Fated av-1

by Benedict Jacka

  I made my voice sound confident and both of them nodded, Sonder quickly, Luna a little more reluctantly. The two of them turned back to what they were doing and I bit my lip, wishing I was as sure as I was pretending to be.

  The truth was that none of our options were good. I knew that trying to beat Onyx and the others to the fateweaver was likely to end in a fight, and I also knew that if it came to a battle our little group was almost certain to lose. It was tempting to run and hide. If we weren’t going for the fateweaver, Levistus and Morden’s agents would be too busy fighting each other to worry about us.

  Except that if we did that, whoever won the battle would be free to hunt us down afterwards, with all the power of the Precursor artifact at their disposal. Whether we lived or died would be up to them. My instinct told me our best chance was to act. But it’s one thing to risk your own life and another to risk someone else’s. I looked at Luna withdrawn into the corner, and Sonder examining the wall, and felt suddenly afraid. For all my brave words, I didn’t know if I’d be able to protect either of them.

  Then I shook it off and focused, going back to watching Sonder and sifting through the futures. After a moment I knew Abithriax’s advice had been good. ‘There,’ I told Sonder. ‘Try some command words.’

  ‘Uh … which ones?’

  ‘Every one you can think of.’

  Sonder looked back at the wall and hesitated. ‘This feels silly.’

  I sighed inwardly. For all Sonder’s knowledge, it was painfully obvious how inexperienced he was. Once you’ve been around the block a few times you stop caring about looking silly, especially when you’re dealing with magical traps. Better to be laughed at than dead, and he wouldn’t have been laughed at. ‘Just give it a go.’

  Sonder started reciting in the old tongue. He spoke like a scholar, each word carefully pronounced. ‘Stop,’ I said after a moment. ‘Say that last one again and put your hand on the wall, fingers spread. Up a bit,’ I said as Sonder obeyed. ‘Left a bit. Hold that. Now say that word again.’

  Reluctantly, Sonder did as I said. ‘Etro.’

  Right in front of Sonder, a section of wall seven feet high and three feet wide glowed for an instant and simply vanished. Sonder started and jumped back. Beyond was a short corridor, bending left. ‘Now I see,’ I said. ‘The whole room is a trap. The only safe way is to go around.’

  ‘Is it safe?’ Luna asked.

  ‘Yes. It’s-’ I stopped.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  I stared for a moment before answering. ‘It’s not empty.’

  The corridor was about five feet wide. All the way along the left side was a one-way mirror into the trap room, and as we looked in we got a perfect view of what would have happened to us if we’d stepped through that door.

  Every inch of the other room — walls, floor, ceiling — was covered in mirrors. Instead of being placed evenly, they were tilted, casting images at odd angles. Reflecting from the mirrors, filling the room with a criss-cross of white light, were beams of energy, white lines that looked harmless but which I knew could cut like razors. The room was so filled with the beams that it took a moment to realise that there were in fact only three. They emerged from a single tiny panel on the back wall, then bounced around the room at every angle, multiplied a thousand times over.

  In the middle of the room, trapped in a cage of beams, were Rachel and Cinder. Rachel was in a half-crouch, a beam just above her head stopping her from rising any further. Cinder was standing, leaning sideways to fit into the empty space. Beams laced the air around them, and I could see burnt patches on their clothes where they’d brushed up against the energy. Both were standing dead still.

  Luna stopped as she saw them. ‘Alex-’

  ‘They can’t see us,’ I said. Neither Rachel nor Cinder reacted as we spoke. ‘Or hear. Sonder, do you know what that is?’

  ‘It’s an energy lattice,’ Sonder said. He was staring in fascination. ‘I’ve never seen one before.’

  ‘What does it do?’

  Sonder started. ‘Um, they were defence systems from the Dark Wars. They were meant to contain intruders. Once the beams are up, you have to stand there until someone comes to turn it off.’

  ‘What happens if no one comes?’

  Sonder paused. ‘I don’t really know.’

  On the other side of the glass, Cinder said something and Rachel answered silently. Both were only inches away from beams on all sides. Sooner or later they would get tired and fall, and when they did, the beams would kill them.

