by Webb, Holly
‘Awesome claws.’
Lily scowled. ‘And your awesome claws.’
‘Shining scales.’
‘Oh, come on, Henrietta, that’s just silly…’ Lily turned back to complain, and her voice died away.
‘That last bit wasn’t me,’ Henrietta whispered. The awesome claws were wrapped round her, and the dragon was eyeing her rather hungrily. He was much clearer this time. And bigger. Big and clear enough for Lily to see that his claws were each about Henrietta’s own height. She was sitting in the middle of them, trying not to twitch.
‘I do have shining scales,’ the dragon told Lily.
‘I know,’ she whispered. The room was filled with their strange pearly light.
‘Why did you call me?’
‘I’m sorry…’ Lily began.
‘Oh, you need not be sorry. Your call seems to help me make the leap back. Most helpful. I am real enough to be hungry now, but I take it you still want the small dog?’
‘I do,’ Lily agreed hastily. ‘Please. We can try to find you something else.’
The dragon nodded thoughtfully. ‘Perhaps better to wait a little longer anyway. My insides may not be up to it yet.’ He opened his claws, and Henrietta shot out, curling herself into Lily’s lap. ‘What did you want? I could tell you were in great need. Your invocation was quite heartfelt.’ He sounded smug, and Lily realised that Henriettta had been right. Flattery worked.
‘One of our friends has been injured, somehow. He doesn’t have any magic, but the staff here think that he does, and they’re trying to get rid of it. They have spells of their own, awful ones, and they’re using them to make us think magic is wrong. I think they went too far with Peter. We don’t know how to bring him back.’
The dragon nodded his great head, and his dark eyes glittered. ‘Twisting magic inside people’s heads is a dangerous business. He isn’t the only one. I’ll show you.’ He turned, more carefully this time, as he was almost solid, and the furniture rocked as he passed it. He had to ease himself carefully through the door, and as he paced down the passageway, Lily was sure she could see the floorboards sagging under his weight. He was awfully close to being real.
What was going to happen, when there was a real dragon in Fell Hall again? Lily wondered for a moment. She had a feeling he wouldn’t want to stay cooped up under the house.
The dragon led them across the stairwell to the right-hand passage, the one that Lily had avoided, as it looked more inhabited.
‘Someone does live up here then?’ she asked, and then yelped, and stuffed her hands across her mouth, as the dragon disappeared through a solid wooden door, like a ghost.
‘Follow him!’ Henrietta snapped. ‘Pick me up, and follow him!’
Several coils of long, shining tail were still vanishing through the door, the one with the elaborate lock that Lily had tried before. Lily watched it, round-eyed. Then she stretched out a hand, and caught one of the dagger-like spikes. Her fingers seemed to sink into it at first, but then it settled, warm and smooth, not at all as she had expected it to be.
Henrietta whined, and Lily shut her eyes as the dragon pulled them after him through the thick door – which melted and gave like butter, dropping them breathless into a dim, heavily furnished room, where an old lady was sitting by a dying fire, and watching them.
Lily swallowed, and bobbed a curtsey. ‘Good morning,’ she muttered.
The old lady inclined her head politely, as though she couldn’t quite help it, but she said nothing.
‘She does not believe that you are actually here,’ the dragon explained. ‘And she cannot see me. She has no magic in her, at all, and I am not yet real enough for her to see me properly.’
‘Why doesn’t she believe we’re here?’ Lily whispered back. She felt rude whispering in front of the old lady, but at least she thought they were imaginary.
The old lady shook her head, as though trying to shake away a strange dream, and bent down to put more wood on the fire.
‘I have watched what is happening at Fell Hall, since the magic thickened again, and I started to wake up. She has been here a long time, I think. Since before the children came, when I only caught strange glimpses as I dreamed in the caverns below. She thinks that she is mad.’
‘She doesn’t look mad,’ Lily murmured. The old lady was neatly dressed, and wearing a little lace cap. She had clearly been doing embroidery, but had stopped, as her candle had burned down, and the windows were shuttered. The fire was her only light, and the room was too dim to see her stitches, or to read.
‘No. But they tell her she is. Always. And now she believes them.’
‘Who? Miss Merganser?’
