“What we know about Mozart is so little as to be meaningless,” Reed says.
“They don’t usually like to show their hand this way, provoking us so blatantly.”
“I suspect Will Taylor is behind this increased use of their ghost. He’s less patient than his mother, more willing to test our boundaries. Mozart’s becoming a real issue for us.”
“Well, what do you want to do about it?”
“I’d like to set up a meeting next week.”
“With Grand Central?”
“With Will Taylor and his usual men. We’re going to have a talk with them about these provocations.”
Ari gauges the man, sensing more to the story. “A talk. Sounds serious.”
The man waves a nonchalant hand as he takes a sip of tea. “We’re just going to remind them to keep their distance.”
Ari has yet to do business directly with Will or Diamond, and the thought of meeting them makes his stomach clench in anticipation. “Why are you telling me, though?” he says. “Rudra’s your right hand. You’ve never sent me to speak directly to Will Taylor.”
Reed considers in silence for a moment. Then he nods out at the cityscape. “Ari, do you see the Winged Towers?”
It’s a rhetorical question—of course Ari does. Everyone does. Diamond Taylor’s iconic landmark is visible from everyplace in the city, an inescapable domination of the skyline.
“Yes, sir,” Ari says, wondering what the man is getting at.
“We push, they pull. How long have we played this endless game with them?” He looks at Ari. “But the thing is, empires get stretched thin. They grow too quickly. And one day they pull too hard, and gaps start to show in the seams.” Reed taps the table idly with his fingers. “So. You tell me, Ari. Do we continue to tolerate their encroachment on our turf? Play in the shadows forever?”
Another rhetorical question. There is only one correct answer, so Ari gives it. “No, sir.”
“No, of course not.” Reed looks thoughtfully at him. “I’ve been thinking,” he continues, “about the future of Lumines. I’m growing weary. At some point, time catches up to all of us. Rudra’s meant to replace me, but I’ve seen the effects of alchemy catching up to him faster than I’d like.”
Here, this. This is the underlying reason for their conversation tonight, and Ari’s mind starts to buzz in warning.
“You’re rethinking your successor?” he asks carefully.
Reed gives him a pointed look. “I was thinking of you, Ari.”
Something stirs in Ari’s heart, and he shudders. “But you’ve been preparing Rudra for decades. Everyone anticipates him following in your footsteps.”
“Rudra’s a loyal Lumines man. But his influence in the city has underwhelmed me. Lumines follows him because of me, but when I’m gone?” Heshakes his head. “I need a charismatic figure, someone easy for everyone to rally behind, who respects my word but doesn’t cower like a fucking dog whenever I’m near, someone with good wits and a face that can represent Lumines against other syndicates.” He leans forward. “Someone younger. I’ve been waiting a decade for Rudra to look deserving of succession, and yet, here I still am, unsatisfied.”
Ari is silent for a while. “Have you told Rudra yet?” he says quietly.
Reed lifts an eyebrow at him. “What do you think?”
War may be coming between Grand Central and Lumines, but now Ari feels the stirring of it inside their own syndicate. “I think it’s dangerous to make him unhappy,” he says at last.
“Do I look like I’m in the business of making people happy?”
“No, sir.” Ari nods in deference, knowing he is walking a fine line. “I only mean it’s dangerous to make enemies among our own.”
“Is this your way of turning my offer down?”
“That depends. Is it a real offer?” Ari says with a tilt of his head, and Reed laughs fondly.
“Do you see? You have just the right amount of bite in you. You’re what I need.” The man leans forward, a glint now in his eyes. “Ari, we revere our alchemist ancestors, but as much as we use their attributions, we are not like them. We do not hide like rats, fleeing persecution. No. We are alchemists of a new age, primed to seize more power and wealth and influence than anyone has ever had. Diamond wants a walled garden, with exclusive clients who can afford the price tag.Wedon’t want that. We need everyone in the world on sand. And when everyone desperately wants it, this chance at perfection, they will turn first to us. We can become unstoppable. In order to do that, I need an idol. I need someone who can be larger than life, who can draw the world to him.” He smiles. “I think you’ll like this arrangement, Ari. The power to do whatever you want.”
Ari shivers, realizing what the man is really offering. Ari had given up asking to contact his family years ago, had to be content only with copies of deeds showing his family’s lovely new home, or a registration for his brother’s new car, bits of evidence that his growing wealth is indeed improving their lives. But Reed’s offer changes that. Become Lumines’s successor, take down Grand Central, and he will have the ability to do anything he desires. To send his family letters. To hear their voices on the phone.
