Where magic is hiding

Invidia adjusted her tie as she stepped into the street festival.  She’d considered getting a yukata, but she wouldn’t be able to find anything eye-catching enough quickly.  So she settled for her business dress, with just enough jewelry to make people realize she was richer than they’d ever be.  Judging from the looks she was getting, it was working.

Gula had taught her long ago that as a sin demon you either were consumed by your sin, or you inspired it in others.  And given the choice between being envious and being envied, she’d pick the latter every time.  That had changed her life for the better.  And while constantly running the fine line between inspiring enough envy to sustain her but not enough to get attacked was annoying sometimes, she was fine living like this.

Most of her other sisters weren’t as lucky. And Acedia, well poor Acedia didn’t want to hurt others.  She’d pitied her youngest sister.  The money she’d sent had been to inspire envy, but she really did want her sister to have a good life.  Or at least the best life she could have.

But that hadn’t happened.

“Hey sis.”  The greeting was breathy, and seemed to linger lavaciously in the air.  Which made it obvious who was responsible.

She looked over to see her sister Luxuria.  Of course the demon of Lust had grabbed a yukata a size too small. And was wearing it ‘traditionally.’  Invidia forced down her irritation.  After all, her sister was just doing what she needed to do to survive.  And that meant showing a lot of skin, no matter what Invidia thought about it.  “I’m glad you could make it.”

“It would be sad if only one of us showed up,” Luxuria said.  “I wish it could have been all of us but…”

Invidia nodded in agreement.  Without Gula to keep them together, they’d drifted apart.

Now that she’d found her sister, Invidia turned to look for the people who’d invited them.  She spotted the jiang-shi first at the river’s bank, the woman standing out even among the crowd of youkai.  And the witch was there at her side, holding a paper lantern.  Invidia nudged her sister, then began walking towards them.

The two quickly noticed the demons’ presence, and turned to face them.  No envy or lust from those two though.  Just sorrow and guilt.  The latter was something Invidia was used to.  Guilt was a frequent chaser to a sin demon’s meals.  Sorrow however….

“Hello,” the jiang-shi managed to say.

“Hi,” Luxuria replied.  “I’m Luxuria.”

“Camila.”

“Invidia.”

“Helena.”

The four stood in awkward silence for a while.  What was there to say?  The one person who tied them together was dead and gone.

Finally Invidia managed to ask the one question she’d had ever since she’d gotten that letter.  “Did Acedia really break free?”

“Yes.” Helena replied.  “She was no longer chained to her name.”  The witch’s certainty brought some comfort to Invidia.

“Was she happy?” Luxuria asked quietly.

Camila looked down.  “Don’t know about happy.  But she went with a smile.  Ruined the bastard’s plans too.”  Invidia felt her eyes sting.  

Luxuria was more open about wiping away her tears.  “I wish I could have seen it.  She’d never really smiled before.”

“I hope she’ll have a chance next time,” Helena murmured.

Invidia looked at the witch.  “You know demons don’t get a next time.”

“I bribed the Sanzu ferryman,” Helena said matter of factly.  “She’ll be bound for reincarnation.  Eventually.”

“What.”  Invidia turned to stare at the woman.  She knew magicians were insane and powerful but…  “Why?  Why go through so much effort?”

Helena looked away.  “Because she deserved a chance to be the person she became.  Someone not trapped by other people’s rules.  Because I failed to protect her.  Because…”

“Because she was our friend,” Camila stated with finality.

Invidia felt a deep familiar pain in her chest.  One she’d been born knowing, and one she loved and hated.  To find such friendship, even for a short while…

An arm wrapped around her shoulder.  “Thought you liked making jealousy these days sis, not feeling it.”  Luxuria’s husky taunt stabbed just where it hurt the most.

But this time she embraced the pain and forced a smile.  “If I’m feeling jealous of Acedia, it must mean she was very happy to have met you two.”  That got a weak grin from Helena and a choked giggle from Camila.

Helena took a shaky breath, and held out the lantern.  “As her family you have the right to send her soul on.  I think she’d be happy knowing you were there for her in spirit.”

Invidia accepted the small offering.  It was a simple thing, but one drenched in a symbolism older than she was.  “Thank you.”

She accepted the pain that was part of her again and held it towards her sister.  “Light it Luxuria.”

“Thank you, sister.” For once her sister had cut out any flirtation or seduction from her tone.  Instead Luxuria tapped the wick, and set it alight with the tiny spark of demonfire that she could summon.

As the lantern began to glow with the flame within, Invidia placed it on the river and gave it a gentle push.  Then, as the other supplicants had she clapped twice and bowed her head, offering what prayer a demon could.  The other three all followed suit, Camila using some magic to bend her arms in order to clap properly.

As the four living souls watched, the floating lantern glided in the current.  Soon it joined the other lanterns, their lights making the river an otherworldly spectacle as the lanterns and flickering souls slowly headed ever onwards.  Towards the underworld, and then beyond, to the unknown.

They managed to teleport twelve feathers to Helena’s apartment before the police detained everyone who wasn’t an angel. Blatant favoritism Helena mused. Still she didn’t need to suffer the indignity of handcuffs, so she didn’t complain.

To her surprise the Adena wandered in soon after, offering his version of events. And the Cardinal showed up not long after. Apparently Helena had locked him in one of the cathedral’s wings when she took over the main chapel. Probably for the best. She was still surprised that Father Peter managed to survive the fight.

As soon as the police decided they weren’t going to arrest her, the Adena wandered over. “It seems you won the glory this time, Curse Gunner. I should have insisted on fighting the angel while you waited.”

“It wasn’t exactly easy,” Helena said, waving at the destroyed chapel. “The only reason I’m alive is because Camila was helping me.”

“Glad to know I can tank. Even if I got hit a lot more than I like,” Camila said.

The Adena nodded solemnly. “I believe I have my own means of fighting creatures like this, but two warriors are stronger than one. You both deserve praise for your work.”

“Thank you.” The praise warmed Helena’s spirits. Getting a compliment from someone other than her tutors wasn’t something she was used to.

“Thanks.” Camila chuckled. “And here I thought ten year old me was dumb for wanting to be a superhero when I grew up. Coulda skipped the dying part though.”

“I will send word to the conclave,” the Adena said. “They will make sure this,” he waved around at the damage, “is dealt with, as per our pact.”

Helena nodded. “Good. And I’m glad I had your help even if I didn’t need it. If I was worried about it escaping the chapel we might have gotten in more trouble. Good evening.”

The Adena gave a grunt of approval then walked out the doors.

“So he can leave like a normal human,” Camila said.

“Bet Kilduff didn’t finish questioning him. He probably made all the cops forget he wasn’t allowed to leave,” Helena pointed out.

Camila shook her head. “That’s cheating. Why can’t we do that?”

“I’m bad with mind magic. Also Kilduff knows where we live,” Helena said.

“Good reasons.” Camila motioned towards where the policeman was talking with Father Peter. “So, since we’re stuck here, want to hear the villain’s confession?”

Helena looked over to where Bishop Thomas’ burnt corpse lay under a white sheet. “I think we already had the motive rant.”

“I missed it because I was kicking a metal angel in the face.” Camila hopped over, and Helena followed.

Father Peter was obviously having a bad night. His robes were singed, his eyes were red from crying, and there was angel blood on his hands. Helena didn’t really feel bad about any of that though. He’d helped start this insane rampage. Both of them in a roundabout way. This angel construct had obviously been planned long before the Satanists started their plans.

As they approached the fallen priest looked at them, hate in his eyes. Kilduff noticed his glance and pulled out a cigarette. “I wouldn’t be judging people tonight Father. Not after the mess you’ve made.”

The man flinched. “How can you stand it? Look around. Yes Bishop Thomas’ zeal desecrated the church, but she corrupted it! She called upon Satan himself to fight in the church of God! And now she’ll be rewarded for her foul magics, while the righteous will be left to pay the price.”

“I called on my own power. Not anyone else’s,” Helena replied. “And my foul magics are the only reason you’re still alive.”

Father Peter’s face twisted, “That’s-“

“The truth,” Nezaiel said softly from where Amaiel was tending to his wound. The fool had refused a bandage, so Amaiel was pouring all her power into him to make the wound spotless. “My wings alone would not have been enough against the horror you created.”

The man’s face fell. “I…” He looked at the ground and tears filled his eyes again. “I just don’t understand. Why does evil always win? We sit as the pews slowly empty, while our flock turns to magic and money to solve their problems. All at the cost of their souls.” He looked at the angels. “Why? Why can’t you save us?”

“You are already saved,” Amaiel said. “But you must accept it. Not demand the nature of your salvation.”

Inspector Kilduff shook his head sadly. “Have a little faith Father.”

The man fell silent as Kilduff cuffed him and led him away. Camila shook her head. “Guess that was just it huh. Saving people by stabbing them? Like, it seems so cliche. I figured there’d be more.”

“If you want to save the world, you first have to rule it,” Helena said as she leaned on her friend. Her body was aching. She needed a month or two to rest. “You can’t just fix the world and have everyone get along. And when you realize that, it’s just a jump to killing everyone who disagrees. It’s a trap that’s caught many people. Especially those of us with power.”

Nezaiel looked over. “The truth is you can’t save the world through force. Only by love. Even the almighty God can not do that, for it would destroy the very world itself.”

Helena blinked. “I think that’s the first time I’ve agreed with you completely.”

“Though killing certain people might make the process of salvation better for the rest,” Amaiel said, giving Helena a pointed look.

“And that’s why you’re my favorite local angel,” Helena said with a grin. “Perfectly direct.”

“No fighting until you healed,” Camila said. “Or I’ll knock you out myself.”

Helena sighed. “Fine.”

Nezaiel shook his head. “Have you considered the possibility that I’m just as direct as my sister, little witch? I really do want to help you.”

“I think I believe you,” Helena replied softly. “But that offends me more somehow.”

“Pride can only take you so far. Like Samael, you will fall eventually,” Nezaiel replied.

“I’ll just have to depend on my friends to catch me.”

Nezaiel did not smile but he seemed to relax. “Perhaps I have misjudged you then.” He looked at Camila. “Try to be as much of a good influence on her as she is a bad one on you.”

“Will do.” Camila rubbed shoulders with Helena. “Now, let’s go home.”

“Right,” Helena squeezed her friend’s shoulder, and let Camila lead the way.

The angel swung its sword in an arc and a wave of flame burst from it. Helena dropped to the ground and threw out her hand. “Aegis!” It was raw power formed into a shield, but it might lessen the blow.

Heat rolled over her as the shield broke. The pews shattered before the firestorm, and her own defenses glowed white as they redirected the flames. She heard Camila cursing loudly in Portuguese, but the woman didn’t sound hurt..

Then the tempest stopped. Helena spared a glance behind her to see that Nezaiel had used his wings to protect Father Peter, wounding himself again in the process. Well he could probably survive. “Get him out of here,” she yelled at the priest before summoning a mote of fire and flinging it at the false angel. It ducked then swung its blade again. Too fast. She saw Camila stop her rush as the blade sliced in front of her.

Alright the fake angel was metal and fire. She needed to figure out how to combine water and fire to beat it. Or maybe take control of the fire-

A flash of silver and the angel was in front of her. She leaped above it’s sword strike, but it reversed the blow. Far too fast!

Sparks flew as a green shield appeared in front of the blade. “Not this time!” Camila yelled as she held the sword back. Helena took the moment’s respite to blast the angel with the strongest flame she could summon, flinging it back through the air.

With a beat of its wings it recovered and began another charge. “It’s not going to give me time to be fancy,” Helena said as she fished out a truesilver feather. “We’ll have to beat it here or draw it outside!”

Camila ducked under the angel’s charge and kicked it in the chest. The creature staggered, but then flipped over her and swung at Helena. This time Helena skittered away before it could catch her with its blade. “What about the Adena? It’s been three minutes!”

“He can’t shoot without blowing up the whole cathedral. He’ll only fire if we’re dead.” Helena waited until the beast committed to a swing at Camila before crushing the feather to power her spell. Three silver orbs formed around her, each unleashing a searing beam of light.

The construct dodged away. Camila zipped in for another kick but the angel spun upside down and hacked at the hand she was using for balance.

“Camila!” Helena screamed as the woman’s hand was cut off. The jiang-shi fell to the floor, too shocked to cry out. How dare it hurt her! The damn piece of junk should rust away!

One of her orbs turned black and hurtled towards the angel without her even thinking about it. Helena ignored that to rush to Camila’s side. The jiang-shi woman was getting up, but she looked confused by the loss of her hand. Thank Hecate that Camila couldn’t go into real shock. Helena grabbed the severed limb and held it to the stump while pouring magic into it. The wound sealed immediately, the blessing from the sword falling away as Camila returned to her true form.

