Malik was late to dinner for the first time in weeks, and both his parents gave him a sly, knowing look when he tried slipping into the Royal Academy’s dining hall sideways to hide the dirt stains on his pants. The spring rains had finally let up and the Kingston greens on the North side of the city were full of people and kites and dogs and fun, and Malik had wanted to stay well beyond sunset. Unfortunately, the palace, where his parents worked and his dinner waited, sat on the South side, nearly twenty minutes away at a sprint. Malik scuttled around the edge of the room to get a plate of food, avoiding his father’s gaze as best he could. He nearly ran into Raul like this as the king was taking his own plate back to the washstands, and was grabbed and teased by Miss Pickett before being allowed to join his family.
“Fun was had, I presume?” his father said airily.
“Yes, it was,” Malik retorted. He stuck his tongue out to emphasize this point.
“And who is doing your laundry this week?”
“I am,” he sighed. “Give me a little credit, Dad. I do my laundry almost every week now.”
“Throwing your clothes in with Pickett’s to go to Lakepost is not ‘doing your laundry’,” his mother said, smiling. Malik made a face at her.
“I’m not going this weekend in any case,” Pickett laughed. She sat down beside Malik and ruffled his hair. Malik batted her hand away, but couldn’t keep himself from laughing as he did. “Just got news from there, they want me here for the weekend and to come say hello on Tuesday.”
“That’s odd,” Malik’s father said slowly and pointedly. His mother turned to look at Pickett as well. Pickett shrugged.
“Laundry and family dinners are on flexible schedules, you know,” she winked. “I got a letter from Wart and William this afternoon telling me to stay in town. Apparently there was a fascinating little show in Lakepost last night that’s supposed to be here tomorrow and they want the whole palace to go, Henry and me particularly.”
“What sort of show?” Malik said eagerly.
“A magic show.” Malik gasped happily, but both his parents narrowed their eyes.
“Does Wart think it’s a scam?” his mother asked quietly.
“Nothing of the sort,” replied Pickett. “In fact, Wart was extremely impressed by the show and the performers involved. He thought Henry might want to scout them.”
“There’s something important that you’re leaving out.”
“Oh hush, Nehemiah,” Pickett chuckled, though Malik thought her laughter didn’t sound as bright as it had before. “Nothing important, and probably nothing will come of this. Henry’s still got several years left in him. He hasn’t found an assistant yet, and I’m not expecting one from a traveling show, no matter what Wart might think. He doesn’t see magic on a daily basis.”
“Your brother is not easily impressed—“ Malik’s mother began, but Pickett made a dismissive noise and waved her hand airily.
“I’ll go and I’ll probably enjoy myself, and I’ll tug Henry along of course, but I don’t think this will be anything more than sleight of hand and a few flashes of light. It couldn’t be much more… but I’ll talk to you about it tomorrow morning at breakfast when I’ve had time to find the advertisements that are sure to pop up overnight. They’ll be giving an afternoon show according to Wart. He got the schedule from the performers. Amna, I might like you hissing in my ear for the this, if you’re amenable. Tickets on me, of course.”
“If that is what you want,” Malik’s mother answered with a nod.
“Can I come?” Malik asked her eagerly. “Please? I’m starting magic this fall and I’ve only ever seen yours and Henry’s. I want to see more!” His mother looked at Pickett, who nodded, before answering.
“We’ll see, dear. Let your father and I find out a little more about this show, but I think that should be fine, especially if we intend to go as a group,” she said, never taking her eyes from Pickett’s face. Malik grinned broadly.
**
Malik woke up at dawn the next morning. He knew he would be tired later, but excitement at the thought of magic refused to let him lie still and he puttered around his room putting on clothes, changing his mind, and putting different ones on instead. All the while, he skipped around and threw his hands out left and right, twiddling his fingers excitedly at his bed and pretending that sparkling silver magic was coming from them.
