“In which case you can say no once again, and that’ll be the end of the matter. I do, however, strongly recommend that you hear me out. You may find it changes your opinions.”
I opened my mouth and felt Anne touch my side. It was only a brush of her fingers, but I got the message. With an effort I stayed quiet.
“Excellent,” Richard said. He didn’t look at all bothered that I’d said no. “There are two additional points to my offer I would like to make. Firstly, as a member of my organisation, you would both fall under my protection. I imagine both of you have your share of enemies. I think you will find they would be far less willing to provoke me.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Except that we’d pick up all of your enemies too. No thanks.”
“And secondly, I would be willing to assist you with your more immediate problems.”
Here it comes.
“You appear to be unwilling guests in this shadow realm,” Richard said. “I can address that problem. In addition”—he glanced at Anne—“I can ensure nothing similar happens in the future.”
Anne reacted slightly. “You escaped from Sagash once,” Richard said. “And in doing so, you proved both your ability and strength of will. However, as you can see, Sagash’s power vastly dwarfs yours. You and Variam both have to be aware that should Sagash ever devote his full resources towards recapturing you, you would have very little chance of escape. So far he has not, but at any point that could change. Do you really want to live the rest of your life with that hanging over you? I have some leverage with Sagash, and unlike the Light Council, I can negotiate with him on equal terms. If you join me, I can guarantee as a condition of your employment that neither Sagash nor his apprentices will come after you ever again.”
I couldn’t help myself; I turned to look at Anne. She hesitated, her eyes flickering from me back to Richard, and I knew she was torn. It was one of the things Richard had always been so good at: finding what someone most wanted and offering it to them.
Richard was still speaking. “And then, of course, there’s your current situation. You and Alex are in very immediate danger. I entered this shadow realm, and I can bring you out the same way, quickly and safely. If you decline my offer, I will not harm you, but I will not help you either. You will be left to resolve this problem alone.”
Anne still hesitated, and I held my breath. I wanted to urge her not to do it but I knew I couldn’t. Staying here could mean our death. I was willing to risk that rather than go with Richard, but I couldn’t make that decision for Anne. If she said yes . . .
The futures shifted . . . and steadied. “You’re right,” Anne said, and her voice was clear. “We did escape from Sagash once.” She looked at Richard. “We can do it again.”
I let out a long breath. “As I understand, it took you some time,” Richard said.
“Except this time it’s not Sagash,” Anne said. “You said it yourself. Sagash hasn’t come after me. It’s just his apprentices, and I can beat them. We’ll find a way.”
“His apprentices, yes. They are, however, not alone.”
“Give it up,” I said. I felt confident now. Richard had taken his best shot, and it had failed. I didn’t know why Richard was limiting himself like this, but as long as he was going to rely on persuasion we had the advantage. “You wanted an answer; she gave you one.”
“There are, however, some facts neither of you are as yet aware of,” Richard said. “You may have succeeded in evading the notice of your pursuers, but this has been because so far they have primarily focused on guarding the exits. As of today, they have progressed to searching for you more directly.”
“So they’re looking for us. That’s not news.”
“Don’t place too much faith in this shadow realm’s shroud,” Richard said. “Anne may have stayed hidden so far, but she will not remain so forever. If you stay here, Sagash’s apprentices will find you. Very soon.”
“We’ll take our chances.”
“Alex?” Richard said. “When I said ‘very soon,’ I didn’t mean ‘later today.’”
I started to answer and paused. Richard was waiting, his hands clasped behind his back, and it was easy to look ahead. I could see movement, a lot like—
Oh shit.
There was movement at the edge of my vision. I looked up at where the castle battlements were silhouetted against the skyline and saw a black shape. One of Sagash’s shadow constructs. A moment later a second appeared.
Down at ground level, more shadows were emerging from archways: three, four, seven. They moved with a strange loping gait, white eyes glowing from within fuzzy darkness, quicker than something of that size should be. They took up positions on the grass, surrounding the windmill. Three moved to encircle Richard, arms hanging loose as they stared at him with empty eyes.
