Alex Verus Novels, Books 1-4 (9780698175952)

by Jacka, Benedict

  I let go, and Lyle fell back, shrinking into the corner of the alcove. “You’re a fool,” I said quietly. “You’re telling me you didn’t know what sort of man you were working for? I don’t buy it, Lyle. You knew, you just didn’t want to think about it. Just like always.” I shook my head. “You haven’t changed at all.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But Lyle’s eyes were scared. I knew he was lying, and so did he.

  I walked away. There were a handful of others up on this section of the balcony, and they’d all stopped to watch. They eyed me as I passed. News of this would spread quickly, but right now, I didn’t care.

  The second-floor balcony ran the entire circuit of the hall, and its side was open to the floor below. Arched pillars supported the level above my head and a steel handrail gave protection against falling. After a moment my thoughts steadied enough for me to realise that I was walking back around towards the dance floor, where I’d last seen Luna. I kept going, hoping to spot her from above, and before long I was within earshot of the band again. The music was captivating, and I felt my pulse starting to slow. I settled into the shadow of one of the pillars and leant on the railing, looking down over the crowd.

  As I looked from side to side, my mind flitted back over my encounter with Levistus. I finally understood what Helikaon had been trying to tell me. I’d never liked the Council, but I realised now that I’d been blind to the threat it could be. I’d walked into that room without understanding just how dangerous the competition for this artifact was, and I’d nearly paid for it with my life. Well, now I did understand. Everyone after this artifact was willing to kill to get it, and if things kept going as they were, I was going to end up in the middle. That was not a safe place to be.

  I felt a presence to one side and turned. A man was standing on the balcony a few steps away. “Mr. Verus?” His voice was cultured, polite. “Might I have a word?”

  “Depends on the word.” I studied the man. His clothes looked high-quality but nondescript. He had no visible escort or companion, which could mean something, or nothing at all.

  The man smiled slightly. “I believe you’ve just had a meeting with Councillor Levistus. I’d like to offer my assistance, should you be willing to accept it.”

  “Yeah?” A scan of the future told me the man was no immediate threat. I turned to the railing and went back to searching the crowd for Luna. “I think I’ve had all the assistance I can handle for a little while, thanks.”

  “I can understand how you’d feel that way. However, I think you’d benefit from taking the time to listen to what I have to say.”

  The last thing I needed was yet another mage trying to take advantage of me. But for the moment at least, this guy was harmless, and I didn’t have time to shoo him off. “Okay, shoot.”

  There. Luna was a little to the side of the dance floor, in the centre of a small crowd. Everyone was smiling, and from a quick glance at the body language the mood looked pleasant. Luna was talking to a woman in a shimmering pink dress who was watching her with her head tilted in interest. She seemed to be holding her own, and I felt myself relax slightly.

  I realised the man next to me was speaking. “…be interested?”

  “Sorry. Could you say that again?”

  “As I said,” he repeated patiently, “Levistus is not the only mage on the Council, and his ambitions are far from being a secret. If you’re worried about the terms of your employment with him, I might be able to offer some assistance.”

  I sighed. “Let me take a wild guess. As part of the terms of this assistance, you or whoever you’re representing would get the items inside the relic, right?”

  “We would prefer to see any Precursor artifacts in our hands rather than his, yes.”

  “I’m sure you would.” I turned to face him. “Look, Mr.… ?”

  “Talisid.”

  “Mr. Talisid. I’m rapidly losing count of the number of factions out to grab this artifact. What exactly makes you different from the others?”

  “For one thing,” Talisid said calmly, “we aren’t threatening to kill you if you don’t cooperate. Or even if you do. I’m sure it’s already occurred to you that being a loose end in one of Levistus’ plans might not be the safest of positions?”

  For the first time I turned my full attention to the man. He was a hair under medium height, in his forties, dressed in dark clothes, with a receding hairline. He looked like a blackbird against the peacocks on the dance floor, but there was a steadiness to his gaze that suggested he might be someone to take seriously.

