"If there was, Joe would have done it by now," Paul replied. "They just won't understand the danger.

"If there was, Joe would have done it by now," Paul replied. "They just won't understand the danger.

"That would only make it worse," said Merlin. "We've simply got to find the Dark One and stop him

before the fiesta starts. I suggest we take Gomez up on his idea and meanwhile continue covering the city

section by section."

"We'll never get it done in time," said Kira.

"That's why we need Gomez and his friends," Wyrdrune said. "Right now, they're the best chance we've

got. Maybe the only chance."

"All right," said Paul. "How long will it take you to spread the word to the other thaumagenes, Gomez?"

"They'll all know by tonight," the cat replied. "I called a meeting in the plaza. You give me a copy of that

list and I'll assign each of them to an adept."

"All the thaumagenes are meeting in the plaza?" Paul said. "Don't you think that will attract a great deal of

attention?"

"So what are they gonna do," asked Gomez, "arrest us for loitering?"

She took the elevator up to the second floor of The Inn at Loretto and knocked on a door about

halfway down the hall.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Jim. Open up."

The door opened and she entered the room. There were two men inside, Agent Jim Stanley, who had

opened the door, and Agent Chris Rosowitz, stretched out on the bed in his stocking feet, his tie

loosened and top two buttons of his shirt undone. He was looking through the restaurant guide. Over his

shirt, he wore a shoulder holster rig holding a 9-mm semiautomatic pistol. Stanley also wore a gun. They

were both Bureau adepts, but in their line of work, they did not rely exclusively on magic.

Megan nodded to Rosowitz. "Hello, Chris."

"What's up?" asked Rosowitz, putting down the guide and getting up. "I thought you weren't going to

make direct contact unless something came down."

"Something has come down," she replied. "The whole operation's compromised."

"What?" said Stanley.

"Where are the others?"

"In their rooms. We only just got in last night. Some of them might be downstairs having breakfast."