“Everyone’s talking about it,” said Byron Grace. “There was a Teleporter and a man in black, and he went up against Pleasant and—”

“Kicked the crap out of him!” Colleen finished, shooting a glare at Byron for daring to interrupt. “Like, threw him about the place. I heard he pulled the skeleton’s head off.”

Jenan sat forward. “Seriously?”

Colleen folded her arms. “That’s what I heard.”

Jenan took a moment to absorb the news. “Well now,” he said, “looks like we chose the winning team.”

A few of them laughed at this. Omen’s frown deepened.

“You think it’s them?” Lapse asked, too stupid to put things together by himself.

“Of course it is,” said Jenan. “We’ve been told for ages that they’re a force to be reckoned with, right? Who else could do something like that? This is it, boys and girls. This is where it all kicks off.”

“About time,” muttered Gall.

Byron took a seat, like he was exhausted, his bag spilling open on the ground beside him. “We don’t know for sure,” he said.

Jenan shot him a look that boiled with hostility. “What did I just say? There’s no one else who could do something like that. The guy in black? I bet that was Lethe himself.”

“Yeah,” said Byron, “maybe.”

Jenan stood. “What the hell is wrong with you, Grace? You going soft all of a sudden?”

Byron paled. “No.”

“You’re full of the big talk when all we’re doing is planning,” Jenan said, “but the moment it turns real your spine turns to jelly. Is that what’s happening?”

Byron shook his head, but didn’t answer.

“Everyone, listen up,” Jenan said, looking round. “These aren’t games we’ve been playing. This isn’t dress-up. This is real life, baby. The plan has been set in motion. We have all been set in motion. We were told they had big plans for us. Well, this is where it starts. If you’re having doubts now, at this stage … I’m sorry to tell you that you’ve missed your chance to back out. You’re here now, and that means you’re in. No excuses. Does everyone, and I mean everyone, understand that?”

Nods all round. Even Byron.

Jenan retook his seat. “Good.”

The librarian snorted and woke, raising his head. “Quiet down there!”

“Sorry,” said Jenan without even looking at him.

The librarian went back to sleep.

Omen’s gaze fell upon Byron’s open bag, and the golden mask that peeked out.

He wished his brother was here. Auger would not only know what to do, but he’d also be able to do it. And, if it went wrong, he’d be able to get out of it. Omen, though, was the screw-up of the family. Omen’s efforts were doomed to failure. He knew this.