by Sean Stone
‘Is that a yes?’ I asked hopefully.
‘Yes. However, my instructions come from Dorian. I will go along with your plan to lure Neil outside, but as soon as Neil’s use has expired, he and his entire family will be executed. I advise you not to interfere.’
‘Let’s just get Neil out of the Hall first,’ I said, being sure not to agree to any such thing. I wasn’t going to let him kill three innocent people just to prove a point. If Magraval died that would be a good enough point to the entire city, including Neil and his family.
‘Are you sure Neil is even inside the Hall?’ Simon asked, his fingers stopping on the handle of the Range Rover’s door.
I nodded at once. ‘Magraval left Neil to govern the Hall in his stead. There’d be no point in doing that if Neil wasn’t even in the building. Magraval could run things remotely himself.’
Simon nodded his agreement and then got into the car without a word. We got going right away. I followed the Ranger Rovers in my Maserati, wishing that we could open a portal back to the Hall and get on with this. Every minute that we spent travelling was another minute Magraval could be laying some kind of trap for us. It wouldn’t have surprised me to learn that Magraval already knew what we were up to.
The long drive gave me time to consider everything that was going on. It gave me time to consider my — or rather Dorian’s — theory about Magraval, and how I was going to convince Drew to give the theory some credence. I wasn’t entirely convinced myself, but it did have more merit than Drew’s theory of it being Roland Black behind the mask. Dorian had a deal with Roland so why would Roland want revenge on him? And surely killing Drew’s son was enough vengeance for handing him over to the Dorian in the first place. But without more evidence Drew would never give me the time of day, and I didn’t want to risk pissing him off again by bringing it up. Not until I could prove it.
If Magraval was Sam in disguise then that posed another problem. Would I be able to kill my own cousin? Even after everything he’d put me through he was still family. And how would Drew feel about slaying his own son? Even if I could do it without a qualm, Drew would never let me. Sam was family. We could try and talk him down. But then Dorian would step in. There was no way Dorian would allow Sam to live, and if Drew and I tried to spare him then Dorian would order all of us to be killed.
I suddenly hoped that Drew was right and it was Roland tormenting us all. Roland was a far less complicated foe. I had no issues with killing him.
The street outside the Hall was just as deserted as it had been a few hours ago. People remembered the slaughters the Orchids had done there and avoided the place. The whole street would likely remain barren until the war was over and even for a while after. The doors to the Hall were shut fast and I wondered if anybody was watching from the inside.
Simon and his goons parked in the middle of the road right outside the Hall. They used the Range Rovers to form a defensive barrier between them and the steps. I threw an invisibility illusion over my body. Unless somebody got too close they’d never see me. With my person comfortably hidden, I approached the Hall. There weren’t many places I could hide. The Hall had no bushes or trees decorating it. I could hide behind the wall that stood either side of the steps, but then I’d need to scale the wall and climb over it in order to reach Neil. And I wouldn’t be able to see him from behind the wall. There was only one real option. I climbed the steps, hoping that there wasn’t some kind of illusion-busting spell, and took my place next to one of the Merlin statues. Once Neil stepped past the statues I could grab him. There was a good chance that other wizards would come out to fight me off, so I’d have to throw Neil down the stairs where Simon would be waiting. I did not enjoy how much I was having to trust Simon, but sometimes you had to make tough compromises.
The car boots were opened and the three hostages pulled out and thrown to their knees on the road. I could hear muffled noises escaping through their gags, but they were faint. What was not faint was the petrified expressions on their faces. Behind each of them stood an Orchid, ready to strike if given the order.
‘Neil Garland!’ Simon shouted up at the building behind me. ‘I have your mother. I have your father. I have your sister. Come out and answer for your act of terrorism or they will die!’
Ironic that he was accusing Neil of terrorism whilst terrorising an innocent family. Dorian had terrorised this city more than anybody else in history and here I was helping him maintain control. A filthy shudder ran down my spine, asking me why I was pairing with such a nasty little man. I forced the thought away, scared that any answer I came up with would be unsatisfactory.
