Archon's Hope: Book III of 'The Magician's Brother' Series

by HDA Roberts

  "That's me."

  "Her Grace is waiting," he said, leading the way.

  The property was massive, impressive and extremely well maintained. Antiques were everywhere, the carpets rich, the wood perfectly polished.

  The Butler stopped outside a pair of ornate doors, knocking softly before being told to come in. He opened the door and preceded us.

  "Mathew Graves and escort, Your Grace," he said.

  "Very well," Arianna said, her voice... dead.

  The room was impressive, part study, part library, books on all the walls, a wide desk perpendicular to the window. There was a fireplace with a dying flame within. Arianna was sitting in a high-backed chair, a brandy glass in her hand. She looked bad, messy and miserable.

  The butler withdrew.

  "What do you want?" she said, her voice now filled with pain.

  "To tell you a story," I said, "May I sit?"

  "Why not?" she replied, dead again.

  I sat. Cassandra stood behind me.

  "I know you won't believe me, but I'm sorry about Darius," I began.

  She snorted.

  "No, really. If there's anyone who understands about how seductive the Black is to a Shadowborn, it's me."

  "Shut up," she said, "Just shut up, please."

  "I'm sorry, you have to know this. I promise that you'll sleep easier if you do."

  "Just get on with it."

  "Darius started experimenting with the Black, not long ago, a couple of years, maybe. You found out, did your best to stop him. He screamed, shouted, fought, but in the end, he agreed. But he changed anyway. A little at first, and then more, and then more. You knew what was happening, but you didn't want to believe it. I don't blame you," I said, taking a moment to consider my words.

  She was staring at me, wide-eyed, paying attention now.

  "What you didn't know was that he was getting help. He was being groomed, honed as a weapon, a weapon designed to destroy another Shadowborn. He was being honed by a man willing to use the Black itself against his enemies, the idea being either to kill them, or turn him and make him a problem for the Archons to deal with. He set up the gathering missions in Seelie, he gave your son all the power he'd need to cast his spells, and he gave Darius control over the Paladin to make sure the job was done. And in return he got to kill Shadowborn, and he got to hurt you."

  "But that wasn't all," I continued, "he wasn't just after me, the strongest Shadowborn he could find, or you, his rival. He hates all Shadowborn, even the Archon, maybe especially the Archon. The idea was to destroy me, one way or the other, turn your son and maim as many other Shadowborn as possible to draw out the First Shadow. And when he was in the open, use all that gathered Black Magic on him. Fortunately he was working from faulty information, and hadn't reckoned on my being relatively difficult to corrupt."

  "Who?" she asked acidly, her eyes burning with fury.

  "Who helped you challenge me to a duel?" I asked.

  "Thorne!" she all but screamed, darting to her feet, her fury causing the lights to flicker as she crushed the glass in her hand.

  "Thorne. I had a chat with an associate of mine," (Glass, as it turns out, knows everything about everyone and has so many fingers in so many pies, he doesn't even have one spare to pick his nose), "Thorne has a speciality, Time Magic. Limited, but enough to predict and manipulate to a certain degree. Nothing on the scale of someone with an affinity, but more than enough to arrange for a few Puritus to be in the right place at the right time to ambush me and guide your son to where he needed to be when he needed to be there. He guided Darius to my friends, and then to my teacher should the Paladin fail again to skewer me the second time."

  "Why are you telling me this? You hate me as much as I hate you."

  "I don't hate you," I said sadly, "I can't. I know exactly how you feel."

  "You have no idea!" she said, rounding on me.

  Cassandra took a step forwards and I put my hand out. She stepped back.

  "My brother is insane. Gone. He may not ever come back. He tries to kill me every time he sees me. He used the Black. It made his body grotesque and twisted his mind beyond all reason. In his way, the brother I grew up with is just as far from me as your son is from you. I blame myself. I should have done more, done better. Done something," I said.

  She fell back into her seat, tears running down her face, her head in her hands.

  "I know," I said quietly.

  She nodded slowly.

  "Why are you here?" she asked.

