The Disappearance of Ember Crow (20 page)

“A well-balanced blend, if I do say so myself,” Leo said in satisfaction. “You must pay close attention to your dreams tonight.” He paused, and then added, “I study taffa dreams, you know.”

As if I hadn’t noticed. But I knew the signs of someone who wanted talk about their particular obsession. It was exactly how Trix acted about her giant hoard of quandong seeds. “Do
all
those books have dreams in them? That’s amazing!”

Leo shrugged offhandedly, but I could tell he was pleased.

“Rachel’s never had a taffa dream,” Jules said, in a tone which indicated this was a terrible tragedy. “She’s from Gull City.”

Leo’s eyes sparked with interest.
Because the only thing obsessive types enjoy more than showing off the collection, is educating people about the collection
… He could educate me all he wanted if it encouraged him to help us. “You must know a lot about taffa dreams. What do you think they mean?”

“Some say that the dreams show us the past,” Leo answered. “Others say it’s the future. I believe both those things are true.” He leaned closer. “Except I also believe the dreams can show us the Balance itself. A glimpse of a single moment from what lies beyond.” His expression grew introspective, dark eyes staring at something I couldn’t see. “I have spent my life in search of the perfect moment.”

He looked sad – no, more than sad.
Bleak
. Had I done something wrong? I cast an alarmed glance at Jules. He didn’t seem concerned, just drank his taffa and motioned to me to do the same. I wasn’t enthusiastic about consuming any more of the stuff, not after that weird whisper, but I knew I had to. Leo wasn’t going to trade until the taffa was gone.

I took another sip, and waited. There was no whisper. I was starting to relax when a voice rolled across my mind.

I am She-Who-Stalks-by-the-Light-of-Stars-and-is-Adored-by-All-Who-Gaze-Upon-Her. You may call me Starbeauty
.

It took all the self-control I had not to jump off the couch. Was I the only one hearing that? I certainly seemed to be. Jules was chugging taffa, and Leo was staring broodily into his cup.
Where is the voice coming from?
There was only me and Leo and Jules in here. Then my gaze fell on the cat. What had Jules called her?
Misty
.

It was the sort of name that a human would give a cat. Only I’d bet it wasn’t at all the kind of name a cat would give herself. I stared at her. She stared back out of smug green eyes, twitching tufted ears in my direction. She seemed to be a totally ordinary desert cat.

I am the First
.

Or maybe not.

I tried answering in my head.
The First?

For all things, there must be a first. I am the First Cat. I thought I was the oldest of those that survived the great chaos. But your grandfather is older even than me
. There was a reluctant note of admiration in her voice.
A most ancient and powerful being
.

I have been travelling
, Grandpa had said,
and met others like me
. When I got back to the Firstwood I was going to have to ask him exactly where he’d gone. Apart obviously, from here. These were so
not
the best circumstances to be encountering an old earth spirit – and Leo and Jules were staring at me again. They’d finished their taffa, and I hadn’t.

I began to gulp it down, and called out to Starbeauty,
Does Leo know what you are?

No. I am not certain he knows how to know
.

That actually made sense to me; it wasn’t an easy thing to absorb the presence of ancient spirits in this world.

I do not wish to worry him. He is my pet
.

I choked on taffa.

Jules slapped me on the back as I coughed and spluttered. After a few moments I got control of myself and managed to swallow the last of my drink. The second I set down my empty cup, Jules reached into his pocket and drew out the little bag. He put it on the table, loosening the top to allow a single bean to spill out.

Leo straightened. “Are those …”

Jules nodded. “Blackout Greys.”

The Lion reached down to pick up the bean between thumb and forefinger, studying it. He was impressed; it was a good start.

I’m here to rescue my friend
, I said to Starbeauty.
She’s in a lot of trouble. If you’ve got any advice on how we can persuade Leo to help us …

If I help you, you will be indebted to me
.

I’ll pay you back, I promise
. I knew it was reckless to say that to an ancient spirit, but I didn’t care. I’d do anything to save Em.

