Guardians Book One - Magic Rising

Chapter Five

Lady had drawn out her wine the length of two pints of beer for Kath, and the evening was wearing on. The pub was filling up; the sun was starting to drop outside and the temperature with it, driving the clientele inside. Lady hadn't said anything but from the way she now sat bolt upright again, her eyes flickered over the people, her knuckles a little tighter around the stem of her wine glass, Kath sensed - for whatever reason - she was getting edgy.

"Hey, it's getting later," she said. "Shall we maybe head back to town, think about getting home?"

"I think that is a good idea," said Lady. "I have to wake early tomorrow morning."

"Oh?" Kath stood up and stretched, pulling on her jacket and shouldering her bag. She was rather disappointed the evening had come to an end; she may have done most of the talking but Lady had been surprisingly restful company and seemed genuinely interested in Kath's stories of sports clubs and housemates.

"I have never lived with others," she had said, when Kath asked.

"Not even at uni? Thought it was mandatory there!" Kath had been truly surprised. But Lady had merely shaken her head.

"My father owns a flat in the centre of London, and I lived there."

Eek. No wonder she's so proper. That must be expensive...

"It was a sensible precaution," Lady had said, vaguely, without explaining what it might be a precaution against.

A cool breeze had started up and the two women walked in swift step down the darkening high street towards the Tube station and bus stop. And it came out of nowhere, just like that.

She's here! We have found her. So much power here. SO much life. We can feed!

Kath gasped, clutching her fingers to her temples as the ache began. Lady had frozen, her head thrown back, her lips parted in a sudden snarl.

"Kath. I need to...get to the station." And with that, she'd darted off down one of the small alleyways off of the high street.

"Wait!" Kath protested, feebly, waving a hand - Lady had moved like a shadow, pressing herself to the alley wall, lighter and quicker than Kath could keep up with, all her sports training aside. The ache had receded and now there was just confusion, and it was that as much as anything that led her feet numbly to stumble down the alley Lady had darted off through. What's through there? The green? What is this? What the hell is happening? And beneath that, a tiny, crowing voice: I knew it! I was right! Gran was right...

And there, at the end of the alley, between a closed chocolate shop and a row of terraced houses, stood Lady, her suit jacket a crumpled ball on the ground and her blouse sleeves rolled up to the elbows, facing Kath - no, facing the thing that stood between Kath and the green beyond. Once again she seemed taller than she really was, and her eyes were ablaze, her stance weighted to spring forward, her fists balled. But it was the thing she was blocking the escape of from which Kath couldn't tear her eyes.

He - it - was humanoid, of sorts - but...wrong. Too tall, limbs too long, too waxy - it wore a business suit but the fabric hung loosely and awkwardly as it hunched forward.

"We've searched for you for so long, meddling little halfbreed," it hissed at Lady, and raised a hand. Before Kath's eyes the hand lengthened, turning into claws - knifeblades - long and impossibly sharp.

"You go no further," said Lady, lifting her front foot just a little, a coiled spring ready to moved...to attack. In that stupid skirt suit? Kath crammed her hands over her mouth to stop the insane giggle welling up, but some sound must have escaped, because both Lady and the creature spun to stare at her.