by J A Armitage
The clerk slapped a hand to his forehead. “I know that park. Why didn’t I think of it? There’s a Maplechase Crescent nearby too. A friend of mine used to live in that area before I moved here.”
I looked down again. In the area, I found a Maplechase Road, a Maplechase Lane, and a Maplechase Drive. The writing was so tiny, and the streets so narrow that there could have been more, but at least, I was in the right area.
I stood up.
“Shall I hire you a carriage?” Alex asked, his eyes brimming with excitement. “It’s a long way to travel. It will take you days on foot.”
My own excitement waned. Days! I didn’t want to be here for days. I needed to find out the information and get back to Badalah.
“How long will it take in a carriage?”
The clerk shrugged his shoulders. “If you set off straight away, you might get there very early tomorrow morning.”
My face fell. It still wasn’t quick enough. I didn’t want to spend all night traveling. I’d already been gone two nights.
“You could take the train,” Alex suggested. “It’s maybe a couple of hours away. The trains are fairly frequent, and there is a station just around the corner from here.”
I followed the tiny train line on the map and saw that one of the lines went to the area I needed to be.
“Thank you!” I said, folding the map and slipping it into my bag. “I’ll do that. Please hold my room. I’ll probably be back late.”
“My pleasure. Come on. I’ll take you out of the hotel’s back entrance. No point in letting the media know where you are going.”
I pulled on my coat, and the pair of us dashed down the stairs to the hotel kitchens. The chefs working there looked up in confusion as I ran through with Alex.
At the back door, he pointed to a small stone building up the street.
“If you run, you might be able to catch the half-past one train. If not, there’ll be one at two-thirty.”
I thanked him again and dashed up the cobbled alley.
The train station wasn’t like the broad white buildings I remembered from my trips here in the past with scores of train lines snaking through them, the arteries of Urbis. This station had just two tracks and a small ticket office. As I got to the office, the sound of a train approaching filled the air. I looked down at my watch, a gift from my parents on my last birthday, to see that it was twenty-nine minutes past one.
“A ticket to here please,” I said, pointing to the district on the map that I’d just unfolded. I didn’t even know the name of it.
He gave me a bored look and gave me a ticket from his machine.
“Three dollars,” he said, holding his hand out.
“Can I buy a return?” I asked as a great steam train pulled into the station. He gave a sigh and pressed a button on his machine.
“Six dollars.”
I fished in my bag for my purse and handed over the money. People began to file past me as I stepped away from the ticket office. Most were heading down the platform away from the train, but some, like me, were waiting until we could board. When the last person headed past, I stepped up the small step onto the train.
Along one side, a long corridor ran the entire length of the carriage with compartments taking up the other side. I opened the door to one, relieved to find it empty. The ticket collector hadn’t recognized me, but that didn’t mean no one else would. It seemed that the troubles of my own kingdom had not reached here yet, and I didn’t want to gamble on being followed. As I let the thought go round in my mind, the platform outside the train filled with people. I ducked down, but it was too late. I recognized some of the reporters from the hotel. Somehow they’d found me. I willed the train to move off quickly before any of them could get tickets, but it felt like a painfully long time before the train began to rumble, and we pulled out of the station.
I sat, waiting for the inevitable rush of reporters to my compartment, but after ten minutes had gone by, I relaxed. Maybe they hadn’t seen me at all, or maybe they hadn’t been able to purchase a ticket in time. I sat up straight in my chair and watched the streets of Urbis whizzing by.
I saw an Urbis I’d never seen before, and I wished I had time to stop and explore. Every so often we’d stop at a station and people would get on and off, but no one ever tried to come into my compartment. Every time we stopped, I looked up the name of the station on the map, following the tiny train line drawn on it and counting down the stations until my stop. Two and a quarter hours after I’d started my journey, the train pulled into the station I’d memorized as being the closest to the area with the streets named Maplechase.
I stepped off the train, hoping to get some fresh air, but one deep breath and a lungful of sooty air later, I had to step away from the train. The streets in this area were nothing like the posh streets in Inner Urbis, but they were also a far cry from the shopping area where I’d spent the last night. There were shops here too, but nothing like the boutiques that lined the main street near the hotel. These were a cobbled-together mishmash of buildings, none of which looked like it would stand up to a strong gust of wind. Still, a thrill of anticipation ran through me. The buildings were made of brick. Pulling out the map, I found the station I’d just come from and traced a line to the first of the Maplechases.
Behind me, I heard my name being shouted.
“Princess Gaia!”
I turned to find a dozen flashes, nearly blinding me. The reporters and photographers had been on the train after all. They’d just waited to see where I’d get off before announcing themselves.
