Peril

by Joss Stirling

  Ade brought Meri breakfast in the morning. He was accompanied by Lee and Swanny who looked far less comfortable in her presence than the boss. Swanny had his fingers resting on the trigger of a taser clipped to his belt.

  A pleasant morning wake up call then, she thought with grim humour.

  ‘I’ve been told you haven’t slept.’ Ade put the tray on the weights bench. Meri didn’t move from her hiding place in the corner behind U-Can. She’d worked out that it was the only spot in the room that meant that the camera couldn’t see her clearly.

  ‘You can force me in here but you can’t force me to sleep.’ Muscles ached after her long work out with the droid, her knuckles skinned.

  ‘True, but you’ll need to be rested for the trial.’

  ‘What trial?’

  ‘I promised Kel we’d give you one. I guess trial’s the wrong word—more like a hearing.’

  ‘No, I think trial was probably the right word for what you’ve got in mind. You’re not really interested in hearing anything, are you?’

  ‘It’ll be in a couple of days when our leader can get here. He wants to decide your case in person.’

  ‘And I suppose he’s a qualified judge and you’re going to give me legal representation?’

  ‘He’s not a judge, Meri. He’s our king.’

  ‘I don’t have a king.’

  ‘King of the Perilous. His word is law around here.’

  ‘So not a real court of law then. I think the word you’re searching for this time is kangaroo—as in kangaroo court. I don’t recognize that you have any right or any power over me.’

  Ade’s foot was tapping in irritation. Point to her. ‘We know that, but it’s irrelevant. The concession to give you a hearing isn’t for you—Tean rights aren’t high on our agenda—but for those among us who want to see that we’re playing fair.’

  ‘Like Kel.’

  ‘Yeah, like him.’

  ‘Why isn’t he bringing me breakfast? I’ve made it for him often enough.’

  Ade exchanged a glance with Swanny. Interesting: there were some things they didn’t know.

  ‘He’s had to go out this morning,’ said Swanny.

  ‘Of course he has. Or he’s not staying with you at all and you’re lying about him knowing about me being here, trying to break me down.’

  Ade shook his head. ‘Eat your breakfast and get some sleep.’

  ‘I think I can make my own decisions, thank you.’

  ‘Meri, don’t do anything stupid like not eating just to spite us. None of us want you to suffer.’

  She thumped the back of her head against the wall. ‘You actually believe that don’t you, Ade? Just get out. You’ve made this a prison, but it’s my prison now so I get to say what visitors come through that door. I don’t want to see any of you again.’

  ‘You’re hardly in the position to call the shots,’ muttered Lee.

  Meri shot out of her corner and advanced, hand stretched out, pointing at him. ‘No?’

  ‘Get away from me!’ Lee moved into a fighting stance, arm raised to block any touch from her.

  Meri stopped in the centre of the room and covered her face with both hands, shoulders shaking with a mixture of laughter and sobs. ‘You’re actually scared of me. Wow, I didn’t get it, did I? This is all about the fact that you hate that you’re terrified; it’s not about me being a Tean at all.’ She tested the theory by taking a step towards Swanny. He too flinched back. ‘OK, I won’t touch any of you. Just do me the favour of staying the hell out of my way.’ Grabbing a blanket off the bed, she stalked back to her corner and curled up behind the droid.

  ‘Fine, Meri. We’ll leave you alone for now. Eat your breakfast. Please.’ Ade ushered the others out then shut the door behind him.

  Kel wondered where everyone was when he returned to school a few days into the New Year. No Ade, no Lee. Normally, he would welcome the break from having their eyes on him in every lesson they shared, but to find both of them away just didn’t feel right.

  In Art, he made his way across the classroom to Sadie. She’d started on a new project, a canvas splashed with angry reds and blacks like a massacre of crows.

  ‘Hi, Sadie. How was New Year?’

  She grimaced. ‘Total systems crash. You?’

  ‘Quiet. Made some money babysitting for some people in my place.’

  ‘At least you did something. I just sat at home watching TV with my parents. Saw the fireworks at Buckingham Palace—looked amazing but I was stuck inside. Can’t believe I was so lame as to let Lee spoil my night.’

