The Relic Guild (28 page)

Her eyes flashed yellow as she glared down the corridor at Samuel. He kept his revolver aimed in her direction. His magic had pulsed a new warning to him.

It was only for a second or two that they stood staring at each other, but to Samuel it felt a long, tense moment. Was Clara challenging him?

Thankfully she broke the standoff to look down at the Resident. Samuel’s magic eased, and he lowered his gun with no small sense of relief.

Van Bam pushed the metal hatchway to one side and got to his feet. Apart from appearing a little shaken, he was unharmed.

Clara ducked down and picked up his green glass cane.

‘Thank you, Clara,’ he said as he took it from her. His breathing was a little shuddery.

Clara retrieved the knife from the dead body on the floor. She wiped blood from the blade on its clothes.

‘I want that back when this is over,’ Samuel told her.

In reply, she flashed him a yellow glare and slid the knife into her boot.

Samuel gave the Resident an inquisitive look. When Van Bam affirmed his well-being with a nod, Samuel turned and headed for the door to the last sublevel of the asylum.

Clara couldn’t explain what had happened. She had experienced moments when the wolf had tried to control her reactions before – moments when blind anger and the need for violence had dominated her thoughts – but her medicine, or sheer force of will, had always kept those impulses in check. This time it had been different. This time, it felt as if she had tapped into the wolf’s power, its grace and cunning, and used its strength to save Van Bam from the teeth of the infected. If Clara hadn’t known better, she would swear
she
had controlled the monster.

Or perhaps she had been shown how to …

Clara was convinced she had felt Marney’s influence during the incident. That illusive box of secrets buried deep inside her head had opened a crack, and the presence that slipped out had been full of panic, full of desperation. The catalyst had undoubtedly been the Resident and his plight. The moment Clara’s instincts detected Van Bam was in trouble, she had been filled with a sudden and overwhelming desire to save him, and at any cost. But Clara knew intuitively that it had been Marney’s desire that drove her instincts, put her in touch with the wolf and its courage. Why else would Clara have acted so rashly?

Whatever had prompted the recklessness, the incident had changed Clara. She was sure of it. A bond had grown between woman and wolf, and it seemed so …
natural.
It had given her a sixth sense, some animal intuition that put her fully in tune with her environment. Instinctively, she knew there was no danger ahead now; that the immediate trouble was over for the Relic Guild – even before Samuel said, ‘We’re in the clear,’ and led them into sublevel three.

Another abandoned security station awaited the group. But unlike on the two previous levels, there was no sign of struggle. The security door, already wide open, led them to a short corridor of cells.

‘This is where the most dangerous inmates are kept,’ Van Bam said. His voice was like music to Clara, deep, familiar and comforting. She hadn’t noticed before, but she was suddenly aware that he was a handsome man. He added, ‘Evidently, Fabian Moor had no use for them,’ and Clara shook herself.

The doors to the cells were heavy and secure. Clara peeked through the small reinforced window of one into the room beyond. An inmate sat on a bunk in his straitjacket, staring back at her. There was a madman’s grin on his face.

‘Wait here,’ Samuel said.

He set off down the corridor. The door to the penultimate cell on the left was open. The old bounty hunter disappeared through it.

Clara flinched as a thump came from her right. She turned to see the inmate with the madman’s grin had pressed his face up against the window. They locked eyes for a moment, and then he drew suddenly a deep breath.

‘Monster!’ he screamed.

Clara stepped away from the window, backing into Van Bam. His body felt strong and reassuring against her. The man screamed again. His voice was muffled but loud enough to be heard by the other inmates. More faces appeared at windows, and the cry of ‘Monster’ was taken up by them all.

In the cell opposite, a woman was watching the Relic Guild agents. Her eyes were watery and unfocused, and she laughed as if she had heard the funniest of jokes.

‘Van Bam!’ Samuel shouted from the open cell. The anxiety was easy to hear in his voice. ‘Quickly!’

As the chorus of insane voices continued to swell and echo along the corridor, the two Relic Guild agents raced to him.

Clara was first to reach the cell. Samuel was clutching his revolver so tightly his knuckles had turned white. There was a grim look on his face as he stared down at the bunk. Upon the stained mattress sat a skeleton. In its claw-like hands was a small terracotta jar.

Van Bam entered the cell and stood alongside Samuel. He seemed to recoil at the sight of the jar in the skeleton’s hands. Clara didn’t need heightened senses to detect the fear radiating from both men.

