The Lesser One Chapter 18: Opposing Council

Opposing Council

Sebastian walks up to where I am sitting and offers me a glass of some sort of bubbly liquid in a fluted chalice.

“Um, I don’t think I can—” I say.

“It’s non-alcoholic,” says Sebastian. “Hold it like this,” he says, as he demonstrates how to hold the glass.

I take it from him and hold it in the correct way, and then I bring it up to my lips. It’s a fruity beverage that sparkles like soda.

“Thanks,” I say.

Sebastian bows. “Anything for you, master.”

Crayton walks up to my chair and sits beside me. He is holding a Champagne glass. It’s a part of his persona.

“How did you like my daughter?” he says. “She is very handsome. Many men are after her. Not just for her beauty, but for her dowry as well. She can sew, play the piano, and is a master flower arranger. Everything one would want in a wife.”

“Um,” I say. “Am I seriously being considered for … Being a suitor?”

“You are a hero and have enough financial backing to make a marriage work. You are also very valuable to my company.” Crayton’s voice turns darker. “But there are more things that are special about you.” He turns away, and sips from his glass. “It all depends on how the negotiations that are starting tomorrow pan out. I trust you realize what is riding on this deal?”

I nod. “Yes.”

Sebastian stands beside me, giving off a menacing aura that I am happy to have backing me up.

So, basically, if I make a sweet deal with Crayton, I’ll get to marry a beautiful woman?

Wait. There’s something wrong here. Something in me is sensing danger. It’s a “too good to be true” kind of situation.

“Sebastian,” I say. “Do you mind accompanying me to the restroom?”

Sebastian bows. “As you wish.” I can tell from his expression that he knows what I am up to.

I bow to Crayton. “Thank you for allowing me to dance with your daughter.” I then lead Sebastian across the ballroom and into the beautifully decorated bathroom. At the moment there is no one here.

“This is a trap, isn’t it?” I say, to Sebastian.

Sebastian appears satisfied. “You are much savvier than our previous estimation if you were able to deduce that.”

“What does Crayton want?” I ask.

“Your alloy,” says Sebastian. “As well as any other recipes that you create in the future.”

“That’s obvious,” I say. “Why is he using his daughter like a pawn?”

“I’m sure Alice is much more than a simple pawn,” says Sebastian. “If that were the case, he would have married her off a year ago when she came of age.”

“How old is she?”

“Seventeen,” says Sebastian.

“So, one year older than me,” I say. “Wait, I should stop thinking along those lines.” I scratch my head furiously. “Ah! I don’t know what to do in this situation!”

“Shall I offer you advice?” says Sebastian. “Go along with whatever Crayton proposes to you but stay away from any talk of marriage until you are in a better political position. My fellow devils are working on a large-scale project that could immensely change the leverage you have in this situation.”

“Okay,” I say. “About the negotiations tomorrow. Will you be there to assist me?”

Sebastian bows. “If you wish. Though I make no promises.”

“Okay,” I say. “I’m not going to be able to work this if I don’t have backup.”

“Your lawyer is plenty of backup, I believe,” says Sebastian.

I sigh. “Can you at least tell me what to expect?”

“Negotiations like this normally take place in board rooms. You will be before a panel of board members and various important people. Naturally, both sides will have lawyers. Your lawyer will do most of the speaking for you.”

“Great,” I say. “I think I’m better now. Let’s go out into the party again.”

We leave the bathroom after Sebastian makes sure that my suit isn’t dirty or messy. Sebastian follows me in silence. I spend the rest of the night “socializing” with rich, powerful men and women dressed in a stunning variety of expensive jewelry.

When I get back to my room, it is almost two in the morning. I collapse onto my bed and go to sleep in less than a minute.

I appear in the video game town of my dreams.

Jirgrar stands before me with his hands behind his back. A female devil is beside him.

“We shall now teach you etiquette,” says Jirgrar. “I assume you have realized its importance by now?”

I nod.

