Chapter 21
The four of them enjoyed the late Italian evening, next to the graveyard outside of Terni. Didi seemed to have adapted well to key travel, but she did have a lot of international experience before this. She embraced Petra briefly, and then asked Nick to discuss some 'arrangements' out by the shack. It was pretty clear she meant funeral arrangements; Darius politely ignored that.
That left just Petra and Darius. "There's something I wanted to tell you for a while now," Petra started, and then paused. "Before you.."
"Before I die," he finished for her. "Go on."
"I know why you saved my life. I read Torius' journal, and I know you two were friends. It's not much of a leap to assume he's buried in this very graveyard, or near enough to it. I just wanted you to know that."
In a rare display, Darius looked ashamed. He glanced over at the rows of headstones. "I admit I chose you for the wrong reason. You were dying, and I couldn't allow that. I wasn't there for him, but I could be there for you. It was selfish, and shortsighted. Even so, I'm still convinced you're the right person for the job. You've proven that to me, and to many in the Veil. I made the right decision for the wrong reasons."
"Now I just have to prove it to myself," she said wryly.
Nick came back around from the other side of the shack. "She'll wait there for us, however long it takes. Then you or I can transport her back to Vancouver."
He sounded a bit strange, though that was probably because his friend and mentor for decades was about to die. He was carrying a camcorder, which was meant to replace the one in Morty's realm. It was much larger, but apparently had more resolution and power.
Petra was also carrying that strange ruby circlet that Chuck had given her. His explanation for what it did sounded ridiculous, but then so did keys that linked doors across the world. She'd learned to take at least a few things on faith. The three of them stood inside the stone circle and waited for a few moments. Then everything around them went black.
As before, the cabin stood out against the inky darkness that made up this dimension. Faint trombone music echoed from within, as Petra moved up to the door and knocked. The music cut off, and a voice bid them to enter.
From his usual music corner, Morty lowered his long brass horn, and it vanished as he did so. "Come in, come in," he welcomed them. "Nick, long time no see! How have you been, son?"
Nick twitched a smile. "Just fine, sir. Keeping busy. You?"
"Oh, business as usual." Morty's glance swept over Darius, and his expression faltered slightly. "Right. Should we get on with the transfer?"
Darius nodded at Petra, and she shook her head. "Actually, there's something we need to tell you first, Morty. The fades have reached a concordance, and it's about you."
He listened politely as she outlined Despair's survival, her words to the Veil members, and her collusion with the fade leaders. He did seem surprised at parts of it, but in no way did he look upset or offended.
Even after months of getting used to the idea, Petra was still impressed by it. Here she was talking to an immortal being of energy, with supreme power and the ability to exercise that power on earth. He was omniscient, at least when it came to fades. Basically to them, he was God Himself! And here she was, presenting terms to him. Either she'd lost her mind, or the fades had.
He seemed particularly interested when she described Despair's request. The idea of spending his own energy to restore a fade, one whom he had tried and failed to kill, must have sounded like the height of arrogance to Morty! Nevertheless, he heard the whole request without interference.
"The rest of the fades insist that you give up your power, Morty," she concluded bluntly. "The same way you gave power to me and Darius." Petra looked over to Darius.
"Based on our rough estimate, you have enough power to alter twenty-eight more people the same way you did me and Petra. That should dilute your power enough that the fades won't consider you a threat anymore." He lifted a binder he'd brought with him from the island. "We have dossiers on every Veil employee worldwide. Hopefully you'll be able to pick a few dozen of them who meet your standards. I can personally vouch for all of them, when they're not being possessed, that is. Chuck and the other magicians declined to be included, for fear of risking the Pact."
Morty glanced at the papers, and then over at Petra. "All fades are made up of energy; mine is just a bit stronger than most. If I give up my power- my energy- I will die. It's that simple. Besides, the fades have no means of compelling me to do anything."
"You're right," Petra spoke up again. "There isn't a stick big enough to convince you. Which is why we brought a carrot," she lifted the ruby circlet. "According to Chuck, this was made by Merlin himself, back when he was living among the Celts in ancient England. Using this, you can live a human life on earth. With Elle. Imagine it; being able to see the face of your beloved for the first time ever!"
"That would make me human?" Morty eyed it skeptically.
