Guardians Book One - Magic Rising

Chapter Twenty Seven

The following weeks were intense.

"She's alive! Dear God, she lives!" Kath's housemate, Tim, had staggered in pretended shock when Kath had slowly unlocked her own front door, strangely shy of doing so. To her eyes, now, he looked unfamiliar and...if he could use magic, it'd be Pes'. He's a nurse. I can feel it. How he would heal. It had been so startling to see the potentiality of power behind her goofy bescrubs'd friend that he'd stopped and just stared at her staring at him.

"You alright? You drunk?! Here, come and sit down..."

He'd led Kath to the front room and refused to let her up until she'd told him a loosely-accurate story of a 'friend's family troubles with lots of late nights' and that yes, glassy-eyed stare aside, she was completely sober. Day, unseen, had whisked around Kath's front room, taking in the endless piles of DVDs, the empty pizza boxes, the photos of parties and holidays blu-tacced to the walls.

And, against Lady's advice, she went back to the office on Wednesday, too. Unfortunately a particularly vigorous sparring session had left her with large, dramatic-looking bruises up and down her forearms and when she'd thoughtlessly shed her jacket, James had stared.

"Kath? Thought you were off-season? Extra practise sessions?"

"Something like that," Kath mumbled guiltily. Her cheeks flared; lying to her friends just felt wrong, no matter what the cause.

James looked at her hard for a moment, right in her eyes. "You want to talk about it? Something's...going on, isn't it?"

Kath glanced away, unsure how to reply to that.

James just patted her shoulder. "Kath, I won't say anything to the others. It's alright, OK? If you want to talk, it's fine. But...we'll be OK, if you need more time off. Ignore them if they grumble." He jerked a thumb over at Mark's desk. "It's something to do with the new girl, isn't it? Knew there was something. Old friend of the boss and all..." He studied her face again. "Are you in trouble?"

Kath looked back at him. His big blue eyes were concerned, and beneath that, she could, now, feel something...something she hadn't met, something old and kind, something that could be so much more. To her own horror, her eyes started to well with tears. She rubbed them away sharply with the back of her hand; now James was looking really distressed.

"God, Kath! Don't cry! You'll set me off! What is it? This isn't like you?"

"I wish I could explain," she whispered, aware that Day had - perhaps through politeness, perhaps through mere curiosity - lingered by Kath's desk. "It's not trouble...not really. We're just fixing something and it's got a bit...big. And..."

"You're the only one that can?" James' voice wasn't even sarcastic, just understanding. Kath nodded.

"Well. OK. But. If I can help, let me know, alright? You're not alone." He gave Kath's shoulder a quick squeeze. "We're your mates. I'm your mate. Don't struggle by yourself if you don't have to, alright? Even Lady. Maybe we can help her, if she's got problems."

"You couldn't even begin to imagine," Kath said. I wonder if anyone's ever said that to her? Apart from Pes...and that's different. If she's ever just had a mate, someone who's met her as an adult and got on with, someone to be with and mess about with and have fun with? To let her know that she's not alone? "Look, she'll probably be back soon, when...we've sorted this out. She's a nice person. And she's alone. I want her - to have some friends, you know? Like this. Like, people who care and'd help her. Please give her a chance, alright? She is a bit weird but she's amazing, really. Please?"

James smiled. "Ah, Kath. Yeah, alright. I promise. That help?"

"More than you think," said Kath. "Being alone...that'd be the worst."

"You're not alone," James shook his head. "That's what friends are for. You twit. Hey!" Kath had dodged his play punch with speed. She grinned to herself, pleased some sort of muscle memory was kicking in.

"Anyway," she said. "What happened to Steven?"

James' smile became radiant. "Steven is wonderful and you know what? So am I!"

Kath laughed. "Glad to hear it." Every time she looked at him - at anyone - the more she learned, the more she was Seeing. How didn't I notice this before? How did I let my parents make me hide this? Is this how gran saw the whole world? I wish I could talk to her. Just once more.

And training with Lady continued. Every time Kath saw her - and Pes - too, they were...different. The curves of Lady's body reminded her of waves; the scars and pox marks of Pes' skin all told stories of plagues won...and lost. He caught Kath staring once, and turned away.

"Sorry," said Kath, guilty. "I just...it's not you. I mean, I'm Seeing stuff, that's all. More of you both."

"It is...it's alright. I expected it. This is how we see each other," Pes said. Lady walked up to him, rubbing her fingers over the worst of the pockmarks tracing his jawline.

"It doesn't matter," she said, fierce and low. "Not one whit. It is your heart I see."

"Me too," said Kath, "It wasn't a bad thing. I just mean, I see you both now." She smiled. "My housemate, Tim, you'd like him. He's a nurse. He kinda reminded me of you, Pes - not his personality..." she rolled her eyes. "He's a dork. But his...aura? Like, he's learning your kinda stuff. He knows what you know."

Pes smiled, catching Lady's hand and folding it in his. "That's all magic is. Balance. Good and bad. It's just...sometimes, one is more obvious than the other. But it doesn't mean the opposite isn't there." He jerked his head at Lady. "You should see her in a temper."

"That is untrue!" Lady flared, and Kath couldn't help but laugh. The days seemed so endless - the lingering summer heat, the care of friends, the ever-hovering and joyful presence of Day, her knowledge expanding. She'd brush strangers in the street and catch vivid scents of dark forest green, or the songbird harmonies of music. Stroking a cat made her fingertips tingle with flame and pride. How haven't I lived like this before? It's all so beautiful...

And late Sunday evening, sipping tea with Lady and Pes that she'd brought over from the little independent shop in Richmond, Lady's emergency Ikea sofa more or less accurately constructed beneath them, the phone rang.

"Yes? Yes. We shall be there at once." Lady hung up the phone. "Father requires us. My apologies, so close to the day's end."

"Oh?" Kath put aside her cup. Lady had a complete bone-white china set and the whole thing seemed a little Alice in Wonderland - the two women, Pes, and the floating cloud of Day, sharing a pot of Turkish apple tea in Lady's minimalist front room.

Lady's knuckles tightened. "He believes there are some occurrences and wishes to discuss them. Mama is on her way as we speak, scarcely an hour away, with Wisdom and Innocence."

"Fair enough," said Kath. "Where's the flat?"

"Regent's Park," said Pes. "On the edge. Nice and handy for when Lady was at uni."

"God, that must have cost a bomb!" Kath squeaked.

"An inherited one," Lady said. "Goodness knows we could never buy there." A thin smile momentarily covered the worry on her face. "Not even the Lord of Light can beat London property prices, from what I understand of the markets." Off Kath's glance, she shrugged. "I do understand finance and property. Otherwise I could little survive in this world...indeed, in my job. Some things I have had to learn. Of course, my study aided me there. Those were tiring times. Pes helped me finish typing some of my essays, betimes. In truth, there are some student houses in Regent's Park, so I was not out of place."

"And all-nighters don't mean a lot to me," Pes laughed. "Well. Shall we go?"

Regent's Park was beautiful in the summer evening, and Alexander's flat was something Georgian and white-marble, surrounded by perfectly trimmed bowling-green worthy grass, on the end of a terrace.

"Nice," Kath started to say, but as she stepped forward towards the porch, an expectant smile on her lips, something trembled in the air. She paused. Not magic. I can feel...

"Kath!" Lady screamed, but too late - without further warning, before her eyes, the flat exploded and the force of the fireball ripped through the windows with the hollow, deafening roar, hurling Kath backwards to the grass.