Alex Verus 5: Hidden

by Benedict Jacka

Then Caldera was there, putting her arm between Variam and Sonder. “Variam,” she said, and the note of command was back in her voice. “Stand down.” Her eyes stayed locked on Sonder. “Explain.”

  “Uh . . .” Sonder began. He looked as though he’d rather be absolutely anywhere else.

  “So that’s the truth,” I said quietly.

  “I was going to tell you!”

  “Shut up, Verus,” Caldera said. “Explain.”

  “Look, I wasn’t sure,” Sonder began. “I mean, they said some things last night, but it could have meant anything . . .”

  I shook my head in disgust. I should have seen this coming. The biggest problem with the information magic of a universal mage is that no one else can perceive it. Council trials which rely on timesight will use multiple time mages, all of whom give testimony independently. But Sonder had never lied about it before, and it just hadn’t occurred to me that he might start now.

  “You want her to stay with Sagash?” Variam said. His voice was soft, but fiery light was still flickering at his hands and I wouldn’t have liked to be Sonder if Caldera weren’t there. “That what it is?”

  “It’s not that!” Sonder looked angry. I didn’t think he understood just how close Variam was to snapping. “You can’t do anything about it anyway!”

  Variam took a slow breath in, then out. He looked as though he was fighting to keep himself under control, and barely succeeding. “Why?” Caldera said.

  “Because she’s in Sagash’s shadow realm!”

  Variam went still. “So that was where that gate led,” I said quietly. “And that’s why you haven’t been telling us. Because a Keeper investigation can’t go there without some kind of link to Crystal.”

  “There is one,” Sonder insisted. He looked between us. “I know there is.”

  No one answered. “Variam, wait in the hall,” Caldera said. “We’re going back to the station.”

  Variam left without a word. I noticed that Caldera’s eyes followed him; Sonder might have missed how close that had been, but Caldera hadn’t. “Look, this can still work,” Sonder began.

  Caldera waited for Variam to disappear, then shook her head at Sonder. “Come off it.” She started to turn away. “My report’s due.”

  “Wait! You could tell them—”

  Caldera shot Sonder a withering look, and Sonder stopped. “Really?” Caldera said. “Really? You think I’ll tell a lie that stupid? You found out Anne’s with Sagash. That’s the truth and that’s what I’ll report. I’ll ask to follow up too, I owe you that much. But I already know what they’re going to say.” She paused. “You really fucked this up, Sonder.” Caldera walked out into the hall. I heard her footsteps merge with Variam’s and a second later the front door opened and closed.

  Sonder and I were left alone in the flat and I studied him, thinking. Now that I knew what he’d really seen, everything was fitting together. “Well,” I said at last. “That could have gone better.”

  Sonder glared at me through his glasses but didn’t answer. “She knew you were hiding something,” I said. “I guess you don’t get to be a Keeper without being pretty good at knowing when you’re being lied to.”

  “Oh, shut up.”

  I shrugged. “At least now we know where she is.”

  “Yeah, that’s great! We know she’s in some impenetrable fortress we can’t find! That’s really helpful, isn’t it?”

  “Variam got her out once already.”

  “And then what? Sagash hasn’t done anything wrong! If we go after him we’ll be the ones breaking the Concord!”

  “Gosh.” I raised my eyebrows. “Breaking the Concord. Couldn’t have that.”

  Sonder glared at me. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you? You think this proves you were right.”

  “Do you really think I’m that petty?” I shook my head. “This isn’t about you.”

  Sonder let out a breath and sagged. “It doesn’t matter,” he said, and all of a sudden he just sounded tired. “None of it.” He walked out.

  I watched him go, then turned to look thoughtfully back out of the window.

  | | | | | | | | |

  “So what do we do now?” Variam said over the phone.

  It was some time later—long enough for Variam’s temper to have cooled, though there was still an edge to his voice. “That’s what we’re going to decide,” I said. “You free to talk?”

  “Yeah, Caldera’s in with the captain.”

