Upon seeing that, Priyanka sighed heavily. "Well, I guess they know I'm here." She looked to her mustached friend. "What is it that you want? I can't promise anything, but I owe you, so I'll take that into account."
Halfdan straightened his vest. "It's about a woman."
"This is my surprised face," said Priyanka, deadpan. "Let me guess, she's not in the business, but you want to bring her to Deathbird. You know the rules, Halfdan. Why ask?"
"I'm planning on wearing them down through sheer annoyance," he said. "I figure I have more than enough time."
Priyanka rolled her eyes. "If anyone can do it, you can. No one in the history of our profession has been more persistent."
"So you'll do it?" he asked.
"Against my better judgment," she replied.
"Thanks, Pri." Halfdan glanced over to Zayn. "When you're done here, let me take you to the bar and tell stories about her. You wouldn't believe the things she's done."
Zayn kept his expression neutral, though his mind soared. "I'd like that."
"Absolutely not," said Priyanka. "We have to get back to the Halls after this."
"I'm not sure why you have such fealty to that place. It's not like they treat you well," said Halfdan.
"It's my world and my people. I'll protect who I want," said Priyanka, giving Halfdan a tight-lipped stare down.
He threw his hands up apologetically. "Sorry, Pri. I didn't mean to insult you. At least you've got a place to go back to. I probably wouldn't be here if I had one."
Halfdan clasped Zayn on the shoulder. "So how'd you do with the welcome water? You figure it out? Or did she let you drink it and administer the antidote afterwards?"
"She warned me before I drank it," said Zayn, glad that his dark skin hid his blushing cheeks.
"Warned you? She really is getting soft. In the early years, she let a few protégés die, just as a warning to the other potentials," he said.
"I never did that," she said quickly.
"You did some awful things like that," said Halfdan.
Priyanka gave her friend a questioning glance, but then nodded her head in acceptance. She looked to Zayn.
"In case you do hear some stories, which if they come from anyone but Halfdan, are probably true, know that sometimes in our profession it's hard to know if you really are the good guys," she said.
The cobblestone streets led them to the slate-gray fortress, which didn't have an inch of tarnish on its walls. The structure had a weight to it, like it had existed for thousands of years. It was surrounded on three sides by the crystalline trees, leaving the only access through the front. There were no windows, only a door made of sunlight across a simple bridge.
As they reached the crossing point, Halfdan skidded to a halt.
"This is the place where I get off," he said.
Halfdan and Priyanka shared a hug. "Don't be a stranger. I'll even buy you a drink or two."
Priyanka laughed. "How generous of you." She headed across the bridge. "Come on, Zayn."
Before he moved to follow, Halfdan stopped him by grabbing his arm. "Be careful. Most of her protégés don't live long."
"But those that do are rewarded," replied Zayn.
Halfdan snorted, squeezing his arm. "Maybe you'll be fine. Good luck. Stay cunning."
Zayn followed Priyanka towards the door of light. She went through without hesitation. When his foot touched the first shafts of brilliance, a presence invaded his mind. It was alien and vast. It felt like something large and winged was descending upon him, as if he were a mouse hiding in the weeds, but there was no hiding from this thing in his mind. Zayn knew without a doubt that if it didn't like what was in there, he'd never leave the fortress alive.
Chapter Eight
Deathbird, November 2014
Nothing ominous about a group called the Black Council
Relief flooded Zayn as the presence retreated. He wanted to scrub himself with sand inside and out even though it had only invaded the outer layers of his thoughts. It felt like something akin to the Goon's amulet, except living and vaster, and it made him feel tiny and insignificant.
"What was that?" he asked, rubbing his forearms as if he were cold. They stood in a gilded hall of white marble and golden filigree, which carried his voice in echo.
Priyanka watched him with her dark eyes. "A sad tale for another time." She gestured to the room. "This place is the Bastille, part home to the Black Council, part armory, and part...something else. It protects them."
