Free Alex Verus 5: Hidden by Benedict Jacka Page A

able to pick out odd words of her half of the conversation. She was telling someone to come here and to hurry. I took the opportunity to send Luna a message updating her on what was going on.
    “Right,” Caldera said once she’d finished, dropping her phone into her pocket as she reentered the bedroom. “When did you last see Miss Walker? And don’t dodge the question this time.”
    Apparently my earlier evasion hadn’t been all that subtle. I’d had time to think about how to answer and had decided to go with the truth—it’s easier to remember and you don’t have to worry so much about being caught out. “Last night,” I began, and gave Caldera a short account of the evening, accurate as far as it went but with the more personal details edited out.
    “. . . and that was the last time I saw her,” I finished.
    “Has anybody else you know had any contact with her since then?”
    “No. I told you, we haven’t heard anything else.”
    Caldera grunted and I knew she’d be checking up on that later. “Okay, I’ve answered your questions,” I said. “Now why are
you
here?”
    “This is Council property.”
    “That’s not an answer.”
    “Sorry. Classified.”
    I studied Caldera and folded my arms.
    Caldera glanced around. “You need to clear the area. There’ll be someone—”
    “Keepers from the Order of the Star don’t get sent on property inspections,” I said. “You’d only be here if there was something involving the Concord of the Council.” I looked at Caldera thoughtfully. “I’m guessing something triggered a flag. Maybe a report . . . or some kind of alarm? Otherwise you wouldn’t have assumed I was a suspect.”
    Caldera looked back at me without expression. “But your remit is the Concord,” I said. “Anne’s not a recognised mage or an apprentice of one. You shouldn’t have any reason to be here . . . unless someone from the Council specifically asked you to . . .” I started scanning through the futures. Who was Caldera waiting for?
    “You can go now,” Caldera said.
    The future I was looking for came into focus and I snapped my fingers. “Sonder.” I pointed at Caldera. “He’s the reason you’re here. And you’re waiting for him to show up so he can look back to see what happened.” I paused. “So do you still need me to go? I’m pretty sure I already know anything I’d learn from seeing Sonder show up, but if it’s important . . .”
    Caldera sighed. “Goddamn it. Do you have any idea how annoying you are?”
    That was more or less what I’d said to Luna. Maybe I
was
teaching her bad habits. “Look, I’m sorry about the fight. If I’d known it was you—”
    “You know what?” Caldera said. “I’m going to do what I ought to do more often. I’m making you someone else’s problem.”
    We stood in silence for a little while. My chest and hands still ached a little from the scuffle. “So, you practice judo?” I asked. “That felt like a hip throw.”
    “Just the techniques,” Caldera said. “I don’t have a belt.” She eyed me. “What was that thing you hit me with?”
    “Dispelling focus.”
    “You get into fights with mages that often?”
    “It’s meant more for constructs. Just out of curiosity, how much of that strength of yours is muscle and how much is magic?”
    “Drop by the gym some day and find out.”
    I grinned at her. “Is that a challenge?”
    Caldera’s phone rang and she moved off again to answer it. I took the opportunity to send Luna another message, telling her where to run into Sonder. He was only a few minutes out, and it didn’t take long before I heard his voice and Luna’s echoing up the stairs.
    Sonder is a Light mage with messy hair and glasses, twenty-two years old but still with a teenager’s awkwardness. He’s actually younger than Luna, Anne, and Variam, but he’s a journeyman mage while they’re still apprentices, despite the fact that all three could probably take him in a fight. (In