He says, ‘There’s a perfect English word for how I feel.’ He flops back. ‘Knackered.’
‘You didn’t try bumping into more Hunters?’
‘No, but it got complicated. We had to make a detour … a serious detour. I wanted to spend the night with Pilot – she lives further out of Geneva – but she took one look at the girl who was with me and said no. The girl’s a White Witch, as pure as they come, says she’s fleeing from the Council. But I don’t know what to believe. The girl was freaking out as well, which didn’t help. Basically it was a mess.’
‘So where is the girl now?’
‘In the apartment. Though I wasn’t sure about taking her there. I don’t trust her at all.’ Gabriel shakes his head. ‘She won’t talk to me, says she will only speak to Mercury and, as you know, I can’t help her until she tells me more. She won’t. I won’t. We went round in circles for a long time. Physically and verbally.’
‘It all sounds rather convenient that someone is fleeing from the Council and needs Mercury’s help when they are searching for me. Do you think she’s been sent by the Council or the Hunters?’
‘I don’t know. I can’t work her out. She’s exhausted me. I need to forget her for a while and relax. I have some news from Pilot for Mercury. Then we can go for a swim.’
We wait for Mercury on the roof. I tell him what Rose told me about Marcus killing Mercy and then I tell him about the eagle. And that is when Mercury appears. She must have been listening to everything.
Mercury wants to know more about the eagle. Like me, I think she wonders if it’s Marcus.
I don’t answer but instead ask her, ‘Do you think Marcus watches me?’
I expect her to laugh. I feel ridiculous as soon as I say it.
She says, ‘He cares only for himself, Nathan. If he watches you it is for his own ends.’
And I can see that if Marcus thinks I’m going to kill him he would want to keep an eye on me. But I’m his son, his only son. And if I had a son I would watch him and I would want to meet him too. I would want to see him in the flesh, to touch him as a child and hold him. But Marcus hasn’t ever come to see me, to hold me and –
‘And you met the girl, Gabriel?’
‘Yes. She’s at the apartment. I don’t trust her but it’s the only place I could leave her. Pilot gave me another message for you. She told me that Clay was in Geneva. She said, “Clay has the Fairborn.”’
Mercury laughs her howl of a laugh, practically skips on to the roof and grabs our hands. Roof tiles fly up and we seem to hover in the air on an upsurge of wind before she lowers us to the grass.
When we land Mercury strokes my cheek. ‘I’ve heard of a vision about the Fairborn and you, Nathan. And I think you have heard it too.’ She pinches my chin and looks into my eyes. ‘Definitely.’
She strokes my cheek again before turning to Gabriel and saying, ‘It will be interesting to see how Nathan changes with that knife in his hand.’
Gabriel looks confused.
‘Nathan can explain to you about the vision. And tonight we will discuss how the Fairborn can be taken from Clay and put into my – no … Nathan’s hands.’
We lie on the mossy bank of the small lake. We have run there, swum and now we are letting the sun’s rays dry and warm us. But my head’s in a different place.
Gabriel says, ‘This morning I went to the house where Pilot said Clay was staying to check it for myself. Pilot gets things wrong sometimes. But she wasn’t wrong. Clay is there.’
‘How do you know it’s him?’
Gabriel shrugs. ‘They have that look, don’t they? Arrogance. He’s the most arrogant of them all. The king of arrogance.’
It’s him.
‘He has a girlfriend,’ Gabriel says.
‘You serious?’ I remember his truncheon and being on the ground, trying to protect my head with my arms.
‘Even more surprising … she’s attractive. Tall and slim and young … young for Clay, you know what I mean. Some women go for looks, some go for money, some go for power. She obviously goes for –’ he shrugs – ‘arrogant old men.’
Gabriel’s trying to make me laugh but I can’t see anything funny about Clay.
I say, ‘He’s not that old. He’s powerful. Has a certain position in society. He’s cunning … intelligent.’ And brutal.
‘So, a good catch for a White Witch.’
I sit up and look at the lake, the deep blue surface reflecting the sky, lime green underneath from the weeds growing in the water. It reminds me of Ellen. I tell Gabriel. ‘I met a Half Blood in London. She had amazing eyes. A bit like the lake, that mix of blue and green, only hers had turquoise and …’ I run out of things to say. Clay’s eyes were like ice.
Gabriel sits up too. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘I’ve met Clay. Twice.’ I remember his breath on my neck.