by Mary Hoffman
‘And there is something we can do,’ said Nick. ‘We can go round to his and look after that end of things.’
‘Don’t be daft,’ said Sky. ‘How can we get in? His parents will be in bed and, even if they aren’t, how can we just show up and say, “I think your son might be lying comatose in his room and we’d like to look after him till he regains consciousness”? They’d go spare.’
‘I’ve got a key,’ said Ayesha, taking her key-ring out of her black sequinned bag.
Enrico eyed Matt’s face with an almost professional air.
‘You look horrible,’ he said.
‘You’re no oil painting yourself!’ said Matt, wincing. ‘At least I’ve been beaten up.’
Alfredo had done his best with hot water, warm cloths and a tincture of arnica. But if anything, Matt looked worse: the arnica turned a sort of orangey-purple on his skin, mottling his face with a second layer of bruises.
Enrico had followed him back from Filippo’s, guessing correctly that Luciano wouldn’t need him to stay there any more.
As soon as Alfredo had finished ministering to Matt, he busied himself providing lunch for everyone, never happier than when the house was full of unexpected guests.
An argument was raging among the Stravaganti about how to get Matt home.
‘I must go and get him another talisman,’ said Constantin, white-lipped. ‘One from his world.’
‘But it will be the middle of the night there,’ said Luciano. ‘You’d be completely disoriented. And what are you going to find as a talisman at that hour? A takeaway kebab? Let me go. I know people there. There are three Stravaganti who would give me something, let alone my parents.’
‘And I’ll goe with ye,’ said Dethridge. ‘I am tired of staying here, keping out of the waye of daungere.’
‘I wouldn’t say you were doing that,’ said Constantin. ‘No Stravagante is beyond danger in this city, at this time.’
‘You are all forgetting something,’ said Rodolfo. ‘This is not a case like Luciano’s where a new talisman from the other world can take Matt back. His body is still in both worlds. He can’t get back without the spell-book.’
There was a horrified silence. It was broken by Enrico.
‘Then I’m your man,’ he said cheerfully. ‘I’ll steal it for you.’
He held up a hand to still the chorus of protests.
‘Which of you here has ever stolen anything?’ he asked.
There was silence.
‘I thought not. Look, I know Rinaldo di Chimici; he’d let me into his place and I bet Filippo would too if the Cardinal’s still there.’
‘Let me help,’ said Cesare. ‘I can’t stravagate but I can do anything that would help at this end.’
Rodolfo was looking hard at Enrico. ‘I don’t know how it is that that you have gained Luciano’s confidence,’ he said. ‘But I don’t forget that you tried to kill my wife. Why should we trust you?’
‘But I didn’t, did I?’ said Enrico. ‘It was my wife I killed – at least the woman who was going to be my wife. And I got rid of the Duke. Where would the young Cavaliere be today if I hadn’t switched the foils?’
No one felt very comfortable with this view of the situation. Both Cesare and Luciano had been captured by this man and most of them knew what he was capable of.
‘I’m not claiming to be a reformed character,’ said Enrico, looking round at them. ‘As I told the Cavaliere, it’s just that I don’t want to work for the di Chimici any more. That’s when my troubles began, spying for that Rinaldo. His Eminence, as he is now.’
‘I think perhaps we have to trust him,’ said Constantin. ‘He’s our only chance of getting the talisman back.’
‘Agreed,’ said Rodolfo reluctantly. He turned to Enrico. ‘But if you betray us, I shall search you out wherever you are and you will regret it.’
Alice had gone home in disgust. Sky was torn in two but, in the end, he put her into a taxi outside his house and paid the driver in advance. Then he put a note through the door to let his mother know he’d be staying over at Matt’s. The other three texted home with the same message. Then set out for Matt’s house.
‘This is crazy,’ said Sky. ‘Even with your key, how can so many of us get in without their hearing us?’
‘It’ll be all right, as long as we get into his room,’ said Ayesha. ‘We can say in the morning that he let us crash after the party.’
‘Well, that will work if he wakes up,’ said Georgia.