The shadows kept coming, moving out onto the grass, and now people were walking out with them. Darren, black clothes and dark skin blending into the shadows beside him. His eyes narrowed at me before switching back to Richard. The lightning mage, Sam, was close behind him, spreading out to cover Darren’s flank. Finally there was the Korean girl, Ji-yeong. She broke away from the other two at the first opportunity, hands hanging near the hilts of her swords.
Sagash’s apprentices came to a halt. The three of them formed a rough group, Darren and Sam close, Ji-yeong a little farther away. The shadows were scattered around, and I did a quick count. There were twelve: ten on the ground, two on the battlements. I could feel Anne’s tension from behind me. Richard stood between us and the apprentices, head turned to watch Darren and Sam. Between them and the shadows, he was close to being surrounded. The three groups—Anne and me, Sagash’s apprentices, and Richard—formed a triangle, almost perfectly equilateral. There was a silence, and I held my breath.
“Who the fuck are you?” Darren said, looking at Richard.
“Darren, wasn’t it?” Richard said. “I’ll be with you in a moment.”
Ji-yeong spoke from the other side, looking at the lightning mage, Sam. “Didn’t you say there were two of them?”
“Not now, all right?” Sam said.
“Only two used the gates, Anne and Verus,” Ji-yeong said. “That was what you said, right? Because I’m counting three.”
“I said not now.”
“Children,” Richard said, with a note of authority which made all three apprentices turn to look. “The three of us are having a conversation. I’ll deal with your queries later.”
Sagash’s apprentices stared at him. Sam seemed about to speak, but Darren cut him off. “You know where you are?”
Richard sighed. “I understand you have your obligations, but—”
“You know where you are?” Darren said again. “You’re in our shadow realm. You have one good reason we shouldn’t beat the shit out of you right now?”
“I’d prefer you didn’t,” Richard said. “I have a prior relationship with Sagash.”
“Oh, you’re friends with Sagash. Funny how everyone’s his friend as soon as we catch them.”
“You misunderstand,” Richard said, and his voice was calm. “My relationship with Sagash is a professional one. As a matter of courtesy, I would prefer not to kill his apprentice in his own shadow realm.”
Darren stared. “Who are you?” Sam asked.
“My name is Richard Drakh,” Richard said.
Sam stared at him, then spoke to Darren without looking at him. “Darren? Back off.”
“Why—”
There was an edge to Sam’s voice. “Back the fuck off.”
Richard looked at Ji-yeong. “And you?”
Ji-yeong studied Richard for a second, then pointed at Darren and Sam. “I’m not with them.”
“Good. Sam, was it? You have someone you should be reporting this to. I think it’ll save time if I deal with her directly.”
Sam stared at Richard, then lifted something from a pocket and spoke quietly. I’d been watching, seeing the futures shift between standing and talking and quickly terminated flashes of violence, but now I strained to look ahead. Who’s he talking to? Sam finished whatever he was saying and straightened up. No one was talking, and for a second I had a clear look through the futures. There was one more person coming, and it was—
I felt my heart sink with a kind of weary disbelief. Oh, come on. Not now. This isn’t fair.
Footsteps echoed from the next courtyard over, and only a few seconds later a woman appeared in the archway, gold hair bright in the darkness. It had been a year and a half since I’d seen her, and she looked quite different from how I remembered. Gone were the cream-coloured suits and the high heels; instead she wore a simple grey-and-brown outfit designed more for practicality than for fashion. The confidence was still there, though, and her sculpted features were as distinctive as ever. Before she’d looked like an aristocrat; now she looked like an aristocrat-turned-guerrilla. She came to a stop behind Darren and Sam, watching Richard.
“Mage Drakh,” Crystal said.
“Mage Crystal,” Richard replied.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Crystal said, “but I have some business with those two.” She ignored us both completely.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to wait your turn.”
