Last to Rise(71)

I didn’t say any of that, only argued that I was needed, that I could help, a lot. Perak wasn’t having any of it, and neither was Malaki. “No magic” was pretty much all Perak said, apart from “I need you here, Rojan. We’ve lost Pasha and, if nothing else, I need you because we still need Glow and you’re the one who needs to provide it, when you’re recovered anyway. We’re going to win this thing, and then I’ll need you more than ever.”



I kind of wished I had Pasha’s magic, just for a while, so I could persuade Perak into letting me, but it was hopeless, especially when Malaki threatened to bring in some men to make damned sure I didn’t do anything, go anywhere. Talk about feeling useless, helpless.



So I lost the argument, but I was used to that, I’m a past master at losing the argument, and we went on to what we actually were going to do. We went back and forward and got nowhere until Allit piped up with what he’d seen.



“You’re sure?” Perak said.



“I – well I’m sure I saw it. I don’t know how true it is, or will be.”



Perak pinched his lips together, went to stare out of the window, and I went with him. We looked up at the fantastical spire of Top of the World, at Clouds looming over the city like a cancer. Perak had that look in his eyes, the one I’d learned early on usually meant trouble for someone, usually me. It was an unfocused stare coupled with a wistful smile, as though he was dreaming of other worlds, other ways to be. Other ways to blow shit up and get me in trouble.



“Whatever it is you’re about to suggest,” I said, “the answer’s no.”



“Hmm? Oh, well.” The smile hardened into something more determined. “How likely is it, what Allit sees, do you think?”



“No idea. But he saw someone use the machine and that happened. He saw the Storad bring their machines over the mountain, and we know they’re on their way. He saw Dench getting hold of Jake. He says he’s seen one or two things that didn’t happen but… Pretty likely, I think.”



“So do I. I can’t do it on my own, Rojan. All this, the Ministry, being Archdeacon, trying to change things. It’s not about who’s in charge. It’s the whole damned thing, and it’s too big for one man to change.”



“First things first. If we can survive the Storad, then you can change things, make Ministry what it should be, Mahala what it should be.”



Perak once told me I was wrong about him, that he’d changed and that what I called dreaming, he called thinking. I really should have paid attention. It would have helped, later.



“‘They all rise,’” Perak said. “What do you think that means?”



“I don’t know! Look, it doesn’t matter. The Storad are probably going to get in, and of course they’ll head to Top of the World. No shock there. The question is, what are we going to do about it? What can we do about it? Apart from bugger all, just die. It’s not appealing. Maybe we could make a human shield out of cardinals. It might not help, but I’d feel better.”



The smile turned into a full-blown grin. “You always hated everything, didn’t you? I thought that was just you, that the way things turned out made you like that. Now I’m not so sure.”



“Perak, will you tell me what plan you’ve got running through your head and how it will involve me falling from a great height into the shit? Because it will. It always does.”



“Maybe not this time. I’ll – I’m not sure, not totally, yet. Not on my end. Top of the World is my domain, where I belong, so you leave that to me. I’ve got a plan for that, and it will work, no matter what I have to do to make it happen. I’ll make it damned well work. You, I think, have to concentrate on the ‘They all rise’ part. Trust me on the rest – if all else fails, I’ve a plan for Top of the World, especially if I can get around the cardinals.”



The thought of Perak having a plan didn’t fill me with confidence, but I kept quiet on it.



He rifled in the pockets of his robe and pulled out a slip of paper, scribbled something on it, gave it the official archdeacon seal and handed it to me. “Think about it, what ‘They all rise’ might mean, how we can use it. In the meantime, Lise needs some help, and perhaps you can give it. Use this if you need anything. Anything at all. And please. No magic. Not yet. Dendal was quite firm about it, and I’m not about to lose you too.”



With that he went to go and confer with Malaki, and left me more confused than ever. I was never sure, from moment to moment, whether my brother was just a dreamer dreaming ideas too big and too explosive to ever work, or worked way too well, or whether he was so intelligent it scared me. Perhaps both – there’s more than one type of smart and it’s not always sensible.