Helena grunted as Camila pushed her aside. The jiang-shi held up her hands to form a shield and the holy sword slammed into it again. The angel was back. Its upper left wing was black and tarnished, but it seemed otherwise unharmed. Helena pointed at it, and another one of her orbs flew out. It bowled the angel over, and the things’ tarnished wing shattered.

The room spun and Helena dropped to her knees. She’d used too much power too quickly. She could use mid level spells forever in this place, but she couldn’t overdraw like that. Not after everything she’d done in the last few days.

She felt Camila’s grab her and leap away. The shining form of the angel appeared before them and there was a clang as the jiang-shi kicked it in the chest. “You okay Helena?”

“I’ll be fine,” Helena gasped as the room came back into focus. The angel was down to three wings, and she saw dents where Camila had gotten in a good blow, but it was still ready to fight. She called upon the last remaining orb to fire a laser. The beam splashed against its sword, but it bought her time. She placed her hand on Camila’s back. “Nemesis give us power to crush our enemies.”

The curse of undeath flowed into Camila’s body, strengthening her. “Whoa, nice. But is this okay?”

“Yeah. It’s not that powerful a spell. Just a constant drain, and that’s not an issue now.” The angel’s wings pumped and Helena readied a firebolt. “It’s coming.”

“Then let’s smash it,” Camila growled and dashed forwards to meet it. She zipped by with a cartwheel kick that sent feathers falling, and Helena followed up with her cursed flameblast.

The angel cut the firebolt in half and rushed towards Helena. She retreated as fast as she could, ducking a wave of flame that blasted a stained glass window to pieces. “You’re fighting me asshole,” Camila yelled as she charged in. She slammed a knee into the angel denting it again, and got slammed into the ground for her troubles. But she hopped up immediately. Helena was glad to see her strengthening was working.

The duel fell into a horrific pattern. Helena pelted the angel with spells, it chased her, Camila punished it, then got hit in return. Stone shattered, and wood exploded as the three fought on. Every time one of them deviated from the dance someone got hurt. Helena had two shallow cuts from bad dodges. Camila had been run through and had slowed down as her body fought off the blessing. And the angel had lost another wing from a combination of a Greek fire spell and Camila’s pounding.

“Are we winning?” Camila gasped as she picked herself out of another crater in the floor.

“We aren’t losing,” Helena said as she tried to get away long enough to get another Greek fire spell up. This was turning into a battle of endurance, and she wasn’t sure whether the angel would drop before she did. She considered true magic, but she wasn’t mentally ready for the raw manipulation of reality. It would be too dangerous.

She threw the half formed spell and flew straight up to avoid the wave of return fire. Two metallic impacts below told her Camila had recovered and returned to the fight. She began conjuring a blast of sound.

She needed a trick. Beating her head against its power wasn’t working. Something to get it outside? That would be hard if it was covered in truesilver. Something to unleash her own siege spell? That might work. But she’d need time or powerful reagents.

The angel zipped in front of her and she rewarded it with a thunder clap. It staggered back from the raw force of the noise, shining feathers falling.

Her eyes caught the feathers. Of course! That was it! “Camila, buy me some time!”

“Got it!” The jiang shi rocketed into the angel, her green shield leading the way. This wasn’t a martial arts move, just raw violence. But it distracted the angel.

Helena took that precious second to drop to the ground. She grabbed seven feathers from the ground, her heart beating fast. The truesilver might be useless for targeting the angel construct, but she could still use it to empower her spells.

Camila slammed into the ground near her, and Helena winced. She looked up to see the angel plunging towards her, but this time she stood her ground.

She held up the feathers and absorbed their power, watching the silver tarnish and rust away. Here in the corrupted chapel that was her own she called upon the curses the fake angel had unleashed. “Death leads to death, sin leads to sin, revenge leads to revenge. Creature brought to life by slaughtering sins, be bound by the lives you have taken!”

The shadows of the cathedral roiled as if they were laughing. Chains burst from the darkness, each bearing the mark of one of the deadly sins that had been used to create the construct. They caught the fake angel in mid air, tangling it in a web of black steel. It strained against the chains, but they bound it ever tighter, each fastening to the creature’s form.

Camila picked herself out of the floor with a groan, then hopped to Helena’s side. “Any way I can help?”

“Catch me when I fall,” Helena said as she started summoning her power. This was sure to drain her.

The jiang-shi smiled. “I’ve got ya.”

Runes like blood formed around Helena, slowly spinning in alternating directions. This was her spell. Not something from her goddess, or her teachers, or her family. It was hers alone. And that knowledge made it stronger.

“You blame me for all ills, you call on me to serve your needs,” she intoned as the third circle of runes appeared around her.

The angel was twisting and writhing in the chains, desperately trying to escape. She’d have to time this perfectly to catch it with the full blast.

“Desired as a servant, never a friend.” Five circles now. Camila stood by her side, one of the exceptions that proved the rule.

The chain of avarice snapped. Then gluttony. Not surprising. The creature didn’t possess those traits even if you stretched the definition.

As the seventh circle formed she saw Father Peter weeping, while Nezaiel shielded him with his wings again. “Born of gods, but seen as mortal.”

The angel construct screamed and thrashed, and two more bindings shattered. Now only pride, wrath, and acedia held it in place.

Eight circles now. It was becoming harder to form them, but Helena pressed on. “I claim my birthright! Your fate is mine to control!”

Wrath gave way. The angel beat its wings, trying to fly up and away from Helena’s spell. It was trying to flee! But she wouldn’t let it.

The ninth circle flickered slowly into existence. With her there were ten. Ten and one. The spell was complete. She pointed her left hand at her foe.

There was a horrifying crack as pride gave way. The angel flew upwards, but it froze at the second story. Acedia held!

Helena said the final words. “I am Helena, the Curse Gunner! And this is my divine will! Miasma Katharsis!”

The circles flew up around her, focusing her power, and then a cascade of black energy five feet wide tore through the air. The angel tried to dodge, but the darkness enveloped it. The roar of her power shattered the votive candle holders, and the blast tore a hole in the front ceiling, sending rubble cascading down.

And then there was silence. The runes vanished, and the room went dark.

Helena opened her eyes just in time to see a silver figure crash to the ground. Metal feathers rained down around it. Camila was holding her upright. She flung an arm around her friend’s shoulder. “Is it done?”

“I think-” Camila stopped as the silver figure slowly pushed itself up. There were tarnished spots all over its body, and its wings were shattered and torn, but it managed to stand. It held out its hand and its sword flew into its grasp. “I think it’s my turn. Gimme a sec to bash it into scrap.”

Helena opened her mouth, and the stained glass window behind the altar exploded.

A streak of holy light flew down. The fake angel turned, but it was too slow. With a rending screech, the gleaming warrior pinned it to the ground with her own sword, then tore the blade free.

The fake angel’s head clattered across the floor of the cathedral, and the creature collapsed into ruin.

“Damn. I was kinda hoping I’d have a chance to save the day,” Camila said.

The light faded, revealing Amaiel. The angel looked at them, then lowered her sword at Helena. “Give it back, witch.”

Helena took a deep breath, then released it as she let her essence leave the temple. The darkness faded, leaving only the smoking traces of angel blood and the night. “It’s yours. Or well the Catholic Church’s,” Helena said. “Have fun.”

“You think you can just desecrate a chapel, then give it back and walk away?” Amaiel asked incredulously.

“Well, like, it was that asshole Bishop who desecrated it by stabbing your friend,” Camila said. “And shouldn’t you be helping him? I mean he kinda got stabbed, and I don’t think we can help.”

The doors burst in and a flood of blue ran in. “Especially since we’re probably going to be held for questioning soon,” Helena said.

Amaiel frowned, but sheathed her blade. “You speak the truth, annoying as it is. Once the police are done with you, get out.”

“Sure.” Helena suppressed the urge to wave. Amaiel probably wouldn’t take it well. And she had helped out, so Helena was willing to grant her a slight reprieve. Instead she turned to Camila. “Try to give me some cover so I can loot the feathers.”

“Uh, should we really be doing that now?” Camila asked quietly.

“Look, we aren’t getting paid again, so if you want to make rent next month….”

Camila shook her head. “The angel was right. You’re a terrible influence.”

Helena looked across the rooftops towards the cathedral, doing her best not to try to inspect the spell the Adena was using to conceal them.  It would be rude.  Also she might miss the time to strike.

“We do have something to keep me from being knocked out by those bells, right?” Camila asked.  She wasn’t moving much but Helena could feel the nervous energy from her friend.

“A silence spell should work,” Helena replied.  “And if not, well… they can afford to replace the bells.”

The Adena frowned.  “Casting that spell will still distract me from my primary work.  Best if we not use it.”  He idly tossed and caught an arrow with a jade head in his left hand.  “I wish we could seal this land away from the waking world.  But that would require more magicians to help.”

“And it might not hold against the cathedral’s blessings,” Helena said.  “Your fortress breaking arrow will do the trick.  No amount of blessings or truesilver will save the fake angel then.”  Probably.  She was starting to get the sense that the Adena didn’t have as much raw power as she did.  But his skill was probably enough to make the difference.

“Still not sure why you can’t do it in the chapel,” Camila muttered.  “Double teaming is good. Triple teaming would be better.”

The Adena raised an eyebrow at Helena, and she shrugged in return.  It’s not like she’d had enough time to go over all the rules of magic to the jiang-shi yet.  Much less work through their blatant contradictions.

The man decided to explain.  “I need focus to prepare a spell of that magnitude.  If I had to dodge a sword strike I’d lose all that power.  In fact, even if I do not need to silence the bells, you will have to contain the creature for three minutes.”

“Oh good.  It’s an anime charging thing,” Camila said.  “So, we just have to fight it for three minutes huh?”

“And beat it if they decide to hold their ground instead of run.”  Helena said.  “I called it a siege spell for a reason.  It would blow up most of the main chapel if we used it against a ground target.  Which would kill a lot of innocent people.”

Camila nodded slowly.  “Alright then.  Three minutes before they can run.  Got it.”

Helena squeezed her friend’s shoulder.  “You ready for this?”

“Oh yeah.”  Helena’s worry cleared out at the angry glint in Camila’s eye.  “We’ve got a lot of payback for these bastards.”

“Right.”  They all turned back to the square between the mosque and the cathedral.  Soon the players in this farce would start to move.

Fifteen minutes later a shining angel flew from the tower of the mosque to the bell tower of the cathedral.  “One minute,” Helena said.

“Wait two,” the Adena said.  Helena gave him a look.  “You are hasty.  Nezaiel is slow.”

Helena hissed in annoyance, but the man was right.  Camila hopped restlessly next to her as the seconds ticked down.  Finally she hopped down.  “Finally,” she muttered as she walked towards the cathedral’s doors.  It was time to end this.

“This going to hurt like last time?” Camila asked lightly as they strode across the cobbled streets.

“Slightly less,” Helena replied.  “But you’ll be weakened until they show their true colors.  Stay sharp.”

She reached the doors and threw them open, the locks snapping with a sharp crack.  She resisted the urge to let the heavy metal doors slam into the walls.  They still likely had the element of surprise.

Stepping into the cathedral was like walking into an oven.  She was not wanted here.  Her existence was an affront to the god of this temple.  But this time Helena didn’t care.  She was here, and if anyone had a problem with it, they could fight her here and now!

Camila hissed in pain as she hopped in behind Helena, but the jiang shi didn’t falter either.  They were both committed to this battle, which meant neither of them was holding back.  Their presence was very slowly desecrating the building.  Nothing that would likely stick, but the local priests would probably notice.  If it weren’t for the fact that they were busy lying to a real angel.

Helena considered a stealthy entrance to the main hall.  It might be fun to time her grand entrance to an appropriate part of the theological argument that was probably starting.  But the Adena would be charging his spell soon and that would draw attention.  She needed to start the fight now.  She settled for opening the chapel doors normally instead of kicking them down.

The three figures within all turned as she entered.  Somehow Helena was surprised that she recognized them all.  Bishop Thomas stood in front of the altar, the giant crucifix hanging behind him.  Nezaiel stood at the bottom of the altar steps, almost as if he were a parishioner, though the light in the chapel seemed to bend to magnify his presence.  And to the side Father Peter cringed.  Strange.  Helena was sure the man had more spine than that.

“Kinda disappointed in you, your grace,” Camila said sharply as she hopped into the church.  “Coulda at least insulted me to my face instead of lying.”

