Contents
VI. Determinism — Parisa
Overview
Parisa investigates Atlas Blakely’s past through his late mother’s London flat, gleaning hints of a wealthy, nonmagical father. A week earlier in Paris, she strong-arms Forum leader Nothazai, proposing he cease hits and take the Society’s Caretaker post. Back in London, Eden Wessex ambushes Parisa, nullifies her magic, and prepares to kill her, leaving Parisa abruptly vulnerable.
Summary
Parisa enters a filthy London flat that once housed Atlas Blakely’s mother, coaxing a talkative real estate agent for details. She learns the rent was paid in cash until recently and that a wealthy, older, bald man—Atlas’s nonmagical father—collected select valuables, including a photo of himself. A former publican reported Atlas as a devoted son, but no funeral occurred, and Atlas cannot be located.
A week earlier in Paris, Parisa confronts Nothazai in his emptied office after arranging a server outage. Sidestepping his ideological speech about the Forum, she offers a counter: call off Forum hits on her and her associates, and she will arrange his installation as the Society’s Caretaker. She notes his advanced biomancy and his cold, mortician-like view of her as a future corpse, filing both as leverage.
Leaving the London building, Parisa considers contacting Sharon but lacks secure communications after Dalton seized her phone. As she heads for the pub to find a disposable phone, an unnatural silence descends: thoughts vanish from her telepathic reach, and her magic feels voided.
Eden Wessex approaches from behind, pressing a pistol to Parisa’s neck while masking them as intimate companions to passersby. With Parisa’s powers suppressed and escape options narrowed, Eden coolly declares her intent to end things immediately, leaving Parisa exposed and at gunpoint.
Who Appears
- Parisa KamaliTelepathic protagonist; investigates Atlas’s origins, brokers a deal with Nothazai, then is ambushed and magic-nullified by Eden.
- Eden WessexHeiress antagonist; ambushes Parisa in London, suppresses her magic, and threatens to kill her.
- NothazaiForum leader and potent biomancer; meets Parisa in Paris, hears her ceasefire-for-Caretaker proposal.
- Real estate agentUnwittingly divulges details about Atlas’s mother’s flat and the man who collected valuables.
- Atlas Blakely’s fatherWealthy, nonmagical older man who retrieved items from the flat; evidence of Atlas’s background.
- Former pub ownerReports Atlas as a loyal son who regularly visited; surprised no funeral occurred.