Judged

by Liz de Jager

  Dante pulls a face and pushes Aiden aside. ‘My nose was broken a few times a year at the dojo. I can do this. Find me some water so he can clean up properly.’

  I look away as Dante does that thing where he aligns the cartilage and then there’s a crunching noise, swearing and the smell of more blood in the air. I blindly grope for a chair and sit down heavily, fighting against an unexpected urge to throw up.

  ‘What’s so interesting about this place?’ I ask Aiden in an attempt to refocus my attention. ‘It just looks like a workshop.’

  ‘The fact that it’s only a workshop is what makes it interesting.’

  ‘What did you expect, a Bond villain lair?’

  ‘Actually, I did, sort of.’ He turns to look at Dante helping Antone. ‘Also, he doesn’t look much like a goblin, does he?’

  I glance at the man in question and I have to agree with Aiden, he really doesn’t look like a criminal mastermind at all. He doesn’t look like a goblin either. He looks human, maybe on the shortish side, with bow legs. But other than that, whatever glamour he’s spelled himself with is impenetrable, because not even my sight can discern his real form.

  ‘So are you Antone Pensa?’ I demand, just to clear things up.

  He grimaces as Dante casually wipes his now-bloodied hands down the front of Antone’s dishevelled suit jacket. ‘And if I am?’

  ‘We’re here to ask you about distributing a drug in the Frontier,’ Dante supplies, and he’s doing his sensible, calm voice. It’s the Spook voice he tried on me the first time we met. I still don’t like it. ‘We would like you to tell us where you get it from.’

  ‘Just like that?’ Pensa dabs at his nose with his bit of cloth. ‘No manipulation? No threats? No torture?’

  I open my mouth to scoff at his words, because what does he think we are – actual villains? – when I breathe in a tang of magic and it hits the back of my throat. His blood, I realize belatedly. His blood holds magic and I’ve been thoroughly exposed to it. Unlike Dante’s magic it’s not gradual or pleasant. It roars out at me and all at once, I see …

  Chapter Eighteen

  Pensa’s words reverberate through the room. Shadows become fluid. Aiden turns from him and glances towards me questioningly. I open my mouth to warn him. Warn him about what?

  The words don’t come.

  My magic shivers and there’s the taste of metal in my mouth. I blink and the movement is heavy, dragging at my eyelids. There are voices nearby. I reach out blindly and someone grips my arm. I stare at the bloody hand circling my wrist and I wonder why it’s so bony and pale against the rich red of the blood.

  I’m only vaguely aware of falling.

  I tuck and roll, coming up ready to defend myself, but the action feels peculiar to me. I stare down at myself and I don’t recognize the brocade sleeves that almost reach the tips of my buffed fingernails. I register the unusual clothing that presses heavily against me, restrictive and formal. Then I look up and around me. My (our) breath falters. This is not just time that I’ve run backwards, I realize – I am experiencing this as Pensa. There is no me, there is only him.

  The room is made from marble, with thousands of mirrors, and the ornate ceiling drips with blazing crystal chandeliers. Surrounding me are swirling Fae dressed for revelry. I try my utmost to not gape, but it is supremely difficult. The opulence is shocking, the lushness of colour staggering. It is as if I’ve viewed my life in black and white and I’ve unexpectedly been allowed a glimpse into the full richness of the colour spectrum.

  My gaze drifts across the room. All three faerie Courts are represented, as are the individual families that constitute the twelve houses of the Sidhe. I feel myself recognizing familiar faces and the banners hanging from the glass ceiling show the number of houses in attendance. Once more I look down at my formal clothes but, before I can move, a heavy hand comes to rest on my shoulder.

  I know the man. Only a little taller than me, he’s dressed in unadorned black and wears no glamour. The fact that he feels no need to do so, when everyone in attendance is suffused with magic, is somehow significant. But I am not sure why.

  ‘Pensa.’

  ‘Lord Zane.’

  Those fingers tighten reflectively on my shoulder.

  ‘Come.’

  I follow him because I have no choice. He is the reason I have been invited to the Sun King’s palace. The celebrations are for one of the high feast days, perhaps Midsummer. The air is redolent with the scent of ripe fruit and spices. Not entirely unpleasant, but I am a simple man and I prefer the fresh mineral smell of cleanly cut stones to any other aroma.