He felt less privileged that he'd been invited to join Priyanka, and more worried that he was getting involved with events far beyond his skills.
Sensing his discomfort, she said, "You can return to the Halls if you'd like."
"No," he said right away. "I'm just...getting used to things."
"Good. You didn't seem like the type to run from danger," she said.
"I'd rather not run towards it either, unless absolutely necessary." He nodded towards the door of light behind them. "What was that about a Pact?"
"Deathbird is hallowed ground. No fighting, stealing, or killing here. It also gives the Council jurisdiction over the wares of our tradecraft, when we try to work in realms not our own. Otherwise, there'd be a never-ending war of escalation."
"What keeps people from breaking the Pact?"
"One, if you ever want to retire here, then you have to follow the rules. Two, the Black Council can authorize a whole host of assassins to uphold the Pact if necessary, and the punishment, as you'll see in a little bit, if they bring you back alive, is ghastly," she said.
The marble floor reflected the hard soles of Priyanka's thigh-high boots. He felt like he was marching towards an execution. Along the walls were glass cases filled with weapons of many shapes and sizes.
Zayn pointed to a jagged curved blade with a blue jewel in its hilt.
"A showpiece mostly," said Priyanka. "The Council doesn't keep the good weapons in plain sight to keep people from being tempted."
"Is everyone a thief?" he asked.
A glint of amusement flashed in her eyes. "Each in their own way. A spy steals information, an assassin steals a life, and a diplomat is the worst of all of them."
"What do they steal?"
"Empires," said Priyanka, as if the word held a hidden joke.
They passed through open doors. Painted frescos showed all manner of men, women, and supernatural creatures dying in gruesome battles.
While they were strolling across the marble floor, Priyanka's boots ringing against the stone, Zayn caught movement to his right from a hidden alcove. He paused, and Priyanka waited with him. Clearly she knew what it was, and was letting him experience it for himself.
A creature the size of a man, made entirely of glass, except for an internal structure of bright steel to help it move, marched towards them, stopping when it was about thirty feet away. Crimson jewels where its eyes should have been glimmered as it surveyed them.
"A glass guardian," said Priyanka. "There are a dozen of the things in the Bastille. Always vigilant. Deadly to the point of cruelty."
"They don't look tough. Wouldn't a simple force bolt destroy one?" he asked.
"Their frailty is the point. Inside that glass body is a colorless gas that turns your lungs to ash, leaving you gasping for air until you die. A bullet to the head would be preferable."
"That's diabolical. There's no way to fight it," said Zayn as they resumed their journey.
In the rotunda beyond the first hall, a spherical shimmering light filled the space at the center of the massive room. At first Zayn thought it was a trick, to make illumination appear solid, but then he realized it wasn't light, but something that looked like light. Vague shapes moved inside the spherical object, like sailors drowning in a pale sea. A sense of unease trickled down his spine.
"Are those people in there?"
Tight-lipped, Priyanka answered, "They were at one time."
Her answer made him shiver, even if he didn't know why.
She continued, "If you break the Pact then you are placed into the stasis field, where you feel immeasurable pain for an eternity."
The thought of what he was witnessing made him nauseous. "That's awful."
"It is." She examined the sphere with her chin high, clearly disgusted, but also not looking away. "But sometimes maintaining the peace requires drastic measures."
A curving staircase took them around the circumference of the room. Zayn couldn't help but watch the shapes move in the sphere, wondering what they did that deserved such a fate.
At the top of the stairs, an imposing door blocked the way. It had to be at least twenty feet tall.
Priyanka grabbed him by the shoulder and made him face her. She pulled a tuning fork from a pocket, struck it with a fingernail, and added a breath of faez. Zayn recognized the privacy spell.
"Listen to me carefully. I'll be the only one speaking to the Black Council. They might want to ask you questions, but unless I give you the signal, do not answer them," she said.
"Why did you bring me if I'm not going to speak?" he asked.
