فصل 15

Chapter 15

CALL FELT GUILTY as he walked up the hill. When he saw Tamara at the top, his expression was bleak.

“Did it not work?” she asked him.

“It worked,” he said. “I was just thinking how maybe I understand why people are afraid of chaos mages. Maybe they should be afraid.” Tamara put his hand on Call’s shoulder. “It’s not fair that because you’re a Makar, you have to deal with all this. It wasn’t fair when it was Aaron, and it’s not fair when it’s you. We’re still kids. Maybe not kids like we were when we came to the Magisterium, but too young to be responsible for the lives of so many other people. I think you’re doing great.” “If you think so, then I guess it must be true,” Call said.

This is my fault, Aaron said.

No, it’s not, Call thought back. This time it’s not any of our faults.

Tamara took his hand and held it all the way back to the Mission Gate. When they came through, Jasper and Gwenda were waiting for them, looking grave.

“What happened?” Call demanded loudly, cutting through the other voices. Gwenda looked abruptly apologetic and a cold sliver of fear ran through him.

“You better come,” said Jasper. “Now.”

He started moving through the tunnels fast enough that Call had to ask him to slow down twice just to keep up. When they arrived back at their common room, Master Rufus was there, looking very grave.

Beside him was a Devoured of air. He appeared in the form of a grayish mist that moved out from the shape of his body to evaporate in the air. His features became more and less distinct as the cloudlike shape of his body shifted.

Call could see his glasses, the shape of his face, even the translucent outline of gray-and-brown hair. Call knew him. He didn’t want to, but he did.

The Devoured was Alastair, his father.

For a moment, Call’s bad leg almost gave out. He lurched sideways and caught himself on a table. All Call’s thoughts had fled. He didn’t want to believe what he was looking at. He didn’t want to see what was in front of him. He didn’t want to comprehend it.

“Dad,” he said. The word came out broken.

Tamara gasped.

He must really love you, said Aaron, which seemed all wrong to Call at the same time that it was true.

“Dad,” he said again, and the shape flowed toward him, enveloped him in fog and whirling wind. There was nothing comforting in that touch. It was too inhuman, too cold.

“Call,” Alastair’s voice said. “I’m sorry. But this is the only way I could help you.” “We could have found someone else,” Call pleaded.

“There wasn’t time,” Alastair told him.

“But you hate magic!” Call shouted, angry now. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that Alastair had to sacrifice himself. None of this was fair, none of it had ever been fair, but Alastair shouldn’t have had to give up everything. “How are you going to go to garage sales now? How are you going to tinker with cars? How are you going to even drive cars? What is going to happen to all your antiques?” He choked. “What about our life together? What about our life?” “I needed to help you, Call,” said Alastair. “There’s no life for me if anything happens to you. You’re my son.” “And you’re his father!” Tamara said. “You shouldn’t have done this! Call needs you.” “This wasn’t what I wanted either,” Alastair said. “I will miss going to movies, working on cars together, walking Havoc, being father and son. Being part of his life as he gets older and marries, bouncing a grandchild on my knee.” Tamara looked stricken.

“Maybe this is the price I have to pay for not having told Call the truth about magic for all those years,” said Alastair. “For every time I didn’t trust him. We have to trust the people we love.” “Now it’s even more important that the Assembly change its rules on the Devoured,” said Jasper somberly. “So Alastair can be with Call sometimes, and Tamara, so you can see Ravan.” “Ravan.” She gave a little gasp. “We have to summon her and the others. Aren’t we supposed to be at Alex’s tower at dawn?” “Alastair.” Master Rufus spoke in a rumbling voice. “It is a noble thing you have done. Noble and painful. Even if the Magisterium does not, I will do all I can to help you after this.” “Thank you, old teacher,” said Alastair. “I will be waiting for you all outside the Mission Gate at dawn.” He dissolved into the air and vanished. Call slumped down at the table. He didn’t care about Alex right then. He didn’t care about anything but his father. He couldn’t think about anything but Alastair and how Alastair was both fine and totally not at all never again going to be fine. He felt numb all over. Numb and strange.

“Tamara, Gwenda, Jasper,” said Rufus. “Go and get yourself ready for tomorrow. New uniforms have been laid out for you. They have spells that repel dark magic woven into the fabric.” I didn’t know you could do that, Aaron marveled.

“Callum, stay here a moment,” said Rufus. “I want a word with you.”

The others left, Tamara reluctantly; Call could tell she wanted to stay with him. He’d have to get ready, too. They were supposed to leave first thing in the morning. But he felt as if he couldn’t drag himself to his feet. Somehow what Alastair had done had been the last straw.

“Call,” said Master Rufus, “I need you to know something.”

Call looked up.

“I have had many students over the years,” Master Rufus continued. “Some of the best who have ever come out of the Magisterium. And some of the worst.” Call stared dully. He waited for Master Rufus to tell him what a disappointment he was.

“I know I have not always been there when you needed me. I felt you above all others needed to find your own way. It was often painful not to reach out a hand. But even when you were given the choice to run rather than face a Devoured of chaos, you did not take it.” Master Rufus inclined his head. “I think of all my students, I have been the proudest of you.” Hmph, said Aaron.

“I will be there for you tomorrow,” Rufus went on. “Whatever happens, I will be by your side and Tamara’s. I could ask for no greater honor.” Call cleared his throat. “Thanks, Rufus.”

Rufus nodded and departed the way he always did, without ceremony. Call headed to his room, bone-weary. Havoc, who had been closed in there, leaped all over him in excitement. Call fell on to the bed and tried to sleep.

