Blacktouch swung round, him and Sophie both staring at the girl leaning casually against a tree a few metres away. Sophie blinked. It was the blonde girl from earlier, the one with the motorbike that didn’t make a sound.
“Well, well, well, what have we here?” Blacktouch leered.
“Get some better lines,” the girl drew out a revolver. “I happen to hate clichés.”
“That’s interesting,” Blacktouch sighed. “You are one yourself.”
The girl rolled her eyes. “You have a few choices, Emblem. We know about you. I know your capabilities. I also know that you can’t beat me. So drop the girl and run cowering back to your master. Or I’ll kill you.”
Blacktouch looked at her thoughtfully. “What’s a pretty girl like you doing fighting assassins like me?”
“Just criminals, Emblem, just criminals,” the girl sighed, wearily. “Now, make your choice. I don’t have all day.”
Blacktouch ignored that comment. “So…tell me…who are you?”
The girl smiled. “Interesting question. The girl about to shoot you.”
Blacktouch nodded. “Fair enough, fair enough. But here’s the thing, now...Are you following me, known assassin for the criminal classes? Or are you following her?”
Sophie blinked. “Me?”
They both ignored her.
“Is that any of your business?” the girl asked, coolly.
Blacktouch smiled. “Oh, so you do know. Oh, how nice!”
“I’m going to count down from ten,” the girl warned.
“You’re stalling,” Blacktouch criticised. “Not good. If you really wanted to shoot me you would have by now.”
“I’ll get past the pain,” the girl shook back her hair. “Ten…nine…eight….”
“You know who she is. You know what she can do.”
“Seven…six…five…”
“Do you know who I’m working for?”
“Yes.”
“Oh? Who?”
The girl scowled.
“Ha,” Blacktouch grinned. “Thought I was gonna let it slip, did you? No chance. I’m a highly-paid professional. Unlike you. You’re just a low-paid professional.”
The girl shrugged. “Disadvantage of being on the good side.”
“Your lot are good?” Blacktouch barked a laugh. “Yeah. Right. And you know what this little girlie can do, right?”
“Four…three…”
“You know that we’re going to win. It’s not in her nature to refuse us. She’ll join us, because we fight for her. You try to make her be someone else.”
The girl fired the gun. Blacktouch dived aside and came up from his roll smoothly.
“You didn’t reach one,” he said, accusingly.
“I got bored,” the girl fired again. “I have a gun, Blacktouch. Get running if you want to live.”
Blacktouch looked from Sophie to the girl to Sophie and back to the girl.
“We know where she is,” he whispered. “We know who she is. We know everyone she’s ever met. We’re quicker than you, better than you. You can’t keep her hidden from us forever. A few little symbols, sure. For a while. A month. But we’re stronger than you are. And you will fall.”
As suddenly as he had come, Emblem Blacktouch was gone.
“It’s ok,” the girl said, quietly. “He’s gone now.”
“Can you put your gun away?” Sophie asked, in a thankfully normal voice. “It’s quite worrying.”
The girl grinned and stuffed it in her pocket.
“You’re Sophie Merith,” she smiled. “I think it would be safer if you came with me.”
“Why?” Sophie demanded. “Who are you?”
The girl sighed deeply. “My name is Celia Karn. And I’m going to keep you alive.”
Sophie considered this for a long time.
“Ok,” she said, eventually. “Now fill in the blanks.”
Celia rolled her eyes which were, Sophie noticed, surprisingly dark considering her white skin and hair.
“Oh, goody,” she said, sarcastically. “Let’s have a lecture on the history of mankind, shall we?”
Sophie looked at her thoughtfully. “Um…no. Let’s not do all that. Let’s just have the basics. Who are you? Who was he? Why am I in danger?”
“I am Celia Karn. I will protect you. He is Emblem Blacktouch. He will take you to people who will misuse your talents. You are in danger because of an ancient prophecy that controls your life. Happy?”
Sophie met Celia’s gaze. Celia burst out laughing.
“Ok, ok,” she sighed. “Would you believe me if I said you are descended from a race of ancient gods whose fire and fury smote the land but one, a solitary one, fell in love with a mortal woman and produced a half-god child and, through generations, you are the result?”
