Lily ran down the stairs and collided
with Marthian near the bottom. She’d been hoping to intercept the post before
her mother got to it, as this was Thursday, the day that she usually got a
letter from John. They were never very long letters, but it was amazing how
just a few lines could keep a young witch’s flame burning. Natasha had a shrewd idea that something like
this as going on, but she hadn’t told Lily off directly yet. So, if she could
get to the letter first then the problem could be made to disappear for another week.
‘Lily!’ said Marthian as the girl blundered
into her. The princess started to apologise but then stopped herself.
‘What are you doing
sitting at the foot of our stairs?’ she asked, as if that completely excused
her reckless descent.
Marthian looked up a
little sheepishly.
‘I was just coming to
see your father and Captain Henryck, and suddenly…’
‘Did you have a funny
turn?’ asked Lily, ‘my auntie used to have those… well, actually they were only
just before her heart gave out’
Marthian scowled and
could think of nothing to say. Lily looked a little worried.
‘Do you need a glass
of water? You do look very pale…’
Marthian waved her
hands up at Lily, shaking her head all the while.
‘No, it’s alright – I
don’t think a glass of water will help’
Lily squeezed past
the sitting elf and plonked herself beside her.
‘What happened?’
‘I’m not sure… I
suddenly felt a jolt’
Lily scanned her up
and down. She didn’t see anything very helpful.
‘Are you sure it
wasn’t a funny turn? It sounds like
it might be one…’
Marthian had to stop
this – it wasn’t the sort of rumour that she would want spread round Amansk –
exiled imperial elf has paroxysm. Reluctantly she decided to be honest.
‘I think it was a
bolt of magic’
Lily’s mouth dropped
open and her eyes widened to their full extent.
‘Really? That’s
amazing. Did someone cast a spell on you?’
‘Possibly…’
Lily resumed her inspection:
Marthian could see that she was now desperate to diagnosis the magical effect.
‘What did it do?’
‘Well, I don’t think
it did anything…’
‘Oh – that’s a pity…’
Lily’s voice dwindled away. ‘I’m keen on magic, you know’
Marthian smiled.
‘Yes, you have
mentioned that before’
Marthian got up from
the step, hoping that they could leave the whole thing there. Lily looked up,
startled.
‘Where are you
going?’
‘To my meeting’
Lily stood up and
took hold of Marthian’s sleeve, very gently. She had a slightly pleading look
in her eyes.
‘What was that
magical bolt, proconsul?’
Marthian sighed. It
was going to be impossible not to tell anyone and Lily was the closest thing
she had to a confidante.
‘I’ll tell you, but
you have to promise not to tell anyone, not even your parents, and especially
not your brother.’ She turned to impress on her the importance of this request,
‘it’s not something that I want everyone to know’
‘Tell me! Go on, tell
me!’
‘Do you promise, your
highness?’
‘Yes, of course, I’ll
do anything to find out’
Lily was now almost
jumping up and down now with the excitement. In contrast, a pit seemed to be
opening up in Marthian’s stomach: why hadn’t this happened when she’d been
alone? She scanned round to check that no-one else had come into the hallway.
‘It was a message’ she said, very softly
Lily looked
disappointed.
‘Oh, right’ she said,
‘who was it from?’
‘I’m not really sure,
but it was probably someone very important’
‘And what did it say?
Was it in a strange language, or in code?’
Marthian shook her
head.
‘No – just in plain
Visneorian’
Lily’s face looked
downcast again, but she still wanted to hear the whole story
‘So – what did it
say? Was it something secret and vital?’
‘Well, possibly’
‘Please, go on, what
did it say? Was it hard to understand?’
Marthian waited a
split second, still wondering if she should tell.
‘No, not hard at all’
she murmured, ‘it just said – come home’
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