‘How do you know about that?’ Ava asked.
A sly smile stole across Lord Skinner’s face. Of course, Matthew would have told him. Matthew would have told him everything. Ava resisted the urge to stamp her foot. Why had she ever let Matthew go to Waning Crescent this morning?
‘Come back to Waning Crescent with me,’ Lord Skinner said. ‘You don’t need to revive every mirror there. Maybe a hundred to start with, and then we’ll see about helping your brother.’
‘Why don’t you command Howell to do it?’ Charles asked. ‘You said Fair Folk have to obey.’
Why did Charles have to put that idea in Lord Skinner’s mind? Ava tried to elbow him back.
‘Yes, why don’t you?’ Howell asked.
Lord Skinner’s face creased in irritation. ‘Clearly, it’s not quite that easy. I don’t just need your cooperation, I need Miss Harcourt’s as well.’ He rubbed a hand over his eyes, suddenly looking tired. ‘The two of you have a connection, you see, one that reaches between the worlds.’
He only knew that because Matthew had seen it in The Book and told him, Ava thought. And yet the way Lord Skinner was looking at her sent a prickle down her back: a knowing smile on his lips, and a vast hunger in his eyes.
Connected. She’d puzzled about that before, and now a horrible thought was unfurling in her mind that she tried to pretend wasn’t there. It couldn’t be true, because, if it was, it would mean she’d ruined another person’s life.
Lord Skinner set his hat back on his head. ‘I don’t have all day. It’s me or Mr Bones. Make up your minds.’
Put like that, what choice did they have? If it wasn’t for her opening the mirror in the first place, none of this would have happened. She had to save Matthew, even if it meant opening every mirror in Waning Crescent.
But no: there was another way. It wasn’t much better than the alternatives, but, if everything Lord Skinner said was true, it was possible.
‘We need time to think,’ she said. ‘Meet us tonight at moonrise. In the churchyard – there’s a gravestone for an Ephraim Skinner. You should know where it is.’
Was it her imagination or did Lord Skinner flinch at the mention of the gravestone? He nodded and touched the brim of his hat.
‘An interesting choice. Very well. Moonrise. Naturally, I suggest you don’t tell anyone else about this conversation. They wouldn’t believe you.’
He closed the carriage door. A moment later, the driver shook the reins and the carriage moved away.
Howell turned on her at once. ‘We are not going to open any mirrors for him.’
Ava ran her fingers under her bonnet ribbon. It felt too tight, cutting in uncomfortably. ‘I know. We’re going to open just one of them. While Lord Skinner is waiting for us in the churchyard, we’ll break into Waning Crescent. Then we’ll open a mirror, go to Unwyse and rescue Matthew ourselves.’
Charles dropped his notebook. Howell was already shaking his head. ‘We don’t even know it will work again.’
It would, Ava thought. It would, because they were connected. She suddenly found she couldn’t look at Howell. ‘You said all the dead mirrors are in the House of Forgotten Mirrors, didn’t you?’
‘Yes, but Mr Bones will be watching them by now.’ He tried to pull her round to face him. ‘What’s wrong?’
She couldn’t bear to see the worry in his eyes. She turned away, looking about the road for any sign of Unworld guards. She couldn’t see any red jackets, but anyone might be listening. ‘We should find somewhere to hide until moonrise,’ she said.
Charles picked up Mrs Footer. ‘My house is closest.’ He gave Ava a sharp glance, then hurried Howell along the road. Ava followed them, staying behind so she wouldn’t have to talk to them. This was all her fault – all of it.
Lord Skinner rushed into Waning Crescent and ran up the stairs without pausing to put down his walking stick or take off his hat. His breath heaved as he fumbled with multiple sets of keys until, finally, he burst through the door into the room beyond.
As always, the stench of decay hit him first and he clapped a handkerchief to his nose as he turned to face a tall mirror that hung on the wall beside the door.
‘I told you not to interfere,’ he shouted. ‘I ordered you not to. You can’t come through without an invitation. How did you do it?’
