To Samuel’s displeasure, his brother did not want to leave the religious half of our ti in the dark, resulting in two things. First, the sed carriage following shortly behind us, and sed the temosphere in the air betweewo brothers inside ours.

  Despite pig up Samuel, the cramped seating from before had opened up. Melissa had left at my urging, probably on her way back to the Bck Fme where maybe information on what was would forestall any punishment foing against Versalicci’s regory had been practically ordered to joiwo bishops and Forcreek in their carriage, where he likely was getting a private tongue-shing for revealing the Diabolism program’s existence. And Tagashin?

  Tagashin had apparently vinced Voltar to let her drive.

  For the first three minutes, I’d been terrified of the sure-to-e carriage act that would doom us all. With the furry harbinger of chaos holding the reins, it was sure to happen.

  Instead, it happened, although thus far we’d barely avoided collisions with two carts, one carriage, two ogres who had swore at us, one who had mao rip a mp off the er, and oomaton whose ior had started screaming about us ruining it’s ‘pathing protocol’ as it stomped errantly towards a crowd of screaming onlookers.

  We hadn’t crashed yet, which to Tagashin robably the important part.

  It was at least something to pay attention to instead of trading uneasy gnces with Dawes while Samuel stared daggers at an unfazed Voltar.

  “Brother,” Samuel finally said, voice icy. “You do realize this is why I don’t normally involve myself with your activities? And that this, this is why normally only Christianson even bothers?”

  “I rather thought it was because Christianson enjoys making me suffer,” Voltar replied. “After all, he’s so gleeful about making me ehese trips te fn nds, practically guarao get me into trouble.”

  "The point being when a member of Intelligeells you to do something, Edmund, sider your options and their sequences before deg to do the exact opposite of them.”

  “I did,” Voltar said, with a long-suffering roll of the eyes. “And you are aware of the reasons why you did it, you’re just blustering because you dislike Bishop Derrick. I am not jeopardizing a fragile partnership with a group that is helping our iigation. It’s not like this test killing will be kept under s for long, so they’d be offehe moment they found out. Something only hastened by the fact we’d be leaving the current crime se in a hurry following your dires.”

  Samuel’s expression was only growing harder and angrier with each word out of his brother’s mouth, and I decided to try and defuse it before he burst.

  “Why do you have an issue with Bishop Derrick?” I asked, and refused to wilt as that furious gaze swung my way. “Holy, betweewo of them, she’s rather personable pared to the other one. Hells, even if you remove the low bar that is Bishop Galspie, she seems rather alright.”

  “Personality has nothing to do with it,” Samuel said in a short, clipped tone. “Interfering in Imperial Intelligence business does.”

  “Intelligence was going after a lich,” Voltar told me. “Derrick got to her first and ended her. Holy, brother, it’s not like that was the worst oute. The lich is no longer a threat, isn’t she?”

  “Her books aren’t,” Samuel replied. “Disappeared, along with all her paraphernalia and equipment.”

  “It’s the sacred duty of Zaviel’s priests to keep any way to raise the dead, or live as the undead, away from all,” Dawes said quietly but firmly.

  Samuel didn’t seem to pay the rebuke any mind. “Outside of Derriterfering with Intelligence before now, no one is particurly keen on giving these priests any allowahey know Her Majesty’s stan Diabolism, and chose to viote it anyway.”

  “So did I,” I pointed out. “You ended up recruiting me, so why not the same with them?”

  Samuel gave me a pointedly annoyed look. There was a , simple differehat informed all of that, which was my recruiting was less a matter of choid more a case of join or fall victim to the w’s regarding diabolism. Which meant a noose, an axe, a silver spike, or that fancy falling-bde device they’d started imp from overseas.

  Diabolists who beloo important anizations willing to shield them and make it difficult to force them into a simir situation? Such as religions? I could see Intelligence’s frustration in dealing with Diabolists they couldn’t coerce.

  “Well brother, surely if we don’t heir help, this must mean Intelligence has the matter well in hand?” Voltar asked, and the gre once again swung back towards him.

  “Intelligence is busy trying to keep this from reag the attention of the general popuce,” Samuel said. “With the shape-ger i having theending to be the Bck Fme and the marches in the Quarter ending the way we did, the st thing we want is even more u among or aimed at the Quarter.”

  Almost toug, if I wasn’t sure that it was more about riots damaging things Her Majesty’s gover actually cared about. Or worse, draining her recruitment pool.

  “We did assigs to watch those priests who entered Father Reginald’s church yesterday. I found the corpse of the one assigo watch Starken underh the pier, cut from sternum to throat.”

  “Not diabolism?” Voltar asked.

  “Probably worried about his target notig,” I said. “There are ways to detect diabolism, or just magi general, that don’t work on stabbing or cutting up your victim.”

  In some ways the simple knife remaihe best tool if you wao kill without being noticed.

  “That or someone else was responsible,” Voltar said. “I’m more worried about the fact they apparently got the drop on one of your people Samuel.”

  “Not everyone is perfect, Edmund,” he replied. “But it is noted. It was a newer watcher, but even still, at least some level of skill involved.”

