“I was under the impression that you claimed to oppose what Dark mages stood for.”
“Yeah, you tried that one last time.”
“And you claimed to be a mercenary. Perhaps it would prevent further miscommunications if you were more honest about your motivations.”
“Okay then. I don’t like you, I don’t trust you, and I’m not helping you expand your political empire. Is that enough honesty?”
“And how does your old master factor into your calculations?”
My voice sharpened. “I don’t see how that’s anything to do with you.”
“I assume you at least know that Morden and Drakh are working together?” I didn’t answer, but after a moment Levistus went on as if I’d agreed. “Should White Rose fall, the greatest beneficiary will not be Morden. It will be your old master. Whatever his long-term plans, it appears they involve placing Morden on the Council.” Levistus raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps you still serve him after all?”
“Go screw yourself.”
Levistus watched me with an expression of polite inquiry. I drew a long breath and let it out, controlling myself. Stupid. He’s provoking me. “I’m not responsible for what Richard does.”
“You are Drakh’s apprentice.”
There was something in those words that was hard to describe. There was a kind of finality to it, as though Levistus were telling me something self-evident and timeless. Wind blows, fire consumes, I was Richard’s apprentice, so it was and so it would always be. “I am who I choose to be.”
“The steel does not choose to be made into a knife.”
“I’m not your knife, or his.”
“Then who are you, Alexander Verus?” Levistus asked. “What do you stand for? Whom do you serve?”
“You don’t have the right to demand answers to those questions.”
“Evasions. You have nothing upon which to stand. You do not understand yourself, and thus you are easily manipulated. Have you any conception of how far back your master has chosen your steps, shaped your path? You follow in his footsteps without the slightest understanding of how thoroughly you are controlled.”
I felt a twinge of fear at that. I had no way of knowing how much Levistus knew, or whether he was simply guessing, but what he was saying was too close to the things I secretly feared. If you can’t defend, attack. “Fine,” I said. “Then what do you stand for, Levistus? You tried to have me killed, not once but over and over again. If I hadn’t stopped you, you would have had Luna and Arachne killed too. You wouldn’t have done it because you’d judged them as unworthy. You wouldn’t even have done it because you particularly wanted them dead. They were just in your way. You ordered their deaths with no more concern than you’d have for checking your bank balance. You’re talking as though you think I’m going to take your opinions seriously. What can you possibly say that can outweigh everything you’ve done? Why should I listen to you?”
“Because you are involved in matters beyond your control,” Levistus said. “You no longer have the option of distancing yourself. Even should you abandon your position in the Keepers and go back to your isolation, it would only buy you a little time. You know that the confrontation will arrive. When it comes, on whose side will you stand?”
“I’m not on anyone’s side.”
Levistus made a disgusted noise. “Do not play the fool. If you hinder me, you help Drakh. If you fight against your old master, you assist me. This is elementary common sense.”
“Is that how you justify what you do?” I asked. “Everything for the sake of victory?”
“The Council has maintained stability in this world for thousands of years,” Levistus said. “Without us, the Dark mages and the monsters would have torn human civilisation apart millennia ago. Is that what you hope to accomplish?”
“And when Griff tortured Luna to get to the fateweaver? When Belthas tried to Harvest Arachne for her power? That was all for the greater good, was it? Don’t give me that bullshit.”
“Power will fall into someone’s hands. Would you prefer that mages such as Drakh or Morden had it instead?”
“Don’t dodge the question. How do you justify trying to kill me and my friends?”
“Agents are expendable,” Levistus said. Those odd colourless eyes rested on me with no particular expression. “In the sufficiently long term, everyone is expendable.”
“Including you?”
Levistus shrugged. It was an indifferent movement, and in an odd flash of insight I understood something about Levistus that I hadn’t realised before. Levistus wasn’t doing this for himself, not really. He might act out of self-interest, but at some level he did genuinely believe that by keeping himself in power, he was making the world around him a better place.
It was a worrying thought. Someone who’s amoral and selfish can be a threat to you, but they’re also a threat to everyone else, and that tends to limit how much time they can spend on you personally. But someone who believes in what he’s doing can convince other people that opposing you is the right thing to do. In the long run, that’s a lot more dangerous. “Enough philosophy,” I said. “What do you want?”
“The conflict between us has grown unproductive,” Levistus said. “I am willing to consider a truce.”
I studied Levistus. “In other words, you’ve got enough on your plate with Morden that you don’t have the time to keep going after me as well.”
“As I understand it, you have been making your own preparations for your old master’s return,” Levistus said. “I’m sure you have already calculated your chances of survival should you fight me and him at the same time. You would be wise to limit your enemies.”
“I thought you said that Richard was controlling everything I did.” I tilted my head, looking at Levistus curiously. “If I’m so much his servant, why would he be coming after me?”
“As I said—everyone is expendable.”
“Including your allies.” I tapped two fingers on my arm. “If all you wanted was a truce, all you needed to do was stop going after me. That means you want more.”
“As a part of our agreement,” Levistus said, “you will cease working against my interests. This means you will take no action against White Rose.”
I’d carried on tapping my fingers; as Levistus spoke I stopped for a second, then continued. “You realise I’m working for the Keepers now,” I said. I kept my voice casual. “I’m supposed to do what they tell me.”
“The Keepers serve the Council. They do not all serve the same Council.”
“Did it ever occur to you that this kind of corruption might be exactly why the Council has so much trouble effectively opposing Dark mages in the first place?”
“I am not here to engage you in a debate,” Levistus said. “Well?”
“You know,” I said, “I can’t help noticing that this deal seems a little uneven. You started all this by telling me to work for you or else. When I took the ‘or else,’ you tried to have me killed. Now you’re offering to stop trying to have me killed, and in exchange I’m supposed to commit treason yet again. Bit slanted in your favour, don’t you think?”
“It is the offer you have.”
“I’ll make you a counteroffer,” I said. “I’ll go back to the Keepers and do my job. You go back to the Council and do your job. We both ignore each other.”
“Please tell me you are not truly this stupid.”
“You know something, Levistus?” I said. “I’m getting a little tired of your backhanded insults. You talk like you’re the gatekeeper of civilisation and I’m the barbarian. It’s irritating.”
“Your irritation does not concern me,” Levistus said. “And your counteroffer is noted and rejected. My terms stand. Do you accept them, or reject them?”