Irene was on her knees. She didn’t have the strength to stand. A fragment of Kai’s dinner jacket lay within reach and she groped for it, pressing it against her nose to staunch the flow of blood.
‘Kai,’ she whispered. ‘I’m sorry.’ What she’d done to him might have been necessary, but that didn’t make it right. It was still a violation of his body and his power.
Kai focused on her, and she saw self-awareness grow in his eyes. He recognized her. She saw him note the unconscious Indigo, surrounded by a loop of his serpentine body. He swept a gaze across the room, wings folding against his body, and turned to glare at the television screen. ‘Are there any more objections?’ he demanded in a voice like thunder.
Mr Nemo held up one trembling hand, speaking as if each word was an effort. ‘I accept Irene Winters’ claim. I will give her what she wants.’
And then the whole room seemed to shake. The guards abandoned any last attempts to be efficient and broke and ran. On Mr Nemo’s screen, another guard shot into view. ‘Dragons, sir! Dragons above! Circling!’
Mr Nemo pointed a finger at Irene and Kai. ‘Do you know anything about this?’
Irene would have liked to rise elegantly to her feet. Instead she crawled across to the table, and dragged herself upright. ‘Really, Mr Nemo – are you suggesting that we expected some sort of betrayal on your part? So we deliberately sent someone with the location to Kai’s family, to come and find us here?’ She looked the Fae in the eyes. ‘And as a result, the dragons now know exactly where you are?’
Now that Mr Nemo had accepted her claim, its power had loosened its grip and the palsy was leaving him. He no longer looked like a patient on the verge of collapse. Now he simply looked like a very worried man trying – and failing – to hide his fear. This made him suddenly less archetypal and more human, for some reason. ‘Are you calling your allies in to attack me? Is that what you’re doing?’
Irene wished her head didn’t feel as if it was about to fragment. Shakes wracked her body. She needed the table to keep herself upright. It might have made these negotiations simpler, but the Language always extracted its price. ‘I’m making no threats. What the dragons do is up to them.’ She left that part open – hurricanes, storms, tidal waves, earthquakes . . . ‘However, if you want to take this opportunity, here and now, to sign up to the dragon–Fae truce, then Prince Kai and myself would be pleased to witness it. We can testify to the new arrivals that, as a truce signatory, they can’t attack you or take any action against you or your possessions.’ She left a meaningful pause before continuing. ‘Before we leave. With that canvas.’
Mr Nemo took a deep breath and for a moment he closed his eyes. The crack in his screen fractured his face, making him look like a surrealist painting. Then he nodded. ‘Done and done. I will order the painting brought to you at once. Please, Prince Kai, take human form – it’ll make it easier for you to leave. Will a simple signed declaration of my intention to join the truce be sufficient? My word will bind me.’
‘Yes. And we’ll inform the dragons on our way out,’ Irene promised.
Felix came sidling up from behind. ‘Any chance of a lift out of here?’ he asked hopefully.
Mr Nemo glared at him. ‘I’ll let you leave in one piece, as long as my guards can search you first.’
Felix smirked. ‘Deal.’
Kai’s body flared with light again, and then he was human once more, his shoulders sagging with weariness. ‘What about Indigo?’ he asked quietly.
Irene didn’t have any good answers to that. If Indigo remained unconscious, and they handed her over to the dragons above, they were quite possibly handing her over for execution. And while Irene would have been prepared to kill her in an outright life-or-death fight, some morality – something that dated back to those distant schooldays – flinched at the idea. Even if Indigo had been quite prepared to kill Irene.
‘Princess Qing Qing is my guest,’ Mr Nemo announced, cutting through Irene’s thoughts. ‘If my territory is protected, because I’ve signed up to the truce, you have no right to force her to leave. Am I right? I only promised the Prince the means to keep her captive – nothing more.’
Irene and Kai exchanged glances. Leaving Indigo here, powerless and an effective prisoner, might not be any kinder than handing her over to the dragons. She’d be a pawn in Mr Nemo’s schemes – or the schemes of any Fae he traded her to – unless she came to some new arrangement. But Kai didn’t look any keener to hand Indigo over for execution than Irene. Perhaps working with her for the last few days had changed his perception of her. Or perhaps he was simply tired. ‘Acceptable,’ he said. ‘The painting?’
