A Mage's Gambit: New York Falling (A Malachi English book)

by Andy Hyland

  I shrugged. ‘Doubt we’ll ever know now. Still, glad you like Julie. Becky did.’

  We came up on another of the beacons. Nothing left but a black, blasted pit. It was the fifth one we’d passed like this. I guessed that the destruction went back the other way as well. All the way to hell.

  We were coming up on the edges of Rarkshah when we saw it. A scuffle ahead, a few demons kicking up dust, pushing something around. We got closer and the something turned out to be an old man dressed in rags, begging for mercy and sobbing. He wet himself as we watched, the dark stain spreading across what was left of his once smart pants.

  ‘Edwin Monk,’ Melanie hissed. ‘That bastard is mine.’

  ‘No,’ I said, putting out my arm and blocking her. ‘Let me. I promise you won’t be disappointed.’

  She reluctantly stepped back and I walked up to the demons. There were four – enough to worry me normally, especially in the Fades, but I had Bud and Benny as backup, so it wasn’t anything like a fair contest. ‘Back off,’ I said reasonably, ‘or I’ll kill you all to get to him.’

  The closest demon sneered, a forked tongue flicking through dry, cracked lips. ‘You? Like to see you try.’ With this last word he flew forward in a surprise attack, claws reaching for my throat. I raised my arms without thinking, a defensive move to shield my neck. From nowhere a wall of flame shot out, frying the hellspawn in mid-air, and then stopped immediately it passed him, fading out. His charred bones hung suspended for a second before dropping to the ground. His companions fled.

  ‘Thanks Bud,’ I said over my shoulder.

  ‘Er, that wasn’t Bud,’ said Benny. ‘That was you.’

  ‘No it wasn’t.’

  ‘Really was,’ said Melanie. ‘Definitely you. When did you start being able to pull that kind of shit off?’

  I looked at my hand. If that was me, it was a level of magic I’d never possessed before. Even in the Fades, a hex of that power was way beyond my abilities. ‘Good question,’ I said. ‘Let’s save it for later.’ I moved forward and stood above the trembling, pathetic figure of Edwin Monk. All power from the Aleph was gone. Maybe it simply evaporated when the beacons were destroyed. Maybe his demon masters revoked the gift as a punishment for his failure. Whatever the reason, all that was left was an old man, stuck in the Fades, alone and powerless.

  Fear danced in his eyes, and I enjoyed seeing that very much. He put his hands together, sank on his knees, physically begging me, and I enjoyed that too. ‘Looks like your friends are gone,’ I said.

  ‘I was deceived, deceived for so long,’ he pleaded, ‘but now it’s as if someone switched a light on in the darkness after all these years. I’ve been a fool, a fool, but now I’m free. I’m free to go back and put right so much of the wrong I’ve done. Please help me.’

  I chewed over my response for a while. The hope grew in his eyes. ‘You know what? I don’t think I will,’ I told him. ‘I think you’re a cold, calculating bastard who enjoyed every minute of what he did. I think you killed your wife and kids and whoever else got in your way. I think if you’d have had your way, Manhattan would be a living hell right at this minute. So no, I’m not going to help you. And no, you’re not free to go back. You’re never going back.’

  ‘Look,’ he hissed, the anger returning to his face, the mouth tightening, ‘I still have the bank. I still have money – so much money. You want to live on an island? Bloody hell man, you want to buy an island? I can make that all possible. It’s all there for the taking. I can give you anything you want, you hear? I will let you take anything you want.’

  ‘That’s very kind of you,’ I said, reaching into my coat, which was definitely past the point of repair now and would have to be replaced, and drew out the katana. ‘That’s very kind of you indeed.’

  Sitri’s fortress in Rarkshah was in even worse condition that when we’d left it. The blowback along the beam taking out the beacons had ripped right back through the other way. The middle of the fortress was basically gone, with only the two wings still standing. News of our coming had already reached Sitri, and he appeared, striding towards us. It was hard to tell how angry he was from this distance.

  He stopped. What was left of his army formed up behind him, no more than a few dozen demons who were too weak or wounded to run. Sitri himself stood with slumped shoulders, and the hateful fire that burned in his eyes had dissipated. No doubt a temporary condition, but I’d rather face him like this than deal with the usual rage-filled maniac.

  I tossed Edwin Monk’s head at his feet. He didn’t pick it up, didn’t argue, didn’t say anything. He looked at me, nodded, and turned and walked away.

  We took the Rarkshah way into Benny’s bar, through the old kitchen and the endless hallways, and toasted to absent friends in the back room.

  ‘What will happen now?’ I asked Benny, who I figured was more clued up on contemporary events than any of us. ‘Not sure I’m up to facing the Union, whatever that is, as soon as I get back.’

  ‘Doubt you’ll have to,’ he said, finishing his first beer and moving instantly on to a second. ‘They got in deep with Carafax. Carafax have fallen, and now it’s all up for grabs as far as the Union are concerned. They’ll have to deal with their own civil war before they come looking for you, if they ever do. Besides which, you appear to packing more of a punch than usual.’ We still hadn’t figured out how I’d managed to throw a hex that strong at the demon. ‘Go easy, though, until we figure that one out.’

  ‘Still, life as normal for you, anyway. Good to know some things don’t change.’

  He looked at me like I’d cracked a bad joke. ‘You kidding? You don’t feel it out there? The Fades is changing. Hasn’t happened since who knows when. The energy from the beacons disrupted the whole essence of the place. It’ll shift, settle. Next time you’re here, this place, Rarkshah, it’ll all be different.’

  ‘You going to be okay?’ Melanie asked.

  ‘Oh, me and Bud will batten down the hatches and wait it out. There’s some fine wines I’ve been saving up for a special occasion. A month-long lock-in falls under that description, I’d say.’

