Author: Benedict Jacka
Category: Science
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I pressed myself against the tree, but the attacks hadn’t been aimed at me. I felt blades of air go whistling into the ravine and heard a man scream. Lightning flashed and in its strobe I saw more men running at me.
I hesitated an instant, weighing my options, then held my ground. Two men ran past with barely a glance; the third grabbed me and started dragging me back towards the gate. Shouts and gunfire sounded from all around us, bullets and spells flying back and forth in the darkness.
We’d made it all the way back to the gate when I caught a glimpse of Caldera. She was off to the right, engaged in a furious battle against two enemies at once; she was hurt but still upright, defensive spells a glowing halo to my magesight, and her eyes fell on me. I saw her expression twist in anger and she lifted a hand, aiming an attack, then a deathbolt slammed into her and knocked her off balance and before she could recover, the man with me shoved me through.
I staggered through into artificial light. I was in a wide square room, the floor concrete, rusted metal hanging down from above. Looking around, I saw half a dozen men. One was focusing on the gateway; all were dressed in dark clothing and masks; several were watching me. None spoke.
“Uh,” I said. I wasn’t sensing any immediate threat, but I was getting a bad feeling about this. “Hi.”
The men watched silently. Seconds ticked away. I knew that on the other side of the gate, a battle must be raging, but there was no sound. I looked to see what the men’s reactions would be if I tried to leave, whether through the gate or out of the room. Not good.
A new figure stepped through the gate and as it did, the futures changed. Suddenly there was danger, along with all kinds of chaotic outcomes, branching and multiplying from the figure walking towards me. It was hard to catch any details, but I tried to focus on him . . . her? . . . yes, her . . . and at least figure out who she . . .
Uh-oh.
The woman reached up and did something to her face. The spell masking her face dissolved, revealing another mask. It was a black silk domino, with short blond hair hanging behind it. The eyes behind the eyeholes were blue, but I didn’t need to look at them. I knew who it was.
“Hey,” one of the other men said. “We aren’t—”
“Shut up,” Rachel said as she smiled at me. It wasn’t a nice smile. “Hello, Alex.”
I didn’t reply. My divination has never worked well on Rachel—she’s too impulsive and too crazy—but somehow I was sure that anything I did say had the potential to go very, very badly.
“You have no idea how long I’ve been looking forward to this,” Rachel said. “I’d love to tell you what’s going to happen to you, but I really don’t want to deal with you trying to escape. So . . .” She walked forward, taking something out from a pocket.
There was nowhere to run and no point trying. I stood my ground, staring back at Rachel. She walked up to me and pressed something to my neck, and for a second time the world went black.
* * *
I drifted through darkness. Time passed.
Gradually I woke. It was a gentler process this time. No pain or nausea, just a slow, gradual transition from sleep to consciousness. Bit by bit I became aware that I was lying on a bed on my side, and that I was alone. I opened my eyes.
I was in a small bedroom. The bed was comfortable, with a wooden headboard, and an armchair sat against the far side of the room. Two windows were set into the wall, both covered with translucent curtains and radiating magic. There was a single door.
Experimentally I tried to move. Nothing stopped me; the handcuffs were gone. Touching my head, I realised that my injuries were, too. My head wasn’t hurting and neither was the rest of me: it was as if I’d never been hurt at all.
I swung my legs off the bed and sat up, then stood, testing my weight on the injured leg. There was no pain or stiffness; whoever had healed me had done a very good job. Rising and walking to the window, I drew back the curtains to reveal a view out onto a winter landscape. Snow covered the grass beyond the window and the trees farther back, and more snow was falling softly from a grey sky. The windows were treated with spells to ward off heat, as well as anyone trying to break through. It was all very cosy.
I didn’t feel cosy. I felt horribly vulnerable and exposed. Despite the comfort of the setting, all my instincts were telling me that my position was very, very bad.
I was in some kind of safe house or fortress, probably within a shadow realm. There was about a ninety-five percent chance that it was owned either by Richard, or by another member of his cabal. The fact that I’d been healed and left to wake up in comfort was positive; the fact that the door was locked and alarmed was not. Taken together, it looked as though I was about to be offered some kind of deal, probably the kind that carried very bad consequences if I said no.
I paced up and down. Too many things had happened too fast, and I was still feeling disoriented, like a boxer who’d taken too many shots to the head. The Council had found out about Anne. Arachne was gone. I was a prisoner, and probably Anne was too. Any one of those things was really, really bad, and I didn’t know how to fix any of them. Out of the three, Arachne being gone was probably the most survivable. I didn’t know how the dragon had taken her away, or where she’d been transported to, but she was alive, and probably safe. Which was more than could be said of us.
The Council finding out about Anne was a disaster. Both of us were probably already outlaws. The last time this had happened, we’d been saved at the last minute by an unasked-for favour from Morden. I didn’t think we could count on that happening again. What we had done this time was much worse, and the Council wasn’t going to forgive us, not ever. They were going to hunt us to the ends of the earth.