  “Supports the idea of multiple attackers more than anything else,” I admitted. “The atta Starken was sloppy. With multiple blows to take her down, Starken could have fought back. Yet didn’t, even with magic. Our killer got lucky.”

  An aplice more talehan their partner? Certainly possible, with one being the string holder of a diabolist puppet. A very dangerous puppet to pull the strings on though.

  “Ahing,” Samuel told me. “We ’t dist the possibility that it isn’t a member of this unified religion diabolism program doing these murders. Which means the possibility that it was someone employed or tracted by Intelligence.”

  “That ’t be a long suspect list,” I pointed out.

  “It’s not,” he admitted. “Two dozen, which will get whittled down further as we toss out those physically incapable of being there. Starting with you, who was asleep well before, during, and far after the murder took pce. Your o get beauty sleep has well and truly exoed you.”

  I stared bnkly at him. He’d just admitted that they were watg my every move, but all of what had occurred these st few days had been allowed? The most charitable answer was that those capable of watg weren’t necessarily capable of intervening. The uncharitable one was that with two dozen other Diabolists, keeping me alive wasn’t worth risking anyone else.

  “So,” I said slowly. “You want us to look into those you ’t prove didn’t it the murders.”

  “Yes, but not just that,” Samuel admitted. “This should have been handled from the start, but there were arguments we should wait for this step. See what we have in you before we make any kind of iment.”

  “I imagihis is more a situation of your hand being forced than you finding out?”

  A relut nod from him. “We want you to engage in training under another Diabolist we know couldn’t have itted the murders.”

  “Hrrm,” I said, grinning. “Tell me more!”

  Traitor! The Imp yelled, finally breaking its sileer gloating about the other devil. Do not be swayed by false promises from gluttonous tempters who have surely gaiheir weight by trig their rivals!

  “Not a practice done on this pne,” Samuel said, then with a slight twitch of his mustache he tinued. “Also. I am not that rge.”

  “Ig,” I said, tapping the side of my head. “They’re just upset that you’ve offered this after a round of rather nasty behavior from it i days.”

  I helped you discover the Diabolist’s ir ireet, The Imp growled. I have been more helpful than you wish to credit me.

  “You also didn’t warhere was a devil lurking in the most ret victim’s corpse, which is more harmful than that,” I tered, then decided to just give up. Arguing with the Imp was just a distra from more important matters. “What’s this diabolist’s name?”

  “Her name is Alberta Vesper,” Samuel told me. “Older dy has been doing careful research for the for decades, and has ma without a single i.”

  The implied rebuke about the number of is I’d collected I let go.

  “She’d be willing to train me?”

  “She’s willing to do many things to ehe flow of imperial age for her research tinues,” Samuel replied.

  So a relut teacher, but that was something I could work with. “And I’d be going there just to learn?”

  Samuel hesitated slightly. “There are some s. If there is ah capabilities we are unaware of it, it’s her.”

  “So my training es with the catch of being tossed to a potential killer, there to make sure on your behalf she ’t say, be in two pces at once?” I asked.

  “Hardly an imposition,” Samuel said. “If anything, we are all very fident in your ability to get out of tight jams with ease.”

  Voltar had a serene, calm expression on his face like he had for the entire carriage ride, and Doctor Dawes was more worried than fident, but I let it pass. It wasn’t a dealbreaker even if she was the killer.

  The agent intends to feed you to wolves child The Imp wailed. Trust in my own short-sightedness if nothing else to keep me ho! I am a creature of gluttony, pletely trustworthy as long as you at for my nature!

  “Hrrm. An iing decision you’ve dumped in my p,” I said. “The passenger in my head is very upset over it being sidered, which is a definite point in its favor. Mr. Voltar, Doctor Dawes, any thoughts?”

  I’ll twist yuts so much eating a bite will cause you to burn from throat to ass! Said Passenger shrieked. I ig. Bad behavior ear iurn.

  Voltar raised an eyebrow. “I’m surprised you’d take any I have under sideration.”

  Doctor Dawes smiles apologetically. “I know what my advice would be, and I don’t think it would be popur with anyone in here, so I’ll keep my too myself.”

  “Ditch the diabolism girl!” Tagashin yelled from up on top of the carriage.

  Please let that not have started a panic. Also, she was oo talk, fey being full of magic that she was.

  “I think it might be best to search out an altereacher regardless of any ulterior motives,” Voltar said. “Trusting that thing inside your head seems a poor choiake them for you seem a poor move.”

  Do not betray me! The Imp shrieked. I erred on not immediately inf you of the other devil, but that’s no reason to throw yourself on the charity of that greedy buerecrat!

  irely wrong there, I hardly trusted this sudden offer of a trainer much more than the Imp. But the Imp was a known quantity, and it’s own ck of fht was a drawback I could use to deal with it. A trainer belonging to Intelligehat was being drawn further into their orbit, something I also didn’t like.

  Using the two to terbance each other tion though. Ohat was increasingly appealing.