“No,” Sophie answered, frankly. “I wouldn’t.”
“Good,” Celia smiled faintly. “That shows you are at least vaguely rational. Any ancient god whose fire and fury smote the land would have no time with mortal women. At least, not letting them survive.”
“Um…Miss Karn?” Sophie blinked. “I think I need a real explanation.”
“Celia, please,” Celia tipped her head sideways. “How about if I said magic exists?”
Sophie hesitated for a moment before saying, “No.”
“But you’re not sure,” Celia pressed. “You want to believe it exists. You’re desperate for it to exist. Some little part of you refuses to say that it doesn’t.”
“Um…yes,” Sophie admitted.
“That little part of you is right,” Celia spread her hands. “Magic exists.”
Fire leapt on her palms, dancing, flickering, before growing out.
“What’s the trick?” Sophie asked, eventually.
“No trick,” Celia smiled, proudly. “Just talent, practise and a bit of expert tuition.”
Sophie looked at her. “I want you to promise me that this isn’t a trick, that this isn’t a joke, that this isn’t something to make me look stupid. Promise me you just conjured fire on your bare hands.”
Celia touched her lips with two fingers, and then her heart.
“I swear that the words I spoke were true.”
Sophie looked her in the eye. “Ok. I believe you. What happens now?”
Celia smiled. “Now? Now we get to ride the bike.”
“Your motorbike?”
“Yep,” Celia grinned. “Should be fun, huh?”
“Today,” Sophie announced, “I must be feeling suicidal.”
Celia laughed. “Calm down. I’m not that bad at steering.”
The motorbike was, undeniably, the best fun Sophie had had in weeks. Celia was a reckless driver, achieving impossible stunts and escaping alive by the skin of her teeth. At first, it was terrifying. Later, it was still terrifying but in a good way.
“This,” Celia said, braking hard. “Is where we are going.”
Sophie looked at the entrance for the Dovecot Village Museum.
“Oh,” she mumbled, unenthusiastically. “Good.”
“Not the museum,” Celia grinned. “The Society house is on the other side.”
“Society house?”
“That’s something I’ll explain on the other side.”
Oh.”
They walked through the empty, dimly-lit museum. Exhibits included a few pieces of fossilised wood and dusty rocks, old photographs and faded documents in handwriting so spidery no one could possibly decipher it.
“This place is dead,” Sophie commented.
Celia nodded her agreement. “Makes it a better safe house, though.”
She walked over to a waxwork figure of a blacksmith bent over a forge.
“’scuse me,” she said, chirpily. “Miss Karn here, bringing a guest.”
The blacksmith turned his slightly misshaped head towards them, regarding Celia with dead eyes. Sophie shied back, hands going automatically to her throat.
“Miss Karn is a registered allowance,” he said, dully. “She has medium to high security levels. She may bring an unnamed guest. Enter, Miss Karn.”
Behind the waxwork, the wall faded into an open doorway.
“Thanks,” Celia smiled, grabbing Sophie’s wrist and dragging the whimpering girl past the figure and into a narrow corridor. The wall immediately sealed off behind them. Sophie jumped, trembling.
“What was that?” Celia demanded.
“Don’t like waxworks,” Sophie muttered. “Never have.”
Celia rolled her eyes. “Dear god, the Night Princess is afraid of statues. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a state of crisis.”
“The what?” Sophie stared.
“Oh, yes,” Celia rubbed her forehead. “Explanation. Right. Coming right up.”
She began to hurry down the dingy corridor, striding out ahead of Sophie.
“It’s this way.”
“What is?” Sophie questioned, trying to keep up.
“My haven, my paradise, the wonder of the world,” Celia smiled.
Sophie raised an eyebrow. “Which is?”
Celia pushed open a few doors and ignored a few startled security guards.
“Which is?” Sophie repeated.
“Wait for the dramatic moment,” Celia chided, opening another door and taking off down more corridors.
“Which is?” Sophie tried again.
Celia smiled and flung open a final door. “The Great Library!”