robert Charrette - Arthur 02 - A King Beneath the Mountain (8 page)

"Alleged
elf." Dagastino again.

Magnus cleared his throat. "Bennett remained in the other-world. Harold Black is dead. We have no information on the whereabouts of the sleeper. John Reddy, who you say accompanied you to the otherworld and survived, is listed as dead, killed in the awakening of the sleeper."

All old news. "I explained that. It was even in the prelim report. The body wasn't his."

"Then whose body was it, Dr. Spae?" L'Hereaux asked. "Computer records map the physical characteristics of the corpse exactly to those listed in John Reddy's profile."

"The body was a mundane," Dr. Essenbach said. "There was no indication of any connection with the supernatural other than the cause of death. Didn't you say that Reddy claimed to be the son of an elf lord?"

"Bennett claimed that," she corrected.

"Bennett? The elf?" L'Hereaux's suspicious tone all but accused her of lying.

"Yes, the damn elf!"

"Reddy did not claim such a heritage, then?"

"He believed what Bennett said."

"But you do not?"

Did she believe it? Reddy hadn't looked like an elf, but there had been an aura of magic around him. "I don't know. It's a possibility."

"Couldn't you read his aura?" Dagastino asked maliciously.

L'Hereaux didn't let her get a word in. "Do you consider yourself on good terms with this Mr. Bennett?"

"After what happened? I don't think so."

"Then you have lost the Department a contact with a lord of the otherworld."

"I didn't lose anything." "Oh, no? Who else was there? You were our specialist on the spot, Doctor. Who else had responsibility? Where is the sleeper? Where is Reddy?"

Why was L'Hereaux being such a badger? She had answered all these questions before. "I don't know."

"Don't know or are not willing to tell?"

Lord, the man wouldn't let go. "I
said
I don't know."

"Do you know who else is involved in this affair? Do you have connections with outside interests, Doctor?"

So they were back to that. "Are you referring to Mitsu-tomo?"

"I asked you the question, Doctor," L'Hereaux said harshly. "What role is Mitsutomo taking in this affair?"

"How should I know? I'm not on their payroll. If anything, I'd say that they seem to be antagonistic toward Artos."

"And why would that be?"

"Ask them!"

"We are asking you, Doctor." L'Hereaux's voice was an-noyingly calm.

"I don't like what you're implying."

"Neither do I, Doctor. Neither do I. Mitsutomo seems to know more than they should. How might that be? Agent Kun seemed to think they had a secret source of knowledge."

The Department couldn't control every bit of data about the resurgence of magic in the world. Mitsutomo was a powerful megacorp; a corporation didn't get that big without smart people, and smart people made connections when presented with evidence. Who could guess what they knew? "Look, I don't know anything about Mitsutomo other than they kidnapped Reddy and Black and that they planted a transmitter on Black. That's how they were able to follow us to the other-world."

"But you haven't explained how they managed to bridge the gap between the worlds," L'Hereaux said.

"Bridging the dimensions would take a mage," Dagastino added.

"What do you know about it? You ever done it?" Spae asked contemptuously.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Dr. Dagastino," Essenbach said. "A mage is necessary. We do not have the ability to breach the dimensions with mere technology."

"Look, I don't know how they did it, but they
did
it. Mitsutomo raided the otherworld and tried to kill Artos. There was a raid on the awakening site as well. Maybe
that
was Mitsutomo, too. I've told you before that I don't know how they knew about Artos, or why they wanted to kill him. I am not involved with them."

"So you say," Dagastino said.

L'Hereaux stepped to the edge of the lights, becoming a silhouette against the dazzle. "Agent Kun's report does corroborate the raid and the transmitter. We know that Mitsutomo is at least partially aware of the magical upsurgence."

"How could they unless
someone
informed them?" Da-gastino's tone made it clear who
he
thought the someone was.

"Accusations are not called for at this time," L'Hereaux said. "Mitsutomo is involved. Consider the implications: a megacorporation aware of the sleepers and what they represent. This could have profound consequences. Mitsutomo's interests are not the world's interests."

"There is the matter of the man Sorli," Gere said. This was new; they hadn't brought Sorli up in the previous sessions. "His involvement is something that concerns me, Dr. Spae. One of Agent Kun's field reports stated that you identified Sorli in Worcester shortly before the awakening of the sleeper. Is that correct?"

"Correct." Just as in my report.

"Your final report does not mention him. Why is that, Doctor?"

"We didn't see him again."

"I find it most interesting that you encountered Sorli at the beginning of this affair and never again," Dagastino said.

Gere cleared his throat. "How shall I say this? Such an encounter is uncharacteristic, judging from our previous dealings with the man."

L'Hereaux spoke from behind her; he had shifted position again. "Sorli has more than once disrupted our operations. We must consider the possibility that he has acquired the sleeper.

Do you think that is possible, Dr. Spae?" He paused, then spoke from yet another spot. "Perhaps Sorli has persuaded you that your best interests lie elsewhere."

Spae felt herself tense. So if Mitsutomo hadn't co-opted her, Sorli had, eh? They seemed to have convicted her already. "What are you saying, L'Hereaux?"

"I think it's obvious."

"And uncalled for," Magnus said.

"Dr. Spae is loyal," said Essenbach.

"There remains the question of Sorli's employers," Gere said.

"I should think that answer is obvious," said Dagastino. "Mitsutomo."

Magnus sighed. "If Mitsutomo is Sorli's master, Dr. Dagastino, they've been aware of the magic longer than I'd care to think about."

