Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1) 0

“Why wouldn’t she do it?” Justin asked Cynthia. “She loved us. In her way. All she would’ve had to do was fill out some paperwork and get a job—any job, even a part-time one—and they would’ve processed you through too. She could’ve even managed a subsidy to move across town!”

“It was too risky,” Cynthia said. “She would’ve lost her rations and federal allowance.”

“But she’s a gambler. And between the subsidy and job, she would’ve ended up making more. She could’ve gotten high more often. She should’ve liked that.”

“Too risky. Her life wasn’t ideal, but it was comfortable and familiar. If she’d gone to all that trouble to get me transferred too, and something went wrong—like I hated the school or she lost her job—it would’ve been a bitch to go through all the social-aid procedure again.”

“Yeah, but shouldn’t it have been worth the risk that you might achieve greatness?”

“I’ll ignore the subtext there—that I obviously haven’t achieved greatness. But the point remains: Even though she liked to gamble, there were some risks Mom wouldn’t take, not when her comfort was on the line. She went with the sure thing.” Cynthia eyed him carefully. “Why do I have a feeling this isn’t really about Mom?”

“It’s about Tessa,” he said in a rare moment of transparency. “I’m trying to make a decision that’ll affect her future.”

It took Cynthia several moments to process that, and when she did, her face was full of incredulity. “Why did you even use the word ‘trying’? There’s nothing to decide. Just do what’s best for her.”

“Doing it involves a risk,” he said.

“Then you’d better decide how important her ‘greatness’ is to you.”

Justin pondered her words over dinner and said little to the others. When they got back home later, he went straight to his office and finally sent one of the reports off to Cornelia. As he did, he noticed he had an unread message from Lucian.

Justin,

Word’s gotten around about the brilliant servitor and valiant prætorian responsible for busting open the patrician murders. Don’t worry, I’ll let them keep thinking you’re a genius—because that’s the kind of friend I am. In return, a good friend like you should come to an upcoming fund-raiser the party’s having for me, and you should bring your valiant prætorian. It’s black-tie, and I’ll make sure you’re seated with some of the prettier donors. No one will think twice about heroes coming to an event like that, even patrician ones. Think about it, and convince her too. I already asked her and haven’t heard anything back. It’s a pretty clever compromise, though, one that’ll finally give me the semblance of an evening out with her that won’t end up on the national news.

Whatever satisfaction Justin felt at learning Mae was ignoring Lucian was immediately killed when he got to “clever compromise.” The world came grinding to a halt, and Justin gripped the arms of his chair. Clever compromise. Those were the words Geraki had used in the Internal Security holding cell when he’d claimed the god he served had a message for Justin. Yield your stars and flowers and accept the clever compromise.

That was what this god wanted? For Justin to help set Mae up on a faux date with Lucian? It was ridiculous.

You promised Geraki you would, Horatio warned him. When he helped you find the Morrigan. You said you’d do what our boss asked.

That was before I knew what it was! No way am I going to help set Mae up with Lucian, even for something like this. He just wants her because he can’t have her. He knows nothing about her except that the pants she had on when they met made her ass look great.

I thought you weren’t interested in her, jabbed Horatio.

It’s not interest. I’m stating a fact. Why aren’t you chiming in, Magnus?

The other raven sounded forlorn. Because I don’t know what to do. We have to obey our god. But I don’t want to give her to him. I just can’t trust him.

But one thing that came out of this was Justin’s acceptance that he needed to do something very unwelcome and very unpleasant: talk to Geraki. This time, with no cameras and no pretenses from either of them. Justin had to go in with as much out in the open as he could. He called Geraki—who was irritatingly gleeful—and set up a meeting for the following day, just before Cornelia’s debriefing.

When Justin showed up at the designated restaurant, Geraki was already there, sitting at a dark corner table that seemed to have been designed for him.

“You can’t imagine how delighted I was by your call last night.” Geraki grinned as Justin took a chair. “Is it a breach of the restraining order if you seek me out?”

“Depends on what you do.” Justin brought up the menu screen and ordered bourbon. After a moment’s consideration, he made it a double.

“I miss that, you know,” said Geraki. “I used to love a good Pinot Noir.”

“I know a guy who makes some, but it’s not actually any good. Still, you could probably get a discount on it.”

Geraki nodded to the glass of water on the table. “I have to keep my body pure now, in order to hear my master’s voice.”

