Industry & Intrigue

by Ryan McCall

  She wanted to go and thank them, but first she had to deal with the mastermind of this horror. She reloaded her gun and stalked across the dirt to the circus master who was looking around in dismay at the destruction of his army. The tent behind him was now an inferno and she felt the heat hit her face.

  “If you make a move I don’t like or try to say anything without being asked, I will put a bullet right into your head,” she said.

  He looked at her and scowled, but didn’t say anything.

  She pulled out her handcuffs and said, “Put your hands out in front of you.” He did as she ordered and she put the cuffs on him. “What’s your name?” she asked. He didn’t answer.

  “I asked for your name, you bastard!” She kicked him in the side of the leg. He grunted and dropped to his knees.

  “Pyrus Valus,” he replied in a soft voice.

  “Well Mr. Valus you’ll be coming back with me to face charges in Alkos City, we’ll start with murder and the then Creator knows what else.”

  Snar and Tanaka approached along with the three youngsters. “I don’t think that’s his real name,” said the tall, Estaran looking boy.

  “Look I appreciate you helping us, but that was a damn reckless thing you did coming back like that,” said Brenna. “You could have been injured or killed.” Why hadn’t they listened to her?

  “Some gratitude,” scoffed the shorty, stocky one.

  “I’m grateful for the help,” she replied, “but you three are too young to be getting involved in something like this. As civilians you should get out of clear of trouble next time. But, yes you did save me and my partner. Now, uh…” she indicated at the tall, lad.

  “Reese,” he said.

  “Reese, how do you know that isn’t his real name?”

  “I’ve read about this before, well not exactly this, but a prototype of it. This man’s true name is Acteon Calidius, Estara’s most notorious war criminal.”

  Chapter 16

  Acteon Calidius. There were few folk on the eastern half of the continent that did not know that name. He had begun as a general in the Republican cause against the Estaran monarchy, one of many who turned against their loyalist comrades.

  He seized control of Senaea for the rebels early in the war and controlled it with an iron fist. He hunted down and killed any suspected monarchy loyalists. It was estimated that more than twenty thousand civilians had been executed under his command and he came to be known as the Ravager of Senaea.

  If that wasn’t enough, he had started up a military research unit. Carrying out experiments on prisoners; infecting with them with diseases to test their potential as biological weapons, grafting mechanical implants onto those near death to see if they could be strengthened and genetic experiments to enhance the abilities of soldiers.

  He had fled the city during the Second Battle of Senaea and retreated to the republican capital of Haltoria. After the war he fell out of favor during General Marcus Praellis’ rise to power as president and was named in one of the president’s purges. His horrible experiments came to light and he was declared a war criminal by the new government.

  Brenna had never seen a picture of the man personally. He had not been seen for a decade and many assumed that he had been killed. She looked at Reese, the boy certainly looked Estaran, but his Alkon sounded native.

  As if reading her mind Reese said, “I grew up in Alkos but I read much about the war. One detailed report on Calidius’ experiments discussed subjects who were found with plant material grafted to them. None of them survived, but this looks like a far more advanced form of the experiment.”

  The girl next to him gave a gasp and ran over to one of the downed creatures. She bent down and cradled its head and sobbed in anguish. Someone the girl had been close with. Brenna felt her face fill with red hot fury.

  She pulled the circus master to his feet and looked him in the eyes. “Is he right? Are you Acteon Calidius?” she asked.

  The man smirked. “Why do you care? So you can bring in the Ravager and be a big hero for capturing a war criminal? Yes, he’s correct.” The man snarled, “They praised me when they needed me. Said my work was helping the war effort and then when it was convenient they tossed me to the wolves to secure their peace. All I did was for my nation, but it wasn’t good enough. They demanded that I suffer and die for what I had done. And what had I done other than dedicate myself to serving Estara?”

  “Shut up,” said Brenna. “I don’t want to hear your justifications. I’ve heard stories about your Terminus Unit experiments. People like you make me sick, treating sentient beings like laboratory animals.” He was about to say something else, but she stopped him. “Don’t. I don’t want to hear another twisted word from your mouth.”

  Tanaka walked over to Brenna and extended his hand. “You and your partner fought honorably alongside me and you have an even greater honor of bringing such a criminal to justice. I shall take my leave.”

  “Wait,” said Brenna. “How did Mikono manage to get a Red Knight to provide protection for her drug smuggling. The Knights aren’t in a habit of working for criminals?”

  Tanaka’s head tilted slightly, “This is true, normally I would never, nor allow our members to work such a contract but, I…had a personal debt to fulfill. Part of the condition was that I did not ask questions about the contents or destination, only that I provide protection.”

  “I see,” replied Brenna. “You can go. Thank you for your aid.” He clasped his hands and threaded his thin fingers together and shook it once, the Minakayan gesture of farewell.

  “I certainly hope this amount of fighting is not typical in your cases sergeant,” said Snar.

  “Why Officer Snar? Are you worried? Your life in Alkon hasn’t dampened your agorid martial prowess.”

