“He’ll have help,” Maggie said.
“Yes,” I said. “Almost definitely. But I don’t think that help will include the heaviest hitters. Not the Eye, probably not the Shepherd.”
“The Astrologer,” Fell said. “Heavy enough.”
“She’s possible. So are the Sisters,” I said.
“Walking right into the lion’s den?” Maggie asked.
“If I’m going to walk into the den,” I said, “I might as well go in prepared to deal with the motherfucking lion, so to speak.”
She smiled.
“If I’m going to help, I’ll need to know more about the Behaims,” Fell said.
“Alright. Well, they’re arrogant and well-learned,” I said. “They tend to prefer big, devastating effects, and the entire circle is supporting whoever they’ve got in play. Laird had the entire circle helping to power his ritual, back in Jacob’s Bell. Duncan had trinkets infused with power.”
I retrieved the little stonehenge charm bracelet and held it up. “Credit goes to Evan, for collecting this.”
“You stole it?” Fell asked.
“Evan did. So yeah, I guess we did?”
“Bad karma, depending on how you do it,” Fell told me. “Especially if the possession has power.”
“We were fighting,” I said. “Going head to head.”
“Even if you’re fighting, certain objects belong in certain hands. The universe doesn’t like that kind of disruption.”
“The Universe is awfully nitpicky when being nitpicky would inconvenience me,” I said.
Fell shrugged. He resumed working on the powder diagram. It looked like a strong wind would muss it up, but it was remaining in place. “Look. If that’s the case, then how come Duncan didn’t get bitten by karma when he took June, my hatchet?”
“Ah,” Fell said. “If he did, then it’s only fair if you took something of his in return.”
Hm.
Alright, then. Not complaining. I leaned forward as I spoke, “Look, the Behaims are making a bid for power. Taking me out of the picture is a part of that. They’re collectively handing power to Laird and Duncan, probably under the belief that they’re going to get paid back tenfold when Laird becomes Lord of Jacob’s Bell.”
“A shame they’re a whole city away,” Fell said. “With that kind of power structure, it can be good to hit them on the ground level. Put the guys on the top of the pyramid off-balance.”
“Definitely a shame,” I said. “That’s essentially it. I can’t guess what they’re going to try to pull, but I think my having Evan on hand might help if I need to slip out of a trap.”
“You’ll have us for company,” Rose said.
“If Laird has allies and I have allies, they cancel each other out at best. He’s liable to have more, and they’re bound to be stronger.”
“True,” she admitted.
I had challenged Conquest to a duel of sorts. This was the duel. We each had our respective groups, and we each had given up our abilities.If this was a challenge involving leadership, I’d have to exercise some.
I tapped my fingers on the coffee table in front of the futon. “Consider all the factors at play, be ready, be prepared, and brainstorm. We don’t need a solution right this minute, but I do think we need a strategy, and I’m confident we can come up with something if we put our heads together.”
There were a few nods, more unconscious than not, as they silently agreed with me.
Conquest drew power from grinding others under his heel. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. We needed to keep our spirits up.
“Fell,” I said. “I need to know about the Astrologer. I know she was an apprentice, her master passed the buck to her. She was apparently sympathetic to us, but Conquest tapped her as his champion. I know she apparently summons things, but I don’t know much else.”
“She does summon things. Those things are more manufactured than produced. Drawing spirits from the area, then cobbling them together under an impression. If a ghost is a psychic imprint on the fabric of the world, then the Astrologer makes the imprints and then fills them in with the available resources.”
“Making ghosts?” I asked.”The candle that burns twice as hot burns half as long. Her summonings burn bright, and they don’t last for very long.”
I nodded.
“Power has a price. She and her predecessors have paid a literal price for their power. To make her impressions, she uses machines at the outer rim of the city. Lights, lasers, and properties she controls throughout Toronto. Not as organized as you might imagine. They’re points of light on a dark canvas, and she uses them to draw pictures.”
“Constellations?” Rose asked.
“Essentially. Nobody in Toronto has a firm grounding on what the exact rules are. Those of us who do have books on astrology are working with ideas that are often a hundred years old, if not older. What she’s doing is larger in scale than what the books propose, but it’s also limited to certain things appearing in certain places, after certain preparations are made.”
I frowned. “I want to say we don’t have to worry about her unless she lures us to a specific location, but that’s no guarantee, is it? We could wander right into an ideal spot for her.”
“Or she could find our location, use a computer to turn certain lights on and off, and align her metaphorical ‘stars’ to drop something minor in our midst,” Fell said. “As a practitioner, she’s no particular threat to Conquest. Too conditional. As a strategic asset, she’s a problem.”
“Fuck,” I said. “But didn’t her master make a sacrifice to earn her protection from being pressured by Conquest?”
“Yes,” Fell said. “On the proviso that she wouldn’t oppose him. She did, and that protection defaulted. I don’t know what else Conquest has done to seize her.”
I nodded slowly.
“Anything else you need to know?”
“A few things,” I said. “But they can wait until the morning. Minor stuff.”
“Alright. Let me wrap up the other rooms,” Fell said. “Nobody’s going to be forcing their way through from the spirit world apartment to your real apartment. I think it’s subtle enough it’ll hold up to a cursory examination.”
“Excellent,” I said. “Thanks again.”
“If you want to make it up to me, let’s not make this contest of yours a complete disaster. Suck it up, turn off the news, and focus on the steps we need to take to win the challenge and stop Conquest.”
“I think I can do that,” I said.
“Good,” he said. “Because there’s a loophole in this contest of yours. Nothing says I have to be loyal or obedient, and as far as I’m concerned, the best way to stop Conquest or his champions from killing you or forcing your surrender is to kill you myself.”
“The fuck?” Joel asked.
“No,” I told him, “It’s okay.”
“Is it really, hon?” Joel asked. “Did someone change the meaning of ‘okay’ while they were stirring up all this crazy?”