  We are making our rapid away across the ballroom. Fae move aside for him and it is a peculiar sensation to be pulled along in his wake, seeing the deference people pay to him. I do not belong here, amidst this throng of exotic Fae. I am not a noble and I have no pretensions to be one as I hurry behind him. It is, I think to myself, as if no one wanted to be noticed by him and I wonder why that would be.

  Once we’re outside the ballroom he leads me down ever-narrower winding passageways, until we finally come to a set of plainly wrought doors. He gestures and I do not see who controls the doors, but they swing open on silent hinges. Zane sweeps into the room, his boot heels clicking loudly on the uncarpeted floor. The rooms, for there are two that I can see, are large. Their windows face towards the town that’s grown up around the Sun Palace and its grounds. And in the distance I can just see the Dark Forest.

  ‘Do you approve of the rooms?’

  I frown at him as I’m not sure what he means. I glance around once more and feel at a loss, sure that I am missing some vital clue as to why we’re here.

  ‘The rooms, are they adequate for your family?’

  ‘My lord, I am not sure I follow.’

  A guarded look crosses his fine features. ‘Let me explain.’ He shakes the black lace from his cuff and snaps his fingers. For the longest moment nothing happens, but then I make out the distinct noise of a child crying. And as the sound moves closer, so do heavy footsteps.

  From the other room, two ogres lumber forth. One holds my son in a bruising grip behind the neck, like one would hold a mongrel about to be drowned. The other holds my wife. Her face is bruised and tears have cut through the grime and blood on her cheeks. I move on instinct, desperate to get to them, but Zane puts out a hand, pushing me back firmly, and I stumble over my feet.

  ‘Stop. Or I will have them killed.’

  My wife lets out a low moan of terror and my son renews his vigorous attempts to break from his captor, squirming and kicking. I’m gratified to see him using the techniques I have taught him – but against an ogre nothing but a length of cold, hard iron would do.

  ‘What is the meaning of this?’ I turn to look towards my wife and son. ‘We have done nothing wrong. You have no right to do this. None.’

  ‘You refused my business, Pensa. I do not take kindly to being refused.’

  My confusion and fear must be apparent, but even so I feel the need to correct him. ‘I’m sure, my lord, that you are mistaken. I would be honoured to create whatever jewels you require, for yourself or for the Sun King.’

  Zane’s laugh is mocking and a shiver runs down my back. ‘Ah, but it’s not your jewellery I’m after, my good Pensa. You turned someone away recently who came to you on my behalf. He asked for access to your extensive network of businesses in the Frontier and you declined. Surely you remember that?’

  It takes me just a moment to recall. ‘Merrick? You’re talking about that …’ My lip curls in disgust. ‘That creature has no business being in the Frontier. His touch taints everything.’

  ‘Oh.’ Zane seems a little taken aback by my dislike of his servant. ‘It’s unfortunate that you don’t get along, because after tonight you will be in business with him. Merrick and another, a human called Caleb Jericho, will work closely with you and you’ll ensure they have unfettered access to storage, trucks and warehouses. And if anyone asks you, you will s
ay that Merrick and Mr Jericho are good men and are to be trusted.’

  ‘No. I’m sorry, my lord, but I have spent many years building up my Frontier businesses and I won’t stand by and have people like Merrick and this Jericho abuse them. I won’t stand for it.’

  ‘That is a pity. And I thought you loved your family.’ Zane stares across at the two ogres and their captives. ‘Did you know I was good friends with Lord Istvan? He taught me a great deal. We worked on creating chimera for the circuses that travel the Otherwhere. I am not a boastful man, Pensa, but some of my creations were works of art.’ His smile makes me want to rage but I tamp it down as he continues, ‘I do believe that there are some Sidhe lords and ladies who would pay handsomely for a boy as beautiful as your son to be crafted into one of my chimera. A beautiful monster. A pet, to be shown at luncheons – perhaps to fight beasts from the northern wastes.’ His expression looks distant, as if he’s enjoying the imagery he’s conjuring for himself.

