Contents
Chapter Twenty-Two. A Slightly Regrettable Decision
Overview
Marshals secure Covent Garden and Chief Ramamurthy pointedly links Sapphire Walden to repeated incidents, seeking a later "chat." Mark Daubery intervenes, then escorts Walden home; they sleep together. After awkward morning banter, Mark leaves. Walden, unsettled by Laura’s warning about the Phoenix and by loneliness, refocuses on work and secures the school’s engines room.
Summary
Marshals arrive in force, finishing the remaining demons while warding teams stabilize the area. Chief Arjun Ramamurthy questions Sapphire Walden about the lack of a summoning array, implying suspicion given her presence at multiple crises. Mark Daubery intervenes with social leverage, extracting Walden from the interview.
Walden seeks out Laura Kenning to thank her, but Laura warns her about Mark and curtly cautions that the Phoenix is worsening. Offended, Walden shuts the conversation down. Still keyed up from absorbed demon power, Walden leaves with Mark.
On the slow train home, Mark offers to head off Ramamurthy’s inquiry and admits to having investigated Walden’s background, praising her principles while framing his influence as pragmatic. They kiss again, and Walden takes him back to her flat at Chetwood; they have mutually attentive sex and sleep.
In the morning, after playful barbs, Mark dresses and departs for family obligations. Left alone, Walden wrestles with age, isolation, and holiday plans, thinking of her family and the limits of her life outside work and the Phoenix.
Choosing purpose over melancholy, Walden gathers her magical kit and services the school’s thaumic engines. Finding the door left on the latch, she properly locks it and resolves to speak to the presumed last user, reinforcing her instinct for vigilance and control.
Who Appears
- Sapphire WaldenDirector of Magic; scrutinized by Marshals, clashes with Laura, goes home with Mark, then refocuses by securing Chetwood’s engines.
- Mark DauberyPolitically connected operator; shields Walden from Ramamurthy, admits snooping, praises her principles, sleeps with her, then leaves.
- Chief Arjun RamamurthyMarshal incident chief; questions Walden about recurring incidents and plans a follow-up, signaling official suspicion.
- Laura KenningMarshal; efficiently fights demons, warns Walden about Mark and the worsening Phoenix, ends the exchange frostily.
- The PhoenixWalden’s bound power; satiated after absorbing a demon’s energy, its growing volatility is noted by Laura.
- Laura’s partnerYoung Marshal who pairs with Laura on post-incident patrol and containment.
- ToddChetwood’s mechanical staffer; likely last in engines room, door left on latch, prompting Walden’s security fix.