Page 22 of The Dark Mirror (The Bone Season #5)

22

GODS ON EARTH

The next morning dawned crisp, though the sun was just as bright. The last thing I wanted to do was start my day by seeing Jaxon Hall. He was clearly about to smooth-talk me, but I was wise to his ways now. And even though I despised him, he knew a lot about clairvoyance.

I wondered whether he knew about Deathwatch. If so, his knowledge could be useful – useful enough for me to make nice with the bastard, for now. I knew how to grit my teeth and bear him.

I’m going to see Jaxon , I wrote to Arcturus. If I’m not back by noon, assume he’s done something heinous to me.

You ought not to be alone with him, Paige.

I’ll keep to public spaces. Even Jaxon wouldn’t murder someone in full view of the general public . I tucked my hair behind my ear. Are you able for a walk tonight?

I have no pressing engagements, to my knowledge.

It gave me hope to see that tiny flash of humour. I had been failing him for days, but if Ver?a came through with her favour, I might be able to do something.

It’s a date, I wrote back, and tucked my phone away.

The Maderno Fountain turned out to be twenty minutes away, in a place called the Piazza di San Pietro. I took a bridge over the Tiber and walked north with grim resolve, slowing only when the plaza came into view. Shaped like a keyhole, it was lined by a colonnade topped with sculptures, and a column knifed up from the middle. A monumental building overlooked it all, a cross atop its pale dome.

Jaxon waited by the fountain, eyeing the mass of tourists with a sort of amused contempt. He was in his shirtsleeves, holding a cane I hadn’t seen before.

‘Good morning, my wayward mollisher.’

‘Once again, Jaxon,’ I said, ‘I’m going to need you to get fucked.’

‘Yes, you ought to be irritated by my choice of location. Vatican City, seat of the Catholic Church,’ he said with disdain. ‘Look at it. That wretched Pope is sitting on my hill.’

‘Jax, it’s not even ten in the morning, and you’re already talking shite. What about the Pope?’

‘Vatican, possibly derived from the Latin vāticināri – that is, to sing out prophecies. The men who rule this circus are not voyant. I checked,’ Jaxon said darkly, tapping his cane. ‘They perch on this hill in their absurd little hats, spewing archaic nonsense about—’

‘Tell me why you asked me here, or I’m going. I don’t even know why I came.’

‘Because you enjoy my company, in spite of yourself.’ Jaxon gave me his best look of remorse. ‘I understand why you’re upset with me – I have kept many secrets over the years – but you did take my crown and leave me to burn in Versailles. Would you not say we’re even?’

‘No. And I won’t forget what you did to Arcturus.’

‘Are you still whinging about a few scars on a useless Rephaite?’

‘Don’t make me punch you, Jax. Your teeth are one of the few redeeming features you have left.’

‘I see I touched a nerve. Arcturus is here, isn’t he?’

‘No,’ I said. ‘We got separated in Paris.’

‘How terribly sad for you both,’ Jaxon said, sounding as if he was on the verge of physically rubbing his hands together in glee. ‘A stroll will take your mind off it.’ He walked back the way I had come, and I fell into reluctant step beside him. ‘Still on alysoplasm, are you?’

‘Still not telling you why.’

Even though I walked at his side, I was ready for him to attack. I carried my revolver and all four knives.

‘This stroll will be short,’ Jaxon said. ‘Will you give me as long as it takes us to reach the Castel Sant’Angelo?’

‘If you tell me how you ended up here,’ I said. ‘That’s the only reason I’m talking to you.’

‘Carter invited me. She has been involved in the Forum since she was granted asylum in Italy, but she goes back to Scion at least once a year, to secure funding and search for suitable allies,’ he said. ‘Rackham represented her writing to Grub Street. She told him about the Forum, and he recommended me as a candidate for the Council of Kassandra.’

‘I still can’t believe the Rag and Bone Man was your damned agent.’

‘Yes, his jocular face hid an admirably cold-blooded character,’ Jaxon said. ‘Alas, he could never compel me to meet my deadlines.’ We passed a group of tourists, led by a woman with a flag. ‘Alfred was my only friend when I returned from Oxford. He made a fine business partner until he tried to have you killed. I couldn’t allow that to stand.’

‘Well, congratulations for doing something yourself. Even if it was spilling your agent’s intestines.’

‘Only for you, O my lovely.’

In truth, Jaxon had saved me a lot of work by stopping Rackham. I might never have caught up to him.

