We made ourselves as comfortable as we could in the bombed-out shell of the police station. It was not the most ideal meeting place, but I was still needed here, and the manor was too far for constant back-and-forth. Besides, Sam assured me that the villagers knew enough to give us a wide berth, even without the very burly men with big sticks on guard outside. Thus, he and I, along with our very jolly guest, took our places around what was once the inspector’s desk.

  “You mentioned a consortium,” I prompted.

  “The Consortium, Mr. Sen. Not just any old consortium.” With his permanent sleazy grin intact, the man set his suitcase on the table and unclasped it. “My superiors were greatly concerned by your predicament the previous evening. The news that you were still alive was a great relief.”

  I exchanged a glance with my uncle. “You’ve been watching me.”

  “Oh, not me specifically. But yes, we have been watching you. Closely.” His delicate fingers removed an envelope from his briefcase and spread its contents out onto the table.

  They were photographs of near-perfect quality.

  The creature, stalking through the grove.

  Rudra and I, struggling with our ritual.

  Its cold grasp around my neck, choking the life from me.

  Naigamesh among the trees, pulling his massive bow taut.

  A woman in a white sari, cradling my broken form.

  I tried very hard to keep my expression neutral. “How did you take these?”

  “There are ways and there are means, Mr. Sen.” I did not think his smile could grow wider, but it did. “Speaking of which…”

  He withdrew something long and cylindrical from his bag, carefully wrapped in tacky purple-blue gift wrap. “One of our operatives took the liberty of retrieving this. I hoped this could help start us off on a good note.”

  Before I could reach for it, Sam smoothly grabbed it out of his hands. After scrutinising the object closely, he crossed over to the other end of the room to carefully unwrap it with his back to me.

  A moment later, his posture relaxed with a strange mix of surprise and resignation. He walked back over and plopped it down on the table.

  It was my cane, freshly cleaned of dirt and supernatural entity viscera. Some of the rougher spots also bore signs of delicate repair. The gnarled wood had even been buffed and waxed very thoroughly.

  The messenger waved his hands. “I apologise for the tacky performance. Despite our best efforts, we fell short on time.”

  “How did you, or your… operative… enter the grove?” Sam asked, crossing his arms.

  “What is relevant in this situation, Mr. Sen, is that my employers are sympathetic to your current predicament.” He ignored him, focusing only on me. “The deterioration of your capacity to protect your borders puts a real damper on the Consortium’s mandate for our collective security against, well… You know of what I speak.”

  I picked up the cane, pretending to study it, though in truth I could hardly complain about the workmanship. “Let me guess. You can help me with that.”

  “Ding, ding!” He waggled a finger in the air. “Pardon me, just my little joke. Yes, Mr. Sen. We would like to help you. This is not the first time we have extended such an offer. Your grandfather, the gods rest his soul, was not very receptive to our pitch. I hope, however, that you will come to see the benefits of this partnership where he could not.”

  “I find it very hard to believe that my grandfather would have rejected you if he did not have cogent reasons to do so, Mr…”

  “Oh, I am hardly important enough for a name. Please call me Envoy.”

  “Well, Envoy, he was a much smarter man than I am.” I steepled my fingers on the table. “I do not see much reason to overturn his decision if I can help it.”

  “Your concerns are valid, of course, Mr. Sen.” He made a placatory gesture, placing his hands on his chest. “I will be the first to admit that our outreach strategy was entirely flawed the last time. Trampling onto your territory, interfering with the local habitats, conducting invasive tests, releasing those amateurish spiral-face parasites into the local para-system… Terrible, terrible business.”

  “Hold on.” Sam rested his fists threateningly on the table. “You are responsible for the Spirals? And those hooded idiots who kept showing up?”

  “Yes, yes. A truly terrible time in the organisation’s history. They thought they could control the local balance by introducing engineered agents into the system! Artificial entities! Pure nonsense that obviously backfired. Of course, we’ll take care of the mess once we have finalised an agreement! Consider it an apology for our meddling.” He slapped his hands on the table. “The point being that there has been an… organisational upheaval within the Consortium, and our new stakeholders feel that a more collaborative approach is desirable. Personally, I think they are right. So, if you are willing to give us a chance, we can talk terms. Afresh, clean slate, no baggage.”

  “And, if not, you will understand and leave us alone?” I raised an eyebrow.

  He smiled again, though a little less brightly this time. “Of course. We value the autonomy of all our partners.”

  Corporate speak.

  I hated this already.

  “Then I’m afraid you’ve met a very long trip for nothing,” Sam said. “Because we’re not making any deals. Get out.”

  The Envoy looked at him, and then at me. “Does he speak for you, then, Mr. Sen?”

