The Relic Guild (17 page)

‘Obviously it does,’ Van Bam told him. ‘So stop wasting our time.’

‘Look,’ he said, and all signs of the fop had disappeared from his manner. ‘I told you that Carrick was the only member of his team to return to Labrys Town alive, right? Well …’ He blinked several times. ‘I might’ve heard that one other treasure hunter survived the trip too.’

‘Who?’ Samuel demanded.

Taffin leant forwards again and dropped his voice to a whisper. ‘His name’s Llewellyn, a small time businessman who tried his hand at bigger things.’ His small eyes darted from one agent to the other. ‘Listen, you have to believe me – I really didn’t think it mattered. See, from what I hear, he came back in a bad way and he hasn’t got long to live.’

‘Then get on with it,’ Van Bam snapped. ‘Where can this Llewellyn be found?’

Mr Taffin rubbed his fat chin. ‘Last I heard he was holed up at the Anger Pitt. And that’s all I know, I promise you.’

It was the truth, and Van Bam nodded that fact to Samuel.

After a short pause, Samuel pointed a finger at Mr Taffin. ‘The next time you
forget
to mention something to the Relic Guild, we’ll seize your assets and take you to the Nightshade. Got it?’

Mr Taffin averted his eyes.

Leaving him to his humility, Van Bam and Samuel strode away and headed down the spiralling staircase.

Halfway down, Samuel turned to Van Bam and said, ‘The Anger Pitt?’ He swore. ‘That’s going to be trouble.’

Van Bam agreed. ‘We should give a report to Gideon.’ He sucked air over his teeth. ‘I think we need to call in Macy and Bryant on this one.’

Marney didn’t know how long she had been unconscious but, as the warm and gentle emotions of Denton coaxed her awake, she suspected it had only been for moments. She opened her eyes to see Denton’s round and ruddy face smiling down at her. As cheerful as ever, he helped her into a sitting position and she rubbed her eyes, feeling as though she could quite happily sleep for the rest of the day.

‘I can’t believe I fainted,’ she said groggily.

Denton chuckled. ‘I wouldn’t let it bother you. When I first brought Samuel to this realm, he was light-headed for the entire visit. But don’t tell him I told you.’ He winked.

Marney rubbed her eyes again. ‘I take it we reached the right place?’

‘Oh yes. Are you feeling strong?’

Marney nodded, and Denton helped her to her feet.

They had arrived at a cave of some kind, dull and featureless and oddly unnatural in its domed formation. The stone of the walls, floor and ceiling was dark grey, smooth and polished almost to a metallic sheen. There was a little light shining in from the cave mouth, and it seemed to shift though varying shades and soft hues. On the back wall was a wooden door, which led to the Nothing of Far and Deep and the pathway that cut through it all the way back to the Labyrinth. There was something comforting about the door’s innocuous appearance, as though it stood as reassurance that home was never far away.

‘Come on,’ said Denton. He seemed eager as he took Marney’s arm and steered her towards the cave mouth. ‘There’s something I want you to see.’

Reaching the edge of the cave, Marney’s ears were filled with a deep rumbling, and her breath caught.

‘Don’t block your emotions to this, Marney,’ Denton said. ‘Revel in what you see. Experience the moment.’

A little way ahead, a wide bridge arced over a mighty chasm. From above, falls of shimmering green water cascaded down into the depths from a high cliff wall that swept around in a great semi-circle. The air was misted with rainbow colours that glinted like jewels, and the roar of the falls was constant and powerful. In the near distance, where the bridge ended, a grand tower could be seen. Sleek and dark grey, it seemed to rise up from the chasm, reaching almost as high as the cliff top, and was capped by a dome of moonlight silver.

‘The Tower of the Skywatcher,’ Denton told her. He held his hat in his hands as if in a show of respect. ‘Tell me how you feel, Marney?’

‘Strange,’ Marney replied in a small voice.
She struggled to find the right words. ‘I-I …’

‘Exactly,’
Denton whispered. ‘You don’t see this kind of splendour
in Labrys Town, do you?’

