The next day dawned hot and dry, the heat reaching down into the earth to raise the temperature of Arachne’s cave. Anne checked on me several times, and by the afternoon finally decided I was fit for action. “Now, do try not to get stabbed again,” Arachne said as I got ready to leave. “At least not until next week.”
“Would you lay off already? It’s not like I do this regularly.”
“Well, whether you do or don’t, come back in a couple of days. I’ll have something for you.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“I think you’re doing the right thing.”
I looked at Arachne in surprise. “Trying to find Catherine?”
“Your friend Anne came to the right answer, even if she might not know why,” Arachne said. “Whatever you find at the end of this, you’ve needed to do it for a long time.”
“Let’s hope you’re right,” I said. Anne and Variam and Luna emerged from one of the side caves and I waved to them. “I’ll see you soon.”
It was a beautiful day and Hampstead Heath was packed, people soaking up the warmth of the sun and resting in the shade. Students threw Frisbees on the greens while families walked at a leisurely pace down the wooded paths, children and dogs racing around their ankles. The four of us left the Heath and crossed Kentish Town, taking the bridge over the canal.
Coming back to my shop felt less like coming home and more like making camp in enemy territory. I scanned my shop and flat thoroughly from a distance, then we entered on foot and searched the building from top to bottom. Once we were done Anne and Variam left to make a circuit of the block.
“Anything?” I asked once Anne was back.
“I don’t think so,” Anne said. “The streets are crowded but I can’t see anyone watching.”
I nodded. “I can’t find anything either.”
“That’s kind of weird,” Luna said curiously. “Shouldn’t they be staking the place out or something?”
“Who cares?” Variam said. “They’ll show up sooner or later.”
“No, Luna’s right,” I said with a frown. “If I were them and I’d lost the trail at the casino, I’d try to pick us up again here.”
“Luna said their leader was injured in the fight,” Anne said. “They might be waiting for him to recover.”
“Well,” I said, “for now, we wait.”
Anne, Variam, and Luna all had afternoon classes, but they skipped them and the four of us stayed inside for the day. I ran the three of them through the building’s defences, making sure they knew how to activate them if they were needed and to stay out of the way once they were. If Will and his friends decided they wanted a rematch I was going to be ready for them.
At four o’clock the phone rang. Not my mobile but the landline, which I hardly ever use. I picked it up and spoke. “It’s Alex. We need to meet.”
A woman’s voice spoke from the other end of the line, familiar and cold. “What do you want?”
“I’ve got questions.”
“I don’t care.”
“I have something to trade. Information.”
“And?”
“Have I ever called you before?” I asked. “You think I’d be coming to you if this wasn’t important?”
Silence. “Tonight at ten o’clock,” the voice said at last. “The market at the Old Truman Brewery. Try anything and I’ll kill you.” She hung up before I could answer.
I put the phone down and turned to the others. “Well, it’s a start.”
“Was that Rachel?” Luna said. She and Variam were looking at me, while Anne was looking out the window.
“Call her Deleo,” I said. “For some reason her old name really pisses her off.”
“She’s going to help?” Variam said.
“She’s going to talk.”
“Alex?” Anne said, a warning note in her voice. “We’ve got a problem.”
We all turned to look. “That boy from two nights ago is back,” Anne said. “And he’s not alone.”
Variam and Luna rose, and I started scanning futures. “How many?” Variam said.
“Two that I can see,” Anne said. “Him and another the same age.”
“It’s them,” I said. Looking into the futures in which I left the shop and turned right, I could see myself running straight into them. “Four . . . no, five. Probably more.”
Luna had drawn her whip and was standing by the door. “What’s the plan?”
I thought quickly. Will’s group were down the street and they were coming closer. But there were other people out there too . . . An odd idea occurred to me. “I’m going to open the shop.”
Anne, Variam, and Luna all turned to stare at me.
“Alex?” Luna said quietly from my left. “What exactly is the plan here?”
The sign on my shop’s front door said OPEN, and a steady stream of customers was trickling in. It was a sunny day in tourist season, the busiest time of the year, and already the shop was starting to fill up. An American couple chatted loudly over the sword and knife table, while a girl with a satchel and long skirts was going through the herb and powder rack. Luna had taken up a position in the back left corner, Variam was behind the counter with me, and Anne had slipped into the roped-off area holding the magical items to the right, partly hidden from view. “I’m playing a hunch,” I said.
“What hunch?”
The girl in the skirts approached the counter. “Do you have any aconite?”
“Sorry,” I said. “That stuff’s too dangerous to sell over the counter.”
She nodded. “Could I order some? I can show you some ID if you’d like.”
We sorted it out, I agreed to get some for her by next week, and she bought some other herbs. From the selection and her pentacle necklace I pegged her as a Wiccan. I rang up the sale and she left.
“This is stupid,” Variam said through his teeth once she was gone.
“Mr. Diplomacy’s got a point,” Luna said. She kept her voice down, her eyes tracking the customers. “This is way more crowded than the casino. If a fight starts here I don’t think I can miss all these guys.”
“That’s the idea,” I said.
“They’re coming,” Anne said quietly.
Through the shop window, on the other side of the street, I saw the Chinese kid. I met his eyes through the glass; he flinched visibly and ducked back behind a van. “That’s right,” I murmured. “Now go tell Will we know you’re here.”
“Why are we waiting?” Variam said.
“It’s their move,” I said.
“Yeah, how about we take that move and shove it—”
Another customer came to the counter and Variam fell silent, glowering. As I finished serving them, my phone rang and I glanced at it. It was a new number, and I answered. “Caldera,” I said. “Hi.”
“Hey, Verus,” Caldera said. I could hear traffic in the background; it sounded like she was near a main road. “Got your message.”
“Mind coming to my shop for a chat?”
“Thought you didn’t know anything?”
“I had what you might call a motivational experience.” Across the street, three figures had appeared. It was Will, the gold-haired girl, and the Indian kid.
“All right, I’ll head over. Should be with you in an hour or two.”
Will and the other two began walking towards us, crossing the street. They were heading straight for the shop. “Uh, Caldera?” I said, not taking my eyes off them. “You might want to hurry.”
“What’s the rush?”
“Let’s just say you’re not the only one with an interest in Richard’s old apprentices.”
The bell rang as Will strode through the door. His two companions followed him in to flank him, eyes flicking from side to side, gold-hair girl on his left and the Indian boy on his right. Anne caught my attention with a movement of her head and as I glanced at her she held up two fingers and gestured outside the shop to either side. I made a small motion to show I’d understood and kept my eyes on Will.