“There’s our girl of the hour, come here, pendeja.”

  Evantra smiled as she watched Trevor wince at Carmen’s choice of language, inching over to cover Lucas’ ears as he giggled. Trevor looked up at them, shooting them a smile, before returning his attention to arranging the disposable plates with Lucas.

  “Hey, Carmen.”

  “Don’t you ‘hey Carmen’ me, come here.”

  Carmen wrapped her up in a tight hug, and she didn’t let go. When Evantra tried to gently push her away, Carmen didn’t relent.

  “I’m proud of you for seeing her, Eva. Adeline would have been devastated if she didn’t get a chance to say goodbye before she left,” Carmen whispered. “I know it was difficult, but it means the world to her.”

  The guilt at hearing Carmen’s words made her feel sick, but she pushed it down and embraced her back.

  “Thanks, abuela.”

  Carmen abruptly pushed her away from her, arching an eyebrow at her words, causing Evantra to smile.

  “Still have the energy to give me attitude? Then you can help me set up the plates. Go.”

  Noelle seemed to have cheered up at the sight of egg and mayo sandwiches and chilled lemon tea that Carmen and Trevor had prepared. She was helping Lucas unwrap the plastic foil covering their food. They fell into a comfortable silence as they worked to arrange the feast she had prepared for them out onto the picnic blanket.

  Carmen cleared her throat.

  “I have a few rules for today’s picnic. One, if Evantra talks about ghosts, Veilcreatures, sports cars or vintage gaming, I will shoot her.”

  “Hey, now. Two of those are not like the others—”

  “Two. No work talk. No gun talk. No death talk. Safe topics for discussion include, Taco, myself, Lucas, how handsome Officer Foster is—”

  “Mama, but you always talk about how handsome he is,” an expression of concern writ itself across Lucas’ adorable face. Taco meowed in agreement, sauntering into his lap and curling up into a ginger swirl.

  “Three… hm, what’s—”

  “Carmen.”

  Carmen broke off and placed a hand on her hip. Before she could escalate things further, Evantra stepped quickly up to her.

  “We just need to have a quick word with the handsome officer, and then I promise we’re going to follow your rules, alright?”

  “An hour, Evantra.”

  Evantra froze at the tone in her voice. Desperation tinging its edges, as Carmen diligently continued laying out the food around the picnic blanket, her eyes averted from Evantra’s.

  “Let’s sit together for an hour.”

  “Ok.”

  Carmen passed around the sandwiches as they sat down together to eat. Even though the temptation to speak with Trevor ate away at her on the inside, for the first time in a long while, Evantra felt like she could finally relax. As friendly as the Caliburn Ghostslayers had seemed, she was always on alert around them, and she knew that she could never really trust any of them to have her back. She smiled down at Lucas, who beamed up at her, digging into one of Carmen’s egg sandwiches.

  Finally, Carmen broke the silence.

  “Tell me, blood of my blood, pain in my ass. How was your little adventure? Noelle gave me a brief summary, but I want to hear it from the horse’s mouth.”

  Not wanting to talk about Veilcreatures my butt. Knew you were interested, abuela.

  “I’m afraid that’s classified infor—”

  “Is your life classified information? Hm?”

  “Carmen. That doesn’t even make any sense.”

  Taco, who was curled up against her, let out a meow of agreement. Evantra didn’t know how exactly she could decipher it; she could just tell.

  “Oh, alright…”

  She watched as all of the picnic’s participants leaned in closer to her.

  “First, we fought a wyvern. Well… Caliburn did.”

  Trevor’s jaw dropped open, staring at Carmen in disbelief, who had placed one arm idly around his waist. The sight made Evantra chuckle, dispelling the thoughts weighing her down. She described the exchange, how Lancelot and Galahad’s heavy weaponry ripped through its wings, grounding it, before Lancelot threw a grenade in its mouth, shattering the creature’s teeth.

