But it wasn’t. This Kay was very different. She turned her head slightly so his breath was on her lips. She lowered her eyes, looking at the curve of his throat down into his T-shirt and the way his chest moved as he breathed.
Kay stood up.
Billi sat there, stunned, as he broke away. What had just happened?
He pushed his hand through his hair and, not knowing which way to look, he stared down at his feet.
‘Just that you’re wrong about your father.’
No one commented on Kay’s black eye when they came back. Arthur and Elaine were still at the table, but the breakfast had been cleared away. Instead there was a plain pristine white linen cloth over the table. On it sat a large round biscuit tin and a leather-bound book, small, wrinkled, old.
‘There’s a packet of peas in the freezer,’ said Elaine. It took a second for Billi to realize she was talking about Kay’s eye. Kay found it himself and pressed the saggy bag against his bruised face.
Billi moved to the other side of the table, putting as much distance between her and Kay as possible. They hadn’t said a word to each other on the way back from the park.
The biscuit tin had a coppery tinge, and the lid was engraved with a profile of Queen Victoria and Albert. But Billi didn’t think there were digestives within. The book she didn’t recognize.
‘A diary?’ The bindings were similar to the others she’d seen in the Templar library, though this one was far older. It bore small bronze clasps, and the title was in gold leaf. Billi leaned over to read it. But as her eyes passed over the minute, faded letters a cold, creeping dread crawled into her.
‘The Goetia,’ she said. She looked up at her dad. ‘It’s not possible.’
The Lesser Key of Solomon. King Solomon’s occult writings on how to summon and bind Ethereals: devils, malakhim and Watchers. She didn’t know the book still existed. It was a book of the necromancy: the darkest maleficia.
‘Where’d you get it?’
‘Off some fool who thought he could summon the Devil,’ said Arthur.
‘You’re joking, of course.’
Arthur looked at her. It wasn’t his joking face.
‘What happened to him?’
‘Something bad,’ said her dad in the tone that meant this conversation was now over.
He pulled off the lid of the tin. Inside, covered in bubble-wrap, was the Cursed Mirror. Its surface seemed to ripple like oily water.
This was what it was all about, this small copper disc. How much pain, torment and slaughter was bound in its surface? Billi thought about the trapped Watchers, about the Nights of Iron, and about Percy, sitting there with his lifeblood dribbling down his chest. How many had already died because of it? And how many were still to die?
‘This is the only way,’ said Arthur. ‘We can’t kill Michael. But we can bind him. Trap him in Limbo forever.’
‘You can’t. Even Solomon never managed that. Michael’s an archangel.’
‘Solomon faced Michael at the height of his powers. He’s not the archangel he used to be.’
Billi shook her head. ‘Still, there’s no one powerful enough to try.’
Arthur’s stood up. ‘Yes, there is,’ he said, and slid the small, deadly book across the white tablecloth.
To Kay.
23
Elaine summoned up a programme on her laptop. Billi stood behind her while Arthur and Kay sat either side and watched a star chart appear on the screen. Elaine put on her spectacles and began clicking through the time icon in the corner.
‘What are you looking for?’ asked Billi.
‘We need to optimize Kay’s chance of success, so this -’ she tapped the screen – ‘is a programme mapping the movement of the planets over the year, for the northern hemisphere.’ She clicked open another folder and Billi saw a list of files, one for each of the Templars. Elaine double-clicked on Kay’s. A spreadsheet appeared, annotated in Hindi.
‘And these?’
‘Vedic astrological charts based on the date and place of birth.’ Elaine highlighted a row of numbers. ‘A Brahman mate of mine calculated one for each of you.’
‘What religion don’t you dabble in?’ asked Arthur. ‘ Lot made do with just Christianity.’
‘Which was why, as you know, he was crap and always needed my help,’ said Elaine. She went back to the map of the heavens, opened up a scroll and pasted the numbers into it. She hit return and leaned back. ‘Give it a minute.’ She waved at the kitchenette. ‘Someone put the kettle on.’
Kay got up and Billi took his chair. ‘Why are you doing this?’ Elaine wasn’t a Templar, yet here she was in charge of its most precious treasure. She wasn’t even the right religion, and yet they were depending on her to beat their greatest enemy. They always depended on her.
Elaine tapped out a fresh cigarette. She offered one to Arthur, but he declined.
‘Oh, that’s easy: somebody has to.’ Elaine smiled to herself. ‘You knights are obsessed with dogma, doing things one way and one way only. If it’s not in the Templar Rules you’re not interested. That’s why you end up in such deep trouble. Your approach is blinkered.’ She pointed at Arthur. ‘Art on the other hand just wants to win, don’t you? So, you hire the best – me.’
‘But you’re not an Oracle.’
‘Thank God. I sleep badly enough without being disturbed by mad dreams. I’ve a tiny bit of psychic ability -’ she turned her head towards Kay – ‘but not like Golden Boy there. Enough to know what’s right and what works. The rest is just keeping an open mind.’
It was just like Billi’s combat training. Arthur and the others hadn’t taught her karate, judo, kung fu or anything that could be labelled. She’d been taught how to punch hard, kick harder, grapple, lock and hundreds of moves taken from all styles, all disciplines.
‘That’s why we sent Kay east.’ Elaine sighed. ‘Once he’s trained he’ll take over.’
‘So you’re training your replacement,’ said Billi.
Elaine glanced at Arthur. ‘Aren’t we all?’
Arthur put his hand on Elaine’s shoulder. Billi watched the two of them. There was a lot of unknown history between those two and she knew she’d never get to the bottom of it. Despite the casual way Elaine had put it leaving a Jew in charge of the reliquary would have created a major scandal within the Order. Even as Master, Arthur must have fought hard for the others to agree. Her dad cleared his throat as Kay came over with the teas.
‘We need to make contact with the other knights,’ he said. ‘If Kay succeeds… There are ghuls still doing Michael’s bidding. We’ll need to strike them the moment Michael’s been bound into the Mirror.’
‘How?’ asked Billi.
‘When I know who’s survived I’ll be able to tell you.’ Arthur pointed out of the window. ‘ Trafalgar Square is the rendezvous point.’
It made sense. Lots of people, lots of ways in, lots of ways out. Michael would need hundreds to cover all the possible escape routes.
Arthur continued. ‘We agreed that any surviving parties would meet at six p.m., rush hour. I want you to touch base with the others and tell them what we’re planning and gather what news they might have. Report back to me and I’ll formulate a strategy.’
‘Gwaine’s in charge now, Dad.’
‘No, he’s not.’ Arthur scowled and turned to Kay. Despite his frailty Billi saw the fire in his eyes. This was Arthur doing what Arthur did best. ‘You’ll need to step warily.’
Kay touched his temple gently, but Billi caught the nervous excitement in his voice. ‘I’ve marked his aura now. I’ll spot him before he spots me.’
‘Good man.’
‘I’m coming,’ said Billi.
Arthur’s eyes narrowed. ‘This is Templar business; it’s not your problem now.’
‘I’m not doing it for the Templars.’
‘Surely not for me?’
‘You’re right. Surely not.’