by Clare Wilson
‘So,’ Wilson cut in. ‘We all know what we’re doing?’
‘Yes,’ Lizzy smiled.
Aneirin touched her hand gently, ‘Be careful, Lizzy.’
‘I always am, Aneirin,’ she smiled. ‘You seem to be the one who gets into trouble.’
‘Hmph,’ said Adaira. ‘I know exactly where he gets that from.’
Torean chuckled in the corner. ‘I think you two should head back to the house now.’
‘Come along, Lizzy,’ the Laird said, rising from his chair. ‘We have work to do.’
‘Is there any way we can let them know how we’re getting on?’ Lizzy enquired, pulling on her cloak.
‘That’s a thought,’ the Laird mused. ‘It would probably best for you to come here again tomorrow morning to update them on what’s happened. It’s not completely outlandish for you to have gone out on an errand.’
‘Thank you, Angus,’ said Torean. He knew that they would be grateful of any kind of news by the time the next day came. ‘Well my friends, good hunting!’
‘I’ll see you all tomorrow,’ Lizzy said, smiling at Aneirin.
Mrs Wilson rose to show the visitors out.
The kitchen seemed strangely empty without them there.
Aneirin looked around the group, wondering what they were going to do while they waited for news from Lizzy. ‘What do we do now?’ he asked.
‘Well, my boy,’ said Torean. ‘We do all we can do. For now, we simply sit here and wait. I know that I for one will be grateful for the time to get my strength back.’
The boys sat for several moments, it was going to be a long day. ‘Mr Wilson,’ Tom said after a while. ‘Is there anywhere Aneirin and I could go and practise with the staff, an empty barn perhaps?’
‘I’m not sure, boys,’ said Adaira. She did not want them to annoy their guests or put the group in any danger.
‘Please,’ Aneirin said, knowing exactly what his mother was thinking.
‘It’s been too long since I have held it in my hands,’ Tom said, looking at them as though they didn’t belong to him. ‘I feel myself needing to focus my power, you know?’
Torean looked at the boy sitting before him. He couldn’t believe that in such a short space of time the young man, who had not understood anything of his destiny, had become so dependent upon it. He understood his feelings. When you became used to the staff’s presence, you almost ached when it was taken away from you. ‘If Mr Wilson doesn’t mind,’ he said, smiling at Adaira. ‘I think it would do some good to keep the boys occupied with such a task. Plus, I don’t want young Tom here becoming rusty, not when I’m not at my full strength.’
‘The barn across the way is empty just now,’ Wilson said, pointing out of the window to indicate the out-building he was talking about. ‘If Torean thinks it’s safe enough, then I have no problem with you boys going there.’
‘Thank you,’ said Tom, feeling extremely grateful. ‘Where is my staff?’ He had scanned the room several times both last night and today and hadn’t seen it sitting anywhere.
‘They’re in the cupboard here,’ said Mrs Wilson walking over and opening a door. She motioned to Tom where they were leaning.
He noticed she was obviously not comfortable touching either of them. While Wilson and his wife had been extremely understanding with regard to their plight, she obviously was still extremely unsure of anything which could control what would seem to her like an unearthly power.
Tom reached out and took hold of the gnarled cane. He felt a great sense of relief come over him as his hands made contact with the wood. He understood now why he never saw his grandfather without the staff by his side.
The two boys headed out into the courtyard and across to the barn, which Wilson had told them to use. They were both grateful for something to distract them from the long wait ahead. Also, after the events of the previous evening, they were also both aware that it might be crucial for Aneirin to have time to practice focusing his energies with the staff.
Chapter Twenty-One
A Spy is Born
Lizzy and the Laird’s journey back to the house had been remarkably quick. They were both anxious to ensure they could achieve something productive with their day. They knew, while it would seem like a long time for the group back at the farm, they had very little time in order to find the book and remove it from Naithara without her noticing.
Back at the house Naithara was in a foul mood. The events of the previous evening had made her take to her bed and she was lying in a darkened room, still in her bed, when Lizzy knocked the door to offer her some tea.
