Judged

by Liz de Jager

  ‘Now that you’re both here, how about telling me what exactly happened?’ Aiden’s retrieved their first-aid kit but looks a bit clueless as to what happens next. I point to the alcohol swabs.

  ‘Use those first. To clean out the cuts.’

  ‘We went to Kensington Park. Ouch, bloody hell, Aide. Are you hurting me more on purpose?’ Dante shoots Aiden a venomous glare but endures his clumsy ministrations.

  ‘Can you stop being such a whiner? Kit is a better patient than you are.’

  ‘Kit is a superhero. I’m not.’

  ‘No, you’re a bloody faerie, so you should be tougher than a human girl.’

  I’m not distracted by their bickering but I smother a grin.

  ‘Who were they? The faeries who attacked you?’

  Dante hisses through his teeth. ‘Aiden, I swear to God, if you keep hurting me I will …’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Punch you. Hard.’

  In answer, Aiden just pets Dante’s damp hair soothingly before going back to work.

  ‘I don’t know who they were. But they were fast and they were trained, really well trained.’

  ‘We beat them, though.’ Dante’s voice is strained when he speaks and I wince in sympathy as Aiden runs the swab a little too hard over the deep cut on his shoulder.

  ‘That doesn’t make me feel any better,’ he replies. And while it’s true that these guys were skilled, I’ve seen exceptional – thinking of Strachan and his highly trained squad in action. If we’d come across anyone that good, we’d have been in trouble and probably wouldn’t have made it home alive.

  ‘But they were definitely Fae?’ Aiden asks me over his shoulder. ‘Because that would mean you can take this higher.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Dante asks.

  ‘It was an unprovoked attack,’ I explain, ‘indicating that it was unsanctioned – and that means if we find out who’s behind it, we can take them to the High King’s Court and ask for the instigator to be judged.’

  Dante winces when Aiden leans too heavily on him so he can get a better look at the cut. ‘Okay, so … if someone declares they’ve a grudge against you and I or Aiden here that’s okay, but attacking us without – what? The right paperwork? Contravenes some faerie laws?’

  ‘Yes. Sort of. It’s weird, okay. But this is how it’s been done for a long time.’

  Aiden just sighs. ‘Faeries, man.’

  ‘I’ll send Uncle Andrew another email and tell him what’s happened. As the head of the Blackharts he can, you know, demand to know who was trying to kill us.’ I take out the small leather pouch and hold it in my hand. ‘And of course, there’s this.’

  They both look up at me and I shrug. ‘I took it from one of them. I have no idea what it is.’

  Aiden reaches beneath the pillow on Dante’s bed and passes me a long-bladed knife. I take it without comment but he seems embarrassed that his macho pillow-hiding habits have been rumbled.

  I tug open the pouch strings using the blade. It falls open easily enough, revealing its contents to be a handful of gold coins.

  ‘Okay, so that’s a little underwhelming. Give me my knife back.’

  ‘No.’ I creep a little closer and, using the point of the knife, I move the coins around a little, flipping them over. There are also a couple of gems mixed in amongst the coins and I roll them around too. ‘There’s something …’ I pick up one of the gold pieces and stare at it. The one side is worn almost smooth but the other side reveals a set of runes.

  ‘I recognize these,’ I say, holding the coin up between my thumb and forefinger. ‘The runes. I’ve seen them twice before.’

  ‘Can you read them?’ Dante asks me.

  ‘No. I don’t recognize the …’ I shrug. ‘The style? It’s like they’re part of the usual alphabet we’re familiar with on Viking relics but not quite.’

  ‘But you’ve seen them before?’

  ‘Yes.’ I look up at Aiden. ‘The first time I met Thorn, he was fighting these red caps in the forest. One of the goblins had a bandana inscribed with these runes tied around his arm. The goblins I fought on the island also had these runes on their bandanas.’

  Aiden’s given up trying to administer first aid to Dante and it’s not my imagination, but Dante definitely looks relieved. I hold out my hand and Aiden passes the alcohol swabs with something like resignation, and I continue cleaning out the cut over Dante’s shoulder.

  ‘So, if the redcaps in the forest were Istvan’s servants, that incriminates him? But he’s dead. You saw him get sucked through the gateway into the void when you guys were shutting it down.’

