Page 91 of Fool Me Twice

Gregorio nods at Obie. “Back when the mega-rifts first started opening, you made memoryscapes of all the places where they appeared, right? Analyzed the memories of the stones and the wind and all that mumbo-jumbo?”

Obie gives him a long-suffering look. “Yes. I did ‘all that mumbo-jumbo.’ And I already told you that I didn’t find anything suspicious‍—no unfamiliar energy signatures, no suggestions of foul play. And the only repeated faces were Ez and Roma, who obviously didn’t open the mega-rifts.”

“Unless the spellcasters were disguised,” Micah says. “Specifically, disguised with magic.”

Cass’s eyes narrow. “We already considered that the spellcaster might’ve used a glamour or an invisibility spell. The theory didn’t hold up.”

Gregorio raises his eyebrows. “And you didn’t think about cloaking spells because…?”

“Because it’s highly unlikely that a human spellcaster could withstand offensives from Ez or Roma.” JJ’s voice is quiet but firm. “And even more unlikely that they could hold out against both of them together.”

“Very true,” Micah agrees. “But how aboutdualhuman spellcasters?”

Roma’s stomachplummets.Instantly, the atmosphere in the room shifts. “That… makes sense, actually,” Obie says, and his eyes cut to Cass. “Dual spellcasters are rare, but you said the Sanctum used them down in the prison, right? So there’s clearly a precedent for it.”

Cass’s jaw tightens. “Yeah, and the Sanctum being responsible for this mess makes alotmore sense than our other theories. Why the hell didn’t we think of dual spellcasters sooner?”

“To be fair, wehavebeen a bit preoccupied with everything else,” Ez says. Her eyes are gleaming with interest, and hard dread snakes through Roma’s stomach.

They shouldn’t be this close to the truth. They shouldn’t even still beinvestigatingthis, not when Roma and Ez already have their counterspell locked and loaded. Not when digging too deeply could lead them straight back to Roma and her friends.

Not when part of Roma has already made up her mind to leave the Sanctum for good. She can’t let them know how close she came to betraying them again. “I mean, does it matter?” she hedges, trying to project a casual disinterest that shedefinitelydoesn’t feel. “Ez and I already have our counterspell scheduled for sunrise. Do we really want to jump down another rabbit hole right now?”

Naomi looks surprised. “But knowing the exact circumstances that started the epidemic might help you andEz triple-check your spell work,” she says, her eyes narrowing. “Maybe even refine it. You, of all people, know how dangerous untested spells can be.”

Oh, does she ever. “Yes, but since neither of us died from our first attempt, that’s basically tacit confirmation that our reversal is correct,” Roma counters, praying that her voice doesn’t sound too desperate. “We don’t really need more evidence at this point.”

Gregorio looks startled. “You already cast it?”

“Yeah, you’re a bit late to the party,” Ez confirms. “Roma’s Sanctum enchantments got in the way the first time, so I already deactivated them for our repeat performance tomorrow. Second time’s the charm, right?”

“And I’m not saying that weshouldn’tinvestigate what destabilized the Deep and triggered the epidemic,” Roma adds, hoping the words will smooth over any lingering suspicions. “I’m just saying that it might not be the best use of our time right now. And, no offense, but it’s alreadywaypast my bedtime. If we’re accessing the Deep again, then I want to be well rested.”

Cass’s lips press together, but to Roma’s surprise, he nods in agreement. “She has a point. I’ve… recently becomeveryaware of why sleep is non-negotiable for humans, so if Ez and Roma are going to be tapping into the Deep at sunrise, then they should definitely head home and get some rest.”

Relief floods through Roma.“Thankyou,” she says, and she attempts a smile. “I need my beauty sleep.”

Ez scoffs, rolling her eyes. “Oh, please. You’re pretty enough already.”

Roma’s heart twirls embarrassingly. “Thanks,” she mumbles, ducking her head to hide the blush creeping up her neck.

Micah doesn’t smile back. “You all seem convinced that this counterspell is the right one just because the Deep didn’t kill Ez and Roma. That might not be the best assumption to make.”

Ez’s eyes narrow. “What do you mean? We built it directly from the original spell, we got multiple demonsandhumans to check it, and the Deep didn’t reject it until the very end. That might not be hard proof that the reversal is correct, but I’d say it builds a pretty strong case.”

Micah hesitates, glancing at Gregorio.

Gregorio takes a deep breath, crossing his arms over his chest. “That spell the Sanctum found? The one they claimed started the epidemic? Micah and I were late coming here because we just finished testing it out.”

Ez stiffens. “What do you mean, ‘testing it out’?” she demands. “Don’t tell me you cast it.”

Micah lifts his chin, meeting her scowl head-on. “We did. In several different locations, actually‍—including over a few magic reservoirs.”

Obie goes rigid. “You cast a pre-WMSA spell over other magic reservoirs after seeing what it did here? Are you out of your damn minds?”

“Sure,” Gregorio says dismissively. “Except for the fact that nothing happened, Smith. I opened the mega-rifts, Micah closed them, and life went on as usual. No destabilization, no epidemic.”

The words throw Roma for a loop. “What? But how is that possible? Itdefinitelydestabilized the Deep‍—Ez and I checked it ourselves.”

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