He didn’t think he would, but, exhausted and overwhelmed, he did.

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When Call woke, he felt better about the world. He still felt scared about his dad, but he was starting to see that being a Devoured of air might not be the worst thing. At least his dad wasn’t going to get old and die like other people’s fathers. Alastair would outlive Call. And maybe Alastair couldn’t make him dinner and take care of him exactly the way he had before, but Alastair wasn’t the greatest cook anyway and Call was probably headed to the Collegium. If he didn’t die.

That positive attitude didn’t last very long, Aaron said.

“You know me,” Call said. “It’s not easy to be roommates, especially in the same head, but I’m glad you’ve been with me. I am glad it was you in my head. Whatever happens, you’re the best best friend ever.” Not a lot of people would have been okay with me being in here, said Aaron. And almost no one would have risked what you did to bring me back to life. You always act like you should be grateful to me for being your friend, just because I’m nice and polite and can make people like me. But I am the one who should be grateful, Call. And I am.

Call grinned. He felt a little bit embarrassed, but overall surprisingly calm as he put on the stuff the Magisterium had given them to wear. He tied up his boots, slid Miri through his belt, and walked out into the common room, only to see Gwenda and Jasper making out on the couch, which was a bit like walking into a field of daisies on a nice spring morning only to be run over by a truck.

Gack! said Aaron.

“My eyes!” Call yelled, slapping a hand over them.

Tamara walked out of her room just in time to see Jasper and Gwenda spring apart.

“What’s going on?” she asked, frowning. “I heard shouting.”

Jasper’s neck was a little flushed. “We were, uh, just resolving some issues between us.” Gwenda was looking shyly at the ground. A small smile curved her mouth.

“I did not see that coming,” Call said, a bit dazed.

“Are you kidding?” Tamara elbowed him in the side. “It’s been coming for forever! What did you think all that flirting in the car was about?!” “Flirting?” Jasper said.

Now he was annoyed. But Gwenda and Tamara shared a smile.

“Come on,” Tamara said. “We’re going to eat breakfast and then we’re going to battle the Evil Overlord. The real Evil Overlord.” They ate quickly. Gwenda and Jasper held hands the whole time and Call kept wondering if he should have pulled Tamara into a kiss or held her hand or done something. It wasn’t fair that Jasper seemed ridiculous a lot, but then turned out to know more than Call about relationships and girls and sometimes even magic.

Tamara likes you, Aaron said. Remember — today, we’re optimists.

“You’re always an optimist,” Call muttered under his breath.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door and no more time for discussion. Master Rufus was there with Master Milagros and Assemblyman Graves. They had brought magical rope with them.

“We’re not going to tie your arms tightly,” said Graves. “But we must give the appearance of going along with his commands.” “Tamara,” said Master Milagros, “your sister is here and she wants to talk to you.” “Ravan?” asked Tamara.

“She has not yet been summoned. It’s Kimiya who wants to talk with you. She’s waiting for you outside the gates.” Call suddenly remembered that Alex had wanted Kimiya handed over to them as well, that he thought she was still his girlfriend.

He also remembered the last time they’d seen Kimiya. She’d been throwing her arms around Alex while he gloated and Tamara looked as if she’d been kicked in the stomach, so Call wasn’t inclined to like her much.

Tamara swallowed hard. “Okay. I want to see her.”

They headed down the corridor after Master Rufus. Call’s optimistic mood was turning quickly into tension as they passed knots of staring, silent students. He was pretty sure most of them didn’t know what was going on, but they knew enough to understand that bad things were happening. After all, many of them had seen Alex attack, and they’d all seen the golden tower rising on the horizon like a knife pointing at the sky.

Call kept looking at things as they passed. The door to his old rooms, the ones he’d shared with Tamara and Aaron. The way to the Refectory. The twisting path to the library. The glowing patterns of stones in the walls. The stairs that led to the Gallery. He couldn’t stop wondering if it was the last time he’d ever see any of them again.

Suddenly there was a loud bark. Havoc had burst through the door of their rooms and was charging up the hallway. He almost careened into Call, jumping up to put his paws on Call’s chest and whining frantically.

“What’s going on?” Call patted Havoc’s head. “What’s wrong, boy?”

Nothing, Aaron said. He wants to go with you.

“He just wants to come,” said Tamara. “We shouldn’t leave him behind.” “But he’s not a Chaos-ridden wolf anymore,” said Call. “It’s not fair to bring him.” “Isn’t it better,” said Rufus, “that he wishes to go with you out of love and loyalty, and not because he is bound to you by chaos? He is your wolf, and I think he has earned his place at your side.” So they headed out of the Mission Gate as a group of six: Master Rufus, Tamara, Gwenda, Jasper, and Call, with Havoc bringing up the rear.

Call saw Kimiya immediately. She was standing with Mr. and Mrs. Rajavi, who were huddled together in a tight family group. All of them were staring warily at Alastair, who hovered translucently near — but not too near — a number of Assembly members.

Given what had happened to Ravan, Call felt like he couldn’t blame the Rajavis for looking at Alastair like that. Devoured of any kind must horrify them. But he blamed them anyway.

Tamara immediately detached from their group and ran toward her family, while Call and the others headed toward Alastair and the mages. Havoc and Call greeted Alastair, who brushed an airy hand over Call’s hair, stirring the strands without quite touching him. Havoc nosed around Alastair and barked worriedly as he passed through Alastair’s legs.

