Assassins

by R A Browell

  ‘Just wait until you get a girlfriend – it doesn’t get any better,’ complained Charlie, with his mouth half full. Hari and James looked at each other but said nothing.

  ‘So,’ continued Ziggy in a cheery voice, watching the three friends closely as he interrupted the silence, ‘I thought that because you need so little sleep that you could come here each night after school through a gateway near home, to join me in the Farisian libraries. Then you can return direct to Hallington High each morning, in plenty of time for school commitments, including any exams.’ He looked pointedly at James. ‘We can deal with the history of the four worlds to start with,’ he continued, ‘and then move on from there. Even though I’m responsible for all of the library vaults, I still haven’t even been in half of them but each one covers a different subject. They’re huge. When you see them you’ll be blown away, particularly if you study the section on explosives! Think of human history, from China to Babylon, from India to Rome,’ he enthused, ‘and then times it by four! The Library of Alexandria was one of the Wonders of the Ancient World, which the humans managed to incinerate, but that was nothing compared to what we have here. So much information and knowledge and all held in the Farisian vaults; there’s far too much for me to get through alone. I have assistants of course, but what we’re looking for is specific. I thought that having Lily would make a difference but having you three as well, means we should hopefully find some clues to the whereabouts of the Elementals so much more quickly!’

  ‘We have social lives too!’ Charlie thought, his mind drifting back to Abbie Parkins.

  Ziggy looked at the teenager. ‘Don’t you understand anything?’ he said, sounding irritated. ‘Finding the missing Elementals is so much more important than a girl!’

  Charlie reddened and the others could sense his rising temper.

  ‘You know something, Ziggy,’ said Hari tactfully. ‘We only frequence in when we’re hunting, otherwise our thoughts and conversations get pretty crowded. We try not to pry unless it’s for a good reason. Charlie’s entitled to his own, private thoughts. We all are.’

  ‘Then he should learn to conceal better!’ replied Ziggy.

  ‘The point is,’ replied James, ‘that even if you do hear something, sometimes it’s better to keep it to yourself.’

  Ziggy thought for a moment. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I’m forgetting myself. It’s just that there aren’t many here in Farisia, with your communication skills. It’s a much more effective way to communicate and I know it’s still new to you, but with practice you will learn to block. I’m sorry, I didn’t think.’ He paused. ‘Having said that,’ he added with an air of intellectual arrogance, ‘I myself have never had such thoughts about girls; my mind concentrates on matters of a higher order; of knowledge and what’s in the libraries!’

  ‘Well listen, mate,’ said James, ‘you might not, but I can tell you now, without a shadow of doubt, that Charlie definitely does! And you also need to remember that although Lily is a fast learner she’s entitled to her privacy too. Until we all become better at handling our new skills, you’ve got to learn to shut down until it’s needed. It’ll save embarrassment all round, particularly for Charlie!’ James glanced at his friend and smiled.

  ‘Agreed,’ said Ziggy, ‘but before we begin this new era of privacy, just tell me one thing,’ he asked, not bothering to hide the mischief in his eye. ‘Exactly who is Abbie Parkins?’

  Before anyone could respond, one of the heavy side doors burst open and Serpinia Scremerston marched into the dining hall, followed close at heel by Silky, who accidentally knocked into a group of Farisians that were just leaving. A pile of scrolls clattered to the floor.

  ‘You four, come with us, now,’ Serpinia ordered, immediately turning back towards the door. ‘Now!’ she repeated as Silky willed them with her eyes to obey and not argue.

  Charlie stuffed the last remaining piece of toast into his mouth, as they all obediently followed the two graceful nymphs back towards the Hall of Justice. As they entered the chamber Galdo quickly shut the door behind them.

  ‘We have a problem!’ announced Serpinia, pacing around the room, her hands on her hips as she stared at each of the boys.

  ‘She’s gone!’ said Silky, unable to contain her fears any longer. ’You’ve not seen her have you?’

  ‘What do you mean she’s gone?’ asked James with a frown as Valens came running into the hall.

