12

It was pitch black.

‘Luna?’ I said.

‘Over here.’

‘You okay?’

‘I’m fine; don’t come too close!’

‘Er, hi.’

‘What’s that?’

‘What’s what?’

‘Who’s there?’

‘Luna.’

‘Not you!’

‘Sonder. Er, I mean David. I met you at-’

‘I know who you are, Sonder.’

‘You made it through?’

‘Well, Mr Verus, I mean Alex, said to follow you, and-’

‘Has anyone got a light?’

Silence.

‘Anyone?’

Silence.

‘Luna?’

‘I brought the stuff you asked for.’

‘So that’s a yes?’

‘Yes, but it’s sealed. If I touch it …’

‘Okay, okay. Sonder?’

‘Yes?’

‘You’re a mage, right?’

‘Well, yes.’

‘Great, cast a light spell.’

‘…’

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Um, well-’

‘Please don’t tell me you can’t make one either.’

‘Well, I’ve never really gotten the hang of it. And there’s usually someone else around who can, so …’

‘Oh, you’ve got to be kidding.’

There was a fumbling sound, then there was a click and a cone of light broke the darkness, causing me to flinch. As my eyes adjusted I saw Sonder holding a torch looking apologetic. ‘But I did bring one of these. Is that okay?’

As Sonder flashed the light around I saw Luna, pale but unhurt, pressed up against the wall. We were in a circular room with a doorway leading out into a corridor. I couldn’t see any trace of the doorway we’d entered from, and I couldn’t feel any vibration through the floor. Either the walls were really thick or we’d been transported. Either way, a quick look at the future confirmed no one was going to be following for a while.

‘Where are we?’ Luna asked

‘Sonder?’ I said.

‘This is amazing,’ Sonder said. He was looking around in fascination. ‘We’re actually inside a bubble! All of this must have been built during the Dark Wars. I’ve never seen an installation as well preserved-’

Luna and I looked at him, and Sonder suddenly looked flustered. ‘Well, I mean- We’re inside the bubble. It should be safe. I mean, it’s lasted this long.’

‘Can anyone else get in?’ I asked.

‘Oh, no. Not once the gate’s closed.’

‘I think it was closing at the end,’ Luna said. She was still holding the red crystal cube, looking down at it. ‘When I took it away I wanted it to. And it did.’

I glanced at Luna curiously. Absorbed with the cube, she didn’t seem to notice. ‘Um …’ Sonder said. ‘Did anyone else get inside?’

‘Let’s hope not. Luna? Luna!’

‘Hm?’ Luna shook herself. ‘Oh. Right.’ She stood and walked to the middle of the room. With my mage’s sight I could see the silvery mist coating her and the pack, odd tendrils drifting towards me and Sonder but not quite able to reach. Luna took off her backpack, put it upside down on the ground, then lifted it quickly off, stepping away. A handful of items spilled out. ‘This was everything I could find.’

‘Shine the light,’ I told Sonder, who obeyed. The first thing I picked up from the pile was my mist cloak, and I felt my heart lighten as I saw it. It’s funny how attached you can get to an item, but then imbued items are practically living things. In any case, it’s saved my life more times than I can count and, as I swung it over my shoulders and fastened it around my neck, I felt better immediately.

‘Is it all there?’ Luna asked.

I nodded as I went through the pile. I’d asked Luna to go to my shop using the hidden key, and bring everything I’d need. ‘Good job. How did it go with Talisid?’

‘He asked if I was your apprentice.’

‘What did you tell him?’

‘What do you think?’

I laughed, found my own torch and switched it on. ‘Sonder? Go into the corridor about fifteen feet down and have a look on the right wall. There’s a control set that’ll turn on the lights for this area.’

Sonder hesitated. ‘Are you sure it’s safe?’

‘As long as you don’t go any further.’

‘I’m not actually sure how the spells in this site work …’

‘Yes, you are. If you study it for a couple of minutes, you’ll figure it out.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes.’

‘It might be dangerous …’

‘It won’t be.’

‘How do you know?’

‘Because that’s what I do. Look, Sonder, I’ve never studied places like this, and neither has Luna, but you have. The reason I’m asking you to do it is because you’re the best one for the job. There’ll be places further on where it is dangerous for you to touch anything, but when we run into those I’ll warn you. Okay?’

‘Oh.’ Sonder hesitated, then nodded. ‘Okay.’ He got up and stepped out into the corridor.

I looked back to see that Luna was smiling. ‘What’s so funny?’

‘Oh, I was telling him about you. While we were waiting in the statue room.’

I gave Luna a suspicious look. ‘What did you say?’

Luna looked back at me innocently. I shook my head, then became serious. ‘How did everything go?’

