‘Thank you, Sister Norretta. I doubt there’s anything here that will be useful either, but I’ll look.’ Krystal considered getting up to leave there and then, but something else stirred in her mind and made itself known. ‘Uh, I know this isn’t really any of my business, but I was wondering how Lidia Goldring was doing? Felicia’s paying her a visit now…’
‘And you wish to know whether she will need any comforting when she emerges? Commendable. Lidia is doing well here. In only a few months, she has revolutionised our supply chain and managed to reduce our food budget. She has a head for organisation and the manner of a market trader when negotiating. She… remains troubled about her reasons for coming here.’
‘You know about the scandal, I assume?’
‘Of course. We have, as you know, few indigos among our number. You may not know the reason. Generally, they come to us because of some scandal or other, but there are few who remain to become novices. Most want somewhere to hide, or feel that joining us is a form of penitence. They are not suitable for this life. Lidia feels considerable remorse for her transgression. Not for what she did, exactly, but for betraying her husband. She seems unable to truly understand why she was unfaithful.’
Krystal frowned. ‘Neither can Flis. Flis thinks it’s entirely out of character for her mother to do such a thing. Some of us have theorised that Lidia Goldring simply decided to give Anders Darkmoon a taste of his own medicine. He was not faithful to her. Flis doesn’t believe that, however.’
‘I can’t say that I do. Lidia does not understand why she felt the need to stray. She knows she did but not why, and I don’t believe she will find true peace until she does. However, she appears to be much happier now than she was when she first came to us.’
‘I’m glad. Flis doesn’t show it much, but I think she’s been a little worried. Hopefully, this will ease her worries.’
~~~
Felicia found her mother in the kitchen of the nunnery, going over ledgers. It still looked a little odd to see the woman Felicia was used to seeing in expensive gowns dressed in the simple, blue dress of a Sister of Perpetual Harmony. Felicia had inherited much of her looks from her mother, though Lidia had a slightly rounder face and was shorter; the arched eyebrows were there and the full lips were the same. Lidia had a more expansive chest than her daughter and slightly wider hips. Her purple hair was now bound into a tight bun instead of hanging free as it once had.
Lidia had an intent look on her face as she concentrated on the numbers in the ledgers, but there was something about her face which brought a smile to Felicia’s lips. Lidia looked more relaxed now than she had even on the day she finally joined the sisterhood.
‘I’m not disturbing you, am I, Mama?’ Felicia asked as she stopped beside the table Lidia was using.
Lidia looked up and smiled. ‘I did know you were coming, Flis. This can wait a while. I’m just going over the comestibles purchases for last month.’
Felicia raised an eyebrow. ‘That sounds… important, or responsible. You’ve found a suitable role to play here?’
‘I have… been able to put my talents to use. Now, would you like some tea? I want to hear all about what you’ve been up to since the ceremony. A little news from the city would be nice. I’m not yet sufficiently nun-like that I don’t like to hear a little gossip.’
‘Tea would be good. And I’ll do my best on the gossip, but I don’t get out as much as I used to.’
‘My fault.’
‘No! I’m busy with my studies and, well, I have a close friend who prefers to stay in. Anyway, I think the best gossip-worthy thing to have happened recently happened right in the school. Something of a royal scandal, but Celestina Nightsky has seen to it that things turned out well for her charges.’
Lidia grinned and got to her feet. Around them, a number of other nuns seemed to be doing their absolute best to listen in while appearing very busy with food preparation and other tasks. ‘I shall put the kettle on,’ Lidia said, ‘and you must make sure to speak loud enough for everyone to hear. Otherwise they’ll all be asking me about it later.’
‘I’m not much of a public speaker, but I’ll do my best.’
~~~
Krystal wandered through corridors and cloisters which were as familiar to her as anywhere in Draconia, and yet they now seemed one step removed from her memories of them. This was, she realised, no longer her home: that was now the Celestina School of Magic and Nightsky Hall.
