Adamant (34 page)

I hadn’t seen Ada once. Not since she’d been in the hospital. Her guardian had told me in no uncertain terms to leave them the hell alone, and only family were allowed in to visit her. I knew she was alive, and that had to be enough. After she’d fallen, knocked out by her own backlash, I’d honestly thought she was dead.

I’d got off easy. Especially considering I’d been inches away from being caught in Ada’s final attack. The one that had killed all four of the Campbells. And almost killed her.

The memory of that was hazy. I’d been half-concussed at the time, but I could recall it in flashes. Waking from the magic shock to see Ada, eyes glowing blinding white, surrounded by crackling white lightning. Then black lightning. Then she’d screamed, and the light had pulsed outwards, knocking two of the guys out. The backlash had taken care of the other two. And when it had hit
her…

I’d run. Not fast enough. She’d fallen to the ground, and the light had gone out entirely. Next thing I remember, guards had surrounded us, had pulled her out of my arms—when had I picked her up?—and taken her away. I’d tried to stand up but gravity didn’t seem to want to cooperate… tried to reach her but my hands fucking
hurt
, like fire flared along every nerve. And then I was being hauled off to the hospital while she was God only knew where and I had no idea if she was even alive.

No one was supposed to absorb so much magic energy. What the Campbells had done had nearly destroyed her. But she’d survived. And once I found out she
was
alive, the first thing that struck me was deep, horrible guilt that I’d been at least partially responsible for her landing in this situation. Because it had been through the Alliance that the enemy had learned about her ability—if we’d just let her go…

Even Ms Weston’s keeping my secret didn’t seem to matter. Ada had reason to hold me in contempt. Logic told me I should stay away from her, not screw her life up further. But I at least had to tell her that the new Passage was ready to open, that she’d finally be able to help everyone from her homeworld. Once I had Simon’s confirmation.

Someone knocked on the office door. “The council want to speak to you,” said Aric.
Great.

“Again? For bloody hell’s sake.” Ms Weston shook her head. “Fine, I suppose I’ll have to… you can go now, Kay. Don’t think I’m finished with you yet.”

I almost laughed. In the past few weeks, it had relaxed to the point that being called into her office no longer felt like my career was on the line.

“I’m scared to death.”

Aric glared at me as I came out of the office. “You’re still being an arrogant prick? That’s our boss you’re talking to.”

“Congratulations. I knew you’d learn everyone’s faces eventually.”

Aric muttered a curse, stifled as Ms Weston marched past, out of the office. “Very funny, Walker.”

“Glad you appreciate it,” I said, turning to leave. “Is there a reason you’re still hanging around out here?”

“I heard what you said.” He took a step towards me, in yet another failed attempt to look menacing. “You’re really going to bring a dangerous magic-wielder here? That girl should be locked up. I can’t believe the Alliance have just let her walk free. She almost killed the fucking
planet.
And then some.”

“
She
didn’t,” I corrected. “She was being manipulated.”

“She’s a magic-wielder. She ought to have stopped it, not let it get out of hand like that.”

“When are you going to get it into your head that magic can’t be controlled?” I held up my own hands in demonstration, though the marks had all but healed. “It does whatever the hell it wants. She could only absorb it, not control it. No one can do that.”

“That’s not what you said two years ago.”

“That’s
exactly
what I said two years ago,” I said, shaking my head. “Magic is a force. It responds to wielders, yeah, but it doesn’t give a crap if there’s someone else standing in the way. We’re like human lightning rods.”

Aric glared. “Then you better stay away from
me,
Walker.”

“With pleasure.”

I slammed the office door so hard, it actually did hurt, a sharp jolt going through my hands. Goddamned magic afterburn never let up. At first, it had been like I’d put my hands on an electric fence and then set them on fire. Now it only shocked me every couple of hours instead of every minute. I could deal with pain.

My communicator started beeping. Simon.

“Is that Central’s wyvern-slaying lunatic?”

“Wrong number. This is pest control. Did I hear about gigantic swamp rats?”

“Dammit. And I had some awesome news too. The council have given the plan the go-ahead. We’re opening tomorrow.”

“You are?” I said, gripping the phone harder.
Ada.

“Hell, yes. Also, there might be a few people at US Central who want to meet you.”

I sighed. “Don’t tell me you’ve been spreading stories.”

“Only the truth.”

Yeah. Or Simon’s version, which involved heroes fighting monsters and saving the Multiverse. Real life didn’t quite work like that. No one ever wrote about the aftermath.

I closed my eyes. “Guess I have to visit Ada.”

“You don’t have her number?”

“She has mine.” That spoke for itself.

“Ah. Well, she’ll be happy this whole thing’s set up now, right?”

“Yeah. ’Course she will.” Feeling I owed Simon something of an explanation, I said, “You know who stopped the Alliance from helping Enzar in the first place, right?”

I gave him five seconds. It took three. “Oh, shit.”

“Yeah.” Yet another reason I hadn’t spoken to Ada. Her family hated me, yes, but knowing
she
knew what my father had done…

“Well, good luck. I’ll be there tomorrow.”

He hung up. I stared at the communicator for a moment. And then double-checked Ada’s address.

***

ADA

Nell was pissed off. Nothing new there.

“
Who
are you meeting?” she said, after I’d hung up the phone. The call from Simon, whoever he was, had come completely out of nowhere. Lucky I was in the house. Not that I really had anywhere else to go these days, but still. No job, and Nell being overprotective. Not to mention Jeth, who’d appointed himself my bodyguard after quitting
his
job to help Nell run the business while she recovered.

