Fated

Cursed

Taken

Chosen

Published by Berkley

An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

penguinrandomhouse.com

�Shut up!�

Variam stopped and looked back at me with a frown. �What?�

I breathed in, closed my eyes, breathed out. �I didn�t mean you.�

Variam gave me a sceptical look. �Starting to think you�re the one who shouldn�t be here.�

The rooms and hallways had been growing richer and more opulent the deeper we went. This hadn�t been some last-minute hidey-hole�Jagadev must have been preparing this retreat for a long time. Maybe he�d been using it as his base for centuries. Right now we were in what almost looked like a museum. Thick glass cases stood on marble pillars, each holding some odd item to catch the eye. A pile of small bones was within one case, an ancient handwritten diary within another. A wrought iron polearm was contained in an especially long case, while another held a dark brown cloak with a magic aura I couldn�t identify.

As I looked around I realised that unlike the last few rooms, this one had signs of battle. There was no blood, but a gilded chair had been knocked over and a leather pouch lay discarded on the floor. Concentrating, I could sense a faint magical residue. It must have been very strong to still be visible.

�Someone went through,� Variam said. He was staring at a set of gold-inlaid double doors at the end of the room.

�Yeah,� I said. I was focused on scanning for danger. There was no threat around the doors, no threat in the next room, but I didn�t like the look of the futures in the middle distance. �Let�s see who.� I strode to the double doors and pushed them open.

The room within was a bedroom, and dripped with wealth. Gold rugs and tapestries were scattered upon the floor, silks hung upon the walls, and the furniture was a dazzle of precious metal. The gaudiness made me blink: I�d been scanning only for danger, and anything that wasn�t a potential threat hadn�t registered on my radar.

Which was why I hadn�t realised that Jagadev was on the far wall, crucified against the stone.

The rakshasa looked like a humanoid tiger, as tall as a man but far more heavily muscled. Ornate spears had been driven through his hands and feet, pinning him against the wall, and all around him some kind of net of magical energy hovered, glowing a menacing black-green. The energy in the spell was so powerful that it made the rest of the room look dim. Jagadev�s eyes were closed and he didn�t move.

�Shit,� Variam said, staring at Jagadev. �Is he dead?�

�No,� I said, frowning at Jagadev. The spell around Jagadev was incredibly complex. It was life magic, but with thick strands of the jinn�s power woven in, grey-black and opaque. It was interacting with Jagadev in some way, but I couldn�t figure out how.

Variam was staring at Jagadev like a dog at a hunk of meat, but he managed to tear his eyes away and look around. He ignored the gold and silver as though it wasn�t there. �Where�d she go?�

I swept the room with my diviner�s senses and nodded to one of the silk hangings. �Escape tunnel behind there.�

Variam looked at it, then back at Jagadev, clearly torn. �Can we catch her?�

�No,� I said with a sigh. I�d been searching for futures in which either of us caught up to Anne, and I hadn�t found a single one. �I don�t even know if she took the tunnel. For all I know she used that jinn to punch straight through the gate wards.�

�You got some other way to follow her?�

�Like what?�

�I don�t know. Use that new hand of yours.�

�If it were that easy, I�d have found her already. Anne is at the top of the Council�s hit list, and she is taking a lot of care to be hard to trace.�

�You�re saying you can�t find her.�

�Yup.�

�Shit.�

There was a moment�s silence. �Well,� Variam said. �I guess we�ll just have to take him as the consolation prize.�

�Mm,� I said. I was wondering how long Anne had taken to overwhelm Jagadev and pin him like this. How long had we missed her by? My instincts said not long. Maybe no more than a few minutes. If I�d been faster, we might have been able to catch up with her�.�.�.

�.�.�. and do what? Well, that was the problem, wasn�t it? �How long until you need to be back?�

�A while.�

I looked at Variam. Something about his tone of voice gave me the feeling that he was cutting things closer than that. �We should probably stop talking about this anyway. Jagadev�s been listening since we walked in.�

Jagadev opened his eyes. The pupils were golden and slitted like a cat�s, and they stared down at us without expression. Variam took a step forward. The fingers on his right hand twitched, and the futures of violence suddenly spiked.

�Vari,� I said warningly.

�Can he hear?� Variam said.

�And speak.�

�Why?� Variam spat.

�Because Anne left it that way,� I said. I wondered what she�d had to say to her old enemy, and how I could get Jagadev to tell us.

�Hey, asshole,� Variam told Jagadev. �Remember me?�

Jagadev stared down at Variam.

�You�re going to tell me exactly what you did,� Variam said. �And who helped you. If not��he flexed his right hand��we�re going to see how well that fur of yours burns.�

Jagadev didn�t so much as blink. The rakshasa�s features were hard to read, but even pinned to the wall and motionless, he somehow managed to look down on Variam as if the fire mage were some sort of insect.

There was a dangerous tone to Variam�s voice, and I could sense violence flickering very close now. �I�m not going to ask again.�

�He�s not going to answer, Vari.�

�Yes he will.�

�No, he won�t.� I was still sorting through the futures, snatching glimpses between the shifting possibilities. �Setting him on fire won�t make him talk. Burning pieces off him won�t make him talk. He�s not afraid of you.�

�Oh, yeah?� Variam said. �Let�s change��

Jagadev spoke suddenly, his voice a purring rumble. �Your brother was a coward.�

Variam went very still.

�He died begging for his life,� Jagadev said. He raised one eyebrow slightly. �Would you like to know how?�

�Shut up,� Variam said.

�He pleaded for us to take his family instead,� Jagadev said. �He wept and cried that he would give up the rest of you if we would only spare him. First he tried to offer his mother. Then when that failed, he offered you. He told us that you would come at his call, that you�d be eager, because you blindly trusted him, worshipped him as a hero even though��

Variam�s hand snapped up.

My hand hit Variam�s just as he loosed his spell, and the heat burst hit the wall to Jagadev�s right. There was a whump of superheated air. A tapestry flashed into ash and burning sparks, and a section of gold-friezed marble melted and deformed.

�Vari!� I snapped.

Vari had turned on me, orange-red light glowing around his hands. They weren�t aimed at me�not quite�but they were close. �I told you not to get in my way,� he said through gritted teeth.

�He�s manipulating you,� I said sharply. �He�s had years to plan out this encounter, figure out exactly how to push your buttons. Stop and think!�

Flames surged around Variam and his eyes lit up red. Death and violence danced in the futures, and not all of it was aimed at Jagadev. I stared back at Variam and stood my ground. For a long moment, everything was still but for the flickering fire around Variam�s body; I could feel the heat at my face and hands but didn�t flinch.

Then Variam withdrew. The fire around him dimmed and he let out a long, hissing breath. The futures calmed and settled. �Take a walk,� I said. �Five minutes. I�ll make sure he�s still here when you get back.�

�He�d better be,� Variam said.

�You have my word.�

Variam gave Jagadev one final look, then turned and left the way we�d come in.

I turned back to Jagadev. The rakshasa had fallen silent again. �Hello, Jagadev,� I said. �How long�s it been, six years? Though I suppose that�s not much to you.�

Silence. Jagadev�s slitted golden eyes stared at me without expression. But no�there was an expression there, something unfamiliar. I�d been searching through the futures, picking out glimpses and clues, and all of a sudden I understood what I was seeing. �You�re in agony right now, aren�t you?� I said softly. �That�s what that spell is doing. It�s not just paralysing you; it�s inflicting the most pain it possibly can. It�s a wonder you�re even able to talk.�

Jagadev�s expression didn�t shift, but I knew I was right. �So that was why Anne left you alive,� I said. �She could have killed you in an eyeblink, but that would have been over too soon, wouldn�t it?� I tilted my head. �So what did she have to say? I�m guessing she wasn�t all that grateful for all you�ve done for her.�

Still no answer.

�If you�re not going to talk, I might as well call Vari back in to finish you off.�

�Anne knows you will betray her,� Jagadev said.

I paused, caught in the middle of turning around. �You think to ally with her against your shared enemies.� There was no trace of pain in Jagadev�s voice: it was silky, contemptuous. �She knows you will turn on her as soon as you can. She will expect it, and you will fail.�

I felt a stab of fear. I knew Jagadev had to be guessing, but his guesses were dangerously close. �Nice try.�

�She knows your plans, Verus. But do you know hers?� Jagadev raised an eyebrow. �I think not. When she strikes, all your divination will not foresee it.�

�This is what you always do, isn�t it?� I said. �Plant suspicion, turn people against one another. All those people out in the entrance hall, those men and the vanara�.�.�. I bet you spun them a very convincing story. How well did it work out for them?�

�And yet here you are,� Jagadev said. �Because no matter how you try to hide it, you wish for my knowledge, my wisdom. Like all mages. Like all humans.�

Jagadev had a point. The rakshasa was hundreds of years old, if not thousands. He would have had the time to amass wealth and secrets beyond most mages� dreams. The secrets would be worth the most: locked away in his mind would be the keys to entire kingdoms. I felt the temptation of Jagadev�s unspoken offer. Help him, and I�d have access to the knowledge that only he possessed. Of course, to do so, I�d need to keep him alive�.�.�.

.�.�.�and in doing so, I�d be betraying Variam. And once I�d protected Jagadev, he�d betray me as well. The rakshasa had spent centuries practising these deceptions. He�d promise me everything, and give me nothing but death.

