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Magic's Design

Page 24

by Cat Adams


  Tal let out a harsh breath that said he’d expected the news, but also couldn’t understand the rationale. “But why would he want to kill all the remaining Parask? Most of them don’t have enough magic to fill a thimble and more than half probably don’t have any clue about their heritage—like Mila.”

  “Are ya daft, boyo? He doesn’t want to kill them.” Her face was filled with surprise. “He means to collect them.” She nodded as they looked at each other in shocked confusion. “At first I thought he was blinkin’ crackers, but if there are enough of you about still, he might just manage it.”

  “Manage what?” Mila had to ask. They were finally getting to the meat of what Vegre was planning and her curiosity was insatiable. She was just hoping that all of the pieces they’d discovered added up. But what Dareen had to say wasn’t what she’d imagined. She’d expected to hear that Vegre planned to topple a government in a coup and become a despot, or bilk millions by starting an epidemic that only he could cure. But this—

  “He plans to harness the very sun, lovey. The entire world would be at his mercy. He could freeze the equator or melt the poles … bake the land or deprive whole regions of warmth if the humans refuse to bow to his sorry hide. ‘Tis an ambitious plan, to be sure … but with enough magic, anything’s possible.” She shrugged and threw up her hands. “While I don’t claim to understand the connection with the Parask guild, there seems to be one, and he’s usin’ it to increase his own magic, and that of the Children. If the kings can’t stop him, there’s no telling what he might do, because it doesn’t seem that he requires, nor fears, the Sacred Trees. That’s why I have to see King Mumbai, so he can rally the others to stand against him.”

  Mila didn’t say anything, and Tal likewise kept silent. He simply nodded noncomittally, the way she’d seen a hundred cops and another hundred lawyers do. She was having a hard time even wrapping her head around the enormity of the plan. Dareen was answering questions, all right, but raising so many more. Like, how were the Children involved, and what did the name change have to do with it? “Is there anything else about the things the Children have been doing that strikes you as odd? How do they fit in?”

  She nodded. “You mean other than gatherin’ up your other Guilders? Well, Reilly has been sendin’ out groups to the outer rings in all the cities, collectin’ root vegetables for some reason. Originally, I’d thought it was for food for the members because they’ve been rounding up birds, too. Chickens, turkeys, and the like. But we’ve gone hungry more than one night, even though I’ve seen baskets of onions, beets, and sweet potatoes being brought into the shelter. I’d expected at least one shephardess pie to come out of the kitchen … or perhaps a nice chicken dinner, but not a breath of ’em have reached us. Same with the berries and flowers I helped craft in the bogs near the moat.”

  There was something about that list of ingredients. “Were they crocus flowers, by chance?”

  She nodded and Mila couldn’t help but feel a level of admiration for Vegre. “Damned if he hasn’t got it all figured out. I suppose you’re raising bees, too?”

  Dareen tipped her head again, her look now curious. “Honey for our tea and made into sweets for the children. Why?”

  Mila noticed Tal and Jason were staring at her as though she was mad. But she wasn’t insane. In fact, this was probably the sanest she’d been in a long time. While she understood Baba would probably be annoyed if she revealed the secret she’d learned at Viktor’s, there was too much at stake. There was no way she was going to be able to stop him alone. Hell, if she didn’t spill the beans, Dareen might not even reveal where they were headquartered, and then where would they be?

  “Mila?” Tal was looking at her curiously, obviously failing to make the connections in his head. It was no wonder, since he had no experience with pysanka.

  “He’s making dyes and wax, Tal. Vegre’s somehow figured out what was in the scroll at Viktor’s. Wrap an egg in yellow onion skins and it dyes red. The stamen of crocus is saffron, which is yellow. I wouldn’t have thought you could get orange out of sweet potatoes, but maybe he’s figured out a way. And berries—well, that’s just obvious. Blue and purple. Mix ’em all together and you get black. I’ve never tried to make green, but I presume you could boil leaves.”

  The realization actually staggered Tal and he had to grip the back of one of the chairs to keep his balance. “And with enough chickens and turkeys—we’ve got to stop him.”