Around them a few other members of the Assembly milled, consulting with some other mages Call didn’t know who were explaining about the tower. They had apparently really built the whole thing, with a TV room and a lot of bedrooms, but they’d used the same enchanted materials that they used on the Panopticon. It would be a lot harder for Alex to summon chaos creatures once he was inside — and they planned on sealing up the way in and out once Call and his people were inside.

It would also allow the mages to see through the materials, to watch what happened and come to Call’s aid if it was at all possible.

“Although that opens up the danger of Alex Strike being able to summon more elementals of chaos,” Graves said.

Tell him you won’t need help, Aaron said. People like to hear that kind of thing.

But what if we do need help? Call wanted to know.

Just say it, said Aaron. He’s no more or less likely to help no matter what you tell him. But he’ll think you’re brave and he’ll like you better.

Sometimes Aaron could be a little scary. No, a lot scary.

“I can handle Alex,” Call said. Graves did look relieved.

Before he’d have to promise anything else, Call headed toward where Tamara was greeting her family.

“I’ve been telling everyone how sorry I am,” Kimiya said. “I didn’t realize how angry Alex was. I thought it would be kind of fun to make our own organization, to have our own thing. Alex said that the Assembly had lied to everyone, that Constantine had been dead for a long time and they just wanted everyone to be afraid. And when I realized it was true — Constantine had been gone — I believed all the other stuff he said, too. I never thought he’d hurt Aaron. If I’d known that … everything would have been different.” Tamara looked at her sister with suspicion. “He wanted to hurt people. He did hurt people.” “I took a chance on someone I cared about,” Kimiya said with a pointed look at Call. Which was totally unfair. Well, it was a little unfair. “And I was wrong. But now I’m here to help take him down.” Tamara looked at her sister without warmth or trust. Sometimes Call forgot how unflinchingly stubborn she could be.

“You’re not going to be restrained,” she told her sister. “You’re going to have to be the one who acts first. Once we’re inside, you’re going to have to make sure the Devoureds have what they need to manifest. Including Ravan.” There was a soft explosion at the sound of Ravan’s name. Ravan appeared, a feathery plume of smoke and flame.

“Ravan,” Tamara said, and sighed in relief. “You’re here.”

The Devoured of fire burned her way closer. You could see the shape of Ravan now, her long hair and young face, shaped out of flames. She spoke. “My little family, made of wax and tinder. Do you fear me?” Mrs. Rajavi shook her head. “I can’t look.” She turned away, her face tearstained.

“Mother, do you not see me?” Ravan said, flickering. “Will you say you do not know me?” “Ravan,” Mrs. Rajavi said, an immense sadness in her voice, “we knew you before, but we are not sure we know you now.” “Perhaps I am unknowable.” Ravan flickered once. “But I will burn for your sake all the same.” “My daughters.” Mrs. Rajavi began to sob. “Oh, Ravan. Oh, Tamara and Kimiya, am I going to lose you all? How could this happen? Why our family?” Tamara and Kimiya came forward to comfort their mother. Call had always had mixed feelings about the Rajavis. They had been cold to him, though kind to Aaron, and they struck him as stern and cruel. But the realization that they were facing losing all their children today made Call back away to give them space.

He was immediately buttonholed by Master Rufus. “Call,” he said. “It’s time to summon the last two Devoured.” Call followed Master Rufus to the center of a loose circle of mages. Jasper and Gwenda were there already. The mages watched in silence as Jasper summoned a small pool of water, which bubbled up around his feet. He knelt down and touched it.

“Lucas,” he said, and jumped backward in surprise as the pool shot upward in a column, forming into the shape of Lucas, Devoured of water. The mages gasped and several of them backed away.

It was Call’s turn. He took Greta’s geode out of his pocket, bent down, and brought it down with as much force as he could muster against the side of a rock.

It smashed apart into glittering fragments. They all stared at the fragments expectantly. Nothing happened.

“Is it working?” Jasper hissed into Call’s ear.

“Yoo-hoo,” said a bored voice, and they all turned to see Greta, a rumbling pile of rocks, hovering around the edge of the circle. “I’m here.” She and Lucas waved at each other. Alastair walked over to them slowly, and Ravan drifted along, trailing sparks. The mages all moved away to give the Devoured space, or perhaps to give themselves space from the Devoured.

Hearing shouting, Call turned to find Gwenda in the middle of a fierce argument with Master Rufus. “But I should go,” she said. “I’m part of the apprentice group! I helped collect the Devoured!” Master Rufus shook his head. “Absolutely not, Gwenda. Call, Jasper, and Tamara are going because Alex demanded they go. I will not sacrifice the safety of another student for no good reason!” “It is a good reason,” Gwenda said. “I can help protect them!” She whirled around and saw Call. “Call, tell him I should go with you.” Call hesitated. “Gwenda, you’ve been a really good friend, and you’ve saved our butts a bunch of times since Gold Year started. I’m sorry if I ever underestimated you. But there’s no way Alex would let you come with us. The minute he saw someone he didn’t ask for, he’d unleash chaos.” Gwenda’s eyes glittered angrily, but Call could tell she knew he wasn’t lying.

“I don’t want to be left behind,” she said.

Call looked at Master Rufus. “Can’t she come in with the teachers and the Assembly?” he asked. “It would only be fair.” Master Rufus sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Everyone, listen!” It was Assemblyman Graves’s voice, amplified and echoing. “Callum Hunt. Tamara Rajavi. Jasper deWinter. Please come to stand before me.” Tamara moved reluctantly away from her family. Jasper peeled himself away from Lucas, and a few seconds later they were all standing in front of Assemblyman Graves, along with Havoc, who’d snuck in next to Call.

