Authors: Saje Williams
www.samhainpublishing.com
Sword and Shadow
was then that he decided to return home. Or, at the very least, to find some of his old companions and make a new home among them.”
He fell silent. Raven stared at him, mind trying to grasp what he’d been told, and finding himself accepting it, regardless of how incredible it seemed. As cynical as he could be, he knew the ring of truth when he heard it, and ArchAngel’s story was too implausible to be a fabrication. In an infinite universe, anything is possible, and sometimes the most unlikely things turned out to be fact.
His mouth moved and, after a moment of being unable to speak at all, a single word squeaked out. “Justice?”
ArchAngel smiled, and it was a wholly human smile. “I’ve missed you terribly, old friend. You have no idea how much.”
And then Raven was crying, bloody tears streaking down his face like crimson rain. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Vampires didn’t need to breathe to live, but there were many more reasons to breathe sometimes than just to capture oxygen. If he didn’t take that breath, he’d be sobbing like a baby and he knew it.
He stood, the chair toppling to the floor behind him, and barreled around the desk, taking ArchAngel in his arms and lifting him off his feet. He pressed his face into the synthetic flesh of his friend’s neck and breathed a scent that wasn’t human, but one that he’d forever-more associate with the man who’d meant more to him than almost any other in all of his existence.
They stood like that for a long moment, and then broke apart. Raven clapped him on the shoulder and gazed into his eyes wonderingly. “It all makes sense now. Of course you’d be given authority here, if everything you say is true. You’ve done more for the human race, and to impede the progress of the Cen Empire, than any thousand agents have managed.”
“I cheated,” ArchAngel told him a bit sheepishly. “I decided that this place needed a more rational hand guiding it than Athena’s, and so I changed reality to suit my purposes. I’m no more authoritarian than my father, when you get right down to it, but this place is something of a zoo. It needs someone to be in charge—someone who’s
not
a control freak.”
www.samhainpublishing.com 315
Saje Williams
Raven laughed aloud. “Justice—this is just
so
amazing. I’ve got to introduce you to Val. I mean a
real
introduction, not that dance we did when we first arrived back.”
“Val? Is that the young blonde agent Athena’s so pissed at?”
“That’s the one. I’m in love with her, Justice. I mean, really, totally, and completely head-over-heels, dumber than a brick, in love with her.
She’s strong, smart, courageous, and she makes me feel like a real person again.”
ArchAngel smiled. A bit wistfully, Raven thought, with an inward wince. He realized belatedly how this must sound to a man who’d never had the chance to know any kind of romantic love.
Justice had spent his early years surrounded by freaks, and then come of age during a time of terrible war. He’d never had the opportunity to meet a girl and fall in love…not even the innocent puppy love that most mortals enjoyed. His whole life had been one a collision course with destiny, and he’d known it all along while the rest of them had remained ignorant of his eventual fate.
“I’d dearly love to meet your lady,” he said finally. “She sounds like an amazing woman.”
“She is.” Raven walked back around the desk, lifted the chair, and sat back down. “But I’m worried about her.”
ArchAngel frowned. “Worried? Why?”
Raven outlined their experiences and what had happened to the both of them, from his initial assignment there, to their encounter with the doppelganger of ArchAngel’s father on that other alternate Earth. When he was through, ArchAngel’s face had gone slack in a particularly convincing imitation of a human expression of shock. “She killed a doppelganger of Deryk Shea?” He didn’t bother to outline how impossible that actually seemed. His father was known as being pretty much indestructible. Untouchable, unbreakable, and nearly godlike in his invulnerability.
“Yes. And god knows how many mortals. She’s a walking engine of destruction, Justice. I think that’s one of the reasons she hasn’t really come to terms with it—she can kill dozens, if not hundreds, of men 316
www.samhainpublishing.com
Sword and Shadow
without even expending much effort at all. I don’t think it’s hit her how real it all was.
“That’s why I want her to retire as a field agent. She’s earned it, no matter what Athena thinks. She didn’t fulfill her obligations to TAU
there, but that just wasn’t possible. It was only a matter of time before the natives got their hands on advanced weaponry anyway—Odin had a stockpile in his ship, and the Church was his baby.”
“Yes,” ArchAngel mused. “The Church. What do you plan to do about them, anyway?”
