by Nick Baker
‘Let’s start with the night at the factory. With you gone, you left us all with a host of unanswered questions.’
‘Such as?’
‘Well, for a start, why you never told us about the stone and why you sent Josef on such a convoluted trail to work it out for himself. If you’d explained it from the outset, none of this would have been necessary.’
‘Ah, Aurelia, so beautiful and so dangerous, yet somehow also so naive. It all boils down to a question of trust, you see. With something as critical as the stone, I had to be convinced of your loyalty. I was well aware of the cliques that had formed within the Order. I had to know who I could trust before revealing the truth. Unfortunately, I was not fully prepared on the night I went in search of the vital reagent for Luca.’
‘Prepared for what?’ asked Aurelia.
‘Fox’s waiting-party. We were surrounded the moment we broke in. They’d been expecting us, and that put me on my guard. Had the Council been watching us or had the Order been infiltrated? It was not the first time Internal Security had turned up when least expected. I began to suspect there was a mole amongst us, and that made me wary.
‘At the time, I was still undecided about the stone, particularly as Luca had not completed his work. I resolved to keep what I’d learnt to myself until I could be sure of those around me. Unfortunately, events overtook us … thanks to his interference,’ spat Black, pointing accusingly at Price. ‘The moment I discovered we were trapped, I knew Price would come, and that changed everything.’
‘But, Pearly, we still could have got away. Josef and I managed it after you … after you …’ Lex spluttered.
‘Died?’
‘Well, yes,’ said Lex, sounding flustered. ‘Although that hardly seems the right word for it now. If there was so much at stake, why did you wait for Price? Surely it would have been more sensible to slip away as we’d done many times before.’
‘Perhaps you’re right, Lex, but I had my reasons.’
‘If you really wish to know, it’s because of his ego,’ said Price. ‘He couldn’t bear the thought of skulking off and leaving me behind. Surely you must realise that?’
Lex did not reply but gave a barely perceptible shrug.
‘Your attempts to rile me are pitiful, Price, but it’s of little consequence. You’re doomed to fail,’ Black boomed. ‘As it was, I decided the time was right for our final showdown—’
‘Or not as it transpired,’ interjected Price, smiling humourlessly.
‘Indeed, but at the time, I saw it as an opportunity to rid the Order of your meddling once and for all.’
‘What actually happened, Pearly?’ said Aurelia.
‘I dispatched Lex to the rooftop on the pretext of finding out what Price was up to. That gave me the opportunity to confide in Josef about the stone, although I was purposefully evasive about its true nature. I explained to him of the absolute need to recover the stone in the event of my death and to take my body to Luca. I also entrusted him with the vague whereabouts of some notes I’d hidden at the Academy.’
‘Why weren’t you more explicit?’ said Frankl. ‘It would’ve made life a lot simpler these past ten years.’
‘As I’ve already said, I didn’t wish to divulge what I’d learnt until I was certain of who I could trust,’ replied Black with a dismissive flick of a hand. ‘The key to eternal life is a rather powerful tool, don’t you think? A tool, I might add, that is capable of turning even the staunchest of allies. Even a simple grasp of the stone’s power would’ve been too much for a single person to bear. I was worried that whoever learnt of it would use it for their own purpose; yes, even you, Josef,’ said Black in response to the look of affront on Frankl’s face.
‘B-but …’ stammered Frankl.
‘But what, Josef? The quest to recover Piotrowski’s work was not one that could be accomplished alone. I knew you’d seek out the others, and that thought reassured me. Safety in numbers, you see.’
‘And where does Nexus fit in?’ demanded Aurelia. ‘It appears you placed more trust in him than the rest of us put together.’
‘All of you have your own diverse reasons for being here, yet your motives have always been clear to me. Power, greed, desire … yes, and perhaps even loyalty,’ he added, glancing at Strange. ‘Luca’s different. You have witnessed his taste for the finer things in life but his prime motivation is an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. With my unsurpassed mastery of alchemy, I provided him with the means to see his medical work afresh, opening up a world he’d only ever dreamt of. I gave him the resources to turn his ambition into reality, and for that, I am thankful, for otherwise, I would not be here standing before you now. Luca has no concern with petty motives but is driven by the power of understanding.’
