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‘I’m sorry. I’m just off-balance.’ I looked up at Arachne. ‘Any good ideas? Because I could really use some.’
    ‘Moving Variam and Anne to Landis’s sponsorship is an obvious decision,’ Arachne said. ‘Pushing Luna through her journeyman tests is more risky, but seems to be the best of the possible alternatives. Though you’ll need help from Chalice.’
    ‘We’re meeting her tomorrow morning. I still hadn’t completely made up my mind on whether to trust her.’ I shrugged again. ‘Guess now I’ve got no choice.’
    ‘But that still leaves the question of your sentence,’ Arachne said. She studied me, eight eyes unblinking. ‘You understand why this is happening.’
    ‘Yeah. It’s the bill coming due for pissing off Levistus.’
    ‘No,’ Arachne said. ‘Levistus is the short-term manifestation of a long-term problem. If it hadn’t been Levistus, it would have been someone else.’
    ‘What long-term problem?’
    ‘Your independence,’ Arachne said. ‘Over the past few years, you have been offered numerous chances to side with those more powerful than yourself. Levistus tried to recruit you, as did Morden. Richard offered you your old place at his side. Talisid wanted you to become his spy. You turned them all down. Instead you have opted to remain separate and apart, beholden to no one.’
    ‘You know why we did that,’ I said. ‘I know our group’s not powerful, not compared to the real players. We can’t do much to change things. But at least we don’t have to make things worse.’
    ‘And that would be viable, were you only involved in small things,’ Arachne said. ‘But Levistus’s plans are not small things. Richard’s return is not a small thing. There are storms coming, and you will be caught in them.’
    ‘Then what are my options?’
    ‘Align yourself with one of the greater powers,’ Arachne said. ‘Or become a greater power. Or die.’ She paused. ‘I’m sorry, Alex. I wish I had better news.’
    I sat in silence. ‘What if there’s another way?’ I said at last. ‘Find something to trade to one of the Council mages. Play them off against one another. I’ve done it before.’
    ‘Perhaps,’ Arachne said. ‘For a little while. But understand that to take this road – to make your own choices – is to walk the most difficult path. There will be sacrifices.’
    I felt a chill go through me. It wasn’t physical cold – Arachne’s cave is warm. ‘Will I have you with me?’
    ‘I do not know how long I can stay,’ Arachne said. ‘But as long as I can help you, I will.’
    I reached out and rested a hand on one of Arachne’s forelegs. Arachne reached up with her other foreleg to stroke my hair, her movements gentle. I closed my eyes and let myself relax, taking comfort in her presence. We stayed like that for a long time, silent in the lair.

3
    Sunday morning dawned bright and clear. The sun was shining down out of a cold blue sky, and puffy white clouds drifted high above. There were six days until my execution order went through.
    Luna and I sat at a back table in one of the cafés along Upper Street in Islington. Despite the time of day, there was a good scattering of people. Islington is an odd, mixed sort of place: from walking the streets you’d get the feeling that it’s middle class and rich, yet if you look at the numbers, it’s got one of the highest poverty rates in the country. The other people in the café didn’t seem to have much to worry about: they looked like affluent young urban professionals, chatting and laughing over their morning coffees. But maybe there was more to them than met the eye. Just like us.
    ‘Do you guys usually have your lessons in here?’ I asked Luna. I didn’t need to keep my voice down; Luna had picked us a table against the far wall, a good distance from the other customers.
    ‘Sort of,’ Luna said. ‘We switch around.’
    ‘I still can’t believe that you have magic lessons in a café,’ I said. It