"One minute," he said.
"When I first came to the city of sorcery, I thought a place like this was where real mages came to hang out. But once I got in, I realized that people with real power wouldn't need to display it with gaudy tattoos that sparkle or drinks with silly names like Gelatinous Shots, or Kobold Juice. It became clear pretty quickly that half the clientele were posers, pretending to be mages, or low-level wizards with self-esteem issues."
Slyvan's contempt was barely disguised as disinterest. He looked ready to escape at any moment, so Pi hurried to her point.
"Which makes this the best place to hide. No self-respecting mage or maetrie would be caught dead in here. Think of how much you detest this place. Could you imagine Radoslav coming in here?" she asked.
In the pause afterwards, he went through the stages of realization that she was right, while she worried if she was doing the right thing. She hated going behind Radoslav's back, but he hadn't talked to her much since she met the Ruby Queen.
"I might acknowledge the cleverness if it weren't like hiding in a dumpster fire," he said.
"Fair enough," she said.
"What do you want?"
Straight to the point. She should have expected it. It wasn't like they'd had friendly exchanges in the past, which made her regret the bracelet trick.
"I want to help," she said.
His sigh was like a work of art, an exquisite gesture of reluctance and disappointment.
"You want nothing of the sort," he replied. "Or you wouldn't be working for Raddie."
"I didn't say for free," said Pi.
"Good. I detest do-gooders. I cannot trust someone who doesn't want something," he said, idly examining his fingernails.
"Tell me something," said Pi, girding herself for the expected reaction. "Why did your brother leave?"
Slyvan's gaze flickered with fury.
"Half-brother," he said, then added after a thought, "Because he's a coward."
"I'd hardly call someone who acquires the nickname the Black Butcher to be a coward," said Pi.
"He left our realm to hide amongst you humans. He could have had anything he wanted, but he left, and for what, to own a shitty bar in a place that's a pale imitation of the Eternal City?" asked Slyvan rhetorically, as if to even consider it was pure madness.
Slyvan perched his chin on his hand in a thoughtful pose. Pi decided to push her luck with his verbose mood.
"Did he really deserve that name? The Black Butcher?" she asked.
His gaze had a faraway quality, remembering times past. There was a hint of admiration, twinned with disgust.
"The Raddie you know isn't even a shade of the real one. He's the son to two maetrie queens. Even without his full powers here, he's still a formidable bastard," said Slyvan.
The maetrie looked back at her as if he'd realized he was talking too much. He'd underestimated her once again, one of the few advantages of being a young human girl. She now knew what the figurine was that Slyvan had taunted Radoslav with. It was a power conduit. He must have hidden it somewhere in the Eternal City, but Slyvan found it. Knowing that her boss's abilities had been reduced explained some of his reactions, but not why he didn't charge back into the Eternal City and take his power conduit back. It also made this little game even more dangerous. Clearly the Ruby Queen had been planning this for a while if she'd waited until they had found his figurine before acting. She wanted to believe that Lady Amethyte was trying to repair the peace, but knew there were probably other considerations.
"How can I help with the Jade Queen?" she asked, deciding that waiting any longer would work against her.
"You can't," he said. "We need Raddie."
"As you said before, I'm his mageling. Surely that counts for something," she said.
He looked bored. Pi hoped that was a facade. She'd decided before he'd come that everything he said or did would be a lie. It was the only way to be safe.
"What do you want? You're not doing this out of the kindness of your little human heart," he said.
"Information," she said.
He motioned with his hand. "Out with it."
"No," she said. "I'm not asking until I know if we've got a deal."
"How do I know I can help you if you don't ask?"
Pi made sure she was sitting up straight and looking him dead in the eyes. It was hard because she wanted to fawn over him. To counteract his aura, she tried to picture him as a snake with a human suit over top.