Still, it was a tense time, unlocking the front door and crowding into the entrance hall.
‘We’d better throw the bolts,’ whispered Ayesha. ‘Or his mum will notice in the morning and think he stayed out.’
They crept up the stairs, trying to sound like one teenager instead of four. But the weirdest thing was letting themselves into Matt’s room. He was there, but not there.
His body lay on top of the bed, on his stomach, arms under the pillow, breathing regularly and looking like any other sleeping boy. Ayesha couldn’t help rushing over and hugging him. He stirred in his sleep and put one arm round her but his eyes stayed closed.
Matt had a sofa-bed in his room and they opened it up as quietly as they could. Ayesha disentangled herself from Matt’s embrace and he rolled back on to his front. She found them a duvet and some pillows from a deep drawer under Matt’s bed.
‘I’ll sleep next to him,’ she whispered. ‘You three will have to manage on the sofa.’
‘No funny business,’ said Sky. ‘Shall I go between you?’
Nick punched him. ‘No way,’ he said. ‘You’re next to me.’
They all lay wide-awake, eyes staring at the ceiling. But gradually, lulled by the sound of Matt’s steady breathing and exhausted by worry, they fell into a troubled sleep.
In Padavia, the Stravaganti had come up with a plan. Constantin was going back to Salt Street with Enrico to pick up a substitute book from Nando’s. It wouldn’t be exactly the same inside, but it should be enough to fool the di Chimici, if Enrico could exchange it for the original. Cesare went with them, determined to do something to help Matt.
But after they left, a grimmer plan was being discussed.
‘If Enrico fails,’ said Rodolfo, making sure that the Stravaganti were out of Matt’s earshot. ‘We all know what will happen. I think we had better go ahead with the plan to bring back another talisman – just in case.’
‘Ryghte,’ said Dethridge. ‘I am ready.’
‘Take care of Luciano,’ said Rodolfo, looking at his old apprentice. ‘And Luciano, you look out for the Dottore. It might be difficult for you both seeing your old home.’
Without telling Matt what they were doing, Luciano and his foster-father went to lie down on Luciano’s bed. Holding their talismans – Luciano’s white rose and Dethridge’s copper vessel – they concentrated their minds on where Dethridge used to live. Luciano thought it would be easier to find his way to Matt’s home from there and he hoped to bring a talisman from as near to the Woods’ house as possible.
‘There’s a school there now,’ he reminded the Dottore. ‘Not like a school in your time. It’s a big glass and concrete building – think of a big palazzo made mainly of windows.’
*
‘Enrico Poggi?’ said the Cardinal. ‘What the dev— I mean what on earth can he want? I didn’t even know he was in the city.’
‘Isn’t that the wretch who caused my uncle’s death?’ asked Filippo indignantly.
‘Yes, but we must be consistent about this,’ said Rinaldo. ‘We want to avenge that death on the Cavaliere, not this insignificant criminal.’
‘So shall we agree to see him?’ asked Filippo.
‘It is possible that he might even be able to help us,’ said Rinaldo. ‘He has been useful in his time.’
‘Show him in, then,’ Filippo told the footman, ‘and get that eye of yours seen to. You look like a ruffian.’
The footman went away, seething. It was not his fault he had b
een attacked.
The di Chimici cousins were mortified that they had let the Stravagante called Matteo escape. But they were still excited by Filippo’s glimpse of the other world. They felt that they were on the verge of discovering the secrets of stravagation and they still had the book, which was the key to the whole mystery.
‘Your Highness, Your Eminence,’ said Enrico, entering the room bowing, his blue hat in his hand.
But his eyes were darting everywhere and he soon spotted the talisman on the table between the cousins; Constantin had given him its near twin.
‘What impudence brings you here?’ asked Rinaldo haughtily. There had been a time when he feared this ruthless agent of his but since the duel, he felt as if he had the upper hand.
‘Only wishing to help, Eminence,’ said Enrico humbly. ‘I have some information I thought you might be willing to pay for.’
Rinaldo sighed. ‘It’s always money with you, isn’t it? Well, tell us what you know and we’ll decide what it’s worth to us.’