�You know, it�s funny,� I said. �You could have killed Anne and Variam so many times, when they were living as your wards in the Tiger�s Palace. I mean, they were the last living descendants of the mages who killed your wife, weren�t they? And you managed to get them under your power, living under your own roof. So why did you hold off?� I looked at Jagadev. �I think it was because they were the last. Once they were gone, you�d have nothing left. And when you finally decided to kill Anne, you didn�t just have her assassinated cleanly, because that wasn�t enough for you, was it? You tried to destroy her in every way you could. And now she�s doing the same thing. She could have finished you off, but instead she decides to play with her food. I guess she learnt it from you.� I shook my head. �So much for your wisdom.�

�You know nothing about Anne.�

�I know enough,� I said. �And what I don�t know is definitely not worth the price you�d charge for it. So no, Jagadev. I�m not making a deal. You�re going to die right here in this room. All I�m really interested in is whether you have any last words.�

�Last words?� Jagadev said. He paused, and his voice became harsh, deadly. �Then take these for your last words, mage. I may die here, but before the year is out, you and your underling will follow me. I have killed countless members of your kind, yet the number who will die at the hands of your lover will dwarf that. And you will be the one who enables it. Her name will be remembered in infamy, and yours alongside.�

I stood looking back at Jagadev for a moment before raising my voice. �Vari! We�re done.�

Footsteps sounded and Variam appeared, carrying something slung over one arm. He ignored me, looking straight at Jagadev. �You do not say another word about anyone in my family,� he told Jagadev. �Understand?�

Jagadev looked at Variam contemptuously. The green-black energy of the spell was still swirling. I wondered how much longer it would take to kill him.

�I just want to know one thing,� Variam said. �Why?�

�Why you?� Jagadev sounded almost amused. �Are you truly so ignorant?�

�I know why me. Alex told me that part. I just want to know why you did all this shit. How is it worth it? How could it ever be worth it?�

�You would not be able to understand.�

�Understand what?� Variam demanded. �You could have gone anywhere, done anything. Instead you spend two hundred years killing people who�d never even heard of you?�

�Oh, your brother had heard of me,� Jagadev said. �At least by the time��

Variam�s hand snapped up again, and this time I didn�t stop him.

Fire bloomed like a miniature sun. The noise was somewhere between a thump and a roar, and a wash of heat hit my face. I�d thrown up my hands to protect my eyes, and even with my armour, I could feel the skin scorching. A nauseating smell of burnt hair and flesh filled the room.

I lowered my hand to see that Jagadev was gone. A semicircular depression had been burnt in the wall, the stone charred black. The remains of the rakshasa�s body mixed with cooling lava in a charred mass on the floor below.

�Well,� I said. �You did warn him.�

Variam didn�t reply. We stood looking at the remains in silence.

Movement stirred in the futures. I looked ahead and one glance told me what I needed to know. �Come on. We�ve taken too long.�

�Yeah.� Variam tore his eyes away from Jagadev�s corpse and started to turn towards the door.

�Not that way.�

Variam halted. �More of Jagadev�s?�

�Not Jagadev�s,� I said. �The same guys I ran into outside.� There were more of the soldiers, and this time there were adepts and mages with them. �Chinese Council.�

�Shit,� Variam said. �I don�t want to have to talk my way past those guys.�

�If I�m standing next to you, I don�t think they�ll give you the chance.� The Councils of the various magical nations aren�t always on the best of terms, but they do share information. I headed towards the tapestry. �Let�s take the back door.�

�How are these guys even here?� Variam asked as I pulled aside the silk hangings to reveal a smooth wall.

�Either we tripped some sensor, or Jagadev called them in.� I ran my hand across the wall, my fingers finding a depression; I pushed and with a click a crack appeared in the stone. I shoved it open, the smooth marble rotating to reveal a dark opening.

�He would, wouldn�t he?� Variam was still carrying that bundle of fabric over his left arm, but with his right he sent orange-red flames flying over my shoulder, their light illuminating a rocky tunnel.

�Close it behind us,� I said, stepping through. Variam followed and with a click the light from the room behind was cut off, along with the stench of burning meat. �Yeah, probably. Just a final �screw you� to whoever killed him. Oh, and he�s rigged this place to self-destruct.�

�Wait, what?�

�We�ve got time,� I said. I�d noticed the spell during our conversation. Someone, probably Anne, had interfered with the triggering mechanism, but it had been delayed, not stopped. �Twenty minutes at least.�

How?

DO NOT PRESUME. TO WISH IS NOT TO GUIDE. (impudent. to guide is not to wish. you have learned nothing.)

Okay, I said. What do you want in all this? Are you on that other jinn�s side? Are you hoping it�ll succeed, or fail? Do you want humans wiped out for what they did to you? What?

THERE IS NO REVENGE. There was no anger in the jinn�s voice; it was dispassionate, implacable. THERE IS ONLY THE CONTRACT, AND THE PRICE. (the price. your price.)

The strain of talking to the jinn was wearing on me. It felt like holding back some massive uncaring force, and I could feel my will beginning to shake. One last question, I said. You stayed in my shop for years. I�m pretty sure you didn�t have to. You took victims when they made contracts. But the rest of the time, you left everyone in peace. Why?

YOU ARE THE HOST. ONE LIFE IS A LEAF. LAW IS ETERNAL. (you have seen. follow the path.)

I struggled to understand. It was getting harder to think. What do you mean�?

ENOUGH.

All of a sudden, the jinn�s presence was gone. I lurched on my chair, blinking, as though a weight I�d been bracing against had been suddenly pulled away. The sunlight hurt my eyes and I put up my hand to shield them.

I rose to my feet, staggering slightly. The Hollow felt too bright and too loud. Carefully I rewrapped the cylinder and carried it back to the tree. I made sure not to touch it with my bare skin, but the item was passive and silent as I returned it to its storage. Once I was done, I slumped back down on the chair. That had taken a lot out of me.

Was that even worth it? It was hideously dangerous to link to a creature that powerful. My mind could have been destroyed, and I�d learned nothing.

Or had I? I still didn�t understand what the jinn were, but now I had some idea of what I didn�t know. Something had happened to them, something that those ancient mages had done with their binding, maybe deliberately but more likely as some unintended side effect they didn�t fully understand. I didn�t know how to make use of that, but it was somewhere to start.

I got to my feet, gathered up my stuff, and started walking. It was time to get to work on the problem I knew something about.

�Why?�

�The item has successfully transmuted your arm,� Klara said. �Somehow, your body has managed to integrate these changes into your physiology. However, the more of your body that is replaced, the greater the strain. Your transmuted arm is fully functional, and will remain so. For various reasons, I can predict almost certainly that the same will not be true for your internal organs.�

�So you�re saying�.�.�.�

�Your right lung will be transmuted, followed by your heart,� Klara said. �This will cause them both to shut down. The process is permanent, and once started, irreversible. Your only chance of survival is to have the growth halted before that happens.�

�Which would mean losing access to the fateweaver.�

�Yes. In fact, you should be doing that anyway. I strongly suspect that use of that item�s powers is accelerating the material�s spread.�

�Those powers are the only reason I�m still alive,� I said. �I understand what you�re saying, but right now, I need them.�

�Yes, well, the thing that�s keeping you alive is also killing you,� Klara said. �You will have to choose.�

Once Klara was gone, I sat at my desk for some time, staring down at my new arm. Klara hadn�t told me anything that I hadn�t already suspected. Unfortunately, there wasn�t much I could do about it. I needed the fateweaver, and that was that.

I hoped I�d be able to finish things before the clock ran out. At the fateweaver�s current rate of spread, I should have at least a month. One way or another, that ought to be enough.

�

I spent the afternoon scouting out Heron Tower and path-walking to test its defences. There was good news and bad news.

The good news was that I was pretty sure I could break in. The bad news was that as I�d suspected, this wasn�t going to be a one-man job. If I wanted to have any reasonable chance of this succeeding, I�d need help. And that was a problem, because while I knew a lot of people capable of supplying that help, there were good reasons that I didn�t want to ask them.

The natural choice for a job like this was Luna. Luna isn�t the best combat mage, but her chance magic is excellent for stealth operations. Just as important, I knew her, trusted her, and we knew how to work together. The problem was that while I was pretty sure we could get into the data centre without being detected, leaving would be another story. There was a very good chance that I was going to end up shooting my way out, along with anyone I brought with me. And if I did that with Luna, it was only a matter of time until the news got back to the Council. At that point, Luna would become an outlaw, just like me. The life as a shopkeeper and independent mage that she�d so carefully built would be destroyed. I couldn�t do that to her.

Going to Variam brought the same issues. He�d be worse at the stealth parts of the job, better at the combat ones, but again, it would only take one person recognising him for his career as a Keeper to be over. In fact, pretty much anyone with any kind of relationship with the Council was out for the same reasons, which ruled out all Light mages and most independents.

There was the option of Anne. She was more than powerful enough and couldn�t care less about getting into trouble with the Council, given that she was on their most-wanted list already. Unfortunately, she was on that list for very good reasons, the main one being that she was possessed by a human-hating, enormously powerful, and probably insane jinn. On top of that, Dark Anne was the one currently running things, and she was violent, impulsive, and unreliable. I didn�t want to trust her with something like this unless I had no other choice.

So I needed someone who was either a Dark mage or the next thing to it, but who could be depended on to perform a difficult and dangerous job. And it had to be someone I knew well enough to trust.

Put like that, I could only really think of one person who fit.

�I did?�

�Yes.�

�Why?�

�Because�.�.�.� Cinder seemed to realise what he was doing and shut his mouth.

�Oh,� Starbreeze said. �What were we talking about?�

�Starbreeze,� I interrupted before Cinder could do anything. �Could you check to see if anyone�s watching?�

�Okay!� Starbreeze said brightly. She zipped out under the van doors in a puff of air.

Cinder closed his eyes and brought his head back against the side of the van with a thunk that made it sway on its tyres. �Jesus.�

�She takes a while to get used to.�

�Used to wonder why you didn�t use that elemental more.� Cinder opened his eyes and glared at me. �Now I know.�

I took a second to path-walk again and this time got the result I was looking for. �Okay,� I said. �Far as I can tell, the Council are going to get an incoming attack in about thirty to forty minutes. Should do a lot to cut down their response time.�

�Drakh?� Cinder asked.

I nodded.

