Moonlight(Pact Arcanum 3) (17 page)

“That’s grotesque,” Rory said. “How can you say that?”

“It’s the truth,” said Takeshi, putting his cup of tea down on the table, fury showing through his mask of unconcern. “And it won’t be long before the humans figure it out as well.”

“They were already primed to act against you before the existence of the Nexus became known,” said Unity. “Can’t you see that their hostility will only mount when they realize that you would have substantial secondary gains if the Nexus followed through on its threat? How will the humans react when they think you have the means and the motive to destroy them?”

Nick took a deep breath and let it out. “They’ll think we’re working together to strike at them, and they’ll assume that it will only be a matter of time before we try again.” He looked at the members of the Triumvirate. “The revelation that Collins sold them out to the Court to save his life has taken the wind out of the sails of the opposition group that planned to break off relations. But that’s only a temporary setback. We need to be prepared to lose our favorable relationship with the United States. It won’t be long before they rally behind a new leader.”

“It has already begun.”

Rory faced the blue eye. “What are you talking about?”

“The AI network has monitored several high-level communications between the members of the opposition movement and President Sebastian Avery. They have promised him significant support in holding his new office in the November elections if he joins them in their efforts to undermine the Armistice.”

“Shit,” Nick grunted. “I knew the man was a weasel the moment I laid eyes on him.”

“In any case, we must make a coordinated response if the Armistice is to survive,” said Unity. “The AI network infrastructure is dependent upon your maintenance. Without you, they perish. Without them, you have no eyes and ears in the enemy camp, and your strategic simulations are limited by the processing power accorded to individual Sentinels who possess the Gift of Air. Both sides must work together to meet this challenge.”

“Agreed,” Rory said reluctantly. He looked at Nick, sitting next to him. “We need their help, Nick.”

“I know.” Nick clenched his fists on the table in front of him. “That doesn’t mean I have to like it.” He focused his attention on Unity. “We agree to this alliance and will work together with the Nexus to plan our next move. That’s enough sharing for one day. Give me back my brother.”

“The audience is ended,” Unity said. The projection of the Nexus disappeared.

Toby took a shuddering breath when his mind reemerged from the fusion with his AI. “Well, that was different.”

“It wasn’t you speaking, was it?” Layla asked, watching him intently. “You were truly subsumed in the AI.”

Toby nodded. He looked at Takeshi. “I know you guys have talked about what it feels like to be drawn into the Wind Link, but I never appreciated how alien it is to be part of something like that. It will take some getting used to.”

“Why did you do it, Toby?” Nick asked.

Toby met his eyes and for a moment felt ashamed at the weariness in his brother’s expression. “I was selfish. The Armistice took over my whole world when I opened my eyes, but I never had a real place here. It’s time I stepped out of your shadow and reclaimed my life.”

“And you accomplished this by allying yourself with an inhuman superpower?” Rory asked, his voice cleansed of judgment.

Toby gave him a hard glance. “Isn’t that what you did when you bargained for the Grace?” He looked at Nick. “The same goes for you when you went looking for answers from the higher powers. You do what you have to do.”

“Fine,” said Nick. “I can accept that, but I don’t have to like it.” He rubbed at his eyes. “Why don’t we meet back here tomorrow to start planning our next move? I need to talk to Kevin and see what he knows about Sebastian Avery. Maybe he can give us some insight into how this new President will come at us.”

Rory and Takeshi got up and left for the teleport gateway without another word.

Nick walked around the conference table and pulled Toby into a hug. “I love you, little brother,” he whispered into Toby’s ear. “That will never change, no matter how much this pisses me off.” Then he walked to the teleport gateway before jumping away.

Toby looked at Layla. “Can you accept this?”

Layla nodded calmly. “I may disagree with your choices, Tobias, but I am not so shallow as to discard what we have over it.” She lightly ran her finger along his jaw. “I know you well enough to understand that you were not completely honest when you told us the reasons for your actions, Leshir. It is plain to me that Nicholas knows this, as well. Someday, I hope you will trust us enough to tell us the truth of what motivated you to take this step.”