Enrico had thought long and hard about what information to give the di Chimici. He didn’t want to endanger any of the Stravaganti but he had to offer them something, to justify his visit. He had toyed with the idea of telling them about Ludo the Manoush being sheltered in Governor Antonio’s house, which was an interesting nugget, but had decided against it. Ludo seemed to be pretty thick with the Stravaganti and Enrico had nothing against the Governor.
‘Well,’ he said. ‘Someone’s breaking the law in this city, on a regular basis.’
‘Many, I should think,’ said Filippo.
‘Someone high up,’ said Enrico. ‘A professor at the University.’
Rinaldo and Filippo exchanged looks.
‘Go on,’ said the Cardinal.
At that moment, there was a commotion in the street outside. Enrico was the only one who didn’t go over to the window. He had arranged carefully with Cesare to let off some Reman candles at precisely this moment. Rodolfo had supplied them and Cesare had used his tinderbox to spark them off. In the moment it took the di Chimici to look out of the window and for Cesare’s voice to be heard apologising, ‘Sorry, Sorry. They’re for tomorrow. They’ve gone off too soon,’ Enrico had silently swooped on the table and switched the leather books.
As the cousins turned back to the room, he was putting the fake back, untying the thongs around it.
‘What are you doing with that?’ asked Rinaldo sharply.
‘Nothing,’ said Enrico, easily. ‘I just wondered if it had anything to do with the Professor I was telling you about. The rumour is, he’s been publishing forbidden material.’
‘Magic?’ asked Filippo eagerly.
‘No,’ said Enrico. ‘Medical stuff. He’s a professor of Anatomy – Angeli’s the name. And the word is that not all the corpses he cuts up are criminals, the way they should be.’
‘Well, this is a book of spells and other such pagan rubbish, not medicine,’ said Rinaldo irritably. ‘Now if you knew anything about that, you might be useful.’
Enrico shrugged and put the book down. ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘Not my kind of thing, all that hocus-pocus. I’ll be off then, shall I?’
‘You are lucky that we don’t have you arrested,’ said Rinaldo. ‘I think my cousin Fabrizio would be very interested to interview you about what happened at the duel.’ Then he seemed to think again and tossed the spy a few silver coins. ‘All information is valuable, I suppose. But don’t come back unless you know something about the Cavaliere Luciano, the Stravaganti or people breaking the anti-magic laws.’
Dethridge was clutching tight on to Luciano’s arm as soon as they arrived. The old man was trembling.
‘They have lit a bone-fire,’ was all he managed to say.
Luciano took a moment or two to orient himself. He could see the outline of the school and realised that they were behind Sky’s house.
‘This must be the garden of the house where they were having the party,’ he said. ‘Don’t worry about the bonfire, Dottore. They lit it for the party. Lots of people will be building fires this week for November the fifth. Do you remember what I told you about Guy Fawkes?’
Gradually, he led his foster-father away from the school and towards Matt’s house. He was glad he had warned him about bonfires, because they saw several more waiting to be lit in people’s back gardens. The alchemist had been condemned to death by burning in his old life and that was why he had fled to Talia.
But it felt so weird to be with Dethridge in their old world!
‘I don’t suppose you can recognise any of it?’ he asked.
Dethridge shook his head. ‘There are so many houses,’ he said.
Luciano hadn’t worked out what to do when they got there. But he knew from his earlier visit which room was Matt’s; it had a dormer window on the second floor.
‘Come on, Dottore,’ he said. ‘Let’s concentrate and see if we can find out anything.’
All that happened was that a head stuck itself out of the window.
‘Who’s there?’ a voice whispered. ‘Luciano?’
‘It’s Falco,’ said Luciano, relieved. ‘Only we must call him Nick, here. They must have come to look after Matt while he is out of his body.’
‘They?’ asked Dethridge.
‘Where Nick is, there is bound to be Georgia,’ said Luciano, smiling.
A movement at the door and there indeed was Georgia, beckoning them in. Her eyes widened when she saw Dethridge. But this was no time for exuberant reunions. The two Talians followed her cautiously up to Matt’s room, which was now looking a bit overcrowded.
