The Phoenix Fallacy_Book III_Magnus

by Jon Sourbeer,

  “Yes," Middleton said briskly, but respectfully.

  “And who are you, Overlord?” another voice asked Magnus.

  Magnus bowed confidently, “My name is Executor Magnus Delacroix.”

  Middleton whirled on him, surprise and dismay upon her face.

  “You!” came the collective gasp. An angry shout followed, “The Phoenix Executors are supposed to be dead! Guards, seize—”

  Magnus held up his hand. The noise ceased and Norm stared at Magnus in wonder. “If you please, fellow Executors,” Magnus said calmly.

  The ornately armored Infernus guards, who had appeared and stopped within the lit circle, were waved away by a hand emerging from the shadows.

  “You wish to confirm that I possess information valuable to you,” Magnus opened his palms, “I have just done so.”

  “Yes, and now you will tell us all that information before we torture it out of you," the voice said evilly.

  “Hardly,” Magnus responded coolly.

  “And why is that?” another voice asked.

  “Because you are afraid,” Magnus said simply.

  “What?” the chamber exclaimed angrily.

  “You cannot afford to have any knowledge of my presence here become known. The other Corporations would wonder why you would even meet with me. Middleton’s presence is insurance for all of us. If she is harmed, the others will undoubtedly learn of it. But if she speaks up, she risks herself. You cannot afford to have the other Corporations wonder why I was even here. The questions and rumors are already spreading. And you, like all corporate Executors, are afraid of the ramifications of killing off another of the Executor caste. A petty Overlord would provide no obstacle, but an Executor?” His voice rose, “If word got out! The Executor Caste has existed for centuries, empowering and protecting the elite of the Corporations. What will you provoke should you break that silent oath? Let me tell you what will happen.” Magnus’s voice dropped to a whisper, and there was only the sound of shifting bodies, leaning in. He stepped forward, out of the light, “The same thing that happened to the Phoenix Executors when they betrayed me."

  “Mercenaries killed the Phoenix Executors,” a feminine voice exclaimed.

  “And yet I remain,” Magnus stepped back into the light, his arms spread wide. “Phoenix is destroyed because of the foolishness of its Executors. The betrayers are dead, I feel no loss over them, and you, my fellow Executors, are presented with a golden opportunity.”

  “What are you offering?” Someone asked. At least one of the Titan Executors was curious.

  “A solution to your own immediate mortality," Magnus stated simply.

  “We already possess the Phoenix Tears life drug,” another voice responded curtly.

  “Unless I am mistaken,” Magnus said cocking his head to the side, “It seems as though you may be missing a few of your fellows.”

  Chairs creaked as more than one Executor shifted. One voice called out, “Guar—” but stopped at an unspoken signal.

  One sat forward, “What do you want?”

  Magnus pointed towards them, “To be a Titan Executor.”

  There was an uproar, “Absolutely not!" “Ridiculous!” “Never!”

  Magnus shrugged, “I suppose it will be a very short lived race to see which of us survives the other."

  The roar died immediately.

  One of the Executor’s interjected, her voice full of condemnation, "There is no way for that to happen. And even if we could, you cannot seriously believe we would honor your request."

  Magnus walked forward, disappearing into the blackness. “You can, and you will. If you are worthy of being called Executor, you knew before I came here I would make this request – even when you believed me to be a mere Overlord. It is the only way I can preserve my life. Anything less and you would feel little compunction about killing me.” Magnus smiled knowingly, “But you have questions, and fears. You fear bringing an outsider into the Executor Caste. Now you know that I am not just an Overlord, but an actual Executor – I am no outsider. You fear my loyalties. Phoenix is destroyed, and so are its Executors. What ties do I have? You fear my revenge, what better revenge than for me to live and my betrayers to die? You fear the truth being discovered. But, if I am as tied to Titan as you are, what secrets would I not keep? We both want to live, and only I can save you. How can you refuse?”

  There was a long silence as Magnus finished speaking. Echoes of ‘...how can you refuse?’ could be heard drifting through the hall.

