I’d just made it into the building when the future thread splintered and broke for the umpteenth time. I went back, sent my future self out the doors again, saw him stop. Conversation; someone I knew. I looked to see who it was, then opened my eyes, coming out of my trance.

The van doors opened, letting in grey twilight and car exhaust. Abeyance ducked her head and stepped inside. I reached over to pull the door shut behind her.

“Hey, baby!” Coatl said with a grin. He and I were the only ones in the van’s rear compartment: the security men were in the front cabin. “How’s the view out there?”

“Dull,” Abeyance said. She glanced around. “Where’s Haken?”

“Vanished again,” I said. I’d tried to shadow Haken with my divination, but he was being careful and I’d lost him in the crowds. “Did you see Vihaela?”

Abeyance frowned. “He should be here for this.”

I didn’t answer. “No sign of her,” Abeyance said. “Any movement on your end?”

“Pretty sure they didn’t spot you.” In her dark blue business jacket and skirt, Abeyance fitted into the area perfectly. Like most passive senses, timesight doesn’t show up to magical detection.

Coatl laughed. “You think she doesn’t know we’re coming?”

Abeyance turned to him. The two of them made a strange pair: Coatl, fat, bearded, and balding, sprawled out over two seats, and Abeyance, slim and straight-backed and slightly prim, looking at Coatl with her mouth turned down in disapproval. Briefly I wondered how they saw me. Maybe to them, I seemed even weirder.

“Is there something you’re not telling us?” Abeyance said.

“You know what they say,” Coatl said. “Two people can keep a secret if one’s dead.” He grinned. “The Council knows, the eight of us know, the ones who briefed Rain know. Just a matter of time.”

“Presumably that’s why Rain’s ordered us to do it by tonight,” Abeyance said.

“What makes you think it’s not one of us?”

Abeyance sighed. “This is pointless.” She glanced at me. “If I stay here and don’t talk or move, can you find out when Haken’s going to be back?”

I nodded. Abeyance was as good as her word and to my surprise, Coatl didn’t do anything to disrupt the path-walk either. After a few seconds I looked up. “He should be here in five minutes.”

Five minutes and twenty seconds later, the door swung open and Haken stuck his head in, looking at Abeyance. “What’s the score?”

“No sign of Vihaela,” Abeyance said. “At least, not from the front. Plenty of traffic in and out, but as far as I can tell they’re all normals or sensitives.”

“The front entrance is for their regular clients,” I said. “The mages aren’t going to walk in off the street.”

“But it’s definitely active?”

“The evidence would suggest that, but I can’t confirm it without going inside.”

Haken looked at me.

“It’s locked down pretty tight,” I said. “I haven’t identified anyone yet.”