Late that night, Gideon sat in the back of a mana-powered carriage down the street from the EnviroCharm building, waiting to make possibly the most foolish mistake of his life.

In addition to Finch Vex, Mr. Rook had brought in two more of his associates, as he charitably called them. One was their driver, sitting in the front, wearing a ball cap pulled low over his face and pretending to be asleep. The other was a grim, bald man wearing a black turtleneck and slacks who Gideon had appraised as having twelve Might, two less than Finch, but a whopping fifteen Finesse. He was sitting beside the driver and would be joining Gideon and Finch inside the EnviroCharm building.

Finch had said little during their planning session at Mortimer Rook’s office earlier, but the other two goons had said even less. Their communication was mostly limited to grunts and nods, which was perfectly fine with Gideon.

He had tried to forget their names as soon as Rook had introduced them. Gideon hoped this would make it easier when it came time to betray them. The driver had a short-cropped beard, and the other one didn’t, which was another way Gideon had chosen to identify them.

The mana carriage had a purple velvet interior and leather seats. It didn’t look like a getaway car, but maybe that was the point—to throw off any city guard who came after them.

Gideon would never know. He never planned to step foot in this carriage again. Earlier that day, on his way back to Mortimer Rook’s office, he’d tracked down a boatman and offered him a generous sum to be waiting at the dock behind the EnviroCharm building in about thirty minutes, one bell after midnight.

“It’s time,” Finch said from his seat next to Gideon. The man didn’t seem nervous. To him, this was another day at the office. “Put ‘em on.”

Finch gestured at the masks Gideon and the crew were holding in their hands. They were made of dark, polished wood, with simple circular eye holes and thin slots near the nose and mouth.

Focusing his eyes, Gideon gave the mask one last [Appraise] before putting it on. He wasn’t about to trust any magical artifacts at face value. Not when they came from Rook.

Mask of Anonymity

Active Ability: When worn, surveillance devices and inattentive onlookers won’t be able to identify you. You’ll look like a blur. Your voice will be a muffled whisper.

Note: The illusion will not survive the scrutiny of a perceptive soul.