The nunnery was something of an eclectic structure, built and rebuilt over many centuries in a number of architectural styles. The oldest parts, the chapel and what was now the administrative building, converted from dormitories, belonged to a school of architecture which had been current long before the Majesty War. It was simple, all smooth lines and unusual heptagonal columns. Seven had been quite a major thing back then: seven colours of dragon, seven royal families, and seven days in the week. More modern styles favoured hexagonal or cylindrical columns, except for the Mooncentric style which favoured twelve-sided shapes, including dodecahedral windows, but there were no examples of that in the nunnery.
The big kitchen, the one serving the nunnery anyway as there was another for the hospital and orphanage, had been put up just after the Majesty War, in what was known as Reconstructionist style. It favoured cylindrical columns and high vaulted ceilings, and something of a utilitarian appearance that did suit a room which was there to provide the nuns with meals. The refectory next door was the same style, as were the dormitories for the novices which sat across a cloister from the kitchen.
Nuns said hello as Krystal walked in. She had spent eighteen years there and she knew almost all of them, if only by name. The one she did not know was obviously Lidia Goldring, given that she was sharing tea with Felicia. Krystal walked over a little warily, just in case they were discussing something private, but…
‘A statue? A statue on the roof of your hall of residence?’ Lidia sounded like she was amused more than anything else. There were some giggles from the workers nearby. ‘It would seem that Celestina Nightsky has not lost her touch. When she was younger, she would defend that school and its students almost to the death. She hasn’t had to do so much recently, but it seems she’s just as tough as ever.’
‘She certainly gave the Scarlin man a talking to,’ Felicia said. ‘And she made sure we all heard it, I’m sure. Oh, Krys! I don’t believe you’ve met Sister Lidia Goldring.’
‘I’m not actually a sister yet, darling,’ Lidia said, smiling.
Krystal stepped forward and held out her hand. ‘No, but Senior Matron Norretta Greyscale had good things to say about you. I’m Krystal Ward, but call me Krys.’
‘Then you must call me Lidia. I’ve heard much about you from my daughter’s letters. I know you’ve helped her get through these past few months.’
‘We all have, I think.’
‘They have,’ Felicia said. ‘In Krystal’s case, however, she’s helped me get through the exams and through Theodore Marin’s idea of a magical theory course. I was just telling Mama what’s been happening in Concord City. I see you’ve found something to help you on your quest.’
Krystal shrugged. ‘I guess we’ll see. There’s nothing much, but maybe we can find a clue or something.’
‘I’m quite sure we will, darling,’ Felicia said, smiling.
Krystal grinned. ‘Now I know where you get that from.’
‘Beg pardon?’
‘Your mother calls people darling too.’
‘Always have, darling,’ Lidia replied with a grin. ‘I do hope my daughter has not inherited too many of my personality traits. I, for example, was far too tolerant of Anders Darkmoon’s… habits. I let him get away with far too much. Don’t you do the same, Flis.’
‘I… don’t think that will be an issue, Mama,’ Felicia replied. ‘I really don’t. I’m not going to let any man treat me as Papa treated you.’
‘Very good, my dear. I just hope you remember that when you’re
old enough to need to.’
~~~
‘Not going to let any man walk all over you, huh?’ Krystal asked as they walked back into the centre of town.
‘No, I won’t, darling,’ Felicia replied. Then she frowned. ‘You know you’ve made me self-conscious about saying that? Anyway, my time with Jesse has proven something which, were I to be honest with myself, I have known for some years. I am simply not interested in romantic assignations with men.’
‘Oh, well, neither am I, at the moment. Uh, so it’s just Jesse who’s going to walk all over you?’
Felicia sagged a little. ‘I’m afraid I have inherited that aspect of Mama’s personality. I truly don’t know what Jesse could do to turn me away from her, though I believe she will eventually leave me. I can hope it will not be for some time.’ She brightened suddenly. ‘And in the meantime, she can walk all over me any time she likes.’
‘That’s a little more information than I needed. There they are, back beside the fountain.’
‘Okay,’ Charlotte said as the final two of the seven approached, ‘everyone’s back and Krystal has a box. Uh, what time is it anyway?’
‘Muffin time!’ Trudy said, grinning.