“I think I’ve waited long enough,” Crystal said. Her voice was clear and there was something to it that gave me a chill. She didn’t look at Anne.
“My interest predates yours.”
“I know Verus was your apprentice,” Crystal said. “I could be persuaded to leave him alone.”
“Crystal,” Richard said. “I appreciate your efforts to come to a compromise. But please do not attempt to be heavy-handed. You do not have the power to even effectively pretend to threaten me. Anything you receive from me will be on my terms.”
Crystal was silent. She didn’t move, but I saw the futures flicker. Just for a second I saw a flash of combat, there and gone before I could catch any details. “Now,” Richard said. “I have no intention of involving myself in your affairs with Sagash. Once I’ve finished with Verus and with Anne, I will be leaving.”
“Alone?” Crystal asked.
Richard raised his eyebrows. “That depends on them.” And he turned back to us.
All of a sudden everyone was looking at us—Richard and Crystal, Darren, Sam, and Ji-yeong, the scattered shadows with their soulless white eyes—and I felt an ugly, sick feeling in my stomach. This was bad, very bad. Right now, Richard was the only thing holding Crystal and the apprentices back. The instant he left they were going to attack, and we were going to lose. Even against just Sagash’s apprentices and their constructs, our odds would be bad. With Crystal as well . . .
“This is it?” Anne said quietly, and I knew she’d figured it out as well. “This is the deal? If we don’t join you, you leave us to them?”
“I did not bring you to this shadow realm,” Richard said. “Nor am I the cause of your problems with Sagash. I can help, but there is a price.”
“If you want to help us, then help!”
Richard shook his head. “No handouts, Anne. If you want my protection, you have to earn it.”
Crystal and the apprentices were still watching, silent and hungry. Is there anything we can do with that? “You know,” I said, “it’s going to be really hard for us to accept your offer if that lot kill us.”
“True.”
“So how about we do this a different way? You get rid of them, and we’ll talk terms.”
“I don’t think so,” Richard said. He sounded amused.
“There might be something—”
“Alex,” Richard said. “I’m glad you haven’t lost your ability to think on your feet. But remember who taught you those tricks.”
Crap. Okay, so much for that plan. “You know, for someone who’s trying a recruitment pitch, you aren’t selling this very well.”
“Then let’s bring this to a close,” Richard said. “The offer stands. Your service for . . . two years, shall we say? That seems a reasonable span. If you agree, you’ll receive appropriate compensation and benefits. I’m not ungenerous. If you refuse . . .” He shrugged. “I won’t harm you, but I will not save you, either. I do suggest you consider the consequences carefully before answering. I expect you could probably find your way out, Alex, one way or another.” He shifted his gaze to Anne. “You, on the other hand . . . for all your power, I doubt you’d leave this castle again. Nor would your remaining days be pleasant.”
Anne didn’t speak. Crystal didn’t either. She was watching Anne with a flat, unblinking look.
“Well, then,” Richard said when we didn’t answer. “I do have other commitments. I’ll give you five minutes to make your decision, then I’ll take my leave. Crystal, we should talk.” He walked to where Crystal was standing, weaving between the shadows without seeming to pay them any particular attention. Darren and Sam turned to stare as he passed, then looked back at us. Crystal stood her ground and Richard came to a stop beside her.
Anne and I were left alone with what felt like an entire army watching us. “Um,” Anne said. Her voice was under control, but only just, and she didn’t take her eyes away from the figures menacing us. “Alex? Don’t take this the wrong way, but please tell me you have some ideas.”
“I was about to ask you that.”
“Oh.”
My eyes scanned the area, looking for weak points. “We could wait for Richard to leave, then make a break for it,” I said. The bulk of the shadows were on the grass, between us and the apprentices and the ground-level exits. Up on the battlements, two more shadows stood on a path cut into the castle walls, thirty or forty feet from the ground. The path joined to the windmill via the bridge and disappeared at the other end through an open doorway into a round-topped tower. “Up and out through the roof, over the bridge, past those shadows to the door in the corner. If we can make it through into that tower, we can break line of sight long enough to get some distance on them. Try and lose them in the castle.”
