The Circle of Duty

by Owen Elgie

  She folded her arms across her chest and stared at me with hard eyes. I could feel the unseen edges of the trap she had just laid. She wanted me to make a snide remark about her assessment of the people, that I was surprised that she could recognize good performance much less admit that she had witnessed it from anyone. She was trying to bait me into further showing myself to be against her. It really was that simple for her. You were either with her or against her. It would appear that a great many of the members of The Circle shared her need to deal with that false dichotomy.

  “How long will you require to complete said investigation my lady?” Em asked the next logical question without seeming to register that there had been anything happening beyond the face value of the words spoken. The Elder didn’t remove her attention from me as she replied.

  “It will not be long. An hour at the most to be able to reach everywhere that needs to be reached.”

  Sounded good. We should be able to leave and at least get me out from under the business end of a very heavy hammer.

  “Actually. There is a third option we haven’t considered.” The Elder was still looking at me but her hard glare had become much sharper.

  “We are not considering the fact that Mr. Johns was able to warn his co-conspirators of our arrival and any incriminating evidence or behavior could be effectively concealed. It would appear that we are no further from seeing you as the traitor of the piece. Unless of course, you’ve found out something which contradicts this point of view?” She was getting angrier as she spoke. Having a conclusion which you then get the facts to fit was the hallmark of the zealot. It was going to take the ultimate silver bullet to defeat the image of me she had in her head.

  Andrea was silent all of the way through the discussion but it was evident that she was feeling the tension keenly. She frowned as she listened and chewed the inside of her cheek in a nervous gesture which ruined the image of the war hardened Guardian she had always exuded. She was looking much more like a person concerned for a friend.

  “We have explored the vault where The Drake Stone was stored and found that there had been no disarming of the counter measures which were in place but there was also no understanding of those counter measures by Mr. Johns. Indeed, Mr. Johns was almost killed by the items in play to guard the vault but he was also without knowledge of the power in the room. He attempted to open a Cascade Bridge while we were inside. All of these facts point to him having no knowledge of what was in the vault, what was arranged in its defence or how to remove anything from it. In this case Mr. Johns, your ignorance of the wider tactics of The Circle has shown that you would have been woefully unprepared to complete this theft. I find it unlikely that he is responsible.”

  Ems words were a soothing balm on the ever present fear of demise but she didn’t have to be quite so derogatory about me to make her point.

  “Explain please Messenger.” The Elder wasn’t going to let this go.

  Em tilted her head to consider the request, then expanded on what she’d said.

  “Firstly, the doors to the vault were still locked in place when we arrived. They would have needed to be unlocked to gain entry to the vault but the re-locking would have taken a Guardian or myself to complete. Should we suspect all of the Guardians as the thieves? Secondly, Mr. Johns triggered the Golem which was placed guard at the main door. He made no attempt to protect himself as he walked towards it and was unable to recognize what he was faced by. Thirdly, as we inspected The Drake Stone case, he had no recognition of the stone in the case. He had no understanding of what it was and what it did. Finally, when he attempted to open a Cascade Bridge in the vault, he showed that he had no knowledge of what was likely to happen. Is this sufficient for you my lady?”

  The Elder seemed to mull over the details, her eyes narrowed.

  “Can you be sure that he was truly without knowledge of these points or was he feigning stupidity?” As much as I hated to admit it, she did have a point.

  Em remained as calm as ever as she responded.

  “I am certain my lady. I am The Circle and as such, the Guardians are unable to keep such things from me.”

  The Elder’s shoulders dropped so very slightly at that. She nodded abruptly and said, “Thank you Messenger. What are your conclusions?”

  Was that it? Em just says that I didn’t do it and The Elder just agrees? Surely it couldn’t be that easy? Could it? Taking a deep breath, I rolled the dice and took a leap of faith.

  “Am I off the hook? Does that mean that I’m not the thief?”

  “We could return you to Egypt in Doomsday Braces if you would prefer?” The Elder spat the words at me, showing that she wasn’t going to let a tiny detail like my innocence get in the way of her hate.

  “Look, I’m not the thief but even I could pretend not to know all of these things if I had prior knowledge. All it would need is a good startled face and away you go.” Turning to face Em, “How do you know that I didn’t just pretend and you fell for it? Why can’t I keep things from you?” I had to ask. I needed to remove all of the potential grey areas in my acquittal. It was Andreas turn to speak now.

  “She is The Messenger of The Circle. She is The Circle. She has deemed that the evidence shows that you are not responsible for the theft. That is the end of the matter.”

  Her words were calming, soothing to the point of relaxation. There was nothing further to be added apparently and everyone just seemed to accept what Em had said. We needed to move on despite the fact that I felt like I was missing a vital detail of what had just taken place. I still felt that there was a piece of the puzzle missing.

  “While we may have been able to remove our Guardian from Wales as the one responsible for this betrayal, there still remains the fact that we have had our security breached and one of our most important artifacts stolen. Have we found any information which could give us the identities of those responsible?” The Elder was clearly not pleased with the news that she had been blaming the wrong person. She needed to resolve the mystery of the theft, not only for the benefit of The Circle as a whole but also so she could save face and tear the real culprits to pieces. That, I could help her with.

