lose its manic chirpiness and close up.
‘And now you’re going to say “yes” and mean “no”,’ he said, with a resigned sigh.
She stared at him.
He waved a paw. ‘I have met young creatures before, you know. So let’s just skip that part, shall we, and go straight to why you don’t want to take us to an adult.’
‘I… um…’ Jay seemed completely flummoxed. ‘Well…’
Hurple just looked at her and waited.
‘All right. OK. You’re right,’ she finally said. ‘I wasn’t planning on taking you to any grown-up. And it’s not because I don’t believe you. It’s because I do believe you and your crazy story and your mad monk boy there and the shifty boy and you – well, if I can believe in you , I can believe in anything , right?! But the thing is, I really truly can’t think of anyone older than me who would. Not anybody O-class anyway, and I don’t know anybody else.’
There was a pause while Eo tried to bring Adom up to speed on the conversation. Jay kept lapsing into English, and besides, many of the words she was using had no Gaelic equivalents.
‘Look, I’m not just making this up. Things like you really do not happen any more, you know. It’s not just the Guardians. There is no grown-up I could take you to who wouldn’t want to study you for the next decade – and besides, even if there were – I have no intention of letting you go!’ She didn’t know exactly when she’d decided she was going with them, but it felt as if had been forever. This was her secret, her unbelievable adventure, and there was no way she was going to let anybody else get their hands on it, for better or worse.
Hurple groaned. ‘No, no, no. Don’t you see ? This isn’t a game! This is serious ! Didn’t you understand anything we’ve been telling you? When the boy opened the way between the worlds, he condemned himself to almost certain death. And when he took on the Wager, he included everyone in his universe in the same danger. The same fate.’
Jay looked at Eo. The colour had drained out of his face and he looked as if he were going to be sick.
‘All right! she cried. ‘I get it! Leave him alone. But what you don’t seem to get is, I can help! Equipment? Technology? General all-round knowledge? I’ve got it all. You said wisdom was one of the things you were looking for, and I’ve got access to centuries of information you couldn’t possibly know about!’
‘So give that to us,’ said the ferret gently. ‘Let that be the Gift. Can’t you see how much more use that would be than, well, you?!’
In her mind, Jay knew he was right, but it just made her even more stubborn.
‘You took him ,’ she said sullenly, pointing at Adom.
‘We didn’t ask for him! We were trying to be offered the help of a great man, a powerful man. Adom just… happened.’
‘Did you force him to come?’
‘No!’
‘Did you trick him into coming?’
‘I told you, no.’
‘So,’ said Jay slowly. Adom is with you not because you tricked him into coming, or forced him into coming, but because he offered himself. Voluntarily. Like… a gift.’
Hurple stared at her for a long moment. ‘Very clever.’
Jay took a deep breath. ‘I’ll teil you what I think,’ she said. ‘I think I’ve just made you an offer you can’t refuse.’
There was a silence, then,
‘I think she’s got a point there, Professor,’ muttered Eo.
Hurple chewed uncertainly on a paw. ‘But surely it’s the technology we need from here?’ he said in a last attempt. ‘And – wait a minute – if you’re the Gift, won’t that mean Adom can’t have his arm enchanted? Because then that would count as our Gift?’
Adom looked stricken, but Jay gave him a reassuring pat.
‘You lot really aren’t used to working around rules, are you?’ she said. ‘One Gift for the Challenger, yes, and that’s me, because I’m offering and you can’t say no. But where does it say I can’t bring things of my own with me? And
‘And now you’re going to say “yes” and mean “no”,’ he said, with a resigned sigh.
She stared at him.
He waved a paw. ‘I have met young creatures before, you know. So let’s just skip that part, shall we, and go straight to why you don’t want to take us to an adult.’
‘I… um…’ Jay seemed completely flummoxed. ‘Well…’
Hurple just looked at her and waited.
‘All right. OK. You’re right,’ she finally said. ‘I wasn’t planning on taking you to any grown-up. And it’s not because I don’t believe you. It’s because I do believe you and your crazy story and your mad monk boy there and the shifty boy and you – well, if I can believe in you , I can believe in anything , right?! But the thing is, I really truly can’t think of anyone older than me who would. Not anybody O-class anyway, and I don’t know anybody else.’
There was a pause while Eo tried to bring Adom up to speed on the conversation. Jay kept lapsing into English, and besides, many of the words she was using had no Gaelic equivalents.
‘Look, I’m not just making this up. Things like you really do not happen any more, you know. It’s not just the Guardians. There is no grown-up I could take you to who wouldn’t want to study you for the next decade – and besides, even if there were – I have no intention of letting you go!’ She didn’t know exactly when she’d decided she was going with them, but it felt as if had been forever. This was her secret, her unbelievable adventure, and there was no way she was going to let anybody else get their hands on it, for better or worse.
Hurple groaned. ‘No, no, no. Don’t you see ? This isn’t a game! This is serious ! Didn’t you understand anything we’ve been telling you? When the boy opened the way between the worlds, he condemned himself to almost certain death. And when he took on the Wager, he included everyone in his universe in the same danger. The same fate.’
Jay looked at Eo. The colour had drained out of his face and he looked as if he were going to be sick.
‘All right! she cried. ‘I get it! Leave him alone. But what you don’t seem to get is, I can help! Equipment? Technology? General all-round knowledge? I’ve got it all. You said wisdom was one of the things you were looking for, and I’ve got access to centuries of information you couldn’t possibly know about!’
‘So give that to us,’ said the ferret gently. ‘Let that be the Gift. Can’t you see how much more use that would be than, well, you?!’
In her mind, Jay knew he was right, but it just made her even more stubborn.
‘You took him ,’ she said sullenly, pointing at Adom.
‘We didn’t ask for him! We were trying to be offered the help of a great man, a powerful man. Adom just… happened.’
‘Did you force him to come?’
‘No!’
‘Did you trick him into coming?’
‘I told you, no.’
‘So,’ said Jay slowly. Adom is with you not because you tricked him into coming, or forced him into coming, but because he offered himself. Voluntarily. Like… a gift.’
Hurple stared at her for a long moment. ‘Very clever.’
Jay took a deep breath. ‘I’ll teil you what I think,’ she said. ‘I think I’ve just made you an offer you can’t refuse.’
There was a silence, then,
‘I think she’s got a point there, Professor,’ muttered Eo.
Hurple chewed uncertainly on a paw. ‘But surely it’s the technology we need from here?’ he said in a last attempt. ‘And – wait a minute – if you’re the Gift, won’t that mean Adom can’t have his arm enchanted? Because then that would count as our Gift?’
Adom looked stricken, but Jay gave him a reassuring pat.
‘You lot really aren’t used to working around rules, are you?’ she said. ‘One Gift for the Challenger, yes, and that’s me, because I’m offering and you can’t say no. But where does it say I can’t bring things of my own with me? And
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