Rogue assumed that wasn’t the college. John Brown had left the place a year ago, and outsiders couldn’t make use of the chapels or lecture halls. There were cameras everywhere; they’d leave traces.
Which meant…
“……The churches proper.”
People congregated at churches. People of all races, genders, and ages. Chronos was nobility—he could easily pass himself off as a worshipper.
Angene nodded.
“That is my assumption.”
“Then we’re canvasing all the churches in the city. Is he working with the priests or threatening them? We’ll find a wrinkle somewhere.”
“Tee-hee-hee-hee-hee.” Angene’s lips formed an outsize crescent. “No need, Detective. I’ve already narrowed it down.”
“Legit?”
“Oh yes. Tee-hee-hee. Hee. Aren’t you glad you saved your feet a workout?”
This was astounding. She’d really put the ‘short’ in short work. He was starting to think this witch could solve pretty much any case on her own. He glanced at the other witches, and Humafu had her cheek on the table, bored, while Catherine was looking rather alarmed.
“……Give me a name.”
“Tee-hee-hee. The San Alila Church. Go on. I’ll wait here.”
With that, Angene swept out of the meeting room.
“……There you have it.”
“Tch, she’s always such a snob,” Humafu grumbled, elbow on the Bible. Maybe she felt robbed of credit? “So what’s the plan, Detective? I’m coming with.”
“Okay. Gonna get word to the chief, and then we’ll move.”
“Finally, time to kick some ass!” Humafu said, levitating the Bible and making it spin in the air.
“That’s good news! The case is almost solved,” Velladonna said over the line.
“We don’t know that Chronos is there yet.”
“That’s true. But be prepared. This could be another of his traps.”
Rogue knew that. The Lifetaker had nearly killed him once.
Humafu would be leading the charge. Witches were immortal and could heal any wounds; traps didn’t faze them.
It was 2:20 PM.
He parked outside the San Alila Church and looked up at it. The cathedral was domed, and a bell tower stood to the west. Supposedly, there was an ossuary beneath it. Office buildings were all around, with horns honking on the roads, yet the church made its presence felt.
They stepped into the main cathedral.
The ceilings were extremely high, and there was fancy decor everywhere. The midday sun poured in through stained glass windows. A giant organ at the back was itself a beautiful sight. But—
—nobody was there.
“Did he skedaddle?” Humafu said, like the rug had been pulled out from under her. She might have been ready for Chronos to attack the second they’d stepped inside. Rogue didn’t think he was that extreme.
“……He may have expected us and hidden.”
He started checking between the pews. This proved a fruitless effort. This place didn’t exactly offer anywhere to hide.
It was possible he was using a spell to turn invisible. He’d done that when Rogue last fought him. But in that case, they should be able to hear him breathing. That spell couldn’t erase the sounds he made. Which meant…
“What now, Detective?” Catherine asked.
“……Let’s try the bell tower.”
They crossed the hall to the west side tower. That required walking around the side of the building exterior. The tower doors were open, and there was an elevator inside—no stairs at all. This went to both the top of the tower and to the ossuary below.
Which one first?
Rogue hesitated a second, then made up his mind. Anything dubious would be below ground. He pressed the down button, and the doors soon opened. All three of them stepped in. Humafu was in the lead, two knives floating alongside her. Catherine had a small flame lit on her fingertip. With the witches on guard, no traps Chronos had laid would matter.
The doors opened into darkness.
The glow from the elevator passed through Humafu’s golden locks, lighting a few meters ahead. Nothing farther in was visible. The place was a pool of inky black.
“Ideal for hiding shit,” Humafu said cheerily. Her voice echoed. This place was pretty big.
The elevator doors started to close. Rogue put a hand out, stopping them.
“Catherine, can you light up the place?”
“What for? Let’s give the bastard a handicap! I’ll finish him in no time flat!”
Humafu jammed her hands in her pockets, disgruntled.
“This isn’t a game,” Catherine said.
“I’m making it one! You really don’t get it, toots.”
“……I will give you some head pats. Do you want to go night night here?”
That earned her a tongue click.
“Here goes,” Catherine said, stepping forward. “Fairy.”
That word alone banished the dark. Light spread out in a fan shape, illuminating a vast space of over twenty-five meters from end to end. The area was studded with columns, and the floors were marble.
Rogue jumped when he saw what looked like men, chained with their backs to several of the columns. Like the human bombs they’d seen before, some faces were covered in fuses, while others had their limbs twisted out of shape. He could hear no breathing; they were all dead.
Chronos had roped in more than just those four.
These could be the ordinary civilians Chronos and his underlings had ghosted. This wasn’t the moment to check on that, though.
Rogue moved around the columns, feeling like the corpses would lurch to life at any moment. He could imagine a human bomb hiding among them, pretending to be dead, or just creeping behind one of these pillars. Remembering how he’d been attacked at Dicky’s place, he swallowed his pride and stayed behind Sleepless. She was traipsing along, eyes glancing right and left.
They’d now seen ten corpses and counting—and reached the far side. No sign of any traps.
And that felt wrong.
There should be something. A space this large was prefect for traps. Rogue glared at the wall and found something on it. Writings had been carved into it, and a crack ran down the center of the scrawl.
Aha.
A hidden room.
Built across the basement space, it would just look like another wall to the casual observer.
Rogue put his hands on it, then gave it a shove—and it moved.
When he saw darkness beyond, a shudder ran down his spine. Like he should not have opened that.
He’d felt something like this before, but where? In that dream…
The “gate.”
The wall parted with the sound of stone on stone. Soon, the light spread into the space behind.
_____Madness.
The lights illuminated Chronos Drakenia’s corpse.
Rogue staggered closer and fell to his knees.
What is going on?
The serial killer from the house of nobility was tied to the pillar just like every other bomb. His legs were splayed out, his distinctive golden eyes wide-open. The sockets were hollow, and his cheeks were gaunt. His mouth hung half-open, what looked like sand pouring out of it.
When that sand hit Rogue’s hand, he felt his heart skip a beat.
That was not something any human body should produce. Even as he watched, Chronos’s right arm fell off his shoulder. He peered at the wound and saw no flesh or blood, merely grains. Like…
“Control……?” a voice said.
He looked back to find the witches behind him. Catherine had a worried frown, and Humafu’s lips were twisted to the side, her arms folded.
“This the same shit that killed Miseria? The body turning to stone!”
“Yes. But that spell was confiscated…,” Catherine said.
“Fuck that, what now?” Humafu asked. “I’m itching for a throwdown! Detective, is this the end?!”
She gave him a pleading look.
“I’m gonna…” His voice rasped. “I’m gonna call the chief.”
With that, he got up and ran off toward the elevator. He heard someone calling after him but paid them no attention.
Rogue knew. Knew someone besides Chronos who had that Control spell.
On the elevator, he hit the button for the ground floor. Or he meant to—but he mistakenly picked the bell tower instead. Calm down!
Fingers shaking, he pulled out his phone.
He pressed call, and it rang. Once, twice.
_____Pick up!
Now!
The elevator felt insanely slow.
Catherine was right. The Two Great Houses had confiscated the spell that Chronos had been melded to. He’d been under high-security confinement, with no means of escape. But there was one person outside who’d figured out how Control worked. She’d saved Rogue from certain death and reversed her own time, undoing her death.
In hindsight, it made no sense that she’d show up where a human bomb was hiding.
She’d stepped in before the blast killed him? Was that remotely possible? Or had she put the whole thing together, including the time of his arrival?