Mike Shevdon: Strangeness and Charm

I watched her and realised how thin the veneer of sanity was, and how close she was to doing something stupid. I couldn't leave her like this, not when it was my fault.

"I have a proposal," I said.

We arrived at the High Court without warning, which might not have been the best idea. Amber was in the room where the Ways terminated, sword drawn as she realised I was not alone.

"Who's this?" she asked.

"A guest — my guest." I glanced at the sword, and she lowered the point minutely.

"You're not supposed to bring visitors, Dogstar."

Angela was looking around wildly, disorientated by the unexpected landing.

"She's not a visitor. Garvin told me to bring them in, well here's one of them. Angela, this is Amber. You can trust her. She'll protect you."

Angela glanced warily at Amber, who raised an eyebrow minutely.

Angela looked around. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere safe. I need you to stay with Amber for a moment while I make arrangements. Will you do that? Just don't touch her or anything."

"I won't touch her," said Angela. "She wears death like a shroud."

"Great," said Amber. "One of those."

I led Angela away from the centre of the floor in case anyone else tried to use the Way. Collisions were unlikely, but it wasn't a good place to stand. I led her so she could lean against the wall and I watched her take in her surroundings.

"How do you feel?" I asked her.

"I'm fine — that's quite a ride."

"It's exhilarating to start with, but you'll tire quite quickly. It takes it out of you."

"I went hill walking once, in the Lake District. We came down a scree slope and everything started sliding. Travelling on the Way — it was like that, only more so."

"Sit down here, against the wall. I'll only be a few moments. I just need to let people know that you're here and get you somewhere to stay.

"I'm not staying."

"We'll see. It'll be OK."

She slid down the wall, crossing her legs and watched Amber warily. Amber made a point of not watching her, leaning against the wall, closing in on herself. I had seen her stand like that for hours without moving, but with the potential to strike at any moment. No wonder Angela watched her.

I left them and went up into the house, searching for Garvin. I found him in the hall talking to Fellstamp.

"Dogstar. I was just coming to see you."

"You were? I only just got back."

"Yes, and you brought someone with you. Fellstamp, go and give Amber a hand, would you? I need a brief word with Niall."

Fellstamp grinned at me as he passed. There was no sign in his movements of where I had run his shoulder through with a sword during my initiation as a Warder. The old swagger was back and his dark curly hair fell across his eyes, which sparkled under his fringe with amusement. To me his nose was too broad, his lips too full, but I also knew that among the female Stewards he was considered very attractive. It was rumoured that he'd slept with most of them.

"I'll go keep our guest company, then, shall I?" He executed a neat half turn that kept him facing me as he passed, and as I came between him and Garvin, he winked. He spun back neatly and walked the way I had come.

"What's up with him?" I asked Garvin.

"Hard to say," said Garvin, "Our visitor wouldn't be female, would she?"

"How did you know that?"

"You know how Fellstamp loves to flirt."

"I don't think Angela's his type."

"I didn't know Fellstamp had a type. So she's called Angela. What's her affinity?"

"I didn't ask. She's like Kareesh, though, she can see the future, or possible futures."

"Earth and Fire then. I'll arrange for an audience with Teoth for her. Is she house-trained?"

"What does that mean?"

"Is she dangerous? Do we need to lock her up?"

"No, she's fine. I need to do something, though. She's had a vision and I think it's about me. She wants to touch me, but I didn't want to do it alone."

"You're going to let an untrained seer touch you?"

"The sun will rise, and they shall fall."

Garvin gazed steadily at my eyes. "She said that?"

"Not just said it. She has diagrams of it and poems of it. She draws it and dreams it. It's all over the walls of her office. She's been able to write nothing else since she encountered me in the cells under Porton Down."

"OK. I'll have her brought up to the drawing room."

"That was too easy. You've heard that phrase before."

"Perhaps."

"There's no perhaps about it, Garvin. Blackbird told me that Deefnir used exactly that phrase when he cornered her at Highsmith's Farm."

"Then you are well-informed, Dogstar." His use of my Warder nickname was intended to remind me of my position as newest and most junior of the Warders.

"It's not just there, though is it? You already knew about it."

"You're guessing, Dogstar." He led off towards the drawing room.

"It's a good guess, though, isn't it?"

"Perhaps. Let's see what your seer has to say."

"You'd better sit on the floor. You can't fall off that," said Garvin.

Angela stood in the doorway, watching Fellstamp move the dust-sheeted armchairs back and create some space in the middle of the disused room. Amber drew back the drapes and let the sun back-light the lace curtains. It should have made the room warm and inviting, so why did I feel cold?

Perhaps it was the memory of when Kareesh had held my hands in the tunnels beneath Covent Garden Underground Station, gifting me with a vision of my future, or at least my probable future. It had set me on a path that saved me from a gruesome death at the hands of the Seventh Court, but left me wondering how much was preordained and how much was down to chance, or fate, or decisions that I or the people around me made.

Blackbird said that the future was uncertain, that even seers could not predict — they could only show you the points on your path that were most likely to occur. My last attempt at this with Kareesh had worked out for me — I had escaped the Untainted and found a place in the courts — maybe that's why I was willing to give Angela a chance. There was a risk, but by doing it here in the presence of the other Warders that risk was limited.

Garvin's reaction bothered me. He had been all about business as usual until I mentioned what Angela had said, and then he had become interested. If I had proposed letting Angela touch me in normal circumstances then the answer would have been no, I was sure. I was expecting to have to persuade him, to argue my case. Instead he had agreed almost without discussion and made immediate arrangements. He caught me watching him across the room and I looked away. I never had any doubt that Garvin was trustworthy, that he had the best interests of the Courts and the Warders at the centre of everything he did. I just wondered how much of that included me.

"Sit here," Garvin said to Angela.

A clear path had been created for her to take a seat in the middle of the rug. The other Warders kept a wary distance from her. No weapons were displayed, but after her words about my stance and posture I noticed that the other Warders moved in a similar way. It wasn't that they danced, but that they looked like they could dance, or they were ready to dance. Perhaps that's what training as a Warder did to you. I smiled to myself for a moment, wondering whether I should actually learn to dance and whether Blackbird would like that. Would she dance with me, I wondered?

Garvin must have caught my smile. "Looking forward to this?"

"Not especially. Too late to back out now, though, eh?"

"You don't have to do it if you don't want to. It was your idea."

"So it was."

"Gain as much knowledge and insight into your enemy before you make contact," said Garvin. "It's a sound approach."