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Chapter 4

It was early next morning.

Sonder’s flat is in St. John’s Wood, a London borough just northwest of the city centre. It’s famous for Lord’s Cricket Ground and for being one of the most expensive places to live in all of Britain, if not Europe. I used to come by often, but it had been nearly a year since my last visit.

The inside of the flat was a mess; it didn’t look as though Sonder had tidied up since the last time I’d been here. Dust-covered computer equipment competed for shelf space with stacks of books; the books tended to win the argument, leaving cables and electronics to be pushed with old piles of paper into the corners. A new and well-cared-for PC sat on the desk, along with piles of notes and empty glasses. Caldera, Variam, Luna, and I were spaced around the room on whatever seating arrangements we could get, while Sonder was in front of the desk balancing a whiteboard on a stand. He’d brought a set of markers and was testing them on the board to see if they worked.

“What’s with the board?” Variam said. He’d come down to London instantly upon Luna’s call and she’d caught him up on what had happened.

“Maybe it’s Lupus,” Luna suggested with a grin.

“Nah,” Variam said. “It’s never Lupus.”

Sonder shot a slightly harassed look at them. “What?”

“Now is not the time,” Caldera said, and Luna’s and Variam’s grins vanished. There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, then Caldera gave Sonder a go-ahead nod.

“Right,” Sonder said nervously, fiddling with a board marker. “Um. Okay. We need to find out where Anne is and what’s happened to her, and get her back.”

“Then why are we sitting here?” Variam said.

“We need to figure out what to do,” Sonder said. “We don’t know who’s behind this, so—”

“Yes, we do. His name’s Sagash.”

“That hasn’t been proved. Crystal has a more recent record of—”

“Sagash kidnapped Anne once already,” Variam snapped. “How much more proof do you need?”

“We can’t just go—”

“Variam,” Caldera said. “Do you have evidence that Sagash was behind the attack?”

“All we have to do is go to his shadow realm and—”

“Do you have evidence that Sagash was behind the attack?”

Variam glowered.

“I don’t know what your master’s been teaching you,” Caldera said, “but Keepers do not get to kick a mage’s door down and go in shooting just because they might have done something.”

“I’ve seen Keepers do a lot more than that.”

“With evidence,” Caldera said. “So far we have nothing linking the two suspects to Sagash. Unless there’s something you’re keeping from us?”

Variam was silent. Caldera nodded again to Sonder. “Go on.”

“Okay,” Sonder said, sounding slightly annoyed. “So, um . . . First we have the two mages who carried out the attack.” He wrote ATTACKERS on the top right of the whiteboard in blue marker and drew a circle around the word. “We don’t have very much information on them, but I’ve put what we do know on these handouts. So, uh, take one before you go and see if you can find any leads.”

Handouts, I thought. Right.

Sonder had written SUSPECTS on the top left, underlined it, and written CRYSTAL underneath. “So while we’re doing that, I think we should start looking at who might be behind this. We’ve agreed that the most likely—”

“Point of order,” I said, raising a finger. “How do we know someone’s behind this, rather than those two attackers acting on their own?”

“I don’t think that’s helpful,” Sonder said with a frown.

“Okay,” I said. “Why do you think that someone’s behind this?”

“Ah . . .” Sonder looked at Caldera.

“Typically in these kinds of cases the victim has had prior contact with the perpetrator,” Caldera said. “When we check the history, about eighty percent of the time we find an escalating series of incidents. The abduction’s just the final step. In Anne’s case, she’s been targeted for similar attacks on two previous occasions.”

“Sagash and Crystal,” I said. “So you think this was aimed at Anne specifically?”

“So far I’d say this has features in common with a targeted attack. Random abductions by strangers are very rare. The way it was carried out combined with the fact that our tracers haven’t been working would suggest advance planning.”

“Do you think—?”

“Excuse me?” Sonder said. He was giving me an annoyed look. “Could you let me finish, please?”

