‘You’re with the Council?’
‘I represent a faction of the Council. At the moment, I believe our interests coincide with yours.’ Talisid moved past me to rest his arms upon the railing, his clothes dark against the metal. ‘Not everyone on the Council is happy with the Dark mages’ growth in power. And even those sympathetic to their proposals would prefer not to see one of them gain control of such a powerful relic. In this case, the majority is with us.’
‘If you’ve got the majority on your side, why do you need me?’
‘Unfortunately, while a majority of the Council have a preference for the artifact not falling into the hands of a Dark mage, they have an even greater preference for the artifact falling into the hands of themselves.’
I let out an exasperated breath. ‘This is ridiculous. Do you guys even know what this thing does? You’re all going to look really stupid if it ends up being a dud, you know that?’
‘We’ve got more important concerns than looking stupid, Mr Verus,’ Talisid said patiently. ‘And as I was saying, we may be able to assist you.’
Something pinged on my danger sense and I looked down. Luna was still talking in the middle of her crowd, but that wasn’t where the thread of trouble was coming from. I scanned up and down, looking through the crowd for movement. Three figures caught my eye. They were spread through the crowd, but linked somehow, and-
Oh crap. It was the three Dark mages, Cinder, Khazad and the masked woman, and they were after Luna. They were surrounding her, closing in steadily from three sides. She was talking, oblivious, as they moved closer and closer.
I spun and headed for the nearest staircase. ‘Mr Verus!’ Talisid called sharply.
‘Sorry!’ I called over my shoulder. ‘It’ll have to wait!’ I broke into a run, sprinting along the balcony and down the wide staircase. A couple talking close to one another on the landing broke off and pressed themselves to one side as I came flying down. I reached ground level in twenty seconds flat and slowed to a fast walk as I came out into the Great Hall. I knew where Luna was going to be, and I needed to get there first.
I didn’t. As I came within sight of Luna, I saw the three Dark mages surrounding her. The others she had been talking to were nowhere in sight. I caught a glimpse of one disappearing behind a knot of people, throwing a nervous glance back at Cinder. The floor was still crowded and the buzz of conversation drowned out what they were saying, but I didn’t need to use my magic to know that Luna was in danger. I scanned quickly through the futures and found a way to approach without being seen.
The woman talking to Luna was the same one I’d seen at the excavation site and Camden Market, though I still didn’t know her name. She was wearing a dress of royal blue that sparkled in the light, along with a mask over her upper face, and she stood looking down at Luna, one hand resting on her hip. Cinder was to her side, dressed in black with highlights of flaring red. ‘Luna,’ the woman was saying. Her voice was clear, musical; again, as I heard it the sound set off a chime of memory. ‘You have something that belongs to me.’
Luna looked from the woman to Cinder. If she recognised her from the episode this morning, she didn’t let it show. ‘Do I know you?’ she said at last.
‘No.’ The woman took a step forward. She was taller than Luna, with short blonde hair. ‘If you know what’s good for you you’ll keep it that way. Where’s the cube?’
‘Sorry?’
‘Don’t play games with me.’ The woman’s voice was cold and dangerous. ‘A crowd won’t protect you. Give me what I want or I’ll take it from you.’
Luna stood very still. The sounds of chatter around seemed to fade away. When Luna finally spoke, there was a note in her voice I’d never heard before. ‘I don’t think I like your attitude very much.’ All of a sudden Luna sounded much older. ‘If you want something, ask without the threats.’
Even with danger close at hand, I felt a sudden surge of pride. Even under pressure, Luna had recognised the woman for what she was, and done exactly the right thing: stood up to her without showing fear. All the time that I’d been talking to her she had been listening, and she’d shown she could do it under pressure. In that instant I realised that, despite everything that had happened, and even though she wasn’t a diviner or even a mage, I did think of Luna as my apprentice, and I was proud of her.
Of course, it wasn’t going to stop her from being abducted in exactly fifteen seconds. But that was where I came in.
