Heinz did not particularly enjoy travelling. He was well aware of its enduring popularity, but it was slow and cumbersome, and the trains were always full, and the boats rocked too much, and the was so much dealing with stranger.

Nevertheless, he found himself exiting a railway station in central London. It was, in many ways, a testament to human ingenuity – and stubbornness. Even after the temperatures on the island plummeted following the death of the north Atlantic sea currents, the old city was home to four million people. It was freezing most of the year, but even before the climate change turned into overdrive in the mid-2020s, the ground below the streets had been carved hollow. Now, most Londoners barely stepped outside for almost half of the year. The centre of the city was like a giant greenroom, warmed up by various power sources and protected by strict insulation.

He had barely made it to the nearest street-tube when he saw a familiar face.

"You made it!" smiled Cassandra. She was one of the four magic users who had defeated the Necromancer, and thus one of the few people he trusted, and who knew Azucena at least as well as he did. She had settled in London a few years back – either an apt or a very curious choice for a pyromancer – and they had had little contact since.

"Of course, of course," he said, waving away the question.

"Oh, I know how you loathe to travel," she said and paused for a moment, as a thought clearly entered her mind. "Did you ever travel by plane?"

He laughed. "Oh, come on! I'm old enough to have done that! I'm not one of those –" he stopped. "What do you call the new generation again.

"A good question! I do not have an answer to that. After going back to the old media– I think we just don't discuss things like that as much any more."

"It's– it's not important. But you get my point. I remember flying to Thailand, when I was, uh, ten years old?"

"They had planes in the 19th century?"

"Very funny, Cas. Shall we move on?"

The woman smiled. She was wearing a long crimson coat and a wide-brimmed hat in the same colour, as she always did. Even though fast fashion had pretty much died in the tumultuous 30s, she had chosen one her trend and stuck to it for decades. "We shall, indeed! To the pub, it is!"

"You're such a walking cliché," Heinz chuckled.

"Clichés are only overused because they are so great. So thank you."

They set to a fast pace and walked through several street-tubes, took one of the remaining underground tube lines and ascended again in the northern part of the city. As they entered the glass dome, where the final street-tube left, he noticed the ruins.

"This place was hit hard," Heinz said.

Cassandra nodded. "Hardest. And there's still undead in those ruins."

The destroyed building were covered in white frost. "They are able to function still?"

"They get more active in the summer. I think I've dealt with most of them, but more seem to always pop up from somewhere."

"Why are we here? I'm sure there are pubs in… more lively parts of the city."

Cassandra grinned. "I thought surrounded by the undead would make it nice and cosy. Like the good old times."

"I'm not sure there was anything particularly good about those times."

"You must have enjoyed the adventure?"

"I did not", Heinz protested. It was, of course, only half true. Who would not enjoy, at least to a point, such an adventure? The thrill. The victories. And, of course, the human mind was very good at downplaying the bad. It was the good moments, the near escapes and the close wins that you remembered. Not that night in the cold ocean, not when Jan was eaten by a cave bear. Not the other lost friends.

Cassandra walked to the side of the dome and opened a door, letting in a freezing cold breeze.

"What are you doing?" he protested immediately. "Were we not heading to a pub?"

"We are," she said. "Just not an active one. Come on, I can keep you warm."

As she said that, he felt the air heat up. It was like a sauna. He walked to her friend, and they went outside to the cold.

* * *

The cheese plate was empty, and Azucena did not know how to feel about it. First, she was not used to parties that had cheese plates, let alone vintage wines, catering and a paid DJ. She had wanted to protest, but had decided against it, to not make Fernanda feel bad. It wasn't like she was like the other ex-captives either, or used to this kind of extravaganza, but she seemed to be more into it, currently dancing in the room-with-no-explicit-purpose with a bottle in hand that was probably more expensive than what she used to make in a year. The other people Laura and Rafaela had invited had become as a surprise to both of them, though, but it had been too at that point. Now, Fernanda's brand new home suddenly hosted a party for twenty people.