"The first reason is that they're cagey operators, and since you don't know the dangers, I wouldn't want to put you at risk. Two, I want you to listen and watch the Council members, use that nimble brain of yours." She tapped on his temple. "Try to learn something from their answers, how they speak, anything you can suss out of their actions."
"If I do well, can I get Keelan on my team?" he asked.
The corners of her eyes creased. "You're persistent, but you know my answer. Focus on the moment. Keep your sensing imbuement running as high as you can manage without letting anyone know you're using it."
"Is that illegal here?" he asked.
When a smirk grew on her lips and she didn't answer, worry flooded through Zayn. But as soon as she banged on the door, his adrenaline took over and washed away his doubts.
The doors opened on their own. Priyanka marched in with her hands behind her back.
The circular room had high seats along the far wall in which three women and two men in black clothing leaned back with practiced indifference. Priyanka took up station at the center of the circle, motioning behind her back for Zayn to stay near the door. He settled himself at the edge of the open room and poured faez into his sensing imbuement.
"Priyanka Sai," said the eldest woman, who had a distinctive sag to her right eye, "trouble follows you like a plague, so I do not greet you warmly. Speak your piece so we may send you on your way as hastily as possible."
The woman to her left had lustrous black skin and spoke with an accent Zayn didn't recognize. "Eleanor, this is no way to treat an honored guest. When Priyanka decides to retire, many eons from now, she will be one of the most accomplished ever to join our ranks."
Eleanor slapped her hand against the table. "As the longest-serving member of the Council, I remember far more than you." Her hard expression softened. "But your words are wise, Antheka. I will temper my mood, assuming the reasons she's come to the Council do not stir me back to action. Speak, Priyanka."
Priyanka bent at the waist until her face nearly touched the floor, then slowly straightened. She inclined her head towards each member of the Black Council, starting on the left and speaking their names in turn.
"Jax Ringer. Loren Pale. Eleanor Fields. Antheka Drummondana. Tamako."
The first four looked entirely human, though Zayn recognized that many supernatural creatures chose that form. The fifth member of the Council did not hide her differences, as she had smoky pale skin, and when Zayn looked at her, grand glittering cities appeared in his head. She was a maetrie, a member of the city elves.
"Thank you for allowing me to speak," said Priyanka. "I bring you unfortunate news. Someone sent the Gurken to collect heads in the city of Invictus."
A collective gasp passed through the Council. Eleanor pounded her fist on the table.
"Surely you jest. His fees are so large now that no one has hired him in decades," she said.
Murmurs of agreement followed. Zayn watched the Council. The four that looked visibly human wore various expressions of disgust, while Tamako seemed indifferent, though he gathered that was her normal countenance.
"Yes, I jest. Clearly I've nothing better to do than travel here and waste your time with fairy tales," said Priyanka. "Or I'm here because the Gurken should not be operating in my city. Either the Black Council granted permission for this and I want to know why I wasn't contacted, or you're toothless old men and women who can't uphold the Pact anymore."
Through his highly tuned hearing, Zayn caught the grinding of teeth, as if one of the Council members knew about the Gurken, but he couldn't pinpoint who it was because of their audible gasps. It possibly sounded like it came from the left side of the table, from Jax or Loren, but he wasn't completely certain.
Eleanor spoke forcefully. "You know we would never authorize this. Someone is operating outside the bounds of the Pact." She glanced to her fellow Council members. "We will have to discuss consequences after this. But as for the matter of the attack. Can you give us details?"
As far as Zayn could tell, Eleanor seemed to be telling the truth, but he burned faez more quickly just in case.
"The Gurken killed the patron of the Smallest Eye hall and three students. He put their heads in a stasis box, I assume for extracting thoughts later," said Priyanka.
"What about the boxes? Did you sense their make? And how did you know it was the Gurken?" asked Antheka.
Priyanka nodded towards Zayn. "One of my students witnessed it. The boxes were made of steel with arcane lashes on the joints."
