My heeled sandals made a click-clacking sound on the tiles as Chris and I walked down the hallway to the Administrator’s office. I glanced over at him and smirked when I realized that in my three inch heels I was taller than he was. For some reason this extra height gave me a sense of superiority. I’d been a little surprised that neither Bruce nor Tabatha had come to get us, but Chris said he knew the way.

Chris was nice enough to open the glass door for me and I didn’t know if I should feel amused by his gallantry or annoyed that he opened it for me. The office was modern looking with industrial carpet and a large desk for the secretary in the middle of the office. To either side of the desk were chairs so the outer office doubled as a lobby.

Chris went up to the young man sitting behind the desk. “Hi, Pete, is Lukas in? He’s expecting us.”

The young man looked up from his computer and I was surprised by his bright green eyes. The scowl that had been on his face shifted and he grinned up at Chris. “Oh, hi, Chris. Yeah, let me check to see if he’s ready.”

With that he picked up the phone and punched a button. For some reason I couldn’t hear what he was saying and Chris stepped back next to me. I gave him a look and raised an eyebrow in question. Chris just shrugged. Then a wooden door to the left of the desk opened and a slightly overweight man with hair that had mostly turned from brown to grey stepped out.

“Ah, Kris, I’m glad you made it safely back.”

Chris moved forward and traded grips with the guy and I noticed that he was an inch or two taller than Chris but not nearly as broad through the shoulders. Then he turned to look at me and I was arrested by his eyes. They were the exact same shade of green as Pete’s.

“And, you must be James?”

I had to swallow before I nodded and stepped forward. His hand was larger than mine, and while warm and dry, was the softest man’s hand I’d ever shaken.

“It’s good to meet you at last. Come, come, let’s sit down and talk.”

“Please” I said, “call me Jackie.”

“If that makes you more comfortable, certainly.” replied Lukas with another of his broad open smiles.

I followed the two men into what turned out to be a spacious office. The wall facing me was floor to ceiling windows with a fantastic view of the ocean. Just in front of the windows I saw a large desk with a computer and a number of books. Then I glanced to my left and spotted a long boardroom style table large enough to seat at least a dozen people.

“Come, please have a seat.”

I turned to my right and saw a large leather couch with a pair of overstuffed chairs facing it around a coffee table. The table had already been set up for tea so I moved to take one of the chairs while the two men settled onto the couch. I was a little distracted as I smoothed my skirt and sat down because on the boardroom table I’d spotted the briefcase we’d taken from Mengele. It was open and the half dozen crystals sat in their foam cradles glowing softly.

“Ah, yes, I see you spotted our hoard.”

I glanced back at Lukas and his smile seemed too white in his tanned face. But his body posture indicated a warm open personality. I nodded and then gestured with my chin.

“Have you had a chance to examine them?”

I didn’t think it was possible but somehow his smile got even broader. “Yes, I’ve done a preliminary investigation and identified four of the crystals. Although, I must confess that the other two are still a bit of a mystery.” Then before I could ask the question that was at the forefront of my mind he continued. “Shall we have a spot of tea?”

I bit down on my impatience and got my tea and settled back into my chair carefully crossing my legs at the knee. Lukas took several biscuits along with his tea as did Chris. I ignored the food. At this point eating was the last thing on my mind. After a few seconds Lukas looked at me and I could see a playful twinkle in his eye. I opened my mouth to ask him about the four crystals he’d identified but Chris beat me to it.

“So, Lukas, if you’ve identified four of them, have you any thoughts on the two mystery crystals?”

I ground my teeth in frustration.

“Oh, yes, I’ve a few ideas. Of course, as a Warlock myself, it was easy for me to spot the two with spiritual magic. Then Tabatha, our resident sorceress helped me sort out the elemental magic in the second pair. However, the third pair remain a mystery.” Here he paused to sip his drink and I, feeling resigned, took a sip of tea as well. I was surprised that it was quite good.

“Any clues?” Chris asked.

At this Lukas grinned, “As a matter of fact,” then his voice shifted into lecture mode. “List for me the four main magical disciplines.”

Chris scowled a little but answered, “Witchcraft and the associated disciplines, Shamen, and Seers are in the spiritual family of magic. Sorcerers have dominion over elemental magic. Wizards pull essence into their bodies and shape it by will and word, their specialty is in physical manifestations of magic. Psionics have dominion over mind magic.”