"There's more cheese in the fridge, you know," said Anna.

"Oh, no – I'm –" Azucena said, startled.

The German woman laughed. "It's ok, I'm not used to parties like this either."

Azucena realised Anna had never talked much about her background, but she didn't want to pry.

"I don't mind," the blonde smiled, as if reading Azucena's thoughts.

Azucena shook her head. "I respect people privacy. In fact, I find it pretty important to not ask questions some might not be uncomfortable to answer. So I don't ask much. I'm not too keen in sharing, either."

Anna shrugged. "I do tend to keep my personal stuff to myself. I think it's a cultural thing too. We Germans are not too much into oversharing. Or sharing at all," she said and chuckled. "But to be honest, I think we've been through enough that I can trust you."

Azucena considered that. She had no reason not to trust Anna, but not much reason to trust her either. Unlike the other women, she had not even shared the same ordeal with her. But then, saving her probably made the trust a one way street. "I was born in Chile," she said. Anna clearly perked up. "As you can probably tell from my name, my family are native South Americans."

Anna's eyes went wide. "Like Incas?"

Azucena chuckled. "No. Maybe. We don't really know, but I suppose it's possible. There are some legends in the family about a lost city we originated from. My crazy aunt said we're descendants of the witch-lords of the city," she laughed.

"Do all of you have magic?"

Azucena fell silent. Magic. It always came to that. Although, she had mentioned witches herself, this time. Every mundie who knew about her Corruption wanted to talk about that. Except Fernanda. She liked that about her.

"I- I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…" Anna said quickly after a brief silence.

"No, it's fine," Azucena assured shaking her head. "It's normal to be curious. And to answer your question, no, I contracted it when I was fiftee."

"Was it… painful?"

"Oh, extremely. There are no words to even describe it."

Anna went pale.

Azucena laughed kindly. "Don't worry, chances to accidentally get it are slim. There are not many of us, and most of us are extremely careful when it comes down to sex."

"But I guess the man who gave it to you was not."

"Oh, she for sure was not careful in the slightest!"

Anna looked more shocked than she should have. "So, it's not only hetero…"

Azucena shook her head with a grin. "Oh, not at all. No one knows the exact mechanism, it doesn't even happen every time, and there are plenty of precautions you can take," she said and paused. "You know, some even say it only happens with true love, but that's a load of fairytale bull."

Anna was tracing her finger around the rim of her beer can. "So, do you know if some people actually seek it out?"

There was something in her voice that sent a shiver down Azucena's spine. "It's rare, since most people don't even know about it. But seeking it out is a big red flag. No one wants to get involved with those people."

"Why not?"

"They always have one either entirely too romantic image of the whole having-magic business, or they are seeking to use it for revenge. No one wants to enable either of those goals."

"Are you saing no one who wanted it, never got it?"

"Oh, of course it has happened. I don't know of lately. There are numerous legends. They usually don't have a happy ending."

"I see."

"Hey, there you are!" Fernanda shouted and appeared from the dance floor.

"Yeah, I was just –" she began, but noticed Anna had already vanished.

"Just…?"

"Nevermind. What's up?"

"A dance? Please?" Ferndanda patted her eyelids.

Azucena considered the request. They were playing Ghost. She liked Ghost. She hadn't danced for a long time, but something in the back of her head was warning her not to let go.

"Uhh," she started.

"Here, have some wine! It's, like, two thousand years old?"

Reluctantly, Azucena took a sip from the bottle. It was a fine wine, she had to admit. Maybe one dance wouldn't hurt.

She took Fernanda's hand and they walked to the dance floor. It was nice. Against her own instincts, she was beginning to relax. Go with the flow. The next song was… Cure? That was cool too. Then there were other songs. More dancing and more wine. Giggling. Gods, she hadn't giggled for an eternity. Things turned into a blur of partying, like watching a montage.

Until she felt it.

