After splashing water on her face, she pulled on her clothes and ate a late breakfast in the common room. The owner couldn’t look her in the eye and, to be fair, she couldn’t blame him. They had been rather noisy last night. Akosh paid him for breakfast and added a couple of coins.
“For the damage to the room,” she said. There were a few dents in the walls and most of the furniture had taken a good battering. One chair had been reduced to kindling. Despite his embarrassment he scooped up the money, bobbed his head in thanks and scurried away without saying a word.
When she stepped outside it was almost midday and the day was bright and cool, the sun hidden behind a haze of thin cloud. Akosh squinted until her eyes adjusted to the light and then set off at a slow pace towards Habreel’s office.
All around her the people of Herakion were talking in voices that were too loud. She didn’t have to listen very hard to hear what was on everyone’s lips. Magic. Seekers hiding among them, spying for the Red Tower. They were pleased at the Regent’s decree banning them, but many people spoke about it not going far enough. Here in the capital city at midday it was all polite conversation and huddled groups talking in whispers. That would be as far as it went so close to the seat of power. It would be a very different story in the countryside, away from prying eyes and the long arm of the law. There were villages where the city guard never visited and punishment was meted out by locally elected Mayors. In such places she suspected it was going to get very bloody indeed.
Door-to-door searches for gold masks. Lynch mobs. Drownings. Mob rule and public hangings. Delicious.
It wouldn’t take long for word of such incidents to reach the Regent’s ears and then he’d have no choice but to bring in a national ban on all magic users. It was just as Habreel wanted and in doing so it served her purpose.
It meant more chaos and distrust where people could disappear without too many eyebrows being raised. In turn it created opportunities for some of her people to fill the void created by such fortuitous circumstances. They would simply be the right people, in the right place, at the right time.
Akosh was happy to let others sit on the thrones and lead the armies. Those people were public figures and targets whose life expectancy was often shorter than most. But just a step down from the leader was a tier of important people with power who saw kings and queens come and go during their tenure. It was here that her people operated out of sight.
By the time she reached Habreel’s office Akosh was feeling a little better after her heavy night. She breezed past the front room, waving at the people within who all stared as she went up the stairs unannounced. This time no one even bothered to follow and try to block her path.
Habreel was busy writing a letter as she entered his office without knocking, but he didn’t seem surprised to see her. His face was pale, heavy bags sat under his eyes, and she was confident he’d been wearing the same clothes for a few days. The room smelled stale and the remains of several meals were stacked up on plates in a corner. Normally he was fastidious and his office equally tidy and organised. She barely recognised the dishevelled man in front of her.
“What have you done?” he said, setting his pen aside. Rather than return it to the inkpot he dropped it on the desk where it rolled off onto the floor. He didn’t notice. His haunted eyes were searching hers, but for what she couldn’t say.
“Be more specific.”
“I knew you were dangerous, but I had no idea you would take it this far.” Habreel shook his head and scrubbed a hand across his stubbly face. He hadn’t shaved in a few days either. “I knew a few children would have to be sacrificed. I had made peace with that.”
“Did the Maker forgive you?” sneered Akosh. “Your god is dead. He has been for a long time.”
Habreel didn’t seem to have heard, or perhaps at this point he simply didn’t care. “Seekers are dangerous. I know it in my heart and revealing their secret to the world was the right decision. I regret the lives being lost and the unrest, but, in the end, people will be happier. They will be free of magic and its corruption.”
“You whine like a spoiled child.”
“Perhaps,” said Habreel, acknowledging her with a wry smile. “Perhaps I was spoiled. But I know my sins and I will accept my judgement when the day comes. Can you say the same thing when you meet your end?”
“What are you babbling on about?”
