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Mirror Magic

Page 12

by Claire Fayers


  The Unworld man matched her, step for step. ‘No one invited me. Someone left a door open between our worlds. Magic is leaking through and where magic comes we can find a way. I’ve been sent to find something. Two criminals from our world stole an item and fled here with it. A book.’

  Ava tried not to react, but she couldn’t help herself. The Unworld man’s lips curved slyly. ‘You know where it is, don’t you . . . Ava Harcourt?’

  She jumped. ‘How do you know who I am?’

  ‘I’ve been listening to people. They talk a lot around here, don’t they? A young girl with a mark on her cheek, and her brother.’ He started faster through the mist towards her, his feet making no sound on the cobbles. ‘Tell me where Howell Fletcher is.’ He reached out his hand to her.

  ‘Help!’ Ava screamed. ‘Fairies!’

  People might not be able to see the Unworld man, but they could hear Ava. Doors opened.

  ‘Someone’s there,’ a shopkeeper said. ‘In the mist.’

  That wiped the smile off the Unworld man’s face. Magic didn’t work so well on this side of the mirror, Ava thought. He hadn’t expected that!

  ‘Get him!’ she cried, and she ran. She heard people shouting behind her. Maybe they’d caught the Unworld man, maybe not, but she didn’t wait to find out. The bakery – Charles would be there. Which way was it? All the narrow roads suddenly looked alike in the mist.

  The theatre loomed out, directly ahead. Ava almost fell over a pair of boards advertising that day’s shows. Cursing the mist, she ran on, down the road to the left, and wrenched at the bakery door.

  It didn’t open.

  Ava hammered on the glass. ‘Charles! Charles, let me in.’ Her sides heaved, and then, through the sound of her own laboured breathing, she heard footsteps.

  ‘Where is Howell Fletcher?’ the Unworld man asked. He paused at the top of the road, his arms folded, head tilted to one side, looking as if this was a game he was enjoying playing.

  There was no point running. He was faster than her: he’d catch her before she’d gone twenty paces.

  Ava ran anyway. She heard him behind her and she kept going. She was almost at the church now. If she could get inside, she could lock the door against him.

  Something moved ahead of her. Not something – people. Two people.

  ‘Ava!’ Lunette shouted. ‘Duck!’

  Ava ducked as Lunette threw a hat, then she watched open-mouthed as it stretched out into the shape of a duck in flight and swooped straight into the Unworld man’s face and wrapped around his head.

  He gave a muffled shout and tried to tear it off.

  ‘My hat of not-seeing,’ Lunette said. ‘It won’t last long. The Book told us to find you near the church.’

  ‘The Book did something useful?’ Ava looked at the fairy man staggering as he tried to tear the feathered hat from his face. A wash of tiredness swept over her.

  ‘Charles’s house is closest,’ Howell said. ‘Do you want to . . .’

  Ava shook her head. They’d caused the Brunel family enough trouble already. ‘Let’s just go home.’

  My pages itch. You should clean your bag sometime. There are more than 35,000 species of spider in the human world. Some of the spiders eat paper.

  ‘Never mind spiders,’ Ava said. She sat at the kitchen table, still feeling shaky. Howell put a cup of tea in front of her while Lunette checked all the doors and windows were locked. Mrs Footer lay across the back door, growling softly.

  They couldn’t stay here, Ava thought. The Unworld man would come looking for them, and Matthew was still stuck at Waning Crescent.

  The Book’s pages stirred again. Magic is attracted to this world. It belongs here, after all, and it wants to come back. The mirrors act as a barrier and prevent it coming through, but now a mirror is broken. This is what happens when you leave a door open.

  Howell added salt to his tea. ‘You mean this is our fault.’

  Outside, a bird flew by, backwards.

  ‘It’s my fault,’ Ava said. ‘I broke the mirror in the Footers’ parlour.’

  ‘Only because I told you to,’ Howell said. ‘Book, how do we stop it?’

  You sever the connection, obviously.

  Yes, obviously. Ava sighed. ‘Sever the connection. Right. Any hints?’

  I’m a book of prophecy, not an instruction manual. You could drain all the magic from the connection. Or break the other mirror. That will work too.

  But the other mirror was in Unwyse, Ava thought. She dug in her apron pocket for the folded piece of notepaper.