"You have the information I want," she said. "That much I am sure of. And I know you have an idea how I can help you, or you wouldn't have come here in the first place. The fact that you showed up at all told me everything I needed to know, including that he was your brother, or half-brother, my apologies."
He made that sigh again and studied his fingernails as if they were more interesting. She kept quiet and still, worried that she'd pushed too hard. When he brought his gaze up, she knew she'd struck true.
"I suppose you could help," he said, reaching into his inner coat and pulling out an envelope and a jewelry box. "Soon we will celebrate the anniversary of our peace at the Reaping Celebration. Her Ladyship would like you to be Raddie's representative. Lady Kikala will be disappointed that he could not make it, but she will, I think, take a liking to you. As a token of faith from Lady Amethyte, you will deliver this necklace. It's an old disagreement between them. Her Ladyship hopes to smooth away the past problems by returning something that the Jade Queen has long desired. The invitation, of course, will get you into the celebration. We'll send an escort when the time comes."
Pi eyed the items suspiciously, keeping her hands well away from them.
The corner of Slyvan's lip tugged downward. "These are safe for you to accept, since they are not, by the rules of the realm, for you at all."
"I'm not going to agree to anything until you tell me what I want to know," she said.
"Which I cannot do, since you have not told me," he said, his anger not well veiled.
"I need to know what Priyanka Sai wanted from the Ruby Queen," said Pi.
His surprise was such that she knew any surprise he'd shown before had been false. For a moment, she thought he might reach across the table and throttle her, but he contained his emotions, smoothing his coat as if it were made of feathers and had become ruffled.
"I suppose you earned that," he said. "I'm not sure how you learned about this arrangement, but it's fortuitous for Her Ladyship, because it is something that she can offer in return for your service."
Despite her success, this was the part she dreaded. What if the information she'd asked for was useless, or trivial? She'd put herself into a dangerous position by going against Radoslav's wishes and involving herself further in the political machinations of the maetrie courts.
"Then we have a deal," said Pi, pulling the items closer. "I will act as Radoslav's representative at the Reaping Celebration."
After a pause he began, "Priyanka came to Lady Amethyte because she is in search of something important. A spell specifically. Something so powerful that it could be used in any number of ways. I see by your eyes that this is what you're looking for."
Pi cursed internally for giving away that information, but he was right. She'd practically floated above the table when she heard it.
"That's not enough. I already knew that," said Pi. "What's the spell? And did Lady Amethyte tell Priyanka where it was located?"
Slyvan chuckled, half-lidded eyes relaying supreme amusement.
"It's Invictus' greatest achievement, the wish spell," he said. "And they're not looking for it—they know where it is, and they're trying to figure out how to use it when they get it."
Pi sat in stunned silence. The wish spell, they knew where it was. That could only mean one thing. It was the prize at the end of the contest, the contest they were sucking at. It explained why so many halls were pouring resources into winning.
Slyvan pushed the envelope and case across the table as he go
t up.
"Tell Raddie we miss him," he mocked. "And be ready when we send for you. Her Ladyship takes a hard line on those that go back on their promises."
"I'll be there," said Pi, hoping she hadn't gotten in over her head.
"I'm sure you will."
Slyvan strolled out of the club like a victor that had gotten everything he wanted. Pi stared at the envelope and case for a long time before finally shoving them into her carryall. She'd gotten what she'd wanted, but maybe she'd gotten more than expected.
Chapter Eighteen
Aurie shivered, curled up on the couch in the waiting room, nibbling on a piece of chocolate, contemplating her last death. The others had left right away; everyone had their rituals for dealing with the aftermath of being killed in the game.
They'd gotten past wave three during the last two attempts, but hadn't come up with a solution for the burrowing bugs in wave four. But Aurie wasn't thinking about strategy. She was trying to shake the feeling she was really dead.
Pi hopped over the couch, startling Aurie into dropping her chocolate into the crack between couch cushions.
"Dammit, Pi. I thought I was the only one here," said Aurie.