Ayesha sat up in alarm when Luciano and the Elizabethan came in.
‘It’s all right,’ hissed Georgia. ‘This is Doctor Dethridge, the first Stravagante. Though I don’t know why he’s here.’
Luciano didn’t want to explain in front of Ayesha why they had come. To let her know that there was a possibility Matt might be stranded in the other world and die in this one.
‘We came back because Matt’s been robbed of his talisman in Talia,’ he said.
‘We figured that out,’ said Sky. ‘Is he all right?’
‘He is now,’ said Luciano. He went over and looked at the figure sleeping on the bed. It did him good to see Matt’s face unblemished. He lifted the pillow and revealed Matt’s left hand holding the book.
‘What’s to stop us taking this one, Dottore?’ he asked. ‘Just in case Enrico doesn’t succeed?’
‘Enrico!’ said Georgia. ‘You haven’t got him doing anything, have you?’
‘Naye, ladde,’ said Dethridge, laying a hand on Luciano’s arm. ‘Ye canne notte take it. We canne notte have two manifestatiounes of the same thynge existing in the same worlde at the same tyme. Do ye not thinke Maister Rudolphe wolde have done that for ye, if sich a thynge were possible?’
‘Why does he talk like that?’ whispered Ayesha.
‘He’s an Elizabethan,’ said Sky.
And then Matt stretched and sat up.
Ayesha gave a little scream and was immediately shushed.
‘Blimey,’ said Matt. ‘Has the party moved here?’
He reached out for Ayesha and she curled up against him. He smiled at her but looked shocked to see the Talians.
‘What are you doing here?’ he demanded.
All day, Ludo and his kin had kept a low profile. Hurried conferences and messages passed between them had led to a change in setting for their evening rites. They agreed that the square outside the cathedral was too dangerous and instead arranged to gather near the swamp. The advantage was that the sky would be clearer to them there, unobscured by buildings with towers and the moon was only three days off the full. They would be able to see this embodiment of their goddess and she would show them any would-be pursuers.
When night fell, they gathered at the appointed place, their dark cloaks pulled round their colourful clothes. But as the ritual wore on and their chanting and dancing grew more energetic, cloaks were cast
off, hair shaken loose and instruments pulled out of bags. And as their sober clothes fell from them, the Manoush reverted to type and gave themselves up wholeheartedly to their intercessions for the dead.
They called to the spirits of those they had lost, summoning them by name to come back from their wanderings. Unlike people who spent their lives in one place, the Manoush had no graves to visit; their dead were burned where they fell and their ashes given to the wind. They had nowhere to bring flowers or candles so the rituals around the Day of the Dead were all about the spirits of their lost ones, calling them to join them in celebrating the start of a new year, just as the dead had started a new chapter of their lives.
The sound of chanting and wailing was bound to draw attention to the Manoush and it was not long before the city watch discovered them. Ropes were brought and the worshippers, still pleading with the goddess, were taken away to the Palace of Justice.
They left without a struggle and the swamp returned to silence and heavy cloud hid the moon, like a thick veil drawn over a grieving face. If the spirits of the Manoush dead had come as summoned, they were now on their own.
Morning had broken over Islington and the sun rose on many school students who had stayed late at the Hallowe’en party and wished they hadn’t. In Matt’s house, Jan and Harry were up first as usual, while Andy slept and dreamed of playing rugby with a huge soprano.
Matt came downstairs cautiously feeling his face. It didn’t hurt and he’d checked in the bathroom mirror that his bruises didn’t show but it was as if he was wearing a mask and knew that underneath was a screaming mess of pain.
‘Hi, darling,’ said Jan. ‘You look rough. Coffee?’
‘Mm,’ said Matt. ‘Please.’
‘Good party?’
He made a noncommittal noise then said, ‘A few guys came back to sleep. Is that OK?’
‘Of course. Do you think they’ll want breakfast? I bet you’ll all need an early night tonight.’
‘If we could just give them cereal and coffee, that’d be fine,’ said Matt.