“Two pounds says he can,” Magnus said to Dee.
“I am not a trained bear, you rascals.” Mickelmas laughed. He’d helped himself to the decanter of brandy by the window and was sipping a glass.
“Is it like bunching yourself up tight in a ball?” Magnus asked. “Or do you just sort of shrink?”
Girls’ voices sounded outside the door. One belonged to Maria, the other to Eliza, who was probably wondering why Maria was guarding the door.
“Quickly!” Magnus whispered, holding out the vase again. With a groan, Mickelmas leaped into it, disappearing from view. Eliza entered, stopping short at the sight of Magnus gleefully hugging a vase to his chest.
“Oh. Hello?” she said, surprised.
“I, er, love the decorating.” Magnus held out the vase. “May I keep this?”
“What?”
I looked around nervously and saw that the china tiger had curled up beside Mickelmas’s glass and fallen asleep, thank God. Because I’d no idea how to explain that.
“No, Magnus, you can’t have it. I think this piece would look better in another room.” I snatched the vase and said to Blackwood, “Let’s take it out, shall we?”
“Yes. The vase needs a new home.” Together, we hurried past a baffled Eliza.
In the garden, I released Mickelmas from the vase in a flurry of purple and orange. He pulled an apple from Blackwood’s tree and shined it upon his sleeve.
“We would be honored to accept your help,” Blackwood muttered.
“Indeed, your enthusiasm is boundless, my young squirrels.” Slipping his arm through mine, Mickelmas led me toward the garden wall, his mirth dissolving somewhat. “You know what you’re asking, I take it?” He glanced at Blackwood. “Are you aware that Ralph Strangewayes went mad? Stark raving mad.”
Hunting creatures beyond the realm of sanity would do that to a person.
“These weapons are not natural,” Mickelmas continued. “I heard the stories when I was a boy. They say that Strangewayes’s power shattered his mind. Have you experienced headaches, nosebleeds? Have you seen things that aren’t there?”
Nosebleeds. Headaches. I went a bit cold.
“The weapons can hurt us?”
“You don’t know as much about these things as you might wish.” Mickelmas frowned. “Are you certain?”
“Yes.” I forced myself to mean it. After all, we didn’t need the weapons for long. We weren’t hunting; we were fighting. There was a difference…wasn’t there?
“Very well. Shall we commence our lessons?” Mickelmas addressed the last question to Blackwood, who lurked by the door and resembled nothing so much as a tall shadow with a terrible attitude.
“Not here,” he said.
“My thoughts exactly. I find this place to be a bit dour.” Mickelmas smirked.
“I’ve access to Master Agrippa’s house,” said Blackwood. “Until they sort out the Agrippa heir, the Imperator gave it to me. We can train there.”
“Splendid. I’ve always wanted to reside near Hyde Park. Very chic.”
“You’re not going to live there?” Blackwood sounded horrified.
“I have to be on hand whenever you all find yourselves with a free moment. Besides, I can’t have you coming into town to look for me.”
“Fine. Stay out of sight. If you’re caught, I know nothing about this,” Blackwood snapped.
Mickelmas appeared at my side and kissed my hand. “Farewell, my adorable know-nothings,” he said, winking one great black eye. With a flip of his coat, he vanished. Blackwood and I stood alone in the garden.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Don’t speak to me, Howel. Not right now.” With that, he stalked back into the house. Damn. Well, he’d a right to be angry. If the Order discovered our collaboration with Mickelmas, they could throw us all in the Tower. They could strip Blackwood of his title and estate.
Hell, he had more than a right to be angry. He’d a right to evict me from his house. That I knew he wouldn’t only made me feel worse. But after a while, he’d see that what I’d done was right. We’d laugh about this one day. Hopefully.
I returned to the parlor. Dee stood by the window, looking out into the street. He motioned me over.
“How did it go?” He couldn’t raise his voice, as Eliza was over by the fire, talking excitedly with Magnus.
“We’ve a new teacher.”
Dee puffed out his cheeks. “I feel like an outlaw. Never thought I’d feel that.” Then he nodded toward the sofa. “The tiger’s waking,” he whispered. Indeed, the little porcelain cat was yawning and stretching. Taking out Porridge, I improvised a quick spell. With a movement designed for freezing water, I wished the creature to become still. It did as I asked—and transformed into a small ice sculpture.
Hopefully, it hadn’t been too expensive.
“What are you doing over there?” Eliza called.
“Nothing,” Dee and I answered in unison. He sat down on the sofa while I walked over to Magnus and Eliza. As I approached, I couldn’t help hearing their conversation.
“The Winter’s Tale follows the essential plot of Othello for the first half, and then deviates into some absurd comedy.” Eliza groaned with exasperation. “A bear simply waltzes on to eat a minor character, and then shuffles off. What terrible writing! Shakespeare only did it for the money.”
“He wrote all of them for the money.” Magnus had been eating walnuts, and now he tossed a shell into the fireplace.
“He didn’t have to be so obvious about it, did he?”
“Ah, but poetry has always had two chief concerns: lining pockets and wooing women.” Magnus laughed when Eliza made a face.
“You wouldn’t know it from some of his sonnets. Remember? ‘My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun’? Such an original way to woo.”
I was surprised at Eliza’s knowledge and the light in her eyes as she enjoyed the debate. Her face fell a little when I approached.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt you,” she said, getting up. “Good night.” She curtsied to Magnus. As she passed, I followed her to the door.
“I didn’t know you loved Shakespeare.” I’d meant it as a compliment, but her expression darkened. She really did look like her brother when she was incensed.
“Of course not. I’m no good for anything except parties and dresses.” Then she left the room without another word. Magnus waited for me over by the fire, wearing a quizzical expression.
“What was that about?” he asked.
“Nothing.” I’d a feeling Eliza was still angry that Maria and I had gone off without her. I hadn’t meant to snub her so blatantly.
“So? What does the old fellow say?” Magnus asked.
“We’ll meet at Agrippa’s.”
“I can’t believe you found him again.” Magnus had none of Blackwood’s anger. Rather, he appeared delighted. “You’re the boldest girl I’ve ever known, Howel.”
“I daresay you’ve known a few.” The words left my mouth before I could think.
“Perhaps.” He played with the wooden charm at his belt. “Suppose I’m a bit surprised you’d rush back to Mickelmas after being thrown into the Tower.”
“Ferox et stultus,” I said, grinning. “Perhaps those are the Howel words as well.”
“No, yours would be I have a brilliant plan, followed by Blackwood moaning in horror.” He let go of the charm. “Blacky doesn’t like to take risks. When you’re at the very top, there’s only one place to go.”
I hadn’t considered that.
“What’s troubling you?” Magnus folded his arms. “You get this little crease in your forehead when you’re deep in spiritual turmoil.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” But I squirmed under Magnus’s honest gaze. Blackwood’s words about my guilt had rung true. “Well, that bastard R’hlem is going to keep destroying everything in his path. The longer I don’t go to him, the better the chance we’ll all be killed. That’s why I had to find Mickelmas.” That was why I’d dragged Magnus and Dee and Blackwood into all this.
“This isn’t your fault.” Magnus reached out but didn’t touch me. Once, when he’d taught me how to fight with warded blades in Agrippa’s library, he’d had no problem correcting my arm, the position of my body. Now it was as if a shield separated us.