Lucy's Blade

by John Lambshead

  William sat bolt upright. "I have no excuse, sir."

  Walsingham glared at him. "Well, at least your cousin has taught you to take responsibility like a man, but what were you thinking of? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't hang you on the deck of your own ship?"

  "Don't bully the captain, Uncle, his nerves have not been very good lately," said Lucy, nastily. "I tricked him into taking me."

  "Who else knew of this?" Walsingham said. Simon looked at his hands and even Gwilym looked embarrassed. "I see you all knew. The people I trust most to tell me the truth chose to betray me."

  "My fault again, Uncle," said Lucy, wearily. "I put them in an impossible position. I realise that now, which is why we are having this conversation. I also raided the Spanish safe house and killed another demon in the cellars."

  Walsingham sat with his head in his hands. "How, Lucy?" he whispered. "No, more importantly, Why?"

  "The same question, Uncle," she said. "I went because I was the only person who could stop what Isabella was doing. Only I have the power. I am possessed, Uncle. You knew that."

  "I was concerned," he said. "But when nothing untoward happened."

  Lucy levelled her eyes at him. Her eyes showed the steely determination of the Dennys family; a resolve inherited from Sir Guy de Dennies, who had commanded Duke William's reserve at Hastings.

  "It happened. I just didn't tell you," she said, flatly. "As to who was responsible? You were, Uncle, you and Doctor Dee. You summoned the demon and it took me."

  Walsingham seemed to shrink into himself. "Oh no, Lucy, say not that I did this to you, my love, my poor child."

  Lucy rose and ran round to her uncle's chair. She knelt and took his hand. "I am sorry, Uncle. That wasn't fair. It was really Isabella. She kidnapped Lilith and brought her to our world using blood magic. Lilith escaped and Doctor Dee captured her in the dog and from there to me. I didn't ask for it, Uncle. It just happened."

  "Lucy, I have had occasion to see possessed people," said Walsingham. "They rant, they rave, and they try to hurt themselves and other people. Are you sure you are possessed?"

  "No doubt about it, Uncle. The demon is in my head right now. She is called Lilith, by the way. Some think that makes me a monster but I am still Lucy Dennys."

  Lucy stared at William as she spoke. William looked as if she had slapped him. Fortunately for him, Walsingham was too shocked to notice the exchange.

  "I will send for Dee to see if we can reverse this magic," said Walsingham.

  "Dee is always reluctant to visit London." Simon spoke without thinking.

  Walsingham's eyes blazed. "Pooley will take a fast wherry. Dee will come immediately or I will have his head. Have you translated the documents taken from the safe house?"

  Simon shook his head. "They are written in some mathematical code that is unknown to me. Mayhap, Doctor Dee can help when he arrives."

  "Mayhap, I can help. Show them to me," Lucy said.

  "You, Lucy?" asked Walsingham. "What know you of conjuring?"

  "Nothing, Uncle. You remember what my tutors said of my mathematical skills." Lucy grinned at Walsingham and he chuckled. The other men around the table relaxed slightly. It was unlikely that Walsingham would have had them executed on the spot, but the possibility existed. If Lucy could raise a smile from him then they were probably safe.

  "So how can you help, my child?" asked Walsingham, indulgently.

  "I can show them to Lilith. She is an able conjuror. She doesn't think like us. Her mind is vast and seems to eat numbers and information." Lucy struggled to explain.

  "Does this involve magic, Lucy? Do you have to summon her?" asked Walsingham.

  "No, Uncle, Lilith sees what I see. Lilith is within me. Show me, Master Tunstall," Lucy said.

  "Milady." Simon handed her some papers. She sat at the table and put the first in front of her. It consisted of strings of numbers grouped like words and sentences.

  She looked at the first then moved it aside. She spent just a few seconds on each paper before she handed them back.

  "Is that it? You hardly glanced at them," said Walsingham, astonished.

  "Lilith recorded them. Her thoughts are like a vast library. She is also very fast." Lucy looked rather distracted. William thought that she was likely talking to Lilith.

  "It's a number code, Uncle. Lilith is attempting a code-break on the understanding that the language is Spanish." Lucy frowned as if concentrating.

  "That is a safe assumption, child," said Walsingham.

  "It is Spanish and Lilith has the decoding key. I can write it down for you if you want, Master Tunstall."

  "So fast?" asked Walsingham.