‘Is being brought to the beach entrance,’ Mr Nemo said. ‘My guards will escort you there. As quickly as possible.’
‘One thing,’ Ernst broke in. He’d removed his earplugs and had been listening to the conversation. ‘My reward? I too have changed my mind.’
Mr Nemo sighed. ‘Yes. What do you want?’
Ernst walked over to Felix’s sack, and emptied it out. Various items bounced across the floor – an alabaster statuette, a clay cup, two jewellery boxes which spilled their diamond contents out in a flashing stream, a folded cotton sheet, a small wooden puzzle-box, and a wrapped scroll in a transparent plastic case. ‘This,’ he said, bending to pick up the scroll. ‘This is the book you were all talking about, yes? The Egyptian one, the tale of the shipwrecked sailor?’
Mr Nemo’s eyes widened. ‘It is. What do you want it for?’
Irene felt her heart jump in her chest. Having it waved under her nose like this was torture, and this turn of events was not something she had remotely anticipated. If Ernst wanted to give it to his boss, then perhaps she could bargain with him. There might still be a chance to get hold of it, and to save the world it came from . . .
‘For myself,’ Ernst said, ‘for my own reasons. Do you accept it as my payment?’
‘Done,’ Mr Nemo said. A nasty smirk touched his lips. ‘I suggest you take good care of it. There are thieves everywhere these days.’
‘Very true,’ Ernst agreed. ‘But my boss trusts my judgement. And when I say to him I have used it to buy goodwill with the Library – and that in return I have promised him a visit from a Library representative to discuss this truce – I think he will agree I acted sensibly.’ He offered Irene the scroll. ‘Deal?’
Irene knew her hands were shaking as she reached out to take it, but she couldn’t help herself. Her mouth was dry. ‘A visit from me?’ she said to Ernst. ‘Or someone else?’
Ernst shrugged. ‘Either. Though if it is you, Library girl, I will tell him to be careful. You could talk him into giving you the shirt off his back. Deal?’
‘Deal,’ Irene agreed, and her hands finally closed on the scroll.
‘Now will you all get out of here?’ Mr Nemo demanded. He paused, and added, ever the entrepreneur, ‘And if you have any future requests, my door is always open . . .’
Outside on the beach, a pair of white flags – attempts at signalling peaceful intentions? – streamed in the wind, the fabric snapping like gunshots. Two dragons circled in the sky above, distant flashes of crimson and light green against the growing mass of dark clouds. Kai’s uncle Ao Shun walked the beach, his impeccably crafted shoes leaving prints a little too heavy for a human. Their friend Mu Dan, the dragon equivalent of a judge and private investigator, kept a careful pace to his rear. Ao Shun wore a suit, one that might have come from the Vienna they’d just left – assuming the wearer was a millionaire and only had a taste for black. Mu Dan was still in an outfit appropriate for Vale’s world, a deep crimson gown – with enough room in the sleeves and skirt for hidden knives and guns. A hovering group of the sarong-clad guards had sensibly left their weapons inside, and were offering deckchairs and cocktails.
Kai stepped hastily forward and went to one knee, touching right fist to left shoulder. ‘My lord uncle! I apologize for the inconvenience that has brought you here.’
�
��Rise,’ Ao Shun said. His tone was not quite annoyed, but there was a barely hidden note of impatience behind it. Irene knew that this dragon monarch, at least, was prepared to accept some freedom of thought from his servants. She hoped that he was in an open-minded mood today. ‘And you, Irene Winters – I came here because I understood you had chanced across a . . . certain item.’
Irene rose from her own bow. Curtseying while wearing a bikini would have looked stupid.
‘Your majesty,’ she said respectfully. ‘Your nephew and I believe this item might belong to you. The Fae who rules this island was shocked to learn he might have been a receiver of stolen property. He asked us to return the item to its proper owners as quickly as possible.’
