//------------------------------// // 2 - Field Experience // Story: Death Valley // by Rambling Writer //------------------------------// Amanita walked into work the next morning without much thought. She’d been fretting about the seminar for so long, and now that it was over, she could just unwind a little and research different ways to magically poke corpses. (And since she was the only one who really knew what she was doing, there were so many ways to fudge that if she wanted to.) The talk about thralls and fire yesterday had even got her thinking; if most necromancers used the same methods for enthrallment, maybe she could design a spell for quick liberation. Based on Circe’s methods, it wouldn’t be too- But she came to halt as she approached the door to her lab, for who was hovering outside her door but Princess Twilight’s messenger, Spike. (She still wasn’t sure what his actual title was. Majordomo? Chancellor? Aide? Princess Twilight just said “assistant”, he seemed proud of that, and Amanita couldn’t muster up the courage to ask otherwise.) For a moment, Amanita panicked about something to do with the seminar before giving herself a mental slap. Still, the idea of talking to the princess wasn’t exactly an endearing one. She swallowed in anticipation and gave a tentative wave. “Hey, Spike.” “Morning, Amanita!” Spike said brightly. (They’d seen each other twice in the past three moons and he still recognized her immediately without the crutch of her being the only unicorn in the castle.) “Twilight’s got an assignment for you!” And he was away, fluttering on those tiny little wings that really shouldn’t’ve been able to support that pudgy little body. “Wait, what?” Amanita trotted to catch up with him. “What, what do you mean, ‘assignment’? …Okay, who died where? Because if-” “Nopony’s dead. …I think. Twilight just told me to go and fetch you.” Spike twisted around in the air to look at Amanita. “And you need to resurrect somepony within three days, right? I bet if it was important, Twi would’ve already teleported you halfway across the country.” “Or something,” Amanita said vaguely. That… kinda sounded like Princess Twilight, to be honest. She- “Wait, how did you know about the time limit?” Spike just shrugged. “That was one of the only facts about necromancy Twilight knew for a while. She likes to talk about magic and I listen.” He fluttered closer to Amanita and stage-whispered, “I bet if I was a unicorn, I’d be one of the best mages out there. Did you know that…” And based on the facts he spouted off, Amanita wasn’t sure that was braggadocio. She tried drinking it in as best she could as they walked, but much of the terminology flew right over her head. She couldn’t be sure whether Spike actually understood it, of course (or even if he was just pulling her leg), but that was another matter entirely. “…which is why even creatures that aren’t mammals can get mustaches! I’ve tried to convince Twilight to give me another one, but…” Spike rubbed at his unmustached upper lip and sighed. Amanita decided not to ask about “another one”, so she just gave a sort of, “Hmm.” “Yeah,” said Spike. “It’s really- Oh, here we are-” And he was pulling a door open. Just how far had they walked? Amanita poked her head inside. Princess Twilight’s study was like a library in relative miniature, and an imposing one at that. Literally every spare square inch of wall was lined with shelves and Amanita wasn’t convinced there weren’t more shelves behind them. All of the shelves were stuffed with books, ninety percent of which were older than any of the people in the room. The newer ones, books that could actually withstand some abuse (not that Twilight would abuse them) were scattered about along with spare parchment on tables, chairs, desks, basically anywhere there was room that wasn’t the floor (and sometimes yes on the floor). The only exception was a large table in the center on which was spread out a map of Equestria. Standing around that table were Code and Princess Twilight, in idle conversation about something. “Hey, Twi?” said Spike. “I’ve got Amanita.” Amanita nervously waved. Princess Twilight looked up from the map and smiled. “Thanks, Spike. You’re dismissed.” Spike saluted, nudged Amanita into the room, and shut the door behind her, leaving Amanita alone with two of the most influential ponies in Equestria. Amanita swallowed and walked up to the table. It was bigger than it’d seemed from the door. “What’s this about?” she asked. “Nothing bad,” said Code. “Just an opportunity.” “What sort of opportunity?” “You’ll see.” “You don’t need to be mysterious, you know.” “Yes, I do. I’m the High Ritualist, I have a mysteriousness quota to keep up. Also, I don’t want to sit through Her Highness’s explanation two more times.” “Charcoal