The Effaced: Chapter Thirty-Four (Patreon)

I was awoken by the smell of fried chicken cutlets, toasted chickpeas with spices, eggs cooked with tomato, onion, and spices, and some thick sausages, and blinked the sleep out of my eyes to look up and see Rhys holding several different paper bags from street or skylane vendors and putting them out on the table.

Hadiya’s head shot up and she muttered something that sounded like a curse – not in the swearing sense, but like she was chanting out a curse spell in her sleep. Kelly flailed an arm wildly in the air, and Jessica sat up, looking around.

“Alright,” Rhys said. “I have some good news an–” 

“S’too’rly,” Kelly said. “Fifteen more minutes…” 

Rhys flicked on the rune lights overhead, and a moment later their glow flooded the room with sterile white light. Kelly’s head rose a moment later, glancing around and blinking. 

“Oh, did you bring food?” he asked, suddenly sounding twice as coherent as he had a moment ago. 

“I did,” Rhys said. “All of you are welcome to help yourselves.” 

There were cheap, recyclable tin forks and knives and sticks to eat with, and within moments, we began dividing food. I was so used to the plain bread, butter, and jam that I had most mornings that this was a rather welcome change. The eggs were spicy, using some sort of tiny, spicy pepper from the south, and onions grown in Igmanis. The chickpeas were crispy and covered in a thin dust of spices too, while the sausage was surprisingly light, with apples and cabbage. I didn’t have any fried chicken, but Kelly seemed to inhale it, so I assumed that it was good. Jessica just ate the chickpeas, which meant she was nervous – she was the sort of person who ate very little when she was nervous, as opposed to me, who ate constantly when under pressure. 

When we finished eating, I started clearing things up with Kelly’s help, and we sat around the same table that we’d just eaten off of. Rhys leaned forwards. 

“Alright. I have some good news and some… interesting… news.” 

“Interesting?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Have you ever heard of Nexus?” Rhys asked. I searched my memory, trying to remember anything about it. Hadiya leaned back and pressed two fingers to her mouth, watching Rhys. 

To my surprise, Kelly was the first one to speak. 

“I’ve heard of them,” he said. “I think so, at least. They’re a rumor.” 

We all turned to him, and Kelly glanced around. 

“What?” 

“What are they?” I asked. 

“They’re one of those conspiracies, like the idea that the Great Hall of Ulacto can’t have been built by humans and elementals, and it had to have been something else, or like the idea that if you drink the water in the undercity you’ll lose your brain because it’s full of alchemical potions from the sky people to control us,” Kelly said. “Nexus is just another classic shadow 

“My father mentioned them once,” Rhys said. “Told me to stay away from them. I think they’re less of a conspiracy or secret society, and more like the Ligature disrupting Paerús’ information blackout, or how Bulwark interferes in Saxum’s politics. They operate openly, in public, in full view of everyone, but they don’t let the rest of the world know that.” 

“So why does this matter to us?” Hadiya asked. 

“Because I received a call from them last night,” Rhys said. “One from someone who thought they were a lot smarter than they were. They offered information that could identify the culprit before a jury, getting Axel off the hook and giving us information on who killed my father.” 

“What did they want in exchange?” I asked, leaning forwards. These sorts of favors never came for free.” 

“That’s just it. They want me to do everything within my power to make Hadiya agree to drop the idea of putting forward the proposal for draining artifacts being made publicly available to the senate,” Rhys said with a near-triumphant laugh. “It’s perfect. They didn’t make me forswear to not warn you. So when I take their seal, you’ll have to put up with me being annoying about getting you to drop it, but that’s it.” 

I smirked and shook my head. 

“Twisted faerie logic, that. But it’s a good idea. Was there anything else?” 

“They wanted me to turn over some of my notes about a tomb, as well as that,” Rhys said, pointing to the clay tablet with the depiction of a human with six shapes surrounding it, and a seventh shape on its head. 

“A ritual to create a super-druid that doesn’t work?” Hadiya said with a snort. “Sure, it’s got some interesting applications of using sacrifice magic to simulate aura-rich materials, but that’s about it.” 

“Exactly,” Rhys said with a grin. “But that’s pretty common. A lot of people fall victim to the idea that because the magic is old, it must be powerful. That’s just not true. But a lot of people believe it to be true, which does admittedly create some interesting interactions with faerie and dreamscape magic, as well as the causal magic of–” 

“Rhys,” I said, and he stopped. 

“Ah, yes. Not the time. But if they want to waste their time trying to artificially create the next unkillable archmage in the style of Draven, the emperor of Ulacto, or the Vault-Queen of Attelast, they can try. But once they see the human sacrifice requirements, they’ll realize just how untenable it is.” 

