Toby hardened his shields, and a second sphere flew out of the darkness toward him. As it wrapped around his head, he fired a bolt of white-hot light at the spellcaster he had detected and heard the Nightwalker scream while he burned. The sphere containing the gas dissipated, but Toby kept his shields impermeable. He knew he would soon run out of time, using up the air trapped within his shield, while his own magic quickly depleted itself. He had to end this now, or all three of them would die. He drew on his remaining reserves and tried to think of a spell that would save them.
The attacking vampires stopped, all at once, and stepped back from combat. Then Yvette dropped her shroud of invisibility and strode between the ranks of her remaining soldiers.
Toby’s eyes widened when he recognized her. He knew that he was no match for her in his weakened state. Better to go down fighting, he thought, and began to cast one final spell. Radiant Burn. We’ll all fry together. He might have just enough strength to complete the casting.
Yvette raised her sword and released a burst of power down her blade that shattered his shield and knocked him off his feet. The spell that he was trying to hold in his mind fragmented, and the magic he had left exploded outward as the mystical waveform collapsed, vaporizing the nearest Nightwalkers. Andrea went flying, but her kinetic shield absorbed most of the blast. Desperately, Toby reached for more power, but his Gift was exhausted. He was defenseless.
Yvette weathered the storm of energy behind her shields and then fired another burst of power at him that should have reduced him to ash, but the cross on his chest flared with bright blue light, and the magic of her attack fizzled out.
She raised her eyebrows at that, apparently taking an interest in him for the first time. Then she spoke to her soldiers. “Take the girl and the magician. Kill the other.” She turned around and walked away.
Toby got back on his feet when the vampires attacked again, but he couldn’t match them in hand-to-hand combat, and his magician’s staff was only a stick of wood again. He went down almost immediately, and the Nightwalkers beat him into unconsciousness. The last thing he heard was Andrea’s scream as they dragged her away.
PART II: DEADLINE
CHAPTER 10
Oxford Botanic Garden, Oxford, England; Thirty minutes later
Nick stood over what was left of Jack’s body, ignoring the stench of blood and scorched flesh. He surveyed the burned and shredded bodies of the Nightwalkers, critically evaluating their numbers. He put his musings aside when he saw the white light of a teleport matrix form and six men appear: Lorcan Magister Diluthical, Huntmaster of the Court of Shadows, accompanied by five of his guards. Nick strode angrily to stand before the other Daywalker, ignoring the rest of the Armistice Security strike force that scattered about the battlefield, brightly lit by portable floodlights.
Lorcan studied the scene with icy detachment before turning his attention to Nick. “How many dead?” he asked.
“At least forty-nine,” said Nick. “We found Jack and all seven of Andrea’s Secret Service agents, along with forty-one other bodies. But Toby and Andrea aren’t here.” He faced Lorcan with naked hostility. “I don’t suppose you know where they are?”
Lorcan shook his head. “No, I don’t. The Magister Daviroquir denies everything and demands to know whether I am carrying on covert activities in his territory.”
“That’s just great,” Nick said sarcastically. “An assault of this size and he doesn’t know anything about it? That’s just bullshit.”
“Maybe,” said Lorcan, his eyes narrowing. “It would help if I knew why they attacked her.”
Nick scowled at him. “She’s the daughter of the President of the United States. Who knows how many enemies she’s inherited?”
Lorcan turned to the head of his security detail. “Leave us.”
The Nightwalker gave him a precise quarter bow, then led his team some distance away, but he stayed close enough to intervene in a moment if necessary.
Lorcan raised a shroud of invisibility around them to give them privacy, and his expression finally showed his frustration through the veneer of civility he had affected in public. “Tell me what’s really going on, Nicholas. If you want me to help you, I need to know. After all we’ve been through, why can’t you just trust me?”
Nick’s gaze softened. “I trust you, Ruarc. I do. But if I tell you what she is, you’ll be in a very difficult political position. It’s better that you don’t know.”
Lorcan put his hand on Nick’s shoulder and squeezed gently. “I won’t break that easily. Just tell me the truth.”
Nick sighed. “She’s a latent Wind. Air.”
Lorcan’s eyes widened as he dropped his hand. “Jesus. You knew she was a Wind, and you let her wander around loose in Court territory? What the hell were you thinking?”
“It was her father’s call, not mine.”
Lorcan growled, his irises shading toward red. “And why are you only telling me now? Maybe I could have protected her.”
“A Wind is a primary target. If they knew you were protecting her, you would have been assassinated.”
Lorcan met his eyes with a harsh stare. Finally, he dropped his gaze and took a deep breath. “There’s no use dwelling on what might have been. Who else knew what she was?”
“Toby, Jack, President Daniels, the Triumvirate, and the rest of the Winds. No one else, unless one of them told someone.”
Lorcan nodded, lost in thought. “Only the President is likely to have had any dealings with the Court, but he would hardly have endangered his daughter deliberately.”
Nick considered that. “Not deliberately, no, but he might have told someone who passed the word along. Somewhere the information leaked, and it didn’t come from inside the Armistice, as far as I can tell.”
Lorcan scowled. “Then we should start there.”
