The Last Guardian of Everness (War of the Dreaming 1) by John C. Wright

Author:John C. Wright [Wright, John C.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: 2010-04-01T06:00:00+00:00

11

The

Five Names

of

Lesser Mystery

I

Peter Waylock swore softly as his roaring machine (and now Azrael de Gray was convinced it was a machine, for a subtle test had confirmed that it had no soul) pulled into the driveway before a large, low, one-story house. Azrael could not see what danger caused Peter to call down damnation from his gods. Though there was a beacon of light, brighter than the moon, shining from a nearby pole, a sight that inspired Azrael to awe and alarm; Azrael had thought these were ordinary objects in this world. Peter cursed some other thing, no doubt.

But when he helped Peter dismount from the van, Azrael noticed five crows sleeping in a pine tree several fathoms away; three for a girl and two for a boy. He contrived to drop a bit of string from his pocket when he dismounted from the van. As he stooped to pick it up, he saw the string had curled twice widdershins: a sure sign that guests had come, and it was not the sign for strangers. The daisy next to which the string had dropped had six drooping petals. An even number: she loves me not. Someone inside, then, a woman with a man, a woman who was not a stranger and who had no love for Peter.

“Damn!” muttered Peter. “Look at that. What the hell’s she doing here?” Then, turning his head toward Azrael: “Your mother’s here with that man of hers. His car’s blocking the drive. Probably to come make a fuss over you. Not that they ever came to see you when it counted. Hospital must’ve phoned them.”

Azrael, who could see no chariots, nor anything else meant to be horse drawn, hid his amazement at Peter’s ability to read the signs. He had discovered more than Azrael, apparently with a quicker glance, obviously reading signs obscure to Azrael.

Azrael walked around the large, glass-sided metal box on wheels blocking his path, and looked up at the stars and clouds and nearby trees to see where Peter had divined his clues. But he could detect nothing, other than the obvious (the house was not warded; there were deer in the woods, no wolves; someone would shed tears before the evening was over) and he reminded himself not to underestimate Peter again. Even if Peter had repudiated the blood of Everness, the ancient magic still ran strong and deep in him, and the powers of the world could not for long hold secrets from him.

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