Malik loved magic. What wasn’t to love about a beautiful art that could accomplish astonishing feats? He didn’t know how to cast at all, and was hardly allowed to even see the spells that his mother and Henry Hotspur practiced at the academy. He knew his father could work some spells, too, and he’d heard that Raul was trying to learn everything that Henry could teach him, but for them it seemed a slow process, and Malik hoped beyond words that he would be able to bring it to his fingers as easily as his mother. Silver was the color he wanted most, though he supposed he would content himself with anything, so long as it wasn’t too ugly. Magic was magic, after all, and whatever it looked like, what mattered in the end was that it worked. Jumping and dancing like this wore him out and, as the sun was still not fully up, Malik flopped back down on his bed for just a few minutes to kill more time.
When he opened his eyes again, it was nearly ten o’clock. Panicking, he changed clothes one more time, throwing the mostly-clean, though now very wrinkled set onto his dresser, and dashed down the hall. In the kitchen, his mother and Miss Pickett were sitting at the table with a cup of tea each. A mug and plate of biscuits were laid out at the third chair.
“Good morning. We were not expecting you to oversleep,” Amna smiled as Malik shuffled into the chair and took a biscuit from the plate. Pickett, smirking gleefully, grabbed the teapot to fill his mug.
“You’ll be pleased to know that I haven’t found any word of the show yet, and am about to go back out to try again,” she said. “I had just asked your mother for her assistance. The more eyes the better, yes?”
“Please can I come?” Malik cried, turning eagerly to Amna, who had to take a moment to control her laughter before nodding.
“Eat quickly, my lad, we’ve not got long to find these things, and we wouldn’t want to miss them, would we?”
Malik burned his tongue quite badly on the fresh tea, but tried not to let it show and shoved the biscuit into his mouth to soften the stinging.
“Will Nehemiah join us?” Pickett asked more quietly.
“I believe he would like to. He has already gone to the palace this morning, however. You must have only just missed him,” replied Amna. “I have some errands to run in town for the academy, so I would like to accomplish those after we have found the exact time and location of this performance.”
“Pity,” Pickett said. “Well, he can make sure Henry comes along at least. Misery, company and all that.”
“Henry is not excited to come?”
“He wasn’t last night when I tracked him down, but he might be feeling more hopeful this morning,” Picket sighed with a shrug. “If the offer comes from Nehemiah, and focuses on going as a group with family he might take it better than coming from me again. The assistant search is beginning to frustrate him. I know he wants to retire, and to be honest, I’m all set for that. I don’t mind becoming senior at this point, so long as Henry takes the time to train someone. Nehemiah, Raul and I can’t train magic. We need him to stick around long enough to do that.”
“He is not on the verge of death,” Amna muttered.
“Not most days, no,” retorted Pickett. “But he’s getting there, Amna. He doesn’t have the recommended five years and time to retire for long. And if, miraculously, something should come of the show today, he’ll need all the time he can get.”
“Performance is not so different from politics,” Amna quipped. Pickett rolled her eyes, but did not respond. Amna’s forehead creased slightly, but Malik interrupted by calling out “Ready!” through a mouthful of biscuit.
“If you say so, lad,” Pickett laughed. “Tie your shoes and we’ll be off, then. We need to leave your mother time to run her errands, after all.” Malik dropped to his knees to tie his laces, while Pickett and Amna cleared the table of dishes and crumbs. Malik ran on the balls of his feet in excitement to the door and held it open for his mother and Pickett to slowly follow him out.
The day was perfect. Sunlight pooled on the cobblestone streets, turning them into warm puddles of gold, while a light breeze tickled the tree tops and brushed everyone’s cheeks. Malik scampered ahead from one patch of light to the next, while Amna and Pickett followed behind at more of a stroll.
“We’re headed to the market district! Find the warmest way there!” Pickett called ahead laughing. Amna shouted, “Stay in sight!” up to him in response. Malik tossed them both a huge grin and ran up the street to a particularly sunny corner, where he waited for them to catch up. The group traveled for almost half an hour this way, Malik starting and stopping and looking around and caught up in thoughts of magic, while Amna and Pickett casually strolled the streets, looking around to buildings and street lamps that they had seen hundreds of times before. Malik ignored them, except when he remembered that he needed to stay in sight and found a sunlit patch to wait in.