‘I know that somebody in that building can hear me. I will give you one minute to fetch Neil,’ Simon added.
Time ticked by silently. Every now and then I heard the rush of wind as a car passed nearby. Faces started to appear at either end of the street. Passers-by too scared to get too close but too curious to move on. This was exactly the kind of spectacle Dorian had wanted to avoid, but Magraval had forced his hand. I had to tip my hat to Magraval, it wasn’t often that somebody could force Dorian to do anything. At this point Magraval would be lucky if I killed him. If Dorian’s people got their hands on the Prime Wizard it would be infinitely worse for him.
The doors to my left creaked and groaned as they swung slowly inwards. I couldn’t see who was standing in the entrance but judging from the smile that slithered onto Simon’s face I’d say Neil had answered the summons.
‘Young Neil, how nice of you to attend. Tell your guards to retreat until I can no longer see them,’ Simon said.
‘Do it,’ Neil murmured in a frightened whisper and I heard several footsteps receding away from the entrance. That would increase my chance of not getting captured by them when I struck. I knew they wouldn’t wander far. ‘Let them go! They’ve done nothing to you!’ Neil shouted, his lack of restraint a by-product of his age. He was not at all equipped for this situation. Perhaps Magraval would think twice before selecting somebody so easy to control next time. Neil was too easy to manipulate by both sides.
‘You do not give the orders here, young man,’ Simon said condescendingly. ‘This is what will happen. You will exit the Hall and walk to me. You will accompany me and my associates to visit Mr. Dorian Gray where you will answer for your little appearance on the news this morning. If you do not follow my every instruction your family will die. To demonstrate my sincerity. Kate…’ Simon nodded at the girl standing behind Neil’s father. I realised what was going to happen a second before Kate unleashed a blast of magic into Mr Garland’s head. I didn’t hear the spell she used, but I saw the blood leaking out of all of his orifices. Mr Garland wailed through his gag, his wife and daughter shrieked on either side of him. The father turned to his daughter and tried to deliver her some small piece of comfort in his final moments. His body collapsed forward and he landed face down on the tarmac.
I swallowed my own anger at the unnecessary display of aggression. Never had I wanted to hurt Simon more. Neil drew in a shaking breath from within the Hall, but he said nothing. He was probably in too much shock to formulate words. The poor kid had just watched his father’s murder. Funnily enough, Simon had killed my father in front of me too. I had been significantly less bothered, however.
‘I trust I have made my point?’ Simon asked. ‘Calmly make your way to me. Now.’
Neil did not move.
‘Or do I have to demonstrate the severity of this situation further?’
‘Let one of them go and I’ll come down,’ Neil said.
‘This is not a negotiation.’
‘You’ve shown me you’re happy to kill. Now prove that you will let them live because I don’t believe you will! Let one of them go. You’ll still have one hostage to use against me.’
I had to give it to him, Neil was handling this better than most people his age would. I had to wonder if somebody was telling him what to do.
‘Kill the girl,’ said Simon.
&n
bsp; ‘No!’ Neil said and he rushed out of the Hall. My heartbeat accelerated as he came in to view. He was still standing between the statues and I couldn’t strike until he moved past them.
‘Very good. Keep moving,’ Simon instructed him.
I noticed that nobody inside the Hall spoke to dissuade Neil from leaving. Perhaps they were all as jaded by his sudden promotion as Jeremy had been.
Neil took a deep breath and closed his eyes as if silently praying for somebody to come and make all this right. I felt sorry for him. He’d put his faith in the wrong wizard. Magraval didn’t care for his welfare. Neil was a pawn. Nothing more.
The young wizard stepped out from the protection of the statues. I sprung forward and whipped my arm around his neck, pulling him against my body as I dragged him away from the doors. As soon as I’d jumped out into the open my illusion had collapsed revealing me to everybody around.
‘Sinair!’ I yelled, casting a wall of fire along the top step in front of the doors, blocking any form of rescue. I channelled more magic into the spell and made it harder to break. It would buy me a few more minutes at least.