Lukas, nodded and smiled. “Very good, however most spells have one or more of the base elements spiritual, mental, elemental, and physical in them. A Psionic might hit someone with a mind blast to knock them out, but it will still have trace elements of spirit in it. The same is true for a Witch. I might cast a sleep spell which will put you into a dreamless slumber but it will have aspects of mind and physical magic.”

Chris nodded impatiently but this was the first time I’d heard any of this. So I sat my tea down and leaned forward.

“What about necromancers?”

At this Lukas looked at me sharply. “Why are you asking about them?”

“Because Mengele is a necromancer, right?”

Lukas looked unhappy, but nodded. “Yes, and he is a very dangerous person. We’ve been trying to capture him for decades. To give you a complete description of the necromancers would require a history lesson. Suffice it to say that, necromancers practice a vile sort of spiritual magic and it has been outlawed by the Great Covens and the Society.”

Based on his reaction I figured I should move on to a different question. “How does this apply to the crystals that we took from Mengele?”

Lukas looked at me and grinned. “Well, to start with the crystals were crafted by a skilled Sorcerer. That much is obvious, since sorcerers using earth magic craft the crystals that most witches use.” I nodded, although I didn’t really understand much of this, “Strangely, I can only find one spell on each crystal. That means to freeze a complex rite into the crystal the spell that does this action must be part of the crystal itself.”

“Kind of like firmware on a piece of hardware for a computer.” I said.

Lukas gave me a blank look but Chris nodded. “Yes, exactly. It’s the software that comes installed on the hardware from the factory and lets you load other applications and use the PC.”

Lukas looked back and forth for a second and then said, “Your comparing magic to computers?”

Chris grinned that lopsided grin I was starting to really love. “Yep.”

Lukas shook his head, “Okay. I guess, I’ll take your word for it. Anyway once the sorcerer has finished with the crystal the rite is performed and the spell at the moment of release is frozen in the crystal.”

“Will you be able to figure out how they do it?” Chris asked.

Lukas nodded, “Tabatha is working on it, and she’s strongly gifted in earth magic. But if she can’t unlock the secret then I’ll send one crystal to Vancouver, Canada. There is a circle of sorcerers in the area and they should be able to figure it out.”

“Sir, you were explaining how the four types of magic apply to the crystals.” I prompted.

At this Lukas looked startled. “Yes, of course. Sorcery was used to craft each crystal, and each of the three pairs fuses all the elements of magic. The pair that are spirit focused have elements of psionic magic and I believe are designed to move two people into each other’s bodies.”

When he said that I felt a tension I hadn’t been aware of drain out of me. I suddenly realized I’d been preparing myself to hear that none of the crystals held a body swap spell and we’d spend the next year as each other.

“And the rest?” Chris asked.

Here Lukas sat his cup down and rubbed his hands together. “The next pair are strongly focused on elemental and physical magic. The first of the two is simple. It holds an Air Elemental and will grant the person using it the ability to fly. Tabatha thinks the spell will last over two hours!”

“Wow, Tabatha told me the longest she’s ever flown is ten minutes.” Chris said.

“True, but Tabatha isn’t strongly gifted in Air.” Then his eyes kind of gleamed, “The fourth crystal is a transformation spell. It uses all four elements and physical magic. The user of it can become an exact double of the person he or she touches with the stone. Tabatha thinks the spell wears off in twenty four hours, but this is a new one for us. For example I can cast a Glamor that gives a person the illusion of looking like another, but this spell . . . Well, Tabatha thinks DNA tests would be identical.”

“Wow,” I was as impressed as Lukas. “But what of the other two?”

Lukas shrugged, “I’ve delved into them, as has Tabatha and we’re both at a loss. Dirk, our resident Wizard is going to come by in an hour and see what he can learn. If he strikes out then I’ll invite one of the Master Wizards and a Psi-Lord to come to Cancun to study them.”

I felt a sudden urge to take a closer look at the crystals, “May I look at them?”

Lukas gave me a curious look and nodded, “Yes, of course, just DO NOT touch them.”