  "Lilith can carry out ten million calculations a second." Lucy tilted her head to one side as she listened to a voice no one else could here. "Most of the documents are financial accounts."

  "The documents include the names of those paid?" asked Walsingham.

  "Oh yes, Uncle, and addresses. There are references to people being sent places. They have code names, mostly like Raven or Faithful." Lucy paused. "This is important, Uncle, Lilith has found reference to a despatch boat."

  "Go on, child." Walsingham leaned forward eagerly.

  "Even when decoded, the departure port is another code word but the river is in clear," said Lucy, excitedly.

  Lucy was not making much sense but he had carried out many interrogations so he patiently asked the right questions. "What river, Lucy?"

  "The Crouch, in Essex," she said.

  "When?"

  "The seventeenth, four days time," Lucy said.

  "Who are the despatches for Lucy?"

  "The Spanish Governor in the Low Countries, Palma."

  "Why is it so important?" Walsingham said.

  "The Enterprise of England, that's what it says in the despatches, the plans for the Enterprise of England. That's important, isn't it, Uncle?"

  "That's very important, Lucy. Thank Lilith for me."

  "Nightfall, Uncle. The despatch boat will leave at nightfall."

  "Well, Captain, it appears that I cannot hang you for the present as I still have need of you. I will have to reserve the pleasure for later." Walsingham smiled coldly.

  William was not sure if the spymaster was joking or not. On balance, he thought he was joking. "You want me to intercept the despatch boat, Sir Francis?"

  "I do, Captain. You will be off the Crouch estuary on the night of the seventeenth. Stop and search any vessel trying to leave."

  "Very good, sir. I will take the Swallow's pinnace."

  "And me," said Lucy.

  "What?" William asked, confused.

  "Do not worry, Captain. I will endeavour to keep as far away from you as possible," she said, cuttingly.

  Lucy's voice was flat but the dismissal in her tone was hard to miss. Simon felt a momentary sympathy for the captain, something he imagined would never happen. Another suitor dumped, he thought.

  "Why should you come on this enterprise, Lady Dennys?"

  "Can you see in the dark, Captain? I can," she said.

  "You can see without light, Lucy?" asked Walsingham.

  "Yes, Uncle. Lilith calls it dark sight. Apparently, I can see heat. Lilith did explain how it worked but I can't understand her. Mayhap, Doctor Dee could. A boat will glow white with heat against the dark water."

  "This is so important that—very well, Lucy. You will go. But you are there as the ship's eyes. Captain Hawkins and his men will do any fighting. You will obey me in this." Walsingham gazed at her, implacably.

  "As you say, Uncle," Lucy said, obediently.

  "Gwilym. I want you to accompany Lady Dennys. She is not to be placed in any danger. You will restrain her physically if she disobeys me."

  "As you wish, 'ighness," said Gwilym.

  "Uncle," said Lucy, shocked. One hand flew up to cover her mouth.

  "The eventuality is purely hypothetical is it not, Lucy, for you will obey me?"

  "Yes, Uncle," she said.<
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  "Master Tunstall," said Walsingham. "Go you with them. Get me those despatches, Simon. The fate of England may rest upon it."

  "What dress will you require, milady? The blue or the green?" asked Lucy's servant, Millie.

  'What do you think, Lilith?' thought Lucy.

  'I have always liked you in the green. Besides, I shall be wearing blue if necessary. My researches suggest the men are likely to associate blue with the Virgin Mary and hence, perhaps, look more kindly on me,' Lilith thought, wistfully.

  "The green, Millie," said Lucy.

  'Do we have to go, Lucy? Couldn't we run for it?' pleaded Lilith.

  'And where in the world could we run that Uncle would not find us and bring us back? He has captured traitors who have fled to France and smuggled them home for punishment. Be sensible, Lilith. Besides, I do not wish to run. I am not a criminal,' thought Lucy, indignantly.

  "Put your arms through here, milady," said Millie.

  'I know you are right, Lucy, but I'm scared. That man hurt me. I am frightened of him,' thought Lilith.

  'Shush, Lilith. Dee can't hurt you without hurting me and Uncle would never allow that,' thought Lucy, trying to comfort the demon.

  'I am worried about something else. They might kill you. Your uncle would not intend to but in trying to evict me they might kill you,' thought Lilith. 'I don't want to be the cause of your death, Lucy. You are my only friend.'

