Nemesis (21 page)

“You–is that your mission? Figure out what they’re doing? I thought it was up to the council.”

“Technically. But now we know things they don’t. Things we can’t tell them. Damn. I didn’t want you dragged into this, Ada. Offworld politics are dangerous as hell on a good day.”

“What?” Was he actually worried about me? Was that why he’d been so distant? Not that I’d given him reason to be otherwise, considering. “You don’t have to figure it out, Kay. If it’s that dangerous–”

“Like I said. I know things I damn well don’t
want
to, but I’m not leaving this alone now.”

I tried to wrap my head around that logic. “Right. Just don’t get yourself killed.”

“Wasn’t planning to.” He moved away from the Valerian door, crossing to the one that led to Central.

“What’re you doing now, anyway?” I asked.

“Dealing with the dragon lady.” He glanced at his communicator. “Then beating the crap out of virtual monsters.”

“Is that your default response to a crisis?”

“Huh?” This time, he did meet my eyes.

“Just trying to figure you out, is all.” I’d have better luck with Aglaian politics. Kay Walker was an enigma.

“Yeah?” He raised an eyebrow. “Good luck with that.”

Was that a dismissal? For all his teasing just now, we were virtually strangers.

“What’re you staring at?”

Busted. “Uh. Zoned out for a moment there.”

“You’re… all right?”

I bit down on the instinct to retaliate. I’d never liked being asked that question. Especially now. “I guess. Apart from the near-brush with death back there. Which, to be honest, I’m starting to think is a side effect of hanging out with you.”

“Hanging out?”

Great one, Ada.
At least I hadn’t insulted him this time. That was a step forward.

“It sounds better than ‘risking our lives’,” I said.

“You may have a point there.”

I swallowed.
Say the freaking words, Ada.
“Thanks for the other night,” I blurted.

He blinked. But I couldn’t read his expression, as usual. “No problem.”

“And… uh. Can we just disregard every stupid thing I’ve ever said up until now?”

“Starting from when? That wouldn’t leave much.”

“You–” I swatted at him, but his reflexes were too fast. He caught my hand in his own the instant it moved. “Dammit! Let go of me!”

“Only if you promise not to hit me.”

“I can’t make any promises. You’re really annoying.”

“Thanks. You’re ridiculous.”

I spluttered. “That’s a pretty crappy insult.” I swatted with my other hand, and ended up with both of them trapped. “Not fair.” It was kind of hard to keep up my sulky expression with his face inches from mine. My traitorous heart beat faster.

Kay, however, was totally deadpan as usual. “Pity.”

“What did you do to your hands, anyway?” I asked, glancing at the bandages covering both knuckles.

“Glass. A goblin crashed a hover bike through the front of a shopping centre on Valeria.”

“Really? Only you could say that and not sound totally insane… wait. I take that back.”

He let go of both my hands and pushed, so suddenly I almost tripped over my own feet.

“Quit it.” I righted myself, glaring at him. And then shook my head, unable to keep from smiling.

Then we were both laughing. I’d been on edge since leaving Central, and once I started, I couldn’t stop. I leaned on the wall, giggling helplessly while Kay looked on, shaking his head in amusement.

“What d’you think?” I said, when I’d caught my breath. “You wanna start over? Because I don’t like fighting with people.”

“Really? Could’ve fooled me.”

“Ha. Okay. I don’t want to fight with
you.”

A heartbeat’s pause. Our eyes met, and I hadn’t seen him look at me like that since… since we’d kissed in New York. I was pretty sure the tingles racing up my arms had less to do with magic than the way he’d been holding my hands. And I wanted to hold his again.

I wanted more than that.

“Yeah?” he said. “Sure. We can start over.”

My heartbeat kicked up, and then slowed just as quickly as he turned away, opening the door to Earth. The ordinary street appeared before us, the sharp profile of the Alliance’s headquarters outlined against the grey sky.

“Kay…”

“We’re late already. Hopefully they won’t have sent people after us.” Kay crossed the threshold, muttering a curse as raindrops spattered both us and the Passage floor.

“Gotta love London,” I said, wishing I had a hood and wrapping my coat tighter around me. At least it was waterproof. “I’d emigrate to Aglaia if the locals were a bit friendlier.”

“Not my top choice,” said Kay. “They’re in a drought now. Something to do with the magic.”

“Really?”

“I have no idea. Just something one of the mages on the council said.”

The washed-out grey sky was dull compared to Aglaia, but at least there were no centaurs hiding between the run-down houses. We reached the back gate, and he retrieved a key from the inside pocket of his coat.

“Uh, did Ms Weston say everyone on Aglaia has magic?” I asked. “Like, every single person?”

“Yeah, it’s the way magic works there.” He unlocked the gate, and we went through to Central’s car park. “Every human has the potential. It’s external, though.”

So they weren’t like us. They didn’t have magic somehow living
inside
them.

“How high is the level?”

He paused, re-locking the gate. “Same as Valeria. Second. But it isn’t used to attack other people. That’s illegal, actually. They use it to… change things. Like they manipulate the weather, that kind of thing. I imagine it’s pretty useful.”

So magic for the Aglaians wasn’t a threat? I pondered it as we went back into Central.

“Wow. How does that work with the Balance?”

Kay pushed his now-dripping-wet dark hair out of his eyes. “Well, they probably caused the drought by summoning up a storm or something. The counter-effect rule still applies. Read the files Ms Weston sent you. I think you’d find it interesting.”

“Sure, I will.” Of course, since the mission had been sprung on me the moment I arrived at Central that morning, I’d only had the chance to learn the basics. But now we were out of the danger zone, my curiosity rose again. “I skimmed it, but I don’t remember it saying anything about magic.”

