by R K Dreaming
“We shall have to agree to disagree,” said Gwendolyn. “She was a very good friend for many years. Such delightful company.”
Percy groaned. “Fine, whatever, please never bring your murderous friends home again with you.”
“I shall endeavor to do my best,” said Gwendolyn dryly.
Skrull was curled up on the duvet next to Percy, and when she reached out to tentatively stroke his spine, he swatted her hand away with his boney paw.
He did not purr or frolic like Lucky kitten had, but Percy liked his menacing persona. He seemed to think the same of her, given that he now enjoyed taking his catnaps under her bed. Lucky kitten had been returned to Shara’s little brother, so this was not a problem.
Gwendolyn’s eyes landed on Skrull and they narrowed. “I really do think I ought to put our little friend away before I leave.”
“Oh please! Like he doesn’t know you’re talking about him.”
“He does now,” said Gwendolyn, frowning.
“But I promised he could stay out. I made a deal with him!” Percy objected.
“Fine! But you make sure to keep a close eye on him. That cat is a menace. He’s a highly powerful familiar. We don’t want him straying far from home.”
“If he’s your familiar, why don’t you take him with you?” Percy asked.
“He’s not my familiar,” her mother said, looking astonished. “He never took much of a liking to me. It’s too bad you don’t have your magic yet, because he seems to have taken a shine to you.”
Percy frowned. “Mum, back in Old Windsor, why didn’t you etherhop away as soon as Juliet handed your wand back?”
“And leave Juliet pointing a wand at your throat? I don’t think so! What sort of mother do you think I am!”
Gwendolyn’s cheeks had turned pink with annoyance.
“That’s not what I meant. Just that you could have gone for help.”
“They day I abandon my daughter to danger is the day I’ll break my own wand!” Gwendolyn declared.
Percy flushed. From her mother this was as good as a declaration of undying love.
She felt very awkward all of a sudden, and scrambled to think of a change of topic.
“Aren’t you sad about Juliet?” she asked. “Since she was your friend and all?”
“She deserves the punishment she’s getting. Taking me hostage indeed! The sheer nerve of it. After I put a roof over her head and comforted her during her moment of greatest need too!”
“I think you should leave tomorrow instead,” said Percy. “I don’t think Councilor Strickt will like it if you don’t come to the meeting tonight.”
“I don’t care much what he likes or dislikes,” her mother said. “I’m a witch. I might answer to the Conclave of Magic, but the Eldritch Council certainly has no sway over me!”
She kept to her word, and left the house immediately after lunchtime, taking a taxi to the airport with Aunt Addy since the werewolf had refused point blank to let Gwendolyn take her by etherhopping.
Later that evening, Councilor Strickt was very displeased when Percy explained to him that her mother had been called away urgently and was unable to attend the meeting.
Percy Nan and Shara had gone to Eldritch Council headquarters together, and were now sitting in a very official looking meeting room at a very official long table. Opposite them sat Councilor Strickt, Octavia and Felix.
This made it feel like to Percy as if she, Nan and Shara were criminals on trial. Felix had given them all apologetic looks when they had walked into the room.
Octavia on the other hand had looked very smug as she clutched her pen and made notes of everything that Councilor Strickt said.
Now Councilor Strickt’s eyebrows drew together ominously as he demanded, “And your mother claims to have no idea where the stolen wildmagic is, is that right?”
“How would she know? She’s got nothing to do with it.”
“Answer the question,” he snapped.
“Does that mean you haven’t found it yet?” said Percy.
Councilor Strickt glowered at her impertinence. “The Conclave of Magic completed its search of the park and the surrounding area earlier today. The capsule containing the wildmagic has not been found.”
“Walnut,” said Percy.
“It is a magical capsule shaped like a walnut,” said Councilor Strickt stiffly.
“Well, my mother doesn’t know where it is, and I don’t know why you would imply that she does,” said Percy firmly.