  ‘Magic taken from a boy,’ Howell read. ‘What does that mean?’

  ‘I hoped you might know. Lord Skinner has been spying on Unwyse for a while, I think.’ She buried her head in her hands. ‘And he’s not the only one spying. Mr Bones is getting closer too. That man said “we”. He said, “where magic comes through, we can find a way.” There are more of them. We’re surrounded!’

  CHAPTER 23

  The British are known all over the world for their politeness and for their obedience to the rules. They even invent new games just so they can have fun playing by the rules and generally being beaten.

  Magic also follows rules. It’s just that you people don’t know what the rules are.

  The Book

  Matthew sat alone, his eyes half closed, waiting for the walls to stop spinning. Something didn’t seem quite right. He’d been taken ill – he could believe that – but before that there’d been something else, something he couldn’t quite remember. Reflections bouncing about the grand hallway; Lord Skinner talking, asking questions.

  Matthew pushed himself to his feet. A servant looked around the open doorway so quickly that Matthew suspected the man must have been standing guard outside.

  ‘I’m fine,’ Matthew croaked. ‘Maybe a glass of water?’

  The servant nodded and withdrew.

  Matthew started to sag back into the chair, but stopped himself. Words echoed in his ears as if he was remembering them from a long time ago. Tell me the truth, Mr Harcourt.

  And his own voice, mumbling answers, telling Lord Skinner everything – Ava, Howell, the mirror, The Book, all of it.

  A surge of panic drove the rest of the fog from his mind. Lord Skinner knew. Matthew had to find Ava and warn her. He stumbled to the door and looked out. The servant emerged from the direction of the kitchen, carrying a glass of water on a tray. He paused when he saw Matthew.

  ‘Here’s your water, sir,’ he said. ‘You should sit back down and wait for Lord Skinner. He’s a fine gentleman.’

  No, he wasn’t. Whatever Lord Skinner was, he was not a fine gentleman.

  Matthew reached for the glass, lifted it up and threw the contents into the servant’s face. Then he ran.

  The servant shouted behind him. Other servants appeared through doorways. Matthew dodged them all, shoved one out of the way, and tore open the doors of Waning Crescent. With angry shouts following him, he rushed out into the mist.

  He didn’t stop running until he reached the end of the crescent and was sure no one was chasing him. He slowed, breathing hard.

  Funny: he felt he could see more clearly now he was out of Lord Skinner’s home, even though the mist was heavier than ever.

  At least the mist meant anyone looking for him would have trouble seeing him. He walked quickly away from Waning Crescent. To the Footers’ house first, he thought. Find Ava, and then they could decide what to do.

  He was approaching the theatre in the middle of town when the mist parted and he caught a glimpse of a red jacket.

  ‘Hello?’ Matthew called, taking an uncertain step forward. Another flash of red in the mist.

  A hand touched his shoulder from behind.

  ‘What are we going to do?’ Ava asked.

  Howell couldn’t bring himself to look at her. He’d thought he’d escaped Mr Bones when he’d fled through the mirror; instead, he’d only put Ava and Matthew in danger too.

  ‘I’m sure
we can find a way out of this,’ Lunette said.

  Howell nodded, but only because he wanted her to be quiet for a moment. Mr Bones could find them even here. If they hadn’t found Ava in time . . . No, he didn’t want to think what might have happened to Ava if they hadn’t found her in time.

  Then someone banged on the kitchen window. Howell jumped up with a yell of fright.

  ‘Did I scare you?’ Charles asked, opening the door.

  Howell sank back down, his heart racing. ‘No.’ He tried to smile. ‘You scared Ava half to death, though. Where have you been?’

  ‘At home. Lord Skinner has been telling everyone to stay indoors and Mum believed him. She still thinks he’s a fine gentleman.’ Charles grimaced. ‘Lord Skinner might have a point for once, actually – the mist is getting worse.’

  It was getting more like Unwyse, Howell thought.

  Ava got up and put the kettle on the stove, her hands shaking. ‘Were you followed?’ she asked Charles.

  ‘Not that I noticed. And I probably would. What’s going on?’

  ‘It’s my fault,’ Howell said. ‘I told Ava to break the Footers’ mirror and now there’s a broken magical connection leaking magic into Wyse. The only way to stop it is to break the mirror it’s paired with. Which is in Unwyse,’ he added.

