Pyro

Chapter 33

My mind rushed to align the gears clicking away in my head, and I refuted my statement. "You're not omniscient. If you were," I said slowly, rehashing all my interactions with Mr. Cal, "you would've seen us coming at the Elemental, and you wouldn't have gone to jail."

Amusement shone in Mr. Cal's blue eyes. He shifted on the bed, facing me, swirling his glass of water. "You're correct. I'm not omniscient-no one is. Not even Amala-er, Proditio."

Disbelief slapped me; my jaw slackened. I pivoted my head to Zoe and Kaz, who reposed in chairs by the window, immersed in a hushed conversation. Zoe swung her head to reply, "Callum, don't be dramatic. Just explain it."

Mr. Cal flashed a smile. "Yes, Hannah."

Zoe sneered and ignored him, returning to conspiring with Kaz. Chortling, Mr. Cal moved to the edge of his bed, leaning in to close the distance between us, and affirming she wasn't watching, said, "My former assistant is quite a catch, isn't she?"

I scowled and batted him off. No wonder Zoe hated this guy. "Enough already. Elaborate on what you mean by neither you nor Proditio have omnisciency."

Mr. Cal returned to lolling on the bed. "I mean, every ability has a caveat. For example, you can't set fires that aren't in your line of sight."

I frowned, wondering how he knew that, when, seemingly scanning my thoughts, he said, "If you could've set every Trader-claimed building on fire without leaving your house, you would've. Plus, my ability gives me insight into these things." There was his mysterious ability again: What on earth allowed him to predict police attacks and 'caveats?' "God-like powers don't exist, not without drawbacks, and omnisciency?" He snorted. "Give me a break."

"Callum," Zoe warned, piercing gaze interrupting his long-winded rant.

He offered her a saccharine smile and, voice dulcet, mollified, "My apologies."

She rolled her eyes.

She attempted to return to speaking with Kaz, but he bolted upright, spotting something.

A roach scampered across the table and, horrified, Kaz shrinked away. Zoe shuddered in revulsion and slipped her dainty feet out of her shoes, biting her tongue as she angled to smash it. Kaz snatched it from her and pondered the best angle to kill it.

Mr. Cal situated himself upright and smoothed his shirt, beginning the second portion of his much-needed explanation. "A more accurate word for Proditio's ability is omnividence." I felt my eyes bulge in my head. When Kaz slammed Zoe's heel on the roach, the squelch of its inner liquids seeping out jarred me and prompted Mr. Cal to speak. "She's all-seeing. Not all-knowing."

My heart rate hitched, and I raked back my hair, reanalyzing my every interaction with Proditio. How she seemingly knew everything we planned. How she knew every single auction and warehouse operated under the Traders. How she knew our every location. How she found her prey.

But it also explained a key incident nagging at my brain: How I managed to escape the botched auction alive. If Proditio was all-knowing, she would've known her murder attempt would've failed. But if she was all-seeing... That was an entirely different story.

Kaz offered Zoe her bug-steeped shoe and she winced. She retreated, ensconcing herself back in her chair. 

Licking my chapped lips, throat dry, I lusted for Mr. Cal's water. In the end, I eased my screaming body by resting on the bed and staring at the ceiling as Mr. Cal studied my reaction.

"That..." I trailed off, reeling. "That still... doesn't explain everything. Proditio knew we'd find John Belrook, one of her lackies, and had him give us a message, before we ever encountered each other. And she somehow knew that killing Rebecca would drive me to-" I faltered, my mind whirring to life. The mere thought scorched my skin and burned my tongue, and agony stung my heart as I muttered, "That wasn't her. That was your ability, wasn't it." It wasn't a question, but an apathetic statement. All this time, Mr. Cal...