Sunset (Pact Arcanum)

by Arshad Ahsanuddin

  Nick turned to face them, considering his options. Why not? It might even help to talk to someone. He licked his lips nervously as he tried to be discreet. “If I tell you, can you keep it to yourselves and out of your surface thoughts so he won’t pick up on it?”

  Scott rolled his eyes. “We may not be at Jeremy’s level of power, but we’ve got plenty more experience at layering our thoughts than he does. He won’t see this conversation unless he does a deep read on one of us.”

  Nick ordered his thoughts before speaking. “I’ve been paying closer attention to people’s emotions since Lorcan and I broke up. I noticed Jer’s demeanor changes subtly in the presence of a particular person, becoming more attentive, more emotionally sensitized.” He looked up to meet Ana’s eyes. “More aroused.”

  Ana raised her eyebrows. “He’s attracted to someone? And you know who it is?”

  Nick nodded, saying nothing.

  “Interesting,” said Ana. “I wondered if he’d ever connect with anyone in a meaningful way. Knowing Jeremy, I take it he’s too shy to go after whomever’s struck his fancy?”

  “Something like that.” Nick avoiding her gaze.

  Scott frowned. “Who cares? What does that have to do with the crappy way you’ve been treating him?”

  “Because he picked someone who’s out of his reach.” Nick sighed. “It’s going to end badly. I know it is. And he’s going to get hurt. I don’t want that to happen, but I can’t say anything to him. You know how private he is. If I try to talk to him about it, he’ll shut me out, and I don’t want that either. I’m out of options. I just don’t know what to do.”

  “I know the two of you have gotten close over the last year.” Scott’s voice was gentle. “And that you feel responsible for him after you woke up what was left of his Gift, but, honestly, I don’t see how it’s any of your business.”

  “Because he’s my friend,” whispered Nick. “And I can see how much pain this is causing him, no matter what he does to hide it. There’s nothing I can do for him to make it any better, so I’m stuck having to watch as he goes through it alone.”

  Ana tilted her head, looking at Nick strangely. “You’re jealous.”

  Nick’s head snapped up, his train of thought irretrievably lost. “What are you talking about?”

  “He’s interested in someone—now he isn’t focused entirely on you anymore. What’s the matter, Nick? Afraid of a little competition?”

  “I am not jealous. I just want to do right by him.” Nick’s lips were white with annoyance.

  “Nick, it’s his problem. If he hasn’t asked you for help, just let him handle it in his own way,” Scott suggested. “You know Jer. He’ll just end up doing whatever he thinks is best, no matter what you say.”

  “It’s okay to care,” Ana agreed, “but just leave it alone. You don’t need to fight Jeremy’s battles for him, and you certainly don’t need to interfere in his love life. Forget about it.”

  “That’s the problem, Ana.” Nick turned to look out the window again. “I can’t forget about it.”

  Ana was about to speak when the car came to a stop and the security guard assigned to greet them opened the door. “Showtime, guys,” she said instead, as she exited the limousine.

  “Leave him be, Nick,” Scott said silently over the link as he climbed out of the car after her. “You’re not responsible for his feelings.”

  “Just my own,” Nick answered quietly. Then he plastered on his fake smile for the cameras and followed Scott out of the car.

  Administrative High Security Unit, Federal Medical Center Carswell, Fort Worth, Texas

  “We’ve had to move slowly, but we’ve made significant advances.” Andrew could hardly control his excitement as he handed over the thick report. “The Sentinels we’ve been able to persuade to work with us have been slowly infiltrating the Armistice for months. With the help of deep cover agents the Court of Shadows already had in place, we’ve managed to get several of them access to the Hidden Cities. They’re already using telepathic links to their team members outside North America to pass us whatever publicly accessible information they can acquire on Armistice military technology and fixed defenses.”

  “So, you’re making progress?” asked Medusa, flipping to the executive summary.

