There was a long pause, during which I could almost hear my heart hammering in my chest. I had nothing else to say. And then, in ones and twos, and then in groups, my family applauded, accepting my words. They bowed their heads to me and then turned away and dispersed, heading back into the Hall. Not an overwhelming response, but it would do. For now. I looked around, but Harry had already disappeared. Running off to report back to the Matriarch, no doubt. I did see the Armourer, taking time out for a quiet cigarillo, and he gave me a cheerful thumbs-up. I nodded, and went back to join Molly.

“Fight the good fight?” she said. “As opposed to the bad fight, I suppose. What the hell’s a bad fight?”

“The kind where you lose two hundred and forty good men and women,” I said. “I can’t do this alone, Molly. I need help. Professional help. People who know how to fight a war.”

“The clock’s ticking,” said Molly. “Where are you going to find these people in time?”

“Precisely,” I said.

CHAPTER NINE - Out of Time

CHAPTER NINE

Out of Time

Penny came marching towards us with a determined look in her eyes. “Keep going,” I said to Molly.

“We could run,” she said.

“Lacks dignity.”

By which time Penny had caught us up anyway. She planted herself right in front of us, hands on hips, glaring at me. I smiled pleasantly back, like I hadn’t a care in the world, knowing that would annoy her the most.

“We have a problem,” Penny said flatly.

“Really?” I said. “You do surprise me. And let me guess: It’s all my fault, right?”

“Maybe,” said Penny. “Janissary Jane has gone missing. Disappeared without trace. There isn’t even any record of her leaving the grounds, which is supposed to be impossible with all the new security systems we’ve had put in place since your return.”

“Jane’s a professional,” I said calmly. “She comes and goes as she pleases. Still, it’s odd she should just disappear, without saying anything. Any clues?”

“Just the one. A note, pinned to her door with a knife. It said, Gone to get really big guns.”

“Yeah,” I said. “That sounds like Jane, all right.”

“She must have taken the losses at Nazca personally,” said Molly.

“Jane’s a soldier,” I said. “She’s fought in demons wars, seen whole civilisations die around her . . . If Janissary Jane thinks we need bigger guns, we must be in even more trouble than we thought. Still, she’ll be back.”

“Hopefully with really big guns,” said Molly.

“Anything else?” I said to Penny.

“While I’m here, I would like to remind you about the decisions the Inner Circle made in your absence.”

“I hadn’t forgotten,” I said.