Keeping It Real by Justina Robson Read Free Book Online Page A

the
    floorboards when she took off. Lila landed on her hands, flipped once to regain her feetand was gone
    even as she heard Boom calling outfearfully and then the slam of her door.
    In spite of her speed she was not the first person to reach the ocean room. Poppy already stood there
    in front of the huge glass wall opening one of the sliding doors which led out onto the broad balcony . She
    was so occupied with the care of this task that she didn't notice Lila's arrival .
    Lila ducked behind one of the settees as she saw thatPoppy was expecting someone . That someone
    dropped off the roof and came in quickly. There was a flash of metal that Lila saw as deep blue against
    the careless red glare from a chink in the intruder's aetherial self. Poppy showed brilliantly, like a yellow
    ghost.
    'Are you sure about this?' Lila heard Poppy whisper.
    The other put their finger up to the faery's mouth and pressed it there for a moment. To Lila's surprise
    Poppy yawned prodigiously and backed away, but there was no time to think on it.
    The new figure darted forward suddenly, towards Zal's door, so focused on its purpose that itbarely
    flinched aside when Lila stuck her leg outand tripped itin mid-flight. There was a gasp and whoever it
    was went rolling. Lila jumped, caught a handful of cloth and felt it rip out of her hand as the other sprang
    up and turned. Itwhipped outthe
    knife ithad been carrying and faced her for a second, then looked back and forth in clear indecision. Lila
    took her chance at that moment and dived forward at full stretch . She landed on top, the attacker's knife
    hand trapped between both of hers . She dug her reinforced fingers into the narrow wristshe was holding
    with maximum strength, and was rewarded by a gasp of pain . The knife fell.
    Then Lila feltPoppy's hands on her shoulders, rather fumbling. The faery's proximity senta slow
    shudder through her circuits and Lila felt like she was moving through treacle. The body underneath hers
    made a great, fishlike effortand wriggled free. Itcaught up the knife again. Lila threw Poppy off
    backwards onto one of the sofas and heard her land there with a protesting cry, butalready the
    black-robed elf was halfway back to the balcony.
    Lila freed a line in the palm of her right hand and made a desperate cast. The coils of thin braid,
    weighted at their flight end, wrapped around the figure's waist in a whip action. Lila yanked on half
    power and the figure went down on the carpet and began struggling to slash the cord. Before Poppy had
    a chance to recover herself, Lila spooled back the line and jumped down across the small body to pin it
    flatwith the simple fact of her weight again. The elf stopped trying to cutthe line and instead made a
    desperate slash atLila's face. Lila leaned back easily only to find Poppy's hands over her eyes suddenly.
    The faery tried to pull her sideways, off her prisoner, but only succeeded in hurting herself as Lila was far
    too strong for her. As Lila brushed Poppy's hands away the elf made a lunge and she felta sharp, fiery
    pain score across her side. Lila trapped the offending arm on its retreat, catching it between her own arm
    and her damaged ribs and punched the elf hard in the guts. They doubled up with a near-silentaahh of
    agony and released the knife a second time. Then Poppy hitLila's head with a plantpot.
    Lila found herself sitting in a scatter of soil and broken crockery, holding the knife. The door to the
    balcony stood wide and she could hear the sea. There was no sign of her attacker.
    'Oh cat's piss,' she heard Poppy say despairingly from the settee. 'I just knew you'd ruin it'
    Lila got up, went across and pulled the faery up by one arm. Poppy slowed her down again, but now it
    hardly mattered since Poppy had clearly quitany ideas of further violence.' Whatthe hell was that?' Lila
    hissed ather.
    "That is you, Lila?' Poppy said . She sounded terrified.
    Lila coded the house to putthe lights back on. 'Of course it's