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CHAPTER 1
Electi
Mae Koskinen was one of her country’s h in her early training to be hand-selected for the Praetorian Guard, a regi was enhanced by sh-tech arm implants that used natural endorphins to increase speed and strength Froovernly real—return of supernatural forces to the world, putting her face to face with atrocities and wonders her fellow countrymen would never have believed There was no one else in a position quite like Mae’s, no one who’d seen the things she had She was feared by ordinary people She was feared by her own military
“So why,” she hts?”
The well-dressed answer, she knew, stood a few steps behind her, staying out of the way as she swung a bar stool at a furiousher with more emotion than skill The stool broke into pieces as ithim backward to land on the dirt-packed floor with a thump He lay there, momentarily dazed, and Mae used the opportunity to quickly scan the rest of the rooer to join the fray in their fallen coht cheht have actually enjoyed further altercation, she knew the set out of here while they still could Their mission parameters always advised discretion, and they’d kind of blown it this time
She tossed the splintered bar stool leg on the floor and turned to the o”
Dr Justin March—her partner and cause of this fight—hesitated
After a moment of deliberation, he pulled some local currency out of his pocket and set it on a nearby table “Sorry,” he called to the bartender, atching therabbed Justin’s arht to come after them
“Really?” she snapped, once they were outside “Is it possible for you to go one day without hitting on someone?”
“That girl?” He sounded legiti conversation while I waited for my drink Hoas I to know her boyfriend would flip out?”
Mae said nothing as they hurried through the busy, dusty streets
Part of her was too angry to respond to his excuses The rest of her was too focused on their surroundings, as she scouted around theer No matter how many times she left her homeland in the Republic of United North A and often primitive differences found in the provinces Nassua was no exception It was like so out of a movie, with dirt-filled streets croith pedestrians, horses, and bicycle taxis Street vendors hocked their wares, and many sets of eyes followed Mae and Justin She knew they stood out, not just because of their lighter coeneral healthy appearance The Bahaious extremists had unleashed the Mephistopheles virus on the world a century ago Countries with diverse genetic backgrounds had shown greater resistance to the virus, but being on an island had cut the Bahaene pools As a result, many had died from the virus, and those who’d survived had passed on Cain, Mephistopheles’ hereditary parting gift that e, infertility, and asthma
The region was poor too, and Justin and Mae appeared wealthy to ed two atteun dissuaded would-be thieves, but et Mae was always quick to correct them
“Co to answer hiher standards than that”
Mae wondered if she should feel flattered Working with Justin these last couple of ht into his preferences for flings—particularly since she’d been one of them
Things had ended abruptly when, after their one night together, he’d tersely informed her she held no appeal a second tih of other woless she was in his list of conquests What infuriated her theaside lovers The problem was that, until Justin, she had never been the one cast aside
Her pride didn’t handle injuries well, but she supposed she should be grateful Justin had walked away so easily, unlike her previous boyfriend—who’d wandered into dangerous obsession after their relationship had ended
Justin sighed in frustration “Fine Be that way We ht to Maet a drink”
Mae certainly didn’taway from their cramped hotel roo and only one fly swatter as pest control Justin’s readiness to turn to drinking, though not unexpected, was more of a concern
“Don’t you think you should keep a clear head for this?” she asked “You need to see what this woman’s up to”
He seemed pleased to have drawn Mae out, and a little of his former professor mode took over “I’d be very surprised if she turns out to be real Fortune tellers have been around since the dawn of time, no supernatural powers needed It’s easy to pick up on cues from people and make them believe what you want to hear”
Mae nearly said, “That sounds like what you do” She refused to be petty, though, and instead remarked, “Like Geraki?”
Justin grimaced at the reference to a would-be prophet back home
“Fortune telling isn’t the same as prophecy, and unfortunately for all of us, he’s the real thing”
The weirdness of their conversation wasn’t lost on Mae Three ht it was crazy Their society denounced religion and the paranormal as blind superstition The RUNA was so cautious of that kind of influence corrupting its citizens that it went to great pains to rein in those orshipped higher powers Anyone deeerous was stamped out The rest were cautiously allowed to continue but watched very closely Justin, and the other servitors like himent
That system had proved sound for overned that there actually were unexplained forces stirring in the world Justin had the unique and rather obscure position of being both a star servitor and a believer, which had landed hi on one’s view—the enviable or unenviable position of their lead investigator into such h to uard Most of their missions kept theically advanced homelandbut every so often, they found themselves out in the wider world, in places like this