It was strange to receive a mail paper
on a boat. Viola woke up and there it was. She wondered, as she picked it up from
the floor of her cabin, how likely it was that a paper might drop into the sea,
if the recipient were too close to the edge of a boat, or a cliff. It made her
realise just how much she wanted to get back on to dry land.
She sat back on the
bed and read the paper:
Dear
Viola,
I
hope that all your endeavours are progressing satisfactorily.
I took it upon myself to go and interview the Naga in
the KU library. The conversation was brief but informative. It seems that she
is guarding something, but what exactly it is I was not able to ascertain. I
think, however, that it is an object or locale of great power and importance. I
also think that whatever it may be it is far beyond our ability to deal with
it. With that at the forefront of my mind I would like to ask your permission
to discuss the matter with Mr Ismay and, if necessary, other members of the
council. I will not, however, do this without your express permission, given
the stipulations that you made earlier concerning the sharing of your
information.
My major reason for making this request is that I have
compelling reasons, which I do not feel it is safe to reveal in a letter, to
believe that you are not the only group that are interested in the Nagas.
Indeed, I strongly suspect that one of our greatest enemies has murdered at
least one of the snake-elves. I’m sure that I do not need to emphasise any more
clearly that I have in the past just how dangerous our foes are.
Given what I have discovered in the last day or so, I
have one other request, or piece of advice, if you prefer. I think that you
should abandon your quest and return to Gorodnikov as soon as possible, where
we can all consider the meaning of recent events in a more measured way.
To end on a more personal note, I must say that I feel
some considerable concern for you and your companions, and also that with the
passing of the hours and days that my concern has not been lessening. I hope,
therefore, that you will not act in any way that is ill-considered or
precipitate.
Please take care.
Yours,
as ever, etc.
Laurence
Hardacre
Viola groaned, much louder than she’d
intended, and Potentilla woke up quite suddenly. Without thinking Viola slipped
the mail paper under her own pillow. She wasn’t going to show this message to
anyone else just yet.
‘Are you in pain?’
asked Potentilla with obvious concern, but nonetheless grinning very broadly.
She looked like a cat that had just discovered a dairy.
‘I stubbed my toe’
explained Viola, leaning forward and rubbing her toe.
‘On what?’ asked
Potentilla, looking unsuccessfully across the bed for a blunt object.
‘Earlier – I stubbed
it earlier’
‘But you were
groaning a few moments ago’
Viola sighed. She should
have learned never to attempt these conversations with her lieutenant.
‘It’s still hurting…’
she explained
‘Is it your old stab
wound?’ Potentilla asked, her smile fading and her forehead furrowing.
‘No, no’ answered
Viola, hurriedly, ‘that’s fine…’
Potentilla still
looked puzzled but something else was clearly preoccupying her. She plonked
herself down next to Viola, making very sure that she avoided crushing her
toes. She was clearly aching to tell her friend something.
‘Guess what I did
last night’
Viola’s heart, which had
already dropped to about knee-level, now slipped down to the soles of her feet.
‘I don’t think I want
to…’ she murmured
‘We kissed… Dom and I
kissed’ said Potentilla, ignoring her, ‘and it was fantastic!’
Viola grimaced.
Despite all her misgivings she was going to have to contribute to the
conversation. This foolishness might jeopardise the whole mission.
‘Who instigated the
kiss, lieutenant?’ she asked, turning to address her subordinate officer and assuming
her crispest military voice.
Potentilla looked
shocked.
‘Why are you asking
me like that, Vee? I’m not doing any harm…’
Viola shook her head.
‘You didn’t answer my
question’
Potentilla stared
down at the floor.
‘Well, I started it,
but he was very happy to…’
Viola lifted up her hand.
‘No details, thank
you. I really don’t want any details’
A sheepishly look
crept over Potentilla’s face. Belatedly she recognised the stare that she was
being given and recalled that Viola was still her commanding officer.