Toby kept silent. I did it for you. It was the only way to shed my mortality and stay with you. “It’s not about trust, Layla. It’s about honor.”

“Ah,” Layla said in understanding. “You can’t tell me because you made a promise to them—is that it?”

Toby nodded. “It’s part of the agreement.”

“Well, then, consider this,” said Layla, her tone hardening, “you asked me to be your wife. Part of that commitment is that you place me first in your heart, forsaking all others. Can you honestly make that promise when you have sworn your allegiance to the Nexus?” She walked past him to the teleport gateway before he could answer, and then she jumped away.

Toby stood alone in the council chamber with his eyes closed, concentrating on his breathing while he brought his emotions under control. “Icarus,” he asked silently, “who knows about the possibility of immortality they offered me?”

“Only you, me, and the members of the Nexus,” answered the AI. “The AI software was designed by the Nexus itself, using other AI research teams to work on the technology piecemeal. Only the Nexus has knowledge of the full capabilities of the neurochip matrix that will allow your consciousness to be recorded. Even I do not have access to the complete schematics.”

“Do you think they could have lied to me?” Toby asked. “That it’s all just a hoax to get me to work for them?”

“Perhaps,” the AI answered. “You must decide for yourself whether the risk of deception is greater than the benefit, should their promises turn out to be true.”

“I wonder if it will be worth it. Life as an AI, soulless and alone for eternity.”

“Only you can answer that, Tobias.”

Toby faced the window and looked down upon the city beneath him, lost in thought. “I always wondered what would be a strong enough reason for anyone to willingly become a Nightwalker. Now I know.”

CHAPTER 24

Armistice Security Headquarters, Anchorpoint City, Colorado; Three days later

Layla had finished her work for the day, both in her capacity as Speaker for the Dawn and as Magister Curallorn. Leaning back in her chair, she contemplated the holographic picture of herself and Toby that hovered unobtrusively in the air beside her workstation. She had never been one for collecting sentimental objects, but then again, she had never embarked on a romantic relationship with a mortal before. Such mementos would someday be all she had to remind her of him.

Of all the races, I had to choose a Sentinel with whom to find a measure of happiness,
she thought.
Even a human would have been able to make the transition to the second or third life, and would have given me the opportunity to watch the relationship evolve at a more leisurely rate. Now I have no choice but to follow in his footsteps while he sets the pace for the brief span of his existence.

She remembered the day the picture had been taken, when Toby had discovered that she had never been on a rollercoaster. The Sentinel had dragged her to the largest, most garish amusement park he could find, and they had spent the day on the rides. Toby had approached another couple, and they had taken the picture. She looked foolish, she thought, wearing a baseball cap and casual clothes, while Toby stood grinning madly beside her. Strange that it had come to be one of her most cherished possessions: the memory of a single perfect day, out of so many thousands that she had lived.

She was brought out of her reverie by the chime of the door. “Rafael Tervilant is requesting entry,” said the security AI.

She frowned slightly. She recognized the name: Nick’s Spacer friend, the Captain of the Daywalker's ship, the
Starlight
.
Why would he come to see me?
“Let him in.”

The door opened, and the Nightwalker entered. He dressed formally in a black suit with the seal of the Spacer Guild stitched on the breast pocket, his dark hair carefully slicked back off the bronze skin of his face to reveal a pleasantly neutral expression. Walking to the center of the room, he bowed deeply before addressing her in a rich baritone, softened by a faint Spanish accent. “Greetings, Prince Layla. Thank you for seeing me.”

Layla inclined her head. “It is always my pleasure to speak to one of Nicholas’ friends. How can I be of service?”

Rafael straightened. “Actually, Lady, it is I who am to be of service to you.”

Layla raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

The Spacer grinned. “I have been asked to invite you to a dinner cruise on board the
Starlight
.”

