Chapter 2: Loveday of the Elders

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Hidden in the blue hours, in the dying light and growing. A spectral breath, sublime. Fleeting liminal transcendence. The veil, it lifts; she feels it. In vast currents time has no meaning. She is Loveday of the Chime Hours, Loveday of the Elders. A charred and twisted thing crawling up from out the well…

Loveday Nanscawen watched out the kitchen window as darkness came down. Ribbons of mauve and gold threaded through the midnight-blue sky and the fireflies began to glow in the trees, like stars fallen to earth. Dusk. One of the magic times… She shook off her fancies (old familiars now) and ran out onto the terrace to get a better view. It wouldn't last long. As she breathed in the clean evening air, she was struck again by the whisper of change coming. Strange, she thought. The meaning had revealed itself several days ago. What else could be left to divine?

Before she could think on it further, another feeling crowded in: her friend and colleague, Aviwe Sontonga, would be home soon. Loveday turned away from the rustling night and hurried back into the kitchen. She needed to check on dinner. A short while later, as she was stirring the stew and singing softly to herself, she heard the front door open. She broke off her tune and put down the ladle as her friend called out.

"Is that you, Loveday?" Aviwe wheeled her suitcase into the living room and shut the door behind her.

"Aye," replied Loveday, hurrying out from the kitchen in a swirl of green lace and muslin and a rush of words. "You made good time. I had a feelin' you'd be early. How did your lecture at Columbia go?"

"Very well, thank you," said Aviwe. She sat down, kicked off her shoes, and relaxed back into the couch. "I'm glad to be home though. We had a tail wind most of the way."

Loveday tucked a stray curl behind her ear, once and then again with vigour when it didn't stay put the first time. "I hope you don't mind me letting m'self in, but I thought you might like something decent to eat after your travels."

"You know you're welcome any time," Aviwe assured her. "And you're a godsend. I would like a nice meal. Thank you." She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.

"Are you not well?" asked Loveday, starting forward with concern.

"It's only a headache. From being stuck in a plane for fifteen hours."

Loveday let out her breath and half-turned towards the kitchen. "I'll make a cup of tea then. It'll help clear the fog."

"Coffee?" suggested Aviwe, looking up hopefully.

"Oh no! That won't do. It'll only keep 'ee awake when you'll be wantin' to sleep. No, tea's the thing."

"You English and your tea," murmured the older woman.

"Cornish, Aviwe, Cornish," corrected Loveday with a smile. "An' a good cup of tea will have 'ee feeling better in next to no time. I'll lay a charm on it to make sure." She darted away before the professor could put up any further argument.

Aviwe shook her head and closed her eyes. Her friend was a witch and though some people might be skeptical of such a claim Aviwe had seen enough over the years to know that whatever spell Loveday put on the tea, her headache would be gone within a few sips.

A short while later, Loveday was back with a laden tray. "Dinner's about half an hour away," she said as she set everything out on the coffee table. "Mebbe a little less."

"It smells wonderful. What is it?"

"Beef stew and fresh-baked bread." Loveday poured two cups of tea and handed one to the professor. "Now, tell me all about your trip. And then I have some news for you. Two pieces, in fact! But I'll tell 'ee mine over dinner."

Aviwe paused mid-sip and looked at her friend over the rim of her cup. Although rarely a still person, there was a restless energy about Loveday tonight that was unusual even for her - a sense of something bubbling under the surface. If Aviwe hadn't been so tired, she would have noticed it sooner. "Are you sure you don't want to tell me now?" she said. "Before you pop."

"No, no," replied Loveday with a wave of her hand. "We'll get New York out of the way first."

"I see," said Aviwe dryly, and she proceeded to recount her visit to Columbia and the sight-seeing she had done afterwards. She left out the real reason for the hastily-arranged trip though: her meeting with Steve Rogers. It was a shame she couldn't tell Loveday about the encounter; her friend was like a magpie when it came to anything out of the ordinary - and Captain America surely counted as that - but King T'Challa had made the need for secrecy clear. The timer in the kitchen went off as she was finishing her account of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and shortly after that, when they were sitting at the table eating, Loveday got onto the subject of her own news.

