Hallows firearms and ammunition is an unassuming compound on the outskirts of the city, barely twenty minutes away from Nathan’s home. The only hints that the place is not just a warehouse are the sounds of discharges and the smell of spent gun propellant. Toothy is sleeping in his car, nestled in soft fabric with a sugar cube as pillow.

Nathan turns to Henkel.

“Aaaaah the smell of cordite.”

“That’s not cordite you smell,” The man answered, “it’s either IMR propellant or NATO’s WC844. Cordite is obsolete. Has been for some time.”

“You must be super fun at parties, anyone ever told you that?”

“When I go to parties people tell me “please officer don’t tell my parents or I’m dead.””

A joke? From Henkel? Only his relaxed face and a glint in his eyes show it.

“So why am I not getting one of those monstrosities that can punch a hole through a wall like you used last time?”

“Well this is all a question of stopping power. If even a .357 cannot put down one of those things in one shot you might as well take a gun that shoots fast and accurately, that way you have a chance to kill it before it gets to you. I reckon that with those things we’d better aim for the head and failing that, pump enough metal into them that the bits that make them move stop working. So we need something that shoots fast and that you can aim. For you it’s that M&P 9. For me, well I’m not sure yet.”

“Can’t we pick something that will push them back? Like a huge ass shotgun?”

“It’s not like in the movies buddy. The people you shoot receive the same kinetic energy that you get. Newton’s laws and all that. You get the recoil. They get a piece of expanding metal through the gut. They don’t fly away into the wall, and they only fall if it’s bad enough”.

“What about the bullets? I heard that hollow points are the best for killing people. Uh I mean, unarmored targets”

“That’s right buddy but if you get caught with hollow point bullets we’ll both get problems. You have safety rounds that will expand a bit and will not go through walls so we will limit the collateral damage. And don’t worry, Smith and Wesson make good weapons and they have been at this for a while. You though, you’ll have to start practicing.”

Two hours later.

“Alright. Thanks for helping me get that…”

Nathan checks the documents again

“License to carry firearms. You sure it can’t be tracked back to you?”

“Nah I called in a favor. You’re lucky. Else you would have waited ‘till Christmas just for the background check to be over.”

“Yeah. Lucky. Thanks for helping me pick up the weapon as well. By the way, are you not worried they’ll follow me here and see us together?”

“Nah buddy. Your car’s bugged. So is your phone. They don’t need to be here.”

“Oh well ok that’s comforting.”

Nathan tries to keep a straight face as he opens his door and Toothy flutters happily in his face. The good detective shows no reaction. Just as he expected, Henkel cannot see Toothy. He can feel the small Sylvan’s tiny weave distorting the flow around it and the light looks blurred around the edge of his wings. At least he can go to work without having to worry too much. He realizes he was wrong, he should definitely have listened to what Gwahin would say.

“Seriously Turner I’m taking a huge risk here. Those… Things. Those eaters, they’ll come back. You need to spend hours at the range. I don’t even have time to train you on trigger discipline. Shit. “

Henkel paces, obviously worried and frustrated.

“You’re an amateur. No trigger discipline. Can’t really afford to be shot in the back but…”

“ But you are desperate and you have seen firsthand what we’re facing. Don’t worry. I’m taking this seriously.”

“…”

“Really I am.”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s just.”

“Out with it.”

“Are you a magician?”

Nathan thinks carefully. Can he trust Henkel? It’s not even a question or wether he should but rather, whether he has a choice. He was planning to tell Henkel how they would kill the Varogs and that would mean telling him he can feel them, and that they are looking for him. He might as well clear it.

“I’m not right now, I mean, I’m training. I told you the truth when I said it’s news to me.”

“So what you can, I dunno, throw magic shit at them?”

“No I’ll just be able to tell where they are but I’m working on it.”

“Alright, alright, I can’t deal with this shit right now. I’m off. Keep working on your aim as well, can’t rely on that arcane crap.”

Henkel stomps away angrily, before almost stumbling on his shoelaces. Toothy barrel rolls himself in front of a car’s side mirror, radiating amusement. So the Sylvian is a prankster huh? Nathan hopes the creature’s tricks will work on Varogs.

Something about Gwahin said brushes his mind. She was really curious about what motivated him, and now that he thinks about it, he doesn’t know exactly why Henkel decided to go behind his hierarchy’s back. He looks so much like a straight arrow.

“Hey Henkel”

“WHAT?!”

“Why do you do this?”

Henkel blinks in confusion. Nathan waits in silence, knowing the detective would want to fill it. Henkel’s nature is to stick to the rules. What would happen after they are done with the immediate threat? Perhaps, he should not be so desperate for allies. Perhaps it would be better to face the Varogs alone with a well made plan rather than being shot in the back by someone who believes you are, what, an aberration? An anomaly? The spawn of the devil?