Luna raised her eyebrows. I sat back in my chair.

“Thank you,” Sonder said. “As I was saying, I think Crystal should be our primary suspect. She did something like this to Anne once already and she’s got a clear motivation for trying again.”

“It wasn’t Crystal who snatched Anne in Fountain Reach,” Variam said with a frown. “It was Vitus.”

“She was still involved.”

“Ah, question?” Luna said, raising a hand. “Isn’t Crystal wanted for murder?”

“Yes, that’s the point.”

“So the Council hasn’t found her, or they would have tried and executed her already, right?”

“Yes . . .”

“So if they can’t find her, how are we going to find her?” Luna asked. “And if we can’t find her, what’s the point of making her a suspect?”

“It’s just the most logical possibility,” Sonder said. He was looking harassed again.

“Last time Crystal used a shroud,” Variam said. “Why not this time?”

“She can’t move as freely now. There’s no reason to—”

“Let’s move on,” Caldera said.

“Right,” Sonder said. “The next possibility is the rakshasa Jagadev.”

Luna and Variam shared a surprised look as Sonder wrote JAGADEV on the board. “Didn’t he sponsor you and Anne?” Luna asked Variam.

“He fell out with her afterwards,” Sonder said. His eyes flicked to me. “There were . . . issues.”

“Yeah, but he still helped us,” Variam said with a frown. “I’m not saying I like the guy, but . . .”

I stayed silent. Variam and Anne didn’t know why Jagadev had banished them, but I did. In fact, I was the one who had made it happen. And Sonder (as far as I knew) was the only other person who knew the secret, given that it was his research that had uncovered it.

But Sonder stayed quiet. “There are reasons to be suspicious of Jagadev,” Caldera said when Sonder didn’t speak. “I can’t give you most of the details because you’re not cleared for them. No, not even you, Variam. Let’s just say that the Order of the Star has abundant evidence that Jagadev is mixed up in some very shady stuff.”

“Is he being investigated?” Luna asked.

“Jagadev is very careful never to be directly implicated in anything,” Caldera said. “He works through proxies and cat’s-paws. He’s suspected of being connected to half the high-profile magical crimes in the country, but we don’t have any proof. And he’s got influence on the Council. Investigations which target him have a bad habit of getting their resources pulled.”

“He sounds almost as impossible a target as Crystal,” I said.

Caldera shook her head. “Jagadev’s not untouchable. Someday he’ll slip up. We just need to be patient.”

“What about Sagash?” Variam said.

“The final suspect is Sagash,” Sonder said, writing the last name on the board. “So far there’s been no evidence of any connection between him and Anne—”

“You mean since we shot our way out of his shadow realm?”

“Maybe you ought to tell them the story,” Luna said, intervening before the conversation could get derailed further.

I looked at Variam, as did Sonder and Caldera. “Fine,” Variam said, obviously reluctant. “Back when Anne and I were in school we had a teacher who was a sensitive who wanted to be a mage. She got her hands on a focus somehow and started Harvesting kids.”

“Is this in Keeper records?” Caldera asked.

“No,” Variam said shortly. “People died and so did she—we didn’t know at the time, we just thought she’d gone somewhere else. A few years passed and then Sagash showed up. Turned out the teacher had been his ex and he was pissed. He snatched Anne right out of school and took her to his shadow realm, this huge castle in the middle of the sea. Anne was supposed to be his apprentice as payment for the whole thing—she didn’t want to, but he didn’t give her much choice. I went looking for them, I found them, there was a big fight, and we got out. That’s it.”

“Who is Sagash, anyway?” Luna asked. “You and Anne talk about him sometimes but . . .”

“Dark death mage,” Caldera said. “We don’t know much about him, but what we do know matches with Variam’s experience. He’s supposed to be secretive to the point of paranoia—hardly ever leaves his personal shadow realm. Apart from Variam, I don’t know of any Light mage who’s been inside. We’ve had a few reports, mostly from independents who visited at some time or another, but it’s all out of date. Sagash generally stays off our radar, and he’s powerful enough that people leave him alone.”

