“Your near pocket?”

“Yes.”

Guild smiled, carefully dipping his free hand into Scarab’s coat. His fingers closed around the bomb and he pulled it out slowly. The liquid within the glass was still a calm green colour. It hadn’t even been armed yet. He held it under his jacket, away from prying eyes.

“You have caused us so much worry,” he murmured. “It’s a good thing I found you before you did something to actually trouble us.”

“You’re going to kill me,” Scarab said, “is that it? Right here?”

“I think it would be for the best.”

Scarab turned his head and looked at him. “Do you have what it takes? To look into a man’s eyes and kill him? You’ve ordered deaths. You’ve orchestrated them, facilitated them, covered them up…But have you actually been this close when you murdered someone? Close enough to look into their eyes as they die?”

“I haven’t,” Guild admitted. “But I’m curious to find out what it’s like.”

“Can I be honest? I wish Meritorious were still alive. I would have much preferred him to do this.”

“Well, we can’t always choose who gets to kill us.”

“That’s true I guess. I mean, I chose you, but none of these people did.”

“I’m not sure I follow your ramblings, Scarab. I’m not going to be killing these people.”

“Actually, Grand Mage Guild, you kind of are. I didn’t have this Engine built to set it off myself, you know. I did it so you could set it off.”

Guild laughed. “And why on earth would I do that?”

“Because I’m about to tell you to.”

“Two hundred years of loneliness has cracked your mind, old man. I’m not going to kill these people. I’m not going to kill myself. I’m only going to kill you.”

“You’ll kill me, you’ll kill these people, but you won’t kill yourself. I had the Professor make sure of that. The bomb’s designed to spare your life and your life alone. I wouldn’t let go of it just yet, by the way. That’s when it’ll detonate.”

“What are you talking about? It’s not even armed.”

“Once it’s been in your hand for more than ten seconds, Grand Mage, it arms itself.”

Guild frowned and glanced down at the bomb in his hand. The liquid was red, churning and bubbling against the glass. Guild’s heart sank into the chasm that his chest had become.

“Eighty thousand people,” Scarab continued, “live on air. Rebroadcast around the world as the moment that changed everything. And the Grand Mage of the Irish Council of Elders is going to be the one held responsible. It’s just…perfect, don’t you think?”

“You’re insane,” Guild said. “I’ll have it deactivated. I’ll—”