Fated

6

The official name for the tower at the centre of the Docklands is One Canada Square, but everyone in London calls it Canary Wharf. It’s the tallest building in Britain, eight hundred feet high to the flashing double strobe at the top, and it dominates the London skyline, a symbol of wealth and power. Officially the whole tower is office space, and since it’s not open to the public there’s no one to say otherwise. Starbreeze had dropped us off within a small park in the shadow of some trees and, looking forward, I could see other couples on the plaza, moving towards the blaze of light that was the tower itself. I felt awake and alive, on full alert. There was work to be done.

At my side, Luna was peering up at the tower. She looked as though she might have been crying, but the journey had wiped away any tears, and her face was unreadable. I stood waiting to see if she’d speak, but instead she looked down and began to shiver, wrapping her shawl around her bare arms. Canary Wharf is right in the middle of a meander of the Thames, and a cold wind was blowing off the water. ‘Let’s get inside,’ I said.

‘I’m fine,’ Luna said, still shivering.

I sighed inwardly, put my arm around Luna and started walking her towards the distant entrance. She didn’t resist. ‘There are anterooms,’ I said. ‘I’ll find you somewhere safe.’

Luna shook her head mutely. I looked down at her. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘I’m going with you.’

‘What?’

Luna didn’t look up and I rolled my eyes heavenwards, just barely stopping myself from saying something that I knew would make things worse. First I had to drag her here, now she was refusing to leave. I can see the freaking future and women still don’t make sense. ‘All right,’ I said at last, once I’d gotten myself under control. ‘You’re going into a place where knowledge is power. Don’t reveal anything about yourself. You shouldn’t even introduce yourself as “Luna” if you don’t have to, and don’t for God’s sake tell anyone your full name. Mages put people into two groups. There are other mages, and then there are sheep. Just by showing up here you’re proving you’re not a sheep. But all that’s going to depend on how they see you, and they’re going to be judging you every second you’re there. The people in there aren’t your enemies — well, mostly — but they aren’t your friends, either. Don’t let down your guard.’

The wind returned, ruffling my hair, and this time it wasn’t cold. I looked up to see Starbreeze floating above me, back in her invisible form. ‘You’re staying?’

Starbreeze pointed up cheerfully at the tower. ‘Make another lightning man?’

Luna looked from me to Starbreeze. She still couldn’t see her but was getting used to guessing where the air elemental was floating. ‘Lightning man?’

‘Don’t ask.’

Starbreeze swirled around our heads and Luna glanced up at her passing. ‘She thinks you’re going to make things fun?’

Talk about backhanded compliments. ‘Given what she calls fun, I hope not.’

‘Not you!’ Starbreeze chipped in. She pointed at Luna. ‘Her. Ooh!’ Starbreeze looked upwards and her face lit up. She shot up into the night sky and out of sight before either of us could say a word. Luna and I looked at each other, then kept walking.

The ground floor lobby was huge and spacious, paved in Italian marble. A steady murmur of voices echoed around the concourse. A boy in his teens crossed the floor towards us. ‘Good evening,’ he said politely. ‘For the ball?’

I handed him my invitation and he gave it a quick glance. ‘Thank you. Far lift, top floor.’

I took the invitation back with a nod and started for the corner. Luna had been studying the boy curiously, and whispered to me once we were past. ‘Who was he?’

‘Apprentice,’ I said quietly. ‘I used to do jobs like that once.’

The buttons inside the lift went up to 45. I hit the top one and the doors hissed shut. The lift whirred upwards with a hum of powerful machinery, and I knew we’d arrive in less than a minute. ‘Some of the people inside will be mages, some will be adepts or hangers-on,’ I told Luna. ‘Don’t look surprised or shocked, no matter what you see.’ I paused. ‘Ready?’

Luna nodded. ‘Ready.’

‘Okay. Game face on.’

The doors hissed open to reveal a group of four big men in dark clothing, their eyes tracking us as we stepped out. The one at the front asked for my invitation, and this time the check was more thorough. Once he was satisfied, he nodded. ‘Thank you. Enjoy the ball.’ Up ahead, a pair of double doors stood open, and light and voices streamed through. We walked in.