‘Did you let on to Nexus about the true nature of stone?’ Aurelia said.
‘Initially, no. He was always suspicious of my reasons for having the stone implanted and never believed it was to boost my alchemical abilities. With time, I came to trust his judgement, and eventually, I gave him a clearer insight into the real purpose of the stone. Even so, he remained sceptical. Luca’s a man who understands science in only its purest sense. Nonetheless, I selected him to act as my vassal in the unlikely event of my death. I prepared him for the possibility that, one day, my body would be taken to him. He knew what he had to do, and while he did not necessarily share my conviction, he was sufficiently intrigued to follow it through. He knew of my intention to entrust the stone to Josef, but also of how little else I intended to divulge to him. I predicted what Josef would do with the snippets of information I’d left for him, and ever since, Luca has been watching to make sure everything proceeded as I’d anticipated.’
‘What?’ Frankl snapped.
‘Come now, Josef, don’t be so sensitive. I had to be sure my plan would work. Luca was my security. He was my … shall we say … guarantee of success.’
Frankl shook his head. ‘I don’t believe this. He’s been watching us?’ he said, affronted.
Black nodded. ‘Luca was prepared for your return. He knew you’d resurface at the Academy, and ever since, he’s been following your progress with interest. He was watching you on the night you stole the manuscript, and again when Lex was in Amsterdam. He was even there when you honoured me with a meeting in Wren’s Cache. Luca was my insurance policy to make sure that everything came to pass just as I’d foreseen.’
‘So what really happened on the night you died?’ Lex said. ‘We tried to find out, but everything that appeared in the papers was a blatant pack of lies.’
Price lifted his head laboriously as if his neck muscles could not cope. His eyes stared ahead into the dimly lit room like empty shells, barely meeting the gaze of his nemesis. ‘Lex … is … right,’ he said, articulating each word with great difficulty. ‘You went … to … a lot of trouble to bring … me here, why d-don’t you tell him w-why …’ he added, his words trailing off as he gasped for air.
‘If I must,’ said Black. ‘The reason, of course, is retribution, and while it’s been ten years since that night, it’s time for Price to pay for his actions.’
Price stared blankly ahead, his head lolling uncontrollably on his shoulders, yet all of this was lost on Black. ‘You attacked me for no good reason,’ he screamed hysterically, his voice rising into a frenzied crescendo, hurling accusations as if his words alone would strike Price down. ‘Yours was no more than a cowardly act of revenge. How did you feel when you found out who was responsible for Saskia’s death? You should’ve known Fox couldn’t be trusted. The shot came from nowhere. I threw up a shield to protect myself. How was I to know that the bullet would rebound and strike her? It was a chance in a million. No matter what, Price, it wasn’t my fault.’
Price forced a look of astonishment to flash across his face as he teetered precariously back and forth.
‘You … you didn’t know?’ said Black incredulously, his voice falling to a whisper.
Price gave a b
arely perceptible shake of his head as he slumped forwards on the brink of unconsciousness, yet he still allowed himself a fleeting sense of satisfaction that he had managed to fool his nemesis.
‘Now do you see how utterly you are betrayed? You never knew that Fox was responsible for Saskia’s death!’ Black said, shaking his head in disbelief. ‘Is there no end to the man’s deception? At least you’ll die knowing that he, too, will meet with the same fate as your own. But this changes nothing. The time has come. I’ll have my revenge!’ said Black, oblivious to Price’s predicament.
Black nodded to Strange and Frankl. ‘Now!’ he cried gleefully, giving vent to incipient madness.
Frankl raised his hands, but Strange hesitated, looking around him for support.
‘Wait!’ said Lex. ‘We don’t have to do this. We’ve committed many crimes in your name, Pearly, but never cold-blooded murder.’
‘You all have blood on your hands,’ whispered Black menacingly.
