Contents
II. Hedonism — Callum
Overview
Callum prowls Adrian Caine’s pub to pressure Tristan via Alys while enduring hostility from Adrian’s men. Reina arrives, pursued by agents, and Callum neutralizes a cop using their combined magic.
They debate Parisa’s urgent outreach and commit to manipulating a special election. Callum escalates his feud with Tristan, declaring it must end between them.
Summary
Callum trades threats by text with Tristan, then lingers at Adrian Caine’s Gallows Hill pub, baiting Adrian’s crew and chatting with Alys Caine. He probes Alys about her father’s hunt for Tristan, gauges her loyalties, and flaunts his leverage while enduring Wyn Cockburn’s hostility.
Reina arrives, irritated and fresh from evading another suited pursuer. She pressures Callum to fulfill his bargain to deliver Tristan to Adrian, but Callum admits he’s stalling, intending to kill Tristan first if forced.
Outside, as law enforcement closes in, Callum and Reina combine their magic. Callum overrides a cop’s purpose, rerouting his life and dispersing the immediate threat. He reflects on the limits of imposed emotion and control, recognizing that influence cannot sustain genuine change without constant oversight.
Callum confronts Reina about a secret message thread; she reluctantly shares Parisa Kamali’s texts urging her to abandon the Society and talk, warning of a five-month horizon. Callum reads Parisa’s tone as a genuine peace offering and senses something has broken in her stance. He recalls a Society bureaucrat, Sharon, whose pragmatic loyalty is tied to a sick child, illustrating the system’s moral compromises.
Resolving to act, Callum and Reina refocus on rigging a parliamentary special election to force humane outcomes. Finally, Callum texts Tristan, escalating their long-running hostility with a promise: their entanglement was always meant to end with one of them.
Who Appears
- Callum NovaPOV manipulator; taunts Tristan, probes Alys, neutralizes a cop with Reina, weighs Parisa’s plea, plans election interference.
- Reina MoriArrives pursued by agents; partners with Callum to override a cop; resists Parisa’s outreach; targets a special election.
- Alys CaineAdrian’s daughter; chats with Callum about Tristan and her neighbor crush; warns him to leave the pub.
- Wyn CockburnAdrian’s enforcer at Gallows Hill; glowers and threatens Callum, signaling constant danger.
- Tristan CaineOff-page via texts; trades threats with Callum, becoming the focus of Callum’s escalating endgame.
- Parisa KamaliOff-page sender; urges Reina to meet, rejects the Society, warns of a five-month window.
- Adrian CaineCrime boss presence; hunting Tristan; his pub and crew frame the threat surrounding Callum.
- Unnamed police officerApproaches the pair; Callum rewrites his purpose, dispersing the immediate pursuit.
- Sharon (Society bureaucrat)Callum’s memory of a pragmatic official; loyalty tied to a sick child, illustrating systemic compromise.