Luna glanced after where Sonder had gone, then sighed and leant back against the wall. ‘It wasn’t so bad. They didn’t ask many questions. Most of them just ignored me.’

‘How was Talisid?’

Luna thought for a second. ‘I think he might have guessed. None of the others did. The only other one who talked to me was Sonder. You know, he seemed a bit …’

I laughed. ‘Not all mages are the experienced type.’ I’d almost finished with the contents of the backpack. She’d done a good job; I had everything that was likely to help. One item remained: a blue disc with serrated edges. I could feel that it was some sort of focus, with a fair charge of energy inside it. ‘What’s that?’

‘Talisid said it was a communicator,’ Luna said. ‘He said it was synchronous?’

I’d picked the disc up and was studying it. ‘Huh. I didn’t know they’d managed to get these working.’

‘Will it work from in here?’

I nodded. ‘He must have been expecting something like this. Even for a Council rep, this wouldn’t come cheap.’ I looked at Luna. ‘Ready?’

Luna nodded and I pressed several of the edges in sequence. They began to flash blue. I set the thing down and waited.

The lights changed from blue to green and a ghostly holographic figure appeared, standing on the disc, twelve inches tall. It was Talisid. ‘Verus!’ His voice was muffled but clear. ‘Where are you?’

‘Where do you think?’

‘You’re inside?’

‘Inside, and likely to stay inside. What’s happening out there?’

‘Are you all right? Who’s with you?’

‘Luna and Sonder. We’re fine.’

Talisid’s figure seemed to relax slightly. ‘That’s the first good news I’ve heard all day.’

‘What happened?’

‘Cave in.’ It was hard to make out fine detail on the small projection, but Talisid’s clothes looked scuffed. ‘I don’t know who it was, but the whole room and most of the stairwell’s rubble. We’re starting to dig through, but-’

‘Talisid?’ I said. ‘That wasn’t really what I was asking.’ I didn’t raise my voice, but there was an edge to it. ‘I gave you advance warning an attack was coming. I gave you the most likely day. You had twenty-four hours to prepare and a full Council security detail. Onyx had three people.’

Talisid said nothing. He didn’t look happy.

‘Please tell me you got at least one of them.’

‘We haven’t been able to confirm anything yet.’

‘That’s a no, isn’t it?’

Talisid was silent and I put a hand over my eyes. ‘I’d ask for an explanation, but hearing the full details of exactly how you screwed up is kind of moot at this point.’

‘Look, Verus, I’m getting enough crap from the Council right now. I don’t need any more from you.’

‘And we’re inside a sealed-off relic with anywhere between zero and four Dark mages who want to kill us. Who do you think got the better end of the deal?’

Talisid stayed silent. I took a deep breath and got myself under control. ‘Where’s Griff?’

‘We don’t know.’

‘How many of the Dark mages made it inside?’

‘We don’t know. It’s possible they were caught by the collapse-’

‘Don’t bet on it. Who else is there?’

‘We don’t know. It’s bad out here, Verus. We’ve got dozens injured and at least three of the security staff are dead; Onyx went through them like a buzz-saw. Everyone we can spare is on medical detail or digging out survivors or on guard, and we still haven’t linked up with everyone. Everyone was in the wrong place, it’s as though-’ Talisid checked and then went on. ‘I was with Ilmarin — he’s an air mage, one of the ones in the Great Court. He told me he felt something go after Onyx’s group during the attack. Completely invisible, both to the eye and to magic. The only reason he could sense it was by the displaced air. He has no idea what it was.’

I closed my eyes again. ‘Perfect,’ I said once I’d got myself under control. ‘Anything else while you’re at it?’

‘You know what it was?’

‘It’s called Thirteen. She works for Levistus. I don’t suppose you can give us any sort of help?’

‘If the portal’s still open-’

Luna spoke up. ‘It’s not.’

Talisid looked at her, then back at me. ‘We might be able to jury-rig the thing with some kind of worldgate. If we can follow the trace-’

‘Can you get that done in four hours or less?’ I said.

Talisid was silent. I sighed. ‘I’ll take that as a no. Anything else?’

‘I’m sorry,’ Talisid said. ‘I wish I had some better news.’

‘I wish you did too.’

‘I’ll call you as soon as we learn anything.’

‘Please don’t. The last thing we need is our phone going off when we’re trying to avoid attention. We’ll call you.’

Talisid nodded. ‘Good luck.’ The communicator winked off.

I didn’t move. ‘What did you mean about the invisible thing?’ Luna asked after a moment.

‘Some sort of modified air elemental Levistus uses. I’m just wondering if that’s all he’s got.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘The Council guards shouldn’t have done that badly,’ I said. ‘They were outclassed, but not that outclassed. And the way they were deployed, with no one between the Great Court and the statue … I think someone was trying to make sure the attack got through.’