  Charles nodded and sat down. ‘So how do we get to Unwyse to break the mirror?’

  Howell sighed. ‘You don’t. I do.’ He held up his hand as Charles started to argue and Ava turned round. ‘You don’t know what it’s like in Unwyse. I do. I have to go back.’

  He wasn’t exactly sure how he’d do it, but if Mr Bones could send guards to Wyse, there must be a way back too. If only he knew what it was.

  The Book stirred, a page turning over slowly.

  ‘Does everything written in that book really come true?’ Charles asked. ‘What if I wrote that I found a pile of treasure in my back garden?’

  You can’t write in me, Charles Brunel. Matthew Harcourt is feeling unwell. He thinks Lord Skinner is a fine gentleman.

  Howell felt a jolt of panic go through him. Behind him, Ava dropped a teacup. ‘Matthew!’

  Hot tea splashed Howell’s feet. He slammed The Book shut and jumped up. ‘Ava, wait a moment.’

  She looked down at the broken bits of cup and the spreading puddle, her face white and pinched. ‘I knew I shouldn’t have let him go off alone.’ She snatched up her bonnet and crammed it on to her head.

  Howell caught her arm. ‘Ava, please wait.’

  ‘You wait here if you want,’ she said. ‘I’m going to Waning Crescent.’

  ‘I just meant we’ll all go,’ Howell said. His heartbeat drummed in his ears. He looked at the mist swirling at the windowpanes. How many of Mr Bones’s people were out there?

  The mist curled into menacing shapes as they hurried in the direction of Waning Crescent. Ghostly hands snatched at them and melted away again. Grinning skull faces appeared and disappeared. A bush waved its branches threateningly, then tried to grab Mrs Footer. Howell pulled her out of the way and kicked the bush. Wyse was becoming more like Unwyse all the time.

  Ava and Charles stumbled along. The mist bothered them far more than him and Lunette, Howell thought. Maybe their human eyes weren’t used to it.

  ‘It’ll be fine,’ he said, trying to convince himself it was true. ‘We’ll find Matthew, then Lunette and I will go back to Unwyse. Once The Book is back there, Mr Bones will leave you alone.’

  ‘But I’m The Book’s guardian too,’ Ava protested. ‘I want to help. Anyway, you don’t even know how to get home.’

  ‘I’ll work it out.’

  Somehow, the mist made him feel more at home and less terrified. And knowing that he couldn’t escape Mr Bones helped in some strange way. There was no point in running away, so he had to go back to Unwyse.

  ‘Let’s rescue Matthew first and worry about The Book later,’ Lunette said firmly.

  Howell was surprised at how fierce she looked. He knew she liked Matthew, but he hadn’t previously known her to put anything or anyone before The Book. Even when the skeleton had attacked them in the House of Forgotten Mirrors, her first thought had been to protect The Book. Could she and Matthew be forming a connection of their own? he wondered.

  They hurried on. There was no sign of the Unworld guard by the church, although duck feathers from Lunette’s hat lay all over the ground. She gathered a few of them up. ‘That’s another hat that won’t be growing back for a while,’ she said with a sigh.

  Mrs Footer lagged behind, snapping at the remaining feathers. Howell picked her up. Strange that he wasn’t afraid of dogs any more either, and stranger still that Mrs Footer curled up against him with a sigh as if resigned to the fact that she couldn’t do anything.

  The town centre was deserted. Every shop had a ‘closed’ notice, and several had an additional notice.

  On the advice of Lord Skinner, this shop is shut until further notice. We apologize for the inconvenience.

  Outside the theatre, a sign announced that all conjuring shows had been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, but that the Wyse Town Dramatic Society was performing excerpts from Shakespeare instead.

  And then Howell saw a flash of red through the mist.

  ‘Matthew!’ Ava cried.

  Howell saw him a moment later. He was struggling against two Unworld guards – an orange-haired man and another one whom Howell recognized at once. He stopped dead. ‘Luel.’

  Luel turned to him and smiled. ‘Hello, Howell. I made it to the human world, after all.’

  ‘Let my brother go,’ Ava shouted.

  Luel cast her an indifferent glance. ‘Certainly. As soon as your friends give us the book they stole.’

  ‘We didn’t steal it,’ Howell said.

  ‘Didn’t you? Well, Mr Bones wants it anyway. Sorry – we’re just following orders.’

