“He pleaded for us to take his family instead,” Jagadev said. “He wept and cried that he would give up the rest of you if we would only spare him. First he tried to offer his mother. Then when that failed, he offered you. He told us that you would come at his call, that you’d be eager, because you blindly trusted him, worshipped him as a hero even though—”
Variam’s hand snapped up.
My hand hit Variam’s just as he loosed his spell, and the heat burst hit the wall to Jagadev’s right. There was a whump of superheated air. A tapestry flashed into ash and burning sparks, and a section of gold-friezed marble melted and deformed.
“Vari!” I snapped.
Vari had turned on me, orange-red light glowing around his hands. They weren’t aimed at me—not quite—but they were close. “I told you not to get in my way,” he said through gritted teeth.
“He’s manipulating you,” I said sharply. “He’s had years to plan out this encounter, figure out exactly how to push your buttons. Stop and think!”
Flames surged around Variam and his eyes lit up red. Death and violence danced in the futures, and not all of it was aimed at Jagadev. I stared back at Variam and stood my ground. For a long moment, everything was still but for the flickering fire around Variam’s body; I could feel the heat at my face and hands but didn’t flinch.
Then Variam withdrew. The fire around him dimmed and he let out a long, hissing breath. The futures calmed and settled. “Take a walk,” I said. “Five minutes. I’ll make sure he’s still here when you get back.”
“He’d better be,” Variam said.
“You have my word.”
Variam gave Jagadev one final look, then turned and left the way we’d come in.
I turned back to Jagadev. The rakshasa had fallen silent again. “Hello, Jagadev,” I said. “How long’s it been, six years? Though I suppose that’s not much to you.”
Silence. Jagadev’s slitted golden eyes stared at me without expression. But no—there was an expression there, something unfamiliar. I’d been searching through the futures, picking out glimpses and clues, and all of a sudden I understood what I was seeing. “You’re in agony right now, aren’t you?” I said softly. “That’s what that spell is doing. It’s not just paralysing you; it’s inflicting the most pain it possibly can. It’s a wonder you’re even able to talk.”
Jagadev’s expression didn’t shift, but I knew I was right. “So that was why Anne left you alive,” I said. “She could have killed you in an eyeblink, but that would have been over too soon, wouldn’t it?” I tilted my head. “So what did she have to say? I’m guessing she wasn’t all that grateful for all you’ve done for her.”
Still no answer.
“If you’re not going to talk, I might as well call Vari back in to finish you off.”
“Anne knows you will betray her,” Jagadev said.
I paused, caught in the middle of turning around. “You think to ally with her against your shared enemies.” There was no trace of pain in Jagadev’s voice: it was silky, contemptuous. “She knows you will turn on her as soon as you can. She will expect it, and you will fail.”
I felt a stab of fear. I knew Jagadev had to be guessing, but his guesses were dangerously close. “Nice try.”
“She knows your plans, Verus. But do you know hers?” Jagadev raised an eyebrow. “I think not. When she strikes, all your divination will not foresee it.”
“This is what you always do, isn’t it?” I said. “Plant suspicion, turn people against one another. All those people out in the entrance hall, those men and the vanara . . . I bet you spun them a very convincing story. How well did it work out for them?”
“And yet here you are,” Jagadev said. “Because no matter how you try to hide it, you wish for my knowledge, my wisdom. Like all mages. Like all humans.”
Jagadev had a point. The rakshasa was hundreds of years old, if not thousands. He would have had the time to amass wealth and secrets beyond most mages’ dreams. The secrets would be worth the most: locked away in his mind would be the keys to entire kingdoms. I felt the temptation of Jagadev’s unspoken offer. Help him, and I’d have access to the knowledge that only he possessed. Of course, to do so, I’d need to keep him alive . . .
. . . and in doing so, I’d be betraying Variam. And once I’d protected Jagadev, he’d betray me as well. The rakshasa had spent centuries practising these deceptions. He’d promise me everything, and give me nothing but death.
“You know, it’s funny,” I said. “You could have killed Anne and Variam so many times, when they were living as your wards in the Tiger’s Palace. I mean, they were the last living descendants of the mages who killed your wife, weren’t they? And you managed to get them under your power, living under your own roof. So why did you hold off?” I looked at Jagadev. “I think it was because they were the last. Once they were gone, you’d have nothing left. And when you finally decided to kill Anne, you didn’t just have her assassinated cleanly, because that wasn’t enough for you, was it? You tried to destroy her in every way you could. And now she’s doing the same thing. She could have finished you off, but instead she decides to play with her food. I guess she learnt it from you.” I shook my head. “So much for your wisdom.”
“You know nothing about Anne.”
“I know enough,” I said. “And what I don’t know is definitely not worth the price you’d charge for it. So no, Jagadev. I’m not making a deal. You’re going to die right here in this room. All I’m really interested in is whether you have any last words.”
“Last words?” Jagadev said. He paused, and his voice became harsh, deadly. “Then take these for your last words, mage. I may die here, but before the year is out, you and your underling will follow me. I have killed countless members of your kind, yet the number who will die at the hands of your lover will dwarf that. And you will be the one who enables it. Her name will be remembered in infamy, and yours alongside.”
I stood looking back at Jagadev for a moment before raising my voice. “Vari! We’re done.”
Footsteps sounded and Variam appeared, carrying something slung over one arm. He ignored me, looking straight at Jagadev. “You do not say another word about anyone in my family,” he told Jagadev. “Understand?”
Jagadev looked at Variam contemptuously. The green-black energy of the spell was still swirling. I wondered how much longer it would take to kill him.
“I just want to know one thing,” Variam said. “Why?”
“Why you?” Jagadev sounded almost amused. “Are you truly so ignorant?”