The Lesser One Chapter 22: Eye

The Eye

We drop Rarden off at London Heathrow Airport. He waves at us, thanks us, and disappears into the crowd. I assume he has some sort of way to get past customs. After all that, our parting is anticlimactic.

We then drive back to the government base in London and step out of the car. Barley and Josh are waiting for us.

“What did you find out?” asks Josh. “For some reason the bug went dark the moment you walked up to the mafia base.”

I shake my head. “Gena knew about the bug,” I say. “She probably has some sort of insider information.”

“We’re going to have to fix that,” says Josh. He frowns. “How did the negotiations go?” he asks.

Sebastian bows. “My master declined Gena’s offer to work with her. He analyzed the situation and decided that it was far too dangerous for someone with his age and experience.”

Josh nods, wearing an understanding expression. “The government won’t force you to do their dirty work. I should have told you this before, but the only reason why we let you go there was because you are an S-class adventurer and we didn’t have any other choice.”

Sebastian must have refused Gena’s offer while I was sneaking around the compound.

Josh cracks his knuckles. “However, we’re now in a full-on war with Brine Ward.” He pauses. “Though your portal servants are helping immensely.”

I nod. About sixty of my devils are running about trying to combat Brine Ward and other mafias after my powers.

The sun is setting, and it’s almost night. I have one more night booked at the hotel I was staying at, and after that I’ll be sleeping in an apartment provided by Esmex. I turn to Josh.

“Is there anything else?” I ask.

Josh nods. “I know you have the key,” he says. “But we’re not going to demand it from you. You are more protected than any government facility we could put the artifact in, with your S-class rating and army of portal beings.” He pauses. “We are going to have to remain in contact.” He smiles at me. “We’ll send a more permanent guard soon. I think that will be enough for today. You can fulfill your contract with Esmex, and at the end of two months we know you’ll be back in the States.”

I turn to Sebastian. “Is it okay to go?” I ask.

Sebastian nods. “I assume so.” He opens the limo door for me. I step in.

We drive through the city and stop at the hotel. I step out, and Sebastian drives away, leaving me feeling alone—though I am certain there are multiple devils watching my every move.

I look at the palm of my left hand. That’s where the key is. I can see a small aura radiating from the lines in my skin. Even though the effect is small, I can tell that it is very, very powerful.

So, this is the key to an S-class dungeon. If it were to be taken from me and used, there’s no telling how much devastation it would bring.

A man in black approaches me. He stops in front of me and does a British salute. “My name is Zac,” he says. “I’m a B-class adventurer with the government. It’s my job to keep you safe and in contact with the government for as long as you have the key.”

“Not much help that’s going to be,” says a voice from behind me. I’d recognize that voice anywhere. Alice!

I turn around to face her. “Um, hey!” I say. “Why are you here?”

“There’s a birthday party for Duke Cantelmore’s daughter today,” she says. “I saw you and decided to take a break.” Her eyes twinkle. “After all, being with you is a good excuse as any to quit patronizing that awful brat.”

“So, I’m just your excuse?” I say.

Zac seems amused at what is happening, though he doesn’t say anything.

Alice grins. “Of course. You’re my escape route.” She leans on a high table, putting her chin on her hand. “Hey, do you want to go on a date tomorrow?” she says.

What? I am so shocked that, for five seconds, I can not do anything. Then I come to and blink a few times. “Why?” I say.

Oops. Wrong! Wrong! I should have said yes instantly!

Alice winks. “My dad seems to have a liking for you. He wouldn’t stop me from dating you. And tomorrow is that brat’s present opening ceremony, which I’ll do anything to avoid.”

“So, um, she has two parties?” I ask, stupidly.

Alice laughs and I feel magic in the air.

“No, she has three!” says Alice. “Three days of partying. That brat is so spoiled that she cried when I gave her a teddy bear. She said it was too cheap.” Alice grimaces. “Cheap! That teddy bear was made by my favorite maid!” Alice sighs. “Anyways, you’re going to go on a date with me tomorrow and that’s that.”

“Um, okay?” I say. I am still too stunned to think correctly.

Alice winks at me. “Tata now. It’s time for me to head back. Tonight’s party is the one I can’t afford to miss.” She hands me a slip of paper. “That’s my number. I know yours already. I’ll call you tomorrow morning.” She smiles, curtsies, and then heads back to the gala room.

Wow, she was beautiful. Her dress, her makeup, her hair, everything. Just the thought that I’ll be spending time with her tomorrow is sending my stomach into acrobatics.

