Bound

by Alan Baxter

  Joseph nodded. ‘Exactly. Uthentia is like a god, but it doesn’t need any faithful or any worship. It just is. It’s an eternal creature of pure chaos, utter anarchy. It’s older than the idea of gods. Millennia ago it strode the realms and the Fey Folk rejoiced in its mayhem and played along with it. Between them, Uthentia and the Fey were destroying this realm. For sport.

  ‘Every thin day, the Fey can cross from The Other Lands into this world. Every time they do, they bring a little chaos and death with them. Forget your fairy stories, Alex, the Fey are evil in the purest sense. We’re Kin, we have Fey blood in our veins. That’s what makes us what we are, but we have human blood too. The tiniest drop of humanity in our bodies ties us to this realm. We’re stuck here, we have power, we feed on people, we’re the monsters, but we’re nothing compared to true Fey. And the Fey are disgusted by us as much as they are by humans, even though they made us. So we’re every bit as vulnerable to their whims as you are, even if we are more able to defend ourselves.’

  Joseph sat back. ‘The point is, the Fey and Uthentia were taking too much of a liking to the idea of shattering this world and we were as threatened as the humans and everything else here. So a long time ago, before anything you’d call history, a group of powerful Kin, known as the Eld, came up with a plan, and found a way to weaken Uthentia enough to banish him from here, trap him between realms where his power was irrelevant.

  ‘The trap worked almost perfectly, but it destroyed the Eld and a tiny thread of Uthentia’s consciousness slipped back through. The whole episode was considered a success and that tiny piece of chaos was thought a small price to pay. To anchor itself in this world it bound itself to things and those things became indestructible and dangerous. For a long time now, hundreds of years, it’s been a book.’ He pointed at Alex’s jacket. ‘That book. It occasionally ensnares a human or a Kin, plays with them until they die and moves on. This time, young Alex Caine, that’s you.’

  Alex sat and stared. ‘So this book …? It’s a piece of this god?’

  ‘Not a god,’ Joseph said. ‘Like a god, powerful like a god, but pure chaos. Pure evil. Only so diluted now it’s no real threat to the world any more. Of course, that doesn’t make it any less deadly to you. And perhaps you could become a threat to the world. Many dangerous and destructive people through history have actually been driven by that book or a previous incarnation of it.’

  ‘So how do I get rid of it?’

  ‘You can’t. Eventually it’ll kill you, after it’s caused as much damage as it can, and then move on to someone else. The Eld did an amazing job really, reducing the power of Uthentia to that.’

  ‘Oh, well that’s good then!’ Alex rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. ‘I thought the book was special, that it could only be read by someone with a powerful vision. Welby told me …’

  ‘Welby?’ Joseph laughed. ‘Is that where this all leads back to? That whelp?’

  ‘Welby is the one who roped Alex in,’ Silhouette said. ‘He was aware of the grimoire, but couldn’t read it. He discovered that Alex could, but by then I think it was already too late.’

  Joseph gestured dismissively, his face resigned. ‘Of course it was. The book always tacks itself onto someone with power, someone who can wreak as much havoc as possible before they’re overwhelmed. Welby, for all his studies, certainly isn’t powerful enough. But there are plenty of people who are. Welby really has no idea of the world he dabbles in.’

  Silhouette made a noise of understanding. ‘Welby’s dead,’ she said. ‘So’s the man who originally had the book, although it was Alex who killed him.’

  Joseph laughed. ‘You see! This is what it does. It led you here indirectly and if you’d died in the arena one of us would have got stuck with it. Look on the bright side, Alex. You’re one in a long, long line of poor suckers paying the debt incurred by the Eld to save the world.’

  Alex dragged a hand over his short, dark hair. ‘What about the stone? The Darak?’

  ‘There are many items of power.’ Joseph pulled a leather cord from around his neck, exposing a smoky gem that writhed in magesign. ‘This is one. There are many others. Most Clan Lords have something like this.’

  ‘A dragon’s tooth, for example,’ Petra said quietly.

