The Stone of Madness

by Nick Baker

  ‘You’ve gone all quiet on me again,’ said Aedh, interrupting Lily’s train of thought.

  She smiled. ‘Oh … just thinking about the man who followed me.’

  ‘Well, I’ve no idea what your father’s caught up in, Lily, but it strikes me that he’s the only one who might have some answers. Perhaps you should get in touch with him,’ coaxed Aedh.

  ‘No!’ cried Lily.

  There was an awkward silence before Lily spoke again. ‘I’m sorry, Aedh,’ she murmured, realising how harsh she had sounded. ‘I need a bit more time to think. I know I’ll have to face him again, but for the time being, I’d prefer to stay with you. Is that okay?’

  ‘Of course. I won’t mention it again until you feel ready to talk. Is that a deal?’

  ‘Deal,’ Lily said, nodding brightly.

  Moments later, Seoc emerged from the galley bearing a large platter of mushrooms, fried eggs and bacon. ‘Breakfast’s ready,’ he called out happily.

  Aedh swept the tiller away from Lily and immediately steered the boat into the bank. He brought the craft to a standstill before leaping ashore to secure the moorings.

  ‘Looks like you’ve done that before,’ said Lily, impressed.

  ‘Not had one of Seoc’s breakfasts, have you?’ he replied merrily.

  They had all been looking forward to this moment ever since taking a detour the previous day to stop off at a farm known to the boys. Some uncompromising trading had taken place, and Lily still did not know what the boys had swapped with the farmer in exchange for the large volume of produce Seoc had come away with.

  Lily was reticent to eat at first, despite watching the boys happily tucking into an enormous mound of food. She looked suspiciously at the odd array of fungi scattered around her plate, despite Seoc demonstrating an impressive knowledge by identifying each of the species to allay her fears.

  ‘That’s a Wood Ear fungus you’re pushing around your plate,’ he said, beaming at her. ‘Tends to grow on trees, particularly elders. I found a bumper crop this morning, and I’ve got some drying below decks as we speak. It’ll be in the rabbit stew tomorrow. It adds a delicious flavour, just you wait and see.

  ‘And that one is Tricholoma sejunctum, better known as the Deceiving Knight Cap,’ he continued as Lily skewered a more traditional shaped mushroom with her fork.

  Lily held the olive-coloured mushroom to her mouth. ‘I’m not sure I like the sound of that. Why exactly is it called “deceiving”?’

  Seoc smiled mischievously. ‘Some people confuse it with Amanita phalloides, and vice-versa.’

  ‘Stop talking in riddles, Seoc. What are you talking about?’

  ‘Amanita phalloides also goes by the colloquial name of the Death Cap because of its reputation as the deadliest of all fungi. It’s killed many people in its time, either by accident or poisoning, including the Roman emperor, Claudius. It’s sure to produce a slow, lingering death; liver and kidney failure, I believe,’ he said in a dismissive tone.

  Lily looked circumspectly at the mushroom hovering inches from her mouth. As she was about to return it to her plate, Seoc snatched the fork out of her hand and downed the specimen in a single gulp. ‘Delicious!’ he cried, followed by a loud burp, which caused some raucous laughter. ‘You need to have a little more faith, young lady,’ he said mockingly. ‘Now, come on, no more messing around, tuck in or I might just turn angry.’

  ‘Better do as he says, Lily,’ Aedh advised.

  ‘All right, all right. You obviously know what you’re talking about, Seoc. I trust you, I just don’t fancy the sound of liver failure, that’s all.’ With that, she picked up her knife and fork and proceeded to clear the plate.

  After washing up together, they returned to the deck where Aedh unfurled a battered map at their feet. They all knelt down to study it, and Lily soon realised the wavy blue lines haphazardly criss-crossing the chart were waterways in and around the capital.

  ‘It’s a bit old now, I’m afraid,’ said Aedh. ‘A lot of the old routes shown here are no longer navigable, but it’s proved very useful to us in the past. It’s about time we decided where to go next.’

  Lily realised that this was Aedh’s way of asking her what she wanted to do. She thanked him silently for his understanding and squinted at the map in an attempt to decipher the complicated patterns that looked more like a tangled mass of spaghetti than a river map.