The market district was a huge bustle. Amna held Malik’s shoulder to make him stay closer here. People filled Main Street so that it was impossible even to see from one block to the next clearly. Pickett meandered to the right side of the street as they walked North along it, and browsed advertisements plastered along shop windows and blank store walls. Malik tried to help her, but kept getting distracted by children running past, tugging their parents and siblings to other windows and food stands, or else by the shining, impressive displays of crafts and pastries on the windows’ other sides. It took all of Amna’s energy to corral and keep sight of the pair of them, and she did what she could to keep them from running into other people or street lamps along the way. They went most of the way through the district like this, then turned around and started back down along the other side of the road. When they had done that, Pickett took them up a block and around River Street, too.
“Here we are!” Pickett finally called from the corner of Postal and Norgate. She was staring at a street lamp and waved Amna, who was still leading Malik around by his shoulders, to her side. Malik, who had begun to feel that maybe there wouldn’t be a show tonight after all, grinned and bit his lip in eagerness while he read.
COME AND SEE MAGIC LIKE IT HAS
NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE
PRESENTING THE PRODIGIES OF AMPANY
THE MUGGERIDGE GIRLS
IN TOWN FOR ONE DAY ONLY
MARKET THEATER, ON BROAD
4 O’CLOCK THIS SATURDAY
YOU WON’T BELIEVE YOUR EYES
The poster was surprisingly plain, black ink on white paper, with large lettering that looked stamped on, only the location and time written in by a messy hand. At the bottom, however was a small image of two girls, both with short-cut flyaway hair. They were drawn with their arms in the air and their dresses swirling around their knees, with tiny four-point stars around their hands and feet to represent their magic. The image was stamped on, too, as it had smudged very slightly in the bottom left corner.
“Children?” Amna whispered. “Is that—”
“Supposedly a pair of prodigies, yes,” Pickett answered quickly.
“That is a scam, somehow,” Amna muttered, but Pickett shook her head.
“I have confirmation from Wart that we are dealing with some form of powerful magic here. He is not trained enough to know who might be casting or what exactly is going on, but the magic is real enough.”
“How old are these children?” Malik looked around when Pickett didn’t answer his mother’s question immediately and found both their eyes on him. His mother gave a long exhale through pursed lips. “Well, this will be an interesting afternoon. Four o’clock it says. Well, that gives us time to eat and get Nehemiah—”
“Let me treat you, Amna,” Pickett interrupted. “You and Malik both. It’s been a while and we’re in the market district on a lovely Saturday. Send Nehemiah a note to meet us out here, Henry too. We’ll make a day of it.” Amna started to protest, but Malik turned to his mother and smiled her into acquiescence.
“Oh, alright. I won’t hear the end of this otherwise. Where did you have in mind?”
Street food was what Pickett had in mind, and while Amna didn’t find this to be much of a treat, Malik was thrilled. Pickett got each of them a large pie stuffed with greens and grease, and led them around the Market District. Once they’d seen the first poster, suddenly the flyers appeared everywhere. They were all the same, however, excepting the handwriting telling the time and location, of which there seemed to be three varieties, one of which was nearly unreadable. As the three of them walked along, Malik watched people darting to and from stores and enjoying the sunlight in the warm spring air. A group of small children were trying to fly a kite down the main market street, but kept running into shoppers and store owners and being shooed away again. This did not seem to bother them much. Two elderly men were sitting at an outdoor table in front of a cafe, reclining in their chairs with closed eyes and simple smiles to the sun. Malik suddenly wanted a cup of tea himself, and scoured the area for the nearest cafe that he could reasonably talk Pickett into visiting. The cafe the men sat in front of was primarily coffee, and back behind him were sandwich shops that had only seats indoors, but up on the corner ahead, an empty table was laid out in a sunny patch. Malik looked to the window to see what sort of cafe it was, and quickly recognized the logo of Durst’s Import Teas and Cafe. Pickett often brought their Norste imports to breakfast. His view of the window, however was blocked by a pair of short sandy-haired girls. Malik watched curiously as the smaller of the two tugged on the older one’s arm, trying to lead her inside. The taller girl hesitated, however, pointing in the window at something. The smaller girl was not upset and came right back to look with her sister.
“Mom, I think I recognize some… some friends over by the tea store. Can I go say hello?” Malik stopped himself from admitting that he thought they were the girls from the posters at the last second. Amna looked down at her son curiously, and he tried to keep his smile even and light-hearted for her.
“That’s fine, dear, just come back quickly. I’m almost done here, and we still need to meet up with your father before we head to the Market Theater.”