  Kel had been hoping she’d mention her boyfriend and here was the opening he’d wished for. ‘What did he do?’

  ‘Stood me up at the last moment, didn’t he, the prick.’

  ‘Did he say why?’

  ‘No, nothing. Just that he had some business to deal with. Who has business on New Year’s Eve for microchip’s sake?’

  A horrible suspicion wormed its way into Kel’s mind. ‘You didn’t tell him what you did for Meri, did you?’

  His heart sank. She was looking away, trying to appear innocent. ‘Sorry, that doesn’t compute.’

  ‘Look, Sadie, I lied to you about seeing Meri because we were at Ade’s. I have been with her, for a couple of days actually last week. We ran into each other in town. She told me you set up secure comms to Theo.’

  ‘So what if I did? It’s not illegal, well not completely, just a little into the grey area of Homeland Security’s dos and don’ts on encryption.’

  ‘I’m not criticising you. That was kind of you and really important to her. But I need to know if you told Lee.’

  ‘Why would it matter?’

  ‘Because Meri would’ve told you she had enemies.’

  ‘Yeah, she did.’

  ‘What she didn’t mention, I’m guessing, is that they are much closer to home than she let on.’

  ‘You mean that comp virus Lee was hacking me for information all this time? That’s why he hasn’t returned my calls and texts, the sodding unnecessary system update of a fecking boyfriend!’ A few more crows died in horrible splashes of red.

  He had to give her top marks for her cursing. ‘So you told him?’

  ‘Yeah, and I even showed him how to do it! I was boasting, Gates forgive me. Wanted to impress him.’

  ‘I’m sure you impressed him.’

  ‘I want to kill him! Take a fecking hammer to his hard drive.’ Sadie kicked over her chair. ‘What can I do? Can we warn Meri?’

  Miss Hardcastle bustled over and pointed to the chair. ‘This isn’t the kind of behaviour I expect in the classroom, Sadie.’

  ‘I feel sick!’ Sadie rushed from the room, palm clamped in front of her mouth.

  ‘Oh, well, in that case.’ Mrs Hardcastle put her hands on her hips.

  Kel picked up the chair. ‘I’ll go check she’s OK.’

  ‘She’s probably in a bathroom. I can send another girl to find her.’

  ‘It’s fine. I’ll sort it out.’

  Grabbing his bag as well as Sadie’s, Kel strode out into the corridor. He found Sadie alternating between hyperventilating and kicking the pot belonging to the school olive tree, centrepiece in the mindfulness garden.

  ‘Here.’ He put her satchel down on the wall.

  ‘I can’t believe I was so stupid! Such an analogue brain!’

  ‘If it’s any consolation, I imagine Lee does like you. If he has a type, you’re it. But it’s just that he also worked out you were a way to find Meri. I guess he got clued in to that by our conversation on Christmas Eve. You realize he was listening?’

  ‘Can we get to her before he does?’

  Kel sat on the wall, rubbing a sprig of rosemary between his fingers as he pieced the sequence of events together. Lee stood Sadie up on New Year’s Eve. Meri’s plans, on Kel’s suggestion, had been to meet up with Theo in the crowds watching the fireworks. He wished he hadn’t proposed it as it made her vulnerable. If Lee had moved quickly, he could
’ve got into the messages between them. But had there been time?

  ‘We need to talk to Theo. He’ll know what’s going on. Can you make his comms safe again?’

  ‘Yeah, I can change the code. I can make any microchip-sucking hacker feel like his balls have been fried by my firewalls by the time I’ve finished putting up defences.’

  ‘OK, you stay here and do that. I’ll go round to Theo’s flat and see if he’s OK. Text me when it’s safe to use the email again.’

  ‘I’ll go to the cyber cafe then and do it now.’ Sadie hugged her bag to her chest. ‘I’ve messed up, haven’t I, Kel?’

  Yes, probably. ‘Sadie, there’s no point feeling guilty about an honest mistake. Let’s get this sorted. One last thing: can you send a message to a man called Big Ben: he owns an internet cafe over at St Katharine’s Dock?’

  ‘Sure. Nothing easier. What do you want me to say?’