‘My Lady?’ she enquired, cautiously opening the bedroom door into the gloom. ‘I have brought you some tea.’
‘Thank you, Lizzy,’ Naithara’s low voice came from the bed. ‘Sit it by the bedside. I am not sure I can drink it.’
‘What's wrong, my Lady?’ said Lizzy, not having to attempt to sound concerned. She needed Naithara out of that room. They were not going to achieve anything if she hid in her bed all day. ‘Did something happen with your encounter with your lover?’
‘You could say that,’ said Naithara sitting up in bed, grateful of the company. ‘Suffice to say it did not go well.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Lizzy, now daring to sit down on the bed beside her. ‘I can’t believe any man would jilt you, my lady. You are the most beautiful woman for several counties.’
‘Thank you, Lizzy, you are most kind. Unfortunately my looks are not what are important on this occasion. I think I may have lost his heart forever.’
‘I doubt that,’ said Lizzy, doing her best to cheer Naithara. ‘Whatever happened, I’m sure it can be resolved. Why don’t you rise? I can do your hair and we can pick a beautiful dress. You could arrange a meeting with this beau in order to win back his heart?’
Naithara smiled. ‘If only things were so simple.’
‘Nothing will be gained by lying here in your bed,’ Lizzy said, going to the window and opening the drapes. ‘It’s a beautiful day. Even if this man is too much of a fool to know what he has, you shouldn’t allow him to spoil such a beautiful afternoon.’
‘Perhaps you’re right,’ Naithara said, pulling back the bedclothes. ‘Some fresh air may help me to think things over and come up with some ideas on how best to remedy this situation.’
‘That’s the spirit,’ Lizzy said, smiling broadly. She walked over to Naithara’s wardrobe to pick a nice dress for the mild afternoon. ‘I think the lilac would look lovely today. I wish I had such beautiful clothes.’
‘The lilac dress sounds lovely, Lizzy.’ Naithara poured herself a cup of tea. ‘Draw me a bath so that I may wash away my melancholy.’
‘Of course, my Lady,’ Lizzy curtsied and exited the room quickly. She almost ran to the bathroom, desperate to have Naithara quickly get through her ablutions and leave the house for a couple of hours. She ran a good hot bath and returned to Naithara’s room to tell her that all was ready for her.
‘Thank you, Lizzy,’ said Naithara, donning her dressing gown and heading for her bathroom. She couldn’t believe this silly little girl was so quick to believe her stories. Although Lizzy had not helped her, a walk in the afternoon sunshine might be exactly what was needed to figure out what her next move should be. While Eiric had wanted the old man removed, it didn’t necessarily mean that all was lost. She was sure he had been injured upon their encounter.
Once Naithara was in the bathroom, Lizzy took her first opportunity to have a quick look around. She checked the trunk where Naithara kept her winter gowns and found nothing. She checked on top of the shelves in her closet to see if there were any books sitting underneath the array of bonnets and hats which rested upon it. She knew she could not get too in-depth at this stage while Naithara was only in the bathroom, but her impatience meant she couldn’t stop herself from having a quick look.
‘Ah,’ said Naithara, soothed as she re-entered the room. ‘That was exactly what I needed Lizzy, thank you.’
‘Of course, my Lady,’ Lizzy said, picking up the gown she had selected and carrying it over to the bed where Naithara slept. She helped the lady don the gown and then followed her as she sat down at her dressing table. As she pinned up Naithara’s hair, she felt extremely agitated. She knew she couldn’t rush the job or Naithara might become suspicious, so she did her best to make Naithara’s hair as pretty as possible. ‘Would you like anything for your walk?’ she enquired.
‘No, Lizzy,’ Naithara said sighing. ‘While you have lifted my spirits, my appetite has not yet returned to me. Hopefully a nice walk will restore it in time for dinner.’
‘As you wish,’ said Lizzy, stepping back to admire her work. She was becoming extremely good at fixing hair, even if standing behind Naithara made her want to throttle the woman.
