The Seven. Peter Newman

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СКАЧАТЬ I don’t care how old you are, if you don’t stop biting everyone I’ll have you turned into stew, okay?’

      The goat’s eyes narrow.

      ‘I’m serious this time.’ Vesper points a finger for emphasis, then reaches into her bag. ‘But I got you this. I don’t know why I bothered though, you ungrateful monster.’

      She tosses a leathery strip to the goat and pats her on the head. The goat sniffs at the offering and then starts to eat it, ignoring the affection as best as possible.

      Vesper goes back to the house and stops at the door. Her hand lifts as if to knock but hovers there, uncertain. She can just make out sounds from inside. Adult voices talking, and a younger voice rising above them. Yelling? Is it play or some kind of argument?

      A knot forms in Vesper’s stomach and her hand remains poised.

      At her back an eye opens and the wing squeezes her shoulder again. Vesper does not need to turn round to see the sword’s silent encouragement.

      ‘Alright,’ she murmurs. ‘I’m going in.’

      She knocks once, so soft as to be inaudible. The sword frowns at her back and the wing squeezes more firmly. Vesper knocks a second time, louder.

      The sounds on the other side stop.

      She takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly, then opens the door and goes inside.

      Vesper passes through the hall quickly. Each glance is bittersweet, conjuring childhood memories and showing their inaccuracies. Cupboards are the wrong colour, the walls show signs of age, and everything is smaller than she remembers it.

      Except the kitchen. One of the walls has been knocked through to make space for a new table. Around it, four faces gawp at her.

      She waves and smiles, awkward. ‘Hi.’

      As one, they rise to greet her.

      It is hard to know who to attend to first. Before she can decide, Jem is on his feet, moving in close. He leans in, kissing her, arms circling her shoulders only to stiffen as they knock against the sword.

      She has barely had time to register the kiss or enjoy it before he is pulling away.

      They study each other, noticing the little changes. She has grown as tall as him but seems taller, standing straight where he slumps. His eyes are as sharp as ever but there are smudges underneath, hinting at sleepless nights. A good diet has softened his features, save for his smile which remains feral.

      Looking at his face, she cannot tell if that smile is aggressive or not.

      Before either of them can speak, another voice interjects. ‘Vesper, is that you?’

      Her Uncle Harm is reaching out for her, tentative. She takes his questing hand in both of hers and squeezes. ‘It’s me.’

      They embrace, and Harm’s fingertips move up to her face, skimming over cheeks, the bridge of her nose and her forehead. He nods, content. ‘No new scars. That’s a good sign.’

      ‘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 СКАЧАТЬ