The Seven

‘Was I … like her? You can be honest.’

Harm shakes his head. ‘No, you were easier. But don’t worry, she’ll get through it. I think she just misses you.’

‘She’s got a funny way of showing it.’

‘Love can make people behave in very odd ways.’ He coughs, polite. ‘I can’t imagine where Reela gets it from.’

Jem clears his throat, the glass in his hand already half empty. ‘When are you leaving us?’

‘Soon.’

‘And how long will you be gone this time?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘A month? Six months?’ His lower lip curls down as he speaks, ‘A year? Another five years?’

‘I told you, I don’t know.’

‘Harm’s right, you’re going to put us in danger. The Shining City hates us.’

‘That’s ridiculous.’

‘Is that why the Lenses spy on us? They’re probably listening in right now.’

‘The Lenses have a whole world to monitor. They barely know you exist!’

Jem drains his glass, gets up. ‘Sounds familiar.’

‘Where are you going?’

‘Nowhere. If you change your mind, you’re welcome to join me.’

Vesper blinks back tears. ‘I have to do this, don’t you understand?’

‘Yes,’ replies Jem, bitter. ‘I do.’ He walks out of the kitchen. Shortly afterwards the front door slams.

The rhythmic bouncing from upstairs is interrupted by a loud thud, a brief pause, and then crying, shrill and persistent.

Vesper’s father glances towards the sound, then looks at Vesper.

She buries her face in her hands. ‘Not now … I can’t.’

With a sigh, her father rises. He touches Harm’s arm briefly, walks around the table to rest a hand on Vesper’s shoulder, then leaves.

They hear footsteps on creaky stairs, a door opening and closing. The crying becomes muffled, begins to move slowly from left to right above them. Gradually, it subsides.

Harm speaks into the quiet. ‘Why don’t you go up and see her? She misses you.’

‘Alright. Then I need to talk to Jem while there are no other distractions. There are things I need to say, in private.’

‘Good luck.’

She starts to head upstairs, giving Harm a grim nod. ‘Thanks.’

Somehow dealing with her daughter is more exhausting than managing an empire. Handing Reela back to her father and leaving the house is a relief.

She finds Jem standing by the base of the hill, looking out towards the Shining City, reminding her of when she used to do the same.

‘Here goes,’ she murmurs to the sword, strolling down until she stands alongside him. ‘Hi. Mind if I join you?’

He shrugs, sullen.

‘Look,’ she says, taking the sword from off her shoulder and laying it down. ‘I’m sorry I haven’t been around.’

A guilty look crosses his face and he seems to deflate. ‘Ah Vesp, I’m sorry for what I said in there. Ever since we got word you’d returned to the Shining City I’ve been waiting for you to come back, and at the end of each day I couldn’t understand why you hadn’t. I’d tell myself that you’d be coming tomorrow, or the day after, and look forward to us being close again. Believe it or not I’ve been excited. I even had plans for some nice things that we could do together.

‘And then when you did show, you started talking about leaving barely five minutes after you arrived. Another long trip overseas … I just couldn’t believe it. That’s when I lost my temper.’ He gives her a lopsided smile. ‘But I suppose you’ve worked out that last bit already.’

She matches his expression. ‘I had a bit of an inkling.’

‘You know, the last thing I wanted was to push you away again.’

‘I do. That’s why I’m here.’ He nods, the last of the tension ebbing from his stance. ‘Would you like to start again?’ she asks. ‘Pretend I’ve just got back?’

‘Please.’

They talk, fingers occasionally touching, tentative, negotiating the bad feelings to find their way to the good. By the time the suns are setting, the conversation flows more easily. Inevitably, it becomes nostalgic, returning to their early days together. There is laughter, genuine, and when it passes, an earnestness in Jem’s eyes.

‘I’ve missed you.’

‘I’ve missed you too.’

‘I hate to sour things,’ says Jem, ‘but I need to talk to you about Reela.’

‘Okay. She was tough today. Was she always this noisy?’

‘Yes. But it’s not her fault, it’s your father’s.’

‘How is it his fault?’

‘For one thing, he treats her too much, and for another, he lets her get away with murder. If she breaks something, or is naughty and I’m telling her off, he just picks her up and gives her a cuddle. It completely undermines me. And he gives me one of those looks, you know the ones?’

She sighs. ‘I know the ones.’

‘As if I’m the one that’s done something wrong.’

‘Have you tried talking to Uncle Harm?’