The mirror clouded, then cleared to show a face that was not Lord Skinner’s. The face stared at him, expressionless. ‘A door is open between our worlds and you are not the only one with servants to do your bidding.’
Lord Skinner tightened his grip on his walking stick. If he could see his own face, he knew it would be white with fear. White and old.
‘I don’t know why you want this book,’ he said, ‘but you can’t have it. You will withdraw all your people from Wyse and tell them to leave us alone.’
He raised his walking stick to the mirror.
The face in the mirror smiled. ‘Go ahead if you’ve finished.’
Lord Skinner’s hand shook. He tried to bring his stick down on to the glass, he even imagined the mirror breaking into a thousand pieces, but he couldn’t make himself do it. Uttering a cry of frustration, he threw down his stick and ran from the room, trembling all over and gasping as if he’d been running.
He needed more magic. He was so tired, and the hunger threatened to turn him inside out. He stumbled down the stairs, forgetting completely to lock the door behind him.
CHAPTER 25
In the bakery, a pie is cut and magpies swoop out, then turn back into pastry.
A carriage driver notices his horses’ tails are on fire. He runs away screaming, but the horses don’t appear to mind.
The Book
Investigation Notes by Charles Brunel
1. Matthew has been taken by Unworld guards. Rescuing him is our priority.
2. Mr Bones wants The Book, for reasons unknown.
3. Lord Skinner wants Ava and Howell to bring the magic mirrors back to life. Investigations have failed to reveal anything about Lord Skinner’s background apart from two ancestors who are buried in the churchyard.
4. Lord Skinner commanded the Unworld guards and they obeyed him. According to Howell and Lunette, this is not part of the magical covenant.
5. Howell and Ava have a magical connection. This also requires more investigation.
6. Large amounts of enchanted goods are created in Unwyse, far more than are actually sold or used in Wyse. What is happening to them all?
‘Anything else?’ Charles asked.
Ava sat on his bed. It felt odd to be here without Matthew. She tried not to think about what might be happening to him, but she couldn’t help it. Matthew, locked up in an Unworld dungeon while Mr Bones threatened him. She shivered.
Charles made another note in his notebook. ‘I still think you should tell my parents about this. They’ll get Freedom for Fair Folk to help you.’
Ava shook her head fiercely. When they’d arrived at Charles’s house, he’d told his mother Matthew was working late and the others needed somewhere safe to spend the night. Ava didn’t like the lie, but it was better than admitting the truth. ‘We need more evidence,’ she said. ‘That will be your job. Howell, Lunette and I will find Matthew and you will keep investigating here, and prove to everyone that Lord Skinner is a fraud,’ she added.
Mrs Footer barked as if in agreement.
Ava looked at Howell, hunched on the other side of the bed with The Book open beside him.
If I were you, I’d worry less about talking and more about getting on with things, The Book wrote. Remember Madame Brille. 77 Euphorbia Lane, Unwyse.
Ava’s heart leaped. ‘Is that where they’ve taken Matthew?’
‘No, it’s my aunt’s house,’ Lunette said. ‘What does my aunt have to do with this?’
The light bulb will be invented in 1879 and the zip fastener in 1891. Both of these will be most useful. If the world continues.
Ava sighed and slid off the bed. ‘We should be going
.’
Charles didn’t look any happier than the rest of them. ‘All right. I’ll tell Mum I’m making hot milk for you – that’ll get her into the kitchen to supervise. I’ve found that if you’re careful you can climb out of this window. Good luck.’
He clumped out of the room making far more noise than necessary. ‘Mum! I’m going to warm some milk.’
Ava waited until she heard doors open and shut downstairs, then she opened the window. The ground seemed an awfully long way below her, but a tree grew alongside the window and she could grab one of its branches if she stretched. She took a deep breath. Matthew was depending on her. She reached out, just about caught the branch and swung down clumsily, skinning one hand and ripping her skirt, but landing safely.
‘I wish I still had my attack hat,’ Lunette muttered, dropping down beside her.
Something scurried across the road, half hidden by mist, far too fast for Ava to make out what it was. The mist was growing heavier, almost blotting out the moonlight.
