by Rachel Aaron
Julius began to sweat. “You kill seers.”
The Black Reach nodded. “It is a heavy duty, but a necessary one. If you’ve met my brother, you’ve seen your old plane, the tiny speck of wasteland that’s left of it, anyway. What happened there was a tragedy, the final result of an eons-long path of greed and short-sightedness. All were complicit, but seers were the driving force. They were the ones who sold the future to buy the present, dooming all dragons in the process. The only reason you exist is because a handful of your ancestors were fast enough to get through the portal ahead of the collapse and take refuge here, on this plane.” He put a hand on his chest. “I exist to make sure that never happens again.”
He said this with the utmost gravity, and Julius absolutely agreed. No one who’d seen the ashen waste of the dragons’ old home could ever claim what had happened there was anything but a disaster. But that still didn’t explain why the Black Reach was talking to him.
“Because you are important to Brohomir,” the seer said before he could ask. “You are the key to his plans.”
“But I don’t know what those are!” Julius cried. “I have no idea what he’s doing or why he’s doing it. I don’t even know where he is!”
“That doesn’t matter,” the Black Reach said dismissively. “Wherever he is right now, it is certain he will come back to you.”
“Oh,” Julius said, not sure whether to be relieved or terrified. “Did you foresee that?”
“No,” the seer said, shaking his head. “You are Brohomir’s pawn, and he shrouds you well. But while I can’t see your future specifically, I’ve always known his. That’s why I’m here. I’ve watched your brother since before he hatched, which means I’ve observed his specific interest in you for a long time. It’s been quite fascinating. I’ve seen a lot of strategies for manipulating the future over the past ten thousand years, but I’ve never seen a seer pin everything so completely on one point.” He reached out to tap a long finger against Julius’s chest. “You.”
Julius swallowed.
“At this point, the word ‘linchpin’ is an utterly inadequate description for the role he’s put you in,” the Black Reach went on. “At this stage, every plot Brohomir spins up leads back to you in some fashion. I can see them all, every string he pulls and line he casts, and yet I still don’t understand why.”
“That makes two of us,” Julius said, slumping in his chair. “What you’re saying isn’t exactly a surprise. Bob’s told me a couple times now that I was his crux, though he didn’t make it sound quite that important. But I still have no idea what he wants, or why he picked me.”
“That’s perfectly normal,” the Black Reach assured him. “No pawn sees the whole game. But since you are so important, I feel I must warn you that your brother has turned down a dangerous path. I may not understand all his motives yet, but I have seen his future, and it is not one I can allow. If he continues on his present course, I will have no choice but to—”
“Kill him,” Julius said, stomach clenching. “You’re going to kill him, aren’t you?”
“I am,” the seer said quietly. “But before you label me the enemy, know that I am here precisely because I want to avoid that fate. Like every seer before him, Brohomir knows what he must do to preserve his life. He’s known I am his death since he was younger than you, and how to avoid it. He knows perfectly well the temptations he must not touch, yet he still pursues them, and I don’t know why.”
He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees so he could look Julius in the eyes. “That’s why I’ve come to you. You’re his pivot, the point around which all his plans revolve. I was hoping that, if you told me what he’s asked you to do, it might help us both better understand his motives and prevent an unfortunate end.”
He said that so earnestly, Julius almost answered before he could think about it. But as desperate as he was to save his brother, he wasn’t that stupid.
“Why should I tell you anything?” he said suspiciously. “You just said you’re going to kill him.”
“Only if he makes me,” the Black Reach said, his eyes sad. “I do not enjoy killing seers, Julius. I may not be a living dragon as you are, but I’m not actually made of stone. I’ve known every seer that’s ever been born on this plane. I watched them all grow and guided them as best I could, but it’s neither my purpose nor my place to dictate the future of our kind. Even when I care for a seer greatly, I can’t force them to choose as I would like. I exist for one purpose: to be a check on the power of seers and ensure our future is never sold again.”
