by Gary Jonas
“Brand?” she asked and looked right at me. I saw emotion play across her features as she realized I wasn't Brand. Then the emotion played again as recognition finally dawned.
I stared hard at her, wishing I had telepathic powers.
She turned away from me and stared right at Winslow.
Winslow waited a moment then shrugged. “No relation,” he said. “Brand Easton is dead. He died at the hands of Kelly Chan half a century ago.”
Rayna looked at me as if seeking confirmation, but I made sure my eyes were on the audience. I felt two inches tall, and my fear kept me pinned in place. I couldn't feel my arms or legs.
“I don't believe you,” Rayna said. “Kelly and Brand broke up, but they were still friends.”
“A fact is true whether or not you believe it. Speaking of beliefs, Miss Noble, I believe the man you love is currently on stage,” Winslow said. “Will you point him out?”
Rayna pointed at Shade.
“What?” Shade said.
“Do you not know her, Jonathan?” Winslow asked.
“I know her. I was hired to protect her and her brother a while back. But we were never lovers.” He looked at Naomi when he said the last.
Naomi glared at him, but I think she was too afraid to really let anything sink in.
“Miss Noble,” Winslow said. “Can you please explain the link system through time for the audience?”
She clearly considered playing stupid for a moment but knew it was pointless. “Kelly, Brand, and I were linked by magic genetically coded to Henry Winslow,” she said. “Jonathan was in charge, and he went back with Kelly to ancient Egypt to stop Winslow from acquiring the Emerald Tablets of Thoth.”
Carlton's ears perked up at the mention of the tablets. He pushed into the crowd to get a closer view of the proceedings. He'd gone from slightly bored to completely riveted in less than a second.
“A task at which they failed,” Winslow said. “I found the tablets then felt the pull to Jonathan and Kelly, so I went to check them out. Please continue, Miss Noble. Where were they to go next?”
“Next was the year of Henry Winslow's birth, 1877. We had Kelly's ex, Brand, there.”
Winslow posed like a prize peacock. “Brand betrayed them because Jonathan and Kelly were lovers.”
Rayna flinched.
“Oh, you didn't know that, did you?”
Shade rolled his eyes. “This is such bullshit. Kelly would never have any interest in me.”
“Oh, love,” Winslow said. “It's a bittersweet tapestry of life itself.”
Shade turned to look at Kelly. “Tell him that's nonsense,” he said.
Winslow nudged me. “Mr. Easton, will you please remove the gag from Kelly's mouth?”
I nearly fell over when he pushed me. I nodded and willed my legs to move. I practically staggered over to Kelly and pulled the gag down.
She looked right through me, and I had no clue what she might be thinking.
“Miss Chan,” Winslow said. “Have you now or have you ever had anything beyond platonic feelings for Jonathan?”
“Never,” Kelly said.
“Lying little minx.” Winslow dismissed her with a wave and tossed a wink at Shade. “Trust me. You two were getting some action in the sands of Egypt.”
“I've never been to Egypt,” Shade said.
“I met Jonathan Shade in Egypt,” Winslow said. “Are you or are you not Jonathan Shade?”
“I am.”
“Are you still claiming to be the only Jonathan Shade who travels through time to kill men named Henry Winslow?”
“Unless there's a multiverse.”
“What do you think, Miss Noble? Is there another Jonathan Shade traveling through time?”
“There can be only one,” Rayna said.
“I'm not the Highlander,” Shade said.
“I don't know what that means,” Winslow said. He spun and held his arms out to the audience. “By show of hands, how many of you believe what Jonathan Shade has said?”
Nobody raised a hand.
“You're not ranking high on the veracity scale, Jonathan.” Winslow pointed at Rayna. “And Rayna was the link to the twenties.”
Rayna nodded.
“But who was your link home to the twenty-teens?” Winslow asked.
Rayna blinked.
“Don't tell me you hadn't thought about that in all the months you've been here.”
In her confusion, she looked first at Jonathan then at me.