“That Chaos-ridden wolf —” Graves began angrily.

“He’s not Chaos-ridden,” said Call. “He’s a regular wolf.”

Graves stared at Havoc, who blinked normal, wide, greenish wolf eyes at him. “I could have sworn —” Tamara giggled, and immediately stifled the sound. Graves glared. “Bind their hands,” he said.

Master Milagros and Master North came up behind them. Call and the others put their hands behind their backs, and the teachers began to wind strips of flexible enchanted metal around their wrists. Call knew it was necessary, but anger was still boiling inside him.

“These will come off when you tug against them three times in rapid succession,” Graves told them. “But they will also be destroyed, so please don’t test that in advance.” Tamara looked over at him guiltily, clearly having been just about to do that.

Alastair whirled into the air, becoming only wind, whooshing around Call’s head. “I’ll be with you,” he promised. A moment later, a metal whistle dropped into Call’s bound hands. He closed his fingers tightly over it. When he looked at Jasper, a bottle of water was tucked into his pocket. Tamara had an acorn, and Kimiya, a pack of matches that looked scorched on one end, as though Ravan hadn’t wanted to stop burning.

“Prepare yourself,” said Graves. “We will be flying to the tower.”

All around, the mages rose up into the air. Call could feel himself being lifted up, could feel the wind whooshing beneath him, but with Alastair so close, even though his magic was bound, he couldn’t be afraid. He remembered how much he had wished for weightlessness, had wanted to fly so that he could avoid all the difficulties of having a leg that hurt a lot.

But that had been a kid’s wish. His problems now couldn’t be solved by a little magic.

Maybe they can be solved by a lot of magic, Aaron said in his head.

They flew over fields and gray highways snaking by underfoot, the forest and the Magisterium retreating behind them. Call glanced over to see Havoc being whirled through the air, his paws flailing, and Tamara nearby, her dark hair flying like a banner. She looked over at him and gave an encouraging smile.

In the distance, the golden tower rose, ever closer. For being built so quickly and for no real purpose but to stall Alex, the shimmering tower was both beautiful and formidable. Call wondered what purpose it might serve after today.

Assuming, of course, that purpose wasn’t as his tomb.

They landed on a stretch of grass in front of the single door to the tower. As soon as their feet touched the ground, a dark cloud passed over the sky, signaling Alex’s arrival with a bolt of lightning that struck a bare stretch of foliage, blackening it and making everyone jump.

“That ridiculous child,” Graves ground out.

From the sky, Alex and his retinue heaved into view.

Alex was still on the back of his dragon-shaped chaos elemental but now his outfit had gotten even more elaborate. He wore black — of course — and huge black boots with massive silver buckles in the shape of lightning bolts. Around his shoulders was a cape.

Is that an actual cape? Aaron demanded.

Yep, Call thought. It definitely was — it was even fluttering in the breeze. Alex’s hair was spiked up with gel. Flying beside him were two more chaos elementals, both in horselike shapes that looked far less fixed. They sometimes seemed to have wings; other times instead of legs, they seemed to have the long, searching tentacles of octopi. Call guessed one was for Anastasia. The other, he feared, was for Kimiya.

As Alex landed, his cape whipped through the air and Call spotted the dull metal crown on his head, its spikes like teeth. For a moment, even though Call knew it was all calculated, that Alex only cared about the illusion, the illusion worked. Call actually felt a thin tendril of fear and shuddered.

“Assemblypeople of the mage world and other luminaries, I am glad that you’ve decided to cave to my demands and acknowledge my superiority,” said Alex. “This tower you’ve built me is pretty nice. I plan to reign from it quietly and not disturb you too much. I don’t want to do any gross Enemy of Death stuff, like reanimating people or animals. That’s not my thing. My thing is letting everyone know how awesome and scary I am.” “You mean everyone in the mage world?” asked Graves. Even though this was for show, he looked furious. “You still intend to keep the great secrets of magic, don’t you?” Alex chortled, and the crowd of creatures around him hooted and cackled. It was much more frightening than anything he’d said. He might be a ridiculous child, as Graves had said, but he had access to enormous power and creatures that could wield it.

“The what?” he sneered.

“The silence of the mage world!” Graves thundered. “We do not tell those without magic of the existence of magic. It endangers them and endangers us. It was difficult enough to build this stupid tower without alerting them to the magic that was happening — ” “My tower isn’t stupid,” said Alex, and made a casual gesture in Graves’s direction. Black fire shot from his fingers and swallowed up the Assemblyman. In seconds, nothing was left but a charred circle in the grass.

Kimiya screamed, then bit the noise back with an obvious effort as Alex frowned at her. The mages were crying out as well, voices echoing around the clearing. Jasper was looking over at Gwenda, his face creased with concern. Tamara just shook her head, looking grim.

Master Rufus stepped forward, into the blackened circle. “Alex Strike,” he said.

Alex laughed. “Master Rufus,” he said. “Joseph used to talk about you all the time. The great mage who’d taught Constantine Madden. But being your assistant didn’t reveal any greatness. Constantine was something in spite of you, not because of you.” He flicked his eyes in Call’s direction, his mouth stretching into a grin. “After all, look how badly you’ve done with Callum.” “You may do to me as you did to Graves,” said Rufus, and Call tensed. He didn’t think he could stand it if Alex wiped his teacher off the face of the world. He’d have to break free of his manacles and that would ruin everything. “But then you will get nothing you want. It will be war with the mage community — and as you’ve said, you don’t want that. You want to be left alone.” “True,” said Alex, examining his nails.