Luna frowned. ‘You mean Levistus? Why would he want to do that?’

I remembered Levistus’ words from the ball, delivered with just a trace of a smile: ‘I have many agents, Mr Verus. Rest assured, they will be making sure everything goes to plan.’

My heart sank. ‘Oh, crap.’

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Luna, was there anyone who stayed near the statue all the time you were there? As in, never going away for long?’

Luna looked puzzled. ‘I suppose.’

‘Who?’

‘Sonder and Griff.’

‘No one else?’

‘I don’t think so. Why?’

‘Because the only reason Levistus would want Morden’s attack to go through would be so he could get his own people inside as well.’

Luna looked at me for a few seconds, then her face changed. ‘Sonder?’

I didn’t say anything. Luna looked out into the corridor after Sonder, then turned back with an uneasy look on her face. ‘Wait. No. Griff was the one who was supposed to be in charge of security, right? Isn’t it more likely to be him?’

‘Who says it’s only one of them?’

Luna started to answer then stopped.

‘I don’t like the idea either,’ I said quietly. ‘But I don’t think Levistus would rely on just Thirteen. He’s got agents and he’ll have used them. You’re right; Griff sounds more likely, but he’s not here and Sonder is. Until we get out of here, watch your back.’

We sat quietly for a moment, thinking. The torches cast Luna’s face in shadow, making it hard to know what she was thinking. ‘We don’t have many friends here, do we?’ Luna said at last.

‘What about Starbreeze?’

‘I called her. She came the first time, but when she saw me she ran away again. I called her again when I heard you coming but …’

I’d been searching through the futures and as I did I felt my spirit lift. I smiled. ‘Huh.’

‘She’s here?’

‘She’s here. Looks like we’ve got one friend after all.’

All of a sudden the lights came on. Luna and I stood up, blinking, and from out in the corridor I heard Sonder call excitedly, ‘I did it!’

The room we were standing in was off-white, with a high ceiling. The edges of the walls and floor were rounded slightly so as to show no corners, making the room oddly featureless, and circular patches on the ceiling shed a bright light. I could sense that the lights were magical, which confirmed that this place was very, very old. Like I said, creating permanent magical items is a real hassle. It’s far less effort to use modern technology, which means the only places that use permanent effects like this are ones that were created before modern technology. Luna and I walked to the exit to see a curving corridor. Up ahead, we could just see that it opened into a T-junction. ‘Good job,’ I told Sonder as we approached.

‘I thought that would work,’ Sonder said. He looked pleased with himself. Next to him was the control panel he’d used to activate the lights. I touched my hand to the panel and focused, working out what Sonder had done. Meanwhile, Luna was looking around curiously. ‘What is this place?’

‘It was sealed up just after the end of the Dark Wars,’ Sonder said. ‘But there’s nothing saying why. I’m starting to think the records about this place were deliberately erased. All I could find was something about the “resting place of Abithriax”.’

‘You said this was his tomb,’ Luna said.

Sonder hesitated. ‘Yes, but I’m starting to think I might have been wrong. I’ve been doing some reading, and it turns out the Precursors didn’t actually build tombs. Not like this.’

‘But if this was his resting place …’

‘I know, but it still doesn’t make sense. If you look at the studies that have been done of Precursor religion, the design-’

‘Sorry, Sonder, wait a second. Um, Alex?’

I was busy with the control panel. Like most Precursor designs it was sparse; a few spheres that looked like glass, and some rods set into the wall. They were controlled with fine magical impulses. With my divination magic I could see how to make them do what I wanted, but I had no idea how they worked. Still, that was enough to-

Alex!

‘Hm?’ I said absently.

‘What’s that on your arm?’

I glanced down to see that the bracelet on my right wrist was crackling and spitting feebly. Black energy leaked from it, making my arm tingle. ‘Oh,’ I said. ‘Looks like Onyx decided to kill me.’

Luna and Sonder stared. ‘They’re called death bracelets,’ I said. ‘Dark mages use them to keep prisoners in line.’

The bracelet was still crackling. ‘Um.’ Sonder said. ‘Shouldn’t you …?’

‘Oh, it’s fine. I dialled down the power by a factor of a hundred or so. Onyx must have fired it at maximum, otherwise you wouldn’t even see it.’

‘What does maximum do?’

‘Kills an adult human in ten to twenty seconds, depending how strong their heart is. Anyway, we’d better get moving. Don’t touch anything without checking with me first, don’t go anywhere I haven’t gone already, and if I tell you to do something, do it fast. Okay?’

Luna nodded, Sonder a little slower. Both were still staring at the bracelet. As they watched it fizzled and fell silent. We headed to the T-junction and stopped while I stood between the two paths.