  "Two reasons. One, I don't want Thorne dead. I want him in the Farm until the sun goes out. I want him degraded and humiliated and disgraced. I want him to hurt for what he's done for the rest of a very long life. I'd do that to him myself, but that's the second reason I'm here. I can't issue a challenge to a sitting member of the Conclave."

  I felt Cassandra tense. She hadn't known what I was going to say here today. I'd offered to tell her and her exact reply was "Nah, I'll just have to hear it twice, and you're boring enough once.".

  Arianna turned to look at me, swallowing hard.

  "Why?" she asked in a whisper.

  "I'm told that it's rather bad form for someone in my position."

  I shifted my hands so that my right wasn't covering my left anymore. Her eyes went to the signet. Her eyes closed in misery and she thumped the armrests of her chair.

  "Did he know? When he set me up against you?" she asked.

  "I doubt it. I didn't even know until the day before yesterday. And I'd prefer it if that knowledge remained under wraps."

  "You expect me to keep your secrets for you? After everything? You'd trust me with all this information? I tried to kill you!"

  "For all your faults, I truly believe that you are an honourable person," I said sincerely, "You came at me straight, you challenged me to a duel. That's how I knew you weren't the one screwing around with Black Magic. You wanted to keep your son away from that mess, not get him deeper into it. All I ask is that you respect the fact that if you kill him on account of the information I gave you, that blood is on my hands. I ask that you do what you have to do without killing him."

  "Accidents happen in duels."

  "Not with you they don't. I'm putting my soul in your hands here, make no mistake about that."

  "Very well. But he will suffer."

  "Acceptable," I said.

  "We're still not square, Graves. One day I'll settle up with you, too. You may not be responsible for what happened, but you humiliated my family. You will pay for that."

  "Is your embarrassment worth my life, then?"

  "What?"

  "Are you planning to kill me to settle the score?" I clarified.

  I felt Cassandra tense again.

  Arianna seemed to think it through.

  "I don't know," she said, "I don't know anything anymore."

  "I know you have no reason to believe a word I say, but it's not your fault. All Shadowborn are born addicts. Eventually we all relapse. It's as simple as that. Some in a century, some within their first decade. There's nothing you could have done."

  She looked down.

  "He wasn't evil," I said as gently as I could, "He was just unlucky."

  She started crying again.

  "Go, just go," she said.

  I stood and gestured for Cassandra to precede me.

  "I'm sorry," I said.

  She didn't reply. We left.

  Cassandra waited until we were in the car before she started yelling at me.

  "Are you out of your mind?!" she shouted, startling me.

  "Probably," I said, rubbing a ringing ear.

  That took the wind out of her sails.

  "Say again?"

  "She's like me; a lot like me. She's lost someone dear to her a long time before she should have, and she tried to take the head off someone who'd humiliated her loved ones. Tell me that doesn't sound familiar?"

  "You don't do that. You don't act out of spite."

  "An
ymore," I said, "Well, mostly. Hopkins set me straight. There was a guy who knocked me out, stripped me down and tied me to a set of Rugby posts. I made his life hell, and that was far from my only pettiness."

  "You are a complex little monster, aren't you?" she said fondly, nudging my ribs.

  "Hope so, hate to think I was boring you."

  Hellstrom wasted exactly no time getting the ball rolling.

  Turns out she had quite a few friends in the S.C.A.. They searched Thorne's houses, businesses and business assets, though they found nothing until Glass mentioned a number of 'off the book' places very few people knew about. They found what they were looking for.

  It was brought before a full meeting of the Conclave, which I attended in the back gallery.

  Hellstrom brought the evidence. Thorne disputed it.

  She challenged him.

  He accepted.

  She broke him like a twig.

  I won't bore you with the details, but it was brutal. I'm fairly certain he tried to surrender at least once. She didn't let him until every bone not involved with essential functions was broken and every patch of skin was cut or charred in some way.

  I watched with Hopkins and Cassandra as this took place. Hopkins looked satisfied. I was alright with it. Thorne was rather an astonishing bastard.