should be along any minute,” said Princess Twilight. “We can start the-” At that moment, the door opened on… someone who looked like a unicorn but definitely wasn’t. Her horn was oddly shaped, her hooves were cloven, she had scales on her back, and that was just the start. After a second of staring, Amanita’s brain clicked: that person was a kirin. They’d been… suffering from some ailment or something and Twilight and her friends had helped cure them. (Celestia, Amanita thought, I really need to catch up on current events…) She was a bulky sort of lean, a little bit taller than Bitterroot but not by much. Her coat was a not-quite-pale khaki that made Amanita think of wood of an unknown tree, although her mane (which was so incredibly floofy it went all the way down to her chest, like holy crow) was definitely the color of mahogany. Her red horn was just plain enormous, even bigger than Twilight’s, and it split and twisted until it looked more like a branch than anything. Her stance was… not exactly loose, not exactly tight. It was like this was a place she wanted to be, but wasn’t comfortable in just yet. “Hello,” said the kirin. “Is this the, uh, the wight pla- the right place, sorry.” Her eyes locked on Princess Twilight. “Yes, it is.” Her gait was exaggerated as she walked to the table and took a place opposite Amanita, like she was posing for a dressage competition. “Have we done the… introductions yet?” Princess Twilight cleared her throat. “Code, Amanita, this is Charcoal, an expert in environmental magic. She’s spent much of her life studying how magic moves through the land.” The kirin — Charcoal — shrugged. “Well, it’s not like there was a whole lot else to do in the Grove will Silenced. While Silenced, while.” (Magically-induced muteness, Amanita remembered. That was the ailment.) “Charcoal, this is Restricted Code, the High Ritualist-” The two shook. “-and this is Amanita, head of the Necromancy Corps.” “Ooo.” Charcoal’s ears swiveled forward and she leaned across the table. “You’re the pony who can resurrect the dead?” “Yeah.” Amanita certainly wasn’t complaining if that was the part of being a necromancer that Charcoal locked on to. “Huh. Neat.” “…It’s pretty neat, yeah.” Amanita realized she was grinning. Code cleared her throat and tapped the table. “Princess Twilight, if you would.” “Right.” Princess Twilight laid a sheet of paper on the map and started skimming it. “Three days ago, an arcanometeorological station in the North started recording strange readings. Nothing major and they thought it’d die down in a few hours. That happens from time to time, sometimes pegasus magic doesn’t disperse properly. But by the evening, the readings were still there, so they decided to take a closer look at it. Short version: a nearby ley line somehow got corrupted.” That didn’t mean much to Amanita, but Charcoal blinked and raised her head by a few inches. “And it was just overnight?” Charcoal asked. “No slow shift or anything?” “That’s actually why it took them so long to find out it was the ley line,” said Princess Twilight. She looked at the paper again. “According to this, the scientists thought it couldn’t’ve been that because the energy of a line changing that much that quickly is impossible.” “I mean, it is.” “And yet it happened. They literally woke up to it.” Princess Twilight looked at each person in turn. “Ley lines are important parts of their ecosystems, and if this is left unchecked, it could damage the land beyond repair. Plants would simply refuse to grow, no matter how much earth ponies tried to convince them. Monsters would start spawning, like chimeras and hydras. It might even cause the land itself to shift with the new energies.” Well, there was an image. Amanita gulped. And apparently, Princess Twilight noticed, because she continued, “Of course, we wouldn’t see anything for another five years, but we might as well nip it in the bud now. Code is going to take you two on an expedition to get to the source of the ley line, figure out what’s wrong with it, and purify it.” Charcoal actually broke out into a huge grin before deciding it was unbecoming and suppressing it into a smaller grin. Amanita, though, started shifting her weight from side to side. She managed to say, “Your Highness, with… with all due respect, I… I don’t think I’m the best pony for this job, I don’t know why you picked me-” But Princess Twilight interrupted her. “Actually, Code suggested you.” Amanita glanced at Code. “Me? Code- M-ma’am, I’m- I don’t know much about… fixing ley lines.” Drawing power from ley lines, sure. It was a decent power boost for any unicorn who could pull it off, and her old necromancy master had been an earth pony, a tribe who could drink magic from them almost as easily as they could drink