Chapter seven

Eth City

Kath pushed open the door to her tiny office. It had been a long time.

‘Yes?’ asked the woman sitting at her desk

‘Who are you?’ asked Kath

‘Dr Hickling’

Kath was disorientated.

‘And who exactly is Dr Hickling?’

‘I am Lecturer in Dwarven and other Exotic Magic Studies at this University. Who are you?’

Kath felt flustered. She managed a strangled. ‘I thought this was Dr Fielding’s room’

‘Oh’ said the woman, her face falling, ‘Are you looking for her?’

She stood up and offered her hand. Kath shook it. The woman was significantly shorter than she; something that she registered with an abstract satisfaction.

‘Call me Elaine…’

‘I’m Geraldine’ said Kath, giving her middle name, without knowing why quite yet. She continued with care.

‘I was looking for Dr Fielding…yes…’

‘Oh dear…’ said Elaine, ‘…I’m afraid she’s… gone’

Fear gripped Kath quite irrationally, as she knew her own fate well enough.

‘What do you mean by “gone”?’

Elaine stared at her for a moment, wide-eyed.

‘Err... She’s dead, I’m afraid’

Kath felt quite bereft. She almost pinched herself, but thought better of it.

‘How?’ was all that she could manage.

‘It was about two years ago. She went on a University expedition to Eastern Visneoria, and she never returned’

Elaine shivered. She continued.

‘She died, or was killed, somewhere in that wild place’

Kath slumped into her visitor’s chair.

‘Oh no’ she moaned

‘Were you close?’

Kath felt a giggle swimming upwards through her sea of confusion.

‘Oh yes’ she said, now with her hand covering her mouth, ‘exceptionally so’

‘Oh no’ said Elaine, ‘can I get you anything? A cup of tea perhaps’

What a nice person, thought Kath, what on earth am I going to do? It’s going to be tough to reveal who I am now.

She responded with a basic Ethian reflex.

‘Yes – a cup of tea would be lovely’

Elaine ducked out of the room and Kath stayed sitting. The room was scarcely changed since she had left it, but her books had been cleared from the shelves and replaced with newer editions. Same books, just different imprints. She had missed her little office, but she realised, in a moment that made her heart sink, that she would never occupy it again: it was a familiar locale rendered foreign. For a moment she just wanted to run away. But then Elaine was back and it was too late.

Despite everything, Kath took the cup gratefully.

‘I’m so sorry about Dr Fielding…’ said Elaine

‘So am I’ muttered Kath

‘Of course’ said Elaine, ‘I’m just so sorry you had to find out about it this way’

‘No good way to find out’ she grunted. There was a thrill to pretending to be someone else, but also a desolation – a part of her old life had expired.

She finished her tea quickly. Being in her old room under these changed circumstances was beginning to niggle her. She made small talk for a little while and then her excuses.

***

Viola found the house quite easily. Hardacre had already (reluctantly) given her details of Lily’s cover story and so it was straightforward to find where the Glydes’ lived. It was a sumptuous two-storey neo-imperial house, with a large front garden, with fruit trees. The blossom was sweet and heavy.  The front door sheltered beneath a formal, if unpretentious, portico.  She knocked sharply on the door. A short young woman with very long black hair opened it.

‘Molly?’ asked Viola

The woman smiled. It was the most extraordinary smile that Viola had ever seen – it was the sort of smile with which one would share any secret: a wonderful and dangerous smile. This must be Princess Lily.

The woman shook her head.

‘No – I’m Molly’s best friend, Julia. Are you looking for her?’

Viola was surprised into silence. All she could do was nod her head vaguely. This didn’t seem to worry Julia.

‘Come in – I’ll find her for you’

Viola was shocked.

‘Aren’t you going to ask who I am? I could be anyone’

Julia considered this for a moment. Then she continued to beckon Viola in and turned to go back inside.

‘It’s fine – I can tell you’re a friend’

Viola stepped through the doorway.

‘Moll – there’s someone to see you’

Lily was in the kitchen and hurried down the corridor to meet them. Julia had disappeared into another room.

Viola stepped forward to meet Lily. Now that they were alone she didn’t indulge in niceties.

‘Princess Lily’ she whispered.

Lily’s face fell like a sack of potatoes.

‘My name is Molly – you must be mistaken’ she insisted, but without conviction.

‘I know’ hissed Viola, impatiently.

‘Know what?’ asked Lily, in mock innocence.

‘Laurence told me… albeit grudgingly’

‘You know Mr Hardacre?’ Lily blurted out

‘Yes, I do. He’s a…’ Viola stopped for a moment, wondering what the exactly correct word was. She didn’t find it, ‘…an acquaintance of mine’

‘But you’re an elf’

‘Not exactly….’ Viola murmured, ‘…but close enough’

‘Have you been sent by the coven?’

Viola shook her head slowly.

‘Not exactly….’ She repeated, ‘…but I seek to help the commonweal’

Lily looked baffled.

‘What do you want, then?’

‘I seek one named Braith… who I believe you know’

Panic spasmed in Lily’s face

‘How do you know of her?’

‘It’s a long story – someone told me about her in a distant place’

‘Who?’

‘I can’t say – but it was someone who was about to save the world’

Lily thought for a long while before she spoke again. Her voice tiptoed above silence.

‘Was it a Prime?’

Viola nodded. At least they knew some of the same things.

Quite unexpectedly Lily called out.

“Julia – can you come and help me?’

There was a pause of only a few seconds. Julia hurried into the corridor.

‘What’s wrong, Moll?’

Lily had no time to explain.

‘Can I trust this elf?’

Julia laughed.

‘Of course – she is full of magic, deep and fair’

‘You’re sure?’

‘Yes. She is brimming with all sorts of stuff that I cannot hope to understand, but none of it is hostile. I’m sure you can trust her. If she meant to do you harm she would have done it by now’

‘You’re a seer!’ blurted out Viola; she had heard of them but, as they were all human, she’d never met one. She had thought them only true in fairy tales`

But Julia was gone. Viola was left with an ominous feeling: if she meant to do you harm she would have done it by now. Surely she wished no-one harm? The memory of the three people she had killed in self-defence flooded back to her: she had clearly done them harm. But, still she thought of herself as powerless, driven by forces beyond her control. It was dawning on her that that view might be nonsense and she didn’t like that at all.

Lily stared at her for a moment longer, then she made up her mind.

‘I can take you to Braith – I think’ she said, ‘If she is still there’.