  “You seem to know a lot about what was supposed to be a private conversation,” I said at last.

  “Diviners don’t have a monopoly on knowledge, Mr. Verus. Deduction can work just as well.”

  “You’re with the Council?”

  “I represent a faction of the Council. At the moment, I believe our interests coincide with yours.” Talisid moved past me to rest his arms upon the railing, his clothes dark against the metal. “Not everyone on the Council is happy with the Dark mages’ growth in power. And even those sympathetic to their proposals would prefer not to see one of them gain control of such a powerful relic. In this case, the majority is with us.”

  “If you’ve got the majority on your side, why do you need me?”

  “Unfortunately, while a majority of the Council have a preference for the artifact not falling into the hands of a Dark mage, they have an even greater preference for the artifact falling into the hands of themselves.”

  I let out an exasperated breath. “This is ridiculous. Do you guys even know what this thing does? You’re all going to look really stupid if it ends up being a dud, you know that?”

  “We’ve got more important concerns than looking stupid, Mr. Verus,” Talisid said patiently. “And as I was saying, we may be able to assist you.”

  Something pinged on my danger sense and I looked down. Luna was still talking in the middle of her crowd, but that wasn’t where the thread of trouble was coming from. I scanned up and down, looking through the crowd for movement. Three figures caught my eye. They were spread through the crowd, but linked somehow, and—

  Oh crap. It was the three Dark mages—Cinder, Khazad, and the masked woman—and they were after Luna. They were surrounding her, closing in steadily from three sides. She was still talking, oblivious, as they moved closer and closer.

  I spun and headed for the nearest staircase. “Mr. Verus!” Talisid called sharply.

  “Sorry!” I called over my shoulder. “It’ll have to wait!” I broke into a run, sprinting along the balcony and down the wide staircase. A couple talking close to one other on the landing broke off and pressed themselves to one side as I came flying down. I reached ground level in twenty seconds flat and slowed to a fast walk as I came out into the Great Hall. I knew where Luna was going to be, and I needed to get there first.

  I didn’t. As I came within sight of Luna, I saw the three Dark mages surrounding her. The others she had been talking to were nowhere in sight. I caught a glimpse of one disappearing behind a knot of people, throwing a nervous glance back at Cinder. The floor was still crowded and the buzz of conversation drowned out what they were saying, but I didn’t need to use my magic to know that Luna was in danger. I scanned quickly through the futures and found a way to approach without being seen.

  The woman talking to Luna was the same one I’d seen at the British Museum and Camden Market, though I still didn’t know her name. She was wearing a dress of royal blue that sparkled in the light, along with a mask over her upper face, and she stood looking down at Luna, one hand resting on her hip. Cinder was to her side, dressed in black with highlights of flaring red. “Luna,” the woman was saying. Her voice was clear, musical; again, as I heard it the sound set off a chime of memory. “You have something that belongs to me.”

  Luna looked from the woman to Cinder. If she recognised her from the episode this morning, she didn’t let it show. “Do I know
you?” she said at last.

  “No.” The woman took a step forward. She was taller than Luna, with short blond hair. “If you know what’s good for you you’ll keep it that way. Where’s the cube?”

  “Sorry?”

  “Don’t play games with me.” The woman’s voice was cold and dangerous. “A crowd won’t protect you. Give me what I want or I’ll take it from you.”

  Luna stood very still. The sounds of chatter around seemed to fade away. When Luna finally spoke, there was a note in her voice I’d never heard before. “I don’t think I like your attitude very much.” All of a sudden Luna sounded much older. “If you want something, ask without the threats.”

  Even with danger close at hand, I felt a sudden surge of pride. Under pressure, Luna had recognised the woman for what she was, and done exactly the right thing: stood up to her without showing fear. All the time that I’d been talking to her she had been listening, and she’d shown she could do it under pressure. In that instant I realised that, despite everything that had happened, and even though she wasn’t a diviner or even a mage, I did think of Luna as my apprentice, and I was proud of her.

