Some chapters crash in like waves.Others arrive like the tide turning.
Chapter 24 is the latter.
The house is full. Tensions simmer. Beneath the shared meals and quiet banter, something is shifting.
Loyalties will surface. Power will stir. And a gathering begins to look a lot like preparation for war.
(The quiet never lasts.)
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We had our answers. Now came the harder part of deciding what to do with them.
The journey back is quiet, with each of us carrying more questions than conversation. When we reach the point where Alec and Samantha can continue without us, I turn towards them.
"We'll leave you here. You can make it back on your own."
Alec arches a brow. "You're not coming inside?"
"I'm going home."
He watches me for a moment, and I know he understands what I mean. The house I once shared with Eric belongs to a different part of my life now. It has become a sanctuary for the team, and Eric has built a family there while I was gone.
I don't begrudge him that.
I simply don't want to walk through those doors today.
Alec gives me a small nod. "We'll see you soon."
Samantha squeezes my arm before joining him, and Seth waits until they are gone before looking at me.
"Ready?"
"Please get me home."
Gold gathers beneath my fingers as I open the passage, and Seth's hand closes around mine before we step through together.
The next few days belong to us.
We sleep, eat, recover and avoid anything that resembles saving the world. After everything we learned in the Labyrinth, doing absolutely nothing feels almost rebellious.
The peace lasts until my phone rings.
An unknown number flashes across the screen while I'm getting dressed. My thumb hovers over the decline button, but Seth takes the phone from my hand before I can reach it.
"Gabriel," he says calmly. "What can we do for you?"
I freeze with one arm still trapped in my sleeve. "How the hell did you know that?"
Seth glances at me and smiles. "You hum when you're about to ignore a call."
"That explains nothing."
"It explains enough."
I roll my eyes and finish dressing while he handles Gabriel. Whatever Heaven wants this time can wait until I find food.
By the time Seth joins me downstairs, I'm halfway through a sandwich with my feet resting on the kitchen stool. He takes the seat beside me, looking far too relaxed for someone who has just spoken to Gabriel.
I slide the second sandwich towards him.
He accepts it and takes a bite before speaking. "Gabriel wants to meet with us."
I stop chewing long enough to look at him.
"As soon as possible," he adds.
I swallow. "Because of course he does."
Seth's mouth curves. "At least he isn't bringing six Judicars to collect you."
I lower my forehead against the counter. "I hate that this qualifies as an improvement."
His quiet laugh reaches me, but when I lift my head, the amusement has already faded from his eyes.
"You think he knows what we found."
Seth puts down his sandwich. "I think Gabriel rarely calls without a reason."
My appetite loses some of its enthusiasm.
I reach for my phone and open the team chat. "You deal with Gabriel since the two of you are apparently best friends now. I'll arrange a meeting with the team and Lady Elsa for Wednesday."
Seth gives me a look. "Best friends?"
"You answered my phone."
"You were going to ignore him."
"That was between Gabriel and me."
His smile returns as I start typing, but my thumb slows when I reach the question of where everyone should meet.
I look at Seth. "Can we have it here?"
His expression softens immediately.
"I don't want to go back to the house yet." I glance down at the phone. "Eric's family can stay home. I'm not ready to deal with all of that again."
Seth studies me for a moment before reaching across the counter and pinching my cheeks.
I slap his hand away. "I'm being serious."
"So am I."
"You just pinched my face."
"Both things can be true."
My mouth betrays me with the beginning of a smile.
Seth's expression warms. "If you want everyone here, we'll have them here."
"Thank you."
"For you, I would offer the world."
I narrow my eyes at him. "I'll settle for one stress-free meeting."
Seth reaches for his sandwich again. "That might be harder."
Damn him.
This time, I can't stop the smile.
The house hums with quiet anticipation. Seth has already arranged rooms for twelve guests in the main house, with the flatlets farther across the estate ready for another eight. We have more than enough space, although I suspect half the team will end up gathered somewhere long after midnight anyway.
Lady Elsa and her group arrive first. She steps onto the porch with her usual composure, greeting us with a warm nod before we show everyone where they will be staying. Brunch is still more than an hour away, leaving them plenty of time to get comfortable.
Alec arrives next with the twins and Jamey, and I hear them before I see them. Jamey is arguing about something with Alec while the twins follow behind them, clearly entertained by whatever started it.
The house fills quickly after that.
I am speaking with Lady Elsa on the porch when movement farther down the path catches my attention.
Eric approaches with his team behind him, and the ease I have managed to hold onto since this morning tightens.
I greet them briefly before turning towards Seth. "Love, Eric and his team are here. Will you get them settled, please?"
Seth glances at me once before stepping forward with an easy smile. "Of course. Come with me."
Eric hesitates.
His attention stays on me long enough that I know he wants to say something, but I turn back to Lady Elsa and continue our conversation. Whatever Eric wants to say can wait until I am ready to hear it.
The Keepers of the Rift and the Judicars arrive last. By then, voices carry from the house to the gardens while people move between the lake, pool and shaded areas around the estate.