“Mr. Easton can't tell you anything, my dear. He's nearing the end of his life and is fortunate when he can get through the night without soiling himself.”
“Dude,” Shade said. “If you're going to kill me, can you just get on with it?”
“I'm not going to kill you, Jonathan. I could throw magic at you all day long, and it would roll off you like water from a duck's back.”
“What do you mean?” Carlton asked, pushing his way to the dais.
“Jonathan Shade is a rare animal, Carlton. Please examine him.”
Carlton hopped onto the stage, walked past me, and put a hand on Shade's arm. “He has no magic,” Carlton said.
“In that case will you please draw up a spot of magic and use it to slay him right here, right now?”
Carlton smiled. He was the proverbial kid in the candy store. “Really?”
“You don't have to be so giddy, Carlton. Yes, please use one of your patented magic blasts to kill Jonathan Shade.”
Carlton drew up a powerful batch of magic. He placed his hands on either side of Shade's head. “I've always wanted to do this,” Carlton said and unleashed his blast of magic.
Shade just stared at him. “Well?” Shade said. “Are you just going to stand there looking like a dumbass with a black eye? Take your best shot.”
Carlton tried again.
Shade just stood there. “Maybe the third time will be the charm.”
“But that's impossible!” Carlton said. “He has no magic!”
“His parents were both wizards,” Winslow said.
“Then he should be a wizard too.”
“Men like Jonathan Shade show up maybe once every two thousand years. Someone so perfectly balanced between light and dark magic that no magic will affect him. Alas, it also means he's incapable of ever using magic. If anyone else here wants to take a shot at him, feel free.”
Winslow guided Carlton off to the side then sidled up beside me and put an arm around my shoulders. I half expected him to blast me, but he just laughed and turned to face Shade, pulling me around to look as well.
Nobody came forward to test Shade. They knew Carlton used real magic.
“Now, Jonathan,” Winslow said. “Are you going to keep denying you killed my father?”
“I didn't do it.”
“But I swear to you that Jonathan Shade, a man impervious to magic, killed Elvin Winslow in cold blood right before my eyes. How about you, Mr. Easton?” Winslow asked. “Do you believe me?”
“I have no reason to doubt you,” I said.
“Mr. Easton has been by my side for as long as I can remember,” Winslow said, turning us to face the audience. “And yet Mr. Easton has no magic. Why is he a member of Alpha et Omega?”
The temple members looked at each other, confused.
“I remember Mr. Easton renting a room from my mother, and when she passed, he raised me as his own. He was one hundred percent dedicated to my well-being. Why is that, Mr. Easton?”
“You were seven years old,” I said. “What kind of man would I be if I turned my back on a child?”
“How many of you know the story of me and Mr. Easton?” Winslow asked.
Most of the members raised their hands.
“And yet for me it seems like a distant memory, half imagined or perhaps a vivid dream, because I have other memories of childhood too. Memories of my father taking me hunting. Memories of making a trip with my father to London, where we met Aleister Crowley.”
“W
e met Crowley together,” I said.
“I remember that,” Winslow said. “You were kind to me.”
“And you grew up to be a good man.”
“And you told me a man named Jonathan Shade would murder me. How did you know that, Mr. Easton?”
“We visited a psychic. She was Romany.”
“Ah yes, the gypsy woman.”
I nodded.
“Seems a rather more specific prediction than normal.”
“She was very good.”
“Or she had inside information.”
“That's possible.”
“Another time traveler, perhaps?”
“That seems unlikely,” I said.
“Indeed. I do remember her, though. Olive skin, wore a purple turban, and had breath that could knock out a camel at forty paces.”
Nobody laughed. The tension in the room hung there like a heavy weight.
Winslow patted my shoulder then pulled away from me and smiled at Carlton. “Do you like Mr. Easton?”
“No,” Carlton said.
“You don't? But you've been willing to take orders from him. And did you not save him this afternoon?”
“I did. He's your Uncle Jon.”
