“What do you think?” I asked Garvin.
I’d expected him to object when Amber reported my intention of going to Cheltenham to discover who it was that was trying to kill me. Instead he’d volunteered to come along.
“Interesting,” he said. “It’s smooth, clean and has very limited points of entry. The frontage is glass, but I would expect that to be reinforced, possibly bomb-proof. It’s a literal interpretation of circles of secrecy. You see the buildings around the outside? They’ll be administration, accounts, facilities, that sort of thing. On the outward facing side of the main building will be the public areas — meeting rooms, canteen, and anything else which isn’t privileged. Raw information will arrive and will travel further inwards the more it’s analysed and correlated. In the centre, possibly underground, you would find the clever bits — the really secret stuff.”
“I think I can get inside the building,” I said. I can get past the fences and the perimeter, and once I’m there I can walk in with everyone else.”
“This is not the same as gaining free access to the Underground,” said Garvin. “There will be multiple security systems monitoring each other. As soon as you use one of the gates it will look for a record of your movements. When it finds you’ve just arrived in the middle of the building, it will raise the alarm, quietly and efficiently. The building will be locked down before you know it.”
“I can get out if I have to.”
“I believe you, but at what cost? Even if you get inside, what are you intending to do?” he asked.
“Find out who tried to kill me, and why?”
“You think they’re just going to tell you? Maybe it’s posted on a noticeboard somewhere? The information you gained from Sam has led you here,” said Garvin. “But that’s all you have. Hundreds of people work here, possibly thousands. Most of them will know about their bit, and nothing else. That’s what secret organisations are like.”
“So your real reason for coming was to dissuade me from doing anything.”
“Rash or careless action is counter-productive. I came to offer my advice, and to see if I could help. I also came because someone tried to kill one of my Warders, and I take exception to that.”
“So what should I do?”
“If you break in, you’ll only provoke them, and to what end? It’ll prompt them into action and they will see themselves as the aggrieved party. At the moment, all you have is a link between two iron-tainted bullets, Sam’s attempt to kill you, and a couple of names, plus the mention of GCHQ. It’s enough to ask some questions, but be careful about jumping to conclusions.”
From the top of the hill we could see the winter sun sinking below the horizon, and as it did, the car-park floodlights around the complex below came on. The offices facing the outside were brightly lit against the failing light. It all spoke of an organisation that operated twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week.
“At the moment you have a legitimate grievance, which they should answer. Make them come to you,” suggested Garvin
“And how do I do that?
He grinned, “It’s time to request a meeting with Secretary Carler.”
“In that case,” I told him. “There’s somewhere else I want to visit before we do that.”
On the eve of the solstice, the High Court of the Feyre was in session for the last time before the turn of the year.
“We’ve been locked in disagreement for too long,” said Krane to the assembled High Court. “We all acknowledge the situation, but we can’t continue like this indefinitely. In the interests of moving things forward, I would like to propose that we shelve this issue for the foreseeable future and move on to other matters.”
“To what end?” asked Kimlesh. “The issue of the mixed-race fey remains unresolved.”
“We have other business apart from the mongrels,” said Teoth. “It’s taken too much time already. We’re almost at the solstice and it’s time we moved forward.”
“I agree,” said Blackbird.
A murmur went around the arc of the chairs.
“You do?” said Krane.
“I would like to discuss finance,” said Blackbird.
“You don’t understand,” said Krane. “Without the establishment of the Eighth Court, you are no longer part of these discussions. We will not be discussing anything with you, let alone finance.”
“I have an established court,” she said, “or I will by tomorrow. It was the solstice tomorrow, you said, Lord Teoth?”
Teoth blustered. “Impossible,” he said. “You need a home for the court, members sworn in. You don’t even have a room of your own, never mind a court.”
“I have one now,” Blackbird said. “We are moving to Grey's Court in Oxfordshire tomorrow. Court members will be blood-sworn on the solstice night. By the turn of the year there will be eight courts, not seven.”
“Grey's Court? I’ve never heard of it,” said Krane.
“Is that a requirement, now, that you have heard of it?” asked Blackbird. “If it is, you have not mentioned it previously.”
“This is extremely timely,” said Barthia.
“Are you implying that I am being less than truthful?” asked Blackbird. “I would have thought my words were enough?”
“It’s not that,” said Barthia. “This is all very sudden, to be reprieved on the eve of the deadline.”
“My Lords Teoth and Krane gave me very little time to meet their stringent requirements,” said Blackbird. “It has been a challenge, as they intended, but we have risen to it and we have our court. We will celebrate the solstice as the Eighth Court of the Feyre.”
“That’s preposterous,” said Teoth. “How can they swear a blood oath if they’re not even fey?”
Kimlesh leaned forward. “You raised that point some time ago, before the issue of establishment came up. We dealt with it then.”
“Not to my satisfaction,” said Teoth.
“You agreed, Lord Teoth, did you not?” said Yonna. “Which was why we moved on to the issue of establishment. There would have been little point in discussing establishment if the members of the court were unable to swear fealty.”
Mellion made a complex gesture involving placing the tips of his fingers in and then flicking them out of his palm.
“Mellion’s right,” said Kimlesh. “You cannot scatter pigeons and eat them.”
“Or eat cake and have it,” agreed Blackbird. “Can we discuss finance now?”
Krane stood. “This is a trick!” he said. “They seek to dupe us with hollow words and hidden meanings.”
“I mean what I say,” said Blackbird. “I will have my court. Tomorrow.”
“I want to see it,” said Teoth. “I want to touch it.”
“Is my word not good enough?” asked Blackbird. “Are we to distrust each other’s words now?” She looked around the room. “For if that is the nature of things then I would want to visit each of your courts, so that I may establish that they are more or less than my own.”
“You are welcome at mine,” said Kimlesh.
“You’ve seen mine,” said Yonna.
Teoth pointed a finger at Blackbird. “You will set foot in the Nixine Court over my dead body.”
“Then how do I know the Nixine Court exists?” asked Blackbird. She appealed to those around her. “How do any of us?”
“Of course it exists,” said Teoth. “Unlike your fabrication, the Nixine Court has been an integral part of the Courts of the Feyre for generations uncounted.”
“Has anyone in living memory seen it,” asked Blackbird. “Apart from you, my Lord?” Once again she looked around the faces. Even Krane had to admit with a shake of his head that he hadn’t.