Chapter 23

Catilin had been sat in the black swivel chair waiting for Nurse Guillyham to arrive for about half an hour after Sister had left. There was still no sign of the more than unusual Nurse yet, but Catilin didn't mind. She had taken the opportunity to think about things. After all, there were a lot more questions now than there had been before she'd met her mysterious doppelganger. What's more there was something about that experience which left Catilin feeling… odd. She couldn't quite describe how or why, she just knew it was far from the ordinary.

In the end she'd been sat there for so long boredom had drifted her off into a strange kind of daydream. A daydream which distracted her from Nurse Guillyham's entrance. In fact Catilin wouldn't have known she was there at all if she hadn't shaken her back to her senses.

'So boredom makes y'sleep with yer eyes open does it lassie?'

'I guess,' Catilin stretched as she pulled herself to her feet for a moment.

The weird thing was she did feel as though she'd just been asleep, although she was almost certain…

'I'm guessing youse has some questions for me lassie,' Nurse Guillyham interrupted her train of thoughts.

'Yeah,' she nodded, 'like what are you?'

'If I told y'now I was nay more than the daughter of a Scotsman would y'believe me?'

Catilin shook her head, but said nothing. Sighing, Nurse Guillyham turned away from her and gazed vacantly out of the window for a few moments.

'M'father was a Scotsman of sorts lassie, that much I didnea lie to y'about. Only he wasn't born in the Scottish highlands or lowlands fur that matter. He were born into an old Giyan clan that worshipped they Harpies.'

'I thought Harpies were part of Greek mythology.'

'That they are.'

'So what was a Scottish clan doing worshipping them?'

For a moment Nurse Guillyham just laughed, as though Catilin had said something highly amusing. Then the elder lady turned her gaze towards Catilin to reveal a strange twinkling in her eyes which suggested something…

'Youse asked a good question there lassie,' the Nurse once again interrupted her train of thoughts. 'Y'see originally our clan was of Greek origin. Born and bred of Giya they were, from the first generations sent there to be a kind to they Harpies and Psyrene. The Greeks that sent em there thought to appease the deadly ladies of legend. However they Psyrene and they Harpies didnea like the peaceful way the clan got on. They themselves didnea like each other y'see and so thought it unfit to bay sharing a clan.'

'So the Harpies kidnapped a load of Ancient Scots to build a clan of their own?'

'No lassie, although that may have been a simpler plan,' Nurse Guillyham tilted her head thoughtfully. 'See what they did, in collaboration with the Psyrenes, was t infuse the Greeks blood with the blood of fierce worriers. By then y'see the Celts were proving themselves to bay the most fierce and passionate. It was also then that they Harpies and Psyrene created the Amulets, to honour the original Talc and Arc who'd been so good as to help them with they plans.'

'So your accent isn't Scottish, but corrupt ancient Celtic?' Catilin frowned.

'Aye lassie.'

For a few moments Catilin mulled this over, then she remembered what Nurse Guillyham had said about her mother.

'Was everyone in your family part of the clan?'

'No,' she shook her head, 'my father had a fascination with the world outside Giya y'see. Tha's how he met my mother.'

'And that's why you have a life outside of Giya?'

'I'd have been force to have that now anyway lassie.'

'Why?'

'Because may whole clan bar me and one of they Psyrene lot bay dead. Killed each other in civil war.'

'Oh,' she lowered her gaze, 'I'm sorry.'

'There's no need t be lassie, they died a long time ago. As would have I had it not been fur the Amulet of Feathers. With no one left to pass it on t, me and the lassie with t'other Amulet have no other choice but to live all eternity.'

'You're the current Arc Archer?'

'Aye lassie.'

Taking a deep breath in, Catilin found herself sitting heavily back down into the swivel chair. She knew of Arc and Talc from the books in the Great Library, but she, like the rest of the world, believed them dead along with their clan. To find out they'd survived was…

'What made you decide to become a nurse,' Catilin studied her for a moment.

'A lover I had, a long time ago now lassie, he feel ill in the mind and was not treated so kind as you've been in the place he was sent to. So I broke him out and brought him back t'live with me.'

'Wasn't that hard?'

'Aye, it was. But I never once backed away from it lassie. Never once considered it a burden. I loved that man y'see and when he died all I wanted to do was care fur him again.'

'But you couldn't care for him so you decided to care for crazy people instead?'

'Aye,' she chuckled, 'and be then the system was changing, so it was easier fur me to care the way I feel those in here need.'

For a few moments Catilin was silent again. Then something else began eating at her.

'If you knew the things I were saying were true, about who I was and everything, why didn't you… I mean, why…?'

'I could nay well go round collaborating with everyone who seems to know what they talking about lassie. A lot o the people here make fur a convincing case. Until I bay sure of who any of ye are I cannea blow may own cover.'

'So you had to test me?'

'Aye.'

'How?'

'Tha's unimportant lassie.'

'But…'

'Come now lassie, we're short on time, there must be other things ye be wishing to know.'

'Well…' she hesitated.

'What is it?'

'Why would a stranger tell me to call them Sister? A stranger with power I mean.'

'Y'nay know nothing if y'be asking may that lassie.'

'What do you mean?'

'Sister an Brother bay Sen Khine addresses lassie, tha's what I mean.'