“Good. Then stand before Aahlia here and do as I tell you.”

Jirgrar then proceeds to explain British etiquette to me over the course of several hours. My head is choc-full of information by the time I am allowed to slip into a deeper sleep. I do not know how long I am unconscious for.

I awake to the feeling of Brandon shaking me.

“Hey!” he says. “The team is ready to leave. Are you going to be okay here alone?”

I get up, rubbing my bleary eyes. “Yes, I think so,” I say.

Brandon nods. He is carrying his suitcase, while mine is still spread out on the floor.

“Is there anything you need?” he says.

I shake my head.

“Great. I’ll be seeing you when your internship is over. Good luck.” He hesitates, and then he leaves the hotel room.

Silence floats above the twin beds. I lay back on my pillow and stare up at the ceiling.

God, Alice was beautiful. I can’t stop thinking about her. Her eyes float around in my mind, staring at me.

I am reminded that I have to inform my guild and Ixtham that I am staying in London. I pull out my phone and dial—it’s around ten in the morning, so both places should pick up.

I dial my guild first.

“Hello? You’ve reached the office of the Riding Valkyries.” It’s Mary.

“Hey, Mary, it’s Markus. I’ve got an internship at Esmex in London and I won’t be coming back for the summer.”

“All right,” says Mary. “I’ll inform Andrew.” She pauses for a moment. “Looks like your paperwork is already filed. Good luck out there.”

I hang up. That was easy. Of course, I have my “network” to thank.

Next, I dial Dr. Barrimore.

“Markus!” says Dr. Barrimore. “I heard you won part of the competition! When will you be back?”

“That’s the thing,” I say. “I’ll be staying in London for a while. I have an internship with Esmex London. I’ll be working as a conjurer.”

“Well that’s great!” says Dr. Barrimore. “I’ll inform the dean! Is there anything else you want to talk about?”

“How has your research been going?” I ask.

“As well as can be expected. The hype around you has been a lot smaller than I thought it would. It’s almost as if there’s some sort of government coverup. Do you know anything about this?”

“No,” I lie. Of course I know who it is.

“Well then. Is there anything else?” Asks Dr. Barrimore.

“That’s it,” I say.

“I’ll see you when you get back!” says Dr. Barrimore.

I hang up.

Staring at the ceiling again, I sigh. I reach into my pocket and pull out the piece of paper given to me by May. Apparently, it’s from the government. They want me to be at a certain address at three pm. Hopefully today’s negotiations will be over by then.

My phone gets a text. I check it; it is Lacy.

I’ll be at the hotel to pick you up in fifteen minutes. Please be ready.

I see a suit folded next to my bed.

It is not the same one I wore last night—it’s a tan blazer with a bright orange tie. The tie, conveniently, is clip-on. I manage to put everything together without needing help.

When I open the door, Sebastian is standing beside it. He bows to me butler style.

“I will not be able to accompany you for the negotiations,” he says. “We, your servants, have made some compromises to get you in a better position. Ms. Stevens will be able to guide you through this process without our help.”

I sigh. “All right. You said you could make no promises, so I’m ready for this.” I then walk down the hall, take the elevator to the first floor, and kill ten minutes in the lounge area.

When it seems like it is time, I walk out to the hotel’s receiving area. Just as I arrive a black sedan pulls up. Lacy steps out, wearing a black business suit and sunglasses. She lifts them, looking at me with an inscrutable expression.  

“You’re dressed for the occasion,” she says. “Good.”

I walk to the car’s front seat.

“Other side,” says Lacy.

Oh. This is England. I walk around the car and step in through the passenger side door.

Lacy enters the car. It is already running. We pull out of the hotel driveway and onto the street.

“I assume your butler has briefed you on what is going to happen today,” says Lacy.

“Not really,” I say.