They set off, walking quickly, not talking until they reached the top of Waning Crescent. Fairy lanterns burned at intervals, turning the mist green. All the windows of the crescent were blank and dark.
‘It looks like no one’s home,’ Howell said uncertainly.
Now that they were here, Ava felt sick with fear. She started trying the windows, one at a time. What if Lord Skinner’s servants were still here, or if Lord Skinner came back too soon?
Howell walked past her, scanning the front of the building. He seemed to be able to see far better than her in this mist. He pushed at a window and it scraped open.
‘It’s empty,’ he said, looking inside.
Then Lunette squeezed past and climbed through the window, landing with thump that made Ava wince.
After a moment, Howell shrugged. ‘I guess it’s safe.’ He climbed in and offered Ava his hand.
Ava wiped her palms on her skirt and scrambled in. This was it. In a few minutes, if all went well, they’d be in Unwyse.
‘This is like the House of Forgotten Mirrors,’ Howell said, staring down the great hall.
Ava kept her gaze on the floor, avoiding looking at her own reflection. She didn’t want to accidentally bring a mirror to life before they were ready.
Then Lunette nudged her. ‘What’s that?’ she asked.
A golden rectangle of light glowed at the top of the stairs. It was the wrong colour for candlelight, and too steady. And, as Ava neared the staircase, she smelled that familiar odour of dead leaves and decay. It seemed to tumble down over her in waves, making her dizzy.
Lunette sniffed. ‘What is that?’ She started up the stairs. Pale shadows spread over the wall and Ava saw that, just ahead of her at the top of the stairs, a door stood open. The light was coming from behind it.
Howell ran up the stairs after Lunette. ‘We don’t have time for this. Lord Skinner will be back soon.’ But then, as if drawn to the light at the top, he kept climbing past Lunette.
‘Ava,’ he said, his voice sounding strange. ‘You should come and see this.’
‘See what?’ Ava asked. Her stomach knotted. What could Lord Skinner be hiding at the top of Waning Crescent? Various images ran through her mind, from a vast hoard of magic mirrors to a stash of dead bodies. She climbed the stairs after Howell and Lunette, curiosity warring with dread at what she might find.
At least there weren’t any bodies. Instead, the room was knee-deep in mist and piled high on three sides with rubbish. Great heaps of it – dead branches, old sacks with leaves spilling out of them, tangled piles of rags, even a basket of what looked like very old bread, covered in green mould.
The smell of decay filled Ava’s mouth and nose, half choking her as she walked past Howell into the room. Something flickered on the wall and she jumped, then she realized she’d seen her own reflection. A full-length mirror hung on the wall beside the door. The glass was covered in a fine layer of dust, and smeared as if someone had rubbed against it recently, and the frame was ornate, scrolls and leaves and flowers curling together, all of them glossy black.
They all stood and stared at it.
‘Is it magic?’ Ava asked, knowing already that it had to be. This was Lord Skinner’s secret – he had his own mirror.
Howell picked up a dead rose and crumbled the stem between his fingers. ‘This came from Unwyse. We wondered what happened to all the enchanted goods. Now we know. They all end up here. But what is Lord Skinner doing with them?’
Ava put her hand out to the mirror and drew back, not wanting to touch the glass in case it came to life. ‘You said there are six active mirrors in the Mirror Station,’ she said.
Howell nodded, crumbling another rose.
And they knew where the corresponding six mirrors in Wyse were – with the six conjurors. This mirror was not one of those. Ava spotted something long and dark on the floor: Lord Skinner’s walking stick. She picked it up and ran her fingers across the smooth wood, frowning. It made even less sense that he should send messages to Unwyse through Mr Footer when he had his own mirror all along.
‘Wherever this mirror leads, I doubt it’s the Mirror Station,’ Howell said unsteadily. ‘Shall we try opening it to find out?’
Ava started to nod. She even started to raise her hand to the mirror’s cold surface, but then a sudden surge of panic overwhelmed her. No: wherever this mirror led, she didn’t want to end up there.