  “I can’t believe Sonder would pull something like this,” Luna said over the phone line. She sounded almost as pissed off as Variam. Between this and what had happened in the morning, I was pretty sure whatever slim hopes Sonder might have had in Luna’s direction were going to have to be taken out the back and shot.

  I was still in the flat, Variam was at the Keeper station in Marylebone, and Luna was in Islington where she’d been unsuccessfully chasing leads. “We’re still better off than we were this morning,” I said. “At least now we know where to go.”

  “Yeah, except we’re also down from five to three,” Luna said. “We’ve lost Caldera, right?”

  “She told me to take off and report back to Scotland for tomorrow,” Variam said.

  “I think that’s a yes,” I said. “Okay, Vari, you’re the only one who’s been into Sagash’s shadow realm. Let’s hear about it.”

  “Giant freaky castle,” Variam said. “Looks like it’s on an island just off the coastline . . . not really, though, I don’t think the boundary goes that far. It’s really big. Anne tried hiding there a few times, managed to stay out of sight for a while. Problem was the shadows. They’re some kind of construct, Sagash mass-produces the things. They’re not that tough, but no matter how many you burn there’s always more.”

  “How do you get in?” I asked.

  “That’s the tricky part. The whole castle’s warded with a gate lock—the only place you can gate in and out is from the front courtyard, and even then you need an access key.”

  “Don’t suppose you’ve got one?”

  “Yep.”

  “What?” Luna said. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

  “Does it still work?” I asked.

  “Nope.”

  “I’m guessing you’ve tried.”

  “Yesterday.”

  “Wasn’t that right after Caldera told you not to try to contact Sagash?” Luna asked, briefly diverted.

  “Screw Caldera.”

  “So after you and Anne did your prison break, Sagash changed the locks,” I said. “Okay, our first problem is how to get in.”

  “Sonder said Sagash’s apprentices were using a focus,” Luna said. “Sagash must have given them copies of the new access keys.”

  “So we find them,” Variam said.

  “Agreed,” I said. “But when we do, we’re not going to start a fight.”

  “Why the hell not?”

  “Because the first thing I’m going to do is ask if we can buy or trade Anne back.”

  “What?”

  “What’s the alternative, storm the castle? Okay, we could probably get in. But launching a frontal assault on Sagash plus his apprentices plus an army of constructs plus whatever the hell else he’s got up his sleeve is not my idea of a good plan.”

  “We did it before!”

  “Somehow I doubt you managed it by marching up to the front door and blasting your way in.”

  “Anne’s not a thing!”

  “To Dark mages that’s exactly what she is, a commodity. Look, shut up a second and listen. I don’t honestly expect this to work, but as long as there’s any chance it’s worth trying. I know it’s not very heroic, but it’s practical.”

  “What’s the backup plan?” Luna asked.

  “We steal an access key and sneak in, but I don’t like that plan for a whol
e lot of reasons. Number one is that if Sagash is the one behind this, then he’s got to be expecting Vari to try some sort of rescue attempt, because that’s what he did last time. If I were Sagash, I’d put enough security in that shadow realm to turn it into a death trap.”

  “That doesn’t do us much good if we can’t get an access key in the first place.”

  “So, backup backup plan. Luna, I want you to go find Arachne. I don’t know much about gate wards but she does, and if there’s a way into this fortress of Sagash’s, there’s a good chance she’ll know some way to find it. Vari, if you can still do it safely, see what else you can find about Sagash’s apprentices, especially the other two. See if you can get anything that’d let us track them down, or find out where they might have hidden something like an access key. They can’t live in a shadow realm twenty-four-seven.”

  “Got it,” Variam said.

  “What about you?” Luna asked.

  “I’m going to keep staking out the flat. Let’s see if Mr. Darren Smith makes a visit.”

  | | | | | | | | |

  I stayed in that flat for half the day. From time to time Variam or Luna would call to give me an update, and we’d share information. I left Sonder a message but didn’t get a reply.

