by L. EE
“No problem, doc.”
Nia smiled and moved on to coffee number four.
“Do you always drink that much coffee or are you just really hungover?” Gail asked as she sipped her own watered-down abomination.
“I was not drunk,” Nia reminded her. “I was mildly inebriated, a condition which was entirely cured by the application of fresh night air.” She paused. “And the application of extreme shock due to near death underneath the wheels of a rampaging trolley.”
Arthur stopped icing his jaw. “What?”
But Gail only laughed. “Fair enough. So, what’s today’s plan?”
“Oh, right.” Arthur looked curiously at Nia. “Gail said that you found out where Connery is hiding.”
“Yes, I have. Well, not specifically, but we definitely have a place to start. Connery has somehow managed to hide himself in the subway tunnels below the city. Now whether he and his associates have managed to get an old train working or if they are moving him through the tunnels by some other method, I –”
“The subway tunnels?” Arthur looked pained. “You’re joking, right?”
“Nope,” said Gail. “Trouble is there are miles and miles of subway tunnels and we’ve got no way of pinning him down.”
“You’re correct of course, detective,” said Nia agreeably. “It would be impossible to pinpoint his location from up here on the surface. However, once we’re underground, I should be able to track him easily enough.” Now here came the difficult part. While lying abed sleepless, she had realized there was only one way to continue their investigation. She also knew that neither Arthur nor Gail would care for it. Ah well, there was nothing to be done.
“However, as Connery does seem to be extremely mobile, I very much doubt that we would be able to secure him in a single day.”
Arthur was the first to react. “Oh, Nia, you can’t be serious.”
“I don’t see any other way.”
“There has to be a way that doesn’t involve us camping in old decaying subway tunnels with who-knows-what Connery will have down there waiting for us. We would be as good as asking him to kill us.”
Nia bit her lip to keep from snapping at him. He wasn’t wrong, not entirely anyway. It would be a risk, but this entire endeavor was a risk. The hope was that what they would learn from Connery would be worth the danger. And they had already come so far… “I understand your position, Arthur, I do, and if I thought there was a way to find him from here, I would, but by the time I triangulated his location, he would already be gone. The chances of us intercepting him from the surface are basically nil.”
Gail’s spoon clinked against the side of her cup as she shoveled more sugar into her coffee. “Just once more, I’d like to suggest tossing the bits of Connery we have into the river and letting him rot.”
Nia shook her head hard. “Connery’s research could set the practice of magic forward years, if not decades. I have only seen a little of his magic myself, but even I can tell that whatever atrocities he committed, he was a brilliant magician.”
“Maybe so, but there have been plenty of brilliant people who never did any good for anyone but themselves.”
“But that’s what will be true if we don’t find him! Only if we acquire his knowledge can we make up for the terrible things he did.” The close piercing way Gail was looking at her made Nia drop her eyes to the tablecloth before said, “At least, there would be a chance.”
“Hm,” said Gail and that was all.
Arthur was more vocal. “Is a chance worth getting killed for?”
“We survived the hotel, didn’t we?” A passing waiter glanced her way and Nia felt her cheeks flush. “Not this hotel, of course – oh, you know what I mean.”
“Yes, but we just barely got out of that, Ni. And we also didn’t going looking for that. We stumbled into it. This would be actively seeking out trouble. I think it’s a terrible idea.”
“Thank you for your assessment,” Nia replied through her teeth, which was the only way she could stop herself from reminding Arthur that his opinion was irrelevant. He could stay behind if he liked, but she was the one in charge of this investigation and if she had to pull rank then she wouldn’t hesitate to –
“Why don’t you call for back up?”
Both Nia and Arthur looked at Gail as she unfolded the subway map on the table. “What?”
“I’m not a cop anymore, so I can’t get us any help from that direction, but it’s not really laymen we need, anyway.” She pulled out a pencil and quickly circled every entrance to the tunnels. “If you get the Academy to send more magicians, we could come in from all sides, box Connery in, and the more magicians we have, the less likely it is that Connery will get the drop on us.”
“I – I suppose that’s true.”
Gail gave Nia a quick smile then turned back to the map. “Anyway, if we had back-up, I wouldn’t be worried. Well, I’d be worried, but it wouldn’t feel quite so much like suicide, would it, doc?”
“Hmph,” said Arthur.
Nia folded her hands under her chin as she studied the map, carefully counting the circled entrances. There were eight in total. If she, Arthur, and Gail took one that would leave seven and with two magicians at each… fourteen magicians. Could she get the Academy to give her that many?
This is your chance, the Directors said in her head again, your chance to redeem yourself. Nia couldn’t help hearing a certain heaviness in that “your,” an unspoken but definite you had better be able to handle this yourself, but they could hardly condemn her for being sensible, could they? And Gail was right (and Arthur as well, though he had been significantly more annoying about it). The safest and wisest course of action would be to attack the tunnels from all sides with enough magic to counter whatever Connery had planned.
“Yes,” she heard herself say as if from a distance. “Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I’ll send a message today.”
