Ravensborough by Christine Murray Page A

assumption that I would drop everything in favour of spending the day with her without knowing what exactly we would be doing. But despite my irritation, I wanted to meet up with her again. Most of the people I knew here would think I was crazy, but I couldn’t help it. I was curious.
    The bus on the way home from meeting Aradia stopped at the start of the Starling-Bird Bridge. Two soldiers got on and slowly worked their way from the front to the back of the vehicle, checking everyone’s documentation. I handed over my passport with the Irish harp on the front of it, and was subjected to heavy questioning about why I was in Avalonia. Rupert kept telling me that I needed to get sorted out with an Avalonian identification card soon. Maybe he had a point.
    When I got home I found that I was in luck. Mum and Rupert were going to a friend of his for lunch the next day. They said that I was free to join them, but I could tell from their expressions that it was more of an adult thing. I pleaded homework, and casually said that some of my friends were planning to get together tomorrow so I might tag along. This was well received. Mum was so happy that I was beginning to carve out a life for myself in our new hometown that she making friends trumped studying. She urged me to get out of the house and have some fun, which was exactly what I planned to do.
    I didn’t feel good about lying to Mum, and I’d never really had to deceive her before. But although she was working in Avalonia, and was steadily amassing a group of friends in her own right, whenever she was unsure about something in this new environment she looked to Rupert as her compass. He would advise her against a friendship between me and Aradia, so I had no choice but to keep them both in the dark.
    It was hard to know what to wear, considering that I had no idea what we’d be doing. I decided to go for outdoor casual, jeans, flat boots and a rich purple jumper that complimented the colour of my hair perfectly.
    Again I made the journey across the lake to the main city. When I got to the Willow-Tree, Aradia was waiting for me, leaning against the wall outside it. Her jacket was coal black and reached to her knees. The legs below the coat were encased in denim, so I guessed I’d gotten the mood of the day right. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, emphasising the sharp contours of her cheekbones and chin. She saw me and waved at me enthusiastically.
    ‘So where are we going today?’ I asked, shoving my hands deep in my pockets.
    ‘This’, Aradia gestured around her, ‘Is neutral territory. You live in a Rationalist area, so I’m going to give you some balance and broaden your perspective.’
    Realisation dawned. ‘You’re taking me to the Pagan quarter.’
    ‘Initially, yes,’ she said. ‘Think of this as an educational field trip.’
    ‘And here was me thinking you just enjoyed my company.’
    ‘Of course I do!’ Aradia rolled her eyes. ‘If I didn’t I wouldn’t be here trying to make you understand.’
    I wanted to ask about Gethan and how she knew him, but couldn’t think of a way to drop it casually into conversation.
    We began to walk uphill. My journeys into the city had tended to focus on the arty student area immediately surrounding the Willow Tree and the uber wealthy area around Guinevere Plaza. When I came with Mum and Rupert we went to King’s Quarter, a fashionable area where Ravensborough’s richest citizens came to shop. This was uncharted territory for me.
    Mostly the city was laid out like any other. Small localised shops jostled with international chains. The architecture was quite old but this wasn’t unusual in Europe. What was unusual was that every so often, for no apparent reason, a pair of iron gates were set into the wall. They were open but, if they were closed, they would have stopped people from journeying any further down the road. Sometimes the iron gates were missing, but the giant hinges that had once held