  Jason and Dareen still looked confused, but they wouldn’t be for long. “You both might want to make yourselves comfortable, because I’ve got something to tell you that’s going to be hard to believe.”

  But while shocked, they had believed. By the time Mila and Tal finished explaining, Dareen and Jason were both sitting down on the couch with nearly identical expressions of shock. When Mila pulled out the bit of egg she’d pulled from the Tree, Dareen had crossed herself the same way Baba always did when she heard bad news, but sideways, like an X over her chest.

  “So then,” Dareen said after a few moments of silence. “The kings signed the death warrant of us all by puttin’ the Parask out in the cold. I wish I could say I was surprised, but they’re a damned stubborn lot.”

  “The problem, as I see it, is what do we do now?” Tal’s voice was calm, but there was a level of frustration setting in and Mila understood why. It was a ridiculous scheme Vegre was planning—completely insane, and while she couldn’t imagine it could work, it was obvious Vegre did.

  She walked across the room to the window to look outside at the patchy darkness while she thought. “Even if he managed to pull together the power, though, there’s no way people will believe him back home. They’d never bow to him. There’s weird weather everywhere right now—droughts in some places, flooding in others. One side arguing that global warming is caused by the greenhouse effect of too much carbon dioxide, while the rest say it’s just a natural cycle and there might be a new ice age. No matter what he did to the climate, the scientists would argue for years about the cause before they’d believe magic was involved.”

  Tal and Jason both appeared to agree based on their nods when she turned back from the window. “’Tis true,” Jason said. “Humans are a skeptical lot nowadays, Mum. The few who don’t consider magic mere fiction for books believe it to be evil and would fight to the death before they’d bow to it. And you’d be surprised at some of the weaponry they’ve created. You can’t craft if you’ve no limbs left. Vegre would have to do somethin’ damned impressive to bend their knees without risking being blown to bits.”

  “I wonder—” Dareen’s voice was a whisper, as though she was musing to herself.

  Mila turned to watch her as her eyes shifted from side to side. A pressure in her bladder told her it had been too long since she’d drank the juice. She hadn’t gone since she’d walked into the library. “I don’t suppose there’s a bathroom I could use?” She looked around, but didn’t notice a doorway other than the one that led down the stairs.

  “Down the hall and to the left.” Jason waved his hand and energy shivered her skin. A doorway appeared in the corner of the room. “We shielded it to keep out looters during the riots, but I haven’t been in there recently, so I don’t guarantee the condition. It used to be very modern. I do like the comforts you lot came up with topside.”

  He wasn’t kidding. People must have paid a pretty penny for the illegal gates, because it was a bathroom most people can only dream of. It was larger than her bedroom, with a whirlpool spa, bidet, and even a heated towel rack under bright fluorescent lights. But the pipes clanked and groaned and while the toilet flushed adequately, the water came out only as a trickle when she washed her hands—reminding her that time was running out down here.

  Tal was talking when she returned to the small living room. His beard stubble was darker on his chin and it reminded her to flick her arm over to look at her watch. Six o’clock! Yikes. They were going to need to get back pretty soon. “That seems pretty un
likely. I mean, where would the vent come out?”

  “What seems unlikely?” She sat back down in the chair she’d vacated and leaned against the padded back.

  “Dareen claims there’s something being planned topside involving the Children. Vegre’s convinced them that for the age of fire to begin, a sacrifice has to be made to Demeter.”

  “He’s already sacrificed a few of the followers.” Dareen’s voice shook with anger. “I was supposed to be next, owin’ to me knowing too much, but fortunately I still had enough of me mind not to consider it an honor to be tossed in a pool of lava. Beatrice and Nigel weren’t so fortunate.”

  She tried to remember her earth sciences classes from high school. “Lava? Didn’t you tell me Vril’s under the Appalachians, somewhere on the East Coast? That’s not a volcanic region … I don’t think.”

  Dareen shook her head. “Not here. While there are lava vents pretty much anywhere if you know where to look, this is being planned to come up from under Rohm. I think Vegre’s goal is to both destroy the prison and sacrifice a group of humans in a volcano. He wants something showy and totally unexpected to both Agathia and the overworld to show his power.”

