Audrey rolled her eyes.
“The scam works like this.” Gaston checked his notes again. “He invites wealthy people into his church, flirts with them for a while, and if they’ve got the dough, he invites them to his private retreat, to the Wooden Cathedral. They go in normal, and they come out thinking he’s a prophet. Whatever gadget he’s got in there, it works.”
Kaldar looked at George.
George frowned. “Crowd-control devices are illegal except in Gardens of Bliss, and there you have to sign a liability form.”
“Is a Garden of Bliss as bad as it sounds?” Audrey asked.
“No, but when I first heard the name, I thought it was a brothel,” Kaldar said. “It’s a last resort for people who are depressed and suicidal. You sign a consent form and splash around in a garden with pretty flowers and ponds of warm water while good feelings are being pumped into you by magic.”
Audrey blinked. “Oh.”
“It could be a Vilad Lantern,” George said. “Or some sort of emotional emitter. I’d have to see it to say for sure.”
“Anything more about Ed?” Kaldar glanced at Gaston.
“Not much. Ed’s greedy, and he likes nice things: expensive cars, good clothes, bling—that’s apparently something to do with flashy jewelry. He likes women too, but all those are collateral vices. Ed ultimately gets off on crowds worshipping his every footstep. He wants to be a big shot. He actually gives money to the San Diego Children’s Center, and he attends the charity dinners and all that.”
Kaldar and Audrey glanced at each other.
“Explains the kids,” Audrey said.
“The Blessed Youth Witness,” Gaston said. “He gets street kids to work for him. They give out flyers, and he gives them a place to stay in his Witness Camp during the summer at his compound. Middle-aged women with money love it.”
“Do we know where the camp is?” Kaldar asked.
Gaston shook his head. “No. But we do know he’s got people with rifles and live ammo guarding it. Also, it’s protected by enough defensive spells to hold off an army. It used to be his old family place. The Yonkers were a really strong Edge family a few years back, but now only Ed and his parents are left. The wards on that puppy are a century old.”
“Nice.” Audrey sighed. “So breaking in and stealing the magical brain-cooking device is out of the question.”
Kaldar glanced at George. “How complicated are these devices usually?”
George shrugged. “Well, the inside is complicated, but most of the time they’re designed to look like normal objects. When you want to manipulate someone’s emotions, it’s better that people don’t know they’re being manipulated. They tend to take that sort of thing badly.”
“So what are we talking about?” Gaston asked. “Like a vase or something?”
“Not exactly.” George got up. “Usually it’s jewelry. For the emitter to work, I’d need to position it between me and the person I wanted to influence. So let’s say I want to manipulate Kaldar.” He turned to Kaldar. “I could probably have a bracelet emitter and lean on my fist or something, so the bracelet faces him.” George bent his arm so his wrist faced Kaldar.
“You look stupid,” Jack told him.
“Exactly,” George agreed. “The object has to be something inconspicuous. And usually the object will be inert until the user focuses their magic into it.”
“So wait,” Gaston said. “It won’t work for just anyone?”
“No,” George said. “You have to have some magic talent in emotional manipulation already. These devices just make that kind of magic stronger. Since Yonker manipulates a crowd, you’re looking for something with range, so the magic goes out at a wide angle. Like a crown or some sort of device he holds between himself and them.”
“He wouldn’t wear a crown,” Audrey said. “This is an American congregation we’re talking about. They wouldn’t stand for that.
“So first we have to find out what the device looks like,” Kaldar said. “Then we make a copy.”
“Out of what?” Audrey stared at him.
“Memory plaster,” Kaldar said. “The Mirror gave me a tub of it. If you expose it to the right magic, it will mimic glass, metal, or wood. Gaston is very good with it.”
Audrey frowned. “And again, to get that close to Yonker very fast, we’ll need money. Lots and lots of money.”
“I am confused,” Jack said.
“So am I,” George said.
“Yeah, can we be in on the plan?” Gaston asked.
“Let me explain,” Kaldar said. “Yonker has a magic gadget that manipulates people’s emotions. He is probably keeping it in the camp in the woods. We need to steal that gadget.”
“I got that part,” Jack said. “But how do we steal it?”
“There are two ways,” Kaldar continued. “First, we must find out where and how the gadget is guarded. To find that out, we’ll need to infiltrate Yonker’s camp, which is why we’re going with this plan.”
“You’re getting them more confused,” Audrey said. “Can I step in here for a second?”
“Sure.” Kaldar invited her with a sweep of his hand.
“This heist is called Night and Day,” Audrey said. “There are two teams: Day team and Night team. The two teams pretend not to know each other. Jack and George will be the Night team.
Jack exhaled. Finally. Something to do besides sitting on the wyvern. Yes!
Audrey continued. “Yonker’s church takes in runaway children. You boys will pretend to be runaways, get Yonker church people to let you work for the church, and try to get into the camp. Once in the camp, George, you can use your necromancy to find the gadget and figure out how heavily it’s protected. You have to be sneaky and avoid attracting attention.”