“Jon,” Winslow said. He pointed to me. Then he pointed to Shade. “And Jonathan.”
“John is a rather common name,” Kelly said.
“Quite true, Kelly. Jonathan, do you know Jon Easton?”
Shade shook his head. “Not really. I met him in your office after I killed you.”
“So you really don't know him.”
“Why don't you make him one of the two people you kill tonight,” Shade said. “I don't give a shit.”
Winslow laughed. “Killing a stranger is all right with you. Understood. Carlton, would you like to kill my Uncle Jon?”
Carlton hesitated. “Do you want me to?”
“Don't answer my question with a question.”
“Yes,” Carlton said. “I would love to kill him, but I won't because you don't want me to.”
“I will grant you one shot at my uncle, Carlton. Use the same magic you tried to use on Jonathan Shade.”
Carlton smiled. “With pleasure.” He strode up to me, and when he reached for my head, I blocked his arms.
“Don't touch me, Carlton.”
“Two must die,” Winslow said. “Let him take his shot, Jon.”
“I don't want to die,” I said.
“You're old,” Carlton said. “You should be volunteering.”
“No.”
“I don't have to touch you,” Carlton said and held out his hands. He let the magic fly full force at my face.
I punched him in the nose.
His head snapped back, and he blinked a few times then sat down and grabbed his face. “You broke my nose!” he shouted, his voice full of nasal twang.
“And Uncle Jon still stands,” Winslow said. “Now I ask you, what are the odds of having two different men in the same room so perfectly balanced that magic will wash right over them?”
“Maybe you should be playing the lottery,” Shade said.
“Or maybe you're both Jonathan Shade.”
Shade looked confused. “But he's an old man.”
“I'm impressed that you managed to survive all those years, Jonathan,” Winslow said. “I'm also amazed that you didn't kill me when you had the chance.”
“I was tired of killing,” I said.
“I'd never killed anyone until you forced my hand,” he said.
“How can they both be Jonathan Shade?” Carlton asked, pushing himself to his feet. Blood trickled from his nose.
“Shut up, Carlton,” I said.
“Two must die,” Winslow said. “And Jonathan Shade gets to choose from the following list: Rayna Noble, Kelly Chan, and Naomi Shade.”
“I would think Jon Easton would count as a death,” I said.
Winslow raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
I faced the audience. “I'm Jonathan Shade, which means Jon Easton is dead. How many of you would be willing to accept the loss of Jon Easton as a death?”
Ralph pushed his way to the front. “As long as both Jonathan Shades remain alive. I would agree that Jon Easton as an identity is now deceased. Brothers and sisters? Are we in accord?”
The audience raised their hands. Other than Carlton, it was unanimous among the crowd. Nobody really wanted to see anyone die.
Ankhesenamun approached me. She looked at me for the first time. “Jon Easton is dead,” she said, “but the Jonathan Shade I knew is right here.”
“Thank you, Ankhesenamun,” I said.
“Very well,” Winslow said, but he pointed at Kelly, Rayna, and Naomi. “One of them still has to die.”
“But you killed Kelly back in 1877,” I said.
Winslow rolled his eyes. “It would be a shame to kill her twice. I'll remove her name from the hopper, but a death from fifty years ago does not count as a death today. Choose between Rayna and Naomi, Jonathan.”
“Rayna,” Shade said.
I shook my head. “He wasn't talking to you.”
“I'm Jonathan Shade,” Shade said. “I want my wife to live.”
“That's too easy a decision, dear boy,” Winslow said. “This Jonathan,” he pointed at me, “loved them both. As such, it must be his decision.”
“Neither.”
“I am a man of my word, and I began this evening's meeting saying two would die tonight. If you decline to make a choice, I shall kill both Rayna and Naomi.”
Rayna stepped forward and blew a fountain of flame into the air to get everyone's attention.