“You could call,” said Gail, nodding toward the public phones across the way. “They’d probably even let you use the reception phone if you asked.”
“No, no.” Nia got to her feet, taking her final cup of coffee with her. “There are quicker ways. I’ll be back in just few minutes. Please start breakfast without me.”
“I honestly wasn’t expecting her to agree,” she heard Gail say as she made her way toward the stairs.
“Neither was I,” Arthur replied.
A hot flash of irritation made Nia walk faster, her left hand gripping the strap of her handbag hard enough to press an imprint into her palm. How unreasonable did they think she was? Did they truly believe she would endanger their lives for pride? Well, let them sit and chat about her behind her back if they wanted. She was in charge of this case and she would make sure it was undertaken efficiently and safely whatever they expected.
When her door was finally closed behind her, she let out the angry breath she had been holding and threw her handbag down on the floor. Feeling a little better, she picked it up and set it on a chair. Then she stood in the middle of the room for a moment, chewing over her options. If she wished, she could request to speak to the Directors right then. She doubted they would turn her away; her case was important enough.
But if Nia were honest with herself, she didn’t truly want to speak to them face to face. It always gave her hot and cold chills to stand in front of them and had ever since that first time when they had called her before them to ask if she, at barely six, had any knowledge of her mother’s experiments, any inkling of what had gone wrong.
Though she knew they had no choice but to investigate all possible leads, the memory had left an ugly scar. There were still nights she woke with a start, her skin crawling with the memory of all those eyes on her.
You’re being foolish, she told herself. You’re not a little child anymore. You’re an Illuminator and one of the strongest magicians in the Academy. You may very well be a Director yourself one day, in which case you had better get used to speaking with
them. But even as she scolded herself, her hands were already digging into her handbag for her notepad and a pen.
It would be easier to make her request in writing anyway. There would be no chance for confusion if everything was carefully put down in ink. She quickly detailed her progress thus far, being sure to make Connery’s traps sound sufficiently challenging, so they would understand the need for support, but also leaving out anything that would suggest she hadn’t been up to the task.
I’m sure I could find even this piece of Connery by myself if I had to, but there’s no reason to take unnecessary risks. They will appreciate that. They will be happy to see that I’m being prudent and not –
And not like mother.
Scowling, Nia continued to write. When she had made her request as clear as possible, she folded the paper in half and carefully drew a circle on the front in light pencil. When that was done she blew lightly on the note and with a soft sighing sound, it burst into flame, a very particular kind of flame that only tickled Nia’s hands as the paper crumbled to ashes. When those ashes were all that remained she washed her hands in the bathroom and then returned to the dining room to eat and wait for a reply.
31
Nia Graves
It came sooner than she had expected. She was buttering a slice of toast while she waited for her coffee to cool – “How can you drink all that without your heart exploding?” Gail had asked her. “Practice,” she had replied, which had made the detective laugh – when she heard something fluttering just on the edge of hearing, like someone rustling a piece of cloth beside her ear. Arthur, who had been eating eggs at the time, suddenly pulled his fork out of his mouth and blinked at it.
“Don’t worry, Arthur, it’s not the eggs.” She opened her handbag and felt for the piece of paper she knew would be there. “It’s – aha, here we are!” Her fingers closed on the thick paper the Directors used when they wanted to appear as impressive as possible. As she pulled it out of her bag, the Academy seal caught the light and flashed like a small flame.
“Wow, that was quick,” said Gail. “Where did it – you know what, don’t tell me, I probably wouldn’t understand it.”
“Oh, I could explain sometime, if you liked!” Nia said brightly. She felt better now that the Academy’s answer was in her hand. It was the asking that was the most difficult part. “The theory is actually quite easy to comprehend once you understand a few basic magical rules.”
Gail gave her a tolerant smile but shook her head. “I’m still sometimes kept up nights wondering what the hell a pocket dimension is, so I think you’d better not.”
“Well, that’s even –”
“What does the message say, Ni?” said Arthur.
“Oh. I’d almost forgotten.” She turned the folded paper over and broke the seal with a fingernail. She braced herself for some sort of difficulty. Nothing was ever completely simple with the Academy, not with its many layers of bureaucracy, as complex and teeming with life as layers of soil. Perhaps they would only be able to send her twelve magicians instead of fourteen; then she would have to decide which entrance to leave unguarded. More likely they would tell her that she could have her back-up in a week’s time, which would mean more loitering about unproductively, though maybe they could go to another picture show and this time Gail could –
“What is it?” Arthur asked. “What did they say? Are they going to send help?”
Nia’s throat felt paralyzed, but after a few choking moments she managed to swallow. She folded the paper again, creasing it hard between her hands. “Yes, of course, they are. They’re even sending the whole fourteen, which is a surprise.”
“Me too,” said Gail, watching Nia curiously over her bowl of cereal.
“Unfortunately,” she continued brightly, “they won’t be able to have them ready until tomorrow, so we’ve got another boring day ahead of us.”
“Tomorrow? That’s quicker than I would have thought,” said Arthur.