  It’s a strange feeling, holding someone’s life in your hands, and it affects people in different ways. Some hate it; they can’t stand the burden and get away as quick as they can. Others revel in the power. You can think of it as a choice, and it is, but the truth is that for most of the big things, the choice was made long ago. It’s only when you reach the crossroads that you discover what it was. It was nothing new to me; I’d been here before. But the others …

  Both Luna and Sonder stared through the one-way mirror. Neither spoke, but it was so easy to read their thoughts. Rachel and Cinder were their enemies; all they had to do was walk away. But when it came to it, they hesitated. One after another they turned to look at me, and I knew they were waiting for me to make the decision, just as I’d done a few minutes ago. I could order them to help Rachel and Cinder or to walk away and leave, and they’d obey.

  ‘What do you think we should do?’ I asked them

  I saw their faces change. The seconds ticked away and, even here, I couldn’t help but be curious. I looked into the future, trying to see how they’d decide, and couldn’t predict either. You can’t see beyond a choice that someone hasn’t made. I watched as the possibilities wavered, shifting and changing.

  ‘We have to help,’ Sonder said.

  ‘Leave them,’ Luna said at the same time.

  Sonder turned on Luna in shock. ‘But they’ll die!’

  ‘Better them than us.’

  ‘They’re mages! You can’t decide someone’s life like that!’

  ‘I decide that every day,’ Luna said quietly. ‘This time at least they deserve it.’

  Sonder looked horrified. Luna turned to me and waited. ‘You can’t be going to-’ Sonder said. ‘I know they’re dangerous, but-!’

  ‘Stay here,’ I said. ‘You can watch, but don’t get involved.’

  A beat, then both nodded, though there was an uneasiness between them now. I left Luna and Sonder in the corridor and walked around the edge. There was another secret door at the far end, and I sealed it behind me. Ahead of me was the trap room’s exit, but it wasn’t an exit any more. Someone had destroyed the external controls, sealing Rachel and Cinder inside.

  There were more one-way mirrors to either side, and through them I could see Rachel and Cinder, still motionless. As I studied the pattern of energy beams, I realised that if any one of us had entered the room, the changing angles of reflection from the door swinging inwards would have sent the energy beams slicing through Rachel, Cinder, and anyone in the doorway. Not only did it trap those inside, it was designed to kill anyone attempting a rescue. Nasty.

  The spell that had destroyed the controls had left cracks in the wall near the door. Leaning in close, I could hear the whisper of Rachel and Cinder’s voices from the other side. ‘Hello?’ I said. ‘Can you hear me?’

  The whispering stopped. ‘Who’s there?’ Rachel demanded.

  ‘Alex.’

  ‘Verus?’ Cinder demanded. ‘What the fuck are you doing?’

  ‘More or less the same thing as you.’

  ‘You bastard,’ Cinder said. He tried to turn around to look at the wall I was speaking from, but couldn’t. ‘How are you still alive? Onyx fired your bracelet!’

  ‘Cinder, given your current situation, do you really think this is the most productive way to spend your time?’

  ‘What do you want?’ Rachel said. She was holding quite still. Behind the mask, I couldn’t see her expre
ssion, but I knew she was focusing on me.

  ‘I’m here to help you out of that room.’

  ‘Bullshit,’ Cinder snarled.

  ‘Turn off the beams,’ Rachel said.

  ‘Can’t.’

  ‘Then open the door.’

  ‘Can’t.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Last guy through smashed the controls.’

  Rachel swore. ‘Khazad,’ she hissed. ‘That motherfucker.’

  ‘There’s an emergency cut-off inside the room,’ I said. ‘It’s just under where the beams are coming from.’

  Cinder and Rachel flicked their eyes sideways to look. The mirrors beneath the beams looked exactly the same as the ones covering the rest of the room. ‘That takes us away from the door,’ Rachel said at last.

  ‘I know.’

  ‘I don’t see any cut-off.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘Fuck him,’ Cinder snarled. ‘You want us dead, don’t you?’

  I didn’t answer. A few seconds ticked by with no sound other than the humming of the beams. ‘How do I get there?’ Rachel asked.

