Stealing Phoenix

by Joss Stirling

  I knew I was making myself think such inconsequential thoughts to avoid dealing with the key point of the evening. The Seer had promised to use me as bait for Yves and I was in no hurry to find out what form this would take.

  Back at our ‘home bitter home’, I followed the Seer up to the fifth floor, hoping this would be the end of the evening, but I was not to be so lucky.

  ‘Phoenix, a word,’ the Seer gasped at the top of the stairs. He mopped his sweating brow with a red silk handkerchief.

  His court was waiting for him in his lounge, the women all cooing over his smart appearance.

  ‘Ladies, give us a moment,’ he announced, gesturing for them to leave.

  Watching them file out without a protest at their dismissal, I realized he had created a bunch of robotic women to serve his every need, like, what do you call them? Yeah, Stepford Wives. It was obscene. The Seer lowered himself onto his favourite spot on the sofa. ‘I am sure you understood what we want of you.’

  I shrugged, wrapping my arms around my waist. ‘I … I think so.’

  ‘You are to arrange to meet your soulfinder tomorrow. Tell him to come without alerting his brothers. He has to be alone or it will be the worse for you, understood?’

  Threats, threats, and more threats. ‘Yes, I understand. Where should I meet him?’

  The Seer rubbed his cheek. I hoped it was a sign of the onset of really painful toothache. ‘The Millennium Bridge. That way we’ll see if he really has come alone.’

  A suspended footbridge over the Thames between the Tate Modern art gallery and St Paul’s cathedral, it was a good choice for a clandestine meeting.

  ‘And then what?’

  ‘Take him into the Tate. We’ll meet in the Turbine hall.’

  ‘You … you are going to be there?’ I was unable to hide my shudder.

  ‘Of course. I have business to conduct with your young man. You’re not bringing him back here.’ He shifted, letting out a belch. ‘That reminds me. He’ll pressure you to tell him what this is all about. You must say nothing of what you heard tonight. As far as he is concerned your meeting is only about being his soulfinder. He’ll believe that soon enough if the legend of the soulfinder is true.’

  I nodded, appearing to agree as I did not know what else to do while my mind was so confused.

  He beckoned me closer and gripped my scratched arm. You will tell him nothing of what you heard tonight.

  I closed my eyes briefly, feeling sick as his power smeared my mind, destroying my free will in this matter.

  He let go. ‘Good girl. Now go get some sleep. Contact your soulfinder first thing in the morning and don’t give him long to make the meeting. We wouldn’t want him to have a chance to make counter-plans.’

  No, we wouldn’t want that, would we?

  ‘I’ll have Kasia monitoring what you say, so do not think to double-cross me in this.’

  ‘I wouldn’t dare,’ I muttered truthfully.

  ‘Goodnight, Phoenix. Oh, and leave the diamonds with Kasia, won’t you?’

  Relieved to be dismissed, I slapped the necklace and earrings in Kasia’s hand and backed out hurriedly before anyone else could try and get something from me. I hadn’t forgotten Unicorn’s attempt to steal a march on the Seer by making me promise yesterday to show him first what I’d stolen. That had proved to be a big zero, but I did not believe Unicorn for one moment had abandoned making other plans for his own benefit if he could think of a way to do so without crossing one of the Seer’s lines of loyalty. Fortunately, the Seer ordered Dragon and Unicorn to stay behind to discuss what to do tomorrow if Yves agreed to meet me. Not invited into this inner circle, my only choice was to return to my room and work out how exactly I was going to keep Yves out of this sordid mess.

  Slipping out of my finery, I hung the dress up on a hook behind the door and put on my pyjamas. I lay down for an hour but sleep eluded me. I got up and paced my room like a mouse running a maze in a scientist’s laboratory until three, when exhaustion made me curl up under the duvet. Among my worries was Tony, but I felt too scared to go and see him—any contact I had with my friend only made things worse for him and I guessed he would not thank me for bringing more attention to him. Was I really the cause of him ageing ten years, or had I stopped it before so much was taken from him? Unicorn’s power could not be reversed. No one had yet worked out how to keep someone young or the Seer would have been bottling it and selling it years ago; Unicorn could only speed up nature and make his targets age.