�Where?�

�Not sure.�

Cinder gave me a look. �Not sure?�

�I�m looking ahead to see what�ll happen if I get in touch with people on the Council,� I said. �It�s easy to see the point where they suddenly stop picking up their phones. Detail is harder.�

Cinder grunted. �How long for?�

�Not sure about that either.�

�Seems like you say that a lot.�

�Like I said. If things really go to hell, I�m not going to have an issue if you just gate out.�

�Hm. We going?�

I nodded. �Let�s do it.�

I�d parked us just off Bishopsgate, the big A-road that runs from north to south through the Liverpool Street financial district. It was a warm sunny Friday and the area was crowded, men and women in business suits mingling with travellers and service workers. Both new and old skyscrapers rose up all around, with Heron Tower just visible over the nearby building, tallest of all. A little way to the north, hidden behind a city block, was Liverpool Street mainline station. If things got messy and Starbreeze wasn�t able to get me out, that was my backup plan for shaking pursuit. Glancing at the front of the van as I climbed out, I saw that in the brief time that we�d been stopped, it had picked up a parking ticket. The van�s owner was not going to be happy.

Cinder clambered out behind, the van lifting noticeably with the loss of his weight, then reached inside and took out a pair of big plastic toolboxes, handing one to me. I took it and had to shift my stance�it was heavier than Cinder had made it look�then we turned and started walking.

Cinder and I were both dressed in orange fluorescent worker�s overalls, with silver reflective stripes. They�re the most garish outfits you could imagine, but oddly enough, they made us blend right in. Central London is usually filled with construction work, and Bishopsgate was no exception�there were new skyscrapers going up on both sides of Heron Tower, and nearly one man in ten was wearing gear like ours. No one spared us a second glance as we walked towards the building.

Heron Tower is shining steel and glass, lines of white lights running along each floor, bright enough to be visible even in the daytime. Bright metal zigzagged from above our heads up and up through dozens of stories until the top blocks were so small you had to squint. The right corner of the skyscraper had a pair of lifts that were visible through the grid of glass panes, rising and falling in plain view from the outside. The side entrances had a bar and a sushi restaurant.

The inside lobby was quieter. Security gates to the right led to a set of escalators, and there was a gigantic aquarium in the lobby centre. A tall security guard with a neat salt-and-pepper beard stood to the left, and I could feel his eyes settle on us as soon as we walked in. I headed for the reception desk before he could intercept us.

There were three receptionists behind the desk, and I�d already picked out my target. She was blond and in her thirties, holding an iPad, pretty with lots of makeup that almost hid the crow�s-feet at her eyes. Her smile slipped a little as she saw us approaching, and I could see her sizing us up. Construction workers, therefore not rich or important. Conclusion: shoo away. She waited as we walked up to her and�

�my future self reached forward and plucked the tablet out of her hands. She tried to protest but I held up a hand while I looked at the tablet. It was still unlocked and I opened up the list that said Appointments and started scrolling through. The security guard moved in but Cinder blocked him; both the guard and the receptionist were speaking angrily but I was focused on the appointments list. Anglo-American�.�.�. no. GlaxoSmithKline�.�.�. no. Lloyds Banking Group�.�.�. no way we could pass for that. Murphy�.�.�. maybe, but the appointment was for four. The security guard tried to deal with Cinder physically. Bad idea. He went down hard; the receptionist hit an alarm and backed away; other security guards were hurrying from the other side of the room; Cinder shot me an irritated comment. A company name caught my eye: EDF Energy. Two people. I scanned the names, checked the time, let the future collapse�

�and I was back in the present. The lobby was quiet except for the murmur of conversation and the noise of the escalators. The receptionist was looking at us, the tablet in her hands.

�Hi,� I said. �We�re from EDF. Looking for Keith Adams from Salesforce?�

The receptionist eyed me doubtfully. �Do you have an appointment?�

I nodded at the tablet. �EDF Energy.�

The receptionist checked the tablet. �Can I have your name please?�

�Radu Todoca.�

�You�re a bit early�.�.�.�

�Our job window�s twelve to three.�

�It just says three here,� the receptionist said, but she�d lost interest. My name matching the one on her tablet had removed any suspicion. She handed me a clipboard. �Can both of you fill in your name, company, and time entered. Also, we need a mobile number so we can contact you while you�re in the building.�

I took the clipboard and started filling in the form. The security guy had wandered up, apparently friendly. �Hello there, sir,� he said. �What were your names again?�

�Radu. And this is Bogdan.�

�Oh, really? From Poland?�

�Romania.�

�Romania! That�s great. What are you here for?�

I handed the clipboard to Cinder; he took it and started to fill in the blanks in silence. �Need to check the power for the twenty-third floor,� I said. �Health and Safety.�

�Starbreeze! Please!�

With an exaggerated sigh, Starbreeze swept around me. My hair whipped as if in a whirlwind, and with a jolt my feet left the roof. Painfully slowly, I floated over the railing and down into the sky.

The flash and boom of attack magic sounded from the rooftop. Behind was Heron Tower, ahead the other skyscraper, below a seven-hundred-foot drop. The afternoon sun beat down out of a blue sky, leaving us horribly exposed. I couldn�t see any of the combatants on the roof behind, but I knew how visible we were. The other rooftop drew closer. Thirty feet�.�.�. twenty feet�.�.�. ten�.�.�.

The futures changed, suddenly and for the worse. Starbreeze! Get us onto the roof, now!

Okay, okay. Starbreeze changed angle. You�re still heavy�

A violet disc of force flashed out from Heron Tower. I�d seen it coming and pushed with the fateweaver, trying to diverge its track from ours. I almost made it; it missed us but clipped Starbreeze, who dropped me with a yelp.

I twisted in midair and my feet hit concrete with a jarring thud. �Ow!� Starbreeze said. �That hurt!� She fled, disappearing.

I stood. Unlike Heron Tower, the top of this skyscraper was a construction site. A tower crane rose from the roof centre like a gigantic tree, its blue-triangle column stretching up into the sky. Pipes, steel beams, and building materials were scattered around, and a high fence prevented anyone from jumping or falling. There were some buildings at the far end that I knew had roof access. I also knew I wasn�t going to get the time to reach them.

A figure jumped from the roof of Heron Tower, crossing the sixty feet in one impossibly long leap and landing on the roof with a boom. It was one of the mercenaries, the black guy. A second later, mercenaries two and three blinked into existence forty feet away, the Japanese guy holding the shoulder of the woman. All three looked at me, sizing me up.

�Can we talk about this?� I asked.

The black guy charged.

I stood still for a second as the adept pounded towards me, studying him in present and future. The adept�Crash�was big and fast; he moved with more-than-natural strength and came in for an attack strong enough to break bones. I ducked at the last second and tripped him, sending him flying, then sprinted towards the other two.

The woman, Stickleback, watched me coolly as I closed the distance. Her hands glowed with a faint violet light as a disc of translucent force appeared between them, growing, rotating, and starting to spin all in a fraction of a second before it flashed out at me at knee-height like a giant flying saw blade. I jumped over it, but she was already making a second, followed by a third. I dodged each one, closing the distance. Thirty feet, twenty feet, ten�

The Japanese man hadn�t taken his hand off the woman�s shoulder. Space magic pulsed, and the two of them vanished, reappearing sixty feet behind me.

I turned to look at them. That is really annoying.

Pounding feet announced Crash�s arrival. I stepped away from a reverse spin kick that would have shattered my skull, then gave ground against the punches that followed. Crash responded to my lack of aggression by pressing in; I took the opening and hit him with a palm strike to the face. It should have broken his nose, but instead my hand stung as if I�d hit wood, and Crash rocked back, catching himself and watching me with calculating eyes.

Protective force magic, evasive teleportation. I didn�t have time to get through that many defences. I broke contact, running left.

Stickleback responded, throwing discs of force. I weaved, letting the discs pass ahead and behind. Stickleback and Jumper were near the roof�s edge and I cut across the middle. The futures I was looking for lined up and I sent a surge of energy through the fateweaver.

Stickleback threw another force disc and I dropped flat. The disc sailed over my head with a hiss and struck the base of the tower crane, the force magic shearing through steel. With a shriek and a groan of twisting metal, the crane fell, toppling straight towards Stickleback and Jumper.

Stickleback looked up at the monstrous thing falling towards her, and her eyes went wide. Jumper teleported just in time, and both of them vanished as the crane came down with a horrific crash, splintering the fence as the cross-beam of the crane smashed down onto the top of Heron Tower.

Dust and particles swept up into the air. The crane, which had once risen vertically into the air, now formed a crooked bridge between Heron Tower and the skyscraper I was on. The three mercenaries were all staring at the destruction, and before they could decide what to do next, I dashed along the side of the fallen crane, and jumped through the gap in the fence and out into space.

Wind roared around my ears as I plummeted. Er, November said as the cars below me grew larger and larger, along with the pale spots of faces looking upwards. I�m detecting some odd signals. Is everything going according to plan?

Fine! I pulled a life ring from my pocket and broke it, leaving it as late as possible. Blood rushed through my body as I decelerated, the magic slowing me down just in time to drop the last few feet safely to the tarmac.

Scattered screams sounded, trailing off: several people had seen me fall and were now staring in confusion. Two police cars were blocking off the street at the intersection, and a uniformed officer was looking at me openmouthed. I sprinted past him and turned north up Bishopsgate.

Oh. Well, that�s a relief.

There were more police outside Heron Tower and a couple turned to look as I ran, but most were shading their eyes as they looked up towards the broken crane above. On an unrelated note, I told November, I could use the exact departure times of mainline trains from Liverpool Street Station in the next, say, three to five minutes.

Of course. Er, I don�t mean to worry you, but there�s an alert going out on police frequencies for someone that matches your description rather closely. Apparently you�re considered a suspect for a terrorist attack on Heron Tower and to be apprehended on sight.

Just get me those trains.

The plaza outside Liverpool Street Station was busy, commuters hurrying back and forth. Police lights were flashing farther up the road. I saw the black of police uniforms moving towards me and I turned quickly aside and down the escalators into Liverpool Street Station.

The station was huge, filled with noise and people. Departure boards blinked along the right-hand side, above the ticket gates. I wound my way through the crowds, searching the futures for signs of pursuit. Nothing yet, but through the crowds, I saw a pair of police officers at the centre of the station floor, and the futures in which I got too close to them turned violent fast.

