Wattys shortlist 2021. One morning the sun rises a few hours early, striking levitating skyscrapers in Soliara ahead of schedule. People in the streets stop to look up at the sky and then down at their watches. Most of them, puzzled but disbelieving...
Cristo had Claudia in stitches, even with Portia there. "Magic prevents crime, even deters it — everyone is so convinced law enforcement will capture and execute them if they so much as think the word 'premeditate.' No one bothers committing crimes any more, ask Portia for the numbers. She knows the facts.
"She can tell you all about an incident where a link took someone's arm off, and certainly the details are gruesome, but look at the numbers. We open thousands of links every day and there have been fewer than twelve link-related accidents this week. People hardly ever get killed by them either, we're talking less than two deaths by link per month. Twenty-nine people this year have been crushed to death by their furniture, you're more likely to be killed by your mattress. But with greater access to magic comes greater ability to protect oneself from being crushed by one's mattress."
Claudia couldn't breathe for laughing, she was hanging on his every word.
She sobered up and a minute later, however, she was back in the argument to win it. As if she were pulling out her trump card, she said, "So we can protect ourselves from being crushed by our furniture. What's to protect us from each other, when the law is on the side of the company exequis?"
The conversation spiraled out of control and downward from there. Claudia accused the boss of abusing Constellation's power. Like executing the three who tried to assassinate him last night.
"He's locked three alleged assassins away for attempted murder, and he gets to be judge, jury and executioner. What exactly is the boss doing with the prisoners, isn't that just further proof of Constellation's complete overreach? The boss of a Constellation branch has authorization to incarcerate, interrogate and, in the end, execute law breakers? What's the procedure for that anyway, do the guardia form a firing squad or does the boss just pop Sera Cassus one in the head?"
"I really don't know," Cristo said, feeling for once that his soon-to-be-late not yet mother was saying something sort of reasonable.
Then he took a second and thought about what he had just said. "I really don't know." His own innocuous words banged around in his head until they reminded him of Sera Cassus saying them earlier. "I really don't know." They bounced around in his head, triggered other thoughts, set off like dominoes falling over in order.
Until he knew where he might find Milana Nox.
He was so close to taking back Claudia Solace with his voice alone, the smack in the face realization that he needed to leave now if he was going to save Milana's life hurt like, well, a slap in the face.
"Or does the boss just pop Sera Cassus one in the head?" Claudia had said, and Sera Cassus said, "I really don't know" — in response to the question Cristo asked her, "Why would Justin Marius need to both blackmail and bribe Antonio Solari?"
His own words echoed in the empty cave of his head ("I really don't know") and Sera Cassus had said them too — and maybe she didn't, but Cristo did. The answer to why Justin Marius would need to both blackmail and bribe Tony Solari had been given to Cristo less than half an hour ago.
Aelana had told him.
Exequi Alma Valerian was blackmailing Tony Solari too. Justin Marius needed to do one better.
Which meant Cristo needed to leave, right now. He knew where he might find Milana Nox.
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