“I’m going to turn my fledgling loose on them,” Raven chuckled. “I’d like to give him some training here, but he’s in a hurry to get back to the fight. He’s not going to be patient enough to learn what we could teach him.”
“There’s not much you can do about that, I’m afraid. He’s got his own path to follow. You’ll have to take consolation in the fact that you already gave him as many of the tools he’s going to need as he’ll allow you.”
“There is that,” Raven admitted. “I’m going to ask Val to marry me.”
ArchAngel cocked an eyebrow. “That’s a bit extreme, don’t you think?
Marriage, as an institution, is virtually unknown here. Hell, from what I understand, it’s not even all that common on Earth Prime anymore.”
“It’s what I want. And I hope to hell it’s what she wants too. I’m not sure if I could take it if she said ‘no.’”
ArchAngel chuckled dryly. “I suppose you’d like her to be given immortality, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course. Rumor has it Jaz has some sort of serum, though that
is
just a rumor.”
“Not just a rumor. And you know as well as I do that there are other ways as well. You can approach Jaz if you’d like, or I could see what I can do. Athena’s not going to like it, but offending her isn’t going to break my heart.”
“That’s good news. Well, I guess I’d best fill you in on what we’re planning for the Court this evening. We’re going to submit petitions for three new agencies. An agency of healers for Val—I want her to learn to www.samhainpublishing.com 317
Saje Williams
use her talents constructively—a bodyguard and assassin’s agency for Morrigan, and a mercenary corps for Scorpio.”
“Morrigan?” ArchAngel let out a barking laugh. “Oh, that’s going to go over well. Especially since Morrigan and Kali are already planning on submitting two petitions to start agencies of their own.”
“What?” This was news to Raven.
“Indeed. That’s why Morrigan ended up in the middle of your last assignment—why she was smuggling weapons there. They want to start an agency devoted to thumbing its collective nose at TAU and its rules. I already know their reasoning and, regardless of how much controversy it’s going to spawn, I happen to agree with it. Sometimes the only chance people have of escaping death at the hands of a tyrannical regime, or a more powerful enemy bent on genocide, is to be given access to arms they wouldn’t ordinarily be able to acquire. Technological purity doesn’t trump the right of the downtrodden to defend themselves.
“I’m with you on the agency devoted to healing. I think that’s a damn good idea all the way around, and it’s a bonus that it will help your lady friend in particular. The Stewards usually get stuck with that end of things, and they’ve got enough to do keeping Starhaven running smoothly.
“I’m a little less thrilled about the whole mercenary idea, but I’ll give you guys the chance to make the pitch. If it’s a good one, I’ll support it.
And I’d recommend selling
your
idea as a bodyguard agency first and foremost. And since Morrigan’s already got an agency proposal of her own, you’re going to have to volunteer to head it yourself, at least for the time being. There’s no way any single entity will be allowed to head two separate outfits.
“And I’m not going to influence the voting for
any
of the proposed agencies. They’ll have to make it through on their own merits. I’m even going to insist on a secret vote, so I don’t influence the outcome even by accident.
“If you do manage to get Val to agree to marry you, I’ll put together a wedding ceremony that won’t be forgotten as long as Starhaven exists.
318
www.samhainpublishing.com
Sword and Shadow
Which will probably be for a very, very long time. Of course, you first have to get her to agree. She’ll probably think you’re crazy.”
“Most likely,” Raven said. “Have you gone home yet?”
ArchAngel shook his head. “No. I’d like to see my father again, but I’m not sure how he’ll take me being the way I am. And I’m not sure I can take going back to find out my mother is dead and gone. Or an old woman. It
has
been over two hundred years, after all.”
This reminded Raven of his own mother, and how he’d never quite gotten around to getting back in touch with her after he’d vanished during the battle against Veronica’s zombies in the caverns beneath Central Oregon. He’d written letters he’d never sent, and picked up the phone dozens of times, but could never work up the courage to place the call.
He regretted it now, of course. She’d deserved much better than he’d given her. He tried very hard not to think about it, but it was things like this that flashed his guilt like a big neon sign to his subconscious.
Yes, Raven, you were an asshole. So what else is new?
The voice was back. He’d decided that he wasn’t going insane…he’d just been supplied with a far too active conscience, and an over-abundance of imagination. That’s what made him a good mage. Without imagination, magic was impossible. “I should get back,” he said suddenly, rising to his feet.