  I searched the futures for any trace of Sagash’s apprentices but found nothing. There was little to do but look out of the window and watch the movement on the estate. As the hours slipped by and afternoon wore into evening, the place grew more active. A trickle of school-age kids began to filter in, passing through the corridors and heading for the football courts. Women and men climbed the stairs carrying their shopping; they disappeared inside their flats and windows lit up. A group of teenagers took up places down in the courtyard, leaning against the pillars and smoking and eyeing passersby. One flat door on the second floor opened and a big German shepherd was let out; he trotted confidently down the row of flats to the stairs and disappeared down into the lower levels.

  It was twilight when a ripple in the futures ahead caught my attention. Someone was going to open the door to Darren’s flat. I backtracked to see who it was, and . . . Well hello, guy-I-saw-last-night. Fancy meeting you here. I slipped out the door and into the cold evening air and started down the walkway.

  I’d had lots of time to think while I’d been waiting, and the best plans I could come up with were still “negotiate” and “steal the key.” I’d wavered between the two, but in the end I’d decided to go with “negotiate.” The “steal” plan would more or less require me to use my mist cloak, an imbued item I keep stored back at my flat that is very good at hiding me. In fact, it’s so good at hiding me that the last time I used it I nearly turned into a wraith, and I did not want to use it again if I could help it. The most likely place for Darren to be keeping the access key was on his person, and I couldn’t see any way of taking it off him without getting into a fight, which I didn’t want to do for a variety of reasons, not least was that it’d mean attacking the apprentice of a recognised mage. That would mean I’d be the one breaking the Concord, which could quite possibly lead to the Keepers of Caldera’s order going after me. No matter how bad our odds might be of getting to Anne, that would make them worse. My best chance was that Darren would be willing to cut a deal. I turned into the stairwell, waited forty seconds, then came out, turning towards Darren’s flat.

  Darren was on the walkway about to reach his flat, and he spotted me instantly. He was fit and tough-looking, with dark skin and curly black hair cut close to his skull. He didn’t move but watched as I approached, his eyes hard and alert. I kept my motions smooth and my hands visible, and didn’t make any sudden movements. The kids in the courtyard below were still in view; this wasn’t the place for a fight . . . unless someone got jumpy.

  We came to a halt outside Darren’s flat, facing each other on the concrete walkway. A cold wind blew through the railings, and voices echoed up from the corridors below. “Darren Smith?” I asked.

  “Fuck off,” Darren said. His hands were slightly apart from his sides, and he was watching me like a hawk.

  “I’d like to discuss some business with you. It involves you and your colleague Sam Taylor.”

  “Never heard of him.”

  “It’s about a girl you’ve had some dealings with recently,” I said. “By the name of Anne Walker.” I paused. “Or if you’d prefer not to talk to me, I could take it up with Sagash.” Fingers crossed . . .

  Darren stared at me. I felt the futures shift and flicker and knew he was deciding what to do. One future grew and eclipsed the others, becoming real; Darren turned half away from me, still watching me in his peripheral vision, and unlocked the door to his flat. “Inside,” he said curtly, and went in. I followed.

  The flat was the same design as the one I’d been using: five rooms with narrow windows looking down onto the inner flats of the council estate. I shut the door behind me without being asked and followed Darren into the living room. He’d switched the lights on as he’d come in, suggesting his magical senses weren’t good enough for him to consider darkness an advantage. Once inside the living room he stripped off his coat and tossed it onto the sofa before turning to face me. Up close he looked tough, with flat eyes. Not that experienced, maybe, but you don’t need to be experienced to be dangerous. “Who are you supposed to be?”

  “Nobody important,” I said. “I’m representing someone who’s interested in the welfare of Anne Walker. I understand you may be able to help my client with that.” Presenting yourself as an agent rather than a principal has its drawbacks, but it does help discourage your opponent from being too trigger happy.

  “Don’t know who you’re talking about.”

  “Of course you don’t,” I said. “Let’s put this another way. I think you were at the audience last night?”

  Darren didn’t answer. “I’m sure you saw what happened,” I went on. “Miss Walker’s disappearance has caused . . . disruption. We’d be interested in resolving this with as little fuss as possible.”

  “Yeah? So who’s this guy?”

  “Some individuals who value their privacy,” I said. “They also want Miss Walker back—alive and in good condition. That’s not negotiable.”