I turned away from them and ran. Yes, I could have stood up to them, but they’d never leave me alone. Running was my only option. I took off down a back street, glad that I was wearing jeans and not my traditional dress. I’d had no idea just how much my dress hampered me until now. Behind me, the paparazzi chased me as I ran through the unfamiliar streets, ducking and weaving around the evening shoppers and various animals that seemed to be everywhere. Dogs, cats, even chickens, sheep, and goats. The streets were even narrower here than they were in the mid-part of Urbis and the buildings were taller, blocking out most of the light. I turned corners, keeping my speed up, getting lost, and all the while they followed, keeping up with me despite me running as fast as I could. The further I ran into the winding maze of streets, the darker it became until I could barely see anything in front of me despite it being the afternoon. The coldness I’d felt the other day crept up on me again, but this time I kept it at bay with the heat of my magic. I turned, anger burning me up. The reporters stopped short when they saw me watching them. Some of the people with cameras brought them up, ready to take another shot of me, but I was too quick. Pulling all my magical energy into my core, I shot it out. A huge ball of fire hurtled at the men, causing them to run away from me. I was a fire woman! I turned back to my original direction and carried on running, this time only stopping when I was sure they wouldn’t be able to find me. I dropped to the ground, and sat with my back to a shop wall, out of breath as a shopkeeper opposite me gave me a quick nod then shut his door, turning the open sign to closed.
Exhaustion filled me, partly from the running and partly from the expending of energy the ball of fire had caused. Now that I didn’t have the heat of magic to keep me warm, the strange coldness surrounded me, turning my breath to vapor. I lowered my head, bringing it to my knees and pulled my jacket more tightly around myself, all the while wishing I’d never left the comfort of my home and started on this ridiculous journey. I wasn’t helping the people of Badalah; I was on a wild goose chase. I missed Genie. I missed my mother and father. I missed my own bed.
Something landed on my shoulder with a soft thump, and the coldness drifted away. Pulling my head up quickly, I saw it was Asher.
“Asher! How did you find me?”
Asher whistled and nuzzled his feathery head against my cheek. I reached up and stroked his head, never more glad for the company.
“You flew all th
is way and found me.”
Genie had said there was a magical connection between Asher and me. I hadn’t really understood what he meant before now. Asher had flown hundreds of miles and known exactly where I was.
“Come on, Ash,” I said, getting to my feet. “Let’s go find my birth mother.”
Asher took off from my shoulder and flew upward, landing on a street sign. Not any old street sign, a street sign saying Maplechase Lane. I’d inadvertently run away from the reporters to exactly the place I needed to be. But this street was wrong. I couldn’t see the white steeple from here, and even though the houses were similar to the ones in the magical memory, none of them were exactly right. Still, if I was on Maplechase Lane, it meant the other Maplechases were nearby. The streets were dimly lit by lamps as the sun continued its journey down in the sky. I walked the streets, following the map as best I could in the dim light. Every time I found a Maplechase, I walked the street slowly, but it wasn’t until I hit Maplechase Drive that everything suddenly fell into place.
“This is it, Asher,” I whispered. The street was empty, and there was no need for me to whisper, but I felt that if I spoke out loud, I might jinx myself.
One side of the street had the same multi-story blocks of apartments that I’d come to expect in this area, but the other side had a row of single-story houses. Peeking above them in the distance, the white steeple of the nightclub showed above.
I’d expected something more interesting, something better than this, but the ramshackle houses were a far cry from the palace I was brought up in. “My mother wanted better for me,” I whispered to Asher as I knocked on the door that looked the closest to the correct area.
A man in his thirties with a beard and glasses opened the door.
“Hi,” I said. “I know this is going to sound strange, but I’m looking for someone who used to live on this street about eighteen years ago. Two women, a younger one with long dark hair and an older lady with grey hair in a bun.”
Even as I spoke, I knew it was a long shot. This guy would have been a kid eighteen years ago, and the description I gave him wasn’t particularly useful.
“I’ve lived in this house my whole life, and my mother was a blonde before her hair turned gray,” the guy said, dashing my hopes, “but there was an old lady that lived next door. Jean. She died late last year.”
“Did she have a daughter?”
The man shrugged. “Not that I know of. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help.”
I thanked him, and he closed the door.
When I knocked on the door of the house next to his, a woman with a toddler on her hip answered. It wasn’t the woman from my dream, but the kitchen behind her looked awfully familiar. My heart sped up as I took in the details of the kitchen. It had been updated a little, but the range cooker was the same as the memory. Somewhere in this building, two babies were born. Myself and my twin.
“Hi. I’m sorry to intrude, but I think I was born in this house. I’m looking for my birth mother.”
The woman’s eyes widened, and she gave me a smile. “I just bought this house with my husband a few months ago. There was an elderly lady living here before us. I’m afraid I didn’t know her.”
“Do you happen to know if she had a daughter?” I asked, feeling ridiculous. “I’ve come a long way to find her.”
She regarded me with almost pity. “Why don’t you come inside for a cup of tea? You look exhausted. I’ll tell you everything I know about the house. I’m not sure it will be enough to help you.”
“Any information you have will help,” I said, accepting her offer. The toddler gazed in wonder at Asher as her mother boiled a kettle of water on the stove.