  “I am not concerned about myself. But you rely on your firearm a great deal and while I can see the use in those weapons, in spite of not being able to handle them myself.” Brenna chuckled at the idea of Snar trying to hold a gun in his massive hands. His fingers would not be able to fit in the trigger guard. “They are limited by the requirement of reloading.”

  “So what do you suggest?” she asked.

  “I would be more than happy to help improve your hand to hand skills with sparring practice.”

  She nodded. “If I can find the time,” she said and turned back to Calidius. She grabbed him told him to move.

  He took a few steps when suddenly the grieving girl flung herself at him shouting, “You son of a bitch! You took her away!” She clawed at his face.

  Brenna pulled her off before she could claw the man’s eyes out. Once the girl was clear from Calidius, Reese pulled her away, while she gave out heaving sobs. Brenna pulled the man back to his feet, the girl had left several deep scratches along his face. It was far less than he deserved.

  “I think it’s best if you head back home now,” said Brenna to the three youths and Reese nodded. “Thank you for your help.”

  “Wait before you go, I need your names,” said Snar. Brenna looked at him. “For the report,” he explained. “I imagine the one for tonight will require a great deal of detail, before I complete it.” When Snar was done getting their details, the two boys led the grieving girl away from the area leaving the two of them with the war criminal.

  ***

  On the train back to the city, Reese sat opposite Cassandra, Michael beside him in the aisle. He kept his eyes focused on the darkened countryside out the window. None of them had said anything since leaving. It had been a traumatic night and Reese didn’t want to upset Cassandra further.

  He needed to use the washroom. He stood up and walked towards the back of the carriage. There weren’t many people on the train at this hour and most of them appeared to be sleeping or resting in their seats.

  He stepped up to the door and put his hand on the handle, when a feminine voice behind him quietly said, “Stop right there.” He was about to turn around but then the voice said, “Don’t t
urn around or I’ll blast you with a lightning bolt.” The voice spoke in hushed anger.

  Mage thought Reese. Or at least someone who wants me to think they’re a mage, but he wasn’t willing to risk his life to test that theory.

  “What do you want?” he asked.

  “I want to know where you live and where you keep your collection of books.” Only Michael and Cassandra had known about his collection, how did they find out about it?

  “How do you know about that?”

  A hand touched him on the shoulder and he felt a burning sensation, he grunted with the effort of trying to maintain silence through the pain. Whoever it was, had not been bluffing about hitting him with a spell. They had powerful magic at their command.

  “The only words I want to hear are you the location of your university apartment and where you keep your books.”

  Reese clenched his teeth and spoke. “Penford Block, apartment 4B. The books are on a shelf on the left as you go in the door.”

  “Good, continue into the washroom without turning around and shut the door behind you. I would hate to have to kill you and leave a body on the train for everyone to discover. But make no mistake, I will if you make it necessary.”

  Reese did as he was instructed and entered the washroom. He put his hands on the sink, and tried to stop them from trembling. What in the hells had that been about?

  He splashed water over his face. He wasn’t certain he even wanted to know right now. After the circus and now this, it was all he could do to keep his thoughts straight.

  Should he tell anyone else about it? University security, his friends, the watch? He had no doubt that by the time he returned to his apartment, his books would be gone. He hadn’t revealed his most prized possession, his father’s diary. He kept that hidden away elsewhere. He should try to find out who exactly had ambushed him first and then contact the watch.

  He didn’t have many details. She had no doubt been a mage and her voice had an accent to it, a trace of Zefey or Talfey, which meant there was a good chance that she was an elf. She had threatened him with lightning and burned him with her hands, she was skilled in energy magic.

  It was a slim chance, but he could find something in the records of Warded Spirals. If she had studied magic anywhere in Alkos, then the Magical Center would have her record. There was the small matter of gaining access to them, which as a student he would not be able to do. Then he remembered Mastermage Zuri Abeliah.

  She had asked a favor of them, but Reese thought she had merely been trying to distract them from her own actions. She hadn’t come to see them since and neither he nor Michael had discussed it since then. Seeing if she would help him was better than nothing.

  He didn’t say anything to either of his friends about the mysterious encounter and he sat back down. Cassandra already had enough on her mind after losing someone she loved. He could only imagine what she was going through. Michael would become too curious and then who knows where he would end up dragging them.

  Reese mulled over his choices for the remainder of the train ride and was only snapped out by the whistle of the train. They were arriving at Rainac Station. The three of them walked in silence back to the university and said their goodnights when they arrived at the accommodation blocks.

  “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask,” said Reese, hugging Cassandra. She was no longer crying, but her eyes were still moist and looked like she could start again at the slightest moment. She nodded dumbly and walked off towards her block.

  Reese made his way through the lighted walkways and climbed the stairs. He checked down the corridor, but saw no one there. He continued on and reached his door. It was still locked. He unlocked it and walked in, he switched on the lamp. The room looked undisturbed and he checked the bookcase. Still perfectly tidy, except for two missing books; they had been after something specific.

