The Illusionists

by Laure Eve

  ‘Rue?’ said Wren, peering up at her, his eyes in slits. ‘What are you – ? What are you doing?’

  ‘I need to talk to you,’ she said.

  ‘What … now?’

  ‘Yes, now. It’s important.’

  Wren flopped back on the bed. ‘Go away,’ he said tiredly.

  ‘Wren, you can do whatever you’re doing later,’ Rue snapped. ‘This is Talent stuff. Come on.’

  ‘And it really can’t wait until the morning.’

  ‘If it could, do you think I’d be standing here now?’

  Gods, Wren. Some things were more important than lounging around in bed with a girl in the middle of the afternoon.

  ‘Just tell me what it’s about.’

  Rue glanced at Sabine, who was looking between them with an impatient expression on her face.

  ‘It’s Talent stuff,’ she repeated stubbornly.

  ‘We can talk about that in front of Sabine, it’s fine. She won’t know what we’re on about, anyway.’

  Sabine’s eyes flickered.

  ‘Charming,’ said Rue acidly.

  ‘Will you just get on with it? I’m tired. You woke me up.’

  Rue gasped. ‘You weren’t asleep,’ she tossed at him, suddenly furious.

  Why did you think he’d listen? Her mind’s voice was amused.

  Why keep giving him chances? He just doesn’t want to take them.

  Truths tasted sort of sour, she decided, exploring the sensation she had in her mouth. Here was another truth, more bitter than the last: that she was bored of this.

  Really, really bored.

  It came like a shock of ice water, dumped on her. She remembered the river behind Fernie’s house, how it would make her squeal when she washed in it, even in the summer. How it would clear everything away with its sudden, all-encompassing now, because there was no room for anything other than it.

  That was how she felt. Clear as ice.

  Gods, what had she been on this whole time? It was obvious now. Maybe her dreams weren’t the future. Maybe they were just telling her that she needed to go.

  She would listen to her dreams.

  She turned and started back down the corridor. She heard Wren call her name but ignored it.

  Cho would help her. She would go to Cho. They hadn’t spoken in the last few days, not since the Life signal attack, but there was no time for that now. She needed to get out of this place, and away from Wren.

  A hand closed on her arm.

  He only had his trousers on, undone, and his hair was ruffled. He looked truly lovely, like a wild creature. But that was all it was – a look. It didn’t match the vain selfishness that lay underneath his beauty.

  ‘You’re angry with me,’ said Wren. ‘About Sabine.’

  ‘Not really.’

  She watched his forehead twitch in a frown.

  ‘Honestly,’ she said. She meant it. ‘I’m not angry. You should be with someone you really like. Everyone should.’

  ‘Well, I wouldn’t go that far,’ he said. ‘I mean, Sabine and I, we’re having a good time. Everyone has a good time here. It’s kind of understood. So I just wanted to say that, in case you thought it meant something. Because it really doesn’t. It’s just fun. That’s how it is, you know, with adults here.’

  It was hard to know which part of that speech was supposed to rile her the most. She smiled, instead.

  ‘It’s fine,’ she said. She tried to tug out of his grip. He didn’t let go.

  ‘Where are you going?’ he said.

  ‘I’m leaving.’

  ‘Leaving?’

  Inside, Rue snapped at herself. Why in seven hells had she said that?

  ‘Yes,’ she said, trying to sound normal. ‘On assignment. You know Greta has me on assignment right now? I’m going away in the morning.’

  Wren watched her.

  ‘Where?’ he said.

  ‘Well, I can’t tell you where, can I?’ she said, forcing irritation into her voice. ‘It’s secret.’

  Those stupid, horrible silver eyes. They gave her nothing but a shining blankness.

  Gods, she was such a bad liar.

  ‘She hasn’t said anything to me.’

  ‘Why would she? It’s my assignment, not yours.’

  Wren searched her face.

  ‘What’s the problem, Wren?’ she said. ‘Are you worried that you’re not her special little boy any more?’

  His expression grew dark.

  ‘I know more than you ever will,’ he said.

  ‘How mature. Is this a game of one-up, two-up?’

  Wren lost his temper.

