their jobs. I’m actually seconded to the FBI from Shabak, which is Israel’s internal police force. As you say, we are seeking answers. I was chosen, as I have a background in theology. My father is somewhat famous in those circles.”
“Thank you for being honest, Agent Mazar. As it turns out, Declan’s mother was pretty famous in witch circles,” Gina said. “So you’ve at least chosen well.”
“Maeve Irwin?” Mazar asked. “Who died in Boston?”
I nodded, my throat suddenly tight.
“So, Declan, can you tell us what happened?” Mazar asked again. “With the witch in the parking lot?”
“Pretty much what I said before. I’m pretty sure she was here to drain witches. I have no idea how she found the school, but she was packing the power of eleven other witches, so who knows what she was capable of,” I said, sticking with the truth.
“She took out Miss Flynn, thinking she was the threat, yet you then beat her in magical combat?” Mazar said, grimacing a bit over the word magical.
“Yes,” I said.
“But she was all leveled up, packing big guns,” Krupp said. I must have looked shocked as she shrugged. “I have nephews.”
“Declan’s mother was an extraordinary witch, both in skill and power. Despite being born with a Y chromosome, Declan is, from all reports, just as extraordinary.”
Two Y chromosomes, thank you very much, I thought to myself. That bit of info would be best kept secret, though.
“You reacted very quickly—very effectively,” Krupp noted.
“I have some training,” I said.
“Is that what Arcane does for you?”
“Arcane pays for my college, but it does teach us self-defense, which is what I did.
I self-defended,” I said.
Both agents paused a moment.
“You are heavily connected to Gordon and Demidova,” Krupp stated, but it felt like a question.
“Declan and his girlfriend, Caeco Jensen, are the reason Arcane exists. Chris and Tanya are very interested in their well-being,” Gina said.
I hadn’t ever heard that before, that they created Arcane with us in mind.
“He’s probably a hero to you or something?” Krupp asked. I may have nodded. She went on, “And yet he’s done more to destabilize the world than any ten terrorist groups put together.”
Hah. We had covered this in Gina’s class.
“Did he? Or did he restabilize it?” I asked, holding up one finger. Gina smiled to herself and leaned back. “The U.S. didn’t start World War II, but we finished it with the atomic bomb. For a short time, we were the only ones with that weapon, then others caught up.
“Chris didn’t start the issue with AIR that led to him bombing that base in New Hampshire, but he sure finished it. And that left him free to clean up the destabilizing forces of Hell that were the side-effect of science.”
“But now he’s a rogue force, only roughly aligned with the government, and he’s basically the equivalent of a nuclear power,” Krupp said.
“As you just said, no one controls him. Which is why there have been attacks on Toni and her parents: to control him. They all failed, fairly spectacularly, and as a result… they stopped. So for the time being, his neutrality lends itself to stability,” I replied.
We had argued this point around and around in class. There were no solid answers and for every point I had made, I already knew the counters.
Krupp looked like she might press on, but her partner leaned forward.
“So, Declan, now that you know how far out of our element we are, do you have any suggestions?” Mazar asked.
“Am I being arrested or anything?” I asked.
“No, Director Velasquez was correct. Your actions clearly reflect self-defense,” Mazar said.
“Okay, that’s cool. Um, with the whole law enforcement thing, I think you need to hire some supernaturals to work for you. Some of the psychic kids here would be awesome cops, like the telepaths and psychometric kids. Weres of any kind make great fighters and trackers. They could pick up stuff at a crime scene that would blow away your CSI techs. And witches can do all kinds of things. My aunt regularly finds missing people for the Chittenden County Sheriff’s department. They just think she’s psychic,” I said.
“What else?” Mazar asked.
“When does the tournament start?” I asked Gina. My team and Delwood’s had been seeded for Friday’s playoffs and I hadn’t paid much attention to the early rounds timetable. I had planned today as a down day—so much for that.
“Three o’clock. That’s a good idea, Declan. You would be able to see firsthand the kinds of skills we were talking about. The