Chapter 60

Routine as ever settled over my life once the excitement of Kurukshetra and the frequency altering device had settled. My studies carried on apace and I finally succeeded in creating a portal without the need for a framework. I also found the time to study up on crystal lattice memory storage and learned how to create a very simple storage crystal, though nothing like the complexity of the ones Mage Benjamin produced. I was also now studying the creation of magical artifices or devices which Mages use in place of some of the more commonplace items in the world of mundanes. Hence our freezer now linked directly to Antarctica, our boiler to a point underground where the temperature was about perfect for heating, I also figured out a way to illuminate light bulbs without the need for electricity. Not that we needed such items, they were more by way of experimentation, plus they did not use any of our own resources or abilities, other than setting them up initially.

During this time we also moved from my flat in London, more due to the children of our neighbours noticing that we didn’t change as opposed to the neighbours themselves. This was the beginning of a pattern where every ten years or so we’d sell up and move, something Morgana and Arch now insisted upon as the age of information as well as terrorism was now upon us.

In the mundane world, the fall of the Soviet Empire instead of bringing about an era of world peace, brought about new dangers as well as opportunities. The biggest challenge as far as the Council was concerned was the digging in of the Coalition into Iran and taking advantage of the radicalisation of Muslims in the Middle East to try and infiltrate themselves or rather their influence into the countries of the region, mostly successfully. In this they had the aid of Grigori Rasputin whom Morgana at least was now seriously regretting not killing when she had the chance. The Coalition used him to take over the life of a young radical Muslim called Osama bin Laden and call upon radical Muslims to make war on their oppressors (basically anyone in Council territory these days). Don’t believe me? Compare the pictures of the two. Yes, bin Laden really was Rasputin. Not that we caught on at the time, not until September 11th 2001 at least. The Council, of course, had other problems as well, our informing of the other worlds had unleashed a serious crisis on many worlds as they found that in many cases much of their leadership, political and military, had been taken over by the Sidhe parasite spirits and had been responsible for some of their most devastating losses as well as some very poor decisions on prosecuting the war. All, however, had dealt with the problem despite the cost and were now at least on their guard to one of the Daoine Sidhe’s more deadly surprises. The only world as ever not to respond were the Ogdoad; though we suspect that they cleaned house as well. The civil war that we observed from our scans devastated their world and kept them occupied for over a decade.

One of the more interesting cases that didn’t involve the Sidhe, Nephilim or Coalition was also one that got Morgana out of her office and back into the field. It seemed something had stirred up the Gorgon community in Greece and Roxanne’s people were mystified as to who, what or why as the Gorgons were being very hostile to enquiries and infiltrating them was out of the question. It was more to do with their ability to turn anyone not a Gorgon into stone, including Mages. Usually they kept to themselves and as ever could pass for human due to the various glamours they used should they leave their hidden enclave and wander out into the world. Greek legend places their colony on an island called Sarpedon near another mythical island called Erytheia. Many have tried to find the island in the past and modern historians have tried to place it in Spain or Libya. As ever when dealing with creatures of Magic, the truth was that they concealed their whereabouts via glamour and aversion spells and hid in plain sight. Unfortunately plain sight also meant that with the increase in numbers of humanity, their enclave became less isolated over time. So it was that Morgana, Thea and I set of for the island of Zakynthos to deal with the Gorgons who had already murdered several locals and seemed on the verge of bringing down severe Council retribution because of it.

I had spent several minutes brushing up on Gorgons, since the last time I’d studied them was as an apprentice and despite near perfect memory, I still needed a refresher every so often, as did all Mages. What the Council knew of them was limited. Agreements were in place, yes, but apparently privacy, as to their lifestyle, was not something Gorgons discussed with outsiders. Hence very few things were known, simply their appearance and an ability to turn any living thing into stone. We didn’t even know if they were immortal or had male Gorgons, the only ones that were seen were the females and very rarely at that.

We soon discovered what probably had them riled up, a local quarrying firm was mining a mountain on the west side of the island and that was smack bang in the middle of where the Gorgons called home.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions however, John,” Morgana said. “It might be something else, mining goes on constantly here, a lot of it had to do with the earthquake back in 1953.”

“A natural earthquake I take it?” I asked.

“In this case, yes. Not all earthquakes have to do with Mages messing up, John,” chuckled Thea.

“I know, but we’ve had some spectacular blunders in the past,” I replied.

“True enough, we never, or some of us at least, never learn,” Thea replied.

We were met by Mage Roxanne and Mage Erin who had taken over Arch’s position in the Department of Investigative Studies.

“Bastards won’t talk to me. They insist that only a member of the Council is worth their time,” Roxanne groused after the formal greetings.

“What of the killings?” Morgana asked.

“Well, that’s stopped for now, though they aren’t killing the people quarrying that mountain, I can tell you that,” Roxanne replied.

“Well, it was a good theory,” I chuckled.

“Aye, it occurred to me too,” Roxanne grinned,

“Is the mountain of any significance?” Thea asked.

“Not as far as we can tell, but they’re being closed mouthed bitches,” Roxanne replied.

“Diplomatic office is rubbing off on you Roxanne,” Morgana chuckled.

“Feck it, even the North Koreans are more open than this bunch,” Roxanne groused. “Just because they can turn a Mage to stone they think their shit doesn’t stink!”