  ‘Tell him that things have taken a colourful turn for the worse and that Meri might need a quick way out of London. We’ll be in touch.’

  Kel arrived outside Theo’s flat and rang the bell. No answer. It was possible of course that he was at work. Not able to leave it at that, Kel rang the bell for downstairs. The intercom buzzed.

  ‘To whom am I speaking?’

  ‘Oh, hello. I’m a friend of Meri. I was wondering if you’ve seen Theo?’

  ‘Come on in, dear boy, come on in.’

  The door buzzed and Kel entered the familiar hallway. A door at the back opened and a man with sparse white hair, dressed in a navy silk dressing gown and black slippers, appeared in the entrance.

  ‘Forgive my state of deshabille. Sloppy habits of the retired,’ he boomed in his ripe tones.

  Kel remembered Meri once mentioning the former opera singer who owned the house and had kept the flat downstairs. ‘Mr Kingsley?’

  ‘That’s right. Have you heard of me?’ His old face was wreathed now in a delighted smile.

  ‘From Meri.’

  ‘Oh.’ The light dimmed a little.

  ‘She said you were an amazing tenor in your time.’

  His expression brightened. ‘That is so sweet of her. She was kind enough to listen to a few of my recordings from my prime. Come on back if you don’t mind a little mess.’

  ‘A little’ was an understatement. Mr Kingsley’s flat was stuffed with musical memorabilia starting in the 1970s and coming right up to date: framed posters, old vinyl records, tapes, video cassettes, CDs and DVDs as well as the antique machinery required to play them. Kel squeezed his way along the packed corridor and into the sitting room with French windows leading out to the pretty snow-covered garden at the rear. A King Charles spaniel sat curled up on a red velvet cushion on the sofa. She raised her head with the merest hint of interest before settling down to the more important business of sleeping. A record player softly poured out a delicious soprano duet from some opera Kel thought he should probably recognize if only from its use in advertising but admitting that was not going to make friends here.

  ‘So you’re after Theo?’ asked Mr Kingsley, moving a stack of music so Kel could sit next to the dog.

  ‘That’s right. Have you seen him?’

  ‘Not since New Year’s Eve. He went out with Valerie and Saddiq but I didn’t hear them come back. They normally knock on my door and we share a wee dram in the small hours, but not this year. To tell you the truth, I was a little hurt but now I’m starting to worry.’

  ‘Have you tried calling him?’

  ‘Of course. Theo would never leave his flat this long without asking me to water his plants. He loves his herbs. I could only think of one explanation. I thought that perhaps he’d gone on the spur of the moment to see Meri, try for a reconciliation. It broke his heart when she upped and left so suddenly.’

  ‘She didn’t leave by choice.’

  Mr Kingsley sat down in his armchair by the record player. ‘No, I suppose she didn’t. It’s not like her to worry him like that. Do you think I should report his disappearance to the police?’

  ‘I don’t know, sir.’ Kel sat forward, hands clasped between his knees. ‘I’m going to try some other people I know, see if they have some answers. If I don’t come back, or if Theo doesn’t return by the end of tomorrow, maybe you should give the police a ring?’ Kel decided his loyalty to the Perilous didn’t go so far as to protect them when they had overstepped to interfere with good people like Theo and his friends.

  ‘I believe you might be right. And who are you again, young man?’

  ‘I don’t think I introduced myself. I’m Kel Douglas. I’m Meri’s boyfriend.’

  ‘I’m so pleased she has a young man of her own. She’s such a lovely girl. Well, thank you for calling round. Charlotte and I were going a little mad trying to work out what to do.’ The dog looked up at the mention of her name then settled back with a grumble. ‘Even Duettino Sull’aria isn’t helping and The Marriage of Figaro has never failed us before.’

  ‘I’d better be going. I’m sorry if you’re worried.’

  ‘Not your fault, dear boy.’

  Kel wasn't so sure of that. He feared that his brief appearance at the Christmas party might have started the firing pistol for this new round of disasters.