‘You, little girl, just made a big mistake,’ the woman said after a long pause. She made a signal with two fingers. ‘Let’s see exactly what you — ’
As she spoke, Khazad glided behind Luna. I’d thought the small man looked like a bird the first three times I’d seen him, but he moved now with a sinuous grace, more like a snake. A needle gleamed in one hand, catching the light as he brought it towards the bare skin of Luna’s shoulder.
It never got there. As Khazad moved, so did I, and as he came up behind Luna I stepped in beside him. My right hand closed on his wrist, and as he made his move I spun him around, redirecting his momentum so that the needle sunk into his own arm. There was a faint spark as the spell discharged and Khazad’s head jerked in shock. Luna, Cinder and the woman all turned in the same instant to stare at me. Luna’s eyes lit up; Cinder’s darkened. ‘You!’
‘Hey, Cinder. Nice to see you again.’ I turned my gaze to the woman with a smile. ‘She did warn you.’
The woman stared, speechless. I turned to Luna, offering my hand. ‘Sorry, I got held up. Shall we go?’
Luna took a glance back at Cinder and the woman, then took my hand with barely a pause. The other two stared after us as we walked away, Khazad in tow.
‘That was awesome,’ Luna said once we were away. All traces of how she’d been outside were gone; she looked alert and glowing.
‘Are they following us?’
‘No — yes. Through the crowd.’
‘Okay. Break left … now.’ We slipped behind a group of people. From the other side I could just hear hurrying footsteps as Cinder and the woman came walking quickly after us, fading away as we doubled back.
Khazad was still walking aimlessly by my side, guided by my arm around his waist. Luna tilted her head to look into his eyes, then waved her fingers in front of his face. He didn’t respond. ‘What happened to him?’
‘Same thing he was about to do to you.’ I lifted his right hand and pointed to the needle clutched in his fingers. It was about eight inches long, made of some kind of silvery metal, tipped with a dot of blood where it had driven into Khazad’s arm. ‘Enchantment effect, kind of like magical Rohypnol. They were going to use it on you, then walk you out the front door.’
Khazad’s eyes were vacant; without me to guide him, he just stood there. Relaxed, his face was harsh and cruel. Luna peered over to look at him while I went through Khazad’s pockets. He was carrying another of the needles along with a few other things that looked like weapons, but no written instructions or anything that would give me a hint as to which spell they’d been using to track Luna. Damn.
‘Can he hear us?’ Luna asked.
‘Probably.’ I glanced back over my shoulder. We’d swerved away from the dance floor towards the other side of the hall and had ended up next to a fountain of steel and stone that bubbled with clear water. A minor illusory effect played over the water causing it to flicker through the colours of the rainbow: red to yellow to green to blue and back again. ‘We’d better dump him before he slows us down.’
I sat Khazad down on the edge of the fountain and slapped him in the face twice, hard. A few people gave me curious looks but you can get away with a lot if you’re blatant enough. I’d just gone through his pockets in full view of all the guests and gotten nothing more than a few funny looks. ‘Khazad,’ I said clearly. ‘Can you hear me?’
Khazad’s eyes were still vague, but I could sense a presence behind them this time, something looking at me with a distant hatred. This was the se
cond time I’d gotten the better of him and, even with the magic scrambling his thoughts, I could feel how much he wanted to kill me. ‘That’s twice you’ve tried,’ I said. I looked into his eyes as I spoke, keeping contact. ‘This is your last chance to walk away. You understand? One chance. Pull anything like this again, on either of us, and I’ll see you dead.’
Khazad glared at me, unable to speak. I could sense the two Dark mages approaching from behind. I straightened and walked away, and the two of us disappeared into the crowd, the noise and bustle swallowing us. The music of the band faded as we put some distance between us and the dance floor.
‘Are they still coming?’ Luna said once we were away. She was craning her neck, trying to look in every direction at once.
‘Yeah.’ Now they weren’t heading straight for us I couldn’t predict their movements so easily, but I knew they’d be back.
‘How did they find me?’
‘They spent today at your flat. Could they have found anything from your body? Hair, nail clippings, blood?’
‘No — yes. Some hairs from my pillow, maybe the bathroom …’
I nodded. ‘If you have something that was once a part of someone, you can put together a tracer spell that works through just about anything. No chance of it failing on its own. We’re going to need something stronger.’
