Emyr walked across the carpark toward the school gates. It was quieter now that the last of the students had left. A lone bird called out and Emyr shivered as if hit by a memory. A cool breeze worried around the tarmac, drifting between the parked cars and the dark green shrubbery. It pushed at the sweet wrappers and rattled the half empty drinks cans. It teased the fallen leaves, tempting them into a lazy dance. Circles of late autumn flashed against the wet tarmac, in a delicate chorus line. The bird called out again and Emyr stopped walking. It felt as if he were being pulled into a dream, like this was the beginning of some old song, a childhood ditty his mother used to hum. The breeze strengthened and the line of leaves danced across the carpark towards Emyr’s feet.

The Sirens go to Church Door Cove Sequence. PART 1

***

“They broke the rules of the Hunt!” Jynn’s voice rang out from the centre of the Circle. “They violated the sacred oath. The oath we all took in the name of the Mothers, to do no harm to a member of another Family. When I made my mark on the human and claimed him as my prize that should have been the end of it. Yet in that moment The Many did not stop. They were moving to attack us.

Were Peck’s actions reckless? Undoubtedly.

Did she brake that oath? Yes.

No-one, least of all my apprentice, would deny that.  But she acted instinctively and only to protect her fellows. Only to ensure the sanctity of the Hunt and only after The Many refused to yield!

Her actions need to be judged, and by the Mothers The Collectoris will judge them, but she acted with an honour and a courage that seems to be sorely lacking in the Circle at this moment.”

Jynn, stood proudly at the crystalline centre of the Circle and placed her hand on Peck’s shoulder. She looked at her apprentice, the youngster’s face coloured by doubt and uncertainty. You are a foolish girl. But you see this universe in a way that I don’t, in a way I cannot even pretend to understand, Jynn smiled at Peck.  I may be older and wiser but I have to admit that I am set in my ways. I see something bright and terrifying in you, Peck, something I think we will all need in the future. Peck tried to smile back at Jynn. 

“She will be judged here, in The Circle. I will not have squirreled away to your school. Her crimes must be answered,” S’Uba’s voice filled the chamber like a thunder cloud.

“What of the crimes committed by The Many?” The Herald stepped forward. “Will you judge them too? Or is that for another day?”

Jynn looked up at The Herald. His edges pulsed with a delicate silvery lace, a strange mix of deference and defiance. Be careful Herald, Jynn thought as she turned to look at S’Uba. You’re playing a dangerous game. If you are right about all this then she is a coiled viper, and she is sitting at the top of a pretty big nest!

 Alaw burped, They’ve changed brands again, she thought. Cheapskates, how hard is it to stick to the good barbeque sauce? Not like they don’t make enough bloody profit here; this place is always full. There’re enough sad sacks in this town to keep this dump going till the judgement day. She was happy enough though, nestled in her favourite spot next to the gurgling, dust covered radiator. Sat on a comfy but worn blue and yellow striped chair, under a couple of faded music hall posters. She shuffled around in the pockets of her patched and oversized greatcoat and pulled out a very old handkerchief.

This pub also afforded her a certain level of anonymity, amongst the waifs and strays Alaw blended in here despite her singular appearance, which had proved very useful in her line of work. She blew her nose loudly, and flashed a saccharine smile at the, not hiding her disgust at all while trying to enjoy a large glass of cheap white and having a loud but painfully private conversation on speaker phone, young woman sat just across from Alaw.