The Relic Guild

by Edward Cox

  ‘What name?’ Samuel said quickly, demandingly.

  ‘Don’t play me for an idiot,’ Gil retorted. ‘You know damn well what name I’m talking about.’

  ‘Humour me.’ Samuel’s voice was full of warning.

  Gil clucked his tongue. ‘We’re not so different, you and I. We know a wild demon when we see one, right? We also know a magic-user. And I have to say, it’s been a very long time since I met with a magic-user as powerful as Fabian Moor.’

  Samuel’s gut tightened. ‘You met him?’

  ‘A couple of times.’ Gil’s chilly smile returned. ‘Oh, and I’m not the only one. He’s introduced himself to quite a few people. But he came to me wanting a gunsmith, so I brought in a friend of mine, for a commission, of course – a commission I never received. My friend hasn’t been seen since, and he’s not the only one who’s disappeared in the last couple of days—’

  ‘I don’t give a shit about your friends,’ Samuel said through clenched teeth. If security hadn’t been so tight at the Lazy House, and Samuel had been allowed to keep his weapons with him, he would have already been holding his revolver to the big Aelf’s head. ‘You know how to find Fabian Moor?’

  ‘No,’ Gil said flatly. ‘He comes and goes as he pleases. You don’t see him unless he wants to be seen.’

  ‘When was the last time you saw him?’

  ‘Last night … I think.’

  ‘What do you mean, you think?’ Samuel snapped. ‘If you have any sense of self-preservation—’

  ‘Save your threats!’ Gil shouted. He jabbed a meaty finger at the Relic Guild agent. ‘You don’t understand.’

  ‘Then explain it to me, Gil. Very quickly.’

  For the first time, Samuel saw the fear that Bryant had mentioned on the Lazy House owner’s triangular face.

  ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I’m not like my peers in the underworld. I’m not human. I understand why the Relic Guild is necessary, but most others can’t see the bigger picture like me. I know – really know – what would happen if Spiral ever reached Labrys Town.’

  Beads of sweat had begun to appear on Gil’s bald head. Samuel held his tongue as the big Aelf paused to wipe them away.

  ‘I’m Aelfir,’ he continued. ‘I recognise Fabian Moor for what he is, and he’s no wild demon. The underworld might be scared of him, but no one’s going to put a bounty on his head. In fact, most people are rooting for him because …’ Gil shrugged helplessly. ‘Because he wants to take down the Relic Guild.’

  Samuel sat back, missing his weapons more than ever.

  ‘He makes no secret of it,’ Gil added. ‘He wants to take you out, one by one, until he gets all the way to the Resident. He wants control of this town, and he thinks the agents of the Relic Guild can tell him the secret of how to enter the Nightshade.’

  ‘The Nightshade looks after itself, Gil. We couldn’t get Moor inside even if we wanted to.’

  ‘That’s not what he thinks.’ The Aelf seemed disturbed. ‘As far as he’s concerned, the Nightshade has left its mark upon you magickers, some residue of its magic, hidden in your heads that even you don’t know about. Moor reckons it’ll expose a crack in the Nightshade’s defences, let him slip inside.’

  Was that possible? Samuel wondered.

  ‘Moor has talked to just about every big boss in the underworld about it,’ Gil continued. ‘He’s trying to find out who you are.’

  Samuel leant forwards again, and his voice was low and menacing. ‘But nobody knows our identities – do they, Gil?’

  The Aelf wiped more sweat from his head. ‘People have always talked about flushing out the agents of the Relic Guild, placing bounties on your heads. But nobody’s ever been stupid enough to actually try – drunken boasts, mostly.’

  ‘Mostly?’

  Gil looked at his hands, and Samuel again saw fear in his inhumanly large eyes.

  ‘I do a little digging from time to time, see what turns up,’ he admitted. ‘I thought a little knowledge on the Relic Guild might get me out of a tight spot some day.’

  ‘Not the smartest thing to think,’ Samuel said.

  ‘I never learned anything definite – nothing beyond suspicions.’

  Samuel’s banged a fist upon the table. ‘My patience is running out, Gil. What did you tell Fabian Moor?’