“It would be easier for you as well if the ordinary world didn’t know about mages,” said Rufus. “Think of what you could do. You could use your magic to trick them and make millions.” Alex laughed. “Maybe you are brilliant, Rufus. All right. I’ll keep the magic to myself.” He turned his glimmering, star-filled eyes on Kimiya. “Come along, darling. Don’t you still love me?” Kimiya smiled brilliantly. Call felt uneasy as she ran across the grass toward Alex and hugged his arm. Either she was giving a bravura performance or she was going to betray them all.

Alex leaned down to kiss her. Tamara made a revolted noise. Thankfully it was a short kiss, and Alex broke away grinning, his arm slung over Kimiya’s shoulders.

“Have the hostages step forward,” Alex said. “Have them walk toward the tower entrance.” Call looked over at Tamara. Her gaze found his. At least they were in this together. Aaron, too. The three of them against the world. Who’d known that when Rufus had picked them, they would become the most important people in Call’s life? He looked over at Jasper, at his determined face. Call had never thought they would be friends at all, but somehow whenever his life had needed saving, Jasper had been there holding out a hand — usually with a sarcastic quip, but still there.

He took a step forward, and the others did the same. They moved across the grass onto the ground where it turned into gravel. It was still churned up from the feet of the mages who’d worked on building the tower. Havoc ran to his side, keeping his furred body protectively tight against Call’s leg.

Call turned to look back over his shoulder. The mages of the Assembly seemed very far away. He could just see Gwenda, and Rufus — With a flick of his wrist, Alex sent a blaze of chaos fire toward them all. Call bit back a yell as he realized Alex wasn’t attacking. He was throwing up a blockade. The fire rose in an endless wall that curved around them, cutting off Jasper, Call, Tamara, Kimiya, Havoc, and Alex from the mages, but allowing them access to the tower.

Alex sneered. “Let’s go see our new home. Callum, you can lead the way.” With a last look at the fire separating him from Master Rufus, Call shuffled toward the door of the tower, a heavy wooden thing. He couldn’t open it, so he just stood there until one of the chaos elementals walked over. It snaked out a tentacle toward the door, but where it touched, there was just a hole where the knob had been.

“Automotones!” Alex shouted. “You do it.”

The massive metal elemental loomed up out of the smoke that surrounded them and advanced on the door. Call stared — they’d all fought Automotones once and nearly been killed.

Automotones lurched up to the front doors, his eyes, which were gears, whirring and spinning. His hand shot out, and a vibrating, buzzing blade appeared at the end of it. He sawed at the door until a large chunk of it fell open, crashing onto the ground.

Alex is going to have to get that door fixed, Call thought. Definitely not a long-term-planning kind of guy.

Automotones stepped back and they all headed inside with varying degrees of reluctance. The first floor was a large round room, entirely empty except for a rug and a spiral staircase winding upward.

Call went up, and the others followed.

The second floor was all one huge room with massive windows through which Call could see the tops of trees. There were multiple couches and a small kitchen, along with a large screen like the one in the Gallery, where Alex used to project movies. Since Call wasn’t sure where Alex wanted him to go, he stopped there, walking toward the far corner. Tamara followed him, then Jasper.

“Now,” Call said to them. He pulled three times on his cuffs and his hands were free. Then he brought the whistle to his mouth and blew. No sound came out, only a wild wind that raced around the room to coalesce as Alastair and then to disappear again. Beside him, Lucas manifested — and then Greta. But both of them were gone by the time Alex walked into the room. Call had his hands behind his back, even though they were no longer bound. Tamara and Jasper did the same.

Alex smiled in a smug way, walking around to admire his new digs, billowing cloak swishing around behind him. He was holding one of Kimiya’s hands. Call thought the smile on her face seemed forced.

He hoped it was forced.

“Pretty nice here, isn’t it?” Alex said, waving an arm around to indicate the whole space — the marble floor, the big couches with their cushions, the enormous TV. “Mom! I’m home!” Anastasia, Aaron thought. Of course she’s somewhere in here.

“Alex?” They all stood still as Anastasia came wafting down the staircase from above. She wore a white dress and a sort of gossamer white overcloak. Her icy hair was bound up in a tight knot.

She looked at Call for a long, steady moment. He couldn’t read her expression. He felt chilled inside — what if she’d seen what had happened to Graves out the window? What if she was reconsidering everything?

Calm down, Aaron said. You don’t know that.

But he sounded scared, too.

Anastasia crossed the room to stand near Alex, who beamed. He looked over at Call, wearing a sneer that seemed exaggerated in a practiced-in-the-mirror kind of way.

“You really thought the Magisterium valued your lives enough to save you, didn’t you, Call Hunt?” He laughed. “But they handed the three of you right over. They’re cowards, just like all the mages. I read all those books in Master Joseph’s house, and what I thought when I read them was how weak we’d become. Mages used to be something. They used to use their power for something other than keeping people safe from elementals. Soon you’re going to be dead, Callum. And then everyone will have to acknowledge that I’m the greatest mage of any generation, the one who defeated the Enemy of Death.” “You didn’t defeat me,” Call said. “The Magisterium tied me up, not you.” “No one cares about technical details!” Alex yelled. “No one cares about the real story. Do you think people cared about the fact that Constantine loved his brother or that his mother loved him? No, because that’s boring. And they won’t care how easy the Magisterium made it to kill you either. They will just care that I did it.” “But not Tamara, right?” Kimiya said. “She’s my sister.”

