Suddenly, Talon felt something cold and slimy coil around his ankles. The water spirit! The liquid began to flow up and over him as the air elemental backed away. Talon slashed at the water elemental with his mageblade, but the spirit continued to flow until it covered him completely. Talon tried to take a deep breath, but only managed a quick gasp of the fetid air before the spirit engulfed him, surrounding him with a bubble of water. Talon fought back as the elemental began to exert pressure on him, trying to squeeze the air from his lungs. It was like dropping to the bottom of an ocean, the water pressure increasing more and more. Talon thrust out with his dagger, and the enchantment allowed it to wound what was only water, but the spirit fought tenaciously.
Talon's vision started to swim as his lungs burned for oxygen. He fought the need to exhale, since he knew the spirit would force all the air from his body if he did. He felt the water recede from the hand holding Talonclaw, and he tried to cut into the spirit elsewhere. He was starting to black out.
Suddenly, a gleaming silver blade sliced through the bubble of water around him. The water parted and fell away as the magical forces that allowed it to defy gravity were dispelled. The spirit's vital force broke up and its manifestation became ordinary water, leaving Talon sopping wet, but able to gasp for a breath of air before the air elemental tried to move in again.
Silverblade went back to back with Talon, holding his sword in front of him like a shield.
"Deal with the air spirit." the elf said over his shoulder. "I'll take the magician."
"Right." Talon said. The air elemental tried to engulf him as well, but this time Talon was ready for that tactic. He stabbed out with his mageblade and sliced upward, nearly cleaving the spirit in two. Any other creature would have fled, but elementals knew only obedience to their masters, and the spirit kept coming. Another thrust of Talonclaw finished it, leaving only a faint lingering trace of its foul odor in the air.
Talon turned in time to see Silverblade fend off a spell from the astral mage. An arc of blue-white lightning leapt through the astral plane at the elf, but it broke like a wave against his personal shields, unable to reach him. Silverblade charged forward and slashed with his sword, drawing a cry of pain from the mage as he cut him across the shoulder. He came in for another thrust, but the astral mage moved too quickly. He zipped away, passing through the substance of the wall, and vanished before the blow could connect.
The elf cursed as the mage disappeared from sight. He and Talon quickly cast about for signs of any other foes.
"Gone." Silverblade said.
"Yeah, but he'll be back," Talon replied, "and with reinforcements. We need to get out of here right now." He lowered his dagger. "Thanks, I appreciate you stepping in back there."
The elf nodded. "Since we've now been seen together, and that mage will doubtless report back to his superiors about my presence here, it would seem that our fates are linked for the time being . . ."
Talon extended his hand. "Talon." he said.
The elf ignored it. "I am Speren Silverblade, a paladin of Tir Tairngire." He sheathed his sword. "As you have said, we should go from here as quickly as possible. I have transportation, but nothing that can accommodate you all."
"We've got something." Talon said. "Probably not as high-class as you're used to, but I'm sure you'll manage."
"Of course."
"You want to help me wake everyone up and get them into the van?" Talon asked. "What did you use on them anyway?"
"A simple sleep spell." Silverblade said with a shrug. "It should be easy enough to wake them, then we can be on our way."
"Do you have someplace in particular in mind?"
"I do." Silverblade said. "Assuming you are willing to trust me?"
Talon studied the elf's expression for a moment. He seemed sincere about wanting to help them out, for the time being, but Talon didn't trust him any more than he could have thrown Lofwyr, and he was sure the feeling was mutual.
"Like you said," Talon told him, "it doesn't look like we've got much choice in the matter. Let's go."
15
Prince Jenna Ni'Ferra was not a happy woman.
"They did what?" she said. "What do you mean 'they may have killed Lofwyr'? How can that be?"
