Page 4 of Gods' Battleground

He had a point, but…I don’t like it,I told him.

You’ll get used to it.

I doubt it,I countered. Though I might learn to tolerate it.

I’ll be your messenger,Jace offered.It’s what angels are for, right?

Hmm. I thought angels are for fighting big, scary things and strutting around in black battle leather, looking totally badass.

That too,he conceded.Now what do you want me to ask the Pilgrim?

Ask him about the woman he met earlier today, the woman who’s lost her memory,I instructed Jace.

How do you know Merit met a woman today?he asked me.And what does this have to do with our runaway telepath?

This is how we’re going to find Vertigo. It’s not like I’m connected to all telepaths in the universe. I can’t just snap my fingers and find any one of them I want.

You can’t?Jace said in surprise.I figured there was some kind of heavenly ritual that connected you to them all. How else did you know Vertigo was in this town?

The same way I’ve always tracked my marks, silly,I laughed.I talk to people and read the news for any hints.

But according to the laws of deities, I could only do one of those things now. It was a good thing I was a fast reader.

That’s why we’re here, Jace,I told him.I saw an article about someone experiencing memory loss in Magic Grove, but the Pilgrim doctor who examined her couldn’t find anything wrong with her. I think Vertigo used her powers to erase the woman’s memory.

And Merit is the Pilgrim doctor who examined the woman who lost her memory?Jace asked.

The Pilgrims often tended to the sick and dazed, especially those who couldn’t afford doctors.

No,I replied.It was a different Pilgrim. But by all accounts, Merit is the first person the woman encountered after she lost her memory. He found her walking around, dazed and confused. We need to find out where he found her, so we can retrace her steps.

Why not just ask the victim directly?Jace wondered.

She fell into a coma shortly after the doctor examined her,I replied.Merit’s our best chance—our only chance—of finding the person who attacked her. He’s our only chance of finding Vertigo.

Jace looked at me like I was chasing a long shot, and, well, he was probably right. But it was the only lead I had, so I was going to follow it until I found something better.

Jace interrogated Merit. Thirty-six full-body bows later—yes, I counted—we had our answer. The amnesia victim was named Gemma Henley, curator of the city museum, and Merit had found her right outside the museum a few hours ago, stumbling down the front steps as she muttered ‘Vertigo’ and ‘Magic Formula’. According to Merit, Magic Formula was the official name of a pretty famous map on display at the museum. The map was a visual catalogue of all known magic mirrors in the South Territory. Of course, in order to actually read the map, you had to use a very special pair of glasses.

That was a lot more information than I’d expected to get out of Merit. It seemed the victim’s memory wasn’t as far gone as we’d thought—and that she really liked to talk.

I teleported us to the museum right away.

“Vertigo is looking for a portal out of here. That’s why she wants the map,” I said as we headed up the front steps, searching for clues.

There weren’t any.

“But she must be long gone by now,” Jace commented

“I don’t think so,” I said, approaching the locked gates to the museum. It was after closing hour. “I feel…something.”

“Something?” Jace slid me a glance as we walked. “Could you be more specific?”

“We’re close enough now that I think I can feel her…Vertigo,” I clarified. “She’s still looking for the map. She feels pretty determined. I don’t think she’ll leave here without it.”

So Vertigo was here, so close that I could taste her resolve in the air, so rich and thick, like heavy whipping cream. If Vertigo got to that map—if she found an escape to another world—we might lose her forever.

And with her, my best hope of saving my sister.

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