Fated

‘Better,’ I said. Luna’s head was turned away from me, so I had to talk into her ear. ‘First, your curse isn’t touching me. You should be able to tell that since I’m holding onto you without being hit by a meteor or something. Now, we’re going to the ball. Once you get there you can do whatever the hell you like. But I’m not cutting you loose until then. Understand?’

There was a long pause. ‘Yes,’ Luna said at last in a muffled voice.

‘All right,’ I said. ‘Starbreeze? Take us to the ball.’

‘Hurt,’ Starbreeze said doubtfully.

‘It’ll be okay. She won’t hurt you.’

‘Well …’ Starbreeze brightened. ‘Okay!’ She swept in around us and once again my body thinned to air. Stray wisps of the curse brushed Starbreeze, but most of it was pulled into the ribbon, and a second later we were floating.

Luna gasped, but it was done before she could react. Our bodies were air, drifting apart. I was still holding Luna’s hand, but it felt like slippery glass. I couldn’t have kept my grip if she’d pulled away, but she was holding onto me now, both hands latched on tight. Starbreeze took off and the ground blurred beneath us as we soared into the sky.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget that flight. There was something primal about it, excitement and anticipation mixed together. There was danger behind and danger ahead, but now we were free. The fight was forgotten, left behind on the distant ground. I’d flown with Starbreeze many times before, but never with someone to share it.

London is amazing by night. Instead of the grid pattern of most cities, its streets twist and turn, and from above every one of them is outlined by streetlights. The parks are patches of shadow, the main roads glowing rivers. The Thames is a dark snake winding through the centre, its banks lit up with the waterfront buildings, boats and bridges leaving dots and slashes of light across its dark waters. Above, the stars shone down out of a cloudless sky, Orion and Cassiopeia looking down on us. Starbreeze flew higher and higher, leaving the bustle and danger of the city far below.

At one point I dragged my gaze away from the lights of the city below to watch Luna. Her shape was misty and transparent, and she was gazing down at the view, drinking it in. All I could see of her was her eyes, and there was something timeless in them, like distant stars. Only the pressure of her hand reassured me that she was still there.

I felt a strange sense of loss when Starbreeze finally began to circle downwards. The skyscrapers of the Docklands appeared below us, growing larger and larger, then we were racing past them, plummeting between the towers of steel and glass. The ground rushed up to meet us, halted, and Starbreeze brought us down to the stone gently as a feather. Canary Wharf towered before us.

6

The official name for the tower at the centre of the Docklands is One Canada Square, but everyone in London calls it Canary Wharf. It’s the tallest building in Britain, eight hundred feet high to the flashing double strobe at the top, and it dominates the London skyline, a symbol of wealth and power. Officially the whole tower is office space, and since it’s not open to the public there’s no one to say otherwise. Starbreeze had dropped us off within a small park in the shadow of some trees and, looking forward, I could see other couples on the plaza, moving towards the blaze of light that was the tower itself. I felt awake and alive, on full alert. There was work to be done.

At my side, Luna was peering up at the tower. She looked as though she might have been crying, but the journey had wiped away any tears, and her face was unreadable. I stood waiting to see if she’d speak, but instead she looked down and began to shiver, wrapping her shawl around her bare arms. Canary Wharf is right in the middle of a meander of the Thames, and a cold wind was blowing off the water. ‘Let’s get inside,’ I said.

‘I’m fine,’ Luna said, still shivering.

I sighed inwardly, put my arm around Luna and started walking her towards the distant entrance. She didn’t resist. ‘There are anterooms,’ I said. ‘I’ll find you somewhere safe.’

Luna shook her head mutely. I looked down at her. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘I’m going with you.’

‘What?’

Luna didn’t look up and I rolled my eyes heavenwards, just barely stopping myself from saying something that I knew would make things worse. First I had to drag her here, now she was refusing to leave. I can see the freaking future and women still don’t make sense. ‘All right,’ I said at last, once I’d gotten myself under control. ‘You’re going into a place where knowledge is power. Don’t reveal anything about yourself. You shouldn’t even introduce yourself as “Luna” if you don’t have to, and don’t for God’s sake tell anyone your full name. Mages put people into two groups. There are other mages, and then there are sheep. Just by showing up here you’re proving you’re not a sheep. But all that’s going to depend on how they see you, and they’re going to be judging you every second you’re there. The people in there aren’t your enemies – well, mostly – but they aren’t your friends, either. Don’t let down your guard.’

The wind returned, ruffling my hair, and this time it wasn’t cold. I looked up to see Starbreeze floating above me, back in her invisible form. ‘You’re staying?’

Starbreeze pointed up cheerfully at the tower. ‘Make another lightning man?’

Luna looked from me to Starbreeze. She still couldn’t see her but was getting used to guessing where the air elemental was floating. ‘Lightning man?’

‘Don’t ask.’

Starbreeze swirled around our heads and Luna glanced up at her passing. ‘She thinks you’re going to make things fun?’

Talk about backhanded compliments. ‘Given what she calls fun, I hope not.’

‘Not you!’ Starbreeze chipped in. She pointed at Luna. ‘Her. Ooh!’ Starbreeze looked upwards and her face lit up. She shot up into the night sky and out of sight before either of us could say a word. Luna and I looked at each other, then kept walking.

The ground floor lobby was huge and spacious, paved in Italian marble. A steady murmur of voices echoed