"You'll never guess what I did while you were away," she said.

"I'm sure I won't," replied Aviwe. She bit back a smile at the look on Loveday's face but after a friendship spanning more than ten years, she knew better than to try and predict the unpredictable.

"You take all the fun out of the game," said Loveday, pursing her lips. "But I'll forgive 'ee seeing as you're tired from your trip."

"You're too kind," murmured Aviwe, and it was Loveday's turn to stop herself from laughing; no one did irony quite like the professor.

"And you'll really mean that after you hear my news," she shot back.

"Well, don't keep me in suspense."

Loveday put down her knife and fork, and gave her a sly look. "I'm sure there should be some sort of fanfare for what I'm about to tell 'ee."

"You're determined to have your fun, aren't you, Loveday."

Loveday's eyes twinkled with mischief. "You know me too well. Alright then, I'll put you out of your misery." She paused, to give Aviwe a chance to say something, but when it became clear the professor wasn't rising to the bait she sighed. "You're a cruel woman, Aviwe Sontonga. It's a good thing I'm so kind - to make up for 'ee."

Aviwe rolled her eyes at that and started eating again; she doubted Loveday was done with her 'fun' yet.

"I got us permission to visit that new archaeological site over the border," said Loveday casually. "You know, the one Johann de Vries thinks he owns."

Aviwe's head shot up. It took a second for the words to sink in and then her knife and fork hit the plate with a clang. "Are you serious?"

"Well, it's not so new now," said Loveday, "if an archaeological site can ever be called 'new', but yes, I'm serious. I wouldn't jest about something like that. I know how much it means to you."

"Oh, Loveday," whispered the professor, her mind going to work on the possibilities. From what she had heard of the site, the data she could gather there had the potential to make a significant contribution to her own research… It suddenly occurred to her that there might have been some sort of misunderstanding. "It was actually Johann who said we could visit? After all those times he said 'no'?"

"It was the man himself, and after all those times he said 'no'. Mebbe we wore him down."

Aviwe snorted. "An avalanche wouldn't wear down Johann de Vries," she muttered. Johann was not so much a fellow academic as a rival one, and that was entirely by his choice. Cooperation with colleagues was low on his list of priorities. That he would allow her access to the site… She pinned Loveday with a sharp look. "You didn't put a spell on him, did you?"

A small frown creased Loveday's brow. "Now that's what was strange," she said. "I was certain he'd say no and I was going t' lay a charm on him. But I didn't have to because he said 'yes' instead." She thought for a moment before adding, "An' I wasn't particularly charming to him either so it can't have been that."

"He'll change his mind," said Aviwe, her shoulders slumping. "It's too good to be true."

Loveday shook her head. "I don't think he will. I mean, I got the feeling he wasn't happy about it but I don't think he… can change his mind. He said to contact him a bit closer to the end of the dry season, to finalise arrangements."

"I suppose I'll have to take him at his word then but I won't rest easy until we're actually on site."

"It will be something, won't it." Loveday flashed the other woman a smile. "And the planning will take your mind off the waiting."

"Now who knows who too well," said Aviwe, picking up her knife and fork again. "Thank you, Loveday. That is wonderful news to come home to." She paused and looked up. "You said you had two things to tell me…"

"Oh, aye, though this second one's of more interest to me than you."

And with that, Aviwe figured out the real reason for her friend's restlessness. She stopped eating and leaned forward. "You've found something on your Summer Lady!"

Loveday's face transformed at the professor's words. She broke into a wide smile and looked about as happy as Aviwe had ever seen her. "I have," she confirmed, pushing back her chair and jumping to her feet. "Oh, I know I shouldn't get too excited about it… Judas! It's only a few sentences in an old manuscript, but I feel like I've found the proverbial needle in a haystack."