  And what was I going to do about Yves? I was going to have to arrange to meet him—if I didn’t do it willingly, the Seer would force me—but perhaps I could warn him somehow when we met as to what was truly going on? I’d be blamed, of course, when he didn’t come to the meeting at the Tate, but that was better than letting the Seer anywhere near him.

  I must have drifted off eventually because morning had already arrived when I woke up, the few birds that braved our part of town doing a brisk job of greeting the dawn. Taking a quick shower in cold water—my flat didn’t run to the luxury of hot—I dressed, making each piece of clothing like a bit of mental armour to defend myself against the day. Shirt—I had to protect Yves. Jeans—I had somehow to live through whatever punishment my failure to please the Seer entailed. Shoes—I must allow no more harm to come to Tony. Eventually feeling ready to make the first move, I sat cross-legged on the floor and reached out for Yves. Seven thirty. If I arranged to meet him in an hour, we would have the crowds of commuters using the bridge camouflaging us. That might make Dragon and Unicorn’s job of keeping track of our movements more difficult, something the Seer had not thought about when he proposed the meeting place.

  Yves. Hi, it’s me.

  Phee? Where the hell are you? He’d answered on the first hint of a message from me; he had to have been listening all this time.

  Good morning to you too. I smiled, sensing his huff of annoyance mixed with relief that I’d contacted him.

  Nothing good about it until I see you.

  Excellent—he had given me my cue. OK then. Meet me on the Millennium Bridge at eight thirty. You know where that is?

  No, but I’ll find out. Just tell me, are you OK?

  Good question. Just meet me. We’ll talk then.

  Phee!

  And come alone. Don’t get your brothers involved in this or you won’t see me.

  I cut the connection. He might have a pretty good idea of my direction now I’d reached out to him but I doubted he had the telepathic skill to pinpoint my location.

  Dragon, I’ve done as I was asked. I didn’t like using this method of communication with people in the Community— it gave them too much access to your mind—but I decided talking to Dragon this way was the lesser evil. I could get out without seeing them that morning.

  When? His thoughts in my brain were like the stamp of heavy machinery compared to Yves’s butterfly touch.

  Eight thirty. I told him to come alone.

  Jeez, Phee, you didn’t leave us much time to get there ahead of you.

  The Seer told me not to give him much warning.

  He didn’t mean it to apply to us too! And the Tate won’t even be open—did you think of that?

  No. But, hey, tough cookies. Not that I said that to him, of course. Sorry, I didn’t think.

  Yeah, yeah, you never think. Still, it’s done. We’ll be in position. The Seer can arrive at the Tate as it opens at ten—that gives him more time.

  I’m heading out now. Don’t want to be late.

  How’s the arm? I could feel a smirk behind the question.

  Been better.

  Remember, won’t you? You may think you’re daddy’s little girl, but that counts for nothing.

  He had no need to be jealous; I had no illusions about my importance. Don’t worry, Dragon, the diamonds wouldn’t have suited you in any case.

  I cut off, pleased to get in the last word for once. Dragon could hurt me, true, but somehow he no longer scared me,
not like his brother and the Seer.

  Vanity saw me dipping quickly back into the bathroom to put on a whisper of lip gloss and mascara. Though tired, I definitely looked better than my Wendy disguise. Perhaps Yves wouldn’t be ashamed to be seen with me in public this time? It would be nice to think so. Hurrying out, I jumped on a bus heading through the City to St Paul’s. It wasn’t far but I still went upstairs to occupy the front seat, the one above the driver which gave you the illusion that you were in charge of the bus. I had to share it with a school kid who was listening to music on his phone so loud I swear I could hear the lyrics. The absurdity of the not-silent-headphones made me laugh and I hummed along until he started giving me dirty looks. His problem—if he didn’t want me to share his tracks then he really should invest in a better pair of earbuds. He was lucky I hadn’t nicked his mobile—normally I would’ve done so just to see if I could get away with it, leaving him mid-song, wondering what the hell had just happened.

  I admit it was strange to be in such a good mood when everything in my life was so dire. I could only explain it as a response to the awareness that I was going to see Yves again in a few minutes, my soulfinder. I didn’t need to steal other people’s stuff to give me a mood-lift because I could steal myself a little happiness just imagining that things were different.