“That’s mostly classified,” said Kay, in a low voice.

Like that source. No wonder Markos didn’t want people finding out.

But what if someone already knew?

“They have files on every world?” I asked, as we climbed the stairs to the first floor. I talked to fill the silence, though I couldn’t find words for what I actually wanted to say.

“Near enough. Ms Weston said you had a pretty good basic knowledge of offworld, actually.”

“She did? Wow. I’d got the impression she hated me.”

“It’s what she does. Just don’t poke her with a stick, and you’ll be fine.”

“What, you aren’t planning on trying your invisibility trick?” I flashed him a grin.

“I’m not sure it works on Earth. Damn, that would be priceless, though.” He laughed quietly. “I’ll save it for a special occasion.”

But his expression blanked when we reached Ms Weston’s office. He knocked on the door.

“You took your time,” she said. “Another hour and I would have sent backup.”

“There was a hitch,” said Kay. “We had to skirt around a group of unfriendly Anthos tribe centaurs. They were trespassing on royal ground.”

“And?”

“Magic did it, but not Aglaian,” said Kay. “Magi-tech.”

“I see.” Ms Weston spoke as though we’d just commented on the rain outside, as opposed to an imminent offworld war. “Where is Markos?”

“He stayed behind, to tell his sister about his cousin’s involvement. Sounded like Tryfon is somehow involved with those Anthos centaurs we saw,” Kay said. “So Markos was hoping it would make his sister listen to reason and step in as queen. I tried to get him to come back to Earth, but understandably…”

“Yes, we need to do everything we can to avoid outright warfare. The centaurs have yet to make an open accusation towards the mages, but it’s only a matter of time. If there was a way to expose whoever is working with offworlders… a magic scanner wouldn’t be enough, especially if they used technology to do it. It’s a clever plot. Someone is playing us–the whole Alliance, not just Aglaia.”

“Exactly,” said Kay. “The next meeting’s in two days, right?”

“The treaty renewal. Supposedly. It’s looking doubtful at the moment that Aglaia will want to renew its membership in the Alliance.”

“Can’t exactly blame them,” Kay muttered. “Dammit. This is a lose-lose situation all around. Unless we prove someone got through from offworld. At the moment, I’m inclined to think Cethrax. And someone mentioned that bloodrock solution was stolen from West Office?”

Ms Weston gave me a sharp look. “And have you forgotten I told you to keep those details quiet?”

My heart sank. I guessed he wasn’t supposed to tell me that.

“I already knew,” I said quickly. “Um, my guardian’s friends used to trade in the stuff. They know some of it went missing. That’s all I know.”
It’s not a betrayal,
I told the stab of guilt. The Alliance knew the Knights dealt in bloodrock solution. Used to.

“As it happens, after Cethrax was fined for helping the Campbells, they were also forced to give up what little bloodrock they possessed… which suggests someone is offering them the solution for a price. But that’s beside the point. Someone intends to stir up trouble on Aglaia and they have no qualms about straying into dangerous territory to do so.”

“Yeah, that’s why I think someone else is working with Cethrax,” said Kay. “Is the council looking into it?”

“As much as they can. Remember that Aglaia is not Earth’s priority.”

“I figured.” The corners of his mouth pulled down. “Can I keep the earpiece on for now? I don’t know if it works across long distances, but Markos will still have his.”

I’d totally forgotten I still wore the invisible earpiece, too.

“Ah,” I said, and they both turned to me. “It’ll stay invisible, no one will know he’s wearing it.”

“I hope not,” said Kay, “considering the centaurs’ opinion on technology. But if anything were to happen to Markos, it’d be the only way he could get a message to the Alliance.”

“By violating his own laws,” said Ms Weston, a challenge in her expression.

Kay’s eyes narrowed. If it came to a staring contest between the two of them, I honestly didn’t know who would win.

“He’s our colleague,” he said, his expression becoming even harder. “Your employee.”

“The contract between an individual and the Alliance is always beneath the laws of their own world.”

Really?
I hadn’t known that. So if my own world claimed me, they’d be able to override the Alliance?

“That’s ridiculous,” I cut in, before Kay could speak. “What if that world’s overthrown by a maniac dictator? Don’t human or cross-species’ rights come first? That’s what the Alliance is founded on.” I might not have Kay’s seemingly encyclopaedic knowledge of the Alliance and the Multiverse, but I did know
some
things.

“Exactly.” Kay’s glance barely flickered towards me, but I sensed his approval. “First principle. I think you can trust I know every word. And I have license to travel offworld with or without direct Alliance approval. Unless you want me to take it to the council.”

“That
won’t
be necessary,” said Ms Weston. “And I’ll thank you to remember who you’re talking to.
Both
of you. You may keep the earpiece, but Ada, I’ll take yours back. The tech team need it.”

“Right.” I fumbled with the device. My hands were shaking. Though her tone of voice hadn’t changed, it didn’t take a genius to see she was really pissed off. And as for Kay, the last time I’d seen him that furious, it had been when I’d left him in the Passages when he’d tried to get me to go to a shelter rather than helping my family.

“You can both leave. Just remember your own loyalties are with the Alliance now. Go.”

Kay’s jaw clenched, and he swept out of the office without a backwards glance. I was kind of nervous to follow after, but neither did I want to stay in the room with Ms Weston. I made for the stairs. Kay was already out of sight.
Jesus Christ.
I mean, I was pretty angry that Ms Weston appeared to be unperturbed about one of her employees being stuck on a hostile world… but Kay, well, I kind of felt sorry for those virtual monsters. This definitely wasn’t the time to try and make up for all the crap I’d said to him.

Typical. Even if we’d almost been getting along back in the Passages. If his scaring me half to death counted as
getting along.