Now, Nell came out into the hallway, her usual sharp expression back in full force. I was kind of tempted to retreat back into my room. But Alber and Jeth had both poked their heads out of their rooms, wanting to hear the action.

“Kay Walker.” Might as well get it over with.

“Walker.”

“Yes, I know. Not
the
Walker. His son. He’s setting up this arrangement with US Central so the Enzarian refugees—
all
the refugees—can get through the Passages to a shelter there. Look, it isn’t as bad as it seems. We can still help people. Just on the legal side. The Alliance… they might be offering me a job.” If that still stood after I’d almost destroyed London. I didn’t dare consider the alternative.

“And if they don’t? We’re running out of money, Ada.”

“We’ll make do. Could always find another supermarket job.”

“This isn’t a joke, Ada!”

“Nell, come on,” said Jeth. “This was bound to go wrong in the end. We stepped on too many toes. Delta’s family were dicks, anyway.”

Everyone winced at the name. No one had dared bring it up for a week after I’d woken up in hospital—not that I was conscious most of the time. It was too painful to think about, so my nightmares did it for me, with feeling. I’d killed five people, including someone who’d once been a friend. Would the Alliance turn me into a hired killer, too? Like Kay… no, that wasn’t fair. He’d killed Skyla, killed Janice, but he hadn’t had a choice in the matter. Magic didn’t give you one.

I wished I could talk to him. Just once. But Nell always seemed to be there, reminding me of what the Walker family had cost us. What the Alliance had cost us. It was a mess.

I shook my head. “Let’s worry about that later. I’ve got to go find Kay in the Passages. We’re meeting Simon halfway, so he can show me where the new Passage open to the public is. Want to come?”

“Into the Passages?” said Alber. “Hell, yes.”

“I suppose,” said Jeth. “You need someone to supervise you. You’re
not
going off to Valeria.”

“But. Hover boots,” said Alber. “Come on.”

“Tell you what, if I get a job at the Alliance, I’ll sneak you with me to Valeria,” I said. “They let you bring one “extra.””

“Seriously?” said Alber. “Oh my God, Ada. You have to get this job!”

I laughed. Nell narrowed her eyes. “Do I need to remind you to be careful, Ada?”

“Absolutely not,” I said. “Are you sure you don’t want to come and see?”

“If I had my way, none of you would have anything to do with those people,” she said. “I know can’t stop you from going. I only wish…”

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry I lied to you, Ada,” she said, softly, her face creased with remorse.

I sucked in a sharp breath. This was the conversation we’d never had, the one we’d danced around for three weeks, each wondering whether the other would be the one to break the silence. But I couldn’t face another bombshell. Not after what I’d been through already.

“I understand,” I said. “I get why you wouldn’t want that information getting out.”

“It was selfish,” said Nell. “I was younger than you are now when they assigned me as your watcher. I saw them do it to you—saw them…” She shook her head. “You don’t want to know the details.”

“I do,” I said quietly. “But later. We’re meeting Kay in half an hour. We should go.”

“Later, then.” She nodded.

The truth weighed heavy on me, heavy as the burden of what I’d done. The deaths I’d caused. And the worlds I’d almost obliterated. I couldn’t sleep without reliving that moment in the warehouse when I realised that the magic I’d coveted all my life was never under my control. It was a lie. I was a walking weapon, and I’d almost destroyed the Earth.

In the long hours awake, I couldn’t help but wonder if Kay was haunted by the same thoughts.

I never called. I couldn’t do it. He’d seen my real eyes. Seen what I was.

Alber and Jeth stood either side of me as we approached the alleyway to the Passages. The road was so torn up, it was a pain to climb over, but at least the Passage entrance still stood. Even if none of us had used it since. I knew that the Cethraxian creatures had been the Campbell family’s doing and the Passages were relatively quiet now, but I kept one eye out for danger all the same. All three of us were armed. I had magic, too, of course. But I hadn’t dared use it since.

My heart climbed into my throat as we got closer to the halfway point. I hadn’t needed to check the map Simon had messaged me, because I knew this part of the Passages backwards.

And I knew the person standing at the other end of the corridor. Lean and dark-haired, dressed in black faux-leather uniform—could he patrol, then? Using third level magic had almost taken his hands off. But I couldn’t picture Kay consenting to sit out on the action for long.
Dammit, say something. Stop staring!

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey. These two your new bodyguards?”

“My
brothers,
” I corrected. “You’ve met Jeth and Alber already.”

“Unfortunately,” Jeth muttered.

“Well, that’s nice,” said Kay, turning to him. “Seeing as I was about to offer you a job.”

Jeth’s mouth dropped open, comically. “You what?”

“The Alliance techs were impressed with your invisible communication device.”

“You bastard. You gave it to them?”

“I thought they’d be impressed.” He shrugged. “Enough to offer you a pretty good starting salary.” And then he named a sum that made my jaw drop as comically as Jeth’s.

“Oh. My God. Okay, let me think on that one.”

Amusement flashing in his eyes, Kay turned to me. “You’re welcome to take the entrance exam for a novice, Ada. Basic probationary period. Ms Weston will tell you the rest, if you come to Central.”

“Let me think about it, too,” I said, a little too quickly. I think he knew I meant I’d discuss it with Nell. “Is Simon here?”

“We’re meeting him. This way.” And he strode off without giving us the chance to keep up.

“Holy freaking hell,” said Alber, as we followed. “You’d be
mental
not to pass that up.”

“I know,” said Jeth.

“You’d get all the cool gadgets, too.”

“Tell that to Nell,” said Jeth. “What about you, Ada?”

“I think…” I cut myself off before I said something melodramatic, like that joining the Alliance seemed the only option I had left, if I still wanted to explore the Multiverse.