  ‘Nowhere!’ he exclaimed, catching his breath. ‘No one’s seen anything! Not the night watchmen, not the valetti or the domovoy – no one. The gatekeepers say she’s no longer within the city walls but they’re adamant that no one passed through any of the gateways after we entered yesterday. There’s nothing. Lily’s gone, she’s just vanished without a trace!’ He looked pale as he turned to the others.

  ‘I told you last night that we should have stayed together. If sanguins aren’t welcome in Farisia we shouldn’t have risked being separated,’ said James. He stared angrily at Silky and then at the Laudis.

  ‘She could have gone off to find the bathroom and decided to go exploring,’ suggested Charlie.

  ‘Except that’s not like Lily,’ replied Hari. ‘She’s not exactly someone who sets off to explore a strange castle.’ He paused. ‘What about secret passages, underground vaults, anything that the gatekeepers might not know about? Maybe she was just being curious and got trapped somewhere?’

  Etricklore and Cadmus frowned.

  ‘No, listen,’ Hari continued, ‘a place like this is bound to have trap doors and subterranean tunnels; it goes with the territory. Have these all been checked?’

  Aylmer Etricklore raised one eyebrow.

  ‘You said that we’d be safe; that no one knew we were here,’ said Charlie, fixing his eyes on Silky. ‘You assured us. We came here to take care of her. We made promises. What are we going to tell Andrew?

  ‘And Rakshasa?’ added Hari.

  ‘This castle is a fortress,’ said Etricklore firmly, his expression once again fixed and solemn. ‘We’ve never had a breach before. Is it not possible that she’s still within the walls?’ he asked Valens, lowering his voice.

  The Protector shook his head. ‘Didn’t you just hear what I said?’ he replied.

  Silky pulled at Valens’ sleeve, trying to hold him back. He turned and glared at her and then shook himself free. ‘The gatekeepers have assured me that she’s not in the city. They know everyone who is within the walls at any one time. She’s not here and they don’t make mistakes!’

  ‘All known places within Pergamont have been checked,’ replied Cadmus quietly. ‘The gatekeepers report nothing. They neither saw nor heard anything out of the ordinary on your corridor, just some snoring and some singing in the bathroom. It was all perfectly normal. No muffles, no screams, no struggles. The gatekeepers are aware of anyone who moves within these walls, whether within a secret passage or underground tunnel. If she had stumbled into some such place and become trapped, then they would know. It’s as though she’s simply vanished into thin air. Is it possible that she became overwrought by everything?’ he asked, turning to Silky.

  ‘Cadmus, she has no history of just setting off like that!’ replied Silky quietly.

  ‘Yes, but given what was disclosed to her last night. Could that have made a difference? Made her desperate? Affected her mental state somehow so that she felt compelled to run?’ He hesitated. ‘Has anyone checked the lake?’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ interrupted Charlie angrily, ‘but did she look frightened to you? I don’t think so. She was fine when we said goodnight.’

  ‘One never knows with you human vampires,’ replied Cadmus dismissively.

  Ziggy caught hold of Charlie. ‘Leave it my friend,’ he frequenced softly. ‘It’s not worth it.’

  ‘I suppose we should consider the obvious. When did she last eat?’ asked Etricklore with an irritated sigh. There was silence. ‘I asked when she last fed?’ he repeated.

  ‘A couple of hours be
fore we came here,’ replied Hari sullenly. ‘She fed well. We all fed well. None of us will need anything for a couple of months, maybe longer.’

  ‘You’re young and the gateways can affect things,’ replied Etricklore.

  ‘That isn’t the reason she’s gone,’ said Hari. ‘She wouldn’t just set off to feed without telling someone.

  ‘Has everyone in the city been accounted for?’ asked Etricklore looking at Serpinia Scremerston.

  ‘All present and correct?’ she replied softly.

  Charlie tensed again. ‘You and all your Farisian subjects are safe, if that’s what you’re wondering,’ he said, clenching his teeth. ‘Remember it was you who asked us here, not the other way around!

