Robert Charrette - Arthur 03 - A Knight Among Knaves (13 page)

"And what do you tell them? That they're just like all the other changelings?"

Yuri looked appalled. "Never do I talk to them."

"You're talking to me."

"I am, aren't I?" Yuri sounded surprised. "A chance, I took. I guess I was a bit too lonely. The real surprise is that you are talking to me." "Why is that a surprise?"

"You're a great one," Yuri said, as if it explained everything.

It didn't, even though John had experienced the deference shown to elves by the so-called lesser folk. "Great ones"— what an arrogant term. Faye had used it once, saying that she wasn't one. "I'm afraid that I don't really understand what makes a great one different from anyone else around here."

"You
are
new come to Faery, aren't you? Well, I guess I'd better enjoy the privilege of your company while I can. Once you come into your inheritance, you'll grow too important lor the likes of me. Then, you'll only have time for other great ones. Seen it before, haven't I? I have truly. Should have stayed in the bramble, shouldn't I? Seems old Yuri is not as bright as he thought. Disappointment, nothing but disappointment in dealing with great ones."

John didn't care for the urisk's judgment. Yuri didn't know John at all. "Then why did you bother to speak to me?"

"Thought you were different?" Yuri looked at John side-wise. "I saw you with that sprite. Amazed me, didn't it? Not lhat a great one can't do as he pleases—I know that—but the way you were with her." Yuri sighed. "Like you really cared about her."

"I did. I mean, I do."

Yuri looked down his long nose. "Really?"

"Sure." Embarrassingly, an image of Sue ran naked through his thoughts. They were talking about Faye. "I really do. Care about her, I mean."

Yuri's eyes narrowed, then he shook his head. "Confusing."

The feelings surging through John were confusing to
him.
Why should they be any less so to the urisk? John wanted to change the subject and think about other things.

"You said you've seen changelings here before. Did Bennett bring them too?"

"Bennett?" Yuri looked thoughtful for a moment. "Ah, the prince, mean you?"

"Don't you know him as Bennett?"

"A new name."

John knew that Bennett wasn't always Bennett, but no one had ever offered another name for the prince. "What's his old name?"

Yuri raised a tufted eyebrow. "Asking me for his name, are you?"

"Yeah."

"His
true
name?"

"Sure."

"You want to know his true name?"

"Yes."

"So do I." Yuri brayed laughter, making John frown in annoyance. When the urisk's amusement subsided, Yuri shifted into a more serious mood. "In this world, closely guarded secrets are true names," he said. "The name by which one knows one's inner self is a powerful magical tool when put to use. It can aid and hinder, bind and loose, and be very dangerous in the wrong hands. Dangerous enough are use names."

"So Bennett is just a use name."

Yuri nodded. "By some lights, a new name is Bennett for your prince, although he has used it for some time now. Before that he liked Beneyt. Gorloys is another he has used."

It seemed suitable that Bennett had used many names. John wondered about the names for Bennett that Yuri had given him. Beneyt was just a variation, and while Gorloys sounded familiar, John wasn't sure where he had heard it before. Maybe in a fairy tale or a legend? Yes, that was it, a legend, in fact, he'd read it in a legend of King Arthur.

Well Arthur, more properly Artos, was Bear—as real as John—which suggested that the other characters were real too. He'd heard Bear mention some of them, though John couldn't remember any mention of someone called Gorloys. He knew that Bennett and Bear had a history; they both admitted it, although neither had ever given John any details. Unfortunately, John couldn't remember anything from the legends about Gorloys. He wished that he had access to a computer. He could ran a search, ransacking every Arthurian database he could get access to until he shook something out.

of course the legends wouldn't have the story straight. Having met Bear, he knew that the popular myths hadn't gotten things quite right, but that there was a core of truth and real people at the center of the legends.

Gorloys, eh? Maybe John could find some clues as to what had happened between his mysterious father and Bear that had raised such bad blood between them. There might be things that John could use in his own struggle with Bennett.

"Too young you are," Yuri said. "You cannot challenge him."

Challenge? Had John really been thinking of something so -. direct and combative? "I wasn't-—"

"Yuri knows your kind. Your face shows your mind, and there shines the thought of challenge."

Was it so? The concept of having Bennett at a disadvantage
was
appealing. John was vaguely aware that Yuri had begun backing away from him, but he was too intrigued by the possibilities the urisk's information had opened up to care. In his mind's eye he saw himself setting Bennett up so that
Bennett
was the one not knowing what was going on, so that
Bennett
was the one asking questions that
John
could disdain to answer. That would be a good twist, wouldn't it? Can't challenge him, eh? There were all sorts of challenges.

"Who says I can't challenge him?"

"Wiser heads." The urisk's voice came from far away.

John looked to see where Yuri had gone and found that he was nowhere to be seen. John was alone by the pool.

Wiser heads, eh? Maybe he couldn't challenge Bennett just now, but the idea of making Bennett dance to Ms tune was too good to let go of. John knew that he had a lot to learn before he could make it happen. He snatched a twig from the ground and called fire to light its end. The stick crackled as it burned. Calling flame was the first magic John had learned. It was a simple spell, but learning it had been Ms first step into the world of magic. At some things, John was a good learner, a very good learner. And once he learned what he needed to know—well, then, they'd see who could do what to whom.

CHAPTER
10

Magnus rose when Holger entered the room. Holger felt honored. Holger had worked with Magnus before, though not directly, of course. He felt a thrill of anticipation at the opportunity being offered to him. Magnus was the head of the most successful team in the Department.

