With enormous care he cloaked himself in another obfuscation hex; not Reg’s, this time, but one he’d learned from Sir Alec. The good news was that it muffled his thaumic signature until he was practically invisible. The bad news was that it interfered with his potentia, but he’d have to live with that. Secrecy was the most important thing right now.
He looked up. There, just as Reg had said, was the faint trace of light leaking between the top floor windows’ shutters. That was where he needed to be, and quickly. Before Errol and Haf concluded their treacherous business.
Scarcely daring to breathe, he eased himself into the abandoned boot factory. It was pitch dark inside, like being smothered with black velvet. His half-blindness wasn’t much help, either… but he didn’t dare try an illuminato incant.
The tracer crystal.
He dug it out of his pocket and held it in front of his good eye, squinting. The tracer glowed steadily, indicating Errol’s nearby presence, but it wasn’t bright enough to make a difference to the dark.
Damn.
Shoving the useless thing back in his pocket, he reached out with his muffled senses and began to pick his way across the floor to where he thought, he hoped, the stairs were located-heart-thuddingly aware that time was ticking past, that Errol and Haf could be planning another devastating portal attack and he wasn’t anywhere near enough to overhear and stop them.
Come on, come on, Dunnywood. Get a move on. Don’t let them win.
He found the stairs and, tread by uncertain, unseen tread, climbed them. Up one floor. Then another. Another. He was breathing in dust and who-knew-what kinds of filth; he wanted to sneeze and cough, but couldn’t. His sinuses were burning. His legs were burning too-climbing stairs was hard work and he’d never been an athlete. Maybe Reg should have nagged him a little harder about getting outdoors for some healthy fresh air and calisthenics.
As he reached the top floor at last, the blood thundering through his veins and arteries, he heard raised voices. Errol and Haf Rottlezinder were arguing. Under the cover of their anger he crept along a little faster, guided by the spill of light from a room at the end of the corridor that led off from the staircase.
“-always were one of the best, Haf,” Errol was saying. “But is this any way to prove it? I thought you’d learned your lesson five years ago.”
“I’m not trying to prove anything,” Rottlezinder sneered. “That was your game, as I recall. Appearances always mattered to you. They always will. Me? I don’t care how a thing looks. I never did. The world is a lie. Everyone is a liar. Even you, Errol. Especially you, I think.”
The ether shivered again, teeth and claws returning.
“I don’t know what you mean, Haf,” said Errol, sounding cautious again.
“Of course you do,” said Rottlezinder, softly dangerous. “Don’t treat me like one of your pathetic subordinates, Errol. We both know you didn’t ask to see me because you changed your mind.”
A gentle sigh. “You’re right,” said Errol. “I didn’t. I’ve no intention of joining you, Haf.”
Gerald froze, shocked to a standstill. What? Errol wasn’t involved? But “You’re a fool,” said Rottlezinder, contemptuous. “We are talking about a great deal of money.”
“I don’t care about the money!” Errol spat. “I’ve got plenty of money. I care that the wrong people are asking questions about me!”
“So let them ask. What is that to you? You don’t have anything to hide, do you, old friend?”
Rottlezinder’s voice was taunting now. What the hell was going on? Gerald stared at the open doorway. It was six feet away but he didn’t dare creep any closer. Obfuscated or not, the risk was too great.
“Why should you worry?” Rottlezinder continued. “The records were sealed. What we did-what you did-was winked at. Youthful indiscretions, isn’t that what they call them?”
“It’s what they were, Haf!” Errol was close to shouting. “I was young and ignorant and I never would’ve dabbled in that-that business if it hadn’t been for you. Why do you think I turned you down this time? Do you think I’m stupid? You used me at university and you wanted to use me again.”
“Ah… you hurt my feelings,” said Rottlezinder, mocking.
“Believe me, Haf, I’ll hurt a lot more than that if you don’t stop this insanity,” said Errol. “I told you not to get involved with this mess. But you couldn’t resist, could you? Not the money, and not the chance to make the little people squirm. You always were greedy. Well, friend, now your greed is threatening me and I won’t put up with it. I have a reputation, Haf. I am one of Ottosland’s elite. And I’ll not stand idly by while your hatred and greed threaten what I’ve worked so hard to achieve!”
“Oh, such a typical Haythwaite response,” said Rottlezinder, contemptuous again. “Errol, you have not changed a bit. Always you are so-so predictable. All your outrage reserved for yourself. None left for the little people caught up in the madness.”
“I’m not interested in your personal opinion of me,” said Errol. “I’m interested in watching you leave the country.”
Rottlezinder laughed. “I’m not leaving. I still have work to do.”
“No, you haven’t. Get it through your thick skull, Haf. This ends here tonight. I’m ending it, is that clear?”
As Rottlezinder laughed again, Gerald felt the hair prickle on the back of his neck. Careful, Errol. Can’t you tell he’s dangerous? He’s not some Third Grade minion you can order around. But that was Errol’s problem, wasn’t it? His arrogance was blinding.
“Oh, Errol,” said Rottlezinder, spuriously sad. “You think you’re so much better than everyone else, don’t you? You think because you have old blood, because the roots of your family tree go down so deep in Ottosland’s rotten soil, you can snap your fingers and everyone will fall in line. You think I will fall in line. This is not true.”
“Yes, it is,” said Errol, his voice strained to breaking point. “Did you not hear today’s news? Your sabotage of the Post Office portal failed. Now the net’s closing around you, and if you don’t leave you’ll be caught. For old times’ sake I’m giving you this once chance to escape. But if you don’t take it-well…”
So close to the open door, to Errol and Rottlezinder, Gerald felt another ominous shiver in the ether. Even muffled he felt it, blowing through him like a wind full of knives.
Oh, lord. That’s not good.
“ Errol… Errol… what did you do?” Rottlezinder whispered. “Did you call the authorities? Did you tattle on me?”
“Of course I bloody called them, Haf! What choice did you leave me?” Errol demanded. “It was only a matter of time before somebody died!”
“How could you?” said Rottlezinder. He sounded… bemused. “After I turned to you for help. After everything I shared with you. Everything we did. This is how you thank me? With betrayal?”
“I haven’t betrayed you, Haf,” said Errol. “Nobody knows you’re here. Nobody will know. Not from me. Do you think I want anyone knowing I’m involved with this madness? Just… leave. I’m begging you. Let it all end tonight.”
“I am a fool,” said Rottlezinder, his voice thickened with rage. “I let sentiment defeat pragmatism. Get out, Haythwaite, and do not come back. Next time my wards will tear you apart.”
“I’ll go when you do,” said Errol, defiant. “Come on, Haf. It’s over.”
“No, it is not over!” shouted Rottlezinder. “Not until I say so!”
“Then you are a fool!” Errol retorted. “You’re forcing me to stop you. And you know I can, Haf. You know-”
And then Errol let out a shout of pain.
Flattened against the cracked corridor wall, Gerald felt Rottlezinder’s potentia flare, felt the saboteur lash out at Errol with an incant full of flame and fury. He heard Errol shout again, felt his instinctive defence. Felt the ether writhe and shudder as Errol fought back.
“Haf! Are you mad? Stand down, man, before you trigger that bloody hex!”
His head snapped up. What? What bloody hex? What did Rottlezinder have in that room? Surely not another incant destined to destroy a portal?
Oh, no. This madman could blow up the whole building. Lord, he could blow up half of South Ott.
Heart pounding, Gerald tried to control his panicked breathing. Booming in his ears, Sir Alec’s inviolate first
