Which was the truth as far as it went, but not the entire story. But I could certainly understand the inspector—and the government itself—withholding information. News of an uncontrolled virus outbreak would cause problems aplenty if it became mainstream news, but if anyone ever got wind of just how bad this particular virus was, there’d be widespread panic.

“What about the cloaks?” Jackson said.

“Any that appear will be shot on sight. The military have been kitted out in full Kevlar gear, as will you two.” She frowned. “We’ve been monitoring the entire area for the last three days, though, and there has been absolutely no movement—either aboveground or below. It makes me wonder if the cloaks are still there.”

“All their exits were destroyed,” Jackson said. “Where else could they be?”

“That is a question you will undoubtedly be able to answer once you get in and discover what, exactly, is going on behind that shield of magic and fire.”

I, for one, would be happy not to get an answer. I was really over being attacked by all and sundry. “What have you told the military about us?”

A slight smile touched her lips. “That you’re a powerful fire witch, Jackson is a fire fae, and you’re both consultants for PIT.”

It was a plausible enough story—especially given the number of people who seemed to believe that was exactly what I was—and it was one that would offer me some protection from questions should I need to either call the mother or use fire.

“The military are currently sweeping the fire-free sections of Brooklyn; they have orders to erase any cloaks they happen upon,” she continued. “Your task is, as I’ve already said, to uncover what is going on in that no-go zone.”

“Dead easy.” Jackson’s tone was dry. “So why are we still standing here?”

Amusement lurked around the corners of the inspector’s mouth. She made a motion with her hand and, in a matter of minutes, we were wearing Kevlar vests and were fully kitted up with weapons, com units, and cameras.

“I know none of you actually need any of this, but it would raise awkward questions if you and the military were not similarly kitted out.”

“Has the military struck any problems or been attacked yet?”

“No. The place is as silent as a grave.”

All sorts of warnings went off in my mind. Every time I’d gone into Brooklyn, I’d been attacked. And while Rinaldo might now claim to rule them all, something within me doubted it—especially given the demonstration in the gardens.

“Meaning,” Sam said, “we need to get in there before the hornets’ nest is stirred up.”