‘Yes, and the others before her.’ The dragon coiled himself around the old lady’s chair, staring up at her sadly. The light from his scales burned brighter, and she smiled suddenly, and picked up her embroidery again.
‘She can see your light, then,’ Henrietta pointed out. ‘Are you sure she can’t see you?’ she added, peering at the embroidery. Silvery dragons curled and frolicked all over the fabric, delicately constructed from hundreds and hundreds of tiny stitches.
Lily sighed. It was a pity the old lady thought she was imaginary. She could have helped Lily with her needlework. ‘She must know about dragons, to sew all these,’ she agreed.
The dragon shrugged, and the candelabra in the ceiling swung wildly to and fro. ‘She can sense me somehow, I think. But that only makes the poor creature even more certain that she is deranged.’ He laid his muzzle on the arm of the old lady’s chair, and stared at her fiercely, as though he were willing her to see him. But she only blinked, and carried on sewing.
‘This is stupid,’ Henrietta snapped, and she jumped on to the old lady’s lap, and knocked the basket of embroidery silks on to the floor. Then she looked up at her slyly, as if daring the old lady to call her imaginary.
‘You really are a dog,’ the old lady murmured, reaching out a thin, papery-skinned hand, as if she would like to stroke Henrietta.
‘She won’t bite,’ Lily promised.
‘I might.’ But Henrietta wagged her tail as she said it.
‘A talking dog…’
Lily had expected the old lady to recoil in horror, but she smiled, and rubbed Henrietta’s ears. ‘I haven’t met anyone like you in a long while. Perhaps you won’t like this, but you remind me of a most beautiful and superior cat that I knew long ago.’
Henrietta sniffed disgustedly. ‘Some cats are adequate company, I suppose.’
‘I really do remember him…’ the old lady murmured anxiously.
Lily glanced at the dragon doubtfully. How was she supposed to reassure someone that they weren’t mad?
But Henrietta seemed to have taken a fancy to the old lady, despite her fondness for cats. ‘Personally, I don’t see why you would want to, but I’m sure you’re right. Why are you here?’
‘Oh… Because I disagreed with my family. My mind began to fail. I had to be shut away. I forget things, too. I can hardly remember who I am, some days…’
Lily frowned. ‘What did you disagree with them about?’
‘Magic.’ The old lady sighed. ‘I rather liked it, you see. I still do,’ she added with a touch of defiance.
‘And your family sent you away just because of that?’ Lily asked indignantly. ‘Couldn’t you have just been quiet about it? That’s what we did, my sister and me. We were caught, but only because we were betrayed. And if you weren’t even doing any magic…’
‘That wasn’t good enough,’ the old lady sighed. ‘I wouldn’t renounce it publicly, that was the problem. A symptom of my madness, I think.’ But she was frowning now.
‘You really don’t seem very mad,’ Lily told her.
‘I’ve been so confused,’ she whispered. ‘Strange visions and voices. I have felt mad. But these last few weeks, things have been so much clearer. Although,’ she dipped her head, shamefaced. ‘I do still keep seeing the dragons, so stupid of me. When of cour
se they can’t possibly be there.’
‘Me,’ the dragon murmured. ‘She has felt me, when I came to see her. It’s clearing her mind.’
Lily was just about to ask him what he meant, when the old lady sat up suddenly straighter, gazing worriedly at Lily. ‘You’re real, then,’ she murmured. ‘You are! Dear child, you are in such danger. You should go. Fell Hall does terrible things to children like you. And the poor dog. Please get away from here!’
‘What sort of things?’ Lily asked, wondering how often Miss Merganser or the others came up to this room, and almost hearing footsteps.
‘It hasn’t happened for a while. I had wondered if all the strong children had gone – if it had worked, if they had managed to breed the magic out. But not quite yet. It’s those dreadful bottled spells. When they fight against strong magic like yours, it has the most terrible effect. They bring the children up here sometimes, afterwards, to the rooms on either side of mine. They need somewhere to keep them, I suppose, though there are other rooms, hidden all round the house, I think. They can’t manage to be with the others any more, poor little things. Although they’re never here for long. They forget how to be alive, I think. They’re so silent – the floorboards never creak. They bring them food, but I never hear them eating, or pouring water. Nothing.’
