'I'll be careful. See you in the morning.'
'Good night, Mr Dawson.' She closed the kitchen door behind me.
Back in my room, I locked the door and went straight to the bathroom. Standing in the bath, I unsheathed the sword, washed the blade and wiped it with my hand towel. Then I rinsed out the scabbard, removing any grains of sand, wiped it down and left it over the sink to drain any remaining water. Weapons first, that's what I had been taught. You never knew when you'd need them next and it wouldn't do to have the sword jam in the scabbard from sand or rust.
Discarding my robe, I showered off the remaining sand, setting the shower hot enough to ease the aches and bruises. I wiped the mirror with the towel and inspected my scrapes and scratches. None of it was worthy of attention.
I put on my own robe and left the bathroom light on to keep the fan running, then released the ward on my bag and brought out clean clothes. Whoever had packed had put two full changes in the bag. I wondered whether shopping was also a service the stewards provided. I dried my feet and put on clean socks, pulled on a shirt and trousers and laced my spare boots, feeling immediately better.
The alarm clock at the bedside said it was close to midnight. I was dog-tired. Woken before dawn, using the Ways twice in one day, the walk into Hull, the disaster on the beach – it was all taking its toll and I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed.
Garvin said that Warders didn't get tired and I wondered if there were a trick to that or if it was just sheer force of will.
Either way, I still had things to do. I tightened the laces of my boots.
NINE
Blackbird or Garvin: who to speak to first? I needed to update both of them, but if I spoke to Blackbird first, I would have to tell Garvin what I knew. I didn't think Blackbird would want me telling him more than she wanted him to know. I sat on the single bed and reached with my intention beneath the surface of the mirror, connecting it to the core of power within me.
'Garvin?' The glass clouded.
'Dogstar? One minute. Stay with me.' His voice was loud in the small room. I heard sounds of movement from the mirror, a door closing. 'What's the situation?'
'Raffmir was here. I was down on the beach and he was waiting for me.' I recounted what had happened.
'Is he there now?'
'No, I went after him, but he vanished.'
'The wraithkin delegation were ordered to stay with their escorts. I've lodged a protest with Altair and he says they'll be disciplined as soon as they can be found.'
'They've both gone?'
'Yes. They were in their accommodation. The windows and doors were warded. When no one came out we sent in the stewards to see if they wanted anything and they were gone.'
'How did they get out without anyone noticing?'
'They're wraithkin. They have their ways.'
I was wraithkin too, but I didn't know how to get past a warding without triggering it. 'We know where Raffmir went. Any idea about Deefnir?'
'Nothing confirmed. Blackbird's gone too. He may have gone after her.'
'I know. I tried to speak to her earlier. She was in a car or a truck. I don't know where she was headed – London maybe?'
'We can't protect her if she's not here, Niall.'
'It sounds like she's looking after herself.'
'I've sent Amber after Raffmir, Slimgrin to find Deefnir. If they find them they'll bring them back here. Fionh is acting as liaison for the negotiations. Tate, Fellstamp and I are rotating shifts, keeping things tight, though Fellstamp is only managing six-hour stints. So far Altair is happy to sit and talk while we run round after him.'
'You want me to come back in?'
'No. I told Altair you were on assignment. It doesn't sound like it's going too well.'
'I have to figure out what the assignment is first.'
'That's often the way, Dogstar. Keep your head up and your eyes open.'
'What did Raffmir mean, when he said he was the only one who could show me how to reach Alex? How did he even know she'd been taken?'
'You already know the wraithkin can listen in on other people without them knowing. If you're his target, Niall, you have to assume that he's overheard every conversation you've had since he got here, maybe even before that. He may have been watching you for months.'
'He can't harm me, or cause me to come to harm, without breaking his oath.'
'I said before, Niall. They're not here by accident. The negotiations have hit deadlock. Neither side is willing to concede on the major issue – what happens to Blackbird, you and the rest of the half-breeds. Altair's treading water. He's waiting for something. We have to find out what.'
'Maybe if Raffmir appears again, I'll ask him.'
'Watch out for Deefnir. Raffmir's sworn not to harm you, but there's no restriction on Deefnir. If he gets close, use Warder's discretion.'
'If he comes for me, I'll defend myself.'
'Try not to kill him. If you do you've made a worse enemy. Deefnir is Altair's grandchild.'
'His grandson? I thought Fey weren't fertile?'
'They have problems conceiving, but it's not unknown. Deefnir was born in exile. This is the first time he's been to our world. Try not to make it his last. If it comes to it, though, don't hold back. We can sort out the diplomatic ramifications afterwards. Besides, maybe he's gone sightseeing?' The doubt in that last sentence came clear through the mirror.
'I'll be careful.'
'I want to know if you see either of them again. Let me know.'
'I will. Thanks, Garvin.'
'Stay tight.'
I released my connection with the mirror and the cloudiness diminished to a spot in the middle, then vanished.
I reached out again. 'Blackbird?' The mirror clouded again, then lightened to a misty grey.
'Blackbird? Can you hear me?'
There was a hissing sound that deepened to a low buzz. I rose and placed my hand on the mirror, strengthening the connection with touch. The mirror chilled under my hand, outlining my fingers in condensation. Snatches of her voice stuttered through the mirror, fragments of words, jumbled together.
'Blackbird? Where are you?'
I let the connection build gently under my hand, conscious of how the mirror had shattered when I tried to contact Mr Phillips. Where was she?
Suddenly the connection cleared and I could hear her. 'Niall? Is that you?'
'Yes, can you hear me?'
'Yes, I'm out on the fire escape. Where are you?'
'I'm in Yorkshire, a fishing town…'
'You disappeared. I had no idea where you'd gone.'
'Garvin was supposed to tell you.'
'Garvin told me to sit tight and twiddle my thumbs. Why didn't you tell me the Untainted were here?'
'I didn't know until I was summoned before the High Court. Then Garvin told Altair I was on assignment and Tate bundled me out of the building before they could start anything. Garvin was supposed to warn you.'