I nodded quickly and stood up, smoothing my skirt out as I did. I caught a smirk from Chris and stuck out my tongue. “I can’t help it, call it a lingering side effect from what Mengele did to me.” I muttered.

All three of us had stood and the two men followed me over to the crystals. “What have you done with our prisoners?” Chris asked.

“Josef Mengele is very dangerous. I examined him and there are so many spells on his body that I’m amazed that MacAskill was able to keep him sleeping. Right now he’s in our most heavily warded cell, wearing shackles that are designed to prevent him from using magic.” I could hear the fear and disapproval in Lukas’ voice. “There is so much we don’t know about him.”

By now I’d moved over to the case and some instinct told me to hold my hand out over the first set of crystals, palm down. I could see that they were completely clear and round, like the one Chris had used on me. I slowly moved my hand over them and I felt a tingle, it raced up my arm and I got a weird sensation and then the flash of a vision in my mind. A clearing nestled into some steep hills. Pine trees. A circle, the floor was covered with intricately wrought glyphs. Then I felt movement within the glyphs, I don’t know why, but I pulled my hand away. I could feel sweat beading up on my forehead.

“Maxwell Jackson, is wanted for several crimes.” Lukas was answering a question Chris had asked but I hadn’t heard.

I moved my hand over the third crystal, this one had a faint silvery cast to it. As soon as my palm got close I heard the sound of wind rushing through my ears. I had a sense of slipping the surely bonds of earth and soaring into the vault of the sky. I felt an urge to touch this crystal and fly out the window. I resisted the temptation. Instead, I moved my hand over the fourth crystal.

This one sparkled with a rainbow of color. As my palm got near it I sensed heat, power, and unformed potential, waiting ready to move. In my mind’s eye, the crystal kept shifting, changing, restlessly waiting for the command that would activate it, even though it never actually changed shape.

“So, she’ll stand trial before a tribunal. We don’t know for sure how many people she’s killed but I can lay three agents deaths at her feet. I think there’s a cell in the Rocky Mountains with her name on it.” Lukas’ voice was sort of like a comforting anchor as I felt compelled to move my hand toward the remaining crystals.

As my hand hovered over the fifth crystal and I felt darkness. Deep endless darkness, then it sort of responded and in my mind’s eye I felt the scene shift. A forest. Tall dark fir trees were all around. Snow was on the ground, yet in the middle of the clearing the snow had been removed to display flat cold earth. In the center of the circle of earth a naked woman had been chained. She had long blue hair and when she looked up I saw that her ears were pointed. She saw me and smiled. A surge of hope. I jerked my hand away.

“There is an Aelf trapped in this crystal, an Aes Sidhe of the Winter court. She’s been chained to a purpose, I’m not sure what that purpose is but she is stuck until the spell is released and her purpose served.” My voice sounded odd, it had taken on a weird echo quality. I didn’t need to look to see that both men had stopped talking and were looking at me.

“Diana said she’s a Seer.” Chris whispered but Lukas made a shushing noise.

My hand moved of its own volition to the final crystal, I tried to stop it, just to show that I was still in control of me. I failed. As my hand approached I felt a flash of fire and saw in my mind’s eye a glowing ring. Within the ring I could see an office. It was an office I’d seen several times before. Suddenly, I was able to pull my hand away.

“This last crystal, is a portal stone. It will open a Gate and allow the user to step from one place to another in an instant.” My voice still held that strange emotionless echo-quality but once I was done I shook my head. Sort of like a dog coming out of the water shakes and the last bits of magic left me and I stumbled back.

Chris was quick, or I would have fallen. He got an arm around me and then I managed to catch my balance.

“I’m okay, I can stand.”

“What was that?” Chris asked looking at me, worry clearly written on his handsome face.

“That was a Seer’s trance.”

We both looked over at Lukas, who after a moment continued, “I’ve spoken with Diana, but I had no idea you were so strongly gifted. That was truly remarkable.”

Then it dawned on me, “This was a set up! You asked us to meet you here and left the crystals out on purpose. You wanted to see if my talent would react to them!?”

Lukas held up a hand, “Yes, guilty as charged, but in my defense. We don’t have any Seers here and we need to know what those crystals can do.”

I sighed. “I don’t know what the one with the trapped Aelf does. But the other is used for travel.”