  ‘No Charlie,’ replied Etricklore. ‘We asked Lily here and welcomed you as her companions. You are still welcome in our city but you must learn to be less sensitive. I merely asked about your feeding patterns because it is a factor and must be considered before it is discounted. I am not suggesting that Lily is raging across Farisia on some kind of hunting expedition but even if you don’t like to acknowledge it, you are driven by your needs. You are what you are. All of you. I am not attempting to make any kind of judgement and you shouldn’t take my questions so personally. My concern is for Lily.’

  He heaved a deep sigh. ‘I told you yesterday that there are some of your kind who have lived discreetly within our worlds for many years and are welcome to do so. Lily is new to your life; her feeding is just another factor that needs to be considered. If she is well fed and has travelled through the gateway without undue weakness, then we can dismiss her need to feed as a factor in her disappearance.’

  ‘So, what do we do?’ asked Hari turning to James and Charlie.

  ‘We go hunting; play detective,’ replied James, looking carefully across at the Laudis. ‘If anyone can find her, we can. We’ll go to her room and start from there. We use what we’ve got and we track her down.’ James looked at Etricklore. ‘Do we have your permission?’ he asked as each of the three Laudis nodded their consent.

  ‘Take Zigadenus and Valens,’ Serpinia replied thoughtfully. ‘They have additional skills that you may find valuable. Zigadenus,’ she said, ‘I shouldn’t need to tell you this, but whatever you find, however small, however insignificant, you must record it accurately. If you are unable to find anything definite, take what you have to Ilia in the Dodona Forests. She walked across to the fireplace, reached into a box and threw some of the fire powder onto the glowing embers. ‘You too Silky,’ she continued, ‘and keep us informed of your progress.

  Silky curtsied low, waiting for the Laudis to dismiss them but as she rose she saw that the five teenagers had not waited for such formalities. They were already out of the door, dragging poor Galdo along with them.

  ‘What can I say? They’re young,’ apologised Silky. ‘They mean no disrespect. They just want to find Lily.’

  ‘Valens has the arrogance of a warrior and Ziggy, that of his intellect. The others are mere vampires, what do you expect?’ replied Etricklore. ‘We need the Elementals to be found, so for the time being such slights must be put to one side.’ He dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

  Silky nodded, even though she was privately unsettled by his words. She wondered if there would eventually be a price to pay for the slight as she took her leave of the Council and hurried after the teenagers, down the wide echoing corridors of Pergamont Castle and towards Lily’s cold and empty bed chamber.

  Dodona

  ‘Nothing, absolutely nothing!’ exclaimed Charlie. ‘How can there be no trace whatsoever. It’s impossible. Has anyone asked the domovoy if they saw anything?’

  ‘They’ve already been interrogated,’ replied Valens.

  Charlie turned to Galdo. ‘Can you get everyone that was in Lily’s room in here now?

  ‘Domovoy?’ asked James. Hari shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

  ‘It’s a long story,’ replied Charlie, ‘but they have these little elf people running all over the place at night. They do all the housework…’

  ‘You’ve got to be kidding…Like mini-mums?’ said James, a grin spreading across his face as he stared incredulously at Galdo. ‘This place is definitely starting to feel like some kind of fairy tale. Maybe Lil just let her hair down from the window?’

  ‘Why would she put her hair out of the window, Master James?’ asked Galdo looking confused. Charlie smiled at the strange looking valetti. He was tall and thin like a piece of string with long straggly hair that clung to his skull as though it had been stuck with glue.

  ‘I’ll explain later Galdo,’ said Charlie. ‘It’s a human joke, but we really need to talk to the domovoy. Could you find out who looked after Lily’s room last night and ask if they wouldn’t mind helping us?’

  ‘What’s all this with the, ‘wouldn’t mind’?’ asked Hari but Galdo was beaming and nodding his approval as he left the room with his usual flourish.

  ‘Everything here looks perfect. Nothing out of place,’ continued Charlie. ‘The window’s open but that’s about it.’

  They started to search the room systematically; opening and closing the heavy wardrobe doors, sliding drawers as they wandered in and out of the three antechambers.

  ‘Could she have fallen out of the window,’ asked Hari, peering down over the small balcony. ‘Or climbed the walls? We’re pretty good at that sort of thing!’

  ‘Unlikely,’ replied Valens. ‘Even if the guards didn’t see her, the gatekeepers would have sensed her movement across the stone.’

