Mat had taken very little, just his taiaha, because you never knew if you might need one in Aotearoa, and a tracksuit to throw on if it got cold. He met Lena beside the old clocktower, her eyes gleaming in the morning sun. Her newly short hair looked like it had been trimmed and tidied by a professional, and he made some admiring noises. It occurred to him that perhaps this was what their lives would be like in the future: the thrill of mysterious errands in the arcane world, he and she together, righting wrongs and helping others, like some kind of superhero couple. It was a pretty fantasy, and her lips were moist on his. She stroked his cheek. ‘Isn’t this marvellous?’ she breathed. Her eyes were flickering hungrily about, and her whole body was quivering with suppressed tension. Mat felt weightless in her presence. I wonder if I’m falling in love? A car tooted, and he saw Sassman wave from the passenger seat. It was a big black Mercedes saloon, sleek and menacing-looking, with Dwayne driving.