Taking her mentor’s advice,
Marney didn’t try to block her emotions. She raised
her hands to her mouth and laughed with the joy
and wonder that filled her. So many times she had
dreamed of what the realms outside the Labyrinth might look
like, but no dream could ever compare to what she
now saw.

She looked up. The cloud covering was luminous,
brighter than Ruby Moon, but less so than the sun.
The soft texture drifted like smoke, with colours shifting subtly
through shades of purple and green, hues of red and
gold, and more besides. Marney could see the deep darkness
beyond the clouds, and the stars shining in a sky
she most definitely did not recognise.

‘A man could live
to reach an exceptionally old age here, Marney. Time passes
much slower in the realm of the Skywatcher than it
does in the Labyrinth.’ He patted his hat down onto
his head. ‘But there are no such luxuries for us,
I’m afraid. We have work to do.’

At a
brisk pace, he led Marney from the cave down to
the bridge, which seemed to have little craftsmanship – it was
just a smooth and polished path of dark grey stone
that had no walls or guardrails. It was easily wide
enough to safely walk two abreast, but Marney lagged behind
Denton, marvelling at her surroundings. The rainbow-coloured mist didn’
t feel damp on her face, but caused a light
and curious tingling sensation as if it was cleansing her
skin. Her gaze travelled the full height of the emerald
falls that enclosed the chasm in a semi-circle, and
she wondered what kind of land might lie beyond the
roaring waters.

Looking back over her shoulder, Marney was surprised
to see the cave they had emerged from was set
low in a great mountain even taller than the cliff
wall. Just like the cave’s interior, it appeared unnaturally
smooth and metallic, and its peak disappeared into the shifting
colours of the lazy clouds.

‘Watch where you’re walking,
Marney,’ Denton called above the noise of the falls. The
old empath had stopped to peer over the edge of
the bridge. ‘No one knows how deep this chasm is, so it might be wise not to fall in.’

He grinned as Marney caught up with him. They continued on across the bridge, side by side, and he put an arm around her shoulders.

‘Lady Amilee’s function is now more pertinent than it has ever been,’ he told her. ‘Her duty is to monitor the Great Labyrinth. In many ways, she is our patron. More so than any other Thaumaturgist, she watches over the denizens, and has done so since the Labyrinth’s creation.

‘Spiral and the Genii might not be able to reach us through the Timewatcher’s barrier, but it is Lady Amilee who guards the doorways to the Labyrinth, ensuring that Spiral’s Aelfirian armies cannot invade us.’

‘She guards
all
the doorways?’

‘Every single one. And only she could have arranged our safe passage here today.’

Marney was suitably impressed.

Denton surveyed the tower ahead. ‘It’s disturbing enough that Carrick and his team of treasure hunters somehow managed to leave and re-enter the Labyrinth, but to do so without Lady Amilee noticing? It won’t sit well with her, Marney. It won’t sit well with her at all …’

He drew Marney to a halt and gripped her shoulders so they stood face-to-face on the bridge. ‘You must remember – Lady Amilee is always a creature of higher magic. She can appear aloof, arrogant – hostile even – but it is not our place to question the ways of a Thaumaturgist. This won’t be like a meeting of the Relic Guild at the Nightshade. When you meet Lady Amilee, your opinions might mean little to her – and that’s if she decides to let you speak at all – but it’s important that you don’t take offence. Understand?’

Marney nodded, wondering what in the realms she was heading toward.

‘But then again,’ Denton said, his grin returning, ‘you might just find the Skywatcher in benevolent mood. I certainly hope so.’

Denton set off across the bridge again. Marney had to block out her nervousness as it rose, once more cutting through the awe she felt at her surroundings.

As far as she knew, she was the only one in the Relic Guild who had never met a Thaumaturgist; and, for whatever reason, her fellow agents had never been forthcoming about their experiences. This included Van Bam. Marney wondered if her lover had been to this realm, too, and met Lady Amilee, the patron of the denizens.