  ‘Oh, yes, Rue the innocent. Mustn’t sully her sweet little vision of the world, must we? Do you have any idea how irritating it’s been for me having to babysit you? You’re barely Talented. You can’t even Jump. What are you good for?’

  She called him a word. He laughed out loud, delighted.

  ‘Where did you pick that up from?’ he said. ‘Some divey Life café? Don’t you know I know everywhere you’ve been and everything you’ve looked at in Life? It’s been part of my job to monitor you. Of course. Because I certainly couldn’t be doing anything more important than that. And you know what, Rue? Spying on you is really dull.’

  ‘At least I’m not a stuck-up pretty boy who fucks everyone he meets to make himself feel special!’

  His hand tightened on her arm until it hurt.

  ‘Ow,’ she said. ‘Get off me!’

  She aimed a knee at his balls.

  He buckled back out of reach and his smile curdled. ‘Didn’t you say you weren’t angry with me?’ he said.

  ‘I will be if you don’t let go of me!’

  Her body had started to squeeze, as if she was trapped under a bed and couldn’t get out.

  She knew what that meant. He was pulling her into a Jump.

  ‘Wait, wait!’ she said, hating how panicked she sounded. She’d never be able to leave this place if he Jumped her somewhere she couldn’t get back from.

  She tried to shove him away, but he had his arms around her, and gods it was too hard to fight that feeling of thinning, half of her pouring like sand through a hole to an elsewhere. She had nothing to move with.

  Everything went dark.

  Her head was spinning, spinning. How she hated that part.

  She waited until she could feel life seeping back into her bones, then tried, weakly, to wrench out of the arms encircling her. She felt them let go, and Wren stand away from her.

  ‘Where are we?’ she managed.

  ‘An empty bedroom upstairs. The door’s broken, so no one can get in or out until an engineer comes to fix it. And they won’t send an engineer until someone is assigned to this room, which hasn’t happened for weeks. But everything works, the heating, the lights, the bed. You’ll be fine.’

  Rue turned her head. He was standing behind her, his arms folded.

  ‘You’re locking me up? You can’t do that!’ she said.

  He shrugged. ‘Of course I can. I’m responsible for you. I can’t have you leaving to go to some mysterious place you won’t tell me about. Greta would kill me. I’d get in a lot of trouble, Rue. Do you even care about that?’

  ‘Frankly,’ said Rue, ‘I don’t give a shit.’

  Wren just laughed.

  ‘You’ve picked up a real dirty mouth since you’ve been here, haven’t you?’

  Rue scrambled up and ran to the door. It was definitely broken. The lock panel light was dark. Nothing she pressed or thumped did a thing.

  Bastard.

  Bastard.

  She turned, her back against the broken door.

  Wren was watching her, amused.

  ‘Look … ’ she said. ‘I just want you to leave me alone. I’ll stay here.’ She swallowed in the lie. ‘But no more of your sneaking around. I don’t care about any of your silly games. Do what you like.’

  ‘Oh, really? I thought you liked truths,’ said Wren. ‘I’ve got a good one for you: the tr
uth about Sabine. About why I sleep with her.’

  Rue felt disgust creep up her spine. ‘I don’t want to know, you pig.’

  ‘Yes, but I’m going to tell you anyway. She knows a hacker, you see. And just a couple of days ago this hacker managed to get me copies of the files Greta has on White.’

  ‘Gods, Wren, I don’t want to know!’

  ‘AND,’ he said over her, ‘AND I saw Cho’s file, okay? Your friend Cho. Do you know who she is?’

  ‘I don’t –’

  ‘She’s White’s sister.’

  Rue felt her stomach flip and then drop, falling down, down.

  He stared at her eagerly.

  She wavered, her thoughts tangled and wild.

  ‘I don’t believe you. You’re lying for some stupid, hateful reason of your own.’

  ‘Rue!’ Wren said, losing his temper. ‘Think. White is the most powerful Talented you’ve ever met, right? So what would they want with you, or even me? It’s all about getting him back to World. I just knew it, ever since Greta asked me to poach you. She wanted me to get you, Rue. Not anyone else. You. Because of White. They’re making coming back here as attractive as possible to him. They’re taking away everyone that means anything to him, so he feels like he has to come back. Now they have his girlfriend here, cosying up to his sister. Don’t you see?’