“Jonathan,” she said. “He used the past tense. You loved us both. You and I shared a few months together, and they were wonderful, and for me those are recent. For you, they're decades ago. The other Jonathan is still in love with Naomi. She's his wife. You can't take away his wife. If one must die, I'll volunteer to be the sacrifice.”
“How touching,” Winslow said. He walked over and yanked the gag from Naomi's mouth. “What do you have to say about it, Naomi? Are you going to volunteer to sacrifice yourself?”
“I helped protect Rayna,” Naomi said. “She and her brother didn't want our help, but we saved them both anyway.”
Saved them both? In my reality, that was not the case.
“Are you choosing to die now in her stead?” Winslow asked.
Naomi looked at her Shade then looked at me. “I don't want to die,” she said.
“Then it's settled,” Rayna said. “Take me.”
“I'll need to hear it from Jonathan.”
I closed my eyes.
“Who dies?”
“No one.”
“Both?”
“No!”
“Then choose one.”
More blood on my hands.
So much blood.
“Nobody needs to die,” Ralph said. “We don't kill people here. We're members of this mystery school so we can learn to help people.”
“How quaint,” Winslow said. “You're not in charge, Ralph.”
“And you're not the Henry I know.”
Ankhesenamun frowned. “When a leader makes a proclamation, the leader must follow through unless new information comes to light that makes the proclamation unnecessary.”
“There is no new information here,” Winslow said and pushed his magic outward in tendrils around the throats of two women I used to love. Rayna and Naomi fought for breath, but the magic tightened. “You can save one of them, Jonathan, but only one.”
“Don't do this.”
“Choose one. Who lives?”
They gasped and both Rayna and Naomi dropped to their knees.
“Let Rayna live,” I said.
He waved a hand, and Rayna coughed and fought to pull air into her lungs. She wheezed and rolled on the ground, drawing a fresh breath.
Naomi turned red. She gulped for naught and passed out, her body slumping against the anvil, chained wrists keeping her from slid
ing to the floor.
“No!” Shade yelled.
Kelly closed her eyes.
I dropped to my knees and cried.
Rayna crawled to me. “You should have let me die,” she said. “The other Jonathan will never forgive you.”
“In my world, Naomi was already dead,” I said. “And I promised to protect you.”
Winslow shook his head. “I made it too easy.” He waved his other hand, and the magic fell away. Naomi slid lifeless to the floor.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Rayna pushed away from me and scrambled across the floor. She pulled Naomi over and checked for a pulse. The chains kept getting in the way but at least Naomi had been chained in the front. Rayna tilted Naomi's head back, pinched the nostrils, and breathed into her mouth. Rayna kept breathing for her, alternating with pressing on her heart in a steady rhythm.
Ralph raced over to help. “Her heart isn't beating.”
“She needs a jump start,” I said, crawling over. “The heart needs a jolt to start beating. Regular CPR won't do it.”
Rayna nodded. “You have magic, Ralph?”
“Yes.”
“Can you channel a sharp bolt of energy into Naomi's heart?”
“I can try.”
Shade and Kelly watched from where they were chained to the anvil. The crowd of robed men and women whispered among themselves, but none came forward to help, though all of them jockeyed for a better view. Ankhesenamun moved into a position to observe as well. Winslow sat at the edge of the dais and waited. He didn't care one way or the other what happened and was content to let us do what we could. He'd fulfilled his promise and had killed her.
Ralph worked up a jolt and fired it into Naomi's heart. Naomi bounced on the ground from the shock. Rayna breathed air into Naomi's lungs.
“Again,” Rayna said.
Ralph zapped her again.
Naomi jerked up and dropped back.
Rayna blew more air into her lungs.
“Again!”
A third jolt of energy.
My heart nearly stopped as time seemed to slow.
Naomi coughed.
Rayna rolled her onto her side and Naomi vomited.
Naomi coughed again and breathed.
She breathed!
She pushed herself to a seated position and kept coughing while Ralph tried to steady her.
Rayna sighed and put her arms around me. “It's all right, Jonathan,” she said. “Everything's going to be all right. She's going to live.”
