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  Note from the author:

  This story contains references to, and characters from, Russia and Ukraine. It was written in 2020, and was inspired by my fear of what was then a potential war, rather than any of the devastating events unfolding in Ukraine as a result of the Russian invasion in 2022.

  St Alban’s, England, September 2005

  “Stories From The Great War?” Captain Flint picked up one of the books piled on the sofa, opened it to find the library label, and then flipped through the pages. “What made you choose this?”

  Kerry turned to look at him. He stood in the middle of the living room, a stone giant who made everything else around him seem tiny and flimsy. His eyes glowed red from deep in the sockets, and from the slight tilt of his head she deduced that he was puzzled.

  She nudged the fridge shut with her backside and shrugged. “It looked interesting.” She didn’t tell him that she’d spotted it at the library when she was hunting for another book to feed her schlock thriller habit and had grabbed it in the hope of finding some morsel in its pages with which to impress him.

  Flint dropped the book down on the sofa and opened the French doors out onto the small patio. There was a stone bench by the fish pond that he preferred to sit on when the weather was good and it was a fine autumn day.

  “It made me think about what the men must have felt like, when they went into battle,” she said, following him out with her drink.

  Flint sat on the bench with a dull thud and rested his elbows on his knees, the closest he ever came to appearing relaxed. She sat on the grass next to him, her head level with his knees, and put her glass next to the pond. He stared down at the koi turning in their slow circles. “A lot of fear before each push, and a lot of boredom in between, I imagine.”

  She wondered how much of that was based on his own experience of combat. She wanted to ask him what it was like, how he’d coped, whether he’d ever been scared. But she had to pick her moments with Flint, and she had the sense that this wasn’t the time. He usually visited every couple of weeks, work permitting, and it had only been six days since his last visit.

  “You had a psych evaluation a few days ago,” he began, and her stomach sank into the grass. “I received the report.”Kerry chewed her lip and pulled a lock of her curly black hair from her ponytail to twist it around her fingers. She too looked down at the koi, nervous about what he was going to say. She hadn’t liked that evaluation. It was only because Flint had ordered it that she actually stuck it out.

  “She was very impressed with you.”

  Her head snapped up. “She was?”

  “You’ve had a lot to adjust to. And as she points out in the report, there aren’t many eighteen-year-olds who have lived alone for several years and adapted so well considering the … challenges you have.”

  Kerry plucked a strand of grass and tore it down the middle. She had tried, very hard, to play down all the negatives. She’d shut down any discussion of what had happened with her parents. She resented even being made to think about it and for days afterward had been left with a grim emotional hangover that only miles of running and a lot of trashy movies had been able to lift.

  She looked up at Flint, whose glowing eyes were now focused on her. “Well, I had a lot of help, didn’t I? There are lots of people who’ve been through a lot worse and didn’t have you to look after them.”

  “Kerry…”

  “No, I’m serious. You gave me a safe place to live.” She waved a hand at the cottage. Yes, it was a mile away from the edge of St. Albans, which had to be one of the most boring towns in England, but it was safe and secluded, and when the briefest touch could turn any living thing to granite, that was a definite advantage. “You gave me an education, and personal trainers, and … and you never used me.”

  He looked away from her then, up at the sky, leaning back and breaking the moment of connection. “I think you credit me too much,” he finally said. “I facilitated these things, using resources awarded to me by my position.”

  “Yeah, but you could’ve done it differently. What I’m trying to say is…”

  And then all words left her, replaced by a chaotic tumble of images, memories, snippets of days she’d worked so hard to put behind her. The first time she’d met Flint and how terrifying he was. The sight of her parents as the granite statues she’d made them into broke their bed under their weight. Waking in the cupboard beneath the stairs after her father had knocked her out, the surge of despair and physical pain in her chest when she realised that they’d used her to murder people and disguised it as art.

  The breath in her lungs burned and she squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed handfuls of grass and forced herself to be where she was now. She listened to the birds and the buzzing bugs and felt the breeze in her hair and the sunlight on her face. She was safe. She was at home, and she was with Flint, and he had made sure nothing bad happened to her since the day they met. He’d only asked to see her ability once, just so he could understand. When the fox with its mangled leg was turned to stone and its suffering ended, she’d sobbed. He’d gathered her into his arms and held her. For the first time since her card had turned, she had felt safe.

  “What I’m trying to say is thank you.”

  Flint looked back down at her and then rested his stone hand on her head and smiled. Even though he was being as gentle as he was able to be, being made out of flint meant he was still heavy and sharp in places. She knew there would probably be a few severed locks when she freed the chaotic mass of curls from the ponytail. She didn’t care though.