“Where’s the shadow realm linked to?” I said.

“Never managed to find out,” Variam said.

“Excuse me?” Sonder said. “I think we’re getting off topic.” He tapped the board with the marker pen. “Our focus ought to be Crystal.”

“Screw Crystal,” Variam said.

“She’s the most likely suspect!”

“Do we have anything linking these guys to her?” Luna asked. “Because if not, I’m kind of with Vari.”

Sonder was looking frustrated again. “We don’t have any evidence that they were linked to Sagash either.”

“Right now I don’t think it matters,” I said. Sonder, Variam, and Luna turned to me and I glanced between them. “We don’t have any clue as to Crystal’s location and we don’t have any evidence for Sagash’s involvement. We can’t effectively go after either of them.”

“Which brings us to what we should be doing,” Caldera said. “Sonder and I are going to work the forensic end of this. We’re waiting on lab analysis of the samples we took from the flat, and Sonder’s going to scan other periods to see if we can pick anything up. Honestly, none of you can be much help with that. You can’t help Sonder, and you’re not cleared for Keeper facilities. Except you, Variam, but it’d be probationary and I think there’s something more useful you could be doing.”

Variam looked alert. “The fact that Anne disappeared so soon after her removal from the apprentice program probably isn’t a coincidence,” Caldera said. “It’s likely that the information spread from there to the people behind the attack. If we work on that assumption, then we may be able to find the ones behind it.” Caldera glanced at Luna and Variam. “Luna, if you’re willing to do it, I think you’d be best placed to investigate this angle. You’re the only one active in the London apprentice program, and the other apprentices will be more willing to talk to you. Before you agree, bear in mind that this might be dangerous. You’re not Keeper personnel, so I can’t ask you to do this without your consent and that of your master.”

Luna looked at me. “I’m willing if you are,” I said.

Luna nodded. “I’ll do it.”

“Variam, I want you to start checking up on Anne’s friends and acquaintances,” Caldera said. “Concentrate on anyone she’s been in contact with recently, and if you find any leads, report them to me immediately. You will not approach Sagash or anyone connected to Sagash, and that’s an order. Your master seconded you to me for this, and you’ll do what I say or you’re off the case. Clear?”

Variam didn’t look happy. “I get it.”

“You get it, or you’re going to do it?”

“No going near Sagash. I got it.”

“Verus,” Caldera said. “I’m going to need your help for tonight. There’s an audience scheduled to take place at the Tiger’s Palace. It’ll be the largest concentration of Dark mages this month in all of the British Isles.”

“Sounds lovely. How’s that going to help?”

“It’s Jagadev’s club and Sagash is supposed to be on the guest list. That’s two out of our three suspects in one place, and even if they don’t have anything to do with it there’s a good chance someone there will know someone who does.”

“And you’re planning to go?” I asked.

“I’m going with Sonder. As I understand it, you’ve got some past experience with the place. If you could go over the layout and anything else you know before we go in, that’d be helpful.”

“Not planning to take anyone else?”

“We don’t need anyone else,” Sonder said.

I looked between Sonder and Caldera, then shrugged. “Okay.”

“Anyone have any questions?” Caldera asked, looking around. No one answered, and after a pause she nodded. “All right. Verus, I’ll meet you at midday. You’ve all got your tasks; let’s get to work.”

“I thought Sonder was supposed to be smart,” Variam said once we were outside and walking down the street.

“There’s a reason he’s playing it this way,” I said. Luna, Variam, and I were out in St. John’s Wood, heading towards the Tube station. Sonder and Caldera had stayed behind to do something else, the details of which they hadn’t elected to share.

“It’s Sagash,” Variam said.