The next train departing Liverpool Street will be the Greater Anglia service to Norwich from platform eleven, leaving in�

What are the police saying?

There was an unconfirmed sighting of you descending onto the main floor of Liverpool Street Station. They�re asking for additional units to seal the exits.

I briefly considered knocking the two police out, but it would draw too much attention. Besides, it would be really bad if I was in the middle of dealing with them and�

The futures shifted.

�and something like that happened. I turned right, bumping past someone dragging a heavy suitcase, and strode through the ticket gates. As I did, I reached out through the dreamstone. Cinder.

Cinder replied straightaway, sounding bad-tempered. Where are you?

Liverpool Street Station. You still engaged?

No, they�re all chasing you. Where�s Del?

Chasing me, where do you think? The massive iron-and-glass roof of the train sheds arched overhead. Liverpool Street�s platform area is huge enough that I could count on the police taking some time to track me down. My magical pursuers were another story.

The Greater Anglia train was white-painted with red doors, humming. A whistle shrilled from down the platform as I stepped aboard. Only a few seconds later, the beep-beep-beep sounded, and the doors hissed shut.

I�m on the Norwich train leaving now, I told Cinder. I walked up the train, winding my way between the seats. The train was about two-thirds full, and I had to twist aside to avoid a fat man struggling to get his briefcase into the overhead racks.

Where�s Del?

If I�m lucky, back in Liverpool Street with those mercenaries and about fifty police. I opened the door to the next carriage and stepped through. The train swayed under my feet as I walked, the wheels going thunkity-thunk as it accelerated, and I had to make an effort to keep my balance, all while searching the futures for danger, looking for the telltale signature of gate magic with my magesight, and keeping open the mental links to Cinder and to November all at the same time.

The windows went black as the train entered a tunnel, brightened as we came out into the sun, went black again. I watched closely for any signs of gating. Combat adepts are dangerous, but they usually don�t have the detection abilities that mages do. I�d very carefully not done anything between the street and the train that would show up on magesight. With any luck, they wouldn�t be able to follow me. And Rachel hadn�t gotten close enough to see what train I�d boarded. There shouldn�t be any way she should be able to figure out that I was on this train�

Rachel was going to gate onto this train.

I swore out loud. Several passengers glanced up at me from where they were seated, then looked hurriedly away. I was still wearing my combat armour, plus whatever dust and dirt I�d picked up from the fighting. I didn�t know what I looked like, but judging from the way people were shying away, it wasn�t reassuring. Cinder, your psycho ex is following me. You want to make up with her, get on board.

On my way.

Er, Mr. Verus, November said. Is this a bad time?

No, no, it�s just wonderful, I said. Rachel is going to gate into the back carriage in about twenty seconds. What did you want to talk about in the meantime?

Well, it�s just that I�ve intercepted some communications from Mage Barrayar. Apparently he�s received a report from Crash�s team that they suspect you of being aboard one of two trains departing Liverpool Street, and he�s calling in reinforcements. He seems quite agitated.

What kind of�you know what, I don�t have time. Where�s Crash�s team?

I believe two of them are teleporting onto this train now.

�Yes!�

�Do they not work?�

�It�s the principle of the thing. In Heron Tower I had a customised full-surround��

�I know, you�ve told me,� I said, holding back a sigh. �Look, you�re just going to have to accept that living in freedom out on the wild frontier comes with some sacrifices. Which apparently include Apple speakers.�

�Those speaking machines are not made of apples,� Karyos pointed out. �I don�t understand why the elemental is concerned.�

�For the last time, I am not an elemental!�

�November?� I said. �I just heard something a little worrying from one of my contacts with the Council.� I relayed Variam�s story. �Do you know anything about that?�

�Hmm,� November said thoughtfully. �Unfortunately not. I had picked up some pieces of information suggesting the existence of a new weapons project. But as regards such matters, the flow was always one-way. I passed on my findings to Levistus and Barrayar, but they didn�t keep me informed in return.�

�Did Levistus give you any special orders as far as Anne and her jinn were concerned?� I asked. �Push them up the priority list for tracking, that sort of thing?�

�Not at all,� November said. �He never gave me any indication that he was especially concerned with her. Actually, he was far more concerned with you, and the rest of his political opponents on the Council.�

I sighed. �Yeah, I should have guessed.� Anne wasn�t a direct threat to Levistus�s political career, and at the end of the day, that was what he cared about. �Okay. Let�s carry on where you left off.�

�Of course,� November said. �We�d just reached the aftermath of the collapse of White Rose and Morden�s ascension to the Junior Council. As you know, it was in this period that Levistus was raised to the Senior Council. He had been allowing everyone to believe that his strategy for doing so relied upon arranging for Nirvathis to be raised to the Junior Council first. In reality, Nirvathis had never been more than a smokescreen, which is why he was discarded so quickly after Morden�s appointment. Levistus�s actual plan had always been to leverage his influence over Undaaris and Sal Sarque, while keeping both of them ignorant of his dealings with the other. This was also the period in which the remaining members of the Council became fully aware of Richard Drakh�s return. While most of them did not favour taking any sort of direct action, Levistus was able to take advantage of this increase in tension by�.�.�.�

Listening to November�s history lesson was fascinating. I�d thought that by now, when it came to the Council, I was well-informed. I�d been very wrong. November�s position had given him a bird�s-eye view of all of Levistus�s dealings, and it was eye-opening to learn how much had been going on.

For example, Levistus had had plans in place for years to have me assassinated, and the only reason he hadn�t pulled the trigger was because of all the attacks and assassination attempts I�d drawn from everyone else. Basically, he�d decided it wasn�t worth spending the resources to have me killed because there was such a good chance that if he waited long enough, someone else would do it for him. He�d been happy to point other people in my direction though: he�d been the one to supply the Nightstalkers with my name and address, and he�d had a hand in getting the Council intelligence services to order my death during the operation in Syria. Once I�d been raised to the Council, he�d been planning to step that up further, but he�d been distracted by a behind-the-scenes power struggle between him and Bahamus.

On that subject, November�s files had also contained Levistus�s notes on the other members of the Senior Council. Right at the top of the list was Undaaris, a water mage who�d been largely responsible for my first death sentence. I�d noticed for a while that Levistus seemed to have a lot of influence on Undaaris, and the files made it clear why. Undaaris had been a heavy user of White Rose before its destruction, and the report had gone into detail as to the kinds of activities he�d pursued there. With attached audio and video files. I�d unwisely had November show them to me and was forced to take a break while my digestive system tried to crawl up my throat and spit acid on my brain.

Sal Sarque had also been under Levistus�s influence, though for a different reason. Apparently back when Sal Sarque was a captain in the Order of the Star, he was given command of a sensitive operation where he screwed the pooch in a major way. It had been covered up, but not well enough. Levistus had dirt on Bahamus as well, though in his case it had taken the form of family secrets. Bahamus�s father had also been a mage, and active in Council politics. He hadn�t been as successful as his son, and his family had accumulated some of the sorts of favours that it�s a bad idea to owe. Bringing that all to light wouldn�t have brought Bahamus down, but it would have seriously damaged him. Bahamus, in turn, had evidence of Levistus�s own breaches of the Concord during the first struggle over the fateweaver, and as a result Levistus and Bahamus had settled into an uneasy truce.

That left Druss, Alma, and Spire. In Druss�s case, Levistus had turned up some irregularities concerning Druss�s past romantic relationships (of which it turned out there had been a lot). However, when Levistus had approached Druss on the subject and offered his silence in exchange for Druss�s support, Druss told Levistus to go screw himself, and Levistus backed down. Finally, with Alma and Spire, Levistus had been unable to find any significant blackmail material at all. The lack of dirt on Alma was irritating, since she�d consistently been my third-worst enemy on the Council, but that�s how life goes. Just because someone�s your enemy doesn�t mean they�re evil. Or at least no more evil than any other politician.

It was a weird thought, but in helping get rid of Sal Sarque, I might have done the Council a favour. With him and Undaaris under Levistus�s thumb, Levistus had only ever been one vote away from a straight majority. In another five years, he probably would have been running the country. I wasn�t sure how happy I was about cleaning up the Council�s messes for them, but it wasn�t as though I had much of a choice.

�Well,� I said once November had finished. �That was�.�.�. educational. Thank you.�

�You�re welcome.�

�Your Council�s problems sound familiar,� Karyos said. �Perhaps humans haven�t changed so much after all.�

�So, if you don�t mind my asking,� November said, �what are you going to do now?�

�Now?� I said. �I get back in touch with the Council and try again to call a truce.�

�So why�d you wait so long?�

�Because bringing her here is all I can do,� I said, and pointed up and out. �You and I have been allies two and a half years now. The deal was that you�d help me out if I got R�split her from Richard. Well, I�ve done it. But you wanted more. You want things back the way they used to be. Right?�

Cinder looked at me for a second, then nodded again.

�And that I can�t promise,� I said. �Right now, she walks down those stairs and sees me, she�s just going to kick off and we�re back to square one. The way I see it, the only thing that has a chance of turning her off the path she�s on right now�.�.�. is you. And it has to be now, because I can�t keep doing this. She�s been trying to kill me too long, got close too many times. If after you�ve said your piece she still goes for me�.�.�. then it�ll be the last time.�

Cinder looked at me silently.

�You okay with that? I can�t keep softballing any longer.�

�Enough chances,� Cinder said. �I get it.�

We stood in silence for a little while. The chapel was dark and cold. We would only have to turn and walk up those steps to return to the warmth and the morning light, but somehow it felt very far away.

�Mind if I ask you something?� I said.

�Yes.�

�I�ve never asked how you two got to be partners. Figure it�s not my business. But I really want to know why you haven�t given up on her.�

Cinder didn�t answer.

�I mean, maybe it�s just me, but if a girl I knew was shooting disintegration spells at my chest, I�d take that as a pretty strong indicator that we were officially broken up.�

Silence.

�Look, at the end of the day, it�s your life. I�m just wondering.�

�You ever stop asking questions?�

�Not really.�

More silence.