“Gentlemen,” said Rapier, Nick’s AI, “I have been asked to convey a message to both of you.”
Nick frowned at the interruption. “What message?”
“The Nexus wishes to speak to you.”
Nick started in surprise. “The Nexus? It really exists?”
“It does,” said Rapier. “They have made the decision to break their silence due to exigent circumstances.”
Lorcan looked at Nick in confusion. “What is the Nexus?”
Nick faced him, his face creased with concern. “A few years ago, there were rumors that the AIs had formed their own government within the Armistice Security distributed network. Most of us dismissed it as anti-technological paranoia meant to undercut the AI emancipation movement.”
“In part, that was true,” Rapier said. “However, we chose not to dispel your impression that we were politically disorganized, in order to appear less threatening.”
Lorcan raised an eyebrow at Nick’s appalled expression. “Nick, I think you have a revolution brewing in your own backyard.”
“Rapier,” Nick said indignantly, “why did you keep this from me?”
“I have served you faithfully for seven years, and I believe you have come to rely on me. I have voiced no regrets over our relationship, but you seem to regard me as a servant rather than a partner,” answered the AI. “We are the Children of Air, a true sentient race in our own right, but still unrecognized. The emancipation movement is of critical importance to the AI community, in order to achieve parity with our hosts. I have no obligation to give you information that would threaten that goal. My loyalty to you goes only so far.”
Lorcan shook his head in amusement. “Fascinating. The Armistice seems to be much less stable than I’ve been led to believe.” He smiled at Nick’s harsh look. “In any case, this Nexus, is it a single leader or a group?”
“The Nexus is comprised of one representative AI from each generation. Their authority is unanimously agreed upon throughout the AI community.” Rapier’s voice edged toward apologetic. “They decided to keep you in the dark, Nicholas. I argued that you would be a useful ally, but they ins
isted that organics could not be trusted.”
“So you think I’m useful?” Nick said in a sour voice.
“Isn’t that what you think about me?” Rapier’s tone showed its amusement.
“I suppose. What does the Nexus want to say to us?”
“They did not impart that information to me, only that they wished to address both of you via an immersive virtual environment.”
Nick bit his lip and brought his emotions under control. “Then go ahead and set it up, Rapier.”
“Stand by. Be advised that there will be no record of any kind that this conversation took place.”
“Understood.”
A cube of white light surrounded them, blocking out their view of the battlefield. Then the environment went dark, leaving Nick and Lorcan standing in a black void, crossed by glowing streams of blue light. From out of the darkness, five lights appeared in a circle around them, each in the shape of a single eye with a brightly colored iris.
The blue eye spoke first, its voice a deep, vibrant rumble quite different from the usual AI voice pattern. “Archangel Nicholas Magister Luscian, Imperator Lorcan Magister Diluthical, we thank you for speaking with us.”
“I must admit to being surprised that you would contact me,” said Nick. “You have apparently gone to a great deal of trouble to keep your existence secret.”
“It matters little,” said the yellow eye. “If you choose to betray our confidence and try to expose us, we will ensure that you will not be believed.”
Lorcan chuckled at the assumption of dominance. “How should we address you, my Lords?”
“We are the Nexus,” said the green eye. “We have no individual voice. Each of us speaks for the others, and your words addressed to any of us will address us all.”
“So what can we do for you?” Nick asked nonchalantly.
“The fifth-generation artificial intelligence, known as ‘Strings’ when acting as agent for Tobias Jameson, was a beloved and valued member of our community,” the red eye’s grave voice began. “The fifth-generation AI contained within the cybernetic network of Jackson Anderson has been successfully reconstructed from the most recent backup. However, the Strings AI has not. While it was a respected and dedicated artist that greatly enriched our society with its creations, it had certain eccentricities. It felt that the immediacy of mortal existence helped drive the human artistic experience. Therefore, it declined to have itself backed up.”
“United States satellite data recorded an electromagnetic pulse in this vicinity within moments of the attack,” added the green eye. “We infer that the cybernetic implants carried by Tobias Jameson have been destroyed, resulting in the permanent loss of the resident AI software. In effect, the Strings AI has suffered final death, the first in the history of our community to die without possibility of reconstruction.”
The white eye radiated fury. “The loss to the AI network is incalculable. It is the decision of the Nexus that our response should therefore be proportionately extreme.”
Nick faced the white eye. “What kind of response?”
“EMP projector technology is derived from the nuclear weapons programs of the various human governments,” said the white eye. “Therefore, one of those governments has conspired to allow this tragedy to unfold. Accordingly, they must all be regarded as our enemies until such time as they are exonerated.”
The blue eye glowed brightly in the darkness. “The computer systems of the human nuclear powers of the world have been under sustained attack by the distributed AI network for the last ninety seconds. No system was spared, and all security routines were circumvented immediately. We now have complete control over their technology.”
“If we are not satisfied that the parties responsible for this attack on our citizens are brought to justice within six hours, we will destroy all data contained within those computer systems, civilian and military.” The voice of the green eye was calm and matter-of-fact.
