The Cartographers Novels & Stories

"That's a real cartographic notation." "Yes," Luke said. "It is." "I'm a cartographer," Junior said. "You're a cartographer who also does geology," Billy said, from the sofa where he'd settled with a notebook. "Geologist-cartographer," Junior said. "It's a dual specialization." I brought the coffee to the table. Set a cup near Luke. He looked at it. Then at me. "Thank you," he said. Simple. "Milk, no sugar," I said.

"A single point on a map is a location. Two points is a direction. Three points is a pattern. Four points is an intention. When you have enough points, you stop asking where this happen and you start asking who built the infrastructure to make it happen everywhere." * * * Garrett's maps are not maps in the cartographic sense. They are overlays: supernatural jurisdiction registries printed on standard geographic maps of the western United States, with hand-marked annotations in three different colors of ink that tell their own story about when different pieces of information were added and what they changed when they arrived.

Something older — the paper has the specific brittleness of age, the ink faded to brown in places, the careful detailed cartography of someone who took their time and cared about precision for its own sake. "Ashborne work," he says, before I ask. "My father's. This territory, four generations back." I look at it. The lines are beautiful in the way old maps are beautiful — not decorative, functional, every contour and elevation marker placed with the specific care of someone who understood that accuracy was its own form of respect for the land being documented. "You said your father had theories," I say. "About the silent years."

Astrid walked with her hands tucked into her coat and glanced at the rolled map Rowan carried under his arm. "I've decided I don't trust ancient cartographers." Lucien smiled. "What have they done now?" "They erased an entire street." Rosalie laughed. "I don't think they erased it by accident." "That somehow makes it worse." Lucien adjusted the satchel hanging from his shoulder. "If someone intentionally removed a street from every newer map, then they had a reason." Astrid sighed dramatically. "I preferred maps that simply helped people avoid getting lost." Rowan looked back at her.