Modern Magick

The Fifth Britain: 2

'Home's burnt down?' I said, as the Baron took a seat next to me.

He gave me a strange look. 'No, of course it hasn't.'

Hm. What else might rank as bad news in Baron Alban's world?

'Ancestria Magicka has taken over the Hidden Ministry,' suggested Jay.

Alban did not disclaim this idea as emphatically as I would have liked. He thought for a moment, and then said: 'Not to my knowledge.' An unspoken yet seemed to hover in the air.

'Stop guessing,' said Zareen. 'Let the man speak.'

The Baron tipped an imaginary hat in her general direction. 'It's Lord Garrogin,' he said. 'He's back at Court.' He looked intently at me, and then at Jay. 'Why on earth did you two tell him so much?'

'Just us two?' I protested. 'Zareen was grilled for ages.'

Zareen rolled her eyes. 'I was interrogated at length because I wouldn't tell him things.'

Oh.

I gave a cough. 'What did we tell him that's bad news?'

'News of your defection from the Society reached the Court late last night. Garrogin professed himself astonished. It seems the pair of you rattled on at length about your loyalty to the Society and your total lack of interest in working anywhere else.' The Baron sat back as his tea was presented to him by a smiling waitress. When she had gone, he slid the plate of cheesecake in my direction and continued: 'As a Truthseeker he's uniquely qualified to detect the perfect sincerity of everything you said, and it therefore seemed odd to him that you've suddenly broken with Milady.'

I took a spoonful of cheesecake, and savoured a mouthful of syrupy-sweet strawberry while I considered my response. 'Crap,' I said at last.

'Perhaps it won't matter,' said Jay optimistically. 'Do we need to care what they think at the Troll Court?'

'Maybe not,' conceded the Baron. 'But who are you trying to fool?'

'The Ministry, for the most part.'

I put in, 'And any other organisation with the authority to frown upon our delving into forbidden topics.'

'Like, for example, the Troll Court?' said Zareen, with withering sarcasm.

'They have no authority over us,' insisted Jay.

'No, but they can make plenty of trouble for us anyway.'

'It's a problem,' said the Baron. 'Because I can't really contradict Garrogin's assessment of the situation. Ves is known for her unshakeable loyalty to the Society, and anyway he's a bloody Truthseeker. People believe him. The best thing I can think of to say in your support is that it must've been something very serious to prompt you to leave, and that naturally leads to one question: like what?'

I might think the Hidden Ministry was wrong to put a total ban on all investigation into the arena of time-travel, but they were quite right to keep the subject quiet. We didn't need any more bright sparks like Ancestria Magicka armed with those kinds of prospects. If they wouldn't appoint a task-force to take care of the matter, well, we'd appointed ourselves. But we in no way wanted gossip spreading far and wide as to what we might be getting up to.

'So we need a cover story?' I said. 'Some other dark and dangerous thing we might have considered it worth leaving the Society for?'

'Like what?' said Alban, with a twinkle, and he was right because I could think of nothing.