Faerie Wars

Thirty-four

Even though he'd only been away a single night, Henry was expecting major hassles about where he'd been and had a cover story prepared. He'd gone to see Charlie and her parents invited him to stay the night. He'd tried to phone home, but there was a fault on the line. It sounded convincing enough – he'd stayed at the Severs's often enough before – unless they'd phoned Charlie's house last night. Which they might well have done. If they had, he was cooked. Cooked twice because they'd know he was lying to cover his tracks. Except what could he do? He couldn't think of a better story.

But though he got home in a state of nerves, he found them too wrapped up in their own thing to care.

'Hi,' Henry shouted as he opened the front door. He was desperately anxious to get it all over. 'Sorry about staying out. Phone wasn't working. Slept over at Charlie's.' He waited. If they'd rung the Severs's, this was where he'd find out.

His mother popped her head out of the kitchen, frowning vaguely. 'Oh, Henry.' She blinked. 'We assumed that's where you were. Could you come in here a minute?'

Henry groaned inwardly. He was hugely relieved she'd bought his story, but this was going to be another of those hideous kitchen conferences. He prayed it would be short. What he really wanted was to go to bed.

His heart sank when he found his father was in the kitchen too, although it was long past the time when he should have been off to work. Another biggie. The only good thing was Aisling wasn't there. He stood just inside the door and waited.

'Henry,' his mother said – it was always his mother who spoke first at these happy little family get-togethers, 'your father is leaving.'

Henry nodded numbly. 'I know. You told me.'

But his mother shook her head. 'No, I don't mean in a few weeks or a month or two. He's found a flat.' She glanced at Henry's father, who smiled weakly. 'We've talked it over and we've decided there's no sense in prolonging the agony, so he's moving out this weekend. I just wanted to tell you again, to reassure you that this will make no difference at all to your, ah, situation. You'll still be here, you'll still have your room and your models. And your school. You and I and Aisling will still be together as a family unit and as we said before your father will visit frequently, so there's absolutely no question – '

'Fifty-fifty,' Henry said.

His mother blinked. 'What?'

Henry said firmly, 'I don't think it's right I stay with you all the time. I want to spend six months of the year with my dad.' He turned to his father. 'That's all right, isn't it? You've got room?'

'Ah – I – well, yes. Yes, of course it's all right,' his father said, his features a mask of surprise. 'Yes, if that's – I mean, if that's what you want.'

'That's what I want,' Henry said. 'I think Aisling should do it too, but that's up to her.'

'Just a minute, Henry,' his mother said quickly. 'This could be very awkward. There's your school and the whole question of…' She tailed off under Henry's silent stare.

'I'm sure you'll work something out,' Henry said as he turned to leave the kitchen. 'You're good at that.'

The flying pig was on the dresser in his room. For a moment it looked more alien than anything he'd seen in the Faerie Realm. He turned the cardboard handle and the pig took off along its pillar, wings flapping strongly.

Pigs might fly.

Henry shook his head, smiling slightly. It was astonishing what had happened. Amazing. Incredible. He pulled the ornamental dagger from his pocket and stared at it, remembering. Then he looked around. There was a shelf at the top of his wardrobe where he kept his modelling tools in a shoebox. Nobody ever looked in there. He opened the wardrobe and stepped back as junk fell out, then reached up for the shoebox. There was a smell of glue as he flipped back the top. It reminded him of Seething Lane.

Henry took the cube from his pocket. He'd a feeling he'd be using it again soon, but for now the thing to do was hide it away safely. He dropped the cube and his dagger into the box, then stowed it away on the wardrobe shelf. Despite everything, life seemed' to be looking up.

Iron Prominent, he thought. Knight Commander of the Grey Dagger.

And Holly Blue had smiled at him.