water from a lake. Fixing them? Nuh-uh. “That’s actually why I think you should come with me,” said Code. “Ley sanitation isn’t nearly as complex as it sounds. It’s merely big. The rituals involved are relatively simple-” “It was actually a hobby of Princess Celestia back in the 400’s and 500’s!” said Princess Twilight brightly. “She was worried that a malign ley line could damage Equestria and took it upon herself to learn what she could about cleaning them up-” “-are relatively simple,” Code said loudly, “so even an amateur could perform them. A ley cleansing ritual is often the first field task a newly-minted ritualist undertakes. It makes for excellent field experience: it involves shifting larger amounts of power than normal, but it’s slow and methodical enough that it’s hard to make mistakes and any mistakes you do make can be rectified before much damage is done. Even with the complete unknown of the line’s precise problem, it shouldn’t take long to pinpoint.” She cleared her throat. “Amanita, as necessary as you are to the Necromancy Corps, your skills outside necromancy are a bit… lackluster.” Amanita half-folded her ears back. “Yeah…” “I thought that some real-world experience would benefit you. I’ll be there with you every step of the way and can answer whatever questions you may have. However, I realize you’re still new here, so if you don’t feel comfortable-” “No,” she said quickly. “I- I was just thinking about this yesterday, that I need to be more than just a necromancer, and-” She nodded. “I, I’ll do it.” “Excellent,” said Code. She turned to Princess Twilight. “So where is the source of the ley line?” “Way out here.” Princess Twilight tapped a region in a corner of the map, deep in the northeast of Equestria. Emphasis on deep north. “That’s nearly off the, um, map,” said Charcoal, leaning forward. “How cold is it?” “Cold,” said Amanita. “I’ve been that far north.” It wasn’t an experience she really wanted to remember, and not because it was where she’d learned most of her necromancy. It was just… cold. Just about everything ponies took for granted in the heartlands of Equestria was missing up there. Warmth? Controllable weather? Easily-accessible grass? Clear skies? Roads that stayed clear? Roads that were paved? Gone. It was a hardscrabble life, and most ponies didn’t like hardscrabble. To make matters worse, it was in the middle of a mountain range. Now the terrain itself was out to get you, on top of everything else. But ley lines being what they were, the source existing in a mountain was to be expected. Unfortunately. To Amanita’s surprise, even Code seemed a bit put-off; her ears were back slightly and her voice was just a little bit tighter. “Your Highness,” Code said, “when you told me to pick a few ponies, I… was under the impression that… that we wouldn’t be in the middle of the… wilderness. If we’re that far out-” “Actually, you’ll be staying in town.” “…There’s a town there?” squawked Amanita. “Who- Who would live in a place like that?” “It’s called Tratonmane,” Princess Twilight said. “There isn’t much information on it, but from what I can find, it’s an old mining town, founded about three hundred years ago. It sits less than half a mile from the ley line’s source in, um…” She bit her lip. “…Midwich, it’s Midwich Valley. What it’s like there, I don’t know.” “Probably thin,” said Charcoal absently. “Deep, real deep. Very fertile for the region. Or is it ‘lush’? Lots of plants, either way. Dead straight. Wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a river.” When she realized everyone was looking at her, she said, “It’s… a… ley valley? What else, what else were you expecting?” “Well,” said Code, “I… Hmm.” She gave Charcoal a brief look, nodded, and turned back to Princess Twilight. “If there’s a town, I retract my complaint. What sort of transportation can we expect?” “You can take the train. There’s a branch line-” “How does the Equestrian railway retch- reach absolutely everywhere?” asked Charcoal. “We kirins, we’re in our grove for who-knows-how-long away from everything else, then we come out and there’s stationery already sitting four miles away.” She frowned. “Or is it meters?” she mumbled. “No, it’s miles, definitely miles…” “While Equestrian rail construction is certainly something,” said Code, “that’s not what we’re here for.” One of Charcoal’s ears twitched and she pulled her head down slightly. “Sorry. I was, um, mute for, it was ages, you know, and I’m still, uh, re-learning conversation- stuff. I’ll… leave it for later?” “I know a friend who loves railroads,” said Amanita. “I’ll see if I can get an answer from-” Code cleared her throat loudly and rapped the table. Amanita quickly said, “Sorry.” She turned to Princess Twilight and said, “Uh, you can keep going.” Princess