She should have felt it earlier. She should have been more alert. They were sitting at the couched and she sprung up –

"Azu, what the hell?" Ferdanda said, as Azucena bolted to the DJ stand and turned off the power. Everyone stopped and started at her.

"We need to go. Fernanda, get Luca."

"What? Why?"

"We. Need. To." Azucena said with a voice so cold Scotland would have felt like a hot desert compared to it.

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"Ok, ok," Fernanda said and raised her hands.

"Everyone, leave," she said, turning to the crowd.

"What the fuck?" It was Laura. She was holding a weird bubbling cocktail.

"This was a mistake," Azucena said. "I should never agreed to this."

"It's not like you're our mom!"

"Can you please at least try to behave like actual adults?"

Ferndanda appeared with Luca in tow. They had closed off one of the rooms for him, and left him there with a pile of comic books and an old video game console. Judging form his face, he had been just fine until now.

"We need to go, now!"

"Why?"

Azucena gritted her teeth. She had no time for explanations, but the others would not budge before she gave them at least a bit more. Just "we're in danger" would not suffice.

Then the door exploded. Literally, not like someone kicked it. It exploded into a cloud of sawdust and splinters. Screams.

They're gonna die.

She turned to Luca. "Is there a back exit we don't know about?"

The boy nodded. "Is it safe?"

The boy considered this for a brief moment and nodded again.

"Let's go", she said and the boy started running to a door at the back of the room. She had always wondered where it left. Hadn't she? She grabbed Fernanda's hand and followed the boy.

"What about the others?" the woman cried.

"Too late," Azucena said.

"I'm not –" Fernanda started when there was a sudden explosion of blood. One of the party-goers had, it seemed, spontaneously exploded. There was a man at the entrance. He was wearing a long black leather coat and a leather cap. His face was covered by a black mask and dark glasses, his gloved hands making sign that Azucena knew all too well. One of the guests, a guy she did not know previously, throw himself at the man, who turned and twisted his fingers. The attacker exploded. Bloods and guts covered the entry hall.

"Go! Go!" Azucena shouted and turned her hands. She wasn't too good in protective spells, but could whip up an anti-magic sphere. The was a flash of light and a low booming sounds as the energy filled the room.

Laura and Anna jumped inside the magical aura. Another person exploded in the background as the two slid into safety. Azucena grabbed Fernanda's hand and pulled her past the door.

When all five were in the corridor, Azucena cast a barrier spell on the door. It wouldn't hold their pursuers for long, but, hopefully, long enough to give them time to get to the van.

"What the hell is this place?" Fernanda said as she saw the dingy corridor.

"Some sort of fire exit, maybe", Azucena hazarded as she motioned everyone down the stairs.

"I've never seen anything like this," Laura said as they descended.

"That's because the only go to places that have an escape helipad," Anna quipped

"Not true, but fair."

"What the fuck just happend?" Fernanda demanded as they ran down the steps. "My house!"

"Tactical wizards," Azucena replied. "Attack mages. They go by many names."

"Who are they?" Anna asked as they heard a loud boom above. They were coming, but the barrier held.

"Secretive sect. Not many like them, some say they can be hired, some say they are hired by mundie billionaires."

"I thought there were no more billionaires."

"That's what they want you to think."

The reached the bottom of the stairs just as the barrier above disintegrated. Azucena bolted out of the door first, only to be greeted by a black van. She draw her energy. This was going to be much harder than a stupid apprentice.

There were two. Two well-armed, trained battle mages. She considered her options. Anti-magic and hand-to-hand? They had pistols, they could take her down before she reached them. Magic blasts they would counter easily.

"Fuck!" she shouted. "I wish I had weapons!"

But she had her swords. How come she hadn't thought of that before?

She overloaded a magical shield. It flashed bright in the night, forcing her opponents to avert their eyes. She threw one of the blades and heard it thump into one of the mages.

"To the van!" she shouted.

The other mage had his gun out when she exited the glowing orb. She swung her sword. He dodged and fired, but missed.

She went into a flurry of blows. She didn't have much time before their friends would be there. The man knew that well, too. He was playing time, dodging and backing. She wished she knew a celerity spell.

