Burned
(The seventh book in the Alex Verus series)
A novel by Benedict Jacka
About the Author
Benedict Jacka became a writer almost by accident, when at nineteen he sat in his school library and started a story in the back of an exercise book. Since then he has studied philosophy at Cambridge, lived in China and worked as everything from civil servant to bouncer to teacher before returning to London to take up law.
Find out more about Benedict Jacka and other Orbit authors by registering for the free monthly newsletter at www.orbitbooks.net.
Fated
Cursed
Taken
Chosen
Hidden
Veiled
Burned
1
The call came just before seven.
It was a Saturday evening in December. I’d closed late; it was the last weekend before Christmas, and the shop had been packed all day. It was past six when I finally shooed out the last customers, shut and locked the door and turned off the lights before heading upstairs. Hermes had snuck in again, and was lying curled up on my armchair, the white tip of his bushy tail tucked in around his nose. I dropped on to the sofa with a yawn and started going through my emails.
My eyelids were drifting closed when the communicator chimed. I’d been so drowsy I’d barely even seen it coming. Hermes opened one amber eye and watched as I pulled myself to my feet, took out the blue-purple disc from my drawer and activated it. A miniature holographic figure in blue light materialised on top of the disc. ‘Hey, Talisid,’ I said, setting the disc down on my desk. ‘What’s up?’
‘Are you alone?’
‘Yes, why—?’
‘There’s no good way to tell you this,’ Talisid said. ‘Levistus has sentenced you to death. You’re to be executed in one week.’
Hermes lifted his head. He shifted position slightly as he did so, black forepaws stretching straight out, white neck and chest exposed as he looked at me and the image of Talisid. With his colouring, he looked exactly like a larger-than-average English red fox. Blink foxes don’t have any visible traits that set them apart from mundane foxes; only the look in the eyes gave any hint that—
‘Alex?’ Talisid said. ‘Did you hear me?’
I’d been staring at Hermes. I’d heard Talisid’s words, but they weren’t registering. ‘Yeah,’ I said. I found myself looking at the fur on Hermes’ back and tail, watching the hairs move and shift. ‘What?’
‘I can’t talk long,’ Talisid said. ‘There was a closed Council session. The resolution goes into effect one week from today at 6 p.m. Once it does, you’ll be an outlaw. Your property can be seized and any mage or Council representative of the British Isles can take hostile action against you with no legal repercussions.’
‘This Saturday?’
‘Yes. There’s more. The resolution also applies to your dependents. That means all three of the rest of your team. Luna Mancuso, Anne Walker, Variam Singh. Their names are listed with yours.’
I stared at Talisid.
Talisid looked behind him at something out of view. ‘I have to go. I’ll call in an hour or two and we’ll decide what to do. There may be some way around this.’
‘…Okay.’
‘We’ll speak soon.’ Talisid’s image winked out.
I found myself alone in the room with Hermes. I walked away from the desk and dropped back on to the sofa in the same spot I’d been sitting in. It was still warm. The call had taken less than sixty seconds.
I felt stunned, disconnected. None of this seemed real. Earlier in the year, I’d become a Keeper auxiliary, and in the months since, I’d spent more and more time working with them, taking on new cases almost every week. I’d thought that things had been going better with the Council, not worse. Now – this. I tried to think, work out how this could have happened so fast, but my thoughts kept slipping away. I reached for my phone and touched the number of a contact. It rang five times before it was picked up. ‘Hey, Alex.’
‘Luna,’ I said. ‘We’ve got a problem.’ I gave her the news in a few short sentences.
Once I’d finished, there was a pause. ‘Oh, shit,’ Luna said at last.
‘Yes.’
‘Have we got a plan?’
‘Not over the phone.’
‘Okay. What should I do?’
‘Get Anne,’ I said. ‘Get Vari.’
‘Got it.’ Luna hung up.
I set the phone down and looked at it. The flat was quiet; the only noise was the sound of the city outside. An aeroplane was passing by far above, the sound drifting down through the Camden streets.
Luna had asked if I had a plan. I didn’t.
There was a thump as Hermes jumped to the floor. I turned to see him trot across the carpet to where my hand was dangling off the edge of the sofa. He sniffed my fingers and looked up at me, amber eyes alert and questioning.
‘It’s okay,’ I said, forcing a smile. ‘We’ll figure something out.’
Hermes sat back on his hind legs. I looked over him towards the window and to the night sky beyond.
When Luna sets her mind to something, she doesn’t hang around. The gang started arriving within the hour.
Variam showed up first. I felt the signature of the gate spell from the storeroom on the ground floor, followed by the sound of Variam bounding up the stairs two at a time. He came striding through the door, wide awake and quick. ‘Luna told me,’ he said. ‘It’s true? Levistus?’
I nodded.
‘How?’
‘Let’s wait until everyone’s here.’
Variam nodded, probably assuming that I was doing it that way because it was more efficient. ‘Were you at a ceremony?’ I asked.
‘Sort of,’ Variam said. He was wearing his black turban and the dark red formal robes that Arachne had made for him last year. They were the dark red of glowing coals, the colour chosen to set off his brown skin. It was hard to be sure, but the robes looked less baggy on him than they had been. Variam’s small, but ever since starting his apprenticeship with Landis he’d been putting on muscle. ‘Was a drinks thing.’
‘Landis okay with you leaving?’
‘Yeah, but he’s going to want an explanation when I get back.’
I was spared from having to reply to that by the signature of another gate spell. We both looked towards the door as Luna walked in. ‘Anne’s on her way,’ she said.
‘How long?’
‘I think she had someone with her,’ Luna said. She was wearing a pale close-fitting top and dark leggings, and her hair was up in a ponytail, slightly matted with sweat; she must have come from the gym without stopping to change. ‘But she got the message.’
‘You were out duelling?’ Variam asked.
‘Some of us don’t get to go to fancy parties.’
‘Excuse me?’ Variam said, obviously annoyed. ‘I asked if you wanted to come.’
‘Yeah, how did you think that was going to play out, again?’
‘Well, sorry for trying to—’
‘Jesus!’ I said. ‘You two are literally under sentence of death and you’re still doing this? Really?’
Luna and Variam shut up, looking away. We waited in silence.
Anne arrived just before eight. She climbed the stairs more slowly than Luna and Variam had, and she paused in the doorway, looking between me and Luna and Variam. ‘I’m sorry I’m late,’ she said in her soft voice.
‘It’s fine,’ I said. ‘Take a seat.’
‘Ah…’ Anne hesitated. ‘There’s something I should probably tell you first.’
‘What is it?’
‘I asked someone else to come.’ Anne said. She didn’t look comfortable. ‘I hope that’s okay.’