“I’ll only be a minute! Thanks!” Malik didn’t give her a chance to ask more questions before darting across the street. If they were the Muggeridge girls, then they would also need to be getting to the Market Theater soon, so he couldn’t be late. They were thankfully still looking through the window as he came up to them, which gave Malik a moment to think of what to say.
“Er, hello?” he started. Both girls looked up quickly, and though the taller one flushed deep red and took a step backwards, the smaller took her sister’s hand and bounded forward eagerly.
“Hello!” she said brightly.
“Hi,” Malik said again, a smile overriding his anxiousness automatically. “Sorry, only I couldn’t help wondering, are you the girls from the posters back there?”
“Yes, that’s us!” the smaller girl chirped happily. “My name’s Triss and this is my sister Nora.”
“Excellent!” Malik breathed. “We’re coming to see you this afternoon. I’m Malik. Do you like tea?” This was obviously not the question Nora had been expecting, as she opened her mouth to answer, but no words came out and she flushed again and looked down at her shoes quickly. Triss, however, gasped and giggled happily.
“Do we ever! Nora’s silly and likes the bitter things, but I like it spicy with cinnamon and cloves!”
“It only gets bitter when you let it sit too long,” Nora said shyly to her sister, who giggled again.
“Do you want to try some?” Malik offered. “They’ve got some Sudapor Spice in there that I bet you’d like, and there’s a blend they do from the Northern Libaniran province that’s full like Norste Breakfast, but has some lavender in it.” Triss looked around excitedly to Nora, but Nora slouched and shook her head.
“I think… I think this place might be a little out of our reach today. Thank you, though,” she said, never looking Malik in the eye. Triss didn’t seem at all pleased by this, but she glanced at Malik and gave a tiny shrug instead of arguing.
“I can bring you some, if you want?” Malik tried again.
“Oh, I wouldn’t ask—!” Nora stammered, but seeing Malik’s grin made her blush and falter, and Triss took over for her.
“That’s really sweet, but we can’t just accept presents from boys we don’t know,” she winked. Nora’s eyes went wide and she pinched Triss’s elbow. Triss grinned up wickedly at her sister.
“What about from friends?” Malik asked, catching on. He tried to catch Nora’s eye as she fumbled for an answer, but she stoutly looked everywhere she could that wasn’t his face.
“Well, we… you see we travel and… I don’t know if… we’re only in town for the day…”
“Can you send messages? You know, with magic? I’m going to learn soon, but my mother can do it in the meantime,” Malik said. “I’d love someone to write to.” Nora stopped speaking, though her mouth kept moving for another few seconds while Triss said “ooh! That would be lovely!”
“I… I’ve never,” Nora finally sputtered, “but I can learn! I can… I can try, I think?”
“I’ll give you my address then, at the show. Do you come out after? I’d like to talk more, but my mom’s going to come get me in a minute, and she’ll want to ask you all sorts of questions that I bet you don’t want to answer yet,” said Malik. Nora’s shoulders relaxed and she looked up while keeping her face tilted down to her shoes.
“Thank you,” Triss whispered conspiratorially. “We always come out after. I’ll look for you special!”
“We should be going, too. We’ll get the tea after the show, I promise, Triss,” Nora said quietly. “It’s… It’s been really nice meeting you. I’ll try to figure out an address rune and how to send messages. Thank you.” She gave Malik one of they shyest smiles he’d ever seen. Her grin was lopsided, higher and broader on the left side of her face than her right. Malik found himself laughing before he could help it. Nora blushed again, but Malik nudged her shoulder gently to get her to look back up.
“It’s been nice meeting you, too,” he told her, “and you, Miss Triss.” Triss giggled brightly and tugged on Nora’s hand so hard that Nora staggered a bit. “Good luck and I’ll see you afterward, yeah?”
“Definitely! Bye!” Triss called. Malik thought he’d seen Nora mouth something, too, but he couldn’t hear over her sister’s exuberance. He turned to run back across the street, but only got a few steps along before turning for another look at the sisters. Triss was now leading Nora up the street towards the Market Theater, skipping at her side. Nora walked along beside her looking much happier and more confident than she had been speaking to Malik, but a moment later, she turned, too, and looked over her shoulder to him. She gasped, seeing Malik grinning at her up the street, but didn’t hide her face this time, and when he waved to her, she returned the motion with her smile. Malik watched them turn down Broad before running back to his mother and Pickett.
