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‘I could say the same to you.’
He chuckles. ‘It’s good to have you home.’
Of all of them, Harm has changed the least. A few extra laughter lines, a couple of grey hairs. Taking comfort from that, Vesper turns to her father and the little girl standing next to him.
She looks down.
A small face is staring back up at her.
Dark curly hair frames sullen eyes and downturned lips. The girl’s skin is darker than hers but lighter than Jem’s. The swirling lines that cover her body have become more pronounced in the intervening years, not less as Vesper had hoped. This is why her daughter has been kept away from the Shining City. The people of the Empire of the Winged Eye are not ready to deal with such obvious signs of the taint, however slight. Inwardly, she swears that will change in her lifetime.
The girl glances up to Vesper’s father, nervous.
‘Hello, Reela,’ says Vesper. ‘It’s me, your mother. I’m back.’
There is a pause. Her father gives a reassuring nod to the little girl before gently nudging her towards Vesper.
Vesper goes down on one knee and opens her arms. ‘It’s okay, I won’t bite.’
The girl comes forward and accepts her mother’s hug. Vesper wonders if perhaps things will not be as bad as she feared.
They all flinch when Reela screams. Ducking under Vesper’s arms, she runs past, the scream bouncing up the stairs until it is silenced by the slam of an upstairs door.
For several minutes, Vesper talks, banishing the rejection of her child with talk of bigger things. Increasingly, her arms wave with enthusiasm. Three men sit round the table, listening: her father, her uncle and her lover.
Reela remains upstairs. From time to time she can be heard jumping around her room and squealing. The sound of boards creaking and high-pitched laughter grow steadily louder.
Vesper tries to ignore it but her right eyelid twitches in time with each new interruption.
‘And,’ Vesper concludes, ‘it means we’ll have a place to meet and solve problems, but more than that, we’ll be creating another way to live, where we talk first instead of fighting.’ Another bang from above makes Vesper wince. ‘Where children like Reela can grow up without knowing fear.’ She pauses but nobody speaks. ‘Well, what do you think?’
She looks at each of their faces. Harm’s is a delicate balance, support laced with concern. Her father looks down at the table, frowning. Jem just looks angry.
Several thuds and a shriek from the heavens do little to break the tension.
Harm leans forward, his voice soft. ‘I think it’s very brave what you’re trying to do.’
‘But?’
‘But I’m not sure the Empire is ready. Have you thought about how it might hurt Reela?’
Vesper shakes her head. ‘I’m doing it for Reela and all the others like her. She shouldn’t have to hide in the shadows because the Empire is too small-minded to deal with change!’
‘I agree but you risk making her into a target.’
‘But when you came to the Shining City, Uncle, you didn’t hide.’
Harm smiles sadly. ‘That’s true but I came of my own free will and I knew the risks. And I wasn’t accepted until I’d been purged of taint, and even that is conditional on me living out here.’
‘It shouldn’t be that way. I’m going to put it right.’
‘The people of the Empire have followed you this far because you’ve moved slowly but if you start to directly contradict The Seven’s law … Well, it could end badly for all of us.’
An awkward silence descends. Vesper’s father continues to frown at the tabletop.
‘We saw the cube rising,’ Jem says. ‘Did The Seven do anything?’
‘No. They just flew off, into space maybe? I don’t know, and to be honest, I don’t care. We’ve waited for Them long enough already.’
‘What are you going to do now?’
She looks at him, puzzled. ‘Exactly what I was going to do before. If The Seven decide to make things better, maybe I’ll come back and live here. Until then, the Empire needs us.’
Jem swallows. ‘But … aren’t you afraid?’
She closes the gap between them and takes one of his hands in hers. ‘Of course I’m afraid. But it isn’t going to stop me.’
‘Us,’ adds Harm. ‘It isn’t going to stop us. We’re in this together. A family.’
‘I’m glad to hear it. Actually, it’s a relief. I don’t think my plan’s going to work without you.’
Harm smiles. ‘This sounds ominous.’
She smiles back. ‘I want you to guide the people here, the way you guided me.’
‘I’m no instructor.’
‘No, and I don’t want one. I want someone that can tell them about life across the sea. And, I want you to help them get the idea that not all infernals are the same. That’s what I tried to tell them in my speech but I don’t think they understand. It’s too big.’
Harm nods slowly. ‘It won’t be easy but I have a few ideas. Perhaps I’ll tell them some of my old stories.’
‘Yes, tell them about the city of Verdigris and about Tough Call.’
‘Alright.’
‘Oh, and you have to tell them about the Usurperkin there and how they’re part of the city.’
‘I will.’