“But, if that’s all you do, why are you their death?” Julius asked. “Why is every seer’s first vision you killing them if you only come out when they break your rule?”
“Because no seer can resist,” the Black Reach said angrily. “You saw what Estella did just with the chains, and that was only a minor manifestation. The power to force the future is always there. Waiting. Tempting. It may take thousands of years, but sooner or later, every seer comes up against a battle they can’t win with knowledge of the future alone. When that happens, they inevitably reach for the one weapon that will guarantee their victory, and I am forced to stop them.”
“But why?” Julius asked again. “They’ve all seen their deaths, right? They know you’re going to kill them for doing it, so why try?”
“Because every seer thinks they’re special,” he said, shaking his head. “They spend their entire lives knowing things others don’t and using that knowledge to do the impossible. When you’re that powerful, it’s only a small stretch to thinking you’re unstoppable. That you can do what no one else has ever done. That you can beat me.”
“Can they?” Julius asked. “I mean, I get that you’re older and better and can probably run circles around any other seer, but no one’s actually invincible.”
“I am,” the Black Reach said calmly. “I know that sounds like boasting, but this is what I was created for. I was constructed by the greatest seers of our old world specifically to be a weapon against them. I can’t be defeated, at least not by a seer.”
“But can’t you just tell them that? Bob’s not Estella. He’s not crazy. I’m sure if you just explained all of that to him, he’d—”
“You think I haven’t tried?” the Black Reach snapped. “Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to watch one of the best seers ever born throw himself away? Brohomir knows exactly what is coming and why he shouldn’t do it, but he still refuses to change, and I’ve reached the end of my ability to reason with him.”
“I hope you’re not expecting me to get through to him,” Julius said. “Bob doesn’t listen to me.”
“But he does talk to you,” the seer said, staring at him intently. “You’re different from other dragons, Julius. I told you flat out when we started that your brother was in trouble, and you didn’t even try to use that to your advantage. You didn’t offer to sell him out to me or trade information for favors. You just wanted to help, to save him.”
“Of course I wanted to save him,” Julius said. “He’s my brother.”
“There’s no ‘of course’ about it,” the Black Reach said, leaning closer. “Do you know how long I’ve waited for a dragon like you? One who’d legitimately choose his brother’s life over a debt with Dragon Sees Eternity? You are incredibly rare, and I believe that’s why Brohomir picked you. Not just because you won’t betray him, but because I don’t want to kill you. I could end all of Brohomir’s plotting right now, save his life by ending yours and all the plots he’s attached to you, but I won’t. I can’t, because you’re exactly the sort of peaceful, honest dragon I’ve always hoped would emerge one day. Under your leadership, I can foresee Heartstriker evolving to the point where you might finally be able to put a stop to the foolish clan infighting that’s forever pushing seers to seek the ends I must kill them for taking. That’s power, Julius, and I’m sure it’s why Bob chose you. Where better to run your plans than through the one dragon I don’t wan
t to kill? But his cleverness is also his weakness, because by making you the center of all his plans, Bob has handed you—the only one who truly cares—the power to save his life. He’s the seer, but you’re the one holding all his strings. If you let them go, everything he’s built will fall apart, and I won’t have to do a thing.”
A cold knot began to form in Julius’s chest. “You want me to betray Bob.”
“To save his life,” the Black Reach said angrily. “Your brother is one of the best seers I’ve ever known, but his cleverness and audacity have led him farther down the path of self-destruction than any dragon before him. He’s made a bargain with a power so deadly, I can’t even tell you its name without risking the future I was created to guard. If he takes one more step, I cannot stay my hand, but you can make it so I don’t have to act at all. That’s not betrayal, Julius. That’s saving him from himself. If you truly care for Brohomir, then help me. Disrupt his plans, foil his plots. Don’t do whatever it is he’s ordered you to do. Let him fail, and you will save his life.”