“Not to mention, any decently competent witch could tell you it won’t work,” Hadiya said. “It’s got influence from the Ghoul Planes, Fae Sovereignties, Lustrous Abundance, Fallen Void, Elemental Fields, and Dreamscape, but it’s missing the Wandering Path entirely – to say nothing of the fact that the magic just… Doesn’t work like that.” 

“How?” I asked. 

“Mortal magic isn’t a state of balanced scales,” Hadiya said. “It’s weightless. They’re trying to imitate the weightlessness by incorporating human sacrifice, but that actually adds a bit of weight, like a rune bond or a boon does. Then they try and balance the six other planes to create an ultra-powerful person, but that’s just not how it works.” 

“Like the magical equivalent of hoping that you won’t have to pay for anything at the store, because all your groceries weigh the same amount? Just because they’re balanced doesn’t mean they’re not there?” Kelly asked. “And just because you have a bunch of other people in your shopping cart, that doesn’t actually reduce the weight of the groceries?” 

Hadiya let out an amused snort of laughter. 

“Something like that, yes, It’s got some interesting spellcraft around human sacrifice I’d never seen before – to use your metaphor, it describes some new ways to shove people into your shopping cart – but that’s about it.” 

“Then we need to move fast,” I said. “We have to get this all done before Nexus – whoever they are – can figure out that it’s worthless. Is it possible to forcibly rush a trial before a jury of peers?” 

“It’s doable,” Rhys said. “It’s almost always a bad idea, but it can be done. This is one case where it might be a good idea. We need a battle plan, though.” 

He put his hand on the table, and grew serious. I leaned forwards and listened. I might have been the superior combatant, but when it came to the field of legal battles, Rhys was by far my superior. 

“I’m going to have to make the drop at the Maddox-Jung hotel,” Rhys said. “That’s… Hmm. We’re near the center of the city, so if we pretend that we’re at the center of a compass, with Zone’s grocery to the south-west, and the White Rooms to the west-north-west, then the hotel would be dead-on to the north.” 

Something about that sentence bothered me, but I couldn’t remember what.

“According to what you said last night, Axel, Firefright said that the Arenamaster’s next target was a hotel, while he carried out an attack on Anterior Gardens,” Jessica said, speaking for the first time in a while. Rhys and Kelly both jumped, a little spooked by her quietness. 

Was that what had bothered me? 

No.

She was right – Firefright had said something about a hotel being the next target, but this… wasn’t that. There was something else. I strained my brain, trying to think about it, but I couldn’t figure it out, so I just continued the topic. 

“I called the constables and left an anonymous tip about the gardens last night,” I said. “There’s a good chance that it will be ignored, so maybe–” 

“I can do something about that,” Rhys said. “The constables might be in the pocket of more people than a spare thin-pane, but in this instance, we can get them to help us. Can you give me a full dossier on his abilities?” 

“Not a full one, but I can tell you about his demon and his nightmare spirit,” I said. “I also know what boons he used in battle, and which ones he had growing up.

“I know all that, and a bit about his thornheart fae, but it’s mostly conjecture collected from rumors I heard underground,” Jessica said. “I can also get what information my wards managed to pick up, though remotely accessing that will be a pain.” 

“Alright,” Rhys said. “Jessica, can you help me compile a report I can pass along to the constables? After that, Axel and I can collect all the stuff from my apartment and drop it off at the hotel – on the off chance that the attack happens at the same hotel, he can act as guard.” 

“What about me?” Kelly said. 

“You and Hadiya are going to have the fun job,” Rhys said with a chuckle, taking out a checkbook and starting to fill it out. “You’re going to go shopping for Axel and then you’ll get the lawyer to rush the trial. After we meet back up, Axel, you’re going to get a rush job from a tailor.”

“What?” I asked. 

“They’re going to go shopping,” Rhys repeated, handing Hadiya the check. “You need to appear in court well groomed, polite, and looking innocent. You’re going to need a haircut, you’re going to need a good suit that’s got a high waist, but the lapels can’t be too big, or the judge will think you’re chasing fashion trends and look too swanky. Maybe in navy or charcoal gray. Get an understated tie in brown or olive, so that the judge knows you’re serious.” 

I watched Rhys as he continued to rattle instructions off to Hadiya about the suit, what grooming tools, and even what scented cologne to buy. I was left dumbfounded, and Jessica shot me a surprised look as well. I mouthed the words ‘politician’s son’ to her, and she gave the tiniest tilt of a nod.

Once Rhys finished his instructions to them, he began compiling a report with information from Jessica and myself, then went off to use the phone. Hadiya and Kelly left for the bank, and Jessica stood. 

“I’m going to let my husband know I’m okay, and that I escaped,” she said. “I told you that I kept my best artifacts at home, so I’ll try to grab you something and come back here.” 

“Be safe,” I said seriously. “Use a veil, if you’ve got one.” 

“I will,” she said, then left. A short while later, Rhys returned, I suited up in my jacket and guns and sword, and we left to head to Rhys’ apartment building.