A Mage's Fall: Dark Manhattan (Malachi English Book 2)

by Andy Hyland

  “That’s a loophole.”

  “I beg to differ. But we’re fiddling while Rome burns. What do you plan to do here?”

  “I can’t hurt him, right?”

  “Correct.”

  “And certainly can’t kill him?”

  “A very dim view would be taken of any such attempt. A blood price would be paid, and not only by you. We have already discussed this.”

  “I can’t bind him, imprison him?”

  “Ellen was very clear about any such attempt, and sufficiently vague about many other things as well.”

  I tapped my foot, trying to think round the problem. “As I understand it, the basic problem is that the memory charms Ellen built up have decayed. He’s essentially got a split personality. There’s enough leaking though to make him Aware, and with an intense, completely undirected hatred of the magical, even though he doesn’t recognize it in himself.”

  “What about sending his little shadow assassin?” Zack asked. “You really telling me he doesn’t know he’s doing that?”

  “Part of him doesn’t, no. Part of him really thinks he’s leading a little prayer group, sending happy thoughts out into the city to conquer darkness. It’s only under the surface he’s leeching the life force of everyone under his control and murdering any of the Aware he comes across.”

  “That is a fair summary,” agreed Tabbris. “So your plan is to restore the memory block? Ambitious. Ellen was an accomplished mage. Innate talent combined with decades of study and discipline.”

  I looked at her. “Your tone suggests that you don’t think I’m up to it.”

  She smiled coldly. “The things you have done recently, I’m inclined to think that anyone had best think very carefully before betting against you. Not that I bet, of course.”

  I drew in a deep breath. “So we get to sort out your problem. What happened, all those years ago? Give me the very brief version.”

  She stared into the middle distance. “It was back when we had the resources to deploy against the slavers. A brief period of calm when we weren’t caught up…elsewhere. The very point of the Union is to act as our representatives here, for humanity to manage its own affairs, work towards the relative independence it was created to have.”

  “And slavery doesn’t warrant your attention? It’s not sufficiently important?”

  “Don’t pout, it’s unbecoming of you. Of course it’s important. It’s vile. But if you could see what else is going on, the things that we guard you against, you might be a touch more understanding. Grateful, perhaps.”

  “Enlighten me.”

  “No. Anyway, back then I thought we were dealing with low level hellspawn. The major raids were more regulated. This one seemed more opportunistic than anything. I was in overall control, using Union staff. I’d planned to be here myself, but at the last moment a matter came up which I deemed more deserving of my attention. I returned, expecting to find the slavers dead or held captive. I found…well, you know the rest. I met with Ellen and her husband in person. I looked into their eyes as I told them. And when, all those years later, the information reached us that would allow David to be retrieved, I led the attack. I eliminated them. I killed them all.”

  “And so we find ourselves here. It seems quiet. Can’t feel anything.”

  She squinted, seeing something I couldn’t. “It’s far from quiet. The building is a Union asset. Always has been. It’s very well shielded.”

  “What can you tell me about the memory charms that Ellen was using?”

  “Nothing. We’ve not had access to David since we returned him.”

  “I’m screwed, aren’t I?”

  “I’m inclined to think so. But you went up against the Aleph and came out the other side.”

  “I was allowed to throw punches in that one.”

  “So improvise. Are you going in, or not?”

  Zack walked up and spoke into my ear. “You sure about this, man? I’m with you, but it seems…unnecessarily stupid.”

  “And if we don’t?” I said back. “He’s out of control. Only a matter of time before he comes after me again. Or Julie. Or anyone else he drags out of my head. And those photos he’s got. How many of us does he know about? No, it’s got to be here, and it’s got to be us.”

  “Figured you’d say that. Let’s get it over with.”

  I turned to Tabbris. “Out of interest, what will you do if we die in there?”

  She shrugged. “I’m hoping you don’t.”

  “Good to know we have such dedicated well-wishers at our backs. Come on, Zack. Game on.”