“They’re saying it was a rogue Seeker from the Red Tower. That he did it in Balfruss’s name, but I know it was you. Somehow you persuaded another deluded fool to blow himself up in Yerskania. Only this time it wasn’t a child, but a mage. Did you know he would attack the townspeople? Did you order him to do it?” asked Habreel. When she didn’t respond he took her silence for admission, scrambling backwards to his feet, tipping over his chair. “Maker forgive me. You did. You told him to kill everyone in Morheaton.”
“You’re confused,” said Akosh, but he knew she was lying.
“No, no. I’m seeing clearly for the first time since we began our arrangement.” His hands were shaking, as if hungover or an addict craving their next fix. It wasn’t a good sign and she thought he was going into shock. “I never expected it to go this far. I’ve sacrificed too much already.”
“Sacrifice?” shouted Akosh, her voice echoing off the walls. Habreel winced and she lowered her voice slightly as it made her ears ring. “What do you know about sacrifice? Yes, I did it. I asked one of my people, my children, to do it for me. Someone I took in as a starving orphan decades ago. I shaped him over the years. I did that. I provided for him, gave him a future. The Red Tower might have trained him for a few years, but I gave him life.”
“What are you saying?” asked Habreel.
“I asked my child to sacrifice himself for this cause. To help bring about an end to all magic. He did it because I asked him to. So, do not pretend you understand anything about real sacrifice.”
Habreel was staring at her as if seeing her for the first time. “I always knew you were strange, but I thought it was just your way. But it’s not that, is it?”
“No, it’s not.”
“I should have known. I should have seen it sooner,” he muttered, shaking his head. “You’re mad.”
Akosh snorted. “What?”
“You’re confused. You’re not old enough to have raised someone for decades.”
“Habreel, are you really that stupid?” she asked. For a moment she’d thought he’d realised the truth but was sadly disappointed.
“This charade has gone on for too long. I tolerated your quirks because I needed you, but the cost is too great. Our arrangement is over. We are finished.”
“Really?” said Akosh, laughing at his stern expression. “How are you going to do this without me?”
“It doesn’t matter. My followers and I will find a way. This is not what I wanted.” Habreel moved to the door and pulled it open, keeping one eye on her as if expecting trouble. “Dannel!” he yelled down the stairs.
“You’ve got everything you wanted. Don’t be a fool, Habreel.” Akosh thought it was worth trying one last time. He was a useful figurehead and focus. She had expected he would need replacing but had thought to use him a little longer. Her plan only worked when she remained out of sight, otherwise she might attract the attention of her siblings. She did not want to suddenly disappear like the Lord of Light.
“You’re right, I have been a fool, but no longer,” said Habreel. “I won’t listen to you any more.” He was adamant and kept a safe distance, eyeing her as if she were rabid. “I wanted to unite everyone against magic, but normal people are spying and fighting with their neighbours. They’re paranoid about an invisible enemy hiding among them. It will take me a long time to unpick this mess and find a new way forward, but I will do it without you. Nothing will change my mind on that. We are done.”
“I’m sorry to hear you say that,” said Akosh standing up and leaning back against the desk.
Dannel came into th
e room and paused on the threshold, looking between them. “Give Akosh her final payment and then see her to the door,” said Habreel. “Our arrangement is at an end. If she tries to return in the future, send her away.”
“This isn’t over, Habreel. You don’t know what I’m capable of.”
Much to her surprise he laughed. “I know what you are, mage. And I know that even you can die like anyone else with a dagger in your back. The Warlock proved it during the war, so do not pretend otherwise.”
“But I’m not a mage,” said Akosh.
Habreel drew his short sword, and gestured at Dannel to do the same. His assistant slowly drew his weapon as well, but seemed reluctant to use it. “Final warning. Leave now in peace or this will turn bloody.”
Akosh spread her arms wide. “Go ahead. I think a little bloodshed is required.”
Dannel’s fist hammered into the side of Habreel’s face, knocking him sideways. He fell against the wall just in time for the pommel of Dannel’s sword to break his nose, spraying blood across his face. With a groan he slumped to the floor, dazed and surprised by the attack.