Magnus was also a sleeper. Holger's clearance wasn't high enough to have the details, but he knew that much. He'd heard that Magnus had been a ruler, but that occupation was currently unavailable. Even had it been, the world had changed and Magnus's grasp of politics was about fifteen hundred years out-of-date. Yet Magnus had succeeded in reinventing himself and finding a place in the modern world—no mean feat. He had come far and fast in the service—in some ways a greater accomplishment. Magnus was a comer. There were those who said that Magnus might get his old job back someday. If that was so, staying in his good graces was not a bad idea.

But such possibilities were for another day. This day had its own matters.

Abandoning his conference with Security Officer L'Here-aux, Magnus told Holger, "We have an assignment available."

"I'll take it."

Magnus laid down the folder he'd been holding. The screen was readable from Holger's position; it would have details on the assignment, but that didn't matter. Magnus would tell him. Magnus said, "I haven't told you what it is yet, Agent Kun."

"I'm ready, sir."

"Eager, certainly."

Holger didn't say anything. He
was
ready.

"This is a recovery operation," L'Hereaux said.

Holger had experience. "Very good, sir."

Magnus and L'Hereaux exchanged glances. Holger hoped lie wasn't playing his hand wrong. He wanted—needed— I his assignment.

"It will probably mean operating in the United States," Magnus said.

"I'm ready for hardships," Holger stated. They all laughed at the old joke. "Who is to be recovered?"

"This is the woman," L'Hereaux said as the wallscreen lit, displaying a portrait pic. Full body and casual shots followed to make up a montage. A window with vital statistics opened, but Holger ignored it for the moment to concentrate on the images. She was average height and on the slender side. She seemed to favor drab clothes and unflattering hairstyles. Her most unusual feature was her mismatched eyes, one blue, one green; they were magnetic, even in the pictures. Those eyes disturbed Holger, so he shifted his attention back to the woman's overall impression. She looked to be in her forties, maybe fifties if she had good genes and the wherewithal to pamper them. Not consistent with her apparent lack of interest in fashion. Forties, then, probably midway through the decade. Holger studied the casual shots. He found nothing definite to indicate her profession, but most commonly her expressions were abstracted, as though she were thinking thoughts not connected to what she was doing in the pictures. She looked as if she ought to be wearing a lab coat. He found himself drawn back to the portrait pic. Something about the woman's face was vaguely familiar. A resemblance to an aunt perhaps? Unimportant. Do the job. He memorized the face.

"She's a thaumaturgic specialist," Magnus said.

He had known that. It explained the lab-coat look. A specialist. He didn't like specialists.

"Is that a problem?" L'Hereaux asked.

"Nothing insurmountable," Holger replied. He tried to sound as though he were just stating a fact. He didn't want them dumping him from this assignment just because he didn't like dealing with specialists. "What's her name?"

"Elizabeth Spae."

The name sounded familiar, but when he tried to put his finger on a memory, he found himself thinking of another Elizabeth. Now,
she
had been worth remembering. Elizabeth Spae meant nothing to him. But she mattered to the Department; soon he would be told why.

"She is a renegade," Magnus informed him.

"A very dangerous woman," L'Hereaux added.

"She has taken up with the enemy," Magnus said.

"To be more precise, we have learned that she has done work for a subsidiary of Metadynamics, a corporation whose name you will remember from earlier affairs."

Holger remembered. Metadynamics was a many tentacled, multinational corporation, one of the largest. Several of their subsidiaries were suspected of encountering and sequestering materials within the responsibility of the Department. Under the terms of the United Nations Intelligence Purview Act, Metadynamics's base in North America made the North American Commercial Community's Federal Security Agency the proper investigative authority. The last Holger had heard, the FSA continued to give Metadynamics "uninvolved" status. If this renegade specialist was working for Metadynamics, lack of involvement was unlikely.

"FSA refusing cooperation?" he asked.

"Quite," L'Hereaux answered. "They deny any connection between Metadynamics and Elizabeth Spae. They deny any influence from corporate sources. With Metadynamics a major influence on the NACC government, influence must be presumed. After all, 'Metadynamics makes America dynamic.' "

Holger had heard the slogan.

"There is evidence contradicting FSA's claim. In here." Magnus held up the folder. "You will see that we cannot expect any in-country cooperation."

Holger nodded, understanding the situation. Wedded as they were with Metadynamics, FSA would be hostile to the recovery. That collusion between the agency and the corp was a complication, but not an insurmountable one. He'd overcome similar difficulties. "Who will be leading the recovery team, sir?"

"You are my choice, Agent Kun."

Magnus's faith was reassuring. "Thank you, sir."

L'Hereaux, characteristically, had an additional point. "Agents Linkwater and Pankhurst will be part of the team. Is that a problem?"

"Not for me." If they thought otherwise, he would see that they changed their minds. Or their team.

Magnus looked at him earnestly. "There are those who think you are not ready for this assignment, Agent Kun. The doctors do not all agree that you are completely recovered from your accident and ready for duty. This is a difficult situation and one which must be handled expeditiously. Your record recommends you for this assignment. I see no better alternative and am wagering that you are ready. More than that, I am wagering that you will complete this assignment smoothly and cleanly. This woman cannot be allowed to provide her services to Metadynamics. I am relying on your loyalty and service, Agent Kun. I am relying on you."

"I'm ready to do my job."

"It may be that she cannot be recovered. Such a loss would be regrettable, but our loss cannot be Metadynamics's gain."

"I understand, sir."

One specialist fewer was one step closer to sanity for the world.

CHAPTER
11

"A memento," Bennett said, folding the soft silk over the oblong crystal clasped within argent, helical bands. Supposedly the talismanic crystal that he wrapped so carefully had belonged to John's elven mother. Bennett handed the object to John.