Page 95 of The Falconer

Oh, confound it. He knows perfectly well he never gave me any reason to ask. It’s just another blasted secret of his. I’m considering keeping a tally of all the questions Kiaran evades, so that when each answer is finally revealed at some incredibly inopportune moment, I can look at the count and remember how much he hides from me.

Derrick bursts up into the air from the drawing, his wings buzzing as his body begins to glow silver. ‘I still can’t believe your sister designed this. She was far more wondrous than I gave her credit for. But the two of you really—’

‘That’s enough,’ Kiaran snaps through clenched teeth.

‘Really what?’ I ask, thoroughly annoyed now.

Derrick flaps his wings once and casts a glance at Kiaran. Kiaran shakes his head once in reply.

‘Nothing,’ Derrick says brightly. ‘Nothing of import.’

I’m going to add Derrick’s evasive responses to Kiaran’s tally, which will surely grow to fill whole volumes.

‘Well,’ Gavin mutters, ‘that wasn’tremotelyawkward.’ He reaches for my tea. Without asking my permission, he gulps it down.

If Kiaran wants to keep his secrets, then to the devil with him. ‘Fine,’ I say. ‘Just tell me how to work the blasted device.’

Kiaran draws close. ‘These symbols on the rings –’ he taps them on the paper ‘– have to be aligned correctly.’

I examine the drawing for any discernible pattern to their current arrangement. ‘Are they aligned now? Can’t I just memorise this?’

‘They’re only partially aligned.’ He studies the design intently. ‘I remember some of how this works, but I can’t be sure my sister didn’t change the mechanism when she altered theiuchair. From what I know, these are the first lines of defence.’ He gestures to the three outer rings. ‘When they shifted, thecù sìth, the redcaps and thesluaghwere able to slip the mounds. It looks like she saved the strongest symbols with the most power to contain thedaoine sìth. They’re the ones intact for now. But beyond that, she’s the only one alive who would know how the rest are aligned.’

I consider every combination of the symbols but can see no repeating pattern on the inner rings. ‘Well, where is she?’ I ask. ‘Can’t you contact—’

Kiaran visibly stiffens. ‘No.’

‘Well, this has all been . . . enlightening,’ Gavin says. He rises and waves a hand at the drawing. ‘Look, I can’t help you with this. I can’t fight them like the rest of you can. I’ll just be in the way.’ His eyes flicker to Kiaran. ‘You were right, you know. Ours is a talent wasted on the useless.’ He strides out of the room.

‘Gavin!’

I stand to follow him, but Kiaran grasps my wrist. ‘Don’t. You can’t fix this, Kam. There isn’t anything you can do for the Seer right now. Let him go.’

Reluctantly, I sit down. I hate every part of this situation. Sighing, I pick up the drawing.

‘Focus,’ Kiaran says. ‘Once thedaoine sìthare released, there won’t be much time to reactivate the device.’

‘Iknow.’ I’m well aware of the consequences if we fail.

The city will fall because of me, because I’m too weak to save it. There are certainly times when I overestimate my abilities, reassuring Kiaran that I’m powerful enough, and if he tells me otherwise, I’ll shoot him with my lightning pistol.

But saying I’m strong doesn’t make it so. This isn’t the time for a display of false mettle. I will either live to save us all, or I will die in battle and condemn countless innocents to death. Nothing else matters.

Seeing my expression, Derrick flies to my shoulder and presses himself against my cheek and strokes my hair, trying to comfort me.

‘Let’s discuss a plan, then,’ I say. ‘When, precisely, will the device fail?’

Kiaran leans forward. ‘When the moon becomes totally eclipsed, a portal will open in the meadow under Arthur’s Seat.’

‘Right,’ I murmur, picturing the Queen’s Park in my mind. Arthur’s Seat is the highest point in the park, overlooking the place where I landed the flying machine when we found the seal. ‘How effective will the light barrier surrounding the device be?’

‘It won’t last long,’ he says. ‘A singledaoine sìthcould eventually break it down with a sustained surge of power. It’ll fail much quicker if enough of them attack it together. Killing some of them will give you more time.’

‘So we’ll fight first. The meadow in the Queen’s Park is flat enough ground for a battle,’ I say, sipping the last drops of tea Gavin left in my cup. ‘If we herd them into the meadow and slim their numbers, I can make a break for the device and work on the alignments while the light is still intact. Can you keep them busy on your own while I’m doing that?’

Kiaran looks doubtful. ‘It depends on how well we do in the initial attack. How much time do you need?’

I study the drawing, running through the complex web of symbols I need to piece together to make it work. ‘Five minutes?’ Good God, more like five years.

---