  “Were you able to discover a location or time, Mum?” Jason’s voice had changed into cop mode—flat, emotionless, and intelligent.

  She released a slow breath. “The eve of the new year, I’m sorry to say. So we’ve little time to gain the ear of the kings. As for the location—” She shrugged helplessly. “The only thing I heard mentioned was the palace. But America doesn’t have palaces to my knowledge so perhaps it’s Buckingham or another place. I’m afraid I’m not much help.”

  Mila’s breath had stilled as Dareen spoke. Finally, the last piece slipped into place. “The Palace Hotel,” she said quietly. “That’s what the name change was for.” She pulled the paper out of her pocket to show Dareen, who looked at it with wide eyes before handing it back. “David Pierce owns the Palace Hotel in downtown Denver.”

  “And Sela told you the kings let Vegre out. What if they’ve done it more than once? What if he controls, or is in collusion with one or more of the kings, who are encouraging this attempt to invade the overworld?”

  “’Twould explain why the O.P.A.’s out for your hide.” Jason was nodding while holding his mother’s hand tightly, either giving support, or getting it. “If you spotted a government official getting Vegre out … but why come through the wall? They could just let him out by the front.”

  Mila shrugged. “Plausible deniability? Neither of them could really afford to be seen by their followers as courting the other. And invading the overworld would solve a bunch of problems down here. But I still can’t figure out how we can stop him. If he’s got a king in his pocket, and a group of delusional followers … what chance do we have?”

  “If we can just unravel one part of the plan, he’ll be finished. It’s too intricate to hold up unless it all happens in order. If we can stop the volcano, and find some way to make it seem as if the Sacred Trees are responsible, he’ll lose the faith of his followers. Or, if we destroy the eggs he’s hoarding, he won’t have the power to raise the magma. Any one of them will dissolve all of them.”

  “Just so, Talos.” Dareen was nodding. “And since there are only four of us that we can trust, we’ll have to split our efforts. Jason and I will visit King Mumbai to tell the tale and Mila—you will have to stay here to craft these eggs of yours to repair the Sacred Tree.”

  She shook her head and frowned so deep she could feel her eyebrows touch her lashes. “I think that’s a bad idea. If I repair the Tree now, then won’t Vegre have more power available? How will that help?”

  “‘Tis a tall tale we’ll be tellin’ the king, lass. If we’ve a hope of bein’ believed, it’s going to be because the Tree returns to life without Vegre’s aid. The kings are all tied to the Trees. He’ll feel the slightest change in the energy and with the Trees healthy once more, there’ll be four guilds of crafters, with magic a’plenty, to put him down.”

  “But what if he’s in on it, too? Won’t that just be a signal to move the plan forward sooner?”

  The other three shook their heads, and even Tal scoffed at the idea. “Mumbai’s the most outspoken of all the kings about keeping Agathia separated from the overworld and his mind is so strong I doubt even Vegre could gain access. He’s also immune to blackmail. His people are warriors. If someone were kidnaped in an attempt to gain his cooperation, he’d consider they deserved their fate for not holding off their attackers. He’s never bent … not in a thousand years.”

  “His Tree is also the last one with power,” Jason added. “So his people will follow him to the end of the earth, believing it’s his honor and temperate nature that keeps the Tree strong. But I’ve no idea whether he’ll believe the bit about the … what did you call them? … dooshots?”

  She shrugged. “Close enough. Frankly I’m not certain myself if I believe. I only have what Viktor’s scrolls said and what I saw at the Tree. I’ve only made one of them … by accident, so whether I can do any good is still up in the air. But—” She looked again at her watch and turned her arm for them to see that it was nearly seven o’clock. “If I have any hope of getting this done, I’ve got to get back to the house and get started.”

  Jason’s eyes went wide and he grabbed her wrist, turning his own arm over to compare. “Is that the time? Bleedin’ hell.” He took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. “Well, I’m sorry to say we’re all stuck here, then. The library closed at six tonight, owin’ to the staff holiday party. They decided on an after-Christmas party this year because they couldn’t find a restaurant with a large enough room. It was why I was trying to get back early. You’re welcome to come with us to Shambala, though. I don’t know if it’s a good idea for you to stay here overnight.”

