Kendra Laushire's estate wouldn't have impressed most at her level of wealth and status, but compared to most of Rallsburg it still appeared to be quite a mansion. Three stories alone put it taller than nearly every structure in the entire town, even if it only consisted of a few rooms for each floor.

  The garden was another tale, of course, being wide and full of color and life. Kendra employed a full-time groundskeeper, gardener and security guard by the name of Collins. So far as Rachel was aware, he was not awakened, but given his long-standing loyal employment to the family, Rachel wouldn't be surprised if he was privy to his employer's supernatural entanglements.

  Rachel had parted with Cinza amicably. The cult leader had promised her support with surprisingly little persuasion, though Rachel hadn't told her the details of her plan—after all, she hadn't quite formed one yet. Still, between the murder and the attacks on Cinza's group, it was more than enough justification to start making a motion toward involving the entire community. With violence on the cusp of breaking out, it would be better if they revealed themselves in peace instead of bloodshed, before innocents were caught in the crossfire.

  So Rachel had come here, to the home of the woman she could never be quite sure was anything more than an ally of convenience.

  Collins was presumably long gone and asleep, so Rachel had no compunctions about bursting through the well-kept hedges lining the edge of the property. It was easier and safer than trying to break through the gate at the front, and Rachel was in a hurry. She made a beeline for the front door and burst in, heedless of the composure she normally reserved when dealing with Kendra.

  The lights were still on throughout the building, and unsurprisingly, Rachel found her in her sitting room, still on her laptop. The woman never seemed to rest, though she could definitely use it. Her eyes were tired and bagged, and her usually prim appearance was lacking in the elegance Rachel normally expected.

  "Hello, Rachel," Kendra said slowly, tilting the laptop down with surprise. "This is… unexpected. You are aware of the hour, yes?"

  "I'm sorry," Rachel started, remembering some sense of etiquette before continuing. She realized how insane she must have looked, with dirt and grass stains caking her skirt and her hair an absolute mess. "I've just come from Cinza's ritual."

  "Did you get drunk and join in?" Kendra asked, raising her eyebrows.

  "What?" Rachel stopped, composing herself. "No. They were attacked."

  Kendra blinked. She slowly set her laptop aside on the end table. "What do you mean?"

  "Two… golems. Something like that. They interrupted the ritual, and tried to kill Cinza."

  "Well," Kendra sighed. "That does change things a mite."

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  Rachel was momentarily speechless. She'd expected more of a reaction than that. "Huh?"

  "The word just came in. There's been a massacre out on the coast route, in an old abandoned camper. Ghastly stuff." Kendra paused, studying Rachel's face carefully. "They're saying it was mostly electrical burns."

  Rachel shook her head vehemently, even as her heart sank. She had hoped for more time than this to react and plan. There were still no leads on the identity of the golems' controller, and suspicion would already be growing against Rika.

   "It wasn't her."

  "You do realize how this appears, dear."

  "She wasn't even in town until this afternoon. She got in on the train."

  "Could anyone vouch for her?" Kendra asked pointedly.

  A face flashed into her mind briefly—a high school boy attached to Rika at the hip throughout the meeting, who managed to calm her down before she'd exploded on Ryan. "The kid. Zack, I think his name was?"

  Kendra frowned. "An unawakened newcomer. It's not exactly a bulletproof alibi."

  "How did you find out?" Rachel asked, wanting to change the subject. She knew she could come up with a way to protect Rika given time. More urgent for her was how fast the news was spreading, and whether or not she could still maintain control over it. A hope which was to be dashed in short order.

  "Julian Black. He's forced a town hall for tomorrow to… deal with the situation," Kendra said distastefully.

  "Since when does Julian Black call our councils?"

  Kendra sighed. "A town hall. The entire town, love," she added impatiently.

  Rachel stood up in shock. "Is he insane?"

  "Quite possibly."

  Rachel's mind was reeling from the news. Suddenly, so suddenly, it was time. She didn't feel ready. The world certainly didn't feel ready. There was a rushing in her ears, a sound that began building until it was deafening, driving away all thought until she was left simply with the realization that she had no other choice but to move forward and accept it.

  A thump from upstairs brought her out of her trance. Rachel glanced at the ceiling curiously. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had company."

  "We must have woken Natalie," Kendra answered calmly.

  Rachel nodded, but inwardly she was more confused than before. Those footfalls were too heavy for a twelve year old. In the years Rachel had known her, she'd never seen Kendra show an iota of interest in other people beyond their monetary value, so Rachel doubted it was a suitor. Kendra was hiding something else, but Rachel had to relegate that mystery to the back of her mind for the moment. There were more important tasks at hand.

  "Who did he invite?"

  Kendra opened her laptop, scrolling through a brief list reflected on her reading glasses. "Most of the major parties. Nefertiti Bowman to stand-in for Brian, as he's still unaccounted for. Gordon Merrill. Our esteemed Mayor. The sheriff. With the mouths on that bunch, the entire town will hear about it. I have no doubt."

  Rachel considered. There was no way to deflect it. Julian had done his homework on how to spread word through Rallsburg, and had enough people taking him seriously to pull together a meeting. Her only hope was to have enough of her own allies present to control the conversation and steer it away from the most dangerous topics.

  Of course, despite the relationships she'd established with many of the locals, they still only saw her as an eager college student at best. Her best examples of leadership were relegated to the dark corners of meetings in the shadows, with people who'd rather not have their dealings made known.

  The solution's simple, then, Rachel realized. Bring them all together.

  "Send out word for an emergency Council meeting. Tomorrow, at the town hall."