by Lisa Shearin
“Precisely. There is no guarantee that the soul you summon will be the soul you want. And once that spirit takes possession of the body, what you have is no more than an animated corpse, a tool and nothing more for the spirit infesting it. And make no mistake, it is an infestation—and to any moral nachtmagus, it is abhorrent.” His black eyes sparkled. “Does that answer your question?”
“And then some.” I glanced down at my boots and then up at Vidor. “Thank you for what you did for us.”
“I was more than glad to be of assistance, Miss Benares.”
“Call me Raine.”
He looked genuinely pleased, almost happy at that. “Raine.”
I let out a wry chuckle and shook my head. “You made Carnades admit in front of a roomful of people that not only did you not lie, but that he was wrong. He’s not going to let either one of those go.”
“I would be stunned into insensibility if he did. Unlike Carnades, I trust the word of others. If you and the paladin say you heard it, you did. If Carnades doesn’t hear, see, or feel it himself, he believes it simply does not exist. The man has no intellectual curiosity whatsoever. Most unfortunate. I know Tamnais Nathrach from the goblin court, Raine. He was not responsible for this, and I will not stand by and watch while Carnades’s pigheadedness imprisons the innocent while the guilty go free and continue to kill. And as to the possibility of you and Paladin Eiliesor sharing some sort of bond, I believe that what is between two consenting adults should stay there.”
I said nothing, but inclined my head in gratitude.
His lips twitched again. “And I would never pass up an opportunity to antagonize Carnades, as I have since we were boys.”
“You two knew each other as kids?” I whistled. “I hope your parents hid the knives. He hates your guts.”
“Then that would make our relationship unchanged since childhood.”
Mychael glanced over at the cells. “Vidor, will you stay here overnight with Tam?”
“Of course.”
I looked from one of them to the other. “You expect Sarad Nukpana to come after him?”
Mychael shook his head. “That would be too risky. There are Sedge’s watchers and wards to contend with, and I will be posting a few Guardians here as well. They’re trained to recognize and counteract spirit activity of any kind.”
“Won’t someone tell Carnades that you have Guardians protecting Tam?”
Mychael held up a finger. “Guarding Tam. And if they want to tell Carnades, they are more than welcome to. Carnades claims that Tam is the most dangerous man on the island. My men routinely supplement Sedge’s watchers whenever we have a high-risk prisoner.”
“Your boys are just doing their job,” I said. “And protecting Tam.” I hesitated. “Is it safe for me to speak to him?”
Mychael knew what I meant. Would having lowered the sound barriers on the ward covering Tam’s cell reveal our bond if we got too close? There were still plenty of watchers in the squad room. On an island full of mages, watchers who could sling spells of their own went a long way toward keeping the peace. Some of them probably had enough on the ball to recognize the umi’atsu bond between me, Mychael, and Tam.
“It won’t be a problem,” Mychael assured me. “Tam will be able to hear us, and we can hear him—just sound, no magic spillover.”
I took a breath and blew it out. More than enough had gone wrong tonight; a change would be nice.
With the sound barrier down, the wards on Tam’s cell glowed orange instead of red. It wasn’t a warm, welcoming glow; it was an angry “one step closer and I’ll toss you across the room” kind of glow. Mychael and I stopped about two feet from the cell.
“Entertaining exchange,” Tam drawled. “That’s one thing I can always depend on from Carnades—he’s never boring.”
I blinked. “How did you—”
“Lipreading. A useful trick I picked up at court. I got most of what was said. By the way, thank Vidor Kalta for me.”
“You can thank him yourself,” Mychael said. “He’ll be staying with you for the rest of the night. If all goes as planned, you’ll be out of here by tomorrow morning.”
Talon froze. “Do you think he needs protection?”
“No. But I’m not taking any chances. A few of my men are specially trained to deal with specters.” He paused. “And Kontar and Garai are on their way here.”
I recognized the names. They were goblin dark mages. Tam called them friends and colleagues; our family would have called them high- priced, out-of-town talent. They were powerful, and dirty was the only way they knew how to fight.
