by Rae Else
Luke lunges at Josh, despite knowing he’ll get his ass handed to him again.
Andreas intercedes, holding Luke back. ‘Don’t be crass, Josh. Besides, I know for a fact only a serpent would be deemed suitable for a relation of Helena Carras.’ Once more his gaze lingers on Luke. ‘It is a rare opportunity, Luke. Keep it in mind.’
Luke clamps his teeth together, trying to stay calm at his brother’s grossness and his dad’s stratagems.
‘With the destruction of the Triad, we are entering a period of instability,’ Andreas continues. ‘Josh, I would have you be in a position to round-up our allies. You having no power which means that your movements will be overlooked by the Order. It puts you at an advantage. Despite that, I reckon, you could hold your own if you needed to.’ He glances at his burly son.
Josh’s face is slack and his feelings are suddenly so transparent. The last few years have been hard on him: having no elemental power has made him angry and defensive. But suddenly his lack of power is a strength, and he’s being involved in a covert operation. His eyes glint eagerly.
‘Alright,’ Josh says slowly as if trying to play down his desire to be included. ‘As long as you’re paying.’
As the sky lightens, the London skyscrapers become steelier. Luke looks at Andreas and is reminded of a general, strategising for the battlefield. A deep foreboding steals over him as he thinks about what is ahead of them.
‘Ensure Janos checks your route before travelling,’ Andreas says. ‘The infighting between arete lines has already begun. This morning ladon started warring in Dover. They brought some of the cliffs down. Five humans died. It’ll get worse in the lead up to the election of the new Triad.’
‘Has a date been set for the election then?’ Luke asks.
‘In a month.’
So, they have a month in which to get Helena Carras’ support. Luke glances at his watch. Almost seven, he’ll have to go if he’s going to make it to Braintree Airport for the flight to Greece.
‘Tell Janos we’ll reach out to Helena too and prepare our allies.’ Andreas grasps Luke’s hand and shakes it.
After, Luke offers his hand to Josh.
His brother looks surprised but takes his hand.
As they shake, Luke says, ‘I’m sorry I’ve been such a dick to you.’
Josh’s eyes widen and then he cracks a smile. ‘I’m sorry I kicked your ass for the millionth time.’
A smile surfaces on Luke’s face, making his jaw throb painfully. ‘No you’re not.’
Josh sniggers.
‘Ask Uncle Al to check your route too before leaving,’ Luke says.
Josh grins. ‘I’d rather ask his mates.’
Luke laughs. Their graeae uncle isn’t the greatest seer. A prolific gambler, his knowledge of the future is questionable, even being known to get the results of the races he lives by wrong.
As Luke jogs down the stairs, his dad calls after him. ‘Luke! Matt wanted me to tell you: he’s come into his powers. He’s a hydra.’
Luke grins. His brother, Matt, has been obsessed with his powers lately. The idea of getting them. He’s been certain that like Luke, he’s a hydra. He imagines how Matt must be running around the house, moulding water into shapes at every opportunity. For a moment, he wishes he was staying and able to share in that shining excitement, in that uncomplicated happiness.
‘Too bad,’ Josh shouts, ‘you’re no longer lord of the manor!’
A smile tugs at Luke’s lips, in spite of the barbed quip, and he realises his place isn’t here anymore. His world has been turned upside down, but he knows the truth now. He can’t change the past: what happened to his mum, and his dad’s deception, but he can find his own way. As he treks down the heath, the last of the dew evaporating beneath the sun’s rays, he senses that the journey he’s about to start on will change him.
A memory of something his mum used to tell him and Josh comes into his head: no matter how far away from each other they travel, the descendants of Arachne are bound to one another, bound by invisible ties, as strong as those spun by a spider. He imagines his mum and Josh’s textile sculptures, woven from fragile threads but strong and confident in the shapes they hold.
One day, he hopes that he and Josh will get the chance to remake the ties that have become taut and frayed along the way. But mostly, as he hurries back towards the car, towards the open road, he thinks of El, and a new kind of hope, as fine as gossamer, begins to evolve.