"Burning Bright" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dowd Tom)

6

"I'm using the term ward generically," Kyle explained. The Truman family, Hanna Uljaken, William Facile of Knight Errant, and two other corporate assistants were all gathered back at Daniel Truman's condo. "It could be any kind of mystical barrier-a hermetic circle, medicine lodge, barrier spell, or ward of some kind."

"There's no way to tell?" asked Lieutenant Facile.

Kyle shook his head. "No. If I'd been able to lock the first part of the ritual onto him, then I could have followed the magic astrally to his location. But the ward is blocking the ritual."

Facile nodded and turned to the senior Truman. "Sir, Knight Errant can assemble a larger ritual team using multiple mages. That should be enough to overcome this kind of resistance." He glanced over at Kyle. "More capable than one man at least."

Truman looked ready to speak, but Kyle had already cut in. "Maybe so, but it would also alert whoever set up the ward that trouble was coming. By doing it alone, I reduced the risk of tipping off whoever's got Mitchell that someone is using magic to find him. They should still think he's safe."

"Doesn't all this assume Mitchell wants to be found?" put in Melissa Truman, looking as bored as ever.

Facile's tone was impatient. "We have to assume that."

"It's true there hasn't been any contact with the family, let alone a ransom note," Kyle said, "but I agree with the lieutenant, Ms. Truman. Unfortunately, we have to assume the worst. Because this involves a family as important as yours, its very likely magic is being used in some negative manner."

"Then why don't we just take Lieutenant Facile's suggestion and find the boy?" asked Truman. Kyle sensed his opinion shifting toward immediate action.

Kyle stood up from the couch where he'd been sitting. "In this case, Mr. Truman, ritual sorcery is a lot like a commando raid. By initiating the ritual we're beginning a magical assault against your son and those who may be holding him. It can get very dangerous, very quickly."

"I assure you, Mr. Teller, that Knight Errant has the best combat mages in the business," said Facile, irritation edging his voice. "There's little chance that something will go wrong."

"I don't buy that," said Kyle. "We have no intelligence on what we're up against If we aren't dealing with anything more than some wiz-kid mage gang, then I'd agree there's probably nothing to worry about." He paused for effect. "But what if, for some reason, we're facing, say, Aztechnology magicians…"

"Ridiculous," cut in Facile, but Kyle could see that invoking the name of the corp which politically and mystically ruled what had once been Mexico and parts of Central America had provoked the desired response.

Elaine Truman's face was ashen. "You don't think…"

"No, I don't," said Kyle. "The point is that we simply don't know who might be on the other end. So, just as you wouldn't stage a commando raid against some place you'd never seen before, with no clear idea of what forces were opposing you, to initiate a high-powered Sending now is foolish."

'Then your solution is…?" asked Mr. Truman.

"I suggest that we investigate conventionally for a few more days. Gain as much information as we can before deciding to take any direct actions." Kyle deliberately looked toward the Knight Errant lieutenant, who returned his gaze with one of challenge. "If we can't uncover anything more by men, initiating a powerful ritual may be the only choice."

Truman looked over at his wife. "What do you think, Elaine?”

She looked down at her hands, which were knotted together in her lap. Her voice was barely audible. "If anything were to happen…"

Truman took one of his wife's hands in his own. "All right, Mr. Teller, you have three days to investigate. If you don't turn up enough by then, we go with Lieutenant Facile's suggestion of bringing in Knight Errant full-power."

"Excuse me, sir, but I would suggest,we begin that right now," Kyle told him.

"Oh?" Truman looked completely baffled.

"I don't think you can risk the possibility that something very dangerous is going on. Knight Errant should increase its personnel and site-based security on the family." Kyle looked pointedly at Melissa. "All members of the family." She flushed and looked away.

Truman nodded. "You can arrange that?" he asked Facile.

"I can have increased security here within the hour," the lieutenant said smartly.

"Excellent."

I’d also like to add some elements of my own, if you don't mind," Kyle said.

Truman must have noticed Facile's scowl, but he shook his head. "Not at all."

Without further ado Kyle cleared his mind and let it fill with the sound and sensation of rushing air. He reached out with his thoughts, then called out both astrally and physically, "Charlotte!"

The air in the room cooled slightly and a breeze began. All present began to look around, and Melissa Truman stood up quickly. Kyle place his hand on her shoulder. "It's all right."

The breeze seemed to come to the center of the room, where it hung swirling, an almost transparent vortex of air about the size of an average-sized dog. "Yes?" it said in a sharp, almost feminine voice.

"This is an air elemental," explained Kyle. "It's mine. I created it. I command it."

The vortex seemed to shift slightly, but spoke no more.

"It's name is Charlotte," he said, and Mrs. Truman, though obviously frightened by the experience, managed a laugh. "I'm going to leave her here to protect this place."

He focused his attention on the air spirit. He spoke its name and the spirit stilled. “The area of your concern are these two floors of this building, and the objects of your concern are these people." Kyle moved around the room and placed his hand on each of the Trumans in turn, naming him or her. He also indicated Lieutenant Facile, who was not amused, and Hanna Uljaken, who seemed distressed but nodded at Charlotte. Without moving, the spirit seemed to focus its attention on each one. "No one else is allowed on this floor unless accompanied by one of these people or one of them has given his permission. And you will deny entry to all spirits and all magic except mine," Kyle said. "You will continue with this task until I, and only I, command you otherwise."