Tam snorted, a short of laugh. “Only two?”
“Unfortunately, those are the rules.”
Talon’s eyes flashed in fury. “What rules? Why can’t they all be in here?”
“Two personal guards qualify as protection,” Tam explained. “Any more than that is a jailbreak waiting to happen.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“A jailbreak means Tam would be a fugitive,” Mychael told Talon. “A confession from Sarad Nukpana’s accomplice makes Tam a free man.”
“You’ve got him in custody?” I asked.
“I plan to by morning. And if Sarad Nukpana strikes somewhere in the city again tonight—”
Tam indicated the bars of his cell with a rueful smile. “I’ll have a literally ironclad alibi.” He shrugged a shoulder. “I’ve certainly spent the night in worse accommodations.” All signs of humor vanished. “Mychael, take care of Talon for me.”
“I’m staying right here,” Talon told us all.
“Talon, I—” Tam began.
“What if they come back?” he shot back vehemently.
I knew who he was talking about. Carnades and Balmorlan.
“They won’t,” Mychael assured him. “You’re staying with Piaras for tonight.” He looked out into the courtyard, where five minutes ago Carnades’s coach had been. “I’ll be having you both stay in the archmagus’s apartments.”
Talon was incredulous. “I’m spending the night with an old man? Like a babysitter?”
I knew what Mychael was doing and thought it was a damned fine idea. Piaras and Talon had become close friends, and Justinius would obliterate anyone or anything that threatened either one of them.
“He’s an old man who’ll kick your ass at cards and drink you under the table,” I told Talon.
“I’ll pass on the ass kicking, but I could use a drink.”
“Talon, go over and stand with Vegard,” Tam said. “I need to talk to Mychael in private.”
The kid looked like he was about to give his dad some lip, but thought better of it and nodded tightly instead. What do you know? He did have some sense.
Tam slowly took a breath and let it out, waiting until Talon was out of earshot.
Then he told Mychael what Talon had done tonight and who had seen him do it. Mychael didn’t seem all that shocked. I guess as paladin, he’d seen his share of exotic magical talents.
“And Banan Ryce saw it all. He’s gone and gotten himself possessed by Alastair Kratos.”
I quickly told him about our encounter with Banan Ryce—the new, improved, and possessed Banan Ryce. Lure a specter, give him a body. In return, all they had to do was help with an assassination or two. Banan’s boys had missed Imala Kalis this time; next time they’d get it right. One of the nice things about a bond was that I could supplement my thoughts with images. Within a few seconds, Mychael knew exactly what had happened.
“And if Taltek Balmorlan’s paying Banan’s fee, he knows all about Talon—like the kid needs that kind of trouble now.”
“Mychael, I know we don’t always see eye to eye,” Tam admitted. “And Talon’s almost more than I can handle, but it would ease my mind if you would stand as fal’kasair for him. It’s what goblins call a godfather.”
“I know what it is.” Mychael’s jaw clenched. “Tam, you don’t need to do this—”
“Hopefully not,
but it’s a chance I don’t want to take. It’s a little late to be giving Talon a fal’kasair. They’re usually chosen before a child is born, someone with enough political influence and magical power to protect them.” Tam paused uncomfortably. “Would you do this for me? In case this doesn’t turn out like we want.”
I just stood there. A fal’kasair also took over raising a child if the father died—or was executed.
“Nothing’s going to happen to you,” I told him.
“I don’t plan on anything happening to me, either.” Tam sighed. “Raine, it’s different when you have a child, especially one who would never admit that he depends on you. Talon’s gone through most of his life fending for himself.” Tam paused, his voice tight with emotion. “I never want him to go through that again.”
“And he won’t,” Mychael promised him. “I would be honored to be Talon’s fal’kasair.”
“Thank you.”
Mychael tried for a smile that didn’t quite make it. “You’d asked me when Talon first came here to try to reform him. Between me, Justinius, and Piaras—who knows? It might stick.”
