"The spirit gets something out of it too," Illeana says. "You would be like its own personal safety deposit box.
"As long as the spirit formula remains intact, the spirit cannot be permanently banished or disrupted, no matter what. It would be immortality for each of you, in a way.
"It's not a thing to do lightly. Not all spirits are magnanimous, or have humanity's best interests at heart. As someone who did a tour with Firewatch, you know that better than most."
The conversation continues over breakfast. Another outdoor café, one where their conversation is lost in the surrounding hum of other diners and the city.
"We either need to find a free spirit or conjure one ourselves."
She's using the royal 'we', James notes.
"It's not a small task. With study and practice, I could conjure one in time. First, I need to learn more about a spiritual art called invocation. MIT&T is at the forefront of research on invocation. Their studies are specific to the hermetic tradition, though some of their alumni have started their own invocation courses tailored to Wiccan practitioners."
She raises a knowing eyebrow. James detects the invitation to go to Boston and investigate the Natelys.
"I've always wanted to see New England in the autumn," she contines. "Particularly Salem. It's a bit of a holy spot for Wiccans, you see.
"Most admissions deadlines passed months ago, but I think I can make a compelling case. My fake SIN says that I have a degree - with honors - from Universitas Carolina Pragensis, in Prague. The thing about my SIN is that it's so good that I'm not sure what's real and what's fake. Maybe I really did study there and accumulated the credential, or maybe it's part of a very believable backstory. I do speak some Czech, after all, so it seems plausible."
James interrupts. "Charles University? Isn't that where -"
"Schwartzkopf teaches, correct," Illeana nods. James has heard of Schwartkopf, a Great Western Dragon, one of the more benevolent ones. He takes students and gives lectures on magic, in stark contrast to, say, Sirrurg the Destroyer.
"Schwartzkopf's ongoing work is the Unified Magical Theory," Illeana continues. "The synthesis of Wiccan and shamanic traditions to be effective even without religious beliefs."
"Wiccan traditions?" James jumps in. "Do you think it's possible that you studied with him?"
Illeana nods with raised eyebrows. "Kinda blows your mind, doesn't it? Again, I don't know. Maybe it's all part of a very good fake SIN that fits together like the stones of the Great Pyramids. Or maybe it fits because it's true."
James lets out a low whistle, and exhales. Suddenly he leans forward and slaps his hands on the table, causing the plate of pastries to jump.
"Wait! Schwartzkopf was mentioned in the files that Cannon provided to us about the list of potential groups tracking us. The files said that it's possible that Schwartzkopf has alerted one of his magical groups - Benandanti XXV, I think they're called - to acquire the artifact and/or anyone who may have come into contact with it."
Illeana gives a wry smile and nods. James realizes that he's just catching up to what she's already thought of. "You're absolutely correct," she confirms.
James sits back, overwhelmed at the thought that he's been thrust into a world of Great Dragons. It was one thing to sell the obelisk to the ASPS, which had a financial relationship with Hestaby, but quite another to be sleeping with someone who might have studied with a Great Dragon, a dragon who might want to make his acquaintance.
"We're getting ahead of ourselves," Illeana says, trying to slow down a bit. "If we want to go this route, then we need to find some MIT&T graduates and figure out where they are teaching. I'm betting there are some in the greater Boston area. Then I need to apply, possibly with a significant donation to the institution to apologize for missing the admissions deadline. That gives us two months to find our way up north.
"In the meantime, we can do whatever we want. We can splash around in the swamps, researching and learning just in case the academic route doesn't pan out, or we can hit the road again." She raises her hands a bit to indicate the open world that they have in front of them.