“Zuh-yee-las,” Amalia repeated in exasperation. “And yeah. Claude’s demon smashed it.”

I glanced toward Zylas, who still sat by the window, watching us. He hadn’t said a word since the phone call had begun, his expression oddly closed off.

A sudden thought hit me: Would he agree to be bound to a new infernus?

He hated being stuck inside it all the time, and he really hated it when I forced him to return with the command phrase. Since escaping Nazhivēr, he hadn’t actually said we should get a new infernus, or implied he agreed with my urgent plan to acquire a replacement.

“So we just need a new infernus, then?” Amalia asked, missing my alarm.

“Yes,” Uncle Jack replied brusquely. “And I’d recommend redoing the entire contract ritual to ensure there are no blips. Do you have a blank infernus?”

“Nope. Lost ’em when our house burned down. Where can I get one?”

“Depends on whether you want a prepared one.”

“That’d be preferable since I don’t have two weeks to waste drawing an array and charging it.”

Uncle Jack chuffed a brief laugh. “I’ll ask around. Not letting you anywhere near my associates while you have bounties on your heads. You’ll get them arrested.”

“Gee, thanks, Dad,” Amalia retorted dryly. “Learned anything about Claude lately? ’Cause we found out he’s actually the secret leader of a demon-worshipping cult.”

“He’s a what?”

While she updated her father on Claude’s true identity, I sank down on the sofa and dropped my face into my hands. A new infernus. Uncle Jack would find one for me.

Then I just had to convince Zylas how vitally imperative it was that he agree to bind himself to it.

I peeked at the demon through my fingers. He was staring out the window again, looking unusually bulky with the loose sweater draped over him. It was disconcerting when I was so used to seeing him half nude.

“Okay.”

I lifted my head, realizing Amalia had ended the call with her father.

She bounced the phone on her palm. “While we wait for Dad to find a replacement infernus, we need to plan our next move.”

“What move? We’re staying right here until we have an infernus.”

Her eyebrows drew down. “That could be days, even weeks. We can’t just wait around while Nazhivēr hunts us.”

“I don’t have an infernus.” I emphasized each word since she didn’t seem to get it. “Zylas can’t move around in daylight, and at night, it’s still a huge risk. Like your dad said, no infernus means no contract for a legal contractor.”

“Well, yeah, there are additional challenges.” She pushed her hair off her shoulders. “Xever is moving on his plans to open a portal, and Nazhivēr is after Zylas’s blood for whatever reason. Zylas can’t hide in the infernus, and since demons can sense each other, that means Nazhivēr is gonna find him eventually.”

I bit my lower lip. “But … but what can we do while there’s a bounty on our heads?”

“Zora said she was tracking suspected cultists and trying to get a lead on Xever.” Amalia started punching a number into the phone. “Let’s see what she knows.”

“Wait, no, you can’t contact her while we’re—”

The phone was already ringing on speaker, and Amalia slapped it into my palm.

A click, a clatter, then a sleepy, “Hello?”

It was the middle of the night. Why was Amalia calling people in the middle of the night?

“Uh …” I gulped. “Zora?”

“Ro—” She cut herself off. “One sec—no, Felix, go back to sleep.” A rustle, then the sound of a door. Footsteps, then another door clacked. “Okay, I locked myself in the Arcana Atrium. Robin, are you okay?”

“More or less,” I answered, rubbing my aching throat. “Are you at the guild?”

“Everyone is at the guild, and it’s damn crowded. Is Amalia with you? What about Tori and the guys?”

“Amalia, yes. The others, no.”

Zora cursed under her breath. “Are you safe? You need to find somewhere to hide. Bounty hunters are everywhere, and it’s looking ugly. The cult is playing us.”

“The cult? What do you mean?”

“They doctored some video footage to frame Ezra as a demon mage. He’s got a death sentence on his head, and the MPD put bounties on everyone connected to him—which is basically our entire guild. We’re in lockdown so the other guilds can’t pick us off.”

Amalia and I simultaneously winced at her comment about Ezra being “framed,” and I squashed my guilt for saying nothing. It wasn’t my secret to blow.

“What does that have to do with the cult, though?” I asked.

“The Keys of Solomon guild reported Ezra, but Darius says the cult is behind the bogus video. They’re pulling strings to take the heat off them and put it on us instead.” She paused as though gathering her thoughts. “The bounty on you and Amalia doesn’t say anything about an illegal contract. As long as you and Zylas keep up your act, you’ll be fine once we prove Ezra’s been set up.”

Clearing Ezra’s name wasn’t happening unless Tori somehow prepared and completed the summoning ritual without me and Amalia. And faking my contract with Zylas was all but impossible now too, at least until we replaced the infernus.

“What about Xever?” Amalia jumped in. “Do you have a lead on him yet?”

“Not Xever specifically, but before the whole guild went into lockdown last night, we were tailing several cultists to find out how they’re communicating with the cult leaders. We’d just identified someone we think is a cult lieutenant when shit hit the fan.”

“Who?” I asked. “And where?”

“Nuh-uh. I’m not giving you that information so you can barge in on this guy alone.”

“Zora …” My hand clenched around the phone. “I don’t know what the cult’s goal is, but I’m pretty sure Xever intends to open a portal to the demon world. We need to know everything you can tell us.”

“I’m sorry, did you say open a portal to the demon world?”

I wished I could laugh. “Yes.”

Zora muttered a string of profanity that made Amalia’s eyebrows shoot up in an impressed way. “All right. I’ll talk to Darius.”

“Talk to Darius about what?”

“About sneaking me and my team out of the guild.” Her voice hardened. “Nothing will change if we keep hiding. We need to find the cult, and that means making a move on the cultists we’ve been tracking.”

“But if there are bounties on you …”

“We know how to move around undetected. Can I reach you at this number?”

“Yes.”

“All right. I’ll call or text as soon as I have an update. You and Amalia be careful, okay?”

“We will.”

With a quick farewell, Zora disconnected. I lowered the phone.

“Well …” Amalia puffed. “I guess all we can do is wait, then.”

I stared at the phone. Waiting. Letting others do the work. That was all we were good at. We hadn’t separated Ezra and Eterran like we’d promised. We couldn’t defeat Nazhivēr. We couldn’t get a new infernus on our own. And now Zora was putting herself at risk to find a lead on Xever for us.