Stealing Phoenix by Joss Stirling

Author:Joss Stirling [Stirling, Joss]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Supernatural
ISBN: 9780192757197
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2011-09-17T22:00:00+00:00

First through the doors as the Tate opened, we entered an empty Turbine Hall. This exhibition space was cavernous, like an ugly back alley in a giant’s castle. The current display added to the uncanny atmosphere: huge metal spiders crouched splay-legged on the concrete, invaders from space in a 1950s ‘B’ movie poster. Several hung suspended as if about to descend on our heads; tiny ones scuttled up the walls to exploit any cracks in human defences.

‘Nice,’ Yves commented ironically.

We wandered among the metal forest of arachnid limbs, killing time.

‘What makes an artist spend their life making these?’ I asked with a slightly hysterical laugh.

‘Exorcizing nightmares maybe?’

‘And giving them to us?’

‘Phee?’

We turned warily on hearing Dragon call my name. He was alone, standing framed by the pincers of the largest of the metal spiders.

‘Um … hi. Dragon, this is Yves.’

The two glared at each other.

‘We met yesterday,’ Yves said curtly. ‘Let’s hope modern art has a better day.’ He cast a significant look at the suspended spiders, reminding us all of the fate of the mobile at the Barbican.

Dragon gave a gloating smile. ‘Don’t go putting ideas in my head, mate.’

‘I doubt you need my suggestions to cause pointless destruction, dude.’

Enough sabre-rattling. ‘Dragon, I’ve brought him here as asked. What happens now?’

With the arm looped casually around me, Yves squeezed my waist, reminding me who was supposed to be in charge of this little confrontation. But if he insisted on picking a fight with Dragon before we’d even got off the ground with the negotiation, then of course I was going to intervene!

‘The Seer is here.’ Dragon folded his arms and nodded up at the wall separating the main body of the art gallery from the Turbine Hall. A couple of floors up, there was a window, a perfect vantage point from where our leader could look down on us, much like he did at home. Naturally, he wasn’t going to put himself anywhere near an enemy; he was too much of a coward, and he always sought to make us feel subordinate.

Yves curled his lip in a sneer at the white-suited hulk of a man surveying us. ‘Is that him?’

I felt humiliated letting him glimpse even this much of my background. ‘Yes.’ I could see Unicorn beside him. Kasia was probably lurking to check we weren’t using telepathy to anyone outside but I had forgotten to warn Yves of this possibility.

‘How are we supposed to talk?’ Yves asked. ‘Megaphone?’

Tell him I will speak through you.

I gasped as the Seer forced his message into my head. ‘Me. He’s using me.’

Yves rubbed my back in sympathy. ‘OK, then, let’s make this as short as possible. We can do without him bouncing round inside your mind. Ask what he wants.’

The details of the members of the Savant Net.

‘And what’s he going to do with that, as if I couldn’t guess?’

That’s for me to decide. Your soulfinder only has to hand them over. Tell him.

I couldn’t imagine Yves agreeing to any deal like that.

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