  Norm and Middleton had crept forward into the dark to join Magnus. Whether Norm was drawn to Magnus, or just wanted to be out of the light, he was not sure. But, he could now see the Titan Executors leaning forward in their seats, drawn into the vortex that surrounded Magnus.

  It took a moment for them to realize their telling position, and they sat back hastily.

  Except for the Executor Ascendant, who Norm could now see had never moved. The Executor seemed to be sizing Magnus up, as he leaned back in his chair. He took a moment to glance at the other Executors, catching a solemn nodding of heads, and confidently announced, "We will consider your offer. Leave us." Elite Inferni immediately began pushing open the heavy doors.

  Magnus smiled dangerously, and without waiting for anyone else, turned on his heel and strode through the now open doors. Middleton and Norm watched him go, and with sudden realization, scurried after him.

  Overlord Montiga met them at the end of the hall without a word, but bowed to Magnus as he passed, staying a step behind him as they walked back.

  Chapter 19: Descent

  "What foolishness was that?” Middleton exclaimed. Safe in the confines of her quarters, she rubbed her temples, “If word gets out…"

  Natalie looked up from a corner armchair in which she had plopped herself, “Things didn’t go well?” She did not seem worried.

  Magnus laughed, “Hardly, but Middleton is worried that she has been compromised.”

  Middleton scowled, “That was pure lunacy, Magnus.”

  “Far from it. Could you not see it?” Magnus said, the surprise evident on his face. “The Titan Executors practically leapt off their seats at the opportunity. They are posturing now, struggling to regain some dignity. I will be a Titan Executor, without question.”

  Natalie sat up, "So your plan worked?”

  Middleton whirled on her, “You KNEW?”

  Natalie shrugged, “Magnus did not have to worry that I would accidentally give anything away.”

  Norm nodded, that makes sense, although he could not recall Magnus ever telling him anything so critical. But I do enjoy the look on Middleton’s face.

  Middleton was a mixture of a breathless purple and a glowing red, but her hysterics had rendered her capable of only glancing back and forth between Magnus and Natalie. She threw her hands in the air, “Well, perhaps you are right. But you could have warned me!” She put a hand to her stomach, “I think I will have my chef make me something to calm my nerves!” She stormed from the room.

  Norm was still dazed by the day’s events, “So what now?”

  “Now, we wait,” Magnus said confidently, taking the armchair next to Natalie.

  ***

  “And the Titan Executors came crawling right to him,” Praetor Jennings observed.

  “Indeed they did,” Norm said.

  “But wait,” Lyn interjected, “why did the Praetor never see Natalie again?” She looked to Norm, “She must have gone to Fason’s point, right?” Norm nodded.

  “Surely you went to Fason’s point to see her?” Lyn asked, all eyes upon the Praetor.

  The Praetor lowered his head.

  Norm looked at him, “I, too, am curious. We went to Fason’s point. Middleton was only too happy to oblige, the thought that perhaps Natalie would leave us was too tempting for her to ignore. She took us right after the encounter with the Titan Executors. Magnus could not leave, and Middleton wanted to stay with Magnus, but I escorted Natalie myself in a behemoth to the P
oint. We waited three full days for you.”

  The Praetor looked up, “I was delayed.”

  “Why were you so late?” Norm exclaimed, “Natalie was distraught for weeks, if not months after you did not show up.” He seemed genuinely alarmed and angry.

  The Praetor looked at Norm with new respect. "After I escaped, I raced towards Titan with my message. It was the closest Corporation, and I knew if I wanted to give any chance of survival to SHADE, I would have to gather the Corporations as quickly as possible. Titan would have the most sway – it seemed remote, but I had to try. I was almost there when I was ambushed."

  “Middleton knew,” Norm exclaimed, “That hag knew!” He looked very troubled.

  “But Praetor, sir, how did word get out then about the attack?” Lyn asked, motioning around the room, “We all assumed that you had made it.”