  ‘I’m not his girlfriend,’ Rue said faintly. Wren didn’t bother to reply.

  It was all too much. Too much, too fast. No time to think or understand. No time for anything except the most ardent desire she’d ever felt, bursting into flame inside her, to be away from here. Away from all of it.

  Cho is White’s sister.

  ‘They don’t even have the same family name,’ she said, uncertain.

  ‘Because that matters in World? Names don’t mean a thing. Your only identity is your Life signal code. Everything else is changeable. You know that.’

  ‘Why are you telling me this?’

  Wren sighed, irritated. ‘Do I have to spell it out? You’ve been lied to!’

  Rue lost her temper.

  ‘Don’t patronise me,’ she hissed, slipping back into Angle Tarain. ‘Yes, I’ve been lied to. By you most of all, you insufferable cock! So Cho is his sister. So what? There’s no game if you’re playing by yourself, Wren. Because I don’t care.’

  She felt herself start to choke on thick, rich disdain.

  ‘You’re not worth dirt to anyone,’ she said. ‘Things are happening to me. Things I would’ve talked to you about if you weren’t so bloody up yourself. I needed you. But you’d rather go to parties and sleep with Sabine and keep all your little secrets. Well, you’re not the only Talented around here, even though you act like you are.’

  He just stared at her.

  She snorted in disgust and turned back to the door. She’d tear it down if she had to. She’d bite bits off him if she had to.

  ‘And where exactly are you going?’ he said behind her, his voice low and taut. ‘There’s nowhere for you to run to.’

  ‘Fuck off.’

  ‘You child. What do you have to be angry about? What have I done to you, except be your friend? And more than that. I took you away from the life you hated. Are you just going to forget all of that?’

  ‘Yes,’ she said sharply, examining the door panel, her fingers scrabbling in desperation. ‘Because I didn’t hate my life. You just made me think I hated it. You’re just a big fat liar, Wren. You’ve no honour.’

  He laughed. He’d come up behind her. She flinched and turned around, her skin crawling between her shoulder blades.

  ‘Honour,’ he echoed, his voice a sneer. ‘Jesus. You think your precious friend Cho is honourable? She’s friends with terrorists, Rue. That practically makes her a terrorist. Do you know the kinds of things they do? And god, her brother is worse, much worse. People with so much power can never be good people. You think your White is so high and mighty, but he’s broken a few rules in his time. Done a few nasty things. How do you know he hasn’t been watching you? He can do that, you know. He could have been watching you all this time without you knowing. Those moments when you thought you were alone. You know. The secret, embarrassing ones –’

  She hit him. She’d meant to just clip his face, just – gods! – to shut him up, but she caught his cheekbone with the edge of her hand, and it buzzed in pain. She rubbed it, watching him.

  ‘You’re the child,’ she said softly. ‘And that’s all you are. I don’t ever want to see you again.’

  He was clutching at the side of his face.

  ‘And how about this for you? I like the idea of him watching me. I like it.’ She looked at him distastefully. ‘If I ever found out you’d been watching me like that, I’d hit you again. Then I’d throw up.’

  His eyes flickered. For a moment, he actually looked hurt.

  It’s just an act.

  ‘Fine,’ he said. ‘So what are you going to do now? Run straight to Cho? You’ve got nowhere else to go.’

  ‘Shows all you know, doesn’t it?’ she said sharply. ‘Let me out. Now.’

  He made a sudden grab for her, but she’d seen it in his face and dodged out of the way, her heart kicking in fear. She turned to the door but he was on her again, pulling, and she fell. He crawled over her, using his body weight to pin her down, and she bucked and she bucked but she couldn’t get him off – GODS more than anything she just wanted him off if he didn’t get OFF she would die from white hot anger she opened her mouth to SCREAM in his face but he pressed his mouth to hers. It was a painful kiss but it wasn’t about a kiss, it was about power, it was about shutting her up, and control. More than anything else this seemed to break something free in her. Snapping like rotten wood, she rose up inside, her whole being bent towards escape, escape, escape.