"You're exercising admirable restraint," said Aviwe, unable to resist the temptation to do a bit of teasing of her own.

"I can't help it! You don't know how long I've been searching for this."

"I do," Aviwe reminded her gently. "You've told me."

"That I have," said Loveday, "but knowing it with your head and knowing it with your heart are two completely different things. And you don't know what all that time feels like."

"No, I don't," the professor admitted, "but I'm glad in my heart you've finally got something else to go on with in your search."

Loveday had the grace to look abashed. "You're such a good friend," she said, taking her seat again and pushing her plate out of the way. "I don't deserve your kindness."

"If there's anyone who deserves it, it's you. You saved my life once. That's a debt I can't repay."

Loveday reached out and grabbed her friend's hands. "I don't want 'ee feelin' you owe me for that. The day I wandered into your life was a lucky one for both of us. The way you've helped me over the years… And now, because of knowin' you, I've found another piece of the puzzle."

"Then I'm glad to have been the cause of something good," said Aviwe, squeezing the other woman's hands in return.

Loveday gave her a crooked smile. "Shall I tell 'ee exactly what I found?"

"Please do," Aviwe replied, and Loveday was back on her feet in an instant, flitting about the room as she spoke.

"You know those old manuscripts I've been cataloguing for Lwazi in Special Collections?"

Aviwe nodded.

"Well, not long after you left for New York, I spied a History in amongst them, written by an Irishwoman. She spent over a decade in a harem in Constantinople, in the early years of the seventeenth century."

"Right time but wrong place, surely," said Aviwe.

"That's what I thought, but a couple of lines caught my eye." Loveday stopped dead in her tracks and whirled round to face her friend. "About a Jiniri and an Englishwoman who had fought the Vizier's guards outside the city walls. The Jiniri fell in the end - turned to flames - but no matter what blows they dealt her, they couldn't kill the Englishwoman. She wouldn't stay dead!"

Aviwe raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to one side. "I can see why you're so excited," she said slowly, "but it's hardly proof they're one and the same person." She pressed on as her friend opened her mouth to argue the point. "And if they are, how did she get from a gravedigger's cart in Tyburn to an Ottoman harem?"

Loveday's mouth snapped shut and she frowned. "Oh… Judas!" she said at last, flopping down into her chair. "You're right, of course. I'm getting miles ahead of myself!"

"Miles ahead of the evidence, you mean."

"Ayes, an' that too. But I have to believe it's more'n a coincidence."

"And that may well be the case," said the professor, "but you need to make the connections before you can say so with any certainty."

"I know." Loveday crossed her arms and bit the inside of her cheek. "Looks like it's back into the haystack for me."

"What else does the writer have to say about the Englishwoman?" asked Aviwe, ducking her head to hide a smile; 'haystack' was an apt metaphor. Her friend almost always conveyed the impression she'd just emerged from one, with her wild, untamed mane of curls, her eccentric style, and the assortment of treasures she carried on her person.

"Nothing," replied Loveday. "That was it. She was eighty-four when she wrote her memoirs, an' they're quite... disjointed in places. I read 'em three times, from start to finish, but there was nothin' else about either the Englishwoman or the Jiniri."

"So, what's your next step?"

Loveday regained some of her earlier sparkle as she outlined her plans. "Lwazi told me about a collection stored in one of the smaller libraries over by the medical labs. Works by sixteenth and seventeenth-century explorers who travelled through the Middle East and North Africa. I'm going to start with them. With luck, I'll find corroboration of the Irishwoman's tale and mebbe something more on the Englishwoman and the Jiniri." She paused and then added, "Of course, a name would be the best thing to find."

"It would certainly give you something more concrete to work with."

Loveday nodded. "Anyway, after the travelogues it's onto registers, inventories and tax records." She screwed up her nose. "The usual tedious slog."

"You're thinking of leaving then?" said Aviwe, not really surprised. She knew her friend would have to travel further afield than the University of Wakanda in order to pursue her new lead.

