David was spooning a thick compote of fruit purée into Lublamai’s mouth, massaging it down his throat. Isaac was pacing listlessly across the floor. He was hoping that Lin would return home, find the note he had pinned on her door last night and come to him. If it had not been in his writing, he reflected, she would have thought it was a bad joke. To have Isaac invite her to his laboratory-house was unprecedented. But he needed to see her, and he was worried that if he left, he would miss some vital change in Lublamai, or some nugget of indispensable information.

The door was pushed open. Isaac and David looked up sharply.

It was Yagharek.

Isaac was momentarily amazed. This was the first time Yagharek had appeared while David (and Lublamai, of course, although it hardly counted) were in the room. David gazed at the garuda huddling under the dirty blanket, the sweep of the false wings.

“Yag, old son,” said Isaac heavily. “Come in, meet David . . . We’ve had a bit of a disaster . . .” He trudged heavily towards the door.

Yagharek waited for him, hovering half in, half out of the entrance. He said nothing until Isaac was close enough to hear him whisper, a strange thin noise like a bird being strangled.

“I would not have come, Grimnebulin. I do not wish to be seen . . .”

Isaac lost patience quickly. He opened his mouth to speak but Yagharek continued.

“I have . . . heard things. I have sensed . . . there is a pall over this house. Neither you, nor either of your friends, has left this room all day.”

Isaac gave a short laugh.

“You’ve been waiting, haven’t you? Waiting till it was all clear, right? So you could maintain your precious anonymity . . .” He tensed, made an effort to calm himself. “Look, Yag, we’ve had something of a disaster and I really don’t have time or inclination to . . . to pussyfoot about you. I’m afraid our project’s on hold for a while . . .”

Yagharek sucked in his breath and cried out, faintly.

“You cannot,” he screeched quietly. “You cannot desert me . . .”

“Damn!” Isaac reached out and pulled Yagharek in through the door. “Now look!” He marched over to where Lublamai breathed raggedly and gazed and dribbled. He pushed Yagharek before him. He shoved hard, but not with violent pressure. Garuda were wiry and tight-muscled, stronger than they looked, but with their hollow bones and pared-down flesh they were not a match for a big man. But that was not the main reason why Isaac was holding back from exerting himself. The mood between him and Yagharek was testy, not poisonous. Isaac sensed that Yagharek half wanted to see the reason for the sudden tension in the warehouse, even if it meant breaking his ban on being seen by others.

Isaac pointed at Lublamai. David stared vaguely up at the garuda. Yagharek completely ignored him.