"That's what it was made for," she said confidently. That was partly for show, actually. Chuck had seemed confident in its uses, but his source material had been ancient folklore. "It wasn't meant for you specifically, but Merlin did design it for a fade who had fallen in love with a human. She died before he could complete it, but Merlin kept the circlet anyway."
"To see Elle for myself.." Morty said softly. "It is a tempting offer."
He stepped over to Petra, and ran his fingers along the ruby surface. The usual hardness behind his eyes seemed softer for a moment, but then he turned away. "I have a message for the fade leadership. Tell them I said no, categorically, to their demands. I hear their concerns and I understand them, but we have had a stable peace for almost seven hundred years now. They know the rules, and that if they don't break them, I will have no reason to harm them.
"Their threats are a meaningless bluff. They wouldn't harm humanity, even if they could do it before I strike at them. They enjoy your species even more than I do! However if you're still concerned, I can arrange another demonstration to remind them that humanity is not to be touched," he looked expectantly at Petra.
Morty's demonstrations only came in one form: mass murder.
Petra shook her head, trying not to display the horror she felt at his offer. "That won't be necessary."
Morty shrugged. "As you wish. I wouldn't be concerned about the new Despair, either. I've been fine-tuning my detection methods. It's only a matter of time before I pinpoint her location, and then that problem will vanish as well."
"Please, Morty," Nick stepped forward, speaking for the first time since their arrival. "For the first time in our history, every fade is in agreement on this. They made it pretty clear to us that if you refuse, you'll effectively be declaring war on them! Besides, think about what a nuclear war would do to Elle. She'd survive, sure, but her favorite species would all be dead or dying! What kind of life could you have with her after that?"
Morty's face might as well have been carved from stone. "The idea of living a normal human life with Elle is tantalizing, but I'm afraid I must decline. I will not bow to threats, real or imagined, from anyone."
So that was that. Petra hoped to God that Morty was right, and that the fades had just been bluffing. He was gambling with everyone's lives. Maybe if this had happened a few centuries ago, before he could trade video messages with Elle, his decision might have been different. But now, he just didn't need humans anymore.
"Shall we get on with the transfer?" He asked, and at least his tone was a little more sour now. They'd had some effect, if not enough.
He vanished the couch in the middle of the room, giving them space. Then he reached out to Darius on one side, and Petra on the other, and took both their hands in a vise-like grip. Petra braced herself. If this was anything like the last time, she was in for a wild ride. Nick moved around behind them, apparently not wanting to disrupt the moment.
When it started, Petra felt as if she'd taken hold of a full-sized power cable. Her back arched and her neck strained. She couldn't tell if she was screaming or not, as every nerve in her body seemed to fire at once! Dimly, she was aware of motion behind them. The videocamera in Nick's hands fell to the ground, splitting open to reveal an empty space within. Then suddenly, the energy was gone, and Petra was herself again!
She looked to the right and saw Nick there. Hidden inside the camera had been a Cutter- one of those electrified blades Andy had used against Thrill! Nick had swept it through Morty's upper arm, severing it entirely! As she watched, Darius fell to the ground. Even Petra could see that he'd died instantly.
"That was for my family," Nick whispered fiercely into Morty's ear. Petra watched in complete shock as he stepped around from behind them. Morty's arm just floated there in midair, and she could see white light seeping out of both severed ends. Morty seemed completely immobilized, just as Thrill had been back in China. Petra remembered what Nick had said back then: fades are at their most vulnerable when they're transferring energy.
"What are you doing?" She demanded, trying to pull herself free. Despite his condition, Morty's grip was still iron, and she couldn't get away.
Nick ignored her. He leaned in towards Morty's frozen form. "Not so tough now, are you? You should know I actually planned to spare you, if you accepted our terms. Despite everything you did to me and mine, I would have let you live. I was really hoping you'd refuse, though. This way I get to have my revenge!" He dropped the Cutter and reached out to the severed arm, which was still floating in midair.
Nick seemed to convulse for a moment, as a red shadow left his body. It connected with both severed ends, and the light pouring out of them began to float up into the shadow instead. Nick stepped back, disoriented, and the fade that had been inside him slowly took shape in front of him. It must have been Despair. She'd been possessing him!
"Nick!" Petra called out, still struggling to free herself. She could try to reach for the electrified blade herself, but doubted she could swing it far enough. "You were possessed! There's a fade right in front of you. You have to pick up the Cutter and use it on her. Come on, snap out of it!"