After what felt like an eternity the vain woman eventually put on a light cloak and headed out into the grounds. Lizzy thought she would never leave. She knew she would first have to make Naithara’s bed and put away her clothes. If Naithara was to return and catch her in her room, it would look suspicious if none of the chores had been done. As quickly as she could she made Naithara’s bed and tidied away her clothes from the previous day. She then hastily started searching everywhere she could think of.
At least an hour had passed, and she had exhausted everywhere possible except the writing desk which sat next to the window. Its lid was locked and Lizzy had been unable to search its contents. Finally, when she had decided that if it was in the room at all it must be there, she took a pin from her hair and decided to try and pick the lock. She had never done such a thing. In fact she wasn’t even sure she would be able to. She fiddled with the tiny keyhole for what felt like an eternity and eventually heard a little click, which meant the barrel had turned and unlocked the lid. Raising the lid she gazed inside at its contents. She had never seen anything like it. There were strange dark stones with symbols scored on them, black candles which gave off an unholy scent, even when unlit. She then came across a small leather bound book at the back of the desk. It looked old and worn, its pages yellowed around the spine. Lizzy, building up her courage reached out her hands to touch the musty binding.
Suddenly she heard the door handle turn and had to quickly close over the writing desk as quietly as possible. She moved swiftly across the room and tried to busy herself at the curtains looking as though she was dusting the tops.
‘Lizzy, I can’t believe you’re still here,’ Naithara commented, looking much better, her cheeks pink with the breeze.
‘Yes, my Lady,’ she curtsied. She quickly walked over to the bed away from the window, trying to get as much distance as possible between her and the desk. ‘It’s been a long time since I gave your room the attention it requires, I apologise.’
‘Don’t be silly,’ Naithara said, throwing her cape and gloves onto the bed. ‘You work very hard, and I am grateful for everything you do.’
‘Thank you,’ said Lizzy relieved by Naithara’s pleasant mood.
‘If you wouldn’t mind fetching me some tea, I think I think I am going to read for a while.’
‘Of course,’ Lizzy responded, trying her best not to dash from the room. If Naithara intended to read her special book she was bound to notice that the writing desk wasn’t locked.
She ran down the stairs and fetched everything Naithara required. Lizzy had to use all her strength to stop her hands from shaking as she re-entered the room and sat down the tea tray. ‘I will leave you in peace now, my Lady,’ she said, curtseying and turning towards the door.
‘Thank you, Lizzy,’ she said, sitting herself down on her chaise longue. ‘I will ring if I need anything.’
Lizzy left the room and ran down to the kitchen. She would need to recover herself before she went back to the Laird to report all that had happened.
Back in the room, Naithara rose from the chair and approached her writing desk. She had been thinking during her walk that the best thing to do would be to summon Eiric and discuss matters. He could be merciful after all, and she wanted to do what was necessary now to ensure they succeeded. She reached inside her dress for the little key which hung around her neck and took it off. Putting it inside the lock she was surprised to find the desk was already opened. She felt panicked for a moment, but put these thoughts out of her mind. She had been very stressed during this time, perhaps the last time she had referred to the book she had neglected to lock the desk.
Lizzy now stood outside the Laird’s study, smoothed down her hair and knocked the door.
‘Come,’ said the Laird’s familiar voice.
Lizzy entered the room and closed the door quietly behind her.
‘Well?’ the Laird asked, wasting no time on pleasantries.
‘I found it,’ Lizzy whispered as she crossed the room and sat down across from him at his desk. ‘It’s in her writing desk. I had to pick the lock to get in, and she returned before I could take it.’
‘Do you think she’ll suspect you?’ the Laird asked, wondering whether the unlocked desk would give them away.
‘I can’t be certain,’ Lizzy replied. ‘We simply have to hope she’ll not realise.’
‘I think it would be foolish to try to retrieve the book just now,’ the Laird mused. ‘From what you’ve said she didn’t seem to use the book to summon Eiric when she met with her men. We must hope when the final battle comes the book will not be a necessity. If that is the case, it may be best to wait to take the book that night.’
