That night’s sleep was a little restless. Nobody could take it easy knowing there might be more monsters hiding somewhere in the palace. Their watch had more people this time, ranging all over the place in little groups. Mikey and Jerome still kept lookout from the towers, while Ned had recruited a couple of the office workers to guard the vehicles at the back.

After a few hours of sleep, Rory was roused by Viv.

“Wake up sleepy-head,” she said. “Can’t believe I’m the one rousing you. You’re always up before me.”

Rory yawned, licking his lips and smiling. “It’s a nice change of pace.”

Viv bit back on her own smile. “Don’t get used to it. Come on, we’re going on a little patrol.”

As everyone slept, they ascended the stairs and checked out the other floors. They kept an eye out for any monsters, Viv keeping her red sabre lit in one hand and holding Rory’s hand with the other. Eventually, they reached the roof. With the moon hanging low, dawn not far off, and the chill of the night air taking away his worries, Rory felt much more at peace.

“It’s so nice up here,” Rory said.

“Right?” Viv breathed in deeply, the wind making her hair flutter a little. “You think we’ll succeed?”

Rory pursed his lips, unwilling to let the good mood be ruined. “Why? Don’t you?”

“I do. I’ve got faith in you. I just think… it’s not impossible to fail. That’s just how life is, you know.

“You sound awfully depressing, you know that?”

Viv laughed softly. “I don’t mean to get you down. But we do have to think about what we can do if things don’t go according to plan.”

Rory took a deep breath. The chill air filled him like a soothing balm. “Are we going to set up an emergency store with a getaway vehicle then?”

“I like the way you think, making us into criminals just for looking out for the future.”

Rory laughed.

“But yes,” Viv said. “We’ll make a backup plan. And a backup plan for the backup plan. And we need to contact Alex too. We don’t even know if they’re alright.”

Swallowing, Rory pulled her into his arms. “We’ll find something.” His own voice was constricted too. For all the good the night air had done, it could do nothing to assuage his worries. “They’ll be fine. We just have to hope.”

Viv said nothing, only burrowing her head in his shoulder.

They watched the dawn rise, then headed back downstairs to end their watch. There was no time to sleep afterwards. With the day’s first light, some of the others were beginning to get up as well. Rory was still too tired. Didn’t help his diet was little more than hard nuts, crackers and energy drinks giving him the bare minimum of carbohydrates.

At least the reappearance of the Wraiths kept him awake.

Dez and Allen spotted them during their morning watch. Rory joined them to accost the monsters, while Viv slept and the others were off doing their own duties.

“Are you the same one who visited us yesterday?” Rory asked. He honestly couldn’t tell. All the Wraiths looked the same with their dark cloaks covering their hunched and emaciated bodies.

“We have discovered things that you might find intriguing, mortal, according to our master,” the Wraith said. Its long, tree-branch-like arm hung nearly to the ground. “Do you wish to know of them?”

“Uh…” Rory exchanged puzzled glances with Dez. “Yes, I’d like to know what you’ve found. Are you returning from one of the areas I assigned you to?”

“I know not what you refer to.”

“Don’t you remember our conversation yesterday?”

“Do you wish to know of the information I possess?”

Rory sighed. At least that confirmed this was a different Wraith. Hopefully, the other one was still doing what he’d asked.

“Yes please,” he said. “Tell me what you’ve found.”

“There are more mortals who are trapped. Your deductions were correct. They have been tracked to a location near the northern end.”

Rory had found himself holding his breath when he learned about the other survivors, though he found it again when he heard the survivors’ location. “Northern end? So, not one of the areas I pointed out yesterday?” Dez’s cough reminded him he had more pressing matters than making sure his wishes were obeyed. “Where exactly did you see the survivors?”

“The northern end.”

“That’s too vague.”

Dez cleared his throat. “We should get moving. We can bring the Wraith with us and figure out where exactly we need to go on our way there.”

Rory nodded. “No point in dawdling. Go wake up the others and tell a couple of them to get ready. I’ll try to keep our guest occupied until you’re done.”

Dez nodded and left. Rory was sure the first person to return to the parking lot would be Viv. He turned back to the Wraith, who stood there silently in the middle of the area. It felt odd to see the creature in the open morning. The Wraith really didn’t fit broad daylight.

“That is not all,” it said.

“There’s more?” Rory asked. “Why have you been holding out?”

“I was told to give you and your kind time to comprehend the meaning behind words.”

Rory decided to let that pass without comment. “Out with it. What else have you found?”

“There is a creature not far your abode. I do not know what kind it is, only that it possesses equal degrees of intelligence and malevolence. And it will pose a great danger to your establishment should you seek to ignore it and let it grow.”

Rory’s chest constricted. “Where is this creature?”

“It is not far to the west.”

To the west. That was the direction to one of the areas Rory needed investigated, name the in the direction of the Town Hall. Maybe this was the same Wraith he had talked to yesterday and the monster had checked it out but simply couldn’t remember. At least it was something.

“What can you tell me about this creature”? Rory asked.

The Wraith was silent once more, and Rory waited until it talked again. It was eerie that the breeze didn’t ruffle its cloak.

“Little. I believe the creature is one of the Djinn. You must be wary of its powers to manipulate the very world around you.”

“That doesn’t sound ominous at all,” Rory muttered.

The others returned before Rory could figure out what else he could ask the Wraith.