  “SPARTAN,” he said simply. “They were the ones who ambushed me. I can only presume Middleton reached out to the other Adept groups immediately, desperately searching for someone close enough to take me out. It appears that SPARTAN answered the call.”

  Hawkes leaned in across the table, speaking to the younger adepts, “Just because we are all Adepts does not mean we always fight on the same side.”

  “Or share the same values,” Wouris scoffed.

  The Praetor spoke again, his voice low, “Do you remember how I told you that SPARTAN stole the plans for Valhalla?”

  Janus nodded, understanding.

  Keats put a hand on the Praetor’s shoulder, “SPARTAN and SHADE were bitter rivals at the time. They probably were hired to shoot the Praetor down, and I doubt Middleton was explicit in her orders, so when they realized who he was, they captured him and probably relayed the message that he had not reached a Corporation.”

  The Praetor’s eyes were distant, “There is always an element of fear regarding the Corporations – an imbalance of power can lead to great opportunities for Legions, but one Corporation with too much power is a major threat to our way of life. SPARTAN would have had no qualms getting the information they needed or spreading it to the other Corporations.” He paused reflectively, “For what it’s worth, I would have told them the state of Phoenix willingly, but they didn’t believe me at first. Once they saw the files, however, they knew I was telling the truth. Word would have been sent quickly at that point, probably for quite a price. But it would take quite some time before they were completely satisfied with me.”

  Wouris hissed, “Eventually, they realized they had gotten all they could, and that such an officer was worth a pretty penny.”

  The Praetor looked at his fellow Adepts fondly, “When I arrived here, I met Praetor Zair and swore my undying loyalty to ODIN if he would simply allow me one chance to go to Fason’s point to try to find my daughter. He believed me and relented. I have served loyally ever since.”

  He turned to Norm, “And now, I believe I owe you an apology.”

  “I don’t thin—” Norm began.

  “Yes, I do,” the Praetor said, “For saving my daughter’s life.”

  Norm shook his head, “But you do not owe— you have not heard the end of the story.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I heard it in your voice – you were loyal to her; you wanted to be there to support her, if she needed it. You said it, Middleton knew I was gone. I suspect your presence stopped Middleton from having her killed right then, and simply reporting to Magnus that Natalie had left with me. And for that, I thank you,” the Praetor bowed his head in thanks.

  Norm shyly nodded, then suddenly looked at Janus with alarm, “What is it, Janus?”

  Janus clenched his fists upon the table, staring at the polished wood and stone, “Middleton told me she killed my mother. I just assumed it was another lie, but…was she telling me the truth?”

  Norm looked away.

  The Praetor looked at Norm, but kindly, this time. He seemed resigned to the truth, “We need to know, Norm.”

  Norm had tears welling in his eyes, “Yes.”

  “How?” Janus and the Praetor echoed together.

  Norm sighed, “In all the years I have known Magnus, only two words would properly describe him: driven, and arrogant. Magnus believed he was the best, and was determined to prove it. Nothing would stop him.

  But when he met Natalie, she affected him deeply. He saw in her a true and worthy opponent, someone who possessed his skill, intellect, strength, but through a different and foreign means – and I think – I think it fascinated him. Natalie was passionate and driven, but held onto her honor, her character, while still changing everything around her. Magnus knew it immediately, I have no doubt,” Norm smiled at the Praetor, “I felt it too.”

  “And what about Natalie?” The Praetor asked.

  “I think she saw in him many of the qualities that she admired: courage, strength, passion, intellect. When I would speak to her of times long gone, she would often bring up tales of you, Alexander.” The Praetor bowed his head. “I think she looked for someone who reminded her of all the strength and love you provided for her. And whether you like it or not, I think Magnus is very similar to you in many regards. He possessed all of these qualities, plus a certain hard-headedness. And I think they both possessed one fatal flaw: pride. You already know about Magnus’ mistakes, but I think she also suffered from his affliction, just in another, more subtle way. In the beginning, she saw only Magnus’s best qualities. As years passed and she realized Magnus was not the man she first thought, she kept up the hope that could still change him. It was a foolish hope,” Norm hesitated, “an arrogant hope.”

