“Please make a concerted effort to avoid the sorcerers on this level. Roxanne would be highly displeased if we injured them. They are only here to watch me, not to risk their lives.”
“I figured from the energy signatures that Roxanne was serious about keeping you put,” I said, giving him a long look. “How are you?”
“Bored out of my mind,” he said. “If I don’t leave soon, I’ll be forced to take drastic measures.”
“Drastic measures?” I asked, concerned. “Like?”
“Relax, Simon. I suffered a schism, not a psychotic break.”
“Aren’t those one and the same?” I asked. “You were full-on Darth Monty there for a moment. Follow me and die.”
“At no point did I utter the words: ‘Follow me and die’.”
“True, but that was the intent, the spirit of the statement. Like I said, major Darthness.”
“There was no Darthness at work. The schism merely affected me more than I anticipated,” Monty said. “I’m still dealing with some of the aftereffects, but it is under control.”
“Roxanne feels like you should leave here later rather than sooner,” I said. “She feels you were also a little too close to Darth Monty the last time we faced each other.”
“I seem to recall saving you the last time we were together,” Monty said with a semi-smile, “as you were trying to face an extremely homicidal Evers on your own.”
“I had that situation completely handled and under control.”
“As the scars on your arms attest,” Monty answered after taking another sip of tea. “A few more minutes and she would have reduced you to ribbons of immortality.”
“She was beyond fringe,” I admitted. “Thanks for coming back. It was looking dicey there for a moment. She was serious about eliminating magic…and you.”
“She wasn’t the first and she won’t be the last,” Monty said. “There are large factions that believe the world would be better off if magic never existed.”
“What happened? Why was she so determined to reduce you to a memory?”
“My past is filled with acts that I will answer for at some point in my lifetime,” Monty said. “I own these acts and would do them again if the need arose. We were in a war to save this plane…to save humanity. I committed atrocities I’d prefer not revisiting.”
“And Evers?”
“She was a willing subordinate who became a victim, sadly. At the time, there was no other choice. I thought she had perished.”
“She was very much non-perished.”
“I’m aware,” Monty said. “My concern is about her activities since the war. She may have set certain events in motion.”
“That doesn’t sound ominous at all.”
“So far, nothing has reared its unpleasant head to attack us or eliminate…well, everything,” Monty said, somewhat upbeat. “That, in itself, is good news. Rest assured, there are more like her out there.”
“I’ve met a few,” I said. “I’d like to not meet any more. Anyway, thanks, really. You didn’t have to come back, but you did.”
“You’re welcome,” Monty said. “I’m sure you would’ve done the same for me.”
“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head in mock seriousness. “Do you have any more super powerful psychos coming for you?”
“I have plenty of enemies,” Monty said, narrowing his eyes at me. “Anything is possible. Now, tell me why you’re here, and please don’t insult my intelligence by saying this is just a regular visit.”
“That’s all this is,” I lied. “I wanted to make sure you were still the cheerful mage I know.”
“I’m a mage—we don’t do cheerful, and you lie atrociously,” Monty said, leaning back. “This must be serious if you were willing to brave the wrath of Roxanne by coming here. She’s still quite upset with my schism and, for some reason, lays some of the blame on you.”
“Imagine that, considering you were the one who cast when you weren’t supposed to,” I said. “Yet I get some of the blame.”
“I think she just enjoys torturing you. Also there is the whole guilt by association theory working against you.”
“So I’m learning,” I said. “How did you know?”
“Your energy signature,” Monty said with a hand wave, “while straightened out, which I can assume was Kali’s handiwork, is all over the place. You’re agitated; tell me why.”
I looked down at my arms, but surprisingly I couldn’t see my own energy signature.
“Has that always been the case?” I asked, still looking at my arms. “You can read my signature?”
“I’m a mage; I can see almost anyone’s energy signature, unless they are deliberately trying to mask it,” he answered. “Now, stop stalling and share.”
“Ramirez got a call,” I said. “For me.”
“Did he finally upgrade to a real phone?” Monty asked. “Is this cause for celebration? Since when does he relay your personal messages?”
“He doesn’t. This was a special call.”
“Special enough to warrant a call from the Director of the NYTF,” Monty said. “I’m listening.”
“It was from Shadow Company, specifically Douglas.”
Monty’s expression darkened.
“The same Shadow Company that doesn’t officially exist?”
“The one and the same.”
“Peter Douglas is a person of no small influence,” Monty said. “For him to personally call Ramirez speaks volumes.”
“I figured he wanted to keep the circle of information small.”
“Which only lends this call more weight. What did Ramirez say?”
“I tried to convince him that digging into this was a bad idea,” I said. “But this is Angel—”
“You may as well have told him to dig deeper.”
I nodded.
“They gave him minimal information,” I said. “Enough to be convincing. Asked for me by name and gave him some pertinent info about my past.”
“How much did Ramirez uncover?”
“He knows I was a dead-eye,” I said. “Don’t think they told him much more than that.”
“If he keeps digging, they’ll consider him a liability,” Monty said. “Groups like Shadow Company don’t like liabilities.”
“I explained as much to Angel. Douglas was flexing.”
“I see,” Monty said, his voice clipped. “I take it this wasn’t a social call.”
“Not even remotely,” I said. “They want to meet.”
“What did you say?”
“I didn’t. I came here first.”
FIVE
“It sounds urgent,” Monty said, getting out of bed. “Did you call them back?”
“Not yet,” I said. “Wait, what are you doing?”
“How