“I don’t get it, if one of the crystals contains the spirit of an Elf, why didn’t you or one of the other Witches here sense it?” Chris asked sounding confused.

“I didn’t say it held the spirit of an Aelf, I said that an Aelf is trapped within the crystal. Completely, physically, she is held within the crystal.”

“Like a prison?” Chris asked.

I nodded, “But more than that. I can’t really explain it. When the crystal is used she’ll be released and physically manifest. That’s really all I can tell you.”

Lukas nodded excitedly. “Yes, Jackie, this is great work. With the information you’ve given us I’m sure we’ll be able to solve this mystery.”

I couldn’t help smiling at the praise, and then felt like I needed to add something, “Just whatever you do, be careful when you release the Aelf, she’s trapped and angry.”

“I’m confident that Dirk will solve the puzzle and we’ve contacts with the Aelfen Realm. We’ll figure out a way to safely return her to her people.”

“Fine, can we switch back now?” I asked a little more harshly than I intended, but I did it to jar him. I was tired. Tired of being manipulated. Tired of feeling off balance and out of control. But mostly I really just wanted my body back.

“Yes, I think so.” Lukas said looking at me. “We have two body swap crystals, we’ve already learned a lot so I think we can spare one to fix your problem. But you’ll have to let us observe the spell as you use it.”

I nodded. “Fine with me.”

I glanced over at Chris and he looked a little unsure but eventually nodded. “I guess.”

It was a comfortable room. The floors were deeply carpeted and the paneled walls gave it a feeling of age and security. I sat in a deep leather recliner next to Chris and watched as the room filled with people. Perhaps filled isn’t the right word. There were eight other people in the room. Tabatha and Lukas of course, along with six others. Four men and two women. Mr. MacAskill had already left Cancun on another mission or maybe just to get to a safer location. He’d been pretty sure that the Syndicate would be coming after him, and coming hard.

After Chris and I left Lukas’s office I’d wanted to be alone for a while. I’d headed down to the beach and just picked a direction and walked. My life had changed in a lot of ways and there was no going back. Part of me remembered Chris’s warning that night in Heathrow and a part of me regretted not listening. Yet, if I had it to do over again, I thought I’d probably do it. After I’d left the service my life had sort of drifted. Sure I was making good money. But I had no sense of purpose. Now, I felt an urgency, a desire building within me. I wanted to understand my gift. I wanted to start to have some control over my own fate.

Lukas had said to get some dinner and be ready to use the crystal by seven. I made it back to my room around six. I knocked on Chris’s door but there wasn’t an answer so I went to the dining room by myself. I ate quickly and returned to my room to get ready. The skills that the Syndicate had forced me to learn came in handy because at ten to, when Chris knocked on my door, I was ready.

“Wow, you look . . . fantastic.”

The complement made me blush. I was wearing a little black dress and matching black sandals with a three inch heel. I had a dark blue jacket over one arm in case it got cold later tonight.

“You don’t look so bad either.”

Chris was wearing a black suit with a blue tie and I had to grin when I noticed that he’d added a pair of cowboy boots. The two inch heels on the boots meant that we were still almost the same height. He offered me an arm so I snaked my hand through his and together, he led me to a part of the building I’d not seen.

“This is where most of the magic training happens. We try to restrict it to one area so that visitors won’t be alarmed.”

“How many students are here?” I asked, mostly to distract myself from what we were about to do.

“I don’t know for sure, but I’d guess, between fifteen and twenty.”

The hall was lined with what looked like small classrooms. Large enough for no more than half a dozen students at a time. But even as we walked by I could tell that each was different from the next. All the floors were made of stone. Some held summoning rings cut into them, while others were covered in chalk runes. Obviously, these were practice rooms. Then we arrived at the room with the wood paneling.

Now seated in the recliners Lukas moved forward and offered Chris a black velvet bag. “Since you’ve done this once, it should be pretty easy to repeat.”

“Says you.” Chris joked, but I could feel the worry in his voice.

I reached out and touched his hand. “It’ll be okay. I trust you.”

Chris dumped the crystal from the bag into his hand and held it up. It sparkled under the light and this time I could feel its power. He extended the crystal to me and I covered it with my hand. At once I felt it flare up and this time I felt Chris as he silently willed it to do what it had been designed to do. Then he whispered the word that I’d been unable to hear the first time, “Imprecor!” The crystal responded and I felt a surge of power run through me. There was a shock, and then I felt as well as heard a sharp, “Crack!”