Catering announces that brunch will be served at twelve, leaving us another forty minutes to ourselves. Several people head towards the lake, others explore the miniature garden, and a few claim places beside the pool while peace is still an option.
Seth and I remain near the porch until Jamey appears and throws an arm around each of us.
"How," he begins, drawing the word out as he surveys the estate, "could you possibly afford a place like this, my dear sir?"
Seth barely hesitates. "That's classified. If I tell you, I'll have to erase your memory. Your existence might be quicker."
Jamey gives him a flat look. "Right. Now give me the answer that doesn't involve murder."
Seth tips his head towards me. "The only person on Earth who knows is my wife."
Jamey's arm slips from my shoulders.
He turns towards me so quickly that I instinctively lean back. "Wife?"
Seth catches him around the shoulders before he can recover and pulls him against his side, grinning.
"Soon," he promises. "Very soon."
Jamey drags a hand down his face. "Oh, great. I'm never hearing the end of this."
Seth's laugh finally breaks through the tension I have been carrying since Eric arrived, and I find myself smiling with him.
The brunch bells sound across the estate soon afterward, calling everyone back towards the house. Conversations finish along the paths, people abandon their places beside the pool, and within minutes the lounge hall begins filling.
Food covers the tables inside, ranging from fruit and pastries to enough meat to keep Alec occupied for the foreseeable future. The smell alone has Jamey abandoning whatever story he was telling the moment he walks through the door.
Once everyone is seated, conversation comes easily. The tension from earlier remains beneath it, but for now nobody seems interested in dragging it to the surface.
Jamey takes full advantage.
"So there I was," he announces between mouthfuls, already gathering an audience, "face to face with a literal demon, and what do I have in my hand? A spoon. A wooden spoon."
A drink goes down the wrong pipe somewhere across the table. Alec closes his eyes and presses two fingers against his forehead while Samantha bites down on her lip.
I look at Jamey over my glass. "Let me guess. You defeated it with a well-placed tap on the nose."
Jamey points his fork at me. "You mock me, but you should have seen its face. Pure horror. A wooden spoon becomes a sacred weapon in the right hands."
Alec loses the battle first, his attempted sigh breaking into a laugh. Samantha follows immediately, covering her mouth while the person who nearly choked starts coughing all over again. Even Lady Elsa's composure cracks at the edges, and within seconds half the table is laughing while Jamey sits back with the satisfaction of a man whose tactical brilliance has finally received the respect it deserves.
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An hour later, Seth rises from his seat, and the easy mood around him shifts into something more focused.
"We'll move to the conference room in about fifteen minutes. Stretch your legs, find a bathroom, or breathe while you still have the chance."
People leave the tables in twos and threes. Several wander outside while others remain near the dessert trays, and I escape to the patio for a few minutes of quiet.
The breeze coming off the lake cools my face as I watch the water. After a morning filled with voices, the silence feels good.
Raised voices behind me bring it to an end.
I turn towards the house and find Alec facing Eric near the open patio doors. Samantha stands several steps away, watching the faint lightning moving between Alec's fingers.
"I asked you a question," Eric says.
Alec's voice stays low. "And I answered it."
"You avoided it."
"You asked how involved Max and Seth are."
I stop walking.
Seth comes up beside me, and the sudden stillness in him tells me he heard it too.
Eric folds his arms. "I wanted to know how serious it is."
Alec looks at him for several seconds. "They're together."
"I can see that."
"Then you have your answer."
Eric's jaw tightens. "Alec."
Lightning snaps once between Alec's fingers. "What happens beyond that is theirs."
"Max and I have history."
"You have a wife."
Eric's expression hardens. "Don't bring my wife into this."
Alec tilts his head slightly. "Your wife."
Eric says nothing.
"You acknowledge Isabella as your wife, so you have no right asking after another woman, even if that woman is Max."
"That's not what I'm doing."
"Then stop asking."
The quiet force behind it finally draws Eric's attention towards me. His eyes meet mine across the patio, and for a moment neither of us looks away.
I give him nothing.
Whatever conversation waits between us belongs somewhere else.
Alec's lightning brightens when Eric turns back towards him.
"Enough."
Jamey's voice reaches us from near the patio doors.
Alec looks towards him, and the lightning around his fingers weakens.
Eric stops at almost the same moment. A nearby conversation cuts off midway through a sentence, another person lowers the glass they were about to drink from, and several faces turn towards Jamey together.
Jamey stands with his hands at his sides, unusually serious.
"We're done with this for now. We have a meeting in a few minutes, and I'd prefer to get there before somebody turns the patio into a crater."
Alec glances at the fading lightning around his hand. "I wasn't making a crater."
Jamey nods solemnly. "Excellent. I like this patio."
Samantha's attempt to hide her smile fails, and Alec's mouth gives in a moment later. A couple of people near the doors follow them before Jamey turns towards the house, apparently satisfied that civilisation has been restored.
Seth isn't laughing.
His attention follows Jamey.
I glance at him. "What?"
Seth draws a slow breath. "Did you feel that?"
