by Jake Kerr
“I wish I had your confidence.” I took my own drink of water. “I look at you, and you’re powerful and pretty and seem to know what you’re doing.” I motioned my hands along my dirty clothes. “And I’m this boy who is kind of just running from one mess to another.” I laughed and looked up. “In fact, I know exactly why you bought the dress, Naomi. I want the same thing, to feel human. To maybe go visit my grandfather and walk to the movies again.”
Naomi reached her hand across the table and took mine. “That sounds wonderful, and you will do that again. You should never worry about your future, Tommy. If you want to know what you’re future is going to be like, just ask me.”
I could barely talk. Naomi was holding my hand, and we were having dinner in a Parisian restaurant. I knew she was just being a good friend, but the emotions that filled me were suddenly about a future where we were holding hands. I swallowed and tried to sound nonchalant as I replied. “So what’s my future going to be?”
Pulling her hand away, Naomi laughed in a way that sounded like tinkling bells. “I told you before, Tommy. You’re predictable. Your future is you doing good. I don’t need to know what it is, I can just be confident that my friend will be a good person doing good things.” She leaned forward, and there was this intense look on her face that was impossible to read. “And trust me, Tommy, that’s a wonderful future and one that makes me proud to be your friend.”
Friend. There was that word again. At least I knew where I stood. I smiled and ran a hand through my hair, doing my best to look somewhat presentable. “That’s very nice of you to say. I guess that’s a future I can be happy with.”
The waiter brought my food, and Naomi and I chatted about magic some more. I couldn’t understand any of it, but I loved how animated she was discussing how some magician with a name I couldn’t pronounce adapted some fundamental form that I couldn’t picture to create an amazing new spell that did something that I couldn’t understand.
“Do you want to go for a walk?” Naomi asked, and I immediately pictured us holding hands while walking toward the Seine River.
“Sure!”
Unfortunately, as we were walking through the lobby of the hotel Iggy marched over. “I have been looking for you,” he stated in his kind of always formal-yet-excited voice.
“Well, here we are,” Naomi replied.
“The bearer arrives in a few days. We need to prepare for the assault.”
“Uh, what assault?” I asked. “Naomi and I were thinking that sneaking in and stealing the Coat would be a good option.”
“The assault on the Bearer, of course. You cannot sneak in. She has too many guards. She is armed, you understand.”
“Tommy will bend light around him so that she can’t see him. Or he will do the camouflage thing.” Naomi shrugged. “Same difference. He walks in. Puts the Coat on. Walks out.”
“I don’t understand,” Iggy replied.
I looked around. “Look, this is public. Let’s talk in my room.”
Everyone agreed, and as we headed to the stairs, Naomi pointed to an alcove. “Elevators! They have elevators. I’ve never been on an elevator.”
I looked at her. “You’ve never been on an elevator?”
“Shut up, Streetlight. They don’t have elevators in Way Stations.”
I shrugged. “Sure. Let’s get on the elevator. It’ll be non-stop excitement.”
There was a man who looked a bit older than Iggy waiting. The door opened slowly, and as we all piled in, the man looked Naomi up and down. He said something in French, and Iggy snapped an answer, ending with “Anglais.”
“Ah, an English girl!” He positioned himself between me and Naomi. “So what is a pretty English girl doing with a dirty boy like this?” He nodded over his shoulder at me. I couldn’t see Naomi’s face, but I could imagine what it looked like. I smiled wondering what kind of torrent of abuse she was going to unleash on him. But, to my surprise, Iggy reached out and shoved the man back a few feet using only his hand.
“Stop,” was all that Iggy said. The elevator finally started to move.
“I can take care of my—” Naomi said, but by then the man had pretty much forgotten about her and turned on Iggy. His face was turning red.
“And what are you going to do about it?” he asked. “I must warn you that I specialize in boxing.” The man held up his fists.
“I am going to punch your chest which will break a few of your ribs. I will then grab you by your arms, lift you up, and toss you against the wall. If you struggle after that or speak to the young lady I will break your legs.” Iggy’s voice retained its formal tone, and he said the words without an ounce of anger. However, in the context of a threat it sounded cold, flat, and thoroughly intimidating. The creaking of the elevator was all that could be heard over the silence. “I have not decided how I will break your legs.”
The man stared at Iggy until there was a ding. The elevator door started to open, and the man slowly walked toward them. The doors weren’t even fully open as he slipped through.
I looked at Naomi. She was beyond angry. She waited until the doors closed and then launched into Iggy. “What the heck was that all about!?”
“I simply made a comment.”
“I don’t need you to save me by making threats! I can take care of myself. Trust me, you don’t need me on your bad side, Lazarus!”
“I didn’t make any threats. He asked me a question, and I answered.” Naomi looked confused for a moment, and then smiled.
“You know, Lazarus, you look and talk like this pencil pushing military bureaucrat, but inside you’re a joker.” Shaking her head, she added. “I can’t be mad at you. You’re funny in that you’re clever.”
“I’m not clever at all,” was his reply. The elevator dinged, and the door started to open again. Naomi looked at me and shrugged as Iggy shambled through the doors.
