Chapter 18 Kane #2
He felt horribly as though his world was crumbling around him.
There were too many pieces on which he was losing his grip: The Curator.
Inspector Price. The plan to infiltrate Mansion House.
Maintaining his crew’s tenuous loyalty. Now he also had Vaughan and a potentially false primateria source to contend with.
Then, of course, there were the nightmares that haunted him: His parents’ murder. Ward’s death.
Zaria, too, haunted him.
He knocked briskly on her door, gesturing for Fletcher and Jules to stop crowding it. When an exasperated “What?” sounded from within, Kane took it as permission to enter.
Zaria was sitting at the desk across from the bed, poring over an open book.
Where she’d gotten the tome from, Kane didn’t have a clue.
He blinked when he saw she was still wearing her nightgown, though she didn’t appear remotely self-conscious about that fact.
Mostly, however, he was relieved to see that she wasn’t quite as drawn and pale as she had been several hours prior.
“Jules.” Zaria stood, slamming the book shut and looking past Kane to where her friend stood in the doorway. “What are you doing here?”
Kane answered through clenched teeth before Jules could reply. “He came here to bother me, if you can believe it. Turns out everyone gets their morning copy of The Times before I do.”
He might as well not have spoken. Jules stepped forward, scanning Zaria for injury. “You’re okay?”
“Of course,” she said, her gaze full of concern. “You?”
Jules nodded, and something inside Kane seemed to wither, replaced by the sudden urge to claw all emotion right out of his chest. It was a relief when Fletcher—who was obviously keen to get to the point—handed his copy of the newspaper to Zaria.
She read it quickly, brows ascending her forehead.
Then, finally, her eyes met Kane’s. “Why would they create a second, identical device?”
“No idea. I was hoping you might be able to give us some insight.” Kane came to stand behind her left shoulder.
Her hair was loose, tumbling all the way down her back in golden-brown waves.
He clenched his hand into a fist before indicating the drawings beneath the article.
“I thought it might have something to do with…”
Zaria’s abrupt intake of breath had him trailing off. She hovered a finger over the shape, not quite touching it. “This is the symbol for alchemology’s Magnum Opus.”
Jules gasped, hurrying to her side to reexamine the image. Kane, on the other hand, didn’t have a clue what the phrase meant. He exchanged a glance with Fletcher, who shrugged.
“Well,” Zaria amended, “It’s almost the symbol for the Magnum Opus. There’s only supposed to be one circle, not three.”
Kane tried not to sound as impatient as he felt. “What does that mean? What’s the Magnum Opus?”
“It’s a hypothetical creation. Honestly, I haven’t given it much thought since my father explained it to me years ago.
” Zaria shuttered her eyes, a slight divot appearing between her brows.
“I assume you know the story about Hohenheim? How alchemology was created when he inadvertently discovered soulsteel three hundred years ago, give or take?”
Kane and Jules both nodded. Even Fletcher inclined his head.
“Okay,” Zaria said, the word heavy with resignation.
“Well then, you’ll also know the practice was outlawed the moment it came to the attention of the papacy at the time.
But Hohenheim wasn’t willing to give up that easily, even knowing the creation of soulsteel was believed to compromise one’s literal soul.
Legend has it, he created the primateria sources in order to ensure others would be able to practice alchemology once he was gone. ”
“We know all of that,” Kane said brusquely.
Zaria cut him a daggered glance. “Excuse me for trying to give you some context. In simple terms, alchemology’s Magnum Opus is the process by which a primateria source is created or duplicated.
It’s purely hypothetical—nobody but Hohenheim knows what that process is.
However, the four quadrants are thought to represent the four main reactions that happen during creation.
Dissolution, purification, transmutation, and then either crystallization or projection.
” She took the newspaper back from Jules, pointing to the sections in turn.
“Dissolution is where the ingredients break down into a solvent, with purification following once the parts are no longer disparate. Transmutation is a shift of the components from one thing into another—this is supposedly when magic is created. Crystallization is when that magic condenses into something solid, theoretically becoming usable.”
“And projection?” Kane asked, his head spinning as he tried to digest all the unfamiliar terms.
“Well, like I said, a source can either be created from scratch, or you can duplicate one. Crystallization happens when you’re using your energy to create something new.
Projection happens when magic is channeled into replicating something that already exists.
The process is highly theoretical—everything in alchemology is inextricably connected to the creator’s own life force, so I’m not sure projection is a real possibility unless you’re attempting to replicate something that you also created. ”
Zaria said this all rather fast, pausing when she noticed their expressions. Jules was blank-faced, Fletcher openly perplexed. Kane didn’t know what he looked like, but he was certain he hadn’t internalized a single sentence of that explanation.
“Right,” he said after a beat. “Okay. I’m still not seeing how any of this helps us.”
“I didn’t say it would help us. I’m just trying to tell you what the symbol represents.
” Zaria gave an exasperated sigh. “In Latin, Magnum Opus means ‘the great work.’ It’s not a term specific to alchemology, but in that context it refers to the creation of a primateria source.
