Lights turned to green, and the carriage hummed into life, slipping into gears with hardly a jolt. Aside from the hum, a snail could have sailed next to a tuned-up megaphone; each of them lost in their own thoughts. Or at least it appeared that way to Jo; hand on a chest that may as well have been the surface of a tapping drum. Not to mention the point that the same hand could have given the cold water from a tap a run for its chill edge.
"Shall I put some music on?" Montarion said from in front.
"Not if I'm going to want to flow into stances on a dance floor," Suzé replied from the front left.
"I've got some ambient, even an orchestra if that's–"
Suzé and Jo both looked at him.
"Ambient it is," Montarion said as a light on the dashboard flickered and what might well have been whale sonics wove through the speakers.
"Are we going uphill?" said Jo, looking at the angled pavement.
"You've just caught on? We're halfway up," said Suzé.
"Didn't fancy catching up with the - M. C. - again," Montarion began. "Plus the representative advised me not to come, or go back, on the outer ring of the expanse."
"Representative of whom?" Suzé said, turning.
"The person who rang the office as I was deciding whether to stay up. Said that they were a representative of the Adults, and that I needed to pick up my three nursery friends who were in way over their heads."
Ice fingers moved inside of Jo as he looked at Suzé. Only to see her looking at him.
"We've just passed into Flora Hill," Montarion continued, as Jo noticed a sign disappearing to his right. "There's that road on the left, opposite the church, that goes all the way to Smargethé Road."
"But isn't - Flora Hill - part of another Pair's territory?" said Jo, looking out of the window at a lamp-lit side road.
"She's pointing at me!"
Brakes came into play as Montarion swerved the carriage to a halt. At an angle so that Jo could stare at Jay, then look out the window at a man, stood on the wall the far side of the road with shades, a glow-tablet and a floating...parasol...?
"What in Rumsey are you playing at Jay!" said Suzé, turning in the seat. "Who's pointing at you?"
"Heart nearly jumped out of my mouth," Montarion said.
"She's jumped off the wall," Jay pointed, moving almost into Jo's vicinity. "I don't know if it's a great axe or a gun."
"There's a man on the wall opposite if that helps," said Jo, glancing out the back and seeing a figure, a woman, in clothes as pale as the man's garb was dark, and with what could be an axe-crested rifle.
"Put your foot down, Mont. She's moving again!" said Jay.
"On it," Montarion said, carriage springing to life as if it had just been given a jolt. "Hey," he added, swerving away from the junction on the left. "That wasn't there before."
"It's got windmill flowers on it," said Jo, rubbing his eyes at the bright roadblock.
"And squirrels," said Jay. "I want to go home..."
Montarion put his foot down again, and the carriage accelerated down the not-so-shallow descent away from the man, woman and the roadblock.
"Looks like it's the long, long, long way round," said Suzé, glancing at a hunched-up Jay. "I think I know who needs to go in the med room first."
"All set up," said Montarion, slowing at the bottom, then speeding up as the road climbed again in the form of a bridge. "And the guest room too."
"Why, how thoughtful of - is there a need for this, Tar?" Suzé continued whilst the carriage left the bridge top in a leap before landing next to a still-illuminated pub. "We haven't had a gentle night!"
"I don't want to think about it," said Jo, as the carriage slowed to a more sedate cruise. The scent of spiced apples filling his nose to the point of a sneeze.
"It's gentle all the way back now," said Montarion, still going quick enough that an open bar on the left, and a still open décor shop on the left too, flew past. "We'll reach the main road soon."
"Got that right, the rate you're going at," said Jo before sneezing again. "I'm going to have to put these in the wash."
"It smells lovely. Like spiced apples."
"You wouldn't say that if you had met the source of the fragrance," said Suzé, just as a light started to dance flash on her wrist. "Please don't tell me words got out already?" she groaned, pressing the light. "Hello... Hi Natalia, how are you?... You pressed ring instead of message as you thought I wouldn't be up? It's okay, I won't be going to bed for an hour or so yet."
"Natalia?" Mont's voice came through the speaker near Jo's knee. "Can't be Delph's sister, Natalia?"
"Wouldn't be surprised," Jo leaned forward and whispered, just as Montarion curved left into a wider, brighter, dual-laned road. "They go way back."
"What," Suzé said, half-turning, "You heard Jo? My, you've got good hearing. Natalia says hi."
"Tell her I said hi too," said Jo.
"And me," added Montarion. "It's like another world around here."
"Is that Mont?" Suzé continued. "Yes, it is; he said hi, and so did Jo. What? Are we at Glorifhuns? No, we're just driving back to Don-Julise. Are you in there?"
Jo leaned back in the seat. Might as well follow Jay's lead and drift off the rest of the way back since Suzé and Natalia would be having a conversation long after Montarion had pulled up on Don-Julise road. Then again, the carriage had stopped at the bright lights, so may as well look out the window at the sculptured building the further side of the road; the island that lay between the current lane and the next one.
And the bike. Matt and gloss jet with filigree of rain cloud, ribbons of ultramarine and highlights of azure. One or two spots - they could have been gemstones - were pink or - dare he say it - rose. Except for the emblem on the shoulder of the bike and on the upper arm of the rider's upper sleeve or vambrace. A shield with a river pattern on white; quartered with a gold hawk and fish on a field of blue. Only, in his mind's eye, the shield had two large golden hawks - no, ospreys - on either side; with a third as a crest on top of the matching blue and gold helmet that rested above the shield; and not even going into the blue and white mantling.
Mind's eye returned to reality as a single drop of water landed in a pool within. Landed, as he saw that the rider was looking at him. Visor clear and lit to reveal a woman's face with eyes that were like the golden ospreys on the bike and her sleeve. An unblinking gaze, just like a hawk, that seemed to go into his very being.
A droplet landed in the pool again and the rider was sweeping away to the roundabout on the left whilst Montarion continued forward. Continued as Jo turned back and, was that, a ribbon of stardust or light where the rider had gone?
"He's an idiot?" Suzé broke in.
"No, I'm not," said Jo, moving forward then putting a hand to his side.
"Not you, Jo, Nat's date for tonight."
Montarion giggled. "Ouch - I'm driving."
"It's Natalia, and she doesn't find it funny," said Suzé, looking at Montarion and Jo. "Now carry on... He doesn't listen?... He was driving, so he needs to focus - don't say it Montarion-" she added as Montarion's mouth opened then closed as he stopped at another set of lights. "Lights," Suzé continued, "What about them?... Had them on full beam - and he wouldn't listen to you? How inconsiderate....What? they cut out like a switch? Where was this?"
Jo sat forward again.
"Ullista Road? You didn't-"
"She did," Jay chuckled, making Jo almost jolt into the side door.
"Thought you were asleep," said Jo.
"Was until I heard this."
"No, you didn't Nat," said Suzé. "Not on the pavement and in full view of the houses?"
"Yes, she did," said Jay. "That was her using her bag on her date like a morning star."
"What?" said Montarion.
"Whaa..." began Jo.
"But where did you go after?" Suzé asked, turning and looking open-mouthed at Jay and Jo. "There was no point so you drove to Smargethé; got out; and left him to it?... But where are you now?...at Delph's? He looks after the place on condition a room is always set up in case you need to crash."
"So that's what it's for," said Montarion, "The amount of times I've-"
"Don't say it, Montarion!" Jay and Jo said and winced.