  “Uncle…”

  He leaned in and whispered in my ear. His first words were garbled and strange, not just a foreign language but somehow, fundamentally, alien—something that was never meant to be said by a human.

  A strange, muffled lull fell around us, background noise I had not noticed so far now made conspicuous by its absence.

  “Kiddo, if Dad shooed these people away, he must have known something was off. We can’t trust them. I mean, look at him. The guy’s so slimy he could lubricate a slug.”

  Despite the situation, it took all my willpower not to laugh. “You’re not wrong, but he wouldn’t come here and talk if he felt like he had zero chance to convince me. That means he has something he thinks I want. Let’s keep him talking. Maybe he’ll reveal his hand.”

  “But you won’t take the deal?”

  “No plans so far.”

  “Kid.” He dropped his voice even lower. “Don’t. No matter what he says. Don’t say yes. Not even as a trick. Words, even insincere ones, have power.”

  I nodded. He whispered something in his strange tongue again, lifting what I could only assume was a spell before resuming his position beside me.

  “Changed your mind?” he asked with a mockingly hopeful voice.

  “That would be nice, wouldn’t it?” I leaned forward. “You proposed a partnership. What exactly would this ‘partnership’ entail?”

  “The Consortium is not a top-down organization. The locals always know best how to manage their situation, especially in these matters. We’re just here to help however we can. Money, resources, knowledge, skilled operatives.” He waved his hand. “Trifles. You’re the real heroes, that’s what we always say.”

  “I see. And you want, what, nothing in return?”

  “Nothing significant.”

  “You expect us to believe that?” Sam asked.

  “I understand. Everyone’s out for something. But we’re not some corporate board of directors, Mr. Sen. The Consortium is made up of people just like you. Very ordinary people who destiny has called to extraordinary places. We understand what you go through because many of our members go through the exact same thing.” He slapped the desk lightly with each word to emphasize his point. “We’ve got abandoned asylums in Germany, crumbling temples in Cambodia, some mothballed hotels in Bali and Nevada. We’ve got some very interesting private campgrounds in Pennsylvania and ancient graves in Somalia. Even a naughty little mansion somewhere in the Appalachians. Scenic place, mind you, but very dangerous. Almost ate my legs once. Point being, we’re all struggling. Together, through the Consortium, we can struggle a little less.”

  A convincing pitch.

  “How noble.” I scratched my neck nonchalantly. “Still, if you had to reach. What do you want in return?”

  The Envoy grinned again, tapping his nose. “A tough sell. Nothing like it. Our demands are minimal, truly. But if I had to list them on one hand, well…” He gazed up at the ceiling, pretending to think. “To start with, we would have to have a liaison here with you so that you can maintain a channel of communication with the top brass. Preferably, that’s a permanent resident, but we can negotiate that.”

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  “Of course.”

  Reasonable so far. Which meant it was about to step up.

  “And, of course, like I said, your security is our top priority. The Consortium will deploy a standing garrison to your territory to assist in its protection and proper governance.”

  I felt my uncle tense up behind me.

  “A garrison, you say?”

  “Just a small number of operatives and security personnel. Well-trained, of course, and under your operational command. The Consortium will be responsible for maintaining and equipping them.”

  “And I assume you will also be providing training for our men?” Sam asked.

  The Envoy was experienced. It was slight. Very slight. Anyone else could have missed it. But I noticed the waver in his expression. “The Consortium greatly values standards and quality in security operations. Therefore, we try not to entrust those responsibilities to third parties. Our personnel are more than capable of—”

  “So—” I interrupted, “you do not expect us to maintain our lathials?”

  “The Consortium strongly discourages it. It can cause jurisdictional conflicts and friction. Besides, it would be entirely superfluous. Our partners are more than satisfied with our protection.”

  There it was.

  “I see. What else?” I asked, moving on.

  “Well…” He was not entirely sure he had convinced me, but he obliged. “As a member of the Consortium, you will also be expected to contribute resources and financial support to the organisation occasionally. Nothing significant, I assure you. It will pale in comparison to what you will get in return, especially after we have taken care of the immediate threats and the place begins to run itself. Just your dues to ensure we have enough to finance and support our operations globally. After all, if one of us fails, all of us fail.” He reached into his suitcase and brought out a brown file. “This has most of the other boring details. In essence, all we ask is that any communications that go in or out of your territory be made under our liaison’s advice and oversight, to ensure that our stances are aligned and not in derogation of the overall goals of the organization. And, of course, that you agree to consult with the Consortium and respect the decisions of our leadership in matters concerning collective security.”

  I did not take the file from his outstretched hand, allowing the silence to hang between us. After a few awkward moments, he set it down on the table and slid it across before leaning back and crossing his arms.