It sounded horribly like what had happened to Peter, Lily thought, flinching. That strange blank look on his face. But he didn’t have any magic for the spell to fight against, Lily told herself. That couldn’t be what they’d done to him. Peter had just had too much of the doctored cocoa. He would come back.
‘What did you mean, when you said you were clearing her mind?’ she asked, glancing up at the dragon, but then she gasped. He was fading again, the silvery-white light dimming, and they were on the wrong side of a locked door. ‘Wait!’ she called, but he was already gone, only a few glimmering specks floating in the air to show where he had been.
The old lady’s eyes suddenly sharpened anxiously, and she stood up stiffly, her embroidery falling unnoticed to the floor. ‘They cannot find you here!’ she told Lily. ‘You’ll have to hide, perhaps you can slip out when the maid brings me food. They mustn’t see you!’
For a moment, Lily was infected with the same panic. Her heart raced, and she glanced around the room, searching for a hiding place. Then she laughed. She had used her magic so little at Aunt Clara’s house, and here at Fell Hall, she had almost forgotten what she could do. And now she felt so much stronger, as though the dragon had poured life into her magic.
‘We’ll see you again,’ she promised the old lady. ‘We’ll be very careful, don’t worry.’ Then she caught Henrietta up in her arms, and closed her eyes deliciously, loving the warmth of the magic as it crept over her skin on little velvet feet. There were so many things she could do. The grey spells on the house had been working on her, she realised, and she hadn’t noticed. She’d suddenly remembered that her magic was there after all.
‘We could let it take us outside the walls,’ Henrietta whispered. ‘We’d be free.’
‘Not without Georgie,’ Lily sighed. ‘Or Peter. And I think those walls have other spells in them – I could feel them when Elizabeth was showing us the stone. We couldn’t. Not yet, anyway.’
The dormitory, she whispered to the magic inside her, and they saw the old lady’s delighted, frightened face as the magic whirled around them, and they disappeared.
‘Did you hear what he said?’ Lily muttered to Henrietta.
Henrietta shook herself, silver shimmering along her smooth black fur. ‘Mmm? What? Oh, that was nice, Lily. I’ve missed magic.’
‘I know, we’ve been stupid, letting Aunt Clara put us off, and then the sneaky spells they’ve been winding round us here. Henrietta, did you hear the dragon saying he’d been clearing the mind of the old lady upstairs? What do you think he meant?’
Henrietta frowned. ‘Let’s not talk about it here. I know you girls aren’t supposed to be in your dormitory in the daytimes, but there’s always someone in and out. And they might be looking for you – weren’t you supposed to be in the kitchens all this time?’
Lily nodded, and they hurried to the door, peering round it carefully. ‘We’ll go out to the gardens, and then try to slip in later. I can say I felt ill.’
‘Be careful,’ Henrietta murmured. ‘I can hide myself quite easily – so many little hidey-holes around this house. But you’re a different matter. You mustn’t be caught, Lily. Miss Merganser already doesn’t like you. You heard what the old lady said. Too many doses of that spell…’
‘I know. But I’m sure the dragon could help. He said he was clearing her mind. Perhaps he can bring Peter back? Oh, ssshh, someone’s coming.’ She darted back behind the door, spying through the crack. ‘It’s only Georgie. I wonder if she’s looking for me?’ Lily opened the door, smiling in relief. For once her sister wasn’t with Sarah. They would have a chance to tell her what had been happening.
But Georgie was hurrying down the passage, a blank expression on her face. She walked straight past the dormitory door, and didn’t seem to see Lily at all.
The words died in Lily’s mouth, and she shook. For a moment, she was back at Merrythought, seeing her sister for the first time in weeks – and being ignored. Georgie had been so stuffed full of Mama’s magic, and her own fear that she would never be good enough for whatever it was that she was supposed to do. She had forgotten to eat, or wash, let alone pay attention to her little sister.
It wasn’t going to happen again.
Lily raced out into the corridor, and seized Georgie’s arm, dragging her round.
‘Oh! Lily. Where have you been?’ She hardly sounded interested, Lily thought furiously. She grabbed Georgie’s other hand, and shook her.
‘Listen to me!’ she snapped.
