“Were you expecting working for Richard to go any other way?”
“So are you going to do anything to help?”
“What, I’m supposed to sort out your problems now? You wanted this. Don’t come crying now that it turns out Richard’s keeping you on a short leash.”
“It would have worked out just fine if you hadn’t messed it up.” Dark Anne waved a hand. “Fine, whatever, mistakes were made. Water under the bridge and all that. What are you going to do about it?”
We’d drawn closer as we walked, until now we were pacing side by side, almost within arm’s reach. “If I wanted to break you free,” I said, “what’s the best way to do it?”
“Destroy that dreamstone,” Dark Anne said. “It’s messing everything up. And I do mean destroy it, just in case you’re getting any cute ideas about taking it for yourself. Richard’s bonded to it, and as long as it’s there, he can call the shots. If I’d know the trouble that stupid thing would cause, I’d have thrown it away back in that shadow realm.”
“Even if the dreamstone’s gone, there’s still Crystal. She can use that imbued item and dominate you the old-fashioned way.”
“She can’t dominate anyone if she’s dead,” Dark Anne said flatly. “I’ve been wanting to settle the score with that bitch for a long time. Trust me, you get rid of the dreamstone, and Crystal will stop being a problem really fast.”
“All right,” I said. “So the next question is how to find him.”
“Yeah, somehow I don’t think that’s the biggest thing you have to worry about.”
“Richard keeps the dreamstone on him. If I want to get rid of it, I have to catch him first.”
“You are going to catch him?” Dark Anne looked at me with raised eyebrows. “Someone got two spoonfulls of self-esteem in their cornflakes this morning. I hope you’re bringing a lot of friends.”
“Just me.”
“Were you not listening or something?” Dark Anne stopped, turning to face me. “I can not pull your feet out of the fire on this one. I can stop Richard from just wishing you out of existence, but when it comes to you and him, you’ll be on your own. And it won’t be just you and him, because Richard doesn’t go out on his own these days. There’s Morden, Vihaela, Deleo, Crystal, some air mage assassin guy who never talks, a radiation mage called Tenebrous . . . you’re going to be dealing with at least two or three out of those guys, plus however many he decides to bring along from his adept army. Did I mention the adept army? Morden’s been training them up in some shadow realm he calls Arcadia. You want to stand a chance, you’re going to need firepower and lots of it.”
“Not really an option.”
“Argh.” Dark Anne covered her eyes. “Look, it’s cute that you’re trying to impress me here, but in case you haven’t noticed, all of those mages I just listed are ones who either can mop the floor with you, or already have. You are not winning this on your own, so either call in some favours or find some people who hate Richard badly enough and point them at him.”
“I’ve gone through some changes since we last met.”
“What, you’re missing a hand?”
I just looked at her.
“Say you find him,” Dark Anne said. “What are you going to do, talk him to death?”
“No, I have a plan,” I told her. “I just don’t trust you enough to tell it to you. You went behind my back to make a deal with Morden and Richard once. I don’t feel like giving you the ammo to do it again.”
“Well, look who’s acting alpha male all of a sudden.” Dark Anne folded her arms and studied me, tapping one finger on her upper arm, then shrugged. “Fine, it’s not like I’m swimming in options. Shoot.”
“I need to know where and when Richard’s going to be next.”
“He doesn’t brief me,” Dark Anne said. “I get told when he’s launching an attack, and that’s it.”
“What about if I spoke to you through the dreamstone the next time you move out?”
“They watch me too closely for that. I try to talk to you like this and Crystal will know. It’ll be hard enough stopping her from seeing these memories.”
“He has to talk to Morden and Vihaela at least.”
“Not while I’m around. They discuss the current mission and that’s it.” Dark Anne paused. “There’s one thing, though. I think Richard’s tracking the Senior Council.”
“Are you sure?”
“All through the attack, Deleo was giving Richard updates,” Dark Anne said. “Saying ‘they’ve moved,’ or ‘they haven’t moved,’ stuff like that. No names, but right at the end, Richard asked her about something, and she dropped Bahamus’s name. Richard gave her a look and she shut up.” Dark Anne shrugged. “That’s all I’ve got.”
“I guess it’ll have to do.”
Dark Anne glanced back towards the forest. “Time for me to go.”
“All right.”
But she didn’t move, and neither did I. We stood within arm’s reach, looking at each other. “I miss you,” I said.
Dark Anne grinned. “Come see me once that dreamstone’s gone. I’ll be waiting.” She turned and walked away.
I watched Dark Anne go. She disappeared into the trees without looking back, the winds swaying the branches above. Only when I was sure that she was gone did I step out of Elsewhere and wake, opening my eyes to see the ceiling of my cottage in the Hollow. Anne’s side of the bed was empty and I was alone once more.
It was just after eleven when Luna found me. “It’s on,” she said simply.
I was ready and waiting. I was thin on gear—my armour was still repairing itself, and I hadn’t had a chance to restock my one-shots—but I had my dreamstone and the fateweaver. “Where?” I asked, buckling on my webbing belt.
“The Council’s got a lead on Richard’s shadow realm,” Luna said. “Vari says they’re gearing up to move right now.”
I holstered my gun. “Let’s go.”
We stepped out from the gate and onto the roof of the Arcana Emporium. Luna had some extensions done to the chimney when she’d had the place rebuilt, and I had to step around the brickwork to get a view of the street.
Luna had one hand to her ear and was talking into her communicator. “Yeah,” she was saying. “You sure? . . . Okay.” She turned to me. “Okay, it might not be Richard’s home base. New intel is that it’s the adept training camp. They’re trying to force entry right now.”
“Okay.”
Luna waited for me to go on. When I didn’t, she looked at me. “So?” she said.
“Give me a second,” I said absently. I walked to the edge of the roof, looking out over the Camden rooftops. The sounds and smells of the city drifted up from the street below: shouts and yells from a party somewhere nearby, the scent of Indian food from the restaurant opposite, a siren rising and falling in the far distance, fading away. I’d often come up here to think, back in the old days.
“Are we going?” Luna asked.
“No.”
“Vari says there’s one hundred percent going to be a fight.”
“I don’t care if there’s a fight. I care about Richard and Anne.”
Minutes ticked by. I path-walked, searching the futures for any trace of Richard and not finding one. I was certain I’d be able to find one if I waited long enough—the further things developed, the easier it would be to find his trace—but that would take time I didn’t have.
Luna put a hand to her ear, listening, then looked at me. “They’re trying to break in through combat gates.”
I nodded.
“You still might be able to make it if you go now.”
I tapped a knuckle to my lips, then shook my head. “Wait.”