Her sister's hair was a disheveled halo around her head. Mud splatters covered her face, except for a line where the helmet had covered her forehead. They both stunk of sweat and bug guts, which smelled like rotten cabbage.
"The floor behind the bar is cool," said Pi. "I hate the few hours after we lose. I feel like I've been split in two, and another version of me is wandering the world as a ghost."
"I thought they were being generous with the energy drinks and chocolate bars that first day. I wonder no longer," said Aurie.
"Barely above last," said Pi.
Aurie's gaze gravitated to the top of the leaderboard. Violet's team, the Indigo Sisters, had maintained their domination of the contest since day one.
"We're never going to catch up at this pace," said Aurie. "February is nearly finished. I've heard they think the queen bug is at the tenth wave."
Pi crossed her legs and faced Aurie with a serious demeanor.
"We have to win the Grand Contest," said Pi.
"Haven't we been trying?"
Pi looked into her lap. "I mean because of the reward. I think I know what it is."
Aurie had been thinking about it as well, but the way her sister said it made her think she had learned something. Aurie had a sinking feeling in her gut that Pi had done something dangerous again.
"You remember that book, Impossible Magics," said Pi, receiving a nod from Aurie. "They're looking for a wish spell."
"That's—"
"Impossible, yeah, we both know it," said Pi. "But you said that Invictus thought it could be done."
"He left the possibility open, but like I said, I skimmed the text quickly before Semyon returned," said Aurie, growing suspicious. "What gives? We've talked about this before."
Pi chewed on her lower lip, which was a sure sign she was hiding something.
"Why would Zayn bring it up, if he wasn't trying to manipulate you?"
"Stop with the Zayn stuff," said Aurie, her face bursting with heat. "I told you I'm in control of my feelings. He's not going to get me to betray Arcanium for the Cabal because he's a good kisser."
Pi's eyes opened wide. "So you've kissed him?"
"Only a couple of times since the cave," said Aurie, but even thinking about it made her blush. She liked him more than she cared to admit to her sister.
When Pi stared at her, she added, "But I make sure to stay in public places, and he hasn't asked me about the book since."
Not that she hadn't thought about taking him somewhere outside the city so they could spend a weekend in private. She ached with desire, but didn't trust herself with the relationship if they had sex. If she trusted sharing that kind of intimacy with him, then she wanted to be able to share her deepest thoughts and fears. To do it the other way would feel backwards, so she'd kept it light.
Pi rubbed her forehead in faux pain. "Why, why, why? I mean first, tell me he's a good kisser, but you know he's got to be working for them! He's his patron's assistant!"
"He kisses like you'd imagine that David Beckham would," said Aurie.
"Wow," said Pi, then shook her head as if she were trying to wake up. "But not good."
"Why are you so against him? What if he's good? What if he needs our help?" asked Aurie, knowing full well that her sister disagreed.
"What if he's not good? I think the evidence is stacked against him," said Pi.
"Out with it. You're holding something back," said Aurie.
Pi squeezed her eyes shut and said the words quickly. "I saw him asking the Ruby Queen for information about the wish spell, and confirmed that the Cabal knows where it is. They're trying to figure out how it works once they get it."
Aurie practically came off the couch. "Ruby Court? Are you crazy? What are you doing there? You know how dangerous that is."
"We've got to take chances, sis," said Pi.
"Not stupid ones," said Aurie. "At least talk it over with me first."
"You'd never agree, so why bother? And I can do what I want, I don't need your permission," said Pi, jaw pulsing with intensity.
The rebuke was a slap to Aurie's face. She held a hand to her mouth. It hurt down to her bones to argue with her sister, but it'd hurt even worse to lose her.
Pi spoke quietly as if she were trying to bridge the pain between them. "The wish spell has to be the reward for the contest. That's why they're putting so many resources into winning it. I hear some of the Cabal halls have suspended classes to focus on practice fighting bugs. Thankfully they can't bring magical artifacts into the contest or they'd load up their teams with every useful device on the planet."