“So, Iggy, have you ever broken anyone’s legs?” I joked as we walked down the hall.
“Many.” The calm formality of his reply was frightening. I looked at Naomi, and she looked equally surprised. We both knew he wasn’t kidding.
31
THE PLAN
Naomi sat at the desk. I liked how she worried about how her dress might wrinkle as she sat down. I had never seen her concerned about anything other than magic. I fell on the bed and tossed the cane in the air and caught it over and over again. Iggy sat rather stiffly on the edge of a reading chair.
“The more I think about it, the more I like the plan of a sneak attack,” Naomi said. She moved her hands in a way that looked oddly familiar but wasn’t any of her normal spells that I’d seen her practice. “We know that she can’t be affected when you stop time, but you could do one of two other things: Bend the light around you or camouflage yourself with the color of light.”
“Right. Then I’d sneak in when she’s bathing and take the Coat.”
“Argh.” Naomi shook a hand.
“What’s wrong?” I sat up.
“Nothing. I’m just working on a new spell.” She glanced at Iggy. “What do you think, Lazarus?”
“Your plan won’t work.”
“Why not?” Naomi asked. She seemed more curious than annoyed that Iggy contradicted her plan.
“Because those that bear the Artifacts can’t affect the others that bear the Artifacts.” The first thought that went through my mind was wondering how Iggy knew so much about the Staff and Coat. “Your magic won’t affect her.”
“Well, there goes that plan,” I replied.
I was about to ask how he knew this to be true when Iggy added, “And her magic doesn’t affect you.”
“Wait…” Naomi practically jumped out of the chair. “Are you telling me that Tommy could hurt her?”
“Yes. The Coat of Babr-e Bayan has no power over the Bearer of the Staff of Darius.” He paused and then added, “Or the Bearer of the Cup of Jamshid.”
Naomi started to pace excitedly. “Oh my gosh, this is great, Tommy.
You could just grab a gun, walk up and shoot her. Grab the Coat, and we’re good to go! Heck, I’ll protect you with the Wall of Babylon and you could just walk in. I mean I’ve never actually cast that spell before, and I think it takes like twelve hours to prep, but I bet I could do it…” I smiled at Naomi’s enthusiasm. By the time she trailed off she was talking more to herself than us.
I tapped the cane against my palm. “That does sound like a reasonable idea, and I’m quite sure you would be able to cast the Wall of Incredibly Amazing Power That Hasn’t Been Cast Since Merlin Lived—”
“Babylon.”
“Yes, that one. I’m sure you can cast it. But there’s one problem: I’m not going to shoot Ana.” Even as I said the words I felt strongly tempted to do just that. I’d have the Coat! No one could harm me! And the Staff would somehow be even more powerful with two of the artifacts together. I stood up and started pacing, conflicted over contradictory feelings.
“Well, maybe you just shoot her in the leg or something.”
“I’m not going to shoot her! We can do something else that isn’t quite so… deadly.” I pointed the cane at Iggy, who flinched. “You! How do you know so much about the Staff? Naomi has been researching magic for years, and you seem to know more than she does. Mister Ali was raised in a magical family in Persia, and you know more than he did.”
Iggy started wringing his hands. “My ancestors have first hand knowledge of the artifacts.” He opened his mouth, but then shut it quickly.
“Is there anything you aren’t telling us?”
“More than I could tell in a single night.”
“Oooh, this is good.” Naomi walked over and stood in front of Iggy. “C’mon, Lazarus. What’s the story? What do you know of the artifacts?”
Iggy proceeded to tell us the same history of the artifacts that Naomi had, from Jamshid’s battle with the dragon to how it ended. “And then he imprisoned Zahhak in the three artifacts, and when Jamshid died the artifacts were spread across the globe for safety.” Iggy held out his hands. “Should I tell you more?”
“No,” I replied. “We know the history of the artifacts. I’m more interested in how you know so much of how they work.”
Iggy shrugged. “History. Family. Listening.”
“You’re not going to tell me any more, are you?”
“It depends what you ask,” Iggy replied.
“You two are driving me crazy. Let’s focus on Princess Hagastasia,” Naomi said.
“You really don’t like her do you?” I asked, which earned me a glare from Naomi.
“You can hurt her, which means you can restrain her. I still think that our plan should be for you to get to her and just grab the Coat. If she tries to stop you, hit her or something.”
“I’m not going to hit a woman!” I exclaimed.
Naomi turned to Iggy. “What do you think she’ll do to Tommy if he doesn’t give her the staff?”
“She’ll kill him.”
“Fine,” I replied. “I’ll forcefully take the Coat from her. But we don’t even know where she is.”
“She’s a day outside of Paris. When she arrives she’ll be staying at a residence on Boulevard de Courcelles.”
“How do you know this stuff?” I asked, incredulous at how easily Iggy could just rattle off critical information.
“Don’t be an idiot, Tommy. Clearly he’s some kind of spy. He has informers. Cain’s not a fool. He didn’t just send us a chaperone. He sent someone who could actually help.”