  I felt Darren tense slightly, and the futures of violence loomed larger. “On the other hand,” I said, “they aren’t unreasonable. They’d be willing to compensate you for her safe return.”

  Darren looked at me for a long moment, and I felt the futures shift and swirl. “You a mage?”

  Divination spells can’t generally be detected by magesight. My armour’s a different story, but the greatcoat I was wearing was long enough to cover it and there was a good chance that Darren wouldn’t be able to see any magical auras when he looked at me. “Does it matter?”

  “How come you’re talking to me?”

  “Because you’re the one who did the job,” I said. “Look, I don’t see any need for your name to come into this, as long as we can work this out. Why should someone like Anne Walker matter to you, anyway? You can have any other girl. Just not this one.”

  Darren studied me. “Sounds like you haven’t told anyone else.”

  Uh-oh. I kept still. “Don’t get stupid.”

  “Oh, you think I’m stupid? Yeah, I guess you do, Verus.” Darren tilted his head. “You think I didn’t know?”

  Shit, shit, shit. The futures were still branching, but now all of them looked bad. “Who I am doesn’t matter.” I kept my voice calm. “You—”

  “I think it matters,” Darren said, and my heart sank as I saw the way he was standing. “I think it matters a lot. See, the way I heard it, you’re a rogue. Council doesn’t like you, Dark mages don’t like you . . . You know what I think? I don’t think there’s a bunch of mages behind you. You’re all on your own.” He took a step forward, squaring his stance.

  I held quite still, flicking through the possi
ble futures. Violence, violence, excessive violence, really excessive violence . . . New plan.

  “You’re supposed to be pretty good, right?” Darren cocked his head. I felt magic beginning to build, and black light flickered at his hands. “Let’s see how you do against the real thing.”

  I held still a moment longer, then my composure broke. “Okay, okay!” My voice cracked, became high and wavering. “It wasn’t my idea!”

  Darren stared at me. I drew back, raising my hands. “I didn’t want to do this! I don’t even know her, it’s nothing to do with me. Just let me go, okay? I’ll do anything you want!”

  “That was it?” Darren said, staring. “That’s the best you got?”

  “It’s not me, I didn’t want to get involved, they made me. I just wanted—”

  “Shut up,” Darren said. He raised his voice. “I said shut up! Jesus, this is pathetic.”

  “No, you’re going to kill me, I know you are—oh God, please don’t, I’ll do anything.” I dropped to one knee, my hands out, pleading. “Please, I’ll do anything you say, just don’t kill me, it’s not my fault—”

  “Will you shut the fuck up already?”

  “Please don’t kill me, please, I’m begging you—”

  “This is just fucking embarrassing.” Darren looked at me in disgust. “I thought you were supposed to be tough.”

  I kept begging and pleading. “What a waste of time,” Darren muttered. He’d dropped his spell, and now he walked forward to give me a kick. “Get—”

  Interesting bit of trivia: most men will instinctively shield their groin against a kick, but not against a punch. A rising leg registers as a threat, but a dropping hand doesn’t. Another bit of trivia: you can lunge really hard from one knee.

  My fist slammed into Darren’s crotch with my weight behind it, and he doubled over, his eyes bugging out. I surged to my feet and caught Darren’s kicking leg on the way up, lifting it up and over his head. He tumbled over; he was clearly in agony but a black shield flickered into life around him just as my heel came down.

  Against a veteran Dark mage, none of this would have worked. They wouldn’t have let their guard down so easily in the first place, and their shield would have been strong enough to hold off the blows. Too bad for Darren that he wasn’t a veteran. I stomped on Darren while he was still down and nauseated, slamming my foot down onto him again and again in short, brutal, rib-breaking kicks. The shield took the worst of the impact and the death energy stung my ankles but it wasn’t enough to hold them off, and the rain of blows thudding into his body kept Darren stunned and off-balance, unable to counterattack. A kick landed in his kidney and he convulsed, his shield winking out. I yanked a slim silver needle from one pocket and stabbed it into his thigh. Green light flickered and I saw the spell flash through Darren’s body. He jerked, then his eyes rolled up and he went limp.