‘Bit of both?’ Druss said. ‘Point is, we don’t trust you.’
‘Your level of trust in me is interesting but irrelevant,’ Richard said. ‘Your current enemy is the jinn.’
‘And how do we know you’re not controlling the jinn?’ Alma said. ‘Or working together with the Walker girl? As Druss says, we simply cannot trust you.’
‘Then it seems we are at an impasse,’ Richard said. He looked at me.
He wants me to step in. I kept my mouth shut.
‘Verus?’ Richard said.
Damn it. ‘All right,’ I said with a grimace. ‘Alma, Druss: if you’re asking why you should trust Drakh – you shouldn’t. But as to his relationship with Anne and the jinn . . . he is not controlling her, and he is not working with her.’
‘And you know this because . . . ?’
‘Because up until four weeks ago, he was controlling both her and the jinn. Via a dreamstone that he got from a deep shadow realm.’ I glanced at Talisid. ‘The same one I trapped you in, if you’re interested. During the battle in Sal Sarque’s fortress, I destroyed that dreamstone. That freed Anne, and she and that jinn have been Drakh’s enemies ever since.’
Talisid did not look amused. ‘And how do we know that you aren’t working with Drakh?’ Alma said.
‘Alma, I’m going to be frank,’ I said. ‘I don’t like you. You supported Levistus while he was alive, and you voted to sentence me to death, not once but over and over again. If you were to drop dead of a heart attack, I wouldn’t lose a moment’s sleep. But Richard is a far worse enemy to me than you will ever be. If I were in a room with you, Richard and a gun with two bullets, I’d shoot Richard twice. Does that answer your question?’
Alma looked back at me, stone-faced. Richard had been watching our exchange with an expression of mild interest. Druss looked amused. Vihaela just seemed to be enjoying the show.
‘We will pause this meeting to confer,’ Alma said, her voice flat. ‘We will resume in twenty minutes.’
‘We will be waiting,’ Richard said.
*
The Council delegation had withdrawn into the anteroom from which they’d entered. Four Council security had been left in the hall; they stood with weapons ready, watching us closely.
Ji-yeong and I stood near the middle of our section, alone in the giant empty space. ‘You did well back there,’ I told her.
‘Why did you introduce me as an apprentice?’ Ji-yeong asked.
‘Because if I hadn’t, they’ve have treated you as an adult mage.’
‘I am—’
I spoke over her. ‘An adult mage is a legitimate target. An apprentice is not. I told you I’d keep you safe, and this is the simplest and most effective way to do it.’
Ji-yeong made a face and looked away. ‘I thought I was done with this,’ she said after a moment.
‘Needing protection?’ I said. ‘Sagash was a big fish in a small pond. You’re going to have to get used to bigger ponds.’
Over Ji-yeong’s shoulder, some distance away, I saw Richard rise from his chair and walk towards us. ‘Stay here,’ I told Ji-yeong, and moved to intercept him.
Our paths met on opposite sides of the barrier, close to the wall. ‘Richard,’ I said.
‘Alex,’ Richard said. He glanced toward Ji-yeong. ‘A new protégé?’
‘She’s temporary,’ I said. ‘So are the Council going to say yes?’
‘Isn’t that a question you should be asking them?’
‘I don’t think you’d be going to all this trouble if you didn’t already know their answer.’
Richard smiled slightly. There was a pause.
‘What’s your angle?’ I asked.
‘I’m sorry?’
‘What do you want?’
‘If you’re asking why I’ve approached the Council . . .’ Richard made a small open-handed gesture. ‘I would have thought you of all people would be very familiar with the realities of a common enemy.’
Off to one side, I could see Vihaela talking with Tenebrous. The Dark life mage was leaning back on her chair with her feet up, while Tenebrous stood stone-still. ‘A common enemy, yes,’ I said. I tilted my head at him. ‘A common goal? Not so much. If that jinn really is about to cause this much devastation, why not just leave the Council to deal with it? Hole up for a while, let your two enemies fight.’
‘Leaving two enemies to fight,’ Richard said, ‘is only of benefit if both have a chance of victory.’
I looked at Richard. ‘You don’t think the Council can win.’
‘Without my assistance? No chance at all.’
‘You haven’t answered my question,’ I said. ‘Why do you care?’
‘Alex, I’m not some sort of genocidal maniac,’ Richard said. ‘Winning this war will bring me no benefit if there isn’t a country left at the end of it. And I assure you, if Anne’s jinn succeeds, there will be very little left.’
I tapped my elbow but didn’t reply.
Richard sighed. ‘Come on, Alex. No one in this room wants to see the Jinn Wars come again. Is it really so hard to believe that our interests might align? You were happy enough to work with me once. I don’t see why we shouldn’t be able to do so again.’
I stared at Richard closely. His face was relaxed and calm. Neither his expression nor the futures gave anything away.
A creak and a boom sounded from the far end of the room. Turning, I saw the Light delegation crossing the floor, heading back toward their tables. The Council had made its decision.
3
‘So?’ Luna demanded. ‘What did they say?’
We were in the Hollow, side by side on a fallen tree. I was sitting facing the grass, while Luna was straddling the trunk, leaning in towards me. Through my magesight, I could see the silver-grey mist of her curse twisting around her body, just barely out of range. The blurry, half-real sun of the shadow realm was above the treetops, its rays barely catching us as the afternoon faded into evening.
‘Oh, they had plenty to say,’ I said. ‘They argued for hours.’
‘Okay, let me rephrase. I don’t actually care what they said. What about Vari?’
‘Barely mentioned,’ I said. ‘But I did pick up on a couple of things. You remember Ares?’
Luna shook her head.
‘Council Keeper of the Order of the Shield. Fire mage. Tried to kill me on that trip to Syria.’
‘And?’
‘He was found dead at his home this morning,’ I said. ‘Someone tore through all his wards, destroyed his bodyguard constructs, and engaged him in a fight. There wasn’t much left. Apparently once he figured out he was losing, he blew himself up and most of the house as well.’
‘So one more out of all the people who’ve tried to kill you is dead. Why does this matter?’
‘It matters,’ I said, ‘because the previous time he took a shot at me, he got Anne instead. It was nasty.’
‘And what, you think this was payback?’
‘Not payback,’ I said. ‘Recruitment.’ I leant back on the tree. ‘I’ve been thinking back over the past ten years, counting up all the people Anne would have a good reason to hold a grudge against. Ares – burned her. Zilean and Lightbringer – had her tortured. Sal Sarque and Levistus – gave the orders to have her tortured. Solace and Barrayar – they were the aides to Sal Sarque and Levistus. Caldera – beat her down and captured her. Crystal – mind-controlled me into hurting her. There are plenty more. Sagash. Sagash’s apprentices. Jagadev and Jagadev’s men. They’re nearly all dead. And the ones that aren’t dead, Anne’s captured.’
‘So?’
‘The marid can summon greater jinn to possess human hosts,’ I said. ‘We were already pretty sure that was what Anne was doing. But she doesn’t want random people off the street. She wants people who matter to her, that she’s got a connection to. She’s tracking down her best friends and worst enemies, and turning them into jinn-possessed slaves.’ I was silent for a moment. ‘I think, in a way . . . she’s trying to replace us. The way she sees it, we betrayed her by not taking her side. So she’s creating herself some new companions, ones who’ll never betray her because they’re mind-controlled so that they can’t.’