‘Leave it alone,’ she said. ‘We should stick to our plan.’
She put the walking stick back on the floor and hurried out of the room. Back in the hall, mirror after mirror reflected her anxious face, the crescent on her cheek looking as if it had been burned there.
It was a shame they couldn’t tell Charles about this, she thought – it could be the evidence he needed. They’d have to tell him later, if they made it back to Wyse.
‘Which mirror should we try?’ Howell asked.
Ava didn’t know. If The Book was right, they should be able to open any one of them. And if she was right about why, she thought, Howell would never forgive her.
She took a deep breath, forcing the thought away. The only thing that mattered now was finding Matthew. She reached for the nearest mirror.
Nothing happened. The cold surface remained flat and glossy.
‘Let’s try this one,’ Howell said, putting his hand on another one. Ava joined him and they both pushed the glass.
Still nothing. ‘Please open,’ Ava said. Her hand started to tremble. This wasn’t working. They’d come here for nothing, Matthew was still trapped, and there was nothing she could do to help.
Click. The sound of a door opening.
Ava backed away into Howell, staring in dismay.
Lord Skinner took off his hat and smiled at her. It was an odd smile: dazed and a little dreamlike. ‘Miss Harcourt and friends,’ he said. ‘I thought we were meeting at the churchyard. Never mind, you’ve saved me the trouble of searching for you.’
CHAPTER 26
There are many stories of humans who have strayed into the Unworld. Usually the stories end up with them going mad, or returning to their own world and finding that a hundred years have passed.
You’ll be pleased to know this is unlikely to happen to you. The stories were invented to dissuade people from trying to cross the boundary into the Unworld. Human people cause enough chaos in their own world without inviting them into ours.
The Book
Howell couldn’t move, not even when Ava backed into him. Lord Skinner stood at the end of the grand hall, one old man against the three of them. If they ran, Howell thought, he’d never be able to catch them. Howell tried to lift his feet, but they felt heavy as stone.
Lord Skinner is a fine gentleman. The thought buzzed quietly in his ears.
Ava trod on his foot. The pain jolted him back to reality, which wasn’t the most comforting place to be right now. He wet his lips.
‘You’re too late,’ he said. ‘We’re leaving and you can�
��t stop us.’ His tongue felt too big for his mouth. ‘We know what you’re hiding – we found your mirror.’
Lord Skinner sighed and shook his head. Flaps of pale skin wobbled below his chin. ‘Oh dear. Still, it was inevitable someone would eventually. I was only doing what all the shopkeepers and conjurors do in this town – bringing goods through from Unwyse. I need their magic, you see.’
‘For what?’ Ava demanded. She was pale. ‘To make everyone like you – to think you’re a fine gentleman?’ She almost spat the last word.
Lord Skinner gave another shuddering sigh. ‘Yes, there is that. But mainly just to stay alive. Please, come and sit down, and hear me out. I’ll tell you the truth – all of it.’
More lies, Howell thought, but Lord Skinner didn’t look as if he was lying. He looked sunken, half defeated.
Lunette was already reaching into her bag, ready to pull out a hat.
‘You’re young,’ Lord Skinner said. ‘You think you’ve got all the time in the world. Wait until you’re in your sixth decade with only death ahead of you, and you haven’t achieved half of what you want. Then you might understand. You ought to understand, Miss Harcourt. You’re alive because of magic.’
‘What’s he talking about?’ Howell asked. He darted a glance at the nearest mirror. They might still be able to open it up and escape to Unwyse. But then he might never find out what was happening here, and suddenly he found he wanted to know, even if meant staying. He stepped away from the mirrors.
‘I only meant to try it once,’ Lord Skinner was saying. ‘Just to gain a little more time. The magic that connects the mirrors is strong; I didn’t think I’d need many. Each pair of mirrors gave me a few extra years. But the years were never long enough. There was always so much work to be done.’
Lunette froze, hat in hand, her blue eyes wide. ‘You killed the mirrors.’ Her voice shook. ‘You stole their magic to keep yourself alive.’
Mirror Magic Page 13
