EIGHT

  It was almost four in the morning when Katia finally returned to Simon’s house. This time his car was in the driveway and the lights were off inside.

  The Rodrigues’ house hadn’t been huge, but it’d still taken a couple hours to cleanse all the rooms, offering prayers and anointing each space with Holy Water, all the while hoping she’d done it right. Just to be sure Katia ran a line of the liquid across each entrance into the structure. Every window, door, and vent. Thank God the woman didn’t have a fireplace. And then she’d sent a note to the Archdiocese suggesting they have a priest come and bless the house again.

  Mrs. Rodrigues had finally crept out of hiding, then lost herself in a sea of tears over the state of her kitchen, and her life. Katia had stayed to help the lady clean up because her grandmother would rise from her grave if she didn’t do the right thing. And then she’d driven the lady to her sister’s house, and finally the demon to the monastery. Once it was destroyed, she made her way back to Atlanta in the dead of night. Tempting as it had been to just catch a nap in the car out in the quiet of the monastery grounds, that wouldn’t work. If Snyder was called to another exorcism, she needed to be in town.

  Still furious over how everything had fallen out, she’d stopped at one of the many Waffle Houses on the way back from the monastery, slurped down some coffee and eggs, and handwritten her report, line by line. Once she’d dropped all that on the page she finally headed to Simon’s place.

  The owner of the house was asleep, so she stripped down and fell into her bed, exhaustion and anger boiling around in her. It was a volatile combination fueled not only by how the exorcist had behaved, but also everything that had gone down at the cemetery.

  Maybe after a few hours’ sleep she’d be able to rewrite her report, at least if Riley thought she needed to make changes to avoid hassles with Rome. She had been totally honest about what had gone down, and that honesty had been brutal.

  No matter what, Lay Exorcist Not My Problem was going to regret messing with this demon trapper.

  † ~ ‡ ~ †

  Simon’s cereal had grown soggy, his coffee cold. Katia had been gone when he’d finally come home at a little after one. He’d heard her return about four but decided to wait until this morning to pass on Rome’s edict. Now it was after eight and he was getting angry again. Just what Hell would love happening to an exorcist, even one still on sabbatical.

  He heard her bedroom door open and then she marched out to join him. Her frown told him her life wasn’t any better than his.

  “Morning,” he said.

  She walked past him with a murmured “morning” of her own, then returned with a small plate bearing a bagel, one smeared with cream cheese. A glass of orange juice was placed beside it, and then she sat across from him.

  “Some reason you blew me off at the trapper’s meeting?” she demanded as she picked up the bagel.

  It appeared he wasn’t the only one pissed off right now.

  “Yes.” He shoved the printout of Rosetti’s email across the table. “Bad news from Rome. Got it right before I went to my parents’ last night. I wasn’t ready to talk about it at the meeting.”

  Katia dropped the bagel back on the plate and retrieved the paper. He watched as she read it, her frown deepening with each additional line.

  “What the hell? Are they crazy?” she said, looking up, then back down at the offending document. “The only reason we’re still alive is because of your quickie circle thing.”

  “They are worried someone will say ‘Hey, why is magic bad when one of your own is doing it?’”

  “It’s not magic! You know that. You told them that. They should believe you.” She shook her head now. “Is this why you didn’t talk to me at the meeting?”

  “Yes, because I couldn’t trust I wouldn’t blow up. I didn’t want to say anything in front of the other trappers.”

  “Okay, well next time send me a text that says you’re going to be an asshole and ignore me, and then I won’t get so wound up.”

  Simon grimaced. He’d handled that badly. “I will. I promise. I’m sorry.” He owed her that. “What’s going on with you, because you look as angry as I feel.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not telling you why I’m being a bitch. Maybe later. So, what are you going to do when we have an exorcism?”

  “Use the old method until Rome gets someone over here to see how the invocation technique works. I don’t have a choice.”

  “How long will that take?”

  “A few days, a few weeks, a few months. They’re still making decisions about things that happened in the 18th century. so God knows.”

  Her frown grew. “This sucks, Simon. Really, really sucks. I’m furious that they don’t trust you when you tell them something.”

  “Same here.”

  Without a further word she ate the rest of her bagel, downed her OJ, then took off out the front door with her trapping bag in hand. She’d left behind the plate and glass. which was not her usual style.

  “Yeah, something’s definitely going on with you.”

  † ~ ‡ ~ †

  It felt good to get a few rays of sun before the day heated up which is why Riley had lobbied for a patio set at the office. Located to the right of the main door, the table was large enough to handle four people and had an adjustable umbrella to shield you so you didn’t roast. Even the padded chairs were comfortable.

  Initially Master Harper hadn’t been impressed with the idea but Riley had seen him out there a couple times late in the evening when she’d driven by. He’d been leaning back in one chair, feet up in another, drinking a soda. By the grumpy master’s standards that was a huge thumbs up for the new furniture. Not that he’d ever admit it.

  Today it was serving as a makeshift classroom for the final apprentice from the first batch Riley had mentored. Though the other two had already passed their exams and become journeymen, Jaye’s exam was in a week. It wasn’t because she hadn’t been a great student.

