Meanwhile, Callum was irritated that the Alpha had hung up on him.
An hour later, Callum stashed some items in a locker. Locker number four. What had been taken from the nest was spread out across different places. It could easily be teleported and retrieved, and the evidence would never be captured.
The phone vibrated. Finally.
Chester said the agents had arrived. The Guild is not happy.
Callum asked how things had gone.
Chester confirmed that he had not made a report. The agents had no leads. But Chester made it clear as well: if Callum's identity was discovered, he could do nothing about it.
The matter of payment came up. Chester said there were two people he had to introduce him to.
Lucy got excited. First, the wizard expert. Jasper. Second, the IT specialist. Trocadero.
Callum laughed and noted that somebody there had a bit of a sense of humour. Then he asked whether it was Trocadero who made sure this call was not being recorded.
Yes — and Lucy snatched the phone. "Trocadero here. I'm a fan. The way you destroy things is amazing."
Callum pointed out, "You work for Chester."
"He's not my real boss," Lucy said.
Callum thought about that.
Lucy said something else, looking at the old man, and Chester ignored it.
Then somebody took the phone from Lucy. Jasper. "So. Wizards. You want to know about wizards? I've already scanned some grimoires. Files." He promised to send them.
Callum thanked him.
Chester gave a warning at the end. Antoine Levin, master of the vampires of Minneapolis, was a resourceful man. "Don't get captured. He is the most dangerous vampire that I know of."
Later, Callum was reading Chester's grimoires. Hand-written personal research. Such things are not available in regular bookstores.
But there was almost no information on spatial magic in them. The mystery remained.
Watching it get dark, Callum called Trocadero.
Lucy was typing on a large computer. On the screen: Mr. Brown calling. Surprised — so soon. She picked up the phone. I like this guy.
She asked whether he had accepted the honour.
Callum said it was work. "Tell me the rate first."
Lucy joked, "Fifty bucks a night."
Callum was slightly embarrassed.
Lucy quickly clarified. "It was fun. I can send you the price list for Chester. But actually the rate depends on how interesting the work is. Being a mundane in the supernatural world, mostly there are only boring tasks."
Callum felt strange about that. Lucy is a mundane. He had thought she would be a shapeshifter.
Lucy explained. "My parents were wizards. It never showed up in me. I'm just a mundane."
Then Callum cleared his throat.
The notification beeped on his phone. Lucy said she had sent the price list.
Callum named her. "Lucille Harper. You accidentally revealed your identity."
Lucy replied casually. "The joke would have been lost otherwise. And anyway, if Chester can't protect me, I'm in trouble either way. A fake name wouldn't stop the Guild."
Callum was surprised. Lucy trusts Chester that much. He had assumed the Alpha only considered her useful.
Lucy smiled and made a promise. "I won't tell the wolf."
Then she told him. Chester is practically royalty. You take twelve lives and just get a pat on the back. Only a person like him can make that happen, when the victims belong to an archmage or a vampire.
Callum took a second to think about it. So Antoine Levin is really a huge problem. Master vampires being that important means archmage level.
When the Alpha first came out, I wasn't that worried. Now I have to be much more careful.
Callum started to say something.
Lucy interrupted him. "Just say Lucy."
Callum asked about the two prisoners he had rescued.
Lucy typed it in. One moment with a fast food bathroom. The situation did not look good. They had fallen into the Guild's hands.
Callum became angry. This responsibility is not on anybody else. I should have left them somewhere else.
Lucy promised she would look for information. "Immediate payment. What happens with that?"
Callum said, "Gold. I'll keep it at a specific location. Two kilos in advance is enough."
Lucy became overjoyed. "You just bought me the best night of my life."
Callum turned red again. He said in his mind: this girl is a bit strange.