ArchAngel did the same. “What are you going to tell them?”
“The truth. That an old friend has returned. They’ll figure it out for themselves eventually. And I’m hoping that Val just trusts me. She wanted me to give you the benefit of the doubt anyway. It’s because of her that I actually came here today. My first impulse—”
“Was to tell me to go fuck myself. Yeah, I figured as much. See you at the meeting tonight, Raven. I’ll be rooting for you, even if I don’t show it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Justice.” He turned and strolled to the door, which opened as he approached. “You should really consider going and seeing your father. Just because you have an eternity to do it doesn’t mean you should wait that long.”
www.samhainpublishing.com 319
Saje Williams
“Yeah, I know. Get out of here. Your woman is waiting for you. She’s probably wondering if I’ve eaten you or something by now.”
Laughing, Raven turned back around and walked out.
320
www.samhainpublishing.com
Sword and Shadow
Chapter Thirty-six
Morrigan paused in the doorway and scanned the room, taking in every figure sitting at the long wooden table. At the head was the new boss man, the one they called ArchAngel. Sitting on his left, several feet down the table, was Athena. Across from her was the immense bulk of Fenris Wolf, his long white beard coiled on the table top like an albino snake as he doodled in a notebook off to one side. He was left-handed, she noted absently.
Farther down the table sat Jasmine Tashae and the mage-engineer Artificer. Jaz was leaning back, eyes closed as if she was catching a quick nap before the whole thing started. Artificer was fiddling with some gadget in front of him. His need to tinker bordered on the obsessive, but that came as no surprise. Everyone pretty much knew that about him.
The petitioners, of which she was one, were relegated to the far end of the table from ArchAngel. The others were already there, sitting in relative silence except for Raven and Val, who were holding hands and whispering to one another. She smiled and shook her head. What good did it do to whisper in a room full of people that could hear a ant fart at fifty feet?
She walked in, nodded to her fellow immortals, and took a seat with the other petitioners. Kali offered her a wink and a grin, and she grimaced in response. Her nerves felt like someone had been banging on them with an electrified baton. She’d already begun to regret making this agreement with the Goblin Queen, and hoped the whole thing didn’t blow up in their faces.
Raven had returned from his meeting with ArchAngel in an oddly jubilant mood, but she didn’t take that as any kind of positive sign.
www.samhainpublishing.com 321
Saje Williams
ArchAngel had proved to be quite adept at bringing people around to his way of thinking, and she wasn’t sure that Raven’s change of heart about the man—or android, rather—was something about which she felt particularly comfortable.
She took a seat and waited for someone to start the proceedings.
After a moment, ArchAngel cleared his throat. This struck her as fairly ridiculous, considering there was no reason at all for an android to do such a thing. But it did have the desired effect of drawing everyone’s attention.
“We’d like to welcome all you to this Court meeting, and thank you for your participation. As you all know, the High Court was established in order to deal with agency issues in particular, and was in no way meant to supplant the authority of the old Starhaven Council.”
He referred to the old guard here, the original leaders of Starhaven before the immortals had arrived to set up shop. The ‘Council’ still met, but it was a formality these days. The agencies and their operatives made up a sizeable chunk of the construct’s population, and the High Court’s decisions tended to affect more people than anything dreamt up by the Council. It was little more than a collection of figureheads anymore.
“The immortals sitting at this table right now represent the four interworld agencies. Athena for TAU, Fenris for Sash, Jasmine for Mirage, and Artificer for Magitech. It has been brought to our attention that five of you are bringing forth petitions to add new agencies to the roster and it will be the Court’s job today to determine whether these additions are warranted and in the best interest of Starhaven and those who depend on us for protection against the Cen threat.”
Rather pretentious sounding, mused Morrigan, but she couldn’t really fault him for wanting this to carry the earmarks of a historical meeting. It could well turn into that, and, as such, the language of the initial moments was of particular significance.
“We would hear Scorpio’s petition first,” he announced.
The mercenary stood and coughed into his fist. He didn’t waste any time getting to the point. “There have been many times when agents of TAU and Sash could use a solid military force to back them up in times 322
www.samhainpublishing.com
Sword and Shadow
of conflict. People who are trained and willing to use advanced weapons and other equipment to defend against Cen incursions and other serious threats. I propose that the Court considers including Havoc in its roster of interworld agencies, and allow us to set up shop here on Starhaven.