Van Bam cocked his head to one side.

‘Oh shit,’ he whispered.

Forty Years Earlier

Refugee

Marney felt tired to the point of numbness. Only one spark of emotion survived within her, and that was a vague desire, a mindless need to share her body with an illusionist’s. She wanted to be locked away with Van Bam inside a darkened room where the world outside could wait. She wanted to feel something familiar and passionate. And then, Marney wanted nothing more than the oblivion of dreamless sleep so her mind would have the chance to organise and understand the things she had seen.

But on returning to the Labyrinth, the young empath discovered that Gideon had other plans for her.

In the Nightshade’s conference room, every agent of the Relic Guild had been summoned to an emergency meeting. It was late, and her colleagues looked as tired as Marney felt. The Resident sat in his customary position, at the head of the long conference table; Samuel sat at the bottom end, quiet and taciturn, with a few chairs’ distance between him and his colleagues. Marney sat between Denton and Angel. On the opposite side of the table, Bryant sat next to his sister, and Van Bam sat between her and Gene. The only absentee was Hamir. The atmosphere was troubled.

Marney was surprised by the late hour; Ruby Moon was in the sky, and the day was long over. But it didn’t feel as though she had spent that long at Lady Amilee’s tower. She vaguely recalled Denton saying something about time passing slower in the Skywatcher’s realm, but she didn’t really care.

Across the table, Van Bam gave her a fleeting smile. She tried her best to return it.

He and Samuel had already told the group about their excursion to the Anger Pitt, and the information they had managed to extract from a dying treasure hunter called Llewellyn. But it was the news that Marney and Denton had brought back from Lady Amilee that had caused the moments to slip by, silent and fraught.

‘Interesting times,’ Gideon drawled. ‘All Fabian Moor had to do to enter Labrys Town was climb inside a terracotta jar.’ The Resident snorted, rose to his feet, and began pacing the floor behind his chair.

He seemed distracted as he paced. Marney knew he was speaking with Sophia, the ghost of the former Resident who now served as Gideon’s spirit guide. Nobody around the table spoke or disturbed this private conversation.

Even while in contemplation, the Resident still managed to intimidate Marney. Tall and thin, his natural expression was a sullen scowl that hung on a gaunt face with a hooked nose and sunken eyes. His black hair was short, but always seemed to be in need of a cut. If not for the healthy olive tone to his skin, Gideon might have appeared terminally ill. Even for an empath, it was hard to gauge his mood, or anticipate his next reaction.

Van Bam caught Marney’s eye again. He gave her a questioning frown. Distantly, she could feel his concern, but she couldn’t summon enough energy to emote anything back to him.

‘So,’ Gideon said. He stopped pacing and gripped the back of his chair, looking at Van Bam. ‘You say the Genii was discovered in a realm called the Icicle Forest?’

‘So Llewellyn claimed,’ Van Bam replied. ‘He said it was a terrible place, but I have never heard of it.’

‘Have any of us?’ Although Gideon asked the question to all present, he looked pointedly at Denton. ‘Do we even know its House symbol?’

Denton opened his arms in a helpless gesture. ‘It’s not a House I can recall being mentioned anywhere.’

‘Perhaps Llewellyn lied to you,’ Gideon said to Van Bam.

‘There was no deceit in him,’ Van Bam said quickly, almost defensively. Marney felt his remorse. ‘He had no reason left to lie.’

‘Says you. Maybe your skills were clouded by your obvious sympathy, you idiot.’

‘I don’t think so, Gideon,’ said Denton before Van Bam could say anything further. ‘Given that Lady Amilee was not alerted to Carrick and Llewellyn’s movements, the Icicle Forest might just be a hidden realm that even a Skywatcher can’t see. We’ve always been told there are such places out there.’

‘Brilliant,’ Gideon snapped. ‘Then I shall have to send a message to Lady Amilee, begging for her guidance and apologising for our continued incompetence.’ His face flushed with sudden anger. ‘Not only was the Genii hiding in a House none of us can identify, but we also allowed simple-minded treasure hunters to fool us all and bring him to the Labyrinth. You might say I’m displeased.’

Just as it seemed that he would vent his full fury upon the group, he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. Evidently, Sophia had something to say on the matter. Gideon’s lips moved silently, as if arguing with the former Resident. Marney noted that all the agents around the table had averted their gaze.

Finally, Gideon took a deep breath and turned his sunken eyes to Denton. ‘Lady Amilee believes Fabian Moor plans to infiltrate the Nightshade, is that right?’