  Joseph grunted. ‘Absolutely, but good luck finding one of those.’ Petra smiled. Joseph narrowed his eyes for a moment before turning back to Alex. ‘The Darak amplifies a person’s natural abilities. Items like that tend to bind with people, become a part of them. No one could take this without killing me.’ He dropped his gem back into his shirt. ‘When the Eld were trying to find a way to banish Uthentia they fashioned the Darak, reputedly the most powerful arcane item ever made. The story goes that when the Eld sprang their trap the magic that caught Uthentia and killed the Eld also shattered the Darak.’

  The stone burned in its locket against Alex’s waist. ‘So what happened to it?’

  Joseph shrugged. ‘The Kin leaders were left to clean up the mess and decided the Darak, even broken, was too dangerous a thing to be ignored. The item which had given the Eld power to banish Uthentia could potentially free him too. Three guardians were selected, one for each shard. They hid their piece then committed suicide, so the hiding places would never be known.’

  Alex felt a thread of hope and dread. If he could find the other parts of the Darak, he could have incredible power. Maybe enough to rid himself of the book. But if it could free Uthentia … Was destroying the world the only way to be free? And what kind of freedom was that?

  The book cajoled him. It had fuelled his violent and remorseless slaying of Peacock, his bloodlust against Ataro. What could it make him do if he had the strength of the full Darak?

  He pulled the locket from his waistband, held it up. ‘This is one shard.’

  Joseph’s eyes widened as he, Isiah and Petra all sat forward in their seats, entranced. ‘What?’

  Alex popped open the locket. Magesign burst into the room, snaked through the air, feeling its way around the people gathered. Joseph, Isiah and Petra released magesign of their own as they looked, feeling around it, inside it with their magic. Alex pulled his protections down and closed the locket, threatened and overwhelmed by the energy of these three. ‘Hey! Back the fuck off!’

  They pulled their power away. Isiah and Petra both made apologetic eyes at him. Joseph whistled through his teeth. ‘No wonder you smashed Ataro like you did. That thing makes my gem look like a sideshow trinket. Where did you get it?’

  ‘Welby. I took it from his corpse.’

  ‘Well, that explains Welby’s strangely unbalanced abilities and knowledge. And even with that the book didn’t want him. It obviously waited for someone with more potential.’

  Alex shook his head. ‘How can that be me?’

  ‘You’re more than you think,’ Joseph said. ‘No one has ever beaten Ataro before. No Clan member here would ever have dreamed of trying. That a human slew him is causing quite a stir. Now I understand how you did it. Your natural ability and that stone? A serious combination.’

  Alex hung the locket back around his neck. ‘So this is part of the Darak?’

  Joseph raised his hands. ‘I don’t know. But it’s about the most powerful single thing I’ve ever seen. So yeah, I reckon it might be. You’re going to be dangerous until that book kills you.’

  ‘I’m not going to let it. I’m going to beat it.’

  ‘What an admirable position to take. You should commune more closely with that little rock, meditate with it, let it in to become a true part of you. You’ve barely tapped into it yet. But regardless, the book will kill you.’

  ‘If I find the other two parts,’ Alex said, ‘will the stone be whole again? Or just three powerful pieces?’

  ‘The legends suggest that if the three were physically put back together they would rebind into one. If you did somehow manage to find and repair it, you would have remarkable power. But you would still be a slave to the shred of Uthentia b
ound into that volume. And Uthentia might cause untold damage with you before you’re dead.’

  Alex drew a deep breath. ‘Or perhaps I would have enough strength to be rid of it.’

  Joseph’s laugh was derisive. ‘The Eld were the most prevailing Kin of their age, working together to banish Uthentia, and the act destroyed them and the Darak and still didn’t quite finish the job. Even with the whole stone, you’re more than arrogant to think you could finish what they couldn’t.’

  Alex refused to be intimidated. ‘Even so, I plan to try.’

  ‘Your prerogative. Your balls truly are pure cast iron, I’ll give you that.’

  Isiah leaned forward again, his face serious. ‘Alex, if you become too powerful, and are controlled by this Uthentia as Joseph suggests, you could be a liability to the world.’

  ‘So?’ Alex wanted control back.

  ‘So? So there are people and agencies that would stop you. Forcefully.’

  ‘Like you?’

