Page 27

CHAPTER 27

T here weren’t any Knights hanging around the Platz in front of Master Adolphus’s house when we arrived. Luka walked me to the door and left me there.

The Master, Frau Buckner, and Siobhan were waiting in the dining room, with a pot of tea and a plate of biscuits on the table.

“Any trouble?” the Master asked as I sat down and poured myself a cup.

“No. We saw Knights and Kantonspolizei out patrolling, but no supernaturals, and everyone was quite civilized. Almost no one else on the streets, though. Luka said everyone was waiting for someone to make a move.”

The Master chuckled, a very dry and humorless sound. “And then they’ll all know they need to react, but not how. I wonder what Müller thought was going to happen when he decided to take over. I’m sure the archbishop would like to tell him what to do, and I’m just as sure that Müller doesn’t want to take his call.”

“I don’t understand,” Siobhan said. “They’re allies, aren’t they?”

Master Adolphus shook his head. “I’m sure that’s what Herr Müller told himself, but he is a very small fish in relation to the Universal Church.”

Master Elias had covered the Treaty of Krakow in painstaking detail in one of his books, and I had discussed it with him.

“Müller talks about the Compact, which is basically a part of the Treaty of Krakow,” I said, “but the part of the treaty dealing with supernaturals and rogue magic users is really small. The main point of the treaty was peace between magic users and normal humans, with the Church as the leader of the norms at that time. They both talk about the supes now, but I think they have very different ideas about what comes after they clean up what they see as the problem.”

The Master nodded but didn’t say anything, so I continued.

“Both have authoritarian goals, but Müller wants a magiocracy, while the Church wants a theocracy. They know this, so while they’re taking advantage of the supernatural war to advance their agendas, they don’t trust each other.”

“Exactly,” the Master said. “The Order of Knights Magica was created after the Treaty of Krakow so that the Church could build its own army of magic users as a buffer against the Guild and the witch covens. Müller may attend mass every Sunday, but if he were a good little mage, he would’ve joined the Knights. Since he didn’t, they don’t trust him.”

He reached for a biscuit, then took a sip of his tea. “While the current Prelate is a mage—although not a very strong one—the Archbishop of Zürich is a norm. I have an appointment with him tomorrow, along with a couple of norms in the Kanton government. We’ll see what they think about the current situation.”

I was bursting with questions but wasn’t sure I should ask them in front of Frau Buckner and Siobhan. But one seemed to be major.

“Is anyone talking to the strigoi and lycans?” I asked.

“You’ll be coming with me tonight,” he said. “I have a meeting with the strigoi master of the city and the alphas of the local packs. I think they invited me to arbitrate their negotiations.”

* * *

T he sun was going down when the Master and I set out for the Langstrasse. We traveled shielded but unglamored. While we walked, I told him about the encounter Jodi, Hans, and I had with the Knights.

“She did what?” I had never seen the Master that surprised.

“She pulled a ribbon of fire from the ley line and wrapped his arm with it. I mean, I could probably do that, but I’ve never seen another mage manipulate the strands that way.”

“I’ll have to talk with Amelia,” he said. “That is seriously unexpected.”

“There was something else,” I said. “Something I did.” I told him about stopping the Knight’s heart.

“I really don’t know any offensive magic,” I said, “and with fifteen-to-three odds, I didn’t think I could take that many with just a sword. If they broke down my shield, I’d be toast.”

“Yes. I haven’t planned to teach you to fight with magic yet, but the situation probably calls for a change in that plan.”

Before we arrived at our destination, we saw a bright light in the Langstrasse. A glow brighter than the city lights. Brighter than the setting sun. Soon after, smoke. A lot of smoke. The Master stopped, dug out his phone, and made a call. I watched his face and was sure he was hearing about some major disaster.

He hung up and said, “We’re going home. Luka says one of the large apartment buildings in the Langstrasse is on fire. The local authorities don’t seem to be particularly concerned about it—the fire department isn’t trying to put it out—and the police are keeping everyone away from the area.”

“When did it start?” I asked.

“About an hour ago. While the strigoi were still asleep. Luka suggests it was started while the Kantonspolizei and fire personnel were changing shifts.”

“Dhampir children playing with matches?” I suggested.

He almost cracked a smile. “I’m sure that’s the answer.”

So, we went home, and I watched the event on my computer. I didn’t learn anything I didn’t know before, but seeing the extent of the fire from the news station’s helicopter provided more perspective. I turned off my computer and went to bed.