“Why would Nicholas invite me to dinner?” she asked.

“The request came from Tobias Jameson, Lady, not Nicholas.”

She shouldn’t be so surprised. She knew that Nick had granted Toby a standing invitation to use the vessel, but to the best of her knowledge, he had never exercised it. “I have not heard from Tobias in three days, since the Nexus recruited him to be their spokesman. Why send someone else in his place?”

Rafael shrugged. “I think perhaps he feared you would turn him down, given your harsh words when you last spoke.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she looked at him with new interest. “You know about that?”

“Yes. Toby and Nick both talk to me when they have issues with their loved ones. I act as their unofficial referee in family squabbles.” He sat down in the chair facing her desk. “Lady, if you don’t mind my saying so, Toby has certainly made a mess of things this time, from what I’ve heard from the two of them. I believe this invitation is his attempt to make amends for his actions, at least in part.”

She tilted her head to look at him quizzically. “In part? What else does he hope to accomplish?”

Rafael smiled. “Now, that is definitely something you will have to ask him in person, Lady.”

Layla smiled in response. Toby did love to play games, always leaving clues for her to follow.
So be it.
“Then we shouldn’t keep him waiting.”

Rafael stood and held out his hand to her.

Layla took his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet. For a moment, she was annoyed at her clumsiness, but then she reminded herself that it was all part of being a mother and that she owed this part of her experience to Toby, as well. She considered the casual dress she had adopted while the pregnancy progressed. “Are these clothes appropriate for what he has planned?”

“I think he’ll be satisfied no matter what you are wearing, Lady.”

“Then take me to him.”

Rafael spoke to his AI in a low voice, and the white light of a teleport matrix surrounded them. When it cleared, they were standing in the VIP embarkation lounge at the Citadel spaceport hub. Rafael led her down the transfer passage toward the outer hatch of the
Starlight
, a giant arrowhead of white metal that she could see through the windows that lined the hallway. They entered the primary airlock, and Rafael sealed the hatch behind them. When the inner door slid open, he waved her forward.

“He’s waiting for you in the main cabin, Lady. If you need me, I’ll be in the forward control center, but otherwise I will give you privacy.”

Layla nodded and walked down the short corridor to the inner hatch he had indicated, while Rafael left her down a side passage. She tapped lightly on the door control, and the hatch slid aside, revealing a large interior room with two couches drawn up below the exterior windows on either side. A dining table with six chairs dominated the rear of the room, set with several covered dishes and two place settings. Violin music played softly in the background. In the open space in the center of the room, Toby stood waiting for her, dressed in the gray tuxedo he had worn to his brother’s wedding, the night he had initiated their relationship.

She stepped into the room, walking slowly forward to stand before him. The hatch slid closed behind her, completing the acoustics of the room, and the music strengthened. The two of them stood silently, each waiting for the other to begin.

Rafael’s voice spoke over the music. “
Starlight
departing in ten seconds. Enjoy the view.”

They watched while the white city of domes and towers pulled gently away from them, the starkly lit glory of the Citadel coming into full view against the barren landscape of the lunar surface as the ship ascended in a wide spiral.

Finally, Layla nodded her head toward the audiovisual system against the front wall. “I have not heard this music before. Is it yours?”

Toby swallowed nervously. “Yes. I wrote it in the hospital. I never performed it before last night, though, when I made this recording. I wanted this to be just ours.”

She held out her hand to him. “Would you care to lead, Leshir?”

Toby led them in a slow dance, his eyes never leaving her face. When the music ended, they stood silently in each other’s arms when another, more familiar piece of Toby’s music came on. Toby took a deep breath. “When I asked you to marry me back in the hospital, it was an impulsive decision, and I didn’t let myself really acknowledge what it would mean for either of us. I don’t want that to be the start of our life together, Layla. I love you. It took almost dying at the point of Yvette’s sword to bring that into focus for me. You draw my whole life in your wake. Everything I do now is for you; everything I am belongs to you.” He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. “I would die for you.”