“Are we going to finally talk about your god? The one whose name no one will tell me?”

“We’re here to talk about anything you like. You’re the one who contacted me.”

Justin took a deep breath. It was now or never. “I finally figured out that message you gave me—about yielding my stars and flowers. I know what it means.”

“I don’t.” Geraki sipped his water with as much reverence as he’d give a fine wine. “It made no sense to me then or now. I just relayed the message. Are you going to fulfill its terms? You promised, you know. I helped you, and you gave your word to him.”

“Your master.”

“Our master,” corrected Geraki.

“Great. Are we back to us being brothers? My master is a woman with terrible hair who hates me.”

“Why are you asking me questions if you don’t believe the answers?” asked Geraki. “And what answer do you actually expect me to give that you would believe?”

“I don’t know,” Justin admitted. He felt weary and wished he’d taken more Exerzol.

“Then why are you here?”

“Because I’ve seen things—wondrous and terrible things that have no human explanation. And I accept—I had to a long time ago—that there are powerful forces in our world. The thing is, I know there’s something bigger going on. I can feel it. It’s more than a jumble of gods and supernatural feats. There’s a pattern, but I can’t find this one—or where I fit in.”

Geraki laughed softly. “That’s maddening for you, isn’t it? Not being in on the master plan.”

Justin’s response was interrupted when a waitress came by with his bourbon. She had cropped brown hair and no bra on under her white tank top. A silver tongue piercing glittered when she spoke, reminding him of a girl he’d gone out with in college. After blatantly checking him out, she smiled and sauntered away.

Geraki grimaced. “You don’t waste time, do you?”

“Or opportunities.”

“You’re wasting a woman who’s worth ten of that one.”

“Who, Mae?” Justin shook his head. “No. There’s nothing like that going on between us.”

“Then you must be an idiot.” The ravens loved that. “She’s a powerful elect who can’t help but attract the divine.”

“Yeah, we kind of noticed, seeing as she finally broke free from a death goddess that’s stalked her since birth.”

“There’ll be more trying to woo her.” Geraki got an eerie gleam in his eye, making him look very much like the prophet he claimed to be. Justin suddenly had a flashback to Mae burning with light and life in Claude’s temple, when the ravens said another god had made a move on her. “It’ll be interesting to see who gains her services. She’s a remarkable woman. Magnificent.”

“Well, if you’re so interested in her, she’s available.”

The self-righteous look on Geraki’s face told Justin what was coming. “I no longer engage in carnal activity. I told you, a prophet’s body must be pure to hear the god’s voice. A priest, on the other hand…” He shrugged. “You have a different role. You have no restrictions with a woman like that.”

“And I told you I don’t want her.”

“Then you must be an idiot,” Geraki repeated. “Which makes it stranger that you were chosen by our god. But we’ll put aside the glorious woman you allegedly don’t want. Obviously, you’ve seen something else of note, if not her.”

“I’ve seen lots of things. I’ve seen the servants of a death goddess turn to smoke and gain supernatural strength and speed. I’ve seen genetically perfect people created from sacrifices to that same goddess. I fought a woman who turned into a jaguar. I’ve watched your ‘prophecies’ come true. I saw two ravens appear out of thin air and save my life, and now they won’t leave me alone.” Justin had no idea why he was spilling all of this. At least no one would believe Geraki anyway if he repeated it.

Geraki smiled and nodded along. “Ah, yes. Your thought and memory. Are you used to them yet? I had trouble with the wolves at first, but now I enjoy them. But then, I spend so much time alone in meditation that it’s actually nice having the company.”

Justin had once kind of wanted to find someone else who heard voices, but this wasn’t what he’d imagined. “You obviously think you have some insight into the big picture here. Are you going to keep dangling it in front of me or finally come clean?”

The smugness and cynicism vanished from Geraki’s face, and he leaned across the table. “You want the truth, Servant of Truth? The truth is, when you banish the gods from the world, they eventually come back—with a vengeance. Humans can’t stay away from gods, and gods can’t stay away from humans. It’s the natural order of things. Our country’s treatment of the divine was too harsh after the Decline. Our people have pushed the gods away for too long, and now the divine is pushing back. That’s why these forces are stirring around us. There’s a vacuum here, and entities we haven’t seen for a very long time are rushing in, seeking followers. Belief is what powers the gods, and they’re picking out their elect to conduct their earthly business.”