  ‘Movement across the stone?’ asked James, but he was quickly interrupted by Hari.

  ‘Would the gatekeepers still sense her if she moved really quickly? I mean if she barely touched the stone? Watch!’ he said and without waiting for a reply, he slipped out of his borrowed pointy shoes and launched himself over the balcony, holding onto the sheer walls with only the tips of his fingers and bare toes as he moved with a vampire’s speed down the wall to the water’s edge. His feet hardly touched the surface, before he returned, climbing back up the stone, and all in a matter of seconds.

  ‘I see how fast you can move Hari,’ sighed Valens, ‘but truly, you’re not that special here. You’re fast, but even my mother can move with that kind of speed.’

  ‘Just humour me,’ replied Hari. ‘Go and check whether the gatekeepers felt that. If they didn’t, then we can assume that’s how she left the castle and they just didn’t notice and if that was her way out, then all that remains is motive. Why would she leave?’

  ‘Hari, you’re not making sense. That isn’t the only option,’ objected James. ‘Think about it. She could have been thrown out of the window!’

  ‘By whom and why?’ asked Charlie.

  ‘I’ve got no idea.’

  They waited, their faces contorted, their foreheads crumpled with concentration as they tried to work out why Lily could have possibly left the castle fortress. There was a light tap on the door and Galdo entered followed by a strange little man, who judging by the deep lines etched across his parchment-like skin, was as old as the castle walls. He was dressed in a beautiful but tiny, dark red velvet robe, lined with ermine and exquisitely embroidered, which he wore with a matching hat placed at an angle upon his balding head, and he was scowling.

  Hari and James watched Charlie as he approached the little creature and then bowed low.

  ‘Master Charlie, may I introduce Grandfather. Grandfather, this is Master Charlie, one of our guests,’ Galdo explained.

  ‘Grandfather, I am honoured to meet you,’ said Charlie deferentially. ‘We have respectfully requested your presence in order to ask whether you would be willing to help us. Could I get you some tea…or cake perhaps?’

  Hari and James watched speechless as the domovoy examined their friend. He solemnly looked Charlie up and down before his face finally broke into a broad smile.

  ‘A pleasure to meet you Master Charlie. A cup of breakfast tea would be most welcome,’ Gran
dfather replied, returning Charlie’s bow with a deep flourish.

  Charlie glanced at Galdo who quickly left the room to get tea and cake as Grandfather stared across at Hari and James and resumed his usual scowl.

  ‘Please, Grandfather,’ continued Charlie, ‘if it’s not too much trouble, won’t you take a seat. I wondered if you wouldn’t mind helping us.’ The domovoy smiled, exposing a set of sharp, pointed, white teeth.

  ‘And how could I do that?’ the little man asked.

  ‘I don’t suppose you could cast your mind back to last night and tell us if you saw our friend Lily Carfax while you were taking care of matters in this room,’ asked Charlie politely. ‘Or anything else, that you, in your profound wisdom and knowledge, think may be helpful to us in finding her?’

  Galdo returned with a tray of tea and cake. He was glowing with pride as he watched Charlie and the way he was speaking to the much revered domovoy.

  ‘He could win an Oscar with that performance!’ Hari whispered to James. Both boys smiled.

  ‘Master Charlie, it is an honour to serve you, a great honour, but as I told the young Protector when he asked me the same question earlier,’ Grandfather stopped and glared at Valens, ‘there was no one here when I came into this very room to perform my duties.’ Valens huffed and rolled his eyes impatiently towards the ceiling.

  ‘No one?’ asked Charlie, smiling as he handed the little man a cup and saucer. ‘Didn’t you wonder where your guest was?’

  ‘Master Charlie,’ replied Grandfather, straightening up in his chair, ‘it isn’t within my duties to ask where the masters and mistresses of the household would be, never mind houseguests. That would be assuming far too much.’

  ‘I understand,’ replied Charlie gently, with an encouraging smile, ‘but did you notice anything strange or out of place…Anything at all?’

  Grandfather shook his head.

  ‘What about in the room when you entered?’ Charlie pressed.