"I would think Sorli's association with Mitsutomo, if it exists, is a rather recent thing," L'Hereaux said. "As recent as some other associations. Wouldn't you agree, Dr. Spae?"

"Sorli is not the issue here." Essenbach's voice cracked a little."Can we get back to the important issue?"

"Sorli
is
the issue," Dagastino snapped. "Especially if Spae has fallen under his influence."

"Stuff you," Spae told him.

For once Dagastino didn't rise to the bait. "But I think we have a more likely villain. Consider how she consorted with the elf Bennett, against Agent Kun's advice, and lost the sleeper to the otherworld."

What a little slime. He didn't care which side he took as long as he could get in a shot at her. "So you're willing to admit I really went to the otherworld, if it lets you drag me down." Spae kept speaking, overriding his next comment. "We don't know Artos remained in the otherworld. I believe that he was returned as Kun and I were, so he's not lost."

"We have no evidence the sleeper ever left the Faery realm," L'Hereaux said.

"The Lady of the Lakes gave her word."

"And what value may we place on that?"

"I believed her," Spae said with firm conviction.

"And so
we
should believe
you?'
She could imagine Da-gastino's lip curling as he spoke. "You are stretching our credulity, Spae."

"And you're stretching my patience," she shot back.

"No more than you are stretching ours." Magnus scraped his chair back and stood, a shift in the shadows beyond the lights. "Dr. Spae, your reports make some strong claims for this Bennett, but they are claims without substantiation. Where is the proof? Is this elf truly a prince of Faery?"

"Alleged elf."

"Enough, Dagastino!" More calmly, Magnus continued to speak to her. "Mr. Kun reported that he urged you not to consent to the expedition to the otherworld. Is that true?"

"As true as it was the last time you asked."

She was tired of this, tired of their games.

"And yet you proceeded anyway."

"I did."

"And continued on, even when Mr. Kun advised a withdrawal to our own reality."

"Yes."

"For what purpose, Doctor?"

"You know why."

"Tell me again then. Convince
me,
Doctor."

She sighed. The great man was proving no better than the rest. He'd become as untrusting and paranoid as the others. You couldn't trust someone who didn't trust you. She'd been trusting the promises of liars and doubters.

She felt hot, from more than the lights. She was angry, very angry. Letting the emotion flood her, she pulled the energy together. The heat of the lights was searing; she imagined it hotter still, hot enough to melt and crumple the reflectors, twisting them around to hold in the heat. With a popping like a burst of automatic weapons fire, all the lights exploded. For a few seconds it seemed as if the room was plunged into darkness, but at last her eyes registered the room's ordinary lighting. Blackened reflectors stood at intervals smoking. Magnus's team stood or sat still, staring at her. Magnus didn't look amused.

"I want to know why you listened to Bennett and not to your associate."

What could she tell him that he'd understand? "How could anyone pass up a chance actually to visit the otherworld? Don't you want to know what it was like, Magnus?"

"No," he answered, cold as ice.

"Well, some people have more intellectual curiosity. Would you pass it up, Dr. Essenbach?
Would
you? Of course you wouldn't. Don't bother answering, Dagastino.
You
probably would throw away your chance, unless you had the blessing and encouragement of everyone around you, especially your boss." Dagastino gave a nervous glance at Magnus, who didn't seem to notice. "Hell, until recently we weren't even sure the otherworld existed. Well, now we know. I've been there. I've seen it."

"And perhaps fallen under its spell?" L'Hereaux suggested.

She rounded on him. "What would you know about it? You've never shown any more sensitivity to the arcane than your average lump of mud. You and your goddamned bully-boys have trampled on and destroyed more occult evidence than you've ever brought in."

"Now, Doctor..."

Magnus's tone was cautioning, but Spae no longer cared. She'd seen enough to know that the spy games weren't going to stop; they were only going to get worse. She was tired of the suspicion, tired of the distrust. She didn't need it. Or them. Or their bloody Department!

"I've had enough of your 'now, Doctor'. I volunteered to work with the Department when you came knocking on my door, crying about needing people who could deal with the arcane. And I have worked with you. Honestly. To the best of my ability. But, you know, when I said I'd work with you, the emphasis was on the
with\
I'm not a servant, and I'm not a pawn to be pushed around in your stupid games. Most especially I'm not some faceless work-prole who will take all the bullshit you dish out and ask for more!"

"Doctor, sit down," Magnus ordered.

"I will not! I've had enough of this! You can take your damned Department and shove it!"

She glared wildly around the room. Dagastino and Gere were still stunned. Essenbach looked utterly appalled. L'Hereaux was the only one doing anything; he was leaning over a console, whispering—calling for his bullyboys, no doubt.

Oh, no! They weren't going to lock her away in their see-nothing, know-nothing places. She wasn't about to stand still for that! They were afraid of what had happened in the other-world. Well, she'd show them that they had something to be afraid of.

She raised the power in a flaring burst of energy, all dazzle and incandescence. They cowered from the light, shrinking back as the brilliance cast their inky shadows in elongated caricatures on the white walls.

Let the light blind them to her doings! Let their thoughts be as twisted as their shadows on the walls! They would not see her as she walked, nor move to oppose her.

The effect wouldn't last long, but it would hold for long enough for her to leave. She turned for the door and out of the corner of her eye noticed one shadow that did not match. L'Hereaux's shade did not match the security chief's crouch. She looked at him and saw that he was not really crouching; he was looking back at her.

She threw him the finger.

He smiled and she almost stumbled, for in that moment he looked like Bennett. She caught herself and looked again. L'Hereaux was L'Hereaux.

There wasn't time to think about it.