  “Then… I got separated. I diverted to another location, and Caliburn ended up retreating without any easy way for me to get back to them.”

  “Were you scared?” Lucas stared at her with wide, adorable eyes. She poked him in the side, making him laugh.

  “Me? Nah.”

  “Do tell us, oh great and powerful Evantra. What exactly did you do then?”

  Ah crap. Right into her trap.

  “I… called Noelle.”

  Lucas gasped, aghast at how his brave hero had stooped so low as to depend on someone else. Let alone Noelle Laurent, or so Evantra inferred from the young boy’s expression.

  “Then she promptly ignored my advice and went into the territory of a polt—”

  “Don’t spoil it,” Evantra hissed, with an anxious glance towards a very confused Lucas and Trevor. They shifted in their seats, and Evantra watched as Trevor’s hand unconsciously ruffled the boy’s hair, prompting a smile from him. She noticed Carmen doing the same, the corners of her eyes crinkling into a smile as she watched them.

  I’ve been so busy I’ve hardly noticed how well he’s fitting in. I’m so happy for her. And for Lucas.

  “I climbed down the stairs… into the territory of a poltergeist.”

  Trevor stared at her, his egg sandwich leaking onto the picnic blanket below as it lay forgotten in his grip. Lucas was gaping at Evantra’s words, but she was half certain he didn’t know exactly what a ‘poltergeist’ was.

  “You went into the territory of a ghost?”

  Carmen snorted.

  “If you wanted to get haunted by horrors beyond your comprehension, you didn’t have to go all the way out there, you know? All you had to do was ask.”

  Evantra gulped at Carmen’s words and cleared her throat. She explained to them how it had attempted to trap her between the trains, and how something had almost emerged from the black screens in the carriages and on the platforms.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  Trevor scratched at his chin in thought.

  “Hmm… I’ve heard of a couple of poltergeists occupying train stations. They’re probably the most boring of the lot—”

  “That must be why you’re so interested in them, Officer Foster. Have a lot you can relate to? Do you see yourself in them?”

  Trevor narrowly avoided choking on his egg sandwich as he caught the stray from Evantra. Carmen’s smile gleamed as she delivered her words, and Evantra shot her a smirk of pride before continuing.

  “Then… they gave me a codename.”

  “OOOH!”

  Evantra raised an eyebrow at Noelle’s exclamation, a blush rising to the girl’s cheeks a mere second later.

  “I-I love codenames.”

  “Thanks for the input… Twig. They gave me the codename Mordred.”

  “The betrayer? From Arthurian myth?” Trevor asked incredulously. “Do they expect you to backstab them or something?”

  “Elaine was the one who awarded it to me.”

  “Oh…”

  Both Trevor and Noelle exchanged nods of solemn understanding.

  “Tell me, Trevor,” Evantra began with a serene smile, watching as sweat began to surface on his forehead once more. “Do you have any opinions about Elaine Hallewell? Is she your type?”

  The man paled as Carmen’s lips slipped into a smile to match her own.

  “Great question, Eva. Well? Officer Foster?”

  “Uhhh…”

  The man paled, and Noelle giggled, which set Lucas laughing. It led to a domino effect of setting her and Carmen off as well. Evantra watched with a smile as she saw Carmen’s arm curl tighter around Trevor’s waist.

  I’m happy for her. This is what both of them deserve.

  ***

  “Well, children. Trevor and I are off on our date.”

  Evantra and Noelle exchanged a look of alarm, prompting Carmen to scoff.

  “Relax, I’ll let you talk. Don’t take too long,” her voice was soft, but had a tinge of sadness that drove into her like a knife. They watched as Carmen stalked off from where they were sitting, returning to pack up the picnic blanket that had been set out.

  Trevor turned to them.

  “You wanted to speak to me?”