The room we’d entered was enormous, the ceiling reaching far overhead with angled corners. A double balcony ran the circuit of the walls, recessed so that the people walking it were concealed behind the railings. At the centre was a square column stretching all the way to the roof. Walkways ran between the upper balcony to the higher levels, and scattered on the underside of the walkways and all around the walls were sets of chandeliers, glowing with hundreds of lights. Everything was made of steel and glass reflecting the light and throwing it back so that the entire vast hall was as bright as full daylight. It was dazzling, and both Luna and I blinked as we stood there, our eyes adjusting.

The hall was filled with noise; there were hundreds of people thronging the floor with more looking from above. Men and women were crossing the floor, talking, watching, dancing, standing, spread out across all of the vast room. The entry hall was set a little above floor level, and from our position Luna and I could see out across the whole crowd. To one side a band was playing upon a stage, and on the dance floor maybe fifty were dancing while others looked on. Another area had been set aside for games, with mages’ chess, duelling pistes and more. Near the central column was a buffet, and on the far side, partially blocked by the column, I could see the greyish glow of a sphere arena, suspended in mid-air.

We stood there for a minute, just watching. No one seemed to be paying us any heed yet. That wouldn’t last. ‘Well,’ I said, and took Luna’s arm. She flinched and started to pull away in reflex, but I gave her a smile and she hesitated. ‘Let’s go attract some attention.’

We walked down the stairs to the floor, and Luna fell in by my side. As we did, I glanced down at Arachne’s ribbon, making sure that Luna didn’t see me do it. A quarter of its length had gone black, the darkness spreading slowly as it drew in the silvery mist.

I led Luna towards the band and the dance floor. We passed other men and women as we walked, strolling and talking, all wearing expensively tailored evening wear. In my normal clothes I would have stood out like a sore thumb, but in Arachne’s outfits we fitted in perfectly. Arachne pretends not to care about fashion, but she always seems to match it. Most of the men were wearing dinner jackets like mine, while the women were wearing dresses that were … well, they were dresses. I have no clue what kind. Hey, I’m a guy, what do you expect? There’s a reason I go to Arachne when I want to look good.

The band was a string ensemble. They were playing a waltz, quick and cheerful. ‘Want to dance?’ I said to Luna as we reached the dance floor.

Luna shook her head. ‘No, thanks.’

‘Great.’ I pulled Luna out onto the floor.

‘Alex!’ Luna protested, her voice rising. People turned to look, and she hushed it to a whisper. ‘I can’t-’

‘Relax,’ I said as I took her right hand in my left and raised it. ‘I can.’

‘You know I don’t know how to dance!’

‘Just follow my lead. Put your other hand on my shoulder.’ I moved it. ‘There. Start off on your left foot. And one, and two-’

‘I can’t do this!’

‘-and three,’ I said, and led off. Luna nearly tripped over, then righted herself, clinging to me desperately as we moved through the crowd.

Although I don’t look it, I’m a pretty good dancer, a legacy from my time with Richard. I haven’t gotten much use out of it since then, but it’s like riding a bicycle — you never forget. The nice thing about dancing as a man is that if you’re good enough, you can carry a girl even if she doesn’t have the first clue what she’s doing. I stuck to basics, letting Luna get used to the rhythm as I scanned the crowd for familiar faces. There weren’t many. I don’t generally get invited to high society events, and the mages here were the elite.

Of course, not all were mages. Many would only be adepts, or maybe not even that. Some would be enspelled, and they’d be waking up tomorrow morning remembering tonight as nothing more than a dream. And some would be apprentices or even slaves, here only at the whim of their masters.

Here’s the catch, though — there’s no way to know just by looking whether someone is a mage or not. Some mages like to advertise, but the smart ones usually take care to avoid revealing their power until it suits them. It’s easy to look at a crowd like this and notice only the ones who catch your eye — the woman wearing a white dress that seemed to be made entirely of feathers, with gaps exposing glimpses of pale skin, the man dressed entirely in red, with a snake-headed cane at one side — but usually the ones you have to watch out for are the ones you don’t see.

The music shifted into a slower dance, and as Luna began to realise that she wasn’t going to trip over, her death grip on my arms loosened. I could feel her muscles relax slightly through the hand on her back. ‘Having fun?’ I said into her ear. The mist still swirled around her, but the ribbon was drawing it away from the other dancers.

‘I’m going to get you for this,’ Luna said, breathless.

‘I’ll take that as a yes.’

‘Is everyone watching?’