‘I’m told he signed the treaty. How recently did this happen?’ Ao Shun enquired. The sky above was darkening further. In the absence of direct sunlight, he could have been an ebony statue come to life. The glitter of ruby in his eyes indicated the state of his temper, even if it was controlled. In his shadow, Mu Dan faded into the background, despite her elegant gown and vivid presence. But Irene knew that she’d be listening like the dragon judge-investigator she was.
‘About ten minutes ago,’ Irene admitted. ‘Possibly five.’
Fortunately, before any further explanations could be demanded, a group of guards came onto the beach, bearing the rolled canvas between them with great care. Ao Shun’s gaze moved to it. ‘Is that it?’
‘Yes, your majesty,’ Irene answered.
‘I will inspect it. You may remain here.’ It was an order, not a suggestion.
As Ao Shun ordered the guards to unroll the canvas, Mu Dan moved closer to Kai and Irene. ‘I have the most extraordinary feeling that I should be investigating . . . something here,’ she confessed. She glanced around the beach, her sharp eyes narrowing as she considered each detail. ‘No doubt it’s that accursed Fae influence.’
‘I’m just grateful you both made it here in time,’ Irene answered softly. ‘Things were getting a little awkward.’
Mu Dan shrugged. ‘It wasn’t the most unusual summons I’ve ever had, though it was close. And I certainly wouldn’t have expected to receive your note via a Fae. It’s a good thing I knew you knew Lord Silver, as I’m not sure I’d have believed it came from you otherwise.’
Kai was processing a train of thought. ‘Why did you send Tina to Silver with our message?’ he asked Irene. ‘Couldn’t you think of someone more reliable?’
Irene shrugged. ‘The problem was choosing someone she knew, who’d do her a favour – who could then contact a dragon we knew, who could get us the help we needed. Tina couldn’t have gone to your uncle directly. The forces of order in his court would have been far too high for a Fae. Anyhow, she’d never have been allowed in to see him.’ It was the sort of last-ditch gamble that Fae story-forms loved. Whether their plan had been helped along by Fae influences or not, it had worked.
‘I’m glad we arrived when we did too,’ Mu Dan continued. ‘But you seemed to have almost resolved the problem . . .’
‘I was only here in the first place to collect a book,’ Irene said self-deprecatingly. She lovingly patted the bundle under her arm. Again, she felt a thrill – and she still had time to get it to Coppelia. ‘Did you get to meet Tina yourself?’
‘Yes. A very interesting person. I may use her in the future – despite her Fae nature.’ Mu Dan smiled at the expression on Kai’s face. The diamond pins in her mahogany hair glinted in a sudden burst of sunlight; overhead the storm clouds generated by the dragons’ arrival – or Ao Shun’s temper – were beginning to dissolve and separate. ‘As Irene keeps reminding me, our situation is fluid, but I hope it is changing for the better, and I’m prepared to recognize useful talent when I see it.’ She looked thoughtfully at the rise of the cliffs behind them. ‘By the way, who is the Fae who lives here?’
‘Mr Nemo. An . . . interesting character.’
Mu Dan’s lips tightened and her eyes glinted dragon-red. ‘Are we talking about Mr Nemo the information trader, the thief, the blackmailer, the criminal, the trader in stolen goods, the . . .’ She shut her mouth before more pejoratives could boil out, but her hands twitched, perhaps with an urge to tear the place down to the ground.
‘Peace treaty, remember?’ Irene said.
‘You didn’t tell me who he was!’ Mu Dan seethed. ‘Have you any idea of the criminal secrets his hideout conceals? The ways in which he might be connected to past cases?’
Irene looked to Kai for help, but he was busy staying well out of the discussion. Mu Dan’s reaction wasn’t down to any Fae versus dragon sentiment: it was that of an investigator hearing that a notorious criminal was within arm’s reach. ‘I really am sorry I can’t hand him over,’ Irene said, ‘but he’s under the treaty – and for now, he’s behaving himself.’
‘For now,’ Mu Dan muttered darkly – making Irene rather curious about their past interactions.
Kai stretched. ‘The sooner we can get away from all of this, the better.’
