Infinities' Edge Read online

  ‘That’s Kylie, she’s one of your current top models, she can be a little, demanding at times, but the public and the clients seem to love her,’ the woman said.

  ‘Send her into the makeup room, I want a word with her, alone,’ Angel said, before turning and walking into the currently empty side room with its long table and mirrors surrounded by lights along one wall. The Make Up Artists tools of the trade, all of it from Cherubim Cosmetics, the company’s makeup division, lay spread out over the table top.

  She stood by the door and waited, until the stick thin girl in heels that made her tower over Angel, walked in. Her look seemed more that of a petulant child who didn’t get their own way now as Angel shut the door behind her in silence.

  With her hand still on the door handle, Angel looked up at Kylie with a blank but tense expression. Kylie stood with her arms crossed, her bottom lip stuck out in defiance.

  ‘Well?’ Angel said.

  ‘I didn’t know who you were, standing there staring at me in the dark. Frankly, you should know better than to do that, it’s off-putting.’

  Angel left the door and took a few steps towards her. ‘I don’t give a shit what you think. You represent me and my business while you work here. We pay you well, we give you whatever you want. Drugs, money, designer clothes, fast cars, access to the rich and famous. If you want to hold onto that, I suggest you change your attitude.’

  Kylie stood there, a frown on her face that reminded Angel of a child caught doing something wrong and being told off for it, but she remained quiet.

  Anger rose within Angel and she moved forward quicker than most humans could follow, and grabbed Kylie by the neck and slammed her against the back wall.

  ‘I don’t think you understand your position and who I am and what I can do to you, with impunity. You’ve had it good so far, but I think it’s gone to your head a bit, so I think you need some re-education.’

  Kylie struggled in Angel’s powerful grip, clawing at her fingers in a futile effort to free herself. ‘You can’t threaten me. Who do you think you are, I know my rights.’

  ‘Really?’ Angel said, and with a little working of Magic, sent visions of what Angel would do to her friends and family should she ever try anything to hurt Angel or her company. The visions sent Kylie into a kind of fit as her brain tried to process them, sending drool dripping down her chin and onto Angel's arm while her eyes flickered open and closed. A second later and the visions faded, bringing Kylie out of the fit. She sagged against the grip of Angel's hand before she got a hold of herself and Angel let her go.

  ‘Do you understand now?’ Angel said.

  Kylie looked at Angel with pure fear in her eyes. ‘I… I think so.’ She said, her voice shaken.

  ‘Good, report to the top floor and ask for Gabrielle by 8pm tonight. That is if you still want to work for us.’

  ‘I do… er, Miss.’

  Angel looked at her, she looked a little red-eyed and disturbed by what she had just had happen to her. ‘Take a few minutes to yourself, get a grip before you go out there again. I, of course, needn’t say what will happen if you speak of this to anyone, right?’

  Kylie nodded as Angel stepped out the room and shut the door behind her. She walked up to the shoots Creative Director who had spoken to her before. ‘She will be a few minutes, give her the time she needs, she will be out soon.’

  The woman nodded to Angel. ‘Of course. Thank you for paying us a visit.’

  ‘Keep up the good work,’ Angel said, and left them to the shoot.

  Walking out of the studio and into the light of the late afternoon sun that bathed the corridor in a golden glow, Angel felt great. She’d felt like letting off some steam, and that little encounter had been just what she’d needed. She didn’t go around threatening all her employees, of course, that would be both impossible and dangerous, but the occasional one here and there who had a more public profile and who had the potential to show the company in a bad, although admittedly honest light, was something that sometimes had to be done.

  Also, people like Kylie, who had a more public persona were more like commodities to Angel, people she could use to her own ends if she needed. She supposed some might call it a form of modern day slavery, which wouldn’t be too far from the truth of it. But with the use of a bit of Magic, the threat of anyone going public was greatly reduced. She would get Gabrielle to work on her a little later, making sure the relevant mental blocks were in place before Kylie did anything too stupid.

  For now, Angel headed upstairs, she had called a meeting of her Coven to discuss some plans she had regarding the Syndicate, the organisation of the former Mr Black who perished in the nuclear storm on the island, so she headed towards the nearby lifts that would take her upstairs to the Coven’s private apartments.

  On reaching the highest level this lift would rise to, Angel concentrated and Ported up one floor to the Coven’s private level, only accessible to those who could Port. No lift went there.

  The top three floors of the building were used mostly by the Coven. The lowest of the three was also the highest the public lift would go and would be where Kylie would report to later on. This was where the Riven Employees and the Directors would meet with the Coven. It also served as a place where visiting dignitaries could visit and stay. The middle of the three floors was the Coven’s private quarters and was only accessible via Teleportation. The topmost floor of the building could be reached from the floors below, by stairs that missed the Coven’s private level entirely. It primarily served as a defensive floor, in case of incursion by enemies from the rooftop, and had a strong force of Security guards on duty at all times.

  The main corridors up here looked similar to the rest of the building, with a modern look and lots of glass partitions. Angel walked through the maze of corridors and finally into a large boardroom dominated by a huge oval table surrounded with comfortable looking office chairs.