"I can only relate what they have told me, my Prince." Speren said carefully. Prince Jenna's ire was something to be wary of, even over an encrypted communications link thousands of kilometers away. He had wasted no time in communicating with his Prince in Tir Tairngire once he'd guided the shadowrunners to a Tir safe house in Essen and made sure they would stay there. He had excused himself to the other room, where he made use of a sophisticated miniaturized transmitter setup. Connected to a concealed satellite dish on the roof, the transmitter used secret Tir Tairngire comsats to route his transmissions back to the Royal Palace.
It was a risk using the transmitter, here in Saeder-Krupp's own backyard, with the corporation's security forces stirred up like an angry hornets' nest, but Speren had little choice. The situation was unprecedented, and he needed to pass on what he'd learned so far to his Prince, to protect Tir Tairngire's interests, at the very least.
"What exactly happened?" Prince Jenna asked over the link. Her voice was calmer after her initial shock and surprise. Though she, like many in Tir Tairngire, held no love for Lofwyr, Jenna respected the great dragon's power and position. An assault and possible assassination were no small matter.
"I tracked the location of the artifact and the archeologist who stole it." Speren said. "It led me to individuals trying to sell the artifact on the black market. However, a group of shadowrunners, apparently in Lofwyr's employ, managed to seize the artifact and Dr. Goronay and spirit them away. Two of them were summoned into Lofwyr's presence, where the artifact—a crystal carved with runes—surrounded the dragon in some sort of energy field. In his throes, Lofwyr slew the scientist, then collapsed. The shadowrunners do not know if he was dead or merely stunned. They took the crystal and ran, fearing for their lives. Saeder-Krupp is hunting for them now."
"What is your position?" Jenna asked.
Speren swallowed a bit before replying. "I used magic to track the shadowrunners to their hiding place. There I captured three of them, but I did not locate the crystal or Dr. Goronay. Shortly thereafter, the other runners returned from the meeting with Lofwyr. Saeder-Krupp security managed to track them and saw me with them. We fought off their magical scouts, and I brought them here. Since we'd been seen together, I thought it wise to ally with them for the time being, at least until I could find out more about what they've done and what can be done about it. I can still acquire the crystal, but it appears that whatever enchantment lay within it is now gone. Dr. Goronay is gone, ashes on the floor of Lofwyr's lair. What remains of the crystal is in the possession of the shadowrunner's mage. My Prince, what is your command?"
Speren paused to hear Jenna's orders. He heard his Prince curse softly over the link.
"Makanagee." she said under her breath. "Idiots. And Lofwyr, of all the possible targets . . . Speren, do you believe this attack against Lofwyr was planned in some way?"
"Yes, my Prince." he said without hesitation. "Accidents do not happen to the likes of Lofwyr. From what I have learned so far, I believe that someone has used these shadowrunners as catspaws to reach Lofwyr and attack him."
"I tend to agree." Jenna said. "If this is so, then the threat may end there. The attack has been carried out and we must deal with the consequences. Still, there may be a greater threat, if this attack against Lofwyr is only the first step in a more complex plan. In either case, the Council must know more about this. I have told them about Goronay's project and the discovery of the artifact. I will inform them of the attack on one of our own members now. You will continue to investigate this matter. Work with these shadowrunners so long as they are useful."
Jenna paused for a moment, then said, "I cannot offer you aid in this matter, Speren. Once news of this reaches the Council, there will be much to
concern us. If the dragon is dead . . ." She left the rest unsaid.
"I understand, my Prince." he replied. Speren knew what the death of a great dragon meant for the world. When Dunkelzahn was assassinated, it threw most of North America into chaos. There were riots throughout the United Canadian American States, and Tir Tairngire was forced to close its borders even tighter. The fallout from Dunkelzahn's death was still being felt the world over. His will had redistributed considerable wealth, made and broken fortunes, and triggered a corporate war.
Dunkelzahn was a powerful dragon, more powerful than most suspected. But Lofwyr . . . Lofwyr was by far the world's wealthiest individual. His power and influence reached everywhere. His fortune was virtually immeasurable, and his schemes legendary. If Lofwyr truly was dead, his demise could trigger events that would make the passing of Dunkelzahn look trivial by comparison. Such a revelation could shatter the Corporate Court, perhaps even plunge the whole world into war.