  They dragged him off to the Farm to await trial for about a thousand charges. Hellstrom and the other Archons would ensure that he got what he deserved (At this point, if I ever got sent to the Farm, I'd have so many enemies there I wouldn't last my first day!).

  Otherwise, things went largely back to normal. I was happy about that. Cathy and I were closer than ever, Evelina wasn't making too much trouble. Hopkins and I got to spend our Monday evenings arguing, and I started getting my grades back up to an acceptable level.

  Palmyra said that she was getting close to a cure for the scars, which was a comfort, even if I wasn't optimistic.

  So... I'm an Archon.

  You just have to know I'm going to screw this up somehow...

  Epilogue

  "Alright, Mathew, lose the trousers," Tethys said.

  I gave her a look and she grinned as she hugged me hard.

  "If you didn't want this sort of attention, then you shouldn't keep doing unpleasant things to my enemies," she said, planting a kiss on my cheek.

  "I didn't do anything. I was on the sidelines."

  "Dearest, I'm an information broker," she said, running her nose along the rim of my ear, "how long did you think it would take me to figure out that you set all of that up?"

  "It was a nice bit of work, wasn't it?" I asked, feeling a little smug.

  "I managed to obtain the tape. He screamed and screamed," she said with a wistful smile, "It wasn't enough, but it's a very nice present, you wonderful man. I also managed to get a hold of the tape of your duel with Hellstrom. Kandi and I watch it sometimes. Late at night."

  She turned her twinkling eyes on me, getting a little closer to me, which wasn't easy, she was already pretty close.

  "Excuse me? Are we interrupting something?" said a flowing, musical voice from behind me.

  I turned, Tethys with me, and my breath caught in my throat.

  There were two women standing in the doorway to Tethys' office. They were a study in contrasts, almost opposites of one another.

  They were both of a height, both with very pale, perfect complexions, but that was the last similarity. The one on the left was dark haired, with dark red eyes, wearing a black and apparently leather outfit that left her midriff and arms bare. She wore high heeled boots and gloves to her elbows. She radiated sensuality, her lips were full and wet, her features strong and sexy, just like the rest of her.

  Where the one on the left was sexy, the one on the right was simply beautiful, her features delicate, with short, curling, red hair and bright, almost shining, blue eyes. She wore a white dress down to her calves, her arms and feet bare. She was lovely and radiated gentility while her companion almost whispered sin.

  It had been the redhead that had spoken.

  "Get behind me," I said to Tethys, who obeyed without hesitation while I raised my shields. There was something very wrong here, and I wasn't taking chances with Tethys in the room.

  "Aw, look at the little Magician," Black Hair said, advancing a single confident step, "It thinks we couldn't tear the half-breed apart any time we wanted."

  "You must excuse my associate, Mathew, her manners leave something to be desired," Redhead said softly, soothingly.

  Worryingly, because it was working.

  I slammed a set of Mental shields into place, and felt better immediately.

  "He's resisting. The half-breed is one thing, but you? Interesting," Black Hair said, looking me over. I felt the tingle of some energy unfamiliar to me.

  "Matty, keep away from them. Don't let them touch you," Tethys said, pulling me back.

  "Not a problem," I said, calling my shadows.

  I cast Mage Sight.

  I sucked in a breath and nearly fell over in sheer shock.

  "He's peeking under the curtain. Clever," Black Hair again, "This one's a lot smarter than the last one."

  She was a demon. Almost stereotypically, actually. Red skin to match her red eyes, two sets of black horns, tail.

  Redhead was something else entirely.

  She had a halo. And wings, big, white, fluffy ones as long as she was tall, folded neatly at her back.

  "What do you want?" I asked, trying not to let my voice shake.

  "May we sit?" Redhead said politely.

  I looked over my shoulder.

  "Don't look at me," Tethys said.

  "It's your club."

  "Oh," she said, "please do."

  "Thank you," Redhead replied, taking a seat on the sofa to my left. Black Hair joined her.

  I backed us away and sat on the sofa opposite.