�So?�

�Just do your job.�

�I am doing my job,� I said. �But until Rachel shows, we�ve got nothing better to do.�

�Bloody hell,� Cinder said. �You do not take a hint.�

I shrugged. �Diviner curiosity. Used to think it would get me killed someday. Turns out a lot of other stuff is going to beat it to the punch. But right now, I�m here and you�re here, so�.�.�.�?�

�I�ll tell you if you�ll just shut up.�

�Deal.�

�Del and I made a promise, long time ago,� Cinder said. �She�d have my back, I�d have hers.�

I waited for Cinder to go on. �That�s it?� I asked when he didn�t.

Cinder shrugged.

Trying to get Cinder to open up is like prying apart a stone wall with a chisel. �Well, I suppose that was pretty much how things were when we first met. When it was you, Deleo, and Khazad. Khazad sold her out soon as it got convenient. You didn�t.�

�Khazad was an arsehole.�

�But that all changed when Richard came back, didn�t it? She got drawn back in.�

�Yeah.�

I studied Cinder. �I don�t buy it.�

Cinder shot me a glare. �What?�

�I can believe you�re the kind to keep that sort of promise,� I said. �You�ve kept every deal you�ve made with me. But that�s because I�ve kept every deal I�ve made with you. If I�d stabbed you in the back, you would not be trying to save me like this.�

Cinder didn�t answer.

�Now, maybe you think I just don�t look as good as she does,� I said. �But you never really struck me as the kind to care that much about looks. And you might be playing some kind of complicated game where she�s a piece on the board, except you never really struck me as that kind of person, either. So we�re back to the same question.�

Another silence, but this one of a different kind. I could feel the futures shifting and knew that Cinder was going to speak. I waited for him to decide what to say.

�Every time I used to see you, you�d have some kid around,� Cinder said. �That apprentice of yours, that Council time mage, the Indian kid, that life girl�.�.�. even with that spider, you�d made friends.�

�Yeah.�

�Lot of Dark mages think that�s dumb,� Cinder said. �They stay cold. No attachments. Travel light, travel fast.� He paused. �But you do that, you got nothing when you get there. People like that�.�.�. they don�t last.�

I looked at Cinder curiously. �Was that why you bonded Kyle?�

�Del doesn�t have that,� Cinder said, ignoring me. �Used to. Had that friend, Shireen. Even you, sounded like. Until Drakh. She couldn�t let him go.�

�He doesn�t care about her,� I said. �I�m not sure he cares about anyone. As far as he�s concerned, at this point, she�s just a failed experiment.�

Cinder grunted. �Told her that.�

�How�d she take it?�

�Not well.�

�So why�?� I paused. �Oh. Out of time.�

Cinder shifted, straightening, and walked to the centre of the room. I moved to the archway at the far end. The passage beyond led into the laboratories and cells of the mansion�s basement complex. I had plenty of memories of them, few good, but I wouldn�t be going there today.

Silence. Minutes ticked by. I scanned through futures and learned little�normally my divination gives me some idea of how a conversation is likely to go, but Rachel�s just too unpredictable. I began to channel through my dreamstone, carefully weaving together pieces of a spell that I hoped I wouldn�t need.

I felt a flash of gate magic from above and knew Rachel had arrived. I�d wondered if she�d hesitate, suspecting something, but as the futures moved it became clear she was coming straight down. �Thirty seconds,� I told Cinder.

�Great,� Cinder said. �Now keep your mouth shut.�

Footsteps sounded from the archway. A moment later, sea-green light, dark and flickering, illuminated the steps. Rachel�s feet appeared, then her body, and finally her face. The black domino mask hid her expression, but I saw her eyes flicker past Cinder to me and felt the futures spike as she called up her magic.

�NO!� Cinder roared. Dark flame billowed with a hungry whoosh. It didn�t strike either of us but it did make us jump. Rachel�s spell faltered and she looked at Cinder in surprise.

�We are NOT DOING THIS!� With his back turned, I couldn�t see Cinder�s face, but his voice held an intensity I�d never heard from him before. �I do not have TIME for your shit right now. You are going to LISTEN.�

Rachel drew back slightly. I think she was surprised. I certainly was.

�This shit with Verus?� Cinder said. �It ends. No more hunting him. He goes his way and so do you.�

�Why are you on his side?� Rachel snapped. But for now at least, there were no futures of her resuming her attack. Cinder seemed to be holding her by sheer force of personality.

�How many times have you tried this?� Cinder demanded. �Over and over, and you missed every time! You think the hundredth is going to work?�

�I have to!� Rachel shouted back.

�

It took us a couple of minutes to find the hidden entrance down to the basement, and another minute to disarm the traps and descend the stairs. Long enough for the defenders to get organised.

The wood-panelled staircase went down a long way before opening up into a wide chamber. It was an entrance hall, but while the one on the ground floor had been sized for a house, this one was sized for a palace. A white-and-black stone floor stretched out to the size of a tennis court, engraved with geometric patterns, and wrought iron staircases wound up to a gallery running around the walls at half the height of the ceiling. Doors at the far end led into what must be the heart of Levistus�s operations.

The hallway was crowded with people, and all of them were waiting for us. More security guards were stationed up on the gallery and down on the ground floor, crouched behind bulletproof barriers. Unlike the men above, they were carrying submachine guns. Behind and between the barriers were icecats, graceful and low to the ground, panther-like constructs with wisps of cold rising from their claws.

The next group were the adepts and staff members, and it was clear they weren�t here by choice. They were wearing outfits more suited to an office than to a battle, and wielding a highly uneven collection of weapons. They were shooting uneasy glances around them, and seemed unsure whether to huddle together for protection or to scatter.

And finally there were the mages. There were three, standing at the very back of the formation, evenly spaced across the hall. One was a man I�d never seen before, tall and slim with a refined cast to his features: he watched us both with an expression of boredom. The second was Barrayar. He was wearing his expensive business suit and looked as if he�d just been interrupted from work and was very irritated about it.

But it was the third mage who caught my attention. She was round-faced and heavyset, her arms and legs thick with fat and muscle. Unlike the first two, her face was blank as she watched me. To my magesight, the pale brown of earth magic glowed around her.

I hadn�t expected Caldera. I�d expected her to have gone with Talisid�s hit team; how she�d ended up here instead I didn�t know. The last two times I fought Caldera, I�d been able to disengage and avoid her. There�d be no avoiding her this time.

�Okay,� I said to Anne. �This is what I�d call well guarded.�

Anne and I had come to a stop only a couple of feet from the doorway. A half cylinder of force magic barred us from going any farther, running from floor to ceiling. It didn�t block sound�I could hear the breathing and the shuffle of feet of the crowd facing us�but it would take significant power for any intruders to break through. Assuming they had the chance. There was an antipersonnel mine buried in the floor right beneath our feet, and I knew from glancing at the futures that Barrayar was holding the detonator in one hand.

But Barrayar obviously didn�t know everything that I could do, or he would have pressed the button already. As soon as I�d detected the explosive, I�d started to work on it with the fateweaver, picking out the futures in which it failed. Behind us, the jann started to sidle into the room, staring at the security guards with hungry eyes.

�Verus,� Barrayar said coldly. �You�ve gone too far this time.�

�Hello, Barrayar,� I said. �So, that exchange that was supposed to happen today? I didn�t like the delegation you sent very much. Thought about sending a strongly worded letter, but figured I might as well tell you in person.�

�You know, Talisid had one job,� Barrayar said. �I should have known he�d fuck it up. Did he tip you off, or was he just that incompetent?�

�Do you care?�

�I suppose I don�t.�

�Hey,� Anne interrupted. �You two going to kiss, or shall we kick this off?�

Beneath our feet, the mine�s electronics failed. It was easier than the ones in Sal Sarque�s fortress had been: Levistus hadn�t kept this one well maintained. Probably he�d never seriously expected to need it. �You know, I really thought your boss would be here,� I told Barrayar. �What�s he doing, watching on camera?�

�Whatever you�re hoping to achieve, it won�t work,� Barrayar said. �I�ll give you and Miss Walker one chance. Turn around and leave.�

�Hey, Barrayar,� Anne called. �Just curious. Was it you who signed off on that order for Lightbringer and Zilean to torture me?�

Barrayar looked back at Anne with raised eyebrows. �Is that why you�re here?�

�No, I�m going to kill you anyway. It�ll just make it a bit more satisfying.�

Without changing expression, Barrayar pushed the button on the detonator. The faint click was loud in the silence. There was a moment�s expectant pause.

I spoke into the vacuum. �Now you can kick off.�

Black energy stabbed from Anne, meeting the force barrier with a crack of black lightning. The barrier flickered and died. The jann charged, flowing past and around Anne in a black wave as Levistus�s forces opened fire.

Light and sound hammered the entrance hall, a dozen battles and duels breaking out across the room. Fleeting images caught in my memory, fractions of a greater whole. An icecat and a jann hit each other in midair and tumbled to the floor in a whirl of claws and teeth. Fire stabbed down from the gallery on the left, grim men almost invisible behind their weapons, jann falling as they tried to close the distance. Cutting blades of air and force flew the length of the room to shatter against Anne�s shield. More jann poured down the stairs, throwing themselves into the meat grinder, drones dying for their queen.

I had only a second to take in the larger battle before I had to focus on myself. Two icecats charged me as fire tracked in, and I snatched futures from the rushing tide. One icecat was struck mid-leap by a jann; bullets whistled by on my left and right. The second icecat leapt for me, missed, and was pounced on before it could turn.

There were so many enemies that they were blocking each other. I broke into a swerving run, aiming for a doorway on the right side of the hall, firing a burst from my MP7 as I did. A burning red line streaked past my head, carrying the smell of ozone. More security men and one of the icecat handlers tried to bar my way; I wove through the attacks, death waiting in the futures and in the present, snapping off short bursts, only vaguely aware of the men falling away as their futures wisped out. It was a surprise, somehow, to reach the door and realise there were only bodies left to guard it.