‘We have just crossed an invisible threshold. Having been in Vatican City, we are now back in Italy,’ Jaxon said, running his cane along the ground. ‘This is where I began to send a portion of our earnings, after I became convinced of the merits of the Forum Project. When Carter came to meet us in London, it was to collect money. She often did this through Rackham, but on that occasion, I wanted to introduce her to my remaining Seals.’

‘Dani is a sibyl, isn’t she?’

‘Yes. Carter noticed at once. Sadly, you let her run off to Greece, but fear not. I will find her.’

‘Carter must intrigue you.’

‘A rare example of someone who inherited both gifts from her parents. Quite fascinating.’

We began to walk down the Via della Conciliazione. The leaves on the trees burned red and orange, fluttering loose to scatter on the cobblestones.

‘I wanted to talk to you about our mutual friends, the Rephaim,’ Jaxon said. ‘Carter holds their entire species in contempt, after our violent encounter in Trafalgar Square. When I enlightened her as to what they were, she blamed them for the Imbolc Massacre. But as you know, I have worked alongside them. I see the potential for cooperation, as you do.’

‘You worked with the Sargas. The conquerors,’ I said. ‘That’s not the same thing at all.’

‘Carter will see no difference. She would judge us both equally for our association with them. That is why it serves us both to resurrect our friendship.’

‘We were never friends, Jaxon. You manipulated me into becoming your obedient little soldier.’

‘And you loved it.’

The sad thing was that I couldn’t deny it.

‘Now, to business,’ Jaxon said. ‘In the years after I escaped Oxford, I lost myself in the stories of the ancients, trying to understand what I had seen. I devoured tales of angels and giants, demigods and demons, mortals touched by the divine. And so the first part of my theory was born. What if some of those stories – perhaps all – were inspired by the Rephaim?’

‘You think they’ve been visiting Earth for that long?’

‘A bold idea, I know.’

‘If you do say so yourself.’

He let me think without comment.

‘The Mothallath did come here before the civil war,’ I said. ‘There are Irish stories that remind me of the Rephs. Like the ones about Tír na nóg, the Otherworld.’

‘Many cultures have tales of at least one such place – an underworld or a heaven, populated by the dead, or by deities. Some of those deities are chthonic,’ Jaxon remarked. ‘Could they have stemmed from knowledge of the Netherworld?’

‘Does it matter?’

‘It might. When I was her tenant, Nashira told me about the ethereal threshold and the Mothallath family. I imagine Arcturus told you the same. The Mothallath committed some unspeakable transgression, rending the veils. What was that transgression, do we think?’

‘Only they knew.’

‘But it had consequences. And there may be more to come.’ He turned to face me. ‘In several of the stories I unearthed, there is a catastrophic event that ends life on Earth, sometimes destroying both humans and gods. What if those were glimpses of the future?’

‘Another catastrophic event, you mean?’

‘The circumstances appear ripe for it.’

If the Netherworld can fall, so can Earth.

‘I think you might be seeing what you want to see,’ I said. ‘You’re cherry-picking the stories that fit your theory . ’

‘The ?ther only ever sends us slivers of the truth. It is up to us to fit them together,’ Jaxon said. ‘The Mothallath are gone. If I am right, and the end is nigh, who will come to save us?’

‘I imagine you’ve already put yourself forward,’ I said. ‘You always did have delusions of grandeur, Jax.’

‘A little rich, coming from you.’

‘I took the Rose Crown because you gave me no choice, as well you know.’

‘All you had to do was wait, and you would have seen my plans to unite London and Rome.’

‘Forgive me for not blindly trusting you.’

‘You are forgiven.’ He kept walking. ‘We voyants share a connection with the Rephaim. It cannot be coincidence that we can touch the ?ther, as they can. When they declare their presence on Earth – or when their presence is revealed, against their will – it will be vital for us to ally with them, for protection and authority. Far more amaurotics will look unkindly on us then. The Ranthen are too few and weak to matter. So it must be the Suzerain.’

‘I’m not working with Nashira.’

‘Your fondness for Arcturus is your fatal flaw.’

‘It’s not about Arcturus. Nashira oversaw the conquest of Ireland, if you’d forgotten. She’s a tyrant.’

‘That was Gomeisa Sargas, to my knowledge. Perhaps Nashira would cease her tyranny if she felt she had nothing to fear from clairvoyants.’

‘You really are off the cot if you think Nashira is a good bet. Stop licking her shiny boots and screw your head on straight, Jaxon. She’s never going to see you as an equal.’

‘And you believe the Ranthen do?’

‘I believe we share a common purpose,’ I said. ‘Why don’t you go back to Nashira now, if you love her so much?’

‘Because she has sentenced me to death. But I do hope, one day, to bring her around.’