  The delay had come because of her mom’s medical issues. Now that Mrs. Lynn’s health had improved—she was on a kidney transplant list—Jaye was back to worrying about her exam. That test was anything but easy, designed to weed out those who “phoned it in” because someone who was sloppy could get you killed.

  Riley had just finished reviewing the fundamental steps of how to deal with a Grade Five Geo-Fiend when she saw Katia pull into the parking lot. A glance at her phone said that the journeyman was late, which wasn’t usual. The instant Katia exited the vehicle she could tell something was wrong.

  Jaye looked over at their fellow trapper and smiled. Then the smile dimmed. “She doesn’t look happy.”

  “No, that’s the Someone Has Pissed Me Off look. Katia’s usually better at hiding it.”

  “I like her. She’s cool,” Jaye said. “She doesn’t act like she’s a big deal, but she is.”

  “Yes, she is.” Though the Kansas trapper didn’t quite realize that. She was a hard one to read, and more than once Riley and Beck had discussed the best way to mentor the city’s newest trapper. They still weren’t sure.

  Instead of unloading the instant she reached them, Katia pulled out a chair, then a bottle of water, and leaned back to watch Jaye labor through another question.

  “We’re working on the Grade Five trapping section for the exam,” Riley said, pointing at the papers in front of them.

  “Ugh,” was the prompt reply.

  “What if you can’t ground the Geo-Fiend?” Jaye asked.

  “Then you’re in deep trouble,” Riley said. “Remember to use whatever is at the scene—fences, anything metal.”

  “Cars don’t work well because of the tires. They just tend to blow up,” Katia said.

  “Had that happen?” Riley asked.

  “Not to me, but to my first master.”

  “So how did he ground the fiend?”

  “Total luck.”

  Jaye went back to studying the sample questions on the sheet in front of her.

  “You need to talk something out?” Riley asked, her eyes still on Katia.

  “Yes, but I don’t want to interrupt what you’re doing here.”

  “I’m good,” Jaye said.

  “Okay, then let’s go talk because I’m willing to bet whatever you have to tell me is going to be great fun.”

  The snort that returned told her it was going to be anything but.

  Since Harper was at an AA meeting, Riley raided their refrigerator stash, collecting two sodas, then she took a seat at her desk, indicating that Katia should join her. “So, what happened?”

  There was a long sigh as the journeyman rummaged in her trapping bag. A manila envelope came Riley’s way, and inside was a handwritten report.

  “I’ll type it up, but I wanted you to see if first. Because, well . . . ”

  Riley parked herself in her chair and read through it. The further she read, the less she liked what it said.

  Failure to allow for adequate time for trapper to reach exorcism site? Check

  Failure to include trapper inside Holy Water circle? Check

  Failure to offer counsel to demonic victim, cleanse the structure, and transport fiend to the monastery for destruction. Check for all three.

  Riley tapped the bottom of the report on the desk to even it up, a sure way of getting the journeyman’s attention. Then she laid it down.

  “I need to know if I’m letting my anger go too far, or if this is what Father Rosetti needs to know,” Katia said.

  “The fact that you didn’t immediately type this up and email this to him says you’re not sure.”

  She nodded warily.

  “I’m thinking you might want to give yourself a day to cool down, then we can look at this again and decide what Rosetti needs to know. This might be a onetime thing with this guy. Or not.”

  “Okay. I can do that.” She sounded relieved Riley had made that suggestion.

  “Did you tell Simon about this?”

  “No. Not yet.”

  There seemed to be more going on. “Anything else I should know about?”

  Katia’s eyes lit with fire. “Yes!”

  Rome. Their usual paranoia. Katia unloaded about all of it and how they had ordered Simon not to use the quick Holy Water circle thing until the Vatican determined if it was magical or not.

  “Can you believe it? They’re willing to risk his life because they don’t trust him!”

  Oh yeah, Katia was incredibly angry, and she bet Simon was the same.

  This was another thing she and Beck had discussed because they both knew Rome wasn’t likely to approve of how the exorcist set his wards now.

  “They get nervous about stuff like this. They sure didn’t know what to do with me when I told them about the Angel of Death. Or the fact that I wanted to study with magic users.”

  “But you were right about all that.”

  “Yes, but that doesn’t make it any easier for them to accept.”

  She reviewed what Katia had told her. “So, the order is that he can’t generate a quick circle, at least for now. Did the email say you couldn’t?”

  “No, it didn’t mention me. But I’ve not been able to do it. Simon showed me, but it just doesn’t work.”

  Aha. “Our favorite exorcist is great at many things, but he might not have the right approach to this technique. I think he’s still a bit unsure about it.”

  Katia gave her a sidelong glance. “You’re being diplomatic, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah, I am. Simon fought me on this until he realized that there was no magic involved. Well, maybe a little, but I didn’t bother telling him that. In his case, it’s the power of his faith that makes it work, not a spell.”

  Katia shook her head. “I’m not as religious as he is.”