  Ava started forward. Charles caught hold of her arm to stop her as Lunette reached into her bag for a hat.

  ‘I wouldn’t do that,’ the orange-haired guard said to her. He walked backwards, dragging Matthew with him, and they both appeared to fade slightly as if they were now only half in this world. ‘Mr Bones wants you and Howell, and the book you’re carrying. Come back to Unwyse with us and we’ll let this human go. Otherwise, you’ll never see him again.’

  ‘Lunette, don’t give them The Book,’ Matthew said, his voice a croak.

  Lunette closed her bag. ‘Let him go. You don’t need Howell, either. I’ll come with you.’

  ‘No,’ Howell said, but Lunette was already stepping away from him. He watched helplessly. She couldn’t give herself up to Mr Bones. She just couldn’t.

  And then he heard the sound of a carriage approaching at speed. He jumped back out of the road as horses appeared, rearing up as the carriage slowed to a clumsy halt behind. Lord Skinner leaned out of the window.

  ‘Begone,’ he said, pointing a shaking finger at the Unworld guards. ‘Go back to your own world.’

  Nobody moved for a second. Howell hadn’t seen Lord Skinner before and he stared at the sight of him. He didn’t look quite human, his tall hat askew on his head, his eyes shining bright.

  ‘Begone!’ he shouted again.

  Luel started to say something, but abruptly he and the other guard both vanished – and Matthew vanished with them.

  ‘Matthew!’ Ava shoved Charles away and ran to where the guards had been standing. ‘Where have they gone?’ she demanded.

  ‘I sent them back to the Unworld,’ Lord Skinner said calmly. ‘The Fair Folk have to obey us, you know.’

  That was a lie, Howell thought. The Unworld had to fulfil orders for magical services given through the mirrors, but that wasn’t the same thing at all.

  Yet, for some reason, the two guards had obeyed Lord Skinner. Why?

  Lord Skinner opened the carriage door. ‘You might show a little gratitude as I saved you from the same fate. Now, if you want to see your brother again, Miss Harcourt, I s
uggest you come with me – you and the boy. I have a job for you.’

  CHAPTER 24

  The Book apologizes for the lack of a witty header on this chapter. Normal service will resume soon. Possibly. Or possibly not. Probably not, actually, but don’t let me worry you. I’m sure you have far more important things to worry about.

  The Book

  For a moment, Ava was filled with warm relief. All she had to do was tell Lord Skinner about Howell and Lunette and the mirrors, and he would sort everything out. She even started to walk towards the carriage.

  Three sets of hands pulled her back, and one set of teeth, courtesy of Mrs Footer. Ava shook them all off.

  ‘I’m fine,’ she said. ‘He can’t trick me any more.’ She straightened her shoulders and faced the carriage. the thoughts that invaded her mind were lies, she knew it. ‘We’re not going anywhere with you, Lord Skinner. You’re a fraud. You might have fooled everyone else in this town, but you can’t lie to me.’

  ‘You can think what you like about me, Miss Harcourt,’ Lord Skinner said testily, ‘but I assure you Mr Bones is a thousand times worse. He will keep your brother out of spite and he’ll never let him go, not even if you give him all the books in the world.’ He took his hat off and rubbed at his scalp. His hair had bald patches that Ava hadn’t noticed before. ‘But,’ he said. ‘I can make him.’

  Again, she had to fight against that sense of relief. Lord Skinner was all lies, but somehow this sounded like the truth. She glanced at the others and then the carriage driver, who sat like a rock, appearing oblivious to everything.

  Lunette took a hat out of her bag. ‘You can rescue Mr Harcourt? Then do so. Now.’

  Lord Skinner’s gaze sharpened. ‘Threaten me, young lady, and you certainly won’t see Matthew Harcourt again. The time has come for us to work together.’

  ‘We’re not giving you The Book,’ Howell said.

  ‘I don’t want it.’ An expansive shrug stretched Lord Skinner’s waistcoat to breaking point. ‘I must admit I’m intrigued as to why Mr Bones desires it so much,’ he said, ‘but as long as it doesn’t fall into his hands you can keep it. I have something else in mind.’ He turned back to Ava. ‘The two of you opened a mirror that was supposed to be dead – brought it back to life. If you can do it once, you can do it again.’

 

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