Amber & Ice

Chapter 20: Your hand is the only thing preventing me from frostbite

Two nights later, Dyo had thus far kept his promise to Ariadne: his meal with Athena had gone smoothly and it was hand in hand that they walked to the theatre the following evening.

The snow had long since melted, but the air was still frozen and it stung to inhale too deeply.

The streets were bustling with shoppers still piling into stores for the last of the winter sales. Dyo normally took the tube to the theatre, but he had met Athena in Downing Street and she had been strongly adverse to any suggestion of the Underground. "I'm boycotting it," she told him with perfect sincerity. "I refuse to pay for something which runs so far behind schedule. Walking gets me where I want to go on time and for free."

"But it's cold!" Dyo complained, jokingly pulling him coat around himself more tightly and shivering. "I can't feel my fingers anymore."

"Maybe I'm just squeezing them too tightly?" Athena suggested, letting go of his hand.

"Definitely not," he told her, recapturing it in his again. "Your hand is the only thing preventing me from frostbite. I am absolutely not letting it go!"

She giggled and let him pull her along the street, weaving in and out of the shoppers. 

They made it to the theatre just as the meeting was getting started. Athena would have entered quietly and slunk round to the back without attracting attention, or a glare from Bree. But Dyo had other ideas, noisily announcing their arrival with a loud call of "Evening, all," and marching them straight to the front of the stage.

Athena knew that her cheeks were burning pink and she tried to tug her hand from Dyo's so that that at least wouldn't stand out so much, but Dyo was having none of it and refused to let go. "Sorry we're a little late," he continued, either oblivious to her discomfort or enjoying in. "Athena has an aversion to public transport."

"Right... Getting back on topic..." Bree said as she rolled her eyes. She didn't look overly surprised and Athena wondered whether this was typical Dyo behaviour.

"As expected, the budget renewal has been announced and the Freedom Institute are already taking a hard line. Consultants spoke at 15 LUP campaign meetings alone this week and there will have been more of them speaking around the capital and country."

"Jason Leighton is expected to give a speech this weekend, extolling the virtues of a strong military presence..." Percy said, nudging his glasses further back up his nose.

"Where did you here that, Perce?" Orion asked. He and Ariadne were stood close to Dyo's left, but Ariadne seemed to be spending less time listening to the discussion than she was shooting glances in Athena's direction.

Percy smiled grimly. "The business feeds are buzzing with it at the moment; everyone is seeing it as a money-grabbing scheme and they're wondering how best to either sabotage it or join the bandwagon. My office, unfortunately, is on the bandwagon side; I have spent the day lobbying Leighton's office for a meeting." He sighed, sounding weary. "It's soul destroying. Our democracy is right back where it started!"

"But you are doing us so much good by staying where you are," Bree said, sympathetically. "This information, for example, we would never have without you. We all really appreciate what you are doing."

Percy smiled, but he still looked utterly demoralised.

Bree sighed. "Let's take a break. There's drinks and snacks over by the concessions stand. Help yourselves." She jumped down from the stage and walked towards Dyo and Athena.

"Dyo, can I have a word? I trust your new girlfriend will be alright alone for a moment."

"No need - she can come with me."