  “No, but you have strong willpower or you wouldn’t have been able to offload that spell last night. I think it might be enough to make this work.”

  The journeyman’s expression said she thought this was total b.s.

  “Think how surprised he’d be when you create your first circle for him. You can keep him safe, at least until Rome gets things sorted out.”

  She’d already noticed the friendly rivalry between them and was pleased it existed. Simon, for all his strengths, needed a good friend, someone who would watch his back no matter what, and tell him he was being an ass when needed. With Katia by his side during the exorcisms, her fears for his safety had dropped to a level that was almost bearable.

  In return, Katia needed someone who wouldn’t undermine her confidence because too much of that had happened with her former master. Together Journeyman Breman and Lay Exorcist Adler were a formidable team, so formidable that even the Prince of Hell had tried to take them down. And failed. Riley still smiled every time she thought about that.

  It took about an hour, with frequent telephone interruptions from the public to report demonic activities, and Jaye asking questions about the review content, to finally get Katia comfortable with the circle visualization technique.

  Once Katia understood the process, she rocked, setting seven out of the ten practice circles straight up. Which was better than Simon’s first attempts. Even more impressive was that they were using the everyday Holy Water, not the special variety from the Vatican.

  “There you go,” Riley said, pleased at what they’d accomplished. “I wouldn’t do this around any of the other exorcists, not until Rome gets a clue that it’s okay. At least you have a backup if something gets really dangerous.”

  Katia’s face lit up with what had to be her first smile of the day. “I’m honestly not trying to make trouble for Snyder. He’s just a jerk.”

  “Possibly. Or maybe there’s something else going on. You’ll know soon enough. Oh, and ask Simon if he’ll share some of his papal Holy Water so you always have some on you.”

  At that Katia pulled a chain out from under her T-shirt, then waved the small vial at the end of it. “Ah, he already did.”

  Go Simon.

  Chuffed by the progress they’d made they rejoined Jaye to help her review the Legalities and Liabilities section for the upcoming exam. Jaye was sure she’d blow it. Riley knew otherwise. And now Katia knew how to set a protective circle without fussing with the big bottles of Holy Water.

  No matter how the day played out, that was a win-win.

  NINE

  Once Jaye’s study session was done and Master Harper had returned from his daily meeting, Katia headed into the office to organize June’s paperwork. Copies of all this had already been sent to the National Guild, weekly.

  But the pencil pushers insisted on yet another lengthy report categorizing all the trappings for the previous month by type of fiend, location, extent of public damage, and so forth. Katia had never gotten this far into the minutia of trapping while in Kansas, and now she was grateful for that.

  Still, working with Riley and listening to her mess with Master Harper’s head was always fun. Simon had hinted that Harper had once been an abusive SOB, but since he was dealing with his alcohol addiction he’d been fairly decent to work with. There was a lot Simon hadn’t said and that made her wonder just how brutal Harper had been.

  As she finished yet another entry about a Techno-Fiend screwing up the computers at a primary school, the door to the office creaked open and a man entered. Tan Shirt, tan pants, running shoes. Probably here to report a demon sighting. He headed toward her and Riley, ignoring Master Harper entirely, which was odd. Usually, they insisted on dealing with the sole male in the room.

  “Riley Blackthorne?” he called out as he approached them.

  “Yes?” her master replied from behind her desk. “Can I help you?”

  In lieu of an answer he handed her an official-looking envelope. “Katia Breman?”

  “Yeah?” She got her very own envelope in return.

  “Congratulations, you’ve both been served.”

  And then he was out the door making a hasty retreat.

  “Served?” Katia said, not understanding.

  Riley opened her envelope and unfolded the documents, then muttered a couple choice words in Hellspeak. “She did it.”

  Since her boss rarely swore, Katia ripped open her envelope and was met with legalese, none of which made any sense.

  “Getting sued?” Harper said, frowning.

  “Yup, courtesy of the late Mr. Means’ obnoxious widow,” Riley replied.

  “Then she’s just being a stupid bitch,” Harper said and went back to his paperwork.

  “That’s it exactly,” her master murmured as she stuffed the documents in the envelope, then pushed it aside. “Oh well, we’ll deal with this later.”

  “Ah, but how?” Katia asked. She had no idea what you did when you got sued.

  “First thing, don’t talk to that woman or any of her legal people. Especially not the press. It’s a court case now so we don’t want to give her any ammunition. And you and I will talk to Fireman Jack to see what can be done about this.”

  A grunt came from Harper, which sounded like approval.

  “Fireman Jack? The demon trafficker?”

  “Jack’s also the Guild’s lawyer. He’ll know what to do.” Riley paused and then added, “Okay, back to work.”

  How does she do that?

  There was so much to admire about her boss, but Master Blackthorne’s ability to compartmentalize trouble had to be a superpower, one that Katia did not possess. She already saw all the money she’d saved for an apartment being burned up in lawyer’s fees just because some necromancer just had to have another corpse.

  As if she could read her mind, Riley added, “It’ll be okay. Fireman Jack is a seriously good lawyer. Do not let this spook you. It’s not worth it.”