Twilight had been looking between Charcoal and Amanita with some interest and actually seemed disappointed at the conversation getting derailed (har har). But she quickly covered it up. “There’s a spur along the line to Griffonstone. From what I can gather, trains only travel along it once a week, but it’ll take you there. Even if you’re probably the only passengers.” “Good,” said Code. “What sort of equipment will we bring?” From there, the meeting turned into a checklist of necessities and itineraries. Princess Twilight liked her checklists. They needed to bring this, do this this way, bring those, maybe stop by here, be here at this time tomorrow to leave… Important stuff, to be sure, but not stuff Amanita wanted to spend much time on. It was a relief when Princess Twilight finally said, “…And I think that covers it.” “Mmhmm,” said Code. She rolled up her notes and stuck them in her pocket. “They know we’ll be coming, right?” “Of course. I had a courier sent out yesterday.” “Perfect.” Code bowed, even though it wasn’t strictly necessary. “We won’t let you down, Your Highness.” Amanita groveled that that was easy for her to say as they left the room. Code had probably already done it several dozen times. Although Charcoal didn’t seem too put out as she walked away (she was whistling), and how much work could she have done on ley lines if Equestria hadn’t even known she existed a year ago? And so Amanita started feeling not just anxious about her job, but anxious for feeling anxious about her job. As if reading her mind, Code said, “You will do fine. More than fine. I genuinely don’t know if anyone has screwed up ley sanitation beyond a few minor mistakes, and I’ve done research.” First time for everything, Amanita said to herself. She was already pretty good at firsts. But just as the two split to go to their respective jobs, Amanita realized something. “Hey, Code?” Code stopped walking to look at Amanita. “Hmm?” “If ley sanitation is so easy, why’re you coming? Couldn’t you send another ritualist to teach me? This seems a bit below your pay grade.” “Technically, it is. I just want to get out of the city for a little while,” Code said. “Canterlot’s… lack of spontaneity can be smothering. It’s been too long since I’ve danced in starlit fields. And if I can do it on the Crown’s bit, well, all the better. So I assigned myself to it.” “…Being a colonel must be nice.” Code threw back her head, sweeping what little of her close-cut mane she could through the air, and grinned. “It is quite nice, yes.” With that, she turned and strutted away. Amanita snorted and headed for her lab. Maybe that’d be her goal in the future. “Ever thought about getting your own place?” Bitterroot asked Amanita that night at dinner. She picked up another sprig of cilantro in her teeth and started chewing it down, centimeter by centimeter. “A little. I have no idea what to look for.” Amanita twisted her own cilantro around a fork. “Why? You looking to get rid of me?” “Nah, just curious.” Chew chew. “If you ever need help, though, I’m available.” “Thanks.” Several moons after her release from prison, and Amanita still hadn’t moved out of Bitterroot’s house. She hadn’t even moved from the couch, even though Bitterroot had offered to clean up one of the spare rooms enough for a bed. Amanita said it was “breaking her habits” (although her sleep schedule was still rather rigid). Still, Bitterroot wasn’t complaining, especially since she had somepony else to go grocery shopping every once in a while. They ate in silence for a while, but Bitterroot could tell Amanita was trying to build herself up for something. It was in the way her shoulders were a bit tighter than usual and her ears kept twitching. It probably wasn’t bad, though; Amanita’s “conversation” wouldn’t be much more than terse grunts in that case. It wasn’t long before Amanita said, “I’m gonna be away for a while. I’ve… sort of got an assignment.” There it was. “Really? Like, with the Guard?” “Yeah. It’s- Have you heard of ley sanitation?” “…Nope.” “Short version: ley line’s dirty, we’re gonna clean it. Code says it’ll help me get some actual experience. It’s really far north. There’s this town called Tratonmane, and- Anyway, I’ll be leaving tomorrow. It came up fast.” “Hey, stuff happens. Congrats on the job.” “Yeah.” There was the terseness. Amanita was probably still brooding about yesterday and not being enough of a necromancer. Even though she’d just been selected to make her more of a necromancer. So maybe- “Mind if I come?” Amanita looked up. “Why?” “Well-” Bitterroot flexed her wings a little. “I was thinking of getting out of Canterlot for a bit. There haven’t been a lot of bounties here recently, but wilderness towns always have some. Not worth a whole lot, but it’ll