“We shouldn’t have waited so long to find more survivors.” Trish muttered at the back.

“Better late than never,” Allen said.

Trish grumbled but conceded the point.

“More people to rescue?” Apparently, Viv was determined to head out on the next excursion. “Let’s go.”

“Wait,” Rory said. “The Wraith just told me we have a monster not far from here.”

Dez frowned. “Another one? Where?”

“To the west.”

Frowning, Viv pulled Rory to one side and whispered in his ear. The proximity made Rory shiver. Really not the time for that kind of thinking.

“You sure that’s a good idea?” she asked. “What if this is a trap by the Wraith Lord?” Rory flinched a little. He was thinking of a properly-reasoned argument, but Viv went on. “Not saying we should disregard this in fear. We just need to remain cautious and remember—backup plans.”

Rory took a steadying breath. She was right. She was always right. He nodded and stepped forward.

After Dez’s preliminary call, the only ones who had come with him were the ones who had risen quickly enough. They let most of the new people continue to rest, but some of the others showed up. Miles was there, as was Sue and Ned, who was watching with a hooded expression. April and Bo had arrived too, their big elkhound lolling her tongue out.

“Listen, everyone,” Rory said. “There’s a bunch of things going on here, but we need to take care of them all. We need to find a way to rescue the trapped survivors, guard the palace, and deal with the dangerous monster lurking nearby.”

“So, we need to separate into multiple teams,” Dez said.

“Yes, but also.” Rory turned to the Wraith. He imagined the Wraith Lord hearing every word by proxy. “If this is a trap, if any of this is false, we will not be overcome by it. We’re going to take precautions, and once we’ve dealt with the annoyance, we’ll take care of the source too. Permanently.”

That was big talk considering that their powers had failed to match up to the Wraith Lord’s. But that wasn’t the point. He needed to know that they weren’t to be trifled with, that Rory and the others were ready to what was needed but wouldn’t back down from any challenge.

“How are we going to divide ourselves?” April asked.

Rory considered for a moment. He was realizing they expected him to have answers, and he did. After all, he knew their Sigils, knew what they were capable almost as much as they did themselves. It settled down then just how much he was seen as the leader of their band.

“I want Trish, Allen, and Sue to stay and guard the palace with the others,” he said. “Keep May and the ki—Leo and Leanne with you. Protect them. And make sure to contact us if anything goes wrong.”

Dez looked over the rest of them. “Do you want me to face the monster or get the survivors?”

“The survivors. You can take Ned and Evelyn with you. I’m hoping it won’t be a complicated process, but if it is, you’re going to have to give us a call.”

“Got it. The rest of you are going to take on this monster?”

Rory nodded. He didn’t need to go with them, not if they intended to do battle only. But it didn’t have to end up in a terrible fight. Like with the Wraith, he could try to form a deal that would undercut any potential conflict.

Then again, Viv’s fierce grin did make him fear how it would turn out.

“We’re taking April and Bo with us?” Viv asked.

“Yes,” Rory said. “It’ll be good to get some experience in the frontlines.”

April nodded. She thumbed the gun holstered at her waist. “We got this.”

Bo looked less sure of himself, but April nudged him, and he smiled reassuringly at her.

“You don’t have to worry about Belcourt,” Sue said. “I’ll keep the rest of them in line and focused on watching out for any monsters.”

Trish glared at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just make sure you keep an eye out for anything coming from the inside,” Viv said.

Sue’s face got a serious cast. “We will. Don’t worry.”

“One last thing,” Rory said. “We’re having trouble communicating, so I think we need to make some more Sigils of Calling. And not just in cars. We need some in handheld devices too, just so different parties can communicate, say, when we’re patrolling or guarding or whatever.”

“So you just… want to make a phone?” Allen asked.

Rory glared at him. “Yes, I know. It’s a brilliant idea no one’s thought of yet.”

Viv clapped him in the back. “We’ll get a patent when you’re done.”

Rory grumbled under his breath as some of the others laughed, then looked to getting the supplies he needed to create the Sigil. He needed some electronics for the Sigils of Activation, a cell phone for a Sigil of Communication, and then he could see to getting the other Sigils.

While he was working, the others carried out their planning in low conversations. April was psyching Bo up, while Viv and Dez were giving everyone staying behind a quick pep talk about how they needed to keep the palace safe. As much as they still needed to explore the palace and make sure no more threats remained, staying safe was their main priority for now.

Rory was a little worried. He somehow doubted last night would be the end of the Thundershells. But they’d have to deal with that later.

“Uh.” Rory finally had some Sigils of Calling ready. “I need something to Ward.”

Viv stared for a second, then blinked in understanding. “Oh, right. You need something that nobody will forget or just throw away.”

“Right.”

“Here’s a brilliant idea,” Allen said. “Why don’t you Ward it into some of the remaining phones?”

“We have more Sigils than phones at the moment.”

“Oh.”

April stepped forward with a grin. “Well, do you have these?” There was a walky-talky in her hand. “We’ve got a bunch of them from my supplies.”

Rory smiled as he took the proffered device. “These will work perfectly.”

April and Bo got more of the walky-talkies, and Rory Warded the Sigils into all of them. He stepped back, looking at his fancy creations being tested by the others. They worked perfectly.

With their communication issue dealt with, it was time to head out. Now, Rory could turn his attention to the monster awaiting them.