“Don’t you dare judge me whore.”  The words were harsh but the Bishop’s tone was even.  A perfect madman.  “If you believed in the Lord you would have accepted his salvation.  Instead you chose to stay damned.  Your death will be a mercy.”

Nezaiel slowly opened his wings and sighed.  “I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this.  Please, Thomas, this isn’t what God wants.  You know this in your soul.  Believe in the words of the Prophet of Mercy.”

“Bishop, perhaps we should reconsider.  Nezaiel is an angel,” Father Peter managed to say.

“I serve Jesus Christ the Son of God!” screamed the Bishop.  “Not some angel spewing the false prophecies of the infidels!”  Helena casually walked forwards as the man ranted.  “You invited a servant of the adversary to walk in our hallowed grounds, made deals with the witches and the damned!  Well I shall follow the spirit of God!  I will purge the unrighteous from this world.”

Helena summoned up a paralyzation curse and wrapped it in a bullet.  “I’ll take that as a sign to start the violence.  Don’t worry, this will just knock you out until the police come.”

She flung the curse dart at the priest, but he cried out a prayer in Hebrew and the spell shattered.  She smirked.  “Not bad for a half trained Kabbalist.  But I have to wonder why a priest relies on magic before faith.”

“Another do as I command, not as I do asshole, eh?” Camila said.

“Please let me handle this,” Nezaiel said quietly.  “There’s still a chance.”

They were nearly at the altar now.  The Bishop was glaring at them with naked hatred.  Everything was almost ready, but the final piece hadn’t been brought out.  So Helena shrugged.  “Sure, fine.  You can try to save his miserable life from his own stupidity.”

As expected the Bishop turned crimson with rage.  “Bride of Satan, my life is in no danger, because a true messenger of God is here!  Behold!”

Helena forced herself not to blink as the floor exploded.  Fragments of stone bounced off her wards as a towering figure of light flew into the air.  Nezaiel stepped forwards, the shrapnel curving around him.  “Bishop Thomas.  This is not the path God chose for you.  How can you know who should live and who should die?  Do you really believe you have perfect knowledge of God’s plan?  Abandon this heresy!”

Camila hopped in front of Helena.  “Think this is good enough evidence for the inspector?”

“It will be soon,” Helena said quietly.

“We shall see who the true heretic is!” the Bishop yelled, ignoring the cut on his cheek from the flying stone.  “Slay them!”

The false angel beat its wings once, rising into the air.  With a rush it swooped towards them and Camila moved up to meet it.

Then blood and feathers rained down.

Nezaiel hovered in the air, gripping the sword that pierced his side in a futile attempt to stop the violence.  Blood like liquid gold dripped upon the floor of the cathedral, staining the white marble black with sin.  “Father forgive us,” moaned Peter over and over in the background as the real and the false angel faced off.

Then the true angel slumped.  The shining horror pulled out its sword and raised it high, when Camila slammed into it with both feet.  “Like hell!” she yelled as the kick threw the fake angel into the candelabras to the altar’s side.

“Fool!” Thomas yelled at Peter.  “Get to the bells!”  But the priest instead stumbled to the angel’s side.

Helena stepped forward.  The black stain was spreading, not just on the floor, but through the spirit of the whole cathedral.  “Well now you’ve screwed up haven’t you?”  The Bishop turned his mad gaze to her.  “If you had just let it be, or run away, you’d have been fine.  The blessings here weaken my magic.  But now you’ve spilled angel blood.”

The pressure on her faded away.  “You’ve gone and desecrated the entire sanctuary.”  As the false angel leaped towards her, she opened herself up to her hidden power, more than she had in a dozen years.  “And now… it’s mine.”

Time seemed to freeze as her essence flowed out of her throughout the temple.  There were dozens of tiny blessings here and there, but the horrible desecration, the terrible curse of spilled holy blood shattered them all.  Miasma roiled and spread around her, bringing the tiniest fragment of her consciousness with it.

What qualified as a god was a strange thing.  In the Realms of Illusion, she was a goddess.  In the Hellenic Realms, she was something between a demigod and a hero.  And here?  Here she would have been just another person.  At least, that’s what she would have been before she gained immortality.

Before she demanded that all reality accept her as Helena, Goddess of Curses.

And here, on this cursed ground, she claimed a temple.  She had no followers.  There were no rituals in her name.  The closest thing to a priestess was one of her best friends.  But here there was a curse like no other.  The curse of blasphemy and hatred.  A curse that banished the light of this chapel’s god.

And that meant it was hers to take!

The rush was amazing.  Shadows filled the hall, the stained glass turning dark and moody.  Candles flickered in the wind, half of them blowing out, the other half falling to light small fires.  To the side a statue of Mary wept blood.  The doors all locked, resisting any attempt to flee.  And the awe and terror of all within fed her.

She snapped her fingers and a wave of dark power slammed into the false angel flying at her.  It tore the radiance from its body, sending it into the choir seats.  Wood shattered beneath its shining figure.

It was still beautiful somehow.  Its silver body glimmered as the flickering light struck it.  It had four wings, every feather a work of art, and its body was sculpted perfectly.  Whatever magic animated it hid the gears moving it from view.  Only the strange balls at its joints gave away that it wasn’t a real creature.

“What have you done?!” the fallen Bishop whispered in horror.

Helena laughed.  “I just took over an empty building.  You should be angry at yourself.”

“You done acting like the wicked witch of the west?” Camila asked as she moved from Nezaiel’s side.

“No,” Helena replied.  “But I’m afraid I’ve only given myself unlimited endurance not unlimited power, so if you could kill the fake angel I’d be thankful.”

Camila stretched and her joints popped as she activated her magical reserves.  “Sure thing.”  She spared Peter a glance.  “You should get Nezaiel out of the way.”  Then she leaped at the construct.  The silver angel swung its sword in a deadly arc, and Camila ducked under it and swept its legs.

Helena turned her attention back to Bishop Thomas.  “Are you ready to surrender now?”

He held up his cross, eyes burning in madness.  “Never!  I will strike you down, defiler!”

Lightning crackled from the cross.  Helena threw a nail to the side, and the electricity arced away from her.  “Good.  Now I can kill you,” she said as she stepped past the last pews.

Thomas responded with a blast of light from the cross.  Helena flew to the side, letting the beam tear up the stone.  He was throwing around a surprising amount of power for a dabbler.  Maybe she should be cautious.  “You have that construct handled?” she asked Camila.

The jiang-shi woman flipped over a sword swing and kicked the fake angel in the head.  “Doing fine.  The demon was harder,” Camila said.

“You won’t be as arrogant once your friend’s pride makes it complete,” the Bishop replied, sending another bolt of lightning towards Helena.

She conjured up a shield of electricity before returning a paralyzation bullet.  The man blocked it with his cross and the curse shattered.  This was far beyond a normal dabbler.  Did he still have his powers as a priest?  That seemed unlikely, since he’d stabbed an angel.

A blast of light forced her to duck.  That was definitely kabbalistic, but he should have had to spend at least a minute chanting to do it.  “This is bullshit,” she muttered as she conjured up a cholera curse and flung it at the man.

The dark bullet shattered against his cross again.  Annoying.  “Your magic can’t harm a true servant of God!” he yelled.

A massive crash tore through the chamber as the false angel smashed the pulpit to get to Camila.  The jiang-shi cried out in pain as the sword grazed her, but the wound wouldn’t slow her at all.

Helena forced herself to focus on her own fight.  The counters to her spells looked like divine power, but the attacks the man had been using seemed more like ritual magic.  She slapped away another lightning bolt from the cross and nodded.  “Ah so that’s how you’re doing this.  Almost clever.  Not very faithful though.”

“I’m not interested in your opinions,” the man said as he unleashed a ray of light at her.  She had to leap into the air to avoid the sweeping beam.

“You used a holy relic to store spells,” she continued.  “Attack and defense all in one, at least until you run out of stored attack spells.”

“That will be a while witch,” he replied, adding a lightning bolt as punctuation.

Helena casually snuffed the spell.  “Almost clever, but you might have been better off focusing on your own faith.  Or your magic.”  She rushed in and wrenched the cross out of his grasp.  It tried to burn her, but she crushed the gold relic and cast the ruined mess aside.  “I can’t do that to faith.”

He drew a knife so she strengthened her body and caught his arm as he stabbed at her.  “And now you lose,” she said.  He screamed as she broke his wrist, and the knife clattered to the floor.  “Seems your pride was more misplaced than mine.”

The man fell to his knees but managed to glare at her.  “Pride?” he snarled through his pain.  “Is it pride to wish for a city where the people of faith are not surrounded by sin?  Where literal demons don’t corrupt the weak in the middle of the street?  Where God is given his due?  Well then if this is Pride I am proud to accept it!”

“Look out!”

Helena leaped away at Camila’s warning.  The fake angel rushed towards her sword swinging.  Blood splattered on her.

And glowing Hebrew runes surrounded the angel construct as Bishop Thomas fell to the ground, sliced right through.

Power filled the room, snuffing the smaller fires, and hitting Helena like a slap.  The silver angel spread its wings and presented its sword.  It was a different power.  Not blindingly holy.  But it was complete.  The final construct of a madman.  And unlike the demon this would be no easy win.

Helena let herself hover back over the first row of pews.  “Well at least we’ll end this with a proper fight instead of an anticlimax.”

Camila floated between her and the awakened angel.  “I kinda wanted the anticlimax.  Woulda been something different.”

“Your larder seems to be lacking.  You must be having a hard time.  I’m dreadfully sorry to impose upon you,” Sui An said, her tone dripping with false sincerity.  The fox demon had not only healed last night, she’d managed to clean herself and repair her outfit.

“Ya know, you’d be cuter if you weren’t busy being evil,” Camila said.

Sui An smirked.  “Oh dear.  I apologize if I’ve given offense.  You’ve done so much for me after all.”

Helena ignored the kumiho and checked the map to see if Hsu had scribbled anything down on his side.  To her surprise she saw a note in Granite Monkey Sen’s hand.  She checked the angle of the shadows.  “Hsu will contact us in a few minutes,” Helena said to her friend.

“So he found something?” Camila hopped over.

“He’d better,” Helena muttered.  If the Triad’s top magician couldn’t find where a smuggled shipment had gone, no one could.  She grabbed the porridge off the pot and waved it towards Sui An.  “Are you sure you don’t want any?  I’d hate to be a bad host.”

As she expected the kumiho waved it away.  “Foxes eat meat.”

“Thought they ate anything they could get?” Camila said cheerily as Helena helped her bend her arms.  “At least real foxes.”  Helena suppressed a laugh as Sui An snarled.  She’d have to remember that barb for later.  Even if she usually preferred more direct threats.

The two finished their meal quickly, while Sui An preened.  Helena wondered how much of that was the fox woman trying to put up a front, and how much was to annoy her.  Answering that would probably require learning far more about the kumiho then she wanted to.

They’d just finished when Helena felt someone trying to contact her.  She moved towards the mirror, motioning Camila to follow.  The weak communication spell wouldn’t be able to show her friend’s face, but she’d be able to hear and talk.  Helena threw a bit of power into the mirror, then folded her arms as Hsu finished the connection and appeared in the reflection.  “Hello Gold Rat Wizard.  Do you know where the silver went yet?”

Hsu frowned.  “Greetings to you as well, Curse Gunner.  I do know where the silver went.  Do you want me to tell you the rest of the information, or do you intend to run there and make a fool of yourself?”

“There’s something more to this than just an address?” Helena asked.  She hoped not.  She wanted to end this matter.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Hsu replied.  “It took some time to get the information, but fortunately the dead remember more than the living.”

Camila looked over at Helena.  “How do I get that cool memory thing?”

“It requires a magician forcefully ordering you to remember.  I don’t suggest it,” Helena replied.  “So what did you find?”

“I tracked the shipment to a building in the merchant district.  One that has been sold since the shipment.  I doubt the Bank of Nova Venezia is our culprit.  And the previous owner was a front company.”  Hsu placed his hands in his sleeves.  “Either the silver was cast there and the fake angel moved, or there is an underground passage above the sewers but below the basement level.”

Helena sighed.  “And we get to look for it I guess.”

“You could leave it to the Adena,” Hsu replied.  Of course that wasn’t going to happen, and both of them knew it.  “If you are interested however it’s the building at 8272 on 32nd street.”  He shook his head.  “I will be speaking with my associates and their subordinates again.  Several people will need to be reprimanded for poor judgment.”

Poor Inspector Kilduff was going to have a lot of murders to investigate it seemed.  Helena tried to feel bad about it, but given the amount of damage those idiots did she couldn’t really muster the effort.  Still she wasn’t going to let Hsu just wave the matter away.  “So what was that about you keeping order in the city?”

