Chapters (30)

“Are you serious?” He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “How the hell did she end up running things here?”

“A lot of things were up in the air after Gutenberg died. Whatever I might think of Babs, she’s very, very good at what she does. Nicola Pallas and the rest of the Porter Council spent a long time telepathically checking her intentions before sending her to New Millennium. She believes in what we’re doing here, and she wants to see it grow.”

“Do you trust her?”

“I trust Nicola. I wouldn’t have let you come here if I didn’t believe it was safe. But if I hear the slightest whisper that your family could be in danger, I’ll get you out.”

“Thanks.” He put a hand on the door. With his back to me, he added, “Be careful out there, eh?”

I thought about the potential clue Deb had given me, and about the blood and bodies in Lansing. With Lex and her parents safe, it was time to find some answers. “Not really part of my skillset, but I’ll do my best.”

INTERPOL’S MOST WANTED MAGICAL CRIMINALS

1.	Name:	Juan Ponce de Leon
	Nationality:	Spanish
	Date of Birth:	1474
	Height:	Unknown
	Hair:	Unknown
	Eyes:	Unknown

	Charges:	Murder, enslavement, theft, and other war crimes.

Ponce de Leon is believed to be a sorcerer. The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for his arrest based on crimes committed by him and soldiers under his command in the early sixteenth century.

2.	Name:	Yvan Marchais
	Nationality:	French
	Date of Birth:	16/06/1984
	Height:	1.59 meter
	Hair:	Brown
	Eyes:	Brown
	Charges:	Murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, extortion.

Marchais is a mercenary and religious extremist, and is believed to be a vampire. He is wanted in connection with three large-scale massacres in eastern Europe.

3.	Name:	Samoud al-Rahman
	Nationality:	Afghani
	Date of Birth:	02/10/1991
	Height:	1.45 meter
	Hair:	Black
	Eyes:	Red

	Charges:	Murder, terrorism, arms trafficking, treason.

Al-Rahman is the son of an Afghani warlord. The people believe him to be part demon. He’s been implicated in more than four thousand murders and executions.

4.	Name:	Lucy Bell
	Nationality:	U.S.A
	Date of Birth:	28/04/2001
	Height:	1.38 meter
	Hair:	Blonde
	Eyes:	Hazel

	Charges:	Drug trafficking, blackmail, extortion, sale of prohibited magical material.

Bell ran away from her parents in 2011. In recent years, she has been linked to gang-related drug dealing in the southern United States. She is believed to be using libriomancy to create new, powerful, and deadly drugs.

IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON THE WHEREABOUTS OF THESE INDIVIDUALS, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL OR NATIONAL POLICE, OR INTERPOL.

Chapter 7

“For someone who claimed to want nothing more than to be a researcher, you certainly spend a great deal of time in the field.”

“It’s hard to concentrate on research when the world’s going to hell.”

“Yet somehow, billions of people go about their lives every day, resisting the urge to track down terrorists and conspiracies.”