I wanted to open my arms to her. I wanted to rush up and grab her and lift her up, whirl her around, kiss her hair, but I was scared that if I did any of those things she would bolt again and I would lose her.
Then she rushed towards me, tumbled into my arms and hugged me round the chest as fiercely as I could ever remember. I wrapped my arms around her and she pressed her head onto my shoulder, squeezing me with a strength that belied her lean frame. I kissed her muddy hair and stroked her head and pulled her close.
'I'm so glad you're safe,' I whispered to her. 'I couldn't bear to lose you again.'
In return she squeezed me harder, then lifted her face to mine, the tears running down her cheeks unheeded, making lines of wet clean skin amongst the muddy smears. Then she was hugging me again and we were both laughing.
I became conscious of Blackbird standing close.
'It's all right,' I said. 'She's OK.'
'At the risk of interrupting your reunion,' Blackbird said, 'we have a problem.'
She moved sideways, revealing Garvin, Tate, Fionh, and Amber.
Garvin stepped forward. 'Alex Petersen, Mark Handborne, I am arresting you in the name of the Seven Courts. You will accompany me to the High Courts of the Feyre immediately or suffer the consequences.'
His long blade was bare steel in his hand. I suddenly felt the lack of mine and wondered for the life of me where I had last seen it. Nevertheless, I released Alex and stood forward between my daughter and her friend and the Warders.
'You can't arrest them, Garvin. They saved us.'
'That's for the Courts to decide,' he said. 'Stand aside, Niall. This is Court business.'
'I will not stand by and let you arrest my daughter,' I told him.
'I have my orders, Niall. They all have to be brought before the Courts, without exception. Your daughter was granted a reprieve while her case was considered but she has yet to receive judgement. Either she comes before the High Court or she dies here. That's the way it has to be.' He lifted the blade slightly, the threat plain. 'I'll go through you to get to her, if you make me.'
Alex pushed in front of me. 'I'll go,' she said.
'What?' I was flabbergasted. 'What are you doing?'
'Come on, Sparky,' she called to her friend. 'We have to go.'
The young man stood, and walked forward between Blackbird and I to stand beside her. He glanced down at the long blade hanging easily in Garvin's hand. 'Steel,' he said. 'It's a great conductor.'
Alex swept her hand sideways and slapped him gently, back-handed, him in the chest. 'Stop it, you can't solve everything like that.'
'You'd be dead before it happened,' said Garvin.
Sparky glanced at him, challenge in his eyes, and then at Alex, who shook her head minutely. Sparky sighed. 'OK,' he said. 'Take me to your leader.'
I wished again that I knew where my sword was, but perhaps it was for the best. Four against one was not good odds, especially not these four.
The Warders came forward, weapons drawn, Amber stepping between me and Alex and Fionh and Tate steered Alex and Sparky away from Blackbird and I, separating us. Something passed in a glance between Tate and Alex, and for a second I wondered what had been said between them up on the hill, but then they slid away into darkness.
'Amber,' said Garvin, 'see if you can find anything of the orb, or the other items, and bring them back to the Courts. Niall, give her a hand. The court will be in session just as soon as the Lords and Ladies are assembled. You'll want to be there,' he said as he turned and followed.
Amber stayed between me and the rest of the Warders until they faded into the dark. I thought perhaps she was less comfortable with the situation than was evident from her actions, but maybe that was speculation on my part. I knew she would do her duty whatever happened.
When they had gone, she nodded and walked up the hill to look for what was left of the orb.
'Why didn't you do anything?' I asked Blackbird.
'What would you have me do?' she asked.
'I don't know, come up with some rule that you can't arrest someone who's saved the universe?' I suggested.
'You know as well as I do, if the Courts summon you, then you're summoned,' she said. 'It will do them no good to run. Besides,' she said, 'your daughter is taking responsibility for her actions. She's growing up, Niall.'
'She is, and will continue to as long as they don't execute her and the lad she's with. You know as well as anyone what the mercy of the Courts is like.'
'The Courts are just, by their own values. We just have to make sure they make the right decision.'
'And how,' I asked, 'are we going to do that?'
'I have a proposal,' she said.
TWENTY-TWO
Alex sidled up to Blackbird under the watchful eye of Fionh. 'When's Dad getting here?' she said.
'He'll be here,' Blackbird told her. 'Don't fret.'
'I thought he was coming back with you,' she said.
'He had to go and see someone first. He'll be here as soon as he can.'
'There's always something more important,' she said.
Blackbird turned to face her. 'Child, there is nothing in the world more important to your father than you. Believe it.'
'Then where is he?' she asked.
'Patience,' she counselled.
Alex looked across at Sparky, standing between Tate and Amber. He grinned at her, but she could tell he was nervous. She had already played twenty questions on the subject of the Courts, their inner workings and what might happen to them. He hadn't been cheered by it.
He'd quietly suggested that they make a break for it, until she explained that even if they escaped they would spend the rest of their lives being hunted, always looking over their shoulders. Alex'd had her fill of that, and when it came to it, so had Sparky.
So they waited.
When the door to the Courts opened, Alex visibly jumped. Garvin beckoned them in. 'They will see you now.'
Blackbird smiled reassuringly and shepherded them through the double doors.
'Where's Dad?' she mouthed at Blackbird.
In response, Blackbird mouthed the word, soon.
Garvin stood by the door until they were through. 'Tate, Amber, keep watch from here.' He pulled the door closed as Fionh went through.
Alex had been in the courtroom when it was empty, and in daytime. At night with the court in session it felt entirely different. Whereas before the sunlight had streaked in through gaps in the shutters on the high windows, now the only lit area was the central design of a seven pointed star patterned into the floor, around which were arrayed seven thrones. The rest of the room was shrouded in shadow.
Alex looked up at the inside of the dome, and was reminded somehow of the strange little church at Kilpeck where Eve retrieved the orb. The creatures carved into the stone around the door of the church were not unlike the ones portrayed in the frieze inside the dome. She thought again of their attempt to bring back unicorns and manticores. She still didn't know what a manticore was.
'Come forward,' said Kimlesh, from her seat at the end of the arc of thrones.
Alex glanced at Blackbird and received an encouraging nod. She stepped forward onto the star that was patterned into the floor. After a moment, Sparky followed her and they stood together. Out here she felt more exposed, and the sense of a brewing storm intensified. A shrug from Sparky confirmed that it was none of his doing.