‘Self-defence, yes, but never this. We don’t have to do this.’
Strange looked at Frankl before turning to face Aurelia, tormented by indecision. Frankl nodded fervently, urging him to continue, but Aurelia shrugged her shoulders as if she did not really care.
‘Do as I say … or you, too, will be next,’ Black commanded, staring fixedly at Strange.
Strange stood bolt upright, stung by Black’s words. He launched into action and extended his arms. Frankl, too, was ready, and together, balls of fire materialised around their hands, engulfing the room in blinding orange light. The flames climbed high into the vault, illuminating crazed expressions on their faces, yet they held their power in check as white-hot flames fizzed expectantly about them.
‘Now!’ screamed Black.
The men unfurled their hands in unison, releasing the inferno to immerse Aurelia and Lex in coats of scorching flames, but no sooner than it seemed that they would be consumed, the flames made an improbable leap, arcing inexorably towards the pentagram’s zenith and Pearly Black, who grimaced terrifyingly as he too was swallowed up by fire.
The energy flowed in graceful parabolic curves from Frankl and Strange, through the conduits of Aurelia and Lex, and finally into Black. The power hissed and crackled as it poured into Black’s torso, engulfing him in a burgeoning corona of grey flames that reeked of corruption. His body appeared to swell amidst the raging fire, and slowly, ever so slowly, he raised a finger and took aim.
Price gave no sign that he knew what was happening, but Black neither cared nor noticed, entranced as he was with the sense of invincibility that arose from the exponential surge in power that built inside him.
The throng shielded their eyes, yet they dared not look away, mesmerised by the awesome spectacle of Black towering over his victim. Then, with an earth-shattering crack, a bolt of defiled light erupted from his finger, exploding like a supernova and tearing into its target with a certainty that was absolute.
31
THE STONE OF MADNESS
The Mysterious Zoë Tsing
LILY RAN BLINDLY DOWN the stairs without any heed for her safety in her desperation to escape the tower. Her head was spinning like a merry-go-round from a combination of exhaustion and her descent of the spiral staircase. When she reached the ground-floor and spilled into the octagonal hall, she was on the verge of collapse. She skidded on the slick stone flags as she threw herself across the room towards the exit. To her surprise, the sturdy metal door flew open behind the force of her weight, and as her momentum carried her into a narrow corridor, she was enveloped by strong arms that pulled her back.
Lily flailed wildly at the unseen assailants, desperately punching and kicking in her attempt to escape ‘NO!’ she screamed. She had been taken before and would not let it happen again.
‘Lily, Lily, it’s us!’
The sound of familiar voices made her heart soar; it was her friends, Aedh and Seoc. Lily spun round, eager to see what she could not believe. ‘It is you! I thought you were dead!’ she cried, feeling foolish at how her words must sound. She smiled as she took in the pale, freckled appearance of the boys, who stood beaming back at her.
The boys hesitated, then threw their arms around her, this time in sheer joy. ‘What’s been going on?’ they said in unison.
Lily shook her head. ‘I could ask the same of you. C’mon let’s get out of here. I’ll explain later,’ she said, straining for the exit.
Lily peered into the darkness that greeted her at the door and shivered involuntarily from the inrush of cold night air, but still she pressed on, desperate to leave the foreboding tower behind.
After putting some distance behind her, she paused on a gentle elevation and turned to stare forlornly at the stark monolith that was now shrouded in mist. She felt a sudden wave of fatigue wash over her, and as she set off once more, she prompted Aedh to lead the way.
Aedh overtook her in silence, gently sweeping the terrain with a torch to illuminate the way. Despite the uneven ground, they soon reached a steep escarpment, where they stopped to regain their breath while peering at the distant lights of the village nestled in the valley below.
‘Come on. I’d rather not delay any longer than we have to,’ said Aedh. ‘There’s a car waiting for us in the village,’ he added for Lily’s benefit.
‘That’s if the police haven’t found it yet,’ said Seoc.
‘You mean it’s … it’s stolen?’ Lily said.