‘What’s he doing?’ I heard Sonder whisper after a minute.

‘He’s looking ahead to see what’ll happen if we go down each corridor,’ Luna said quietly.

I smiled to myself and pointed. ‘Left.’

It was an hour later and the three of us were clustered in a small room. In a small alcove, set into the wall, was a single recessed crystal sphere. Before us was a closed door.

Sonder was examining the sphere while I leant against the wall next to him. Luna stood back, well out of range. ‘Sonder, we’re on a clock here,’ I said at last.

‘Sorry.’ Sonder stepped back. ‘Well, it’s definitely a focus for some kind of mind effect-’

‘I know.’

‘-and I think it might be telepathy-based. Anyway, it’s for communication.’

‘You said you could get the door open?’ Luna asked.

‘Probably, but there’s a trap, And after what happened last time I don’t want to take the chance if we can avoid it.’

Sonder flinched slightly at that. The previous room had held an electrical trap that would have turned anyone who came close enough into a lightning rod. ‘So that leaves this thing?’ Luna asked.

‘That leaves this thing.’ I stared at the crystal sphere, frowning. ‘It’ll help us get past. I just don’t know how.’

‘What’ll happen if we touch it?’ Sonder asked.

‘Nothing.’

Sonder and Luna looked at each other. ‘If I touch it, I’ll do nothing,’ I said. ‘I’ll stand still with my hand on this thing for maybe ten minutes, and I won’t move or say a word, no matter what you do. And I don’t know why.’

‘That would make sense if it’s a telepathy focus.’ Sonder volunteered.

I didn’t answer. The truth was that not knowing what would happen if I touched this thing made me uneasy. Normally I always know what’ll happen. You don’t realise how accustomed you get to something until it’s suddenly taken away from you.

When I didn’t move, Sonder shifted. ‘I could try it …’

‘No,’ I said, and stepped forward. ‘You two watch my back. I don’t think I’ll be able to sense anything else while I’m using this. If you hear trouble coming, pull me off it. Kick me if you have to.’

They nodded. ‘Be careful,’ Luna said.

I turned to the sphere, took a deep breath, then placed my hand upon it. There was a moment of disorientation as the world seemed to flicker, then it was gone. I let my fingers rest on the sphere. Nothing happened.

I tried a command word. ‘Annath.’

Nothing.

‘Open. Transmit. Sagashiette.’

Still nothing.

I sighed and turned away. ‘Well, that was under-whelming.’

Luna and Sonder looked past me. ‘Nothing,’ I said. ‘Weird. I’m pretty sure it should have …’

I trailed off. Sonder hadn’t moved. Luna glanced aside anxiously, then went back to looking over my shoulder, her eyes passing over me. ‘Hey,’ I said. ‘You guys okay?’

No reaction. ‘What are you-?’ I began, turning round, and stopped dead. What Luna and Sonder were staring at was me. My body was standing right in front of me, my right hand clasped on the sphere. I looked down at my hand just to convince myself it was still there, looked up, and stared. ‘What the hell?’

I reached forward hesitantly. My hand passed through my body as though it was light, and I jumped. This was really weird.

I turned back to see Sonder’s lips moving. He was saying something to Luna, and now Luna turned aside slightly to reply, her eyes still fixed on my body, but I couldn’t hear their words. In fact, now I stopped to listen, I couldn’t hear anything at all. It was dead silent.

‘Good evening. Might I be of assistance?’

I only barely managed to keep myself from jumping as the voice spoke from behind me. Standing in the doorway was an old man. He had a flowing beard and long hair, both snow-white, with thin streaks of red running through them. His clothes were red as well: robes, gathered at the waist, of several shades from blood-red to crimson.

For a moment I couldn’t remember where I’d seen him before, then suddenly it clicked. I’d seen his face, but it had been stone, not flesh. ‘Abithriax,’ I said.

Abithriax bowed. ‘And whom do I have the honour of addressing?’

I stood staring at the mage in front of me. Abithriax stood looking back with an expression of mild inquiry. ‘How are you alive?’ I said at last. It wasn’t polite, but I was shaken.

Abithriax didn’t seem particularly offended. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘that’s rather an interesting question. Perhaps you’d like to walk with me? One gets so little exercise cooped up in here.’

I took a glance back at Luna and Sonder. They were talking to each other, although I still couldn’t hear them. They didn’t seem able to see Abithriax either. ‘You’ll be quite safe,’ Abithriax said, as though reading my thoughts. ‘No one is going to arrive for a little while.’

I hesitated a moment, then fell into step beside Abithriax and we began walking back down the corridor. Despite his age, he moved smoothly, with no trace of stiffness. ‘How am I talking to you?’ I said.