‘Good work, Jacob. Bring him down,’ Simon said. I needed to pinch myself, for a second it sounded like he’d actually paid me a compliment.
I didn’t move. ‘Let his family go and I will,’ I called down to Simon. His eyebrows knitted together and formed an impatient frown.
‘Jacob, this is not the time for disagreements,’ he warned me. The other Orchids tensed, preparing for a fight. I sneered at them. The only one who could give me a real fight was Simon and he wouldn’t risk hitting the only link to Magraval.
‘I don’t trust you to let them go. You’re not getting near him until they are out of here.’
‘You are not calling the shots here.’
‘Yes, I am!’ I yelled, losing patience fast. Neil wriggled against me and I tightened my grip. ‘Stop that. I’m trying to help you, you little twerp,’ I growled in his ear. I had minutes at the most to get this situation put to bed. Any moment and the wizards and witches inside the Hall would break through my spell.
Simon stared up at me, his lips curled back viciously. It looked like he was going to attack me rather than bow to my demands. Then at the last moment he huffed in frustration and turned to his minions. ‘Let them go,’ he snapped.
The Orchids pulled Neil’s mother and sister to their feet and freed them from their restraints. With a single movement of Simon’s head he told them to get moving. They spared a terrified glance at their son before hastening away down the road. Mrs Garland looked back at the body of her husband and her eyes filled with tears. She was having a truly terrible day. I returned my focus to Simon, staring down at him in disgust.
‘You’ll pay for this, Graves. Just wait until Dorian finds out,’ he told me.
‘You ought to be more worried about me.’ The voice brought a stillness to the air like no other voice could. Simon and I both recognised the voice. We turned in the direction the Garlands had gone and saw them rooted to the spot in the middle of the road. They were too scared to go any further because standing just a couple of feet in front of them was Magraval.
‘Resolorum,’ I muttered, paralysing Neil as I pushed him aside. He fell backward landing in a neat sitting position, his back resting against one of the steps. In mere seconds he’d gone from primary to secondary target. I shared a brief look with Simon. We were back on the same side again. For now.
Magraval was hiding behind his usual glamour. A pitch black face with silver thorns emblazoned over the top. His silver eyes glowed dully in the light. I wondered how long it had been since he’d siphoned somebody’s life energy. Not for a while I hoped, that would make him weaker.
‘I am disappointed in everybody present,’ Magraval said, his voice a hideous rasping monstrosity. I knew from experience his voice was just part of his disguise. ‘Neil you should not have left the Hall. Not even for these.’ He gestured at the Garlands who stood before him. Neil’s sister looked like she was about to collapse.
‘Family,’ he said ponderously. ‘Family is supposed to be a person’s greatest strength. Their greatest attachment. But you and I both know that attachments make us weak, don’t we Jacob?’ His eyes fell on me and seemed to twinkle with mirth.
Here we go again, I thought. The mind games were starting. Annoyingly I did agree with him. Attachments were a window for your enemies to climb through. That’s why I tried not have any.
‘Attachments will only ever let you down,’ he said, reverting his attention to Neil. ‘And family more so than any other. Family is supposed to offer unconditional love, but it turns out that unconditional love is a promise nobody can actually live up to. Rid yourself of attachments and then you can truly be free.’
Magraval raised his hands faster than I could blink and two glistening blades buried themselves in the faces of the Garlands. Screams broke the air as the Garlands were flung back by the force of the attack. Neil’s eyes widened but that was all the reaction he could manage in his paralysed state.
‘I’ve relieved you of your burdens.’ Magraval moved forward stepping over the Garland’s bodies. He reached down and unbuttoned his black suit jacket as he approached. ‘Gentleman,’ he said, looking between Simon and myself. ‘Shall we dance again?’
Chapter Twelve
Simon, the Orchids, and I all moved as one. Magraval walked calmly forward deflecting our attacks as he came. He moved slowly, working with ease. He had plenty of power, but Simon and I had skill, and this time we would finish what we’d almost done last time. This plan couldn’t have gone better. I’d only hoped to catch Neil so that I could force him to lead me to Magraval, but I had inadvertently drawn the big chief out.
