain, because if you’re wrong—”

  “We’re not wrong,” Katy replied. “I know this is right.”

  “And what do you suggest we do? We’re already monitoring the situation.”

  “No, it needs to be stopped. The Squires can’t get hold of the Lazarus Scroll.”

  “I take it your teachers don’t know you’re here?”

  Katy shook her head. “Please. Just listen to us. We know what we’re talking about. We need to get there and stop the deal. We can’t wait around. Do you know how dangerous the Lazarus Scroll is?” she said, mimicking what she’d heard Amanda say, hoping it might spur her into action.

  The woman sighed and glanced between them. “Crap. Alright, if you’re with that group, you’ve probably only got a few minutes before your absence is noticed. So, we’d better get a move on.” The lift door pinged open and the woman moved inside looking back at them. Katy stood there, watching, unsure what she wanted them to do.

  “Well, come on then, you’d better come with me. You’re the only backup I’m likely to get on this.”

  Katy glanced at her friends and then as one, they followed the woman into the elevator car.

  “I’m Rebecca Chance, by the way. And I hope you’re not going to get me fired.”

  Katy glanced at her, feeling as though a large drop had opened up beneath her. “Um, yeah. Me too.”

  Rebecca stabbed one of the upper buttons on the panel with her finger. “Let’s go get a car.”

  Katy looked at the extensive list of floor numbers and noticed the one Rebecca had pressed was listed as SL-1. There were ten floors above that, and close to one hundred below, and they’d been on SL-8.

  “What’s SL?”

  “We’re underground right now,” Rebecca explained. “SL stands for Sub Level, and SL-1 is the main garage. We’ll grab a car from there.”

  “Okay,” Katy replied.

  “So, is there no one else you can bring along to help?” Felix asked.

  “If you heard me talking to Harry, then you heard him say we have no one we can spare. So no, and any request like that will take time.”

  Katy nodded. “Time we don’t have.”

  “Exactly,” Rebecca replied as Katy felt the lift slow and stop. With a ping, the doors slid wide, revealing a vast underground parking garage, filled with all kinds of vehicles.

  “Stay there.” Rebecca stepped out and looked around and then motioned them to follow. “Go and stand over there and keep out of sight. I’ll grab us some keys,” she said and marched off up the garage towards an office.

  Katy did as Rebecca asked and moved with her friends to a nearby pillar and stood behind it.

  “Is this a good idea?” Yuki asked. “It feels like we’re getting mixed up in something beyond our pay grade again.”

  “Someone needs to stop that deal,” Katy replied, “and time is ticking. Amanda said that the Red Witch must not get that scroll under any circumstances.”

  “Well, if she said it,” Felix muttered.

  “Exactly.” Katy nodded.

  “Well, let me just go on record that I do not like this plan at all.”

  “Noted,” Katy replied.

  “Is this what it’s always like being your friend?” Dana asked.

  Katy laughed. “Not all the time.”

  “Good to know.”

  Rebecca stepped around the pillar. “Got some,” she said, waving a set of keys at them. “Come on, this way.” She led them across the garage until they finally reached a sleek, black car. Its lights flashed as they neared.

  “Get in,” Rebecca said.

  Katy went to climb in the back, but Yuki blocked her way. “Uh-uh, no way. You’re in the front. This is your idea.”

  Katy raised an eyebrow, but didn’t argue and climbed into the front seat, pulling on her belt.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Rebecca said and revved the engine. Moments later, they’d sped through the underground garage and pulled out onto the busy streets of central London.

  “Alright, let’s hear it,” Rebecca said. “Why are you so certain this is about the Lazarus Scroll?”

  “Alright, well, we’re students at the Aetheric Academy…”

  “Yeah, I figured. Your ridiculous uniforms kind of gave that one away.”

  Katy smiled, coughed, and smoothed down her skirt. “Right, well, a few weeks back, a ghost of a Magus calling herself the Red Witch manipulated a student into stealing a book for her. We tried to stop her, but we couldn’t.”

  “What book?”

  “The Libre Nox Noctis.”

  “Shit. Damn it. Of course, it was.”

  “You know it?”

  “Oh yes. That bloody thing caused us no end of problems a few years ago.”

  “Okay. Well, the Red Witch got the book. Then, last week, while I was visiting my parents, I was attacked in a restaurant's toilets by girls referring to themselves as the Squires, who wanted to know what the Red Witch had said to me.”

  Rebecca looked over at her. “You’re kidding!”

  “Nope.”

  “Jeez, okay, then what?”

  “Then, we found out that the Red Witch is controlling someone else. Someone new, and they’ve been drawing pictures of scrolls inside Tartarus.”

  “I see,” Rebecca replied. “So this ghost who already has the Libre, now wants a scroll. And if she knows about the Libre, she probably knows about the Lazarus Scroll and what it can do.”

  Katy nodded. “When I heard you talking to Harry about the Squires, everything just dropped into place.”

  “The Squires are working for the Red Witch, and are trying to get the Lazarus Scroll for her,” Rebecca surmised.

  “That was my conclusion,” Katy replied.

  “I see,” Rebecca answered as she scowled at the road ahead. “Shit. We need to get there quicker. There’s too much traffic.”

  “Where are we going?” Katy asked.

  “Hold on,” Rebecca replied and tapped the screen in the car’s centre console a few times, going through several screens. “Here, we’re going here, and we’re… there.”

  “Got it. Okay, hold on, we might be able to help.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Yuki replied.

  “Everyone,” Katy said, looking back at them. “Use your Aetheric Sight. Between us, we should be able to guide the car there via the quickest route.”

  Concentrating, Katy used her Magic, and suddenly saw so much more. “Go right,” Katy called out.

  “Right? But that’s away from the deal.”

  “Trust me. Go right.”

  “Do it,” Felix added. “Trust us, we’ll get you there.”

  “Alright, alright,” Rebecca grumbled, gunning the engine and veering right. “Bloody Magi.”

  Katy and her friends concentrated hard, calling out directions and instructions to help guide them through the London traffic, bypassing several delays, until finally, they were approaching the site of the deal.