‘And I think –’
Harm laughs and Vesper swiftly joins him. And then the two of them are recalling old times, trading names back and forth, swept up in the excitement. Vesper doesn’t notice Jem slipping to the back of the kitchen to make himself a strong drink. Her father does with narrowing eyes.
‘And don’t worry about Reela,’ adds Harm. ‘She’s not usually this bad.’
‘I’m not sure if that makes me feel better or worse.’
‘She’ll come round.’
‘Was I … like her? You can be honest.’
Harm shakes his head. ‘No, you were easier. But don’t worry, she’ll get through it. I think she just misses you.’
‘She’s got a funny way of showing it.’
‘Love can make people behave in very odd ways.’ He coughs, polite. ‘I can’t imagine where Reela gets it from.’
Jem clears his throat, the glass in his hand already half empty. ‘When are you leaving us?’
‘Soon.’
‘And how long will you be gone this time?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘A month? Six months?’ His lower lip curls down as he speaks, ‘A year? Another five years?’
‘I told you, I don’t know.’
‘Harm’s right, you’re going to put us in danger. The Shining City hates us.’
‘That’s ridiculous.’
‘Is that why the Lenses spy on us? They’re probably listening in right now.’
‘The Lenses have a whole world to monitor. They barely know you exist!’
Jem drains his glass, gets up. ‘Sounds familiar.’
‘Where are you going?’
‘Nowhere. If you change your mind, you’re welcome to join me.’
Vesper blinks back tears. ‘I have to do this, don’t you understand?’
‘Yes,’ replies Jem, bitter. ‘I do.’ He walks out of the kitchen. Shortly afterwards the front door slams.
The rhythmic bouncing from upstairs is interrupted by a loud thud, a brief pause, and then crying, shrill and persistent.
Vesper’s father glances towards the sound, then looks at Vesper.
She buries her face in her hands. ‘Not now … I can’t.’
With a sigh, her father rises. He touches Harm’s arm briefly, walks around the table to rest a hand on Vesper’s shoulder, then leaves.
They hear footsteps on creaky stairs, a door opening and closing. The crying becomes muffled, begins to move slowly from left to right above them. Gradually, it subsides.
Harm speaks into the quiet. ‘Why don’t you go up and see her? She misses you.’
‘Alright. Then I need to talk to Jem while there are no other distractions. There are things I need to say, in private.’
‘Good luck.’
She starts to head upstairs, giving Harm a grim nod. ‘Thanks.’
Somehow dealing with her daughter is more exhausting than managing an empire. Handing Reela back to her father and leaving the house is a relief.
She finds Jem standing by the base of the hill, looking out towards the Shining City, reminding her of when she used to do the same.
‘Here goes,’ she murmurs to the sword, strolling down until she stands alongside him. ‘Hi. Mind if I join you?’
He shrugs, sullen.
‘Look,’ she says, taking the sword from off her shoulder and laying it down. ‘I’m sorry I haven’t been around.’
A guilty look crosses his face and he seems to deflate. ‘Ah Vesp, I’m sorry for what I said in there. Ever since we got word you’d returned to the Shining City I’ve been waiting for you to come back, and at the end of each day I couldn’t understand why you hadn’t. I’d tell myself that you’d be coming tomorrow, or the day after, and look forward to us being close again. Believe it or not I’ve been excited. I even had plans for some nice things that we could do together.
‘And then when you did show, you started talking about leaving barely five minutes after you arrived. Another long trip overseas … I just couldn’t believe it. That’s when I lost my temper.’ He gives her a lopsided smile. ‘But I suppose you’ve worked out that last bit already.’
She matches his expression. ‘I had a bit of an inkling.’
‘You know, the last thing I wanted was to push you away again.’
‘I do. That’s why I’m here.’ He nods, the last of the tension ebbing from his stance. ‘Would you like to start again?’ she asks. ‘Pretend I’ve just got back?’
‘Please.’
They talk, fingers occasionally touching, tentative, negotiating the bad feelings to find their way to the good. By the time the suns are setting, the conversation flows more easily. Inevitably, it becomes nostalgic, returning to their early days together. There is laughter, genuine, and when it passes, an earnestness in Jem’s eyes.
‘I’ve missed you.’
‘I’ve missed you too.’
‘I hate to sour things,’ says Jem, ‘but I need to talk to you about Reela.’
‘Okay. She was tough today. Was she always this noisy?’
‘Yes. But it’s not her fault, it’s your father’s.’
‘How is it his fault?’
‘For one thing, he treats her too much, and for another, he lets her get away with murder. If she breaks something, or is naughty and I’m telling her off, he just picks her up and gives her a cuddle. It completely undermines me. And he gives me one of those looks, you know the ones?’
She sighs. ‘I know the ones.’
‘As if I’m the one that’s done something wrong.’
‘Have you tried talking to Uncle Harm?’