“Are you all right, Mother?” asked Dannel. “Did he injure you?”
“No, I’m unhurt,” she said. Habreel had been rendered speechless. His eyes were watering and blood ran down his face from one nostril, but it wasn’t the pain that had stunned him. He didn’t understand what had just happened and was in shock. “Oh, don’t look so surprised. Dannel is one of mine. He was an orphan, too. Didn’t you know? Did you ever ask him about his parents or upbringing?”
“I didn’t know,” said Habreel, wiping blood from his face.
“Of course you didn’t. You just needed good little soldiers for your crusade. I may have been part of your plan, but you were a useful part of mine. Change is now required, but no matter. It’s not a serious setback.” Akosh pursed her lips and pondered his fate.
“Do you want me to kill him?” asked Dannel, readying his sword for a fatal blow.
“Someone downstairs will hear. You’ll never get away with this!” protested Habreel.
“He may have a point. And it would create a mess,” mused Akosh. It might also cause a scene that would attract unwanted attention from the city guard. She had not remained undetected for so long by being rash. One of the other three downstairs was one of her children, but that left two others. The odds that one of them might escape in a struggle and spread the news didn’t appeal.
“I can do it quietly,” suggested Dannel, “with minimal bloodshed. We can hide his body up here until tonight, then I can dump it elsewhere. We can say he was attacked on the street by a cutpurse.”
The betrayal in Habreel’s eyes as he looked at Dannel was delicious. Until now he’d been a loyal friend when they had served in the Guardians and then a strong supporter of his crusade to eliminate magic. It was quite a shock to realise he’d never really known him at all.
“No, we may need him in the future. He was useful for gaining access to the Regent, and, more importantly, the people around him. When things escalate it will be useful to have a scapegoat. We need him alive, for the time being at least,” said Akosh, winking at Habreel.
“On your feet,” said Dannel, kicking his former friend.
“I can’t,” whined Habreel. “I think I banged my head when you hit me.”
Dannel sighed and sheathed his sword before pulling Habreel to his feet. He swayed and would have fallen if Dannel hadn’t grabbed him by the front of his rumpled jacket.
“Dannel, please don’t do this,” pleaded Habreel. “Think of everything we’ve been through together.”
“You’re wasting your breath,” said Dannel. “She gave me life. Without her, I would have died in the gutter as a young boy. There is nothing you can say that means anything. My loyalty to her is absolute.”
“Then I’m very sorry,” said Habreel.
“It’s too late for an apology,” said Dannel. His abrupt tone was so at odds with his normally placid nature. “How you treated me doesn’t matter any more.”
“No, I meant for this,” said Habreel. He lashed out with a dagger that must have been hidden somewhere on his person. Dannel was taken by surprise, stumbling back and hissing in pain as he gripped his upper arm. Habreel tried to kick out one of his knees but Dannel twisted his leg and caught it on the thigh. The pain was enough to make him stumble back and Habreel skirted around to the far side of his desk.
“What are you looking for, Habreel?” asked Akosh, as he rummaged through his desk drawers. With a cry of satisfaction he yanked something out and held it up towards her. Akosh stared at the misshapen lump of metal, trying to work out what it was for. It was a roughly made amulet, with six sides and a fine network of wires holding a purple crystal at its centre, like a fly caught in a spider’s web.
“Stay back, creature,” said Habreel. “I command you!”
Akosh laughed and helped Dannel to his feet. “What’s that supposed to do?”
“He bought it to ward off evil spirits and dark magic,” said Dannel, checking the wound on his arm. “Some fool conned him into thinking it was real, and I played along.”
Disappointed and let down once more, Habreel’s shoulders slumped and his arms drooped. He seemed to have given up.
“Put down your dagger and come quietly, or I will make you suffer,” promised Dannel.
