‘Oh, you’ve got to be kidding.’
There was a fumbling sound, then there was a click and a cone of light broke the darkness, causing me to flinch. As my eyes adjusted I saw Sonder holding a torch looking apologetic. ‘But I did bring one of these. Is that okay?’
As Sonder flashed the light around I saw Luna, pale but unhurt, pressed up against the wall. We were in a circular room with a doorway leading out into a corridor. I couldn’t see any trace of the doorway we’d entered from, and I couldn’t feel any vibration through the floor. Either the walls were really thick or we’d been transported. Either way, a quick look at the future confirmed no one was going to be following for a while.
‘Where are we?’ Luna asked
‘Sonder?’ I said.
‘This is amazing,’ Sonder said. He was looking around in fascination. ‘We’re actually inside a bubble! All of this must have been built during the Dark Wars. I’ve never seen an installation as well preserved-’
Luna and I looked at him, and Sonder suddenly looked flustered. ‘Well, I mean- We’re inside the bubble. It should be safe. I mean, it’s lasted this long.’
‘Can anyone else get in?’ I asked.
‘Oh, no. Not once the gate’s closed.’
‘I think it was closing at the end,’ Luna said. She was still holding the red crystal cube, looking down at it. ‘When I took it away I wanted it to. And it did.’
I glanced at Luna curiously. Absorbed with the cube, she didn’t seem to notice. ‘Um …’ Sonder said. ‘Did anyone else get inside?’
‘Let’s hope not. Luna? Luna!’
‘Hm?’ Luna shook herself. ‘Oh. Right.’ She stood and walked to the middle of the room. With my mage’s sight I could see the silvery mist coating her and the pack, odd tendrils drifting towards me and Sonder but not quite able to reach. Luna took off her backpack, put it upside down on the ground, then lifted it quickly off, stepping away. A handful of items spilled out. ‘This was everything I could find.’
‘Shine the light,’ I told Sonder, who obeyed. The first thing I picked up from the pile was my mist cloak, and I felt my heart lighten as I saw it. It’s funny how attached you can get to an item, but then imbued items are practically living things. In any case, it’s saved my life more times than I can count and, as I swung it over my shoulders and fastened it around my neck, I felt better immediately.
‘Is it all there?’ Luna asked.
I nodded as I went through the pile. I’d asked Luna to go to my shop using the hidden key, and bring everything I’d need. ‘Good job. How did it go with Talisid?’
‘He asked if I was your apprentice.’
‘What did you tell him?’
‘What do you think?’
I laughed, found my own torch and switched it on. ‘Sonder? Go into the corridor about fifteen feet down and have a look on the right wall. There’s a control set that’ll turn on the lights for this area.’
Sonder hesitated. ‘Are you sure it’s safe?’
‘As long as you don’t go any further.’
‘I’m not actually sure how the spells in this site work …’
‘Yes, you are. If you study it for a couple of minutes, you’ll figure it out.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes.’
‘It might be dangerous …’
‘It won’t be.’
‘How do you know?’
‘Because that’s what I do. Look, Sonder, I’ve never studied places like this, and neither has Luna, but you have. The reason I’m asking you to do it is because you’re the best one for the job. There’ll be places further on where it is dangerous for you to touch anything, but when we run into those I’ll warn you. Okay?’
‘Oh.’ Sonder hesitated, then nodded. ‘Okay.’ He got up and stepped out into the corridor.
I looked back to see that Luna was smiling. ‘What’s so funny?’
‘Oh, I was telling him about you. While we were waiting in the statue room.’
I gave Luna a suspicious look. ‘What did you say?’
Luna looked back at me innocently. I shook my head, then became serious. ‘How did everything go?’
Luna glanced after where Sonder had gone, then sighed and leant back against the wall. ‘It wasn’t so bad. They didn’t ask many questions. Most of them just ignored me.’
‘How was Talisid?’
Luna thought for a second. ‘I think he might have guessed. None of the others did. The only other one who talked to me was Sonder. You know, he seemed a bit …’
I laughed. ‘Not all mages are the experienced type.’ I’d almost finished with the contents of the backpack. She’d done a good job; I had everything that was likely to help. One item remained: a blue disc with serrated edges. I could feel that it was some sort of focus, with a fair charge of energy inside it. ‘What’s that?’
‘Talisid said it was a communicator,’ Luna said. ‘He said it was synchronous?’
I’d picked the disc up and was studying it. ‘Huh. I didn’t know they’d managed to get these working.’
‘Will it work from in here?’
I nodded. ‘He must have been expecting something like this. Even for a Council rep, this wouldn’t come cheap.’ I looked at Luna. ‘Ready?’
Luna nodded and I pressed several of the edges in sequence. They began to flash blue. I set the thing down and waited.
The lights changed from blue to green and a ghostly holographic figure appeared, standing on the disc, twelve inches tall. It was Talisid. ‘Verus!’ His voice was muffled but clear. ‘Where are you?’
‘Where do you think?’
‘You’re inside?’
‘Inside, and likely to stay inside. What’s happening out there?’
‘Are you all right? Who’s with you?’
‘Luna and Sonder. We’re fine.’
Talisid’s figure seemed to relax slightly. ‘That’s the first good news I’ve heard all day.’
‘What happened?’
‘Cave in.’ It was hard to make out fine detail on the small projection, but Talisid’s clothes looked scuffed. ‘I don’t know who it was, but the whole room and most of the stairwell’s rubble. We’re starting to dig through, but-’
‘Talisid?’ I said. ‘That wasn’t really what I was asking.’ I didn’t raise my voice, but there was an edge to it. ‘I gave you advance warning an attack was coming. I gave you the most likely day. You had twenty-four hours to prepare and a full Council security detail. Onyx had three people.’
Talisid said nothing. He didn’t look happy.
‘Please tell me you got at least one of them.’
‘We haven’t been able to confirm anything yet.’
‘That’s a no, isn’t it?’
Talisid was silent and I put a hand over my eyes. ‘I’d ask for an explanation, but hearing the full details of exactly how you screwed up is kind of moot at this point.’
‘Look, Verus, I’m getting enough crap from the Council right now. I don’t need any more from you.’
‘And we’re inside a sealed-off relic with anywhere between zero and four Dark mages who want to kill us. Who do you think got the better end of the deal?’
Talisid stayed silent. I took a deep breath and got myself under control. ‘Where’s Griff?’
‘We don’t know.’
‘How many of the Dark mages made it inside?’
‘We don’t know. It’s possible they were caught by the collapse-’
‘Don’t bet on it. Who else is there?’
‘We don’t know. It’s bad out here, Verus. We’ve got dozens injured and at least three of the security staff are dead; Onyx went through them like a buzz-saw. Everyone we can spare is on medical detail or digging out survivors or on guard, and we still haven’t linked up with everyone. Everyone was in the wrong place, it’s as though-’ Talisid checked and then went on. ‘I was with Ilmarin — he’s an air mage, one of the ones in the Great Court. He told me he felt something go after Onyx’s group during the attack. Completely invisible, both to the eye and to magic. The only reason he could sense it was by the displaced air. He has no idea what it was.’
I closed my eyes again. ‘Perfect,’ I said once I’d got myself under control. ‘Anything else while you’re at it?’