I look towards Jamey, who has already reached the dessert table.
"Feel what?"
Seth watches him for another moment. "I'm not sure."
Jamey steals something from a tray while Samantha immediately reaches over to take it back from him.
Whatever Seth noticed, Jamey clearly didn't.
Jamey rubs his temples as he heads towards the house. "All of you owe me pastries after that. Possibly a nap as well."
People begin clearing the last plates and pushing their chairs back. The earlier ease has faded, leaving quieter conversations as everyone makes their way towards the conference room.
Eric moves to rejoin his team, but his eyes find mine before he leaves the patio.
He doesn't speak, and neither do I.
Regret sits plainly in his expression, but I hold his gaze without giving him anything in return. Whatever he wants to say can wait until I decide I am ready to hear it.
I turn towards the house.
A quiet step falls beside me as Seth catches up.
His eyes move across my face before shifting towards the doors. "We'll need to keep an eye on Jamey."
"Because he stopped Alec?"
"Because I'm not sure that's all he stopped."
I glance through the doors. Jamey has already found the remaining pastries and is trying to take two while Samantha watches him.
"He doesn't seem concerned."
Seth's mouth curves slightly. "He doesn't seem aware."
"That sounds more like Jamey."
Seth gives a quiet laugh before his expression turns thoughtful again. "We leave it alone for now. I want to see whether it happens again."
"You're suggesting we wait for Jamey to accidentally do something supernatural?"
"I'm suggesting we avoid telling Jamey until we know what we're telling him."
I consider that before nodding. "Probably wise."
"Occasionally, I manage it."
I smile as we walk inside together.
The conference room overlooks the lake through wide windows, with bookshelves covering two walls and a long table occupying most of the space. By the time Seth and I enter, the others have begun finding seats while Lady Elsa arranges her recorder and notes.
Alec and Samantha join us near the front, and the remaining conversations fade as everyone turns their attention towards us.
We begin with what we found in the Labyrinth.
Alec explains the blood sacrifices and how strength can be forced beyond its natural limits at the cost of the person carrying it. Samantha takes over with the shadow concepts and ritual work, while Seth and I fill in what we learned about the wider use of black magic.
We leave the Aeternal Lexicon out of it.
That knowledge stays with us.
By the time we finish, Lady Elsa has several pages of notes. She pauses her recorder and looks around the table.
"Understanding what they're doing helps, but we still have the larger problem. How do we find the people doing it?"
The room quiets.
Jamey taps two fingers against the table. "We could always follow the smell of sulphur. You'd be surprised how often that works."
Alec glances towards him. "Or we could try something that doesn't involve you sniffing demons."
"You dismiss my gifts too easily."
Samantha leans forward before Jamey can defend his expertise. "Dark magic leaves effects behind. Spirits become restless, unnatural activity increases, and rituals leave patterns even after the people responsible have moved on."
Lady Elsa nods. "Disappearances and unexplained deaths could give us locations. Symbols might give us connections between them."
"Supply could give us people," I add. "Rare ingredients, cursed artefacts, forbidden texts. Anyone practising on this scale has to get those things somewhere."
Seth rests his forearms against the table. "Which gives us another option. We find the people supplying them and work our way inward."
Several conversations start around the table before Lady Elsa lifts a hand.
"The black market."
Seth nods. "It's a starting point."
Jamey brightens immediately. "Now we're getting somewhere. I volunteer for infiltration."
Alec doesn't even look at him. "Application denied."
"You haven't heard my qualifications."
"I've met you."
Samantha covers her smile with one hand while Jamey looks personally wounded.
"For the record, I can be extremely convincing."
"That's what worries me," I say.
The humour gives us a brief release before attention returns to the problem.
We spend the next half hour narrowing the options. Local records can give us incidents. The Keepers and Judicars can track disturbances already reported through their own networks, while the underground trade gives us a way to approach the people supplying whatever is happening.
Samuel and Campbell eventually become the obvious choice for that part.
Both men can disappear into a crowd without trying, and neither attracts the kind of attention Jamey seems capable of generating simply by entering a room. They don't need to find the practitioners themselves. They only need to make contact with the right people and listen.
Seth and I will remain close enough to intervene if the situation turns dangerous.
Samuel looks across the table. "When do we start?"
"As soon as we identify where to send you," Seth says.
Campbell nods and reaches for the notes in front of him.
Lady Elsa hasn't moved.
I notice because everyone else has.
Her pen remains between her fingers while she stares at the page beneath it.
"Lady Elsa?"
Her eyes lift towards me.
The room gradually quiets.
"Samuel and Campbell may not need to go anywhere yet."
Seth turns towards her. "Why?"
Lady Elsa closes her notebook.
"Because I might already know who's behind it."
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Well, Lady Elsa certainly knows how to end a meeting.
Alec drew a line. Jamey did something even Seth couldn't explain. And just when the team finally had a plan, Lady Elsa changed everything.
Chapter 25 might have a few answers waiting for us.
Or considerably more trouble.
Let me know what you think in the comments. I read every one.