“Alex?”
“Uh huh?”
“Are you sure you want this?”
She pressed her lips to his again. “Yes,” she said, breaking away for a moment. She could feel his body responding to hers. The rush in her was impossible to defy. It was like the tide. She was incapable of resisting.
“Oh God! You’re going to have to take me somewhere.”
“Where?” His breath tingled across her neck.
“Anywhere,” she breathed. “But now.”
EIGHTEEN
When I opened my eyes, I knew something was different. I was lying on my side, and the dawn light was just starting to brighten the room from behind the curtains, which in these shortest of days meant that I’d slept in. Still, there was something else. I rolled over to find myself being observed by two pale eyes.
“What are you doing there?” I asked my son, who was lying where Blackbird would normally be. She must have risen without waking me, and then popped him into bed with me while the bed was still warm.
His answer was to wriggle, waving his arms until he got one under himself and turned over so he could lift himself up on his hands.
“That’s a new trick,” I told him. He grinned at his achievement.
I sat up and stuffed some pillows behind me so I could lift him onto my lap.
“Where’s your mum gone, then?” I asked him.
“Mmmmmmmmmm,” he said, trying to tangle his fingers into the hair on my chest.
“Mum mum mum mum mum,” I said, encouraging him to repeat it.
“Ghrammugharghle,” he said, not helped by trying to get his fist into his mouth.
“One of us smells,” I told him. “And one of us needs a shower. Can you guess which one is which?”
That was enough to get me out of bed. I took him into the bathroom and changed his nappy. A small bit of tickling may have been involved. I tried to put him back in his cot so that I could shower, but he wasn’t having any of that, so I settled him into a nest of towels on the floor so he could watch me while I showered. He was quite amused by the splashing water, and it meant I was clean.
Once we were dressed and presentable I thought I would wake Alex and see if she would join us for breakfast. We had a busy day ahead of us and her help would be appreciated. With the baby in one arm I tapped on her door.
“Alex, it’s Dad. Are you awake?”
There was no response, so I tapped a bit louder. “Come on, Babe, it’s time to be up and about.”
There we still no answer. “Shall we see if she’s awake?” I asked the baby.
“Lalalalalal,” he said.
It was then that I noticed that the door was shut. She normally slept with the door open, but it was closed. I knocked more loudly this time and opened the door. “Alex, it’s getting up ti…”
Her room was empty, the curtains were open and her bed was made. There was no sign of her.
“How odd,” I said.
“Labalabalaba,” said the baby.
I closed her door again and went downstairs to find the baby his breakfast, wondering at the same time whether Alex had slept at all last night. Maybe she’d pulled an all-nighter — not the best idea with the celebrations this evening, which she would be expected to attend.
I went into the kitchen, looking for Lesley, and found my daughter instead.
“Morning, Dad,” she said brightly. “Morning, precious,” she said to the baby, ruffling her hand through his fine hair.
“Good morning,” I said. “Are you OK?”
“I’m fine,” she said, kissing my cheek while the baby tried unsuccessfully to snag one of her curls in his grasp. “Breakfast has been cleared, but if you’re OK with toast I can do some for you?” She went to the big larder fridge, extracting a fruit-flavoured rice, then the cutlery drawer for a plastic spoon. “Are you OK feeding him that while I make you some toast?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yes,” she said. “Why? What’s up?”
“Nothing,” I said, settling the baby into his high chair and strapping him in. He could see the rice pot now, and was getting impatient.
She warmed up milk for the baby in a pan of water. “Do you want tea?” she said. “Coffee?”
“I think coffee,” I said, stripping the top off the rice pot.
The baby stuck his tongue out. “Labalabalaba.” I wiped the sticky bit from the lid on his tongue and he grinned at me, then spread the goo around his chops with his fingers.
“Lesley tells me off if I do that,” Alex told me, placing a coffee out of the baby’s reach.
“Lesley’s not here,” I reminded her. “Thank you for the coffee.”
“I’m going for a shower,” she said. “You can drop him with me when you’ve finished, if you like?”
“That’s very kind of you,” I told her.
“Garvin was looking for you. I said I’d wake you but he thought you needed the sleep.”
“Did he say what about?”
“Something about a meeting? He said you’d want to be there.”
“Ah,” I said. “I may not have time for breakfast,” I pushed the chair back.
“Sit down and finish that while I make you some toast,” she insisted. “He won’t go without you, and anyway, he said it would do them good to wait, for once.”
“Are you sure you’re OK?” I asked her. “You look different.”
“I’m growing my hair,” she said. “Do you like it?”
“It’s lovely,” I said, unsure I could tell the difference.
She placed toast in front of me along with a pot of honey and some butter, and the milk for the baby. “Don’t let him have any honey until he’s eaten the rice,” she advised. “Or he won’t eat the rice, and then he’ll scream blue murder until he gets more honey.”
“I’m not a complete novice,” I told her. “I managed with you.”
She kissed the top of my head. “I’m going for a shower,” she said, “but I’ll be back before you’ve finished, and I’ll take over while you go and do Garvin things.”
“Did I ever tell you were a wonderful daughter?” I asked her.
“Don’t be soppy,” she told me, and headed off for a shower.
“Ah,” I said to my son. “So that was Alex after all. I was beginning to think she’s been replaced by an alien.”
“Labalabalabalaba,” said the baby.
Garvin was waiting for me in the basement room where the Way-nodes were. Tate was with him. He nodded to me in greeting, but said nothing.
“They’re already set up,” Garvin said. “I’ve sent Slimgrin ahead to keep an eye on them. Are you ready?”
“I have everything I need,” I said. My sword was held scabbarded in my left hand.
“Do I need to remind you that this is a diplomatic meeting?” asked Garvin.
“I don’t think so,” I said.
“Good. Tate, you take the lead. We’ll be two minutes behind you.”
Tate stepped onto the Way-node and vanished into a twist of air. “I’m not expecting trouble,” said Garvin. Let’s not leap to conclusions. We’re simply there to establish the facts and see what their reaction is.”
“And if they deny all knowledge of it?” I asked him.
“All I’m saying is that we can’t allow ourselves to be deceived by our own assumptions. It’s a difficult time for us. We’re down two people, the courts are in flux; we can’t afford to sour our relationships with humanity as well.”
“Even if they’re trying to kill us?” I said. I didn’t get an answer. I hadn’t expected one.
He gestured to the Way-node and I stepped forward, reaching down into the flow of power beneath me. It rose in response, carrying me through an endless blackness streaked with whorls of silver as I veered around Way-nodes following the trail left by Tate. Voices that sounded like the calls of the lost echoed through the void, until I began to wonder who was more lost — me or them. I forced myself to focus on the traces of Tate’s passing.
Stepping out onto the frosted grass, I moved away from the Way-node, wrapping the area in a cloak of glamour. Tate had already moved away, probably scoping out the area with Slimgrin. I waited for Garvin to step out of the air beside me and then we both crossed the grass towards the great hall, letting the glamour fall away as we did.