‘I wouldn’t put it that way.’
‘I’m sure you wouldn’t.’ My voice hardened slightly. ‘But that wasn’t what I asked. Are you going to tell me I’m wrong?’
Talisid held my gaze but didn’t speak.
I let the moment stretch out, then looked away, breaking the tension. ‘Relax.’ My voice was easy again. ‘I’m not going to take it out on you. If you vanished, the Council would just send someone else.’
Another couple of cyclists buzzed past, their wheels whirring on their axles. ‘I always wondered what you’d be like if you came to understand politics,’ Talisid said.
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘So what does the Council want from me?’
‘Firstly, the Council wishes to appoint you as its liaison to Mage Drakh for the duration of this operation,’ Talisid said. ‘With your approval, of course.’
‘Why not pick someone they trust?’
‘While you and the Council have had differences, we do recognise that you have a history of upholding your commitments,’ Talisid said. ‘Also, it was suggested that someone with a more personal relationship with Drakh might be a wiser choice.’
‘What’s the second proposal?’
In answer, Talisid dug into his pocket and pulled out a small grey and black focus. Looking down, I saw that a small blue light was glowing at its centre.
‘A comms focus?’ I asked.
‘This concerns the second proposal,’ Talisid said.
I tilted my head. ‘You were good enough to deliver the first message. Why not the second?’
‘I believe, once you hear it, you will understand why.’
There were really only a handful of people Talisid could be talking about. I’d already been checking the futures, and after an extra look just to be safe, I took the focus from Talisid’s hand and channelled a thread of magic into the centre. The light switched from blue to green. ‘Alma,’ I said.
‘Verus,’ Councillor Alma said. She sounded exactly as she had when I’d met her yesterday in Concordia.
‘Are you representing the Council, or is this a personal call?’
‘The Council,’ Alma said. ‘I understand you plan to lead a team of your own into Sagash’s shadow realm. Is this correct?’
‘Yes.’
‘Good,’ Alma said. ‘We want you to kill Drakh.’
I leant back against the bridge railings. ‘So you’ve finally decided to stop dancing around.’
‘We have not been “dancing”, as you put it, for some time.’
‘So why come to me instead of your other mages?’ I said. ‘Hoping to keep your hands clean?’
‘Every mage going on tonight’s operation has exactly the same orders as you.’
‘You are taking this seriously.’
‘Our primary objective remains as discussed,’ Alma said. ‘Prevent the jinn from completing its ritual, and bind or banish it to ensure that it cannot try again. Our secondary objective is Drakh’s death.’
‘When and how?’
‘We don’t care.’
‘You’re not concerned about people finding out?’
‘Verus, you can shoot him in broad daylight in the middle of Trafalgar Square as far as I’m concerned. You can even hold up your Keeper signet and shout that you did it on Council orders, just as long as he’s dead.’
‘Well, that certainly simplifies things,’ I said. ‘So I take it you aren’t buying Drakh’s story?’
‘I trust Drakh’s story completely,’ Alma said. ‘All the parts of it that we can verify. Everything else is empty talk. And quite frankly, it doesn’t make a difference. Richard Drakh has declared war on the Light Council of Great Britain. He is the greatest challenge to our authority that we are likely to face this century. The war must be ended, and for that to happen, Drakh must die.’
I glanced around. Talisid had withdrawn to the other side of the bridge and was studying his fingernails. A pair of middle-aged women were walking by, a chocolate Labrador panting happily between them.
‘Well?’ Alma said.
‘Two caveats,’ I said. ‘First, Drakh is going to be expecting this.’
‘Of course.’
‘He’ll have protection, and there’s a good chance he’ll move first,’ I said. ‘This will not be a surgical strike. It will be messy and there will be casualties.’
Alma’s voice was cold. ‘Casualties are acceptable.’
‘Second, if I do this, you’re paying for results,’ I said. ‘As in, Drakh’s death. You don’t get to complain about who pulls the trigger.’
‘You expect to be paid for other people’s work?’
‘I’m a diviner, Alma,’ I said. ‘If I want someone dead, most of the time it’s just going to look like a very unfortunate accident.’
‘We found Levistus’s body stabbed through the heart with your bloody fingerprints on his robes.’
‘Yes, well, I already tried the subtle approach with you guys and you didn’t listen, so I decided to make the message a bit clearer the second time round. Given that we’re having this conversation, it apparently worked.’
‘Apparently,’ Alma said. ‘Are you in or out?’
‘In,’ I said. ‘Let’s talk price.’
Alma snorted. ‘Of course.’
‘Don’t worry, I think you’ll find my terms quite reasonable,’ I said. ‘First, I need some equipment. Standard Keeper issue. A bullet ward, a set of armour, that sort of thing.’
‘Arrange it with Talisid.’
‘I’m not finished. Second, I want a full pardon for Anne.’
‘The entire point of this operation is—’
‘To stop the jinn possessing her. If I can get it banished, I want Anne to go free of all charges.’
‘This is ridiculous.’ Alma sounded exasperated. ‘We’re trying to preserve the country, not the life of one criminal. Besides, banishing a possessing entity usually kills the host anyway.’
‘In which case, any charges against her won’t matter, will they?’
I heard Alma sigh. I had the feeling she was pinching the bridge of her nose.
‘Look, Alma,’ I said. ‘You really aren’t giving up very much here. If I banish the jinn and Anne dies, then any charges against her are a moot point. If I banish the jinn and she lives, then she’s not a threat any more. Besides, given that she was under the jinn’s influence while she did the things she was charged with, I’d argue that she shouldn’t be held responsible.’
‘Of course you would,’ Alma said sarcastically. ‘Very well. But I want you to understand very clearly that our primary objective is to stop the jinn, not conduct a rescue. The Keeper teams will not compromise their mission in order to save your . . . companion.’
‘I’m not expecting them to. Oh, one more thing. The Council really needs to get back up to full strength, so I think my Junior Council place should be transferred to some other Dark mage. I’d like to retain the right to sit in on meetings, though. You can come up with a title to give me, whatever you think’s appropriate. “Minister without Portfolio” or something.’
I felt Talisid start slightly. The communicator was silent. ‘What are you playing at, Verus?’ Alma said at last.
‘I’m planning ahead,’ I said. ‘It’s a habit I’ve been getting into lately. You see, once all this is over and the jinn’s gone and Richard’s dealt with, I think most of your Light mages are going to want to draw a line under this whole thing and go back to normal. Most of them. But there’ll be a few – not naming any names – who are going to see this as an opportunity to tie up loose ends.’
‘We have already made a truce with you.’
‘Which I’m perfectly happy with,’ I said. ‘But at some point I’m sure it’s going to occur to someone on the Senior Council that they could just pass a new resolution and overrule that truce. I mean, let’s be frank, you guys do have a bit of a track record of sentencing me to death while I’m not there. Consider this an extra safeguard.’