‘I said he might,’ I said. ‘I don’t think it’s likely. I’ve taken what precautions I can, and I’ve spent a long time path-walking. Everything I can see indicates that we’re not walking into a trap.’
‘Except you’ve also said that path-walking isn’t reliable at long range or against psychopaths,’ Variam pointed out.
‘If he was intending to just kill me, I don’t think—’
‘Vari,’ Anne interrupted. ‘Are you going to open a gate, or am I going to have to ask someone else?’
‘I don’t like it,’ Variam said.
‘You don’t have to. Now could you please help?’
Variam scowled but turned away and started work on a gate. ‘He’s not happy,’ Luna murmured just loud enough for me to hear.
‘Yeah, well, I don’t blame him,’ I said. Variam has always been protective of Anne. He’s eased off over the years as she’s become clearly more capable of taking care of herself, but he still gets jumpy about watching her go into danger. It’s not just concern for her safety – Variam has his own worries about Anne, ones that he’s shared with me but not (as far as I know) with Anne or Luna. ‘This is a long way off safe.’
‘I thought you said you had a trump card.’
‘I have, but we’re walking into a Dark mage’s mansion. If Onyx decides “screw it” and cuts loose, this is going to get ugly.’
‘Yeah, I can guess. Why did you agree to do this again?’
I was spared having to come up with an answer to that by Variam’s gate spell completing. An orange-red halo of fire faded into an oval portal, linking our woodland with another. I followed Anne and Vari through.
The gate closed behind us and I turned to Variam. ‘Thanks for the lift,’ I said. ‘I’ll call you when—’
‘We’re staying,’ Variam said flatly. ‘You get into trouble, you call us for backup. Okay?’
Luna and Vari were both looking at me, and it was clear they’d agreed on this beforehand. ‘All right,’ I said. ‘Thanks.’
Anne and I walked away down the hillside. ‘You know, if things go wrong,’ Anne said once we were out of earshot, ‘I really doubt they’ll be able to get to us in time.’
‘I doubt they will either,’ I said. Both Anne and I were carrying beacons that Variam could use to home in on us and open a gate to our location. Variam’s pretty good with gate magic, and he could probably get the portal open in maybe two minutes. Unfortunately, if you have someone like Onyx trying to kill you, two minutes is about one minute and fifty-nine seconds longer than you can afford to wait.
‘You didn’t explain to Vari exactly what your “trump card” was, did you?’ Anne asked. ‘Because I don’t think he’d have let it go without mentioning it if you had.’
‘I didn’t think either of them would react too well,’ I admitted. I could feel the weight of the vest between my armour and coat.
‘You think?’ Anne asked dryly.
We walked a little further in silence. It was a clear summer day, and the woods were beautiful in the morning light. Sunbeams slanted down between the leaves, painting dappled patterns on the grass and undergrowth, and birds sang from above. The wind rustled through the trees above us, but beneath the shelter of the branches, the air was warm and still. The Welsh countryside is one of the few good memories I have from my time with Richard. I’d been a city boy growing up, and my stay in Richard’s mansion had been the first time I’d ever been able to just wander off into the woods alone any time I’d wanted, and I’d liked it. It hadn’t been a coincidence that my old safe house had been in Wales.
‘Any more weird dreams?’ I asked after a while.
‘No,’ Anne said. ‘You?’
‘No. Last chance to back out and let me do this solo.’
‘That’s not going to happen.’
‘I knew you’d say that. Okay, we’re getting close. Mental only from now on.’
Anne nodded.
As far as the mansions of Dark mages go, Morden’s is one of the nicer ones. It’s set amid trees and rolling hills, the landscape hiding the full spread of the buildings. There’s even an access road and a gravel area set aside for parking. The previous times I’d seen the place it had been empty, but this time I saw that outside the front entrance were several flashy-looking sports cars. Apparently Onyx had been making some changes. Anne and I walked straight up the front drive: I rang the bell and waited.
A minute passed, then two. Did they even hear us? Anne asked.
Oh, they heard.
Footsteps approached from behind the door. I saw Anne shift her gaze slightly, staring at the walls, and I knew that she was counting the people beyond them. To her senses the living creatures within the mansion would appear as patterns of glowing green light, visible through the bricks and stone.
The handle turned and the door scraped open to reveal a boy of maybe twenty, his hair close-shaven, dressed in combats with a leather jerkin and an oversized gun in a holster at his waist. His stance was arrogant and he stared down his nose at us from the top of the porch. ‘Well?’
‘You know who we are and what we want,’ I said shortly. I could already tell that this kid was going to try to play games and I wasn’t in the mood. ‘Take us inside.’
The kid looked me up and down. ‘You armed?’
I took a breath. I was wearing combat armour with a gun on one side and a sword on the other, and this guy asked if I was armed. ‘What do you think?’
The kid nodded at the front porch. ‘Drop your weapons.’
‘What?’
‘Something wrong with your ears?’ the kid said. ‘You want to get in, that’s the deal.’
I turned to look at Anne. She looked back at me. I turned back to the kid, drawing my 1911 in one smooth motion. He’d just started to jerk backwards when I fired.
The bullet kicked up a splinter from the floor at his feet. The kid began to reach for his own gun and froze as he realised that I’d already sighted on his head. ‘Listen closely,’ I told the boy. ‘You may work for Onyx, but that doesn’t mean you can get away with the same shit. Now run back to whoever you report to and tell him we’re on our way.’
The boy hesitated, stared down the gun’s barrel, then backed off and disappeared. Was that necessary? Anne asked telepathically.
I holstered my gun. If we let someone like that push us around, Onyx would probably kill us on general principle. You watch. He’ll be back.
The kid reappeared in less than two minutes, glowering. ‘This way,’ he told us. ‘Follow me and don’t run off.’
What does he think he’s going to do if we try? Anne asked in amusement.
I let the kid lead us into the mansion, and as I did I directed a message back in the direction from which we’d come. Vari. We’re in.
There was a moment’s resistance – I always find it harder to contact Variam than Anne – then I heard Variam’s voice in my head. It was a little blurry, with underechoes – Vari seems to have trouble focusing his thoughts into a single message. Got it. Tell us if things go wrong.
The kid – I’d learned from looking ahead that his name was Trey – led us through the mansion’s corridors. What do you see? I asked Anne.
Well, we’re not alone, Anne said. Despite everything, I had to admit that having Anne by my side made me feel a lot better. There aren’t many people I’d rather have with me if trouble starts. I’ve picked up fifteen others so far.
Any you recognise?
Just Onyx, Anne said. I don’t think I’ve met any of the others. But they seem young.