“It might be any of the three, or someone completely different,” I said. “Sonder knows that, he’s not stupid.”

“So why was he acting so sure it was Crystal?” Luna asked.

“You know which order Caldera is a member of?”

“Order of the Star,” Variam said.

“Remember what their remit is?” I asked Luna.

Luna rolled her eyes slightly but didn’t complain about me testing her. “First and second clauses of the Concord,” she recited. “They’re supposed to keep the peace in magical society, punish anyone who ticks off the Council.”

“Second clause of the Concord only forbids hostile action against recognised mages and apprentices,” I said. “Crystal broke that clause when she helped kill off those apprentices in Fountain Reach, but she didn’t break that clause when she attacked Anne. Anne’s got no legal status. If Sagash was the one behind this attack, then as far as the Council’s concerned he hasn’t done anything wrong.”

“But the Council still wants Crystal,” Luna said.

“Which means that Caldera’s on our side for exactly as long as Crystal stays a suspect. If we can prove that Crystal’s behind this, we’ll get Caldera and a whole Keeper task force backing us up. But if we prove Sagash is behind it then there’s nothing Caldera can do. Sonder has to push Crystal as the prime suspect, because as soon as she’s not then he stops getting help from the Keepers.”

“I hate Light politics so much,” Variam muttered.

“Better get used to it.”

“Why are you so sure it’s Sagash?” Luna asked.

“Because this was what he did before,” Variam said. “He got a couple of idiots to kidnap Anne out of school.”

“But that was what, five years ago?”

“Four if you count from when we got out.”

“You’re seriously saying he sat around for four years before coming back?”

“Yes,” Variam said with emphasis. “Because that’s what he did the first time. It was three years between the deaths at our school and when Sagash showed up. The guy holds a grudge like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Say it was him,” I said. “Why would he go after Anne now? What would he want from her?”

“Best case? He still wants her as his apprentice and he’ll pick up right where he left off.” Variam’s face was grim. He didn’t say what the worst case was, but I could guess.

Once we reached the station Variam split off, disappearing into the Underground to begin his search. Luna hung back. “Caldera’s sidelining us, isn’t she?”

I gave her an appraising look. “You noticed.”

“Well, she didn’t exactly make it subtle,” Luna said. “Ask around the apprentice program to find who it was? What are they going to say? ‘Oh yeah, I was just talking about Anne to these two sinister-looking hunchbacked guys in black cloaks, here’s their address and mobile number.’”

“Black cloaks aside, that probably is how they found out.”

“That still leaves about a thousand people who it might have been. And same goes for Vari. She’s just trying to get us out of the way.”

“Not quite. If she really thought there was no chance of finding anything useful, I doubt she’d have asked you to do it. I think she’s giving us peripheral jobs to keep you out of trouble.”

“You know,” Luna said, “I’m getting really tired of mages thinking I’m useless.”

“We’re not Light mages,” I said. “And we’re not Keepers. Caldera knows she could use our help, but we’re always going to be on the outside. From her perspective we’re amateurs. Well-meaning amateurs, but . . .”

“Sonder probably wants that too, doesn’t he?” Luna said. “He wants to keep me on a shelf somewhere nice and safe.” She gave me a challenging look. “Are you okay with that?”

“Well.” I gave Luna a grin. “Caldera is on our side, so I think we should help her out. But I don’t see why we can’t show a little initiative . . .”

We parted company and I headed home, picking up a few things from the shops along the way. By the time Caldera arrived a couple of hours later, I’d had the chance to make some preparations.

“. . . and beyond Jagadev’s throne room are the private rooms and living quarters,” I said. Caldera and I were standing over a sketched map on the small table in my kitchen. “That was where Anne and Vari lived while they were there.”

“Other exits?” Caldera asked.

“At least two that I know about,” I said, pointing. “Here and here. There’s roof access too, but I don’t know the way inside. According to Vari it’s a bit of a maze, so I’d get directions if you’re planning to go exploring.”

