Magic Without Mercy (15 page)

She was right. None of those precautions would keep people safe from being possessed by the Veiled, bitten by the Veiled, or poisoned by their everyday use of magic—tainted magic.

“The streets looked pretty empty,” I said. “But plenty of people were still out at the falls. Has anyone in the media suggested the possibility of magic being the cause
of the sickness? Has the Authority sent out warnings for people to keep their magic use to a minimum?”

“Not that I’ve heard,” she said. “The sales of protection and health spells have grown ten times, and Proxy dens are overloaded from people using magic to try to keep themselves safe from the virus they think is going around.”

My stomach dropped. If all magic was tainted, and we knew for sure one cistern was filled with poison, and that at least one well was tainted, then that meant every spell someone used to try to keep safe was only causing further risk. By trying to protect themselves, people were increasing their exposure to the very thing that could kill them.

“We have to stop this,” I said. “We have to make someone understand what’s really going on. Someone who has the resources to deal with this problem. Have we heard from Terric yet on who is taking over the Authority?”

I didn’t really care who it was, just so long as he or she was reasonable enough to listen to one of us when we explained what was going on.

Once we tested what was tainting the wells, we might have something solid to give someone. Might have something solid enough that we could make an antidote.

“I haven’t heard from him, no,” Maeve said. “I’m sure he’ll check in when he has information.”

“How about food?” Shame walked out of the kitchen with a pile of sandwiches, chips, and a bowl of freshly washed grapes.

“You made food?” Maeve asked, feigning shock. “Did you do it all by yourself, Shamus? With your own two hands? Why, that could almost be considered work.”

“And you wonder why I rebel.” He handed her a sandwich and offered the bowl of grapes. She plucked out a cluster.

“Oh, I know why. You have too much of your father in you.”

“Has nothing to do with that,” Shame said. “It’s the neglectful upbringing I’ve had to suffer through.”

Maeve just made a dismissive sound and ate her sandwich.

I wasn’t sure if this was lunch or dinner. I wasn’t really sure that I was hungry. But I didn’t know when my next chance for a meal might be, so when he offered me a sandwich, I took one. Peanut butter and jelly. That would do. Everyone else helped themselves to the food too, including Collins.

“Could you tell if the Blood well was different?” I asked. “Did the magic seem tainted to you?”

“Hayden cast the Sight spell.” Maeve looked over at him. He had already finished off his sandwich and was popping grapes into his mouth.

“So we’re all fine with Eli hearing everything we have to say?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said. I didn’t have time to deal with who could or should know what, and Collins already knew too much and had done too much for us for it to matter. If he had wanted us dead, if he wanted to turn us in to the Authority, he already would have.

Plus, we had something he wanted—my money and his memories of how to use magic. As long as he still wanted either of those things, I thought we had a fair chance that he would stay on our side.

Hayden picked his teeth with his pinkie. “All right, then. The magic in the well didn’t look right. It was darker than it should be. But I didn’t see anything that looked like poison and didn’t smell anything strange.”

And that was the difference between a trained Hound and a trained magic user. Hounds knew not only what we were looking for, but also how to dig until we found
it. Anyone could cast Sight, but Hounds knew how to interpret everything they saw, smelled, tasted, and felt.

“Where’s the sample?” Zayvion asked.

“I have it here.” Maeve pointed to her purse beside the chair. “How are we going to test it?”

“We were just deciding on that,” I said.

“And?” she asked.

“We were going to ask Collins to do it.”

Maeve brushed back the stray tendrils of her hair and looked over at Collins. “And what price are you asking for your assistance, Mr. Collins?”

If she’d leveled that tone at me, I would have felt guilty. But Collins just gave her a tight smile. “I’ll take that up with Mr. Forsythe.”

Victor? Then it hit me. He wanted to talk to Victor because Victor was the one who Closed him. And only the person who Closed you could undo that spell.

But Victor had Closed him years ago. I didn’t even know if such a thing could be reversed from so long ago.

There are risks,
Dad said.
But it can be done.