He stroked his beard.  “Order takes time to re-establish.  If I’ve failed again in four months I will accept your chastisement Curse Gunner.  Until then please put your devious mind and barely contained hostility towards other matters.”

“So if you haven’t fixed things in four months I can break your arms?  Cause I’m still angry ’bout your friends using me as a tool,” Camila said with a grin.

“Good hunting Curse Gunner,” he said before cutting off the connection.

Helena gave Camila a look, though she couldn’t help but smile.  “You probably shouldn’t threaten him like that.  He might start taking you as a real danger.”

“Is that bad?” Camila replied.

“Well since he’s strong enough to kill you, yes.  I’d bet on you in a fight, but it wouldn’t be a sure thing.  No reason to get more real enemies than you need.  Stick to more general insinuations,” Helena said.

Camila’s grin faded.  “Alright.  Don’t really want to kill him anyway.  Not that bad,” Camila said.

“Well isn’t that touching,” Sui An said.  Helena gave the woman a glare.  Speaking of people that probably should be dead.  “So I take it you’ll be running off to play hero?”

“And kill the thing hunting you.  Meaning you can leave us alone and I can stop protecting you,” Helena replied.  “Will you be accompanying us?  I can’t offer much protection beyond the weak wards here while I’m out.”  She didn’t want to take the fox demon with her, but the fake angel had proven capable of breaking into her home before.  She was bound to warn the woman.

Camila hopped closer.  “We really going to drag her around and protect her?”

Sui An’s ears twitched  “I’ll take my chances.  There are plenty of good places to hide should it come here.”

Well that made Helena’s life easier.  She threw on her traveling pouch and grabbed her keys before the kumiho could change her mind.  “Let’s go find and hurt someone, Camila.”

“Sounds like fun.”

A few minutes later they were outside the address Gold Rat Wizard Hsu had given them.  Sure enough there was a Venetian bank there, advertising ‘Christian Friendly Loans.’  Helena vaguely wondered if they were actually avoiding usury, or just giving the money to proper lenders while pretending to be friendly.

“Looks pretty normal, but those cultists were hiding under an orphanage,” Camila said looking the place over.

Helena shook her head.  “It’s not in the building.  The merchants here paid off some magician to make spellcasting around the building very difficult.  Won’t work against someone trying to blow the place up, but I’d have to try very hard to stick a curse here.  No lesser magician could work ritual magic in this building.  Much less a ritual to cover a construct in true silver and animate it.”

Camila hummed in thought.  “So now what?  We gotta find who owned the place last?”

“We find where they took the true silver,” Helena said as she walked towards a small alley between the bank and the shipping magnate next to it.  “They obviously aren’t doing the ritual here, so they must have a passage to their ritual site.”

“How do we find that?”  Camila looked down the alleyway and paused when she saw a manhole.  “Ah no….”

Helena sighed.  “Yes.  Just… fly.”  If they stayed above the sewage they’d stay clean.  She pulled out a mint leaf and crushed it, calling upon the spirits of the air.  The scent surrounded the two of them.  “This should probably handle it.”

“Better than nothing,” Camila said.  “Need me to pick up the cover?”

“Please,” Helena said.  She could probably manage it if she strengthened her arms, but it’d be awkward.

Camila floated at an angle, grabbed the heavy metal lid, and flipped it off easily.  The metal hit the ground with a clang.  The jiang-shi woman took a deep breath and hopped down.  Helena followed.

She fell a good 15 feet before getting to the sewers.  Fortunately this was further down the tunnels so she could float above the sewage.  Her charm was working as well.

Camila looked around.  “So now what?”

A good question.  The sewer line looked pretty normal.  There was no secret passage here.  At least none visible.  Helena conjured up a ball of light and looked around.  That was the key.  A section of the brick was newer than the rest of the wall.  “There.  We’ll have to break through.”

“That safe?” Camila asked.  “Like, I don’t wanna be buried under bricks in sewage.”

A reasonable worry.  Helena didn’t want to drown in filth either.  “Their repair work can’t be as good as the wall, and if it was open before it obviously wasn’t important.  Just don’t burst through it carelessly.”

“Makes sense.”  Camila casually kicked the brickwork with a stiff leg.  The brickwork shattered, echoing loudly in the enclosed tunnels.  Both Helena and Camila flew away from the splash of sewage, but after a few seconds it became clear she’d opened another passage.  “Nice!” Camila peered in and frowned.  “Think we got a problem though.”

“What do you mean?” Helena moved forwards trying to see in.

Camila dived through the hole.  “Come in.  You’ll see.”

Helena followed in, her summoned light leading the way.  As soon as she got inside she saw what Camila was talking about.  “Damn.  Just our luck.”

A long tunnel just above the sewers level stretched out.  The ceiling was only four feet high, forcing Camila and Helena to both float at an angle to fit.  Behind them was a small sub basement, the floor above probably leading to the bottom of the bank.  Down the middle of the passage a rail line ran.  Something perfect for moving a large shipment of silver somewhere else.

And in front of them was a huge mass of earth and loose rock, sealing the passage.  Whoever had used the passage before did not want to be followed.  “Well that’s annoying.  I guess we’re doing this the hard way.”  She reached into her pouch and pulled out her compass.

Camila tried to move to get a view of the device.  “Cool idea but how do we know it doesn’t turn after the rocks?”

“We don’t,” Helena admitted.  “But it’s a start.  At the very least we know what part of the city they aren’t in.”  She checked the needle now that it had stopped.  West NorthWest.  “A very large part of the city that they aren’t in.  The government district is that way, and they didn’t go there.”

“Well we got what we wanted.  Let’s get outta here before your air freshener runs out,” Camila said.

“A very good idea.”  Helena turned and flew out the hole, then out of the sewers, Camila hot on her heels.

She pulled out her compass against when she got to the surface, working to line up where the tunnel was headed.  “Could you put the manhole cover back please?” she asked Camila as the other woman popped out of the sewers.

“Sure thing.”  Camila floated over again to get the cover.  She’d nearly placed the iron disc back in it’s slot when the clang of bells rang out over the Immigrant Realm.  Camila froze, her body locking up.

Helena swore.  How could she have lost track of time?  The sound of bells reminded Camila that she was dead.  Helena reached into her pouch for something to deafen the noise.

As her hands closed around a cowrie shell, light burst through the alley.  The angel!  Screams tore through the air as Helena spun towards the construct.  It was charging at Camila, sword out.

Like hell!

Helena pulled the shell out and threw it at the angel.  “Neptune’s wrath!” she screamed, calling out to the sea that spawned the cowrie.  A serpent formed of seafoam roared as it poured out of the shell.

With a flash of blinding light the sword flashed out and cleaved through the sea monster.  But the water ignored the cut and slammed into the fake angel.  Low power spell probably wouldn’t affect it, but the impact forced the construct back.

Camila!  She rushed forwards to grab her friend.  The jiang-shi was frozen solid, but still hovering.  Helena pulled her back, away from the angel.  Soon the bells would stop and Camila would be able to fight.  She just had to hold out until then.

The light snapped forwards again and Helena fell back, away from the sword blow.  The angel overextended and she stepped back forward, summoning all her hatred into her left hand.  “Break,” she hissed as she punched the creature in its center.

Her knuckles slammed into metal with a clang as the dark curses around her fist snuffed out.  That damned truesilver again.  She’d probably hurt herself more than it.  At least the creature staggered.

Pain ripped through her body as a wing slammed into her.  She hit someone behind her as she was thrown out of the alley to land in the street.  Camila, she must have hit Camila she thought as her vision spun.  Her wards had saved her, but she was still feeling terrible.

She pushed herself upright just in time to be blinded by the angel.  The sword rose above her head.  Helena called out to Hecate and began summoning power, but could she break the creature’s defenses in time?

A spear of white flame slammed into the angel from above.  Metal screeched as the spell ground against the creature’s wings.  Helena summoned her own black flame cursing the angel and all it loved to death as she flung it towards the light.  The creature took wing, then vanished, leaving her fireball to fizzle out.

The bells stopped a second after and Camila hopped to her feet, screaming out an unintelligible string of Portuguese expletives.  Helena could sympathize, but now probably wasn’t the best time.  She put her hand on the woman’s shoulder.  “We’ll get them next time.”

“Unless it’s noon.  Then I’ll just be worthless again!” Camila snarled.

The Adena landed next to them.  Helena figured he’d been the one to help.  “That wasn’t a mistake.  That was an attack,” the man said.  Helena nodded in agreement.

“What do you mean an attack?” Camila snarled.

Helena pulled out the woman’s watch and held it up so she could see.  “It’s ten fifty five now.  Why was the cathedral sounding the bells more than five minutes early?”

Camila blinked.  “Vixe Maria…”  Her face fell.  “I was kinda hoping it wasn’t them you know.”  Helena gave the woman’s shoulder a squeeze.  She knew what it was like to be betrayed by one’s pantheon.  And unlike Helena, Camila hadn’t been raised on stories of the gods’ fickle nature.

“We still don’t know who is the spellcaster.  While we know one of the silent god’s followers is guilty, there are likely many more who are innocent,” the Adena said.  “And with the thing needing only Pride to be complete, it would be foolish to leave this to the police.”  He folded his arms.  “We will need to work together on this hunt.”

Helena wanted to be excited but the close shave meant she was mostly trying to calm down.  Her side still hurt from the wing strike.  “Agreed.”

“Aren’t we still totally in the dark?” Camila pointed out.  “Like, you’re going to need the police to search the building anyway.  They aren’t gonna let us investigate the cathedral.”

It was unfortunately true.  There wasn’t anyone she could talk to in order to get access.  And she couldn’t brute force her way in without drawing a lot of attention and getting herself in trouble.  If it was a smaller organization she could trick someone into letting her in but…

Wait she did have someone she could trick into letting them in.  And probably finding the guilty as well.

“I have a plan,” Helena said.

“You will have to explain it after the police finish questioning you,” the Adena said, pointing to where a number of men in uniform were running over.

“Not bad response time,” Helena said.  It was too bad she’d have to lie to them about who was responsible for this.

Camila frowned.  “Wait, like, won’t they be questioning you too?”  She looked over and found the Adena had disappeared.  “Oh.  That’s kinda annoying.  Was way cooler in the comics when Batman did it to someone else.”

“Those sorts of theatrics are always more fun when you’re the one doing it,” Helena agreed.  She sighed and waved to the police.  “Well at least this will be fast,” she said.

Helena sipped the bitter tea before glancing at Camila.  “What time?”

The jiang shi glanced at her watch before draining her own mug.  “Twelve twentyfour.”

“Hm.”  Helena set her mug down.  “I was hoping for something earlier.”

“Thought that’s why you took a nap?” Camila said.

Helena sighed.  “It was, but I hate being right.”  She’d cried twice during the dinner, and while she felt better, she’d still needed to rest.  Not even a magician could keep building up mental stress without becoming exhausted.  “I’m sorry for leaving you to keep watch.  Do you want to rest as well?”

“I’m good,” Camila tapped the coffee cup.  “Like, I probably still need sleep, but I don’t think I need it as much as you.  I’ve never really gotten tired.”

“Benefits of being dead I guess.”  Helena stretched.  She studied her friend’s face.  Camila was hard to read, but Helena could see tear lines on the woman’s cheeks.  Still the pain in her gaze was muted.  She settled for pulling out a kerchief and reaching out to her friend.  “May I?”

“Eh?  Oh, right.  Yeah thanks.”  Camila leaned forward and Helena wiped the tracks from her face.  “I’m fine now, it’s just-“

Helena gently cleaned beneath the woman’s eyes.  “I know.”

“Hey-”  The clear chime of a bell cut off Camila’s question with a wince.  Helena frowned and looked down at her pouch.  That was odd.  That bell should only ring if someone was using magic on her, or if a fox demon was nearby.

Someone started pounding on her door and Helena stood.  “It couldn’t be…”  She quickly moved to the entrance.

“Doesn’t feel like an angel,” Camila said, popping to her feet.

Helena peered out the peephole.  “Of all the people.”  The universe was playing a cruel joke on someone here.  But for once Helena thought it might not be her.

She opened the door right before the woman on the opposite side started knocking again.  “Hello Kim Sui An.  I wasn’t expecting you.”

Sui An glared up at her, eyes filled with hatred and shame.  She looked almost like a normal woman if not for her fox ears and four bristling tails.  Normally she had an aura of unearthly beauty around her as well, but right now her makeup was running, her hair was frazzled and she was nursing a cut in her side.  “I request sanctuary,” the woman nearly spat.  “The Tamamo family will repay you for your service to the fox tribe.”