  “Stuck?” Her voice came out in a squeak. “We can’t be stuck. My car’s parked on the street. It’ll get towed, and I’ve got to feed the cat. Don’t you have a key to the library?”

  He shook his head. “Only management has a key, and we wouldn’t be able to walk to the front door anyway. The security alarm would go off. We wouldn’t be much good at savin’ the world behind bars.”

  Tal pursed his lips and tapped a finger on the table. “There has to be another gate here. The one in Mila’s house went somewhere, and I distinctly heard Vegre’s minion Cardon mention Vril.”

  “Not one of mine, I’m afraid.” Jason did look apologetic, but he raised his hands helplessly. “I only crafted one gate topside. Not even magic was enough to make me craft more. I do have some integrity. The rest of the gates here go to the other provinces.”

  “But I don’t have tools or dyes or even eggs here.” She hadn’t felt this frustrated in a long time. “I was supposed to have dinner with my family tonight. If I don’t show up, they’re going to know something’s wrong and call the police.”

  Jason shrugged and stood up. “They might call, but the police won’t do anything for forty-eight hours. By then, we’ll be back.”

  “And didn’t I see you putting out a large bowl of food and water for the cat before we left your house this morning? I’m sure one night won’t harm him.” What Tal said was true, if not terribly supportive.

  Dareen hammered the last nail in the coffin when she likewise stood. “If it’s tools and eggs you’re needin’, I have both.” She tipped her head to amend, “That is, depending on how long such things last. I’ve kept them dark and cool as he requested, but—”

  “He?” Jason asked the same question Mila was going to. “What he, and what tools?”

  Dareen swept past them toward the staircase. “Never you mind, boyo. I’ll only say this: the Formorians once made friends with the Parask, and I wasn’t born married to your da.”

  She swept down the stairs after a wink at Mila, which made her smile. But it made Jason scramble down the staircase after her, calling out an indignant, “Mum!”

  Minutes later, they were al
l packed tightly into a small cellar beneath the shop—the entrance to which was likewise hidden from view by magic. Dareen emptied potatoes out of a stone bin carved into the bedrock and then knelt down next to it to reach far back into the wall. It took a little tugging, but finally she extracted a box about the size of a loaf of bread. She held it out to Mila but raised a warning eyebrow Jason’s way. “Now, not a word of this to your da, hear me? He knew about Samuel, but not that I’ve been holdin’ his craftin’ tools all these years.” She let out a small, sad smile that made Mila realize the man hadn’t been just a friend. “I kept hopin’ he’d come back one day, just to pick them up … so I’d know he made it through. But ’twas the death time, and he was so dedicated to the ill. When he didn’t return, I—” She cleared her throat and squared her shoulders. “Well, that was a long time ago. I love Patrick with all me heart, and if this can help you save the Trees, then have and be done with it. It will have been worth keepin’.”

  It was too dark in the cellar to see much of what was inside the box, so Dareen led her back to the brightly lit kitchen. Tal and Jason followed more slowly and Mila could see they were talking, heads together while whispering and nodding. By the time they finally made it upstairs, Dareen grabbed for the green cloak Mila had worn around her, but made a face at the stains on it.

  “I’m sorry—” Mila blushed. It was one thing to borrow something offered by the owner, but—

  She waved it off with a small laugh. “Don’t be silly, lass. I’d have beat his bottom red if he hadn’t offered it. No guest of mine goes cold … or hungry, for that matter. And I have another.” She re-hung the green cloak and reached up to snag a brilliant crimson cloak from a different peg. “I’ll be expectin’ you both to help yourselves to the pantry and icebox until we return. Eggs are there for the takin’ and they’re fresh. No more than a week old. I remember Sammy insistin’ on fresh eggs. I just hope you can abide the dyes better than me own poor nose. ’Tis just powder in there, so you’ll need vinegar. There’s a bottle in the pantry.” She spun on her heel and headed toward the freezer. “Come along, Jason. We must be off.”

 

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