  ‘We’re here,’ said Aedh, running a finger northwards along a ribbon of blue that stood out on the faded map. ‘It’s not too far before we reach the Thames,’ he continued, pointing at a denser blue line snaking from east to west.

  ‘How long do you think it’ll take?’ enquired Lily.

  ‘The best part of a day,’ replied Aedh, turning to Seoc, who nodded his head in agreement. ‘We’ve still got three more locks to negotiate, but once we reach the river, we’ll have a lot more options.’

  ‘Such as?’ said Lily.

  ‘Until now, we’ve not had much choice with the route being pretty much predetermined. That’s why I was so keen to press on. If anyone’s on the lookout for us, they won’t have to search very far. If they’ve any knowledge of the waterways, they’ll know that where we set off from is effectively a dead end. It hasn’t always been the case, I’m afraid, but many of the canals have fallen into disrepair, and the old ways are no longer safe for a craft of this size.’

  ‘Let me get this straight,’ began Lily uneasily. ‘If whoever was following isn’t working alone, they’ll know exactly where to look for us.’

  ‘Exactly,’ replied Aedh sombrely.

  ‘So what’s our best option when we reach the Thames?’ said Lily.

  ‘I think we should make for the Grand Union,’ said Aedh, pointing to a canal heading northwards. ‘This gives us the choice of several different routes once we reach the Midlands.’

  ‘Aye, no one will find us up there,’ agreed Seoc, nodding sagely and looking twice his age.

  Being serious did not suit Seoc, and Lily struggled to curtail a smile. ‘Do you know what I think the best solution would be?’

  ‘And what is that?’ replied Aedh sarcastically. ‘Don’t tell me you’re already an expert on the canals we’ve only come to know through years of travel.’

  ‘Well …’ she began hesitantly, knowing the boys would not like what she had to say. ‘You’re only in this mess because of me. If you were alone, you wouldn’t have to worry about anyone following you.’

  Before she could continue, the boys had waded in with their protests, but Aedh’s voice held sway over his younger brother. ‘Don’t even think about it,’ he said in a tone of steely determination. ‘We’re in this together. No one’s going off on their own, do you understand?’ he added, holding her fiercely in his gaze.

  ‘I don’t want you involved,’ said Lily, but Aedh held up a hand to forestall her.

  ‘That’s as maybe, Lily, but I’m afraid we already are, and as friends, we should stick together. That’s our way, and no matter what you say, we won’t change our minds.’

  She nodded compliantly, knowing that further argument was futile but also feelingly secretly delighted.

  ‘Now, I suggest we pack up and get underway as quick as we can. The sooner we reach the Thames, the better,’ said Aedh determinedly, making it clear that the conversation was over.

  Fifteen minutes later, the narrowboat was heading northwards along a deserted, tree-lined waterway. The sun was hidden behind grey skies, hinting at the prospect of rain. Lily suddenly shivered in the gentle breeze that accompanied the craft’s momentum and cursed silently for not being more selective with her clothes when she had fled the house.

  Nothing more was said after breakfast, and although Lily still felt responsible for dragging her friends into her affairs, she was equally glad of their company. She was also thankful that she had not developed any after-effects from the mushrooms and castigated herself for her lack of conviction in Seoc’s foraging skills. The boys had shown unyieldi
ng faith in her when she had needed them most, and she was determined that she would not let them down again.

  The narrowboat made steady progress throughout the morning, and it was not long before Lily alerted the boys to a set of lock gates looming in the distance.

  ‘Highfield Gates,’ Aedh called out, pointing towards the black and white striped beams ahead. ‘We’re almost halfway to the river. Seoc, are you ready?’

  Seoc poked his head up from below decks, brandishing a right-angled metal implement with an open square socket at one end. ‘I’ve got the windlass, or rather lock key to you,’ he said, waving the instrument in Lily’s direction. ‘Come on, it’s your turn. You’ve seen me do it a few times now. It’s about time you had a go.’

  Lily leapt eagerly from the boat and followed Seoc towards the lock.