Helena looked to make sure the kumiho hadn’t been followed.  “If I was a nicer witch I’d offer you sanctuary just to see how you’d pay them back for this favor.”  She glared at the fox demon.  “Since I’m not, and because I have a brain, I demand you swear not to harm any resident of this building or my other apartment building before I let you in.”

Camila hopped up behind.  “A kitsune?” she muttered.

Sui An snarled but quickly twisted her expression into a pout.  “Please kind mistress, I need your help.  Can you not convince your friend to have mercy upon me?”  Magic laced the words, a honeyed trap for those without defenses.

Of course it was all utterly ineffective against Camila’s command seal.  “Did she just try to charm me?” the jiang-shi woman asked Helena.

“Yes she did.  Sui An’s a kumiho, which is like a kitsune, but instead of being capricious she murders people and eats their livers,” Helena said.  “Also Korean instead of Japanese.  And let’s add magical compulsions to the list of things you aren’t allowed to do to the residents of these fine buildings, Sui An.”

This time Sui An didn’t try to hide her growl of hatred.  But the fox demon finally bowed.  “I swear to not use my powers on anyone in these buildings, nor to bring harm upon them.  Now let me in!”

Helena stepped aside.  “I offer you sanctuary.”  Sui An rushed past and Helena closed and locked the door behind her.  She studied the fox demon as Sui An tried to compose herself.  The cut in the woman’s side was shallow, but it wasn’t healing.  It seemed her goddess had spoken true.  “So, who are you running from?”

Sui An snarled, but after a moment she calmed again.  “A creature of light and metal.  It attacked me out of nowhere.  I managed to escape by using my fox form.”

“That fake angel trying to get lust out of the way?” Camila asked.

“Possible.  But Sui An is about as lustful as I am, no matter how much she flirts with her victims,” Helena replied.  “And while many religious groups blame the woman being lusted after rather than the man doing the lusting, a magical ritual is a little more precise.”

She turned back to the fox demon.  “Which means they were probably trying to kill you because of something you know.  What would that be?”

“I have no idea,” the fox woman admitted.  “Especially since I know nothing of the creature that attacked me.”  She winced and clutched her wounded side.  “The only reason I escaped was because I had a route already planned.”

Helena sighed.  “Well I suppose I should heal that cut of yours.  But only if you agree to help us with our questions.”

Sui An managed a sneer.  “I’d threaten to bleed over something important, but it seems you don’t own anything of worth.  I suppose I must agree.”  The wound must be very shallow if she was still willing to bait Helena.  But the lack of the woman’s usual grace suggested she was in pain.

“We just keep the good stuff in the house that’s not supposed to get attacked,” Camila replied gamely.  The fox demon sniffed in annoyance, conceding the point for now.

Helena stepped up and checked the bleeding cut.  It was ragged.  The fox demon must have dodged away.  Still it was clean, and if it weren’t for the blessings she imagined Sui An would have healed it already.  Four tailed foxes might be weak compared to her, but they were decently powerful magical creatures.

Helena carefully reached out with her mind and touched the blessing.  She couldn’t just corrupt the area like she had before.  The kumiho was a monster through and through, but Sui An was part of the natural world, not a western demon.  She had to draw out the blessing slowly, picking at it like a splinter.

Perhaps that was a good way to think of it.  A splinter.  A fragment of magic that didn’t belong.  She used a quick spell of her own to reveal its form to her.  Then Helena carefully grabbed it and pulled it out of the wound.

Sui An growled as the blessing came free, but she relaxed slightly as the skin started to knit together.  Helena mentally tossed the holy power into the ether, and watched it disintegrate away.  “And that’s done.”

The kumiho gave a grudging bow.  “It seems I am indebted to you again.”

“So, now we gotta figure out why someone wanted to murder her,” Camila said.  “So we can maybe find the people behind this mess.”

Helena considered the question.  “Maybe she knew the actual lust victim?  Any of your targets end up dead before you could finish the job?”

“How insulting,” Sui An pouted.  “You know I never kill except in self defense.”  The fox demon did her best to look seductive, but the bloodstains ruined the effort.  Still she was obviously regaining her composure.  “It’s not my fault so many men attack me.”

Camila moved to Helena’s side.  “So why are you friends with a serial killer again?  Or acquaintances or whatever?” the jiang-shi woman whispered

“Because she never uses magic to get people to attack her,” Helena replied quietly.  “Trust me if she’d committed a crime the Inspector would have put her away long ago.  She only uses her mind magic to manipulate people into helping her.”

“I have no idea what you’re conspiring about, but I can assure you no one I know has turned up dead from this thing.”  Sui An frowned.  “At least I don’t know of anyone.”

“See any huge silver shipments?” Camila asked.  “Especially ones where people were being all secretive?”

Helena looked over at her friend.  “I’m pretty sure they don’t just mark boxes of silver.”

“Heavy, remember,” Camila said.  “They needed some kinda machinery.  Or magic.”

Sui An frowned, thinking.  “I think I do remember such a thing.  I was waiting for my ex boyfriend.  The one in the Triads.”

“The one you fed to a mermaid?” Helena asked dryly.

“I just introduced them.  The fact that he died and left his liver behind was a horrible tragedy,” Sui An replied with a cruel smile.  “In any case I watched a deal involving a silver shipment while waiting for him.  The buyers insisted on looking at the metal.  I considered asking them if they might spare a bit for a young lady, but they seemed dangerous.  Not too strong, but strong enough to hurt a poor maiden like myself.”

Helena frowned.  “Active defense spells?  That doesn’t sound like the clergy then.  Perhaps you’re right Camila.”

“Be nice for once,” Camila replied.  “So when was this?”

“About a moon before Helena brought that boring inspector to bother me,” Sui An said.  “They packed it all into a truck before leaving towards the gates.”

Helena nodded.  They had to have been smuggled in from the underground ocean, and there was no way to the surface except via the portal gates at the docks.

“You get the plate numbers?” Camila asked.

Helena and Sui An both blinked.  “Plate numbers?” Helena asked.

Camila looked between the two of them and sighed.  “The license plate?  The one they have so you know who owns a car?”

“Oh, so that’s what they’re for,” Helena mused.  It seemed like a strange system, but it would be useful knowledge.

“Not something I cared enough to remember,” Sui An replied with a bored shrug.

“Of course,” Camila sighed.  “So we have a lead.  What do we do with it?”

Helena moved to one of the linked maps and began scribbling the information down.  “We give the information to the Gold Rat Wizard and he does the grunt work.  He’s the one with eyes in every port.  Besides, we both can use some sleep.”

Camila lowered her voice again.  “Is it safe to sleep with her here?”

Helena nodded.  Sui An had sworn an oath, several in fact.  And honestly she didn’t think the woman could kill Camila even if she tried.  Out loud she said, “The fake angel isn’t exactly subtle.  We’ll notice if it arrives.”

The jiang-shi woman seemed to accept what was both said and unsaid.  She turned to the fox woman.  “Guess you can take my bed.  Though you might wanna wash up first.”

“How hospitable, but that won’t be necessary.”  Sui An stretched her arms and then she shifted.  The transformation was over in a second, leaving a silver fox with four tails.  She hopped onto a cushion and began grooming herself.”  The fox demon seemed equally secure with Helena’s oaths.  That and her ability to run if something went wrong.

Helena put Sui An out of her mind.  She turned to Camila.  “Let me help you change.”  They had a long day tomorrow.

Finally they reached the post office and the letter was sent.  The finality of it kicked up Helena’s stomach again, but the humors quickly rebalanced.  The deed was done.  There was nothing to do now but wait.

At least on that front.  She looked around as they left the office then nodded and headed towards an alleyway.  Camila hopped up behind her.  “So, what are we doing?”

“Meeting the Adena.  He’s decided to show up,” Helena said, nodding towards a cat that was heading towards the alley along the rooftops.

“Thought Europeans brought cats to the Americas,” Camila said as they moved out of the crowds.

Helena nodded.  “Something he learned to mimic later.  Though I doubt it was hard.  He’s a master.  Assume he’s better than me in everything but combat.”  He might be better than her at that too, but she had her pride.

When they were a little further into the alley the cat leaped down into the shadows between some boxes.  There was a faint shift in the air and seconds later the Adena walked out.  “Curse Gunner.  Pixundé.” He nodded to each in turn.  The man had somehow stumbled across Camila’s capoeira name.

Camila grinned, but there was an edge in her smile.  “Didn’t think I rated being spied on.”

“Unlike some, I remember magicians are not the only ones worthy of titles,” he replied quietly.  “You beat the Undead Dragon.  And the false angel if the tales are true.”

“They are,” Camila said.  “Woulda been nice to have some help though.”

The man frowned.  “I’m sure it would.  A mistake on my part.  I was following the trail you first found during the time you were ambushed, and then again on the information I had gained after that.  You had finished the matter by the time I arrived.”

“So we have a lot of information on the people who are already dead.”  Helena swore.  “I’d hoped you would have found something about our other killer.”

“I did.  You led me to them.”  The Adena folded his arms.  “What is missing can sometimes be more important than what is there.”

Helena folded her arms in return.  She was perfectly willing to wait out his cryptic puzzle.  Camila on the other hand seemed more interested in the answers.  “What’d you find?”

“Neither angel appeared at your finds.”  He looked around before continuing.  “For your attack on the false demon this makes sense.  But for the murder…”

“Amaiel should have shown up,” Helena finished.  That was strange.  “I still don’t see her being the culprit.  She’s obsessed with rooting out blasphemy.  If she went mad she’d just start killing people herself.”  Her eyes narrowed.  “Which means someone’s been intercepting our messages.”

Camila shook her head in mock sorrow.  “Thought they weren’t supposed to do that.”

“Not if they like living,” Helena growled.  “So someone in the Church is involved.”

“Whoa, that’s a bit of an assumption, no?” Camila looked a bit uncomfortable.  “I mean we’ve been sending them through the mosque.  Couldn’t someone there be paid off?  Or the other angel is hiding things?  I mean I know it’s not likely but…”

The Adena nodded.  “But we need to be sure before moving in on the largest Church in the realm.  Which is why I have the Gold Rat Wizard searching his ranks for whoever brought the truesilver into the realm.  Someone must know.”

“Damn.  I should have thought of that.”  Helena sighed.  She’d been making mistakes.  Getting locked into thinking like a magician.  She could teleport chunks of true silver all over the realms, but ritualists would need to smuggle it in.  And silver was heavy.  The shipment would need guards and a number of men to move it.

“Kinda wondering why the bastard didn’t think of that,” Camila muttered.  “Thought he was smarter than that.”

“He assumed his thugs would tell him about it.”  The Adena gave a derisive snort.  “Nevermind how easy it is for a bribe to make scum forget.  But when it comes to his so-called business he is often blind.  I corrected his thinking and he’s now hunting for the truth personally.”

Helena nodded slowly.  Now that the idea was in her head she started seeing the possibilities.  “I’ll tell him to investigate any group murders seemingly unrelated to this mess.  For that matter see if something happened during the mob war or even before.  A group willing to create an angel to kill off the unworthy is willing to kill a few criminals to help keep a secret.”

“Wise.”  The Adena looked around again.  “That is all I know now.  However if the trail is good, we will find ourselves against an enemy in a fortress.  We may need to work together against it.”

The pride in knowing that the Adena was asking her for aid was eaten up by the seriousness of the situation.  “I’ll mark a polecat on the door if we’re ready to plan an attack.”

 “I will send word if I need your skills,” he replied before striding behind the boxes.  This time Helena felt a lot more power being used.  She stepped up and looked where the man had disappeared.  There was nothing.  “Shadow stepping,” she muttered.  He must have used the shadows for a short range teleport.

“Show off,” Camila chuckled.

Helena shrugged.  “It works for him.”  If she could get away with some of that she would.  It might make people more respectful.  She walked out of the alley they’d been chatting in and started towards a park.

“So what now?” Camila asked.  “We got a lead to follow up on?”

“We have a lead, I’m just not sure how to follow up on it,” Helena grimaced.  “None of my scrying spells will work on the Cathedral or the Mosque if they’ve kept it properly blessed.  And I can’t think of any fey creature that can infiltrate the place either.”

An arm wrapped around her shoulder out of nowhere, and Helena froze.  “This wouldn’t be happening if you’d learned to properly summon animals instead of fairies, little Helena.”  That voice.  She turned to see a dark haired woman wearing too much makeup and a modern t-shirt and skirt getup with what looked like crudely drawn figures of herself on the shirt.  “I keep telling you, you need to study the basics more.  It’s fine to branch out but it really hurts when you forget your roots.”