give me something to do.” Which was actually completely true. Bounties had been light on the ground (or in the sky) recently. “So depending on where you’re headed, maybe I could tag along for a bit.” One of Amanita’s ears drooped. “Again: why?” “For starters, you’re the greatest necromancer in the history of the Royal Guard-” “Until the next one,” Amanita mumbled. “-and I’ve never seen you do any big magic.” “…Bitterroot, I’ve resurrected you twice.” “And I was dead when that happened. By the time I was back, it was already over. Yeah, I know it’s not necromancy and I never learned much about ley lines, but I’d like to see it anyway. And… Well, it might be nice to have somepony to confide in if it all goes sideways. Just in case, you know?” “That’d be nice,” said Amanita quietly. She raised her voice. “I’ll talk to Code tomorrow. You’ll need to be at the train station early in the morning with me, buy your own ticket and everything, and… y’know, Code might not want you coming with us.” Bitterroot just shrugged. “Like I said, I was leaving Canterlot anyway. If she says no, I’ll just get off at a different station. Not a big deal.” “Alright. And if it ever comes down to it, thanks for being there for me.” “Sure.” They ate. Amanita spoke up again. “You know, maybe you should charge me rent.” Canterlot Station was still chilly just after 7 AM in the middle of winter. Amanita pulled her coat closer around herself as the mist of her breath mingled with the mist of the train’s breath. Oil lamps hung along the platform to drive away the predawn dark. The hissing of pistons echoed in the cavernous space, especially with so few ponies to break up the sound. Her bags were slung across her barrel, tightly packed with clothes and gear. Code and Charcoal weren’t there yet, but the train wasn’t due to leave for another ten minutes or so. Bitterroot trotted back from the ticket window. Pegasus magic probably meant she was feeling just fine in the chill. “You know,” she said, “I don’t think I’ve ever been out near Griffonstone. I always go more northwest than northeast.” “You go north a lot?” Amanita asked. Words could fill the time. “Mmm. Not a lot a lot. Semi-often, maybe. If bounties ever try to leave Equestria, they usually head north. A lot of ponies don’t like the North, so they think it’s easier to hide out there, and I’m like, ‘I can get ten thousand bits for capturing you, I think I can handle the cold for that much’.” Amanita chuckled. “Amanita!” She looked; Code and Charcoal were trotting onto the platform, both with their own coats and luggage: Charcoal with some overstuffed bags, Code casually hauling two carts carrying twice her weight in boxes. “Good. You’re here,” said Code. She glanced at Bitterroot. “Is she coming with us?” “If I can,” said Bitterroot. “If you don’t want me to-” But Code waved her off. “I can’t say where you can and can’t go. Buy your own ticket and stay out of our way and we won’t have a problem. You all get on board and I’ll get these to baggage.” Without another word, she walked towards the front of the train. “Is she always like that?” Charcoal asked as she watched her go. “More or less,” Amanita said. “Not exactly one for small talk, is she? Let’s get inside.” Thankfully, the inside of the train wasn’t just warmer than the outside, but actually warm, if a bit dim. Amanita breathed deeply as she settled into her seat. Charcoal sat down across from her, took off her bags, and started rooting through them, muttering. “Worried you might’ve forgotten something?” Amanita asked. “Hmm?” Charcoal’s ear twitched as she looked up. “Uh, no, just…” She looked back inside. “Tetruple-checking my stuff. Just to, y’know, be sure. Again. Again.” Her ears moved back a little. “Again.” The movements were familiar to Amanita. “What kind of stuff?” Charcoal’s ears moved forward again and she started grinning. “Natural remedies! It’s, see, there’s a funny… thing about stuff like ley lines. If you get afflicted by magic like that, it’s, it’s natural magic, see? And it’s supposed to… stick around. So when it affects kirins- um, any sort of… animal, it’s, it’s kinda hard to get out. Unless you do it in the right way. Natural pills for natural ills!” She laughed, only to keep talking before Amanita could respond. “It’s for the magic to get in, but, but it’s probably best to be prepared. And I am prepared!” Charcoal’s horn began glowing oddly as she whipped objects past Amanita’s face, almost too fast to see. “Willow, that’s good for pain, but you probably knew that… Wilderweed, that’s a good commune- immune booster… Noonflower, that can help mana flow better… Foal’s breath, great all-arounder…” “Wait. Foal’s breath?” Amanita asked. Charcoal came to a stop, holding a bag of some sort of blue pills. “Uh, yes?” she said