Sagash watched Crystal expressionlessly. “And you saw fit not to tell me this because . . . ?”
“I wasn’t sure whether this girl would give us the information we needed, and I wanted to have solid results before I presented anything to you. With hindsight, that was a mistake. I should have kept you informed about the details. However, from what I just saw during my observations before I was called away, it’s paid off. I’m confident that with her as a subject we should be able to extract everything we need.”
“She’s . . .” I began, then tailed off. What was I going to say?
“Verus doesn’t have anything to offer,” Crystal said when I didn’t continue. She didn’t look at me. “He wants the girl and knows he doesn’t have the power to take her himself, so he’s trying to talk you into handing her over. The fastest way to resolve this is to remove him.”
It felt as though there was something I should be saying, but I couldn’t think what it might be. “Verus?” Sagash asked.
Sagash was looking at me, and Darren and Sam too. There wasn’t any immediate threat of violence—yet—but I was very much aware that my life was on the line here. Still I hesitated; trying to think of an answer felt like swimming through fog. I’d had some argument I wanted to make, just a second ago.
“Your silence is not compelling,” Sagash rasped.
I still couldn’t think of what to say. I’d felt like this before, but the memory was hard to place. It was when . . .
And suddenly something clicked. I spoke with an effort, not letting myself think about it. “Be easier to answer if Crystal would stop screwing with my head.”
The fog vanished from my thoughts with a snap, and all of a sudden I could think clearly again. Sagash had turned to look at Crystal, and I knew he was studying her with his magesight. Mind magic is hard to detect but not impossible, especially if you’re looking for it, and as long as he was focused on her, Crystal couldn’t risk anything. “That’s better,” I said, keeping my voice calm as my thoughts raced. I needed to pull the subject away from me, attack where Crystal was vulnerable. “So, I’d like to make two points. First, while there’s nothing preventing you from attacking me, I’m not actually your immediate problem. The Council are going to be coming, and while it’s Crystal they really want, they’d be happy to make space for accomplices. Secondly, you might notice that Crystal hasn’t given any kind of plausible answer for why she’s been keeping all this secret from you. If she’d been planning to share, she would have brought you in from the start. Hiding it from you took major effort on her part, and she wouldn’t have done that just because of the chance that it wouldn’t work. She did it because she knew you wouldn’t have agreed to the plan—and you definitely wouldn’t have agreed to her making use of what was yours.” I nodded towards Darren and Sam.
“He’s stalling for time—” Crystal began.
“Enough,” Sagash rasped. Crystal fell silent immediately, and I followed her lead. Darren and Sam kept their mouths shut too, probably grateful that Sagash’s attention wasn’t on them. Sagash stared between the two of us, tapping one skeletal finger. The seconds stretched out; I held still, on edge. It was all going to come down to which way Sagash decided to jump, and the futures were blurred and flickering. He hadn’t made his choice yet. If he decided to side with Crystal . . .
The futures wavered and settled into a branch. “You present me with a dilemma,” Sagash stated. “You, Verus, have violated my territory and drawn the attention of the Council.” He didn’t ask what had happened to Ji-yeong. A caring master, Sagash was not. “Your motives are quite transparent, and as Crystal points out, your bargaining position is poor. You want the girl, yet have little to offer in exchange.”
“Apart from the information I’ve just given you.”
“A valid point,” Sagash rasped. “It is clear I have allowed myself to become overly distracted. Had I been supervising my domain more closely, this would have been arrested earlier.” His gaze came to rest on Crystal. “As you may recall, our original agreement stipulated that you would avoid such actions as this. The fact that you have made use of my apprentices for your personal reasons—and drawn the attention of the Council as a result—does not please me.”
“We don’t yet have any evidence that the Council knows,” Crystal replied. “If they knew for sure then they wouldn’t have sent Verus; they’d have sent a squad of Keepers. The fact that he’s here on his own means that they don’t know yet. The only way they’ll find out is if he reports back.”
“Or if Sagash just hands you over to the Keepers himself,” I said to Crystal. “What was the reward up to again?”
Crystal didn’t answer. “It seems we are at something of an impasse,” Sagash rasped. “Both of you wish me to side with you against the other. However, neither of you can present a convincing motivation for my support.”
“All we need to do is—” Crystal began.
“You have made your preferences clear,” Sagash rasped.
Again Crystal fell silent. I knew Sagash had made up his mind, and I didn’t have any more high cards left to play. I could try to use my connection to Richard, but it would be no more than a bluff. Sagash looked towards Darren and Sam. “So far you have both singularly failed in what has been expected of you. Let us see if you can remedy this. You have heard the petitions. What would you say is the most appropriate method of resolving this dispute?”
Darren and Sam looked at Sagash, then each other. I was expecting Sam to answer, but it was Darren who spoke first. “Uh,” he said. “Trial by combat?”
“An excellent suggestion,” Sagash rasped.
“Suggestion” my arse. He knew what he was meant to say. Already I was calculating my chances. Duels aren’t my specialty, but they’re not Crystal’s either. She’d gotten the best of me at the windmill, but I’d been too busy running to hit back. The last time we’d gone one-on-one, I’d beaten her. Not perfect odds, but . . .
Crystal’s thoughts must have been running along the same lines. “Wait,” she said. “This makes no sense. There’s no reason to use a method like—”
“Don’t fancy your chances?” I said.
Sagash raised his eyebrows towards Crystal. “You have some objection?”
“The decision is yours, obviously,” Crystal said, changing track without the slightest pause, “but it should be your decision, not the outcome of some uncertain combat. Why trust the result to something so unreliable? Whether Verus or I can prevail in a duel has nothing to do which course of action is the most profitable.”
“Your point would be valid,” Sagash rasped. “However, I fear you are under a misapprehension. You will indeed be fighting a trial by combat. Just not against Verus.”
I stared at Sagash. Who does he—?
And then I got it. “Wait,” I said sharply, taking a step forward.
Before my foot had touched the ground, Darren, Sam, and Sagash had turned on me. Darren and Sam both had a hand raised, watching. Sagash didn’t move, but from the doorway and from the darkness of the room below shadows moved, shifting their positions, white eyes locking onto me. I froze.
“Were you attempting to give me an order?” Sagash asked.
“You don’t need to do this,” I said quickly. “We can—”
“Thank you, Verus,” Sagash rasped. “I will take your suggestion under advisement. At present I am considering you a neutral party. I suggest you take no action to alter your position.”
You evil-minded bastard, I thought furiously. I knew what was going to happen, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Crystal was frowning slightly. A moment later I heard a metallic creaking noise as a door on the lower level swung open.