“This whole matter leaves a lot to be desired,” said Councilor Strickt angrily. “Juliet Jolie is refusing to talk. Hank Hyde has tried to make a deal in exchange for the stolen magic, and yet the conclave has combed the area several times over and been unable to find it. He insists that the Sheedy cousins must have bungled up the password, but they insist that they have not. Who am I to believe? This case will not be closed until that wildmagic is found.”
“What are we supposed to do about it?” said Percy, indicating herself and her friends.
“Miss Smythe-Smith here has provided me with a report of her involvement in this case,” said Councilor Strickt, slapping down a file of paper onto the table in frustration. “However, the gaps in it are numerous.”
“I provided as complete a report as was possible, sir,” said Octavia quickly. “However I only became aware of the situation halfway through.”
She shot an accusing glance at Felix, and then a poisonous one at Percy.
Looking a little guilty, Felix carefully avoided Octavia’s glance. He had assured Percy, Nan and Shara yesterday at school that he had told Octavia the bare minimum about his involvement in the case. In fact, he had admitted to knowing almost nothing.
The four of them had agreed that this was best, given that Nan had etherhopped into the Sheedy’s car using an unregistered wand and by doing underage magic, both of which she would get into immense trouble for, not to mention her mother being called in to answer for her actions. This could well lead to Mrs Gooding losing her license to distribute her home-made potions, which provided a valuable source of income to their family. Percy could not allow this to happen.
Percy was therefore eager to avoid all mention of magic. Even if it meant letting Octavia take all credit for the case.
Percy opened her eyes wide as if in surprise, and said, “But Octavia is just being modest, councilor. Didn’t she include in her report how after the newspapers reported that the Sheedy cousins were in London, she decided to bait a trap for them?”
Councilor Strickt glowered. “She did not mention any of this. What trap?”
His eyes darted from Percy to Octavia, and Octavia had the good sense to keep her mouth shut, even though she was glaring at Percy as if willing her to shut up.
“The trap at the Duke of York Street property,” said Percy. “Octavia had the brilliant idea of making a fake photograph of Juliet Julie coming out of that house to lure the Sheedys there. And after they arrived, she tailed them back to their own apartment in East London.”
“Is that right?” demanded Councilor Strickt, glaring at Octavia.
Octavia swallowed hard. “I’ll have to check what I put in my report, sir,” she said. “I am afraid I was a bit tired when I wrote it the first time around, wanting to get it in to you so quickly.”
She looked very sour about having to say these words, even if it meant that she was going to get the credit for something that she had never done.
“And then she tailed the Sheedys all the way to Old Windsor,” said Percy. “She had no idea that Juliet Jolie, my mother’s acquaintance, had duped my mother and kidnapped us all.”
“Juliet Jolie was in disguise at the time,” said Shara. “None of us knew that it was her. She fooled us all.”
Nan nodded quickly. “Shara and I were at Percy’s house when Juliet decided to kidnap us,” she said. “Juliet had found out that her ex-husband Hank Hyde was still alive and she took us all there because she wanted Mrs Prince to use
her magic to find the walnut, given that Mrs Prince is such a more powerful witch than Juliet is.”
Councilor Strickt was scowling. “This does not match up to Hank Hyde’s version of events,” he said. “I’m sure in the statement he gave he said that you three arrived later than Juliet and Gwendolyn.”
“Maybe Hank Hyde was confused,” said Percy quickly. “After all, Juliet did befuddle him.”
“I will require full statements from you all,” said Councilor Strickt.
Nan look alarmed.
“We’re giving you statements now,” said Percy.
“Written statements,” he said.
Now even Octavia looked uncomfortable. Percy glared at her. It served her right for not telling them what she had written in her report, thought Percy. Now they were all going to contradict each other and get into trouble.
Nan and Shara were fidgeting. Percy saw them exchange the briefest of glances.
