“And you’re planning to go?” I asked.
“I’m going with Sonder. As I understand it, you’ve got some past experience with the place. If you could go over the layout and anything else you know before we go in, that’d be helpful.”
“Not planning to take anyone else?”
“We don’t need anyone else,” Sonder said.
I looked between Sonder and Caldera, then shrugged. “Okay.”
“Anyone have any questions?” Caldera asked, looking around. No one answered, and after a pause she nodded. “All right. Verus, I’ll meet you at midday. You’ve all got your tasks; let’s get to work.”
“I thought Sonder was supposed to be smart,” Variam said once we were outside and walking down the street.
“There’s a reason he’s playing it this way,” I said. Luna, Variam, and I were out in St. John’s Wood, heading towards the Tube station. Sonder and Caldera had stayed behind to do something else, the details of which they hadn’t elected to share.
“It’s Sagash,” Variam said.
“It might be any of the three, or someone completely different,” I said. “Sonder knows that, he’s not stupid.”
“So why was he acting so sure it was Crystal?” Luna asked.
“You know which order Caldera is a member of?”
“Order of the Star,” Variam said.
“Remember what their remit is?” I asked Luna.
Luna rolled her eyes slightly but didn’t complain about me testing her. “First and second clauses of the Concord,” she recited. “They’re supposed to keep the peace in magical society, punish anyone who ticks off the Council.”
“Second clause of the Concord only forbids hostile action against recognised mages and apprentices,” I said. “Crystal broke that clause when she helped kill off those apprentices in Fountain Reach, but she didn’t break that clause when she attacked Anne. Anne’s got no legal status. If Sagash was the one behind this attack, then as far as the Council’s concerned he hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“But the Council still wants Crystal,” Luna said.
“Which means that Caldera’s on our side for exactly as long as Crystal stays a suspect. If we can prove that Crystal’s behind this, we’ll get Caldera and a whole Keeper task force backing us up. But if we prove Sagash is behind it then there’s nothing Caldera can do. Sonder has to push Crystal as the prime suspect, because as soon as she’s not then he stops getting help from the Keepers.”
“I hate Light politics so much,” Variam muttered.
“Better get used to it.”
“Why are you so sure it’s Sagash?” Luna asked.
“Because this was what he did before,” Variam said. “He got a couple of idiots to kidnap Anne out of school.”
“But that was what, five years ago?”
“Four if you count from when we got out.”
“You’re seriously saying he sat around for four years before coming back?”
“Yes,” Variam said with emphasis. “Because that’s what he did the first time. It was three years between the deaths at our school and when Sagash showed up. The guy holds a grudge like you wouldn’t believe.”
“Say it was him,” I said. “Why would he go after Anne now? What would he want from her?”
“Best case? He still wants her as his apprentice and he’ll pick up right where he left off.” Variam’s face was grim. He didn’t say what the worst case was, but I could guess.
Once we reached the station Variam split off, disappearing into the Underground to begin his search. Luna hung back. “Caldera’s sidelining us, isn’t she?”
I gave her an appraising look. “You noticed.”
“Well, she didn’t exactly make it subtle,” Luna said. “Ask around the apprentice program to find who it was? What are they going to say? ‘Oh yeah, I was just talking about Anne to these two sinister-looking hunchbacked guys in black cloaks, here’s their address and mobile number.’”
“Black cloaks aside, that probably is how they found out.”
“That still leaves about a thousand people who it might have been. And same goes for Vari. She’s just trying to get us out of the way.”
“Not quite. If she really thought there was no chance of finding anything useful, I doubt she’d have asked you to do it. I think she’s giving us peripheral jobs to keep you out of trouble.”
“You know,” Luna said, “I’m getting really tired of mages thinking I’m useless.”
“We’re not Light mages,” I said. “And we’re not Keepers. Caldera knows she could use our help, but we’re always going to be on the outside. From her perspective we’re amateurs. Well-meaning amateurs, but . . .”
“Sonder probably wants that too, doesn’t he?” Luna said. “He wants to keep me on a shelf somewhere nice and safe.” She gave me a challenging look. “Are you okay with that?”
“Well.” I gave Luna a grin. “Caldera is on our side, so I think we should help her out. But I don’t see why we can’t show a little initiative . . .”
We parted company and I headed home, picking up a few things from the shops along the way. By the time Caldera arrived a couple of hours later, I’d had the chance to make some preparations.
“. . . and beyond Jagadev’s throne room are the private rooms and living quarters,” I said. Caldera and I were standing over a sketched map on the small table in my kitchen. “That was where Anne and Vari lived while they were there.”
“Other exits?” Caldera asked.
“At least two that I know about,” I said, pointing. “Here and here. There’s roof access too, but I don’t know the way inside. According to Vari it’s a bit of a maze, so I’d get directions if you’re planning to go exploring.”
“What sort of security force does Jagadev keep on hand?”
“Last that I saw, a lot. At least twenty armed guards, some of them adepts, and that’s not counting wards and automated defences. I wouldn’t recommend starting a fight.”
“I’ll be there in my capacity as a Keeper.”
“Mm.” I was pretty sure Jagadev was too smart to challenge the Keeper orders directly, but the assembled Dark mages might be another story. “I’m guessing you haven’t been to the Tiger’s Palace before?”
“Other Keepers have. We poke around so often it’s practically the Order of the Star’s local pub.”
“But they probably don’t do it on the nights Dark mages throw a party.”
Caldera shrugged.
“Sure you don’t want me along?”
“Very sure,” Caldera said definitely. “Don’t take this personally, but right now having you mixed up in this is the last thing I want. You’re a trouble magnet, you’re not trained for police operations, I can’t rely on you to follow orders, and on top of that, according to Sonder you have some kind of history with Jagadev. I’m already going to be babysitting one civilian in there; I don’t need another.”
I looked at Caldera in amusement. “Guess that answers that.”
“This is my job, not yours. If you really want to do me a favour, scout the Tiger’s Palace for tonight so that I can get Sonder in and out without anything screwing up. That’s one thing I could use help with.”
“Are you okay with Sonder having dragged you into this?”
“Sonder didn’t drag me in, I volunteered,” Caldera said. “Even if he did do it by convincing my boss that this was connected to the Crystal investigation when it probably isn’t. But your friend needs help, and stopping this kind of thing from happening is the reason I joined the Order of the Star in the first place. Besides, Sonder’s helped me out enough times that I owe him a favour.”
“That’s it?” I asked. “You don’t mind?”
“Do you have any idea how many cases like this the Order of the Star gets?” Caldera asked me. “Kidnap, manslaughter, abuse . . . Not a day goes by where someone doesn’t come to us for help. I’ve got fifteen cases sitting on my desk back at the station right now. When I check in tomorrow it’ll be sixteen. Every hour I spend helping you and Sonder I’m ignoring someone else.”