  “We think we’ve figured out what Caliburn is up to,” Evantra began, lowering her voice to ensure that none of what she said drifted to Carmen and Lucas. “We think the murders are tied to a rit—”

  “A ritual. Yes, I know.”

  Noelle gaped at his calm statement, but Evantra just watched him silently. Recognising the look on her face, Trevor eventually relented with a deep sigh. He rubbed at his forehead with a finger, his gaze downcast, before he raised his head to meet them with a steely gaze.

  “I didn’t want you getting tied up in this, Evantra. Do you know how dangerous it is for you? For your family? There’s a reason I didn’t let you in on it when you first came to speak to me. And you’ve somehow managed to go and join their Ghostslayer program in the last couple of days.”

  “Trevor. What do you know?”

  Trevor just nodded, and they now noticed the circles under his eyes betraying his fatigue, which had been temporarily concealed by the reprieve of the day’s activities.

  “What I told you about the murders was true for the most part. We don’t have any hard DNA evidence. In each instance, the rounds were expended from a Liberty EZ Defender pistol, owned by practically everyone in this town. Ballistics haven’t been able to tie it to a single weapon. The one meaningful inference that could be made was that the killer had the intel to identify blackout areas in the town to commit the murders with unfailing accuracy. That immediately pointed towards someone with the resources to do so.”

  Noelle and Evantra listened with rapt attention as he continued.

  “The victims here all match a similar description. Young women who worked closely with children, who were very well-liked in their respective circles and communities. I’m no expert on the occult, but I did pick up a couple of things in my time in Elsecaller.”

  Evantra’s eyes lingered on Trevor’s, watching as the man seemed far away from their conversation.

  “Some of the victims we came across… there was needless cruelty. Strange eccentricities and parallels in the choice of victims. In some cases, the murders were often replicated across various discrete instances. Other times, they occurred contemporaneously, all at the same time. We’re likely looking at the former, but this is all speculation.”

  Evantra interjected.

  “Do you know how the rituals work?”

  “In Elsecaller, if there was even the slightest hint of a ritual involved, we had strict protocols in place. Report it to your superior, who would exercise their discretion as to whether it should be reported to the Paranormal Investigations Unit – the PIU. That was the last you saw of the case, victim, and anything to do with whatever twisted ghoulshit you came across.”

  Evantra and Noelle exchanged a glance before Trevor continued.

  “To answer your question about how rituals work, no one knows, except the PIU. Whatever goes on in their unit is completely locked off from the other governmental departments and arms. Hard information barrier. No secondments – and anyone hired into the PIU is vetted extremely thoroughly. You can imagine why. But while the underlying mechanics are uncertain… the same can’t be said for the outcomes.”

  Trevor nodded, with expression hardening.

  “They could be trying to summon a ghost, using the murders to fuel the ritual. To what end? Only the higher-ups at the PIU would be able to tell you, if at all.”

  “We think we have some ideas about what Caliburn is trying to achieve.”

  They shared what Adeline had told them about how rituals operated. Their two theories. The first being that the murders were used to fuel a ritual conducted with the trove seeker in order to locate other artefacts, or objects of import. The second was that the gradual accumulation of souls from the murders was going to be used in an upcoming ritual, once Caliburn found what they were looking for.

  Trevor paused, mulling over the information that she had given him. After a minute, he nodded.

  “Alright. Leave it with me.”

  “No, Trevor! If Caliburn have access to the blackout zones to carry out the hits, it must mean they have access to the grid somehow. Maybe they’ve even gotten to your colleagues—”

  “I know, Noelle. I’m working with people I know I can trust. I’m telling you what I did before. Leave this to me, and stay clear of Caliburn. Leave the city with Carmen and Lucas. Let me sort this out.”

  “Alright.”

  Noelle stared at Evantra in shock as soon as the words emerged from her mouth. Her jaw hung open, and she struggled to formulate words in response.

  “We’ll leave it to you.”

  Trevor just stared flatly at her, letting out a sigh and a slight shake of his head.