‘The crystals on these walls form a communication network that extends throughout this facility,’ Abithriax said. ‘Mental projection only, I’m afraid; your body is still back in that room. The network works with your mind to translate the information.’

‘If I’m here, where are you?’

‘At the centre, of course.’

I stared at Abithriax for a second before it clicked. ‘You’re the fateweaver.’

Abithriax just smiled. I kept walking, my head spinning as everything fell into place. Of course. Something as powerful as the fateweaver would have to be an imbued item. And the more powerful it was, the stronger its own identity would be … I looked up at Abithriax. ‘How? You were supposed to have died.’

‘Oh, I did.’ Abithriax looked inquiringly at me. ‘Perhaps you’d like to hear the story?’

I stared back at him and finally nodded.

‘Oh good. It really is so nice to have someone to talk to … Let’s see, where to begin? People still remember the Dark Wars, I hope? I’ve afraid I’ve rather lost track of time.’

‘You lived through them.’

Abithriax nodded. ‘From the beginning to the end. I remember Syriathis, and its destruction. I fought through the retreats in the early campaigns, seeing my friends and allies die one by one. I was promoted, and promoted again. After our victory at the Ebon Fields I was granted my fateweaver. Years passed, the tide turned, the strongholds lost in the early years were retaken, and I was at the fore-front of every battle. When the final sieges began, I was battle commander of all the Light armies.’

We’d come to a junction and Abithriax stopped. ‘And then I was betrayed.’ His eyes stared off into nothingness, distant. ‘The Council had become afraid of me. I was too famous, too powerful. So in the last months of the war, once victory was guaranteed, they sent me to my death.’

Abithriax fell silent. I stood looking at him. ‘How did you do it?’ I said at last.

Abithriax blinked, looked at me, then shook his head and turned left down the junction. I followed. ‘My fateweaver. All our generals carried one, but the craftsmen were never able to stabilise the design. They were always … unpredictable. But I learned the secret of investing myself into it, binding my identity into it a piece at a time, and as its power grew, so did mine. It was almost a part of me. Perhaps that was how I was able to make the final leap at the very end …’

Abithriax shook his head and suddenly his voice became brisk. ‘Well then. I assume that’s what you’re here for? My fateweaver? Oh, there’s no need to hide it,’ he added as I hesitated. ‘It’s not as if you’d come here for any other reason. Besides, it’s not as if I can carry it myself any more.’

‘Yes.’

‘And the others?’

‘Which others?’

Abithriax raised his eyebrows. ‘The other mages attempting to reach me. I may lack a physical body, but I’m not entirely blind. Half a dozen or so, I believe?’

I walked for a little while in silence. ‘Can you help me against them?’ I said at last.

Abithriax snorted. ‘A handful of mages? I’ve defeated armies. However … without a wielder, I am nothing. And more to the point, there is no guarantee my wielder will be you. If one of those mages reaches me first, I’m afraid my powers will be at their disposal, not yours. In this form, I am a servant to my wielder.’

Something made me look up at that, searching Abithriax’s face. He looked back at me calmly. ‘And I have no control over who that wielder is. So if you have any enemies within this facility, I would suggest you make sure they do not reach me first. Because if they take possession of me and order me to use my powers to hunt you down and kill you, I am very much afraid I will have no choice but to obey.’

Abithriax and I had taken two turnings and we were almost back at the room we’d started from. The two of us stood looking at each other. ‘Then I guess I’d better get moving,’ I said at last.

‘Of course,’ Abithriax said with a nod. ‘Tell that scholarly-looking apprentice with you to try a command word in the right corner. I’m not sure of the password but I’m sure you can deduce it.’

‘Right. See you later.’

‘Hopefully so.’ Abithriax smiled slightly. ‘For what it’s worth, I hope you succeed.’ His image seemed to dissolve into mist and he was gone.

I walked back into the room. Luna and Sonder were still there, throwing glances at my body. Somehow I knew how to break the connection. I walked into my body, layering my mental self over my physical one, placing my hand over where my real hand grasped the crystal. There was a moment of dizziness, then-

‘-be in trouble.’ Sonder’s voice.

‘He said not to do anything.’ It was Luna’s voice; to most people she would have sounded calm, but I could hear the trace of anxiety. ‘We could- Alex!’

I turned around — really turned around, this time. Luna gave me a searching look, then let out a sigh of relief. ‘You’re okay.’

‘I’m okay,’ I said. ‘Sonder? Take a look at the right corner. While you’re doing that, I’ve got something to tell you both.’

As Sonder worked, I relayed what I’d learned. I briefly considered keeping it a secret between me and Luna, but there wasn’t any good excuse to send Sonder out of earshot and anyway, I wanted his input. ‘That’s incredible,’ Sonder said once I’d finished. ‘I mean, just the idea of surviving that long … The Dark Wars were almost two thousand years ago! The things he’d be able to tell us!’