‘Is that wise?’ Lizzy asked, now worrying it might be folly to leave such an important task to the last minute.
‘If we take it before then and she notices before the battle, she’ll know who has taken it,’ the Laird responded, feeling exasperated. ‘I fear we may have no choice. We could take the book once she heads off for the clearing and give it to Torean there.’
‘You’re right,’ Lizzy said. ‘I’ll head for Wilson’s first thing tomorrow morning to inform Torean of everything we have discovered. He’ll know whether this plan will work or not.’
‘We can’t do anything else for now,’ the Laird replied. ‘You have done well, Lizzy. It was very brave to do what you have done.’
‘Thank you,’ Lizzy blushed. ‘I’ve never been so scared. When the door handle turned and I was in the writing desk it took all of my courage not to scream.’
‘Well luckily you didn’t,’ the Laird said rising from his chair. ‘For now we’ll simply have to do our best to maintain a normal routine. We cannot afford to make her suspicious of either of us, especially if she notices the writing desk.’
Lizzy nodded and rose to leave without another word. She knew it was going to feel like a long wait until she could consult with Torean again, and it would feel even longer until she would see Aneirin.
Across the house in Naithara’s room, she was crouched on the floor. Surrounded by her candles now extinguished and stones, Naithara’s hair, which had been perfectly pinned up, was now strewn about her face. She looked up and pushed her hair back to reveal a tear-stained, puffy face. Her master’s wrath had been severe. If things didn’t go well the following night he’d promised more than to simply abandon her without her powers. The demon had assured her that she would have a very drawn out and painful death. She rose from her position on the floor, still shaken, and began to put away her things in the writing desk. Aware of her forgetfulness the last time, she made a point of locking the drawer and replaced the key under her clothes. She then lay down on her bed, buried her face among the pillows and wept. What she hadn’t noticed in her upset, was that the book was not back among her things. In his wrath the book had been thrown across the floor, and now lay barely visible beneath the base of her bed.
Chapter Twenty-Two
To Wane and Wax
It was very early the following morning when Lizzy arrived at Wilson’s farm. She had hardly slept and was anxious to speak to her friends about what she and the Laird had discovered. Part of her felt deeply disappoint
ed she was not going to be able to tell them she had the book in her possession.
Before she could even knock the door, Wilson appeared in the doorway and ushered her inside the house without a word. As she entered the kitchen she saw the whole group was up and awake, they had obviously been anxious to hear from her too. She was pleased to see that Torean was sitting up at the table. He still had a bandage around his arm but was looking a lot brighter.
‘Come in,’ he said, smiling. ‘As you can see we have all been waiting to hear you hold court.’
Mrs Wilson showed Lizzy to a seat where she had already laid a place for breakfast and poured her a large cup of tea from the teapot which sat on the heated fireplace.
‘If truth be told,’ Torean continued, ‘it’s been a little slow here. Awaiting your arrival has been keeping us all from going mad.’
‘I’m glad to see you are well,’ Adaira said, reaching over to touch her hand. ‘We were all so worried about you last night.’
‘Thank you, Adaira,’ Lizzy smiled. ‘Things went as well as could be expected I suppose. I located the book but was disturbed before I could steal it. I had to pick the lock in Naithara’s desk in order to find it, but she doesn’t seem to have noticed that the lock was opened. If she has checked her desk I assume she believes she left it open.’
‘That’s fantastic,’ Aneirin said, grinning. ‘I’m really proud of you.’
‘It was a close call,’ Lizzy continued, smiling at Aneirin’s words. ‘When I returned yesterday Naithara had taken to her bed. The events of the night before had obviously taken their toll on her. I thought we were going to be thwarted before we’d begun. She fed me her lies about having a secret lover, and said that she’d been jilted. I did my best to appear interested in her story and eventually managed to coax her out of the house to get some fresh air. Knowing I had very little time, I seized my chance to search through her things. She came back to her room and almost caught me with my hand in the drawer of the desk.’