“There you are,” Amna sighed. “Your father’s meeting us there with Henry. They’re trying to see if Raul wants to come, but I expect nothing will come of that. A pity Sonija hasn’t been feeling well or she would probably—”
“Mom, can I get some tea?” Malik interrupted. Amna looked down at him with furrowed brows. “It’s not for me. For the girls we’re seeing perform.”
“You want to give them tea?” Amna repeated, bewildered.
“I just met them by the tea shop,” Malik explained. His mother closed her eyes, moaning, “You said they were friends!” but Pickett laughed brightly.
“Potential friends count as friends still,” she winked. “You found out that they like tea, did you?”
“Yes, but they didn’t buy any. I don’t think they could afford it? But I never thought Durst’s was too expensive,” said Malik.
“They might be on pocket change,” replied Pickett. “And performers don’t make a lot to begin with. Understand that we are very lucky, Malik, to be able to purchase whatever luxury goods we like on a whim. Your father’s taught you all about that, I know.”
“Yes, Miss Pickett,” Malik answered.
“I’ll take him in, Amna. You run the rest of those errands and let me look after the boy. We’ll meet you at the theater,” Pickett said quickly. She took Malik by the shoulders and steered him away before his mother could protest. Malik only just heard her shout “don’t be late you two!” before Pickett had pulled him back across the street. She turned to wave to Amna with one hand, while shooing Malik into Durst’s tea shop with the other.
“Now,” Pickett sighed happily. “What are we looking for?”
“Lady Larmont and Sudapor Spice,” Malik answered at once. “A box of each, if we can.”
“That sounds manageable,” replied Pickett. She walked over to the counter while Malik ran to get the boxes from the shelves along the windowed wall. She had taken care of the charge by the time he caught up to her.
“Aw, I could get them with my allowance. You don’t have to,” Malik told her.
“You’re quite right I don’t, but I just did so you owe me one,” Pickett grinned. “Tell you what, pay up with information. Let’s hear about those girls. A cup of Norste Breakfast each, if you would, Thomas. Young Smedley and I will be at the sunny table out front. You have my tab.” Thomas said “aye” and turned to put his kettle on the heating runes behind him while Pickett shooed Malik outside again. She sat them at the corner table overlooking Main Street, the sun warming the backs of their necks.
“Right,” Pickett started again. “Let’s hear it.”
“Where should I start?” Malik asked.
“Names, first, then ages and description.”
“Nora and Triss. Nora’s the older one, only I didn’t ask how old exactly.”
“Nora and Triss Muggeridge,” Pickett murmured to herself. Her brows knit briefly as she stared into her mug, then she shook her head and looked pointedly at Malik again. “Has your mother taught you any magic yet?” Malik shook his head.
“She says she doesn’t want to be the one to teach me, but she won’t say why. I think she just wants me to be at the same level as everyone else when I start at the academy, but everyone else will know something, won’t they?” Malik moaned.
“Oh, not necessarily. I’ll bet there will be some who sign up only to find they can’t even cast.”
“Really?” Malik gasped. “But I thought everyone could do some magic! Has it happened before?”
“Happens every year, and I know from personal experience,” Pickett smirked. “Oh there aren’t any hard feelings,” she went on over his horrified look. “That’s what Henry’s around for, yes? If everyone could cast every spell, then we’d be in a right mess up to our necks in magic. No, it’s quite tricky to learn beyond the basics of tracing, and even casting at all doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Think about your parents. I’m sure your mother does all the magic work around the house, while your father does the physical work, the darning and laundry and dishes.”
“Well, yes, but…” Malik started, but he had no where to go. He fumbled for words for a minute before giving in with a shrug. Thomas brought their tea out, and Pickett thanked him jovially.
“Drink up, dear, it’s on the palace,” she winked. “So, those girls, polite, were they?”
“Very, but Nora’s shy,” Malik answered.
“Shy or nervous?”
“I… I’m not sure,” he admitted. “But I think shy. She kept blushing and didn’t want to look me in the face, but she was pleasant and smiled and everything.”