If the Curator has adopted it as their emblem, so to speak, I’d guess it’s because they think they’re doing something truly great. ”
“So the Curator has one hell of an ego.”
“That, or some lofty ideals. Countless alchemologists have wasted years of their lives trying to re-create the process. My father was one of them. If I recall, it’s also why Ward originally hired Cecile.
He wanted her to find an alternative to primateria, but what he really wanted was for her to find a pathway to the Magnum Opus. He just didn’t know it.”
“What about the circles in the middle?” Jules reminded her. “You said there’s only supposed to be one. What does the circle represent? And what does it mean if there are three of them?”
“From what I remember,” Zaria said, frowning, “the circle is meant to be the site of creation. The lines separating the quadrants represent how each is of equal importance, and they’re contained within this sort of…
magical plane, I guess. The corners interact with one another, channeling energy and creating a field in which the Magnum Opus can occur.
Again, it’s all highly theoretical. As for why the Curator has drawn three, I’ve no idea.
I don’t see how you could have three sites. ”
Kane rubbed at his neck, suddenly all too cognizant of his lack of sleep.
“We don’t need to understand alchemological theory.
We just need to know how it connects to the Curator, and I think you’ve made that connection pretty clear.
We have to be on the right track. It has to be a member of the Royal Commission.
They’ve got the means, they seemingly have the motive, and they definitely have grandiose ideas.
They couldn’t have put together the Exhibition if they didn’t. ”
“We must be missing something,” Zaria murmured. It was unclear whether she’d been listening to him at all. “First the fake primateria source, and now this symbol turns up?”
“Did we confirm the source was a fake?” Jules said, turning expectantly to Kane.
“No,” he admitted. “I went through a bunch of Ward’s files last night in the hopes I could figure out exactly what he planned to do with the source.
Someone obviously tipped him off about the necklace being part of the Waterhouse exhibit, so I thought that same person might have told him how to use it.
If they did, though, there’s no evidence of that. ”
It was what he’d been doing in the hours before Zaria and Jules blew up his goddamned shed.
Looking for something—anything—to indicate that Ward had known more about the necklace than he’d let on.
Did Price or any of the other stakeholders know about primateria sources?
If the necklace was a fake, would handing it over in lieu of unmasking the Curator only cause further problems?
“Who tipped Ward off ?” Zaria asked, gaze sharp despite the exhaustion still pinching her features.
“None of the documents stated it outright, but I have a guess. You know that chemist’s shop at the edge of Devil’s Acre?”
Jules sat up straighter as Zaria said, “The one run by the Hoffmans?”
Kane nodded. “That address kept coming up. It took me a while to realize what it was.”
“Hold on.” Fletcher held up a hand, frowning slightly. “Are these the same Hoffmans who also sell alchemology supplies?”
Zaria confirmed before Kane could. “Yes. I’ve always bought my soulsteel from them. I know Louisa fairly well.”
“But she’s not an alchemologist herself.”
“Not that she’s ever mentioned. She knows a lot about the study, though, given that she’s run in dark market circles for years.”
Kane briefly considered this. “Then we’ll question her. See if she was ever in contact with Ward, and whether she has any information.”
“Maybe Louisa can take a look at the necklace,” Jules suggested. “She must have seen a thousand alchemological items in her time.”
“No,” Kane said at once. “She can’t see the necklace. Have you forgotten where it came from?”
“The Hoffmans’ operation is also illegal,” Jules pointed out, irked.
Zaria was quick to come to her friend’s defense. “I’ve been buying from Louisa for years. She likes Jules and me. I doubt she would turn us in even if she did recognize the necklace.”
Kane wasn’t so sure about that.
“Images of it were circulated in the papers when it went missing,” Fletcher cut in. “Louisa might well decide the reward for turning you in is greater than the risk to her business. Or, if the source is legitimate, she could try to take it for herself.”
“Not if you’re there,” Zaria said. It took Kane a second to realize she was addressing him, her large dark eyes never wavering from his face. “The Hoffmans pay dues to you now, right? Louisa wouldn’t dare try anything with the kingpin present.”
That was true, he realized with a jolt. The chemist and her husband did pay him, now that Ward was gone. It still struck him as risky—he didn’t want Louisa Hoffman tying him to the theft—but she was unlikely to tell anyone if she knew doing so would result in mutual destruction.
“Fine,” Kane said. “We’ll visit Louisa Hoffman. But if she does give any indication of not being trustworthy, you’ll let me deal with it as I see fit.”
Jules’s laugh was devoid of humor. “You mean we have to stand by as you kill her.”
“If it comes to that, then yes.”
Zaria swept her hair back, scowling. “That’s not helpful, Kane.”
“Yes, it is,” he said bluntly. “You just don’t like it. Now, do we have an accord?”
Fletcher dipped his head, and even Jules was quick to voice his agreement. They all turned to Zaria. A beat passed, then two, before she gave a stiff nod.
“Excellent,” said Kane. “Then we’ll go tonight.”