  There were an unusually large number of cars parked in the drive and on the street outside Ade’s house. The drunk Santa had been removed, though the strings of lights remained, suggesting that the inhabitants were on their best behaviour. Kel didn’t bother pressing the gate buzzer but tapped in his old code. Good: they hadn’t yet got round to changing it. Not sure exactly what he was facing, he walked quickly down the path as if he had every right to be there and used his old key to get in. The foyer was empty but he could hear voices in the clubroom. Had they brought Theo here? Were they trying to force him to tell them where Meri could be found? Determined to get Theo out if he was indeed in there, Kel slipped inside.

  And into his nightmare.

  The place was packed, standing room only at the back, windows misting up. Most of the furniture had been cleared apart from a table at the far end under the wall screen at which sat Osun, Kel’s father, Swanny and Ade. Jenny stood to one side behind Ade’s cousin from Amsterdam, the member of the royal family she usually guarded. In fact, from a quick scan of the room, almost all the Perilous royals were present, something that rarely happened outside the annual reunion. On her own in the middle of all this sat Meri. Tiber and Lee flanked her, with tasers drawn and every indication in their expression that they were prepared to use them if she made a wrong move.

  Kel was too late, way behind the game. They’d got to her already.

  ‘We’ve heard from the witnesses.’ Osun appeared to be winding up the case for the prosecution. ‘This young woman does show the characteristics of a Tean; and her family history, such as we’ve been able to piece together, suggests she’s the girl who disappeared in the attack at Mount Vernon. That ties up that loose end. Are we agreed? Please raise your hands if you believe she’s Tean.’

  Every single hand apart from Kel’s and Meri’s went up.

  ‘Then we progress to the main item on our agenda and that is what to do with her. Meredith Marlowe, do you have anything you wish to say at this point?’

  Meri ignored him, staring over his head at the blank screen, fingering a crystal on a chain. It sent rainbows across the room, flickering over faces. Kel shifted along the wall to catch a glimpse of her expression and then saw that behind her stood U-Can, sneering at the proceedings. So she had brought a friend with her after all.

  ‘Meri, now would be a good time to stop the “not listening” act and speak up in your own defence,’ said Ade.

  She folded her arms, slumping in the chair as if the proceedings bored her. ‘There’s no point. My legal adviser,’ she waved at U-Can, ‘will speak on my behalf. The only thing I want to know is what have you done with Kel?’

  ‘Nothing.’

  ‘Then where is he?’

  Kel shouldered his
way through the onlookers. ‘I’m right here.’

  ‘Kelvin, don’t approach the prisoner!’ warned his father.

  ‘Just try stopping me.’ Shoving Lee out of his way, Kel reached Meri and hugged her tightly, determined no one was going to separate them again. ‘What are you doing here, darling?’

  Her nonchalant act vanished and she gave a single choked sob before controlling herself. She pressed her face against his chest. ‘God, I don’t know. One minute I was enjoying New Year, the next the crazy gang were kidnapping me. They told me you set me up.’

  ‘Did you believe them?’

  ‘Only for about thirty seconds.’

  ‘Kel, move away from her!’ barked his father.

  Kel ignored him and shrugged off Lee’s attempt to haul him away from Meri by the back of his jacket. ‘I didn’t know anything about this. Lee got to Sadie.’ He glared a warning at Tiber, who had raised his taser. ‘Put that down. We’re not attacking anyone, are we?’

  ‘Is she OK?’ asked Meri, pretending to be oblivious to the consternation around them.

  ‘Just kicking herself. She didn’t know she was betraying you. I went looking for Theo.’

  ‘He’s not home? Oh, well, that changes things, doesn’t it?’ Meri lifted her face and turned on Osun and Ade. ‘Yes, I have something to say. What have you done with my guardian and his friends?’

  Ade stood up. ‘They’re being kept at a safe location until such time as we reach an agreement with you.’

  ‘You’ve taken hostages?’ Kel was sincerely shocked by that move. ‘Who authorized that?’

  ‘I did,’ said his father. ‘I gave permission to do so in the interests of making this capture run as smoothly as possible. None of us want anyone hurt.’

  ‘I can think of quite a few people I want hurt right now,’ murmured Meri.

  ‘Right with you there, darling.’

  ‘Move away from her, Kelvin. You’re not helping,’ said Rill.