Never

He took his time with a reply. It was clear to him that this topic was quite delicate for me and that is why he only opened his mouth when we were halfway through the open-plan office and I wasn't even expecting an answer. "You should see them before we're cooped up with them in a van with them tomorrow."

"I'm not sure it will make that much of a difference."

"Believe me, it will be."

Maybe, maybe not, just the prospect of seeing her right now, made my tension rise again. Not just because of what they'd done, but because of what they stood for. A shattered childhood, an orphan, the Venator's profession. It was only because of these proles that I became a Venator.

When I was a little kid I always wanted to be a vet, or maybe a chimney sweep. Chimney sweeps brought luck and I liked the idea of bringing luck. Of course, I knew that these were a six-year-old's dreams, but without the events of that time, I wouldn't be who I was today.

I couldn't tell if tha