Tam barked a tense laugh. “That’d take a miracle.” He looked at the bars crackling with wards. “Like one other thing I can name.”
Mychael smiled fully and his eyes gleamed. “Have faith.”
Tam snorted. “In what?”
“Greed.”
Mychael’s hand cupped my elbow and steered me toward the back of the squad room. “Talon, you’re with us,” Mychael said as we passed him and Vegard. “We’re not leaving through the front doors,” he told me quietly.
“Too many people?”
“That, too.”
“You know a lot of back-door exits in this town.”
He flashed a grin, but his eyes were alert. “It keeps me healthy.”
The door Mychael exited through put us in the courtyard of the city watch’s stables. Kalinpar was in the center of the courtyard, and there were a lot of nervous horses in their stalls. The insides of Mychael’s personal sentry dragon’s nostrils glowed with an orange uncomfortably similar to the wards on Tam’s cell. Except Kalinpar didn’t have wards up his nose; he had fire, and was easily twice the size of the largest horse I’d ever seen. I’d sat in the saddle strapped across his scaled back once before with Mychael behind me. That was a flight to the citadel that my stomach was in no hurry to repeat.
A Guardian stood by his side.
“I need you to take Talon Nathrach back to the citadel and escort him to the archmagus’s apartments,” Mychael told him. “And bring Piaras Rivalin up from the barracks. They’re staying with the archmagus tonight.”
The Guardian didn’t even blink at the request. I guess taking orders was what a soldier did best. That was why I’d never be a soldier.
Mychael stopped and spoke to Talon. “Your father is going to be fine, and I’ll personally see to it that he’s out of that cell by morning.”
“Do you promise?”
“Everything in my power.”
Talon considered for a few seconds. “Thank you.” His smile was crooked. “So the old man likes to play cards?”
“He likes to cheat even more,” I warned him. “And if you try to cheat him, he’ll turn you into a slug.” I grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. “Good luck, kid.”
Talon left the courtyard with a trio of armed Guardians behind him. I looked with trepidation at Kalinpar.
“Can’t we take horses back to the citadel?” I asked.
Mychael leaned down, his lips next to my ear. “We’re not going back to the citadel.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. I glanced up at Mychael’s eyes. Yep, still blue, no flicker of flame that signaled a specter in residence. “You don’t look it, but you haven’t gone and gotten yourself possessed, have you?”
His teeth flashed in the dim courtyard light. “I assure you I am quite myself.”
“You don’t want to lock me in my room in the citadel, so what am I supposed to think?”
He gazed down at me. “I’d like nothing better, but I don’t have that luxury tonight. I need your help.”
I was stunned. “You what?”
In response, Mychael took my hand and hurried into the stables.
What was waiting for us in that stall confused me more than Mychael needing my help. An elf who could have been Mychael’s twin brother stood before us, and standing next to him . . . Well, if I’d had a sister, this woman would have been it. The man was wearing a uniform identical to Mychael’s and the woman was in midnight blue leathers from head to toe. Just like mine.
What the hell?
Mychael swept off his massive gray cloak and handed it to the uniformed man. I looked over at Mychael and my mouth fell open. I let it hang there; I had better things to do, like determine why the paladin of the Conclave Guardians was dressed like someone you’d meet in a bad bar, dark alley, or darker highway just before he demanded that you “stand and deliver.”
Mychael wore dark, rough leather from head to toe: high boots, formfitting trousers—extremely formfitting—and a doublet with various slits that I recognized all too well. Hiding places for dozens of small, bladed weapons. Straps from a sword harness hugged his wide shoulders. Mychael out of uniform signaled a heavy frost in Hell; but what raised my eyebrows and left them there was that he looked perfectly comfortable, relaxed even. I closed my mouth, lowered my brows and made a conscious effort to keep them that way, and decided to just let the strangeness play itself out.
The man and woman didn’t speak, but the woman noted the way my blades were angled over my shoulders and adjusted her own sword harness to a perfect match.
Vegard shifted uneasily. “I don’t like this, sir.”
