Mark fought on with his sword as Rylie shot balls of light at the oncoming horde. Thatcher must have been growing frustrated because the Fiend concentrated their onslaught on the pair. They were quickly surrounded by Fiend, back against the fence as the continued whitling down the feral humans. They other Traitors who still had fight in this chipped away at the back of the pack and before they could pass out from exhaustion, they were met by Rylie and Mark.

Hundreds of Fiend littered the grounds outside of Grandhall’s outer fence with only a few Traitors mixed in with them. Hanna used her tracking ability to sift out their fallen colleagues and they were portal led back to the agency for burial. Before she could go back herself, Mark ran up to her.

“One cleared the fence. I don’t know how much damage it could do. Piety might not have much in the way of offensive magic, but they should be able to handle their own.”

Hanna opened the gate, shuddering as her magic was suppressed and Mark followed suit. Rylie looked weary until Mark told her to go check on the others, handing him her dagger. The siblings walked to the door, left ajar from the Fiend.

Mark clutched Rylie’s dagger while Hanna had pulled out her own knife and they slowly worked their way through. The church was quiet, the chapel empty. Hanna looked at him to check the first set of their living quarters. He waited for her signal, then opened the door.

Jack charged out, screaming and waving a butcher knife wildly. Mark grabbed his wrist and twisted it until the knife clattered to the ground. Jack’s eyes grew terrified until he realized it was Mark. His face relaxed and the man nearly fell over.

“I though you were another one of them.”

“Where did it go?”

“Joselyn killed it. Then she took off to her sanctum to protect the staff.”

Mark sighed. The night wasn’t over yet, “Hanna, stay with these guys. Let them know the situation outside. I’ll go check on Joselyn.” His sister nodded and he made his way to the sanctum.

He had helped Grandhall install the protections on the outside of the sanctum and knew where he had left a weak point, just in case. Whoever was messing with his life wasn’t the only one who could have been Strategy. He worked his was through the secret tunnel and peeked out at Joselyn praying before the staff.

“You know, we found your little tunnel almost immediately,” she suddenly said out loud. So much for his bid to join Strategy. “I recommended keeping it open. You never know what something like that can come in handy.”

“The Fiend outside have stopped their attack. We’ve killed hundreds of them. They got a few of ours. Only the one you killed made it inside. You’re safe now.”

She nodded, “Have you ever seen one of the Patron’s Artifacts, Mr. James? Most don’t. The only certainty about them that we have is that every member of Piety has not only seen but has touched this staff.”

He looked at the staff. Even with his powers suppressed, he could feel the light trickle of magic coming from it. He knew that if he ever saw a member not using their power, their personal magic would feel that same.

“It’s very beautiful.”

She smirked, “This is not some musing by a religious obsessive, Mr. James. There is a reason that I ask. Save for Piety, it is safe to say that very, very few members of the collectives have seen an Artifact. Let alone their own patron’s. They are rare and powerful.”

He kept quiet as she talked, looking at the staff and wondering about Guardian’s Shield. He knew it was kept in one of the Agencies around the world but didn’t know which. He had seen pictures of it but didn’t know exactly what it did.

“Many seek them for the power they bring, but the truth is, they are both a weapon and the downfall of the Patron they belong to. This staff creates Piety members, but it is and forever will be the only way. If it is destroyed, so are we. I don’t know what the Fiend Collar does if a member of the herd wears it, but it is safe to say that we have seen the destruction it can bring against both the herd and anyone who stands in the way.”

“Thatcher Tomlin. He has the collar. He wants the staff.” Mark said.

She nodded softly, “Yeah, that makes sense. He can’t spy on us or seek out our desires to sell us stuff with the suppression always up. Between that and all of his other powers, he doesn’t like having them removed. Piety forbid he feel like a person for once.”

“He said a member joined your flock, stated that they were wanting to join. You brought the staff here for them to be initiated. Who was it?”

“Did I? I don’t remember. I know that France sent it with a member, and I met with them to retrieve it. I don’t even remember having a new member or someone stating they wanted to join.”

“Did you have your suppression power on when you did that?” Mark asked.

She shook her head, “I never do. We have some training for fighting, but we’re not strong in that regard. If I had suppression on, then I would have been noticed by any number of magic users, most who would not have my best interest in mind. I would be easy pickings, as it were. So, when I go out, I leave it off.”

“And were therefore an easy target for Blank to erase your memories.”

