We caught up with Archon at the next intersection. He was standing just short of the crossroads, head tilted as though he was listening for something. “So?” Rachel demanded as we walked up. “Where’s the control room?”
“Just around the corner,” Archon said.
Rachel began to stride past.
“Look out!” I snapped.
Rachel’s reactions are fast. She jumped back as bullets whistled past, as well as something else; a beam of some kind of yellow-orange light, there and gone in an instant. It left behind a strange burning scent, as though the air was on fire. Rachel rounded on Archon. “Why the fuck is it still guarded?”
“Because there are people there.”
Rachel’s face darkened, and she took a step towards Archon. “I’m getting a little tired of—”
“Wait,” Archon said. It was hard to tell through the helmet and the voice distorter, but he didn’t seem concerned.
“Wait for what?”
I looked into the futures in which I took a peek around the corner. In at least two of them I got my head blown off—the people down that corridor were really trigger-happy—but I got enough of a look to see that the corridor ended in a T junction behind which was a steel door that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a missile silo. In front of the door, metal tables had been overturned to form a makeshift barricade, and a squad of Council security had set up behind it. There was a body lying in the corridor, not dressed in a Council security uniform this time. Apparently Morden’s men weren’t having it all their own way.
“Wait for what?” Rachel said again.
I wanted to warn the Council forces to back off. They were just doing their jobs, and knowing the Council, they probably hadn’t had any warning of what might be coming. But Rachel and Archon were standing right there, and I’d already seen that if I stuck my head out to try to talk to the guards they’d just shoot me.
I sighed inwardly. Sorry, guys.
There was a shout, followed by a flat wham. More gunfire erupted; there was the hissing sound of that beam weapon, followed by a scream and an unpleasant splattering sound. The gunfire cut off and there was silence.
Archon was already walking past me and around the corner. “I’m really starting to hate this guy,” Rachel muttered, and followed.
The barricade at the end of the corridor was gone. The tables had been overturned, and the bodies of the defenders lay where they’d fallen . . . which in some cases meant in several places at once. I avoided looking too closely at the pieces of the body to the far left. Three men in masks were standing in front of the door, but it wasn’t hard to identify the tall, slim figure at the centre who’d done most of the work.
“Onyx,” Archon said as he walked up. His voice was as toneless as ever, but somehow I had the feeling he wasn’t happy.
Onyx is a force magic user and battle-mage, and one of those people who’s just plain bad news. When I first met Onyx, he was Morden’s Chosen, young and brutal and willing to fight and kill at the slightest provocation. That had been five years ago, and as far as I could tell, the only thing that had changed since then was that he was slightly less young. You’d think he’d have grown a little over the years, but apparently Onyx was one of those people who’d found a thug-shaped hole into which to fit his thug-shaped life and had decided that there was no reason to mess with a winning formula. Looking at him, it suddenly occurred to me that maybe the fact that Morden had picked me rather than Onyx as his aide might be a sign that he wasn’t all that impressed with how Onyx had turned out either.
If that was the case, it would give Onyx yet another reason to hate me, as if he needed one. My life would really be so much easier if the Dark mages I’ve known had been a little more selective in their choice of apprentices.
I sensed rather than saw Onyx’s eyes flicker towards me behind the mask; it was only for an instant, but I didn’t like what it implied. “What?” Onyx said to Archon.
“You were ordered by Morden to stay away tonight,” Archon said.
Onyx just looked at Archon and the message was clear. What are you going to do about it?
Archon stood quite still. I didn’t sense anything in the futures, but for a moment—just a moment—I had the feeling that Archon was going to do something about it. Then he walked away.
Which left me alone with Onyx, Rachel, and two other Dark mages I didn’t know. I tensed silently, but for the moment, all four ignored me. One of the other Dark mages was examining the door. “Sealed off,” he said over his shoulder.
“Then get out of the way,” Rachel said, lifting her hand towards the door.
The Dark mage turned, then jumped aside. I took one look at what was about to happen and dived for cover.
Green light stabbed from Rachel’s hand, and blades of force flew from Onyx. They struck the door and bounced straight back. Rachel’s disintegrate spell missed Onyx by a couple of feet, turning a section of wall into dust, while Onyx’s force blades whined lethally as they ricocheted all over the corridor. One of them barely missed my head; another slammed right into Rachel, making her stagger as her shield took the hit.
“Are you crazy?” the Dark mage who’d been at the door shouted.
“What the fuck was that?” Rachel demanded.
Reflector shields, I thought. They’re designed to bounce ranged spells back at the caster; they’re more common in duels, but it wasn’t the first time I’d heard of them used to secure a location.
“Reflec-shields,” the Dark mage said.
“So what are—” Rachel began.
Onyx fired again, and this time everyone ducked. Rachel rounded on Onyx as the echoes faded away. “Are you out of your fucking mind?” she snarled.
“Stop it, you idiot!” the other Dark mage shouted.
Onyx moved forward to inspect the door. As far as I could tell, it wasn’t even scratched. “Now what?” the second Dark mage said.
The first Dark mage frowned at the door. “There are people in there.” His eyes went up. “And they’re watching.”
Rachel and I followed the Dark mage’s gaze to a small sphere mounted on the walclass="underline" a camera. Rachel lifted a hand to destroy it.
“Wait,” I said.
“For what?”
“Let me try talking.”
“About what?”
Onyx was still at the door and I could sense some kind of force magic. I didn’t know how long it’d take him to find a way through, but I was pretty certain he could smash through sooner or later. I stepped directly under the camera, making sure it could see me clearly, and spoke up towards the microphone attachment. “This is a message to the Council security force defending the control room,” I said. “You don’t know me, but please listen to what I have to say. You need to evacuate the control room as soon as possible.”
Rachel stared at me with an are you serious? look. I kept going, not meeting her eye. “I know you’ll have some sort of alternate entrance. Or a back exit. I recommend you use it, and fast. The mages outside are looking for a way in, and once they find one—which they will—they’re going to kill you. I strongly suggest that you withdraw first.”
Rachel rolled her eyes, turned, and stalked around the corner.
Onyx was readying some kind of force spell, and I could sense it gathering power. I spoke hurriedly; I didn’t think I had much time. “Look, you guys are Council security, right? I don’t know what the Council is paying you, but it’s not worth your lives. It’s not like they’re here dying for you, is it? Just get the hell out. If they kick up a fuss later, you can point to all the dead bodies outside as to why you didn’t stick around. They’ll have bigger things to worry about than punishing . . .”