Thank you.”
He sat back down.
Fenris was nodding. Jaz and Artificer were exchanging meaningful glances, but, unfortunately, Morrigan wasn’t able to gauge the content of their meaning. Athena looked as though she’d bitten into an apple and found half a worm.
“I think that if this ‘Havoc’ were allowed to become a resource for agents in the field,” she said slowly. “They may come to rely on it rather than on their own ingenuity and abilities. I’m going to have to vote ‘nay.’”
“There’s a surprise,” Fenris grunted sarcastically. “He’s absolutely correct when he says that sometimes the agents
do
need strong backup.
And these are supposed to be secret votes, Athena.”
She shrugged unconcernedly. “I’m not afraid to let people know how I’m voting. I’m not sure why anyone is.”
“The votes will be kept secret,” ArchAngel said, in a tone that brooked no argument. “Please press the red or green button under the table in front of your seat.”
After a moment he nodded. “It seems that Havoc has been accepted into the fold. Welcome to the Court, Scorpio. Have a seat at this end of the table. You will be allowed to vote on the next proposal.”
“I don’t like this at all, ArchAngel,” said Athena, affixing him with an icy glare.
“Duly noted,” he said. “Next up is Raven, speaking on behalf of a proposed agency called ‘Bane.’”
The vampire stood, nodded toward the immortals and cut to the chase. “Too many times our agents are sent into the field with no available backup, and have to rely on locals for support. I think an agency of bodyguards to assist and protect the operatives of the other agencies while on assignment will increase their chance of succeeding in their missions—whatever missions they happen to be.”
www.samhainpublishing.com 323
Saje Williams
“Vote,” intoned ArchAngel, without even giving the Court the opportunity to debate the suggestion. After a minute, he said, “The ‘ayes’
have it. Welcome to the Court, Raven. Please take your seat amongst us.”
This time Athena’s glare was hot, and Morrigan was amused to note that it affected ArchAngel no more than the last one had. He took no outward pleasure in her obvious distaste for the proceedings, but Morrigan had the feeling that he was chortling heartily somewhere behind that placid face.
Could androids chortle?
“Next up. Kali, for the creation of an agency called the Triwar Guild.”
“I object,” said Athena, before the Goblin Queen could say a word.
“To what?” ArchAngel asked in a bored tone.
“To the fact that you’re ramming these proposals down our throats.
We’re not even getting the chance to debate them.”
“Debate is overrated,” he shot back. “Let’s just take it on faith that you’ll argue against each and every one of them and nothing will come of it, and let the goddam thing come to a vote without dragging it out for days.”
She looked as though she was about to swallow her tongue. “You’re on
their
side,” she snarled.
“I’m on the side of the agents,” ArchAngel told her placidly, totally unruffled by her growing anger. “Anything that gives them a better chance to survive and succeed in their missions is something we
ought
to approve.”
“This whole thing is a joke!” she snapped. “I don’t know what I was thinking even bothering to show up. You’re going to do what you want and the hell with anyone who disagrees.”
“Athena,” he said calmly. “Do us all a favor and sit down and shut up. I doubt any of us want to listen to your theatrics. Go ahead, Kali.”
The four-armed immortal made the argument Morrigan had expected, and, after a few moments deliberation, the votes were tallied and Kali took her place with the other Heads of Agency. Athena looked as though her head was about to burst and it was everything Morrigan could do to keep from laughing aloud.
324
www.samhainpublishing.com
Sword and Shadow
Then it was her turn. “Sometimes just smuggling weapons in isn’t enough,” she said. “Sometimes people are under the thumb of a government so powerful and so corrupt that they don’t have the will to fight. They cry out for someone to help, but there
isn’t
anyone to help. I’d like to form an agency that fosters revolution—agents trained in propaganda, organizing, and civil disobedience, with all the resources of the interworld agencies behind them.”
She was surprised and more than a little pleased to see Fenris nodding. She hadn’t really expected support from that direction, but she’d take what she could get.
She was absolutely thrilled a few minutes later when the vote came down in favor of the creation of the “Knights of Anarchy.” The agency name was a little tongue-in-cheek, but Kali thought the Court took itself a little too seriously and needed something a bit more humorous to lighten things up.
Kali had a weird sense of humor.
