Now that he was out of the hospital, everything became real all of a sudden for Robert. He was dating a Carano, he lost his magic and his brother was missing. He felt like he had no power over anything, and it was frightening. Overwhelming. If it wasn't for Jenna and Marcus with him, he might just have had a meltdown.

But he was Robert Montgomery, and he couldn't afford things like that. Especially not at that very moment.

They left the hospital a little after eight and naturally got caught in the peak morning rush hour. The Tesla, Marcus' newest car stuck behind a white van delivering some kind of food. The situation wasn't all bad: tootling in the traffic jam meant that Marcus couldn't drive like a maniac.

Robert had to admit, this was a nice car. The dashboard was modern and yet simple, without all the flashy buttons and spaceship-likeness he was used to in Marcus' vehicles. Everything was controlled and displayed by a big touchscreen, which looked odd at first but was actually quite a good idea in Robert's opinion. His car lacked the solutions like that, but it also lacked a working heating system and the left back door has been stuck for two years so it probably wasn't a valid comparison.

'If I'm not mistaken, this car is able to drive itself,' mentioned Robert. 'Why don't we try that?'

Marcus scoffed.

'Do you really think that we'd be better off if a computer would be driving?' he asked.

'I don't know how to answer that without hurting your feelings,' replied Robert. Marcus looked at him offended. Jenna, who was sitting on the back seat, cleared her throat.

'If you two are done, maybe we should be grown-ups for a moment,' she said, then, reading Marcus' face, she added: 'No, I'm not talking about a threesome.'

The man shrugged. 'Then what are you talking about?' he asked.

'First off, any news about The Goddess?'

Marcus shook his head.

'They are off the map. It has been two weeks, they could be deep into the jungles of South-America for all we know.'

'It's weird,' said Robert. 'We assumed that The Priest wanted to cry havoc on the city. I was sure that he was coming for the Commissioner. With an ally like that… I just don't understand what they are waiting for.'

'Maybe he didn't need an ally,' guessed Jenna. 'Maybe he needed a teacher. The old bitch knows the names of the Runes, remember?'

'Yeah, let's say he wants to be more powerful,' nodded Marcus, while he gently pushed the accelerator and they made a whole three metres before they had to stop again. 'To what end? He is already one of the strongest sorcerers ever, he can have an army of zombies whenever he wants and he is immortal. I can't see any room for improvement.'

'Maybe they are not together,' proposed Robert. 'The Priest, above all, is a mercenary, right? Kovach thought that The Priest wanted The Goddess for himself, but what if he simply got a better offer?'

'From who?' asked Jenna. 'Isn't Kovach like the biggest fish around when it comes to collecting weird shit?'

'He is, in London,' nodded Marcus. 'Probably in the whole country. But they weren't exactly low-key, right? The whole world knows what happened. It was recorded in HD. I know it sounds like a long shot, but there are some eccentric billionaires on the watch list of the MAGE who would pay a fortune to meet something like The Goddess.'

'I would pay a lot not to meet her anymore…' murmured Jenna.

'Maybe we should ask Kovach about that, too' said Robert. 'If there is someone who is interested in the same kind of things as he is, they must have had an encounter in the past.'

'Sure,' said Jenna sarcastically. 'We are going to kick down his door and interrogate him in his home about your brother, I'm sure he will be happy to help out with our other problem too.'

'He offered information in the past willingly,' pointed out Robert.

'But just because he wanted to come out clear,' said Marcus. 'At this moment the Met isn't looking for him. We have nothing he needs.'

'Of course we have,' objected Robert. 'We can do him a favour by sending the MAGE to check on the man who stole his new toy. And he only has to give us a name.'

Marcus looked at his friends for a long second.

'It's very unsettling when you are thinking like a supervillain,' he said.

'Do you really think he will know where Benjamin is?' asked Jenna. The line of cars moved forward with a lot of honking and shouting, then halted again.

'I think in the very moment when Martin and Benjamin started to ask questions around he was informed about it,' explained Robert. 'He probably wants to find The Priest as much as we do. So I assume he followed Benjamin somehow, using a spy-spell or just a man creeping after him everywhere. Just on the off chance that he would actually find something.'

'What if he got Benjy?' queried Marcus.

'Unlikely,' shook his head Robert. 'For the moment being Benjamin is more useful for him searching than being put in a cage or something.'

'As I said, very unsettling,' repeated Marcus. 'Sometimes you just freak me out.'

'I think it's sexy,' pitched in Jenna. 'Kinda dark and menacing, but in a good way.'

'Sure,' sighed Marcus. 'Because when dark and menacing isn't sexy, right? You two are perfect for each other, and frankly, that gives me goosebumps. But of course, "in a good way".'

'If I recall correctly, you were the one who wanted us to be on better terms,' noted Robert.

'Yeah, in retrospect let's just say that it wasn't my brightest idea.'

'Strongly disagree,' said Robert, and Jenna grinned at him. Marcus groaned.