  ‘That’s just it, I can’t remember.’ The big Aelf chuckled sourly. ‘Last night, he came to me asking about the Relic Guild. I told him I didn’t know anything, but he called me a liar. He did something to me – used magic – and I blacked out.’ He rubbed his face. ‘I’m pretty sure he extracted information from me. Whatever I know, he knows.’

  ‘And what do you know, Gil?’ Samuel’s voice was deadpan. ‘What do you suspect about us?’

  ‘Two things,’ he said. ‘One, there’s a Relic Guild agent working as a doctor at the Central District Hospital.’

  Samuel swallowed. ‘And the other?’

  ‘That pompous bastard from the Twilight Bar – Mr Taffin?’

  ‘What about him?’

  ‘I’m pretty sure he’s your informant.’

  Samuel was silent and his mind raced.

  ‘I don’t know if any of that is true,’ Gil said. ‘I don’t want to know. But I do know that I don’t want the Labyrinth to fall.’ His expression was almost desperate. ‘I’m telling you now, Fabian Moor wants the Nightshade, and he’s coming for you to get it.’

  Samuel got to his feet.

  Gil looked up at him and licked his lips. ‘I have amnesty, right?’

  ‘If I were you, I’d lay low for a while,’ Samuel growled, and he left the alcove, closing the curtain behind him.

  Bryant and Macy were waiting outside.

  ‘We’re in trouble,’ he told them.

  The twins shared a look. Macy said, ‘Come on. We’ll take you out the back way.’

  Acting as though they were ejecting an unwanted guest from the club, the twins escorted Samuel across the Lazy House. The pounding music and flashing lights were distant things to him as his thoughts danced and swirled.

  The Relic Guild knew that Fabian Moor would try to infiltrate the Nightshade and supplant the Resident. But could the agents of the Relic Guild really show him how to succeed? Had the Nightshade unwittingly placed the secrets of its weaknesses into their heads?

  Gil’s guesses were correct, but were they enough for the Genii to begin discovering identities of the Relic Guild? Angel and Marney had found Moor’s hiding place. Or had they really stumbled into a trap?

  Another, more daunting, thought flared in Samuel’s mind.

  The twins led him out of the main club through a side door to a hallway where stairs led to the upper levels. It was deserted. Muffled music came through the door.

  ‘Well? What did you find out?’ Macy asked.

  Samuel tried to rest his hands against his revolver, forgetting it wasn’t holstered to his leg.

  ‘Fabian Moor’s making his move,’ he said. ‘He’s after the Relic Guild. He’s trying to find out who we are. He thinks we can show him how to enter the Nightshade.’ He held up a hand before either twin could question him further. ‘Bryant, you said you couldn’t find Gene today. Has anyone seen him since last night?’

  Bryant shrugged. ‘I don’t think so. Why?’

  ‘Moor knows Mr Taffin is our informant.’

  ‘So what?’ Macy said. ‘Taffin doesn’t know our identities.’

  ‘Maybe not,’ Samuel said, ‘but I use the apothecary shop as our meeting place.’ He cursed. ‘If Moor got to Taffin, then he knows Gene is associated with the Relic Guild.’

  Marney lay with her head upon Van Bam’s chest. Thin, inexpensive sheets were twisted and tangled around her legs. The mattress was old and worn, but soft beneath her. In the hazy moments after sex, she felt relaxed and peaceful. It was an unexpect
ed night, a stolen moment in amongst all the chaos, and there was nowhere Marney would have rather been than here in this small and dark attic apartment with the man she loved.

  ‘How did you find this place?’ she asked sleepily.

  ‘It was not so hard,’ Van Bam replied. ‘I know it is not much, Marney, but at least we have some privacy here.’

  She kissed his chest. ‘It’s perfect,’ she told him, and she meant it.

  The ceiling might have been water-stained and the wallpaper might have been faded and peeling; carpet on the rough and dusty floorboards would have added a nice touch, as would curtains over the solitary window or the presence of some furniture other than the rickety wooden bed; but the lack of aesthetics was more than made up for by the delicious smells of baking bread and cakes lingering from the bakery below. The apartment was perfect in every way to Marney; a space beyond the world and all its troubles, hidden from prying eyes – it was the very best surprise Van Bam could have given her.