‘Sonder,’ I said. ‘Priorities. Survive first, research afterwards. Does what he said match with what you know?’

Sonder thought for a minute. ‘We’ve never been able to recover a fateweaver before. It was just assumed they were all destroyed, but if they were unstable, that would explain it. And there’s always been a mystery about Abithriax’s death. Some writers did argue for the betrayal theory, but there’s never been any proof. The Old Council fell into infighting after the Dark Wars and most of the records were destroyed.’

‘Do you trust him?’ Luna asked.

I hesitated. ‘I’m not sure,’ I said at last. ‘I had the feeling he was keeping something back. But I’m pretty sure he was telling the truth about what he’d do if Onyx found him first.’

‘So what should we do?’ Luna said.

Sonder had stopped and both he and Luna were looking at me, waiting for my decision. ‘We go for the fateweaver,’ I said. ‘If we can take it for ourselves, we’ve got a chance. But I don’t want either of you involved in the fighting. Onyx and the rest are going to be after me, not you. Don’t do anything to draw their attention.’

I made my voice sound confident and both of them nodded, Sonder quickly, Luna a little more reluctantly. The two of them turned back to what they were doing and I bit my lip, wishing I was as sure as I was pretending to be.

The truth was that none of our options were good. I knew that trying to beat Onyx and the others to the fateweaver was likely to end in a fight, and I also knew that if it came to a battle our little group was almost certain to lose. It was tempting to run and hide. If we weren’t going for the fateweaver, Levistus and Morden’s agents would be too busy fighting each other to worry about us.

Except that if we did that, whoever won the battle would be free to hunt us down afterwards, with all the power of the Precursor artifact at their disposal. Whether we lived or died would be up to them. My instinct told me our best chance was to act. But it’s one thing to risk your own life and another to risk someone else’s. I looked at Luna withdrawn into the corner, and Sonder examining the wall, and felt suddenly afraid. For all my brave words, I didn’t know if I’d be able to protect either of them.

Then I shook it off and focused, going back to watching Sonder and sifting through the futures. After a moment I knew Abithriax’s advice had been good. ‘There,’ I told Sonder. ‘Try some command words.’

‘Uh … which ones?’

‘Every one you can think of.’

Sonder looked back at the wall and hesitated. ‘This feels silly.’

I sighed inwardly. For all Sonder’s knowledge, it was painfully obvious how inexperienced he was. Once you’ve been around the block a few times you stop caring about looking silly, especially when you’re dealing with magical traps. Better to be laughed at than dead, and he wouldn’t have been laughed at. ‘Just give it a go.’

Sonder started reciting in the old tongue. He spoke like a scholar, each word carefully pronounced. ‘Stop,’ I said after a moment. ‘Say that last one again and put your hand on the wall, fingers spread. Up a bit,’ I said as Sonder obeyed. ‘Left a bit. Hold that. Now say that word again.’

Reluctantly, Sonder did as I said. ‘Etro.’

Right in front of Sonder, a section of wall seven feet high and three feet wide glowed for an instant and simply vanished. Sonder started and jumped back. Beyond was a short corridor, bending left. ‘Now I see,’ I said. ‘The whole room is a trap. The only safe way is to go around.’

‘Is it safe?’ Luna asked.

‘Yes. It’s-’ I stopped.

‘What’s wrong?’

I stared for a moment before answering. ‘It’s not empty.’

The corridor was about five feet wide. All the way along the left side was a one-way mirror into the trap room, and as we looked in we got a perfect view of what would have happened to us if we’d stepped through that door.

Every inch of the other room — walls, floor, ceiling — was covered in mirrors. Instead of being placed evenly, they were tilted, casting images at odd angles. Reflecting from the mirrors, filling the room with a criss-cross of white light, were beams of energy, white lines that looked harmless but which I knew could cut like razors. The room was so filled with the beams that it took a moment to realise that there were in fact only three. They emerged from a single tiny panel on the back wall, then bounced around the room at every angle, multiplied a thousand times over.

In the middle of the room, trapped in a cage of beams, were Rachel and Cinder. Rachel was in a half-crouch, a beam just above her head stopping her from rising any further. Cinder was standing, leaning sideways to fit into the empty space. Beams laced the air around them, and I could see burnt patches on their clothes where they’d brushed up against the energy. Both were standing dead still.

Luna stopped as she saw them. ‘Alex-’

‘They can’t see us,’ I said. Neither Rachel nor Cinder reacted as we spoke. ‘Or hear. Sonder, do you know what that is?’

‘It’s an energy lattice,’ Sonder said. He was staring in fascination. ‘I’ve never seen one before.’

