“Perhaps,” said Blackbird. “What about the horseshoes?”
“They were only there to protect the knives.” I said. “Fat lot of good they did in the end.”
“I still don’t understand,” said Blackbird. “Why take the knives now? We have almost ten months until they’re needed again. The ceremony isn’t until next October. They’ve given the game away much too early.”
“I don’t think Raffmir was expecting to see anyone at the Royal Courts of Justice,” I said. “And with Claire Radisson out of the way, who is there to raise the alarm about the missing safe? The woman outside Claire’s office clearly thought it was all routine. We wouldn’t find out until it was too late.”
“But why now?”
“Because no one was expecting it now. We’re close to the winter solstice, the time of balance, but they’re usually quiet at this time of the year. They can cross between the worlds and lay the foundations for whatever they have planned for next year. We already know they had long-term plans to eliminate the mongrel-fey using biological weapons. Who knows what else they’re doing,” I pointed out.
“I need to tell the High Court about this,” said Blackbird. “They can spread the word that the Raffmir is here. Maybe we can find out what the Seventh Court is up to before it gets any worse.”
“I thought we’d finished for today,” said Krane, taking his seat. “If I’d realised the Eighth Court would take this much time I’d have never agreed to it in the first place.”
“You didn’t agree to it,” said Teoth.
“No, I didn’t. So why are we back here? Is your plan to talk us into submission, Blackbird? An endless debate until you get what you want?”
He had a point. They had already debated for hours, firstly on whether there was precedent for another court, then on whether it could be formed without the agreement of all the other courts, including the Seventh. It seemed like Krane and Teoth would fight her every inch of the way. They had even argued over where she should sit. Krane said that she could not have a seat until they reached a decision on whether there would be an Eighth Court, but then changed his mind when Blackbird went to sit in Altair’s vacant seat. Then they had tried to seat her at the end of the row, but as she pointed out, that would place her directly next to Altair, should he return. On the other hand, she didn’t want to be in the middle of them all and have to divide her attention between those to the left and right of her. In the end, Kimlesh made a space between her and Yonna. At least there she felt she had some support.
“I have some information which I thought I should share,” she said, addressing all of them.
“Perhaps,” said Krane, “You have come to inform us that you will no longer be filling the High Court with waifs and strays and you have found some place of your own?”
That was another point of contention. The High Court was supposed to be neutral ground. No one court was supposed to have more claim there than any other, but the Eighth Court had nowhere else. If the Eighth Court were to continue, it would need a home, but unlike the other courts it had no land, property or wealth. It was one more thing on top of all the other things she had to worry about.
“The Seventh Court has stolen the knives and horseshoes for the Quit Rents ceremony.” There was a long silence. There, she thought. That shut them up.
Yonna asked, “How did you come by this information?”
She summarised what Niall had told her. “Raffmir has taken the safe containing the knives and the horseshoes. Niall thinks he recruited human help to steal it. They were in a van. As far as I know, Raffmir can’t drive?”
“Who knows what he is capable of,” said Barthia.
“I can’t see Raffmir driving a vehicle,” said Kimlesh. “Can you?”
“You’re missing the point,” said Yonna. “He’s taken the knives. We will need to replace them before the ceremony is performed again.
“The clerk’s also missing,” said Blackbird. “There’s blood all over her flat.”
“If she’s dead, that’s more of a problem,” said Kimlesh. “Will they be able to appoint a new clerk in time for the ceremony? Is there a successor?”
“Your biggest problem is still getting the knives remade,” said Teoth.
“How so?” asked Kimlesh.
“The Highsmiths made one knife for us,” said Yonna. “I’m sure they can be persuaded to make another, and while Raffmir may be able to steal the safe with the knives in, he won’t be able to steal the hammer or the anvil, even if he has human help.”
“He doesn’t need to,” said Blackbird. “He has the nails. Without the sixty-first nail, we can’t reach the hammer either. We can’t remake the knives without the hammer.”
Teoth smiled. “It’s worse than that. While you might be able to get the smiths to make another Quick Knife, you are assuming we will make another Dead Knife.”
“Can we not?” asked Yonna. “You are the High Maker, Teoth. You made the original. Can you not make another?”
“If I had the metal, perhaps,” he said. “Assuming I was willing to make it.”
“Why would you not be willing?” asked Barthia.
“When we put the barrier in place,” said Teoth, “we were united in our task to keep the Seventh Court from our world. Our reasons for excluding them have recently become… less compelling.” He looked at Blackbird.
“You are surely not holding the Eighth Court to ransom?” said Kimlesh. “That’s outrageous!”
Teoth folded his arms. “I am merely pointing out that if you go ahead without consensus, then you cannot expect cooperation when things go badly.”
“This isn’t a game,” said Barthia. “If the Seventh Court return then we will all suffer.”
“Not necessarily,” said Krane. “Only last year, Altair was willing to enter discussions on the peaceful return of our wraithkin brethren.”
“That was just a cover for what Raffmir was doing,” said Blackbird. “It was a distraction from his real plan, which was to destroy all the mixed-race fey.”
“I thought the discussions were positive,” said Krane. “We were making progress until Warder Dogstar tried to destroy half of Wiltshire.”
“He saved the mongrel fey, and uncovered systematic torture in violation of our treaty with humanity,” said Blackbird.
“Our treaty doesn’t cover half-breeds,” said Krane.
“That’s debatable,” said Kimlesh.
“And it only applies to six courts,” Krane continued, “not seven… or eight.”
“The treaty applies to all of the Feyre,” said Yonna.
“But they’re not fey, are they?” said Teoth. “How many have you sworn to your court so far, Blackbird?”
“We have pledges from a number of individuals,” said Blackbird.
“Pledges? They’re not even blood-sworn!” said Teoth. “They could do anything, bring ruin on all of us!”
“Going over this again is getting us nowhere,” said Barthia. “Perhaps our efforts would be better focused on finding the original knives. We need to find Raffmir and recover the safe.”
“And how do you propose to do that?” asked Kimlesh.
“It could be at the bottom of the Thames by now,” said Blackbird. “Or on a container ship out of the London docks, headed for the Far East.”
Mellion stood and made a complicated gesture, mimicking the turning of a key in a lock.
“Mellion’s right,” said Kimlesh. “We should deploy what resources we have and focus on finding Raffmir. If he knows where the safe is, then he holds the key.”
“Finding a wraithkin?” said Yonna. “Would you have us turn back time as well? Or move the stars, perhaps? He’s probably gone back to their world by now.”
“What? And miss the opportunity to gloat?” said Blackbird. “No, Raffmir is here somewhere. We just have to find him.”
Kimlesh spoke into the shadows beyond the circle of light around the chairs. “Fionh, would you ask Garvin to step in, please?”
The door opened, spilling light into the room momentarily, and she slipped out silently. Blackbird noticed Niall waiting outside, trying to catch her attention.
“We have time,” said Barthia. “It is months until the ceremony must be performed again. The barrier holds for now. Teoth has a point, we stand united or not at all. His concerns, and those of Lord Krane, must be addressed. We will meet again tomorrow.” She rose, as did Kimlesh, and Yonna. Krane and Teoth exchanged glances and rose, then walked out, heads together in low conversation. Blackbird waited until Mellion and Barthia had also left and then joined Kimlesh and Yonna. “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news,” she said.