the Scum, his powers got all twisted. He’s an entropy mage now.”
“Entropy mage?”
“Yup. He can accelerate the entropic forces around any object or person he gets his hands on.”
“And you knew him? Why didn’t you recognize him right away?”
“There was an ol’ muddy spell on the bar. Some call it a murk, like an oily film on the surface of a puddle. Confused me long enough for him to get us by the short hairs. The other customers never existed, either. They were part of the murk.”
“I thought you said he dealt with entropy. Isn’t illusion a bit different than turning things to dust?” She smiled at his sharp look. “What? I read some fantasy books as a kid.”
He allowed himself to smile back. “Well, I guess you’re right. He ain’t known to muck around with that kinda whim-wham. So he had help.”
“Or he’s more powerful now than he used to be. Does he … does he really go around killing new recruits?”
“We ain’t really sure what he’s been up to, but we got our share of folks who go missin’ on the job. Not a lotta Scum take prisoners. For most, the best Cleaner’s a dead one.”
“Then why’d he spare me? I can’t believe he really thought I’d see it as being saved.”
“You’re new. Mebbe he figures you’re vulnerable. Plus he’s always had a thing for younger women. And with all your power, I warned you others might try to get’cha to switch sides. Do you know how many Catalysts are actually alive today?”
She shook her head.
“Six, not countin’ you,” Ben said. “Two are in locked up in loony-bins. One’s been missin’ for a decade, and everyone figures she’s long gone. One’s over with our Europe division, and the last two are twins that can only control their power s’long as they’re within a hundred paces of each other. So we need to figure out how to control your powers before someone else does it for you.”
Huffing, she glowered at the floor. “Okay. Yeah. I get it.”
“I don’t think you do, princess, but you’re gettin’ there. And I gotta apologize.”
She shot a suspicious look his way. “Apologize?”
He drummed on the dash, avoiding her eyes. “I’m your trainer. That means my main duty is keepin’ you safe until you learn to handle things on your own. I shoulda never let Sydney get to you. I won’t let it happen again.”
Her voice softened. “Are you sure?”
“No. But I’ll die tryin’. I swear it on my mop and plunger.”
Surprise slapped away her usual sulk. She tilted her head as if seeing him for the first time.
“Okay then,” she said.
“So why a lizard?”
She looked to the scaly rascal in her lap. “What? Him?”
“Yeah. Why on earth does a spooked-by-her-own-spit princess have a crawl-in-the-dirt pet like him? Woulda pegged you for somethin’ lower maintenance and lots cleaner. Like mebbe a set of collectible spoons.”
Dani cupped her hands around Tetris. “My parents made me get him, actually. Said they wouldn’t pay for med school until I proved I could get over my fears enough to keep something alive.”
“So why not go with a kitty or pup?”
“Fur creeps me out. But something about him living in a desert environment—especially a contained one—appealed. I just kept my gloves on, cleaned his terrarium each day, and got through feeding times as quickly as possible. Eventually, I realized I could handle it. After a while, the little routines I built up around him helped steady me in the face of everything else. Most of the time. I figured I could start small and then work my way up the food chain.”
He snorted as he started the van. “Food chain, eh? Here’s a tip. With us, it ain’t so much a chain as it is a big tangled ball of yarn. You don’t work your way up or down. You just gotta try to avoid gettin’ strangled by it.”
“Oh, that’s comforting.”
O O O
Ben walked out of the motel lobby and rapped on the passenger window. Dani, her face lit pink by the vacancy sign, rolled it down and frowned at the room key he offered.
“Why a motel?” she asked. The small glass aquarium in her lap held Tetris, who lounged on a square of plastic grass, content after having gobbled several mealworms. Dani had tucked away a plastic container full of the insects into one of her uniform pockets. Ben had paid for it all at a pet store they’d driven by on the way.
“You need somewhere to sleep, don’tcha?”
“Yeah,