She leaped down and padded across the floor to jump onto my lap.
Is this supposed to be the help?
I asked, stroking her silky fur.

Starbeauty didn’t answer, just purred.

Leo put the bean carefully on the table. “What is it that you want for these?”

“Information,” Jules answered. “On our old friend Terence.”

“Something you don’t feel able to ask him yourself?”

Jules spread out his hands. “He and I have had – a falling out.”

“Indeed?” Leo eyed him up and down. “May I compliment you on being surprisingly healthy. People who have a falling out with Terence generally begin to feel rather ill.”

Jules grinned. “I’ve found a way to solve that problem. Leo, we think Terence is holding someone here in the city.”

“A red-haired girl?”

“Yes!” I exclaimed. Leo and Jules both looked at me – Leo with interest and Jules with a frown.

“Um, I mean,” I stammered, “yes, that’s who we’re trying to find.” Then, because I couldn’t help myself, I asked, “Do you know if she’s okay?”

“From what I understand, she is well enough,” Leo replied. “And I do not think she is being ‘held’. She appears to be with Terence of her own accord.”

“The situation is complicated,” Jules said, shooting me a glare that I had no difficulty in interpreting as “
shut up
”. “Is Terence staying in his usual place?”

“He is.”

I heaved a silent sigh of relief. Even if Leo wouldn’t help us, we had a location, and Jules knew the layout of that house.
We can save her
.

“I won’t attack Terence, Jules,” Leo warned. “Not even for Blackout Greys. It would invite retaliation, and I have no intention of starting a war with him. At least, not over some scheme of yours.”

“I’m not asking you to attack him. I just need to know exactly where the girl is in that house. And I want a way in. A quiet way.”

The Lion sat back, subjecting Jules and I to a contemplative stare. He wasn’t sure about helping us. I called out to Starbeauty,
What should I do?

Wait. He has not yet asked you the question he must ask
.

What question?

She didn’t answer. Leo’s gaze dropped to Starbeauty, then lifted to my face. “She does not usually take to strangers, although I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that you are good with animals, Ashala Wolf.”

I froze, clutching Starbeauty’s fur. She hissed, and I relaxed my grip as I stared at Leo.
He knows who I am!

He is a very clever pet
.

“Ah, Leo,” Jules began, “it’s–”

The Lion held up a hand. “Spare me the denials. Did you really think the leader of the Tribe could come into Spinifex City and I wouldn’t know?”

“Does anyone else know?” I demanded. “The government – or Terence …”

“Of course not,” Leo replied in an offended tone. “This is
my
city. And I have no interest in anyone discovering you here. In fact, quite the reverse. I do not want other governments in the world to begin paying attention to what is happening in Spinifex City. But,” he added, fixing me with a cold stare, “for exactly the same reason, I will not have a revolution here, Ashala Wolf. It will cause a disruption that could affect the taffa supply.”

“Believe me, I’m not here to cause a revolution.”

“Then why are you here? For this girl who does not appear to be in trouble, and who is involved with Terence in some way? A man who is known to loathe Illegals?”

Jules opened his mouth to speak. Leo shook his head at him. “No. I want to hear from her.”

The question he must ask …
He’d always known who I was, and he suspected my motives because of it. I thought reproachfully at Starbeauty,
You might have told me that he knows who I am
.

You are not my pet. And you should tell him the truth. About why you wish to rescue her
.

It wasn’t as if I had another plan. “I don’t have a scheme, and I’m not here to disrupt the taffa, or anything! All I want to do is save my friend. The red-haired girl. Her name is Ember, and whatever you think, she’s in terrible trouble.”

Jules chimed in. “It’s Terence you should be worried about, Leo. Ember is a Tribe member, and Terence brought her here. He’s the one who’s delivering problems to your door.”

Leo ignored him. “She is your friend?”

“My
best
friend.” I suddenly remembered the bleakness I’d seen in him before. I’d experienced enough loss in my life to know grief when I saw it.
I have spent my life seeking the perfect moment …
A glimpse into the beyond. The Lion knew what it was to lose somebody, and to be desperate to see them again.