  The inside of the warehouse was exactly as you’d expect from the outside – shabby and uncared for. But here you were inside the shielding, and the air crackled with magical energy, raising the hairs on my arm. We were standing in a small reception area. A single door led off to what I assumed were the offices. The warehouse proper, with whatever it contained, would be at the back.

  “Don’t think much of the welcome committee,” Zack said, pointing to a chair in the corner. A man was sat there. He might have been at the meeting when I’d hidden in the cupboard. It was hard to tell. His skin was drawn tight, the flesh of the face sunken in. What you’d expect to see on a corpse after a few days. I stepped over and touched his cheek, only to draw back my hand as his face disintegrated under my light touch. Underneath, the bones were gray and black, the teeth only brown rotted stumps.

  “I think he was the guard,” I said, pointing to the pistol that lay at his feet, underneath his hanging hand.

  “How long’s he been dead?”

  “This is so far from a normal death that I don’t think that question means anything. I think we’re seeing the final result of David sucking someone dry. Almost literally, in this instance.”

  “Great. Look, if anything kicks off with David, do you think you’ve got enough in you, enough control to…”

  “No promises,” I told him, “but I’m feeling pretty good, and I’ve still not seen the limits of what I can do now. So yeah, I think I’ve got us covered.”

  “Good enough for me.”

  We moved through the door into the offices. Flaking paint, cheap plastic furniture, and rat droppings everywhere. Three more bodies met us as we moved deeper, each one in much the same state as the first guy. One of them was missing an arm. It was half a room away, the bone crumbled onto the floor. I knelt down and examined the dried husk of what was once a young woman, a rose still tucked into her gray wispy hair. Mouth open, eyes staring, an unmistakable terror about her. “I think these were running. If they’d managed a few more meters, got outside the building. Ah well, it’s done now.” I reached down to close her eyes, but thought better of it and drew back my hand. Didn’t fancy her eyeballs popping, sending juice all over my fingers.

  With every step the strength of the magic surrounding us increased. “This is it, I reckon,” said Zack, running his hand across the door immediately in front of us. “Whatever’s going on is on the other side of this. Ready?”

  “I’d rather not,” I said. “I can’t work with him, can’t examine the charms, if he’s throwing firebolts. We need to see him without him getting eyeballs on us. This place is tall. Got to be an upper level. Let’s try through here.”

  To our left we found the stairs. I tested the first few, as from the state of them we weren’t sure they’d hold our weight. Nothing collapsed, so we moved up as quickly as possible before our luck gave out. At the top we got to exactly what I’d hoped we’d find. An upper floor of steel grating that ran half the length of the space downstairs. Gantries and cranes ran across from left to right, and up high there were still some old wooden beams. The very beams that held the bodies of the murdered Union operatives all those years ago, when Ellen’s daughter was taken from this world for good. A few boxes and crates were dotted around, but all David had to do was look up. There was nowhere to hide.

  David himself was down below in the center of a circle of his followers. Some were s
tanding, swaying, arms up, ecstatic. Most of them had fallen, bodies turned to powder when they hit the rough stone floor. Letting my senses slip I saw the vast energy drain that was going on. Under the influences of the powerful mesmers David emitted, the Trueflame guys and girls were giving up their lives willingly. David positively glowed, but his face was twisted in agony. His lips moved constantly.

  “Can you see what he’s saying?” I asked Zack. One of his sisters was deaf, and she’d taught him to lip read. That single fact was the only thing he’d ever told me about his family. And I was the closest friend he had. What a life, eh?

  Zack crouched down and peered closely. “It’s a mash-up. Half of it’s not English, and I’m pretty sure it isn’t any other language I’ve heard, either. From what I can make out…he’s begging for help, pleading. He’s in pain. Pretty sure he’s talking to his grandmother.”

  “Let’s see if I can figure out what she did.” Closing my eyes, I stretched, reaching out, rolling forward across the gap between us. His body was only one part of the puzzle – I was looking for his heart, his mind, his memory, and what Ellen had woven around and within it. Not easy when there’s so much energy and light and force pouring out unchecked, uncontrolled. Fades-born from a line of powerful mages – quite the combination. It took a minute to get my bearings. Slowly it all came into focus. So much greater, more complex, more extensive than I’d expected.