  “Absolutely. The Triumvirate may be composed of exceptional generals, but they’re incredibly naïve at building intelligence infrastructure. Their attempts at security are amateurish at best. It’s typical of their mindset. They consider themselves morally and technologically superior; therefore, they think they know what they’re doing when it comes to safeguarding their own secrets. In the meantime, we can exploit that hubris to a degree that would be impossible with a more mature intelligence service. With minimal training, our operatives have provided us with an unexpectedly rich stream of information on Armistice society and technology.”

  “Surprising that they’re that careless.” She thumbed through the index until she found the section she wanted, and opened the file to a section in the middle, containing a surveillance photo of Nick.

  “I’ve got our best people, and all of the Fire Sentinels we have available, working to analyze that information for possible weaknesses we can exploit. But our agents have to be careful to ensure the data they access is spread out over time and random enough to fool their security AIs into thinking there’s no pattern.”

  Medusa snorted. “They’re too arrogant for their own good, leaving their defense entirely up to technology.”

  Kensington noticed the pages she was reading. He frowned at her obsession with Nick, but knew she would eventually review the entire file. Obsessed or not, she remained a consummate analyst. “The energy field security systems are the only real line of defense in place at most of their facilities, relying on layers of shield fortifications to keep threats at bay. Offensive armaments are limited to the major cities and are based primarily on coherent energy beam weapons, similar to high-intensity lasers, as well as a unique weapon called a gravity pulse projector.”

  Medusa looked up at that, pausing in the act of drawing a pair of reading glasses from the pocket of her jumpsuit. “A gravity pulse?”

  “A scalable weapon of mass destruction they developed as an off-shoot of their space program. It launches three bursts of coherent energy from dedicated space platforms, all of which are shielded from detection. Those energy bursts can pass completely through ordinary matter and can be targeted at any location on the planet or in orbit.

  “Where the three bursts intersect, an artificial gravity field of unimaginable power is momentarily created, causing the target to implode under its own weight. The destructive power and area affected can be precisely adjusted—from zero effect all the way up to a level sufficient to create an artificial black hole. It’s their answer to nuclear weapons, and so far we have no defense against it.”

  “Jesus,” Medusa said. “Does a defense exist?” She placed the intelligence report on the narrow table between them, next to the other files and her discarded handcuffs.

  “That’s the good part,” Kensington smiled. “They already have a countermeasure developed and in place in all of the Hidden Cities. It’s called a quantum dispersion field. It disrupts the energy pulses and prevents the gravity field from forming. In case the Court figures out how to duplicate the weapon, they keep the fields running constantly at all three population centers, which is probably the smartest defensive measure I’ve seen them employ. However, as long as the defensive fields are active, our agents can study them from inside the cities and try to reverse engineer the spells to recreate the effect.”

  “Outstanding.” Medusa glanced significantly at the four bare walls of her cell. “And how are you progressing on getting me a room with a view?”

  Kensington scowled, his enthusiasm ebbing. “These things take time, Elizabeth. Your release is one of my top priorities. In the meantime, anything you need, just let me know.”

  Medusa chuckled. “What
I need is a twenty-four hour pass and a wooden stake, but I’ll settle for better food and some sunlight.” She glanced at the pile of reports waiting for her review and sighed.

  “The work you’re doing is of the utmost importance, Elizabeth, both to your country and to the human race as a whole. Remember that, if you ever have any doubts about your mission.”

  “My mission is revenge, Andrew. You can keep the patriotic bullshit. Been there, done that.”

  Kensington gathered up his suit coat and briefcase. “Elizabeth, with the analyses you’ve contributed, you might just save the world in spite of yourself. Now get back to work and make it happen.”

  Armistice Embassy, Ottawa, Ontario; Four hours later

  Jeremy met Ana in the large atrium after the three of them reentered the embassy, their footsteps clicking on the black marble tiles. “How was the party, guys?”

  Ana shrugged. “Meaningless conversation, bland food, tedious speeches: the usual.”

  Jeremy clucked in mock sympathy. “Your lives are so hard.”