“What sort of security force does Jagadev keep on hand?”

“Last that I saw, a lot. At least twenty armed guards, some of them adepts, and that’s not counting wards and automated defences. I wouldn’t recommend starting a fight.”

“I’ll be there in my capacity as a Keeper.”

“Mm.” I was pretty sure Jagadev was too smart to challenge the Keeper orders directly, but the assembled Dark mages might be another story. “I’m guessing you haven’t been to the Tiger’s Palace before?”

“Other Keepers have. We poke around so often it’s practically the Order of the Star’s local pub.”

“But they probably don’t do it on the nights Dark mages throw a party.”

Caldera shrugged.

“Sure you don’t want me along?”

“Very sure,” Caldera said definitely. “Don’t take this personally, but right now having you mixed up in this is the last thing I want. You’re a trouble magnet, you’re not trained for police operations, I can’t rely on you to follow orders, and on top of that, according to Sonder you have some kind of history with Jagadev. I’m already going to be babysitting one civilian in there; I don’t need another.”

I looked at Caldera in amusement. “Guess that answers that.”

“This is my job, not yours. If you really want to do me a favour, scout the Tiger’s Palace for tonight so that I can get Sonder in and out without anything screwing up. That’s one thing I could use help with.”

“Are you okay with Sonder having dragged you into this?”

“Sonder didn’t drag me in, I volunteered,” Caldera said. “Even if he did do it by convincing my boss that this was connected to the Crystal investigation when it probably isn’t. But your friend needs help, and stopping this kind of thing from happening is the reason I joined the Order of the Star in the first place. Besides, Sonder’s helped me out enough times that I owe him a favour.”

“That’s it?” I asked. “You don’t mind?”

“Do you have any idea how many cases like this the Order of the Star gets?” Caldera asked me. “Kidnap, manslaughter, abuse . . . Not a day goes by where someone doesn’t come to us for help. I’ve got fifteen cases sitting on my desk back at the station right now. When I check in tomorrow it’ll be sixteen. Every hour I spend helping you and Sonder I’m ignoring someone else.”

“I’m not the one who needs the help, and neither is Sonder.”

“And that’s why I’m here. But your friend’s not the only case out there.”

“Are you saying you’d be rather be working on those other cases?”

“What are you expecting me to say, Verus?” Caldera asked. “That I’m pissed off at Sonder? Well, maybe I am, a little bit. But I’m still going to do what I can to get you your friend back. Just like I do for everyone else who comes to us.”

I studied Caldera curiously. “Does it ever get to you? Seeing the same things happen over and over again?”

“Ask me that sometime when I’ve drunk a lot more. Come on, go through the layout once more, then I’m heading back to the lab. I’ll get you an earpiece for tonight.”

I spent the afternoon trying the remainder of my contacts. I didn’t find out anything about Anne, but the one bit of good news was that I managed to get through to Arachne. I caught her up on the situation; we discussed plans and agreed to meet that evening. As the afternoon wore on I spent a couple of hours in the bathroom and then went to meet Variam on the Heath.

The sun was setting by the time Variam showed up, and he actually looked right past me without recognising me. “Hey, Vari,” I said as he was about to pass by.

Variam looked at me more closely, and then his eyes went wide in disbelief. “Alex?”

“Notice anything different?”

“What the hell did you do to your hair?”

My hair’s naturally jet black, with a tendency to spike upwards. Right now it was combed back and dyed a vivid blond—the bottle had advertised something a little more natural-looking, but I’m not exactly a stylist. “Like it?”

“This really the time?”

“Oh, you know,” I said. “Just felt like a change. Come along to Arachne’s and I’ll explain once we get there.”

Variam walked into Arachne’s cave just ahead of me and stopped dead. Luna was standing in the main cavern near the door and she’d obviously heard us coming. “Hey,” she said with a grin, giving her dress a swirl. “What do you think?”