‘Yup. Oh, don’t stiffen up, you were just starting to relax.’

Luna’s fingers dug into my arm. ‘Why are they all looking at me?’ she whispered into my ear.

‘Probably wondering where you got your dress.’

‘Alex!’ Luna tried to hit me with her free hand and nearly stumbled.

‘Tsk. You don’t want to fall.’

Luna made a noise that sounded almost like she was laughing. ‘We’re new,’ I said, my voice serious again. ‘Everyone here is watching everyone else. Probably a hundred people have made a note of us by now. Don’t be surprised if you’re approached as soon as this dance ends.’

‘Me? Why?’

‘Curiosity. Information.’

‘What should I say?’

‘Whatever you like, as long as you don’t give too much away. Let them come up with their own ideas and don’t correct them.’

We did another circuit of the dance floor, passing close to the band. All four were women. They looked natural at first glance; only if you looked closely would you see the slightly glazed look in their eyes. We turned back towards the crowd, and I saw who I’d been waiting for. ‘Look over my shoulder,’ I said as I turned. ‘Greek-looking guy in a dark blue suit with fancy trim. Talking to the man in red.’

‘Mm … okay, I see him. Who is he?’

‘Name’s Lyle. Major league asshole. Tied in with the Council.’

‘He’s the one who invited you?’

‘Yup.’

We did another revolution. ‘Are you going to talk to him?’ Luna asked eventually.

‘He can wait.’ Lyle was starting to send irritated glances in our direction. The music came to a halt, and I came apart from Luna with a smile and gave her a small bow. There was scattered clapping.

‘That was …’ Luna hesitated. She looked different somehow — flushed and wondering, alive in a way I’d never seen before. ‘I’ve never …’

‘I know.’ I took her arm and led her off the floor as a new dance started. I didn’t bother to hurry; I knew Lyle would come to us.

He materialised out of the crowd before we’d even reached it. ‘Ah, Alex,’ Lyle said with a good imitation of surprise. ‘I’m glad I bumped into you.’

‘Hey, Lyle. Thanks for the invitation.’

‘Don’t mention it.’ Lyle looked at Luna. ‘I don’t believe we’ve met?’

‘I hope you’re not trying to steal her from me, Lyle,’ I said with an easy smile, then glanced at Luna. ‘This is Lyle, an acquaintance of mine. We know each other very well.’

Lyle bowed to her. ‘An honour to meet you.’ He straightened. ‘If it’s convenient, Alex, I’ve some things to discuss with you in private. Barrayar, perhaps you could show the lady around.’

A man who’d been waiting at Lyle’s side stepped forward. He looked like a functionary. ‘You’ll have to excuse me,’ I said to Luna. ‘I’ll be right back.’

‘That’s fine,’ Luna said, and gave Lyle a smile. ‘Pleased to meet you.’ Lyle gave another bow, then turned and started walking. I followed. Behind, I heard Barrayar starting to introduce himself.

‘“I’ll be right back”?’ Lyle murmured once we were out of earshot. ‘Seems you still haven’t learned not to make promises you can’t keep.’

‘I wouldn’t get too cocky, Lyle.’ Other men and couples glanced at us as we passed, first at Lyle, then with more curiosity at me. Lyle was a known quantity here; I was something new. ‘I only agreed to listen.’

‘And you think you’ll be getting a better offer?’

I grinned lazily. ‘Oh, you’d be surprised just how many people are taking an interest in your relic lately.’

Lyle gave me a sharp look, then turned away.

Servants were moving through the crowd, white-clothed figures with their faces hidden behind opaque masks offering food and drinks. We passed a crowd around the buffet table and climbed a small flight of stairs up to one of the exits from the hall. The exit led to a staircase, leading upwards and then doubling back. We went up two levels and came out into a smaller corridor, this one plain and undecorated. Windows on the left side looked down into the main hall, but the sounds were quieter up here, the music and conversation from below muffled. The corridor ended in a door, leading into an antechamber. As we walked in, I checked, staring at the figures ahead.

In front of the opposite door, facing us, were two creatures sculpted from silver and gold. They stood seven feet tall on triple-jointed legs, and had two pairs of segmented arms carrying eight-foot-tall ceremonial glaives and devices of tapering metal the size of heavy guns. Their heads were turned towards us, and faceted golden eyes watched us silently as we entered. These were gythka, mantis golems, and their presence meant a Council member was here. Lyle hadn’t been kidding.

