head injury. Instead I explained why I’d gone to find Claire.
“Why didn’t you come back here? We could have got some help, or sent someone else; one of the other Warders.”
“If I’d waited and come back here they would have been gone before we got there. I only just caught them as it was.”
“For all the good it did you.” Blackbird shook her head. “One of these days…” she said, dabbing at the cut.
I told them about the flat and finding the blood stains. I neglected to mention throwing up over the balcony, but I did tell them about the state of the rooms and the absence of a body.
“So you think Raffmir took the body?” asked Blackbird.
“I’m fairly sure it was him in the van. He must have hired someone to steal the safe. By recruiting human help, they were able to remove the safe with all the items inside. They can’t do anything with it because they can’t open the safe, but now neither can we. They only have to keep it from us.”
“We can just make another set of knives, though, can’t we? Isn’t that what you did before?” asked Angela.
“Perhaps,” said Blackbird. “What about the horseshoes?”
“They were only there to protect the knives.” I said. “Fat lot of good they did in the end.”
“I still don’t understand,” said Blackbird. “Why take the knives now? We have almost ten months until they’re needed again. The ceremony isn’t until next October. They’ve given the game away much too early.”
“I don’t think Raffmir was expecting to see anyone at the Royal Courts of Justice,” I said. “And with Claire Radisson out of the way, who is there to raise the alarm about the missing safe? The woman outside Claire’s office clearly thought it was all routine. We wouldn’t find out until it was too late.”
“But why now?”
“Because no one was expecting it now. We’re close to the winter solstice, the time of balance, but they’re usually quiet at this time of the year. They can cross between the worlds and lay the foundations for whatever they have planned for next year. We already know they had long-term plans to eliminate the mongrel-fey using biological weapons. Who knows what else they’re doing,” I pointed out.
“I need to tell the High Court about this,” said Blackbird. “They can spread the word that the Raffmir is here. Maybe we can find out what the Seventh Court is up to before it gets any worse.”
“I thought we’d finished for today,” said Krane, taking his seat. “If I’d realised the Eighth Court would take this much time I’d have never agreed to it in the first place.”
“You didn’t agree to it,” said Teoth.
“No, I didn’t. So why are we back here? Is your plan to talk us into submission, Blackbird? An endless debate until you get what you want?”
He had a point. They had already debated for hours, firstly on whether there was precedent for another court, then on whether it could be formed without the agreement of all the other courts, including the Seventh. It seemed like Krane and Teoth would fight her every inch of the way. They had even argued over where she should sit. Krane said that she could not have a seat until they reached a decision on whether there would be an Eighth Court, but then changed his mind when Blackbird went to sit in Altair’s vacant seat. Then they had tried to seat her at the end of the row, but as she pointed out, that would place her directly next to Altair, should he return. On the other hand, she didn’t want to be in the middle of them all and have to divide her attention between those to the left and right of her. In the end, Kimlesh made a space between her and Yonna. At least there she felt she had some support.
“I have some information which I thought I should share,” she said, addressing all of them.
“Perhaps,” said Krane, “You have come to inform us that you will no longer be filling the High Court with waifs and strays and you have found some place of
“Why didn’t you come back here? We could have got some help, or sent someone else; one of the other Warders.”
“If I’d waited and come back here they would have been gone before we got there. I only just caught them as it was.”
“For all the good it did you.” Blackbird shook her head. “One of these days…” she said, dabbing at the cut.
I told them about the flat and finding the blood stains. I neglected to mention throwing up over the balcony, but I did tell them about the state of the rooms and the absence of a body.
“So you think Raffmir took the body?” asked Blackbird.
“I’m fairly sure it was him in the van. He must have hired someone to steal the safe. By recruiting human help, they were able to remove the safe with all the items inside. They can’t do anything with it because they can’t open the safe, but now neither can we. They only have to keep it from us.”
“We can just make another set of knives, though, can’t we? Isn’t that what you did before?” asked Angela.
“Perhaps,” said Blackbird. “What about the horseshoes?”
“They were only there to protect the knives.” I said. “Fat lot of good they did in the end.”
“I still don’t understand,” said Blackbird. “Why take the knives now? We have almost ten months until they’re needed again. The ceremony isn’t until next October. They’ve given the game away much too early.”
“I don’t think Raffmir was expecting to see anyone at the Royal Courts of Justice,” I said. “And with Claire Radisson out of the way, who is there to raise the alarm about the missing safe? The woman outside Claire’s office clearly thought it was all routine. We wouldn’t find out until it was too late.”
“But why now?”
“Because no one was expecting it now. We’re close to the winter solstice, the time of balance, but they’re usually quiet at this time of the year. They can cross between the worlds and lay the foundations for whatever they have planned for next year. We already know they had long-term plans to eliminate the mongrel-fey using biological weapons. Who knows what else they’re doing,” I pointed out.
“I need to tell the High Court about this,” said Blackbird. “They can spread the word that the Raffmir is here. Maybe we can find out what the Seventh Court is up to before it gets any worse.”
“I thought we’d finished for today,” said Krane, taking his seat. “If I’d realised the Eighth Court would take this much time I’d have never agreed to it in the first place.”
“You didn’t agree to it,” said Teoth.
“No, I didn’t. So why are we back here? Is your plan to talk us into submission, Blackbird? An endless debate until you get what you want?”
He had a point. They had already debated for hours, firstly on whether there was precedent for another court, then on whether it could be formed without the agreement of all the other courts, including the Seventh. It seemed like Krane and Teoth would fight her every inch of the way. They had even argued over where she should sit. Krane said that she could not have a seat until they reached a decision on whether there would be an Eighth Court, but then changed his mind when Blackbird went to sit in Altair’s vacant seat. Then they had tried to seat her at the end of the row, but as she pointed out, that would place her directly next to Altair, should he return. On the other hand, she didn’t want to be in the middle of them all and have to divide her attention between those to the left and right of her. In the end, Kimlesh made a space between her and Yonna. At least there she felt she had some support.
“I have some information which I thought I should share,” she said, addressing all of them.
“Perhaps,” said Krane, “You have come to inform us that you will no longer be filling the High Court with waifs and strays and you have found some place of
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