“Any accents?” Pickett pressed on.
“Not that I could tell, but I don’t know many outside of inner city and Sudapor.” Pickett nodded. “They looked kind of southern, though. They had tanned skin and light hair like they do in Evina and along the South border.”
“We’d know if they were from Evina,” Pickett told him. “They’d have come to Kingston sooner. No, I think they’ve come down from a trading post in the central mountains somewhere. But it doesn’t matter much. You’ve made friends, and the girls themselves may be perfectly lovely.”
“Why is everyone treating this like someone’s done something wrong?” Malik asked quickly. “Can’t they just be two girls who do magic and like being on stage?”
“They’re too young and too powerful,” answered Pickett. “They shouldn’t know any magic yet if they’re only about your age, and they’ve apparently been performing for years. Wart’s even claiming that one of them fixed up the Lakepost Lodge sign and it’s gold plated, now. If it really is a pair of young girls who can do magic, then they need training and may be being exploited. In the more likely case that it’s an adult performing the magic and claiming it’s the children, then the show is a scam and the girls may still be in trouble. There are too many possibilities for this to be going wrong, and the story they’re putting out doesn’t fly. I promise not to be mad at your friends if they aren’t doing anything wrong.” Malik frowned and nodded, picturing Triss’ happy smiles and Nora’s hesitant waving, and thought that, whatever was happening, he’d make sure Pickett couldn’t stay mad at them.
Pickett and Malik finished their tea slowly. This was one of Pickett’s favorite spots to sit and watch the people of Kingston. Shoppers and diners and salesmen walked by, running into each other at their different paces, and pulling back with pats on the shoulder and friendly apologies. Two children dashed up the street, a brother and sister, tossing a ball back and forth, while someone, probably their father, yelled at them to be careful from several blocks behind. Malik liked to watch people, too, but couldn’t sit still half as long as Pickett could, and started kicking his feet anxiously after about twenty minutes.
“I suppose you’re right,” Pickett sighed. “We should meet your parents and Henry. Let’s on to the theater then. Just leave the cups here. Thomas will get them.” She stood with exaggerated slowness and stretched while Malik leapt up from his chair and scooped the two boxes of tea back into his arms.
“Actually, Miss Pickett, do you have a pencil?” he asked quickly. Pickett raised her eyebrows. “I want to give them my address, so we can write each other.” Pickett smirked and produced a very stubby pencil from her pants pocket. Malik took it with an eager “thanks!” and carefully drew his home’s address rune on the bottom of the Lady Larmont box. He told himself that it was because the color of the box was lighter, and not because he wanted to make sure that Nora did the writing. He was pretty certain that any letters would come from both sisters, anyway. He handed the pencil back to Pickett when he finished, and she winked to him as she slipped it back in her pocket. Malik felt his face heat up and frowned in frustration because he had no reason he could think of to be embarrassed. He stuck out his tongue to Pickett. She laughed, put an arm around his shoulders, then steered him down to Broad street and the Market Theater. A little crowd had already gathered outside the theater doors and was milling about curiously. Pickett spotted Amna, Nehemiah, and Henry Hotspur before Malik did and herded him their direction.
“We aren’t late,” she announced.
“Barely,” Nehemiah scoffed with a smile. “What have you got there, Malik?”
“Presents for them,” Malik said, holding out the boxes of tea. He carefully turned the Lady Larmont box so that his hand hid the rune he’d drawn on it.
“Well that’s quite polite,” Nehemiah said, smiling. “I hear you’ve met them already. You want to be friends?”
“Definitely!” Malik nodded.
“Good thing. You could use a few people your own age in your life,” Henry chuckled. “Had a good day so far, my boy?”
“Yes, sir,” Malik told him.
“Malik will be starting school this fall. He will make plenty of friends then, Henry. There’s no need to fuss over his social life,” Nehemiah grumbled.
“I don’t even remember the names of anyone in my class!” Henry replied. “Besides, a pair of young girls, could be good for the boy in its own way, yes?” Amna sniffed and Nehemiah brought a hand to his forehead muttering, “Is it time yet?”