Variam stared. Luna looked satisfied, then she saw me and her eyebrows rose. “You went for that colour?”

“Like it?”

“You look like a Bond villain.”

“Now that’s just mean. And I was about to say something nice about how you looked too.”

Luna’s dress was dark red, darkening from vermillion at the torso to the colour of dried blood at the skirts, which had a rumpled, crushed-velvet look. Fingerless gloves ran to above her elbows, a feathery ruff rested on her bare shoulders, and she’d even dyed her hair red with orange highlights to match the rest of the outfit. “Nice wasn’t exactly what I was going for.”

“Oh, there you are, Alex,” Arachne said as she emerged from behind Luna. “What on earth have you done to your hair?”

I sighed. “Everyone’s a critic.”

“I told you your hair needed to be medium ash brown with golden blond.” Arachne is a gigantic tarantula-like spider, black and hairy with fangs the size of kitchen knives, a detail neither Variam nor I paid attention to. You get used to anything given time. “Not bleach blond. There’s no point in doing this if you don’t get the colour exactly right.”

“Colours aren’t my strong point, okay?”

“Wait,” Variam said. “You’re going to the Tiger’s Palace?”

“See?” I said as I headed past Luna. “Told you he’d get it.”

“Are you nuts? Jagadev said he’d kill you if you ever showed up again!”

“Oh, I doubt he’d do that in front of fifty Dark mages.”

“That’s because if they figure out you’re spying on them they’ll do it first!”

“Technically all the Dark mages are going to be there to spy on one another,” I said as I found the selection of clothes Arachne had laid out for me. “If I didn’t do it too, they’d probably get suspicious.”

“Does Caldera know you’re doing this?”

“Sure, kind of . . . Oh, that one looks good.”

“No, that’s in Chojan’s style,” Arachne said, lifting a leg to tap one of the others. “He’s going to be there. Try this one instead.”

“What do you mean, ‘kind of’?” Variam said, walking around. His eyes kept drifting back to Luna.

“Well, she did ask me to scout out the Tiger’s Palace. I’ll just be doing it a bit more proactively.”

“How long have you been planning this?”

“Since about thirty seconds after Caldera and Sonder told us about the party. I didn’t tell you until now because I knew you’d be giving Caldera a report before meeting us. This way you didn’t have to lie to her.”

“She’s going to be pissed,” Variam said, then suddenly shook his head. “Wait, why should I care? Gah, I hate having to think about whether the boss is happy.”

“I know, but you want to be a member, you have to pay the dues, and we are going to need help for this one. Whether or not Sonder’s right about it being Crystal, I doubt we’ve got the resources to do this on our own.”

Luna and Variam shared stories on how the day had gone—they’d turned up a lot of bits and pieces but nothing solid—while Arachne continued her efforts to educate me in the basics of hair care. “Use this after you dress,” Arachne said, handing me a small jar. “The gel should recolour your hair close enough to the right shade to pass a fairly thorough inspection, but don’t get it wet. It won’t persist as well as a proper dye.”

I nodded. “Thanks for helping out on such short notice, by the way. You been okay?”

“For the moment,” Arachne said, the clicking rustle of her mandibles a counterpoint to her voice. “Although some of the recent political developments are . . . worrying. If you have the time, I’d appreciate hearing what you discover at this audience.”

“Sure. What are you worried about specifically?”

“Specifically?” Arachne said. “Your ex-master.”

I felt my heart sink. “His name has been linked to Morden’s current project,” Arachne said. “A discouragement to those thinking of standing in opposition.”

“It could be a bluff.”

“I very much doubt Morden would make a threat like that without something to back it up.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s him,” I said. It didn’t sound as convincing as I’d like. “He might be doing it as part of some other game.”

Arachne studied me with her eight eyes. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I understand Luna’s been hearing rumours of Richard’s return,” Arachne said. “She’s reported them to you.”