Luna nodded. ‘What do we do?’
‘Head for the games area. Keep going towards those pillars at the back.’
As we crossed the hall, I led Luna in a looping, swerving course. Most divination spells are directional, and if Cinder or whatshername were trying to anticipate Luna’s movements, this would slow them down. We passed knots of people, fountains, more of the white-masked servants, the buzz of laughter and conversation filling the air. The sphere arena had quieted down; a new match would probably start soon. My eyes tracked up to what looked like a blank stretch of crystal wall above the arena and between the balconies, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Levistus was behind that wall, and somehow I knew he was watching me.
‘Alex?’ Luna asked as we walked.
‘Hm?’
‘Did you mean it?’
‘What?’
‘Khazad. When you said you’d kill him.’
‘I meant it.’
Luna walked for a little while in silence. ‘Thank you,’ she said eventually.
I looked at her in surprise, then smiled slightly. ‘You did well back there.’
Luna looked taken aback, then flushed. She was about to say something when a voice spoke from in front, interrupting. ‘Hi!’
I looked up to see a girl smiling at me. She was young, maybe eighteen or nineteen, and beautiful enough to be a model. Long, shining gold hair hung down her back, and she wore a low-cut blue silk dress with long slits that showed off her legs. A black ribbon was tied around her neck. ‘You’re Alex Verus, right?’
‘That’s me.’
‘Oh, it’s great to finally meet you!’ She came to a stop nearby, her smile showing a set of perfect teeth. ‘I’m Lisa.’
‘Hi, Lisa.’ I kept walking, leaving her behind.
Lisa blinked, then hurried to catch up, struggling in her high heels. ‘It’s so cool to meet you,’ she said, trying to catch my eye. ‘Everyone’s talking about you.’
‘That’s great.’
‘I’d really like to talk to you.’ Lisa came closer, walking right alongside, looking up at me with inviting blue eyes. ‘Could you come here just a minute?’
Luna had been watching, first in puzzlement, then annoyance. ‘Hey,’ she said. ‘I’m here as well.’
Lisa gave her a glance, then turned back to me. ‘Alex? Please?’
‘Sorry,’ I said. ‘We’re busy.’ I took Luna’s hand and gestured to a pillar over the crowd, leaving Lisa behind. ‘That way.’ We turned right around a buffet table and a cluster of people holding drinks.
Luna gave me a searching look. ‘Who was that?’
‘Beats me.’ I pointed towards the pillar. ‘We’re looking for an archway. It’ll be whitish, about seven feet tall. When you see it-’
‘Wait!’ Lisa called from behind. She was hurrying through the crowd after us, looking flustered. I rolled my eyes.
‘Are you sure you don’t know her?’ Luna asked, eyebrows raised.
I sighed. ‘You know, three days ago no one would have looked at me twice. This Mr Popular act is getting old.’
A gap opened in the crowd and I spotted what I was looking for: the azimuth duelling piste. Two slender pillars rose at either end, silvery and delicate, looking like a pair of tuning forks. At our end was an archway of white stone, seven feet high. A mage in ceremonial robes looked up as we approached. ‘Hey. Looking to duel?’
‘That’s okay,’ I said. ‘We just need the annuller.’
The mage gave us a look, then shrugged. ‘Be my guest.’
‘Duel?’ Luna whispered once he was gone.
‘Not a duel,’ I said. I put one hand on the cool stone of the archway and a faint silvery glow started to form across the opening. ‘Watch my back.’
Azimuth duels are a non-lethal alternative to traditional mage combat, fought with focus weapons and intended to be non-lethal. Officially the Council frowns on traditional duels, though despite all their efforts traditional duels still carry a lot more prestige than azimuth ones. Annuller arches are focuses, designed to stop mages entering duels with spells active. Activating one isn’t dangerous, but it’s demanding and requires absolute concentration. Any distraction can ruin the whole process and force you to start over.
Naturally, this was the point at which Lisa showed up again.
‘You’re here,’ she said, breathless. She was limping slightly; high heels aren’t made for running. ‘Um, could you-’
‘Look, Lisa,’ I said, not taking my eyes off the archway. ‘This is really not a good time for us.’