  "Firstly, you have nothing to fear from us," Redhead said, "I'm Rose, this is Gabrielle. We are... liaisons of sorts. Your liaisons."

  "To what?" I asked.

  Tethys was pressed very hard up against me, trembling slightly.

  "Maybe not so smart," Gabrielle said, looking over at Tethys, "Have you tasted her yet, Magician? Have you enjoyed the Half-breed's touch?"

  "You call her a Half-breed one more time," I said, turning my own red eyes on hers, "I dare you."

  "And what do you think you're going to do about it, little man?" Gabrielle said, leaning forwards, licking her lips.

  I called Light and Force and my hand glowed.

  "Matty," Tethys whispered, grabbing my free hand, "I am a half-breed, it's like somebody calling you 'human', it's not an insult to me."

  "You forget that I know you," I said back, my eyes still locked on Gabrielle's.

  "You know only the mask this creature wears," Gabrielle said, "you can no more know her than you could me. All you are to her is a means to an end."

  "That's a lie!" Tethys said.

  "Ooh, so passionate," Gabrielle retorted, "He must be very useful indeed."

  "Ladies, this isn't helpful," Rose interjected, "We're here for a specific purpose. We came to introduce ourselves. We came when you were with your charming friend because she is your spy-master, and you'd just tell her no matter what we told you about secrecy. This saves time."

  "She isn't my spy-master," I said, trying to get her out of the line of fire. Naturally Tethys decided to be less than helpful.

  "I'm afraid that if anyone fits that bill, I rather do, Matty. And let's not argue with somebody in with the people who can slam the Pearly Gates shut in our faces, alright?" Tethys said, trying to make her tone light, but I felt her tension.

  I let the Magic drain away, but I kept my Shields up.

  "Good," Rose said, "Anyway, since your predecessor... changed, we have been without someone who can act directly for the good of humanity."

  Oh, that had to be bullshit, my eyes narrowed just a little.

  "I like this one, he'
s difficult to lie to," Gabrielle said, "Makes it more fun when you succeed."

  Rose sighed, turning a small glare on the demon, before looking back at me, "Life is choice. We can guide, one way or the other, but we can't affect change on our own initiative. We are allowed to speak to one human being. It is always the First Shadow, because he is himself a balance, between his humanity and the Evil the Black represents."

  Again, this smelled funny, but I hid my incredulity better that time.

  "It was on account of a task that our predecessors gave yours that he went bad. And once he had, the relationship was terminated, as he would only upset the balance. The issues we raise often tempt a First Shadow to the Darkness, but we do it because the world is a fragile place, and neither of our masters can risk it falling off a precipice."

  "What were you doing in the interim?" I asked, "If the balance was so fragile."

  "Not your concern, Magician," Gabrielle said.

  "You used one of the other Archons," I said with a smile as the demon glared, "I'm guessing Kron."

  Rose looked away.

  "Not great poker faces these ones," I said to Tethys who gave me a small smile, "so the First Shadow isn't so much essential as preferred?"

  "No, we are allowed to bend the rules a little when the need is great and there isn't a First Shadow available. It's not the same," Rose said.

  "Mm hm," I said.

  There was silence for a moment, which then stretched awkwardly.

  "We will be in touch," Rose said, standing up, "it goes without saying that you shouldn't tell anyone what we've said. Or that we even exist. It's not something that people should know before they have to."

  "But of course," I said. Not believing very much of this at all really.

  "He doesn't believe us," Gabrielle said.

  "He will," Rose replied, smiling at me sweetly. It warmed my soul; it was that kind of smile.

  Gabrielle smiled too, that smile was much less wholesome, but still exceptional.

  They simply vanished.

  I looked at the empty space where they'd been. I hadn't sensed even a whisper of Magic.

  "Well," I said to Tethys, "how about that?"

  Afterword

  Thanks for reading Archon's Hope. This concludes the first trilogy of the Magician's Brother Series, which is the 'Archons' Return' Sequence. It's been a real pleasure to write these books, and the feedback of my readers has been a great encouragement, so thank you all very much!