Renault smiles. The expression's grim, and not just because it's on the face of a dead man. "See, the trouble with that," he says, "is that demons have been around for a long time. It's hard to take something with a career that extensive by surprise."
"Ah," you say, deflating.
"It could still work," Will puts inloyally. "Just because something's old doesn't mean you can't surprise it. Just look at my grandma."
You and Renault both turn to look at Will. "What happened to your grandma?"
"Surprise birthday party," Will says, looking down at the forest floor. "Followed shortly by a surprise heart attack and a surprise funeral." He looks up at the pair of you. "I mean, the funeral wasn't really a surprise, considering we needed to plan it, but we'd certainly have been surprised if someone had told us about it a week before."
There's a slightly strained pause as the three of you reflect upon that particular anecdote.
"Right," you say eventually. "Let's just hope that things go the same way here."
You continue on through the forest, following the path as it starts to arc sharply to the left. There's no sign of Grace anywhere, though you could swear that you can hear the faint murmur of conversation, growing louder as you walk on.
Curious, you quicken your step, pushing through some of the intruding branches, only to come to a stop as you turn around a large ash tree, coming face-to-face with Sonia, Max, and Michelle, all of whom turn to look at you, unsurprised.
"Yeah," Sonia says, gesturing at the point where the three separate paths come together. "Sort of an unnecessary exercise, really." Her finger follows the reformed path as it moves on, heading through the forest. "Still, at least the next part's a group mission."
You nod. "Let's keep going," you say. "She can't be too far ahead now."
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