  Isiah smiled. ‘No. This whole thing is a little outside my jurisdiction. But someone would.’

  Alex frowned. ‘Shame there aren’t any agencies out there that would think to help me.’

  ‘Perhaps there are,’ Petra said.

  Isiah looked sharply at her. ‘Petra?’

  She returned his look icily. He laughed and shrugged. ‘I’m busy right now.’ She indicated Isiah. ‘We’re busy. But I’ll ask my people to assist you. We have unrivalled resources for research. Perhaps we can help you track down the pieces of the stone.’

  Joseph sat up. ‘Wait a minute! You can’t help him.’

  Petra gave the Clan Lord a withering look. ‘We have to give him every chance to escape this.’

  ‘It can’t be done!’

  Petra shook her head. ‘If we thought that way, we’d never help anyone. People would never have achieved anything. He deserves the chance to save himself. If we stand for anything, it’s compassion and learning. By helping him we could learn a lot about this thing that has tainted the world for so long. Perhaps finding the pieces will give him what he needs.’

  Isiah looked exasperated. ‘To do what?’

  ‘That’s up to him. It might kill him, it might cause chaos, it might mean he needs to be stopped or even killed. But right now he’s a young man, scared and in trouble. We should help him. He might find a way out, and we stand to learn a lot.’

  Isiah shook his head and squeezed Petra’s hand. ‘Your biggest flaw is also your greatest strength. Your compassion will be the end of us all one day!’

  She laughed. ‘Screw you.’

  Joseph slumped back in his chair. ‘I’m amazed that shard has shown up,’ he said. ‘If it actually is part of the Darak. The chances of him ever uncovering the other pieces are less than slim.’

  ‘There you go then,’ Petra said. ‘No harm in offering him a bit of hope.’

  Alex felt like a tiny child in a room full of adults, discussing things he had no hope of understanding. These people seemed to think it some kind of game. A potentially dangerous game, but one they considered entertaining more than threatening. ‘I want to try,’ he said, the sentiment sounding lame even to his own ears.

  ‘Of course,’ Petra said with a smile. ‘Free will is the single most important thing we are bound to protect. It may create a mess that we or others might have to clean up later, but right now it’s your decision. All I ask is that you share everything you can with us.’

  Joseph stood decisively. ‘Right. Enough. Alex, get dressed. Take your book and your stone and leave my home. You’ve been given ample courtesy and I want those things gone before they cause any more havoc. Silhouette, you are always welcome here, this is your Den. But not with him.’

  Silhouette nodded. ‘Thank you, Joseph.’

  Alex stood, discarded the light cotton trousers and pulled his own clothes on. ‘Yes, thank you. Really, I appreciate it more than you could imagine.’

  Joseph laughed, though there was no humour in it. ‘Whatever. You’re a remarkable human, but you’re doomed. It’s very sad, but there you go.’ He leaned close to Silhouette and whispered in her ear. She looked at the floor, nodded once. Joseph turned to Isiah and Petra. ‘Shall we?’

  Isiah and Petra stood, following Joseph across the room as Alex and Silhouette headed for the door. ‘I’ll send someone to talk to you,’ Petra called out. ‘They’ll find you shortly.’

  ‘How will they find me? Even I don’t know where I’m going.’

  ‘They’ll find you, if you let them. Be open.’

  Alex frowned, confused. ‘Thank you.’ As he opened the door, Isiah called his name. He looked back. ‘Yes?’

  ‘Have you read it?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘The book you have. Or that has you, more accurately. Have you read it?’

  In all the mayhem, that hadn’t occurred to him, which suddenly seemed very strange. ‘Actually, no. I’ve just been trying to get rid of it.’

  Isiah smiled. ‘Know your enemy, Alex.’

  They left the room. As Alex and Silhouette walked through the Den, the eyes of the Kin burning into them with mixed fascination and hatred, Alex asked, ‘What did Joseph say to you then, right before we left?’

  Silhouette looked sour. ‘He was just reminding me that I’m Kin.’