“As you say, yes. I’m sorry I cannot help you more, Mr. James. I truly wish I could.” She looked at him sadly.

“It’s alright, Joselyn,” he replied, “Let’s get back to the others.” He helped her stand up and they began to walk out. She stopped.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” she queried. “What was it like meeting Traitor?”

He smiled at her, “Very wet.”

Mark got back to the office, where Rylie immediately went to his side. He told her to grab the other three and meet him in the conference room. He tried to gather his thoughts as Jay, Rylie, Lily, and Hanna all entered the room and took a seat around the table.

“Jay, a barrier please.” His partner chanted a quick ritual, sealing the room from anyone listening in.

“Alright,” Mark began, “This is how it stands. Five years ago, a ritual was attempted using myself, Lily, and Jay as the components. I’m not sure what it was for or why we were needed, but it happened. I went and met with Traitor, struck my deal, and left. I lived a mediocre life with a loving wife who then had me killed. Thatcher Tomlin planted the seed in her mind and hired the gun that shot me. He also has been working with some unknown person who has teamed up with a man named Keith from Blank.”

The three stared at him in confusion as he rattled all of this off. He continued, “Whoever did this gave the collar to Thatcher to control Fiend. He wanted the staff, but we stopped him from getting it. I don’t know what part he plays in it except for the fact that whoever gave him those things so that he would bring me back to life. They have a new version of the old ritual or a new ritual entirely that requires the use of someone who has been in direct contact with a Patron. And there’s only one. Me.”

Jay spoke up, “That’s incorrect.”

Mark looked sideways at him, half expecting it to be some form of confession, “What do you mean?”

“You are one of the people who have had direct contact with a Patron, but not the only. The head of the Albrights report directly to Victor. Since we killed Barnabas in Boston, that passed on to the next oldest.”

I sighed, “Beatrice. I really don’t like having something in common with her.” Rylie laughed and he shifted his gaze to his partner, giving her a why smile, “Fair enough. So, their choices are either me or Beatrice. Clear to see why they picked me.”

“Because you’re easier to kidnap,” Hanna said.

“I was going to say because I am classically handsome, but you aren’t wrong with your point. Sorry, Jay, what was the point of bringing up Beatrice.”

Jay stood up, “Beatrice speaks to a patron on a regular basis because he is her ancestor. He is a human that not only became a monster but took it a step further and became a Patron. How do you think he did that?”

“Whoa, are you saying what I think you are?” Lily said.

Jay nodded, “It’s like you said, Mark. You specifically were needed for this ritual. Between coming back to life and relying on that raw magic, you are weaker than you should be. Hell, Rylie has had to save you twice now.”

“That’s true,” Rylie whispered.

“So, they keep you weak so you can only fight so long. They test your stamina against the Fiend horde. We all saw how they shifted to you and Rylie. They want to factor her into the equation because they know they’ll have to deal with her. Keith gives you information, which goes against his patronage, so you go looking for clues. Thatcher tells you most of his side of things to give you someone to direct your attention to. No one goes through all of this work for some basic ritual.”

It clicked in Mark’s mind, “Whoever is doing it is trying to become a Patron.”

Jay nodded, “There are several rituals that promise it. One requires three members of a collective. They must feed on one’s mind, one’s hopes, and one’s emotions. Sound familiar?”

It did. It sounded painfully familiar. He lowered himself into his seat and looked around to everyone. Rylie was looking down at the table. Lily had tears forming in her eyes. Hanna stared at him with fierce determination. Jay looked like he had more to say.

“Mark,” Jay said, “There are a few different rituals to become a Patron. They all have their own special rules to them, and they all have a period of time before you can try a different one. Do you know how long?”

“Five years.”

Jay nodded, “Five years. The one that requires you also requires three collectives to work together to give a fourth the power. It also requires three artifacts.”

Rylie spoke up, “Fiend, Strategy, Blank. But they only have the collar.”

Hanna jumped up and left the room. The others exchanged looks and quickly followed her into the vault. The two guards stationed outside of it were passed out on the ground. Mark and Lily checked for pulses and were relieved to find them.

Hanna typed in the code and the vault hissed open. They walked inside and nothing was there.

“They weren’t after that staff at all. Thatcher knew you would come to us to stop Fiend,” she said.

“Hanna, don’t tell me…”

She nodded, “Just last week, the United Kingdom branch sent us the Guardian’s Shield. They have our artifact.”