‘It’s just a bit of
fun, ma’am, that’s all’
Captain Viola refused
to unbend; she continued her measuredly stony stare.
‘That’s just what you said about poor Al’ham’
Tears pricked in
Potentilla’s eyes. She rubbed her eyes and shook her head as if hoping that
this was all a dream.
‘Ma’am’ she said,
‘that’s not a very nice thing to say…’
Viola was beginning
to regret this rather uncompromising line, but she still had an important point
to make. She continued to glare at her lieutenant.
‘It’s true, though,
and it shows just how dangerously unpredictable these sorts of things can be’
‘Are you ordering me
to stop?’
Viola realised that
she’d gone too far – this wasn’t any of her business and she should have left
it alone: they were both grown-ups and Dom appeared to be able to look after
himself. Her mind crept back to the
letter under her pillow. Everyone had the right to do something silly every now
and then.
‘Well, not order,
exactly but…’ she began, not sure how to proceed without appearing to back down
completely.
Potentilla folded her
arms. She was clearly determined not to weep this time. Instead she attempted a
counter-attack.
‘Are you against
romance, ma’am?’ she said, ‘you never seem very happy about that sort of thing’
Viola wasn’t
expecting this at all. She was momentarily confused.
‘Never give all of the heart…’ she said, drawing words from a
distant memory, ‘for love will hardly
seem worth thinking of…’
‘What?’ asked
Potentilla, ‘What do you mean?’
‘I have no idea. It’s
just an old poem’
‘So, have you? Have
you ever given all of your heart,
Vee?’
Viola shook her head.
She was suddenly embarrassed by herself.
How could she be like this?
‘I don’t think I can,
Tillie… I sometimes think that something is missing… I just don’t feel it here’
She put her hand on her chest.
Potentilla leapt up
from the bed and turned to inspect her captain. It was if she expected to be
able to see some structure of her face that would explain this monstrous
condition.
‘How can that be?
Everyone loves someone, surely. I’ve fallen in love loads of times’
Viola shrunk back on
the bed. She felt suddenly less than
elven, slightly stunted and somewhat pitiful.
‘No, I’ve never felt that way about anyone – I
don’t know why…’
Potentilla laughed,
as much in shock as in amusement. Viola
felt anger and shame swirling around inside herself. She hauled herself out of the bed and made
for the door. She’d had enough of this; it was making her feel awful.
‘I don’t want to talk
about it’ she said, swinging the cabin door open and hurrying through it.
Potentilla ran out
after her, caught up with her and touched her shoulder. Her tone had completely
changed.
‘I’m so sorry, ma’am’
she said, ‘everyone is different, I suppose…’
Viola turned and smiled
weakly at her lieutenant. She knew that she had a responsibility to her ardent
friend; she had a role in her life from which she couldn’t abdicate.
‘Just be careful with
Dom’s heart, Tillie’ she said. She lowered her voice, ‘…and every other bit of
him.’
Potentilla looked
solemn for a second and nodded her head slowly. She stepped forward and gave Viola
a big, very unmilitary, hug. Then she broke free but still held on to her arms.
‘Of course, Vee, I
promise that I’ll look after him’
Viola gave her a
reassuring nod. The proper order of the world began to reassert itself. Viola
hoped that this would never happen again.
‘And don’t forget we
have a mission to complete’
‘Of course, ma’am’
Viola broke free of
Potentilla’s grasp and climbed up the stairs as quickly as she could. As soon
as the sea air hit her she began to feel slightly better. She would sit in a deckchair and watch the sea
until her mind was clear again.
Potentilla waited for
a moment at the bottom of the stairs, marvelling at her friend and worrying. To
her, to live without passionate love seemed inconceivable. She knew then that
she would have to find someone for her captain, whatever it took, and however
long. She, of course, had absolutely no
idea just how difficult that would prove to be. But even if she had known, she
still wouldn’t have hesitated, even for a second.
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