  'I had quite forgot about that. Well, there is nothing else for it. I cannot disobey my uncle. He is within his rights as head of my household to summon me as he wishes,' thought Lucy.

  Lilith kept her thoughts from Lucy. The unbreakable social conventions that surrounded humans were quite ridiculous but they seemed essential for a properly functioning society. At least, that was Lilith's current thesis.

  "Let me comb your hair, milady," said Millie. "We must put a shine on it for the gentlemen to see."

  "How does Gwilym treat you lately, Millie? Does he press his suit ardently?" Lucy asked.

  "He blows hot and cold, milady," said Millie. "I think he likes me well enough but he shies away when I mention babies or marriage."

  " 'Twas ever thus," said Lucy.

  "The boatswain has asked me to dine with him tonight. Mayhap that will give Gwilym food for thought. If not . . ." Millie shrugged. "I had not thought to marry a sailor but he is an officer and Plymouth is a pretty town, so they say. A girl cannot wait forever, milady."

  "No, Millie. That is very true," said Lucy.

  "I do not like the thought of my man spending weeks or even months away from me. But they say the homecomings are interesting," Millie giggled.

  A servant stuck her head around the door. "Sir Francis is ready for you now, milady."

  "Very well, tell him I will be with him directly." Lucy was in great-lady mode.

  Lucy waited outside the door to gather herself. 'Here we go, Lilith. I feel a bit like some traitor that Uncle is about to question.'

  'At least your uncle will not use the rack on you,' thought Lilith.

  Lucy drew a deep breath and walked inside.

  "Ah, Lucy. Come in and make yourself comfortable. We should not have to wait long," said Walsingham. The only other occupants of the room were Simon and Gwilym. The Spanish Secret Service's mirror from the safe house stood in a wooden frame. The steel had been newly polished to give a good reflection.

  A querulous voice sounded from the corridor. "Will you stop pushing me, you ape? I am going as fast as I can."

  The door opened and Doctor Dee was ejected through it on the end of Pooley's arm. Pooley bowed to Walsingham then left. Dee glared after him.

  "Doctor Dee, how civil of you to come so quickly to my summons," said Walsingham, smoothly.

  "Civil! Civil!" said Dee. "Three of your apes dragged me out of my own library."

  "Be fair, Doctor, I would die of old age if we waited for you to finish in your library," said Walsingham. "Doctor Dee has the most comprehensive library in Christendom, Lucy. How many volumes do you have Dee?"

  "More than four thousand," said Dee, somewhat mollified.

  "Four thousand," said Walsingham, admiringly. "The library at Cambridge University had but four hundred." His voice became authoritative. "You have brought the information and materials I need?"

  "Yes, Sir Francis."

  "So what do we know about the demon Lilith?" asked Walsingham.

  'How can they know anything about me? I have only just got here and it was sheer chance that I got this name,' thought Lilith.

  'Shush, Lilith, and we will find out. My people don't set too much store by coincidence. We believe everything is connected in the chain of being,' thought Lucy.

  'There is an element of truth in that but—' thought Lilith.

  'Hush, demon,' interrupted Lucy.

  "There are fleeting mentions of her in many books of wisdom, including the Bible," said Dee. "I quote Isaiah, 'There too Lilith shall repose, and find a place to rest. There shall the owl nest and lay and hatch and brood in its shadow.' The place being described is a wilderness. Note also the connection with owls. Owls are, of course, suggestive of wisdom. So Lilith in the Bible is a lost traveller in the wilderness and she is a source of wisdom."

  "Yes, I have seen her wisdom and Lucy described her as lost in our world. What else?" Walsingham said.

  "The Bible does not refer to her again but there are other sources. The Jews have their own tradition. The first mention of Lilith is from the Alphabet of Ben Sira. This is a shocking book that is considered by many Orthodox Jews to be a fake. In the Jewish Rabbinic tradition, Lilith is the first woman created by God."

  'I was created by the Elders,' thought Lilith, indignantly.

  "Surely that was Eve?" asked Lucy.

  "Eve was the first in the Old Testament but even in the Bible there are hints of a woman before Eve. Anyway, Lilith was created from the earth, like Adam, and so was independent of him." Dee looked at Lucy and coloured up. "Adam and Lilith, ah, squabbled over who should lie on top during, um, matrimonial relations."