They stopped for a coffee and a sandwich along the way. Finding a place took a while because Jenna had an apparently very strict idea about what was considered as good coffee. She made Marcus skip the first five or six coffee shops they went by and was only willing to consider the ones that weren't a part of a big chain. Normally Robert would have agreed with her on that, but for now, he really didn't care. He just wanted to be on the way. Jenna might have felt his relentlessness because she compromised to get a mediocre coffee and didn't even complain about it afterwards. That much.

Once they had their breakfast and were out of the traffic jam, they reached Kovach's home quickly. Or at least the entrance of the street, where a crossing bar and a stone guard shack intercepted them. There were two huge gentlemen, one in the shack, staring at several monitors at the same time, and one outside, standing guard. He had a very professional looking magical baton, not unlike the ones the police used.

Marcus let the window down and smiled at the giant.

'Hi, we are here to see Attila Kovach.'

The big man frowned, he needed a few seconds to compute the information. Then he came up with an answer: 'Does Mr Kovach know you are coming?'

His partner in the shack took out a radio and was quietly talking into it.

'No, we kinda want to surprise the old chap,' replied Marcus brightly. 'It's his birthday, did you know?'

Another frown, another pause to thinking.

'He is not old,' the guard said then. Jenna groaned, and Robert shook his head. Marcus' smile was losing brightness quickly, but he didn't give up just yet.

'Yeah, it's just a saying, mate. Listen, if you would let us go, I wouldn't be ungrateful,' he reached out his hand to shake the other's, and between his index finger and his palm, there was at least one fifty pound note. The guard didn't move.

'If you are not on the list, you need to turn around and leave,' he murmured like someone saying something they memorised before carefully. His hand touched the handle of his baton. The other guard came out of the cabin. Robert sighed.

'Listen, my friend,' he said. 'My name is Robert Montgomery. Have you heard of me?' the man nodded. 'Good. Then you know that you don't want to anger me. Now open up the bar, please. We are going to pass either way, but it's up to you whether you are going to be conscious or not while we are doing so.'

The big man looked at his colleague for support. He nodded. The bar was lifted, and they went by.

'That was kinda badass, Professor,' said Jenna approvingly.

'And not creepy at all,' added Marcus ironically.

The road had houses on both sides, each one of them was bigger than the villa Robert grew up, and most of them had at least one car on the driveway that cost more than his annual salary. This neighbourhood was more like one where Marcus' family would fit in nicely. He was looking around with an appreciative smile while the other two were staring in disbelief.

Kovach's house was smaller than its neighbours and was surprisingly classy too. Robert knew that Benjamin would have liked it. Two stories, balcony around joining the upper rooms, exposed red bricks. Kind of old school.

Marcus parked in the driveway and they walked up to the door together. They haven't even reached the short staircase leading up to it when Jenna stopped. She was massaging her temples and frowned like someone who has a sudden migraine.

'What's wrong?' asked Robert.

'Nothing… But I think I found where the bastard keeps all that magical stuff he hoarded… It's like reeking of magic. You can't feel it?'

'No, I sense nothing,' he said. He knew that he wouldn't be able to even when he had his magic, let alone now. Marcus looked unaffected, too. 'Do you want to wait in the car?'

Jenna shook her head, took a deep breath and straightened her back.

'No, I'm okay. Let's go.'

She looked a little distracted to Robert, but he nodded nevertheless. Jenna was a big girl, she knew her limits. Probably. Most of the time.

The thick oak door had a knocker, shaped like a lion head, and Marcus had to try it. It must have been somewhat magical because Robert heard the knocking noise run around the whole house. They waited a minute, then knocked again.

'Maybe he isn't home?' guessed Jenna. She still seemed in pain.

'Or just not keen to open up,' answered Robert and raised his cane. Then he lowered it again. 'Yeah, I cannot open it. Would you mind…?'

Marcus shook his head.

'I'm not sure that would be the wise thing to do. We are not working for the police officially anymore, remember?'

'Bitch please, you are an agent of MAGE,' said Jenna impatiently.

'A secret agent of MAGE,' he hissed back, 'There is no need for everyone to know it, Jenna.'

Robert got bored, so he raised his cane again and stumped on the door a couple of times.

'Kovach! Open up! We are here to talk, and we don't want any trouble!'

'That was very convincing,' rolled his eyes Marcus. 'You didn't sound like someone who wants to eat the three little piggies at all there, mate.'

The door opened nevertheless, and on the threshold there was Attila Kovach, wearing a very comfortable looking white bathrobe and apparently nothing else. His dark hair was untidy and he had greyish stubble on his chin. He stared at Jenna surprised for a moment, then started to blink rapidly.

'Mi a faszt akartok?' he said, rubbing his eyes, then when he saw their puzzled faces, he translated: 'What the fuck do you want?'

'Good morning, Attila,' said Robert politely. 'I hope we didn't wake you up. May we come in?'

'You may not,' he said shortly. 'Get lost, kids.'

He tried to shut the door, but Robert put his cane between the frame and it, then opened up again.

'I was being a gentleman, Kovach, but it wasn't a request.'

The man sighed and waved them in. The hall was narrow, more like a corridor, with motel-art on the white walls and wooden parquet floor.