‘It’s not even twelve thirty,’ Xanthe protested.
‘Maybe, but I bet Charley’s hungry and I’ve been hankering after a muffin ever since you said how they were the best in the universe.’
‘The universe?’ Krystal queried. ‘Maybe not the whole universe, but the baker on the square does do the best apple muffins in Concordance, maybe even Draconia.’
‘And we can find out what you have in the box,’ Trudy added.
‘Not much,’ Krystal replied, but she set off toward the bakery anyway and, five minutes later, they were sitting under a sunshade outside with a cold lemonade and an apple muffin each. Everyone else was peering into the box.
‘You’re right,’ Trudy said. ‘I mean, the idea that you were dropped off at the nunnery gate in a handwoven basket, wrapped in a little purple blanket is…’
‘Adorable?’ Ramona suggested.
‘Sickeningly cute?’ Charley tried.
‘Probably both,’ Trudy said, ‘but the only evidence we have is this note and you knew about this before.’
Felicia, wearing a rather pleased smile, swallowed her bite of muffin. ‘I must say, darling, that you do have good taste in muffins, but you’re quite wrong about the evidence in the box.’
Trudy and Krystal frowned. ‘We are?’ Krystal asked.
‘Indeed, though I admit this is a little circumstantial and not, perhaps, something anyone with your upbringing would know.’
‘Huh?’ Trudy said.
‘The “blanket” is clearly cut from a larger garment, probably a cloak. You see that it’s double-layered, a wool liner with a denser weave cotton. The wool has faded with time, but the cotton has held its colour better and I’ve seen that kind of dye used before. It’s the blue the Nightsky family prefer for their more official garments.’
‘Uh, oh,’ Krystal said. ‘You’re right, I’d never have known that.’
‘Hand me that basket, would you?’ Jesse asked, her brow a little furrowed.
‘Certainly looks handcrafted,’ Xanthe said as she passed the woven wicker basket across.
‘Uh-huh.’ Jesse peered at the weave for a second and then nodded. ‘Handcrafted out of spidervine.’
‘I’ve never heard of spidervine,’ Krystal said.
‘Not too many people have. It only grows in the area around the old ruins in Tangleroots. Maybe a mile or two beyond the edges of the old city, no further. It forms these, well, webs of twisted vines which can be really tough to cut through, hence the name. Weird stuff. It’s naturally a sort of dark green with purple strips running along the length, but the purple fades when you cut it until you can barely see it. Just like this. Whoever made this was in the middle of Tangleroots when they made it. I’d say it’s pretty likely that you were actually born in the forest.’
‘Oh.’ Krystal bit into her muffin and let her mind work over the flavour for a few seconds. ‘I guess that settles it then. We’re going to have to go into Tangleroots.’
‘Yes,’ Jesse agreed. ‘Right into the worst part too.’
~~~
‘You’re sure you have to go that far into the forest?’ Renwick asked as the friends and family sat around the lounge after dinner. There was no fire in the grate and all the windows were open, but the air outside was still and the day had turned sultry with the onset of evening.
‘Yes,’ Krystal replied. ‘The message I got mentioned a witch and Jesse says the basket was made from plants that grow near the ruins. I think I’m being pointed to those ruins. It’s a little dangerous, I know, but–’
‘It’s not so much dangerous in there as… Well, no, it is dangerous, but the danger doesn’t just come from the plants and animals, nor from the witch.’ Renwick frowned, trying to put into words his feelings on the matter. ‘Tangleroots, the deeper parts, it’s like… It’s easy to lose your way even though you know where you’re going. Seems like the trees move when you’re not looking. Streams change their course overnight. I’ve seen fires burn some strange colours and dance in a wind that’s not there. It usually goes easy on locals, the families who live around it, but it can turn on strangers.’
‘That’s why I’m taking them in, Pops,’ Jesse said. ‘And Xan will be there. She can handle herself in Tangleroots.’
Renwick nodded and looked across at Bethany. She nodded. ‘The Weather Bureau’s breaking this weather with heavy rain tonight and into the morning,’ she said. ‘You’ll not want to leave before Blueday. Tomorrow afternoon, Jesse will take you into Appleyard for some supplies. You’ll all need some good boots. We’ll leave it to Jesse to decide what else you need.’