The crystal we’d been holding split in half. I lifted my hand away holding my half of the crystal and I felt like I was now on a roller coaster and we’d just left the station. There was no stopping and no getting off at this point.

“If you both will the magic to happen and focus on it, there won’t be a delay like last time.” Lukas said.

It made sense. Last time Chris had wanted it to happen slowly to give me some time and to send me reassurances. This time there was no reason to wait. I focused on my half of a crystal and willed it to serve its purpose. Almost at once it flared up with a bright blue light and then started flashing.

Alternating between blue and violet. Then the pace increased. From the corner of my eye I could see Chris’s crystal also flashing. Violet and blue, violet and blue. I focused on mine willing the magic on. Blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue.

I could hear a murmur within the room. Voices talking excitedly. Along the walls I could see the strobe of colored light. I glanced at my crystal and it was like being a fly caught in amber. Blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet.

Faster and faster now. This time I could feel it as the magic started to pull me. Tugging me away from my body. Blue, violet, blue, violet, I felt a tearing twisting sensation and then I was floating above my body looking down at the now familiar form of a blonde woman sitting in a recliner next to a man. The flashing continued blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet, blue, violet . . . blue . . . . violet . . . . . blue . . . . . . violet . . . . . . . blue . . . . . . . violet . . . . . . . . . blue . . . . . . . . . . violet . . . . . . . . . . . blue . . . . . . . . . . . . Violet . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VIOlet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BLUe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VIOLET . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BLUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VIOLET!

Abruptly, the flashing stopped and the crystal I’d been holding was a solid violet. Then I felt Chris, no, Kristina next to me hovering over our bodies as they remained motionless. Then a spectral wind hit me, pushing me toward my ‘James’ body. The pushing became a tugging and I saw that he was now holding a crystal glowing with a steady blue light. My spirit-self fell forward and I passed into my male body. There was a snapping twisting sensation and I blinked. My mouth was dry and then I looked down at the crystal in my hand just as it crumbled to dust.

“I’m me again.” My voice sounded odd to my ears. Deeper than I was used to and when I sat up I missed the shifting weight on my chest. I looked over at Kristina who was also blinking and sitting up. Her hand rose to her chest and she squeezed the flesh there and I had to chuckle.

“Just like a guy.” I said, “The first thing you do is grab your tits.”

Kristina glanced at me, and then smiled. “I’m me again!”

The breeze off the ocean was refreshing as I moved through the restaurant. Kristina had picked a table outside, facing the ocean, and I had to admit I approved her choice.

“May I join you?”

She looked up and grinned and motioned to the empty chair next to her.

“Have you ordered yet?”

“Just drinks, a pair of Guinness’s, I could feel you approaching so I knew it would only be a few minutes.”

I nodded in understanding. It had been almost two weeks since we’d returned to our normal bodies. In that time I’d learned to sense the connection we shared. At the moment the best Adepts of the Society were still debating what the connection meant. If I focused I could sense where she was and what she was feeling. If I pushed a thought toward her she could sense it. It was almost like we had a telepathic ability, only neither one of us was gifted with any kind of Psionic talent.

“I hear the fish here is fantastic.” I commented picking up the menu.

“I know, that’s why I picked this place.” She gave me one of those patented Kristina smiles that had half the Enclave eating out of her hand. I had to chuckle. I remembered using that smile to devastating effect on a cop in Germany.

“So how was your day?” I asked scanning the menu.

“Not bad. I bonded a familiar.”

I looked up, “Really? I thought it normally takes a full year of studying for a witch to be ready to bond a familiar.”

“Lukas, seems to think that our experience sort of supercharged our magic. He wants me to push as far as I can, while I’m so strong. How about you?”

I shrugged, “There still aren’t any Seers willing to come to Cancun. They all say that their sight is blocked. They say something either is happening or is going to happen and they can’t see it. Lukas tried to convince them that the something is me. But no luck so far. I’ve had several good skype sessions with Brittany, the seer in Louisville, and Tabatha, Dirk, and Lukas have all been tutoring me.”