  The charm was a whirling ball of interlocking strands, focused on his skull, constantly in motion, golden and green, with flashes of red. An incredible piece of work. It made me think of Frank, Julie’s Dad, and the effort he’d put into the gargoyles. The same level of commitment and attention to detail was evident here.

  But it was decaying. Some strands of the charm were incomplete, while others had frayed ends. It was trying to mend itself, to regather, but black wisps of smoke were pouring from the gaps, breaking and rending at a rate which was at least equal to the repairs. Sooner or later the damage would be too much, too concentrated in one area, and the whole thing would fly apart.

  “You okay in there?” asked Zack quietly.

  I nodded, hoping my head was moving. No way I could spare the attention to answer him in any other way.

  I poked and probed at first, trying to gather here, move the black smoke from there, gather, fix, tie. For every step forward I made, a rend appeared elsewhere. Yet step by step, progress, however small, was happening. I started to believe I was capable of this. No way in hell I could have created the charm, but perhaps, perhaps, I could fix it up.

  That happy thought continued for a few seconds, before any hope I had disappeared and we were blown backwards across the floor. I lay there blinking, disorientated. Zack was quicker, on his feet, pulling me up. “Must have touched a nerve there, man. David opened his eyes and looked straight at us. You’ve pissed him off now.”

  “Yeah,” I said, stumbling up groggily. “I’d say that’s right.”

  David was down there roaring incoherently. Pulsing waves of energy were flowing out, pounding the walls, the floor, the fabric of the building. If it hadn’t been shielded, I don’t know if it would have held. All his disciples were gone now, reduced to bodies lying on the ground. Then the shadows started forming. Not one creature this time, but four or five. For an instant I was puzzled by their actions, but then I realized that they weren’t attacking us directly – not yet. They were clawing, twisting, ripping the metal grating that we were standing on.

  “Hold onto your hat,” I shouted to Zack as one side gave way, the floor tipped, and we went sliding down to our left. Boxes and crates smashed against the wall, thankfully missing us as they hurtled past.

  “This way,” yelled Zack, dragging me forwards. We leaped off and onto the stone ground, just as a pile of old metal piping crashed into where we’d been standing. Now it was us and David, facing off, meters away from each other. Zack jumped back, avoiding a shadow talon, and I threw up a ward to cover the both of us. It was enough, for now. The smoke assassins crashed against it, clawing and biting, but found no way through.

  “Can you fix the charm?” asked Zack, sticking as close to me as possible. “I can channel you some energy if you need it.”

  “The energy’s not the problem. The damage to the charm is too severe, and now he’s fully alert. I won’t get another chance.”

  “Great. So he’s stuck in split personality mode.”

  “And look what it’s doing to him. He’s in agony. He can’t handle it, can’t make sense of anything. That’s what’s killing everyone. Come on, walk forward with me.”

  “Towards him? What the hell, Malachi?”

  “I can’t fix the charm. But I can damn sure destroy it.”

  To his credit, Zack didn’t argue, and walked forward with me, moving until the dome of the ward covered David as well as us. As soon as he was in, the energy from David started hitting us anew, but I fended it off. Zack had a harder time, but with a bit of a boost from me he was coping. One way or the other, this was going to have to end soon.

  “David,” I shouted. “David, you’ve got to listen to me.”

  It was no good. He was screaming, not listening. I had to take him out of himself. Get his attention. Just for a moment or two. Long enough to talk. I reached out, throwing my senses against him, the psychic equivalent of a rugby tackle. At the same time, I cast a hex that disengaged the spirit from the body. If I was right, it would also take him outside the influence of Ellen’s charm. Only temporarily, but if it worked, it would be enough.

