The Relic Guild (21 page)

‘We will not take you to the Nightshade, Llewellyn. But you will tell us what we wish to know.’

Llewellyn’s discoloured and swollen tongue licked his cracked lips. ‘Information, eh?’

‘Concerning the artefact and its buyer – yes.’

‘And what if I don’t talk?’ He tried and failed to laugh again. ‘Sorry to be a disappointment, but there’s really not a lot you boys can do to me now.’

Van Bam glared at him. ‘You would be surprised.’

Llewellyn’s eye sized him up. ‘Look, you know as well as me I’m already done for – that’s obvious – but when Pittman finds out I can’t pay my debts, he’ll keep me alive just to make me suffer, and I’ve suffered enough. So how about we make a deal?’

‘State your terms,’ Van Bam responded.

‘I’ll tell you what you want to know, and in return make it quick for me. Make it painless.’

‘Done!’ Samuel snapped. ‘Now
come on
, Van Bam!’

But the illusionist remained compassionate and patient. The man in the bed should be dead already. With what little dignity remained to him, he was asking that his final end be without further suffering. Van Bam wouldn’t deny him that.

‘You have my word,’ Van Bam promised.

Llewellyn paused. ‘Then I suppose that’ll have to be good enough,’ he said. ‘So, you want to know who Carrick’s buyer was, right?’

‘And where the artefact came from, yes.’

‘Well, the first part is easy to answer. The buyer was an Aelf from House Mirage.’

‘Mirage?’

‘Yeah, there’s a bunch of them living out in the western district – refugees who got stuck here when the war started.’

‘Yes, I know who you mean.’

‘I got to know one of them, a man called Ursa. We used to drown our sorrows together down Green Glass Row. I suppose we were friends …’

He trailed off as if suddenly saddened by the realisation his drinking partner was now dead.

Van Bam said, ‘And you told this Ursa of the artefact?’

‘No – other way around.’ Llewellyn coughed weakly. ‘One day he asked me if I knew any good treasure hunters, said he knew where a priceless relic was hidden – some urn containing the ashes of some Aelfirian ancestor or other. He’d pay enough for it to solve everyone’s money problems, he said. But he never mentioned anything about a virus.’

Interesting, thought Van Bam: until now he had supposed it was Carrick who had found the terracotta jar and then arranged a buyer. ‘So
you
introduced Ursa to Carrick.’

‘That’s right,’ said Llewellyn. ‘Carrick has a lot of contacts. He knew who to bribe to gain passage out of town and into the Great Labyrinth. Don’t ask me who. If he’s dead, he took his contact list to the grave. But part of the deal was I went with Carrick’s team. Insurance, Ursa said.’

‘Where?’ said Van Bam. ‘In which House was the artefact found?’

Llewellyn coughed again, and this time blood spattered his
lips and chin. He took a deep breath. ‘The Icicle
Forest, Ursa called it. I’d never heard of it
before. Nor had Carrick.’

And nor had Van Bam. He
looked at Samuel guarding the door, but his fellow agent
shrugged, just as clueless.

‘The Icicle Forest,’ he echoed. ‘You
are sure this is the correct House, Llewellyn?’

‘I’m
not likely to forget it.’ Llewellyn swallowed blood. ‘Six of
us went with Carrick. We found the relic all right
, but … by the Timewatcher, I’ve never known a place
more savage. Evil. There are
things
there you wouldn’t
believe. Things I don’t want to remember. I was
the only one Carrick managed to bring back alive. Barely
. Wish he hadn’t bothered. I’ve been hooked up
like this ever since.’

Van Bam followed the wires that
connected the patient to the box of glowing light. ‘Llewellyn
, I need you to tell me the House symbol for
the Icicle Forest.’

‘I don’t know it. Ursa was
so secretive about that symbol. Protective, you know? He would
only show it to Carrick. Even then Carrick wasn’t
allowed to write it down. He had to memorise it
. And … And that’s all I know.’

‘That’s all
we need,’ Samuel said coldly. He used his pistol to
point in the general direction of the bed. ‘You want
me to do this, Van Bam?’

Van Bam raised a
disappointed eyebrow at his fellow agent and shook his head
.

What was left of Llewellyn’s face showed only unquestionable
honesty, as it had throughout the interrogation. There really was
nothing else he could help the Relic Guild with.

With
a sigh, Van Bam moved around to the side of
the bed to stand next to the box from which
the copper wires ran to the needles puncturing the remains
of Llewellyn. The blue glow of the magic within the
medical device dulled almost imperceptibly, as if sensing its services
were no longer required.

Van Bam looked down at the
ruined man in the bed. ‘Thank you,’ he said.

Llewellyn
gave a slow smile. ‘Quick and painless, right?’

Van Bam reached out and grabbed the wires where they converged into the box.

‘Wait!’

Van Bam paused, but did not relax his fist.

‘I … I saw a Thaumaturgist once, from a distance,’ Llewellyn told him. ‘I really never meant anything bad to happen. I mean – the Thaumaturgists would know that, wouldn’t they?’

‘Perhaps.’

‘Do you believe the Timewatcher can really see me from Mother Earth?’

Van Bam averted his eyes. ‘Yes,’ he whispered. ‘I believe.’

‘Then you believe the Thaumaturgists will guide my spirit to Her? That She’ll forgive me?’

Van Bam nodded. Once. ‘And I hope your journey is filled with some of the wonders I have seen. Goodbye, Llewellyn.’

He pulled every wire from the box with one yank. As the blue glow extinguished, a last, gurgling sigh came from Llewellyn’s mouth.

‘
Now
can we leave?’ Samuel snapped.

