The Mortal Knife

by D. J. McCune

  ‘That’s not the maddest bit.’ Spike’s voice was low and intent as he zoomed in on the photo, focusing on the two figures. ‘People keep talking about the bomber and saying they found bits of him – but no one is even mentioning this other guy. I’ve been digging around a bit and the police know there were two people there – but they only found the remains of one man. So who the hell is the other guy? And where’s his body?’

  Archie squinted at the screen. ‘Maybe he was the bomber’s friend? Or maybe he was just some tourist and that’s why no one knows who he was.’

  ‘But what happened to his body?’ Spike persisted. ‘Even that close to a bomb, you don’t just disappear. There would be some of you left. I mean it would look more like mince than body but it would still be there.’

  ‘Maybe it vaporised.’ Adam cleared his throat and struggled on. ‘You know, with the force of the bomb. Like people in nuclear bombs. They just kind of vanish.’

  Spike shook his head. ‘Not hot enough mate. They should have found some of him left, even if it was a good distance away. You know, a bit of foot in one of the fountains or something.’

  ‘Shut up!’ Adam said. He was on his feet without quite knowing how he’d managed to get there. His hands, resting on the table, were clenched into fists. He had seen it all – the body parts, the shredded clothing, the woman lying bleeding with her mouth moving silently. And the screams. He could still hear them in his head, the way they started slow, like whimpers and built into something loud and shrill and full of terror. ‘Stop talking like that! Like it was … in a computer game or something!’

  Spike stared at him unperturbed. ‘What’s your problem? They didn’t find the other guy, so he must have escaped – which basically makes him a real ninja. Nothing wrong with tracking him down. And no one else died. If some loony wants to blow himself up, just be happy he only took himself out of action. Everyone else was OK.’

  ‘They weren’t OK,’ Adam hissed. His anger was a bright, hot pulse, squashing the air out of his lungs, even though he knew it wasn’t Spike’s fault. ‘Just because they didn’t die it doesn’t mean they were OK! How could you see something like that and be OK?’

  Dan nodded. ‘Tell me about it.’ He narrowed his eyes and appraised Adam. ‘Maybe you should get some counselling too.’

  Adam almost snorted but managed not to. He tried to imagine sitting down and telling his whole sorry tale to some unsuspecting therapist. The counsellor would need counselling by the time Adam had finished … ‘It’s just mad someone doing that. And seeing the photo.’

  Spike shrugged. ‘You’ll be able to see even more by the time I’m finished with it. I’ve got some software at home I can run the photo through. See if I can get the faces.’

  Adam stared at him in horror but before he could speak someone cleared their throat behind him. ‘Hi Adam.’

  He turned around and froze. Melissa was standing there, the faintest hint of a smile on her face. He stared at her for what felt like a full minute until someone kicked him under the table, bringing him back to his senses. ‘Ummmm … hey. Hi. How are you?’

  ‘Yeah, good thanks. How was your holiday?’

  Adam couldn’t stop looking at her mouth. He remembered exactly what it felt like. It had haunted a couple of his dreams over the last week. His cheeks began to slow burn even thinking about those dreams … ‘Yeah, it was good. Brilliant.’

  She looked confused for a second. ‘Oh right. I thought it would have been rubbish. You know with being grounded.’

  Adam frantically backtracked. ‘Yeah, it was crap, really rubbish. But good too. You know, because it was a holiday. Even though I was grounded. But yeah, it was good. And crap.’

  She blinked but thankfully decided not to press him on the issue. ‘So I have to go to the art room today but maybe we could hang out at lunchtime tomorrow?’

  ‘That would be great,’ Adam said, somehow managing to sound cooler than he actually felt.

  ‘OK, great,’ she said and smiled. She looked around Adam’s friends and her smile faltered a little in the face of three pairs of shocked eyes staring at her. ‘Erm … sorry to interrupt. See you tomorrow.’

  ‘See you,’ Adam said, beaming after her. He watched her walk away and turned back to his friends, who were still gaping. ‘What?’

  ‘She came to find you! The fish came to find you!’ Dan’s eyes were like saucers.

  Adam groaned. ‘Stop calling her a fish!’