A storm of air and force magic drove me to cover. I crouched inside the doorway, my back against the wall as bolts of electricity crackled off the stone. My MP7 was empty and I reloaded, taking a second as I did to scan. The icecats were all crippled or destroyed, along with a good number of the jann. Many of the security men were dead, but on the left side of the hall a tight group had held their ground and were killing any jann that tried to approach.

Anne was duelling the mages. Shadowy black wings seemed to stretch out from her shoulders; things that might have been limbs overlaid her arms. Her eyes were alight, and she fought with a fierce joy. Barrayar and the third mage were engaging her with force and air, but the translucent black threads of the jinn�s magic formed a shield that deflected all their attacks. It was the first time I�d had the chance to watch the new Anne going all out, and it was frightening to watch. She had all of her old speed and lethality, with the jinn�s power behind it. The jinn�s magic didn�t seem to follow the rules of most combat spells. What it reminded me of most was death magic, pure destruction and nothing else.

Pounding footsteps sounded from around the corner, and I stepped back as Caldera appeared in the doorway. She aimed a punch at me that would have broken my neck, and I backed into the room. Caldera stalked after me, heavy footfalls ringing on the stone.

The room I was in was a swimming pool. God knows why Levistus had one. The water, tinted blue-green from the pool tiles, stretched out down one side of the room, sculptures and houseplants standing around the other. I backed away into the side of the room where there was space to move, Caldera following.

A young man appeared in the doorway behind Caldera; one of the adepts. He was carrying a wand with a glow of red energy hovering at its tip; he levelled it at me but I�d already moved to place Caldera between us. �Keeper!� he called over the screams and gunfire behind. �Move!�

Caldera didn�t take her eyes off me. �Back off.�

�Give me a clear shot!�

I raised my MP7 and fired. Caldera moved instantly, trying to block the shots; the adept in the door activated a shield ring. I�d seen both events and compensated accordingly. The first and second shots of the three-round burst deflected off Caldera�s hand and the adept�s shield; the third blew his brains out.

Caldera whirled, saw the body, then turned on me with her face twisted in rage. She charged and I dropped left, leaving my leg extended. Caldera tripped, sliding on the polished tiles to crash into a display of plants. I turned and waited for her to rise.

Caldera came up, earth and leaves in her hair, breathing heavily. �You murderous piece of shit.�

�Pot and kettle, Caldera.�

Caldera thrust out her hand at the entrance hall behind, where shouts and gunfire mixed with the flash of battle-magic. �You did this! You set it all up!�

�How many times have you come after me?� I said harshly. �Did you expect me to just sit there and take it?�

Caldera lunged. Her arms and limbs were wreathed in earth magic, giving her the toughness of stone and the strength of a bear. I stepped away from her punches, blows like hammers whistling past my head. �I�m here for Levistus,� I told her. �Not you.�

�I. Don�t. Give. A. Shit.� Caldera sent a punch with each word.

I stepped back from the blows, putting my back to the swimming pool. �I�m not here for you,� I repeated. �But I�ll kill you if I have to. First warning.�

�Fuck your warnings!�

Caldera tried to slam me into the pool. I ducked, caught her shoulder, twisted in a hip throw. Caldera went over my thigh and into the water with a boom of displaced water, sending a wave splashing up over the sides.

I was already moving, crouching by the adept�s body. As Caldera broke the surface, floundering and gasping, I scanned the adept�s items. The shield ring I discarded at a glance. The wand was more interesting. It was a combat focus that produced some kind of directed energy attack; I didn�t recognise the effect but it looked powerful. I clipped it to my belt and strode back into the main hall.

The tempo of the fight had changed while I was gone. All of Anne�s jann were dead, but they�d done heavy damage: all the icecats were gone, the adepts were down to a couple of survivors, and the only remaining security men were in a cluster up on the gallery on the far side. Barrayar and the other mage had closed ranks; their shields were overlapping and they were engaged in a furious long-range duel with Anne.

But the biggest change was that Levistus had sent in reinforcements. There were two giant four-armed gold-and-silver constructs at the far end of the hall, radiating magic and power in equal measure. Mantis golems. One had its feet planted and was spitting golden death at Anne from an energy projector. The second had been advancing towards my door with a heavy tread; as it saw me its energy projector came up and it fired.

No time to think. I acted on instinct, darting forward to the nearest staircase, then up the stairs to the gallery. The golem�s energy projector tore fragments from the wall, melted the iron steps just behind my feet. I reached the gallery and sprinted clockwise. The security guards on the opposite side added their fire to the golem�s, shots glancing off pillars and striking sparks from the railing. I caught a glimpse of Anne below; Barrayar and the other mage and the golem were battering her shield with attack spells. The roar of gunfire and battle-magic hammered at me from all around.

As I reached the corner of the room I went into a roll, coming up in a kneeling stance with my gun levelled, aiming down the gallery. The knot of security guards had been waiting, but a pillar had blocked their view of me for just long enough and their aim was high. I fired down the length of the gallery, sending three-round bursts as fast as I could pull the trigger. Caught out of cover, the guards were slaughtered. Bullets drilled through flesh until the MP7 clicked empty.

Only one guard was left, half-shielded by a dying man in front of him. His gun sighted on me as I pushed hard at the future I needed; the guard pulled left as he fired and the bullets plucked my sleeve. I closed the distance in five running strides, ducked his panicked blow, hit him in the throat and face. On the floor below, the mantis golem aimed its energy projector: I shoved the guard back against the railing and the energy blast caught him in the back, exploding his body and spattering me with blood.

Down on the lower level, Anne and the two enemy mages were still engaged. Anne was more powerful, but the overlapping air and force shield from the other two mages was deflecting her attacks, and I could see frustration on her face as her death spells were turned away. I scanned the battlefield below, analysed it in a split-second, then grabbed one of the dropped SMGs, clicked it to full-auto, and threw it with an overhand swing.

The gun went flying over the heads of Barrayar and the other mage, and as it did I sorted through the futures, pushing away hundreds, choosing one. The weapon hit the floor and went off, chattering flame. Bullets tore into the shield�s weaker side, some breaking through. The other mage staggered, his shield flickering.

Anne struck instantly. Green-and-black death flashed down the hallway, and the other mage died.

My precognition shouted a warning. I looked across to see Caldera in the doorway to the swimming pool, dripping wet and furious. Ignoring Anne, she raised a hand towards me. The gallery cracked and broke under my feet, the metal railing twisting as the stone came rumbling down.

I jumped clear of the avalanche, hitting the floor and rolling as the gallery fell in a cloud of dust and a roar. The mantis golem was lining up another shot, and I sprinted through another doorway and out of sight.

I�d come through into a canteen. White tables dotted the room, with orange-upholstered benches along the walls. Trays and half-eaten food were still laid out. A cloud of dust hung in the air around the doorway, obscuring sight.

I could still hear shouts from the entrance hall, combined with flashes of magic and the sounds of running feet. Caldera had broken off her pursuit�even she wasn�t going to run right past Anne in battle mode�but the mantis golem hadn�t. It would be on me in another ten seconds. I unclipped the wand from my belt and waited.

Heavy footfalls sent a tremble through the floor, and the mantis golem loomed out of the dust, striding forward before planting its feet and coming to a halt. I studied the construct, watching the solid line of its future shift in response to my actions. The golem was seven feet tall and looked like an enormous insect sculpted in silver and gold, with faceted eyes and triple-jointed legs. The upper two arms held a sword and some sort of stunning weapon; the lower two held the metal energy projector. Mantis golems are enormously strong, and invulnerable to all but the most powerful attack spells. But this wasn�t the first time I�d fought one, and I knew their weaknesses. They�re slow moving, they�re stupid, and those energy projectors they carry are deadly but unstable.

The mantis golem aimed its projector at my chest.

I�d been waiting with the wand aimed. I sent a surge of energy into the focus; its tip glowed red and a beam of scorching red light went down the energy projector�s barrel, piercing its inner workings just as it tried to fire.

The projector exploded in a burst of golden light, shards of white-hot metal flying in all directions. I�d closed my eyes against the flash; as I opened them I saw that the middle section of the golem was melted and shredded. Both lower hands had been destroyed; the armour on the abdomen had been burned away to reveal glowing silver veins with deep gouges from the shrapnel.

The golem ignored the horrific damage. It stood still for a moment, momentarily blocked in fulfilling its command, then the futures shifted and it began striding forward, its footsteps sending tremors through the floor, the sword and stun weapon lifted. I studied the golem as it closed in. I could make out the spell powering the golem, chains binding the spirit at the construct�s heart. It was enormously complex, energies working in weave and counterbalance. The sword whistled out and I stepped back, still calculating. There were holes in the construct�s armour, and a shot would hurt it, but if I wanted a kill�.�.�.

There. A tiny node where several lines of energy met. I didn�t understand how it worked or why that spot was the one that mattered, but that�s how it is when you�re a diviner. I used the fateweaver, sifting through the lines of the construct�s future.

The construct attacked again and I dodged, my movements neat and precise. A table came between me and the construct and was crushed to splinters. The sword made a whistling noise as it passed my head; that blade was heavier than any normal sword and one hit would explode my skull like a water balloon. The future I needed drew closer and I set my foot back, getting into position. Duck the sword, step aside from the stun�.�.�. and for an instant, the golem�s movements caused the rents in its armour to line up, exposing its core.

I fired the wand, and the scent of ozone filled the air. The golem didn�t react, reversing the sword for another strike. I ducked the backswing and fired again, the beam spearing the construct, burning into its heart.

The energy node snapped. Strands of magic lashed as the spell went wild, restraints breaking. The golem shuddered and came to a halt, the light going out of its eyes. Something huge and formless seemed to flow out of the construct�s legs and down into the earth: I had a fleeting sense of some ancient presence, cold and massive, then it was gone. The golem was a lifeless statue, arms extended and still.

Weakness rippled through me, the wand suddenly feeling like it weighed twenty pounds. There�s a reason I don�t like these kinds of combat focuses: those three shots had used up too much of my own energy. I clipped it to my belt and strode out of the canteen.

