“You’re wondering what you’re going to do if I end up dead,” I finished.
“Well, yes. I mean, this operation of yours does have a disturbingly large number of potential points of failure.”
“It seems that way to you because you’re used to planning everything in detail,” I said. “I’m a lot more used to what you might call short-range adaptation.”
“It still seems inadvisable.”
“You’re welcome to come along.”
“No, no, no,” November said hastily. “That last time was more than enough.”
“Anyway, your connection should be good enough for today,” I said. “Your radio reception’s probably more limited than you’re used to, but I can’t really set up an antenna forest on a south London flat without drawing the wrong kind of attention.”
“I was hoping for a proper array, but . . . maybe another time,” November said. “Actually . . . this might sound strange, but would you mind using that mental communication technique rather than audio signals?”
“I thought you wanted a proper microphone. You were complaining constantly about the one you had in the Hollow.”
“It was terrible,” November said, “but I have to admit, since I’ve been introduced to your telepathy, I’ve been realising how much I lose when I have to rely on voice analysis. The mental communication you use is so much richer. I’m starting to understand why humans prefer to speak face-to-face.”
“Hmm,” I said, and reached out through the dreamstone. Better?
I do think I prefer it, yes, November said. You’re quite sure you’re going through with this plan?
Sure as I can be.
Well . . . in that case, please do be careful.
I smiled. Nice of you to say.
I don’t mean to take liberties, November said hurriedly. But it’s rather nice having a human mage willing to show me a minimum of consideration.
Don’t worry, I’m not going to be dying today, I said. Next week was another story. But I’ll give you Luna’s contact details just in case. She’s a good person for you to get to know if you want another contact.
Actually, I already have two phone numbers for her.
I rolled my eyes. Freaking Levistus. Time to move.
I walked outside and took out my phone. The flat I’d rented for November was in south Lewisham, and was about as back-end-of-nowhere as I’d been able to find. No one moved on the street as I leant against the wall and dialled a number. It rang twice before being answered. “Hello,” Morden said in his calm voice.
“Ready,” I told him.
“Time window?”
“Best guess, six to ten hours depending on level of paranoia,” I said. “But I should be able to give you at least two hours on the other end.”
“Sufficient,” Morden said. He hung up.
I put the phone away and let out a long breath. “All right,” I said to the empty street. “Let’s do this.”
* * *
—
I stepped through into the shadow realm, and let the gate close behind me.
Karyos had directed me to many shadow realms which fit my requirements to a greater or lesser extent, and the one I’d eventually selected was called Hyperborea. According to legend, Hyperborea was supposed to be a mythical land of perfect beauty. Either whoever had named this shadow realm had thought he was being funny, or something had gone very, very wrong, because the place was a wasteland of sand and barren soil. A dusty haze hung in the air, thickening as it approached the edges of the shadow realm until it became opaque at the borders. A pale yellow sun gave little heat. There were no trees, no plants, and not so much as a rock formation to break the monotony of the level sands. It wasn’t hard to see why no one had moved in.
The Council wasn’t here, which was good news. I’d been careful not to give them any hints to the location, and I’d path-walked extensively just to make sure, but it was still reassuring. I gave the perimeter a quick circuit, then took out my communicator to call Talisid.
Talisid answered right on time. “Mage Verus.”
“Talisid,” I said. “Are you and your escorts ready?”
“We are.”
“The exchange will be made in the shadow realm of Hyperborea,” I said. I gave the real-world mirror location and the information required to find it. “I’ll be within the deep shadow realm accessible from within. The access point is at the centre.”
“A deep shadow realm?”
“Correct.”
I could tell that Talisid was frowning. “Our agreement did not mention a deep shadow realm.”
“We agreed on a shadow realm of my choosing. This is the one of my choosing.”
“Can I ask why you’ve chosen such a remote location?”
“Because I don’t trust you very much,” I said. “Go check with your bosses if you like, but I’m not moving.”
There was a long pause. I was ready to argue if I had to, but I was pretty sure Talisid would accept it. Sure enough, in a couple of minutes, his voice spoke from the communicator. “We are . . . provisionally . . . willing to accept this location. However, we will need additional time to verify its security.”
“How long?”
“Two hours.”
That was actually better than I’d hoped for. “Fine. Just remember, three people including you. I see more than that, the deal’s off.”
“I understand. Who are your escorts?”
“You mean, is Anne with me?” I asked. “Yes. Whether you’ll see her is another question, but trust me, she’ll be watching. I’ll be seeing you soon.” I broke the connection.
* * *
—
Two hours passed. Hyperborea stayed barren and empty, but it wasn’t long before the futures became crowded with signs of Council mages sniffing around. As the deadline approached, I saw the future of a gate opening into Hyperborea, clear and steady. Three people would be coming through: Talisid, and two security men. They would take a total of one minute to enter the shadow realm: Talisid would arrive thirty seconds behind the first man, and thirty seconds ahead of the second.
I nodded. All as expected. I focused on my dreamstone, then used it to open a gateway into the deep shadow realm.
* * *
—
The deep shadow realm was coloured in shades of purple, lavender and violet and mauve. White lights shone from invisible sources far above, illuminating spiralling ramps and high platforms. The air was hazy, and smelt odourless and dry. The place felt alien but familiar; it hadn’t changed in the two years since my last visit. Of course, it was only two years to me. In this place, it would have been a lot more.