“And Aurora Jane,” Graves finished, “an American mage who has betrayed her own Sanctuary. You should all be ashamed of yourselves.”

Aurora nodded. “I’ve decided,” she said. “I don’t like you.”

Vex looked at her. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

“And me,” said Frightening.

“Me, too,” said Tanith.

“Ah, yes,” Graves said, switching his attention to the other group, “and here we have the infamous Tanith Low. Now then, is this the corrupted evil killer version, or do you still have the Remnant inside you?”

He chuckled at his little joke. Tanith smiled, but said nothing.

“It’s been fun,” Graves said, “watching you all sneak in, all stealthy and quiet. Obviously, we’ve been expecting you since Johann Starke reported the dagger missing eight hours ago. Once we heard of the trouble in Chicago, we reasoned that it was only a matter of time before the thief, or thieves, would try to add the sword to their collection. I have to admit, however, having two sets of rival robbers fall into my trap at the same time, well... that was an unexpected bonus.”

This time, Tanith laughed.

“I’m so glad you find this as amusing as I do,” said Graves, laughing along with her.

“More amusing, actually.”

“Oh, I doubt it.”

“No, really,” said Tanith. “I’d say I’m far more amused at this moment than you could possibly be.”

Annoyance dimmed the smile on Graves’s face. “And why is that? Are you amused by your own stupidity? Are you amused by the prospect of spending the rest of your miserable life in a prison cell with your powers bound?”

“Nope,” Tanith said. “I’m just amused at your definition of a trap, that’s all.”

Graves made a point of looking at all of his mages and Cleavers before looking back at her. “You’re surrounded,” he said. “Outgunned. Outmatched. Outmanoeuvred.”

“But not outsmarted.”

“Is that so? You think you’re smarter than me, is that it? You’re a thug, Miss Low. Oh, yes, I know all about you. You were trained as an assassin, then diversified into mercenary activities, before finding yourself as a freelance bounty hunter. You like to fight. That’s all you like to do. Whereas I am a scholar. I have dedicated my life to the languages of magic. I have peeled back secrets and explored hidden truths.”

“Doesn’t make you smarter than me,” Tanith said. “Just more boring.”

Graves’s patience was wearing thin, and it was showing on his face. “Throw down your weapons and put your hands in the air. And somebody turn that bloody siren off, it’s giving me a headache.”