The Professor – that name again. Lord Guantes had said, The man behind the Professor knows you, and he wants you. More confirmation that this was all tied in with the Guantes and the murder attempts on Guernsey. Irene desperately wanted more information, but she was on a timetable and the Language’s influence might wear off at any moment. That was the problem with the you perceive trick. Once it stopped working, the people afflicted would remember exactly what they’d said and done – and chances were they wouldn’t like it. ‘Tell you what,’ she suggested, starting to climb the stairs. ‘You two go ahead to the drop-off point – we’ll meet you there. It’ll be too obvious if we travel together. But first I have some unfinished business to deal with here.’

‘You want us to hold onto the girl for you?’

‘No, I’ll take her with me. I’m not letting her out of my sight.’ Irene took hold of Catherine’s arm, her ruthless tone backed by a very real urgency. She had to get Catherine away before this turned violent. She glared at Catherine in her most cold-blooded manner and felt a mean satisfaction when the other woman flinched.

The werewolf released Catherine. ‘You could have said who you are earlier,’ he complained.

Irene sniffed. ‘It’s not like anyone told me what you two looked like, any more than they told you about me,’ she said. ‘I’ll meet you soon – I don’t expect to be long.’

They both nodded and headed outside.

The werewolves dealt with, Irene banged on the office door with her umbrella. ‘Kenneth and Ruthcomb? I’m here on business.’

There was a pause on the other side of the door, and then the noise of someone dragging away heavy furniture, before it creaked open. The bespectacled man from earlier peered out nervously. ‘You are?’

Irene jammed her foot against the door before he could close it again. ‘I am,’ she said. ‘Good business. Book business.’

His eyes widened as he recognized her. ‘You’d better come in,’ he said.

Irene suppressed a sigh of relief as she drew Catherine into the office and closed the door behind them.

CHAPTER NINE

Kai burst from the space between worlds, a rolling blueness of endless waves, and out into cold empty air. The mountain winds ripped at his wings, and he automatically curved his body to rise above them into calmer currents.

The Swiss Alps lay spread below him, untouched white snow on grey mountain ranges, with occasional markers of human habitation or flashes of colour from fields and lakes. The world itself felt calm with the settled flow of order, as reassuring to his draconic senses as the cadence of a marching army or the pulse of a lover. Beyond that, like a superimposed melody, he could sense the presence of other dragons. Much as he enjoyed Irene and Vale’s company – and, though he might not admit it, the excitements of Vale’s world – it was good to be away from the constant aftertaste of chaos, back where things were right. Orderly. As they should be.

And he knew the person he was searching for lay somewhere below.

Cuifen had always been one of Kai’s favourite cousins, but their connection was on his more low-born mother’s side rather than his royal father’s. As such, he didn’t see her as much as he’d like. However, Cuifen still treated Kai with more generosity and affection than many of his siblings – and she was an expert in computers and data analysis.

She was one of several dragons who specialized in the field, working under Lord Zhang Yi, an undisputed expert. Zhang Yi was a dragon of such genius that it eclipsed his low birth and minor family. Kai certainly wouldn’t be granted an audience with Zhang Yi – but Cuifen might be willing to do him a favour.

He drew his wings against his body and stooped towards a small cluster of buildings. Zhang Yi’s headquarters were deceptively pastoral, with a central compound surrounded by lesser structures. But Kai knew power lines led here from the nearby waterfall, and the classically simplistic roofs housed solar panels. Lord Zhang Yi needed the electricity, even if style demanded that everything appear natural.

Half a dozen human servants hurried out to greet Kai, their footprints marring the untouched snow. They bowed as Kai settled to the ground and assumed human form, and one approached. ‘Good afternoon, sir. My name is Hans Baumann, and this is the establishment of Lord Zhang Yi. May we know your name and family?’

‘My name is Kai, son of his majesty Ao Guang, King of the Eastern Ocean,’ Kai said. ‘I am here to visit my cousin, the lady Cuifen, but I would be honoured to meet Lord Zhang Yi himself. I bear a small present which I hope may not displease him.’ He offered one of two parcels he was holding – a Han Feizi text from Vale’s world, which he’d been saving for such an occasion.

‘Unfortunately Lord Zhang Yi is occupied,’ Hans Baumann said, as Kai had expected. But custom demanded that both sides go through the motions. ‘We will be glad to pass on your gift. If you follow my colleague Anna, she will escort you to lady Cuifen’s quarters.’

Perfect. Kai followed Anna – a brisk young woman with blonde braids curled into a bun – as she led him into one of the side compounds. ‘This way, your highness,’ she said.

The decor within was classically draconic in style, with bold red tiles, white walls and dark wood pillars. But the aesthetic had been subverted by personal tastes: sheepskin rugs were scattered on the floor like irregular islands, and paintings of vivid flowers and desert landscapes hung on the walls, gaudy and impossible to ignore.

The inner door swung open. ‘I’ve told you, I’m still working on it,’ a female dragon said as she emerged. ‘I’ll . . . heaven and earth, cousin Kai!’

Cuifen ignored propriety and gathered him into an embrace, her hug as strong as ever. She appeared almost human, but hadn’t bothered to fully transform; she was as green as fresh grass, from her shoulder-length hair to the tiny scales that covered her flesh. Kai assumed a similar form in politeness, his skin and hair turning dark sapphire blue and small horns sprouting from his brow.

‘You can go, Anna,’ Cuifen said over Kai’s shoulder. Humans were definitely lower in the hierarchy here. ‘Well, cousin. I’ve been nagging you to visit me for a while now, but I have to tell you, this isn’t the best moment. We’re all busy, Uncle Zhang Yi in particular.’

‘I was told he was too busy to receive me, but I’d assumed that was customary,’ Kai said.

‘Yes. Something happened – a month or so ago – which means we need to review much of the royal houses’ security software.’

‘I won’t stay long – but I have a problem and would be very grateful for your advice,’ Kai said. ‘While I have no claim on your time or assistance—’

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Cuifen said, clearly impatient with formalities. ‘Sit down and tell me about it.’ She dropped into one of the heavy chairs, folding her legs underneath her. Despite her semi-draconic form, she was wearing a casual human wardrobe of heavy knitted jumper, jeans and striped woollen socks. Clearly humans had some influence here.

‘All right,’ he said, sitting opposite her. ‘I have a laptop which I need analysed.’