I’d been keeping a tight control on my emotions ever since we’d arrived in the city. I stopped, allowing my own desperation to rise up and show in my face. “She’s in danger. She’s alone. And I won’t abandon her. So if you want me out of this city, help us. Because I’m
not
leaving without her.”

For an endless moment the Lion and I stared into each other’s eyes. Then he gave a slow nod. I leaned back, feeling at once shaky and triumphant.

I have given you wise and sage advice
.

And I’d thought Grandpa could be annoying.

Leo switched his attention to Jules. “I have someone in the house. I will arrange for them to let you in, and you can wear their face. It will allow you to move about undetected.” His hand hovered over the Blackout Greys. “Do we have a deal?”

“We’ll need to know exactly where she is,” Jules said.

“My agent will tell you that. But, Jules – I will only get you in. You must get yourself out.”

Jules nodded. “We have a deal.”

Leo swept up the bag.

“How long will it take you to organise this?” Jules asked.

“Not that long. Are you staying in your pod?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll get word to you there. You should expect to hear from me this afternoon, or tomorrow.”

“We’ll be waiting.”

Jules rose to his feet, shimmering back into Diego. Starbeauty jumped down from my lap to curl up at Leo’s feet. I stood as well, dusting cat hairs off myself as I followed Jules out.

I will not forget that you owe me a debt
.

I paused, hand on the curtain.
I figured you wouldn’t
. Then I hesitated, watching Leo. He wasn’t paying attention to me; he’d tipped the beans onto the table and was examining them one by one. He seemed so … isolated in his obsession. So sad. Would I have become like this, if I hadn’t had Georgie to help me after my little sister died? Probably. Even
with
Georgie and the Tribe, I’d only recently been able to remember the joy of Cassie’s life without being overwhelmed by the horror of her death.

On impulse, I said, “You know, I saw the sunrise over the desert this morning.”

Leo glanced up, blinking as if he was surprised to find me there.

“I’ve never seen a sunrise like that,” I continued. “The colours are softer where I’m from. Here it’s all reds and oranges, the same as the sand and the rocks. For a while, it seemed as if the land was in the sky, and the sky was in the land.”

He frowned. “Is there a point to this?”

“Yeah. I think there’re a lot of perfect moments in this world.”

He stared at me for a moment longer. Then, for the first time since I’d met him, Leo smiled. It was a surprisingly sweet smile, with something open and innocent and joyous about it.

“Go save your friend, Ashala Wolf.”

We had some time, so the three of us wandered through the market. A few hours and a good meal later, and we were all back in the pod, sitting on the floor among the crates of taffa.

“We should talk about who goes in to get Ember,” Jules said. He’d changed into himself again and was leaning over a piece of paper, sketching out a map of the house.

“All of us!” I replied.

“We’re trying to be sneaky, darling. I’m the one who’ll be masquerading as someone who belongs there. It’s better if it’s only me.”

“You won’t be able to convince Ember to go,” Connor pointed out.

Jules stopped sketching, and nodded in my direction. “You could tell me something to say to her, something that only you would know. She’ll come if she knows you’re here.”

She would too, because she’d realise I wouldn’t leave this city without her. It was still a bad idea. “You’re not going in alone!”

“No,” Connor agreed. “I’m coming with you, Jules. Ashala – I do think you should stay here.”

“
What?
”

“Ember will know you’re here the second she sees me, so we don’t need you with us to persuade her, and two people are better than three for getting in and out quietly. If there’s trouble you can’t defend yourself with your ability.”

“I can use the stunner!” But the second I spoke, I saw the problem with that idea. If I had the stunner, Jules didn’t, and he couldn’t use his ability to defend himself either. Which meant if we got into a fight with the minions, Connor would have to protect whoever wasn’t armed.

It would put him in danger, and I wasn’t going to do that.

“All right,” I agreed reluctantly. “I’ll stay behind.”

Jules still didn’t seem very happy. “You’d be better to give me the stunner and let me go alone.”

“You need someone to watch your back,” Connor said.

Jules shook his head. “Why don’t you both come out and say it? Neither of you completely trust me.”