  Dan ignored him. ‘But she still likes you! Even after everything, she still likes you!’

  Archie held out his fist and waited for Adam to bump it. ‘Mate, you are totally in there. You’re a legend. You threw up on her and she still wants to see you.’

  ‘I mostly missed her … ’ Adam muttered, shame-faced at the memory of his not-so-romantic Valentine’s night with Melissa. It had ended in him showering her feet with vomit, courtesy of Michael Bulber. With hindsight he should never have taken a crisp off the Beast, never mind a whole drink spiked with illicit internet substances. No wonder it had tasted so horrible.

  ‘Yeah, I wonder what the Beast will make of you hanging out with Melissa in school,’ Dan mused. ‘I mean, you may have emptied the net beneath his nose but swimming about dangling bait in front of the great white is just asking for trouble.’

  ‘Enough with the shark metaphors already,’ Spike muttered. He was staring intently at the laptop once again. Adam eyed him cautiously. According to Dan, Spike had harboured a secret crush on Melissa but had never acted on it – at least not beyond lurking in the corridor outside the art room and stalking her online. That was the thing about Spike – no matter how smart he was, he always had to approach things from sideways on, sneaking in, finding access points. The problem was that approach didn’t work for everything. You couldn’t hack your way into someone’s affections. Sometimes you just had to tackle things head on.

  Like now for example. Adam tried to keep his tone casual. ‘So what’s this software you have for zooming in on pictures?’

  Spike shrugged. ‘It’s the same kind of thing the police use to enhance images. I’ve modified it a bit though. Plus this image is better quality than CCTV, even though it’s pretty far away.’

  Adam frowned at the figures on the laptop. Now the initial shock had subsided he wasn’t as worried. After all, the bomber and he were both blurs – plus Adam was mostly turned away from the camera. He’d been wearing giant sunglasses and had his baseball cap pulled down over his face … The baseball cap! A sudden shockwave ran through him. Dan had brought him the baseball cap back from a holiday in America – and had brought the same hat for Spike and Archie too. If Spike actually managed to zoom in on the logo … would the others recognise it? Adam stood up, feeling rattled, just as the bell rang for the end of break. Trying to play it cool, he shrugged. ‘Well, you’re wasting your time. If the police haven’t managed to find anything I don’t see how you’re going to.’

  Spike glanced up and his eyes gleamed. ‘I’ll take that as a challenge.’

  Adam tried to smile but as he walked away he had a horrible feeling getting Spike off this project would be like parting a starving Rottweiler from a steak.

  Adam could hardly keep his eyes open on the bus on the way home. His teachers, apparently incensed at a week’s holiday, had cracked the whip all day and given him enough homework to keep him going until he was forty. He yawned, trying not to nod off on the shoulder of the girl beside him. Now she was out of the school grounds she had replaced all her facial piercings and if Adam slumped towards her he was likely to end up impaled.

  As he trudged the short walk from the bus stop to his house, he thought about Melissa and felt a rising sense of excitement – followed almost immediately by a wave of terror. The thing was, he’d gone to see her and kissed her just after the bomb had gone off, riding high on a wave of adrenalin – the courage of the damned and all that. But what was he going to do tomorrow?

  Adam sighed. Having a girlfri
end was a big no-no in the Luman world. Betrothals were semi-arranged by well-meaning parents, although never against the will of the parties involved. Because of this Lumen didn’t really do the whole dating thing – which meant Adam was completely clueless about the art of seduction.

  His brother Luc had managed to overcome this particular hurdle – but that was just Luc. He had the gift of the gab and an easy charisma that filled Adam with a potent blend of envy and admiration. In fairness to Luc, he had attempted to help Adam on Valentine’s night – and had also brought him safely home after Michael Bulber’s stealth attack.

  There was no point asking his friends for help either. None of them had girlfriends and they weren’t likely to have in the short term. Archie liked girls with the kind of impossible proportions that existed only in his sketchbook (and what could kindly be described as ‘niche’ websites). Dan burned with hopeless passion for the elf maidens on the pages of his fantasy books and Spike was too intent on world domination to ever admit to anything as petty as actual emotions.

