The Copper Gauntlet

“I touched that backpack!” Tamara said. “That is the grossest thing I have ever —”

Alastair began to laugh, and once he started, he couldn’t seem to stop. Tears rolled over his cheeks. He wiped his eyes and sagged against the table with the force of hilarity. He tried to talk, but he wasn’t even able to get out words.

Call hoped that the sight of Constantine Madden’s head hadn’t permanently unhinged anyone, least of all his dad. Lots of people in the room looked a little bit unhinged.

“Callum,” said Master Rufus, recovering himself first. “How did Alastair come to slay the Enemy of Death?”

“He tricked Master Joseph into bringing him to where Constantine was,” Call said, careful not to lie. “Then he used the Alkahest on the Enemy. After that, Constantine was dead.” Call didn’t mention he’d also been dead before that. “There were a bunch of Chaos-ridden around. We helped fight them off, but when we did, the tomb was destroyed.”

“And the Alkahest was lost?” Master Milagros asked.

Call nodded. He was pretty sure the Assembly was supposed to be asking more questions, but they looked too shell-shocked to interrupt. “We think Master Joseph escaped with it as the place was falling apart.”

At least Alastair’s laughter had finally trailed off.

“What happened to the Enemy’s body?” asked Master North.

“It disappeared with the rest of the tomb. Chaos, uh, devoured it.”

Master Rufus nodded.

“That’s not what happened,” Jasper said, shaking his head. “You’re leaving important stuff out.”

Call felt his father tense, Alastair’s fingers digging into his shoulder. He could see Tamara had caught her breath and Aaron was looking daggers in Jasper’s direction.

“And what is that?” asked Assemblyman Graves, looking as if he was reeling from innumerable shocks.

“The reason the tomb was destroyed is because of Call,” Jasper said. Because Call is the Enemy of Death. Because Call is Constantine Madden reborn and just as Constantine destroyed the Magisterium, Call destroyed the tomb. Bind his magic; kill him. Call stared in frozen horror as Jasper went on. “Call used void magic to keep back the Chaos-ridden. It got kind of out of control, because it was the first time he’d ever used it.” Jasper gave them all a smug look, like he knew how much they’d been panicking. “That’s right. Call is a Makar, like Aaron. Now we have two.”

Call let out a sigh of relief. The Assembly members were staring at Jasper as if he’d grown a second head.

Finally, for real, Jasper had surprised him.

At that moment, Anastasia Tarquin rose to her feet. Her back was straight, her silver hair glimmering. She stared directly at Call as she spoke. “The Enemy is dead at last,” she said. “Thanks to you five” — her hand swept out, indicating Call, Alastair, Tamara, Jasper, and Aaron — “Verity Torres and the many lost in the Cold Massacre have finally been avenged.”

Call thought of Verity’s head nailed to the door of the tomb and swallowed hard.

Mrs. Tarquin’s words seemed to snap Assemblyman Graves out of his shock. “Anastasia is right,” he declared. “The Treaty is rendered null. The Alkahest must be retrieved, but for the moment, this is a time of celebration. The war,” he said, “is over.”

The rest of the Assembly members began murmuring, smiles broadening across their faces. Master Milagros began to applaud, and it caught on wildfire-fast, the Assembly members and Masters rising to their feet to clap for them. Tamara looked surprised, Jasper smug, and Alastair relieved. Then Call looked over at Aaron. Aaron wasn’t grinning. He had an odd, conflicted expression on his face as though he was wondering, knowing what he knew about Call, if he was doing a terrible thing by hiding it.