Anne didn’t look up. “Do you think that’ll work?”
I was silent for a second. “No.”
“I can’t fight that many shadows,” Anne said. “I can’t even fight one.”
“I know,” I said. Near the castle wall, Richard and Crystal were talking quietly. With my mage’s sight I could pick out some sort of field around them, probably an eavesdrop ward. Darren was still watching us, and so was Ji-yeong. Two minutes gone.
Anne took a breath. “What would Richard do if we said yes?”
“No,” I said. “Don’t even think about it.”
“I don’t want to! But what else are we going to do?”
“Anything!”
“Even if he’s a Dark mage . . . I’m more afraid of Sagash than I am of Richard.”
“If you knew him, you wouldn’t be,” I said. The old dread was back, gnawing at me. Richard was speaking quietly to Crystal. I was terrified that he’d feel my gaze, that he’d look up and meet my eyes and . . . what? I didn’t know. All I know was that the thought of going back to him was worse than anything I could imagine.
“Then what are we supposed to do?”
“I don’t know.”
Anne hesitated. “What if we . . . left?” Her voice was lower still; she didn’t look towards Richard and Crystal. “Pretended to go with him. Then once we were out of this castle, we could—”
“That would be worse,” I said. I’d thought of that already . . . for about two seconds. “Richard doesn’t lie, not so you can tell. But if you make a deal with him, and break it . . . I did it once. Just once.”
Anne turned to me, and a startled look crept into her eyes. “You’re scared of him.”
“More than anything in the wo
rld.”
“Why?” There was frustration in Anne’s voice, now. “I told you what happened to me, when I was caught here. If we stay . . . What could be worse than that?”
“I don’t— Look—” I felt clumsy, weak. Every instinct I had was screaming against going with Richard, but I couldn’t find the words. “You don’t know what it was like. What Richard can do. This is what he does. He finds what you want the most, offers it on a plate. And the price is you. You say yes, he owns you.”
“I know it’ll be bad,” Anne said quietly. “I lived with Sagash and with Jagadev. I’m still here.”
“You’ll be alive. You just won’t be the same.” I looked at Anne. “You’re a good person. I believe that, even if you don’t. But if you go with him . . . you won’t be. Not by the end.”
Anne looked back at me, and this time she didn’t answer. Seconds ticked away. I could feel Darren and Sam’s eyes on us, wolves eyeing their prey. We had maybe a minute left.
“All right,” Anne said. “You choose.”
“You mean—”
“For both of us.” Anne didn’t take her eyes away. “You’re right. I don’t know what Richard’s like, but you do. You gave me some advice, the night before I came here, and I didn’t listen.” Anne took a breath. “So this time I will. You’re better at working out the odds than I am. If we want to get out of this, what should we do?”
“I don’t know any way of getting out of this!” My voice was harsh. “Our odds suck both ways!”
Anne looked at me steadily. “Then tell me which one sucks less.”
I hesitated.
If I’d been alone, I’d have said no in an instant. I figured my chances of breaking away from Crystal and the apprentices were okay. Not great, but okay. Not the sort of gamble I like, but when the alternative was going back to Richard, it wasn’t even a choice. Compared to that, risking death sounded just fine.
But it wasn’t just my death I’d be risking. Taking your life into your own hands is one thing. Taking someone else’s life . . .
I looked down at Anne. She was looking back at me, slim and quiet and trusting, and my imagination showed me a vivid picture of everything Crystal would do if she caught her. When Vitus had tried to use Anne for his ritual, he’d cut her throat. Crystal hadn’t had as much time to practice. She’d be slower, more experimental. It wouldn’t be either merciful or quick.
Alex Verus 5: Hidden Page 22
