The Bronze Key (Magisterium #3)(47)

Anastasia lifted the teapot and poured herself a cup. The pleasant scent of lemongrass filled the room. “Without it, you wouldn’t have been able to get into my room in the first place. The reason is simple — long ago, I used magic to synchronize our wristbands. I knew him, you see, when he was a boy. I know, to children of your generation, the idea of the high-and-mighty Enemy of Death as a mere boy is shocking, but he was just a child when he came to the Magisterium.

“I hold myself partially responsible for what happened to him and to Jericho. Reminders of Constantine and Jericho are reminders of my own failure.” She looked down. “I should have seen what was happening, should have stopped Joseph before he pushed the boys too far. In a way, I am responsible for Jericho’s death and for what Constantine became. I won’t allow myself to forget that.”

She took a sip of her tea. “I owe those boys a debt. And the way I will repay it is by making sure that the next generation of Makaris remain unharmed. I am an old woman and I have lost a great deal, but before I die, I want to know that you’re both safe. Callum and Aaron, you are my hope for a better future.”

“So that’s why you volunteered to come here and help find the spy?” Tamara asked her.

She nodded slowly. “And if I knew who it was, believe me, I wouldn’t hesitate to act.”

“We’re sorry,” Aaron said. “I mean, that’s what we came to say, but we really are. We shouldn’t have gone through your things or broken into your room or any of it. I mean, we can’t apologize for trying to keep Call safe, but we’re sorry for the way we did it.”

Tamara nodded. Call felt uncomfortable that everyone was sticking out their necks for him.

Anastasia smiled, the way all adults smiled when Aaron turned on his charm. But before she could respond, there was a knock on the door. Call, Aaron, and Tamara looked at one another in alarm.

“There’s no need to worry.” Anastasia rose to her feet. “That’s our fourth guest. Someone I invited to join us.”

Master Rufus? Call wondered. Someone else from the Assembly? But when Anastasia opened the door, it was Alma Amdurer who stood on the threshold. She was wrapped in a dark red poncho, and she slipped into the room, letting Anastasia shut the door behind her.

“Hello, children,” Alma said with a smile. “Has Anastasia explained everything to you?”

“I haven’t,” said Anastasia, moving to stand beside Alma. With her all in white, and Alma in dark crimson, they reminded Call of the Red Queen and White Queen from Alice in Wonderland. “I thought you’d better do that.”

Alma fixed her dark eyes on them. “You know, of course, of the Assembly’s plans to round up Chaos-ridden animals and dispose of them?” she said, without preamble.

Call blinked, wondering what this had to do with Anastasia — or any of them.

“It’s horrible,” he said.

Alma smiled. “Good. Most people don’t think so. But the Order of Disorder agrees, and we’re willing to do whatever we need to do to keep those animals safe.”

“Well, we’d like to help,” Aaron volunteered. “But what can we do?”

“We know when the animals rounded up in the woods here are being transported,” said Alma. “We need the help of a Makar to assist us in moving them from the transportation vehicles to a safe place.”

Tamara held up a hand, stopping Aaron and Call before they could volunteer. Her eyes were flinty. “No way. It’s too dangerous.”

Alma looked hard at the three friends. “If you care about Havoc, then you should help me. These are his brothers and sisters in chaos. Perhaps even literally.”

“If we’re going to help you — and yes, I come, too, even if I’m not a Makar — then you need to do something for us,” Tamara said.

“Well, that would only be fair,” said Anastasia, with a small smile.

“Anastasia has told us of your difficulties,” said Alma. “And of course, we hear things. The Order is not entirely disconnected from the world of the mages. We would be willing to help you find the spy.”

Aaron sat up straight. “What makes you think you can find the spy?”

“Because,” said Alma, “we have a witness we can interrogate.”

“But there haven’t been any witnesses!” Call protested. “The Assembly hasn’t found any —”

“There’s Jennifer Matsui,” said Alma calmly.

There was a silence. “She’s dead,” Tamara said finally, looking at Alma as if she’d lost her mind. “Jen is dead.”

“The Order has been studying chaos magic for years,” Alma said. “The kind of magic practiced by the Enemy of Death. The magic of life and death. Master Lemuel has learned a way to speak to the dead. We can talk to Jennifer Matsui and find out who attacked her, if you help us with the Chaos-ridden animals.”

Call looked from Tamara’s stunned face to Aaron’s hopeful one. Aaron probably wanted to find the spy more than any of them, Call thought. More even than Call did himself.

“Okay,” Call said. “What exactly do you need us to do?”



That night, Call and Tamara went outside the caves to walk Havoc. Aaron had been willing to come, but it was obvious he didn’t really want to — he was sitting on the couch, bundled up in a blanket, reading comics that Alastair sent Call from home. When some people were upset, they ran around and yelled a lot, but Aaron curled into himself in a way that Call found more worrying.