  He walked over to the cupboard and opened the doors. He bent down and moved the jacket on the floor and lifted up the loose board. His father’s notebook was still in its place and he sighed with relief.

  He picked up the well-worn book and clutched it in his hands, resting his head against the wooden door. He still didn’t know what he should do? He could let it go, but if they decided that they needed something more, then they could return.

  No, it would be better to get more information before taking action. He put the book back under the floorboard, but he knew would have to find a safer place to keep it. The missing books were related to his father’s field of study and if they discovered that he had this, they would be coming after it as well. He needed to talk to Mastermage Abeliah, she could help him protect his apartment.

  Chapter 17

  A week had passed since Zuri had uncovered the revelations of Kyle Dunn’s suicide. Brenna had been true to her word and Zuri had a few days of investigating before the Imperial Branch detectives appeared at her office. They had told her that the investigation was closed and the medical examiner had confirmed it was suicide by tarcaine.

  Then the older detective had leveled with her. The Dunn family had not wanted an investigation. They were too concerned about their public image and feared knowledge of this getting out would become a scandal. They were satisfied with the tarcaine dealer being imprisoned and wanted to move on.

  After the detectives left Zuri had vented her anger over Kyle’s selfish parents on her paperwork. She spilled her documents all over the floor and shouted out the name of the Lord of Heavens, Strathis, the skylord god. She cleaned herself and her office up and was filled with renewed resolve to find Kyle’s abuser.

  And now she was going to get answers in the Center, no matter what. She entered the Circular Tower, as a mastermage she had free access. She cast a spell and slipped into the shadows, now unseen from common eyes. Anyone scanning magically could find her if they were trying, but she doubted anyone would. No one was foolish enough to sneak about the Circular Tower in a shadow-hide spell, so no one would be checking for it.

  She was breaking half a dozen rules and regulations of Warded Spirals, but she didn’t care. She owed it to Kyle and to any other children who had been taken advantage of. As the issue lingered on her mind, she came to the conclusion that whoever was behind this, Kyle was not the only victim.

  The level of mental manipulation that carried out in direct violation of magical laws could only have been attained with extensive practice. Additionally, she doubted that a mage would carry out abuse of students at the Center unless they had perfected how to cover their tracks.

  This had angered further, which she hadn’t thought possible. Strathis knows how many students had been abused and didn’t remember. They would have been memory wiped or, even worse, were still under the thrall of their monstrous abuser. There was a reason for strict laws around mental magic. It could be addictive if over-used and if the abuser could wipe memories, it was not much of a jump for them to reach the truly corrupt level of using magic to dominate someone’s mind.

  She needed to find Darius and question him. She looked out from the shadow-hide spell, everything appeared in a grey shade. She saw the Paragon of Nature, Kietzel Fox. Unlike most mages he was solidly built and preferred to wear short sleeved shirts and dress pants instead of traditional robes, though he kept his paragon sash draped over his chest.

  The paragons were the elite of Warded Spirals, absolute masters in their chosen field of magic, and served as the school’s council. She followed him, to test how well her shadow-hide was working.

  He walked into his lab and locked the door, not having noticed her in the slightest. Good, her spell was holding up in close proximity to a paragon, now to find Darius.

  She went up several more floors, until she reached the level that housed the Illusions headquarters. She moved down the corridor and coming the opposite way was exactly who she was looking for, Darius Sidonius, the Paragon of Illusions.

  He was the youngest of the paragons at only thirty four and his promotion to the po
sition had been supported by Archmage Feyton himself. Zuri kept close to him, she needed to know if he was the one who had abused Kyle.

  Darius had been involved in a scandal a few years ago, involving one of his students. When he had ended his relationship with her, she had tried to bring disciplinary action against him in retaliation but Darius had powerful friends. The girl had been convinced into remaining silent in exchange for a payoff.

  The only reason Zuri knew is that she had been close with the girl and heard the details from her. The girl was satisfied, the money was what she had been after and nothing ever came of it. The girl had only been sixteen and Darius had been twenty eight, not illegal, although it was against the Center’s policy of liaisons between teachers and students.

  As she followed him, he appeared to be muttering to himself, but she couldn’t make out the words. The shadow-hide spell was dampening the sound. He walked up several sets of stairs and opened a door to what appeared to be nothing more than a simple cleaning closet. Zuri followed him through.

  It was a small office with shelving and an open area at the back covered in a brick wall. Darius was pacing up and down nervously and his muttering increased in volume.

  “Damn, damn, damn,” he said. “What to do? What if they know?” He continued pacing and began wringing his hands, his state of anxiety increasing. Zuri was curious now and she continued to watch. “What should I do? The master…the master will know what to do.”

  Upon hearing this Zuri clenched her hands, it was so similar to what Kyle had written. Could it be that Darius was under the influence of the same corrupt mage? Her anger took over and she dropped her shadow-hide and leapt at Darius from out of the shadows.