"I'm sorry," replied Loveday. She looked down at her feet. "I should have told 'ee sooner."

"I've been away," Aviwe pointed out. "You didn't exactly have the chance to."

"No, not about the Summer Lady," agreed Loveday, meeting her friend's eyes again. "But I've been thinking of leaving for a while now. You know me - I can't settle in one place for long."

"I know, my dear. Just make sure you keep in touch after you go." Aviwe gave her a pointed look.

Which Loveday chose to ignore. "I always do," she said.

"Sooner or later. When were you planning on going?"

"Not until after our trip to Johann's site. I'll have finished the literature review for your new paper by then, an' I should have managed to have a good look through those works Lwazi told me about."

At that, Aviwe was reminded of something King T'Challa had said before she left for New York. "Oh no," she exclaimed. "I've just remembered. The area next to the med labs is off-limits."

"Why?" asked Loveday. "An' for how long?"

Aviwe hesitated. She didn't like deceiving her friend, but there was no other choice. Now that James Barnes was out of cryo, he needed some sort of space. But given the need for secrecy and the fact that his Hydra programming could still be triggered, certain limits had to be set. As a result, the king had cordoned off a small area for Barnes's use and that included the library with Loveday's books.

"Well?" prompted Loveday when the silence stretched out.

Furrowing her brow, Aviwe looked away and replied. "I don't know. It's closed for renovations and it's not a short-term thing. Only a few people have permission to go in there for the moment."

"Oh!" Loveday's disappointment was evident, even in that one expression. "Perhaps someone from Loans could -"

"I don't think so," broke in Aviwe. "King T'Challa was quite clear in his instructions." She immediately wished the words back. The implied meaning would never escape Loveday's notice and, sure enough, the incredulous look on her friend's face told her it hadn't.

"The king himself," exclaimed Loveday. "I would have thought he had better things to do with his time than redecorating."

All Aviwe could do was shrug.

"Oh well," continued Loveday, lowering her chin and frowning. "I'll have to rethink my plans." She looked up and gave Aviwe a half-hearted smile. "You might have to put up with me for a while longer yet."

"It's no hardship," said the professor, meaning every word and relieved, too, that her friend was not inclined to press the matter. Loveday smiled again, a proper one this time, and they moved on to more general topics of conversation as they finished their meal. Later, when they were cleaning up, Loveday asked her what her plans were for the next day.

"Getting over this jet lag, mainly," she replied. "And I have an appointment with King T'Challa in the afternoon. To let him know how my trip went."

Loveday slid her a questioning look. "The king again," she murmured as she stacked the plates in the dishwasher.

Aviwe mentally cursed. She was obviously not cut out for subterfuge and was far too tired besides. "I'll catch up with Cebisa too," she rushed on.

"Oh! That reminds me," said Loveday, distracted from all thoughts of T'Challa. "Is she alright?"

"Y-yes," replied Aviwe, a little mystified. Cebisa was her niece and had been fine when she last spoke with her. "Why do you ask?"

"I haven't seen her since before you went away and when I texted her to come to dinner tonight, she said she couldn't. No explanation, just that. I got a feelin' there was something mebbe… I don't know. Troubling her."

Aviwe knew straight away the reason for her niece's abrupt reply. Cebisa was a skilled psychotherapist and was part of the team working with James Barnes to help rid him of his Hydra programming. Like everyone else who had anything to do with him, she was sworn to secrecy and knew better than to risk letting anything slip to Loveday. "She's been very busy with a new patient," said Aviwe, more guarded in her own reply this time. "I understand he's a particularly challenging case."

Loveday, tilted her head to one side. "I think there's more -" She noticed the look of strain on her friend's face and changed tack. "That must be it then. An' shame on me for keeping 'ee up. You must be past tired."

Aviwe suddenly found it hard to keep her eyes open. "I am."

"You go to bed. I'll finish tidyin' up here."