  “In the end, that arrogance, that pride, destroyed her,” Norm continued, “and him, more than he has ever realized.”

  Chapter 20: Overlord, Afar

  Magnus tapped his fingers impatiently on the carved wooden table and shifted uncomfortably in his high-backed chair. Norm watched him from the shadows of the office. Firelight flickered across their faces and glinted off the silver pistol Magnus whirled about his finger.

  It had been a wedding gift from Natalie, and Norm had always envied it. It had seemed odd, although perhaps inevitable, that they had been married. Their wedding had been a simple affair, projecting the stability and properness that Magnus would bring to the Executor caste, not an ostentatious event that would make the Executors question their wisdom. It had been just the type of signal the Executors had been looking for from him – the Executors did not need to know that the pair had met less than three months before.

  But it was the gift exchange that had been the perfect capstone to the event. For while the wedding was impulsive – borne of a need for security from both of them, there was a hint of tenderness and love from the exchange that even now it made it stay fresh within Norm’s mind. Natalie had taken her custom pistol, her last remaining link with SHADE, and presented it to Magnus. Any moment she had during the brief months leading up to their wedding had been consumed by it. Norm suspected it was her way of coping with such a drastic change of fortunes.

  A unique, and kingly weapon, no wonder Magnus never goes anywhere without it. A Phoenix cast in Blue Immutium flared on the handle, with etched flames rising around it. The layered design made the flames dance in the firelight. And Magnus’s gift—

  The chime of the clock on the wall brought Norm back from the intoxicating weapon and a brief time of happiness. The last few years had been a difficult game of cat and mouse. They had survived – but that had been about the only good news. Almost immediately, it had been made clear that Magnus was an Executor in title only. The leading council alienated and disregarded him. Magnus said he had expected such a thing, but it was his reaction to it that caught Norm off guard. Magnus had done nothing. He seemed, frankly, out of his element – and it disturbed Norm greatly. After Magnus’ compelling speech, Norm had briefly believed that they might finally be at ease for a time. No plots. No threats. No politics. But he had been oh so wrong.

  The real trouble is Executor Ascendant Agathon. />
  Agathon had been the first and most determined to remove Magnus. At first, it had simply been that Agathon manipulated the council against Magnus. Norm wasn’t sure if Agathon resented Magnus’s position, or if he considered Magnus a very real threat to his Ascendant position. He had ruthlessly converted the other Executors to his side, and soon, the first assassination attempt had come. Norm had thought that Magnus’ speech – the whole point of becoming an Executor was to prevent this. It was shocking – the idea that the Titan Executors would try so obviously to kill one of their own distressed Norm in unexpected ways. Perhaps not so surprising, given what Phoenix had tried to do…

  A bomb on a Behemoth transport – that was all that had been required to change their world entirely. It had been a crude attempt, blamed on angry E-level workers, distressed about the slowing production Titan had experienced in the last few years. Norm suspected that the Executors had not been sure they wanted to tread that road or that they really wanted to kill Magnus; the attempt was intended as more of a message. The idea of Executors trying to kill their own would be shocking to the populace; it was shocking enough that anyone would try to kill an Executor in the first place. But it was believable – Titan was a shadow of the giant it once was. The Phoenix Tears had done their work. Montiga – and many millions of others were gone.

  A group of hapless workers had been rounded up and executed as a result of the bombing. The poor explanation might have fooled most in the upper levels, but those in power were sure the Ascendant was really responsible. But even then, it might have been possible to resolve the situation. To bury it and let it die.

  Magnus, however, had ensured the council’s ongoing animosity. He had brought the bomb to the Executor council. He had challenged the other Executors, wondering who could have been responsible for such a poor attempt. Norm still did not know why he had done it. The attacks soon stepped up, the attempts no longer clumsy and poor, but always blamed on some new source. At first, Magnus was extremely confident, but slowly, over time, he had become more and more uncertain.