  “It was so boring I think Nick might have actually fallen asleep,” she said conspiratorially, looking over at Nick, who was deep in a psychic conversation with Scott. “He sat there with his eyes closed, ignoring everyone almost the entire time. We told the dignitaries he was just tired, but I think they were still pissed.” She grinned and turned back to Jeremy. “I had fun at least. I met this guy from the Spanish Embassy who was actually an exceptional dancer. He even showed me some new steps.” Grabbing Jeremy’s hands, she pulled him into the middle of the floor. “Allow me to demonstrate.”

  “Oh no, come on, Ana.” Jeremy tried in vain to pull his hands out of the Fire Sentinel’s grasp. “You know I suck. When are you going to give up?”

  “I shall never concede defeat, Jeremy.” Ana subvocalized a command to her AI and suddenly the entry hall was filled with soft music. The others turned to watch in amusement as Ana led Jeremy in several complex steps, which the younger Sentinel completely mangled. By the end of the song, the two Journeymen were laughing out loud at their antics, clapping in time to the music. “Damn, Jer, you really do suck.” Ana said, when the music stopped.

  “I told you, didn’t I?” Jeremy blushed.

  “Well, thanks anyway for the dance, such as it was.” She took Jeremy’s hand and kissed it with a theatrical bow, prompting more hoots and catcalls from Scott.

  Jeremy rolled his eyes, then choked as he was jerked backward by the collar of his shirt. Jeremy fell heavily and saw Nick leap over him. A deep roar issued from Nick’s mouth and his talons snared Ana’s arm, slicing through her jacket as he tackled her to the floor. Slashing and clawing, he had pierced the meat of her abdomen before Scott and Jeremy, startled by the sudden violence, even burst into motion.

  Ana’s scream of pain split the air, and Nick drew back his fist, his eyes flaming. Scott and Jeremy reached them just as Ana kicked the Daywalker off her enough to avoid his punch. Narrowly missing her head, Nick’s fist pulverized the marble floor beneath, which shattered into a spiderweb of cracks.

  Scott jumped on top of Nick, immobilizing him as Jeremy grabbed his fists and dragged him off her.

  With a howl of rage, Nick literally threw the two Sentinels aside, sending them crashing into the antique furniture that lined the walls. He leapt to his feet, stalking back toward Ana, where she lay injured, her blouse soaked with blood. She trembled in terror at his approach.

  Jeremy gathered his wits. I’m sorry, Nick, he thought as he snapped his hand out in front of his body, fingers splayed. Launching himself over the Daywalker’s mental shields he used the full force of his Gift to slam his mental fist into Nick’s unprotected psyche. Unlike the day they met, this time he knew exactly how Nick’s mind was structured, and how to make his strike count.

  Nick collapsed immediately, his head making a dull thud on the cracked marble as he fell unconscious to the floor. Running past him, Scott drew upon the limited magic of his Gift to cast a healing spell to staunch Ana’s blood loss.

  “What the hell just happened?” Ana asked, her voice choked with agony.

  * * *

  Fifteen minutes later, Jeremy watched as Nick came slowly to his senses. The Daywalker was shackled to a heavy metal chair in one of the embassy’s basement offices, his arms chained behind him to a load-bearing pillar. The integrated wards of his restraints were suppressing his ability to summon any magic or psychic power beyond the physical attributes of his own vampire physiology. Rory and Take entered, followed by Scott and Ana. Checking the spellworked chains that bound Nick’s hands, Ana grunted, satisfied, before stepping out of the way. They watched as Nick looked around in confusion and realized he was restrained.

  “Guys?” he said uncertainly. “What happened?”

  Take frowned. “You tried to kill Ana. Don’t you remember?”

  Nick stared at his friend. Dried blood stained her clothes and obvious claw marks had rent her blouse. Nick’s eyes widened and his voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. “I did that?”

  His question was met only by the metal scrape of a chair against the floor, as Rory pulled a chair to the center of the room and sat before him. The Sentinels stood behind, alert for any sign of violence. Avoiding Rory’s eyes, Nick gazed past him to Ana, unable to tear his eyes off the dried bloodstains on her blouse.

