That actually scared me more than seeing him did.
“You’re here for me,” Anne said, and there was a new note to her voice, tense.
“More accurately, for both of you,” Richard said. “I’d like to offer you a position in my organisation.”
There was a dead silence. “You’ve got to be kidding,” I said. My mouth was dry.
“Not in the least,” Richard said calmly. “As I expect you’re aware, I’ve been quite busy since my return, and I’m somewhat understaffed. It’s so difficult to find competent diviners. Life mages as well. You’d be working under me or my associates, primarily on political or investigative assignments. Similar to your freelance work for the Council, though I can promise considerably more support and benefits.”
I felt a chill at the word investigative. Talisid. But Anne was already answering, and her voice was flat. “I’ve had a Dark master already.”
“I am aware,” Richard said. “However, I am not Sagash. I am only interested in willing servants.”
“Maybe you’re not Sagash,” Anne said. “But I’ve heard what happened to your last set of apprentices.”
“Ah,” Richard said. “I suspect we have a misunderstanding. The Council may have assigned you to their apprentice program, but quite frankly I think that reflects their own prejudices. I’d be happy to arrange instruction, but I believe treating you as an apprentice would undervalue your abilities. The position I was offering you was that of a mage.”
Anne stopped at that. “And if we say no?” I said.
“You mean, what will I do?” Richard said. “Nothing.”
“Then leave,” I said. It came out harsher than I’d wanted it to sound. “The answer’s no.”
“If that’s your decision,” Richard said. “Although there is more to my offer.”
“There’s nothing you can offer that would make me work for you again.” I managed to keep my voice under control, but just barely. I’d been ready for a fight, but even the suggestion that I’d willingly go back to him . . .
“In which case you can say no once again, and that’ll be the end of the matter. I do, however, strongly recommend that you hear me out. You may find it changes your opinions.”
I opened my mouth and felt Anne touch my side. It was only a brush of her fingers, but I got the message. With an effort I stayed quiet.
“Excellent,” Richard said. He didn’t look at all bothered that I’d said no. “There are two additional points to my offer I would like to make. Firstly, as a member of my organisation, you would both fall under my protection. I imagine both of you have your share of enemies. I think you will find they would be far less willing to provoke me.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Except that we’d pick up all of your enemies too. No thanks.”
“And secondly, I would be willing to assist you with your more immediate problems.”
Here it comes.
“You appear to be unwilling guests in this shadow realm,” Richard said. “I can address that problem. In addition”—he glanced at Anne—“I can ensure nothing similar happens in the future.”
Anne reacted slightly. “You escaped from Sagash once,” Richard said. “And in doing so, you proved both your ability and strength of will. However, as you can see, Sagash’s power vastly dwarfs yours. You and Variam both have to be aware that should Sagash ever devote his full resources towards recapturing you, you would have very little chance of escape. So far he has not, but at any point that could change. Do you really want to live the rest of your life with that hanging over you? I have some leverage with Sagash, and unlike the Light Council, I can negotiate with him on equal terms. If you join me, I can guarantee as a condition of your employment that neither Sagash nor his apprentices will come after you ever again.”
I couldn’t help myself; I turned to look at Anne. She hesitated, her eyes flickering from me back to Richard, and I knew she was torn. It was one of the things Richard had always been so good at: finding what someone most wanted and offering it to them.
Richard was still speaking. “And then, of course, there’s your current situation. You and Alex are in very immediate danger. I entered this shadow realm, and I can bring you out the same way, quickly and safely. If you decline my offer, I will not harm you, but I will not help you either. You will be left to resolve this problem alone.”
Anne still hesitated, and I held my breath. I wanted to urge her not to do it but I knew I couldn’t. Staying here could mean our death. I was willing to risk that rather than go with Richard, but I couldn’t make that decision for Anne. If she said yes . . .
The futures shifted . . . and steadied. “You’re right,” Anne said, and her voice was clear. “We did escape from Sagash once.” She looked at Richard. “We can do it again.”
I let out a long breath. “As I understand, it took you some time,” Richard said.
“Except this time it’s not Sagash,” Anne said. “You said it yourself. Sagash hasn’t come after me. It’s just his apprentices, and I can beat them. We’ll find a way.”
“His apprentices, yes. They are, however, not alone.”
“Give it up,” I said. I felt confident now. Richard had taken his best shot, and it had failed. I didn’t know why Richard was limiting himself like this, but as long as he was going to rely on persuasion we had the advantage. “You wanted an answer; she gave you one.”
“There are, however, some facts neither of you are as yet aware of,” Richard said. “You may have succeeded in evading the notice of your pursuers, but this has been because so far they have primarily focused on guarding the exits. As of today, they have progressed to searching for you more directly.”
“So they’re looking for us. That’s not news.”
“Don’t place too much faith in this shadow realm’s shroud,” Richard said. “Anne may have stayed hidden so far, but she will not remain so forever. If you stay here, Sagash’s apprentices will find you. Very soon.”
“We’ll take our chances.”
“Alex?” Richard said. “When I said ‘very soon,’ I didn’t mean ‘later today.’”
I started to answer and paused. Richard was waiting, his hands clasped behind his back, and it was easy to look ahead. I could see movement, a lot like—
Oh shit.
There was movement at the edge of my vision. I looked up at where the castle battlements were silhouetted against the skyline and saw a black shape. One of Sagash’s shadow constructs. A moment later a second appeared.
Down at ground level, more shadows were emerging from archways: three, four, seven. They moved with a strange loping gait, white eyes glowing from within fuzzy darkness, quicker than something of that size should be. They took up positions on the grass, surrounding the windmill. Three moved to encircle Richard, arms hanging loose as they stared at him with empty eyes.
The shadows kept coming, moving out onto the grass, and now people were walking out with them. Darren, black clothes and dark skin blending into the shadows beside him. His eyes narrowed at me before switching back to Richard. The lightning mage, Sam, was close behind him, spreading out to cover Darren’s flank. Finally there was the Korean girl, Ji-yeong. She broke away from the other two at the first opportunity, hands hanging near the hilts of her swords.
Sagash’s apprentices came to a halt. The three of them formed a rough group, Darren and Sam close, Ji-yeong a little farther away. The shadows were scattered around, and I did a quick count. There were twelve: ten on the ground, two on the battlements. I could feel Anne’s tension from behind me. Richard stood between us and the apprentices, head turned to watch Darren and Sam. Between them and the shadows, he was close to being surrounded. The three groups—Anne and me, Sagash’s apprentices, and Richard—formed a triangle, almost perfectly equilateral. There was a silence, and I held my breath.