The man fired again. She barely got out of the way of the bullet. Fuck. She threw the second blade. That was her last change.

His hands made a sign. The sword ricocheted from the magic shield.

Two more men came out of the door.

She pulled all the energy she had left.

"No use," one of the men shouted. "Give us the boy and we might let you live!"

"Sorry if I don't trust your promises," she hissed and threw an energy bolt at the two newcomers. They deflected it with ease.

"Have it you–" the sentence ended in a splat, as Azucena's van crashed into the mages. The third mage's concentration fell. Azucena bolted to him and let her foot sink into his stomach. The man flew back. The van stopped next to her and the side door opened.

"Get in!" Anna shouted. Azucena jumped in the van and they sped off.

Azucena had barely had time to catch her breath when she saw Laura bleeding on the floor.

"One of the stray bullets," Anna said matter-of-factly.

"Will she survive?" Azucena asked Luca.

"Yes," the boy said.

"You guys worry too much," Laura laughed. "It's barely a scratch. She lifted her shirt and was right. But it was a lot of blood for such as small wound.

"Where do we go?"

Azucena considered this. Whoever her true opponent was, they had kill squads at their disposal – and they wanted Luca. She had been to careless. The boy had been created with a Blood Ritual. Most likely, there was some bastard out there who considered him property. She needed backup.

"Rack and Lantern, I need to contact someone."

* * *

The frozen dead were indeed even slower than average zombies. Heinz had seen some slower ones, particularly the zombie of Mrs. Hencock in a holiday resort in Mallorca. While the sluggishness of the ice covered cannibal corpses was expected, her lack of animation had been completely inexplicable. It had almost completely derailed the investigation to the the undead outbreak in the facility – later of course attributed to the Necromancer – and was known as the Hencock Stagnancy Dilemma in occult academic literature.

Even if the undead posed no immediate danger, and Cassandra's spell was keeping the air around the two explorers nice and balmy, Heinz felt increasingly uncomfortable in the icy ruins. He recognised that the dead had once been completely ordinary people, and while research had shown there was not a shred of soul undeparted in the rotting husks, he still could not help but think of how that same, or sameish, face had once lovingly looked a kitten, enjoyed their first fondue, or told their child they were proud of them. It felt wrong, and he had always hated being around the animated dead.

"Still blue amongst the dead?" Cassandra noted, picking up on his gloomy demeanor.

He nodded. "How long? I feel like we've been here for hours."

The pyromancer looked around. "The frozen wastes of north London are vast, indeed. It is all to easy to get lost in here."

"Oh don't tell me that –"

Cassandra grinned. "Oh, I didn't mean to imply that at all! I was only talking in a general sense. You and me? We're a couple of schooled adventurers, we wouldn't get lost in any old suburb."

At the moment, Heinz did not feel like an adventurer. He had, at times in the past, but he had already convinced himself that part of his life was long gone. He didn't want to continue the conversation, and said instead: "Where is it we're going, anyway? You told me it's a pub? What does a pub have to do with the apprentices?"

Cassandra stopped suddenly and turned to face Heinz. "You really want to know?"

"Well, I do! Like I said, we've been walking for hours and –"

"It's the Winchester Arms!" she said with a wide smile.

Heinz gasped for air. Winchester Arms was the origin of one of the earliest and deadliest zombie outbreaks. Some called it the ground zero of the Necromancer scourge. It's location had been made secret by the government, and, as for years the area had been a no-go zone for either the undead or later for the frost, and seemed like, after a couple of decades, no one remember where it had been, any more. It was also rumoured that the Necromancer had left behind a powerful artefact that had fed magic to the undead hordes, as the scale of the attack had been unprecedented and never since replicated.

"Exciting, isn't it?!" Cassandra's shrieked.

"Uh, I – I guess? What does it have to do with the apprentice I told you about?"

"That is exactly what I have to thank you for! It was the apprentices who led me to this place."

"How on earth?"