‘Trust me,’ Luna said, and I could tell from her voice that she was smiling. ‘You don’t want to get too close to me.’
‘No, I-’ Lisa took a deep breath. ‘I can’t.’
‘Why not?’ Luna asked. She didn’t sound sympathetic.
‘My master wants to speak to him. He told me to invite him.’
‘What master?’
‘… Morden.’
The name sounded vaguely familiar, but I was concentrating on the annuller and couldn’t put a finger on it. I finished the spell and took a step back to look at the archway. It was humming softly, and I nodded. It would take a couple of minutes to charge. ‘Who?’ Luna asked.
‘You don’t know him?’
‘No, I don’t. Why are you doing what he says?’
Lisa stared at her.
‘It’s okay,’ I said to Luna. ‘I already know what this guy wants.’ I looked at Lisa. ‘The question is whether you do.’
‘Uh …’
‘She asked the right question. Why are you running errands for him?’
‘I …’ Lisa licked her lips. ‘Look, please, you have to come. He’ll be …’
‘We don’t have to do anything,’ Luna said in annoyance.
The hum from the archway stopped. I looked back and saw that a silvery mist was hanging inside it, glowing steadily. ‘Okay, we’re clear,’ I said to Luna. ‘Step through.’
Luna gave the other girl a look, then walked to the arch. ‘Please, can you just come?’ Lisa said in a low voice. She wasn’t trying to be seductive any more; she just looked frightened. It actually made her a lot more convincing. ‘I’ve taken too long. He’ll be angry.’
I gave Luna a glance, then for the first time turned my full attention to the girl in front of me. ‘Look, Lisa. I don’t know who your master is, but I’ve got a pretty good idea what he is. If you really want my help, tell me what he’s planning.’
‘I can’t do that!’
‘Then I can’t help you.’
To one side, Luna stepped through the archway. There was a very brief flash, then the archway was
still again. Luna looked back at it curiously, then headed towards me.
‘Please, can’t you come?’ Lisa said. Her voice was pleading. ‘I’ll do anything. Just …’
I sighed slightly and looked her right in the eyes. ‘Okay. Leave him.’
‘What?’
‘I’ve been where you are.’ I held Lisa’s gaze, holding her motionless, and spoke quietly. ‘I know why you’re doing this. I know why you think it makes sense. But trust me: you don’t want to stay there.’ Luna approached and I turned away from Lisa, nodding to Luna. ‘Okay?’
‘I think …’ Luna said doubtfully. She looked at her hands. ‘I feel strange.’
‘It’s a nullifier,’ I said. Concentrating, I could see that the grey mist of Luna’s curse had briefly vanished. Now it was returning again, flowing out again and into my ribbon. ‘Grounds every magical connection on you, like earthing a power line. You’ll feel a bit out of place for a couple of days.’
‘It’ll stop them tracking me?’
I nodded and started walking, ignoring Lisa. ‘If we’re quick.’
Luna took one step, then halted, looking over my shoulder. ‘Um, Alex?’ I felt her hand creep over and squeeze my forearm. I didn’t think she was aware of it; she was staring towards the centre of the hall. ‘Not quick enough.’
I knew what I was going to see before I turned to look. Cinder was striding across the floor towards us, a look of death on his face. The masked woman was at his side. They were fewer than twenty paces away.
You’re probably wondering by this point why I wasn’t shouting for help. Simple reason: if those three were willing to kill to get their hands on Luna, others would be too. Dealing with one team of would-be kidnappers was bad enough; I had absolutely no intention of adding to the number if I could possibly avoid it. The same went for them: I knew Cinder wouldn’t want to attract any attention either.
Unfortunately, depending on how pissed off Cinder was, there were plenty of ways he could ruin my day even in a crowd of people, and looking into the future, I could see that we’d succeeded in making him angry enough to use them. In one hand he was concealing a weapon that he was getting ready to use. He’d aim it at Luna the second she turned to run. I couldn’t see exactly what it would do, but I knew it would be bad … except that as I looked, I saw something else as well, something approaching steadily from the other side of the room. I straightened to face them. ‘Alex?’ Luna whispered.
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