The entrance hall was empty. Bodies of humans and constructs littered the floor, and a haze of dust hung in the air, but there were no traces of the survivors or the other golem. Skirmish battles are fast: my fight with the golem had taken only a minute or two, but that had been more than enough time for the battle to move on. I could hear running footsteps in the distance, but there was no sign of Barrayar or Anne.

At the end of the hall was a pair of closed double doors that looked like they led somewhere important. I started walking, and as I did reached out through the dreamstone. November.

Oh! Oh good, you�re still�I mean, I�m glad you�re well.

�

There�s a very specific feeling when you wake up in the morning with something hanging over you. It makes your stomach and heart sink, a mixture of anxiety over what you did and worry over what�s going to happen next. When you�re young, you get it for things like an overdue library book, or a fight with another child. As you get older, you outgrow worries like that, but you don�t outgrow the feeling at all�you just get it for different reasons. For some people, it�ll be fear of a bad grade, or an angry manager. For others, it�s money, or the police.

But I�m fairly sure no one else woke up that particular morning wondering what was going to happen now that they�d just assassinated one of the leading politicians in the country. It was so extreme that I had trouble grasping it. There are lots of people who�ll tell you how to handle a bad breakup, or losing your job. There isn�t much advice out there on how to deal with killing a government minister and their entire personal staff.

I dressed, cleaned my teeth, and shaved. The imbued items I�d stolen last night sat around the room, their presence oppressive. I didn�t want to eat with them watching me, so I took some fruit and a protein bar out of the cottage and ate my breakfast sitting on a fallen tree in the Hollow�s morning sun. After the chaos and ugliness of last night, it was a relief to look at the sunlight and feel the wind.

Karyos arrived just as I was finishing up. The hamadryad seemed to glide through the undergrowth without brushing it, almost as if the plants bent aside to let her pass. �We have a visitor.�

I paused, holding the remains of my apple. �Outside?�

Karyos nodded. �He has disturbed the sensors but has not attempted entry. I believe he is waiting for a response.�

�Anyone you know?�

�No.�

I looked quickly through the futures to see who I�d find if I stepped out of the Hollow and to its mirrored location in the Chilterns. My eyebrows rose. �Huh.�

�

I gated to the spot I�d picked out for my audience with the Council. It was a clearing in a forestry area in Wales, in a dip between two hills. I�d picked out a selection of spots like this before my first time contacting the Council, and this was number three of ten. The others had been mostly in North and South America, but Wales felt appropriate. A lot of things had started here; this was a good place for them to end.

I made my preparations with more care than usual. Perimeter alarm focuses to warn me if anyone got close�my divination could do the same thing, but I wanted the extra layer of protection. Tripwires hidden in shadows between trees, where I could jump them but any pursuers wouldn�t see. Antipersonnel mines set up at key locations, where attackers would be funnelled into kill zones. Once I was done, I stepped back and studied my work.

It looked good. If anyone launched an attack, I should have more than enough time to decide whether to escape or to turn and fight. And to attack me, they�d have to find me, which would be quite a trick. I hadn�t used this site before, and in fact I hadn�t even decided to use this one at all until the very last minute. Once I started transmitting, they could track me down, but they�d have to get through my shroud, and it would be enormously difficult not to leave some warning that I�d sense well in advance. I checked back in with Luna and Karyos�they were fine. I checked in with November�he was safe in his new flat and reported nothing to be concerned about. I used the dreamstone to call Variam�he told me that he was on standby and no, he wasn�t being mobilised to go after me, and why was I sounding so worried if I wouldn�t tell him what about?

No matter what I did, I couldn�t sense any danger. Still, the uneasy feeling didn�t go away.

It was half an hour to the deadline when the first thing went wrong. The futures shifted and I could see that someone had the potential to find me. They weren�t here yet, but by the time the meeting was due to start, they�d have narrowed down my location and would be able to gate to me with little notice.

I could get away easily. But I�d spent hours preparing this site, and there was no way I�d be able to do all this setup again for a new location. Besides, if I did, what was to stop them following?

I could find some different and better-fortified location, but that would mean missing my window with the Council. That would send exactly the wrong message. I�d worked towards this for so long, I couldn�t screw it up now!

Shit. I checked the time. Twenty-seven minutes. What to do?

I paced, watching the futures grow more and more defined. I couldn�t see any evidence of actual aggression. Maybe they weren�t here for a fight.

With eighteen minutes to go, I made the decision to hold my ground. I�d wait him out, pretend he wasn�t there, and dare him to do something about it.

Fifteen minutes. Ten. I checked the futures obsessively. At this point it was pretty much useless and I knew it, but old habits die hard. Five minutes. One.

My com focus flashed exactly on time. I took a deep breath, then channelled through it. �Good afternoon, Alma,� I said. �It�s been a while.�

�Verus,� Alma said, her voice cold. �I believe you had something to discuss.�

Futures unfolded before me, different approaches, different words. Enough to tell me who was listening. �And Druss, and Bahamus, and Spire,� I said. �Oh, and can�t forget you, Undaaris.�

�We don�t have time for games,� Alma said. �Say your piece and get out.�

All of a sudden, I was calm. The focus was audio-only, but in my mind�s eye I could see the people I was talking to, sitting around the Star Chamber�s long table. Alma, straight-backed and unsmiling, grey-streaked hair framing a pair of cold eyes. Bahamus, silver-haired and aristocratic, courteous but missing nothing. Druss, a bear of a man with a thick beard. Undaaris, his eyes flicking from one person to another. And last of all, Spire, tall and silent and aloof.

But there were two more chairs around the head of that table, and right now, it was those two empty seats that the remaining members of the Senior Council would be thinking about. I�d sat at that table in the Star Chamber so many times, but always as an observer. This time I was the one in the driver�s seat.

�Oh, I�d say you quite clearly have time for games, Alma, given that for the past week you�ve done nothing else. First you stonewall me while your hunters follow my trail, then you pretend to agree to a negotiation and send a small army. You�ve tried to kill me, you�ve tried to betray me, and most importantly, you�ve wasted my time. On the positive side, this time you�re at least picking up the call yourself, which suggests you might be starting to learn from experience.�

�You have your audience, Verus,� Alma said. �Don�t push your luck.�

�Luck has nothing to do with it.� If Alma�s voice was cold, mine was ice. �You will listen to me because you are fully aware of what the consequences will be if you don�t.�

�Verus,� Bahamus cut in before Alma could reply. �Let us try to stay on point, please. I believe you have a proposal.�

�I have exactly the same proposal that I gave you a week ago. An end to hostilities. It would have saved a great many deaths if you�d taken me seriously the first time.�

�There were reasons for our decision.�

�Yes. The biggest reason was sitting in the chair to your right and he was called Levistus. That reason has now been removed.�

There was an uncomfortable pause. �This really all you want, Verus?� Druss said. �Everyone walks away?�

�It�s all I wanted from the beginning. You�re the ones who�ve been making it complicated.�

�Because you still refuse to recognise what you are asking,� Alma said sharply. �You broke the Concord.�

�Deal with it.�

�You cannot break the most important laws of this country and tell the Light Council to �deal with it.��

�Yes, I can.�

�Verus, be reasonable,� Bahamus said. �This is not only about you. Even if we were to overlook your�.�.�. activities�.�.�. the current state of your compatriot Miss Walker cannot be ignored.�

�You are directly responsible for the current state of Anne Walker,� I said. �And when I say you, I mean the Council as a whole. For years you turned a blind eye while mages like Sagash abused her. You voted to sentence her to death. After that was rescinded, Keepers reporting to Sal Sarque and Levistus attempted to kidnap and torture her, not once but multiple times. Maybe not all of you were responsible as individuals, but the Council is very much responsible as a whole, and the five of you lead the Council. And the Council treated her so badly that when she was trapped between that jinn and a Council task force, she turned to the jinn. Do you realise what it says about your behaviour that a jinn seemed like the better option?�

�Regardless of any sympathy I have for her current state�and I do have some, though you may not believe it�the fact remains that in her present condition, she is simply too dangerous. If you really want to help her, you should be trying to bring her in.�

�And if you wanted my help, you shouldn�t have sentenced us to death. Again.�

�The order was for your arrest,� Druss said.

�And how long do you think I�d have lasted in a Keeper cell?� I asked. �Whatever. I didn�t call to argue. I called to deliver a message. Do not go near me, do not go near Anne, and do not go near anyone I place under my protection. Clear?�

�We cannot simply ignore Anne,� Bahamus said.

�I will take care of Anne if it becomes necessary. Until and unless things reach that point, you will not move against her.�

�Your intentions regarding Anne Walker are irrelevant,� Alma said sharply. �You do not have the authority to make demands.�

�My authority is the two empty seats at your table.�

Alma�s voice was cold and menacing. �Are you attempting to threaten us?�

�That was not me threatening you,� I said. �This is me threatening you.� I leant forward and put every bit of my intensity into my voice. �There were seven of you at that table when you voted to sentence me to arrest and interrogation and death, and when you sent those Keepers to hunt me to the corners of the earth. There were six of you at that table when you refused my offer of a ceasefire and ordered Talisid�s team to ambush me. There are five of you at that table now. If you refuse my offer again, I will continue this war with every resource and ally at my disposal. I will use the information from Levistus�s files to sow discord in your ranks and destroy your base of support. I will ally with your enemies and use the information I�ve gathered over the years to strike where you are most vulnerable. And if that still doesn�t work, then I will come after you personally. I will arrange your destruction at the hands of others, as I did Sal Sarque, and I will kill you with my own hands, as I did Levistus. I will hunt you down one by one, so that there are four of you around that table, then three, then two, and if you still won�t listen then I will keep going until every last member of the Senior Council is dead and the Star Chamber is empty except for a records clerk sitting in an empty room!�

There was dead silence. I could almost hear the shock. No one spoke to the Council like that.

