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Rani went back to her stove, leaving me to eye Mizuki and ask, “What tests?”
“You’ll see soon enough. Come on. Let’s get our seats before they ring the gong.”
The dining hall was huge and simple. Long tables lined with benches. Nothing fancy. A massive buffet table ran along an entire wall, with stacks of cutlery and plates at one end.
“What time is dinner?” I asked.
“When they ring the—”
Bong.
The vibration took a second to dissipate, and Mizuki grinned. “Dinner!”
People streamed in from all the doorways. Men carried platters and steaming pans from the kitchen to the buffet table. Guess the brownies were a tad small for that task.
I found it wildly interesting that the men let the woman who arrived go first in the food line, a courtly gesture that, while sexist, actually kind of impressed me. Yes, I was an independent woman, but there was something to be said for old-school manners.
Mizuki and I filled our plates, the variety of food incredible and mouthwatering. Blackened ribs with barbecue sauce, mashed potatoes, asparagus spears, crusty rolls—and that was just what I piled on my plate. The variety astonished. I definitely wouldn’t starve here.
We took our seats at the end of a long table with some of the other witches. As I chewed, I couldn’t help looking around, eyeing the many men dressed casually for the most part. None of them in a long duster. None of them with a certain chiseled jaw and somber look.
“Checking out the prospects?” Mizuki teased.
I wanted to deny it but thought, fuck it. “I don’t see Cain.”
It was Nova who replied as she sat down from across me. “He’s left with a team to clean out the subway tunnels.”
“Oh.” I tried to not be deflated at his absence.
Mizuki leaned forward. “Any ideas as to why so many demons ended up in one spot?” She glanced at me to add, “Most incursions are only a handful at most.”
The leader of the witches shook her head. “I can only assume a wild doorway opened for longer than usual, hence why so many crossed.”
“I wonder how they managed that,” Mizuki mused aloud.
“It’s a bit of a mystery at the moment. Just like the number of casualties is unheard of.” Nova’s lips turned down.
“Would they still have attacked if I wasn’t on the train?” I couldn’t help but ask, as a slight nagging guilt rode me.
“Your presence, or should I say the magic within you, might have spurred them, but even had you not been in those tunnels, they would have gone on a murderous rampage. It’s what they do.” Nova‘s response somewhat appeased.
But I still had questions. “These demons are savage. I mean what they did to those people…” My head ducked as I tried to not remember. “How is it we don’t hear more often about their victims? I mean if they come across and just murder people, shouldn’t the media be talking about it?”
Nova’s lips pinched, but before she could reply, Mizuki answered. “The reapers don’t just rid the world of demons. They also try to make it so that the deaths seem like an accident.”
I frowned. “How do you make someone missing their head appear accidental?”
“Fluke accidents happen all the time. Cars crash, signs fall, wild animals attack. Some people go missing. And there’s always fire.”
My mouth rounded. “Jesus. Wouldn’t it just be better to let people know the truth?”
“Who would believe us?” Mizuki asked. “Only those with the right characteristics can see the demons.”
A reminder that most folks, and even cameras, saw a thick fog. “How long have the reapers and witches been fighting demons?”
Nova took back over to say, “Centuries. But during that time, we’ve had decades of quiet where our reapers barely have to work because the demons don’t manage to cross. Then there are periods of extreme encounters like we’re experiencing now where the demons keep coming into our world and we struggle to handle them.”
“It’s so bad we’re actively recruiting,” Mizuki confided. “In the last six months alone we’ve added another twenty reapers, and we’re interviewing another thirty to see if they’re the right fit.”