‘What does it do?’

Sonder started. ‘Um, they were defence systems from the Dark Wars. They were meant to contain intruders. Once the beams are up, you have to stand there until someone comes to turn it off.’

‘What happens if no one comes?’

Sonder paused. ‘I don’t really know.’

On the other side of the glass, Cinder said something and Rachel answered silently. Both were only inches away from beams on all sides. Sooner or later they would get tired and fall, and when they did, the beams would kill them.

It’s a strange feeling, holding someone’s life in your hands, and it affects people in different ways. Some hate it; they can’t stand the burden and get away as quick as they can. Others revel in the power. You can think of it as a choice, and it is, but the truth is that for most of the big things, the choice was made long ago. It’s only when you reach the crossroads that you discover what it was. It was nothing new to me; I’d been here before. But the others …

Both Luna and Sonder stared through the one-way mirror. Neither spoke, but it was so easy to read their thoughts. Rachel and Cinder were their enemies; all they had to do was walk away. But when it came to it, they hesitated. One after another they turned to look at me, and I knew they were waiting for me to make the decision, just as I’d done a few minutes ago. I could order them to help Rachel and Cinder or to walk away and leave, and they’d obey.

‘What do you think we should do?’ I asked them

I saw their faces change. The seconds ticked away and, even here, I couldn’t help but be curious. I looked into the future, trying to see how they’d decide, and couldn’t predict either. You can’t see beyond a choice that someone hasn’t made. I watched as the possibilities wavered, shifting and changing.

‘We have to help,’ Sonder said.

‘Leave them,’ Luna said at the same time.

Sonder turned on Luna in shock. ‘But they’ll die!’

‘Better them than us.’

‘They’re mages! You can’t decide someone’s life like that!’

‘I decide that every day,’ Luna said quietly. ‘This time at least they deserve it.’

Sonder looked horrified. Luna turned to me and waited. ‘You can’t be going to-’ Sonder said. ‘I know they’re dangerous, but-!’

‘Stay here,’ I said. ‘You can watch, but don’t get involved.’

A beat, then both nodded, though there was an uneasiness between them now. I left Luna and Sonder in the corridor and walked around the edge. There was another secret door at the far end, and I sealed it behind me. Ahead of me was the trap room’s exit, but it wasn’t an exit any more. Someone had destroyed the external controls, sealing Rachel and Cinder inside.

There were more one-way mirrors to either side, and through them I could see Rachel and Cinder, still motionless. As I studied the pattern of energy beams, I realised that if any one of us had entered the room, the changing angles of reflection from the door swinging inwards would have sent the energy beams slicing through Rachel, Cinder, and anyone in the doorway. Not only did it trap those inside, it was designed to kill anyone attempting a rescue. Nasty.

The spell that had destroyed the controls had left cracks in the wall near the door. Leaning in close, I could hear the whisper of Rachel and Cinder’s voices from the other side. ‘Hello?’ I said. ‘Can you hear me?’

The whispering stopped. ‘Who’s there?’ Rachel demanded.

‘Alex.’

‘Verus?’ Cinder demanded. ‘What the fuck are you doing?’

‘More or less the same thing as you.’

‘You bastard,’ Cinder said. He tried to turn around to look at the wall I was speaking from, but couldn’t. ‘How are you still alive? Onyx fired your bracelet!’

‘Cinder, given your current situation, do you really think this is the most productive way to spend your time?’

‘What do you want?’ Rachel said. She was holding quite still. Behind the mask, I couldn’t see her expression, but I knew she was focusing on me.

‘I’m here to help you out of that room.’

‘Bullshit,’ Cinder snarled.

‘Turn off the beams,’ Rachel said.

‘Can’t.’

‘Then open the door.’

‘Can’t.’

‘Why not?’

‘Last guy through smashed the controls.’

Rachel swore. ‘Khazad,’ she hissed. ‘That motherfucker.’

‘There’s an emergency cut-off inside the room,’ I said. ‘It’s just under where the beams are coming from.’

Cinder and Rachel flicked their eyes sideways to look. The mirrors beneath the beams looked exactly the same as the ones covering the rest of the room. ‘That takes us away from the door,’ Rachel said at last.

‘I know.’

‘I don’t see any cut-off.’

‘I know.’

‘Fuck him,’ Cinder snarled. ‘You want us dead, don’t you?’

I didn’t answer. A few seconds ticked by with no sound other than the humming of the beams. ‘How do I get there?’ Rachel asked.

Cinder started and nearly got his arm burnt off for his trouble. ‘What the fuck are you doing?’

‘Shut up, Cinder,’ Rachel said wearily. ‘Alex? How do I get there?’