Of course, depending on the next couple of hours, the Council hunting us could be the least of our problems.
I sensed movement in the futures and steeled myself, turning to face the door. Here it comes.
The handle turned. Richard Drakh stepped through and shut the door behind him.
You’d never guess to look at him that Richard is one of the most powerful and feared mages in the British Isles. He has brown hair, dark eyes, a neutral sort of face with no distinguishing marks, and dresses in such a way as to look as nondescript as possible. It’s quite deliberate: Richard can easily catch people’s attention or intimidate them, but he deliberately chooses to fly under the radar. Until he suddenly doesn’t.
Richard scares me more than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s not because he’s particularly cruel or sadistic—as far as that goes, Vihaela has him beaten on both counts—and he doesn’t have the invulnerability or connections of someone like Levistus. What frightens me about Richard is something much simpler. For most of my life, I’ve survived in a world of enemies bigger and stronger than me by being smarter than them. Richard is the one person I’ve never been able to outsmart.
“Alex,” Richard said. His voice was just as I remembered it, deep and commanding. “Sit.”
I did as I was told. When I’d met Richard a few years ago, he’d been patient, allowing me to set the tone of the conversation. This time was going to be different.
Richard sat in the armchair and clasped his hands. “I think it is time for you to learn exactly what has been going on.”
I managed to keep my voice steady. “I would appreciate that.”
Richard nodded. “Here is what will happen. I will talk, and you will listen. No comments or questions; you will have that opportunity later. Once you understand your position, I will ask you a question. Your answer to that question will have immediate and far-reaching consequences. As such, I recommend you pay close attention. Do you understand?”
My mouth was dry enough that I didn’t trust myself to speak. I nodded.
“Good,” Richard said. “I have been aware for many years that to fulfil my long-term plans, I would need additional resources. As you
know, that decision eventually led me to the jinn, which in turn led me to the question of how to best harness their capabilities. I will not go into detail as to the research I conducted, nor the numerous dead ends. What matters is that after various failures, I decided that the crucial variable was the identity of the subject. As you are aware, jinn require a bearer—preferably a human—to utilise their wishes. The subject functions as a lens. If the lens is imperfect, the great majority of the jinn’s power is wasted. The more powerful the jinn, the greater the requirements on the bearer. And the jinn I was interested in was the most powerful of all.
“The requirements in question were specific. The subject had to be a powerful mage, possessed of both strength and skill. They had to be empathic, capable of partnering with the jinn in an emotional link. And they had to be strong-willed and ruthless. As you would expect, the last two requirements caused the greatest difficulty. Finding someone who satisfied one was easy; finding one who satisfied both was all but impossible. Until I came across an almost perfect subject.”
I felt cold. I knew where this was going.
“I was interested to learn that you and she had developed a relationship,” Richard said. “I doubt it was a coincidence. I suspect rather it was a case of assortative matching. You, after all, shared some of those traits too. Once I was prepared, I approached the two of you in Sagash’s shadow realm.
“I honestly do not think that either you or Anne fully understand just how much easier your lives would have been if you had accepted that offer four years ago. At a conservative guess, it would have deterred somewhere around eighty percent of your current enemies. You certainly wouldn’t have had to deal with that death sentence, nor the constant assassination attempts, and Anne’s bond with the jinn would have been made safely and under controlled conditions. But I told you at the time that it was a free choice, and I meant it. When you turned me down, I withdrew, though not without misgivings. I had no intention of allowing Anne to die, whether at the hands of Sagash and Crystal or anyone else.
“However, watching you together, something occurred to me. I’d noticed your protective manner towards your companion, and I remembered how the fate of that girl, Katherine, had been such a sticking point for you all those years ago. I could not protect Anne directly without raising suspicion—but you could. And so I decided, on that day, that you would be my agent in this matter. You would protect Anne in my stead, and because you did so of your own volition, you would be a far more motivated guardian than any mercenary.
“Of course, while you were protecting Anne, someone needed to be protecting you. That someone was me.” Richard smiled slightly. “I’ve been your guardian angel, Alex, though you may not appreciate it. On at least three occasions that you know of, and at least two that you do not, I’ve intervened to keep you alive. I’m sure you must be aware of it to some extent. You’re brave and resourceful, but do you really think that you would have survived this long on your own? Why do you think Morden went out on a limb to shield you? But anything you owed, you have more than repaid. Over and over again, you proved that you were the right choice. Sagash’s shadow realm, the pursuit following your death sentence, the Vault, those attacks on Anne’s home . . . even when those Crusader assassins abducted her two years ago. In that matter, I admit, I was in error. I’d considered the possibility of their moving against her, but I simply did not believe that they could be so stupid. But every time, when it most counted, you were there.