Marney and Denton rode the elevator within the Tower of the Skywatcher. The descent was made in silence. She had no more tears to weep, she no longer felt overawed. Of course, Denton’s empathy had been an immense help in stabilising Marney’s emotions, but the calm that had settled on her now had little to do with magic. The truth was she didn’t know how to feel. Perhaps her mind was unable to process the immensity of the things she had seen. Maybe she was in a state of denial. After such an intense experience, Marney just couldn’t comprehend why she was feeling nothing but this eerie, all-encompassing apathy.

As if sensing her confusion, Denton gave her a smile that was at once understanding and contemplative.

‘It’s not unusual to feel strangely empty after spending time in Lady Amilee’s observatory,’ he said. ‘Even for empaths. It can take time to
understand and accept the true magnitude of our duties. Seeing
is believing, Marney.’

She frowned at him. ‘So the difference
between knowing a thing and experiencing it is, what – faith?’

‘
I like to think so – others might disagree. But you,
Marney, now have the space and freedom to come to
terms with what you have seen. To decide for yourself
what it means to you.’

He gave a small chuckle. ‘
I’ve often wondered if we have all seen the
same visions, or if Lady Amilee has shown each of
us something different.’ His face became serious and he looked
to the floor. ‘Our colleagues in the Relic Guild won’
t ask you of your experience, Marney, and it is
important that you never ask them of theirs. Understand?’

Marney
wasn’t sure she did understand, but she got the
impression that Denton had one particular agent in mind.

She
didn’t want to think about it anymore, and gave
affirmation with a silent nod.

‘So what now?’ she said. ‘
We go back to the Labyrinth?’

‘In a while,’ Denton
replied. He tapped his rolled up hat against his hand. ‘
The Skywatcher isn’t quite done with us yet, Marney.’

The elevator stopped. Its doors swished open, and Marney followed
Denton out into a hall that surrounded the elevator’s
glass shaft. It was smaller than the reception hall at
the lowest level of the tower, but far more welcoming.
The floor was tiled with light brown marble, veined with
a rich golden colour; the walls were painted cream, soft
beneath the warm light of huge ceiling prisms. Three closed
doors were set into each wall, and beside them ornaments
and flowers sat upon decorative pedestals of dark grey stone.

Less welcoming, however, was the Aelfirian aide, Alexander, whose overly
large eyes glared at the Relic Guild agents. Once again,
he was flanked by two intimidating automaton sentries.

‘This way,’
he said curtly. He turned to head off for the
centre door on the far wall while the automatons waited
for the visitors to follow.

As they did so, Marney’
s irritation rose.
You know, I’d really like to
pull that stick out of his—

Now, now, Marney
, Denton
thought back with a hint of amusement.
I know you’
ve been through an ordeal, but you should have learnt
by now that not everyone you meet in life will
be agreeable.

The Aelf led them to a chamber that was decorated by twists and folds of satin which gave the appearance of ice pillars in a frozen cave. Floor and ceiling, and every wall, the room was entirely draped in clean white. Lady Amilee waited for them as they entered, standing between two cloth pillars, her expression gentle.

‘Thank you, Alexander,’ she said to her aide. ‘You may leave us now.’

With a quick bow, the small and smartly-dressed Aelf left the chamber with the automatons in tow and closed the door behind him. Marney was glad to see him leave, even more than she appreciated the automatons’ departure.

Amilee’s silver wings and diaphanous gown were now covered by robes of deep purple that were in stark contrast to the room’s whiteness, as was the black diamond tattooed onto her forehead. She stood regally. Floating in the air beside her was the small terracotta jar the Relic Guild had found at Chaney’s Den.

Amilee blinked her tawny eyes once, slowly. ‘Master Denton, it is pleasing to see you again. You have been well, I trust?’

With his hat in hand, Denton gave an affectionate smile. ‘Oh, I can’t deny that I occasionally feel the long years creeping up on me, my Lady, but I always feel rejuvenated in your beautiful realm.’

‘Ah, spoken like a true gentleman.’

Something Denton had said earlier suddenly dawned on Marney. She wasn’t the first Relic Guild agent her mentor had brought to the Tower of the Skywatcher. Marney was the youngest agent of the guild, and Van Bam was the next in line. That meant the last time Denton was here it had probably been so her lover could be shown Lady Amilee’s visions. What had he seen? Was it Van Bam whom the old empath was referring to when he said that Marney must not question her fellow agents?

Marney realised that Lady Amilee’s gaze was upon her. Although she seemed pleased with what she saw, her expression had become a little more serious.

‘I wish this meeting could be taking place in happier times, but as it is, we have matters to discuss.’ She motioned to the terracotta jar hanging
in the air
beside her. ‘It troubles me that this artefact could be
smuggled into Labrys Town without my noticing. Tell me what
you know of it?’

Amilee put the question directly to
Marney, but because she was so used to everyone addressing
Denton first and foremost, she was flummoxed for a moment
.

‘Ah … we … very little, my-my Lady.’

‘Oh?’

‘We are
working to ascertain which House the artefact was stolen from
,’ Denton continued, much to Marney’s relief, ‘along with the
identity of the Aelf who was trying to procure it
.’

‘I see.’ Amilee turned her back and began pacing between
the pillars of twisted satin. ‘And what of the jar
’s contents?’

Denton gave Marney a meaningful look. When she
pointed to herself, he gave a nod, and Marney said
quickly, ‘It was a spell, my Lady.’ Her voice had
grown in confidence. ‘We believe it was Genii magic. It
acted like a virus—’

‘That turns a person into a
golem?’ Amilee stopped pacing and kept her back turned. ‘But
first, the victim acts like a bloodthirsty animal?’ Something in
her stance suggested she was bracing for the answer.

‘Yes
,’ Marney said.

After a moment’s pause, the Skywatcher walked
back to the floating terracotta jar. Her face was creased
by deep thought.