Camila shifted to face the new woman.  “You a friend of Helena’s?”  The jiang-shi was obviously ready for trouble, but sadly there was nothing either of them could do to handle the trouble that was coming.

“Sorry, Great Grandma,” Helena said.  “It’s been hard to keep up my studies recently.”

“Like, isn’t your great grandma Hecate or…” Camila’s eyes widened.  She must have caught on.

Hecate winked and held a finger to her lips.  “Shh.  This is when I’m undercover.  Don’t worship or grovel or anything, otherwise I have to be all official.  You can call me by name but try to act normal.”

Specifically this was the form her goddess used when she was meeting people as family rather than as a god.  A very important distinction.  It was the time when Helena could speak her mind without getting in very big trouble.  But Hecate still didn’t make real social calls.  At least not with anyone but Circe.  The goddess was going to ask a favor.  And Helena didn’t have a clue what.

Well there was no rushing her goddess.  And the company wasn’t unwelcome.  “So what brings you to the Immigrant Realms great grandmother?”

“Well I was across the bridge talking to some of those new age kids that follow me.”  Helena grimaced and Hecate shook a finger at her.  “Now don’t look like that little Helena.  Sure most of them are pure dabblers, but we can’t be picky.  Besides, there’s a couple of those girls that’ll become pretty good witches.”  Hecate grinned.  “And they throw really sweet parties.  Well some of them do.”

Camila seemed to be trying to work all of this out.  It was understandable, given Helena had been dumbstruck herself the first time she’d seen the goddess this way.  “So, like, do gods normally walk around town in disguise?”

“Only the fun ones!” Hecate laughed.  “But nah, it’s not common among the Olympians, unless they’re going to surprise someone.  Most of them don’t have real worshipers outside the Hellenic, Macedonian, and all those Roman realms.”  She gestured to her current outfit with a many ringed hand.  “I on the other hand still have followers here and there, so I get out more.”

“How many of them actually recognize you, great grandmother?” Helena asked.  She still had a hard time believing dabblers from a modern realm could approach the power of a real witch.

Hecate shrugged.  “Well, I mean a lot of them have weird ideas about gods in their heads.  It’s hard for them to understand that gods can be people too.  And then the idea that their goddess would show up as some weird goth girl two years out of date really blows their minds.”  The goddess chuckled.  “But when they catch on it really helps boost their confidence.”

Hecate threw an arm around Camila’s shoulders and pulled them both close.  “So!  Why don’t you pick a place to eat?  I’ll treat you both to lunch.  After all, it’s been a long time since I got to speak to my favorite great great great granddaughter.”

Camila’s grin was scarily similar to Hecate’s.  “Your great grandma’s pretty cool, Helena.”

There was no arguing that.  “Alright.  I know a place that serves modern Greek.”

“Not ancient Greek?” Camila asked.

“Nobody would go to a restaurant that only served our home realm’s food,” Helena said as she started down the street.

Hecate nodded.  “Yeah.  The cooks aren’t bad but, seriously limited supplies.  The Immigrant Realm has it nice with all your trade routes.  And those American ingredients.  I keep telling Demeter we should let more stuff in, but she doesn’t listen to me or Persephone at all.  She keeps worrying about what Poseidon will think, even though the man’s never cared about what’s on his plate before.  No taste at all outside fish.”

“So, like, am I going to be struck by lightning for hearing that?” Camila asked.  “Because lightning can hurt me.”  That was a good question, Helena had to admit.  While she let herself relax in this form her great grandmother wasn’t so openly dismissive of the Olympians around Lyudmila and Kseniya.

The goddess patted Camila on the shoulder.  “Don’t worry about it.  Helena here might have made you free willed, but the pantheon considers you connected.  Which means you’re extended family.  Just don’t go telling outsiders.”

“Kinda insulting but the extended family bit sounds kinda cool so I guess I can’t complain,” Camila replied.

“Finally,” Helena gave an exaggerated sigh of relief.  “Someone I can tell all the crazy stories you share with me.”  She probably wouldn’t bother Camila with the petty gossip that seemed to fill the gods’ lives, but not having to watch her tongue all the time would be nice.

Hecate’s smile vanished.  “Speaking of family, there’s been a few complaints.”  That made Helena wince.  Being noticed by the Olympians was rarely healthy.  “Apollo was very angry about your little stunt with your friend’s soul.  I talked it over with Lord Hades and Persephone but they were a little annoyed too.  Especially since they’ve cut you a lot more slack than most people get,” she said motioning to Camila.

“I gave them ten sacrifices just now,” Helena muttered.  “I don’t see why they should care about a demon they had no claim on to begin with.”

“Not thrilled with being ‘an exception’ either.  I don’t worship you all,” Camila added sharply.

Hecate shrugged and shook her head.  “I know.  I totally explained that.  Well not what you said Camila, because they hate admitting they aren’t universally adored.  But Apollo’s really good at running his mouth.  I think it’s all cleared up for now, but try to be more politically minded.  The golden boy’s remembered you exist, and he’s still out for your blood.”

Helena grimaced but thought over her great grandmother’s words.  Apollo was never going to be happy with her, but inter family feuds were common among the Olympians.  And unlike most people who offended the gods and got smote for their troubles, she had a lot more leeway to work with.  “Should I be saving up to offer a calf to Zeus?  Or is there something else the gods want?”

“Well I want some of that new milk-chocolate they’ve started making out on the Coast, but I’ll get that myself,” Hecate replied.  “As for the others, well the cow might not be a bad idea.  But just acting in the pantheon’s name should be fine.  You act as a magician more than a priestess Helena.  You can try to drum up some awe every now and then.  Even awe in us Titans would be fine.”

“I can do that,” Helena replied.  Bragging about the Olympians often felt sour in her mouth, but bragging about herself and her family was easy.

Hecate smiled.  “Great!  Now your wonderful great grandma only has one more thing to ask you.”

“That sounds kinda ominous,” Camila said.  Helena silently agreed.

The goddess didn’t bother to defend herself.  “I want you to teach that cultist, Yvonne, how to be a proper priestess of me.”

“What?!”  The pain in Helena’s gut returned.  She waved her arms to try to summon up the words to explain everything that was wrong with that, but they all tripped over each other.  “Why?”

“She has great magical potential,” Hecate said simply.  “She really believes in concepts like Love and Truth and stuff.  There’s a reason she was being groomed as a sacrifice.  Sure she’s easily manipulated, but there’s a good amount of power hidden in her mind.  She’ll probably never get true magic.  Too much faith for that.  But she’ll be a great ritualist witch.”

Camila managed to summon her own thoughts faster than Helena.  “Like, manipulating her kinda seems wrong.  What with our friend dying to stop that kinda bullshit, ya know.”

“I’m also not sure why giving someone who makes bad decisions incredible power is a good idea,” Helena added.

“If I limited my blessing to people who made good decisions all the time, I wouldn’t have many followers,” Hecate said pointedly.  “And the rest of the world isn’t as interested in letting her ‘figure things out for herself’ or whatever you’re hoping.  She’s going to have people proselytizing to her from all sides.  All I’m asking is that you make a case for me as well.”

It offended Helena.  She wasn’t a street preacher to begin with.  And she still wasn’t thrilled with taking in a random cultist as a student, much less one who was in jail.  But this was her goddess asking.  And Helena was pretty sure that request would become a command if she refused.  “Alright, but I won’t hide anything from her.”

Hecate shrugged.  “That might be the best tactic.  Especially from you little Helena.”  The goddess shook her head.  “You were always at your best when you were brutally honest.

“Anyway, now that that’s out of the way, your goddess has a little hint for you,” she sniffed in annoyance, “one that I’m giving you for free since people keep sneaking past my blessings.  Cursed truesilver.”

“I didn’t want to question you,” Helena said, “but it’s been really annoying.  It’s hard to prove you’re the ruler of crossroads if I keep getting ambushed at them.”

Camila tried to look innocent.  “I didn’t say anything.”

“For which I thank you,” Hecate replied.  The goddesses eyes glowed red.  “Tonight you will receive a visitor who will give you the clue you need.  I will guide her through the crossroads to you.  After that you must act on your own.”

“Thank you, great grandmother.”  Helena’s heart beat quicker.  A lead.  A chance to redeem herself.  Something that would give her the initiative.  The thought was addictive.

Camila looked more alert as well.  “Guess we just need to get ready for the fun, eh?”

Hecate nodded, the divine presence around her fading as quick as it appeared.  “Now, let’s grab that meal.  You can lay all your emotions out on me.”  She squeezed Helena’s shoulder.  “I owe you that as well.”

Helena’s eyes itched again.  “Thank you,” she replied.

Helena woke up early.  The catharsis of the previous night had helped.  She still felt miserable.  Acedia was still dead.  But at least the strain of holding in her emotions was gone.

She turned her attention to cleaning up the small space and preparing breakfast.  Camila woke up when she was about halfway done.  “Morning,” the jiang-shi woman mumbled.  She hopped over to the makeshift table.  “Didn’t think I’d have to deal with groggy mornings when I was dead.”

“Are you alright?” Helena asked.  She’d thought Camila had worked out her sorrows, but it’s possible the woman had held back worrying about Helena.  She hoped not but…

“I’m good.”  The woman peered at Helena.  “I’m more worried about you, given how broke up you were last night.”

Helena shook her head.  “Too much pent up for too long.”  She finished cooking the porridge.  “Though you modern people hold too much back in general.”

Camila managed a weak smile.  “First time someone’s told me I hold back.”

Helena helped Camila sit and bend her arm to eat, then started in on her own porridge and tea.  It was bland, but Helena wasn’t up for much more.  The downside though was her mind wandered.  She tried to focus on the future.  She needed to find that angel, and given how much magic she’d burned through, she needed Camila’s help to beat it.

The jiang-shi seemed to be lost in thought as well.  Normally she’d have finished eating already, but she was taking slow spoonfuls, eating more because it was there then any interest.  Helena wondered if the woman was thinking about the ambush again.  Blaming herself for losing Acedia.  Even though that whole mess had been Helena’s mistake.  She should have killed the attacker.  She should have put better wards on Camila’s seal.

“Oi, Helena.  You shouldn’t do that.”

“Eh?”  Helena blinked.  “I wasn’t doing anything.”

Camila sniffed.  “Sure.”  The woman’s expression fell a bit.  “We should send mail to Invidia today.”

Pain shot through Helena’s heart.  “I wanted to do that after we finished Acedia’s job.”

“It’ll hurt just as much then,” Camila said.  “Well, hurt us.  It’ll hurt her more if they don’t get anything except the police.”

Helena wanted to protest.  That was stupid reasoning.  But she knew that was a lie.  Camila was right.  She just wanted to avoid the responsibility until she had an excuse.  “Fine,” she sighed.  “I’ll tell Aoi to wait on the lantern as well.  We should give her family the chance to show.”  Camila nodded.

They finished the rest of the meal in silence.  Helena tried to form the letter in her mind, but her mind squirmed away from the truth, and what words she could put together seemed insulting.

The block continued even as she cleaned up and set aside the dishes to dry.  If this was in person… well it would still be terrible.  But she could react to the person she was talking to.  She could show her grief.  She could offer more than words.  In a letter….

Finally she buried her face in her hands.  She hated to admit it, but she couldn’t do this right now.  At least not alone.  “Help.”

Camila winced.  “Guess I can’t just make you do it eh?”  She hopped over.  “We got plenty of paper.  Put it together then make it neat.”

“Right.”  Helena gathered several scraps of paper to work with.

The process took most of an hour.  In the end it turned more into a confession than a letter.  They wrote about their meeting.  The search for the fake angel.  Her disastrous failure.  And then what she knew of Acedia’s fateful choice.  Finally they got to the demon’s last minutes and both of them just stared at the paper.

What was there to write?  That Acedia had chosen to fall apart rather than stay as a demon?  That she’d quite possibly saved a chunk of the city from total destruction?  Should she offer some hope in the demon’s reincarnation?  Maybe she should just say that vengeance had been obtained.

Finally a thought came to her.  It was stupid.  Meaningless.  But she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

“Pick that one,” Camila said quietly.

Helena nodded quietly then scribbled out the ending.  ‘She passed on, having broken her bonds and escaped human will.’

Camila sniffed beside her.  Helena turned and wiped the jiang-shi’s eyes.  “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Helena replied.  She went to pull out some good paper.  “Let’s finish this then.”

The letter itself didn’t take long.  Helena’s penmanship wasn’t perfect, but it was quick and easily legible.  When she finished she grabbed an envelope.  “We’ll want this rushed, so it’s back to the post office.”