"See, I figured that the Necromancer must have left behind some information. I know, I know, we destroyed everything we could find, but if there was something we missed… one of them would know about it."

"That is forbidden knowledge!"

"Oh, calm down. It's all for science!"

"That is not an excuse! Not every kind of science should be practiced! That is like the first early 21st century fallacy!" Heinz wasn't sure if it was the heat of Cassandra's spell or his own agitation that was making him sweat.

"Whatever it is, I know we can be responsible about it. I promise not to do anything you don't want me to do."

Heinz sighed. He didn't agree, but they had come so far already, and the woman had piqued his interest. They could solve the mystery behind one of the the biggest events of the 2020s. That was hard to turn down.

"Besides," Cassandra continued, "I have a theory."

Heinz raised a brow. "Well?"

"The Necromancer's first base of operations was under the pub."

"That's crazy! Why would he release an outbreak directly above his base?"

"No better place to prepare for it, and he knew no one would be able to find it afterwards."

It wasn't, all in all, that far-fetched. The Necromancer's first base was another one of those enduring modern myths and even Heinz had to admit the evidence pointed to an existence of one. There was still one thing he had to know. "You said you got the location from an apprentice?"

The woman looked down. Heinz knew he wasn't going to like the answer. "Remember the lair Azucena cleared in Congo?" she asked.

Heinz nodded. "A year ago or so. I thought it was a run-of-the-mill type of situation."

"Oh, I thought so too, but then it dawned on me: if the apprentices were still active, and scavenging together the remaining hordes, the one in Congo was a prime contender."

"I guess it was a big one."

"So I went to see."

It had only been some days since he told Cassandra about Azucena's run-in with the apprentice. After the the Earth Treaty of 2036, very few travel option that could get you half around the globe in that time existed. "You went to Congo?! But it hasn't even – how the hell did you…?"

"I have a dirigible. Solar and battery hybrid. I had to pull a lot of strings to get it, but, let me tell you, it's worth it."

Heinz wasn't a big fan of travel. Even less of of air travel – even if it was pollution-free. Unfortunately, he could know see that there was going to be a lot of flying in his immediate future.

"I should leave right now," he said. He didn't.

* * *

"How many of them were there?" Eduardo demanded from the leader of the tactical wizards.

"Five, sir."

"All of them experienced in magical combat?"

"No, sir, I surmise only one had previous experience in that field."

"And they took down the whole team?"

"Three combatants, sir."

There was no chance a single magic wielder, even an experienced one, could take down three battle-hardened combat mages. It was clear that the boy had used his abilities, somehow. How, he had no idea. They had not, obviously, briefed the assault squad of the the boy's true identity and abilities, so they would have missed anything he had done. There was also no way of tracking the thaumic signatures from his magic. He had proposed researching that, but the Grand Master had always declined. It was more important to keep their existence as secret as possible. Eduardo was one of a very select group of people.

"Do we have any information of their current whereabout?"

"No, sir. They seem to be adept at keeping hidden."

They will be know, as the botched attack had revealed their hand. The Red Fist could easily keep tabs on their bank accounts and the fund they funneled the lottery money to, but he had a feeling they would not be so stupid as to leave such a clear trail. He did not know if they had other, less traceable resources at their disposal, and the boys abilities could be used to generate enough income to stay afloat for extended periods of time. If they knew about his true powers. It was entirely possible they did not.

"How would you like to proceed, sir?"

"I fear we are back in the realm of recoinnessance, and the time for assault and extraction will be later. No further services required, as of now."

The battle mage nodded and left.

Eduardo took down a notebook and started writing:

"I want explicit information of any of the following activities within the city and the larger region: any and all references to Gail or the Old Religion, any monetary wind falls, the whereabout of each and every Corrupted in the city, and any long distance vehicles entering or exiting the area."

It would take time, but the Red Fist had plenty of resources. The fugitives would be caught in their web sooner or later. This time, they would send someone more than capable of dealing with both the insurgent mage and the boy.