  Her entire Coven was here and took their seats with Angel as she entered, each of them greeting her with a nod or curt hello.

  Six other Magi made up the rest of Angels Coven, each of them answering to an Angelic name. The tall muscular Blonde, Michael, sat to Angels left, with Cherub, an eternal child sat next to him. Then came Uziel with his dark hair and chiselled features, followed by Uriel dressed in black with his long hair giving him a Goth look. Next came Azrael, a good looking woman with wavy red hair, and finally Gabrielle, a dark haired Italian beauty. She sat on the other side of Angel to Michael and greeted her quietly.

  ‘Angel, it’s been too long, are you back for good now or will you be running off to Yasmin again?’ Uziel said from the far side of the table.

  The comment angered Angel, but it was a valid one, and probably one that all of her Coven were thinking. She stood up to address the table.

  ‘Uziel, as much as I want to rip your lungs out for that comment, I will let it slide as it’s a fair comment and you’re probably all thinking the same thing. Firstly, let me say that I am back for good, this time. Yasmin will no longer have control over me. If that changes, you have my permission to kill me.’

  ‘Why shouldn’t we just kill you now and have done with it? Remove the liability,’ Uziel answered.

  The rest of the coven looked back at Angel, looking to see how she would handle this, looking for a weakness no doubt. Uziel was pushing it, on purpose. They were testing her, making sure she hadn’t gone soft. Well, if they wanted a display of power, who was she to deny them? She could sense the doubt in her Coven, they were wondering if she could still be their leader, so this would need dealing with now unless she wanted to lose that power and loose the Coven.

  She didn’t give Uziel any warning, instead, she unleashed a powerful blast of Essentia against him, eating a huge chunk out of his Aegis while simultaneously telekinetically lifting him from his seat and slamming him against the back wall. His Aegis hissed and sparked as it fought against her Magic, but the ferociousness of her attack was so sudden tha
t he reeled from it, trying to get a handle on things before it was too late. But a moment later, his ill-prepared Aegis fell away, scattered to the winds by the force of Angels attack. With that, he stopped struggling and raised his hands in supplication.

  ‘Okay Angel, you’ve made your point,’ Uziel pleaded.

  Angel narrowed her eyes, and looked around the room, most of them avoided her gaze, to which she smiled to herself before dropping Uziel to the floor, releasing him from her Magical grip.

  Angel took a breath and sat back down at the table, Uziel following suit as he rubbed his neck.

  ‘The business seems to be doing fine, no major issues for me to deal with I presume?’ Angel said.

  ‘Nothing pressing no, nothing that needs your personal attention,’ Michael said.

  ‘Good, then I have a personal project that we should pursue. As you know, I have been looking into the secretive organisation known only as The Syndicate. During the last few years I rose to a position of power within that group, and recent events have deprived it of its director. I see this as an opportunity to take control of a powerful and hidden group with influence over some of the biggest corporations and most influential people around the world. It won’t be without its risks, but I believe it’s worth it. Are you in?’

  ‘Of course Angel, you only had to ask,’ Michael said.

  ‘When do we start?’ Gabrielle asked.

  ‘Very soon,’ Angel smiled.

  - Nephalim Industries, Milan

  Kylie stood in the lift as it rose through the building, higher than she had ever gone before. She smoothed her dress down and checked her makeup in the mirror one more time, feeling sick to her stomach. The confrontation with Angel earlier on had shaken her up more than she cared to admit, not least because she did not want to return to her life before her Modelling career. The streets of East London and her parent's council flat were worlds apart from the life of glitz and glamour she now led. She would do anything to hang onto that.

  After all, what would she be asked to do? Nothing too bad she felt sure.

  Moments later, the lift slowed and the sick feeling grew within her once more. With a chime, the lift doors opened and she found herself stood before Angel and a dark haired Italian woman. Angel smiled at her, but she saw no joy in that grin, only contempt.

  ‘Kylie, this is Gabrielle, she will tell you what you will be doing tonight. I expect to have a glowing report from her on my desk tomorrow morning about you’ Angel said. Kylie could sense the threat in her voice.

  ‘Of course, you won’t be disappointed,’ Kylie said.

  Moments later, Gabrielle led Kylie through a level of the building she had never been on before, with Gabrielle explaining that they often host some very important guests who stay here for a few days.

  ‘We have some staying with us today, and they have requested some entertainment.’ Gabrielle stopped outside a door and turned to Kylie. ‘You will be that entertainment. You will do anything they ask of you and you will do it willingly and with a smile on your face. Do you understand?’

  Kylie’s heart beat like a hammer in her chest while her sick feeling felt worse than ever. Was this woman seriously asking what Kylie suspected? Surely not. She couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing.

  ‘You mean like, anything?’ Kylie asked.

  Gabrielle opened the door and motioned for Kylie to enter. ‘Anything,’ she said.

  Kylie walked into the small entrance area and could hear the sound of two male voices talking. Gathering her courage, she walked forward, determined to keep her job and keep Angel happy. She walked into the living area to see two overweight middle aged men with dark hair and swarthy skin talking, one wore only his underwear, the other wore only a bathrobe that he left open, revealing his manhood for her to see.

