Free Half Wild by Sally Green

a series of circles. Only there are no full circles, just semicircles, because the parchment is ripped in half.
    “What did your mother tell you about this?” Van asks.
    “Not much. She thought it might have some value because of its age. She told me her grandmother found it in an old house in Berlin. By ‘found’ she meant her grandmother stole it. But that’s all she knew.”
    “Did she know where the other half was?”
    “No, this is all we ever had.”
    “And Mercury never saw it? You never told her what it was?”
    Gabriel shrugs. “I didn’t tell her it was ripped in half. I thought she wouldn’t be interested if she knew that. I told her I had an amulet that my mother had given me, that it was old and valuable. She didn’t ask any more about it, I supposed because there are quite a few like it.”
    “There are quite a few amulets, that’s certainly true, and most are poor magic. I think it was lucky for me that you didn’t describe it. In fact, I suspect it was lucky for you too. I think Mercury would know what this is and she’d have killed you for just this half.” Van folds the amulet back into the paper with great care and slides it into her jacket pocket.
    “Why?” Gabriel asks. “What’s so special about it?”
    Van turns to Nesbitt. “I think we need champagne, don’t you? I’m sure there’ll be a wonderful selection in the cellar.” She smiles at Gabriel. “Or would you boys prefer to stick to tea?”
    * * *
    Later Gabriel and I are alone together in his bedroom. We’ve both drunk champagne. I don’t understand why I was drinking and what I was supposed to be celebrating and I didn’t really like it. I’ve never had champagne before, never drunk any alcohol before. Gabriel and Van talked about it as they would discuss a good book.
    As we walked to Gabriel’s room the corridor seemed to be tilting. When I pointed this out Gabriel called me a “lightweight” and then went on ahead. He turned back to watch me make my way toward him. It was good to see him smile; almost as if he was back to his old self. And now we’re alone, sitting together on his bed, and finally I can ask him for his story.
    “After I left you I ran. That was it, nothing more complicated. I ran and the Hunters followed. I shouted, urged you to hurry as if you were with me. It fooled them enough to think we were together. I was lucky. The best protection I had was other people—fains, I mean. I stayed where it was busy, and there was lots of confusion, lots of people, things Hunters hate: fains, fain police, noise, panic, and lots of shooting. I hoped they’d think I was a fain but at the same time I had to keep them after me. I was shot, twice, as I was running. Neither were serious wounds but the poison from the Hunter bullets weakened me and, as I can’t heal, I knew I wouldn’t last long. All I could think was that I should keep running. I remember seeing a car drive up to me, which must have been Van. Then I remember nothing until I woke up here in this room days later. I’d been ill but I think after that, after I’d recovered, Van drugged me and I told her everything. Everything about me, about my family, the letters, and the amulet . . . and about you. I’m sorry, Nathan. I know it’s private. I—”
    “It’s OK. I don’t care about that. I’m just glad you’re alive. That’s what’s important. I thought you were dead. I didn’t want to believe it but it was the only logical explanation; I knew you’d be at the cave if you could be.”
    “I’d be dead if it wasn’t for Van.”
    “But why was she there in Geneva? Why risk her life for this amulet—half an amulet?”
    “I don’t know. She told me that she’d recently learned that I might have half of it. It wasn’t hard to find out that I was in Geneva and working with Mercury. At first she was afraid that Mercury would get it but after Nesbitt said that you’d died she became much more concerned that it would fall into