  I shrug, taking out a new swab. Dante really needed to be more careful during fights. And he seriously needed to start carrying weapons, rather than rely on his fists. ‘I saw Istvan get taken on the other side. Then the roof collapsed on top of me.’

  ‘So, what do we think? Istvan’s supporters somehow found out about Dante and are using his coinage to fund their activities? It could be possible. But that would mean that they’re still active – and I thought Aelfric locked all Istvan’s allies in his dungeons or executed them.’

  I raise my hands. ‘I have no idea what Aelfric’s plans were with Istvan’s –’ My eyes grow wide the same time as Aiden turns to look at me with a similar expression on his face – ‘Eadric!’ we both say.

  ‘Do you think Eadric’s people are behind this?’ I address them both. ‘Aelfric had him executed for treason after the attempted coup but perhaps his allies knew about Dante and came for him, to steal him as a bargaining chip.’

  Dante scowls unhappily. ‘I’m not exactly a damsel in distress, ripe for kidnapping.’

  Aiden pats his other shoulder in a placatory way and Dante shrugs him off irritably.

  ‘It could be,’ Aiden ventures. He then pauses for a moment and lowers his voice, as if he hardly dare frame the thought. ‘Or could Aelfric himself be trying to kill Dante?’ We are all silent for a long moment, until Dante grumbles and reaches for a discarded shirt:

  ‘Can we not talk about the suddenly expanding list of people trying to kill me for five minutes? I’m getting cold and I’d like to get dressed at some stage tonight.’

  I make an ‘awwww’ face at Dante and he grunts at me, but he keeps still under my ministrations. I lightly dab disinfectant on the cut I’ve just cleaned and try not to notice how the tattoo vines snake towards my hand. Watching more closely, I press my hand against Dante’s skin, just below the cut. I watch, fascinated, as the tattoo spreads and curves back on itself, actually sidling steadily towards my hand. There’s magic at work here, but it’s a soft buzz that doesn’t alarm me or make me want to shield myself. Dante twitches beneath my hand and lets out a muttered curse.

  ‘What the hell, Kit? What are you doing? It feels weird.’

  ‘No, wait.’ I push him back into position. ‘I’m not doing anything. Your tattoo is moving. Aiden, check this out.’

  Aiden leans forward to get a better look and raises his eyebrows in surprise, staring at me. ‘Kit, what did you do?’

  ‘I don’t know. Seriously, look at this. You try it.’

  ‘I am not a science experiment.’ Dante’s head hangs low and his words sound slightly slurred to me.

  ‘Stop being such a baby,’ Aiden admonishes him and nudges me out of the way. ‘Show me again.’

  I put my hand on Dante’s shoulder once more and the hooked vines resume their creeping movement towards it. Aiden frowns and when I lift my hand away, he presses the palm of his hand against Dante’s shoulder. The vines become still, but their colour darkens.

  Dante lets out a soft grumbling noise and pulls away from us both. ‘Okay, enough with the touching. This is getting weird now.’ But neither of us listen because, well, what’s happening now is truly strange.

  I know Thorn can heal himself pretty fast when he’s connected to the songlines. But even then, depending on the severity of his wounds, it would take a few days for the scars to fade and
the hurt to go away – and sometimes the scars don’t fade all the way away either. I know Aiden heals faster when he shifts into wolf shape. Me? I just get bruised and cut – although if I manage to open myself to the songlines it helps marginally with my healing. But mostly it just assists with general tiredness. This, though, is crazy. The vines are moving beneath Dante’s skin, the thorns hooking and tugging at the bruises and cuts. And when they move away, his skin is left completely unblemished.

  ‘Your shoulder,’ I tell him, tugging him towards the full-length mirror on the wardrobe. ‘Look at it.’

  Dante’s gaze snags mine in the mirror before he leans towards the mirror. ‘How is that possible?’ he says in wonder as his fingers touch where the cut had been a mere few minutes ago. He bunches his shoulder muscles, working his arm. ‘There’s nothing there. Not even any stiffness. And the cut is completely gone.’

  ‘Your face still looks pretty bad,’ Aiden offers helpfully, drawing a scowl from Dante.

  ‘I didn’t get hit in the face,’ he replies, puzzled. Then when Aiden laughs he shoves him hard onto the bed. ‘But how’s this happening? And what’s the tattoo doing?’