  “What happened?” Rory said sternly.

  “I don’t know,” Nick whispered. “I was laughing and clapping, and then I woke up here.” He looked at Ana again. “I don’t understand, Ana. I don’t remember anything.”

  Ana involuntarily scratched at the fading scars on her belly. Scott’s healing spell, now enhanced by Rory’s more advanced casting, continued to work to repair the damage. “I believe you. But we have to know why or it might happen again.”

  Nick turned to Rory. “What do you need me to do?”

  “I need you to relax and let me in.” Rory leaned toward him. “You have to lower your shields and let me examine your mind.”

  Nick’s face paled, and he swallowed nervously. “Is that the only way?”

  Reaching out and cupping Nick’s cheek, Rory insisted, “I won’t hurt you. I promise. It’s the only way I can see the entire shape of your mind. If Jeremy goes over your shields, we won’t know if whatever happened is tied to your active defenses. Trust me, Nick, please.”

  Nick took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. “You may not like what you find, Rory.”

  “I won’t know until I look.” Rory’s said matter-of-factly.

  Nick sighed, bowing his head as he dismantled his mental shields. “Go ahead.”

  After more than an hour, Rory stood and motioned the others outside. He followed the four Sentinels into the outer office and dropped into a chair, exhausted, as Take closed the connecting door behind them. “His mind is damaged.”

  “In what way?” Take’s face creased with concern.

  “Certain memories have been severed from his awareness. In some areas, only the emotional content is gone, but in others there are complete gaps in his recollections—entire segments of his past that he’s lost. It’s as if someone has taken a scalpel to the fabric of his life. I couldn’t see how extensive the damage is, but it goes back years.”

  Jeremy stared at him, his mind numb. “Years?”

  “How could this happen?” Scott asked. “I’m with him all the time. No one could have gotten close enough to do something like that.”

  “No one did, Scott,” Rory said wearily. “The damage is self-inflicted.”

  “He destroyed his own memories?” Ana asked, shocked.

  “No,” Rory elaborated, “they’re still there, but he’s partitioned them from his conscious mind so he can’t access them directly.”

  “Can you bring them back?” asked Scott, his fists clenched in worry.

  “No. Only Nick can. He has to consciously choose to reclaim those memories.”

  “Why would he cut away parts of himself?” Take asked.


  “I can’t see the memories that are completely hidden, only those that have been altered by removing the emotional components. The ones I can still detect are all recent. I’ll bet he thought that if he tried to forget something current, he would be more likely to trip himself up and one of you would have detected what he’d done.” He turned to look at Jeremy. “All of the damaged memories I can still read have something to do with you.”

  “Me?” Jeremy asked. “How do you mean? What do I have to do with this?”

  “I’m not sure,” admitted Rory. “But you’re the common thread that runs through all of the memories he’s altered rather than removed. That’s why he attacked Ana and doesn’t know why.”

  “How would that cause him to hurt one of his closest friends?” Jeremy asked in confusion.

  “The vampire part of his mind isn’t respecting the artificial boundaries he’s set up. It is acting on both his conscious memories as well as the subconscious ones he has suppressed.” Rory turned to Ana. “I have a theory. You said he pulled Jeremy out of the way before he attacked you.”

  Ana nodded. “That’s right.”

  “What were the two of you doing just before that?”

  Ana shrugged, trying to remember. “Well, we were kind of dancing. It was silly. Then I kissed Jeremy’s hand as a joke, and that’s when Nick jumped me.”

  Rory closed his eyes briefly. “I see. That explains a lot.”

  “How?” asked Ana. “I didn’t do anything.”

  “You kissed his hand.” Rory turned to look at Jeremy. “Vampires are violently territorial when it comes to their mates.”

  “What?” Jeremy’s mouth dropped open as the other Sentinels turned to stare at him in disbelief. “Now, just wait one damn minute, Rory. We aren’t like that! I mean, I’ve never done anything even remotely sexual with Nick,” he protested. “I’m certainly not sleeping with him!”

  “Do you want to be?” Rory asked gently.