‘There’s a route through,’ I said. ‘Move your head forward and shift about six inches to the side and you’ll see the first part.’ I paused. ‘It’ll have to be you. Cinder’s too big.’

Rachel only nodded. She moved her head and shifted. ‘I see it,’ she said and began to move.

‘Del-’ Cinder said.

‘Catch me if I fall,’ Rachel said, and started sliding through the beams.

If it had been Luna I’d have been terrified, barely able to look. As it was, I watched Rachel with something like indifference. Despite everything, I had to admire her body control. She didn’t tremble at all as she crawled and stretched and balanced over and under and through the beams, heading for their source. I looked into the future and saw her slip and die in agony, and each time I spoke, telling her which way to move, when to stop and when to go. Rachel obeyed without question. Despite everything that had happened between us, in a weird way we still understood each other. I wondered what Luna and Sonder must be thinking, watching from the sealed corridor.

At last Rachel made it. She rested in a crouch, body angled to avoid the beams streaming from the opening just above her. ‘What do I do?’ she said without looking.

‘Put the middle three fingers of your right hand against the mirror just below the beams,’ I said. ‘Up. A little to the right. Now press.’

There was a click and a small section swung open. ‘There should be two crystal spheres,’ I said. ‘Can you see them?’

‘Yes.’

‘Put your finger between.’

There was a pause, then a tiny spark. All of a sudden, as if someone had thrown a switch, the beams vanished. Cinder and Rachel were standing in an empty room.

Cinder turned, looking from side to side. Rachel rose and walked towards the door. ‘It won’t open,’ I said as she disappeared from my sight. ‘You’ll have to-’

At my side, the door seemed to flash green, then crumble to powder, becoming a fine dust that hung in the air. Rachel strode through, followed an instant later by Cinder. ‘-disintegrate it,’ I finished. The room on this side of the trap was a small one, with corridors leading off right and left. Cinder and Rachel entered and stopped, facing me from only a few feet away.

Cinder looked at the smashed controls, then back at me. There was an expression on his face I’d never seen before. ‘Why?’ he said at last.

I shrugged. ‘We had a deal.’

Cinder looked at Rachel. She was studying me, her eyes opaque behind her mask. ‘Outside,’ she said at last, addressing Cinder. ‘We keep him alive, he gets rid of these bracelets.’

I nodded. Rachel stepped forward and held out her right wrist, pushing back the sleeve to reveal the bracelet. ‘Well?’

I pulled out a tool and set to work. Rachel waited patiently while I probed at the bracelet’s inner workings, looking into the future to see the outcome of every action. From time to time my hand brushed against Rachel’s skin. She didn’t react, and neither did I. I might have been her dressmaker.

I finished after five minutes and moved on to Cinder, who stuck his arm out with poor grace. He was in worse shape than Rachel; I could see patches where his clothes had been burnt away, and he smelt of ash and scorched flesh. As the minutes ticked past he made a growling sound. ‘Why don’t you just burn ’em off?’

‘Same reason you can’t. I’m guessing you’ve tried.’

Cinder was silent. ‘I can’t break the locks,’ I said. ‘But I can shut down the receptor so it can’t receive Onyx’s signal. He won’t be able to tell they’re sabotaged until he tries to zap you.’

‘That’ll work?’ Cinder said suspiciously.

Without looking away, I held up my right wrist, which still held Onyx’s bracelet. ‘It worked for me.’

Cinder shut up then, and the three of us stood there quietly. After all our history, it was a strange feeling to have them just wait there. At last, it was finished. I stepped back. ‘Done.’

Cinder and Rachel looked at their bracelets. ‘Doesn’t look different,’ Cinder said.

‘It’s different,’ I said.

‘I believe you,’ Rachel said. She looked at me. ‘So.’

‘So,’ I said.

The moment stretched out, silent, tense. I stood watching the pair of them, looking at the two possible futures, wondering which one they were going to choose.

‘Don’t get in our way,’ Rachel said at last. She turned and walked towards the nearest exit. Cinder gave me a final scowl and followed her.

As their footsteps faded away into the distance, I let out a long breath and let my shoulders slump. I stood still for a moment, alone with my thoughts, then shook myself and looked across at the secret door. ‘Guys? You can come out.’

Cautiously, Sonder and then Luna emerged. Sonder looked around. ‘Where did they go?’

‘Further in,’ I said. Suddenly I felt very tired.

‘Oh,’ Sonder said, and scratched his head. ‘Well … I guess that’s better.’ He walked forward, rummaging in his bag. ‘You know, I think I’ve seen this layout before …’

Luna waited for Sonder to get out of earshot, then looked at me. ‘We’re going to run into them again,’ she said at last.

I didn’t answer. I led Luna and Sonder into the corridor Rachel and Cinder hadn’t taken, and together we headed deeper.

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