Mychael put on a broad-brimmed hat and pulled it low over his eyes. He handed me a dark cloak and I took it and put it on. “None of us do, but it’s necessary. Vegard, it’s critical that everyone, especially Carnades and Balmorlan, believes that Raine and I are in the citadel tonight. Escort our doubles to my apartments and post guards to see to it that no one gets in. When Sedge delivers those statements to my office, take them to Justinius, and then stay there. He knows what to do. Raine and I will see you in the morning.”
The big Guardian took a deep breath and blew it out in a stubborn puff of steam in the cold night air. I gave him the hug I’d wanted to earlier. To my surprise, he hugged me back. Tightly.
“Be safe, ma’am,” he murmured against my hair.
“I always do what I can.” “Though I could do a better job of it if I knew what the hell your boss was up to,” I thought directly at Mychael.
“In a moment.”
“It better be a quick one.”
We watched as the fake Mychael and Raine went into the courtyard and mounted Kalinpar. Vegard quickly walked past them and out into the street. A few moments later I heard the clatter of horses’ hooves as the remaining Guardians headed back to the citadel with Talon. The sentry dragon unfolded his leathery wings and in three beats was hovering over the courtyard. Then Mychael’s double turned the dragon toward the citadel; in a few moments they, Vegard, and the Guardians with him were gone.
And Mychael and I were alone.
“How are you holding up?” he asked me.
“I’m ready for anything.” I looked him up and down and took my sweet time doing it. “So, is this what you wear when you’re off duty?”
“I’m still on duty, just a different kind of job.”
“When someone in my family dresses like that, it means they’re up to no good.”
“No doubt certain people would see it that way.”
“Like Carnades or Balmorlan.”
“That’s two.”
“You knew what was going to happen in there.”
“Carnades is many things; fortunately predictable is one of them. When I found out that he’d framed Tam, I knew what he would do to try to make it stick. So I did what Carnades expected and wanted me to do—I came here.�
�� He flashed a grin. “Though I don’t think he got what he wanted and neither did Taltek Balmorlan.”
“Incriminating ourselves as being in an umi’atsu bond,” I said silently. Our bond was something that I would not discuss out loud. “Three birds with one stone. Or in our case three birds and one stone.”
“Counteracting Carnades was a simple matter of Vidor and me working out a few details ahead of time.” Mychael moved to mindspeak, too.
“The lie about him hearing Nukpana—”
“Was one of them. This was another. Coming here gave me the opportunity to be seen leaving here—with you.”
“Where are we going?”
Mychael reached out with both hands and pulled my hood up to hide my face. “Hunting.”
Chapter 10
Watcher headquarters was on the edge of the city center near the entertainment district. When you’re law enforcement in a college town, it makes sense to be close to the most likely source of disturbances. With the dusk-to-dawn curfew, the only people on the streets were either watchers or Guardians. Within a few minutes of leaving headquarters, Mychael pulled me back into the shadows as a pair of watchers turned the corner across the street from where we were.
Okay, it was now officially snowing in Hell. Mychael Eiliesor was hiding from the law.
Once the pair had gone far enough down the street, Mychael took my hand tightly in his and we quickly slipped around the corner of the next side street. It was narrow, not much more than an alley. I didn’t speak and Mychael didn’t slow down. We passed another four patrols, two of them Guardians. We hid from all four, and Mychael supplemented the shadows concealing us with a veiling spell as the Guardians passed.
My nose told me that we were getting close to the harbor. My instincts told me we were getting close to our destination. I was right.
Mychael stopped at a boarded-up building that looked like its best days had come and gone long ago. He led me from the street and down some narrow stairs to a door without a knob. He laid his hand flat against the wood and murmured a few words. The door opened on silent—and well-oiled and maintained—hinges.
Mychael shut the door behind us and, with a word, wove a lightglobe into existence that floated above his open palm. We were in a basement that looked like some of the more comfortable hideouts Uncle Ryn had in every major port city. It had the basics: table, a couple of chairs, a bed in the far corner.