He took a deep breath and his expression cleared. After a moment, Nick pulled a pair of sunglasses from his coat pocket and put them on. He focused immediately on Despair in front of him, and took another step back.
"Grab the sword!" Petra repeated urgently. "You have to use it on her while she's still transferring energy!"
"Sorry, but that's not the plan," he said quietly, and Petra felt a cold suspicion run down her spine. Nick pulled his phone out and put it on the kitchen counter.
He moved over to her side, still looking at Despair's rapidly growing form. "I wasn't possessed against my will, Petra. I brought her here willingly, so that she could do what needed to be done. I smuggled the sword in here for her to use. She'll drain enough energy to regain her body, and then she'll return to earth. Morty will die, and the fades will be free."
Petra couldn't believe what she was hearing. "We came here to negotiate with him, not kill him! That was Darius' plan. What would he think of this?" She asked sharply, jabbing her free hand at the body on the ground.
"Darius was wrong!" Nick shouted, his voice thundering in the enclosed space. "He was selfish, and short-sighted, and wrong!"
Nick shuddered, and clenched his fists. When he went on, it was in a normal voice again. "He was supposed to choose me. I wanted it. I was the most qualified. I worked so hard for it, for so long! The whole Veil respects me because of that. No one can do the job like I can. No one is as dedicated as I am. The Veil is my whole life!" He shook his head bitterly. "But then he chose you, just because you happen to be a descendent of his best friend."
Despair reached a tendril out to the phone on the desk. "I believe that's called nepotism," the electronic voice translated for her.
That brought a mirthless chuckle from him. "When Darius carried you to the island, I told myself that we just had to trust in him. We had to believe that he was doing the right thing. I trained you. I tried hard, to see in you what he did. I even let myself get.. close to you, so that I could understand you better. But there's nothing to see. You're insightful, intelligent, considerate, but nothing more than that. You'd make a good Veil agent, but you could never lead them. I'm sorry."
Petra felt like the world was collapsing in on her, crushing her. If she'd had any need to breathe, she'd be suffocating!
"I was going to be one of the twenty-eight, you know," Nick went on after a moment. "But thanks to Morty's stubbornness, there won't be any more immortals. Darius is gone. Morty will be too, in a few minutes, but you don't have to die with them. You're still connected to Morty. You can drain energy from him- enough for fifty or sixty years at least! You'd live a long, good life, free of disease and infirmity! It might not compare to running the Veil, but I'd say that's a pretty good consolation prize."
She was still connected. What had Nick said back in China? If a fade was cut in two, it couldn't move unless it was put back together, or got another source of energy!
Despair finally disconnected from Morty, moving back to the table with Nick's phone. She touched it and said, "I'm done here, Nick. Thank you for helping me with this. I will honor our agreement and support peace, once my faction is strong again."
Despair started moving towards the door: it was now or never. Petra gritted her teeth and focused on Morty's hand, still holding hers. Instead of draining energy, she poured all she had into him!
Morty let go immediately, and Petra fell to the ground. She realized she was breathing again, raggedly. Her head swam and she felt sick to her stomach! As she looked up, Morty's arm reconnected to his body, and he reached out to both sides as if stretching.
Despair let out a gasp and darted towards the exit, but quick as lightning a.. cage of sorts formed around her! Another cage, also seemingly made of metal, appeared around Nick at the same time. Morty let out a roar of anger and pain.
"You dare to attack me?" He shouted. "Dictating terms to me was bad enough, but trying to assassinate me in my own home? You will die for this! You and all other fades who backed you!" Morty's hand clenched into a fist, and both cages began to shrink in size.
Despair contracted, trying to shrink away from the edges of her confinement. Nick yelled in pain as the cage touched his skin and hair, burning them. The cages were electrified, and that current was arcing through both of them!
Petra tried to sit up, but her arms refused to respond. From the ground, she called up weakly. "Morty. Stop this, please! You can spare them. You can show mercy."
"They don't deserve mercy," Morty growled, inexorably closing his hand into a fist.
"Think about how you felt just a minute ago!" Petra went on desperately. "You've never felt that way before, have you? Helpless, and afraid. Unable to defend yourself or even to run! That's how the fades have felt for centuries now! You don't have to kill them. You don't have to kill anyone!"
Petra felt a strange tightness in her chest, and instinctively knew what it meant. Her heart had stopped. She tried to call out again, but her voice didn't carry. For some reason she thought of her mother, before the darkness took her.