  ‘There’s colour to it now.’ Aiden’s come to stand next to me and I move closer to inspect Dante’s side. ‘I can actually feel the vines moving beneath your skin with my magic and I’m not even touching you.’

  I shift my sight and stare at Dante. He’s covered in a soft sheen of magic that swirls millimetres above his skin. It’s concentrated over the thick lines of the tattoo on his back, and moving with the ebb and flow of it. I drop my gaze when he catches my eyes in the mirror. This was strange and magical and somehow personal.

  ‘I can honestly say that I have never been this closely examined in my life,’ Dante tells us, but I sense humour, not annoyance – although there’s an edge of alarm.

  ‘We’ve objectified you, your wounds and your tattoo enough now – you may get dressed.’ I wave my hand at him imperiously and give him an apologetic grin. ‘Come on, Aide, I need coffee and let’s figure out what to feed our hero.’

  ‘Hey, I’m not quite done. I’m pretty sure there are more bruises I’ve not …’ Aiden lets out a yelp when Dante shoves him bodily towards me and shuts the door in both our faces.

  Chapter Fifteen

  ‘So is Eadric behind this?’ Aiden hisses at me when we get to the kitchen. ‘Or even worse, Aelfric? Why can’t we stay away from these bloody tyrants?’

  ‘I know.’ I rub my eyebrow, realize what I’m doing and drop my hand. ‘I might ask Thorn if we should tell his mother about Dante. Dina seems less inclined to megalomania than Aelfric.’

  ‘No. We don’t know how they’ll react if they find out that Dante even exists. I mean, his dad was a traitor.’

  ‘But Thorn is fine with Dante.’

  ‘Thorn loves everyone,’ Aiden says dismissively, and spots my sharp look. ‘Well, no, you he loves. Everyone else he merely likes and tolerates.’ I gape at him wordlessly and he laughs. ‘Oh yes, I’m sure he often puts his life at risk to save a girl he really doesn’t care about.’

  ‘That’s not relevant.’ I scowl. ‘Shut up. This is about Dante, not me. If they wanted me, they could have found me at any time in the past month when I was at home alone. He was definitely the target. Why would anyone send those guys after him, Aide? He’s not done anyone any harm.’

  ‘But he is the son of a traitor.’

  ‘So killing him is the best option?’

  Aiden shrugs and his expression is suddenly serious. ‘Kit, I dunno, okay? I don’t know how crazy people think. All I’m grateful for right now is that you’re both safe and that you’re home. How about emailing your uncle Andrew and catching him up on all of this? He needs to know.’

  ‘Yeah.’ I nod and head for the lounge and my chunky laptop. ‘Good plan.’

  ‘Hey, Kit?’

  ‘Hey, Aide, what?’

  ‘Thanks for not dying.’

  I grin at him and settle on the floor, pulling the computer onto my lap. And when I’m giving Uncle Andrew the details, I realize something. None of our attackers had made a single sound.

  It feels weird being by myself in my borrowed car. I’ve become so used to having people around lately that the unexpected quiet grates on my nerves. Just before turning up Park Lane, I find a radio station that plays rock. I turn the volume up, check the satnav and settle in to the drive to the London Hold. I’m armed with a handful of gems to exchange for information, but I’ve also brought my sword. It’s currently resting on the passenger seat, strategically covered by my leather jacket.

  I’ve left Dante and Aiden to their own devices and we’re due to meet later this morning – to try to track down the goblins who ‘fixed’ Milton’s air conditioning system. I’m starting to build a healthy respect for Aiden’s computer skills because he dug through layers of data to find the holding company for the firm the goblins had used. Turns out the goblins’ company was one of many such companies spread around the UK. Aiden found at least twenty-five other smaller companies installing air conditioning, plumbing, electricals and whatnot. This means that these companies and those in their employ have unfettered access to clubs, business and homes all around the UK. The idea that Glow could spread this widely within days makes me feel ill.

  When the guys offered to come with me I declined. I genuinely just wanted time to myself, to find my equilibrium. My emails to Uncle Andrew last night were met with concern and warnings to be careful. He promised to reach out to his contacts to see if he can find out who had arranged the attack.