‘Lyle Trahelis,’ Lyle said as he walked up; he hadn’t stopped. He gestured in my direction. ‘He’s with me.’ He approached the door and paused, looking back at me. ‘Hurry up, Alex. We haven’t got all day.’

The mantis golems hadn’t moved an inch since we entered, and their eyes watched us, opaque and unreadable. Lyle stood negligently in the shadow of two of them. I knew he was showing off, and I couldn’t sense any danger, but I’ve lived on my wits too long to ever be comfortable about exposing myself. Even though I knew the guards weren’t going to touch me, the thought of passing beneath those shining blades made my skin crawl.

I took a breath and walked forward. One of the guards swivelled its head to watch. Up close it smelt of sweet oil and polished metal. I couldn’t see any joints in its body; it looked like an insect crafted in silver. Its future held no choices, a solid line instead of branching forks. Gythka are constructs with no will of their own, programmed to obey Council members absolutely. According to rumour, they’re almost indestructible. I’ve never seen the rumour tested. Lyle pushed open the door and we stepped inside.

The room within was dimly lit, with a high ceiling and a dozen widely spaced chairs. The entire left wall was a giant window, a transparent panel looking down onto the great hall. Below was the arena and the buffet table, and to one side I could see the dance floor and the band. It was an impressive view, perfectly placed to see and be seen by the people below … except that when I’d looked up from floor level, this spot had looked like a blank wall. The window was one-way glass. We could see the people below, but they couldn’t see us.

Five people were sitting in the room, but it was the man at the centre who caught my attention. He was in his fifties, with thinning white hair and eyes that faded into the shadows. I’d seen his picture before, but never in person, and it took me a moment to put a name to the face. This was Vaal Levistus, one of the members of the Council. He glanced up as we entered. ‘Mr Verus. I’m glad you could come.’ He gestured to the others. ‘Leave us.’

They obeyed in silence, giving me sidelong looks as they filed out. Lyle hesitated in the doorway. ‘Councillor?’

‘Thank you, Lyle.’

Lyle shot a glance at me and closed the door. There was a smooth click and Levistus and I were alone. Although I could see down through the window into the main hall, with the door closed the room was suddenly silent. Soundproofed. People outside could neither see nor hear.

I’d been scanning ahead ever since I landed outside, looking into the future of what was going to happen to Luna and to me, and I’d found no sign of danger — at least, no immediate danger. But beyond that door, the future had broken up, forking into too many different paths, and now I knew why.

Divination can only predict what can be predicted. Some things are truly random, or so close that it makes no difference. You can’t predict the roll of a dice, because there are so many thousands of things that can nudge it one way or another that by the time you could pick out a future it would have stopped rolling. Any really complex system has too much chaos to be easily predictable; it follows patterns, but not ones that can be reliably foreseen. But there’s another thing that can’t be predetermined — thought. Free will is one of the points at which divination magic breaks down. If a person hasn’t made a choice, then no magic can see beyond it. You can see probabilities, but they’re no more than guesses, wisps that fade as fast as they appear.

Looking into the future of what Levistus was going to do, I came up with so many answers I couldn’t begin to pick one, dozens of futures branching in every direction, ever-shifting. Some looked peaceful; others didn’t. This was a dangerous man.

When I didn’t move, Levistus gestured to the chair on his right. ‘Sit.’

‘What about her?’

Levistus looked up at me. ‘Who?’

I cleared my throat. ‘You asked for everyone to leave.’ I nodded at an empty space about six feet behind where Levistus was sitting. ‘What about her?’

Levistus watched me for a long moment, his face showing nothing, and for the second time in two minutes my skin crawled briefly. ‘Thirteen,’ he said at last. ‘Visible.’

The air in the spot I’d looked at shimmered and took form. One moment it was empty, the next a wispy, transparent figure of a woman was standing there, its shape visible as thin lines in the gloom. It was an air elemental — but it wasn’t. Normal elementals have a primal feel to them, something timeless and alien. Except for her body of air, this one looked like a real woman. She was tall, with long legs and hair falling around her shoulders, and she was naked, her body clearly visible. She looked sensual, eerily beautiful, and I felt my body responding until I saw her eyes. They glowed a faint white, and they were utterly empty. She watched me blankly, like a statue, completely still.