He finished with a smile. Not the polite one from earlier, but a true, heartfelt smile that changed his entire face, making him look less like a deadly weapon and more like a desperate old dragon. And that was the hardest part, because Julius was now certain the Black Reach hadn’t come here to manipulate him or set a trap. Whatever other games he might be playing, he believed the seer truly wanted to save Bob, and that was the problem, because Julius didn’t know how.
“If that’s what you need, I’m afraid I can’t help you,” he said apologetically. “I absolutely believe you want to save my brother. I want to save him, too, but I can’t go against his plans, because I don’t know what they are.”
“That doesn’t matter,” the Black Reach said dismissively. “You don’t have to know a game to ruin it. Just don’t do whatever it is he’s told you to do, and the whole thing should fall apart on its own.”
“But that’s what I’m trying to tell you,” Julius said. “Other than ordering me not to free Chelsie, which I already ignored, Bob’s never told me to do anything except be myself.”
The Black Reach went still, staring at Julius as though he’d started speaking an unknown language. “That’s it?” he said at last. “‘Be yourself’? You’re sure that’s all he’s said?”
Julius nodded, and the old seer scowled. “That can’t be it.”
“I know,” Julius said, not sure whether to laugh or cry at the absurdity. “But I swear that’s all he’s said. Believe me, if I’d known he was planning to kill Amelia, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I would have already disrupted his plots into itty-bitty pieces. But I had no idea. You and Chelsie and everyone else go on and on about how I’m Bob’s chosen one, but I must be the self-operating kind, because he doesn’t tell me anything. I don’t even get crazy texts anymore.” And man, he never thought he’d miss those.
The Black Reach looked down at his lap, his long fingers drumming against his legs as he thought that through. The silence lasted so long, Julius started to worry he’d gone into some kind of sleep mode or whatever constructs did when they got overloaded. Before he could decide what to do about that, though, the Black Reach rose to his feet.
“I appreciate you speaking with me,” he said, inclining his head. “It’s been…informative.”
“Of course,” Julius said automatically, hopping up as well. “But before you go, can you tell me anything? You said you knew where Bob was going to be. If you told me, maybe I could find him. Talk to him. He’s a smart dragon. I’m sure I could—”
“No,” the Black Reach said firmly. “Giving you his location does nothing. You’re his pawn. If I move you, he’ll just move you back.” He thought a moment more, and then he shook his head again. “No. At this stage, I think it’s better for you to continue as you’ve been, though if he does ask you for something, keep my advice in mind.”
“I will,” Julius promised, biting his lip. “But it’d be a lot easier if you could give me some kind of hint about what it is he’s trying to do. If you’re after him, it’s got to be something to do with selling the future, but why? What’s he trying to make happen?”
“I can’t tell you,” the Black Reach said, clearly frustrated. “Not because I don’t trust you, but because he hasn’t done it yet. I’ve actually pushed the boundaries of my position a great deal just by coming to speak to you today. If I push further, I risk tipping my own hand, and that’s not a chance I can take. But rest assured, I would not be here if the threat were not great. You know what’s at stake now. If you’re the dragon I believe you to be, you’ll do everything you can to stop Brohomir before he dooms himself, which is all I can ask.”
“But how will I know?” Julius asked. “I don’t even understand what I’m trying to stop.”
“You will,” the Black Reach promised, opening the door. “When it happens, you’ll know, because you’ll be at the heart of it.” He ducked his head to Julius one last time before stepping into the hall. “See you in Detroit.”
“Wait!” Julius cried, running after him. “What happens in…”
The words died on his lips as he burst into the hall. The long, empty hall. Julius couldn’t even smell the Black Reach anymore save for a faint hint of old ash. He searched anyway, walking all the way back to his mother’s vault before he gave up. Whatever had happened, it was obvious the seer was no longer in the mountain. Defeated, Julius went back to his temporary room to try and think all of this through. He’d just settled himself down on the sheet-covered couch where the Black Reach had been sitting when he noticed Marci’s bag was no longer beside it.
