As she walked out again, I glanced at the notebook, then hastened to my closet to pick out an outfit.

Friday nights at the Crow and Hammer were often busy. Members would show up for dinner or drinks to unwind after a long week and catch up on the guild gossip. I didn’t usually join in since I wasn’t interested in drinking or gossiping … or socializing, really. I preferred books.

Tonight, however, the atmosphere was very different.

The pub was quiet, with no one whispering or joking. Only Darius spoke, the overhead lights casting deep shadows across his salt-and-pepper hair, short beard, and somber expression.

He stood at one end of the room, facing his guildeds as he spoke. Explaining that a demon-worshipping cult had been discovered in Vancouver. That the cult included demon mages. And that our guild, and whichever other local guilds he could recruit, would be taking on this dangerous enemy.

Tori was perched on a bar stool, her red hair easy to spot. Ezra sat on one side of her and Aaron on the other, their expressions grim.

I eyed Ezra from across the room. He was a man of secrets—not that I could blame him for keeping his own counsel so diligently. When his very existence was forbidden, he couldn’t be too careful.

As long as I was an illegal contractor, my life would be the same. Always hiding the truth, always wary, always holding others at arm’s length.

“Tomorrow,” Darius said, “I will visit Odin’s Eye, the Pandora Knights, the Grand Grimoire, and the SeaDevils to speak with their GMs. Together, we will protect our city. Time is of the essence.”

He paused as the gravity of the challenge before us sank in, then began a more detailed review of the Crow and Hammer’s plan to expose and bring down the Court of the Red Queen.

I sat back in my chair, my chest tight. For months now, it had been me, Zylas, and Amalia against Claude. Now it was the Crow and Hammer against the cult. I didn’t know how I felt about that. It was nice that we weren’t completely on our own anymore, but I also didn’t want to share my revenge with anyone. I wanted to take down the man who’d murdered my parents, stolen my family’s legacy, and abused its power for his own selfish ambitions.

Me and Zylas, together. That’s how it would end.

“This is gonna be a doozy.”

I started, my gaze swinging toward my and Amalia’s tablemate. Zora quirked her eyebrows at my surprised look.

It’d been three weeks since Nazhivēr had nearly killed the sorceress, and she’d spent over a week with a guild healer. She was back to her usual self, but the toll her injuries had taken still showed. Her cheekbones stood out sharply, her face thinner than I remembered, but that could’ve been because of her new hairstyle—a pixie cut that swept up into a short fauxhawk.

She braced her elbows on the table. “Darius told me that the cult kingpin is the same summoner who’s been messing with you for months.”

My eyes widened. Ezra must’ve been sharing information with Darius; that was the only way the GM could’ve learned that Claude and Xever were the same person. Did Darius know Ezra was a demon mage?

“Seeing as he murdered your parents,” Zora continued, “I’m assuming you want to take this guy down yourself?”

I pushed my shoulders back. “Yes.”

“Glad to hear it. The cult is dangerous on its own, but add in Xever and his demon? Not good. Me and a small team have been tracking suspected cultists all week, trying to get a drop on their leaders, but no sign of the boss yet.”

She was tracking Claude?

“Bringing down the cult will require our entire guild—probably multiple guilds—but Xever is the head of the snake. Based on his involvement with the super-vampires and the golems, he has his fingers in a lot of pies. Are all those pies related to the cult?”

Amalia pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Claude’s always seemed like a lone wolf. Is the cult just a means to an end, or is he actually a goddess-worshipping zealot?”

“He was kind of condescending toward Saul and his sons,” I recalled. “I assumed that’s because they were rapists, but maybe not? As for worshipping demons himself … I’m not sure. He doesn’t act like the type, but he seemed to revere the Twelfth House when he talked about it being special.”

“Interesting,” Zora mused. “The question, then, is whether Claude—Xever—which name are we calling him?”

“Xever,” I decided after a moment’s thought. “It probably isn’t his real name either, but his persona as Xever is closer to who he really is.”

“Xever, then. The big question is whether he’ll defend the cult when it comes under fire, or whether he’ll see a sinking ship and bail.” Zora glanced around to ensure no one was eavesdropping. “The latter makes Xever more slippery, but the former is more dangerous for the guild. Darius confided that he’s very concerned about Nazhivēr.”

A legitimate worry. Darius, Girard, and Alistair had taken on Nazhivēr in a brief battle and done little damage. Zylas had promised to protect the guild from Nazhivēr, but he hadn’t been able to defeat the demon and Zora had nearly died as a result.

“So by the time the guild is ready to move on the cult,” she concluded, “we need to be ready to take on Xever and Nazhivēr.”

“We?” I repeated uncertainly.

Her expression tightened. “I know I didn’t pull my weight the way I should’ve, but I offered to be your champion and if you still want me, I—”

“Wait, wait.” I waved my hands. “Zora, you were amazing against Nazhivēr. I’m the one who let you down. Zylas and I—we screwed up and didn’t pull our weight. We should’ve done better.”

She looked unconvinced. “Next time, I’ll be prepared.”

“What do you mean?”

She smiled mysteriously. “You’ll see.”

Instead of being reassured, I felt more uneasy. Zylas and I were no more prepared to fight Nazhivēr than we’d been last time. The demon seemed undefeatable.

I chewed the inside of my cheek as conversation spread throughout the pub, the rising noise competing with my spinning thoughts. I glanced toward the bar where Ezra sat with Aaron and Tori, a crowd of mythics gathered around them. Ezra hadn’t said much about his ties to the Court of the Red Queen, but I could guess he knew more than I did. Maybe he had inside knowledge about Nazhivēr—and ideas on how to defeat the demon.

“I’ll be right back,” I murmured, pushing away from the table.

Most guild members had left their tables too, forming clusters throughout the room, and I hastened through the bustle to the group around the bar. Too short to see over anyone’s shoulders, I rose on my tiptoes, trying to spot the demon mage’s curly brown hair.

“… balance of strengths and weaknesses for combat against contractors and demon mages.”

I recognized Aaron’s voice. It sounded like he was still in the same spot at the bar.

“We’ll focus on defense first,” he went on, “then practice the most efficient ways to kill them so we don’t exhaust ourselves and our magic.”

“What, you can’t just incinerate demons with your unstoppable fire?” the woman in front of me asked sarcastically.