‘Interesting,’ Levistus said. ‘How did you detect her?’

I hadn’t detected her. ‘Trade secrets.’

‘Hm.’ Levistus looked away. ‘Take a seat. Thirteen, to the corner.’

Silently, the air elemental glided to the corner of the room. I noticed that the place she had been standing would have put her right behind the chair Levistus had indicated for me, and felt a slight chill. Whatever she was, that creature scared me. She had been totally invisible, both to my eyes and to my mage’s sight. The only way I’d known she was there had been through the common elements in the futures ahead of us and, from my brief look, they hadn’t been pleasant ones.

I took the chair to the other side of Levistus, the one he hadn’t nodded to. As I did, I searched my memory for everything I knew about the man sitting next to me. Though not yet a senior member, Levistus was talked about as one of the more powerful members of the Council, and that put him in the political top ten of the entire country. If Lyle was one of his agents, he’d progressed even faster than I’d thought. Like most Council masters, Levistus was believed to use mind magic, but that could just as easily be rumour. Beyond that, his nature and goals were a mystery … but nothing I’d heard suggested he was in the habit of employing out-of-favour diviners.

The view below us was directly onto the sphere arena. Spheres is an old, old game among mages, and two players had just started a bout, their faces locked in concentration as their globes of light formed, moving inwards into the sphere, one set white, one set black. A crowd had gathered to watch, standing on the raised steps around the arena, talking to each other as they followed the movements. Both the lights in the sphere and the crowd moved in eerie silence, inaudible through the layer of glass.

‘I believe you may be able to help me with a problem,’ Levistus said. His voice was educated, detached, with no trace of emotion. His eyes didn’t rest on me as he spoke but looked down at the hall below, passing over the crowd. ‘I expect Lyle has told you the details.’

‘Some of them,’ I said. I could see the air elemental, Thirteen, out of the corner of my eye; she was still watching me.

‘The relic contains a Precursor artifact. I want you to retrieve it.’

‘Contains?’ I managed to keep my voice only mildly curious.

‘The relic is a storage device. The artifact is within.’

In the sphere below, the globes of light clashed, manoeuvring for position. One spun away, winking out as it left the sphere, and the crowd applauded silently. ‘I think,’ I said, ‘if I’m going to be retrieving this item, I’d like to know a little more about it.’

‘That is not your concern.’

‘I’m sorry, Councillor,’ I said. ‘I’m not going to take this job unless I know exactly what this thing does.’

Levistus turned to look at me. Up close, I could see that his eyes were colourless, a pale grey, revealing nothing. I held my breath, feeling my muscles tingling. The futures ahead of me flickered and changed.

Levistus opened his mouth and one future eclipsed the others, becoming real. ‘The artifact is an item known as a fateweaver,’ he said. ‘It has the ability to alter chance and outcomes. In appearance it is a wand of ivory, unmarked, approximately twelve inches long.’

‘I’m sure you could lay hands on a dozen chance mages who could alter outcomes, Councillor.’

Levistus made an irritated brushing motion, as if to say he didn’t have time for flattery. It had been a long time since I’d spoken with a Council mage, but the conversation wasn’t going how I’d expected. High-level mages tend to be full of their own importance, expecting compliments and ceremony. Levistus was all business. It made him easier to talk to, but also more dangerous. ‘Fateweavers are spoken of in the histor ies. Commanders in the Dark Wars carried them, and there are references to them changing the course of entire battles. This is the first opportunity to see one recovered intact. It is essential it does not fall into the hands of a Dark mage.’

I nodded slowly, remembering. The Dark Wars had ended the Precursor civilisation. Records of that time were fragmentary, but it was well known that the weapons employed had been devastating. If this artifact was one of them, it was clear why everyone wanted it so badly.

Another burst of silent applause came from the crowd below. The globes were interlinked, now, both mages manoeuvring for position. ‘I believe that answers your question,’ Levistus said.

It didn’t, but it was clear that was all he was going to tell me. I didn’t want to push further so I switched to a safer subject. ‘What about payment?’

‘You will have the favour of a member of the High Council.’ Levistus turned to look at me with his grey eyes. ‘I would consider that payment enough.’

‘I appreciate the offer, Councillor, but I’d prefer something more tangible.’

‘The prospect of keeping this item out of Dark hands doesn’t appeal to you?’