"Thank you." Aviwe tried to hide a yawn. "I'll see you tomorrow - take a look at what you've done on the lit review so far if you like."

"Oh, don't worry about that," replied Loveday as she wiped down the bench top. "It can wait. You do what you need to. See the king! See Cebisa! Catch up on your sleep!"

Aviwe smiled. "Where do you get your energy from?"

"I ain't spent fifteen hours on a plane," said Loveday with a grin. "I've got plenty left."

"More than me at any rate. Good night, Loveday, and thank you again for dinner. And the good news about the dig site." And with that, Aviwe headed off to bed.

"'Night," Loveday called out after her. "I'll lock up when I leave," and ten minutes after that she was on her way back to her own apartment.

As she cut through the university campus, she was consumed by the problem of the library. Not even the star-studded beauty of the night or the brittle hum of the bush crickets could distract her. To have finally found mention of her Summer Lady, after all these years… (Because despite her earlier conversation with Aviwe, she didn't believe for a minute that the seventeenth-century Englishwoman in the old memoirs could be anyone else.) To hear - to feel - the whisper of change in the air. It didn't seem possible that anything could stop her now. And yet the library was off-limits…

Loveday came to a halt; she had reached the Administration Block. To her right was her usual path, and to her left lay the one that ran past the medical labs. And said library. On the spur of the moment she decided to take the left-hand path. It was the longer way home but she could check out the renovations for herself. Although Aviwe had told her they were a long-term thing, they could already be well under way or even close to being finished. It was a cheering thought and she headed off down the less familiar path with a growing sense of optimism.

The fences and hoardings soon came into view, but there were no signs of any machinery or equipment on site and for a moment Loveday thought the work might indeed be completed. As she got up close though, she saw it hadn't even started. "Oh, Judas!" she cursed under her breath. Spying a small break in one of the fences, she put her eye to it and peered through. A security light lit up the area and she was able to confirm that there wasn't even so much as a hammer or a pack of nails to be had. The delay was going to be massive and she scowled as she realised there was nothing she could do about it.

It was then that she noticed the faint glow of light through one of the windows in the complex. It was coming from an adjacent corridor and it gave her an idea. Surely no one could object if she used the library until the renovations started. At the first sign of a carpenter or a builder, she'd vacate the place and leave them to it. In the meantime, she might get in a few nights' study. It would be better than nothing.

She jogged around the perimeter looking for a way in and quickly found a Loveday-sized gap to the rear where the buildings backed onto the rainforest. Gathering up her skirts, and pushing aside the vines, she ducked through the opening.

… … …

Johann de Vries shivered and tried to pull his jacket a little tighter around his heavy frame. The day's heat had fled along with the light and he couldn't decide which of the two men in front of him he disliked more: the insufferable Justin Hammer or the arrogant, self-styled Alexander Pierce II. They were currently arguing about the best course of action to take when Aviwe Sontonga made her visit to the dig site later on in the season, and Johann was heartily sick of the pair of them. If he'd had any say in the matter, the Sontonga woman wouldn't have been allowed within a hundred miles of his site. However, the whole reason he was even here now was because of the strings Pierce Two had pulled, and he had subsequently learned that as far as Hammer and Pierce were concerned, his opinion counted for nothing. He was merely the respectable cover they needed to further their own aims.

He realised now that he should have paid more attention to their ramblings when he'd first met them; he might have had some warning this would happen and could have taken steps to ensure it didn't. Instead, he had been focused on the promise of academic glory that Pierce had dangled in front of him. And now it looked like he might have to share some of that glory with Professor Sontonga.

Or maybe not. As their discussion ground on, it became clear that Pierce was all for killing the woman once he had his uncle's 'Asset' back whilst Hammer preferred to return her to Wakanda once he had his consignment of vibranium. Though he had no idea of the whys and wherefores of what each man wanted, and cared even less, Johann rather hoped Pierce would win this particular argument. He shivered again in the cold night air and wished they would hurry up and settle the matter…