“Seriously Henkel why are you doing this and taking risks instead of letting your colleagues or a federal agency handle the matter?”

Henkel has this faraway look people have when they are silent because they are putting their thoughts in order.

“There are two things you don’t know. First, my father died in Ethiopia because he trusted his hierarchy to do something they didn’t do. Something they couldn’t do. You trust the people above you but in the end they are just that, people. I won’t hinder those suits they can do their things on their end, but I’m not going to sit around on my ass - pardon my French - waiting for someone else to solve the problems if there is a chance I can do it.”

“I see. And the second reason?”

“Hmm. The suits have already stopped a pair of those eaters you were talking about.”

“This one throws Nathan off. They have? This changes everything.”

“Yeah. Seven people died including the hostage.”

“Oh.”

Nathan is stunned. Before, he could understand death on an abstract level. Death is, of course, tragic, but he could not relate unless he knew someone who was involved. Before, it happened to strangers. Now however, his imagination supplies him with all the horror he needs to appreciate the situation. A trained rescue team of lethal operators, confident and disciplined and then, the otherworldly nightmare. An ambush. Incredible strength and men who would not die, who turned out not to be men at all. Worse, a dead weaver. He or she had been eaten to fuel the battle prowess of the captors. Nathan feels like an asshole to prioritize the death of a person over that of the others but from a survival perspective, people who weave without training will be key in fighting Varogs. How many others have already died or been transferred who knows where?

Henkel continues, oblivious to Nathan’s inner turmoil.

“And then you, a fucking amateur wearing, excuse me, a fucking middle age armor and a chick with a spear and a concussion manage to down two of the things with barely a scratch and I realized something. You were wearing chain mail when most people wear Kevlar and it worked! It fucking worked! I saw claw marks that had torn through metal. Kevlar isn’t designed to stop that shit, chainmail is. Everybody was laughing but actually, you were right. I don’t know why the suits haven’t offered you a position with your own team and a fat bonus, but after making sure you were who you said you were I would have, because I only care about what works and how to stop those things. I care about this more than I care about my pride and even my career. Then those shit for brains left off and I knew I had to do something. Why are you looking at me like that?”

Nathan closes his mouth, which is currently hanging. The simple question had opened the flood gates and Henkel’s breathless rant had attracted the eyes of a few customers leaving the compound. It is time to leave.

“I just didn’t expect you to be so… Vehement.”

“Why do you have to talk like a fucking book.”

“Fuck you. Ok. Now that we have cleared this I need to talk to you about our plan.”

“Wait, here? Now?”

“Yeah. Why not? Are they listening to us?”

“No it’s just… Alright never mind. Talk.”

“It’s simple really. The eaters hunt pairs, they eat one and take the other… I don’t know where. And those they don’t eat are weavers.”

“Weavers?”

“People like me.”

“Wait are you implying that Seren and Patience…”

“Yes.”

“Wow. Buddy you sure? I talked to them they didn’t look like they knew how to handle arcane bullshit.”

“I mean they are exactly like me: untrained. So the eaters are after untrained weavers and it’s very likely they will come back for us.”

“I see.”

“And when they do we ambush them and we kill them.”

“Wow that’s your plan? It’s… Well it’s kind of shit.”

“Hear me out for a second. You guys, both you and those suits, you can do detective work and maybe you will find them. If you don’t at least we know they will come for us. Now eaters are ambush predators.”

“How do you know that?”

“I was ambushed, your mentor was caught by surprise, and back at the factory both of the eaters tried to catch us when we were either trapped or unaware.”

“Ok what’s your point?”

“The best way to get ambush predators is to lure them out. If they know we’re coming they will trap us and they will kill whatever hostage they have. If we strike first they won’t know how to react.”

“Why not. Why not… Actually you know more than I do so I’ll just believe you this time. What do we need?”

“Ok, first we need to know when they’re coming, so if they rent a van or if there are suspicious disappearances that match the profile we have to know.”

“I have contacts that can take care of that.”

“Ok second we need a place to lure them in. That would be my house.”

“Uh wait. Why not an empty parking lot or something?”

“I have the home advantage, and it’s mostly secluded. And the surveillance team is gone anyway.”

“Ok. “

“Now for the ambush. I will try to find infused weapons but we can also use some heavy ordinance.”

“You mean things that go boom?”

“Yes as in massive damage if we really want to hurt them. I know you’re a cop but it’s for a good cause.”

“Actually I know… A guy. I’ll have everything ready.”

“Then we have the beginning of a plan. Let’s work on getting the stuff together. Oh, wait, I have to take this.”

“Alright I’m off keep your phone at hand. And learn to shoot.”

“Will do. Hello?”