Chapter V

"Is it lawful to remove witchcraft by means of further witchcraft?" – Malleus Maleficarum


Robin was the first one to arrive back at headquarters. Michael, as always, was sitting in front of his computer, headphones on, fingers flying over the keyboard at lightning speed.

"Coffee?" Robin asked, mouthing the words so he could understand her over the music. He smiled, nodding enthusiastically. Robin nodded back, then walked over to the small table that held the coffee pot. She glanced back at Michael, her eyes drawn by the moonlight reflecting off the dog tags that hung around his neck. The symbol of his imprisonment.

Robin couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He was only a year older than she was, and he was tied to Solomon for the rest of his life. How long would Zaizen keep him in this building, surrounded by invisible bars? He could be sitting in front of that computer forever, and no one seemed to care. They just accepted it, as if it had to be.

Like the Hunters, she thought, pouring the coffee into two styrofoam cups. Solomon said that witches needed to be hunted, and they accepted it. But she sometimes wondered . . .

The sound of the elevator doors opening drew Robin out of her thoughts. She quickly pushed them to the back of her mind, carrying the cup of coffee back to Michael. She nodded to Karasuma and Sakaki, who had just entered the room.

"Are we early?" Sakaki asked, pulling a chair up to Michael's computer and looking over the hacker's shoulder, his arms folded across the back of the chair as a pillow for his chin.

"Not really," Michael replied. "You know how Amon is."

"Well, we can't really start without him," Karasuma said, leaning against the desk. The elevator door opened again, and Doujima sauntered in, her coat folded over her arms.

"Wow, Doujima, for once you aren't the last one here." Sakaki teased. Doujima flashed him an irritated glance, before smiling at the others.

"Hey, I happen to be very dedicated to my job you know," she said, casually flipping through some files on the desk next to Michael. Sakaki suppressed his laughter, while Karasuma hid a smile.

Amon finally arrived, pausing to give them all a somewhat astonished glance. He had expected them all to be there, but he hadn't expected them to be clustered around Michael's desk like a bunch of curious children. Without saying a word, he moved into the briefing room. One by one, the others rose and followed him.


"Mizuru Takeda. She isn't on the STN's list of Seeds, but I searched her relatives up to the third degree, and found someone who is." Michael intoned, pulling up a photograph of the girl. She seemed like any ordinary girl, close to Robin's age, in fact. The prospect that someone her age would knowingly—willingly—kill someone frightened her. It also made her wonder. Was it because she was a witch? Did she feel like she had no choice but to use her power to kill? Or was it just the girl herself that was the problem, power or no?

"Robin." Amon's stern voice made Robin's head snap up in attention. He was glancing at her with cold indifference, as usual. "We're going." She quickly got up and followed him out the door, Sakaki and Karasuma following behind. Once downstairs, they split up and got into their respective vehicles. Amon did not start the car right away, instead pulling out a laptop. A map of the city appeared on the monitor.

"We've tracked the witch to this section of town," Michael's voice instructed as Amon drove. "But we don't know exactly where she is."

"Can't you pinpoint the location any further? It could take weeks to track her through this maze." Amon said irritably. Robin peered at the map, and couldn't help but agree with him. The place marked off was one of the busier downtown sections, with several high rises and large shopping centers. She could be anywhere.

"Oh Amon, you're so dull!" Doujima's voice chimed in over the communicator. Amon looked taken aback by the statement, though only Robin was there to see it. "If you were a teenage girl, where would you go?" Doujima's only reply was silence. "The mall! Come on guys, it's obvious. That's where she's hiding. Trust me."

"It is pretty likely, Amon," Michael agreed. Robin couldn't help but suppress a smile at the slight sneer of disdain on Amon's face as he turned onto the street that led to the mall. It would be closed at this time of night, but he didn't seem the type of person who would enjoy being there at any time.

"Fine, tell Karasuma and Sakaki to meet us there," he replied indifferently, switching the laptop off.