“It was awful,” wailed Shara suddenly. She burst into tears. “She tied us up and threatened to kill us all. She said she’d do me first because I was a fish!” She started shaking with her sobs.
“No, she said she’d do me first!” cried Nan. “She pointed her wand at me and was going to kill me.”
“But it was me,” insisted Shara.
“It was me!” insisted Nan.
“But first it was me,” said Percy.
“She was pointing her wand and threatening us all,” said Shara, gasping for breath a tad too melodramatically, thought Percy. “And then the awful Sheedy’s arrived and we thought we were dead for sure.”
“But then Felix and Octavia arrived to save the day,” said Nan.
“Thank goodness for the council, or we’d have been done for,” said Percy, not averse to stroking Councilor Strickt’s ego just this once.
“Really, if it wasn’t for the both of them, we all might not even be alive!” Shara gave a great sob and made a show of mopping her tears up with her sleeve. “I can’t bear to think about it! It was so traumatizing!”
Unfortunately the waterworks had no effect on Councilor Strickt. His eyes had narrowed. “Are you saying that it was a coincidence that Octavia and Felix turned up at Old Windsor in time to rescue you all?”
“Yes,” said Octavia.
“No,” said Percy at the same time.
Octavia scowled at her.
“I would say it was Octavia and Felix’s excellent detective work that got them to us in time,” said Percy. “I mean if they hadn’t followed the Sheedys then I shudder to think what might have happened.”
She smiled at Octavia. Octavia glowered. They both knew full well that Octavia had only been able to follow the Sheedys because of the tracker that Percy had put in George Sheedy’s pocket, which had led Octavia to exactly where Percy had wanted her to be, and where she had refused to go on Percy’s word alone.
“I will not have these conflicting accounts!” snapped Councilor Strickt. “This is the reason why I called all of you into this room at the same time. The five of you will provide me with your own separate handwritten statements containing every detail of your activities related to this case this past week. And I will not have you conferring while you do this.”
Nan went pale. Percy, Nan, Shara, and Felix may have all discussed what they would say to Councilor Strickt, but a full accounting would reveal all of the gaps in their story. There was no way they were going to be able to provide statements that filled everything in adequately and did not conflict.
“Everything that happened was such a shock, I’m not sure that my memory of it is clear,” said Percy.
“I’m so confused,” said Shara.
“It all happened so fast,” said Nan.
“I will give you as much time as you need,” said Councilor Strickt menacingly.
“I don’t see why you need a report,” said Percy. “We’ve told you everything already. You’ve got the Sheedys back into custody, and you know that Juliet Jolie killed her husband. What more can you need?”
“It is the Conclave of Magic that have demanded a full report from you all,” said Councilor Strickt. “They will not close the case until they find the stolen wildmagic, and they think details of what you remember might disclose where it is.”
“Ah,” said Percy brightly. “Why didn’t you say that all along? That’s not a problem. Octavia already knows where the wildmagic is.”
Councilor Strickt’s eyebrows flew up towards his hairline. He looked at Octavia enquiringly.
Octavia stared at Percy in shock. “No I don’t,” she said.
“But you know everything,” said Percy with a smirk.
“Not this,” Octavia ground out.
Percy chuckled. “Of course she does,” she said, turning to Councilor Strickt. “She’s just being modest. She doesn’t want to admit it yet until she is absolutely certain and has got her hands on it herself. It’s that attention-to-detail of hers. Isn’t that right Octavia?”
“No such thing,” said Octavia through gritted teeth.
“Yes it is,” Percy shot back. “Octavia will have the wildmagic back to you tomorrow, Councilor Strickt. She can guarantee it.”
Octavia glared at Percy, and Percy grinned back.
Finally Octavia nodded. “Tomorrow,” she said in a grudging tone.
Councilor Strickt looked immensely relieved. He must have trusted Octavia a lot, because he allowed them to leave on the basis of her word.
Octavia and Felix escorted Percy, Nan and Shara out of the Eldritch Council building.
