“I can’t say this is the first time I’ve been called on in a place like this,” Morgenstern said, shaking his head. “But I never imagined you of all people would summon me to one, Trinity… so is this business, or pleasure?”
“All business,” Trinity said. “And not even with you. Actually, I just need you to stand between me and a certain someone for a few minutes while I finish a conversation.”
“And you just assumed that I don’t have anything better to do?” he asked.
“I assumed that when you offered me three boons, they were mine to name,” she said.
“Bold, dear Trinity… very bold,” he said. “But this makes two. You have one left, and then it’s your turn.”
“Believe me, I haven’t forgotten,” she said. “But it’s a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils.”
“And now I’m hurt,” he said. He made a big show of turning his back on Trinity, waving a hand at her dismissively. “Very well, have your little conversation.”
“Such a drama queen,” Trinity muttered. She turned back to Zeke, who was shaking so much that his shell audibly clacked. “What?” she said. “You sell false hopes and exploitation for a living. He practically lives here.”
“It’s true, you know,” Morgenstern said. “You know that whole thing about ‘wherever two are gathered?’ I’m not that picky. I’m as likely to show up whenever one is gathered. I’ve squeezed a lot of mileage out of creepy loners over the years.”
“Forget him,” Trinity said to Zeke. “Talk to me. What’s the Seeress up to? What’s her involvement in all of this? Tell me everything that you know, or have even guessed.”
“Well… I don’t know much more than I’ve said,” Zeke said. “Honestly. But Vallenzio’s been… Ray Vallenzio, you know who I mean?”
“Yes, I know who he is,” Trinity said. “What about him?”
“You know he’s one of hers, right?”
“Yes,” Trinity said.
“Well, he’s been mixed up with the fires since the beginning,” Zeke said. “He was on site for one of them, one of the mystic ones, and he’s been doing the superhero team-up thing with other heroes who witnessed them. I got that secondhand. I’ve also heard that he’s been meeting with her more, after avoiding her for a long time.”
“Where’d you hear that from?”
“That La Belle girl,” Zeke said. “The barmaid. The immigrant one. You know her? She’s got the… she looks kind of… she’s… well… she’s hard to describe.”
“I know,” Trinity said.
“Yeah, well, she’s in here shopping for romance aids all the time, and she’s kind of a chatterbox,” Zeke said.
“Not exactly the most reliable source,” Trinity said. “And that’s far from concrete. How about names? Who are these heroes?”
“It’s Vallenzio, a couple of new chicks, one of the Storm Ravens, the gunfighter… you know who I mean?”
“Jericho,” Trinity said. “Or whatever he is this century.”
“Jeroboam,” Zeke said.
Trinity snorted.
“That’s kind of funny,” she said. “And Prather?”
“He wasn’t in town during any of the fires that I heard about,” Zeke said.
“So what’s his connection, then?” Trinity asked.
“Well, he’s in the same little cabal with Dock Shadow… the harbor one, not the dentist… and Shadow’s in tight with Vallenzio, so I figure it’s a friend-of-a-friend thing,” Zeke said.
“And who are the others, the ‘new chicks’?”
“One’s a human,” Zeke said. “Total mundane, from what I can tell. I’ve got a possible ID of her, if you want it. Calls herself the Black Rabbit.”
“Perfect Jones?” Trinity said.
“You know her?”
“Dr. Day monitors 4B’s operations. I monitor him,” she said. “And the other?”
“She’s more interesting,” Zeke said. “Blue girl… magic ring. Haven’t quite figured out her gimmick…”
“She’s one of the Seeress’s?” Trinity said. “Shit.”
“What?” Zeke asked.
“She was supposed to be mine,” Trinity said.
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