****
“No, I’m fine really. I’m glad it’s summer, I just need a little space to decompress from everything,” Willa said into the phone.
Simon Weil’s voice chirped through the speaker, spanning miles in mere seconds. “Listen, I’m sorry I didn’t make it out for the service. You know that, well, your grandfather and I had our issues.” The voice on the other end of the phone paused. The tension grew. “And, with the circumstances, it was all just a little too hard to come to terms with.”
“He’d understand, Dad,” Willa said.
“What?”
“Grandpa. He got it. He always blamed himself for what happened to Mom.” Willa stopped, wondering just how much she ought to tell her father. “Dad, after Mom, um, died, he changed. Grandpa threw himself into his studies—his academic studies. He told me I needed to not get involved in the affairs of the world, that it was all too dangerous.”
An uncomfortable snicker came across the line. “Well, that’s something. You should listen to him.”
“That’s the thing. I can’t. I know you hate it, but I’ve been given a power, a power few people have. And I intend to use it.”
“Willa…”
“No, Dad. Listen—for once.” Willa bit her lip. Her eyes burned. “Bad things have happened. They happened to you, to us. Hiding won’t make them stop, but maybe I can. I’m not going to let the bad things continue.” Willa’s father was unresponsive, so she continued, “Look, I called because I have a question for you. Do you know what Vox Populi means?
The phone stayed silent. “Dad?”
“You break my heart, you know that? I think you might just be a little too much like your mother.”
She could feel his smile from miles away.
“OK, I’ll tell you what it means. I know I can’t stop you, but I want you to consider this more before you jump headlong into something that could get you hurt—even killed.”
“I will, Dad.”
“OK.” Another long pause. “Vox Populi was a group your grandfather formed. They were crazy, arrogant men who considered themselves the guardians of Pittsburgh. Mostly wizards. All faculty. And nearly all dead.”
Willa paused, praying for the right answer to her question.
“What do you mean nearly?”
****
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
L. E. Barbant is co-host of the remarkably mediocre The Part-Time Writers Podcast. When he’s not writing (or struggling to pay the bills with his day job) Lee spends his time reading everything from Greek dramas to zombie thrillers, babysitting his four monstrous nephews, and wishing he could fly. The Catalyst is his debut novel but if his superhero career doesn’t pan out, he’s planning on giving full-time writing a shot.
He lives outside of Pittsburgh with his lovely wife and a cat named Cat.
C.M. Raymond holds a PhD in philosophy, which qualifies him to write superhero stories but not much else. His home is in a river valley of Western Pennsylvania. Outside of reading and writing, he loves to spend time with his family in the woods and wilds or the city streets. Before writing The Catalyst, C.M. penned a middle grade/teen serialized fiction series called Arcanum Island, first for his sweet daughter, then for the general public. It’s fast, fun, and full of adventure. Though written with kids in mind, many adults have also been taken by the mystery. Buy the first season of the series or try the first episode for free.
Table of Contents
DEDICATION
PROLOGUE
PART ONE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
EPILOGUE
THE CRUCIBLE PREVIEW
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Steel City Heroes (Book 1): The Catalyst Page 22