“Needless to say, I was never going to allow you or Anne to be executed by the Council. Once I learned that they were moving against you at Arachne’s lair, I prepared a response. We waited for them to expose themselves by bringing you outside the cave, then struck. I was sorry to hear of Arachne’s departure; I always found her a fascinating conversationalist. But to answer the question that is no doubt foremost in your thoughts, yes, Anne is safe. We extracted her along with you, and she is resting in this very building. You’ll have the opportunity to see her shortly.”
I wanted to see her sooner, but I held my tongue. Knowing that she was here made me feel a little better, but only a little. I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Which brings us to Anne and her current situation,” Richard said. “Quite simply, I need Anne as a host for the jinn. In many ways, she is perfectly prepared for the role. She’s honed her magical skills and power, and she has hosted it in the past. Their relationship has grown to the point where I believe she could fully utilise the jinn’s power. And believe me, that power is vast. The jinn that was bound within that ring is a marid, the sultan of all of the jinn in the waning days of their empire, and it was its binding by the master mage Suleiman that ended the war. It is one of the most powerful of its race ever to exist. However, without a human lens, that power is useless. Each time that Anne has called upon the jinn, the strength of their bond has grown, and its ability to act through her has increased. If she calls upon it once more, their connection will be complete. Its full power will be at her disposal.
“Which brings us to our problem. Currently, Anne is not willing to cooperate. You can see how this presents an issue. As you know, I prefer willing servants, but I have spent considerable resources on bringing Anne to this position, and my patience has limits. She will take up her place as host to the jinn. The only question is how.
“I can, of course, employ force. I can threaten Anne, or use mind magic to control her actions directly. However, both of these approaches come with undesirable side effects. I believe that to reach her full potential, Anne must complete her contract with the jinn of her own volition. And I believe the key to doing so lies with you.”
I blinked at that.
“I see you’re confused,” Richard said. “A blind spot, perhaps? Well, I believe it is important that you understand. Because this ties in very much with you. Have you considered why you are in this position now? Not here in this room, but your overall situation. If I released you right now, dropped you into the middle of London, how long do you think you would last before the Council picked you up? A week? Less? You are, right at this moment, one short step below me and Morden on the Council’s most-wanted list. They’re sending out bulletins as we speak, and come tomorrow, you will be unable to set foot in any city in Britain without drawing hunters. So I think you should take a moment to consider just how you have managed to sabotage your life and professional career so thoroughly.
“Your life has reached this point of disaster because of the choices you have made, and the choices you have made have stemmed from the type of person you have tried to be. You have attempted to be, for want of a better phrase, a ‘nice guy.’ Compassionate, loyal, a protector of the weak, et cetera. I won’t address the question of how you can view yourself in this manner while having killed more people in your career than most Dark mages do in their entire lives. What matters is that nearly all of your worst decisions have directly stemmed from being too nice—or, to be more accurate, being insufficiently ruthless. Your attempted betrayal as my apprentice. Your alienation of Levistus. Your failed attempts to protect Anne from crimes for which she is self-evidently guilty. Take Levistus, since that is the most blatant. As I understand it, during the White Rose affair, Levistus specifically warned you of what the consequences would be if you acted against his interests. You ignored him, and he quite predictably responded by having you sentenced to death. You survived only due to my intervention. Let me be very clear, Alex: both your sentence and the ensuing pursuit were entirely your own fault. Levistus was more powerful than you, and you could not afford to make an enemy of him, yet you did. You then compounded your error by failing to strengthen your own position. All because you were unwilling to make the necessary sacrifices.
“Now take your current situation with Anne. Under Light laws, the Council are fully entitled to sentence you and Anne to death. A Light mage would say that you have broken the Concord and must face the penalty. A Dark ma
ge would point out that the real issue is that the Council have the ability to enforce their decisions on you and Anne, while you do not have any ability to enforce your will on them in return. A Dark mage in such a position would have taken action to ensure that any attack by the Council would be defeated. By refusing to follow either the Light path or the Dark, you have failed at both. And once again, I am the one cleaning up your mistakes.”
Richard leant forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Listen to me, Alex. Your way of doing things does not work. Being nice does not work. The world is not ruled by those who are nice. The world is ruled by those who understand power and how to use it. That you are sitting here is proof of this. You no longer have the luxury of depending on me to bail you out of trouble. Except in your case the problem goes further, because this is not about you. It is about Anne.
“Anne, like you, still believes that one should be nice. In her case, however, much of the strength of that belief stems from her relationship with you. If you had not been there that day in Sagash’s shadow realm, she would have accepted my offer. But you were there, and you advised her against it, and she listened, because she trusts you.
“And that brings us to the present. I need Anne to host the jinn. I cannot persuade her to do so voluntarily. Neither can Morden, nor Vihaela, nor anyone else. Except you. And that is why you are here. Because for better or for worse, you are the one person able to convince her to take this action of her own free will. So we come to the point of decision. Will you cooperate, or not?”
I looked at Richard. Richard looked back at me.
“You want me to convince Anne to host the jinn,” I said.
“I want you to make Anne host the jinn. The precise method, I leave to you.”
“She’s not going to do something like that because I ask her.”