‘Not here,’ Henrietta hissed from the doorway, and Lily nodded, pulling Georgie into the linen room, and backing her up against the shelves of greyish blankets, and darned and elderly sheets.
‘Lily, we’re not allowed in here,’ Georgie said crossly. ‘We’ll get into trouble. And you’re already on Miss Merganser’s blacklist, Sarah told me.’
‘Sarah!’ Lily spat crossly. ‘Is Sarah your sister now? You haven’t spoken to me for days!’
‘That isn’t true!’ But Georgie wouldn’t look at her.
‘Are you ashamed of me?’ Lily demanded.
‘Everyone knows you’re my sister,’ Georgie muttered. ‘And you keep doing things…You keep getting into trouble with Miss Merganser.’
‘Georgie, why do you care about that?’ Lily frowned at her. ‘It isn’t as if we’re staying here! We’re getting away, as soon as we possibly can. If it wasn’t for the spells embedded in the walls, we would have gone the first night. We have to find Father and get him to destroy the spells inside you. The sooner the better, because I wouldn’t put it past those Dysarts to be making trouble for him too.’
Georgie sighed, in a very elder-sisterly way. ‘Lily, it’s all very well to make plans, but the walls are there! We can’t get out of this place!’ She looked up at Lily. ‘And I’m not sure we should be trying to, anyway.’
Lily stared at her. ‘What?’
‘You want us to find Father so he can get rid of Mama’s magic inside me – well, that’s what Miss Merganser and everyone here are trying to do, Lily! We need to let them!’
Lily shook her head, slowly. ‘You’ve given in. Henrietta said you would, but I wouldn’t believe it. Georgie, they don’t want just the bad spells, they’ll take everything! And they’ll probably turn your mind to custard doing it. Look what they’ve done to Peter!’ She caught her sister’s arms, staring into her eyes desperately. ‘Georgie, I know your magic frightens you, but you can’t let them do this!’
‘I have to,’ Georgie muttered stubbornly. ‘Magic’s wrong. You should let them clean yours away too.’
Lily slapped her. She felt ashamed for a second afterwards, but she was so angry, she couldn’t sto
p herself.
Georgie fell back against a pile of blankets, her hand on her cheek, her eyes watering with the blow.
‘I don’t want it cleaned! It isn’t dirty!’ Lily hissed. ‘Don’t you dare say that! You’re a Powers, and magic is part of you. It always will be.’ She closed her eyes, feeling the magic in her blood wrapping around her hand. Her fingers stung where she had smacked Georgie – she had probably hurt herself as much as her sister.
Lily lifted her hand again, and Georgie flinched. But this time Lily stroked her sister’s cheek, the magic making the scarlet mark across Georgie’s pale skin glitter. She could feel the spell on the house resisting her magic, but she wasn’t performing any very difficult spells. ‘I’m sorry,’ she murmured. ‘I didn’t really mean to do that.’ She sank the magic into the mark, and it melted away.
‘It’s all right,’ Georgie said shakily. She put her own hand across Lily’s, holding it there. ‘I haven’t felt any magic for so long. It was lovely.’ Her knees seemed to give way, and she sank to the floor, pulling Lily down next to her. ‘I’m so stupid,’ she murmured. ‘It’s as if there’s a fog all round me, and now the sun’s burning it away. I believed them. How could I believe them?’
Lily put her arms around Georgie, holding her tightly. ‘Henrietta reckons it’s Mama’s spells. You’ve already been weakened, you see. The cocoa works better on you. It’s full of spells, we’re sure. Spells to make everyone do as they’re told. Henrietta can taste them.’
‘Wonderful.’ Georgie gave a miserable little laugh. ‘I’m useless.’
Lily sighed. ‘You aren’t. You’re just a bit…’
‘Broken,’ Henrietta put in helpfully, resting her nose on Georgie’s knees and staring up at her.
Lily frowned, but Georgie laughed again, a little less bitterly. ‘Always so tactful, darling Henrietta.’
‘Georgie, we might have found someone who can mend you a little bit,’ Lily told her persuasively. ‘I don’t think he’ll be able to get rid of Mama’s spells, but he might be able to wash away everything Sarah’s been saying.’
‘Who?’ Georgie stared at her worriedly. ‘Lily, what have you been doing?’