‘You don’t need to–’ Krystal began.
‘No, we don’t, but we will. You seek your ancestry, Krys, and that is something every dragon should be allowed to know. You’re looking for your family, a very worthy quest. And you’re Jesse’s friends. She doesn’t make them easily, so we can’t let them get lost to the forest. We’d offer you our best guide to the forest to help you get in there, but…’
‘Jesse is our best guide to the forest,’ Renwick finished. ‘You’ve already got her.’
‘And we would appreciate it if you brought her back in one piece too.’
‘We’re all sort of hoping to come back with all our limbs attached, Beth,’ Felicia said. ‘I’m quite attached to mine and Jesse’s, and I’d rather not lose any. But what about this witch? Does anyone know anything about her? Has anyone actually seen her?’
‘I’ve s-seen her,’ Oren said. ‘Maybe.’
‘Maybe?’ Krystal asked.
‘She w-was alone, in the f-forest. D-dressed in a hooded c-cloak. Moved like a w-woman, but I c-couldn’t see much of w-what she looked like. She was carrying a s-staff. A f-fancy staff like magi use.’
‘Interesting. You’re sure it wasn’t more of a walking staff?’
Oren shook his head. ‘It had something m-mounted in it, like a crystal, and I think the t-top was carved to look like a true dragon.’
Krystal frowned. ‘Traditionally, witches don’t use a staff. Perhaps a wand, but not a staff.’
‘The stories about her are a bit contradictory,’ Jesse said.
‘That is putting it mildly,’ Ilana said. ‘They contradict each other so much that not a few people don’t believe there’s a witch at all.’
‘She’s not wrong,’ Jesse admitted, ‘but Oren says he’s seen someone, and I believe him, and there’s something about the forest around those ruins…’ The little green gave a shudder. ‘There’s a mind behind the way things behave in there.’
‘What contradictory stories are we talking about?’ Trudy asked.
‘Oh, in one story she finds a lost traveller, mends his wounds, and sets him on the edge of the forest where he can find his way out.’
‘And in anot
her,’ Ilana said, ‘she finds a party of men in her forest and hunts them down, killing them all in inventive and horrific ways.’
‘If they all died, how did the story get told?’ Krystal asked. ‘If we examine these stories, are we going to find that the witch is being blamed for people getting lost and vanishing in Tangleroots? People have been doing that for a lot longer than this witch has been there, right?’
‘They have,’ Renwick confirmed. ‘And you may be right about the stories. Most of the bad ones are told around campfires to scare folks before bed. There’s no way anyone could really know the details. Still best to be careful if you’re going looking in there. Just because we can’t really say the witch is anything to worry over, doesn’t mean she won’t object to you looking around.’
‘True. We’ll have to be careful, but… Well, we’re getting far too good at handling difficult situations. I think we should be okay.’
4th Day of Highsummer.
The rain arrived at around two in the morning with such force that the sound of it hitting the ground outside woke Krystal and she slipped out from under the single sheet to check the windows. The room had two large windows and both were open in an attempt to get some air into the room, but the rain was coming down vertically, and very hard, and none of it was coming in the windows.
Still, Krystal stood there for a while, watching the rain smash into the ground around the house and then form puddles which rapidly became perfect demonstrations of chaotic impact patterns. The noise was incredible; it seemed that the Weather Bureau had been holding back a really huge deluge for some time and now it was making the earth pay for being kept up there for so long.
Krystal was not especially surprised when she felt arms slipping around her waist, breasts pressing against her back, and hips meeting her buttocks. ‘That really is quite the downpour,’ Trudy said, her voice soft enough that it was almost lost in the noise.
‘Certainly is. Did the noise wake you?’
‘Sort of.’ Trudy squirmed a little behind Krystal’s back. ‘I think I sort of half woke up because of the rain, and then I reached out for you and you weren’t there…’
Misfit Witchcraft (Misfits Book 2) Page 13