  I strain against the hand on my chest. ‘If you harm them I will kill you. What kind of man are you, Lord Zane, to stoop so low as to use women and children like this? Where is your honour?’

  ‘I am a realist, Pensa. And I will only hurt them if you displease me.’ Zane’s hand moves to grasp the back of my neck, pulling me forward so that we are almost nose to nose. ‘Now, do we have an accord? Will you work with Merrick? Or do I send your boy to my workshop and your wife to the dungeon, where she will spend the remainder of her days?’

  I stare at him, and suddenly understand why no one wanted him to notice them upstairs. His eyes are dark and fathomless, and within their depths I see something twist and curl. I am not a stranger to madness, and seeing that turmoil banked into coals within him, burning slow and heavy, I decide on the wisest option to keep my family alive.

  ‘Yes, damn your rotten heart, Zane, we have an accord.’

  When I come back to myself, I find myself propped against Dante’s side. He’s standing beside me, a reassuring hand on my shoulder. Aiden’s seated next to Pensa, and Pensa’s expression is one of shocked disbelief. It mirrors Aiden’s but for different reasons, I think. The time-slip was unexpected and unwelcome but, even more strangely, this time I wasn’t a bystander, but a participant. I draw a deep breath and rub my hands through my hair; the familiar movement grounds and settles me. When I open my eyes, Pensa’s gaze has softened slightly.

  ‘How is what you just did possible? You are a human. A Blackhart.’

  ‘What I am, Mr Pensa, is complicated.’ I shift under Dante’s grip and he lets go of me but stays close. ‘You expect us to treat you the same way Zane’s treated you, with threats?’

  ‘He made a very persuasive case.’

  ‘You’re working for Zane. To keep your family safe.’

  ‘Not just my immediate family, but also my friends and extended family. If I didn’t cooperate, he promised his hunters would find them and bring them to his workshop. There he would dissect them and experiment upon them.’

  ‘You believe this?’ Aiden asks him, after I’ve given them a quick run-down of what I experienced and saw first-hand through Pensa’s memories. ‘You believed what that guy was saying?’

  ‘Zane is deranged. In the past I only knew him as Lord Zane, the Sun King’s chamberlain. Now? Now I realize that the Sun King does whatever Zane tells him to do. Zane rules the Summer Court in all but name. And he is very good at intimidation and blackmail. No one makes a move against him. He has spies everywhere and he keeps his business dealings very close to his chest.’

  ‘So he’s forcing you to work with this crony of his, Merrick? And Caleb Jericho?’ I trade a grim look with Aiden.

  ‘Yes. Merrick has access to all my businesses now. I initially thought they wanted to launder money, but then I realized they wanted access to storage space and my distribution network.’

  Dante leans closer to him. ‘Distribution network?’

  ‘Merrick manufactures the drug somewhere. I don’t think they stay in one place too long. He then uses my trucks and delivery systems to move the drugs across the British Isles and Jericho supplies the men and the muscle.’

  ‘How many companies do you have?’

  Pensa thinks about it as I remember the amount of paperwork the boys had been looking through earlier. I remember a lot of names.

  ‘Under my direct control, maybe a hundred? Subsidiaries are far more numerous.’

  I turn huge eyes on the boys. They both look ill.

  ‘But why were you given some of the drug personally?’

  ‘I asked for it. I was handed a small amount only.’ Pensa rubs his hands together. ‘I wanted to see if I could somehow cause a stir within the Fae community living in the Frontier. The only way I could think of doing this was to threaten one of the visiting Fae when she stayed at the Hold. I thought she would speak to the Lady Mar, tell her what had happened, what I had done. Mar and I have known one another for a long time. I knew she would not stand for me threatening anyone. It was also a way for me to test if Mar was part of Zane’s extended circle. I didn’t imagine the Fae would keep quiet about the drug and distribute it instead, using it for her own enjoyment.’

  ‘That really sucked as a plan, mate,’ Aiden said, clapping him on the shoulder. ‘You really should have just told someone.’

  ‘Not an easy thing. With no one to trust …’ Pensa’s hands flutter in the air between us. ‘What else could I do? I had to set it up in such a way that suspicion would fall on me for being stupid but not … purposely careless.’