Camila looked at the map.  No one had bothered to add anything to the notes after the disaster of yesterday.  “Then what?”

“I try to find the Adena,” Helena said.  “I want to know what he found while we were running around and I was screwing up.”

“That’s right.  We did tell everyone.  Someone should have learned something new,” Camila nodded.  Her eyes hardened.  “And if they didn’t, someone’s toying with us.”

“Exactly.”  Helena put the letter in her pouch.  “Let’s get ready.  We won’t beat the morning rush, but if we head out now we might finish before dinner.”

Getting ready took much longer than usual.  Camila’s outfit from yesterday needed to be left to soak out the bloodstains.  They both needed a shower badly as well, which required summoning a miniature rainstorm.  It was another hour before they both made it out of the house and worked their way towards the government district.  Still the routine tasks helped keep her mind in the present.

The walk however gave Helena too much time.  She tried to focus on the street, but she knew the route too well.  It was too easy for her mind to wander.

“Heleeeeena.”

She blinked as Camila waved a hand in front of her.  “Hm?”

Camila let her shoulders bob.  “I was asking you about that raincloud thing.  Is that really the fastest way to get water?  Like, it’s kinda showy.”

It was an obvious ruse to get her talking.  Camila had heard plenty of speeches on magic before.  But Helena gladly fell for it.  “It’s not the fastest, but it’s one of the easiest ways to teach it.  Everyone learns weather manipulation eventually.  It’s much easier to refine that spell than to learn different ways of making water fall from the sky.”

“Easiest?”  Camila shook her head.  “Seems more like something out of a cartoon.  Like, there’s gotta be a more realistic way to get water.”

“The difficulty of a ritual spell doesn’t depend on how realistic it is,” Helena replied.  “All magic is equally impossible after all.  It depends on how much reality resists.  And people just accept rain as being natural.”

Camila sighed.  “Like, I don’t know if understanding that makes you weird, or if you can understand it because you’re weird.”

“Probably both,” Helena replied.  It was true too.  She’d learned over the years that magicians had a warped view on reality.  Her views were right of course, but most people had a problem with that.

“I hadn’t expected to see you two here again so soon.”  Helena’s attention snapped forwards.  The bishop, Thomas, was standing in the square nearby.  “I heard you found one of the heretics and stopped them.  Congratulations are in order.”

The thin veil of normality was snatched away.  Helena hated the man for it, but it wasn’t his fault.  “Yeah.  They’re dead.”

“A great victory for God,” the man said with a smile.  Helena’s guts twisted up.

“Wasn’t a great anything,” Camila muttered.

The bishop looked confused then seemed genuinely shocked.  “You don’t mean?!”

Helena looked away.  The knots in her stomach had expanded into her chest.  She forced herself to take deep breaths no matter how much her lungs demanded otherwise.  “She died stopping their last sacrifice.”

“That’s-”  Thomas slowly shook his head.  “A great tragedy.  I shall pray for her soul.  I know it doesn’t mean much to you, but I fear it’s all I can offer.”

Helena clenched her teeth, but Camila covered for her.  “Thank you, your grace.”

“I should return to my duties.  God’s peace be with you,” Bishop Thomas said as he walked on.

Helena shook her head to clear her mind.  She felt Camila’s hand drop on her shoulder and she shrugged.  “Sorry.  Let’s get to the post office.”

Camila sighed.  “Ya know, you aren’t being fair to him.”

“I know,” Helena clenched and unclenched her fists.  “It’s just… this was what she was trying to escape.  I want to scream that at people.”

“I can get that,” Camila agreed quietly.

Helena gave her friend a weak smile.  “Thanks for covering for me.”

“It’s nothing,” Camila replied.  The jiang-shi woman saved them from future awkwardness by asking, “So if you know how to change the weather, why haven’t you made this heat less miserable?”

The discussion on why magicians didn’t dramatically alter the weather of entire realms took the rest of the line, and kept both of them pleasantly distracted.  It was purely a coping method, but it worked.  Camila was a great friend, and Helena owed a sacrifice to Philotes for the goddess’ aid meeting her.

“So let me get this straight, lass,” Inspector Kilduff said as he wrote down on his pad.  “You killed them all, then sent their damned souls to Hades, ‘in self defense.'”

Helena gripped her elbows to keep from scratching at the burn Aoi was healing.  “You have it backwards.  I dragged them to Hades then killed them.  In self defense.”

“They deserved it too,” Camila muttered as she tried to get the blood off her hands.

Kilduff sighed, then put the notepad away.  “Normally I’d call that a pack of lies.  But seeing as your friend was yelling about your wounds I suppose I’ll have to accept it.  Any beast that can hurt you is a danger to us all.  Next time, at least bring back the poor fools so the record keepers can keep track.  Now I have to rely on the words of an honest to God satanist to confirm all this cult is gone,” he said looking over at where Yvonne was sitting.

Helena winced as Aoi finished her healing spell with a charm to protect against infections.  Apparently the priestess still believed good medicine hurt.  Aoi wrapped the wound in a bandage.  “That should do.”  She turned to Kilduff.  “I don’t think she’ll lie to you.”

The man pulled out a cigarette.  “I don’t either, but ‘think’ isn’t good enough in this business.”  He sighed and looked down at where Acedia lay.

A white sheet was covering the demon.  A cold clinical reminder of Helena’s failure.  It seemed wrong to cover up the crime, to hide the injustice.  But she understood why.

“Do ya know how to contact her next of kin lass?” Kilduff asked quietly.  “The lads at the morgue will have to tell them.”

“I’ll do it,” Helena said.  “I should talk to them myself.”

Kilduff shook his head.  “Needs to be official.”  He hesitated.  “I can’t stop you from speaking on your own.  Or sending condolences.  But the lawyer types need to make sure they know from us.”

Helena closed her eyes.  She should deal with it, but she couldn’t.  Not until she’d found that fake angel.  “Have them look up an Invidia.  I’ll message her later”  She looked away.  “Just tell the morgue or whoever handles this if those coins don’t get cremated with her I’ll research a curse just for them.”

“So you did send her to the Sanzu,” Aoi said.

“Huh?”  Camila perked up.  “What now?”

Helena found herself the center of attention.  Even the other investigators and Yvonne were looking at her.  It made her feel sick, but she answered anyway.  “Yes.  I couldn’t help her in this life.  Reincarnation was the only fair option.  And your hell takes bribes.”

“You can do that?” Camila shook her head slowly.

“Benefits of serving Hecate,” Helena replied.

Aoi sighed.  “It was still foolish doing that before a fight.  It could have waited until after Obon.  And her family should have provided some of the passage.  It’s their right.”

“It’s her money,” Helena said.  “I didn’t deliver.”

Camila put a hand on her shoulder, “Don’t blame yourself.”  The woman looked away and muttered in portuguese, “I was the one-“

“Listen to your own advice,” Aoi said quietly.

Kilduff sighed.  “Not a good day for us fine lads either.”  He waved over a female cop.  “Chris, tell me the fools ‘cross the river have sent one of those fine psychologists to help us with the kids.”

“Sorry Inspector.  They won’t be here for four hours,” Chris replied.  “At least we’ve confirmed none of them know anything about the cult.  And there’s enough social workers to keep the place staffed….”

“But the owners are off dead in Greece,” Kilduff gave Helena an annoyed look.  “Well then, do ya want to take a swing at telling the bonnie children that their favorite chef is going to jail, their missing friends were murdered, and oh by the by this place is a satanist front.”

“No, but I’ll do it anyway,” Chris said.  “Oh, and there’s some good news.  The lawyers got the money tied up.  We can keep the place open, though it’ll only last until we find a new owner.”

Helena looked over at Yvonne.  “Wait, you’re arresting her?”

Kilduff gave her a look.  “Accessory to murder lass.  Multiple murders.  She didn’t know a thing about the orphan kid they killed or she’d get the rope, but she’s guilty.  Admitted it herself.”  He took another pull on his cigarette.  “Be ten years likely.  Time off for good behavior.”

She wanted to be angry at that.  But she couldn’t muster up any emotions now.  The grief she had bottled up would swallow everything else if she let it out.  She motioned to the woman.  “Can we speak to her?”

“So long as you can keep it civil,” Kilduff said.  He waved the other inspectors over to give them privacy.

Helena looked over at Camila.  The jiang-shi nodded and drifted over to the former cultist.  Helena followed.

Yvonne didn’t meet their eyes.  Understandable.  They’d only learned her name from the police after all.  The woman was staring at Acedia’s form beneath the white cloth.  Tear lines ran down her face, and the tears had probably only stopped because she’d gone numb.  “You probably hate me,” the woman murmured quietly.  “She died because of me.”

“She died trying to save you,” Helena replied.  She shook her head.  “The difference doesn’t mean much to me.  But it meant everything to her.”

Yvonne wiped at her eyes.  “I… see.  I didn’t know her well I suppose.”  The woman hugged herself close.  “I suppose I didn’t know anyone well.  I’m such a fool.”

“You know the kids right?” Camila said.  “You know people outside the cult.”  She gave her arm bobbing shrug.  “Like, you can’t know everyone.  Some people will always fool you.  Some people fool themselves.  But you can learn.”

“The kids…”  Yvonne shivered.  “What will happen to the orphanage?”

Helena motioned to the Inspector.  “It sounds like they’re going to try to keep it open.  Some legal tricks.”  She sighed.  “It’ll probably end up owned by the church.  Or some church anyway.  They’re the only people who can afford to keep this place running long enough to raise a kid.”

The woman choked back a sob.  “I… can’t complain can I?  We were worse than they could possibly be.  They… they killed him.  They murdered poor George.  It was supposed to protect the children!”  Helena felt pain creep through her numbness again.  She knew she couldn’t have saved him but still…

She hated feeling powerless.

Yvonne wiped her eyes again.  Then looked up at them with questioning eyes.  “Was it all a lie?  Everything they claimed was good?  Everything they said was evil?  What can I believe?”

Helena shook her head.  “Not even a magician can answer that.  You’ll have to find out for yourself.”  It was a cruel truth.  But an inescapable one.  When you controlled someone else’s reality you controlled them.  For good or ill.

“But, ya know, it was an honest to God demon that saved you,” Camila added.  “For her own reasons yeah, but that’s how we all act.”

Yvonne looked back at Acedia’s body and nodded.  “Thank you.”  She sniffed.  “So… do you hate me?”

“A little,” Helena admitted.  “But it’s not fair, because it’s not your fault.”  She sighed and turned away.  “Acedia died because I screwed up, but she died saving you.  I guess I feel responsible now.  I want you to make something of your life, even if it is from a prison cell.  We owe it to her.”

“I don’t hate you,” Camila said.  “But yeah.  We all owe her.”

The former cultist wiped her eyes.  “Alright.”

Helena turned away.  Kilduff nodded then waved his investigators back.  “You can go home whenever you like, lass.  If the lawyers care to ask more questions they can send a letter.”

She wanted to collapse but there was still a long way home.  “Thank you.”  She gave Acedia’s body one last look before turning to Camila and Aoi.  The two nodded.  It was time to leave.

The summer sun had just begun to set.  Helena glared at it then moved to take the route that would give them the most shade.  She had no interest in Helios’ light.  The crowds that had encircled the building when the police had shown up were gone, so at least she didn’t have to push through questioning masses.

She’d reached the end of the block when Aoi tapped her lightly on the shoulder.  “Will you be okay, Helena?”

“Yes.”  She was going to be fine.  She was going to make it home, then get ready to kill that damned fake angel.

Aoi didn’t let go, so she motioned back to Camila.  “We’re not alone.”

Camila nodded slowly.  “We’ll pull through.”

The shrine maiden seemed to accept that.  “Very well.  I’d like to stay with you but… O-bon is still ongoing.  They need me at the shrine.”

“Yeah.”  Helena paused.  “Get us a lantern please.”

“I will,” Aoi said, before hugging Helena.  She didn’t normally like closeness.  But right now she appreciated the gesture.  She returned the shrine maiden’s embrace.  Aoi had to be hurting as well.

Aoi gave Camila a hug as well before bowing and hurrying back towards her shrine.  After that it was just her Camila and the darkening streets.

They walked in silence.  Helena knew she should be looking for clues, for possible attackers, but she couldn’t focus on the world.  She was detached, fighting back her emotions and magically drained.  The high of true magic left another scar in her mind, and she found herself struggling to remember the turns she needed to make.

Finally she completely blanked.  She was standing in the middle of the street and she had no idea where she was supposed to go from here.

“Uh, we’re back Helena.”

She looked over to see Camila standing next to the shop they’d bought.  “Sorry.  I was walking on instinct.”  Helena unlocked the door, opened it to let Camila in then followed before shutting it and locking it behind her.