***
“I’m not saying you’re wrong, sir,” Fredrick said gently. “But why would the Black Reach steal your human’s bag?”
“Why do seers do anything?” Julius whispered back, fists clenched in fury. “But her bag was in my room when we started, and when I came back, it was gone. No one else could have taken it.”
Fredrick heaved a frustrated sigh, and honestly, Julius couldn’t blame him. They were in the elevator on their way up to the mountain’s peak to try and talk with the Golden Emperor. If there was ever a time Julius needed to focus, it was now, but he couldn’t let this go. That bag was all he had left of Marci. “I have to get it back.”
“Was there anything in her bag that the Black Reach might have wanted?”
Julius had no idea. He didn’t even know what was inside it. He’d been too upset to go through Marci’s things when Chelsie had handed them over last night, and there’d been no chance this morning with the invasion. Other than the blood, though, her shoulder bag hadn’t looked or felt different from all the times he’d grabbed it for her back in the DFZ. The poor thing was still stuffed to the seams, despite all the times Marci had complained about never being able to find anything. He still remembered the exact tone of her voice the last time she’d sworn to get organized, or at least buy a bigger bag, trying in vain to stuff all her casting supplies into the—
He stopped, body shaking. As always, any thoughts about the past, even innocent ones, pushed him right back to the dark place he’d been before Chelsie had dragged him out. No matter how busy he kept himself, whenever he let his thoughts drift, Marci’s loss was still right there, like a knife in his side. In a perverse, selfish way, he was almost glad the emperor had invaded. It gave him an emergency, something bigger to distract his attention away from the yawning emptiness. He needed that right now.
He just wished the Black Reach hadn’t taken his last piece of her.
“I’m sure the bag will come back,” Fredrick said, giving him an encouraging smile. “Assuming he did take it, seers don’t do things without reason. But if you need some time—”
“No,” Julius said firmly, pulling himself together. “Buying time was my idea. So was going to talk to the emperor. If I’m not going to make good on those, we might as well do what Mother wants and sign the surrender now.”
“It doesn’t hav
e to be all one or the other,” the F argued. “Ian won’t be back until early tomorrow. We have time if you need it.”
“I do need time, which is why I can’t waste it.” He closed his eyes and gave himself a shake, forcing the grief back to the corners of his mind to focus on the task ahead of them. “There,” he said when he’d finished. “I’m fine. Everything will be fine. Let’s do this.”
Fredrick didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t push. He just moved closer to his youngest brother as the elevator rolled to a stop, the golden doors opening to reveal the hallway to the throne room at the top of Heartstriker Mountain.
Or what was left of it.
“What the—”
Fredrick recovered first, grabbing the elevator doors as he leaned over the panel to check the floor number, but there was no mistake. This was the top floor, it was just—
“It’s empty,” Julius said, stepping out into what had been Bethesda’s famous Hall of Heads. Had been, because all the grisly trophies from their mother’s bloody rise to the top were now gone. Even the clean spots from the wooden mounting plaques had been scrubbed away, leaving nothing but empty stone walls from the elevator all the way to the throne room doors.
“How did they do this?” Fredrick whispered, his eyes wide. “Some of those heads were cursed, not to mention thousands of pounds.”
“I suppose anything’s possible with enough manpower,” Julius whispered back, keeping his eyes on the doors at the hall’s end, where a pair of terrifying men in traditional Mongolian dress were standing guard at the throne room doors. Identical men, who didn’t smell like men at all. They smelled like dragons, the same two red ones that had stopped him and his mother in the desert. The ones who were the same size as Conrad.
“Stay close,” he whispered, straightening the collar of the old-fashioned, ill-fitting suit Fredrick had dug out of storage for him.
