Eve of Destruction (4 page)

“Goddess have mercy,” Eve breathed, her fists clenching in anger beneath the table. Chaval was the consummate pariah at the university and the target of almost every mage’s ire. It was his company, Steamworks, that had been building the poisonous factories all across the country. It was his Dusty followers who’d been murdering magi. He’d started a culture war that was tearing Arkadia apart…and her mother might have been another casualty.  

Zach squeezed her hands beneath the table again. “Who else could it be?” he asked. “You said there were others who knew about the journal.”

“Unfortunately, the list is larger than I’d like,” Maltus said. “Aside from our college friends at Valmeri, there are a few magisters in the Enclave who knew about her dreams. They kept a close eye on her because of that power, in fact.”

Eve threw him a dark look, her momentary rage at the Dusties forgotten. “What does that mean?”

“It means they’re probably the ones who did it,” Zach grumbled. “Forget Chaval—the Enclave is just as bad. Maybe even worse.”

Maltus shook his head. “No. I’m sure you’ve heard many rumors and exaggerations, but the Enclave isn’t what you think. They watch over the magi to make sure they don’t abuse their power. The Magister’s Council would have never harmed Tara.”

Zach snorted, not bothering to hide his contempt. “Some of the guys in my unit used to go on and on about them, saying they were some kind of world shadow government ordering political assassinations, controlling global trade, you name it.” He shrugged. “I always wondered how much of that was true.”

“Sadly, facts rarely get in the way of public perception,” Maltus replied coolly. “Don’t get me wrong—the Enclave has its problems, but they don’t kill fellow magi for no reason.”

Eve swallowed and tried to ignore the knot twisting in her stomach. The Dusties, the Enclave…what in Edeh’s name had her mother gotten into? What had
they
gotten into?

“Who else?” Zach pressed. “You implied that your friends from Valmeri knew about these dreams.”

“Yes, though I have a hard time imagining any of them doing something like this. Most of us haven’t even seen each other for at least twenty years.”

“What about Gregori Danev?”

Maltus froze.  “Where did you hear that name?”

Eve tossed an annoyed glare at Zach, but it lacked conviction. Danev’s name was going to come out sooner or later, and eventually they’d have to tell Maltus why they were going to Vaschberg specifically. This seemed as good a time as any.

“We found this in mom’s study,” she said softly, handing him the note from inside her purse. “That’s why we were heading out west. We were going to Vaschberg.”

She expected him to dismiss it the same as Zach had. It wasn’t much, after all, just a simple message that implied her mother wanted to speak with Gregori Danev in Vaschberg. It wasn’t signed or dated or anything else, and her mother hadn’t left it in an obvious place. It could have easily been nothing, but it was all she had to go on.

But Maltus didn’t dismiss it. Instead his eyes narrowed in thought as he read over it. “I see.” 
 

“So you do know him?” Zach prompted.

The old man nodded idly. “Oh, yes. So did your mother, obviously. Gregori was one of our small college clique, I guess you could say. There were seven of us in total. We were young and energetic and thought we could change the world.”

“Change the world?” Zach asked. “By doing what?”

Maltus sighed and smiled wistfully as he handed Eve back the note. “That’s a bit hard to explain to someone who didn’t live in the ‘twenties. It was a different time then, before real trains, before Steamworks…and just after the Polerian War. There were all kinds of protests and riots popping up all over the country. It was a turbulent time, to say the least.” He shrugged and visibly pulled himself away from the memories. “Anyway, I know Gregori runs some type of business in Vaschberg, but I’m not sure what. Thirty years ago he was a good man and a better friend. He was also a bit enamored with your mother.”

“So you don’t think he did it,” Zach said.

“Definitely not,” Maltus assured him. “But I’m not certain why Tara would have wanted to contact him, of all people. They haven’t spoken in ages, as far as I’m aware.”

“Maybe they started talking again since you left for Selerius,” Zach suggested.

“Or maybe she had another dream,” Eve said distantly. “Another vision, I mean. She must have suspected something was about to happen and left that for me to find.”

“Except it’s not addressed to you,” Zach reminded her. “It’s not addressed to anyone. It looks more like a random note she left herself as a reminder. I think it’s nothing.”

Maltus shook his head. “I highly doubt that. Tara must have written it for a reason.”

“Then we need to talk to this Danev,” Eve said.

Maltus’s cheek twitched. “I’d like to know what he has to say about all of this, but I don’t feel comfortable with the two of you heading out that far west. It’s too dangerous.”

“We have to,” Eve insisted. “We have to figure out who did this and why.”

“And then what?”

“Then…” she trailed off. “I’m not sure yet. Maybe once we have some hard proof we can get the police to believe us.”

“I’ve been trying to convince her that this is all a terrible idea for days now,” Zach muttered. “I figured if she was void-bent on going there, the least I could do is go along.”

“I’m going to figure this out,” Eve said flatly. “No one else has to come.”