  The Subcontractor lurked outside the big house in Wandsworth for several hours, hidden. He watched a few Kin come and go and wondered what his quarry were up to. And why Hood had such an interest in them. But he knew better than to try to infiltrate a Den. Even he had limits. It was a long time before they finally emerged and he saw them for the first time. The man was young, tall, well built without being bulky. He moved like a well-trained athlete. He had short hair, jeans, a green army surplus jacket with big pockets and black cross-trainers on his feet. All very practical. The female was lovely and lithe, oozing sexuality. She dressed for action too, short lace-up boots and jeans, a small leather jacket over a tight T-shirt that accentuated her curves. What was she doing with a human?

  The Subcontractor stayed hidden, taking deep draughts of their physical and psychic scents, locking them in for future tracking. The day had waned and the pair looked tired. He followed them to a hotel not far from the Den. They checked in and disappeared up into the building.

  The Subcontractor slipped away to report back to Hood.

  12

  Alex sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the root of all his woes. The title, which he now understood, meant nothing. Just the names of two problems that had hooked themselves into him and wouldn’t let go. As Alex stared, the words slipped and slid on the old leather cover. He could feel the personality of the book in his hands, its mirth. He let his vision open, deciphered the new configuration of arcane symbols.

  Uthentia’s Legacy.

  He made a noise of annoyance. Silhouette hopped onto the bed, slipped her legs around him from behind and looked over his shoulder. ‘What is it?’

  ‘This thing is playing with me.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘The title just changed. Uthentia’s Legacy.’ He felt a surge of excitement at Silhouette’s sudden closeness.

  She rested her chin. ‘It’s evil.’

  Alex dropped the book on the bed beside him. ‘I know that now. And I’m trapped with it. Aren’t you scared?’

  ‘No, not really. No offence, but it’s stuck to you. I don’t think it can or will be any threat to me while you’re still alive.’

  ‘So you’re enjoying watching me suffer then?’ His tone was angry.

  ‘Hey, fuck you! I’m the one who’s been kind to you. Been helping you.’ She stiffened, hurt.

  He reached up one hand to her cheek, desperate not to scare away the only thing left in his life he could consider good. He wouldn’t help himself by letting his anger out at her. ‘I’m sorry.’ She relaxed, resting her chin again. ‘I’m sorry, Sil. I’m just scared.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘Why are you helping me?’
<
br />   ‘I like you.’

  ‘Why?’

  Silhouette sighed. ‘My people don’t understand me, but I like humans. I find you all so fascinating and clever and funny and intriguing. The Kin have grown to see you lot as nothing but sport and food. They resent your numbers, always forcing them to live in the shadows. But I’ve never understood that. Humans are amazing.’

  Alex laughed. ‘You’re very charitable.’

  ‘And people like you, the ones with power, are a lot more like Kin than most of my kind would admit.’

  ‘But you still feed on us.’ Alex stared at his hands, trying to figure out how he felt about Silhouette. She was alluring, incredible, but a monster.

  ‘We do, but we don’t have to all the time. Not like you need food. I try to only feed on bad people. And only when I really have to. We can go a long time without feeding. And we can subsist on other things in the meantime.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘A nice rare steak. Nothing compares to human flesh and blood, but we don’t have to gorge like you lot three times a day.’

  Alex shook his head. Could he really accept her eating habits?

  ‘Is it really so different from eating any other animal?’ she asked, as if reading his mind. ‘Humans are animal. Flesh is flesh. I can’t help what I am.’

  There was a simple, undeniable logic to her statement. ‘I suppose so,’ Alex said quietly. ‘Besides, right now I really need a friend and, like you said, you’re the only one being nice to me. But I still don’t really understand why.’

  She sighed. ‘My mother was human.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Like Joseph said, Kin have Fey blood. But we’ve all got human blood too, and that ties us to this realm. Over centuries, millennia, the Kin have grown into themselves. Most Kin are Kin born; two Kin fuck and a little Kin comes along. But once in a while a Fey son of a bitch rapes a human and makes a brand-new Kin. That’s how come I’m here.’

  Alex frowned. ‘So you’re a first-generation Kin?’

  ‘Exactly. Rare among my own kind. And I grew up with a human mother. I didn’t even know I was Kin until I hit puberty and all this weird shit started happening. Weirder than regular puberty anyway.’