  ‘That’s lucky. The water inside the chamber’s already level,’ Seoc observed cheerily.

  Lily and Seoc swung the gates open, allowing Aedh to steer the boat seamlessly into the narrow enclosure. Once they had shut the gates, they headed off to prepare the paddles for opening at the other end of the lock. Lily manipulated the windlass in the way Seoc had previously demonstrated, placing it onto the axle and turning it carefully to open the gate. She stared transfixed at the glistening weed dangling from the ancient brick walls during the boat’s steady descent into the murky depths of the lock.

  ‘Just be careful now,’ said Seoc, calling out to Lily over the noise of the water as it emptied from the chamber. ‘Watch out for the pawl, it looks a little worn. The windlass engages with the teeth of the rack as the paddle gear rises, but if it slips, it’ll fly from your hand and clock you one,’ he said, pointing at the instrument in Lily’s hand. ‘What’s worse, it might fly off and hit me,’ he added with a toothy grin.

  Once the water levels had equalised, they opened the gates and Aedh eased the boat forwards, guiding it serenely towards the bank while cutting the engine to wait for his companions. Lily and Seoc shut the gates, reset the lock and hopped back on board.

  The afternoon proved as uneventful as the morning, and Lily was thankful for the paucity of water traffic, a sure sign she used to convince herself that no one was trailing them. They spied the occasional straggler walking along the towpath, accompanied by an unseen dog rummaging in the undergrowth, but other than that, they spent the day blissfully alone. As they approached the river, Lily felt the tension that had been hanging over them all day suddenly lift, making her realise that the boys had been feeling just as anxious as her.

  It was late afternoon when Aedh signalled their arrival at the final obstacle before the river. ‘Thames Lock,’ he yelled gleefully, pointing into an eerie mist that had fallen with the failing light. ‘Not a moment too soon,’ he added in relief.

  Lily squinted into the gloom, striving to see what Aedh was pointing at. When the boat slowed, she spied another boat moored on the reach before the lock.

  ‘Looks like there may be a delay,’ said Aedh warily. He steered the boat neatly into the bank, and while Seoc leapt off to secure the moorings, Aedh turned to Lily and whispered in her ear, ‘Just wait here for a few minutes while I go and find out what’s happening. Make sure you keep Seoc in check and he stays here with you. Okay?’

  Lily nodded and watched with trepidation as Aedh disappeared into the swirling mist.

  Seoc jumped back on deck moments later and threw Lily a quizzical look. ‘Where’s he off to?’

  ‘He’s gone to find out what’s going on. We’re to wait here until he gets back,’ Lily replied, sounding as forceful as she could.

  ‘Hmph. You’ve got to be joking,’ replied Seoc, and before Lily could react, he had leapt impulsively from the boat and vanished into the mist in hot pursuit of his brother.

  Without a second thought, Lily set off after him. She knew she was going against Aedh’s wishes but she was equally sure that she did not want to remain on the boat alone. Despite the confusing haze, Lily soon caught up with Seoc and managed to haul him back by the tail of his shirt just in time to stop him from butting in on a conversation that was taking place up ahead of them.

  ‘What’s the hold-up? Is there a problem with the lock?’ said Aedh, his disembodied voice addressing a third party hidden by the swirling fog.

  ‘Aye, laddie, there is,’ said a female voice in a soft, pleasant tone.

  ‘West Coast of Scotland,’ whispered Seoc indisputably. ‘Fife, by the sounds of it,’ he added, raising a smile from Lily at yet another of the boy’s hidden talents.

  ‘The pinion’s jammed,’ the woman continued. ‘Looks like it’s been tampered with, if ye ask me. Ah canna move it up or down. The paddle gate’s nae gonna budge, and until it’s sorted, ye’ll nae be going anywhere, laddie.’

  ‘I think I’ll go and check for myself if you don’t mind,’ said Aedh.

  ‘Do what ye want, laddie, but Ah wouldna waste yer time, if Ah were ye,’ came back the reply. ‘The mechanic’s on his way. Promised me he’d be here by first light, and even if ye could pass the lock, it’s too late now tae go any further, what with this haar. Take my advice, moor up and enjoy the evening. Ye alone?’ she enquired, but even before Aedh could mouth a reply, Seoc had materialised out of the mist with Lily behind him desperately trying to yank him back.