  ‘But for the rest of us, it’s time to go,’ I said, putting my bottle down on the table, and standing. ‘Zack and Arabella need checking on. And Grace must be around somewhere.’

  ‘Yeah, about that,’ Julie said, not meeting my eyes. My heart sank.

  We found a quiet spot out in the main bar, and she took a deep breath. ‘I’m not coming back. Not yet anyway.’

  ‘Why?’ I spluttered. Not exactly eloquent, but no other words were turning up for duty.

  ‘It sounds weird, I know, but going back, facing that world, dealing with what’s happened to Dad, who he really was, the bank…I can’t face that at the moment. Benny said I could stay here for a while. Learn the ropes, see how things work, help out behind the bar. I’m coming back, I promise. But not yet.’

  I tried to be strong and not look as crushed as I actually was. ‘I’ll help you. You won’t have to do it on your own.’

  ‘Yeah, and how busy are you going to be this week? And the next? Zack, Grace, Arabella. And how many others?’

  My shoulders fell. ‘Yeah, you’re right. I’d try to help you and just screw things up.’

  She pulled me into a tight hug and whispered in my ear. ‘I don’t call it screwing up. I call it sacrifice.’

  I stood outside Benny’s front door with Melanie. Around us there was nothing but dust and sand. Benny was right – there was something, a rippling in the air, a taste on the tongue. Change was coming, and like most things in the Fades, it wouldn’t be gentle.

  ‘Question,’ she said. ‘Did you really think I’d sold you out? At any point?’

  I thought about it. ‘At first, I wasn’t sure. Honestly, it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility. But by the end I knew it couldn’t be you. I should have had a bit more faith. You can be a bitch, but you’ll only go so far.’

  She nodded. ‘Well, for the r
ecord, thanks for saving my life and everything. I know it wasn’t me you came for, but, well, you know.’

  ‘You’re welcome. My pleasure.’

  ‘I think I’ve burnt enough bridges in New York. I’m going to head off somewhere else, try a change of scene.’

  I was slightly surprised, but all in all it wasn’t a bad idea. ‘Where are you thinking of? West coast?’

  She shuddered. ‘No way. Think I might go south. South looks interesting. If it doesn’t work out, I can always come back.’ She stared forward. ‘What do you think’s back there, waiting for us? Back in the big bad world?’

  ‘No idea, but we’ll do the usual. Get through it or die. One of the two.’

  And we slid.

  Epilogue

  The demon occasionally known as Eliajel stumbled down the stone stairs into the cave. Above him the winds were starting to gust. The mighty change that would re-shape the Fades was at hand. Still, that was none of his concern. He would lay low in this cavern, this sacred place, deep below the hellplains for a while. Biding his time. Waiting.

  To the side, safely tucked in an alcove, concealed from any casual wanderer who might happen in, and under the guard of several powerful runes beside, was a small chest. It was made of a strong wood, from trees that would no longer be recognized on Earth, and bound with strips of iron. The key to the small lock hung on a silver chain around Eliajel’s neck.

  The lock clicked, and the lid opened with a small creak. Inside, on a small black cushion, lay a white egg. A small crack ran from top to bottom. From inside, poking through, was the tip of what looked like a soft, black feather.

  Eliajel reached into his robe and pulled out the hooked knife, formerly held by Edwin Monk, and after that temporarily carried by Malachi English. Neither of them had owned it, possessed it. You did not own or possess a thing such as this. He took a long, lingering look, before placing it carefully beside the egg.

  The matter was so close to completion. Only one piece remained. The most difficult, the one he had saved until last. It would require some thought.

  He closed and locked the chest, tucking it away safely in the alcove once more.

  Then he sat on the stone floor and listened to the wind above, which was stronger now. And he waited.

  So What Happens Next?

  Thanks for taking the time to read this book. I mean that – books are demanding of your time and attention, and you’ve been generous with both. Freely given, and freely accepted. It was fun to write. I hope you enjoyed the ride.

  Book 2 in the series, A Mage’s Fall: Dark Manhattan, is, as I write, being finalised and prepped for publication, and should hit the market on 1st October 2016, which may be a long time in the past by the time you read this.

  Before you grab that one, though, there’s a free short story, Devil’s Choice, that looks at what happened to Julie during her recuperating stay at Benny’s, after the end of this book. Let’s just say that it wasn’t as relaxing as she’d hoped.

  You can download it by joining the Aware, a Malachi English mailing list that doesn’t spam you, but just sends out useful information, great offers, and free stuff. All you need to do to join, and to download your free copy of Devil’s Choice, is go to:

  andyhyland.net/aware

  Also, I’d be really grateful if you’d leave a fair and honest review of this book on Amazon. Much appreciated.

  Once again, thank you. What would stories be without readers? I hope you stick with this story. Things are about to get very dark.

  Author’s Notes

  This book would not have been possible without other people, and it’s only right it should end with them being acknowledged.

  So the awards for outstanding contributions to this book go to:

  Cathy, for putting up with strange and disturbing waking times, and frequent bouts of intense typing.

  Abigail, for dedication to editing above and beyond the call of duty, and whose enthusiasm meant as much as her corrections.

  And one final time, as already mentioned, thanks to you, dear reader. If you’ve got any feedback, good or bad, then drop me an email at andy@andyhyland.net. I’d truly love to hear from you.

  Stay safe. And keep your eyes open. It’s a big world out there.

  First published, worldwide, by Pandaemonium Press 2016

  Copyright © Andy Hyland 2016

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the written prior permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email the publisher, using the subject title: “Attention: Permissions Coordinator” at andy@andyhyland.net.

  Publisher’s note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author’s fevered imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions or locales is completely coincidental.

  Cover Design by Damonza