“Any idea how they do it?” I asked. “It’s not like we can’t shield or anything.”

“Theurgy, John. Their original founders, Medusa, Stheno and Euryale are minor powers and you know how Mages are with their power,” Roxanne explained.

“That’s why Antonelli and Bryce were forbidden to come. Seems that the Gorgons have an agreement with the theurgists of the Greek Orthodox Church here for protection,” Thea added.

“Got things covered haven’t they?” I mused out loud.

“That they have. They’re the consummate politicians, which is why we didn’t end up simply sending a punitive action team down here to deal with the deaths,” Roxanne admitted.

“They quoted the self-defence clause no doubt?” Morgana asked, though it was clear she already knew the answer.

“Aye, that they did,” Roxanne replied.

“Wondered why I was out here,” chuckled Morgana. “Nice as it is, of course.”

“Self-defence clause?” I asked.

“Most of the humano-centric genomes have a self-defence clause,” Thea explained. “It means they can get away with murder if they can prove that they were in dire threat of death by the one killed. In this case it seems unlikely, though they do have the right to call upon a member of the Council to adjudicate their claim.”

“Which is why we’re here, John. Fulfilling one of the primary roles of the Council,” Morgana added.

“I’d be interested in seeing how they are going to tie four deaths by ... stoning into a self-defence plea,” I chuckled.

“It’ll be interesting all right,” chuckled Roxanne.

“Well, they’re doing their usual stunt of making us wait,” Thea stated.

“As ever,” Morgana replied with a wry smile. “They see it as asserting dominance; I tend to see it as irritating me to the point where a verdict is going to go against them no matter what,” Morgana finished speaking very loudly.

That did the trick and the air shimmered as some form of masking screen opened before us to allow us access to the agora of the Gorgons.

We strode forward, looking neither left nor right, assuming an air of business first, totally confident of our abilities and power. Despite the fact we were dealing with a type of human most Mages went out of their way to avoid. Yes, Nosferatu and Lycanthropes can be dangerous, but a Mage at least stood a chance against them. We eventually stopped in the middle of a packed circular meeting place and I observed a Gorgon for the first time, aware that they were all exuding a glamour of some form.

“You are most welcome, Mage Morgana,” spoke the Aglaia, one of the triumvirate who ruled the Gorgons and essentially the political type.

“It is an honour to speak with the Aglaia of the Medusae,” Morgana replied politely though her raised eyebrow was a greater indication of just how welcome she felt.

The Aglaia to an ordinary human would appear as a classical Greek looking young woman, full shaped, golden skin and thick black hair and eyebrows. Strip away the glamour and the shape remained the same, though the looks changed to somewhat more reptilian in form. No, there were no snakes on the head either, that’s a bit of a myth descending from the shaped helm they’d wear in battle, though their hair often enough was braided to give some form to the myth.

“You wish to explain why you demanded a Council member attend with regards to the deaths of four young men on this island?” Morgana asked bluntly causing the Gorgons watching to murmur in anger.

“The reason is plain, the one accused denies responsibility and claims self-defence by proxy,” the Aglaia replied.

“Four different men in four different locations at four different times is going to require a hell of an explanation,” Morgana replied archly.

“They weren’t men,” the Aglaia responded.

“I beg your pardon?” Morgana replied looking confused.

“They were not men, they were Perseids,” the Aglaia explained.

“How convenient that they are all turned to stone then, dead men telling no tales after all,” I said into the silence.

“Silence male, you have no voice here!” came a strident voice from the side where a young appearing Gorgon allowed her glamour to slip.

“Silence yourself,” I replied. “As Mage Morgana’s aide and under the rules of the Agora I have as much right to a voice as you do.”

“This is so,” stated the Aglaia. “Despite him being a mere male.”

“We can debate the ‘mere’ part later,” I chuckled in reply to the Aglaia who returned a wry smile to me. “Yet the facts stand, claiming something was something without proof becomes hearsay and is not an effective defence.”

“John is correct, Aglaia. Great as we hold you in our esteem, you are no friend of ours to have earned our trust,” Morgana stated.

“You show disrespect to the Aglaia!” shouted the Gorgon who had challenged me before.

“We deal in facts when investigating a possible crime, not respect,” I replied.

“As it should be,” the Aglaia agreed. “And respect has to be earned, not simply assumed.”

“But you are the Aglaia!” said the shocked looking Gorgon.

“Not their Aglaia, I’m just another monster,” she replied bitterly.

“Hardly,” I answered. “Unless of course you have behaved monstrously.”

“We know how you Mages view us,” the Aglaia replied.

“No you don’t,” I replied. “You simply presume to judge all by what limited facts you have.”

“Well said, John,” Roxanne murmured.

“How do you judge me, human Mage?” the Aglaia asked scornfully.

“Different and not to be judged by human values,” I replied, getting some astonished looks from the assembled Gorgons.

“Interesting, this one has merit,” the Aglaia mused.

“He has when he is not simply being contrary,” Morgana replied with a wry smile. “So give us the facts, Aglaia, and let us see where this path takes us.”

“Oh, it is simple, these men were hunters of the order of Perseus, seeking to rape, enslave or kill one of my people for sport and as a rite of passage,” the Aglaia stated.

“I thought the Order had passed away a century before,” Morgana replied.

“As did we. However they bore all the hallmarks of those creatures,” the Aglaia explained.