Zac faces me. “I was about to finish my introduction when that young lady interrupted us,” he says. He tilts his head. “Though I won’t judge your taste. She certainly is beautiful.” He sits on the arm of a couch. “I’m going to be staying with you and monitoring you for the time you are in the UK. Once you go home, there will be much less risk that your portal key will be stolen and brought back to Wales. But for the next two months, I hope to be able to form a working relationship.”

I extend my hand. Zac shakes it.

Zac turns towards the hotel entrance. “I will be staying in a room near you.”

“Okay?” I say.

“You’re pretty fortunate, to be able to rent the royal suite,” says Zac.

“Wait, royal suite?” I say. I put my hand to my ear. The ball of communication magic is still there.

Me: Sebastian! What’s all this about a royal suite?

Sebastian: You are an important person. It is paramount that you act like one.

Hm, okay? But I’m still boggling at how much one night in that suite costs.

I suppose, since I’m a literal multimillionaire, that I can handle one night in a high-class hotel room. I sigh.

“Sure,” I say, to Zac. “I’ll try not to be a nuisance.”

Zac smiles, bowing slightly.

I sit down on a plush sofa, watching the chandelier above me sway gently.

Zac stands beside me, silent. I watch the various party-goers and hotel workers passing by the reception desk.

After a while I stand up, head to the elevator, enter, and ride it to the top floor. Zac accompanies me. Neither of us speak.

Zac opens a door to the side of the grand entrance to the presidential suite.

“I will be staying in the servant’s quarters,” he says. He enters and closes the door. I am alone on the top floor of a prestigious hotel.

I approach the grand doors. They unlock without a key, probably due to some sort of facial recognition feature.

I step into a plush multi-room suite with a wall window that looks over the entirety of London. Walking up to the glass, I place my hand against it and look at my faint reflection. The lights of the city twinkle.

I really am rich! The fact hits me all at once. I take a moment to contemplate it and then decide to deal with what I think of it later.  

I find my luggage already placed next to the table in the lounge room. Bending down, I take out my computer and set it up at the desk in the corner of the room. After connecting to the internet, I do a little bit of research into Esmex, this hotel, and London’s Anti-Crime agency. I also do research into exactly what limitations conjurers normally have.

When I am done, I go to the bedroom and lay down on the way-too-big bed. Tomorrow is day two of trying to get a bunch of conjurers to understand Rearden Metal and how to create it.

I conjure myself a can of root beer and pop it open. I take a drink; the stuff tastes good, yes, but it’s like no other. Is this better? Or is this just different? I don’t know, so I finish the root beer and toss it into a trashcan near the bed.

Soon I am asleep.

I stand in the same video game town as always. It looks like it has been renovated recently to look more like the main street of a certain famous amusement park. There is even a statue in the middle of a plaza.

Jirgrar is in front of me, bowing.

“Master,” he says, “Our war with Brine Ward and the Shinigami is going well. However, we have not been able to avoid casualties. Two of your devils have died serving you, and several more have been severely injured. We, though, will not stop serving you.”

I nod. “How powerful are these Shinigami?” I ask.

Jirgrar’s lips curl up. “Not as strong as we are. They lack the adaptability of our agents, as well as our wide range of powers.”

“Okay,” I say. “Keep working. I don’t know how I can reward you, but if you want something, I’ll see if I can give it to you.”

“We want more freedom in our operations,” says Jirgrar. “Your moral limitations are crippling us against an organization that has no such morals.”

I frown. Letting some of my servants die just because I don’t like dirty jobs is a problem.

“Okay then,” I say. “You can do whatever you need to do in order to defeat Brine Ward. Just make sure not to do anything too heinous.”

Jirgrar smiles and bows again. “As you wish.”

Fight fire with fire, as they say.

“That is all,” says Jirgrar.

I fall into a deep sleep.

When I wake up the sun is streaming through the penthouse window. I groan, realizing that I’m going to have to try and force the idea of Rearden Metal into the heads of those conjurers. I stay a couple more minutes in bed and then get ready. I also pack up all my luggage and bring it with me.

Zac is standing beside the door when I step out. I nod at him, and he nods back. Neither of us say anything.

I think about the command that I gave Jirgrar. Certainly, doing things clean puts one at a disadvantage when fighting a ruthless supernatural mafia. I mean, even the police use undercover cops.