Magraval whipped his arm through the air releasing a devastating spell that cut down all of Simon’s minions in one swoop. Simon and I both paused, allowing our shock a few seconds to surface before regaining composure.
‘That’s better. We don’t want them running around getting in the way now, do we?’ Magraval said joyfully. ‘I am obligated to offer you the chance to surrender. Stand down and let me have my apprentice back. Do so and I will let you both live to die another day.’
I didn’t believe a word of it.
‘You’re going nowhere,’ Simon said, his voice absent of his full self-assuredness. Even he was wary of Magraval.
‘I can assure you I am going somewhere. The only question is will you be alive when I go, or will you be dead?’
‘Who are you? Show us your face,’ I said, wanting the mystery answered once and for all. Who was right, Dorian or Drew?
‘This is my face,’ he lied.
‘Enough of this,’ Simon muttered. ‘Aser falcut.’ Simon unleashed a magical blade that Magraval batted aside. Nobody expected it to do much damage, it was an attack to test his defences. They were good.
Several people came running out of the Hall. Wizards and witches filled the steps behind Simon and me. The Elders, or what was left of them, Agatha, Marcus, and Paul, were at their helm. Simon and I were trapped between Magraval and his followers. This plan had taken a very dramatic incline.
‘Go back inside,’ Magraval told them, not even bothering to look their way. He had eyes only for Simon and me. ‘This is between them and me.’
‘You’re outnumbered,’ Marcus said roughly.
‘It didn’t help them last time. It won’t help them this time. Go inside or I’ll kill you too,’ anger flew in Marcus’ direction. The Prime was not so fond of his number two anymore.
‘Come on,’ Agatha commanded the wizards and witches. ‘Don’t be a fool, Marcus,’ she added to her colleague. With a resigned sigh, Marcus followed the others back inside. Nobody even attempted to help Neil. They left him leaning against the step right where I’d put him.
‘Can’t help but notice they didn’t come out until you arrived,’ Simon said. ‘Cowardice is not a good trait in an army.’
‘But what were they scared of,
Simon? Fighting you, or disappointing me?’
I answered the question on Simon’s behalf by throwing a whopping great blast of magic in Magraval’s face. He blocked it, but only just. He hadn’t been expecting the attack and his reflexes weren’t as sharp. I offered no reprieve. Simon and I pushed our attack, throwing spell after spell at his shield. Magraval moved backward as he blocked each of our spells, but each one weakened his shield. I could see his calculating sneer turning to grim determination as he struggled to maintain his defence.
I unleashed another spell, but rather than blocking it, Magraval danced to the side letting it sail past him. He flung a counterstrike at me that bounced off my shield. Before he’d even waited to see the outcome of his attack on me, he’d already turned to Simon.
‘Inferibus,’ he muttered. The floor beneath Simon exploded and the wizard was sent sprawling through the air. He landed roughly on his back, his spine cracking on the tarmac.
‘Veritam!’ I shouted. Magraval dashed aside, narrowly avoiding my spell. He turned to me, his eyes wide with fury. I smiled at his broken composure. Rather than tossing me a spell, he lunged forward and offered me a punch instead. I ducked beneath his arm quick as a flash. As I rose I grabbed his wrist and flipped him over my shoulder. If he was Sam then he’d forgotten the martial arts lessons Drew had given us when we were teenagers. That or his temper had interfered with his skill. Sam’s temper had always had a habit of tripping him up. Was this really my estranged cousin I was facing?
Magraval rolled back to his feet, and spun around to face me, shrugging the attack off as a minor inconvenience. Our positioning had now changed. He now stood between us and the Hall. That had been his plan all along. He’d gotten us away from Neil. He now had the upper hand. All he had to do was grab his apprentice and retreat into the Hall before we could stop him.
I saw Simon rise to his feet. The two of us flanked Magraval at the base of the steps. It was time to bring out the big guns. No more small attacks.