Alex hesitated. “She’s loyal to my enemy, Kimiya.”

“Perhaps we kill the two boys and lock the girl in the dungeon,” said Anastasia soothingly.

“This place has a dungeon?” said Jasper.

“Of course it has a dungeon,” snapped Alex. “And don’t speak unless I speak to you, deWinter. You should have been loyal to me. Your father was loyal to Master Joseph.” “My father was wrong,” Jasper said quietly. Call stared. He didn’t think he’d ever heard Jasper say that before.

“I told you not to speak!” Alex yelled.

“Or you’re going to do what?” said Jasper. “Kill me?”

“Enough,” said Call. “Maybe nobody has to die. Maybe we could make some sort of deal.” “No deals, Hunt,” Alex said. “This time you don’t have anything I want. I don’t care about bringing people back from the dead. I care about power. And I care about revenge.” He grinned. “I want you to line up in front of me,” he said, and the black stars in his eyes were glowing like pinpricks. “First Tamara. Then Jasper. Then you, Call. I’m going to kill you in that order, and you’re going to watch your friends die, Makar.” “You said you wouldn’t hurt Tamara!” Kimiya shrieked.

“I changed my mind,” said Alex, raising his hand. It was shimmering with dark light, a halo of blackness around his fingers.

Kimiya darted away from him, reaching for the matchbook with shaking hands.

Alex whirled toward her, smoke wreathing his hands. Call turned to look at Tamara and Jasper, both of them pale, but they shook their heads at him as if to say, Not quite yet.

“Just what are you doing?” Alex demanded of Kimiya.

“I was just …” Kimiya said, but then her words seemed to run out. She backed away from Alex’s approach, clearly terrified. The matchbook dropped out of her hands.

“You’re really going to betray me?” Alex demanded. “Me? Who was going to save you from your boring old life?” “This isn’t what you said it would be like,” Kimiya said. “You never told me you were going to hurt people.” “So you conspired against me? With these losers?” Alex shook his head. He lifted his hand, and a bolt of chaos grew from his palm; Tamara flew at him, abandoning the pretense of having bound hands. He swung his arm with the strength of chaos, flinging her aside, and Call’s hands flew apart, too, rage filling him — how dare Alex touch Tamara? How dare he threaten his friends?

He was still summoning chaos inside himself when Alex let fly a bolt of black fire. It shot straight at Kimiya.

Chaos exploded from Call’s hand at the same moment. The two forks of dark lightning met in the air. Neither dissolved, though. They slammed into each other and ricocheted into the wall of the tower, blowing the stone to powder.

“Whoa,” said Jasper. Call agreed. The chaos had smashed through rock, metal, and glass, and now there was a truck-size hole in the wall of the tower. On the other side of the hole, Call could see the field in front of the tower. The wall of chaos fire was dying down, though it looked like the mages still couldn’t cross it. A lot of them were gaping up at the tower, though, a few pointing and gasping.

Then Automotones’s massive metal face filled the space. Kimiya screamed. Tamara reached for her sister and yanked her down onto the ground. The acorn skittered from her hand. Jasper knocked the bottle of water out of his pocket and it hit the floor, leaking water everywhere. Call pulled the whistle from his pocket, gripping it tightly in his hand.

Anastasia leaned down and seized the matchbook.

Alex turned toward Call, his smirk plastered back on. “Oh, so you thought you were going to fight me! That’s why you came here willingly. The Magisterium and the Assembly are going to pay for setting me up, but you’re going to pay first.” “Am I?” said Call.

“I am chaos!” Alex shouted. “I have become the void!”

“Oh, shut up,” said Call. “No one’s interested.”

Alex gaped at him. Call couldn’t help it. He’d started to grin. Because behind Alex, Alastair was swirling into being, air coalescing to form his towering shape. Havoc barked as Lucas rose out of the puddle on the floor, shimmering and silver. And from Tamara’s smashed acorn, Greta emerged, a river of dirt and earth reaching upward.

“What is this?” Alex whirled around, raising his hand again. He stared in disbelief. “They’re Devoured. But why are they here? Why are you here?” “Anastasia,” Call called. “Strike a match!”

Her pale eyes turned to him, her expression strange.

Mom. You were supposed to say “Mom,” Aaron reminded him, but it was too late. Call hadn’t and now she knew he’d been lying to her.

Everything was going wrong.

Anastasia took a step toward Call, her eyes flashing. A gray blur flew between them — it was Havoc, who clamped his jaws down on Anastasia’s wrist. She screamed and dropped the matches. Alex sent another bolt of chaos flying at Havoc, but the wolf leaped out of the way and the black fire smashed into the wall of the tower. More stone crumbled.

“You’re making me ruin my tower!” Alex shouted at Call. “You always ruin everything!” Call couldn’t deny it. More than being a Makar, that was pretty much his superpower.

Kimiya had the matches again. In shaking hands, she pulled one out and struck it. It caught alight and then Ravan was there, flaring to life.

She looked at her sisters and a wicked smile grew on her face.

“Get ready,” Call said, under his breath.

Ready, said Aaron.

“What are you doing?” Alex shouted as the Devoured rushed toward him.

It was like the world was collapsing in on itself. Every element colliding with chaos — the force of air, the burning heat of fire, the relentlessness of water, the powerful weight of earth. They fell on Alex with the destructive power of a thousand tornadoes ripping across fields, a thousand volcanoes erupting with a force that blackened the sky, a thousand earthquakes buckling and tearing cities apart, and a thousand floods carrying away whole towns in a froth of churning, tearing water. They were human, but not human; Call shielded his face with his hand as they savagely tore the chaos that surrounded Alex, as they were ripping off bits with their hands, oily patches of nothingness that dissolved entirely in the air.