  “I sense you have concerns,” he finally said after a minute.

  “So…” I ticked off on my fingers, “you want me to disband my forces, install a permanent representative and armed force loyal to you in my lands, pay you regular tribute, subject all my incoming and outgoing communication to your snooping, and act according to your orders whenever you feel like giving them.” I leaned back. “But I am an independent and equal partner.”

  He chuckled, but it was not genuine. It was the chuckle of a diplomat who was highly offended but could not reveal that. “Well, anything can sound bad if you phrase it so terribly, Mr. Sen. As I said, your internal affairs are completely up to you. We are here only to assist.”

  “Subject to collective security.” I made air quotes around the term.

  “Subject to collective security.”

  “I’m sure you know this already, Envoy, but I’m a lawyer. In my experience, terms like that tend to be abused more often than they are used.”

  “This is not an acceptable proposal. Like I knew from the beginning.” Sam glowered at him. “Now, if there is nothing else, leave. Some of us have actual work to do. Can’t all sit around smiling from ear to ear like an idiot.”

  Like a stick of butter at noon, the Envoy’s smile melted off of his face as he rose to his feet. “You are entitled to your choices, of course.” He closed his briefcase with a very brusque click. “But I do wonder how you are going to carry out this very important work of yours, given your present circumstances.”

  “Careful,” Sam rumbled.

  “Forgive me, sir,” he spat out with now-apparent contempt at me, “but you and I both know your record has not been stellar so far. The only reason my superiors approached you at all was out of respect for your heritage. If not for that, you would have been written off as a lost cause.”

  His words stung, but I tried not to let it show. “If you think this, of all things, will convince me, then you are greatly mistaken. And while we’re at it, I must warn you that people here do not take kindly to being browbeaten.”

  He raised a hand, though it was an insincere placation at best. “Apologies if I hurt your feelings, Mr. Sen, but those are the facts. The Consortium can help you protect the people and property you care about. Do you think you can accomplish that alone? We certainly do not. Are you really going to throw everything away, let people get hurt and killed, burn the hard work of all your ancestors to the ground, over some misplaced hunger for independence? There are more important things at stake here!”

  “It’s a good thing he’s not alone, then,” Sam answered before I could, which was a blessing, because I did not have a good response ready. “You, on the other hand, are. So if you want to keep those beautiful teeth, you should be on your way.”

  “A shame. A real shame.” He yanked his suitcase off the table. “I thought we could come to a mutually beneficial arrangement this time, but clearly there are… persistent roadblocks.” He looked very pointedly at my uncle. “But you are right. I should be going. My superiors like to be informed of bad news as soon as possible.”

  “I’ll have you escorted.”

  I raised my hand to call a guard, but before I could, the door to the station burst open. Kirti practically flew into the room, taking in the situation with a glance. The lathial at the door wilted under Sam’s glare before quietly shutting us in again.

  “What’s going on over here?” Kirti asked, hurrying over to the Envoy.

  “A pleasure to see you again, sir, though I’m afraid your hopes in your nephew were misplaced.” He straightened out his suit. “Good day.”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  Again?

  “What? No.” Kirti gave him a smile that was both easy and uneasy, stopping him with a hand on his chest. “No, no, there must be a misunderstanding. Didn’t you explain it to him properly?”

  “He explained it quite thoroughly.” Sam crossed his arms. “More thoroughly than last time, Kirti. And the answer’s still the same.”

  Kirti looked agape at me. “You said no? Why?”

  I sighed. “We just agreed to move forward with a particular plan, uncle. Together. Or do you not trust me anymore?”

  “It’s not that, but—”

  “It’s no use.” The Envoy looked back at me, grimacing slightly. “If it’s a no, it’s a no, Mr. Kirti. And given the assurances you gave my superiors over the past few days, we will be forced to downgrade our assessment of your credibility going forward.”

  “You’ve been giving assurances to them, Kirti?” Sam’s voice was dangerously calm.

  “It’s not like that!” He pointed at him with a mix of anger and panic in his eyes. “It is not like that!”

  “Good day.” The Envoy made his way to the door.

  “My friend, the Consortium, they are reasonable people, yes?” Kirti followed beside him. “You said it yourself. Just give me a day. Come back tomorrow. I’ll talk to them myself.”

  “Oh, I almost forgot.” Ignoring him entirely, he turned to face me, his white teeth glinting dangerously through his smile. “The Consortium will respect your decision not to associate with us, but we cannot remain blind to the dangers of your incompetence. Your mismanagement will not threaten the security of this entire region. In the event of your refusal, I have been authorised to implement a lockdown on your Special Zone. Starting at…”

  He deftly checked his watch. “Midnight, we will be sealing all of you in with our barrier protocols. Nothing goes in. Nothing goes out.”

