Colour Kid's Arc

Chapter 8 of 11

Ink Gray led Colour Kid down two gray blocks before the robed man caught up. He held out a card heavy with runes and circuit lines, glowing faint blue at the edges. "They are waiting," he said. "Witches and techno-mancers. Together." Colour Kid took the card. It was warm, like the painted cloth in his pocket. The building stood at the end of a quiet lane. Red brick, ivy, stained glass windows lit with soft purple runes. Inside, a long table had been set up as a working booth. Paint jars sat beside old radios. Brushes leaned against a dead television. Someone had pinned the old handshake photograph to the wall above it. Mara Hexbyte was already there, arms crossed, goggles pushed up. "Twelve people," she said. "Six witches. Six techs. I scanned them. No weapons. No pulse meters." Her voice was flat, but her fingers tapped her belt. "I cannot explain why my readings go null around you. I want to." Colour Kid set the invitation on the table. He picked up a brush. He looked at the dead television, then at a witch's cracked charm. Colour bloomed across both at once. The screen flickered awake in soft pink. The charm hummed green. The room drew in a breath together. "Show us how," said a techno-mancer. "Show us slow," said a witch. Colour Kid nodded. He had said yes by walking through the door. The lesson had already begun.