As their gazes fell upon him, he had to hide his surprise at her lie. The boxes had been made of brass with runes etched into their surfaces. But he recovered quickly, focusing on their reactions. If one of the Council members had ordered the collection, then they would know the lie and might wonder. But once again, he saw nothing to indicate it was any of them.
"Curious," said Jax. "But that make doesn't indicate anything in particular. Anyone could build a stasis box like that. Was there anything else that told the tale of his hire?"
Jax leaned his head to the left slightly as he gazed in Zayn's direction. The man wore an open collared shirt, and tufts of curly black chest hair stuck out. He had a feral grin, like a wolf on the hunt.
Zayn stared back, trying to measure the man, to see if he were the one who had been grinding his teeth. If he was closer to Jax, he could sense the man's heartbeat, and that might tell him more, but the room was large, and there were enough echoes to confuse his hearing.
"I couldn't care less about the boxes. They're trivial at this point. What I care about is that the Gurken was in my city, and clearly by your surprise you didn't authorize it. The Pact demands an answer," said Priyanka.
Eleanor nodded sagely. "We hear your complaint and we shall rectify it."
Tamako spoke with a silky authority. "It will be difficult to find willing souls to go against the Gurken. And though he's never agreed to the Pact, he's never acted against it either."
"This is a matter we should discuss afterwards," said Eleanor, before turning her attention back to Priyanka. "If you have nothing further, you may return to your home so we can discuss what countermeasures we might bring to the situation."
Priyanka bowed her head as if she were ready to leave, which meant he wouldn't get a chance to figure out who the teeth grinder was.
When Zayn spoke, his voice cracked. "The Gurken said something before he took the heads."
Priyanka's hair whipped around as she faced him, anger on her lips. The Council seemed amused by his sudden announcement.
"I'm sorry," said Zayn. "I didn't realize what I'd heard until I was thinking about it."
Priyanka searched his face with her eyes, clearly trying to determine if he'd gone insane, but Zayn wanted to get closer, and he needed a reason.
"May I come forward?" he asked.
"Certainly, young man," said
Eleanor, who was enjoying his disobedience. The others on the Council watched him keenly. He tried to control his breathing, but it was hard with their eyes upon him.
When he reached Priyanka's side, Eleanor asked, "What is your name?"
"Zayn Carter."
"And what is it that you heard? A word, a phrase?" she asked.
His heart jumped around in his chest. It was hard to listen to their bodily sounds with his own body making a racket in his head.
"It was a name," he said, hearing the tremor in his own voice.
He checked for a reaction, but saw nothing but their luminous faces, blocking out his thoughts.
"It was short, maybe one syllable," said Zayn, looking to Jax for a reaction, but he sensed no difference in his expression or heartbeat. "It's hard to say. It was a difficult thing to watch, and I was afraid I was going to be next. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me."
The Council members leaned back in their chairs.
"How disappointing," said Eleanor. "Maybe you shouldn't have spoken up then, if your patron did not give you permission."
Priyanka was not hiding her displeasure.
"My apologies," said Priyanka, glaring at him. "He shouldn't have spoken. I will punish him accordingly when we return home. We shall take our leave."
They left the Bastille straight away. Priyanka said nothing as he worked to keep up with her quick strides. When they went through the portal—a brief but gut-wrenching journey—she turned on him immediately, the stern expression bent to disappointment.
"When I tell you not to speak, that means that you should not speak," she said.
"You asked me to pay attention, and I was. I think one of them sent the Gurken because they ground their teeth when you announced it. But I couldn't tell who, so I had to get closer," he spit out as fast as he could.
"Is that what the business with the lie was?" she asked.
He nodded, and she stood straighter, gaze shifted as she considered it.
"It was a worthy attempt then," she said, her disappointment washed away. "And you comported yourself well, giving nothing away. But I assume you didn't learn anything, or you would have already told me."
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