  Wren’s face was sucked into black. The room blurred and poured into her, dimming. A kick in the middle of her chest told her this was a panic Jump, no thought or direction.

  Cho filled her, Cho with her silky blunt-cut hair, her purple eyes and pale skin. Cho filled the black, dominating it until there was her instead of nothingness.

  Cho

  She thought, and suddenly, she was there.

  She was in Cho’s bedroom, and Cho was in front of her, clutching a T-shirt in one hand. Looking straight at her.

  Cho opened her mouth and screamed.

  CHAPTER 15

  ANGLE TAR

  WHITE

  The whisper had gone round.

  Frith was back.

  It was long into the fourth day of his return before the knock came on White’s door, though. He steeled himself.

  You can do this. See it through.

  ‘Come,’ he called. His door opened and Frith’s familiar head appeared around it. He slid his way in and closed the door behind him.

  They watched each other.

  ‘You are returned from your trip,’ said White.

  ‘Indeed.’

  ‘Was it all right?’

  ‘Fine. Just fine.’

  There were no specifics. There hadn’t been for a long time. The trust was all gone. Frith told him nothing any more.

  There was a pause.

  ‘You’re looking tired, White,’ said Frith, eventually.

  White shrugged, trying to make light. ‘Too many dreams.’

  ‘Dreams you should report to me?’

  ‘No.’

  Silence.

  Frith lingered just inside the closed door.

  It was such a delicate game. How to get him closer?

  ‘I wonder’, said Frith, moving off to the side of the room, ‘if you ever dream about me.’

  White’s heart lurched.

  Frith walked, his feet noiseless on the rugs. Moving in a wide circle towards the fireplace, never within arm’s reach.

  He knows. He won’t come close, so he knows.

  ‘No,’ said White. ‘Never.’

  ‘You dream about a lot of people. What they’re doing, where they’r
e going. You must know some of my secrets, mustn’t you?’

  ‘I don’t,’ said White. ‘The dreams are random, even for me. I cannot force them to a subject. You know this. I have tried.’

  ‘But you could be there without me knowing, while you’re awake, couldn’t you? Watching me.’

  The way you watch me?

  ‘No,’ he said out loud, stubborn. ‘You would know I was there.’

  ‘I’m not Talented. I wouldn’t feel you.’

  ‘Yes, you would.’

  ‘Sometimes I think you are there,’ said Frith, his voice dangerously quiet. ‘But perhaps that’s more my imagination.’

  White said nothing. He would not be drawn into this. Whichever way he took, it would be wrong. All roads led to the centre of Frith’s web.

  ‘You’ll need to be investigated in the next couple of days,’ Frith continued, effortlessly changing tack. ‘Routine questions. Just a follow-up after the Wren and Rue debacle.’

  White stared at him.

  ‘You suspect me of treachery?’

  ‘No. I’m the only one who doesn’t. The Spymaster’s dogs have been itching for an excuse to take you in.’

  ‘Wren. It was all Wren. You know this!’

  ‘The dogs see a different truth. The dogs see you conspiring with the only other Talented remotely equal to you – your former best friend. How former, though? They think perhaps you’re still working for World. You and I know that isn’t true, but truth isn’t always defined just by its participants. Is it?’

  White felt his fear surge. Is this how Frith would ruin him, after all this time? Would he die in a prison cell somewhere in the bowels of Capital, alone and skeletal?

  ‘Frith,’ White said finally. It was his only card. He prayed it would work.

  Frith watched him.

  ‘Frith,’ he repeated. It was not hard to sound weak. He was weak, and tired, and scared. All he needed to do was to let go a little, let it sink through his voice. ‘I would never leave. Do you understand?’

  He swallowed.

  ‘I will never leave you,’ he managed. The words sounded forced, but then they would, even if he meant them.

  Frith was stood by the fireplace and hadn’t moved.

  ‘And how am I to know that?’ he said finally, his smile pleasant.

  ‘I cannot lie to you. No one can lie to you,’ White pleaded.