Aoife welcomed them into her home.

The house was small, as expected, and dimly lit by candles that flickered to life as Aoife moved through the rooms. The windows were covered, blackout curtains painted with starscapes. The walls were covered in tapestries and artworks. Aoife drifted into the living room, and chairs began arranging themselves, pulling from other rooms to form a rough circle. She settled into a mimicry of sitting on a chair next to the couch, clearly not tangible enough to actually sit but pretending nonetheless.

“Please, have a seat. I’m afraid I don’t keep any food or drinks around, but I have water and I might have some tea?”

“It’s alright,” Isaac said, settling on the one couch. Ophelia sat next to him, and Jade filled the rest of the couch on Ophelia’s other side. “So… where do we go from here?”

Torik perched on a chair, crouching on the seat rather than sitting in it. “Well, I have a lead on their base of operations, it’s this warehouse on the south side of town, but it’s heavily guarded. Whatever spirit they linked to their Wraithriders was doing more than that. It was controlling them.” He touched his side, where his wound was crusted in dried blood and scabbing over. “I ran to the AWIO to help out when I heard.”

Tyler nodded. “Glad you came when you did. How did you even know, though?”

“I was scoping their place. One of them mentioned something about it, so I took off.”

Ophelia leaned forward. “So… where have you been all this time? It’s been years.”

Torik picked at the scaly hide on his shoulder. “I came here about six months ago. Running from demon hunters. I found out shortly after that Declan was still around, but it was too late to go back, so I’ve been hopping between AWIO facilities, trying to find him and sort him out.”

“Anything of note?” Tyler asked.

Torik shrugged. “He got a shipment of some magitech recently. I think it was an old-world automaton, but I don’t know what kind.”

“An automaton could be bad,” Aoife murmured, plucking at the air again. “Slayer models are rare but right up his alley. More likely he got a rank-and-file. Tough, reliable. Or an arcane model, a spellcaster.”

Ophelia squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “What?”

“The only automatons that Declan could realistically get his hands on come in only a few models. It isn’t worth worrying too much about.” Aoife shrugged. “We will be able to deal with it, so long as he isn’t creating an army.”

“For the moment,” Tyler said, lifting a briefcase into his lap, “we should rest. Go relax, recover, we’ll get some food in a few hours since it’s almost lunch time. By then, Aoife and I will have some next steps.” He opened the briefcase, then opened the laptop inside, and started tapping away.

“I think I’m going to take care of this,” Torik said, gesturing to his wounded flank. “And get a much-needed shower, if that’s alright, Aoife?”

The poltergeist nodded meekly.

“Awesome, thanks.” Torik departed down a hall with a wave.

Aoife turned to Isaac. “I only have one bedroom, but you’re free to use it. I… don’t… really… sleep. Not in the same way you would.” She blushed. “W-what I mean is, the bed hasn’t been used for much. It’s clean and made.”

“I really appreciate it, but are you sure you want us in your room?” Isaac asked. “I can crash in a chair, and I think these two,” he gestured to Jade and Ophelia, “can share this couch.”

“It’s no problem,” Aoife said as she drifted out of her chair. “I want you to have somewhere comfortable. The bed will probably fit the three of you, it’s big.”

“I could use somewhere soft to lay down,” Ophelia said, rubbing at her shoulder. She’d returned to normal, no longer bearing the exaggerated demonic features. “Declan’s a bitch.”

“Go, go,” Aoife said, ushering them out. “It’s at the end of the hall. Go get some rest.”

Isaac stood up, helped Jade to her feet, and walked down the hall to the bedroom, Ophelia and Jade in tow.

The room was similarly dimly lit by candles, walls lined in art, with a huge dark wooden bed stationed in the middle of the room. It was perfectly made, all black linens, the perfect picture of a gothic bed, the kind a movie vampire might use. The floor around the bed was marked, the wooden boards scored and carved into intricate symbols.

“Tangibility runes,” Ophelia muttered, kneeling to touch them. “Not active. Normally used to trap spirits so they can be killed or captured. I guess they’re here in case Aoife wants to be solid as she sleeps. Smart.”

Isaac nodded, looking at the art on the walls. Much of it was landscapes, but behind the bed was a portrait of Aoife, but not purplish and ghostly. Instead, she had pale, freckled skin and bright orange-red hair. It looked like she was caught in the middle of a laugh, her eyes closed.

Ophelia was already kicking off her jeans and getting into the bed. Jade quickly joined her, and Isaac shrugged, laying down with them. Their breathing slowed to a sleeping rhythm quickly, and he followed.

Isaac slept like a rock, his dreams consisting of flickering images and shadows. It was all incomprehensible, but he was left with a strange lingering dread before he woke.

He ended up in a tangle of limbs. He and Jade were wrapped in Ophelia’s arms, tangled together and sweating from the warmth. He tried to slowly extricate himself, but only succeeded in waking the two women. As they started to stir, a strong knock rocked the door to the bedroom.

Isaac pulled himself free, adjusted his clothes and hair, and opened the door. Standing behind it was Torik, now wearing a baggy t-shirt and jeans. He gave a grin. “Hey, the girls up?”

Isaac looked over his shoulder to confirm that yes, indeed, they were starting to get up. He turned back to Torik. “Yeah, they’re getting up. Are we needed?”

Torik nodded. “Come join us for lunch in the kitchen, and we’ll go over some plans.”

“I’m getting my pants on!” Ophelia shouted, grinning.

“Well hurry it up, Ophelia!” Torik replied with a laugh. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Isaac laughed and slipped out of the door. The two women followed him close behind, and they followed Torik down the hall, bracing for whatever came next.