‘I hope that we holds for all of us,’ Felix commented. He had appeared from nowhere, and the fact that they hadn’t noticed was really rather embarrassing. ‘You did promise me a lift out of here.’
‘You asked for one, which isn’t quite the same thing.’ Irene glanced at Kai, and he nodded. ‘But I don’t see why not, under the circumstances. A word of advice, though. Don’t inconvenience his majesty Ao Shun.’
‘I don’t need to be told that. And thanks. I owe you one. Both of you.’
Ao Shun brusquely gestured to the guards to roll up the canvas. Briefly he was still, as though considering some private cost–effort analysis, before striding over to join them. ‘Nephew. Miss Winters. Your service is noted and appreciated. I will have my servants take charge of that painting.’ He raised one hand in signal, and the two dragons above came spiralling down. ‘Mu Dan, you have been of assistance. Li Ming, my private secretary, will speak with you later. You are all free to go.’
From a dragon monarch, the phrase your service is noted and appreciated was as good as Irene could possibly hope for. It also suggested that she and Kai – and the Library – had come out of this without a stain on their characters, which was better than she’d dared to hope. She bowed again, as did the others, but Ao Shun was already turning away to supervise the painting’s transport.
‘I’ll bear you and Irene away, until we can put you down elsewhere,’ Kai told Felix. ‘The sooner I shake the sands of this island off my feet, the better.’
‘And I need to reach the Library as soon as possible,’ Irene said, patting the book under her arm. ‘This won’t wait.’
A knock at the door disturbed Irene’s concentration, and she looked up from her computer. ‘Come in!’ she called.
Her mother entered. Her eyes fell on the pot of coffee on the table. ‘Interesting,’ she said.
‘What is?’
‘That instead of running directly back to your assigned world and your work – and your prince – you’re staying in the Library for long enough to have coffee. And not just a cup, but a whole pot. Has it been a bad few days?’
‘It’s been . . . hectic.’ Irene propped her chin on her hand. ‘Is this going to be a slightly longer discussion than last time, or will one of us have to run off on a job again?’
‘It’s certainly a very convenient excuse for getting out of inconvenient conversations,’ her mother admitted. She found a book-occupied chair close to Irene and moved its contents onto the floor, taking a seat, but not actually meeting Irene’s eyes. ‘Neither of us really make conversations easy, do we?’
‘It’s been that way for a while,’ Irene said – neutrally. She wanted her mother to stay and talk, this time. ‘How’s Father?’
‘Already on a new job. Hunting down an expanded copy of the Lokasenna in G-39. I’ll be joining him there.’
‘That sounds interesting.’ It was quite true. After the last few days, a simple book retrieval sounded heavenly.
Her mother took a deep breath, then let it out. ‘There’s something I wanted to discuss with you.’
All sorts of nasty potential surprises came to mind, but she tried to swallow her fear. ‘Please tell me it’s only about Father’s birthday – I know I need to get him something other than a dictionary this year.’
‘Well, that would be a good idea, but that’s not for another three months.’ Her mother leaned forward. Her hair, Irene noticed, had streaks of full white among the grey. ‘This is difficult, Ray . . . Irene.’ The use of Irene’s childhood nickname, something her mother was usually careful to avoid, was either a sign of genuine feelings or intended to put Irene off-balance. ‘I’m trying to be honest, and God knows that we find that hard. We spend too much time being good liars, and that’s part of the problem.’
‘Go on,’ Irene said. She wasn’t sure where this was going, but it already felt uncomfortable enough.
‘Your father and I love you.’ Her mother’s hands twisted together in her lap. ‘But we weren’t necessarily good parents to you. As the years have gone by, the more we tried to get close to you, the more we made things worse.’
‘I understand,’ Irene said, not knowing what else to say. She’d wanted them to talk, but she didn’t want her mother to bare her soul in this way. It was raw and undignified and it made Irene want to cry. ‘It wasn’t your fault. It’s how we both are. We need to know what’s going on around us, we need to control it, and that’s part of being a Librarian and a spy, but . . .’
‘But we never gave you a choice,’ her mother interrupted. ‘Not a real one. We always assumed that you would want to be a Librarian, as we had.’
The Secret Chapter Page 27