So much for negotiations.
“The duel is to the death,” Sagash rasped. He’d taken a step forward and was standing on the edge of the balcony, looking down like some necromantic version of a Roman emperor at the games. “The victor will retain her life, and my favour. Do you understand these conditions?”
“Yes,” Crystal replied. She hadn’t taken her eyes off Anne.
Anne stayed silent and still.
“The duel will begin on three,” Sagash rasped. “Are you prepared?”
Crystal gave a short nod. Anne didn’t.
“One,” Sagash rasped.
The room was silent. Below, at floor level, Sam and Darren watched from behind Crystal. Sam looked nervous, his pale face tense. Darren was watching avidly. Death mages have a reputation for loving combat, the deadlier the better. Scattered around were the shadows, their white eyes a silent audience.
“Two.”
Silence. Both Crystal and Anne were still; they’d each chosen what they were about to do. From somewhere deeper in Sagash’s laboratory I could hear a faint ticking sound, echoing into the arena. There was nothing more I could do. I’d played all my cards; now I’d see whether it had been for better or for worse. I held my breath.
Sagash opened his mouth to say three, and Crystal struck.
I’ve seen a lot of duels, but most have been the nonlethal kind favoured by the Light Council. A Light azimuth duel usually takes the best part of five minutes, counting breaks. Death duels are much faster.
I’d been expecting Crystal to try and dominate Anne, but the spell she hit her with was a blast of pure mental force. I felt the backwash from all the way up on the balcony, and it was stronger than the attack she’d used at the windmill—a lot stronger. My mental defences are better than most, but all of a sudden I wasn’t so sure that rematch would have been a good idea. If I’d been the one to step into that circle, I might not have come out again.
But I wasn’t the one in that circle, Anne was. And Anne . . .
It’s strange, the ways you see people. I’d known that life mages can act as assassins, but I’d never thought of Anne that way. It wasn’t how she’d first come across, and first impressions are hard to shift—no matter how many times people had told me Anne was dangerous, she hadn’t felt dangerous, at least not to me. Even when she’d flat-out told me what she’d done, I’d never really been able to connect the words with the image I had of her. Shy, gentle, slightly awkward; a healer, not a fighter.
Anne came off her starting position like a sprinter, heading straight for Crystal. She didn’t move like a duellist but like a runner, eyes locked on her target. Crystal’s spell hit before Anne had taken her second step, and Anne stumbled briefly but kept going. It wasn’t that the attack was weak; it was that she didn’t care. The only thing she was paying attention to was closing the distance.
Crystal took a step back, eyes going wide in alarm. Her hand came up and I felt the surge of another spell, then Anne was slamming into Crystal, rocking them back. There was a blur of movement, magic and green light, and all of a sudden Crystal was falling. She hit the floor with Anne above her, Anne’s hand coming down to rest on Crystal’s body, over her heart.
Crystal looked up, obviously dazed. Her eyes focused on Anne and she froze. Anne was crouched over Crystal, her right hand resting with fingers spread over Crystal’s chest, between her breasts and a little to the left. Green light glowed at Anne’s fingers; it was a soft colour, the shade of new leaves in spring, but I knew what the spell did and from the expression in Crystal’s eyes she did too.
Time stretched out. After the brief flurry of activity the chamber was silent again. Anne was motionless, the spell hanging ready at her hand. The only movement I could see was the rapid rise and fall of Crystal’s chest, and she was holding very still. I looked into the futures and saw them fork. In one, Anne stood up and let the spell drop. In the other . . .
Then that second future winked out. Anne stood up, letting the spell vanish from her fingers. She looked up at Sagash. “No,” she said, her voice carrying clearly in the silence. Her posture and stance had changed; she was the Anne I knew again. “I’m not going to be like you.”
I held my breath.
Sagash looked down at her from his perch on the balcony. The two of them locked eyes. “Disappointing,” Sagash said at last, his rasping voice echoing.
Anne didn’t reply and again the silence stretched out. “Well,” I said brightly. “Good match, glad I was here to see it. The two of us really should leave and let you get back to work.” Anne, please don’t say anything to piss him off, please don’t say anything to piss him off . . .
Anne stayed quiet. Sagash regarded her for a moment, then spoke in his rasping voice. “I think not.”
Oh shit.
“You said that the winner would have your favour . . .” I started to say. Even before the words were out of my mouth I knew it wasn’t going to help.
“And their life,” Sagash rasped. “The conditions for victory, however, were the death of the other party.” He looked down at Anne and Crystal. “It appears we have two losers, not one.”
There was a rustle of movement from around the chamber, barely audible, as the shadows shifted their position. “You wanted to see how Anne’s skills had developed,” I said. “You’ve got your data, right?” Scan the futures . . . no, there was no way talking was going to work, not now. I aimed my thoughts at Crystal. Hey, Crystal! Wake up!
“Indeed.”
“There’s nothing stopping you from letting Anne go. It’s not as if she came here because she wanted to.” Hey! I’m talking to you, you psychotic bitch. I know you can hear me, you eavesdrop on everyone else—
Crystal’s voice spoke into my head. She sounded shaken, but lucid. I heard you the first time.
“Do not play games with me,” Sagash rasped. “You are obviously well aware of what Anne did the last time she visited my realm. Until now, I did not consider her a high enough priority to be worth pursuing. If she simply presents herself, however . . . No. I believe Anne will be remaining.”
Last chance, I thought towards Crystal. Do you want to get out or not? “As a matter of fact, I don’t know the details,” I said. “What did Anne do to offend you so badly?”
If you’re making the same offer— Crystal began.
Yes, and before you ask, I know I was your enemy five minutes ago. You’re cold-blooded enough to switch sides that fast, you know it and I know it, so let’s not waste time. Yes or no?
“Anne remains my legal apprentice,” Sagash rasped. “As her master, I both expect and require—”
Sagash kept talking, but I wasn’t paying attention. I looked at him, pretending to listen, all of my thoughts focused on Crystal. I don’t think you’re in much of a position to promise anything, Crystal replied.
I’m in a better position than you. Sagash is going to kick me out, but you and Anne are about to become permanent residents. You want to get out of here, I want Anne out of here. For the next five minutes we’ve got a common enemy—you wait and it’s going to be just you on your own. Either you make a break for it, or you stay and take your chances with Sagash. Pick!
An instant’s pause. Very well, Crystal said. She’d recovered and her voice was steady again. I presume you have some sort of plan.
Depends what I’ve got to work with. Now, I know you’ve prepared some sort of escape route where you abandon everyone else and keep yourself alive, because that’s what you do. I’m going to guess it involves those two idiot apprentices?