I looked at Iggy. “Is that true? Do you know things from informants?”
He nodded. “There are many that give me information.”
“Okay, then the plan is for you to heavily shield me and then I go in and just take the Coat.”
“Us. I’ll heavily shield us,” Naomi replied.
“No. You don’t need to go. You can’t hurt her, so there’s nothing you can do to help.”
“Really, Streetlight? Nothing?” Naomi spun around and started walking toward me. “What about all those magicians and guards who will be there protecting her. Do you really think that a single shield would withstand a non-stop onslaught from that?”
“I assumed so. You’re casting it, so it has to be really powerful.”
“Okay, I can’t be angry with you when you are that foolishly complimentary of my skills. Listen, Tommy. I said this before. I love magic. It is my life. But even my most powerful shield cannot withstand a non-stop barrage of spells cast by master level magicians.” She paused. “Well, my best shield could probably withstand a barrage for a few minutes, but we would need more than that.”
I loved how even when lecturing me she would take a break for a critical self-assessment. That was so Naomi. “Even the Wall of Babylon?”
Naomi sighed. “Yes. Even the Wall of Babylon. Tommy, don’t be an idiot. This is not a ten minute operation. You’ll need someone to help eliminate those attacking you.”
“Correction.” We both looked at Iggy, who was holding up a finger. “Anastasia does not use magicians. She is devoted to the machines of war and thinks that magicians are weak.”
“I knew there was a reason I hated her,” Naomi stated.
“I still can’t believe that everyone has abandoned magic,” I stated. “The English, The Red Russians. The White Russians. Is there any government that sees value in magicians?”
“The Germans,” Iggy stated.
I thought back to our encounter in Leningrad. The Germans used technology, but they also used a group of master magicians. “I could see that.” I started tapping the cane on the floor. “Can you imagine their power if they had all three artifacts?”
“No one could withstand them,” Iggy replied.
“Well, we can deal with the Nazis later,” Naomi said. “First we need to retrieve the Coat.”
“I’m just glad the Germans have no idea where we are.” I didn’t want to admit it, but the might of the Nazis was a little frightening.
“Why would you think they don’t know where we are?” Naomi asked.
I smiled. I was hoping she’d ask the question, and I wanted to show off my new understanding of the artifacts. “Well, they have the Cup, which you said allows them see all things. So they’re looking for the staff, but since the artifacts cancel each other out, the Cup won’t be able to point them to us!” Naomi didn’t seem impressed.
“Yeah, because it wasn’t horribly obvious that we were near Paris when a Russian train showed up and its Marid was freed.” Naomi shook her head. “You know, that’s kind of your calling card.”
“Oh,” I replied. I hadn’t thought of that. “Well, they still don’t know where in Paris we are.”
“A kid with a cane. Not hard to find, Tommy.” Naomi was really starting to annoy me.
“Will you stop it? I get it. We should worry about the Nazis, too. But can we at least focus on Ana first? The odds of the Germans tracking me down this fast are low, and when they do I’ll have the Coat.”
Naomi stood up. “Well, if we’re going to fight Nazis, I need some rest.”
“For the last time, we’re not going to fight Nazis, at least not yet.”
Naomi spun around, her dress swirling around her. “Whatever you say, Streetlight.” She walked through the door, leaving me with Iggy.
32
PARC MONCEAU
I woke the next day, and my hands shook a little as I lifted the Staff. Ana was closing in on Paris. It was obvious to me. I hoped that her getting closer would return my power to stop time, but after several attempts I had to accept that she was still too far away. Either that, or the power of the staff had become completely unpredictable. I tried not to think of that.
The compulsion to leave the hotel and head directly to grab the Coat was strong enough that I had to force myself to relax and be patient. I could practically feel the roiling emotions of Zahhak in the Staff. He had been enslaved for centuries.
At the same time, being cooped up in the hotel was not helpin
g. It was nearing lunch time, so I decided to see if Naomi would like to eat and perhaps go for a walk. I knocked on the door to her room, but there was no answer. Assuming she was already in the restaurant, I headed for the stairs.
I scoured the restaurant and lobby of the hotel but couldn’t find her anywhere. Knowing that our encounter with Ana was coming soon, I changed plans and decided to find out more about how far we were from Parc Monceau, which was where Iggy originally said the Russians had settled. After some confused words and waving of hands, the desk clerk called over a woman.
“May I help you?” she asked. Finally, someone who spoke English.
“How far is Parc Monceau?”
“It is a fifteen or twenty minute walk, but don’t worry, there are Taxis waiting.” She motioned toward my hand. The comment confused me until I realized that I was holding the cane.
“Oh, no. That’s okay. This isn’t a cane. It’s a walking stick.” I spun the cane in my hand and then dropped the tip to the floor where it let out a loud tap. The other clerk glanced over and his eyes went wide. I ignored him as by then I was used to looks from strangers who didn’t know I was the Archmage. “Which direction is the park?”
The woman gave me directions, which were quite easy to follow. I figured I’d walk over, look around, and then come back with some information for Naomi and Iggy. “Thank you!” I said as I spun around and headed out to the street.