  Of course, it wasn’t going to stop her from being abducted in exactly fifteen seconds. But that was where I came in.

  “You, little girl, just made a big mistake,” the woman said after a long pause. She made a signal with two fingers. “Let’s see exactly what you—”

  As she spoke, Khazad glided behind Luna. I’d thought the small man looked like a bird the first three times I’d seen him, but he moved now with a sinuous grace, more like a snake. A needle gleamed in one hand, catching the light as he brought it towards the bare skin of Luna’s shoulder.

  It never got there. As Khazad moved, so did I, and as he came up behind Luna I stepped in beside him. My right hand closed on his wrist, and as he made his move I spun him around, redirecting his momentum so that the needle sank into his own arm. There was a faint spark as the spell discharged and Khazad’s head jerked in shock. Luna, Cinder, and the woman all turned in the same instant to stare at me. Luna’s eyes lit up; Cinder’s darkened. “You!”

  “Hey, Cinder. Nice to see you again.” I turned my gaze to the woman with a smile. “She did warn you.”

  The woman stared, speechless. I turned to Luna, offering my hand. “Sorry, I got held up. Shall we go?”

  Luna took a glance back at Cinder and the woman, then took my hand with barely a pause. The other two stared after us as we walked away, Khazad in tow.

  “That was awesome,” Luna said once we were away. All traces of how she’d been outside were gone; she looked alert and glowing.

  “Are they following us?”

  “No—yes. Through the crowd.”

  “Okay. Break left…now.” We slipped behind a group of people. From the other side I could just hear hurrying footsteps as Cinder and the woman came walking quickly after us, fading away as we doubled back.

  Khazad was still walking aimlessly by my side, guided by my arm around his waist. Luna tilted her head to look into his eyes, then waved her fingers in front of his face. He didn’t respond. “What happened to him?”

  “Same thing he was about to do to you.” I lifted his right hand and pointed to the needle clutched in his fingers. It was about eight inches long, made of some kind of silvery metal, tipped with a dot of blood where it had driven into Khazad’s arm. “Enchantment effect, kind of like magical Rohypnol. They were going to use it on you, then walk you out the front door.”

  Khazad’s eyes were vacant; without me to guide him, he just stood there. Relaxed, his face was harsh and cruel. Luna peered over to look at him while I went through Khazad’s pockets. He was carrying another of the needles along with a few other things that looked like weapons, but no written instructions or anything that would give me a hint as to which spell they’d been using to track Luna. Damn.

  “Can he hear us?” Luna asked.

  “Probably.” I glanced back over my shoulder. We’d swerved away from the dance floor towards the other side of the hall and had ended up next to a fountain of steel and stone that bubbled with clear water. A minor illusory effect played over the water, causing it to flicker through the colours of the rainbow: red to yellow to green to blue and back again. “We’d better dump him before he slows us down.”

  I sat Khazad down on the edge of the fountain and slapped him in the face twice, hard. A few people gave me curious looks but you can get away with a lot if you’re blatant enough. I’d just gone through his pockets in full view of all the guests and gotten nothing more than a few funny looks. “Khazad,” I said clearly. “Can you hear me?”

  Khazad’s eyes were still vague, but I could sense a presence behind them this time, something looking at me with a distant hatred. This was the second time I’d gotten the better of him, and even with the magic scrambling his thoughts, I could feel how much he wanted to kill me. “That’s twice you’ve tried,” I said. I looked into his eyes as I spoke, keeping contact. “This is your last chance to walk away. You understand? One chance. Pull anything like this again, on either of us, and I’ll see you dead.”

  Khazad glared at me, unable to speak. I could sense the two Dark mages approaching from behind. I straightened and walked away, and the two of us disappeared into the crowd, the noise and bustle swallowing us. The music of the band faded as we put some distance between us and the dance floor.