Morrigan took her seat at the other end of the table and smiled encouragingly at Val, who looked about as nervous as a person could without completely falling apart. “I propose the creation of an agency devoted to healing alone—so the responsibility will no longer be on the shoulders of TAU, Sash, and the Stewards.” She looked around, as if realizing for the first time that the Stewards weren’t represented here at all.
Morrigan could have told her why. The Stewards refused to participate. Somehow she felt like that would change now. Having others to bear some of the brunt of Athena’s blunt manner might make all the difference in the world.
Then again, it might not.
“You’re not a healer,” Fenris grunted, interrupting her.
“No,” she agreed. “I am not a healer. Yet. But with the Court’s indulgence, I believe I could turn my telekinetic talents to good use saving lives rather than taking them. We need healers, and we need healers that can defend themselves in the field. You immortals have no idea how dangerous it is out there for the agents—and expecting them to www.samhainpublishing.com 325
Saje Williams
return to Starhaven every time they’re injured seems wasteful to me.
What if the healers could go to
them
instead?”
Athena snorted. “The way we’ve been doing it seems to work just fine.”
“Well, is
fine
good enough, Athena? Or can we do better?”
Morrigan hid a smile and nodded to herself. Val had found her voice, and she wasn’t letting the immortals intimidate her. This was a good thing. They’d never respect someone they could bully.
“That’s enough debate,” ArchAngel announced suddenly. “I call for a vote.”
“I’m not voting for someone who’s not only mortal, but doesn’t even possess the talents necessary to be an operative for such an agency,”
Fenris broke in. “I’m sorry, Val, but I don’t like it.”
“If she were an immortal, would you feel differently, Fenris?”
“Maybe. But that’s entirely beside the point. It’s not as if—“ He stopped abruptly, staring at ArchAngel. “You wouldn’t.”
“I would. Something of which many of you may be unaware, but any resident of Starhaven is technically immortal. Time does not exist here as we would understand it. Only through a subtle and heretofore unrevealed manipulation of an artificial temporal field have the agencies been able to age their young students to adulthood. Operatives
only
age while off Starhaven. Mortal operatives, that is,” he said with a nod at Raven.
Morrigan had suspected this for quite some time, but it was nice to have it confirmed. No time. That explained how mortals such as George Harrigan the weapon smith had been around so long. He wasn’t immortal, as some people suspected, just taking advantage of Starhaven’s existence as someplace outside of the normal flow of time.
Harrigan didn’t leave Starhaven, therefore he didn’t age.
No one knew how long he’d been here either.
“What do you think, Jasmine?” ArchAngel asked out of the blue. The raven-haired immortal gave him a pointed look in response and shrugged.
326
www.samhainpublishing.com
Sword and Shadow
“I don’t know,” she said. “Do you think she’s worthy of the chance to become one of us?”
“I do. And so does Raven. He wouldn’t be considering asking what he plans on asking if he didn’t.”
“And what might that be?” Athena asked, clearly annoyed by the whole issue. She’d planned on censuring the woman, and, instead, found out that ArchAngel was considering giving her the ultimate gift. That was enough to piss off someone with far more tolerance than Athena displayed.
“That,” Raven cut in, “falls under the ‘none of your fucking business,’
category, Athena. And, yes, there
is
such a category, believe it or not.” He turned to Val, who was scanning the faces around the table with a puzzled expression, and stood. He moved to her side, swift as thought, and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Valerie Winn. I love you and would like to ask for your hand in marriage.”
The room went dead silent for a brief second. Then Athena laughed aloud. “You’re an anachronism, Raven. There’s no recognized institution of marriage on Starhaven.”
“Maybe there should be,” ArchAngel remarked, not even glancing her direction. “I appreciate what you all are trying to do here, but I think you take it too far sometimes. These people need more than duty and self-sacrifice to keep them going. They need lives.
Real
lives, not just an existence dedicated to the furtherance of their agency’s goals.”
Val stared at Raven, literally speechless for a moment. Had he actually asked her to marry him? She couldn’t believe it. Athena was right—there had never been a wedding on Starhaven as long as she could remember, and assumed that it had been unknown for far longer than that. From what she understood, marriage, as it was originally intended, had become something of a rarity even on Earth Prime. It was primarily a religious ceremony, held for religious reasons, and religion had fallen out of favor during and after the War. At least among those who’d remained on Earth rather than escaping to the stars.