Speren felt the weight of responsibility heavily on his shoulders. If his homeland was to survive the coming storm, they would need all the information possible. Tir Tairngire was probably the first power to learn of the attack on Lofwyr, even before the other nine megacorporations of the Corporate Court. It was vital to maintain that edge.
"I will continue my investigation, my Prince, and report again when I have more information."
"Very well." Jenna Ni'Ferra said. "Ozidano teheron, tnilessaratish. Imo medaron co versakhan."
Speren bowed his head at the formal dismissal. "I leave my life behind, my Prince. At your command, I am the death of your enemies."
Then he broke the connection.
* * *
The safe house to which the elven paladin brought Talon's team was an inconspicuous townhouse in one of the better sections of Essen. The Tir government owned the entire building, through a series of blinds and intermediaries, of course. The appearance that the townhouse was regularly rented out was maintained, though the apartments were actually inhabited only occasionally, by Tir agents in need of them.
Talon and his friends sat in the large main room of one of those apartments, considering their options in light of recent events. Things looked pretty grim.
"Remind me never to jinx a shadowrun again." said Harlan Hammerand, massaging his temples as he sat on the edge of a couch. He'd been the last to wake up from the effects of Silverblade's sleep spell and he seemed the worst hit by it, still a bit groggy and grumbling accordingly. Talon had brought them all up to date on what happened since they'd left the meet site with Brackhaus in the chopper: about the crystal and the mysterious attack on Lofwyr, their flight from the Saeder-Krupp arcology, and their encounter with Silverblade. The question that remained was, what were they going to do now?
"The first thing we need is information." Talon said. "We need to know what exactly happened to Lofwyr and whether or not Saeder-Krupp is still looking for us. We also need to know who set us up to get at Lofwyr."
"Are you sure it's a set-up?" Val asked.
Talon nodded. "Has to be. I can't believe it was all an accident. No, Goronay was primed by somebody. I'm pretty sure that whatever that crystal did to Lofwyr, Goronay set it off before he was killed."
"Maybe Goronay was behind it, then." Hammer said.
"No way." Boom replied. "You shoulda heard this guy, Hammer. He was completely off his nut, totally gone. There's no way he coulda planned and pulled off something like this."
"Besides," Talon interjected, "if Goronay was behind it, why go through the whole set-up of stealing the crystal in the first place? I agree with Boom. He was completely out of his head when we were in Lofwyr's lair. I think somebody set him up, the same as us."
"Some kind of conditioning?" Trouble asked.
Talon nodded. "Could have been. Or magical influence, although I doubt something like that would get past Lofwyr's security."
"Why even bother with all this drek?" Hammer said. "Why do we care who wanted to cack the dragon? Why don't we just get out of this fraggin' country and call it a day?"
"Well, for one thing, we have Saeder-Krupp security out looking for us." Talon began ticking off items on his fingers. "We can forget about any legit way out of Germany, and they've probably got most of the shadow-routes locked up, too. Secondly, even if we do leave, where on earth could we go where Saeder-Krupp can't find us? We're talking about the world's largest megacorp here. They've got resources that put national governments to shame, watchers in every major city, and one of the best intelligence networks around. If Saeder-Krupp needs scapegoats—and one way or another, I think they're going to—then they're going to keep looking for us.
"Lastly," he said, eyes gleaming with purpose, "somebody set us up to take the fall for bringing down Lofwyr. I don't like to be fragged with and I definitely don't like playing the fall guy. I want to find whoever it is and explain that to them . . . in great detail."
"What about this Silverblade guy?" Boom asked in a low voice, glancing quickly at the door to the other room. "Do you think we can trust him?"
"Trust him?" Talon shook his head. "No, but I think we can count on him to want to know what's going on nearly as much as we do. At least for now."