‘I prefer the term “borrowed”,’ replied Seoc facetiously. ‘I bet no one’s noticed it’s gone yet, rubbish old banger that it is.’
When they reached the village, Aedh led them to a small saloon parked in a narrow side street. By now, Lily was too tired to care, and she crawled into the back of the vehicle without a word of protest. She looked on with detachment as Seoc buried his head below the dashboard to hot-wire the vehicle, while Aedh sat behind the steering wheel impatiently drumming his fingertips, ready to speed off the instant the engine fired up.
After leaving the deserted streets of Up Wellow behind, Seoc turned round to speak. ‘So, Lily …’ he began, but the sight of her lying spread-eagled across the back seat already fast asleep was enough to tell him that his curiosity would have to wait.
Aedh drove through the night, and when Lily awoke, she was amazed to discover that they were back at the boat, still moored at the same spot where she had been kidnapped ten days earlier.
Once safely inside the familiar craft, the time for explanations began. Lily went first, describing as best as she could how she had been bound and gagged, and taken to the tower. There, she had been drugged and used as bait to draw out the real prey, her father. The boys dared not interrupt as she recounted her tale, nodding supportively as if everything she said corroborated their own ordeal. She described in chilling detail the finale that saw, first her father, and then Aurelia Nightshade—or Mickey as the boys had known her—and finally the fat, evil man, vanish into thin air. The boys gently pressed her on the baffling disappearances, astutely aware of the uncertain fate of her father and how she must be feeling, but Lily admitted that she was just as mystified as they were. All she could say was that the trio had disappeared into a vortex, one after the other, and that it had dematerialised after the fat man’s passing, scuppering any chance of pursuit. Although she had never encountered anything like it before, she speculated that the vortex was a bizarre and inexplicable form of transportation, although to where exactly it had taken her father, she dared not contemplate.
The boys listened transfixed and slowly came to see Lily in a new light, talking about things they could hardly comprehend. As she neared the end of her story, the boys exchanged nervous glances as it slowly dawned on them that there was a lot more to this girl than they had ever previously imagined.
When Lily portrayed how she had dispatched the man into the vortex using all of her cunning—but without mentioning her more abstruse abilities—Seoc could barely contain his delight, and whooped unashamedly at her victory.
Once Lily had finished her account, they continued the debate about why anyone would wish to abduct her father, but all they could agree on was that whoever had taken him had wanted him alive; or why else would Lily’s captors have both so willingly followed him into the vortex?
Lily held onto this assertion and kept repeating it to herself as a way to stiffen her resolve. From time to time, she could sense herself faltering when she recalled the words the evil man had uttered moments before he had tumbled into the vortex.
‘There’s nothing you can do for him now; he prepares for his death as we speak.’
As she murmured the words, Lily realised how much she needed the boys, yet she was acutely aware of how she had already led them into danger. She even suggested that they went their separate ways, but despite her pleas, the boys remained resolute in their pledge to help her. When she reluctantly accepted that they were all in the same predicament, she opted to divulge everything she knew; after all, it was the very least the boys deserved.
Lily began by recounting her father’s previous scrapes with the Order of Eternal Enlightenment followed by a detailed account of the thefts, firstly from her home, and more latterly, from the library in Amsterdam. She completed her story by airing her suspicions about how she had been manipulated into leading her father into a trap. They talked all day, barely stopping to draw breath, and following the inevitable questions the boys fired at her, it was finally their turn to relate the tale of when they had awoken to discover her gone.
Aedh began the narration, much to Seoc’s disgust, but whenever anything interesting cropped up, the younger boy butted in excitedly, embellishing the story at every turn.
Not surprisingly, they had assumed that Lily’s disappearance was linked to the man who had followed her and the Scotswoman who had drugged them. After awakening with thudding headaches trussed up inside their own boat, they had spent the next twenty-four hours aimlessly searching for the Largo Law. After drawing a blank, they had left the boat at Thames Lock and returned to the city to look for clues at Lily’s house.