  I pull up outside a large house in North Finchley and double-check the address. The house looks a bit ramshackle. I know the previous house was razed to the ground by Eadric’s cronies last year. It was a casualty of his shock-and-awe campaign, designed to gain followers in his bid to overthrow Aelfric. But I did not expect the new Hold to be this … dusty-looking pile of stones – unless it was a glamour.

  I shift my sight and peer out of the window but no – no glamour at work here. The barred windows and the battered front door seem real enough. The house looks disreputable and out of place amongst its well-kept neighbours. I can actually feel eyes peering at me from behind curtains; can almost see fingers poised over phones to call the police about yet another dodgy person hanging around the neighbourhood.

  As I get out of the car, I glamour the sword so it will pass as an umbrella and shrug into my jacket. A sharp sleet’s started to fall and my breath mists the air. It’s even colder than it was last night. We’ve easily hit the double digits in the below freezing scale as the unusual weather continues to worsen.

  I’m sure I’ve been noticed by the Hold and note the chimes dangling beside the large green front door. They drip with protection spells. I ignore them and knock politely. As I mean no harm, the spells shouldn’t react to me.

  The woman who answers the door is Sidhe, and she’s typically tall, straight-backed and slim. She’s casually dressed in Frontier-appropriate clothes – jeans and a black blouse. A profusion of bracelets dangle and clink on her arms as she shakes my hand, examining me with her soft grey eyes.

  ‘I am the Keeper here, Lady Blackhart. My name is Mar.’

  ‘Please call me Kit.’

  Her grip is firm and brief. ‘Please, do come inside.’

  A young boy hovers behind her in the small foyer.

  ‘My grandson, Laurent.’

  ‘Lady Blackhart.’ Laurent’s maybe fourteen and his smile is polite. His curious gaze snags on the sword, its glamour now dissipated. But he swallows whatever question he was about to ask when his grandmother’s hand tightens on his shoulder. ‘Welcome to the North Hold.’

  Mar gestures me into a large room, beautifully decorated after the style of a Moroccan riad – brimful of solid furniture, exotic rugs and huge plants.

  The other person present appears to be much older than anyone else I’ve met before – in either the human world or the Otherwhere. Tiny and wize
ned, she’s far smaller even than Laurent and dressed in a colourful kaftan, with a sash tied around her narrow waist. Her eyes are dark in her wrinkled face, and I get the idea that I’ve made a really bad impression on her, because she doesn’t bother shaking my hand and barely acknowledges me – except for a chin tilt in my direction before shuffling out of the room and disappearing.

  ‘Clotho,’ Mar says, watching her go, ‘has been unwell since the previous Hold burned down. It sapped a lot of her energy to keep the Fae safe that night. She has still not recovered.’

  ‘I didn’t know she’d been there. Did any visitors to the Hold die that night?’

  ‘No, we lost no one, but Clotho’s our tie to the Otherwhere, so the toll on her was exceptionally heavy.’ Mar smiles stiffly. ‘Would you like anything to drink?’

  ‘Tea, please. Camomile, if you have it.’ I don’t even let my lip curl when I ask for the awful herbal concoction.

  Mar nods at Laurent, who leaves us without a word. ‘Come, let us sit and you can tell me why you’ve come to visit.’

  I choose a beautiful leather wing-backed chair whilst Mar seats herself on a small loveseat.

  ‘I’m sorry my first visit is family business, Mar. But I’m here to ask you about the knocker, Antone Pensa?’

  Mar’s interested smile slips a bit. ‘Antone? He does visit often, uses one of my private drawing rooms for business meetings. But what is your interest in him?’

  ‘We caught a faerie giving Glow to a human. The faerie said Antone gave her the drugs. Apparently he said that if she didn’t distribute the drug, she’d be prevented from staying in the Hold. And for Fae in the Frontier, of course that can mean sickness or even death.’

  ‘That can’t be right.’ A tiny frown mars her smooth forehead. ‘Antone has no power here, none. He can’t threaten or deny any faerie the use of the Hold.’

  ‘And yet he did. Do you have any idea where he got the Glow from?’

  ‘No, I’m afraid I haven’t. He works as a jeweller. He’s always very courteous, paying his account for use of the rooms here on time. I can’t believe he’s involved in this.’