“Yes, well, this is a rather important case, you remember. They’re very eager to have it resolved and they’re – they’re quite pleased with our progress thus far.” Nia folded the paper, pressing the stiff paper down until it would have taken concentrated effort to peel it open again. “However, they did request that I return briefly to the Academy to select the magicians who will be joining us.”
Gail was nodding. “That makes sense, you know the case better than anyone.”
Yes, Nia thought near-hysterically, better than anyone. “I’ll likely be gone for most of the day, but we’ll start bright and early tomorrow!” Did her voice tremble a little just then? No, she didn’t think so.
“All right,” said Arthur. “Let me just go get my hat and we’ll go.”
Nia stared at him. “Go?”
Arthur blinked at her. “I assume I’m driving you back, right?”
“Oh!” How did you not consider that, you idiot? “Actually, they said they were going to send a car for me. How silly. They must have forgotten you were here.” Nia stood and somehow, somehow managed to keep her legs from trembling. “Goodness, if they sent the car out right away, they may be nearly here. I should go get my things. There’s no time to waste.” No, no time at all.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Arthur said uncertainly.
“No, you should stay here and keep poor Gail company.” Knowing she had no choice now, Nia looked at Gail, being careful to smile. “I would invite you along, detective, but the selection process itself would likely be confidential and –”
“It’s my case too, remember. The Academy hired me.”
“I – yes, of course, but… It’s only…” Nia felt pinned under those sharp dark eyes, all her words withering on her tongue. “It’s only that…”
It might have all ended there if Gail hadn’t suddenly given her a rueful smile and said, “Don’t worry, I get it. The Academy said, ‘Whatever you do, don’t bring the layman. You can brief her later.’”
As terrible as the lie was, Nia clung to it like a rotting piece of driftwood in a roaring river. “I – I didn’t want to offend you. I understand how invaluable you are to this assignment and so do the Directors, but they can be terribly old-fashioned, especially where security is concerned. I hope you understand. I promise I will tell you everything as soon as I get back.”
A wry smile tilted Gail’s mouth. “Everything? Even the things they tell you not to?”
“As head magician on this case, it falls to me to determine what information you require and I have found you work best when fully informed. I proved that last night, didn’t I?” Not only was it a manipulative strike, but it led to Arthur looking between her and Gail inquiringly. She knew she would have to explain – but later, later.
Then Gail shrugged and looked away. “Well, doc, what should we do with our newfound free-time?”
“I – I don’t know.” Arthur was still watching Nia uncertainly. “I guess we could –”
Unable to bear standing there any longer, Nia made a show of checking her watch. “I had better hurry. They’re probably already waiting for me. I’ll be back sometime tonight. Enjoy yourselves today!” With that she turned and, after a moment of freezing indecision, walked toward the stairs. She feared she might take the steps too quickly and stumble, but the thought of being shut in the elevator with the well-meaningly chatty operator was simply too much to bear.
When she was finally – finally – back in her room, she sank down against the door, hands shaking as she reopened the message from the Academy, not caring when the corners tore. She read the message again, half-hoping it had changed during her escape from the dining room. It hadn’t.
Illuminator Graves, we have received your correspondence. At the moment, we are unable to grant your request for assistance. However, if you still find yourself in difficulty tomorrow, inform us and we will be happy to send Illuminator Dani to relieve you. Please keep us informed.
There was no signature, but Nia reco
gnized the precise handwriting of Head Illuminator Fabian. She also recognized the threat. If you haven’t made progress by tomorrow, we will find someone who will. Nia clenched the paper in her fists, hardly noticing when the stiff edges cut into her skin. It wasn’t fair. Hadn’t she done everything they asked? Always? And yet, they allowed her no margin for error, no space for weakness. Another Illuminator would have been given more time, more support, but Nia was held to higher standards and it was all –
It was all her mother’s fault. She hated herself for thinking it, but it was true, wasn’t it? Every day of her life, she had to prove she wasn’t her mother, that she could control herself, that she could do what needed to be done. And if she couldn’t… Well, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it? After all, Arthur had gone wrong and he had only been a visitor in her mother’s womb. She supposed they all thought it was only a matter of time before she did something terrible or – or –
Or simply gave up.
She looked at the message again. She had proven their fears unfounded a hundred – no, a thousand times. She proved them wrong with every day she remained Illuminator Graves. In a very real way, she was still on her knees, scrubbing that bloody floor, cleaning away the mess her mother had made. But she was not her mother.
And she would prove it again. She would prove it until they believed her.
Shoving herself away from the door, she hurriedly changed into flat shoes that would stand up to long walking. She exchanged her silk dress for a heavy wool one and tucked a pair of leather gloves to her handbag, nestling them down beside her work case.
It would be cold underground.
32
Gail Lin
Gail didn’t see Nia leave. Arthur said she had stopped by the table on the way out, but Gail had been getting a newspaper at the time.
“She borrowed your map,” he said, gesturing to where the subway map had been, “so she could better explain the situation to the Directors.”