“Nice waterworks in there,” said Percy to Shara. “Too bad they didn’t work.”
Shara smiled. “Well you two weren’t going to do it, so I thought I’d try.”
“Councilor Strickt does not fall for such dramatics,” said Octavia stiffly, a professional smile pasted on her face as she nodded at a passing colleague in the corridor.
As soon as they were outside, Octavia turned on Percy, and snarled, “You had better bring that walnut here tomorrow like you promised.”
“Like you promised,” said Percy, grinning.
“I mean it!” snapped Octavia.
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Or I swear I’m going to write a full report,” Octavia said. “And then you three will be in all of the trouble that you deserve. It’s only a shame that you’re going to drag Felix down with you.”
Percy raised an eyebrow. “Are you really telling us that you didn’t write all sorts of crap about us in your first report?”
Octavia looked offended. “I might not care much about you, Percy Prince, but Felix has worked hard since he got to Humble High. I did my best to keep him out of trouble. I left out that he used an Eldritch Council property without the proper authorization in my last report.”
“Really?” said Felix looking surprised.
She glared at him. “I’m not a snitch. We are supposed to be partners remember?”
Felix nodded, his cheeks turning slightly pink.
“Thanks,” he muttered quietly.
She continued, “But I won’t be able to leave it out next time.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to,” he said.
Octavia was not done. She turned to Percy and Nan and Shara.
“So which of you has it?” she said angrily.
“What?” said Nan.
“The walnut of course.”
“None of us,” said Percy.
“Very funny. It’s you isn’t it?” she said to Percy, looking disgusted. “You took it home?”
“Nope. Never seen it in my life. Are you accusing me of being a thief?”
“Then what the hell did you mean by telling him that I knew where the wildmagic is?” Octavia said, sounding panicked. “Now I’m going to have to write a new report, and if you think I won’t tell him all about you three trespassing on the council property, you’re wrong. And I have no idea how you three got to the Sheedy apartment in East London before we did, but I’m pretty sure that Nan used ill
egal magic to do it. I’ll put all of it into my report this time, and it’s all your own fault!”
“Relax,” said Percy. “You won’t have to write your stupid report. I know exactly where the wildmagic is.”
16. The Missing Walnut
On Sunday morning Percy, Nan, Felix, and Shara were back on a train again travelling to the outskirts of London.
It was a bright sunny morning, the sky overhead blue, and the greenery of the London suburbs rushed by outside the window, putting Percy in a good mood.
The last days of autumn had always felt melancholy for her, but now she felt oddly content.
“What was the point of goading Octavia like that yesterday,” said Nan despairingly.
“Because it was fun?” said Percy. “Did you see her face?”
Even Felix was frowning. “It was good of Octavia to try not to get us into trouble with her first report,” he said. “She’s usually such a stickler for the rules that I never expected it of her.”
“Oh please,” said Percy. “She benefited from that first report too. If she kept you out of trouble, she kept herself out of trouble for not reporting you. I mean Councilor Strickt never authorized the two of you to look into the Sheedys, did he? It’s a Conclave of Magic case. Nothing to do with the Eldritch Council.”
Shara was staring out of the window dreamily, enjoying the sunshine on her face. With closed eyes, she said, “Where are we going anyway? I thought we would be going back to Old Windsor. Isn’t that where the walnut is?”
“Never mind the walnut,” said Nan in terms of despair. “Octavia was trying to be nice for once. We should have persuaded her to meet with us today so that we could all come up with an account of everything that happened together that wouldn’t get any of us into trouble.”
“Don’t you have any faith in me at all?” said Percy. “I’m telling you, I know exactly where that walnut is.”
“If you know exactly where it is,” Nan shot back, “why haven’t you told any of us?”
Percy smiled. “It’s a surprise.”
“As much of a surprise to you as it is to us,” said Nan shrewdly. “You’re not sure that it’s there, wherever you think it is, are you?”