"I understand," Charlotte said.

Kyle gestured with a quick pattern of calling, and a small ball of ethereal "fuzz" appeared above his hand. It hung there, rippling with white and dark blue energy for a moment before two huge silver and black eyes opened in it. The onlookers gasped as the fuzzball gazed quickly around the room. "This is Delta, one of my watcher spirits," Kyle said. The eyes blinked.

"Don't bother trying to communicate with him," Kyle told them. "He's barely smart enough to hold himself together. Watcher spirits do, however, make good messengers."

As Kyle again turned his attention to the elemental, the watcher spirit suddenly seemed confused, as though trying to remember its own name. The contempt flowing from the air elemental toward it was palpable.

"Charlotte, if this place or these people are endangered, you will send Delta to find and alert me," Kyle commanded.

"I will," said the elemental. "But do not hold me responsible when that one fails."

"He will not fail." Delta, the watcher, bounced up and down in place. Melissa laughed.

"Charlotte, you will now begin you duties."

The elemental seemed to nod, then faded from view. The air in the room stilled. The watcher spirit glanced around and then disappeared as well. Kyle sighed.

Facile looked annoyed, but it was a few moments before anyone spoke.

“I thought you were leaving it to guard…" Truman began.

"I am. The spirit is present in astral space. To manifest in the physical world is uncomfortable for it, so Charlotte will only do so when necessary. Rest assured that she is completely capable, if not more so, when in astral space."

"But isn't that somewhere else?" asked Mrs. Truman.

"Astral space? No. It's all around you-you just can't see it. Actually, if the light was bright enough, you might be able to see a slight area of 'distortion' indicating where Charlotte is."

"Oh," she said.

"If it's easier, think of her as being invisible," Kyle said kindly.

Mrs. Truman tried to smile. "I'll try."

Kyle smiled back. "Suffice it to say, Charlotte's here and if you need her you have only to speak her name." Kyle walked toward the windows, whose view of the darkening sky was now smeared by a light rain. He watched it for a few moments, men turned back to the others.

"Lieutenant, could you get Knight Errant's extra security in motion?" Kyle's tone was more an order than a request. Seeming startled by the command, Facile looked over at Truman, who nodded.

"All right," the lieutenant said grudgingly.

"Good," Kyle said, then asked Truman, "Is Ms. Uljaken still available to assist me?"

Truman nodded once more.

"Good," Kyle repeated. "Now, as a first step, I'd like to talk to Melissa in private." Kyle addressed her directly: "If you don't mind."

He could tell it was the very last thing she wanted, but after a sharp glance from her father, the girl said, "No, of course not. Anything I can do."

Melissa Truman and Kyle moved out onto one of the balconies, where a retractable, hardened plastiglass bubble protected them from the rain. "You think I know something about where Mitch is, but I don't," she said angrily.

Kyle motioned her to one of the Amazonia-style chairs and sat down in the one opposite. It creaked ominously under his merely average weight. "I know very little. That's why I want to talk to you."

"I told you. I really don't know anything."

"You seem to know more than your parents about Linda Hayward."

She shrugged. "Not really."

"I'll bet everything they do know they learned from you."

Melissa looked away. "They don't pay much attention to us."

"Is that why Mitch ran off?"

She sighed. "Partially."

"So he told you he was planning to."

"No," she said, scowling. "It seems obvious, though."

"Why?"

"Dad was slinging him drek and Mom refused to meet her."

"You only saw her that once, in the background on the telecom screen."

She turned away and seemed to blush slightly. "I never said she was in the background. She and Mitch were quite friendly."

"But that was the only time you saw her?"

"No, not exactly…"

"Then you did see her other times? Did you meet her?"

"No, I only saw her. From a distance, at the club."

"The Kaleidoscope?"

"Yes."

"She was a regular?"

"I guess. But I'm not, so I can't really say."

"Were you there when Mitch met her?"

"No."

"Do you know how it happened."

"No."

"Has she been seen there since Mitch disappeared?"

"Sh-" Melissa stopped herself. "I don't know," she said after a pause, almost quietly.

Kyle shook his head. "Look, Melissa, were it not for the fact that magic was involved, I'd agree with you about leaving your brother alone." She seemed to cringe slightly, and Kyle suspected she was reacting to the fact that she might have blundered. "But the fact is, your brother is still a minor under your parents' protection. Add to that fact that your father is going to be paying me a lot of money to find him, and what you get is the unavoidable fact that I will find him."

He leaned in closer to her. "Despite what aspersions Lieutenant Facile might want to cast, I am not exactly a weak magician. The ward that protected your brother was mighty powerful. That's got me concerned."

"All right, all right," she said, unable to meet his gaze. "I checked around. She's been at the Kaleidoscope at least once since my parents lost contact with Mitch."

"And your brother was with her?"

Melissa winced. "Yes."

Kyle leaned back. "Thank you, Melissa. I know you don't like any of this, but I swear I'm going to try make it all come out all right."

She nodded, then hesitated as though having something to say but not sure she wanted to say it. "There's something else you should know," she said finally.

"Oh?" said Kyle.

"She's in a gang."