Chapter 63

Morgana was very aware of what was going on around her despite the attempts by Gilles to overwhelm her defences before she’d had a chance to get herself into what she considered the ‘zone’ where she could concentrate fully on taking Gilles down ... or vice versa, if he was a lot stronger than she believed.

She felt a great deal of satisfaction as John took out the three High Mages, although she wasn’t too sure about the one he shot, it wasn’t as if proximity would have aided that one in taking her down. Still, the power and ability of John grew every day and his ability to think outside the box, though often enough making her blanch or scaring the hell out of her when he did, made her very aware of his potential to be one of the top level High Mages, roughly on a par with Simon, Rowenna, Julia and herself. She also had an inner smile as Róisín took out her pursuers one by one rather than let them combine their powers against her. The trick with the tree was particularly impressive and Morgana doubted she could have done it better herself. Whilst she questioned whether Róisín would reach the heights of John when it came to power, there was no doubt in her mind that she would be a formidable High Mage one day and very, very dangerous to cross from the point of view of the Coalition. Arch was rightly proud of his journeywoman, though as she was with John, he did not tell her that too often.

At this point, Morgana knew she had the measure of Gilles, though was being very cautious so as to not kill him outright or make him do an emergency port. It also occurred to her that Gilles himself still hadn’t realised this fact as he threw everything but the kitchen sink at Morgana’s shields in an attempt to overwhelm her.

Chain lightning, hellfire, disintegration, mental insertion at varying frequencies and powers assailed her shields as she calmly went about deconstructing the shields surrounding Gilles whilst all the while keeping up her own attack.

John, she knew, often opted for subtle attacks when or if his slap-in-the-face air blast spell wasn’t suitable and in this he was quite correct. Sheer power was rarely the way for two Mages similar in powers to kill each other off. It was the low blow or the unexpected that was usually the winning blow, rather than obliterating an opponent with hellfire. She was also certain Gilles knew this too and so was constantly monitoring her own shields to ensure that nothing was being slipped through to break her concentration and take her down. She soon spotted his attempt to breach her shields using an obscure little iso-depth banding that most Mages ignored as generally it was too weak to push anything nasty through unless it was coupled with ... yes, there it was, a neuro stimulator which, whilst it wouldn’t kill her, would cause her concentration on her shields to fluctuate at a no doubt very inconvenient moment. Carefully she wrapped a subtle block around the spell and began to backtrack along it, making sure (she hoped) that Gilles wasn’t aware that the biter was about to be bit.

Gradually she increased the power of her main attacks, keeping Gilles focussed on keeping her out whilst launching a few not so easy to spot subtle blows herself. Not being particularly bothered if she actually landed a blow, she simply didn’t want Gilles to realise that she was now through his shields and in a position to take him down.

Finally the moment came where Gilles felt he was ready for the coup de grâce. She could feel his exultancy as she prepared to channel his own stunning blow back through his shield and to the area of his own brain where he thought he was going to hit her. Carefully checking just to make sure this wasn’t a bluff or a diversion on Gilles part, Morgana felt the energy surge blast into the shield she’d prepared and then back into Gilles’ nervous system.

At that point Gilles gave a groan knowing that Morgana had outfought and outthought him and attempted to do an emergency port despite the fact that it would probably kill him, only for Róisín to shoot him in the leg with a Null bullet.

“Well done, Róisín. Bit unnecessary, but well done,” a calm and collected Morgana praised her, looking remarkably unfazed and relaxed despite what we knew had to be a titanic effort on her part.

“I figured you’d put him in his place and didn’t want him killing himself with a port,” Róisín semi-apologised.

“I didn’t, but probably had him blocked,” Morgana replied as I cuffed the struggling and moaning Gilles.

At this point the three Theurgists suddenly came out of stasis and looked around in shock.

“Dammit, missed all the fun!” Hilda announced.

“What the hell happened?” asked Bryce.

“Mages only brawl ... well, except for Jude apparently,” I replied.

“What makes you so different?” chuckled Antonelli.

“Same faith as the Stone I think,” Judas replied with a grin.

“Good an explanation as any,” Antonelli answered with his own grin writ large.

“This Mage Cornelius claims to be our top level Mole in the Coalition,” I said quietly to Morgana.

“He is,” Morgana replied after a second’s presumably mental contact with Simon.

I nodded and went over to Cornelius and released him. Giving a quick nod to Morgana he quickly ported out before the rest of his ‘compatriots’ noticed he was alive.