Collins was a man unafraid of those risks. He’d probably do anything to get back what had been taken from him. I understood that desire. Understood it very well. But I wouldn’t hold the lives of thousands hostage to get what I wanted.

“He wants Victor to undo the Close he put on him,” Shame said. “And we all know what Victor’s answer will be. So I say we might as well come up with a plan B now. Victor doesn’t let people bully or blackmail. Not when he’s done something under orders.”

“But whose orders?” Zayvion said quietly. “Sedra’s? She’s been possessed by Isabelle for years. Maybe it was Isabelle who wanted Collins Closed.”

“She was still the head of the Authority,” Hayden said. “And, Collins, you really did do some terrible things
that earned you being Closed. Victor was doing his job and following the rules. I say Shamus is right. Victor won’t agree to do this. You’ll have to name a new price.”

“Why don’t we let Victor decide what he will and won’t do?” Collins said. “He is here now.”

Okay, I still didn’t know where the cameras were stashed so he could see who was approaching, but I heard the door open.

Zayvion once again walked out of the room. Only this time, Zayvion and Victor took a lot longer before walking back into the room. I ate my grapes and ignored the fact that everyone was straining to hear what they were saying. I didn’t have to strain. I had good ears.

Zayvion warned him about Collins’ offer. He also told Victor that if Collins didn’t give us the tech for testing the magic, we were clearly out of options, since I didn’t want to get Violet involved, and he didn’t even think Violet would have technology suited for this specific purpose. Victor didn’t say anything. Not a single word. That wasn’t a good sign. When Victor didn’t say anything, the answer was usually no.

I didn’t know what we were going to do if we couldn’t talk him into this.

We will find a way,
Dad said.
We could ask Violet—

No,
I thought.
We keep her out of this.

I was suggesting we ask Violet for names of her peers. There were some people she worked with out of England. A lab that might be convinced to help us.

No.

Victor walked into the room. He was not happy. “You and I will talk this over, Eli,” he said. “Not here.”

Collins spread his hands. “I hope you don’t think me rude, Victor, but I’d rather talk right here, where there are plenty of witnesses.”

“Like we’d take your side,” Shame said.

“You forget that there is more at risk than just the wells and magic,” Collins said. “There are Veiled out there, on the streets now, biting people, infecting people, possessing people, killing people. And I may be the only man in the world who has come up with a solution to slow that process.”

“You have?” Victor asked, surprised.

Shame just scoffed. “You mean that spell you carved into Davy? That’s not a solution; it’s a death sentence.”

“Enough,” I said. I could not hear him talk about Davy like that, could not bring myself to face that truth. Not yet.

“Allie,” Zayvion started.

“No.” I stood. “This is how it’s going to go down, people, and I’m going to say it only once, so you better shut up”—I pointed at Shame, who had already opened his mouth, but snapped it closed—“and listen to me. Davy’s still breathing. He talked to me. He recognized me. He’s still Davy.

“But even though Collins’ actions may have saved Davy’s life, he has also done him a lot of damage. Maybe it’s irrevocable damage. We don’t know that yet. And if it is permanent, I know Davy can find a way to deal with it. We all deal with the crappy things magic does to us every day.

“But I will not just sit here arguing while we let the city, and everyone else walking those streets—innocent people who didn’t sign up to get screwed over by magic—get hurt and die. If Collins has to be an ass and make us pay in blood, then I’ll be the first damn person in line to give a pint. Right now he’s all we’ve got and all we have time for.

“We’ll listen to his terms; he’ll listen to ours. We will get one more sample from the Death well to complete the tests and we will damn well get that done. And as
soon as we have enough data, we will come up with a plan to stop this. To stop the poison. No matter what it costs.

“So,” I said turning on Collins. “You want Victor to Unclose you. We want tech and fast, accurate information on what the poison is, where it’s coming from, and how we can stop it. And we want an antidote, a filter, a cure. Not what you did to Davy. Because that’s not ever going to happen to anyone ever again, understand? But something we can give to doctors so that people can survive this.

“Victor,” I said, asking him a question I had no doubt he did not want to answer, “will you Unclose Collins so we can do this before there isn’t anyone left to save?”