  Cinder started and nearly got his arm burnt off for his trouble. ‘What the fuck are you doing?’

  ‘Shut up, Cinder,’ Rachel said wearily. ‘Alex? How do I get there?’

  ‘There’s a route through,’ I said. ‘Move your head forward and shift about six inches to the side and you’ll see the first part.’ I paused. ‘It’ll have to be you. Cinder’s too big.’

  Rachel only nodded. She moved her head and shifted. ‘I see it,’ she said and began to move.

  ‘Del-’ Cinder said.

  ‘Catch me if I fall,’ Rachel said, and started sliding through the beams.

  If it had been Luna I’d have been terrified, barely able to look. As it was, I watched Rachel with something like indifference. Despite everything, I had to admire her body control. She didn’t tremble at all as she crawled and stretched and balanced over and under and through the beams, heading for their source. I looked into the future and saw her slip and die in agony, and each time I spoke, telling her which way to move, when to stop and when to go. Rachel obeyed without question. Despite everything that had happened between us, in a weird way we still understood each other. I wondered what Luna and Sonder must be thinking, watching from the sealed corridor.

  At last Rachel made it. She rested in a crouch, body angled to avoid the beams streaming from the opening just above her. ‘What do I do?’ she said without looking.

  ‘Put the middle three fingers of your right hand against the mirror just below the beams,’ I said. ‘Up. A little to the right. Now press.’

  There was a click and a small section swung open. ‘There should be two crystal spheres,’ I said. ‘Can you see them?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Put your finger between.’

  There was a pause, then a tiny spark. All of a sudden, as if someone had thrown a switch, the beams vanished. Cinder and Rachel were standing in an empty room.

  Cinder turned, looking from side to side. Rachel rose and walked towards the door. ‘It won’t open,’ I said as she disappeared from my sight. ‘You’ll have to-’

  At my side, the door seemed to flash green, then crumble to powder, becoming a fine dust that hung in the air. Rachel strode through, followed an instant later by Cinder. ‘-disintegrate it,’ I finished. The room on this side of the trap was a small one, with corridors leading off right and left. Cinder and Rachel entered and stopped, facing me from only a few feet away.

  Cinder looked at the smashed controls, then back at me. There was an expression on his face I’d never seen before. ‘Why?’ he said at last.

  I shrugged. ‘We had a deal.’

  Cinder looked at Rachel. She was studying me, her eyes opaque behind her mask. ‘Outside,’ she said at last, addressing Cinder. ‘We keep him alive, he gets rid of these bracelets.’

  I nodded. Rachel stepped forward and held out her right wrist, pushing back the sleeve to reveal the bracelet. ‘Well?’

  I pulled out a tool and set to work. Rachel waited patiently while I probed at the bracelet’s inner workings, looking into the future to see the outcome of every action. From time to time my hand brushed against Rachel’s skin. She didn’t react, and neither did I. I might have been her dressmaker.

  I finished after five minutes and moved on to Cinder, who stuck his arm out with poor grace. He was in worse shape than Rachel; I could see patches where his clothes had been burnt away, and he smelt of ash and scorched flesh. As the minutes ticked past he made a growling sound. ‘Why don’t you just burn ’em off?’

  ‘Same reason you can’t. I’m guessing you’ve tried.’

  Cinder was silent. ‘I can’t break the locks,’ I said. ‘But I can shut down the receptor so it can’t receive Onyx’s signal. He won’t be able to tell they’re sabotaged until he tries to zap you.’

  ‘That’ll work?’ Cinder said suspiciously.

  Without looking away, I held up my right wrist, which still held Onyx’s bracelet. ‘It worked for me.’

  Cinder shut up then, and the three of us stood there quietly. After all our history, it was a strange feeling to have them just wait there. At last, it was finished. I stepped back. ‘Done.’

  Cinder and Rachel looked at their bracelets. ‘Doesn’t look different,’ Cinder said.

  ‘It’s different,’ I said.

  ‘I believe you,’ Rachel said. She looked at me. ‘So.’

  ‘So,’ I said.

  The moment stretched out, silent, tense. I stood watching the pair of them, looking at the two possible futures, wondering which one they were going to choose.