  So, for now, Adam was on his own when it came to wooing Melissa. She’d told him he needed to practise kissing, so he’d taken her at face value and tried to practise on his own hand. The trouble was it tasted revolting – kind of warm and salty. Maybe he should have smeared some lip balm on it first.

  He reached home and pressed his palm to the electronic scanner pad on the stone pillar beside the wrought-iron gate. The house was hidden from view behind a high iron fence, dense shrubbery and lots of old trees. The electric gates opened smoothly, then swung closed behind him on silent hinges.

  Adam kicked his way up the gravel driveway, unmoved by the graceful grey stone house with its leaded windows and heavy front door, stained glass gleaming above the dark wood. Of course, what could be seen above ground was just the tip of the iceberg. Underneath the clipped lawn and ornamental trees the ground was hollowed out into vaults, crypts and a huge ballroom and dining chamber. He trudged round the side of the house, heading for the back door in the hope of a quick snack in the kitchen. Sam and Morty had been running free in the paddock but as usual heard his approach and ran to greet him, barking in welcome. They were huge – Irish wolfhounds trained as herding dogs – although it was souls they herded, not sheep.

  After an energetic wrestling match he escaped from the dogs and into the kitchen. He was hungry and tired and needed some thinking time. He would throw together a quick sandwich, take it up to his room and have some chill-out time. Just some quiet thinking time, that was all he needed …

  The kitchen door burst open and Nathanial came in, looking uncharacteristically flustered. ‘Adam! Thank goodness! We were about to send out a search party. You need to go upstairs and get changed as fast as you can.’

  ‘Why?’ Adam protested.

  Nathanial’s face was grim. ‘Because we’ve been Summoned.’

  A few minutes later Adam was pacing up and down the tiny TV den. Auntie Jo and Adam’s younger sister Chloe were sitting on the sofa half asleep. Both were smartly dressed; or at least Auntie Jo wasn’t wearing a kaftan, which was pretty much as smart as she got. She didn’t even look like her brother Nathanial – where he was tall and thin, Auntie Jo was short and plump. Where Nathanial was always smartly dressed, Auntie Jo looked like she had dressed in the dark and then jumped backwards through a hedge just to finish off the job. The only things they had in common were their pale complexions, dark hair and blue eyes. Adam, like Auntie Jo, hated getting dressed up. He had changed from his uniform into a suit, seething with resentment.

  ‘Stop pacing,’ Auntie Jo grumbled through a mouthful of toast. ‘You’re making my head hurt.’

  ‘Last night’s whisky is making your head hurt more like,’ Adam muttered but he perched on the arm of the sofa beside Chloe. There had been an unexpected visitor – Alexander, Heinrich’s son. Heinrich was Chief Curator – head of the Concilium, the Luman authorities. He and the other Curators had sent their sons around the globe, gathering Lumen, both male and female. Adam’s heart rate had slowed down a little when he realised they weren’t just looking for him. Aron and Luc had been sent to Summon the other British Lumen. Adam got to stay at home thanks to being at school – and his habit of getting nosebleeds every time he swooped. No one wanted a blood-spattered waif arriving on their doorstep.

  ‘But why are we being Summoned?’ Chloe said. ‘Who are we being Summoned by?’

  Auntie Jo yawned hugely, exposing a horrible mouthful of mushed-up toast. ‘The Fates of course. Don’t you remember your lessons? I didn’t spend all those afternoons teaching you Luman history just so you could forget every word of it!’

  Chloe scowled. ‘How could I forget? Maybe if I’m lucky I can pass it on to my kids someday, since I can’t be a Luman. What a thrill that will be.’ Every word dripped sarcasm.

  Adam felt a sneaking sympathy for Chloe and Auntie Jo. Only men could be Lumen, not women. The irony was Nathanial needed all the help he could get, especially because Adam was so rubbish as a Luman. Chloe and Auntie Jo would be far better Lumen than Adam – but female Lumen were expected to stay at home cooking, cleaning and having babies. Unless of course they were Auntie Jo, who remained stubbornly unmarried and instead spent her days watching zombie movies, reading online horoscopes and consuming vast quantities of toast and whisky.

  Auntie Jo sighed. ‘Someday Luman laws may change and you’ll be able to be a Luman. Until then you need to keep the knowledge safely in your head, ready to pass on – just like I did for you.’