  “All we need to do now is start drawing up lists.” Now I was in the clear, ish, I felt that I could start taking more positive action.

  “Firstly, Em, you said that it would have taken either a Guardian or yourself to open and re-lock the doors. Are you sure that there isn’t anyone else who would have been able to complete the task?” She didn’t have any time to give an answer before The Elder bellowed into the veiled area, a concussive “WHAT DID YOU CALL HER?”

  Shocked to silence by the explosion of sound, I was pondering what I’d done now.

  “I called her Em.” My tone sheepish as I spoke, The Elder had managed to turn me into the scared schoolboy caught doing something he shouldn’t have been. The power of surprise.

  “She is The Messenger of The Circle. She holds a sacred position within our group and is to be revered as a holy member of who we are. No-one will ever dismiss her or diminish her by reducing her to nothing more than a grunt. Do you understand me boy?” She was breathing deeply as she spoke and her posture shifted to highlight that she was far from calm. Her skin tone changing to include the first hints of her Dragon hue proved beyond doubt she was serious.

  “I’m sorry Elder. I meant no disrespect to anyone, certainly not The Messenger. I found that by shortening her name it would allow for an improved way of communicating, less time to highlight any problem.” I may have been taking more positive action but that didn’t include nudging The Elder over the edge of the precipice of violence. Looking at her face, it wasn’t going to take that much of a nudge at all.

  “He made a valid point lady Elder. We spoke before he started doing this. I see no insult or lessening of myself from his actions.” Em had spoken clearly, her voice ringing like a bell tolling the truth of time. She had shown, in what she had been saying during our time in the veil,
that she had fallen down firmly on my side in every difference of opinion. It wasn’t a massive point. She hadn’t blatantly slapped The Elder in the face but she had pointed out that the stance she was holding was wrong. Whatever power or position that Em held in The Circle, it was strong enough to keep a Guardian in check. My jaw ached just a little at that thought. She could keep a Guardian in check easily.

  Em continued to lay out her points as if there had been no interruption.

  “All of the security measures which were deployed within the vault were still in place and active. The list of people who are able to complete this is thankfully very small. As I said earlier, the Guardians, myself and possibly one or two of the longer serving Heads of House. Elder, I would think Mr. Ward possibly capable of such a thing although this is by no means certain.”

  That was interesting to say the least. There could have been others who had had their sticky fingers on this and Leatherpants was in that group. He’d been nothing but a pain since we’d met so this news painted our previous meetings in a very different light. Very interesting indeed.

  “We also need to assess what use The Hive have found for The Drake Stone beyond how we are able to use it” added Andrea, her face serious. “Just because we have only been using it in one way doesn’t mean that The Hive haven’t found another way.”

  Everyone looked at each other as we shared glances of understanding and agreement. Andrea and Em both looked calm but hard at what needed to be done and I was just glad to be doing anything now I wasn’t public enemy number one. Even The Elder was in agreement, forced to admit that the line of thought she had been following so relentlessly needed to be re-evaluated. Finally she took in a deep yet resolute breath, as if both drumming up courage to say something dangerous but also forcing herself to do something she hadn’t ever considered. She was having to think on the hoof as to what to do next. Every second that passed was taking her deeper into the unknown. She, as all of The Circle as well, had always done things a certain way. Now she was having to do something else and she wasn’t confident of the results.

  “We will return to the mansion and complete the tour.” She kept the authority in her voice despite any reservations she may have been having.

  “Lady Messenger and Mr. Johns will return to his estate in Wales and wait for our arrival. When we return, we will update you with any important information we were able to find and you will have drawn up a route of action to resolve this issue. Miss Thomich.”

  Without further effort or word, The Elder turned and marched from the veil of concealment, snapping a compact cascade bridge into existence as soon as her foot hit the grass on the other side of the boundary. Andrea held position a breath longer, just looking at me. There was so much I wanted to say to her and her to me it appeared but we couldn’t risk even the simplest gesture.

  Another breath slipped past and she then turned and marched from the veil, following The Elder into the Cascade Bridge. With a muffled thump, the bridge gateway collapsed down and was gone, leaving Em and I together to make our way back to Wales and to start trying to work out what was going on now everyone had accepted that I wasn’t the bad guy.

  “Come on then Em. Bring down the veil and I’ll get us a way home. No use us just sitting here.”

  Em replied but she had a wistful tone to her voice and was gazing ahead, looking into the middle distance. “This is a very beautiful spot Mr. Johns. I have never been one to consider such things but I find myself considering now. This is quiet and secluded. If someone of the right mind were to see this place, they could easily call it romantic.”

  I stopped rigid with fear.

  I couldn’t hear myself think due to the sound of my mind screaming at me to run for the hills. Did Em know about Andrea and me? Had she been putting the facts together, the little glances, the time we spent together? Just play it cool.

