Sebeck then walked across the parking lot toward Riley, who regarded him with some curiosity, since he was leaving his companion behind. It was fairly cloudy and rather cool. Sebeck closed his jacket as he approached Riley. Fellow travelers came and went around them.

He took note of the passenger van she stood alongside. It was new and bore a logo for “Enchanted Mesa Spa & Resort”—the same logo printed on her shirt pocket.

When he reached her, the last of the Thread disappeared and a chime sounded—leaving only the soft blue light of a D-Space aura slowly swirling above her head.

Sebeck was unsure how to feel. He spoke without emotion. “I’m supposed to be looking for the Cloud Gate. Is there something you can tell me?”

She extended her hand. “Why don’t we start with hello?”

Sebeck took a deep breath and shook her hand briefly. “Hello. You’re Riley.”

“Shaman of the Two-Rivers faction. And you are the Unnamed One.”

“Yeah, that just about describes it. I hope you have some answers for me.”

“What sort of answers?”

“Like how I can complete my quest? How do I justify the freedom of humanity to the Daemon?”

She frowned. “That’s not visible to me.”

He rubbed his eyes in frustration. “Why do I have to wander all over hell’s half acre to complete this damned quest?”

“It’s the hero’s journey.”

He narrowed his eyes at her.

“Don’t forget: Sobol was an online game designer. In the archetype, a hero must wander lost in the wilderness to find the knowledge necessary for his or her quest. Perhaps that’s what’s happening to you.”

“And I’m supposed to be the hero.”

“It’s your life. You should be the hero of it. If it’s any consolation, I’m the hero of mine, too.”

“Riley, why did the Thread lead me to you?”

“Why me exactly? I don’t know. I suspect it has to do with my skill set and my proximity to you when some system threshold was reached.”

Sebeck nodded to himself. “Yesterday I spoke with Matthew Sobol. He gave me this Thread after our meeting.”

“And yesterday an avatar appeared to me on a deep layer. She was like an angel. A beautiful woman with copper hair and alabaster skin—bathed in light. She said you would come.”

Sebeck ran his hands over his bald head. He thought of Cheryl Lanthrop, the woman who had betrayed him. Copper hair and fair skin. She’d worked for Sobol, and had paid for that with her life. “This is madness.”

“The avatar told me you were on a quest from Mad Emperor, and that you needed to grok the shamanic interface.”

He was lost.

She nodded in understanding. “I’ll put it in layman’s terms: you need to fully learn the darknet and all its powers in order to have any hope of succeeding on your quest.”

“Powers.”

“Data magic, far-sight.”

“And you’re a shaman?”

She smiled. “I know what you’re thinking. There’s no such thing as magic, and restless spirits are wives’ tales. However—”

Sebeck held up his hand. “Yeah. I stand corrected.”

“Good. I chose my darknet profession, and it is shaman. It governs my skill tree and level advancement. Is that more clear?”

He nodded.

“I see that you’re a first-level Fighter. Which makes it all the more puzzling that you’ve been geased by Mad Emperor to complete this quest.”

“Geased? What’s ‘geased’ mean?”

“It’s ancient Gaelic. It means an enchantment that compels you to complete a task. It’s an incredibly powerful spell—far, far above my level.”

“Can I break free of it?”

“Not if you accepted the quest. The only one who can cancel it is the one who gave it to you: Mad Emperor.”

Sebeck recalled sitting in the office of a funeral home, talking with an interactive three-dimensional recording of Sobol. The avatar had asked him: do you accept the task of finding justification for the freedom of humanity? Yes or no? It was an out-of-control voice recognition monster, and Sebeck felt compelled to accept, if only to buy time. If only to protect his family.

“I had no choice.”

“Maybe. But be warned: you must choose your words carefully on the darknet. Words have power in this new age. They are not just sounds. Where ancient people believed in gods and devils that listened to their pleas and curses—in this age immortal entities hear us. Call them bots or spirits; there is no functional difference now. They surround us and through them word-forms become an unlock code that can trigger a blessing or a curse. Mankind created systems whose inter-reactions we could not fully understand, and the spirits we gathered have escaped from them into the land where they walk the earth—or the GPS grid, whichever you prefer. The spirit world overlaps the real one now, and our lives will never be the same.”

Sebeck didn’t know what to say. A couple of years ago he would have called her crazy, but she was right—spirits or bots, it was just semantics. “And what happens if I refuse to proceed?”

“If you stray from your path, the Daemon will compel you to return to it. Of more concern to me is how you could possibly complete your quest while remaining first level.”

“I can’t go up levels?”

“The darknet is arranged like Sobol’s game world. You can only go up levels by completing tasks—or quests. However, the Geas spell prevents you from taking on any other quests until you complete this one. You are stuck at first level until you achieve your goal. And you have quite a goal.” She didn’t appear too optimistic. Riley checked her watch. “We need to get going. You should wake up your factor.”

“Factor?”

She pointed at Price sleeping in the car. “Chunky Monkey.”

“Where are we heading?”

She patted the “Enchanted Mesa Spa & Resort” logo on the side of the van. “You’re with us until you certify with the shamanic interface.”

He glanced back at the car and shrugged. “I’m good to go.” “You’re leaving your factor behind?”

“He’s a spy planted by Sobol.”

She reached up to manipulate unseen objects in a way that Sebeck had seen Price do many times. A few moments later she shook her head. “I don’t see that he’s reporting to anyone. Although, he has been tasked by Mad Emperor to handle the logistics of your quest. Unlike you, he can quit this task at any time and be replaced.” She lowered her hands. “But neither has he given you high marks for cooperation.”

“Leave him.”

She just looked at Sebeck. “And your things?”

“Replaceable. A few changes of clothing, toiletries.”

“If that’s what you want.”

Riley drove the passenger van south into scrublands, past creosote bushes and the occasional piñon tree. They were headed toward distant mesas of tan rock, mottled by the shadows of clouds. Sebeck was glad that the Thread no longer loomed in front of him. His view was unobstructed for the first time in a long while. The only reminder of his quest was when he looked at Riley and saw the subtle aura glowing above her call-out—she was his current goal.

He focused his attention out the window. A surprising amount of grass grew in the lowlands this time of year. It was beautiful.

Sebeck sensed Riley studying him, but for several minutes they drove in silence. She finally spoke. “I know who you are.”

Sebeck didn’t respond.

“You’re that detective—Sergeant Peter Sebeck—the one who was framed for the Daemon hoax.”

Sebeck nodded.

“They put you to death.”

Sebeck nodded somberly again. “If you believe the news.”

“You’ve lost a great deal. Your career. Your reputation. I don’t imagine you’re here voluntarily.”

“No.”

“Did you know Matthew Sobol? Is that why he gave you this quest?”

“Sobol was my primary suspect in a murder case. From the point my name entered the news, I was in the Daemon’s sights. Sobol effectively framed me with a computer program.”

“How did you survive your execution?”