  Chloe’s mouth set in a defiant line. ‘I know the paths of the Unknown Roads inside out. I should just break the law! Just swoop off and guide a soul before anyone can stop me. After all, Adam broke the law and they haven’t killed him yet!’

  Adam glared at her. ‘I’m allowed to send souls into their Light. I just shouldn’t have done it on my own before I’ve come of age.’ He wasn’t of course going to admit the rest, especially the bit about saving other people or deliberately not giving the soul any directions for the other side. Those bits really would get him killed.

  Chloe shrugged. ‘Anyway, I don’t see why we have to drop everything when the Fates call.’

  Auntie Jo rolled her eyes. ‘A Luman’s job is to assist the Fates, that’s why we drop everything. And yes, they take orders too. But they’re higher up the food chain than us and that makes them important. It’s actually an honour to see the Fates, you know. Most Lumen never get to see them because they serve for such a long time.’

  ‘So what’s a Summoning?’ Adam had tried to play it cool but he was just as curious as Chloe.

  ‘Well a Summoning usually happens when one of the Fates has gone into her Light. They live a lot longer than us if they want to but they’re not immortal. Sooner or later each of them will stand aside and a new Fate take their place. I don’t know for sure but Atropos has been there for a long time. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s the one who stood aside and needed a successor.’

  Adam shivered. He didn’t remember everything Auntie Jo had taught him but he did remember the role that every Fate played. Clotho was the spinner, who wove each human life into existence. Lachesis was the rod-bearer, the Fate who measured out the lifespan appointed to every human. And Atropos … well, Atropos was the thread-cutter, keeper of the Mortal Knife – the knife which cut the thread of every human life. Of all the Fates, she was the one most to be feared. Especially if, like Adam, you were a rogue Luman, saving souls you shouldn’t be saving.

  Elise hurried in, still pushing one pearl earring into place. Adam glanced at his mother, feeling his usual discomfort in her presence. He had always been a disappointment to her but after last weekend’s events she could hardly bear to look at him. Her voice was husky with cigarettes, making her French accent more distinct. ‘Your brothers have returned. We must go.’ She nodded her approval at Chloe, rolled her eyes at Auntie Jo’s scruffy attire and frowned at Adam. ‘Fix your tie! Vite!’

  His mother was always a
n elegant perfectionist but today she seemed nervous. Adam gritted his teeth and followed her into the hall. Nathanial was pulling on his camel-hair coat while Aron, his eldest brother, shifted uncomfortably in his suit. He liked working out and the jacket looked tight across his burly shoulders. Luc as usual seemed completely at ease.

  Nathanial glanced around and smiled. ‘You all look very smart.’ He was holding a small leather pouch and when he emptied it a mound of stones gleamed in his palm. ‘You’ll each need one of these. It’s very important that you don’t lose it.’

  Adam took a stone and examined it curiously. It was a crystal of some sort, cloudy glass with a dull shimmer. He could hear Chloe admiring it.

  Nathanial held his up. ‘This is a token. We are travelling to the Realm of the Lady Fates – a great honour. It is likely that you will never enter this realm again. Only someone possessing a token from their realm can find the Fates. Have you all got your keystones?’ He looked satisfied at their nods. ‘Good. Let’s go.’

  Too late Adam remembered the one crucial item he had forgotten. He cleared his throat. ‘I … erm … I need to get something.’

  Six pairs of eyes of eyes swivelled towards him. His mother made an irritated sound. ‘What have you forgotten?’

  Adam’s cheeks felt like they were on fire. He stared at the hall floor. ‘I need a handkerchief.’

  There was a puzzled silence, then Nathanial put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. ‘It’s OK, Adam. We’re not guiding a soul so we won’t be swooping there. You won’t need to worry about a nosebleed.’

  Adam blinked at his father. ‘But how are we going to get there?’

  Nathanial raised an eyebrow. ‘We’re going to walk.’

  Chapter 4

  The Mortsons traipsed out into the garden. Sam and Morty were back in their pen, keystones gleaming on their collars. They were working dogs but for today they were staying at home. When they realised this their tails drooped and they whined in protest.