'Would you like some coffee and biscuits as well, sir? Maybe a full English breakfast real quick?' Kovach asked.

'No thanks, we just ate,' said Marcus.

'I'm pretty sure he was being sarcastic,' pointed out Jenna.

Kovach led them into a kitchen. It was big and modern but seemingly frequently used. Robert wondered about who else might have lived here. Did Kovach have a family? He didn't seem that kind of a man. The door of the fridge was blank, no photos, no child drawings, only a postcard from some beach. The dryer next to the sink had only two glasses and one lonely plate in it. No family, then, concluded Robert.

He leaned against the wall while the other two sat down at a breakfast table. Kovach started to make coffee, putting out the sugar, milk and everything he needed onto the marble counter. He didn't offer to make his guests a cup.

'I heard you were dead,' Kovach noted, nodded to Robert.

'I'm over it,' he shrugged. 'We have some questions for you.'

'Everyone has questions, Montgomery. I have one, too: what makes you think that I'm not going to be very angry at you for ruining my morning?'

'Because we are here to help you,' answered Robert.

Kovach scoffed, but he seemed amused.

'I'm all ears,' he said. 'But is the little lady all right? She is kinda pale and sweaty. It's not contagious, right? I don't need your germs…'

Jenna was slightly shaking by now. Robert looked at her with his eyebrow lifted, but Jenna just bobbed her head towards Kovach.

'She is all right,' said Robert. 'Now, let's get down to business. We think that The Priest screwed you over because he got a better offer from another collector. So I need you to think about who might have been rich and powerful enough to buy him.'

Kovach poured milk into his coffee. Marcus took out something from his pocket and gave it to Jenna, who popped it into her mouth. The colour returned to her face almost immediately.

'Might be because English isn't my first language, but it sounds an awful lot like I'm the one helping you out here,' pointed out Kovach.

'Let's call it a temporary alliance. We want to stop whatever he wants to do, and you want to pay him back.'

Kovach stirred his coffee and looked at Robert above the edge of his mug.

'Yeah, well, it may come as a surprise to you, but I have my own men to deal with people I find annoying. And for the record, Mr Nephew-Of-The-Commissioner, by dealing with them I mean my friends are sitting down with them over a nice cup of tea and they explain why they should stop doing whatever I don't like them to do.'

'Well all right then. I didn't realise that your henchmen are capable of defeating The Priest,' spread his arms Robert. 'I was under the impression that I am the only one who ever did that.'

If Kovach already knew that Robert lost his powers, they had nothing. Then he will call the bluff and will throw them out. For a long moment, he was sure that's the case, but no, the man frowned then nodded.

'Fair enough. But I still cannot help. Let's just say every time when another collector did me wrong, they had a completely unrelated accident shortly after, and sadly they are not with us anymore. After a while, people learned that there was some mysterious bad luck in fucking with me and they stopped trying. I strongly recommend keeping that in your mind, by the way. So I can't think of a single person right now, who might have been involved.'

That wasn't ideal, Robert thought but wasn't why they were here in the first place. He let the not so hidden threat slide because there was no point in starting a "who got bigger" competition. Especially when he had nothing.

'But I assume you keep your eye on the developments nevertheless, am I right?'

'If you want to ask if I know who took your brother, then yes, I had him followed until he met his… Well, not exactly his doom, but I'm pretty sure he isn't feeling great at the moment either.'

'Where is he?' asked Robert, pushing himself away from the wall.

'Oh yeah, no, I'm sorry you misunderstood me. I'm not going to tell you that. I mean, why would I? You just came to my home and threatened me when I didn't want you to let in. In all fairness, you should be happy I didn't call the police.'

'I can buy the information,' said Marcus from behind the table. 'Name your price.'

Kovach howled from laughter up until Marcus reached for his pocket and took out a pebble. He put it on the table. It was grey and smooth, and Robert couldn't see anything interesting about it. Yet, Kovach looked at it as it was the philosopher's stone. Now that Robert was thinking about it, he hoped it wasn't that: as far as he knew that was only a tale. Even so, one can never know if it came to Marcus.

Kovach picked up a glass and let it full with water from the tap then walked to the table.

'May I?' he asked. Marcus nodded. Kovach grabbed the little stone and dropped it into the water. It became red in a heartbeat as if it turned into wine.

'What's that?' asked Jenna.

'A Dionysus-stone,' replied Kovach. 'Very rare, nobody knows how to make them anymore. It can turn water into alcoholic drinks. Any amount into anything you crave. And not the cheapest one, no: the finest wine, brandy, whiskey, you name it,' he took a sip from the wine and smiled satisfied.

'Do we have a deal, then?' asked Marcus. Robert noticed that Jenna stared at the stone aspiringly.

'We sure do,' said Kovach, not looking away from his new acquisition. 'So, do you know that vampire club at Camden Town? The one with the live rock music in the basement?'

For some reason, Jenna went pale as a sheet of paper again, and Robert had the feeling that this time it had nothing to do with her hyperactive magical senses.