When Dana reached the top floor of Residence, two things happened: Huan came out of a cell and oily air slid across luz skin. The former invoked shock since, amongst the ascetics of Phons, physical desires were to be purged, not indulged. The latter invoked panic.

  As Dana fled, the air grew heavier and heavier around luz. Calling a convocado in the middle of a heretic’s fortress, the summoning Fo Vu knew exactly where lu was, meant that Ramos was far more concerned that Dana had gone rogue than about the integrity of viz ward. After quick-marching into a chapel, Dana managed to dash into a curtained confessional booth before-

  The smell of old incense, the footsteps of silent cenobites, the hard wood of the booth bench fell away into a dark solid nothing that held Dana for one moment too long before-

  Lu crashed onto the floor of a bar.

  “hFo-Xa.” Ramos knelt down next to luz, viz medisus already engaged. “Have you been compromised by foreign agents or personal feelings?”

  Dana stood up. There were two others here, the Fo Vu from before and another agent in a green suit sitting at the bar without a care in the world. “No, I’m not.”

  “Then what,” Ramo’s tone turned low, dangerous, “by Phons’s grace, were you doing in Sen Jerome’s?”

  “Looking for HIDDEN CINDER.”

  “HIDDEN CINDER is dead.”

  Dana adjusted luz surcote. “He’s not dead.”

  “The cenobites took him.”

  Dana looked Ramos in the eye. “He’s. Not. Dead. Thus finding him is my highest priority.”

  “Was that worth bringing in another hFo-Xa,” ve gestured to the agent at the bar, “just to cover for you? You’re wasting resources.”

  “Pardon me, handler,” the agent turned towards them, a glass of blue liquor in zer hands, “but a very good case was made.”

  The face the agent wore was Rodion’s, as were the hands that swirled zer drink, the smirking lips, the twinkling eyes, although there was more muscle in the chest, the hips were narrower, the lips thinner, all results of the other hFo-Xa favoring parts of the identity over others. Still, the work was fantastic.

  “It doesn’t matter if a good case was made,” said Ramos. “This is my ward, I have other operations in progress, and four corpses is too many.”

  So they’d found River and Elm.

  “I had to infiltrate,” said Dana.

  “Sen Jerome’s is off limits.”

  “Request: explanation.” Those two words, as dry as paper on silk, came with a stilling calm. The one behind, the Circle agent Dana had met at the river docks, was here.

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  Ramos’s medisus disengaged. “You’re here.”

  “Confirmed.”

  “Why?”

  “Remit.”

  Meaning ki was assigned to the Cokop.

  “Good day to you, sir.” The ersatz Rodion joined Dana in facing Ramos and away from the one behind. “I’m happy you made it.”

  “Acknowledged. Ramos,” the stilling calm eased, “request still stands.”

  Ramos glared over Dana’s shoulder. “Sen Jerome’s is dedicated to finding mages like us. It’s too risky for infiltration.”

  “Confirm: until arrival of hFo-Xa, such infiltration was impossible.”

  “Yes, but-”

  “Understood. hFo-Xa assigned to HIDDEN CINDER, report.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  As Dana gave luz report on the last three weeks, Ramos scowled, the one behind stayed silent, and the ersatz Rodion drank. However, after finding out what lu had found in Prior Knoll’s office, Ramos’s expression became thoughtful.

  “Accepting SHROUD as the designation for this group,” ve said, “that is a lot of cenobites on leave. Perhaps they are staging elsewhere for this ‘Day of Cleansing.’ Any idea what that is?”

  Dana shook luz head. “I could only confirm that it was delayed.”

  “What delay-”

  “Request,” the one behind interjected, “probable locations of HIDDEN CINDER.”

  “This is my ward,” snarled Ramos. “Do not override me.”

  Rippling anger. “Consider: HIDDEN CINDER’s demonstration of the full utility of these Qe cores, his subsequent abduction, and when SolLab’s highest contingencies become applicable.”

  Ramos blanched. “You mean…”

  “Interception. Cessation. Recall.” The one behind’s regard returned to Dana. “hFo-Xa, request stands.”

  “Cessation” meant canceling all current operations, and “Recall” meant all low level agents, like Dana and the ersatz Rodion, would be sent home, leaving ward and remit level agents like Ramos and the one behind to restart all of their operations from scratch. Dana didn’t even want to think about what Interception meant.

  “I’ve ruled out the north camp and the fortress,” lu said. “My next plan was to trace the missing cenobites.”

  Ramos frowned. “That would take time.”

  “Yes.” But it was the only thing Dana could think of.

  “Perhaps,” the ersatz Rodion put down zer empty drink, “you could follow a different track. You said that the cenobites have tytumber now. Where did they get it?”

  “Most likely Bruce College.” Dana blinked. “Tytumber is used to restrain mages.”

  The ersatz Rodion smirked. “To restrain a Ri thamaturge of HIDDEN CINDER’s age and apparent strength for any length of time, a considerable amount would be needed.”

  “We cannot let them have tytumber,” said Ramos. “Allowing heretics to- what?” He glared over Dana’s shoulder. “Do you want to say something?”

  Bubbling amusement. “Confirm: I was not to override.”

  “That doesn’t mean you can make faces.”

  “hFo-Xa,” this was directed at Dana, “lending of resource has come to an end.”

  “Oh, bother.” The ersatz Rodion pouted. “I was enjoying myself. This was so much more fun than following the Cokop from place to place.”

  “I understand,” said Dana. To avoid drawing SolLab’s attention, the one behind and the ersatz Rodion had to follow their remit. “And thank you.”

  “Accepted.” The next words were said into Dana’s ear. “The favors grow heavy though.”

  It was all Dana could do to keep luzself from shivering. “Understood.”

  “Til next time, love,” said the ersatz Rodion.

  Then they were gone.

  “For my edification,” Ramos rubbed the bridge of his nose, “what is your plan?”

  “Go to Bruce College. Find the tytumber. Track it to HIDDEN CINDER.”

  “I see.” Ramos breathed in smoke. “Well, report to me in five days or the moment you find out what this ‘Day of Cleansing’ is. Understood?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” Ve gestured to the Fo Vu still lying on the floor.

  The bar oiled away and Dana found luzself back in the confessional.