Fated

I was busy with the control panel. Like most Precursor designs it was sparse; a few spheres that looked like glass, and some rods set into the wall. They were controlled with fine magical impulses. With my divination magic I could see how to make them do what I wanted, but I had no idea how they worked. Still, that was enough to—

‘Alex!’

‘Hm?’ I said absently.

‘What’s that on your arm?’

I glanced down to see that the bracelet on my right wrist was crackling and spitting feebly. Black energy leaked from it, making my arm tingle. ‘Oh,’ I said. ‘Looks like Onyx decided to kill me.’

Luna and Sonder stared. ‘They’re called death bracelets,’ I said. ‘Dark mages use them to keep prisoners in line.’

The bracelet was still crackling. ‘Um.’ Sonder said. ‘Shouldn’t you …?’

‘Oh, it’s fine. I dialled down the power by a factor of a hundred or so. Onyx must have fired it at maximum, otherwise you wouldn’t even see it.’

‘What does maximum do?’

‘Kills an adult human in ten to twenty seconds, depending how strong their heart is. Anyway, we’d better get moving. Don’t touch anything without checking with me first, don’t go anywhere I haven’t gone already, and if I tell you to do something, do it fast. Okay?’

Luna nodded, Sonder a little slower. Both were still staring at the bracelet. As they watched it fizzled and fell silent. We headed to the T-junction and stopped while I stood between the two paths.

‘What’s he doing?’ I heard Sonder whisper after a minute.

‘He’s looking ahead to see what’ll happen if we go down each corridor,’ Luna said quietly.

I smiled to myself and pointed. ‘Left.’

It was an hour later and the three of us were clustered in a small room. In a small alcove, set into the wall, was a single recessed crystal sphere. Before us was a closed door.

Sonder was examining the sphere while I leant against the wall next to him. Luna stood back, well out of range. ‘Sonder, we’re on a clock here,’ I said at last.

‘Sorry.’ Sonder stepped back. ‘Well, it’s definitely a focus for some kind of mind effect—’

‘I know.’

‘—and I think it might be telepathy-based. Anyway, it’s for communication.’

‘You said you could get the door open?’ Luna asked.

‘Probably, but there’s a trap, And after what happened last time I don’t want to take the chance if we can avoid it.’

Sonder flinched slightly at that. The previous room had held an electrical trap that would have turned anyone who came close enough into a lightning rod. ‘So that leaves this thing?’ Luna asked.

‘That leaves this thing.’ I stared at the crystal sphere, frowning. ‘It’ll help us get past. I just don’t know how.’

‘What’ll happen if we touch it?’ Sonder asked.

‘Nothing.’

Sonder and Luna looked at each other. ‘If I touch it, I’ll do nothing,’ I said. ‘I’ll stand still with my hand on this thing for maybe ten minutes, and I won’t move or say a word, no matter what you do. And I don’t know why.’

‘That would make sense if it’s a telepathy focus.’ Sonder volunteered.

I didn’t answer. The truth was that not knowing what would happen if I touched this thing made me uneasy. Normally I always know what’ll happen. You don’t realise how accustomed you get to something until it’s suddenly taken away from you.

When I didn’t move, Sonder shifted. ‘I could try it …’

‘No,’ I said, and stepped forward. ‘You two watch my back. I don’t think I’ll be able to sense anything else while I’m using this. If you hear trouble coming, pull me off it. Kick me if you have to.’

They nodded. ‘Be careful,’ Luna said.

I turned to the sphere, took a deep breath, then placed my hand upon it. There was a moment of disorientation as the world seemed to flicker, then it was gone. I let my fingers rest on the sphere. Nothing happened.

I tried a command word. ‘Annath.’

Nothing.

‘Open. Transmit. Sagashiette.’

Still nothing.

I sighed and turned away. ‘Well, that was under-whelming.’

Luna and Sonder looked past me. ‘Nothing,’ I said. ‘Weird. I’m pretty sure it should have …’

I trailed off. Sonder hadn’t moved. Luna glanced aside anxiously, then went back to looking over my shoulder, her eyes passing over me. ‘Hey,’ I said. ‘You guys okay?’

No reaction. ‘What are you—?’ I began, turning round, and stopped dead. What Luna and Sonder were staring