Still, though, trying to justify my decision with platitudes doesn’t really cover the whole thing. Mostly I let Jirgrar have his way because I don’t want any more deaths on my side. I know these deaths are of devils who came out of a portal, but I have learned that they have personage just like humans. Maybe they are a little on the inherently evil side, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are people.

All I have to do is make sure they don’t do anything too stupid or terrible.

The elevator brings Zac and I down to the ground floor. Just as I step out my phone rings.

“Hello?” I say.

“Hey, Markus!” It’s Alice. “Meet me at the London Eye at two! I’ll be waiting!” She hangs up.

I let my hand fall to my side. Well, that was quick!

Zac and I leave the hotel. Sebastian is parked right in front.

Sebastian opens the door for us and I step in, followed by Zac. We sit on sofas facing each other.

“This is the first time I’ve been in a limo,” says Zac.

“There are drinks in the fridge,” I say.

“Oh, no, I don’t want to get intoxicated,” says Zac.

I shake my head. “There’s also, um, a popular brand of juice. I think it was Blendina?”

Zac’s eyes light up. “Of course! Wow, I’ve never been able to afford Blendina!”

I turn to Sebastian. “For reference,” I ask, “How much does a bottle of, uh, Blendina cost?”

Sebastian keeps his eyes focused ahead. “Sixty-five pounds.”

“Wait, what?” I say. “For, like, a soda can’s worth? Whoa!”

Zac reaches for the fridge with a hesitant motion. “Are you sure I can have one?” he asks.

“Sure,” I say. “It’s no big deal.”

“Okay,” says Zac. He opens the fridge and takes out a bottle of sparkling juice about the size of a beer bottle. He examines it a bit before opening the bottle on the fridge’s built-in bottle opener.

He takes a sip. His eyes close and he smiles. He takes another sip.

Well, if Blendina can make someone react that way, it might be worth it!

Zac finishes the bottle in about five minutes. I am silent for the time, watching him.

I’m not that thirsty, so I don’t take one myself, but I feel that I’ll enjoy the beverage a lot more now that I know how much it costs.

After ten minutes we arrive at Esmex HQ. This is going to be my second day of trying to teach those twelve conjurers about Rearden Metal. Zac disembarks after me and follows me into the building.

“Are you going to stay with me during work?” I ask him.

Zac nods. “It’s my job, after all.”

I can’t blame him, I suppose. I take the elevator to the lab floor and enter the lab.

The twelve conjurers are sitting around the break room connected to the lab.

“All right, people,” I say. “It’s time to get to work.”

I spend the next four hours trying desperately to explain Rearden Metal and how it works. One conjurer, Lincoln Patel, almost manages to create type two. The rest aren’t even close.

I wrap up for the day at around one in the afternoon. I have my date, after all.

When I step out of the building Sebastian is waiting for me in the limo. I step in, and Zac follows.

The date might be uncomfortable if Zac is following me the whole time. I don’t know how to fix that, though. Maybe I should just deal with it?

“I prepared you a suitable outfit for your outing,” says Sebastian.

A suit bag is hanging from the roof. I open it—it contains a stylish set of street clothes. I turn to Zac. “Are you going to watch?” I ask.

Sebastian looks at me through the rearview mirror. “There is a special private compartment at the very back of this vehicle,” he says.

I pull away the curtain at the back of the lounge that I always assumed was a wall. Instead, it contains a small room just large enough for a grown man to change in.

I swap clothing and step out. Zac looks at me with an approving smile.

“That’s some fancy clothes you have there,” he says.

“I don’t really know much about that,” I say. “I just wear what my butler tells me to.”

Zac laughs. “Well you look great. I hope your date goes well.”

“Are you going to be coming with me?” I ask.

Zac shakes his head. “I’ve been trained in stealth and pursuit. I can watch you without you knowing.”

“Okay, then do that,” I say. At the very least he wouldn’t be an awkward third wheel.

“You should be careful about the information you divulge,” says Sebastian. “You still don’t know this young lady very well. She may have a trick up her sleeve. Her father is Crayton, after all.”

The limo pull up to a small courtyard near the London Eye. I catch sight of Alice sitting on a bench.

I step out of the car, a big grin on my face.

“I’ll be dropping off sir Zach somewhere close,” says Sebastian, as the door closes.

I approach Alice. She looks up at me and smiles. “Hey, Markus!” she says.

I stand before her. She gets up off the bench. “Do you want to head to the mall first?” she says.  “Or do you want to ride the Eye?”

“Anything,” I say.

And so starts an amazing afternoon.