  “Go to Bastion with Carmen and Lucas, help her pick out a nice place, and get far away from Caliburn, alright?”

  Evantra simply nodded as Noelle stood rigid by her side.

  “Tre—”

  Evantra squeezed her forearm, cutting the girl off.

  “Be careful. See you later. Enjoy your date.”

  Dragging Noelle alone behind her, they left Trevor standing alone, shaking his head as his eyes traced their departure to Evantra’s car.

  “Evantra! Maybe if you told him about your powers—”

  “Didn’t you notice, Noelle? He didn’t ask us how we founded our theories. What led us to believe that the trove seeker identifies other artefacts. I never even mentioned Caliburn pinpointing the mistheart; that was how we inferred the trove seeker’s purpose. You know the man well enough by now. He’s never going to let us endanger ourselves at his expense. Noelle, don’t worry. We’re not letting this go. We’re going to go ahead with it, just like we planned.”

  Noelle’s eyes were wide, but her lips eventually flattened, and she gave Evantra a curt nod.

  “Here’s what we’re going to do.”

  ***

  “Trevor?”

  Trevor blinked, drawing himself out of his thoughts. The information that Evantra had provided him with, as he turned to look at Carmen, who was staring at him with concern. This time, they had opted for a quiet neighbourhood bar in Wisptown.

  “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong? Was it Evantra?”

  “No, no,” Trevor extended his hands to gingerly take hers in his own. Carmen nodded her head, but the worry in her dark, brown eyes continued to linger. Trevor gave her hands a reassuring squeeze, giving her a smile.

  “Are you excited for Bastion? Noelle found you a place?”

  “Yes, but… do you think you’ll be able to get the transfer?”

  This time, Trevor’s smile was genuine, which did reassure Carmen. He watched the woman’s shoulders relax from their tensed position.

  “They’ll be all too eager to get rid of me, I think. I’ve been a pain in their ass, poking my nose where I shouldn’t have. I wouldn’t be surprised if they threw a party the second I stepped out the door.”

  “You’re off the investigation?”

  “I am.”

  Carmen let out a soft breath that she had been holding in. She leaned forward and drew him in for a hug, planting a soft kiss on his cheek.

  “Thank you for agreeing to it. Nothing good will come from sticking around.”

  “Are you worried about me? Miss Alvarez?”

  Carmen rolled her eyes as she pushed him away, making him chuckle. Trevor’s eyes lingered on hers, and his lips curled into a soft smile.

  ***

  “Stella, did you get the info?”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  “Have you eaten? Were there any vegetables?”

  “You’re not my dad, Trevor.”

  Trevor leaned back in his police hovervan, smiling at the girl’s words. He was parked on the curb in the neighbourhood, the streetlights around him illuminating the street at regular intervals.

  “I did what you told me to. I’ve cross-referenced the blackout zones with women in the age range that you specified, accounting for their career or proximity to children. There were quite a few hits.”

  “Yes… and?”

  “Then, I looked for the zones where the scouting drone picked up on recent Veilcreature corpses in the area or sewers. I think you were right on the money. There was one house in particular. I think you’ll be able to get to them in time.”

  “You remember what I told you to do?”

  Trevor heard a pause on the other end of the line. The girl’s youthful voice, so similar to Evantra and Noelle’s, fell silent, and he heard her shift in her seat.

  “Y-yeah. But Trevor—”

  “Oh, and also… take out your trash. I’m sure your room stinks by now. Go for a walk and touch some grass.”

  With a click, he ended the call with a soft chuckle. He started the engine of his vehicle and his thoughts eventually returned to his conversation with Noelle and Evantra at the picnic. How Evantra had so easily acceded to his request for her to stay out of Caliburn’s way.

  “Amateur stuff, kid. She said you’ve become a good liar, but you still have a ways to go.”

  Trevor’s eyes hardened as he made his way to his destination.