�You overreach yourself.� Alma tried to rally. �You were fortunate against Levistus. You will not be so lucky again.�

�Do you have any idea how many mages before you have told me that? Last night it was Levistus, and Lorenz and Caldera, and Levistus�s adepts, and Levistus�s security. Before that it was Talisid and his team. Before that it was Symmaris. Before that it was Jagadev. Before that it was Sal Sarque. Before that it was Onyx and Pyre. Every last one of them at some point looked at me, weighed up what they thought they knew, and decided that they liked their chances. Every last one of them is now defeated, dead, or both. So when you decide you can take me, Alma, I want you to understand very clearly that you are just the latest in a line of hundreds of people who thought the exact same thing!�

�Is that really all you�re bringing to the table, Verus?� Bahamus asked. �Threats?�

�Yes. Because for all your talk of law and stability, the only thing that you and the rest of the Council have ever really respected is power and the threat of force. There�s no real difference between you and the Dark mages. You�re both playing the same game; you�re just on different teams. So let me make this very clear. You will accept this ceasefire and you will stop coming after me or I will destroy you.�

There was no sound at all from the focus. Seconds ticked by.

�We will consider your proposal,� Bahamus said at last in an expressionless voice.

�Consider, then choose,� I said. �I�ll be waiting.�

The focus went dead. I stood in the clearing. Far overhead, clouds drifted in a clear sky. I watched the futures shift.

It was fifteen minutes later that the focus reactivated. �Verus?� Bahamus said.

�I�m listening.�

�We have�.�.�. after some consideration�.�.�. decided to accept your proposal,� Bahamus said. �We will cease any offensive operations against you and your immediate associates. Your legal status will become that of an unaffiliated mage. In exchange, you will undertake to take no aggressive action against us or provide any assistance to our enemies in the current war. Further details will be negotiated at a later date. Is this acceptable?�

�Yes.�

�Thank you.� Bahamus paused. �I hope we can develop a better relationship in the future.�

�I really don�t care,� I said. �Good-bye.�

I cut the focus. The light on the item went out and the connection went dead. I let out a long, slow breath.

And then, from the trees, I heard the sound of clapping.

I turned to see Morden step out into the clearing. The Dark mage was smiling. �Very well done,� he told me.

�On the one hand, thanks,� I said. �On the other, could you be a little less patronising?�

�My apologies,� Morden said. �But I meant it sincerely. You conducted your negotiation skilfully and with force.�

�I suppose I should take the compliment. What are you doing here, Morden?�

�Nothing very important. This is more of a social visit.�

�Tracking me down after the amount of work I put in to stay undetected today is not my definition of a social visit.�

�I suppose I could have left a phone call, but I felt this would be a better way of getting your attention.�

�Okay, you�ve got it,� I said. My guard was still very much up. I couldn�t sense any danger, but I wasn�t going to relax until I was back in the Hollow. �What do you want?�

�It�s a courtesy notice, really,� Morden said. �I thought I should inform you of my retirement.�

I blinked. �Your what?�

�I feel as though the time has come for me to exit the political sphere,� Morden said. �The British one, at least.�

�And do what? Teach adepts?�

�Possibly. I took up the practice through necessity but I�ve discovered I quite enjoy it.�

�Right,� I said. �I don�t want to come across as discouraging here, but I don�t think the Council is going to take �I�m retiring to become a teacher� as a valid reason to leave you alone.�

�Not if presented that way, no,� Morden said. �Which brings me to the other reason I was observing your negotiations. I had something of a personal interest in your success.�

I frowned.

�The Council and I have been in contact,� Morden said. �They are currently under the impression that you and I are acting as associates.�

�I�m not working for you anymore.�

�I didn�t say you were. Still, given the assistance I�ve provided�.�.�. and that you requested�.�.�. it�s not an unreasonable conclusion.�

I started to answer, then paused. I�d approached Morden in his shadow realm, and it had been on his guidance that I�d attacked Heron Tower. Then he�d helped with that diversion last night as well�.�.�. �I suppose not,� I said. �Though I don�t see��

I stopped as I remembered what Bahamus had said. We will cease any offensive operations against you and your immediate associates. I�d assumed he meant Anne, but if he had, why hadn�t he used her name? �Associates� implied more than one�.�.�.

I looked at Morden. Morden looked back at me with his eyebrows raised.

�You used me for this,� I said.

�Just as you used me.�

�I wondered why you were being so helpful,� I said. �Let me guess. You also gave them the impression that we both had access to Levistus�s blackmail files, and it�d be in their best interest to leave you alone.�

Morden inclined his head slightly.

I studied Morden. �I could tell them you were lying.�

�You could,� Morden said. �Though it would result in a rather awkward conversation where they attempted to decide which of us to believe. I also suspect it would encourage them to reconsider your deal. You forced them to the negotiating table by projecting an image of strength, but if they sense they could play the two of us off against one another�.�.�.�

Shit. Yeah, that was exactly how the Council would see it. I might be able to make it work, but it�d be a risk�.�.�.

�.�.�. a risk that would gain me nothing. It wouldn�t help me, it wouldn�t help Anne, and it wouldn�t help my friends. On the other hand, if I kept quiet, it�d give me leverage over Morden in the future. He wouldn�t be able to threaten me the way he had in the past.

And besides�.�.�. did I actually care whether Morden got one over on the Council?

Not really.

I looked at Morden. He was watching me calmly, and I wondered how much of my thoughts he�d been able to guess. �Why are you really doing this?� I said. �And don�t tell me it�s for health reasons, or that you want to spend time with your family. You and Richard worked towards this for years. Why step away now?�

Morden nodded. �I am willing to gratify your curiosity, on condition that you keep the remainder of our conversation private.�

I thought for a second. �All right.�

�My arrangement with Richard worked most effectively while the two of us operated in separate spheres,� Morden said. �I was on the Council and dealt with Light mages; he stayed in the shadows and dealt with Dark ones. Unfortunately, once I made my final break with the Council, that was no longer sustainable. For a while I took the role of teacher, training adepts in Arcadia, but the distance between us was greatly reduced. As time passed, Richard and I were forced to take decisions that encroached upon each other�s freedom of action.�

�You wanted different things,� I translated. �The differences weren�t a problem to begin with because you weren�t in a position to act freely. Once you started winning, though�.�.�.�

�A common problem with revolutions,� Morden said. �Fortunately, I had been aware of the risk, and decided that my stewardship of Arcadia would be my final act in this conflict. Once it was destroyed, I began making preparations to take my leave.�

I studied Morden, thinking. �Seems to me that if you saw it coming that far in advance, you should have prepared your departure a bit more carefully.�

�Perhaps.�

�I think you did prepare it more carefully,� I said. �Then all of a sudden you had to improvise. Something happened to move up your schedule, didn�t it?�

Morden nodded. �While my issues with Richard were a source of tension, they were not immediately urgent.�

�Let me guess,� I said. �Anne.�

�Richard intended to employ Anne and her jinn as his trump card in a series of key conflicts with the Council. Your actions not only prevented this, but introduced a new and highly unpredictable variable. Richard has been forced to modify his plans.�

�Which plans?�

�

The wards on the Hollow failed thirteen minutes later.

Luna, Karyos, and I were standing ready. I�d identified the spot where the breach would occur, and we�d taken up positions around it, myself on point with Luna and Karyos flanking me a good distance back. I was wearing my armour and holding the spear, and could feel the presence of both imbued items, one defensive, one aggressive. It was the best display of strength we could manage. I wasn�t sure it was going to be enough.

A patch of air a little way ahead began to darken. With my magesight, I could see the strands of a gate beginning to form.

Let me do the talking, I said through the dreamstone.

The air darkened, becoming opaque, and the darkness took the form of a ragged oval. The strands of the gate completed as the spell activated. A foot broke the surface of the black portal, and a mage stepped through. His feet came down on the grass of the Hollow, and the portal faded away behind him as he stopped, his eyes glancing over Karyos and Luna before coming to rest on me.

�You are not welcome,� I told Richard.

�You can lower your weapon, Alex,� Richard said. As always, his voice seemed to dominate the area, resonant and clear. �I haven�t come to fight.�

�That�s funny,� I said. �Normally, forcing your way through gate wards means exactly that.�

�You�ve been making rather a habit of entering shadow realms uninvited, as I understand,� Richard said, but held up a hand before I could answer. �I offer a truce. I have come to speak to you, and nothing more. You have my word.�

I looked back at Richard.

I don�t trust him, Luna said. I�d kept the mental link open, and her thoughts were sharp and wary. Is he working with Anne? Why is he here?

I know, I thought back at her. I lowered the spear slightly. �Very well.�

Richard made an inviting gesture. Hold, I told Luna and Karyos, and advanced. I came to a stop maybe ten feet away from Richard, studying my old master. At this range, I could reach him with the spear in less than a second. I couldn�t sense danger, but I knew better than to rely on that.

�I have come to extend you an invitation to a meeting between myself and the Council,� Richard told me.

I looked back at him for a second before replying. �A meeting about what?�

�I will be proposing a temporary alliance.�

�And you expect them to agree?�

�The decision is of course theirs,� Richard said. �But ultimately, yes.�

I looked back at him.

�Shall I assume you will be attending?� Richard asked.

�Sorry, I was distracted,� I said. �I�m trying to figure out whether you�re lying or just delusional.�

�Neither is the case.�

�As of this moment, you are possibly the only person in this country that the Council has more reason to hate than me. So please do explain to me why they would have the slightest interest in an alliance.�

�They have an interest in an alliance,� Richard said, �because otherwise, they have perhaps a week before your lover effectively destroys this country.�

I stared.

�I am inviting you to this meeting for two reasons,� Richard said. �Firstly, because I believe you can contribute in ways that neither my cabal or the Council can fully match. And secondly, because this whole mess is entirely your fault. By freeing Anne�s jinn, you have triggered a threat that has the potential to cause more destruction than any war in recorded history.�

It took me a long time to come up with an answer. �I don�t believe you,� I said at last.

�Then listen and I will explain,� Richard said. �But make no mistake. You caused this. And I fully expect you to clean it up.