Damn, this guy was good. He knew about my past, and he was using it. And he was right: if this thing really was a weapon from the Dark Wars, there was no way I’d want someone like Cinder in control of it.

But that didn’t mean I trusted the Council with it, either. And I had the sudden feeling that Levistus was testing me. He obviously knew I had no love for Dark mages or the Council. But he probably didn’t know whether I was an idealist or a cynic. Depending on how I answered … Seconds ticked away.

‘I don’t think it’s my business whose hands it ends up in,’ I said at last.

Levistus was watching me with those blank, colourless eyes. ‘A mercenary, then?’

I looked back at him. ‘Yes.’

There was a moment’s silence, then Levistus nodded slightly, and I felt the futures ahead of us shift as something fell into place. ‘The service I require from you is a simple one. You will assist the investigation team in gaining entry to the relic, and you will make your way through the relic’s defences to retrieve the fateweaver. In return, you will have your pick of the other items within.’

‘How do I know there will be any other items?’

‘I can arrange payment in other terms if you wish. But — ’ Levistus tilted his head slightly, ‘- the chance for first pick of an undisturbed Precursor relic? I doubt you truly intend to pass that up.’

A beat, then I nodded. Down below at the arena, the crowd had thickened, and all of them now seemed to be watching intently. A group of globes arced around, and another round of applause broke out, the men in their suits and the women in their elaborate dresses clapping silently behind the crystal.

‘And once you have the fateweaver, you will bring it to me.’

‘Wouldn’t the leader of the team be responsible for that?’

‘The leader is not your concern,’ Levistus said. ‘I am employing you to retrieve the item. That is what you are being rewarded for.’

‘Doesn’t the Arrancar ruling …?’

‘The Arrancar ruling states that archaeological finds must be submitted to the Council.’ Levistus spoke without heat or emphasis. ‘I am a member of the Council; therefore, you will submit it to me. The item’s destination is a Council secret. You will reveal the terms of your employment to no one, not even authorised Council representatives. Should any of the mages on site attempt to take the artifact for themselves, they are to be considered Dark agents and neutralised in any manner necessary.’

My heart stopped beating for an instant, then sped up. What Levistus was asking me to do was just one step away from treason. And keeping it secret … ‘Does the team know about this?’

‘As I said, you are to reveal the terms of your employment to no one.’ Levistus’ eyes rested on me, steady and incurious. ‘I believe it is time you gave me your answer, Mr Verus. Do you agree to the terms of this contract? Yes or no?’

I needed time to think. ‘You’re asking for a lot.’

‘Which is why you are being paid so handsomely. As I said: yes or no?’

I suddenly realised that the future before me had split into two paths. Levistus wasn’t kidding. He was only going to accept a yes or no answer. And if I said no …

I looked into the future of what would happen, and it was all I could do not to jump. If I said no, Levistus’ air elemental, Thirteen, was going to kill me, right here, right now. She would send her body down my throat and suffocate me as I thrashed helplessly while Levistus watched with his fingers steepled and half an eye on the people below. Then she would transmute my body to air and remove any trace that I had ever walked into this room. I snapped back to the present and took a deep breath. The room was silent, still but for the movements of the crowd behind the crystal. They were fewer than fifty yards away but might as well have been on the moon. Trying not to show anything on my face, I looked sideways to see that Thirteen was still standing there, her face blank, and it was all I could do not to shudder.

I’d walked into something out of my league. Levistus wanted this artifact for himself, not for the Council, and he was willing to kill to keep it. Information wasn’t my priority any more. Walking out of this room alive was.

‘You realise it may not be possible to gain access to the artifact,’ I said at last.

‘And if so, you will be compensated for your time,’ Levistus replied. ‘However, should the artifact be accessible, I will expect that it be delivered to my hands, rather than anyone else’s. Quickly and discreetly.’

The bout below had reached its climax. The crowd all watched intently as the black and white spheres swirled with dizzying speed. ‘Will I have any … assistance with this?’

For the first time Levistus smiled, a thin, dry smile that did not touch his eyes. ‘Oh, I have many agents, Mr Verus. Rest assured, they will be there, making sure everything goes to plan.’

The silence in the room stretched out, second passing upon second. ‘Well, Councillor,’ I said at last, my mouth dry. ‘You make an offer that’s difficult to refuse.’

‘Excellent,’ Levistus said. ‘I believe our business is concluded.’