Silas heads back to the hotel, Pyrdan having pointed out that they will all be more effective after some sleep. Both Aaron and Paul made excuses to remain in the map room a little longer. As he enters the foyer Rae stands up.
“If we keep meeting like this people are going to talk.” He jokes.
She looks at him witheringly and then heads for lift.
She doesn’t speak until they are in the suite and the door is firmly closed. Even then she drops herself into one of the deep leather arm chairs.
“I said I’d let you know if I found anything.” She states. “Well it’s not exactly found. It’s more of a remembered.”
She unzips the black leather jacket she is wearing and pulls out a scroll of velum tied with a black bow. Carefully she unties it and rolls it out on the coffee table.
The surface of the goat skin is covered in black brush strokes of Japanese calligraphy.
“Sorry I can’t read it.” Silas confesses.
“Id be worried if you could. This is Paul’s and he writes in a cypher.” She gestures to it “It’s an extract from his diary, an account of Ryan and Chris’s engagement. It’s so long ago I’d forgotten all about it. “ She leans back, looking tired. “The problem is Silas, as you may have noticed, that when you hang around with the Mellors that the weird becomes so mundane that you forget how strange it really is. And for that I owe you an apology.”
He looks at her quizzically.
“I should have realised when I was treating Amy that she was related to you, I should have told you then you would have had a chance to meet her.”
“I think that might have been a bit strange.” Silas confesses.
“Well. Ok. But at least I could have given you the option of it.“ She taps the paper. “This is another one of those moments.”
Silas sits down. “Go on.”
When Chris announced her engagement to Ryan, Paul pulled me off a Time Corp job so that we could be there. At first I assumed it was just the engagement thing, but just as the party was winding down all hell broke loose. There was a direct attack on the Island by a force of Bulmäs. Urox the really big guys. Well between us we managed to fight them off but it became clear that they had just been a distraction, and whilst we were out side taking on the main force they had sent in a small squad into the  house itself. They attacked a girl that was staying with Christine. Now she was another Human descended Bulmäs.”
Silas looks at her not sure where this is going.
“Ok I know they are pretty common where you come from Silas, but out in the rest of the realities Half breeds are not exactly well liked amongst the Bulmäs.”
“Well I had picked up on that,” he confesses.
“In fact anywhere other than your place, where they only was they could survive was to inter breed with the locals, you guys are a real faux pas, like bestiality or something. And most Blumas take great delight in hunting them down, and the parents, and killing them off. Now at the time, given the size of the attacking group and the lack of any other leads, I kind of assumed it was just one of those.”
“But now?”
“Well I realised I missed something at the time. The force in the house just left. They didn’t kill her and frankly they could have done. They were looking for some one else. Some man named stone house from the comments they made. When she wasn’t him they got confused and pulled out.  I asked Chris who she was and Chris tried to fob me off with the same bollox that she’d told every one else, that she was her niece, only at the time I know she couldn’t be. But that was before.”
“Before?”
She looks at him. Obviously trying to find the words she needs.
“Mum turned up at our place one day. She was, not annoyed, but upset about something. She wanted to know where you were. Paul stone walled a lot but eventually had to give in.” Rae laughs. “She can be very persuasive when she want to be.” She swallows. “Anyway Paul took her off some where. Through Caester.”
“To the beach?”
“I don’t know. I know they came back soaked.”
He nods, recalling the rain.
“Mum naturally speaks a very formalised dialect of ancient Japanese. It’s full of subtleties which most people missed, but I grew up with it. When she came back something had changed. You went from being referred to in tones of some business associate of Aaron’s to being family. I mean real inner family.”
Silas looks at her still not getting the significance.

Rae holds up her hands with five fingers and count them down. “Me, Rik, Dad, Corton, You. That’s it. Even Paul doesn’t get that honour and she brought him up for a while.”
Silas sits back. “Oh.” It’s like a weight hitting his chest. He knows full well why Suki would refer to him in the same terms as her son, but there is no way he can tell Rae.
 “Chris said Silvia was her niece. Mum classifies you as family. Now what’s the derivation of your name again?”
“Maynan or Tremain?”
“Does it matter?”
He suddenly realises that it doesn’t
“Bulmäs is pretty rough and ready, deals more with concepts than specifics, Stone house is not a million miles away is it.”
“Another attack on one of my descendants.”
“It was unsuccessful and might be unrelated, but I couldn’t take the risk that it wasn’t. If Paul hasn’t mentioned it, it could be that he has forgotten, or that he hasn’t actually been there yet, or he hasn’t realised it’s significant…”
“Or he is playing his cards close to his chest.” Silas observes.