“Satisfied?” Morgana directed a question at the Stone.

[Indeed. I am yours to control for another cycle, ] the hologram figure replied, appearing for a few seconds before vanishing again.

“Bloody stupid Angelic games,” Morgana muttered as Roxanne, Henry and several Mages from the UK Department ported in.

“Oh, Jude here has something he wants to ask you,” Róisín said to Morgana as the clean-up began.

“He does?” Morgana replied, looking directly at Judas.

“Er, Mage Morgana ... I er ... I don’t suppose...” he began, looking extremely nervous at being put on the spot.

“He wants to take you out on a date,” Róisín added in an aside.

“What! Why on Earth would I wish to go out on a date with you?” Morgana asked, looking completely caught unawares for once.

“Because I asked,” Judas replied utterly deadpan.

“But ... but you don’t know the first thing about me!”

“I know your name. I know some of your history. I know you’re a Mage,” he replied with a slightly quirky smile.

“I know some of your history too, not exactly a great reputation.”

“Ditto for you.”

“OK, you’ve got me there.”

“I’d just like to take you out socially, see if two misunderstood souls can hit it off,” Judas went on.

“I don’t think anyone misunderstands me.”

“Villain of the Arthurian myth ring any bells?” Judas remarked.

“It’s a pack of lies, anyone who really knows me, knows that!”

“I’m pretty much the same, save only that I really did betray my friend...” Judas sighed.

“I didn’t betray Arthur. Merlin made sure of that!”

“I know, just as I know you hate the legend and have spent most of your years trying to live it down.”

“You know nothing!”

“Hello? Theurgist, Higher Powers etc...” Judas chuckled.

“Oh...”

“So I was thinking, dinner at Veeraswamy’s followed by a West End show and perhaps drinks at a local tavern, assuming you don’t want to go dancing,” Judas went on relentlessly whilst all the Mages hanging around had stopped to listen in, including a grinning Roxanne.

“Oh, I like Veeraswamy’s. I was there for its opening night in 1926,” Morgana replied, a reminiscent smile on her face.

“So it’s a date?”

“What! No, well not unless you tell me which show,” Morgana prevaricated.

“Miss Saigon. I have tickets,” Judas replied with a triumphant grin.

“Oh you rogue. How long have you been planning this?” Morgana asked somewhat bemused.

“Ever since I heard about the stupid UK government’s plans to move the Stone.”

“You move fast, not that I’m saying ‘yes’ mind you,” Morgana continued prevaricating.

“But you’re tempted,” Judas replied with a smile.

“Are you serious?” Morgana finally asked with a blush.

“Very much so. I’ve had my eye on you for a couple of centuries now, ever since that La Voisin incident in the 1670’s.”

“Not my finest hour,” Morgana sighed. “Mage Catherine covered her tracks far too well. If it hadn’t been for Seer Jemima, I’d never have spotted the patterns and those deaths she caused will be on my conscience for a long time to come. As it is, we had to ‘scandalise’ the facts to hide what really went on and the Coalition’s role in attempting to get hold of Louis XIV and influence his court.”

“It was far worse. Marcus and I had to remove a demonic cult led by Eustache Dauger de Cavoye who had corrupted Catherine and others into doing their bidding. He was the source of the missing infants, not Catherine. The Coalition was able to blackmail her, but little else.”

“She died in Kurukshetra. We put a homunculus in her place to burn.”

“I know, but her possession was complete and Marcus and I usually have no powers in other universes,” Judas admitted. “Wasn’t our proudest moment either.”

“Hated that century. Not that the next one was that great.”

“French revolution, Bonaparte etc.?”

“No. Bloody corsets, panniers and powdered wigs,” Morgana replied with a smile.

“Oh yes. I usually wandered as a monk, much more comfy.”

“So our paths have crossed?”

“A few times, you were a striking Lady ... still are and I find myself attracted to you.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, just tell him ‘yes’ Morgana. You know you want to,” Roxanne commented.

“Don’t have a great track record with relationships, you know that, Roxanne,” a blushing Morgana replied.

“You mean there’s been more than one?” Roxanne replied with a querying look.

“No,” Morgana answered in almost a whisper looking suddenly very sad and vulnerable.

“Merlin hardly counts as a relationship, Morgana,” Roxanne said as she came over with Róisín to give her a hug. “Besides I think Jude here has to behave, to a certain extent.”