Vadim Panov’s "Galla Rebus," a summary

The urban fantasy "Rebus Galla," published in 2009, is the fourteenth novel in the author’s "Secret City" series. Written at the intersection of political detective fiction and combat magic, this book chronicles a new round of conflict between ancient races hiding on the streets of modern Moscow. The plot revolves around the secret awakening of the ancient essence deity Galla, whose schismatic cult once plunged the Order into civil war, as well as a series of abductions of battle golems and a conspiracy within the highest echelons of the Green House.

In 2009, the novel won the Mir Fantastiki magazine award for the best continuation of a Russian series. The book is part of Vadim Panov’s "Secret City" series.

The Awakening of Gallus and the Schism in the Order

The events begin at a construction site on the site of the demolished Rossiya Hotel in Zaryadye. Berislav, Baron of the Veshnyaki domain, brings the knight Pavel Ferdinand to the basement. Berislav shows his companions a secret temple — the Rebus Galla. In this sanctuary, the ancient essence god Galla has awakened, requiring human souls to restore his strength. Berislav proposes creating an independent hierarchy, uniting ordinary people without magical abilities. Earlier, within the Order, the magic-deprived Master of the Black Boar Lodge, Roderick Uthan, led a rebellion under the slogan "The Sleeper Was Not a Magician!", questioning the right of sorcerers to rule the knights.

A historical digression reveals the origins of the schism. In Northern Ulnar, Magister Roderick Uthan and Archmage Charles de la Qua grew up together, but discord between knights and mages destroyed their friendship. After a domestic brawl in a tavern, de la Qua demanded a trial for the knights, but Uthan refused to punish his kinsmen. Soon, Roderick declared the mages usurpers, threw Charles off the cliff of Lonely Che, and slaughtered the sorcerers of his lodge. Gall’s corruption engulfed the fiefs, culminating in a bloody war on the Senegereserei Table, where the Order defeated the rebels only at the cost of enormous losses.

Golem Abductions and the Arcana of Fear

In modern-day Moscow, an anomalous event is unfolding: combat automatons are disappearing from guarded warehouses. Four heavy "Enforcers" are leaving the Order’s military warehouse, and four deactivated automatons are escaping from the secret basement of Bidjar Hamzi’s shas. The merchant lacks protection against the physical removal of golems, so he hires fighters Cortes and Artyom to covertly search for the property, avoiding sanctions from the Dark Court. "Monitors" and "Lunatics" are disappearing from Master Barraga’s laboratory. Even programmer Mitya Konovalov’s companion doll, Christina, escapes from his apartment.

The human witch Marina Shchukina from the Green House secretly creates a unique spell — the Arcana of Fear. No magical energy is required to activate the spell, and the victim is plunged into unconscious terror. Marina operates under the guidance of an anonymous patron nicknamed the Shepherd. With the help of her lover, the illegal archaeologist Sergei Murzin, Marina recovers the "Sigh of Death" from a cemetery — the residual ashes of a deceased woman’s death throes. Dark Court Commissioner Santiaga tasks Cortez and Artyom with discovering who is controlling Marina while avoiding direct intervention.

The Intrigue of the Voivode Milana

Queen Vseslav of the Green House announces to her inner circle her pregnancy and impending wedding to Baron Mecheslav of Sokolnikov. The news sparks a storm of discontent among Milana, the leader of the Daughters of the Crane retinue. Milana had hoped to ascend to the throne and realizes that the arrival of Mecheslav’s heir will dash her ambitions.

Milana and the leader of the secret regiment, Yarina, stage a fake car accident on the Gorky Highway, capturing Baron Berislav. Under the influence of the "Sluagh conspiracy," Berislav reveals the names of Gallus’s cult members, including Pavel Ferdinand and his own son, Sobidrag. Unwilling to reveal the rest of his secrets, Berislav tears his heart out with an outburst of inner strength. To cover up the unauthorized interrogation and eliminate the witness, the doubting Fata Vereya is killed by Corporal Raditsa on Milana’s orders.

Milana decides to use the threat of Gallus’s Blight to stage a coup d’état. She reveals herself to Marina Shchukina, admitting that she was behind the Shepherd alias. The Voivode forces Marina to use the Arcana of Fear against the priestess Nezha, and Sergei Murzin shoots the paralyzed Nezha in her apartment to spare his lover from bloodshed. Milana then edits a fake video recording, framing Baron Mecheslav and accusing him of murdering the priestess and recruiting the Blight adepts. At a meeting of the Circle of Priestesses, Milana demands special powers and the removal of Queen Vseslava.

Trap and ambush in dungeons

Suspecting something amiss after the disappearance of the fighter Izbor and the veil of Vereya, Baron Mecheslav and Baron Maryino Ratomir begin their own investigation. Mecheslav hands over the clothes of the deceased Berislav to the Hyperborean witch Yana Mannerheim. An examination confirms: Berislav did not use magical artifacts and died without fear, a fanatical follower of Gallus.

Milana lures Yana and Artyom to Losiny Ostrov and sends them through a pre-built portal to the dungeons of Rebus Gall. Baron Mecheslav himself, who has come to meet with Fata Davora, also arrives via a trapdoor. In the abandoned halls of Rebus, magic ceases to function, and the stranded travelers encounter feral battle golems, activated by Gall’s will.

Meanwhile, a trio of Wildcaps, led by Hoof and Needle, infiltrates the sanctuary. After looting Gallus’s golden statues, the savages accidentally activate ancient passages. Artyom and Mecheslav team up to repel the attacks of the Varans and Enforcers. Sergei Murzin manages to destroy one of the automatons, but the next golem deals Murza a fatal blow, breaking his neck. The death of her beloved plunges Marina into profound shock.

The Secrets of the First Creation and the Culmination

In Rebus’s deep bunker, Yana encounters the deity itself. Galla reveals himself to be the first and most perfect creation of the Sleeper, existing outside of conventional magic. Tired of endless wars, he intends to enter into an eternal slumber within the black Nav amulet. Galla hands the artifact over to Yana, promising to restore her power and protect her from destruction.

Milana’s squad, Pavel Ferdinand’s knights, and Sobidrag’s group converge at the Crossroads Hall. In a bloody firefight, almost all the conspirators and cultists perish without the use of magic. Mecheslav shoots Davora dead, and Yarina unexpectedly plunges a dagger into Milana’s chest. It turns out that Yarina is Baron Stoyan’s illegitimate daughter and Mecheslav’s half-sister, who has always acted in her brother’s interests.

Santiaga arrives at the scene of the denouement with Cortez and Ortega, having tracked the path of Christina’s kidnapped golem. Santiaga finds Marina near Sergei’s body. She attempts to use the Fear Arcanum, but the commissar, thanks to his training, restrains his inner terror. Realizing the futility of further existence, Marina blows herself up with a grenade.

Consequences of events

The Great Houses remain silent about the true scale of the tragedy. Milana is officially declared dead from madness and depression. Mecheslav clears his name and forges an alliance with Queen Vseslava, while Yarina leads the Daughters of the Crane squad. The missing battle automatons are returned to their owners through Cortes, and Yana preserves the black amulet with the sleeping Gallus for the future. Club manager Incius Swayze, thanks to the intervention of Moriana Biana, is freed from the claims of his ex-wife Rita and successfully undergoes surgery performed by the Erlians.