“I was trying to be more charitable,” Rae replies. Then she taps the vellum again.” However this should remind him.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s ok. I just felt you needed to be warned. This has a feeling of something big. The woman that attacked Amy and drove her out of her world. Well lets just say she was taking her time. From what little Amy said her attacker was very sadistic. And it needs a certain level of evil to stand and watch a daemon feed and do nothing to save the victim. I see it occasionally in Paul. When his other side gets the better of him.”
“Aaron has his moments too.” Silas recalls. Thinking about the revenge on Herne.
Rae looks at him, obviously she has similar memories of her own… “Yeah.”
“Even you told me to rip her throat out.” Silas reminds her.
She signs. “May be we all have our dark sides.” She concedes. “Except Suki. She even pleaded clemency for Mikan.”
Silas looks at her confused.
“Oh way before you time. Before mine If I’m being honest. Back when the temple was first being set up. Mikan was responsible for Suki’s death.”
“Death?” Silas looks concerned.
Rae shrugs “She got better. I’m not sure something to do with Corton giving up some of his life. He seems to like doing that. Anyway at the trial Suki argued for clemency for Mikan. In the end he was allowed to commit sepaku rather than being given the death sentence.”
Silas looks at her confused.
“Believe me Silas there is a major difference.”
“But you are still dead right?”
“Well yeah, if you only want to look at it that way.” She concedes.
She shakes her head. “Any way that’s ancient history and this is now.” She pauses very briefly. “And I meant it. I just want you to be sure that you are ripping out the right throat. Whoever is doing this is playing mind games. They are trying to get you rattled.”
“They are succeeding.” Silas admits.
“Exactly. You need to stop and think. Make sure that the target is the right one, and not some patsy that’s offered up as a convenient focus for your rage.”
Then she stands up to leave.
And he realises how tired she looks. “You could stay” he offers.
“Thanks but no. As much as I am knackered, I really can’t take up your offer of a bed.”
“I’d sleep on the couch.” He assures you.
“You say that like you’d have the choice not to.” She observes pointedly. Then she smiles “No. It would be a bit weird. Besides I have a baby sitter to rescue.”
As she heads for the door he calls after her.
“Be careful Rae.”
She turns and smiles. A genuine look of friendship, and may be a touch more. “You too Silas.”
+*+
Prydan heads for his flat, determined to follow his own advice for once, but as he crosses the road he realises there is a figure waiting under the street light. Given the prospect of a Daemonic killer on the prowl he pauses, concerned that this may be something serious. Then the figure turns and he sees it is the man from the camp with the wobbly trench.
The man looks at him as Prydan struggles to recall the name Aaron mentioned.
“Hi.” The man says. There is a sense of nervousness in his voice, almost as if he expects the Prydan to be angry.
Prydan looks at him cautiously, wondering what the man has done that could have prompted the fear.
“I’m sorry I don’t think we have met.” Prydan says.
“Really?” The man sounds confused, then he offers his hand. “Aurelius.”
“Prydan.” He replies. “We haven’t met have we?” He asks for confirmation.
“Obviously not.” Aurelius smiles, He seems to be relaxing now. “It’s just I’m solo so sometimes it’s hard to keep track.”
“Ah, So you have met another me.” Prydan responds, suddenly understanding the man’s confusion.
“Yeah.” Aurelius responds. “You could say that.”
Prydan looks him up and down for a second. There is something about the man but he can’t place it. May be it’s just the military baring and uniform that he finds so familiar and comfortable. “Can I help you?” he asks.
“I…” Suddenly the man looks nervous again. “I’m not sure.” He admits. “I’m looking for work.” He says suddenly, sudden enough that it makes Prydan suspicious that actually there was something else he wanted to say but has bottled out.
“What do you do?” Pyrdan asks.
“Follow orders.” Aurelius replies. “And lead men.”
“Know much about Daemons?” Prydan asks.
“A bit.” Aurelius responds.
“They are always looking for men at the castle.” Prydan nods back to the dark shape looming over the road.
Aurelius looks at it and nods. “May be I’ll try there then.”
Prydan smiles at him “You need to see Commander Connaught. Tell them the captain of the watch sent you over, might swing it.”
Aurelius looks at him and smiles. “Thanks.” He starts across the road.
“I’ll see you around.” Prydan calls after him.
“Yeah. Hope so.” Aurelius calls back and then vanishes through the gate and into the castle grounds.