Lacy sighs. “Well then. We have ten minutes before we get to the place where we are holding our negotiations.” She shifts into a different gear—the car is manual. “First. Don’t say anything stupid, or for that matter, anything at all unless you absolutely must. I’ve had clients lose huge deals because they couldn’t keep their traps shut. Second. Stay professional. Don’t pick your nose or do something else that a Londoner would consider uncouth.” She shifts again. “Third. I have studied your case in depth and know a lot more about your position than I did last night. I am being paid a lot for this, and I aim to make that cost worth it to you.” She taps the steering wheel. “I need to ask you some questions.” She seems to be waiting for me to respond.

“Okay,” I say. “Ask.”

“Do you have any other conjuration recipes that you have created that you think will be worth something?” Lacy pauses. “And, do you think you might be able to come up with more?”

I nod. “I think so. It wasn’t that hard to create Rearden Metal.”

“For you, then,” says Lacy. “I want to let you know now that you should not, under any circumstances, reveal that fact to Esmex or its CEO.” She frowns, appearing to think for a moment. “In fact, let’s tell a little white lie. We’re going to say that you spent two years developing the material along with professor … Barrimore? Was it?”

“I haven’t known Dr. Barrimore for two years,” I say.

“Well then make it so that you started working on the material the instant you met him.”

“No good,” I say. “I’ve only been able to conjure copper and steel for a couple of months.”

Lacy grimaces. “Fine. A couple of months it is, then. We’ll say that you had the input of many professors and spent hundreds of hours perfecting the material.”

I nod. “Okay,” I say. “I’ll put it that way.”

“Just out of curiosity,” says Lacy, “How long did it actually take you to develop the three versions of Rearden Metal?”

“Um, I just thought to myself ‘I want a strong metal made of steel and copper’ and sort of, put my mind to work. Then it came out.”

Lacy raises an eyebrow. “So you would be able to create something similar within minutes.”

“Yeah, probably,” I say.

Lacy’s face twitches. “Do not disclose this fact to anyone. Ever.”

“Okay, I get it,” I say.

“I am legally bound to work in your best interest,” says Lacy, “But most people are not. In fact, most people will try to manipulate you in order to gain something for you.”

I stare straight ahead at the road.

“I trust that you understand the depth of what you are getting into,” says Lacy.

“I think so,” I say.

We spend the rest of the drive in silence. After about ten minutes we pull into the parking lot of ten-story building without any distinguishing features. Lacy opens the door and gets out first. I step out after bracing myself.

Two men in black start towards us from the building’s entrance. They lead us into the entrance corridor.

“We’re sorry,” says one of the men in black, “But we’re going to have to search you for weapons.”

Isn’t that stupid? I could, if I wanted to, summon a plethora of weapons out of nowhere and these guards are checking me?

Lacy holds up her hands. The guards wave a metal detecting wand around her. She clears.

Then they wave the wand around me. I’m also clear.

The two men motion towards the hall. “Master Crayton is waiting.”

Lacy pushes past them. “We can find our own way.” She leads me to the elevator and selects the seventh floor.

“I might not have to tell you this since it is obvious, but don’t use your powers during the negotiation. Especially don’t conjure any sort of item that could be construed as a weapon.”

I understand completely. “Okay,” I say.

Lacy sighs. “I never know when it comes to Americans and their weapons.”

“I get it,” I say. “Gun culture and all that.”

The elevator doors open. A man in black leads us to a meeting room at the corner of the building, where two walls of windows look out over the street.

Five people are already in the room. Lacy pulls up a chair for me at the seat closest to the door, and then she sits down next to me. I recognize Crayton’s lawyer from the night before—a big, paunchy man with piggy eyes.

Crayton’s lawyer folds his hands. “The name’s Billard. You can call me Bill.”

“Lacy,” says Lacy.

Billard ogles Lacy without even trying to hide it. Lacy holds her arms in front of herself defensively. Billard clears his throat.

“We will now begin negotiations on my client’s behalf,” he says. He shuffles his papers. “If you would direct your attention to article three of our proposed contract …

And so begins a long, long day.