‘That would be the most logical reason for his mission, yes,’ Denton replied. ‘After all, he can’t control the Labyrinth without it.’

‘But could he do it?’ Gene said. The small and elderly apothecary seemed more disturbed than any other present. ‘I mean, he found a way through the Timewatcher’s barrier. Maybe he knows how to bypass the Nightshade’s magic too.’

‘It’s highly doubtful,’ Denton assured him. ‘This is likely still a hopeful strike by the Genii. I think if Fabian Moor knew of a way to enter the Nightshade, he’d already be here.’

‘Unless he’s too weak to act at the moment.’ It was Angel who had spoken this time, and her face was thoughtful. ‘We know he’s fed at least once so far. Maybe he needs to do so again, to gather his strength.’ She looked at the faces around the conference table. ‘I have to tell you, if that virus hits the streets, the hospitals don’t stand a chance. We’ll be overrun in a matter of days.’

‘And what’s to say that’s not what he wants?’ Gene added. ‘Should we warn the denizens?’

‘Yes, and start widespread panic. Good idea, Gene.’ Gideon sneered at the diminutive apothecary. ‘You all heard what Denton had to say, so let’s try and keep a little perspective, shall we? Even if Fabian Moor infected every denizen in Labrys Town, it still wouldn’t grant him entrance into the Nightshade. He would have succeeded only in extinguishing his one source of sustenance. Without blood, he will die and achieve nothing.

‘However, we should assume that he will find a way to invade the Nightshade, given time – and time is not something we will afford him. He must be stopped.’

‘Easier said than done,’ Bryant said. He rubbed at the scar on his cheek, as he so often did when he was troubled. ‘Look, I’ll stand against anything you put in front of me, but this is a creature of higher magic we’re talking about. There’s no telling what he’s capable of.’

Beside him, his twin agreed. ‘I don’t see how the Thaumaturgists can expect us to kill a Genii, Gideon.’

‘Oh, stop prattling, both of you,’ Gideon sighed. With an unfriendly smile, he began pacing again. ‘The Thaumaturgists don’t want the Genii dead. Denton …?’

All eyes turned to the old empath.

Denton leant back in his chair and interlaced his fingers across his generous stomach. He had blocked his emotions, and his face was creased with thought. ‘Lady Amilee has given us orders to capture Fabian Moor for questioning.’

So far, Marney had been happy to let the meeting wash over her, only vaguely aware of the details. But now her torpor was interrupted as her empathic senses were assaulted by the incredulity that had blossomed in the conference room. If killing a Genii was an impossible task for the Relic Guild, then Lady Amilee’s orders had just made the impossible even harder.

Denton continued. ‘I understand your reactions, my friends, but the Skywatcher was quite clear on this. Fabian Moor is a high-ranking Genii. He can provide valuable insight into the plans of Spiral. He is vastly important to the war effort. For both sides, it seems.’

Gideon, clearly enjoying the uncertainty of his agents, allowed an uncomfortable moment to pass by before snarling, ‘Stop your childish fretting.’

Marney saw Gene flinch.

‘The Thaumaturgists wouldn’t leave us high and dry. Would they?’ Gideon flashed a laconic grin. ‘Quickly, Denton, tell them about the Skywatcher’s
gift
before they soil themselves.’

Denton’s pause suggested irritation at the Resident’s abusive manner. He continued with a kind tone. ‘Before we left her realm, Lady Amilee gave Marney and me two items – a box and a book.’ He shrugged helplessly. ‘I can’t pretend to understand what she has given us, my friends, but she assured me they are apparatus for a secret art that will make Fabian Moor’s capture possible. However, she also said no magicker of the Relic Guild could hope to comprehend their use—’

‘The point being,’ Gideon interrupted, ‘the only one among us who can utilise Amilee’s gift is Hamir. And he is learning how to do so even as we speak. Until he is ready, there isn’t much we can do about our unwanted guest.’

The Resident seated himself. His eyes darted from side to side as he conversed with his spirit guide again. Whatever the ghost of Sophia had to say this time, Gideon seemed to be in agreement as he nodded slowly.

‘Denton,’ he said sternly, ‘there are matters we need to discuss. You will remain here.’

The old empath nodded, and he flashed a message to Marney that she was to remain also.

‘Bryant, Macy,’ Gideon continued, ‘talk to your contacts in the underworld. Find out if there’s anyone new on the scene that might match this Fabian Moor. If you’re lucky, you might learn something about his movements.’

