Sin & Salvation (Demigod of San Francisco #3)(7)

“So that’s why he always takes off when you’re around,” I marveled as we sauntered down the sidewalk. Shadows stretched across the cracked cement and leaned heavily against the run-down houses we passed. “I wondered.”

“Spirits can sense what I am.”

“Then they can surely sense what I am, too, but for some reason they choose to hang around.”

“That’s because you’re nice to them. Stuff them in a cadaver or two, control them in a way they surely won’t like, and watch them run.” She hefted her backpack a little higher on her shoulder. “Been there, done that, don’t wear the T-shirt.” She glanced my way. “It got too old. My left nipple popped out through the hole.”

It was impossible to tell whether she was joking.

“Where is Henry that he’s getting all the intel from Valens’s people?” I asked, thinking on our situation. Nervousness fluttered my belly, something that was happening a lot lately. “No one ever mentions what he’s doing, exactly.”

“He’s here and there.” She held up a hand in response to my eyeroll. “I’m not being evasive. The guy is all over the place. He’s the only one of the Six that isn’t extraordinary for his magic. Don’t get me wrong, he’s high in power, but he’s a Reflector.” She gave me a knowing look that I perfectly understood.

Reflectors could push a person’s magic back on them. Sometimes that was extremely helpful, like if a Fire Elemental blasted a Reflector with fire. But when in combat with other magical beings, like a Shifter or probably a Berserker, it wasn’t useful at all.

“Henry’s skill lies in his ability to blend in to his surroundings,” Bria went on. “He’s been exploring the government building and the warehouses, making house calls to Valens’s bed bunnies—you name it. Hell, he’s been using those secret tunnels you found in Valens’s house to eavesdrop. You remember those?”

How could I forget? I’d nearly plummeted off a ladder, and after listening to the live-in ghost bicker with his long-dead mistress, I’d almost welcomed it.

“He has a knack for charming information out of people,” she continued, “and a real skill in being in the right place at the right time to overhear pertinent information. Valens and his people underestimate anyone they deem less powerful. They discount Henry for being a Reflector, so they hardly notice him hanging around. It’s perfect.”

“But he has no idea what the big plans are, and how Kieran fits into them?”

Bria ran her fingers through her hair, and for the first time I could remember, wariness crossed her features. “In short, no. No one has anything concrete. But I’ve heard the guys speculate, and what I’ve gathered is”—she glanced around at the empty street before lowering her voice—“Valens wants to make a play for more territory.”

I let out the breath I’d been holding. “That’s not news. And it’s not abnormal. History is filled with rulers, magical and otherwise, trying to expand their empire.”

“History is also filled with genocide.” She gave me a sidelong glance. “What I’ve pieced together is, Valens wants all of San Francisco. All of San Francisco. He’s pushing for legislation that repeals the Peace Accord Treaties.”

My stomach didn’t just flutter this time, it dropped out and rolled around on the ground. “So, in essence, Valens wants the treaties stripped so he can essentially wipe out the non-magical population, without repercussions, in pursuit of their land?”

“Does that sound so far-fetched?”

A strange heaviness filled my middle. No, it did not. And Valens wouldn’t just stop at the non-magical area. The dual-society zone would go right along with it. If Valens got his way, my little family would be ripped apart—and not just mine. No human would be safe, and considering his attitude toward low-level magical people, he’d probably go after them next.

“I don’t know any of this for sure,” Bria said, probably reading the rage and uncertainty on my face. “I’ve never heard so much of a peep about this from Kieran. It’s just the guys speculating. But…”

“There’s no way Valens could get those treaties revoked,” I said with a rush of logic. “He has a lot of power here, and it has clearly gone to his head. In places like Los Angeles, where there aren’t nearly as many magical people, the non-magical would easily reign. They’d wipe out the magical people in no time. Why would other rulers take that risk?”

“But the ruler of magical Los Angeles, a class four…” She stalled. “See? I don’t even know what magic he has. He’s a nobody. He has no power. And in the Magical Summits, when you have no power, you have no voice.”

I shook my head, unable to believe this. “When magical people first revealed themselves, they had to fight for a place in society. The whole world was at war. History books describe it as a walking nightmare. For everyone. Those treaties were the only thing that restored some sense of order.”

“But now magical people have their place carved out, and in some parts of the world, like here, they have enough power to take what they want.”

I sniffed. “And he’s under the impression Kieran would help with any of that?” I pointed to get her to cross the street.