"Well, then," Trouble said, rising from the couch, "if it's information we need, I'm your girl." She picked up the carrying case holding her cyberdeck. "I just need to find a jackpoint in this place, and I can start digging."
"No." came a voice from the doorway. They all turned as one to see Speren Silverblade standing there. Several hands reached toward weapons before they realized who it was. Hammer slid his Ares Predator back into its holster slowly before taking his hand off the grip. Silverblade had appeared without a sound.
"What do you mean 'no'?" Trouble demanded, glaring at the elf.
"The term is a simple one." the elf replied. "You will not access the Matrix from this location until I am satisfied you will not give away our position to the enemy, and until I have a few more questions answered."
"Listen, fairy-boy!" Hammer said, rising from his spot on the couch. "Who died and made you king? You're not the boss of us! Hell, a while ago you were ready to kill us to get what you wanted."
"As long as you are here, you are under my protection." Silverblade said, with deliberate slowness. "And as long as you are here, you will do as I say, or else I will simply turn you over to Lofwyr's hunting dogs and be done with you."
Hammer started toward Silverblade, fists clenched. "You lousy, dandylion-chewing . . ."
"Hold it, Hammer." Talon put a hand on the ork's arm to keep him from launching himself at the elf. "Listen, Silverblade, we'll play it your way for now. We both want the same thing: to find out who wanted to knock off Lofwyr and why. If you want our help, you work with us. You may be used to playing lone wolf, but we're a team. We've got our own ways of doing things and we know our jobs."
"I certainly hope so." Silverblade said. "Because I would like to hire you."
"What?" chorused several voices at once. Silverblade smiled smugly and walked over to an overstuffed chair in one corner of the room. He sat down like a piano player in front of an audience. He leaned back and regarded the gathered shadowrunners over steepled fingers before replying.
"Yes, I would like to retain the services of your team, Talon. As you have said, I am interested in uncovering more about this plot against Lofwyr, and those I serve cannot provide me with the resources I might need. Therefore, I must make do with what is available."
"We don't work for free." Talon said.
"Of course you don't." Silverblade smiled slightly. "In addition to having helped save your lives . . ."
"Only after you knocked us out." Hammer grumbled.
"In addition to that," Silverblade continued, "and the use of these facilities"—he took in the whole room with a sweep of his hand—"I am prepared to compensate you. How much did Saeder-Krupp owe you before the . . . unfortunate incident?"
"A quarter-million nuyen." Talon said, withou
t missing a beat.
The elf raised one eyebrow in a quizzical look, then smiled again.
"Really? Then you're better-paid than I thought. Or perhaps you're merely lying to me."
"You think so?" Boom asked.
The elf shrugged. "It doesn't really matter. I will pay your team twenty thousand nuyen to assist me in uncovering information about the person or persons behind this plot and dealing with them."
"Negotiable based on possible risk." Talon said.
"You're not in much of a position to negotiate, Talon." Silverblade replied. "I can still simply leave you to your fate, but agreed."
"And you'll give us some leeway to handle investigations ourselves?" Talon asked.
"Under my supervision, of course."
Talon glanced over at his chummers. There was no need for discussion. He could see their concerns written clearly in their eyes and their expressions. He turned back to Silverblade.
"We'll do it," he said, "on two conditions."
The elf gave him a leering smile. "Which are?"
"First, I'm in charge of this team, not you. You may be paying the bills, but you're not calling the shots around here."
"Very well." Speren said slowly. "And the other?"
"You help me recover my familiar, which you disrupted. If we're going to do this, we're going to need all the help we can get."
"Agreed."
"All right then." Talon said. "Let's get to work."
* * *
Silverblade showed Talon to a basement room in the building, where various hermetic magical supplies were stored. Talon took careful note of them. The ritual supplies in the room were suitable for performing all kinds of ritual sorcery and summoning different elemental spirits. The floor of the room was slate, ideal for drawing and painting hermetic circles. The air was musty, filled with the scents of chalk dust, earth, dried spices, and herbs.
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