“Hhmmmm . . . I’m sorry, James. Does this mean you’ll have to leave?”

I shrugged, “Probably. Brittany is willing to train me, but she lives in Louisville. I’ll eventually have to go up there if I want to understand my gift. But right now there is plenty I can learn here.” There was a pause and then I felt like I needed to lighten up the mood, “Hey, I don’t think I showed you. I bonded my first focus last week.”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out an uneven crystal. For a second it glowed with a light blue color and then it faded. Kristina reached out and touched it and looked up at me.

“That’s great James. That means you should be able to actively cast spells now.”

I nodded. For some reason it had been very hard for me to bond a focus. We’d tried several types. Lukas swore that it wasn’t because I didn’t have the power, he thought it was more likely my Seer gift was so strong it was overpowering the more normal talents I should have had.

Just then the waitress returned and we placed our orders. After that we both sort of sat, enjoying the silence. Then after a few minutes of staring out at the lights in the bay, I pointed to a set of lights to one side of the bay. “Isn’t that the Society compound?” When Kristina nodded I continued, “I didn’t know that we would be able to see it from here.”

“It’s one of the things I like about this place.” Kristina replied, and then to change the subject, “So, have you heard from Jill?”

“Yeah, we’re finished. She broke it off with me. She can’t understand what happened to us but she wants to move on. I heard she met an accountant from Peoria.”

“I’m sorry James.” Kristina put her hand on mine and I felt the same electric shock I felt every time we touched. She quickly pulled her hand away.

“It wasn’t meant to be. Besides, I resigned my position and put my house up for sale. Those were pretty big indications that I’m not going to return to Illinois.” I shrugged and then looked at her. I loved the way the lights from the harbor reflected against her lightly tanned face. “Have you heard from Lana or your folks?”

“Of course. They’re all doing fine. They’re wondering how long I plan to stay in Mexico. My dad is a little concerned about me quitting my job. But they’re good.”

I drained the last of my beer, “Hey, what spirit did you bind for your familiar?”

At this a grin lit her face, “Take a look.”

She gestured with an outstretched arm and a ghostly owl flickered into sight. I looked around but no one reacted to the image of the spirit owl. It landed on her shoulder and turned to look at me. It still amazed me that most people couldn’t see a spirit, even when it manifested in a room.

“What’s his name?”

“HER name is Alfrún.” Then after a pause, “So what did you do today?”

“Did I ever tell you that I’m a pilot?”

Kristina shook her head, “I don’t think so.”

“Well, Lukas found out and insisted that I learn to fly the plane the Society keeps at the airport. It’s a Beechcraft King Air, and it’s pretty fun to fly.”

“If I’d have known you were going to spend the day goofing off flying around Cancun I would have come with you.” There was a definite pout in her voice.

“And miss the chance to bond, Alfrún?”

“Well, maybe not.” With that Kristina finished her beer and I caught the waitress’s eye and signaled for two more.

“So did you hear the news?” This time there was some real excitement in Kristina’s voice. I shook my head. “They convicted Max of four murders and tomorrow they’ll transport her up to the United States. I guess the Society runs a secret prison in the Rockies for Syndicate agents.”

I wasn’t surprised, “Any word on Mengele?”

“No, actually, I think the Society is scared of him.”

Abruptly, I felt an ice wind blow down my spine. I dropped my glass and sat up straight staring around as it shattered. I could feel an energy moving through the ether. The night had just become dangerous. My instincts screamed at me to run.

“James, what is it? James talk to me.”

I looked at Kristina and I could feel the energy pouring from my eyes. “They’re here.”

“Who’s here?”

“The Syndicate.”

Then an explosion rocked the night. Everyone in the restaurant ducked for cover. I stood up. I looked out over the bay and the darkness faded to light. I could see as if the sun were high in the sky. Then a fireball rose into the air and I felt the passing of spirits. Death had taken them.

“James what’s going on?! James!”

Suddenly, there was a flash of ghostly wings in my face and I flinched. When I did the spell was broken and I looked around. I could see Alfrún alight on Kristina’s shoulder and she was holding her newly bonded focus, the light of the fire was bright in her face.

“The Syndicate has come to Cancun. Drake has come to take back his people.” I turned and pointed at the burning Society Compound. “War is upon us. May the Gods help us all.”