  Two girls lay slumped on the bed, naked and bored looking. On the nearby table, a bag of white powder sat open, a couple of lines of the substance next to it.

  ‘Another bitch come to join the party,’ said a voice to her left. She turned to see another man, uglier and fatter than the other two stood naked close to her, his cock in his hand, as he looked at her. ‘Be a good girl and come here and do this for me,’ he said, indicating his growing erection.

  Kylie wanted to scream as she heard the main front door lock behind her.

  A Council of Opinions

  Ultima Thule, Enceladus, Saturn

  Jan 12th

  Amanda stood on the viewing platform she had first come to when she had last been here and looked up at the huge ringed planet of Saturn that hung in the darkness above her. As she watched, she could see the slight motion of the huge gas giant and even some of the details on the planet’s surface as its gases moved around it. She could also clearly see the rings that encircled the celestial body, although she was nearly edge-on to them making them look more like a line across the front of the planet than a ring. As she looked, she could make out the movement of the ice and particles on the near edge of the closest ring.

  She felt sure that no matter how many times she came here, this view would forever fill her with wonder. Seeing this huge planet, out here, so far from Earth made you realise just how small and insignificant you were. The actions of the entire human race meant nothing to Saturn and the wider solar system, let alone the galaxy beyond. And yet, that thought did not fill her with melancholy, instead, she knew that ultimately, the materials that made her, and all humans, came from the stars. They were birthed from the Supernovae of a dying star, and whenever she remembered that, she felt more connected to the universe than ever before.

  Humans and all life were literally, star children.

  No, looking up here and seeing the majesty of this view only served to fill her with awe and wonder. She wished that the entire human race could do the same and have some perspective put back into their lives.

  ‘Amanda, we’re ready for you now,’ said a friendly male voice from behind her. She turned to see Trevelyan stood in the doorway to the viewing platform, smiling at her.

  She smiled back, took a breath in anticipation of the meeting to come as she straightened out her white blouse and dull green pencil skirt. She had also put her hair up in a bun today, in an effort to look a little more professional. She didn’t often wear heels, but attending a council meeting was enough of a reason to wear a pair of them she thought and started to walk towards the Master Magus, her stilettos clicking on the stone floor as she went.

  She had been called here a short time ago by Trevelyan. He said that the rumours of her link to the Prophecy of Helene had become known to the Council and there seemed to be enough interest to discuss it properly and they decided that they wanted to speak with her directly about the situation.

  Trevelyan had brought her through a Portal once more and had left her here to wait for the council to be ready a short time ago.

  ‘How are you feeling?’ he asked.

  ‘I’m grand. A little worried I suppose, but I’m okay,’ she answered.

  ‘There’s nothing to be worried about really, they just want to speak with you and find out your side of the story. There're all kinds of opinions in there, so be prepared for that. But don’t worry, you’ll be fine.’

  Amanda breathed. ‘No bother, let’s go shall we?’

  Trevelyan turned back to the doorway that led out to the corridor beyond, but Amanda could sense the Flux Magic that had been placed upon the door. The doorway had been changed into a Portal that clearly led to another part of the castle. Trevelyan walked through without fanfare and Amanda followed close behind, feeling the rush of Magic as she passed through the threshold of the portal and found herself in a huge corridor. Easily the biggest of the ones she had seen with a high vaulted ceiling, stone pillars and carved reliefs depicting scenes she did not recognise. The whole thing looked like a very ornate and decorative church, but without the religious imagery.

  They had entered the corridor through a side door and now Trevelyan led her over the po
lished Marble floor with its two-tone geometric pattern that covered the whole massive space. At the far end, a pair of equally large double doors stood slightly ajar and a man stood just outside them.

  ‘This is the main corridor to the central council chamber which is huge, as you will see. But it’s designed for a large audience, not that we have one today. We don’t usually use this room for the regular smaller meetings, but when we have guests, protocol states that we must meet in the central chamber.’

  ‘All this for little ol’ me?’

  Trevelyan smiled at her. ‘Of course, only the best for you,’ he said.

  They reached the door and a man in a dark formal looking uniform nodded briefly to Trevelyan and Amanda and gestured that they should go through as he went to close the door behind them.

  The room beyond must have been the biggest room Amanda had ever seen. Made from the same beautifully carved stone as the corridor outside, the space was basically a large domed room of stone.

  The floor pattern changed to an almost endless series of concentric circles. In the center of which, hundreds of meters in front of her a large circular table stood on a raised dais, surrounded by people sat and stood around it, many of them looking towards her. The intense Magic and power she sensed from that table was nearly overwhelming. These were all very powerful Magi and as she came into view of them she could sense the Magic they had in place upon them and also a flurry of new Magic as they looked at her for the first time.

  Above her, the dome sat atop the surrounding wall, dotted with windows that let hazy shafts of light through into the chamber. Hanging from the same ceiling were many banners and tapestries with logos and crests and other decorations on them that spoke of the weight of history that filled this place.

  She realised that her walking pace had slowed a touch upon entering the room as she took in its power and quickly moved to catch up to Trevelyan as he approached the central table.