“Luna needs to learn to keep her mouth shut.”

“Hasn’t that contact of yours from the Council been saying something similar? Talisid?”

I was silent.

“Have you ever heard the parable of the horse which was a mule?” Arachne said. “You go to market and buy a horse. On your way home, if one person looks at the horse and tells you it’s a mule, you should ignore him. If a second person looks at the horse and tells you it’s a mule, you should go back and check. If a third person looks at the horse and tells you it’s a mule, then it’s a mule.”

I looked up at Arachne. “What’s your point?”

“Exactly how many people need to tell you that Richard might have returned before you start listening?”

“They’re just rumours—”

“Repeated rumours, and I’ve known you to act on less. Why haven’t you?”

I took a glance over towards Luna and Variam. Both were out of earshot and distracted in any case; they’d gotten into one of their usual arguments and Variam was pointing out of the tunnel for emphasis. “Say I do believe them,” I said quietly. “What would I do about it? If he is back, if he does come after me . . . then I’m screwed. It doesn’t matter how much warning I have.”

Arachne paused, tapping two of her front legs against the floor. “I think you’re mistaken,” she said at last, “but you may be right that you should be focusing on what you’re doing tonight. Do you know why you’re doing this, by the way?”

“What do you mean?” It was an odd question, but I was relieved at the change of subject. “I don’t think there’s any way of doing this that isn’t dangerous.”

“True, but not necessarily to you. From what you and Luna have told me, you could just as easily leave the work and the danger to the Keepers.”

I had to think about that one for a few seconds. As soon as Sonder had confirmed my fears last night about what had happened to Anne, I’d decided to drop everything else to try to find her, but I hadn’t thought about why. “You remember what you asked me last year?” I said eventually. “About what kind of person I want to be?”

Arachne made an affirmative gesture. “I never used to care about anyone else,” I said. “Not really. I mean, I’d do something nice now and again, but I always came first, you know?” I looked over at where Luna was making some point or other to Variam, using her hands for emphasis. “I’m not sure who changed that, you or Luna, but . . . I think it was Luna. You helped me when I needed it most, but I always saw you as above me, I guess. I could never really imagine you needing me for anything, not until that.” I gestured up at the jagged gash in the rock above one of the side tunnels, a souvenir of two years back. Arachne could have repaired it, but she’d chosen to leave it untouched, maybe as a reminder. “But Luna did need me. So I started thinking more and more about my friends. I kind of divided the world up into them, and everyone else. If you were inside that group, you mattered.”

“And now?”

“Now . . .” I shrugged. “Anne isn’t really one of my friends anymore. She made that pretty clear.” I was quiet for a moment. “For a while I thought that if I could save her, then I could prove . . . I don’t know. That what I did last year was okay? That my way of doing things was right? But it’s a bad reason. Helping her just so that she’d be grateful, that she’d owe me something . . . I think even if we do manage to pull this off, if Anne does end up safe again, then we still won’t be friends.”

“But you’re still going to do it?”

“Yeah, I am.” I looked up at Arachne. “Because after you strip away all the history and all the arguments, she’s in trouble and she still needs help. We might not manage to do this. Maybe we’ll fail and maybe we’ll give up. But it’s still worth doing.”

Arachne looked at me thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded. I had the odd feeling it was almost as if she were smiling. “Good luck.”

“So,” Luna said. “Not bringing the armour?”

We were in Soho near the Tiger’s Palace, standing in a doorway just a couple of buildings down. I’d needed to be close to get a good angle on the reactions of the door security. Neon lights shone down from above, blotting out the stars, and the air was filled with the din of overlapping music. Groups of people were scattered across the street, laughter and yells echoing between the buildings. Occasionally a passerby would give us a glance, but we didn’t get many catcalls; it was a Saturday night in Soho and our outfits weren’t even close to the weirdest ones out there.