  ‘I tried to find a place in one of the other districts,’ he explained, ‘but I could only afford east side prices.’

  Marney smiled. The Resident didn’t pay his agents as much as their duties deserved, only enough to get by on. Yet it hadn’t even occurred to Van Bam that they might share the cost of rent, and that was so typical of him.

  ‘It doesn’t matter where it is,’ she said. ‘We don’t have to be agents of the Relic Guild while we’re here. That’s all I care about.’

  ‘Yes. Yes, I suppose you are right.’ He stared up at the dark stains on the ceiling, seemed about to say more, but decided to remained silent.

  Marney frowned.

  Earlier, she had clung to Van Bam almost desperately as she sobbed and told him the story of how she had been shot. He had comforted her, reassured her, but there had not been much talking. The love-making had been intense, and their clothes still lay strewn across the floor. Van Bam had shown affection – always that – but the lust and heat he had displayed were not something Marney had come to expect from a man usually so gentle and considerate. Not that she was complaining; the passion was exactly what she wanted, needed, and she had never known her lover to be so focused on the present, the here and now. Something had changed between them during that moment, as if their relationship had found a new, higher level on which to flourish and deepen.

  And afterwards, while lying in her post-coital stupor, Marney knew it was the perfect time to tell Van Bam how she felt, that she loved him more than she had ever loved anyone. She had been on the cusp of projecting her emotions to him, so he could feel her love and know it was true. But now she held back. Van Bam was no longer in the moment. He stared at the ceiling in distant contemplation, and she could feel his emotions were oddly poised between confidence and insecurity.

  ‘You know,’ she said, raising herself up onto one elbow, ‘Denton told me once he’d never known you to talk about your problems.’

  Van Bam looked at her. ‘Hmm?’

  ‘Denton. He said you were the most internalised person he’d ever met.’

  He chuckled. ‘And Denton once told me that you were not quite as naive as you appeared.’

  ‘Don’t sidestep the point, Van Bam. There’s something on your mind and you’re keeping it to yourself. I didn’t think you’d be like that with me.’

  Van Bam’s smile did not quite reach his deep brown eyes. ‘Never try to hide your feelings from an empath, eh?’ He looked back up at the ceiling. ‘It is nothing personal, Marney. As you said, now is not the time to be agents of the Relic Guild. Let us not ruin the moment.’

  ‘Too late,’ Marney said. She made an angry noise as she kicked the sheets away from her legs and sat up. ‘Talk to me, Van Bam. Is it Gideon? Angel thinks he knows about us.’

  ‘I suspect Angel is right’ He ran his hand gently over the scarring on Marney’s shoulder before placing it against her cheek. ‘But no – that is not what is troubling me.’

  He rose from the bed and walked to the window, staring out into the night. His naked figure was silhouetted by the violet light of streetlamps.

  ‘The Nightshade received a message today,’ he said. ‘Gideon has been in contact with Lady Amilee.’

  Marney sat up straighter. ‘Was it about the Icicle Forest?’ she said. ‘Does Amilee know where it is?’

  ‘If she does, I was not told.’

  ‘Then what, Van Bam?’

  He sighed. ‘There have been some developments concerning Ambassador Ebril. Apparently, Mirage might be having problems that its High Governor is keeping secret. I was not given much detail, Marney, but Ebril claims the only way he can get to the truth of the matter is if he returns to his House. Lady Amilee has agreed with him.’

  ‘Really?’

  Van Bam turned from the window. His face was shaded, but Marney could tell by his emotions that his expression was grim.

  ‘She has already arranged his passage home. Tomorrow morning, Angel and I will escort the Ambassador and his entourage back to Mirage.’

  ‘You – what?’

  ‘We have been ordered to help Ebril with his investigations.’

  ‘You’re leaving the Labyrinth?’

  He nodded.

  ‘But that’s madness.’ Marney felt suddenly cold and naked, and she wrapped her arms around herself. ‘Mirage isn’t protected by the Timewatcher’s barrier, Van Bam. What if the Genii are waiting for you?’

  ‘Do not think I have not thought of that myself,’ he replied. ‘But Lady Amilee would not send us blindly into trouble. And nor would Gideon.’