The pair reached the crest of the bridge and walked down the other side. Marney could see now that the Tower of the Skywatcher didn’t rise from the depths of the chasm as she first supposed; its base, easily as wide and square as the Nightshade, was built upon a huge stone platform that grew from the end of the bridge like a gigantic disc shrouded in mist. She followed Denton onto the platform, and they headed towards the tower. With every step she took it seemed to grow taller; the more the mist thinned, the more she could see its looming surface glinting wetly under the light of the luminous clouds.

As the empaths approached the tower, a set of tall double doors swung outwards and a man emerged, seeming small between the two automaton sentries flanking him. The three figures strode out onto the platform, and, as they neared, Denton drew Marney to a halt.

Say nothing for the time being
, he thought to her.
Let me do any talking.

Absolutely
, Marney replied nervously.

The automatons closed in, their silver faces featureless, their internal mechanisms exposed and intricate. Once they were within a few paces of the visitors they stood statuesque, and the man stepped before them.

His face was thin, his body limber. He was well groomed and clean. The fine cut of his suit indicated he was some kind of aide. His pointed ears identified him as an Aelf, as did his oddly triangular face and hazel eyes so much larger than any human’s.

‘The Lady Amilee welcomes you to her tower,’ he said, but his tone and expression conveyed only disdain.

What’s his problem?
Marney thought to Denton.

The old empath didn’t reply and, without regard for the automatons, he stepped forwards with his usual charm and humbleness, even though he stood at least a head and shoulders taller than the Aelf.

‘I appreciate the irregularity of our presence in these times,’ he said, smoothly and respectfully. ‘But there is a matter on which the Skywatcher’s guidance is urgently needed.’

From the deep pocket of his coat, Denton produced the small terracotta jar they had found at Chaney’s Den. ‘Her Ladyship will be most interested in this,’ he said, holding it out to the aide.

Without response, the aide clicked his fingers and pointed at the jar. One of the automatons stepped forward. With surprisingly fluid and gentle motions, its big metal hands took the artefact from Denton. The aide then nodded towards the lofty tower. With clanging footsteps the automaton carried off the jar and disappeared through the tower doors.

The Aelf’s expression was almost disgusted as he looked Marney up and down. Marney felt a flush of anger, but, as Denton had requested, she kept her silence.

‘Lady Amilee is expecting you.’ The aide sniffed and turned on his heel. ‘Come with me,’ he said, heading back towards the tower.

The remaining automaton moved behind Denton and Marney, encouraging them to follow the Aelf.

The heavy doors boomed shut behind them, cutting the roar of the falls dead. The silence was total. To Marney’s surprise, the inside of the tower was hollow like a grand but plain hall. There was a ceiling high above, barely discernible in the dim light from glow lamps in sconces on the deep grey walls. Between the sconces, many alcoves at exactly the same distance apart were set into the walls. Inside each stood another automaton, motionless and inactive. There must have been at least fifty of them, Marney thought.

Lady Amilee’s personal guard
, Denton explained.
Even Spiral would think twice about attacking this place.

The Aelfirian aide walked to the centre of the hall, where two glass elevator shafts rose up to disappear into the high ceiling. As the automaton waited behind Marney and Denton, the aide stopped before the right side elevator, whose door was open. He folded his arms across his chest and faced the Relic Guild agents.

He addressed Denton. ‘
You
will wait here,’ and then, without so much as glancing at Marney, added, ‘Lady Amilee wishes to see your
colleague
alone.’

Before Marney could express her surprise or raise any objections, the automaton began ushering her towards the elevator.

Denton
?
she thought desperately.

Don’t concern yourself, Marney
, he
replied. Although there was a hint of surprise in his
emotions, he was also clearly amused. And pleased.
I will
be waiting when you return.

As soon as the automaton
had steered Marney into the elevator, it stepped back, and
the clear glass doors slid closed. Marney’s stomach tingled
as she began to rise. She placed a hand against
the glass, her wide eyes watching Denton’s grin receding
from her.

His gentle voice entered her head.
Experience, Marney.
You should feel honoured.
And then she could no longer
see him.