“Sends the wrong impression,” I said. Arachne made me an imbued item last year, a suit of reactive armour; it’s very good at what it does, but now wasn’t the time to break it out. “You don’t want to look like you need it. Your communicator working?”

Luna tapped her ear. “I think so. Calling Vari, can you—?”

“Hitting it doesn’t help.”

Luna made a face at me. “Vari, can you hear me? Alex is being mean again.”

“You probably deserve it,” Variam’s voice said in my ear.

The transparent focus set into my ear was a synchronous communicator, one of the nicer toys that Council mages get to play with. They’re lightweight, voice-activated, and allow you to talk to someone without a radio signal, which is handy when some of the people you’re sharing a room with can see electromagnetic waves. “Calling Vari, Luna,” I said. “Can you hear me?”

“Receiving,” Variam said.

“I’m right here, you know,” Luna said.

“Don’t be a smart-arse. Vari, you’ve found a good place?”

“I’m on the lower roof overlooking the front door and the back alley entrance,” Variam said. “You got the position?”

“Yeah. Keep us updated once we’re inside. You’re sure these things can’t be intercepted?”

“Sure. Unless the Council aren’t as good as they think they are, but what are the chances of that?” There was a chime and the channel closed.

“So, you going to tell me who we’re supposed to be?” Luna asked. She was carrying her focus weapon, and Arachne had made her a red silk cover for it, attached at the focus’s narrow end to a long braided rope, coiled in her hands. Disguising a whip as a whip: Arachne does have a sense of humour.

“I’m going to be a fairly reclusive Dark mage named Avis,” I said. “He’s important enough that he gets invited to these sorts of get-togethers, but he doesn’t like taking sides so he always turns them down.”

“Sounds fun. How about me?”

“It looks like Avis has just taken on a new apprentice. Come up with a name for yourself, and don’t use any kind of pun on ‘moon.’”

“Like I’d want to. I’m going to be Zarine.”

“Zarine?”

“If I’m a new apprentice I wouldn’t have a mage identity, right? Anyway, I always liked that name.”

“Zarine it is.”

We set off up the street. “No ribbon this time?” I asked as we approached the Tiger’s Palace.

“God no. Those things absorb my curse. I want to be at full strength.”

The entrance to Jagadev’s club is via basement level. We skirted a laughing pack of drunken twentysomethings and started down the stairs. “Arachne would make you another if you asked.”

“I know, but I don’t want to. Having it turned off for a few hours is great, but when it’s done I feel worse. If I’m going to fix this, I want it so that I can do it.”

“I think you will. Someday.”

Luna gave me a quick smile. “All right,” I said. “Game face on. Ready?”

“Let’s do it,” Luna said. I strode through the front entrance of Jagadev’s lair.

The outfit Arachne had made for me was a long military-style coat with gold tracing at the lapels and wrist and a white ruff at the neck, combined with a waistcoat and narrow trousers. It made me feel like I was going to a steampunk convention, but from examining myself in the mirror I had to admit it looked good. Whoever Avis was, he had a sense of style. A dark blue mask covered the upper half of my face, while Luna wore a narrower dark red band at eye level. We’d put them on before making our final approach.

The bouncers on the door were a different lot from the usual: more social graces, fewer broken noses. Evidently this evening rated a higher class of doorman. “May I take your name, please?” the one at the front asked. His manner was pleasant, but his eyes and those of the men behind him were alert and ready.

“Avis,” I said, meeting his gaze. I’d changed my posture subtly as I approached, standing a little straighter, my movements a little more deliberate. My voice was flat and calm.

The doorman nodded. “Welcome to the Tiger’s Palace.”

I walked towards the door at the other end, ignoring the doormen; Luna followed a pace behind. No one tried to stop us. The door swung shut and we were walking down a stone corridor. I’d known we were going to get this far; from now on things would get interesting. We reached the door at the end and I pushed it open, and the two of us walked out onto the main floor of Jagadev’s lair.