"Maybe that's why Violet was placed in Arcanium," said Aurie, musing over the subject. It was easier to focus on their task than battle with her sister.
"That's true," said Pi. "I heard that from Raz."
"She's a nice girl, but she is a terrible Stone Singer," said Aurie, thinking back to their most recent battle against the bugs. Raziyah's failure to reinforce the earth against them had doomed them to failure.
"They mean well, but damn, sometimes I wish for better teammates," said Pi. "Echo makes a better gardener than a mage. I'm not sure he's killed more than five bugs this whole time."
"Even if I don't understand how it could be possible, I bet I know why they want the wish spell," said Aurie, the words frothing to her lips so fast she could barely get them out. "They want to get into Invictus' place at the top of the Spire so they can claim the role of head patron."
"If they had that they could do anything they wanted," mused Pi. "As the saying goes, he who controls the Halls controls the world."
"We've got to stop them," said Aurie.
"Even if it means giving up on Zayn?" asked Pi, looking her directly in the eyes.
"That was a low blow," said Aurie.
"Am I right?" asked Pi.
Aurie pulled her arms to her chest and squeezed herself tight. "I promise I'll be careful with him."
Pi raised a single eyebrow.
"Maybe we can use him for information?" offered Aurie.
"I suppose," said Pi.
"You be careful with the maetrie," said Aurie. "They're more dangerous than the Cabal."
"Always."
"Dooset daram."
"Love you, too."
Chapter Nineteen
The bug exploded, guts splattering across the wall in a disgusting pattern. No matter how many times Pi smelled them, she couldn't help but gag. She climbed onto the wall and surveyed the carnage. They'd survived the third wave—again.
"South corridor clear!" she shouted to the rest of the team.
Aurie motioned from the north wall. "Clear here."
Hannah was still struggling up the east wall slope in her block skates and armor. Even after countless deaths, they couldn't get her to change to sensible hik
ing boots.
"Clear!" yelled Raziyah from the west wall.
Pi gave the dark-skinned girl a salute. Her spell work was suspect, but she made a good teammate, unlike Echo, who was digging in the dirt again. Pi'd given up trying to use him, which meant they were a person down for the battle.
Hannah finally made the top, and yelled, "Bug sign, coming in hot."
In the fourth wave, the bugs came from random directions each time, so they had to watch for the motion in the trees. There would be two groups of burrowers and three groups of darters. While the poisoned spikes the darters shot were a pain, it was the burrowers killing them every time, because they didn't know where they were going to come up.
Every time, a few escaped the defenses they set up and killed someone before the rest of the team could react. The only person they hadn't killed was Echo, who was usually sitting by the flowery bushes at the center of the fort, as if they knew he was useless to its defense.
They had a few minutes before the bugs arrived. Pi took a moment to survey the countryside. The idyllic hills rolled into the distance with no sign of civilization in any direction, though it was hard to completely tell since the fort was nestled in a valley. Though the trees looked similar to the foliage on the coast, there were no chem trails, or other signs of Earth life, which meant they were in a different realm, or a pocket universe created solely for the contest. This seemed important to Pi, but she couldn't figure out why.
Echo had wandered back to the garden and settled cross-legged near a scraggly bush sprouting purple flowers. She would have yelled at him to get back into position, but he seemed so peaceful, which only made her feel guilty, because it was an effort to get him into the contest each week. More than anyone else, he took the deaths keenly. His eyes were puffy with tears by the time they got him into the contest room. The only thing that made it worth it was that he seemed to do better once they got inside.
Pi wondered what kind of life he had before the Halls. Neither she nor Raz could get him to talk about anything, and attempts at finding where he'd come from had come up empty. His history was a blank sheet of paper, much like hers, which made her even more reticent to push him.
Web of Lies (The Hundred Halls Book 2) Page 14