  “So,” he said as he stood, in a tone that marked the end of that conversation and the beginning of a new, less emotional one. “Now that you’ve had your exam results and I’ve seen the report, I want to know what you want to do next.”

  “You know that. I want to join the Silver Helix.”

  “It’s dangerous.”

  “Well, so am I.”

  “This isn’t something to be flippant about.”

  “I’m not! I’ve thought about this. A lot.”

  He slowly paced to the middle of the lawn, leaving crushed grass and imprints in his wake. “You’re bright … there are all sorts of opportunities in data analysis and—”

  She stood too. “Oh no you don’t. I want to be at the front, with the other aces. You can’t keep me tucked away here forever. I want to go out there and make a difference.” When he said nothing, she sat on the stone bench, trying to appear calm. “You’ve done so much for me. Let me contribute something for a change.”

  “You’re sure you want to work in the field?”

  “Yes! I know I won’t be doing the really exciting stuff right away, but I want to have the chance to learn! You know I can take care of myself. I’ve been working hard on my fear … I’ve been into London a few times. I know how to minimise the risk to other people.” She didn’t mention how hard it was. How she had nightmares about accidentally turning someone she brushed against into stone. How she’d taken up running so she always knew that she could get away fast.

  “Mmmm…” Why didn’t he sound convinced? “The report did talk about how keen you are…”

  She held her breath, waiting for him to decide. She wanted to be in the Silver Helix and be a hero, not a monster. But more than that, she wanted to see him every day. She wanted him to need her as much as she needed him.

  “There is something that would be a good first mission for you,” he said slowly, as if still deciding whether it was a good idea.

  Her heart fluttered at the sound of “first mission,” but she stayed silent. She didn’t want to seem too excitable, or he’d decide she wasn’t mature enough.

  “There’s someone we need to put under surveillance. Came in just this morning. He’s a nat, so low risk for you.”

  “Where is he based?”

  “Central London.”

  Fear stabbed at her gut. Central London was crowded and chaotic and she’d only been there a handful of occasions at the quietest times of day. Her surveillance training had been in St. Albans. She didn’t want to admit that the thought of a mission in London horrified her as much as it thrilled her, so she took another sip of her drink to cover as she gathered her thoughts. “Would I be working alone?”

  “You’d be sharing the assignment. It might turn out to be nothing more than overcaution on our part. You’d be given a hotel room close to the target.” He came over and put a hand on her shoulde
r. “There’s no shame in saying you’re not ready yet, Kerry.”

  That clinched it. She looked up into his burning coal eyes, standing as straight and tall as she could. “I’m ready.”

  * * *

  Kerry wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but it wasn’t a tiny hotel room in a converted Victorian townhouse that had seen better days. The Russian embassy was only a two-minute walk away though, and the target’s accommodation less than a minute.

  Three days into the assignment, all of the things she’d been worried about hadn’t come to pass. It was relatively easy to avoid close contact with people in the hotel as she wasn’t going in and out at peak times. The surrounding area had wide pavements and it was easy to keep her distance from other pedestrians. It had turned unseasonably cold and people were wearing scarves and gloves early, making her need to wear gloves to feel safe completely unremarkable. Everyone was so caught up in their own lives that they universally ignored her.

  However, all the things she’d hoped for hadn’t happened either. There were two other people involved in the surveillance, but she hadn’t met them and probably wouldn’t. She didn’t even get to speak to them over the phone; everything was being run through two pagers, which had surprised her. When she asked Flint why they didn’t use a mobile phone instead, he’d bristled at her and said the pagers were far more reliable than phones and less of a security breach if lost. She wondered if he just didn’t like mobiles, but either way, there was no further discussion. She was given a pager that connected her to Flint and one that connected her to the other two agents, both of which had a simple acknowledgement button for her to press when she’d seen a message.

  Flint hadn’t been in touch since he briefed her, and the other pager only beeped to let her know when the target had left either a work setting or his accommodation and where she needed to pick up his trail. She was assigned to monitor his movements outside. Where he went, what he did, and who he spoke to. In the past three days he’d gone out to eat once, alone, and that was it. She was actually bored.

  The target was an aide to a Russian diplomat who was in town to assist in negotiations regarding a tricky trade deal. His name was Kazimir Nazarenko, and he seemed to be the dullest man in London. Everything about him was bland, from his suit and coat to his neatly clipped greying brown hair. His face was eminently forgettable, and the only thing she thought when she first saw him was that she was going to have to work hard not to lose him if he went anywhere busy because he seemed just like any other relatively successful businessman in London.