“Yes.”

I blinked. I hadn’t really expected he would agree. I thought I’d have to argue, plead, hell, threaten him into this.

“But not everything,” he said. “There is knowledge Collins had that no man with his… morals… should retain.”

“Oh, I think not.” Collins stood. “I won’t let you cherry-pick what I will and won’t be able to remember about magic. About using it. About the experiments I spent
years
of my life conducting. You will give me my full abilities back, all my memories back, my
life
back, or this discussion is over. No matter how pretty a speech Beckstrom gives.”

Victor looked over my shoulder at Collins. “Do you even know what level I Closed you at, Eli?”

“I’ve read the reports,” he said.

“That’s illegal,” Hayden noted. “How did you even get your hands on them? Those are under lock and key.”

“There’s not a lock I can’t pick,” Collins said. “And there is always someone who will do a man a favor for
the right price. Even broken down to this… state, I have many, many talents to offer.”

“I Closed you at a level twelve,” Victor said quietly. “I took away from you more memories and more abilities to use magic than the Authority asked me to take.”

Collins blinked. “The reports said it was at an eight. That you only Closed me at an eight.”

“That’s what they wanted me to Close you at,” Victor said. “But you were too dangerous. Far too dangerous with your knowledge.”

“You forged the reports?”

“I didn’t have to. As you said, there is always someone who will do a man a favor for the right price.”

Holy crap. Victor had gone against Authority rules years ago. I wasn’t sure how to take that.

Collins was a very dangerous man,
Dad said.
And Victor has always had a strong sense of right and wrong,
he added with a strange note of respect.
I’ve always wondered how many decisions he has “guided” to his way of thinking.

“Well,” Collins said, trying to swallow that revelation down. “My terms are simple. Unclose me so that I regain my abilities. All of them. Or I will not give you the technology you need to test magic, and find a cure.”

Shame raised his finger. “Can I say something, teach?” he asked me.

“No.”

“Too bad. Listen,” he said to Collins. “If Victor Uncloses you at that level, you are going to be a brain-rattled idiot for at least a couple days, if not weeks. You know that. You know it’s true.”

“What are you getting at, Mr. Flynn?”

“You won’t be able to show us technology or do any tests in that state. Which means Victor Uncloses you
after
we test the magic.”

Collins looked at Victor. “Is that the game, then?”

“There is no game,” Victor said. “I can Unclose you. I can give you back half of what I took before you show us the technology. After you run the tests, I can give you the other half.”

“Edited, no doubt, to your approval?” he asked.

“It is the only offer you are going to get from me,” Victor said. “And I am the only man who can restore your mind.”

Collins held Victor’s gaze, considering.

“I’m just to take your word on this?” he asked.

“As we are to take yours.”

Collins flicked his gaze to each of us in turn. “Done,” he said. “If you agree to a Seal.”

Victor pulled a small, mother-of-pearl-handled switchblade out of the cuff of his jacket and nicked his thumb.

Collins got out of the chair and strode over to him. He unbandaged the thumb on his right hand. It was raw. He pressed his bandaged index finger against it, freeing the blood to flow.

“Zayvion?” Victor said.

Zay walked over. Victor and Collins pressed their bleeding thumbs together. “Agree to your terms,” Zayvion said.

Victor and Collins repeated the deal.

Zayvion spoke a word, and I could feel the heat of that spell like a quick flash that washed through the room.

Neither Victor nor Collins flinched, but I knew that had to have hurt. And when they pulled their hands apart, I could see that neither of their thumbs was still bleeding.

Okay, so the boys had spit and shaken on it. Swell. Time to get some work done.

“Show us the equipment,” I said.

“First the Unclosing,” Collins reminded me.

For cripes’ sake. We were running out of time here. “Before even that,” Collins said as he rebandaged his thumb, “I’d like to show everyone else Davy’s condition.”

“Why?” I asked.

“If, for some reason, the Unclosing goes poorly, someone here will need to take over his care. There are… specific things that can be done to assist him. Things I believe the Flynns might be best suited for.”