  ‘At least we know who the bad guy is,’ Dante offers. ‘How do we take him down?’

  ‘Zane is not the one.’ Pensa’s face is apologetic. ‘He may be the one giving orders, but he is receiving them too. He’s as much a pawn as Merrick.’

  ‘This Merrick guy. Why do you dislike him so much?’

  ‘Merrick is an animal. A beast. He cannot be trusted around humans. He flouts the laws and takes what he wants whenever he wants. He has been judged in the past and sent to prison, but every time he’s released, he just goes back to doing whatever he wants.’

  ‘And what does he want?’

  ‘He seeks …’ Pensa’s eyes don’t meet mine. ‘He specializes in deflowering …’

  ‘Holy hell, Batman, that’s enough. Really. I don’t think we need to know more.’ Aiden chokes on air. ‘And he prefers humans, does he? What of the laws?’

  Pensa’s expression says it all. There are no laws for the lawless. I have to close my eyes against the building aching pressure in my head. ‘How is that even possible? How is he allowed in the Frontier?’

  ‘Zane – am I right?’ Dante asks, and when Pensa nods he swears softly. ‘So, I don’t think this is why Zane keeps him around. What is so special about Merrick?’

  ‘He’s an alchemist of the highest order.’

  ‘Alchemist? Isn’t alchemy the transmutation of base metals into gold?’ Aiden frowns at our surprised expressions. ‘Guys, I do know stuff too, you know? I’m not just the pretty one.’ He turns to look at Antone, prompting him with a gentle, ‘Alchemy?’

  ‘Certain Fae have always had the ability to transform metals. It is a speciality for some.’ My eyes flicker to the bars of gold holding the door open and Pensa nods. ‘Gold is easy. Metals are easy. Stones are more difficult to change. But we digress. Alchemists are able to create potent potions which allow Fae who are unable to use glamour to transform themselves.’

  ‘And what does that mean when we’re talking about Glow?’ Aidan asks.

  ‘It means that Merrick uses a similar recipe, if you will, to the potions he creates for the lesser Fae. The ones who struggle to use glamour in the human world when they come across to the Frontier. The potion is potent and he’s distilled it into something even more potent, adding ingredients only found in the Otherwhere. I’ve tried analysing it …’ He gestures to his set-up in the corner and I notice it for the first time. It’s a compact laboratory and it looks the business. I can
only begin to guess what all the equipment is for. ‘… But I’ve not had much luck.’

  I stare down at my hands. At least they’ve stopped shaking. ‘So Merrick’s the one making the Glow, using a weird formula that he’s probably tinkering with each time he makes a new batch?’

  When Pensa nods at my question, I heave a sigh.

  ‘So we set up a meeting with the Jericho gang to hand over more drugs,’ I say. ‘Then we plant a tracker on the dealers and figure out where they’re heading. Is that something you can help with, Mr Pensa?’

  He looks reluctant but after a few moments he speaks, his gaze moving between the three of us. ‘I can do that. On one condition: you help get my family away from Zane. You get them to safety and I will help you.’

  I nod, thinking of Strachan and the guys who helped me bring down Lady Morika the last time. They would revel in something like this. ‘I can speak to some people, get it set in motion. We’ll make sure that no one knows it was you.’

  Antone Pensa is not an impressive man. Nothing about him is impressive, except perhaps the lengths to which he will go to keep his family safe. He watches me for a few moments before agreeing. ‘Very well. I will do this. You get my wife and child out in the next twenty-four hours and arrange something similar for my extended family, and I will do what I can to arrange with the dealers I used before to sell me more Glow. After we meet them we can track them, see what they do, and set a trap.’

  We shake on it, he and I, and I’m flooded with a sense of his relief.

  Finally. Finally there is something that feels concrete and real and true, a way to ensure my family’s safety. A way for us to run and be safe.

  The relief that courses through me is immense and I lean against the counter for a moment. I withdraw from Antone Pensa’s grip and turn away to gather my thoughts. When I bring my hands back up to rub my face, they come away wet and sticky with blood.

  Chapter Nineteen

  ‘I can’t believe I’m on another stake-out with you,’ Aiden grumbles in my ear. ‘The last one was meant to be the last one. And now look.’