  For all his dullness though, he’d been seen coming out of a Twisted Fists hideout five days ago, which had put him on Flint’s radar. There were no known connections between the Russians and the joker terrorist group. Flint was concerned that Nazarenko had delivered a message on behalf of his boss, a diplomat who had direct links to the most powerful men in Russian politics. Without any other evidence of conversations happening between the two, he was hoping that they’d caught it early.

  She was hoping that her target would be more interesting over the weekend. He worked long hours and didn’t seem to be interested in exploring the city. Maybe he’d been there before. She was just glad she’d bought lots of books and her Game Boy.

  A knock on the door made her leap from the bed to her feet and ready to fight in moments. There was a DO NOT DISTURB notice on the door and Flint wouldn’t come to see her here, he’d summon her through the pager. She breathed in deep and went to the door’s spy hole as quietly as possible.

  The woman standing in the hallway was definitely not a hotel employee. She was utterly beautiful with long black hair and was wearing sunglasses inside, after sunset. Kerry chewed her lip, instinctively staying quiet in the hope that the woman would go away. Maybe she had the wrong room.

  The stranger ducked down out of sight, sending Kerry into a panic. There was no keyhole to look through, thankfully, just the thin gap under the door, but she was definitely still there and——and then she was inside the room.

  Kerry squeaked in surprise and threw herself into the corner without thinking. Then her brain kicked into gear and realised the woman had to be an ace … one who could teleport, one who had found her out!

  Just as Kerry was weighing up how to take her down nonlethally, the intruder smiled. “So you’re Flint’s latest ace in the hole. So to speak.”

  “Who are you?”

  “Hasn’t Kenneth told you about me? I’m his favourite.” When Kerry shook her head, she put a hand over her heart and feigned being wounded. “That hurts. But then again, our mutual friend likes to play his cards close to his chest, doesn’t he?”

  “I didn’t invite you in. Get out!”The woman took off her sunglasses, revealing silver eyes. “That was rude of me. I apologise. Looks like you’ve realised I’m not here to kill you.” She smiled, but Kerry didn’t relax. “You must be Stonemaiden. You can call me Lilith.”

  “What do you want?”

  “Two things. I needed to visit so I can extract you in an emergency. Now that I’ve been here, I can come and get you instantly, as soon as you need me. If something goes wrong, get back here if you can, then I can pull you out even if there are people surrounding the building or waiting for you to come out.”

  Flint had mentioned another ace would be brought in if there was an emergency. How else would Lilith have been able to find her? A warning would have been nice. Kerry frowned. “Do you need to touch me to do it?”

  Lilith nodded. “Oh,” she said at the sight of the fear that must have been blasting from her eyes. “That’s a problem, is it?”

  “Yeah.” Why hadn’t Flint mentioned that? They couldn’t be absolutely certain that clothing would protect anyone from her curse and she’d refused to experiment with it.

  “A fatal sort of problem, I gather, from the look on your face. What would happen if I touched you?”Kerry pressed her lips together, her hands balling into fists tucked under her armpits.

  “So you don’t trust easily. I respect that. It’s a good way to be in our line of work. Though you’re not an official recruit yet … that first mission … ah, nothing like that buzz at being let off the leash for the first time.”

  The way the woman spoke unnerved her. She was so casual and calm, as if they were just passing the time like two farmers chatting over a gate. Kerry felt on edge and ready to run at any moment, but then she remembered that she could kill Lilith so very easily, if she really needed to. “What was the second thing you wanted?”

  “Just a chat. I’m not going to hurt you. We’re on the same team!” Somehow, even though the words were reassuring, there was something mocking in her tone.

  Kerry folded her arms. “What about?”

  Lilith glanced around the room, at the book that had slid onto the floor, a YA romance that made her right eyebrow twitch with amusement. She sat on the bed and undid the buttons of her coat, revealing a slinky black dress underneath. She was so graceful and … gorgeous. Her beauty made Kerry feel like a potato. “You. I’ve been hearing whispers about you for a long time. Then the whispers became arguments and the curiosity became unbearable.”

  She was obviously trying to suck Kerry in and make her ask more questions. She wanted something, but what?

  “Flint and Enigma were arguing about you only this morning,” Lilith continued nonchalantly, leaning back so she could rest against the wall. “Flint’s quite emotional when it comes to you. His desk took a beating. I think he misses being able to shout.”

  The thought of Flint not only talking about her with someone else, but also being passionate about her, made Kerry feel … wait, why was Lilith bringing this up? Did she want to work out why Flint had been looking after her? Kerry couldn’t fathom why she’d be so interested.

  “Did Enigma say something to annoy him?”

  “Mm.” Lilith’s eyes were scanning the pile of books on the tiny bedside cabinet, making Kerry feel horribly self-conscious. “Something about a psych report. He seems to think that Flint has been keeping you wrapped in cotton wool.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”