  "Fancy," said Lucy.

  Dee hurried on. "Anyway, Lilith fled and God sent three angels to return her. They caught her by the Red Sea and threatened to drown her. Lilith negotiated an arrangement with the angels that she should have dominion over male babies for eight days and female for twenty. In this time, she could take them for her own. Even today, you will see Jewish babies protected from Lilith by amulets containing the names of the three angels."

  "So Lilith is a destroyer of children," said Walsingham.

  'What libelous rubbish,' thought Lilith. 'No wonder this man's spells go wrong.'

  "And their mothers when in childbirth," Dee added. "But many Jews doubt the authenticity of this story. Other Jewish traditions have Lilith as a succubus."

  "What's a succubus?" asked Lucy, innocently.

  Lilith searched frantically though her stolen database. 'Succubus, what's a succubus? My! You know, I could probably do that if I really tried.'

  'Don't you dare,' thought Lucy.

  "A demon who comes to men in dreams in the night and drains their seed, as I suspect you know. Stop teasing the good doctor, Lucy," said Walsingham, warningly.

  "The Jewish traditions are so confusing. They refer to Lilith as everything from a slave girl to the Queen of Heaven and consort to God Himself," Dee said.

  'Consort to God. That sounds more like it,' thought Lilith.

  Dee cleared his throat. "The final source I have is from the ancient legend of the Sumerian hero Gilgamesh who survived the Great Flood. The legend mentions a huluppu tree, whatever that is. Possibly, they meant a willow. The goddess Inanna had planted such a divine tree in her garden in the city of Uruk to make wood for a throne and a bed. But a monster built its home in the roots and the demon Lilith had her house in the branches. Gilgamesh slew the monster and Lilith fled in fear to the wilderness. Note the association with wilderness again. There is evidence that the Sumerians worshipped a winged
demon called Lilith and that they associated her with owls and lions, more symbols of wisdom and courage."

  'Wisdom and courage, I take it back, Lucy. Dee is a learned man and humans do know of me,' thought Lilith.

  Dee drank some wine to refresh his throat. "Lilith's domain is associated with mirrors. Mirrors can be entrances into Lilith's world, which is described as a dark cave. This is illustrated by a Jewish folktale. A woman bought a mirror for her dark-haired daughter who was very vain. The woman did not realise that the mirror was a gateway to Lilith's cave. The daughter looked at the mirror often, and day by day she was more and more possessed by Lilith. The demon turned her into a girl of loose morals who, ah, consorted carnally with men."

  This time it was Lucy's turn to colour up. "Uncle," she said, outraged. "I am a maid. I have never . . ."

  "Yes, yes, Lucy," said Walsingham. "No one suggests otherwise. I notice that mirrors are portals in to the Other World. That matches our experience."

  "You see that mirror over there, Doctor Dee," said Walsingham. "Lucy recently killed a demon with that knife you gave her. The demon was attempting to enter this world through the mirror. Lucy was able to kill it, because she is possessed by Lilith."

  Dee slumped back in his seat with his mouth open.

  "Not going too fast for you, Dee, am I?" asked Walsingham, not without a measure of malice.

  "How do you know that Lady Dennys is possessed? I know that I once thought it likely but the lady seems rather normal to me. She would have died weeks ago had she been possessed after that unfortunate incident at Nonsuch. Could we not be dealing with the overactive imagination of a young woman?" asked Dee, patronisingly. "Have either of you seen anything?"

  "I have seen her when the possession is on her," said Simon. He did not like Dee's attitude. How dare he put down Lucy as an hysteric.

  "I haven't," said Walsingham. "Would you demonstrate, Lucy?"

  "Certainly, Uncle."

  'Now, Lilith, give me the power now,' thought Lucy.

  'Knock them dead, my friend,' thought Lilith. So they wanted to see power did they? Lilith gave it everything she had.

  Lucy stood up. She lowered her head for a moment then lifted it. Her eyes sparkled like diamonds and her skin glowed. Her hair crackled and shifted. She walked around the table. When Lucy was like this, she walked as if she had no weight, bouncing from foot to foot like a tigress. Dee shrank back as she approached him. She hit the heavy wooden table in front of him. To be more exact she smashed her hand right through it, collapsing and shattering the wood. Nobody said anything. Lucy stood still, her hair billowing in a nonexistent wind.