Arachne gave a gentle hissing sound and her mandibles vibrated – her equivalent of laughing. ‘Silly child. A little weaving like that won’t hurt me.’
I looked up in surprise. ‘You can avoid it?’
‘Now, before she gets back, why don’t you tell me why you’re going to the ball? I don’t remember you being one of the Council’s favourites.’
I explained to Arachne then, telling her all about Lyle and his offer, leaving very little out. ‘And Lyle’s not the only one,’ I finished. ‘Some Dark mages want my help too, and they’re tracking Luna. I wanted to ask you a favour and see if she could stay here until I get the chance to talk to some people at the ball. If I’m lucky I’ll be able to clear things up there.’
Arachne sat in silence for a moment. Her opaque eyes looked down at me, showing nothing. ‘You’re in dangerous waters, Alex.’
I shrugged. ‘Mages always want to use diviners for what we know. It’s just my bad luck they’re desperate enough to come to me.’
‘Luck? Really?’
I looked up curiously. One problem with talking with Arachne is that it’s really hard to read her facial expressions. ‘What do you mean?’
‘It’s not luck that’s made every other diviner in these islands vanish.’ Arachne settled herself down slightly. ‘My customers have been running thin the past few weeks. Something is going on, and the careful mages don’t want to be involved.’
I had to grimace at that. ‘And I’m already involved. Great. I don’t suppose you know what it is?’
Arachne rustled a no. ‘I think you should find out. I’ll watch your apprentice.’
I laughed. ‘She’s not my apprentice. But thanks.’
Arachne tilted her head, and a moment later I heard Luna’s footsteps approaching. I got up off the couch and ducked between Arachne’s legs to see Luna enter. Her eyes flickered to Arachne, but the colour had come back to her face. ‘Um. Hi. Uh, it’s nice to meet you, um, Miss Arachne. I’m sorry about before.’
Arachne waved one of her legs. ‘Don’t worry about it, dear. You’re doing very well. Now, Alex, what sort of outfit were you thinking of?’
‘Uh …’ I said. ‘You know what, you decide.’
‘Well, at least you’re showing some sense.’
I rolled my eyes and turned to Luna. ‘I need to look up some contacts. Arachne’s agreed to let you stay here for a little while.’
Luna’s eyes widened just slightly. ‘Stay here?’
‘I won’t be long. These tunnels are warded; no one’s going to be able to find you. Right now it’s probably the safest place you can be.’
Luna looked from me to Arachne, then took a breath and nodded. ‘Okay.’
‘Wonderful,’ Arachne said cheerfully. ‘And while you’re here, why don’t we have you fitted?’
Luna looked at Arachne doubtfully. ‘Fitted?’
‘For a dress, of course. I have something I think would match perfectly with a little work. Why don’t you come over to the fitting room so I can have a proper look at you?’
Luna gave me one last anxious look, then turned to Arachne and smiled bravely. ‘Um, sure. Thank you.’ As I turned to leave, I saw Luna following Arachne through the curtain into the chamber beyond.
I came out of Arachne’s cave into the sunlight, and blinked for a while as the roots closed behind me. Now that Luna was inside, a weight had been taken off my shoulders. It might not look it, but Arachne’s cave is one of the best-protected places in London. Hidden behind the webs and wards, Luna was safe – at least for a little while. I turned and climbed uphill, coming out into the open again, then found a bench to sit on.
Most people’s idea of seeing into the future is someone in funny clothes staring into a crystal ball and reading tea leaves. They’d be pretty disappointed if they saw me. I’m not a fan of crystal balls, and I absolutely hate the tea leaf method. Tarot cards I do use, but only in very specific situations and not often. No, what real diviners do when they want to get some work done is find a quiet, secluded spot, get comfortable, then lie back and close their eyes. To the layman, this looks remarkably like slacking off, but the best diviners can find out pretty much anything you care to name without ever leaving their armchair.
Arachne’s suggestion to find out more had clicked with a stray memory from my conversation yesterday with Lyle. When I’d asked Lyle about the other diviners, he’d told me they were all busy, and mentioned Alaundo and Helikaon. Alaundo I only know by reputation, but Helikaon I knew very well indeed. And something Lyle had said didn’t fit. I’d never known Helikaon to turn down work from the Council. Why was he doing it now?
It wasn’t much, but I had the feeling it might be import ant. I wanted to talk to Helikaon, and I didn’t have time to waste looking him up. I was going to have to do this the quick way.
The technique is called path-walking. You pick out a strand of your own future, and follow it, guiding the choices and seeing what happens. My first destination was Helikaon’s flat in Kensington. I looked into the future, tracing out the path where I went searching for him, taking a taxi to his flat, walking up the stairs, knocking at his front door. No matter how I did it, there was no response. The place was empty. As I watched, the future thinned and faded to nothingness, never to exist.
Next up was Helikaon’s house in the country, where he conducts most of his business. Helikaon’s house is a modest one by mage standards, a single-storey building on the South Downs. I looked into the future and saw myself walking up the dirt path to the house at the top of the hill. The building was silent and still, the windows shuttered. There was a note of some kind on the door, something that would turn me away. The vision flickered as I circled the house, searching, finding nothing.
I could always break in. I looked into the future that had me bypassing the lock on the front door, walking