  “Are they still coming?” Luna said once we were away. She was craning her neck, trying to look in every direction at once.

  “Yeah.” Now that they weren’t heading straight for us I couldn’t predict their movements so easily, but I knew they’d be back.

  “How did they find me?”

  “They spent today at your flat. Could they have found anything from your body? Hair, nail clippings, blood?”

  “No—yes. Some hairs from my pillow, maybe the bathroom…”

  I nodded. “If you have something that was once a part of someone, you can put together a tracer spell that works through just about anything. No chance of it failing on its own. We’re going to need something stronger.”

  Luna nodded. “What do we do?”

  “Head for the games area. Keep going towards those pillars at the back.”

  As we crossed the hall, I led Luna in a looping, swerving course. Most divination spells are directional, and if Cinder or what’sher-name were trying to anticipate Luna’s movements, this would slow them down. We passed knots of people, fountains, more of the white-masked servants, the buzz of laughter and conversation filling the air. The sphere arena had quieted down; a new match would probably start soon. My eyes tracked up to what looked like a blank stretch of crystal wall above the arena and between the balconies, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Levistus was behind that wall, and somehow I knew he was watching me.

  “Alex?” Luna asked as we walked.

  “Hm?”

  “Did you mean it?”

  “What?”

  “Khazad. When you said you’d kill him.”

  “I meant it.”

  Luna walked for a little while in silence. “Thank you,” she said eventually.

  I looked at her in surprise, then smiled slightly. “You did well back there.”

  Luna looked taken aback, then flushed. She was about to say something when a voice spoke from in front of us, interrupting. “Hi!”

  I looked up to see a girl smiling at me. She was young, maybe eighteen or nineteen, and beautiful enough to be a model. Long, shining gold hair hung down her back, and she wore a low-cut blue silk dress with long slits that showed off her legs. A black ribbon was tied around her neck. “You’re Alex Verus, right?”

  “That’s me.”

  “Oh, it’s great to finally meet you!” She came to a stop nearby, her smile showing a set of perfect teeth. “I’m Lisa.”

  “Hi, Lisa.” I kept walking, leaving her behind.

  Lisa blinked, then hurried to catch up, struggling in her high hee
ls. “It’s so cool to meet you,” she said, trying to catch my eye. “Everyone’s talking about you.”

  “That’s great.”

  “I’d really like to talk to you.” Lisa came closer, walking right alongside, looking up at me with inviting blue eyes. “Could you come here just a minute?”

  Luna had been watching, first in puzzlement, then annoyance. “Hey,” she said. “I’m here as well.”

  Lisa gave her a glance, then turned back to me. “Alex? Please?”

  “Sorry,” I said. “We’re busy.” I took Luna’s hand and gestured to a pillar over the crowd, leaving Lisa behind. “That way.” We turned right around a buffet table and a cluster of people holding drinks.

  Luna gave me a searching look. “Who was that?”

  “Beats me.” I pointed towards the pillar. “We’re looking for an archway. It’ll be whitish, about seven feet tall. When you see it—”

  “Wait!” Lisa called from behind. She was hurrying through the crowd after us, looking flustered. I rolled my eyes.

  “Are you sure you don’t know her?” Luna asked, eyebrows raised.

  I sighed. “You know, three days ago no one would have looked at me twice. This Mr. Popular act is getting old.”

  A gap opened in the crowd and I spotted what I was looking for: the azimuth duelling piste. Two slender pillars rose at either end, silvery and delicate, looking like a pair of tuning forks. At our end was an archway of white stone, seven feet high. A mage in ceremonial robes looked up as we approached. “Hey. Looking to duel?”

  “That’s okay,” I said. “We just need the annuller.”

  The mage gave us a look, then shrugged. “Be my guest.”

  “Duel?” Luna whispered once he was gone.

  “Not a duel,” I said. I put one hand on the cool stone of the archway, and a faint silvery glow started to form across the opening. “Watch my back.”