  I got off the bus in the shadow of the great cathedral. White walls rose from the narrow streets like cliffs of grubby sugar candy. This close you can’t see the dome well, but I knew it was above me, sitting on the cathedral like one of the serving dishes the waiters used at the Waldorf to cover the plates as they brought them to the table. I could imagine a heavenly hand coming out of the sky and lifting it off with a flourish, revealing the tourists and tombs inside.

  Sun was shining on the Thames as I walked down Peter’s Hill. The sounds of traffic mingled with the shouts of the boys in the grounds of a school right by the footbridge. I was swimming against the tide as commuters battled up the hill towards the City from the rail terminuses south of the river. It was exciting to be among so many people, to feel briefly part of the vibrant life of London. I could almost imagine I had a proper reason for being here, a job perhaps in one of the cafés on the South Bank, a normal life with friends and a fl at somewhere cheap in the suburbs. Some people might think that a boring life choice, but to me the independence sounded like heaven.

  I didn’t have my own watch so I stopped a harassed-looking woman hurrying north, one of the few not occupied with talking on her phone. Without breaking step, she crisply informed me that it was eight-fifteen. Perfect—I had plenty of time to get in position. I thought the centre of the bridge would be the best spot, giving me a chance to watch out for trouble from either direction. I had been serious about ducking out of the meeting if Yves brought his brothers with him. Stepping onto the bridge, I admired the catapult-shaped supports, musing that, if my heavenly hand had finished serving the cathedral, it could pick up one of these and fire a pellet at Kent.

  Shaking my head at my absurd imaginings, I wondered if anyone else saw things like I did. Would Yves understand the way my mind worked?

  ‘Phee?’

  I almost jumped out of my skin at the light touch on the shoulder. I spun round—Yves, of course. He’d got here before me and had lain in ambush by the entrance to the bridge. For all my plotting, I’d forgotten that he too would have made his own plans in the short time I’d allowed him.

  ‘Yves, you came.’ I pressed my palm to my pounding chest.

  ‘You didn’t leave me much choice.’ He glanced behind me. The sunlight kissed his skin, turning his tan golden. He made me feel like some mortal visited by a demi-god in one of those Greek tales—and none of them had ended well for the human if I recall. ‘Are you on your own?’

  I nodded. I was—sort of. ‘Are you?’

  His face could not hide the brief spasm of his annoyance that I’d doubted him. ‘You asked me to come alone so I did. You need to learn to trust me.’

  I started walking, leading him to the centre of the bridge, away from the dangers that lurked near the busy entrance. Anyone could hide there. ‘And you need to be more suspicious. Not everyone can afford to be so trusting.’

  He let that pass without comment but instead caught up with me.

  ‘So, to what do I owe the pleasure of my summons this morning?’

  I could forgive him his sarcasm: our encounters up to this point had not been promising.

  ‘I don’t want to steal anything from you today, if that’s what you’re asking.’ I dug my hands in my pockets.

  ‘Can I hope that this is you finally realizing that soulfinders have to stay together?’

  We reached the middle of the bridge. I leaned on the balustrade and gazed down into the muddy-green waters of the Thames. An orange plastic bag tugged against the plinth of the bridge support, rippling like a poisonous type of seaweed. Yves stood next to me but his eyes were on my face, not on the river. ‘Phee?’

  I didn’t want to answer his question. I just wanted to stand for a few stolen minutes with my soulfinder, enjoying the sunshine and the feeling of quiet happiness that being with him gave me despite everything in our way. ‘You know, Yves, you are a really lovely person.’

  ‘Why does it always sound as if you are saying goodbye?’

  Because I was. ‘You have a great family too from what I’ve seen. You’ll be OK.’

  He folded his arms. ‘What are you trying to tell me?’

  ‘I think if you stayed with me, I’d be very bad for you.’

  He shrugged that away. ‘Soulfinders can’t be bad for each other—they are each other. We aren’t complete apart.’

  ‘You see, Yves,’ I picked at the paintwork, ‘the thing is I’ve been brought up in a … a bad crowd and I can’t get out of it.’

