Fated

Abithriax made a last desperate attempt to get free, then went limp. All around me, reality seemed to unravel and fade to black.

When I woke up, I felt as though I’d just taken a long, relaxing nap. I would have liked to stay sleeping, but someone was calling my name and I had the feeling I ought to answer. I shifted slightly and let myself come awake.

‘Alex? Alex!’

I opened my eyes to see Luna’s face. ‘Oh,’ I said agreeably. ‘Hey.’

‘Alex!’ Luna looked like she’d been crying, and her face was drawn and pale, but she was desperately hopeful now. ‘It’s you?’

I yawned and looked up. ‘Hey, Starbreeze. You stuck around too?’

Starbreeze was floating a little way off, her face anxious. Luna looked back at her happily, then froze. She looked back at me, suddenly watchful. ‘Wait. How do we know it’s you?’

I smiled. ‘Good girl.’

Luna let out a breath and slumped back against the corridor wall. ‘It’s him.’

I looked to my right. The fateweaver was lying on the floor, an inert wand of ivory. Experimentally I tried to manipulate the futures ahead of me, and found I couldn’t. The power had gone with Abithriax. ‘By the way, what happened?’

‘What happened?’ Luna demanded. ‘I couldn’t move you, and Starbreeze couldn’t either, and she kept saying that it wasn’t you, and I didn’t know what was going to happen, and— You tell us what happened!’

I closed my eyes and couldn’t help but smile. ‘Let’s just say it’s good to have friends.’

We rested a little longer before I pulled myself to my feet. I reached down and picked up the fateweaver between thumb and forefinger. ‘Wait!’ Luna said in alarm.

‘Don’t worry,’ I said. The fateweaver was a wand of ivory again … for now. ‘I just think we should put things back where we found them.’

Starbreeze looked at me closely, then nodded in satisfaction. ‘Sleeping.’ She looked through the portal at the piece of night sky, hopefully. ‘Go?’

‘Soon,’ I said. I took a look up at the stars, then turned back. ‘Well, then.’ I gave Luna a grin. ‘I think we’ve got someone we need to go back for.’

Luna scrambled to her feet. It must have hurt her, but she was smiling. ‘You wait here,’ I said.

Luna shook her head, still smiling. ‘I think I’ll go back with you.’

‘Find someone?’ Starbreeze asked in interest.

I looked between the two of them, then laughed. I turned and started walking back down the corridor, and both Luna and Starbreeze followed. The power from the fateweaver had gone, but my magic hadn’t, and I could still tell where to find Sonder. I didn’t think it would take long.

15

It didn’t.

We found Sonder back in the central room, searching for us amidst the traces of the battle. I think he was under the impression that we were the ones who needed rescuing by him. I would have laughed, except I was actually pretty impressed he’d been able to follow us at all.

I put the fateweaver back on its pedestal and Luna relocked the force barrier with the cube. It’s sat there for two thousand years, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s where it can stay.

Luna and I were nearly dead on our feet by the time we stepped out under the night sky of England. A call on the communicator brought Talisid running, who took one look at us and fetched a healer. Luna went out like a light as soon as she was treated. The life mage who mended her arm told me afterwards she was surprised Luna had been able to stay conscious, much less walk.

Starbreeze followed us part of the way back, then got distracted and flew off somewhere. I didn’t mind.

The official Council report was released a week later. It stated that a group of renegade mages had launched an unprovoked attack upon a Council research team studying an archaeological find. A volunteer force had mobilised to protect the researchers, and a battle was fought. Although there had been numerous casualties, the only mage to die was Griff Blackstone, the leader of the research team, who had been tragically killed while protecting the mages under his care. The attack appeared to have been random and unmotivated, with no organisation behind it. Several promin ent Dark and Light mages were quoted as condemning the attack, and stating that it demonstrated the need for greater integration. The report finished by stating that since the item had been damaged beyond repair, it would henceforth be placed in stasis.

Probably the biggest surprise from my point of view was that no one tried to blame me. In fact, the report singled me out for praise for my ‘heroic efforts to protect non-combatants’. I was invited to a ceremony where I was publicly congratulated by a low-ranking Council representative. Before and after the ceremony, I was taken aside by several less public and considerably higher ranking Council representatives and told to keep my mouth shut, or else. I did as I was told. I was fairly sure I’d made enough enemies without going out of my way to look for more.

With the crisis over, the ones who’d been in hiding emerged again. Helikaon returned to his country house, and Arachne came back to her lair.

And I went home.

And that’s how it is.

I still run my shop in my quiet little side-street in Camden. Most of the time it’s still clueless kids, but I get a lot more mages now. Ever since the affair at the museum, quite a few people seem interested in talking to me. Sonder