Maltus’s eyes softened as he looked at her. “The Dusties rule the west, Evelyn. The moment they learn that you’re a mage you’ll be in danger. Vaschberg is dangerously close to Cadotheia and Chaval’s power base. You don’t want to go there.”

“I know,” she said softly. “But we need to talk to this Danev person. Do you think we can trust him?”

Maltus studied her carefully, probably wondering if he could still change her mind. “People change, but I’d give him the benefit of the doubt, especially if your mother wanted you to go to him. To be honest, though, you could be going to see the Exarch herself and I still wouldn’t feel comfortable with you heading out there.”

“Why don’t you come with us, then?”

He grimaced. “I wish I could, but I have obligations I can’t ignore.” He glanced out to the station and the new train pulling in. “I’m afraid I’m already on a tight schedule. Gregori will keep, though. Why not come back to Lushden with me for a few days? I’ll do what I can to get free and then maybe we can head out together.”

Zach nodded and slid a hand around her slender waist. “Sounds like a good—”

“No,” Eve said adamantly, shaking free. “I’ve waited long enough. I’m going to find out what happened.”

The two men shared a glance, and Maltus smiled tightly. “I know better than to argue with a DeShane when she’s made up her mind. But you need to be careful, Evelyn. And you, Zachary,” he said, eyeing the younger man stiffly, “it’s your job to keep her safe. I hope you learned something in the service.”

“I’m not helpless, you know,” Eve reminded them tartly, folding her hands across her chest. “I am a mage.”

“Indeed,” Maltus said. “On that note, I was surprised when your mother mentioned that you were specializing in sorcery. I’d assumed you would follow in her footsteps.”

“She only decided to do that when some professor told her it was a bad idea,” Zach muttered. “You know how it works with her.”

Eve shot him an annoyed glare. “They all kept trying to push me into the soft stuff like I couldn’t handle it. I’m smart enough to figure it out.”

“Modest, too,” Zach chided.

 Maltus chuckled, and the deep lines in his face seemed to relax. “I never said I doubted your ability. You’re a DeShane—if you put your mind to it, you can figure out anything. You just might have to kick and scream a little along the way.”

Eve smiled. “I’ve already started on my thesis. You should read it sometime.”

His eyes sparkled. “Well, if I can’t go with you, perhaps this will help.”

He opened the bag he had brought with him and slid out a book. Judging by the intricate glyphs and formula on the cover, it was obviously a spellbook.

“A colleague of mine in Selerius gave it to me,” Maltus went on. “If you’ve already started down the path to this knowledge, then I hope this will steer you in the right direction.”

Eve took the tome from him, mouth agape. “Can’t you get in trouble for this?”

“Oh, yes,” he said soberly. “I could lose my position. It’s quite illegal to teach someone who hasn’t taken the Oath Rituals yet. The Enclave might even choose to lock me up for it.”

“I…” Eve shook her head. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything—just promise me you’ll be careful. You may have to defend yourself, and there are many ways to do that that you won’t learn in school. I hope Zachary can teach you some mundane techniques when he has a moment.”

“I’ll try not to be insulted by that,” Zach muttered.

“Well, thank you anyway,” Eve said, thumbing through the small book, her eyes still wide. “You know, you’re welcome to stay in the house while you’re in Lushden. I can give you the keys, if you want.”

Maltus smiled and shook his head. “No, I have other friends to see, and I’d like to spend some time at the cemetery while I’m here. There are some things I need to tell your mother.”

Eve closed the book, and the fleeting smile vanished. “Me too.”

Maltus stood and gave her a hug. “Send me a wire the moment you find something.”

“I will,” she promised. “And thank you.”

***

Glenn Maltus turned the corner outside the diner and released the breath he’d been holding since he’d walked in the door. It was much harder than he’d imagined to lie to the girl’s—the young woman’s—face. He’d known her since she was an infant, after all. She was a spitting image of her mother, and behind those amber DeShane eyes he could see the same fiery temperament that had gotten Tara into trouble on so many occassions. But it had also given her strength, and it gave him faith that he’d made the right decision. This deception was for Eve’s benefit.

Or so he told himself.

No matter how much the calculating part of his mind insisted otherwise, he couldn’t look into the face of that young woman and see the end of the Fane—the end of the world. Instead he selfishly saw a path not taken with her mother and a future that might have been if things had worked out differently.

“She has the book,” Maltus murmured. “Now it’s time to watch and see what happens.”

He stopped at the corner of an alleyway, and a shadow detached itself from a nearby wall. Tall and lanky, the dark figure was draped in a body-length black coat and hood.

“Such a risk,” she replied, her voice as coarse and accented as ever. “Are you sure it’s one you want to take?”

Maltus paused and bit his lip. “Tara has been wrong before.”

“Not often.”

“No,” he admitted. “But I’m not going to murder a friend’s daughter based on something she hasn’t even done yet.”

The shadow said nothing. She didn’t need to; Maltus already knew where she stood. 

“Besides,” he added, “she’ll have plenty of enemies looking to do that already. I trust you dealt with the interlopers here?”

“Four of them are dead, one escaped.”