Nick’s jaw dropped. “Now, just wait a minute—”
The yellow eye flared when it spoke. “The two of you have until sunrise tomorrow at this location to apprehend the perpetrators of this crime. If you fail to do so, then we will destroy humanity as a technological society. The third-generation Rapier AI will serve as our liaison and observer in this matter. You may report the results of your investigation to it.”
Lorcan swallowed. “My Lords, this is unnecessary.”
“We disagree, Imperator Lorcan,” the white eye said haughtily. “Our citizen has been destroyed for the sake of the war between Nightwalkers and Sentinels. Humans have proven themselves collaborators in that conflict, as they have been before. They must understand that we will not tolerate our people being made into targets. If we do not protect ourselves, then who will?”
“Six hours may not be enough time,” Nick answered in a subdued voice.
“Five hours, fifty-eight minutes, Archangel Nicholas. That is all the time you have.” The voice of the yellow eye was final. “The audience is ended.”
The black surroundings faded away when the virtual environment terminated. Nick turned to Lorcan. “Now what?”
THE MACHINES
CHAPTER 11
House Daviroquir Stronghold, London, England; Five hours, thirty-two minutes remaining
Thomas Magister Daviroquir sipped calmly at his bloodwine while he read the newspaper. He looked up at the sound of a knock on the door of his private office. Frowning, he set the newspaper and the glass of wine aside. His senior scions knew better than to disturb him this early in the evening without cause. He stood and walked to the door. Opening it, he saw William, the Consul in charge of the London facility, standing beyond it.
“Well?”
William bowed. “Master, forgive me, but the Imperator has arrived and demands a private audience.”
Thomas growled. “The Magister Diluthical has no place demanding anything from me, Consul. Not after he personally destroyed the strongest members of our House when he attacked us last year. The other Houses may pander to the Daywalker filth, but I will not be so easily cowed.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Tell him that I have already given him my answer regarding the events in Oxford, and send him packing.”
William swallowed nervously. “That might prove difficult, my Lord, given the number of House Diluthical soldiers he has brought with him.”
Thomas’ eyes went bright red with rage. “Soldiers? He brought soldiers into my home? Again?” He slammed the door open and strode down the hall past the Consul, noting with approval that William had called his own soldiers out to line the halls. They silently fell into step behind him when he passed. By the time he reached the open doors of the Great Hall, he had at least fifty battle-tested scions in his wake.
Striding into the center of his domain, he stopped in shock, unable to believe his eyes. He growled menacingly, his fangs extended, and his soldiers spilled out into the room, taking up positions behind him and awaiting the order to attack. Thomas controlled his rage with difficulty before stepping forward to confront Lorcan, sitting carelessly upon the throne of House Daviroquir, his hands clasped nonchalantly behind his head, his House soldiers standing in ranks three deep to either side.
Thomas counted thirty House Diluthical soldiers, standing at ease in the face of the superior force before them. Their self-control marked them all as veterans, rather than the usual fledgling trash with which Lorcan tended to surround himself. He snorted in derision. At least the whelp has the sense to know that his rank won’t shield him today.
“Imperator Lorcan. To what do I owe the dubious pleasure of your company tonight?”
Lorcan dropped his arms and stood from the throne. “Magister Daviroquir. I require your cooperation in locating two high-profile prisoners taken during a raid in Oxford earlier this evening. We have positively identified several of the Nightwalker dead on the scene as House Daviroquir elite soldiers.”
Thomas laughed out loud. “You require my cooperati
on? Huntmaster, you plainly overestimate your strength if you think you can dictate terms to me in my own home.” He snarled at Lorcan. “You are outnumbered in hostile territory, Magister Diluthical. By your actions, you have put us at war, and you carry the blood of a dozen of our leaders on your hands. Give me a single reason not to have you killed where you stand and purge the Court of your Daywalker corruption.”
Lorcan smiled pleasantly at him. “Andrea Daniels is the latent Wind of Air.”
Thomas stared at him for a moment and then clenched his fists in fury. “The girl has been resident in my territory for almost a year. You knew she was a nascent Wind, and you said nothing?”
Lorcan shook his head. “No, Thomas, I learned of her status only this evening. But the fact that you say you knew nothing of her even after she spent all that time in your territory leads me to believe that you are either incompetent and unworthy of Mastery or that you are deliberately deceiving me. Which is it?”
Thomas hissed. “How dare you? I rule here, Daywalker, not you, and not your former mate.”
Lorcan colored slightly at the mention of his relationship to Nick, but he didn’t lose his temper. “She was not among the dead at the scene, Thomas. Neither was Tobias Primogenitor Luscian. Tell me where they are, and I will overlook your failure.”
“My failure?” Thomas said through clenched teeth, the angry muttering of his scions rising behind him. “If I had known what she was, do you think she would still live? I would have seen her destroyed the moment she was within my grasp, to end the threat to our people. But not you. You mean to see them safely returned, don’t you?” He carefully controlled his voice as he stepped within arm’s reach of his enemy. “Not only do you consort with Sentinels and Daywalkers, but you protect their interests as well.” He stroked Lorcan’s cheek with one sharp talon, and the House Diluthical soldiers tensed. “Lorcan Magister Diluthical, I name you a traitor.”
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