  ‘Don’t get in our way,’ Rachel said at last. She turned and walked towards the nearest exit. Cinder gave me a final scowl and followed her.

  As their footsteps faded away into the distance, I let out a long breath and let my shoulders slump. I stood still for a moment, alone with my thoughts, then shook myself and looked across at the secret door. ‘Guys? You can come out.’

  Cautiously, Sonder and then Luna emerged. Sonder looked around. ‘Where did they go?’

  ‘Further in,’ I said. Suddenly I felt very tired.

  ‘Oh,’ Sonder said, and scratched his head. ‘Well … I guess that’s better.’ He walked forward, rummaging in his bag. ‘You know, I think I’ve seen this layout before …’

  Luna waited for Sonder to get out of earshot, then looked at me. ‘We’re going to run into them again,’ she said at last.

  I didn’t answer. I led Luna and Sonder into the corridor Rachel and Cinder hadn’t taken, and together we headed deeper.

  13

  The hands on my watch pointed to 2.13 a.m. As I stared, they blurred and seemed to swim until I was no longer sure what I was looking at. I forced my eyes to focus, knowing I couldn’t afford to sleep.

  We’d been inside the tomb for four hours. The closer we spiralled in towards the centre of the facility, the more lethal and hard to bypass the traps and security systems were. Our progress had slowed to a crawl — worse, the number of paths was steadily diminishing, forcing us closer to the others hunting the fateweaver.

  Cinder and Rachel were the easiest to spot, and I stayed away from them, not wanting to find out how long our truce would last. More of a concern was Khazad. He had split from the others and was searching the corridors on his own, and in the last hour we’d been forced to hide from him three times. Each time we let him pass, he reappeared again a short while later. I was starting to worry that it wasn’t a coincidence and that he was actively hunting us. I could vaguely feel his presence through the futures of our meetings, somewhere behind us and to the left. Having to stay constantly on the alert was wearing me down.

  I shook off my fatigue and looked up at Sonder. ‘Which way?’

  Sonder had held up better under the strain than I’d expected, but was looking tired as well. He’d managed to piece together a sketch map in his notebook, extrapolating from the parts o
f the facility we’d seen and from the designs of other Precursor structures he’d read about. It wasn’t perfect, but it was getting better. ‘Left, I think. It shouldn’t be trapped.’

  I glanced ahead through the futures. We were standing at a T-junction. ‘They’re both trapped.’

  ‘There’s supposed to be a corridor. It might not be easy to open the other end, but … The right way is open, but I think the traps are denser.’

  I sighed and slid down against the wall. ‘I need to rest. Try and figure out which path will get us through.’ I closed my eyes and made myself relax.

  I’d been sitting only a few moments when a voice penetrated my thoughts. ‘Alex?’

  I opened my eyes to see Luna looking at me. She was crouching in the room’s far corner, the crystal cube held absent-mindedly in her fingers, as though she’d forgotten about it. Luna had been quiet for the past two hours, her thoughts and manner more distant since the encounter with Cinder and Rachel, and I knew she’d been thinking about it.

  When she spoke, though, the subject came as a surprise. ‘These traps and barriers. This isn’t normal, is it?’

  I gave Sonder a glance and he shook his head. ‘No. We’ve found defence systems before, but nothing like this.’

  ‘I’ve been thinking about it too,’ I said. ‘All I can think of is what Abithriax said. Fateweavers were supposed to be very powerful. If what he said was true, his might have been the only one stable enough to be preserved.’

  ‘Why, though?’

  I frowned. ‘Why the traps? To make sure no one could get it.’

  Luna shook her head. ‘No, I understand that. I mean, why would they seal it away and not keep it for themselves?’

  I opened my mouth to answer and stopped.

  ‘Maybe they thought it was too powerful?’ Sonder said doubtfully.

  ‘No,’ I said with a frown. ‘She’s right. If it was that useful, there’d have to be one hell of a good reason for them to give it up.’

  Sonder suddenly got a thoughtful look. ‘You know …’ he began, but as he did my precognition flashed a warning. I looked into the future and my fatigue vanished as I pulled myself to my feet. ‘Damn it.’