Alex howled a great shriek of agony that sent a bolt of fear through Call. What if they killed him? What if they destroyed his body?

That wasn’t the plan.

Automotones reared back his head and bellowed, then snapped his jaws toward Jasper. Jasper spun on his heel and flung fire at Automotones, blast after blast of flame that sent the metal monster reeling backward, his plates and gears glowing red with heat.

Good to see Jasper finally got the hang of fire, said Aaron.

Automotones staggered toward them again. The black fire of chaos had died down outside, and the mages were rushing at the tower, slamming at the closed doors below. The tower shook.

Alex was still screaming. He tipped his head back with a howl and darkness erupted from his eyes — two long trails of blackness that shot up into the air. Kimiya was screaming her head off. Tamara was on her feet, making a shield of air to protect her.

Alex turned his head to the side. He was surrounded by the Devoured on all sides. Black tears leaked from his eyes. He held out a hand. “Mother,” he croaked. “Mother.” Anastasia staggered back from him, her face a mask of horror. Alex’s face worked, and one last bolt of chaos shot from his hand. It was weak — Call could feel its weakness — but strong enough. It hit Anastasia in the chest, lifting her off her feet and dropping her to the ground, a black hole seared across the front of her chest.

Alex went limp.

Now, said Aaron.

Call called on everything he’d ever learned about the soul tap and sent his concentration spinning toward Alex. He could see Alex’s soul, the glow and light of it, no longer blackened with chaos. He felt it, almost as though he held it in his hands, pulsing and sparking, wrapped around with cords of hate, ambition, and pain. Call could see the kid who had liked being popular, who liked being Master Rufus’s assistant, but who never felt like it was enough. He saw the kid who had crafted elaborate illusions out of movies, weaving in his friends and himself, always himself — as the winner, the victor, the person who got everything in the end. Call saw the part of Alex that had felt bereft when his father died, abandoned to a woman with her own agenda, her own obsession. He saw his ambition grow and bloom and twist. Saw his hatred of Call, his resentment, his desire to be the winner. Call saw all of that, saw Alex’s soul, whole and human and flawed.

With all his strength, Call braced himself — and tried to push it out of Alex’s body.

He felt a terrible echo in the deed. The body he lived in was stolen, and now he was stealing another. But even weak, Alex was a Makar and he fought back. He pushed, too, straining against Call’s consciousness, forcing Call’s physical body to his knees.

You will never defeat me, Alex’s voice declared, echoing in Call’s head. For a moment, Call felt uprooted, adrift. What if because he wasn’t born into his body, it was harder to stay in? What if he couldn’t hold on, even as Aaron left him behind? Panic started to bloom in his chest. The weight of Alex pushing back shoved him flat against the ground, his elbows braced, shoulders straining.

I can’t do this, he thought. I can’t.

Maybe one of us couldn’t, but both of us will, came Aaron’s voice, sure and strong. He joined his thoughts to Call’s and together they surged back at Alex, thrusting him loose from the bright lines that moored his soul to his body, pushing him out. Pushing him out into nothing.

The cords that bound Alex’s soul to his body frayed and snapped and he was gone, without even a scream or a cry. Call didn’t know where souls went — he guessed that no one did — but he was sure it was someplace far beyond the void.

Aaron, Call thought. Aaron, you have to go.

It was as if he could feel Aaron’s soul taking a shaking, hesitant breath. Call reached for Aaron one last time — for his counterweight, for the soul that was the most familiar in the world to him. It was as if his hands were brushing over Aaron’s soul, holding it for a moment, and letting it free.

Alex’s body jerked once, and he took a gasping breath.

Aaron, Call thought. Did it work?

But there was no response. There was only an echoing silence in Call’s ears. He was alone. He hadn’t realized how unused to being truly alone in his own head he was.

Sound smashed in as Call realized the battle had been raging on. The chaos dragon had eaten away another section of the tower. Dozens of mages had flown up to the tower’s second level, helped by Alastair and the power of air, and were joining Jasper and Tamara in battling Automotones. Greta, Lucas, and Ravan had also joined in — Greta was hurling rocks at the chaos elementals, Lucas was directing streams of superheated water at them, and Ravan was shooting bolts of fire.

Inside the tower, Kimiya had Anastasia cradled in her lap and seemed to be trying to keep her from dying.

Call staggered to his feet. “A-Alex?”

Alex opened his eyes. Kimiya gasped: They had returned to being blue, no longer black and star-silvered. Coughing violently and looking dazed, Alex pushed himself up onto his knees.

The gestures seemed familiar. He wasn’t moving like Alex did. He was moving like Aaron. He had his gestures. Call’s heart leaped into his throat. Was he imagining it, or had their plan actually worked?

Master Rufus came racing up the stairs and burst into the room; after him came Master North and Master Milagros. They stared at the scene in front of them — Anastasia dying, the Devoured still hovering in the room, the huge chunks torn from the walls.

And Alex, in the middle of it all.

“Alex!” Call cried. “Alex, stop the chaos creatures. Show them you’re on our side now.” “Stop,” Alex shouted, in a voice that was both like his usual voice and different. “Stop, chaos creatures! I command you to stop.” The dragon abruptly paused its movements. Automotones roared. From outside the tower there were more echoing sounds as the chaos creatures heard him.

“Go back to chaos!” Alex cried. “Return to the place you came from!”