  “I’ll be happy to accept your offer,” I told Samuel, ign the shriek in my head from the Imp. “I’m assuming we’ll meet sometime after all this?”

  “You meet today,” he informed me. “I’ll make sure you receive the address. Three this afternoon should do unless you have a prior appoi?”

  I did, but not ohat should st that long. Naturally, or if me and Uncle Liu drove each other to storm off once again.

  Voltar coughed politely. “Not to interrupt this, but we do have a more pressing matter. A murder. Brother, is there a reason we’re heading to what’s left of the tral Dwarven gate?”

  I’d been so caught up in the possibility of having leverage over the Imp, I’d nearly fotten about it as well. I looked outside and yeah, we were nearly upon it.

  Ohe entrao a Dwarven fortress b Avernon, it had swiftly been ed by the rapidly growing city and had instead bee the main route of trade and diplomato the dwarven kingdoms below. It stood proud and defiant, even i years a giant among the buildings around it, a solid bastion carved from rock, silver statues of a dwarven kings lining its walls. It had stood for millenia, a fortress none had quered, the only ways in besides the massive, meism-powered stoes were the numerous arrows slits along its surface.

  Even now, years after ons had ripped the, it still stood. But the a gates had been forced open, the pathway to the underground forcibly verted to a highway. The a statues of dwarven royalty had lone beeed down into more funds for Her Majesty’s gover, the only statue one of Her Majesty above the gates. What was once a procmation of the Dwarves strength was now a moo their fall.

  We made our way through the traffic heading above and below. It had tapered off ohe campaigns had ended, and the vast mineral wealth that was to be won with it had gone up in smoke. Now all that went down was enough that the Delver’s could keep the monsters from making their way surface side, and a few expeditions still searg for that silver and gold.

  “The victim is a dwarf,” Samuel said. “Stonemaker Mata Oedeur, in service to the deity Zavan.”

  My ears perked up. “Probably the same ohat was among those who burst in on us,” I said to Voltar. “’t imagihere’s any more priests on the surfa service to Zavahere are to Savareth.”

  Savareth might not be the most popur of deities, but she had the advantage of not being a transpnt from a race the empire had just been at war with. Or a race who had mostly migrated underground to far away from Anglea.

  “The very same,” Samuel said. “They didn’t disproved my watcher, although she didn’t have the ability to take on a dozen Infernal Diabolists. She did mao injure one, and their victim has ended one and probably injured another. An attempt to track the group did not work out. I’m not sure what they did to my agent, but I’m told she’ll eventually be able to see again.”

  I could imagine a dozen ways Diabolism could inflict blindness, none of them in any leasant.

  “She did get a good look at one of them who had bared a det amount of skin,” Samuel tinued, poking directly at me. “Miss Harrow, why are Versalicd the Bck Fme involved in all of this?”

  I briefly thought on what to say. Couldn’t reveal too much about Melissa, couldn’t reveal too little that Voltar would want to expand on it. I had the feeling his desire to solve the case would extend beyond just making sure the Bishops were kept in the loop at least a little to keeping his brother informed to a simir extent.

  “My only defense for not inf you of this is that I only found it out retly myself,” I said, quickly sketg out the events of st night, just leaving a few key details out such as anything hinting at Melissa potentially being my half-sister. The deal unfortunately had to be said, but I doubted Intelligence would be after that. Hells, if any of their diabolists were particurly loyal, one of them would have mentio by now.

  Samuel was stone-faced by the end, not a hint if he believed me or not by the end. Our carriage had e to a halt as well.

  “I suppose this answers why a band of Infernal Diabolist have suddenly joined in on the murder spree, although why priests eludes me.”

  “Devils make the terms of their deals are for a reason,” I said. “Sometimes it’s to hide their true goal behind yers of obfuscation. Sometimes it’s to mess with mortals. Sometimes it's to test and see if the mortal is worthy of further deals.”

  “Alsions are their natural enemies,” Doctor Dawes noted. “Errm, well Halspus especially but no following of one of the Pantheon wants to see Devils roaming the earth again.”

  “I remain unvihat this is our killer’s motive,” Voltar admitted. “This patbitious fools in Versalicci’s employ perhaps, but not our main killer.”

  “Please tell me you aren’t romantig them,” I said drily, earning a snort from the detective.

  “Hardly, but I do think there is more to them than a deal with a devil. Besides, all sense of romance left me at an early age. Isn’t that right Samuel.”

  Samuel Voltar had vanished, and I gave his seat an unimpressed look.

  “That tricks more surprising when you don’t have to stantly deal with a kitsune,” I told it.

  Voltar chuckled a little. “He’s likely gone, and even if he had gone invisible, he’s not anywhere near as tauntable as Tagashin.”

  “I hear you!” said kitsune yelled from atop the carriage, and the entire vehicle shuddered.

  The Empire’s Greatest Detective nearly took a fall to the floor from that. I got out as quickly as I could, not wanting to be colteral damage if those two egos decided to start trading punches.

  Why couldn’t more people just be humble like me and Dr. Dawes?

  Saithorthepyro