  ‘I’ll get you out.’ The firm line of his mouth told me he would not settle for less.

  ‘My leader controls us.’ I could feel a nervous shiver running down my spine but so far I hadn’t broken any rules set down by the Seer; I was only forbidden to say what I had heard yesterday. ‘I tried to tell you what it was like, about the things that happen where I come from. My friend was … hurt in my place because I’d been seen with you.’

  All stiffness went from his stance. He closed the gap between us and put an arm round my shoulders. ‘I’m sorry, Phee. Is he OK?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ My voice sounded thin even to me. ‘And then yesterday I met some new … well I suppose you’d call them “allies” of my leader. I can’t tell you what was said, but it isn’t good—for you, I mean.’ A pain like a drill in my skull warned me not to say any more. I took a deep breath. ‘That’s all I can say.’

  ‘Phee?’ His tone was gentle.

  I looked up at him, wishing I could lose myself in his warm brown eyes.

  He stroked my cheek with a finger. ‘You don’t have to look after all of us, you know? You worry for your friend, for me; when are you going to let someone care about you?’

  I swallowed, tears close. No one had ever put me first. I didn’t expect it.

  ‘And I don’t think you really understand about soulfinders.’ His fingers were trailing fire over my too-sensitive skin, tracing the line of my jaw, the hypersensitive place by my ear. ‘Sure, you know the theory but you’ve not seen it in practice. My parents are soulfinders—and I’ve had months to watch my brother Zed and his soulfinder, Sky, together. Forgive me, but I think I know more than you do on this subject.’

  ‘You do?’ Why was my voice so husky?

  ‘Hmm-hmm.’ He bent a little closer. I could feel him shaking a little, as if he wasn’t sure if I was going to push him away again. He didn’t realize that I was caught up in the magnetic attraction too. ‘I can see you are not going to believe me unless I show you.’ He gave me a shy smile.

  ‘I’m not?’

  ‘No.’ Sliding his arm down to the small of my back, he tugged me towards him until our bodies were touching, his boldness g
rowing as I made no sign to discourage him. ‘You know, I quite liked Wendy, despite her old-lady clothes and funny attitude to Geoscience, but I really like Phee: she’s beautiful, determined and protective. I was so wrong yesterday to say I was disappointed to be matched with a thief—I gave you no credit for doing what you had to do to survive and I want you to know that you could never, ever disappoint me.’ I could feel his breath on my cheek; my eyelids fluttered closed of their own accord as he closed the gap. His lips began a gentle exploration of my mouth, peppering soft kisses at each corner. ‘Relax—I won’t bite,’ he whispered, caressing the side of my face to get me to soften my jaw.

  I unclenched my teeth and began kissing him back. His tongue tickled my lips then eased in to caress my mouth. I could feel my knees beginning to turn to water; all that was stopping me from crumpling was his hand at my back holding me tight against him. I could feel the heat of his palm against my spine, fingers carefully flexing against my taut muscles as he coaxed me to let myself trust him. I’d never felt so precious to anyone before in my life—so respected. And I had thought he wasn’t sure of his moves around girls; boy, was he proving me wrong! This guy aced this test as he did all others.

  He was the one to break the kiss. I came out of my lovely dream with his forehead pressed against mine. An elderly passer-by gave us an indulgent smile, reminding me that we were in the middle of a crowd. ‘Young love,’ the man muttered to his companion, patting her arm. ‘Remember what that was like?’ They strolled on, heads bowed together affectionately. Yves grinned after them, then turned back to me with a very male smile of satisfaction.

  ‘Understand now?’ he asked.

  I wasn’t sure. I’d been set on fire and could not put out the flames. My body seemed to spark with new energy as if, after months with batteries running down, I’d just been connected to the mains. I ran my fingers over my mouth. ‘And I thought you didn’t know much about girls.’

  He frowned. ‘Why? Did I do it wrong?’

  I gave a shaky laugh. ‘No. But your brother said—’

  ‘Oh, you heard that, did you?’ Yves laughed and brushed a strand of hair off my cheek. ‘I won’t claim his broad expertise but I’ve kissed my share of girlfriends.’