  A blinding flash, and I stood facing David again, but this time we were on the other side of the warehouse floor. Looking back, time had slowed. Over there, Zack was cowering, I was shouting, David was screaming, the shadows attacking – all frozen in a captured moment. Over here, David looked at me, stunned, unsure. Now or never.

  “David, I’m Malachi,” I said, speaking quickly. “We met once. I’m like you in many ways. I’m magically Aware, as you are. I’m a mage – like you, I can cast and control energy.”

  “But -”

  “Please, listen. And like you, I was a slave. I was captured by demons when I was sixteen and escaped three years later. You were born enslaved, and spent twelve years on the Hellplains before you were rescued and returned here. Your mother didn’t make it back.”

  He had his hands against his head, fighting it. I had to make him stop.

  “David, I know. I know what it’s like. I still see it in my dreams. I wake up sweating sometimes, and don’t sleep again for days because I don’t want to be back there. But you have to face it, because unless you do then you can’t be whole. And you have to be whole to stop all this. I know it hurts. I know your pain. Your grandmother, Ellen, she tried to protect you, but it’s gone the other way. It’s destroying you and killing people.”

  “No,” he shouted at me, clawing at his head. “You’re lying. You’re lying.” Tears were running down his face. The pain in his eyes was the same pain I saw every now and then in the mirror, on the darkest of nights. He saw, but he wouldn’t accept. That wasn’t enough. I needed him to go all the way.

  “Let me show you. Let her tell you. Please.”

  I walked forward, and my ghostly hand took his. Moving even closer, I pressed our foreheads together, opening myself up. Melding. This was dangerous beyond all reason. If he panicked, bolted, bucked, then we might be trapped out here, stuck with each other for eternity. I felt his presence and guided him towards the memory. In through the front door, the house, the pictures of him and Ellen, the mirror. And finally Ellen herself standing there, moved to speech only by those who wished to Help David.

  He listened as the memory played, as his grandmother spoke of her guilt, the loss of her daughter and the eventual return, so many years later, of her beloved grandson. Of his difficultly adjusting, adapting, of the memories she created. Her love was evident in every word that flowed from her. I could only hope and pray that it would be enough, because if he wouldn’t list
en to her, and listen now, then it was game over.

  The memory faded. Our connection lessened. He pulled away. Looked me in the eye. Nodded. It was done.

  Then I was back in my body once more. The shadow creatures abated and died, drifting outwards, back into the air. The waves of energy coming from David stopped. Everything was at peace. I sank to the floor, utterly drained by the experience. David fell to his knees, and gently wept. “Man, I don’t know how you did it, but you pulled off a miracle,” said Zack. “What happened?”

  I told him. He looked at me like I’d gone mad. “Malachi, we’re close. But even I’d never do that for you.”

  “Appreciate it, pal.”

  “You okay?”

  “Splitting headache, but that’ll pass. Can we get out of here?” I held out my hand and Zack pulled me back to my feet. “David. Time to go, mate. You’ve got a life to live out there.” He nodded and stood. I took his arm, and together the three of us made our way out.

  He looked down at the bodies as we passed, his face blank and unknowing. “What happened?” he asked.

  “Long story,” I told him, pushing the door open and stepping out into the evening sun. “Here’s your man, Tabbris.”

  She stepped forward, eyes wide. He looked at her curiously. “You,” he said slowly. “I remember you, when you came for me. You brought the fire.”

  “That I did,” she nodded. “It is good to see you again, David Lamarchand.”

  “He remembers everything now,” I told her, as one of her guys led David away and gave him something to drink. “It’ll take some adjustment, and he’ll need some help, but we shouldn’t experience the same problems with him again.”

  “What are you going to do to him?” asked Zack.

  Tabbris looked at him and blinked. “Do? Nothing.”

  “Are you crazy?” Zack was beside himself, shouting in the middle of the quiet street. “Do you know how many people he’s killed? What he did to them?”

  “And was that his fault, truly?” she asked. “Was any – any – of this his fault? Malachi English, you are the hero of the hour. I pass the choice to you. What would you have done with David Lamarchand?”