And then it all fell apart.

Her eyes burned with tears as she blindly staggered to the bed.  All she could feel was the grief pouring from her eyes and the pain as she pounded the bed with futile rage.

She’d failed.  And Acedia was gone.

The tears began to choke her and she was forced to wipe them away.  Her anger seeped out as she hiccuped and sneezed to breathe again.

She noticed a hand on her shoulder shaking her.  That’s right.  She wasn’t alone.  She turned and hugged Camila close, wiping her tears on the other woman’s shirt.

“Helena-“

She shook her head and wiped Camila’s tears with her shaking hand.  Now was the time for grief, not words.  That was tomorrow.

For now she cried herself to sleep.

Helena could only watch helplessly as the last light faded from Acedia’s eyes.  Her power was upon her, true magic sang at her command, and she couldn’t do anything.

The woman Acedia had saved burst into tears, refusing to let go of the body.  “Why?  Why?  This can’t be right…”  Aoi patted her on the back, whispering words just to keep her locked in the present.  Behind her Camila was brooding.  Stuck between fury and grief.

She wanted to join in.  To wail and cry at the unfairness.  But she was a magician.  And she had so much to do.  Grief could come later.

Six coins from her pouch.  She grabbed the largest as quickly as she could.  Then she pressed the bribe into Acedia’s hand.  “Sanzu wo heiwa ni wataru,” she intoned, putting her power into the words.  Death had many faces, and with this the one to see her friend off wouldn’t be the Christian guide back to hell, but a Shinigami.

Aoi looked up at her as the spell finished.  “Helena…”

“She deserves a better chance,” Helena said as she stood.  The corridor that the cultist had fled down was empty, but Helena felt the ritual forming down there.  The fallen angel’s awakening, and a bigger spell.  It seemed this group had not one but two trump cards for their defense.  Clever.

Too bad it wouldn’t save them.  “Aoi, you’ll need to create a barrier around the orphanage.  I don’t think the battle will affect it, but I want to make certain.”

“Right,” Aoi replied.  That removed the last weight from Helena’s shoulders.  Aoi would handle things here.

Now she could let her rage run free.

She motioned to Camila as she strode down the corridor.  “Let’s end this then.”

The jiang-shi woman’s eyes cleared and Camila moved beside her.  “Yeah.”  She looked over.  “What’s the plan?”

“You start with the fallen angel, I start with the cultists, whoever finishes first keeps killing until they’re all dead,” Helena said.  She felt space twist around her and her left hand was bleeding miasma.

“Fallen angel?  Didn’t you say Acedia won?  That wasn’t a lie, right?”

“She wasn’t doing it purely for charity, but to scum self sacrifice is self sacrifice,” Helena said.  “It will be weak.  Poorly formed.  Which is why they’re trying to send their ritual chamber to hell.”

Camila blinked, then snarled.  “Fighting in hell?  Guess I don’t need to worry about breaking stuff.”  She wasn’t afraid.  Good.

A stairway leading down appeared in the darkness.  At the bottom were doors of iron, blasphemies and demonic figures inscribed on the front.  Beyond them she felt the ritual approaching its peak.

She strode down the stairs, her own power flaring.  “I’m tired of chasing.”  The ritual began ripping reality apart as she placed her hand on the door.  “This time I’m going to lead.”  She threw the doors open as the spell completed.  And with that she tore the strands of power that were transporting them to hell.  

It was madness.  There was no way the simple act of opening a door could give her the strength to take control of a ten person ritual.  Especially not one that had been carefully crafted and designed over weeks of work.  The best that she could hope for was to shatter the spell and send them all into the void between realities.  Most likely she’d simply burn herself out trying.

But she didn’t care what reality thought.

If reality wanted to stop her she’d destroy it too!

This was true magic.  The base rewriting of existence to her whims.  Dangerous.  Perhaps even mad.  And it was all hers to command.  Against all the rules of the universe, all the rules of magic, she tore control of the spell from the cultists.  And with that control she gave a different command.  “Go to Hades.”

And the spell obeyed.

The walls and ceiling disappeared.  They were on an island in the middle of a dark cavern.  More an oversized rock really.  The waters of the Styx lapped at the shore behind her.  And her new guests looked confused.

There were ten of them.  All wearing robes or dark clothes, arranged in an uneven circle with their leader opposite Helena.  And in the middle stood the fallen angel.  A hideous monstrosity of flesh.  Helena had to admit the nine foot tall, skinless, four armed horror with grisly wings would be fairly frightening, if it wasn’t going to die horribly.

It screamed a challenge at her and she felt it was only polite to reply.  “Welcome to the Underworld.  I’m afraid I’ve dropped you off in the Styx, but Lord Hades gets annoyed when we have magical duels among his pomegranate bushes.  Please take a good look around, because you’ll be here forever.”  The curses around her swirled and laughed in approval as she threw her arms wide and proclaimed, “I am Helena Aoede, the Curse Gunner.  Rue the miserable fate that made me your enemy.”

The cult leader took a step forward.  “So be it.  I am-“

“No one of importance,” Helena snapped.  She thrust her left hand forwards and unleashed all the rage and hatred that had been building there.  “Emma’s Tongs.”  The curse rushed forwards, shattering the woman’s wards and ripped out her tongue.

The woman collapsed to the ground gurgling her death cry.

As the humans shrank back, the fallen angel screamed again and rushed forwards.  Then with a meaty crack Camila was in front of it, kicking it in its horrific face.  “Don’t know what part of Acedia you stole to start running around on your own,” Camila hissed.  “But I’m gonna tear it right out of you!”

Helena flung her hands to either side.  Two bullets laced with clumsiness curses flew out and slammed into the cultists that were closest to her.  A man and a woman she noted.  The man to her left was blown head over heels, the rage fueled shot killing him before he even hit the water.  The woman’s defenses kept her from being killed instantly, but as she stepped back, the curse caused her to slip.  She screamed as she fell into the waters of the Styx and sank.  The water here did not let humans float.

She staggered as a wave of fatigue hit her.  The rage that had been driving her on cooled, and the tempting madness of true magic slipped beyond her grasp.  She’d been pushing her limits as a magician, and she’d reached them.  Now she could only rely on her natural power and skill.

Camila on the other hand seemed to be only getting stronger.  She was weaving in between the fallen angel’s brutal swings, responding to each one with a blow that made the beast stagger.  Already one of its twisted wings was broken, hanging limply from its back.

Helena focused her attention back on the cultists.  There were seven.  One was cowering and praying, though Helena wondered who he expected to help him.  Two had drawn knives and were slowly moving forwards.  Four were chanting attack spells, and that was a problem.  She couldn’t disrupt four spells at once.

With a quick jump she took to the sky, shooting up before janking to the side.  Two hellfire blasts missed, while the death curses reaching for her clawed futilely at her protections before succumbing to her will.  She used the time she’d bought to craft a second shield, calling upon the guardians of the underworld to protect her.

One of the knife wielders crouched then dashed forwards.  Helena dodged upwards, but the woman juked towards Camila.  “Behind!” she yelled to her friend.  They were going for her talisman again.  The first attempt would fail but after that…

There was a snap and a scream as the cultist’s hand smashed into one of Camila’s green energy shields.  “Seen it,” Camila sneered, before grabbing the woman and dodging away from the fallen angel’s swing.  “This is what you wanted me to do to everyone in that city,” the jiang-shi said before dragging the struggling woman in front of her and draining her chi.

A barrage of bloody blades slamming into her defensive spell forced Helena to pay attention to her own fight.  She reinforced them right before a second barrage shattered the shield.

The surviving knife wielder leaped towards her, giving her the opportunity she needed.  Helena channeled magic into her body, strengthening herself.  As the man stabbed at her she caught his wrist and squeezed.  Bone shattered and the knife fell out of his limp hands.  She spun around and flung the screaming man into his ally’s hellfire blasts.

 She felt something flying towards her and dodged just in time to avoid being hit by Camila’s flying body.  The woman regained control a few feet back, grimacing.  “Stupid magic ran out,” Camila snarled.  That explained it.  The woman’s arms and legs were locked again.

“Need help?” she asked as she started forming another shield.

“Nah.  Been practicing fighting like a corpse,” Camila said before swooping back into the battle with the fallen angel.

Helena turned back to her own foes just as they launched another wave of spells at her.  She dodged to the side, but the bloody bullets homed in on her, breaking her shield again.  The cultists had paired up.  The one in front shielding while the one behind shot at her.  They wanted to make this an endurance test.

Fine.  Here in Hades’ realm she had endurance to spare.  She didn’t want to waste her last trump card.  She would need it for the demon.

She rushed into the homing bullets as she reached into her pouch for a vial of quicksilver.  Three of the daggers slammed into her personal wards, tearing her dress and leaving a bloody line down her cheek, but that bought her time.  She summoned up another shield with her right hand, while shattering the vial with her left.  Two orbs of silvery metal appeared next to her and began spraying the cultists with poison bullets.

The weak attacks couldn’t break the defensive spells, but it pinned the cultists maintaining them down.  In response the two cultists on the offense began pelting her with more powerful aimed attacks, sacrificing sure hits for killing power.

Helena dodged and weaved through hellfire and blasts of dark energy that screamed like the damned.  She’d trained for years as a kid for duels like this, and while her enemy’s attacks were meant to kill instead of merely sting, they weren’t nearly as good at it as her tutors.  This battle would continue until someone made a mistake.

A horrific snapping sound and an inhuman scream made the shielding cultist on the left turn, and Helena pounced.  She grabbed a sliver of amber and hurled it at the woman behind.

With a blinding flash and roar lightning blasted through the half formed shield into the woman’s chest, leaving her dead on the ground.  The man threw his hands up in shock, but the poisoned mercury darts struck him.  He fell, convulsing.

Heat grazed her arm and she hissed in annoyance.  She’d stopped dodging and been rewarded with a fireblast for her mistake.  But it didn’t matter now.  Two against one was no contest.  She flew away, while turning both streams of mercury bullets on the remaining two cultists.  They hunkered down against her assault.  She turned to see how Camila was faring with the seconds she’d bought.

Her jaw nearly dropped when she saw the state of the fallen angel.  Even if the thing wasn’t properly finished, it was strong.  Capable of smashing through city walls and slaughtering armies.

Camila was tearing it apart bit by bit.  Both wings were tattered bloody masses, it was missing a horn, and two of its hands were broken.  The creature was kneeling now, its left leg twisted, knee shattered.

As she looked on, Camila swooped in again.  The creature lashed out but its hands hit her walls.  The fallen angel punched through, but Camila just accepted the hit.  Then she grabbed one of the arms with her hands and pulled.

Helena heard the joint snap and turned away as the creature screamed again.  Camila had things handled.  She should finish her own fight.

The two cultists broke apart just as she looked back at them.  Her mercury bullets splashed against the rock as they ran along the edge of the island, each preparing an attack.

A nice try, but futile.  She snuffed the weaker man’s curse, while firing another tripping bullet at the man who threw a firebolt.  His shot went wide as he fell screaming into the Styx.

The last cultist froze.  He must be panicking.  He was trapped after all.

Helena didn’t give a damn.  She pushed more magic into her metal orbs and slowly pinned him with the crossfire.

There was another ear piercing scream, a tearing sound, and then a grisly missile hit the cultist into the Styx before Helena could shoot him.  She looked over to see Camila had ripped the fallen angel’s head off.  The jiang-shi was covered in gore, but otherwise seemed fine.

“And that’s the end of that,” Helena moved to land.

She hit the ground awkwardly and stumbled a bit.  A hand caught her and she waved Camila off.  “I’m fine.  Just a little tired.”

“Not too tired to get us home right?” the woman asked.  A reasonable worry.

“It’s okay.  The spell was always temporary.  For us.”  Helena took a deep breath and let the threads of the transportation spell unwind.  The island on the River Styx faded away, replaced by a large ritual room.  “Hades isn’t as picky about the outskirts of the underworld, so leaving is easy.  If you’re still alive.”

Dead was another matter entirely.  As those scum would find out when the Erinyes caught them.

Helena straightened up then leaned against Camila when she staggered.  “Sorry.  Guess I used up more magic than I thought.”

“Long fight,” Camila said quietly.

“Yes.”  Helena looked to the door and the stairs beyond them.  She knew what was waiting for her up there, and she didn’t really want to go.  Camila seemed reluctant to move as well.

That all came to nothing though as a squad of armed men stormed down the stairs.  “BAPD!  Freeze!”

Helena and Camila both sighed.  “Little late,” Camila muttered.

“Just in time to make our lives worse,” Helena replied.