  ‘No, he’s not,’ said Seoc, beaming brightly at the attractive woman who had been deep in conversation with his brother.

  The woman wore oil-stained overalls and heavy boots. Her silky black hair was tied up and held in place by a baseball cap, but despite several streaks of grime sullying her face, she still managed to look captivating.

  Lily tried to guess the woman’s age, but failed miserably, putting her at anywhere between mid-twenties and forty.

  ‘And who’s this wee laddie?’ enquired the woman.

  ‘This wee laddie’s my brother, Seoc,’ replied Aedh, sounding irritated and giving Seoc a surreptitious kick as he spoke. ‘And my name’s Aedh,’ he added, almost as an afterthought.

  ‘Pleased tae meet ye,’ came the reply. ‘Ma name’s Michaela but everyone calls me Mickey … and the lassie?’ she added, peering round Aedh, who was purposely shielding Lily from view.

  ‘This is … er … Eimile,’ cut in Aedh, before either Seoc or Lily could reply. ‘She’s our sister,’ he added as an afterthought.

  A short squeak escaped from Seoc’s lips in protest, but this was foreshortened by yet another furtive kick from the toe-cap of his brother’s boot.

  ‘Come on, let’s take a look at those lock gates,’ said Aedh, tugging forcibly, first at Seoc and then Lily, letting them know in no uncertain terms that they were to follow him.

  ‘Let me know what ye find,’ Mickey called out as they disappeared into the gloaming.

  It didn’t take the trio long to reach the lock gates, and despite the deepening gloom, Lily could clearly see the index finger that Aedh was holding up to his lips. ‘Shh!’ he whispered. ‘What on earth do you think you were up to?’ he hissed as quietly as possible while still managing to convey his deep disapproval at their behaviour. ‘I thought I told you to stay hidden. We’ve no idea who this woman is. I wanted her to think I was travelling alone or at least that Lily was not with us. Safer that way, wouldn’t you agree?’ he added sarcastically.

  ‘Oh, come on bruv, she seems all right to me,’ said Seoc. ‘She was right about one thing, anyway. Look, the whole thing’s seized,’ he continued, pointing at the paddle gear. ‘The sprocket’s jammed solid in the rack. It looks like it’s been twisted somehow. There’s no way it’ll budge in either direction, and that means we can’t open or close the paddle gate. We’re stuck here until it’s fixed, and we’ll definitely need a mechanic to replace the sprocket; it’s beyond repair if you ask me,’ he said, running his fingers over the oddly deformed piece of metal.

  ‘What I don’t understand is who would do this?’ said Aedh. ‘This isn’t just wanton vandalism. I’ve got an unpleasant feeling that whoever was responsible for th
is wanted to make sure that nobody went through the lock.’

  There was silence for a few moments as Seoc and Lily digested the unsavoury implications of Aedh’s comment.

  ‘I could fix it,’ said Lily suddenly, taking the boys by surprise.

  ‘Lily, have you seen how bent the metal is? There’s no instrument I know of that could straighten this out and make it work again. A mechanic, perhaps, but otherwise, forget it. Now come on, let’s get back to the boat,’ said Aedh dismissively. ‘At least we’ll be a little less conspicuous there.’

  Lily decided not to protest, despite being stung by Aedh’s indifference. No, it can wait, she told herself, realising that now was not the time to reveal her alchemical abilities to her friends. The light had almost gone, and even if she had been able to repair the sprocket, it would be far too dark to travel any further tonight. She would hold her counsel for now, she decided. She trudged off after the boys, who were already heading back towards the boat.

  ‘Fixed it yet?’ Mickey called out with a sarcastic chuckle as they made their way past her boat. She had lit several lanterns on deck while they had been away inspecting the lock, and Lily was captivated by the welcoming appearance of the boat. The sides of the boat were adorned with intricate patterns, dazzlingly painted in swathes of bright colours, leading Lily’s eyes towards the nameplate. Largo Law, it read, and Lily wondered what on earth it meant.