tentatively. “I thought that was just for your- silence- curse.” “It’s actually good against a rot- a lot of mental magics,” said Charcoal. “It’s… I actually don’t know how it works. But Princess Twilight’s done some work and these-” She wiggled the pills. “-have effervescence of foal’s breath. Good for more mental ills than you’d think. Like ley lines making you go loopy! We probably won’t need them, but if we do need them, I’d rather have them, right?” “Heh. I’ve been without ingredients enough to know that’s true.” Amanita blinked and shook her head. “Anyway, um…” She extended her hoof. “Amanita.” Charcoal looked blankly at her hoof for a moment, then extended her own. “Um. Charcoal.” As they shook, she said, a bit quietly, “Is this a… pony thing, introducing yourself twice? We already knew each othen. Other.” “It’s more… We’d been introduced professionally, not personally.” “Huh.” “So, uh…” What to ask, what to- “How’d you get into environmental magic?” Charcoal’s face lit up. “Well, I’m- You know the- thing with the kirin, right? How we were silenced?” “I-” “It’s, there’s a lot of things you just can’t do if you can’t talk. But you can study stuff. And environmental magic, there’s a whole lot we didn’t know about it, so once we were silenced, I just- started studying it. It’s everywhere, you know. In all the plants and rocks and water and even animals. It’s where things like timberwolves come from, you know.” “That’s-” “And then Applejack and Fluttershy came by, and they de-silenced us and that was great. When we started going out into Equestria more, I, it turned out I knew a, um, a lot more about environmental magic than most ponies just because I’d been studying it on my own for so long, like out in the wild. Princess Twilight herself contacted me…” As they talked, the whistle blew and the train started moving. Bitterroot hung out on the observation car as the train left. Somehow, in all the different times she’d left Canterlot, she’d never done it in the hour before dawn. Clouds were just beginning to orange up on their bottoms and a tinge of gold was creeping into the sky. Yes, it was quite beautiful. But as the train wound its way down the mountain, the sunrise was blocked by walls of rock and Bitterroot traipsed back up the cars. She had a long, long trip ahead. Amanita was deep in conversation with the kirin — Charcoal, right? — so Bitterroot didn’t want to disrupt her. On the other side of the aisle, Code had her muzzle in a book. Not buried; judging from the title, it was more a train station novel than anything. Well, if she didn’t want to talk, she didn’t want to talk. Bitterroot had some books of her own. She sat down across from Code and cleared her throat. “Hey!” Code looked up. “Hello.” “Colonel Restricted Code, right? The High Ritualist.” “Just Code is fine.” Code closed her book and set it aside. “And I remember you. Bitterroot. Bounty hunter. You committed suicide in front of me.” “Well, I don’t know,” said Bitterroot. “Does it really count as ‘suicide’ if you’re planning on being resurrected later? I mean, you can kill someone in self-defense, but that’s a bit different from a murder, right?” Code frowned and flicked an ear. “That’s a good point, actually… Anyway, I remember you.” “Clearly.” For a moment, Bitterroot searched for a topic. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, she asked, “So, uh, Amanita says you sometimes work with demons?” Code blinked. For a moment, Bitterroot wondered if she’d accidentally broached some aspect of national security she didn’t know existed. Then Code shrugged and said, “At times. Getting to know them is fascinating. Many demons are unfairly demonized.” One of Bitterroot’s ears dropped and she cocked her head. “Yes, I hear myself,” said Code. “What I hear is a stereotype so thoroughly entrenched in the popular consciousness that it’s turned into etymology.” “…Did you write that out beforehoof?” “Eh…” Code wiggled a hoof. “Technically. I’ve had this sort of conversation many times before. Many of the demons we remember are the ones who took it upon themselves to come here and torment the less fortunate. If they were foals, they’d be the ones who torture ants with magnifying glasses. It’s the others I’m making contact with.” “Huh.” Bitterroot imagined that if she kept asking, most of the ideas would fly right over her head with an audible whoosh, yet she kept asking anyway. “Do they… want anything?” “Heh.” Code actually grinned a little. “Let’s just start by saying that, even for the ‘nice’ demons, they have a hard time getting the idea of just giving something away, even a few words. But if we focus on one demon at a time, we can make it work. Why, just last week, one of them actually remembered my name…” The train chugged on through the predawn.