  ‘Don’t be so sure,’ Marney said darkly. ‘And come to that, why is Gideon sending you anyway? Denton’s the diplomat.’

  Van Bam nodded. ‘Angel said she made the same point, but Gideon told her to shut up. I can only assume he has other duties for Denton.’

  ‘Even so, it doesn’t make sense, Van Bam. Why aren’t the Thaumaturgists leading this investigation? Ursa was in league with the Genii—’

  ‘Marney, stop!’ The hard edge to his tone startled her. ‘I have been given my orders, and nothing you say will change them. Your arguments are pointless.’

  She recoiled from him then, locking down every emotion inside her.

  He rubbed a hand over his bald head, and she could tell he regretted his harsh words. He turned to face the window again, staring out into the night.

  ‘It has been a strange time for us both,’ he said distantly. ‘Something extraordinary happened to me today, Marney. I helped Hamir to …’ He faltered. ‘I do not know how to explain what I did. Something I will never fully comprehend, but will never forget.’

  He peered closer to the window, looking up at the dark sky. ‘Hamir and I talked, and it led me to thinking,’ he continued. ‘I have come to understand what a truly dangerous place the Labyrinth is.’

  The emotions coming from him were alien and did not belong to the man Marney knew. She pulled the bed sheets around her to stave off a sudden chill.

  ‘The Timewatcher protects us,’ he said, his voice more distant than ever as he continued looking up at the stars. ‘She does so because She wishes to. But if Fabian Moor paves a way for Spiral and the Genii to enter the Labyrinth … well, She cannot allow that to happen, Marney. Cannot.’

  ‘What are you saying?’ Marney asked in a timid voice.

  ‘There are hundreds of realms out there.’ His tone had become leaden, resigned, lost. ‘Tens of millions of Aelfir, and the Genii are the greatest threat they have ever faced. If Spiral comes to control the Great Labyrinth, he could reach them all. We would be the greatest danger to every House in existence.’ He snorted. ‘What choice would the Timewatcher have but to destroy what She has tried so hard to protect? In the bigger picture, the sacrifice of one million humans is a small—’

  ‘Stop it, Van Bam,’ Marney hissed. ‘You’re frightening me.’<
br />
  He turned from the window quickly, as if Marney had surprised him, as if he hadn’t known she was in the room. He stared through the darkness at her for a moment, and then shook his head.

  ‘Forgive me,’ he whispered. ‘I … I—’

  ‘Think too much?’

  He flashed his teeth in a smile. ‘Yes. Perhaps you are right.’

  Tears came to Marney’s eyes, and Van Bam walked back to the bed. He sat down beside her, wiped her face, and then took her hands in his.

  ‘I am sorry,’ he said softly. ‘You might say this day has left me more inspired than ever to play my part in this war.’

  ‘You’re telling me,’ Marney said. Van Bam’s emotions had reverted to something more familiar, and she was warmed to recognise him again. ‘I thought we were just having an argument.’

  Van Bam chuckled and kissed her fingers. ‘To answer your question, I do not know why the Thaumaturgists are not leading the investigation in Mirage. Perhaps none can be spared from the Timewatcher’s armies. Whatever the reason, Marney, Gideon has ordered Angel and me to escort Ambassador Ebril home, and that is simple fact.’

  He pulled her into an embrace.

  ‘But the war, Van Bam,’ she whispered. ‘It’s so dangerous to leave the Labyrinth.’

  ‘It is not as if we are headed for the heart of the fighting, Marney. Mirage remains a safe zone, at least for now, but we must discover who Ursa was working for. It could be that the High Governor has an enemy hiding within his cabinet of ministers.’

  He broke the embrace and held Marney’s face in his hands. They felt strong and warm against her skin.

  He smiled. ‘You were right to say that in this place we can be lovers. But at all other times we are agents of the Relic Guild. It is vital we remember that.’

  Marney nodded and closed her eyes as Van Bam kissed her forehead. He was right. He would always be right. And a part of her hated the reality. For all she had learnt, for everything she had been shown at Lady Amilee’s tower, there would forever be a splinter in Marney’s heart that resented the Relic Guild.