The Resident turned a slow smile to Angel. ‘You will monitor the hospitals and surgeries. Talk to the chiefs of medicines –
all
of them – and brief them on the virus. Anyone – and I mean
anyone
– who shows signs of infection will be handled with zero tolerance. And this goes for the rest of you, too.

‘As far as the denizens are concerned, we will tell them a wild demon has found its way into Labrys Town. For now, that is our cover story. Fabian Moor and the Genii are not to be mentioned to anyone. Understood?’

As these words were greeted by nods, the Resident turned his attention to Van Bam. ‘You’re mostly useless now, so you might as well go and help Hamir. You’ll find him in his laboratory.’

He then leant across the table to give Gene a close and cold glare. ‘As for you, I believe there is a little task I’ve asked you to perform?’

Gene backed away from the glare. He was either reluctant or unable to meet Gideon’s eyes, and he blinked rapidly behind his spectacles as he nodded.

‘Then off you go.’

Five agents rose from their chairs and headed for the door. Van Bam gave Marney a furtive glance, and she felt his disappointment. There would be no sharing each other tonight.

At the bottom end of the conference table, Samuel also rose and made to leave with his colleagues. But he stopped as Gideon clucked his tongue.

‘Samuel, I’m not entirely convinced I gave you permission to leave. Or did I?’ He looked around at the group as if he was addressing schoolchildren. ‘Did anyone hear me give him permission?’

Samuel’s pale eyes burned as he stared along the length of the table at the Resident. The rest of the agents froze. Marney knew as well as any present that whenever Gideon and Samuel conversed it was never with much civility. She could feel that Bryant and Macy were tense, ready to jump between the two if need be. And it wouldn’t the first time these exchanges had warranted such action.

But Samuel managed to keep his tongue civil this time. ‘What do you want, Gideon?’

Gideon grinned at him. ‘We need to talk. Go and wait for me in my study.’ The grin disappeared and he glared at the other agents. ‘Now get out.’

Needing no further prompting, they left the conference room. The door closed and disappeared behind them.

With their departure, Marney found the atmosphere decidedly less tense. Even Gideon seemed to relax slightly, sitting back in his chair, drumming his fingers upon the tabletop – though his sullen expression remained unreadable. Marney didn’t know why she had been kept there; the Resident nearly always ignored her presence. Or ridiculed any suggestion she made. She sank back in her seat, wishing she could sleep.

‘Llewellyn,’ Gideon growled. ‘Do you think we can trust his information?’

‘I would say so,’ Denton said. ‘And I’m certainly confident in Van Bam’s word.’

Gideon snorted. ‘Llewellyn’s Aelfirian contact – this man called
Ursa
– he is a refugee from House Mirage?’

Denton nodded. ‘He must be a member of Ambassador Ebril’s entourage.’

‘We have always supposed that all the refugees were stranded here by the war. But what if some of them were planted as part of some plot?’ Gideon’s lips twisted into a half smile. ‘I think I’ll have to ask Ebril himself. It’s been a while since the Ambassador of Mirage last came to the Nightshade. I’ll be most interested to hear what he has to say about the actions of his
entourage
.’

‘Wait a moment,’ Denton said. ‘I know what you’re thinking, Gideon, but there’s nothing to say that Ursa knew what he was bringing into the Labyrinth.’

‘And there’s nothing to say he didn’t,’ Gideon retorted. ‘This is what we know – Ursa, an Aelf of Mirage, was in possession of a symbol for a mysterious House called the Icicle Forest. No one else has ever heard of this House, yet somehow Ursa knew an artefact was hidden there, an artefact that contained the essence of a Genii.’ Gideon’s expression was dark. ‘I think we can agree, Denton, someone in House Mirage is harbouring loyalties to Spiral.’

Denton raised a finger. ‘Nonetheless, we are not talking about some shady denizen you can haul in off the street. You have no evidence that Ursa was acting under Ebril’s orders. We have grounds for suspicion, yes – but you can’t just arrest an ambassador and accuse his House of smuggling Fabian Moor into the Labyrinth.’

Gideon gritted his teeth. ‘Can’t I?’

Denton sighed. ‘All I’m suggesting is that you take the diplomatic route for now. Think of the future, Gideon. When this bloody war finally ends, we will need all our friends to rebuild what we once had. Blindly accusing House Mirage will not go down well with the rest of the Aelfir, and—’