Fated

However, the more I thought about it, the more I became sure that Morden’s plan included the four of us meeting with unfortunate accidents along the way. Not only would our dead bodies tell no tales, they’d make perfect scapegoats to present to the angry Council. When Morden had offered me a job as his intelligence officer and I’d accepted, I hadn’t been serious – I’d thought I’d been fooling him. I had the uneasy feeling now that he’d been the one fooling me.

Once we’d walked a short distance through the forest, Onyx stopped. ‘Wait.’ He opened a gateway and stepped through, letting it close behind him.

That left me with Rachel and Cinder, neither of whom I particularly wanted to be alone with. I heard Cinder growl something, and took the opportunity to slip away, putting a few clumps of trees between me and them. I couldn’t afford to get too far; if I wasn’t nearby when Onyx returned, he’d probably trigger my bracelet as a reminder. On the other hand, if I was quick—

I had only an instant’s warning. I darted left towards cover, but something grabbed my chest and slammed me up against a tree before I could reach it. A claw of flickering black energy pinned me to the trunk, holding me up on tiptoe, unable to move.

Khazad stepped up in front of me, and there was an evil light shining in his eyes. ‘Did you think I forgot?’ he said softly. The claw tightened slightly, constricting my chest, and I grunted. ‘You know what I did to the last man who humiliated me like you did?’

‘You kill me,’ I managed to say, my voice stifled, ‘and Onyx kills you.’

Khazad stared at me for a long moment, then the black claw loosened and I drew in a ragged breath. ‘Of course, you’ve got the key,’ Khazad said absently.

I opened my mouth to speak and suddenly the claw tightened again, and I made a strangled sound as I lost the air in my lungs. Khazad leaned in close, his dark eyes staring into mine. ‘But then, it doesn’t have to be you that uses it, does it?’ Khazad whispered. ‘I could take it from your body. You tried to run and I was forced to kill you. I’m sure Onyx will understand.’

I was choking. My chest was crushed so that I couldn’t breathe in, and my ribs were on the verge of breaking. ‘Can’t – open.’

‘What’s that, Verus?’ Khazad said with a smile. ‘I’m having trouble hearing.’

‘Won’t work – for you.’

For a long moment Khazad stared at me, head tilted as if considering. Then suddenly he smiled. ‘I think you’re lying.’ Spots were starting to swim in front of my eyes, and I could barely see Khazad as he leaned in to breathe into my ear. ‘It’s a pity I can’t take my time.’

A cold voice spoke from one side. ‘Drop him.’

Khazad twisted to look back with a snarl. The voice spoke again. ‘Now.’

For a long moment Khazad hesitated, then drew abruptly back, the claw flickering into nothingness. I sank back against the tree, using it to stop myself from falling over, and looked up as I caught my breath.

Rachel was just a little distance away, and she was wearing her mask again. If I hadn’t known it was her, I wouldn’t have recognised her as the same woman; she stood straighter, colder, more menacing. Blue-green light hovered at her palm, pointed towards Khazad. Khazad snarled again. ‘He’s mine!’

‘Try it if you like,’ Rachel said calmly. ‘We’ve got time.’

For a moment the two of them stood there, Rachel with her arm outstretched, Khazad hunched and ready to spring. Then Khazad took a step back. He shot a vicious look at me and stalked away.

The light at Rachel’s palm winked out and she walked to me. ‘Once we’re inside, you get rid of these,’ she said, tapping her bracelet. Her voice was ordinary, as if she’d already forgotten about Khazad. ‘In exchange we keep you alive.’

I nodded slowly. ‘Agreed.’

Rachel was studying me, her head tilted. ‘You’ve seen her again,’ she said in sudden interest.

‘Um …’

‘She comes more often when you’re here.’ Rachel laughed suddenly. ‘You didn’t know that, did you?’

I met Rachel’s eyes. There was a curious distant look in them, and all of a sudden I was scared, really scared. I’d called Rachel crazy on top of Canary Wharf, then forgotten about it once I’d recognised her in the mansion, but I’d been right. Rachel really was crazy. Not all the way, but far enough. Lots of people think ‘mad’ means funny, but real madness isn’t funny, it’s terrifying. Looking into the spinning futures, I saw Rachel doing a hundred different things, and I had absolutely no way of knowing which she’d choose. ‘Rachel?’ I said carefully. ‘Can you hear me?’

‘That’s not my name any more,’ Rachel said absently, looking over my shoulder.

Rachel was standing just a few feet in front of me, eyes fixed attentively on something a little way past. If she struck from this distance, her beam would go right through me and the tree behind. I stood very still and didn’t make any sudden movements. ‘Deleo.’

Rachel suddenly turned back to me, her eyes alight. ‘Yes!’ She smiled happily. ‘I had to do that. You see that, right?’

‘Um, I think so.’

‘I mean, it’s not like I could just leave!’ Rachel laughed, then frowned. ‘But she won’t go away.’ Her frown cleared. ‘She’s been quiet, though. It must be because of you.’ She smiled. ‘She always liked you. She wouldn’t say it, but I knew. Why don’t you carry on?’

I had absolutely no idea what Rachel was talking about. I tried to think of what to say. ‘Ra— Deleo. Onyx is going to be back.’

‘Onyx?’ Rachel’s brow furrowed for a moment, then cleared again. ‘Oh, he doesn’t matter.’ She smiled to herself again, then her eyes seemed to snap back into focus. ‘Make sure you’re ready to get rid of these.’ She raised