  “Could be,” I replied, doing my level best to keep the inevitable tremble out of my voice. “I stumbled across this place when I was out for a walk to clear my head. You’re right, it certainly is secluded. Pity I haven’t got anyone ‘of the right mind’ to see it.” Keep relaxed. Don’t act any different. I could feel a bead of sweat run down my back, highlighting clearly that my body wasn’t finding that task to be that easy. Em seemed to consider what I’d said, turning lazily to face me, still looking untroubled by any of the events of the day.

  “Mr. Johns, I think you would be able to find someone who would be willing to spend time with you. Don’t you think?”

  That was it. That was the threat I’d been waiting for. Andrea had said from the beginning that The Circle always knew and that we couldn’t and we shouldn’t then that we mustn’t, but we had anyway. And Em knew it somehow. She’d said that I couldn’t keep things from her.

  My heart thundered in my chest and I started to scan around for any way I could see that would get me away from the impending doom I would no doubt be on the receiving end of. Nothing presented itself as my eyes nervously flickered here and there, hunting for any and all options I may have. Looking at Em, she’d closed her eyes and had drawn in a short breath. She was obviously setting herself to be able to subdue me with the minimal effort.

  I couldn’t defeat her in a straight fight, she’d shown that far too easily and I doubted there would be any way I could get away from her. Even if I did manage to jump away and back to my home in Wales, she’d still be able to find me. I certainly couldn’t go on the run. Even with my limited experience of The Circle, I’m sure they’d be more than able of tracking down a fleeing Guardian. Hell, even I knew how to use Banus Stones. No-one would even be able to witness what was taking place, inside the veil.

  In the nanosecond which had passed as I made my choice, I was left with Dragon surprise attack. That was it. That was all I would be able to do to at least give me a chance of surviving. Just pull the power together fast enough and maybe I could survive.

  Yet again, Em showed she was so far beyond what I considered her abilities. I hadn’t been able to commence building my own power before she acted.

  That was it. My Dragon was going to fall here.

  25

  Em opened her glittering eyes and released the power she’d drawn in. There was no other sign of her casting heaving its way at me. Nothing cut through flesh, broke bones or did any number of other terrible things I’d been preparing myself for. There was just nothing and I was rigidly helpless before her.

  And her veil dropped calmly down around us like a sheet falling from a table.

  “If you please. The Elder will expect us to have something to discuss when she and Miss Thomich arrive.” She held her right arm out to emphasise her desire to move.

  I had nothing. Not a thing.

  “What?” was all I could muster.

  “Give us a way home. I brought my veil down now you give us a way home. We are returning to your home, yes? Did I not hear you correctly?” Her head tilted again and I couldn’t be sure which one of us was more confused. Probably me.

  “Uh, OK” I stumbled and did my best to put my mind back in the right place.

  “Excellent. Please open the bridge.” She smiled and turned away from me to signal where she thought or recommended the bridge would appear. I just did as I was told. Had I mis-read what had just happened? Had I thought she had worked out my secret? Had I been jumping at shadows, assuming her to be aware of everything simply because I’d been told she was practically a mind reader? Was she just having me take us away from this estate so she could kill me somewhere else? If that was the case, why choose to go to my home? Ceremonial importance?

  Whatever the answer was, it looked very much like I was going to have to stay on my guard around Em. The last thing I fancied was being sucker punched and getting stabbed in the back.

  The Cascade Bridge crackled to life and I gestured for her to step through first.

  “Thank you gallant sir Guardian” she replied at my apparent display of chivalry. Whatever was happening,
all of us were making it up as we were going along and it would appear that no-one was reacting well to the unsure footings.

  In seconds we were back on the driveway in Wales and heading up the steps.

  It felt good to be back on home turf. Not only was there the feeling that I was somehow amongst friends just by being here but that I could feel a tangible weight being lifted from my shoulders as I breathed in the power infused air from my home. Any little aches and pains I’d felt in Argentina were now gone. I could walk taller with my back straighter. That said, there was still a bit of a kick from the cooler air. It had been a little more humid in Freddy’s estate and I was getting a similar sensation from when I walked back here from Egypt. Didn’t think it was that cold.

  All of the gathered soldiers had dispersed now and had obviously been returned to the guest rooms within the estate to wait on the return of the Guardians. As we made our way towards the doorway, several fully armoured figures appeared from seclusion around us and stood rigidly to attention before their leaders. There were two or three of each style of armour which I’d seen on display earlier, showing me that each of the factions involved in this endeavor were being waited for. I was also strangely pleased that two giant warriors from Em’s guard materialized amongst the group here, stepping from beneath their own veils, as well as the three non-descript men from my own staff.

  So not everyone was billeted away waiting.

  Em and I stopped walking at the appearance of the guards but we were quick to recommence our forward movement. All of the soldiers snapped to attention as we approached them, instinctively lining up perfectly into an honour guard for our arrival. There can’t have been any planning between all of the people here, surely. Olympic synchronized swimmers wished they were that good.

  Em marched on oblivious of the actions of the people around her but I tried to at least acknowledge what had happened around me. Seeing all of the wealth and opulence within another estate kind of reinforced the need in me to make sure the so called little people were treated as anything but. I hurried after Em as she powered on but at least nodded in the direction of every person who was lining our pathway.