The amulet whined as it flew through the air. Akosh had a moment to notice how the crystal seemed to sparkle before it hit her in the face, cutting her cheek. She hissed in pain and swore. There was a crash of breaking glass as she blinked away her tears. When she could see again Dannel was standing by the remains of the window, peering down into the street.
“He’s going west. Are you all right, Mother?”
“Fine, just don’t let him escape.”
Dannel raced down the stairs and out the front door. Akosh winced and touched her cheek. It had been a long time since someone had made her bleed. About an hour later Dannel returned looking flustered, his boots and trousers muddy and rumpled.
“I’m sorry, Mother, but he got away. But I promise we will find him.”
“I’m sure you will, because you wouldn’t want to disappoint me, would you?”
“No, Mother. I’ll have some people watch the gates and roads out of the city. He won’t escape,” swore Dannel.
“Good. Any more news?”
Dannel hesitated. “Yes, and unfortunately it’s not good. A report just came in. The Guardians found one of our mouthpieces, a man named Grell. He’s been taken back to Perizzi for questioning.”
“Is he one of mine, or one of Habreel’s people?”
“He’s loyal to Habreel.”
Akosh had been happy to let Habreel be in charge so that she didn’t have to deal with all the tedious day-to-day stuff. It was far more interesting to be out there rather than be seated behind a desk, telling other people how to solve every single little problem. It had taken her decades to build up her network of orphanages and slowly trickle her people into positions adjacent to those in power.
Habreel didn’t know who or what she really was, but he could still prove to be a problem. She couldn’t just ignore him and hope that he would go away. His new-found conscience wouldn’t allow it. It was the same with Grell. This was one of the reasons why she had followers. It was mundane grunt work.
“Do we know where he’s being held?” asked Akosh.
“No, but I would guess inside Unity Hall, their stronghold.”
“Do we have any loyal inside?”
Dannel hesitated again. “Yes, but she’s the only one. If we do this and she doesn’t escape, we won’t have any other eyes inside.”
“How much does Grell know?”
“Enough about the network to damage it,” admitted Dannel. “Habreel trusted him.”
“Then we have no choice. Get rid of him and make sure you capture Habreel alive.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Now she would have to spend
more time in the city adjusting plans and getting someone else close to the Regent. She’d need a convincing reason to explain Habreel’s sudden disappearance. A version of the truth would suffice and in no time he’d be locked up in an asylum. Her plans in Herakion wouldn’t stop, but they might have to slow down a little. But Akosh was patient and careful. It was how she had survived for so long when so many others like her had faded away into oblivion.
None of her children knew what she was planning. A few had sight of small pieces, but only she could see the full pattern stretched across the west like a giant invisible web.
Habreel was just one man who ultimately meant very little. Nothing would stand in her way.
CHAPTER 29
Munroe unlocked the heavy door and stepped into the plain room. She’d never seen the inside of a questioning room before at Unity Hall. Normally they were only used by Guardians to interrogate suspects, but these were special circumstances.
The room had two doors and no windows. One door led deeper into the warren of offices that made up most of Unity Hall and the other to the cells below. The room had plain walls made from granite and the only furniture was a wooden table and two benches fixed to a metal base. Everything was attached to the floor with huge metal spikes making it impossible to move. There was nothing else in the room. No furnishings, no weapons, no tools of torture. Just a featureless, empty room for two people with no distractions.
The bolt clanked on the other door and it opened to reveal the chubby face of Grell. Munroe had been briefed by Tammy about him and he lived up to her low expectations. Despite the grimy clothes, stubble from several days without a shave and generally dishevelled appearance, Grell was still defiant. Munroe was confident that would soon change.
She could see the arrogance in the set of his jaw and the way he shook off the jailer’s hand and sat down by himself. The guard retreated and locked the door, giving her a chance to study him. Grell remained uncowed by his imprisonment. Tammy had been questioning him with little success for two days and today was his fifth in a cell. He smelled a little ripe but that didn’t seem to bother him. Grell lounged on his bench as if they were sitting together in a tavern.
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