  “Now, hold on. There’s no need for all that,” Kirti started.

  “You have no right!” Sam shouted, stomping over to the Envoy.

  “As I stated, you’re free to make whatever decisions you want regarding your jurisdiction. But we cannot let you endanger the civilian populace. You want the leash to come off?” He shrugged. “Prove your competence. Break it yourself. As for your people… They live, they die, it's your call. Your responsibility. Your funeral.”

  Kirti and Sam began to speak, but I took a deep breath and cut them off.

  “Uncles?”

  They looked at me.

  “We’ll deal with… whatever this is, later. For now, this man has just threatened us.”

  I gestured at the Envoy. “Now he can’t leave.”

  Without a moment’s hesitation, Sam reached into his jacket and pulled out an ornate revolver. “Move a muscle, and I’ll blow your head off.”

  Kirti was frozen, looking between him and me. Then, he sighed and shouted, “Guards!”

  Five lathials rushed into the room, almost as if they had been waiting for those exact words. They raised their lathis, slowly surrounding their prisoner.

  The Envoy released an exasperated chuckle, straightening his jacket. “Please, don’t embarrass yourselves.”

  “Shut it!” One of the lathials reached for him.

  Then, he sank to his knees, retching. Soon, his fellows followed suit, weapons clattering to the ground as they collapsed. Sam’s aim wavered and then dropped, as if his gun had grown excessively heavy. He tottered unsteadily.

  The Envoy’s eyes were glowing, morphing into a shape not quite human. His iris flowed into a dizzying globular shape, beating and shifting like putty. Purple light flowed from his pupils, shimmering like a mirage.

  “See? You can’t even protect them from this, Mr. Sen. The previous Thakur had power. He had the strength to rule! You, on the other hand… I do not see how you still expect to—”

  Sam’s fist slammed into his face. It exploded into a shower of blood and gore. Something flew off and thudded against the wall loudly, before skittering across the floor to me.

  It was the mangled remains of the Envoy’s jaw.

  “Fuck!” I jumped in my seat.

  Sam shook the viscera off his knuckles, coughing. “If you’ve got people on the back foot, quit yapping and finish the job.”

  The Envoy staggered back, blood sheeting down the front of his expensive clothes. He dropped his briefcase, spilling its contents over the floor as he clutched at what remained of his mouth. More envelopes and files than I cared to count tumbled out.

  The guards staggered to their feet and tackled him, forcing him to the ground.

  “He’s dangerous,” Sam said hoarsely, doubled over as if he had just run a marathon. “Stick him in the cells until we need him.”

  More guards were called in, and they hoisted their prisoner to his feet.

  Then everything went black.

  I do not mean that a cloud overcast the sun, or that the lights cut out.

  Black.

  All light. Every last photon. Gone.

  As if some god had flipped the world’s light switch.

  A heartbeat later, it was back, as if nothing at all had happened.

  The guards were exactly where they had been a moment prior. Except that they were now holding on to thin air.

  The Envoy was gone, and so was his briefcase.

  “What the hell just happened?” Kirti raised his hands in the universal ‘what the fuck’ gesture.

  “Another trick up his sleeve?” I asked.

  “No,” Sam said, gritting his teeth. “Someone was here. He was rescued. Damn, if only I’d been less winded…” He mimed a grasping motion. “Almost caught him.”

  I crossed over to them. “Probably one of those ‘operatives’ he mentioned. Took the suitcase too. Guess it must have been important.”

  “Probably.” Sam straightened up. “Didn’t get everything though.”

  He raised his foot off a small piece of paper. “Bastard came for this one first, but I managed to shield it. Guess he couldn’t risk slowing down, so he gave up.”

  Have I mentioned that Sam is very cool?

  “You’re the best.” I bent down and picked it up.

  It was not a piece of paper as I had assumed, but a photograph which had fallen with the back side up. I turned it over.

  It was the Envoy, standing beside another man I did not recognise. He was wearing a similar suit, clean-shaven and young. His eyes were bright and full of intelligence, though something about his expression told me that he did not always put it to the best use. They were shaking hands and laughing, as if they were old friends. Ordinarily, this would have told me nothing.

  But for two things.

  The first thing: The man’s nose was bent at a very characteristic angle. It was as if it had broken and never healed properly.

  The second thing: A board on the wall in the distant background. The old-fashioned kind you used pins to stick things to. There was a photo pinned to it. It was impossible to reliably tell who it was at that distance.

  But it looked an awful lot like my mother.

  I folded the photo and stuck it in my pocket. “Uncle, give Mr. Durham a call. Let’s look into who these people really are."

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