I sat in the exact place my mother had sat in the memory. The kitchen table and chairs were different, and the kitchen walls had been updated, but I knew this was where I was born. I could feel it. Somewhere in a room upstairs, my mother had pushed myself and my brother into the world. The older woman had died, but if she had been related to me, and I found out her name, I might find out who my mother was. Maybe the old lady was my grandmother or aunt.
“This place was a bit of a mess when we moved in,” the woman said. “I’m Kate, by the way. This is Elise.” She pointed to the baby who was gazing at Asher with a rapt expression.
“Gaia. The beauty flying around over our heads is Asher. He’s a phoenix.” It was clear she didn’t recognize me as the princess of Badalah, which made me feel a little better. At least, I wouldn’t have to worry about her rushing to the press the second I left.
“A rare bird,” Kate smiled.
“What do you know about the lady that lived here before you? Do you know if she had a daughter?” I asked again.
Kate took a deep breath then blew on her tea. “I only know what the agent who sold me the house told me. The lady lived on her own. She had no relatives as far as I’m aware. At least, this house wasn’t passed down to any of them. It was taken by the government when no one came forward as a relative. We got the place pretty cheap as it needed a lot of work.”
“I don’t suppose she left anything behind, did she? Any scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, anything?”
Kate shook her head. “It was empty when we bought it. Some of the furniture was left behind, but a lot of it was old. We threw most of it away and bought new when we renovated. I’m so sorry that I can’t be of more help to you. What makes you think that you were born here?”
“It’s a long story,” I said, finishing my tea and standing up. I felt magic in this place. It mingled with my own, but it felt like it was faded like the wallpaper in the memory. “I’m sorry to take up your time.”
She stood and rifled through a drawer. When she came back, she handed me a photo. My heart thumped as I recognized the old woman. “This is the only thing left behind that I kept,” Kate said. “I was holding on to it in case any of her relatives did come to find out about her. I should have thrown it away months ago. You can keep it.”
“Thank you,” I said, tucking it into my pocket. I’d already known I was born here, but the photograph was proof.
Asher flew through the front door when Kate opened it.
She seemed nice enough, and Elise was a peach, but I’d come a long way for nothing. I thanked her for her time and began the long trek back to the train station.
The next-door neighbor peeked his head out as I passed.
“I remembered something that might help you,” he said.
“Oh?”
“Jean’s death. It was weird.”
I walked closer to him, suddenly wondering if I’d not made a mistake in coming here after all.
“What was weird about it?”
“It might be nothing. She was old after all, but the day before she died, she was visited by a tall woman wearing a long black and purple cloak.”
“And?” I prompted, hoping that wasn’t the extent of what he was going to tell me.
“I saw the woman walk past through my window. She reminded me of a witch. There was something creepy about her.”
“Maybe it was a friend of Jean’s?”
“I doubt it. I’d never seen her before. Anyway, about five minutes after she arrived, there was a bit of commotion next door. A bang. Then I saw the tall woman walking past my door again, heading out in the opposite direction. I didn’t think that much of it, but a couple of days later, I saw the police there. They’d found her body.”
“You think she was murdered?” I asked my heart racing at the thought of it.
The guy shrugged his shoulders and leaned in closer to me.
“I can’t say for sure. The police said that she’d died of natural causes, but I hadn’t seen her since that tall woman had visited and she usually walked past my window and waved if she saw me. She must have died around the time that woman was there or not much later.”
“Did you tell the police?”
“I did, but they weren’t interested. Nobody cares about people in this part of town.
Especially old retired midwives.”
“She was a midwife?” Well, that explained why she was at my birth. She wasn’t related to me at all.
“Until she retired, yes. She retired a few years ago now.”
“When exactly did she die?”
The man screwed his face up in concentration. “It was late last year some time...or early this year. It was after the Winter Festival sometime.”
I thanked him and set back off on my way with Asher flying above me. The train station was almost empty, and the reporters were nowhere to be seen. I hopped on the next train and thought about the tall woman, the witch that the neighbor had spoken of. It didn’t help me find my mother, but it was interesting that Jean had died at around the time of my eighteenth birthday.
I thought back to the memory. My mother had said she wanted to keep me safe for eighteen years because of her father. Was the witch-like woman that the neighbor spoke of something to do with my own grandfather? If the neighbor was right and she had killed Jean, she’d have no second thoughts about killing me too.
I’d worried about my safety ever since stepping foot in this part of Urbis, but for the first time, my worries became personal.
If Jean told the witch where she’d taken me as a baby, did that mean she’d go to Badalah to find me?
I was glad when the train pulled into the station in Mid Urbis, and I could get to the hotel and sleep. Tomorrow I’d have to find out what exactly was going on.
29th June
After my stunt with the fireball the day before, the front of the hotel was swarmed with reporters, all desperate, no doubt to see me conjure fire again. I heard them before I even opened my curtains to look, but as I peeped through the crack in the curtains, I could see that they filled the whole street.
I’d managed to sneak out of the back door yesterday, but as they’d caught up with me at the station, I had to admit to myself that it was an ineffective solution. I needed a way to get rid of them altogether.