Guardians Book One - Magic Rising

Chapter Thirty Four

"Hey, Kath?"

Kath looked up from her renewal policies. "Mm?"

James looked sheepish, but determined. "So Steve fancied meeting some more of my mates, so I wondered if you wanted to grab a drink tomorrow after work with us, maybe?"

Kath tilted her head, considering. "Yeah, sounds fun! It'll have to be a quick one, though. I'm popping over to Lady's." She decided against telling him precisely why. Lady had finished the previous evening with a dire plan.

"I want to attack in return, not just parse a constant defence," she had said, her eyes gleaming. "They need to feel we are a threat. They need to be afraid. And thus I require you to help me track them, chase them from our city. Your training is advancing well. And – I commend your determination to learn."

Kath had nearly fallen over from the shock of an actual stated compliment. Truth to tell, she was pretty pleased, herself. She was already fit and strong, her tall height and lanky build were definite pluses and she was beginning to understand what it was to focus. Not to the inhuman levels of Lady, but enough, that she wasn't just reacting, but planning. Even so, to have had Lady say it aloud was unexpected. It was strange, but after all the constant training in nigh-silence, work seemed like a holiday.

James set his jaw. "I was going to say, actually...why don't you ask her to come along? I mean, she's all alone in that house, you said, right? Like...dwelling on...things, that's not healthy, she should keep busy. And you wanted her to be more involved. We're not scary, right?" He gave a brave grin.

Kath blinked. She'll say no. "Well...I mean, you sure? Since it's Steve's first meeting with any of us, right?"

"Yeah," said James, looking more certain. "That's why I thought it'd be nice for them both, right? They're both new, as it were, and just the four of us isn't too stressful for anyone. I mean, if you think she isn't...in the zone, sure, I understand..."

Kath sighed internally. On the one hand, she badly wanted to ask Lady along, get her out, get her doing something that wasn't, as James said, dwelling on things, or obsessively stalking up and down the length of the city. Even Pes was concerned at her behaviour.

"Don't you want to go back to work?" he'd asked her, rubbing her shoulders. Lady had just shifted irritably about.

"I do not have the time," she told him, and Kath knew it was only their old, old affection and respect that stopped Lady snapping the words out. Pes hadn't argued, but his dark, deep-set eyes had looked even more shadowed than usual.

"It's her way of coping," he had whispered to Kath. "I think. To a degree. But she has no...way of stopping. I can distract her for a bit, or go with her, but..." He had sighed. "But perhaps I'd feel the same. Perhaps they weren't always seeing eye-to-eye but...they loved each other. I know they did. You should have seen them, when she was little and he was teaching her to shoot. How close they where. How happy he was when she learned..."

Kath had conceded the point but she still thought Lady needed something to break her out of that cycle.

"I'll ask her," she told James, decisively. He smiled.

"Great! You'll love Steve. Just a nice, normal drink out. The Cricketers, maybe, on the Green. Somewhere chill. We'll be good company."

Kath couldn't help but laugh, remembering the last 'nice normal drink' she'd attempted in Richmond with Lady. James gave her an odd look.

"Oh, nothing," Kath rearranged her face into a more sensible expression. "Just remembering something. I'll let you know ASAP, OK?"

"Cool!" James looked pleased, although how much of that was duty regarding Kath's request to befriend the new girl, she couldn't tell. "Want a coffee while I'm up?"