"You're lucky there is a next time. You need to find out what you're dealing with before you go poking about in someone's cave."
"Yeah, I think I got that. I guess I was thinking it was all nothing. The girls weren't missing, they were just somewhere else, doing something else."
"And there were many skulls?"
"Thirty or so, maybe more. Some of them looked really old. This isn't new. It's been going on for a while."
"Then why doesn't anyone know about it?"
"They do. It's in the papers. There are missing posters all over town."
"No, that's for the five or six missing now. Where are the others? If this has been going on all this time, why aren't there records of missing women going back fifty, a hundred, two hundred years? Those skulls could be anyone's. They could be missing sailors, washed up on the beach, for all you know."
"No. Maids, mothers and daughters, he said. They were all women."
"Then they came from somewhere, Niall. Find them."
Another thought occurred to me, sparked by the memory of my stay at Claire's apartment the previous year.
"Do you think Claire would do me a favour?"
"She might. Hang on, I'll get her."
There was a rustling sound and then receding footfalls. Then voices returned.
"And I just talk to the mirror, do I?" It was Claire's voice.
"Just like a phone," Blackbird confirmed.
"Hello?"
"Claire, this is Niall."
"Yes, I remember. How are you?" The polite greeting was typical.
I smiled. "I'm a little bruised at the moment, but well, thanks, and you?"
"We're a little jumpy." That was understandable.
"I wanted to ask you a favour."
"Yes, Veronica said." She used the name Blackbird had given herself when they first met.
"You have a friend who works for the government, in the area covered by the Official Secrets Act, by the name of Sam?"
"Sam? I haven't spoken to Sam since that night in the hospital. I think I made it clear that it was over between us."
"I know, I remember. It's just that I need someone who knows that world. It's about my daughter. Black… Veronica will explain. I've lost her and I think the government have taken her. There must be records. Maybe he would be able to find out where they've taken her?"
"I don't even know if he would have access to that information. It's probably not his department."
"It's certainly not mine. I need all the help I can get and I need someone who can make discreet enquiries without setting off alarm bells."
"I don't know, Niall. He probably won't even speak to me."
"Or someone else in that line of work. Is there someone else you know who might be able to find out where they've taken her?"
"No, I don't know any of Sam's colleagues. He never talked about work. Then again, I didn't tell him anything either – not really. We're both quite secretive people."
"Could you ask him for me?"
"It's not that I don't want to, Niall. Without you… well, I don't know where we'd be. But I can't promise anything. He can be really stubborn."
"I really appreciate that, Claire. Thanks."
"I'll see what I can do."
"I'd better go. I have more to do before I can rest."
"I'll let you say goodbye to Veronica, then." Her footsteps receded.
"What makes you think that Sam can help you, Niall?" said Blackbird.
"Maybe he can't, but at least he will know how to find things without drawing attention to me. They don't know there's any connection between us, so even if they find out he's been asking questions, they won't tie it back to me."
"He has no reason to help us, you know that."
"I know, but it's worth a try. The only other option is Raffmir."
"Raffmir?"
I described our encounter on the beach. "He said he was the only one who could show me how to reach her."
"Was he telling the truth?"
"So far as he believes it, yes, though he didn't precisely say he knew where she was, either. It could all be one of his games. He's sworn not to harm me, but there's nothing to prevent him from twisting the knife on my misfortunes to make them as painful as possible. That would count as amusement as far as he's concerned."
"Even bound by his vow, he's dangerous."
"I know, but if Raffmir wanted to harm me he could have sent Deefnir instead. I was vulnerable enough, lying on my back in the shingle. No, he's up to something."
"Like what?"
"I've no idea, but whatever he's offering me, he is going to want something at least equivalent in return."
"A favour in return for the life of your daughter would be a big one, I think. Be careful, Niall. It would please Raffmir greatly to make you choose between your duty as a Warder and your daughter."
"That crossed my mind, too. Then there's the baby. He swore an oath not to cause harm to you or to Alex, but he didn't know about our son. That may be the entire reason they're here."
"We're ready for them. We have some surprises laid on for them if they come."
"I'll tell Garvin where you are, next time I check in. Maybe he can release someone to keep an eye out for you."
"Just make sure they don't walk in on us unexpectedly or they might get a welcome they'll never forget."
"I'll tell him. Look after yourselves. Try and get some sleep."
"We're taking turns. It could be a long night."
"For me too. Take care."
"Bye."
The mirror cleared as the connection faded, leaving condensation dribbling down the glass. Wiping it with my hand only spread the water around. I went into the bathroom and returned with a hand towel to polish the water away. Even afterwards my handprint still showed faintly as the glass slowly warmed.
I wished now I'd said more than "take care". What if something happened to her? What if those were the last words I ever spoke to her? We had been living together since October and I still hadn't figured her out. Sometimes we were so close you couldn't get a sheet of paper between us, while at other times she was distant. I had been trying to puzzle out where I stood for nine months, with little progress.
She'd told me first off that the Feyre didn't marry and that it was up to the females to choose a partner. I had no fundamental objection to that but it left me wondering what there was between us and why she needed me. She was fiercely protective of her independence, to the point where it seemed as if there wasn't room for me in her life at all, but then she could be so possessive that it left me feeling claustrophobic.
Of course, the baby had number one place in her heart, and given how long she had waited for a child, that was no surprise. I knew what that felt like, having a daughter of my own, and there was no resentment. It was just that sometimes I wondered whether second place was really where I was. I caught myself in a sigh and turned it into a shrug.
Maybe I would never understand her.
I slipped into my charcoal jacket. I could conceal myself with glamour, but the dark grey would stand out less in the dark, providing less contrast than a hard black and leaving me free to concentrate my power on other things. I gathered my wallet and keys and left the loose change on the side table so that it wouldn't chink in my pocket. I picked up the small black torch from my bag and sheathed and belted my sword. I jumped up and down twice, testing for rattles. The soft shuffle as my clothes settled and the gentle thump of the sword against my thigh were the only sounds that might give me away. It would do.
Nevertheless, I wrapped a strong concealment around me as I left the room. The fire escape would allow me to leave without using the front door. I nudged it open gently and then let it close quietly behind me. If Raffmir was watching my comings and goings then he couldn't watch the front and the back at once. By using the rear stairway, I could make it harder for him to observe me, assuming I wasn't just being paranoid.