We soon reached the Castel Sant’Angelo, a reddish fort that crouched beside the Tiber. Jaxon led me to its gardens and stopped in front of a sculpture.

‘Here is what I wanted to show you,’ he said, hands clasped on his cane. ‘This sculpture was saved from France during its anchorisation. It depicts one of the older race of Greek deities, a Titan named Prometheus. Like us, he was a thief. He pilfered fire from Zeus, and through it, gave the civilising arts to mortals – rather like Eve, the first woman, who defied the will of God by eating from the Tree of Knowledge. For his crime, Prometheus was bound to a mountain, where an eagle would eat his liver each day, only for it to grow back again.’

The sculpture was painfully detailed. Prometheus was contorted in agony, chained by his wrists to the crag, while the eagle feasted on his innards.

‘You said that was the first part of your theory,’ I said. ‘What is the second?’

‘I’ll let you work that out. You know more about the gods on Earth than anyone,’ Jaxon said. ‘Dwell upon our friend, Prometheus. The realisation will dawn on you, just as it did on me.’

‘I didn’t come here for riddles, Jax.’

‘No. You wanted knowledge, just like Eve.’ He reached into his pocket and offered me a small velvet box. ‘Your entry token for the Forum. Do visit again soon, Underqueen.’

‘I’d rather not see you ever again if I can help it.’

‘Paige, I was the one who taught you to lie. You can’t turn my own tricks on me.’ He gave me a flick under the chin, and I flinched back in annoyance. ‘Do consider the idea of joining the Council of Kassandra. I would like an ally who appreciates the potential benefit of an alliance between voyants and Rephs. It can be your apology for leaving me to burn.’

‘I could have made sure you were dead.’

Jaxon smiled.

‘Indeed,’ he said. ‘Indeed you could.’

He left. I glanced once more at Prometheus before I crossed the bridge over the Tiber, watched by angels all the way.

The entry token was a square of gold leaf, inscribed with my name and order, which rolled small enough for me to carry in a matching case on the end of a chain. I zipped it into my jacket for safekeeping.

Even if I never took a place on the Council of Kassandra, I should use the opportunity to forge a relationship with them. If I played my cards right, they might be willing to help the Mime Order.

I spent the afternoon combing Omnia, diving into the myths and legends from around the world. No description perfectly matched the Rephs, but glints of them jumped out at me. In gods who had gold in their veins. In gods who looked human and lived among us.

In gods who gave humans their gifts.

I shook myself. Jaxon was sending me on a wild goose chase, and I refused to indulge him. I was about to put my phone away when a message appeared from Ver?a.

An anonymous member of the Council of Kassandra has just asked me for your number. Should I pass it on?

After a moment, I wrote back.

Yes.

I waited. My phone buzzed again, this time showing an unknown number.

We do know how to contact President Sala. Carter is trying to protect her – she doesn’t know whether or not she can trust you – but when I informed Beatrice you were here, she agreed to speak with you in person . An ellipsis appeared on the screen as the next part of the message was composed. A black Cyrus Larunda will collect you on Via dei Cimatori at 11 P.M . tomorrow. I will send its registration number in due course. You must not speak to anyone about this.

Sala doesn’t have to risk coming here , I wrote back. I can speak to her on the phone .

No. She wants to see you .

Who are you?

No reply. After a while, Ver?a reached out again: Was it anything useful?

I’ll find out tomorrow, apparently.

That sounds promising. For tonight, I’ve done as you asked. The key is below the fountain.

Thank you.

I washed my face and steeled myself. Ver?a had done her part; now it was time to do mine.

Arcturus was silent in his room. When I knocked, he took a while to come to the door.

‘Paige,’ he said. ‘How was your meeting with Jaxon?’

‘A colossal waste of time, but at least he didn’t try to kill me. And I did hear from someone else on the Council of Kassandra,’ I said. ‘I have a meeting with Sala tomorrow night.’

‘Sala is in Italy, then?’

‘Apparently,’ I said. ‘I suppose all I can do is try to convince her not to give in to Operation Ventriloquist. And that I can defeat Cade.’

‘I believe you can,’ Arcturus said. ‘If President Sala is willing to risk meeting you in person, I imagine she will also be willing to hear you out. You have prevailed against greater odds.’

I held his gaze, my nape warming.

‘I want to show you something. It’s not far,’ I said. ‘Still up for that walk?’

He looked into my eyes, as hard to read as ever.

Do not concern yourself with his state of mind. That is something you, a mortal, cannot hope to understand.

‘Yes,’ he said.

I nodded. For days, I had been getting it wrong, but I thought I had a way to set it right. I would save Arcturus from himself, and then I would save Italy.