Ess crashed through the doors of her bedroom and flung open the wardrobe doors. She grabbed at the first set of clothes that came to hand. When she tugged at her undies drawer it flew out of the chest of drawers and upended the contents onto the floor. She screamed a wordless cry of anger and frustration and swept up a set of underwear.

"Do you think you might want to pace yourself?" asked Dorothy from the doorway.

"Shut up!" She ripped off the bathrobe and pulled her clothes on.

"Okay, but if you're going to do what I think you are, I'd not want to burn myself out. What about your boyfriend?"

Ess turned to face the bed. Shades murmured in his sleep, lying on top of the covers, his feet still on the floor.

"Yeah, hose him down too."

"Excuse me? I'm not your servant, and I'm definitely not going to strip a strange man naked."

"I trust you." Ess kicked the shoes piled in the bottom of the wardrobe. She grabbed a pair of boots. Sandals were not going to be up to the job when she started kicking arse.

Dorothy said, "Besides, you don't want to face one of the Gentle Folk alone."

"No? Because company has been naff all help the last couple of times." Ess turned to the door, but Dorothy held her position.

"Even so. Do you want me to come along?"

"You?" Ess paused for a moment. She was a Daughter of Gaia, and this time she knew what Davenport was and what he was up to. Anger helped compensate for the dust, and it was all she'd needed before. On the other hand Dorothy had taken her under her wing when she was still a teenager at college. She'd taught her the basics of the craft, more than the basics if she was honest. Two sisters were better than one. If she couldn't ask for help from her teacher, who could she ask it from?

But that was the problem. If she asked her for help now, what would she do next time? She'd been under her wing when she was an apprentice, but now she was a woman, full-grown in the arts. There was a time for asking for help, but there was a time for standing on her own two feet. She was a Daughter of Gaia, damn it.

"No, you sort Shades out. Stick him under the shower fully clothed if you're shy. I'll get backup. Don't worry, I won't go in alone. But don't do it yet. If he wakes up he'll want to tag along, and he's fine at muscle but not the craft. Besides, he'll get all protective and bossy, and I don't need that right now."

"You think we've got all day to run around after you?"

Ess grabbed the iron talisman she'd bought earlier and slipped it over her neck, then picked up the rowan wand. She paused and tempered her anger just a tad.

"Dorothy, you were my teacher and my light when I was trying to find my way. You dropped everything to help me, you and Flo came all the way down here just to help me out, and I can never thank you enough for that, for any of it. But this is my fight. The bastards screwed with me, and if they think they can get away with it they'll screw with everyone. Davenport is in politics. Mother and the earth spirits, can you imagine what he'll try and get away with if he gets into a position of power? So I've got to put him right, and it's got to be me, so he knows he can't pick on any daughter. He has to know he hasn't won. I've got a friend I can call, someone who's dealt with the other side before. Shades isn't him, not by a long chalk. He's cute, but he's not powerful, not in the way he would need to be. But I can't leave him like this, knowing anything might happen to him. I know this stuff messes with your mind, I know how permanently screwed up people can get after they've been touched. So I need to make sure he's okay, but if I stay behind I'll run out of steam and then what good would I be? But if you and Flo could just see to the basics, just so I can put everything into stamping Davenport into the ground and not have to worry, that would be amazing." She paused as she drew in a long breath and looked at the recumbent form on the bed.

"Last time stuffing him under the shower fully clothed was enough, but do what you have to. Only leave it for ten minutes, otherwise he'll jump on a white charger and then I'll have to give him a good kicking as well. Don't tell him where I've gone, but he'll probably work that out, I expect." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she steeled herself for the next word. "Please," she said at last.

"Davenport?" said Dorothy. Ess nodded. Dorothy shrugged. "Each sister has her own path, but we're not called sisters for nothing. Blessings of the Mother on your endeavour, but if you're unsuccessful, well, the whole sisterhood will know his name, I'll make sure of that. Then we'll make sure he knows us." She reached into a pocket in her tweed jacket and pulled out a bulky old sock, tied at the end. "Take this. It may help."

Ess took the sock, then nearly dropped it as the weight surprised her.

"I thought it was herbs or something."

Dorothy shook her head. "The Gentle Folk, they can't abide iron, but in my experience no one can abide iron when it's in the form of steel ball bearings packed inside a sock. Besides, I'm an old woman and this is London. A girl has to be able to protect herself." She stepped aside to let Ess through.

"Thanks," she said to Flo as she left. Flo nodded, and then Ess was pounding down the stairs.