More Masters were crowding up behind North, Rufus, and Milagros. They all stared at Alex, who stood with his hands flung out, ordering the chaos creatures to disperse.

“They’re going,” said Milagros in amazement. “Look!”

Through the smashed hole in the wall, Call could see the chaos creatures turn and retreat, Automotones leading the way. As they went, they seemed to shimmer and vanish, each one disappearing, leaving only smudges of darkness hanging like smoke against the sky.

The mages of the Magisterium were cheering. Ravan, Lucas, Greta, and Alastair had disappeared, probably worried that they wouldn’t be particularly welcome now that the immediate danger was over.

“Call. Come here.” It was Kimiya, gesturing him over urgently. Tamara was kneeling down beside her, summoning earth magic to heal Anastasia.

Call didn’t move to stop her. Nothing was going to help Anastasia now. She smiled at him, and there was blood on her teeth. “Con,” she whispered.

Tamara bit her lip, color flaring in her cheeks. She’d always hated it when Anastasia called Callum by Constantine Madden’s name.

“Con,” Anastasia said again. “I know what you did. I know.”

He reached out and took her hand, because he had never meant for her to be hurt. He’d never meant for anyone to be hurt.

“I’m sorry,” he told her. “Really, really sorry.”

“Sometimes, you’re nothing like my son was, nothing at all,” she said, then raised her voice. “Mages of the Magisterium, I have a final confession!” Alex had sunk back down onto his heels.

“It was I who controlled Alex,” said Anastasia, and the whole room of mages stood breathless and silent, listening. “It was I who controlled everything — not Master Joseph, not Constantine Madden, me. They were all my pawns. You were all my pawns.” “How?” demanded Master North. “How did you do it?”

“I learned from the best,” she said. “My son Constantine, the Enemy of Death. He kept Jericho in his thrall for years, forcing him to be his counterweight and give up pieces of his soul. When Alex first became my stepson, I began to control him. At first it was small things. Later I made him totally obedient to Master Joseph. He had no choice but to obey his commands.” She coughed, and blood sprayed across her white clothes. “Do what you like with him. I don’t care. I never loved him.” “Then why are you telling us this?” Master Rufus demanded.

“I want the credit,” Anastasia croaked. “It was I who made him a Devoured, I who caused this tower to be built. The Magisterium took my son from me but in the end it served me and my desires.” She looked at Call. He forced himself to smile at her, and something in her face relaxed. “You can hurt me no more,” she said in a whisper, and her eyes fell closed, her head lolling to the side.

Tamara cried out. Gwenda had run across the room to Jasper, and he was holding her, looking grim.

Alex was looking at her, his face ashen. “What have I done?” he asked, which seemed like a perfectly appropriate question and one also wrenched from a place deep inside of him. Alex turned his gaze on the mages, on Master Rufus. “You should arrest me. Someone should arrest me.” “Wait!” Call said. “You heard Anastasia. She forced him to do all those things. She forced him to become a Devoured of chaos. You agreed to forgive him.” “We agreed to interview him,” Master North said. “Graves agreed to it, anyway. And thanks to him, Graves is dead.” Alex hung his head. Aaron, Call thought. Aaron, look at me.

But he didn’t. And Call didn’t know whether to think of him as Alex or Aaron, didn’t know if Aaron’s soul was intact inside Alex’s body, or if Aaron was in agony, crushed by guilt or horror or a million different other things. Or maybe his soul had been shredded — maybe he was no one now, neither Alex nor Aaron.

And then Call noticed Havoc. Havoc had crept to Alex’s side and was nosing gently at his hand, the way he’d once done to Aaron. And absently, Alex — Aaron, it had to be Aaron — reached down and stroked the wolf’s head.

Call saw Master Rufus staring at the wolf, his eyes narrowed. Before he could say anything, Mr. and Mrs. Rajavi flew up the stairs, racing into the room to embrace Tamara and Kimiya. “You did it, my darlings,” said Mrs. Rajavi, kissing them both. “You’re heroes. I’m so proud of you.” Privately, Call thought Tamara deserved all the credit and Kimiya none, but he kept it to himself.

Alastair appeared in a whirl of air, startling everyone. “The others are gone,” he said. “It seems this is finally over.” “As soon as they let Alex go,” Call insisted, and his father gave him a very confused look.

Aaron — because Call was sure Alex was Aaron, absolutely sure, except that he really wished that Aaron would say something to confirm it — didn’t speak at all.

“Enough,” said Master Rufus. “Let’s leave this tower. It can harm no one to restrain … Alex. We will keep his hands bound until he has stood trial before the Assembly.” “We will take Anastasia’s body to the Collegium to prepare it for burial,” said Master Cameron, one of the mages Call recognized from his brief visit to the Collegium during his Bronze Year.

Rufus nodded. It was clear everyone was now looking to him as they once had to Graves. “Once we’re sure no one else is badly hurt, we can proceed to deciding what we’re going to do with Alex.” “How come you’re acting as though you’re in charge?” Master North, who didn’t seem to have gotten the memo, demanded.

“I’ve been asked to join the Assembly and I’ve agreed. For a long time, I wanted to stay distant from the mage world. It’s not easy to be best known for teaching one of our great enemies. But this time I’ve said yes.” Master Rufus looked grave. “Now can we get these students to safety? They’ve risked enough for us.” Call tried to say something to Aaron, but Master North was already levitating him in the air. Tamara reached out her hand to Aaron as well, but he went by without reacting. Call’s and Tamara’s eyes met, the same question in both of them.

Was Aaron in there — and if he was, was he okay?