As it so happened, it was time after all. The theater doors sung open wide and Nora and Triss stepped out with curtsies. They were wearing the same plain dresses they’d had on before, but Nora had changed shoes to a pair that was oddly clunky and flapped open when she walked. Nora squeezed Triss’s hand before stepping to the right of the door to bow people inside. Triss bounded left and dipped into a curtsy to everyone who passed. Henry chortled quietly and stepped forward. He gave his own bow to Triss as he entered, and she giggled brightly to him. Amna pulled Malik into the suddenly forming line, but he led his family to the right side and when he reached Nora, he leaned down to catch her eye.
“Hi there!” he said. Nora gasped, jumped and flushed all at once, but said “hello” back in a very eager voice. Malik pushed the tea into her hands.
“There,” he grinned. “Now you don’t get a chance to argue. I really hope you like the Lady Larmont. I’ve drawn out my address on the bottom of the box. Write and let me know, yeah?”
“Every day,” Nora breathed back. Malik smiled hugely as Nora’s whole face slowly lit up, and he bowed to her before stepping back into the line. He turned to his parents to explain what he’d done, but Amna was giving Nora a very curious look, and Nehemiah had eyes only for his wife. He looked vaguely worried and had his hands on her shoulders, as though he thought she might fall over. Malik looked back to Nora, who shoved the tea happily into her skirt pocket and began bowing again. She didn’t stay that way for long, however, as Pickett stepped over to her as well and put a hand under her chin. Nora started badly and flinched away, but Pickett kept her hand in place and gently turned Nora’s face up to her own. Malik watched as Nora flushed deeper and deeper red while Pickett scrutinized her before the watching crowd. After a minute of this, Pickett gave one sharp nod and a kind smile down at Nora, who could not hide the way her shoulders sank in relief. She returned to bowing, her eyes on her feet until Pickett had caught up with Malik’s family and they all walked through the doors. Malik turned for one last look before he couldn’t see any more, and caught Nora looking at him again. This time, she smiled and waved.
Nehemiah led the company over to where Henry had already chosen seats near the front. Pickett scooted past them so that she and Malik could sit on either side of the Advisor to Magic for full commentary.
“Is sitting so close wise?” Nehemiah asked under his breath.
“I want to be able to see the whole stage and as much of backstage as the audience chairs allow,” Henry replied lightly. “I do believe something strange is at work here, and the best way to understand it is to see it. And there’s no harm in decent seats.”
“Well said,” Pickett agreed. “Now what are we looking for?”
“Close attention to the different varieties of magic, please. I’d like to know how many casters we are actually dealing with here,” said Henry. “And if you can see magic on fingertips, all the better. I don’t think my eyes are strong enough these days to see that much detail, even from this close.”
“Did you catch what Miss Nora’s magic is supposed to look like, Malik?” Pickett asked, leaning around Henry to wink.
“No, I didn’t ask,” Malik told her.
“That was very polite of you,” Henry chortled. He gave Pickett a light whack on the back of her head which left her laughing. “Be polite to the young ladies. If they’re as small as they look, they aren’t likely to be in on the scam. The little one was quite well mannered outside. You got their names?”
“Nora’s the older, and Triss is the younger,” Malik rattled off. “I didn’t ask how old they are exactly, there wasn’t time.”
“Nora and Triss,” Henry repeated under his breath. “Probably Eleanor, that’s not uncommon, but I don’t know what Triss would be short for. Pickett, ever come across that name before?” Pickett shook her head. “We shall have to ask her when we get the chance, then.”
“I think perhaps Miss Nora would tell Malik everything she knows in this world if he asked her nicely,” Pickett whispered, winking again. Malik was once again flustered to find his cheeks burning for no reason he could think of. He couldn’t come up with a retort before half the lights in the theater were extinguished, and Pickett leaned back in her seat to get ready for the show. Malik turned to face the stage as well. A woman with golden curls and ivory skin stepped into the stage light. She was impeccably dressed in rich emerald green and wore brightly colored make-up around her eyes and lips. She beamed at the crowd, holding her arms high and wide to them.
“Thank you, thank you, Kingston, for this wonderfully warm welcome to your fair city. My name is Gilda Muggeridge, proud mother of the two girls who will perform for you this afternoon. My little Eleanor has been traveling with her magic for six years now,” Malik could hear Pickett’s low, unhappy whistle even from across Henry, “and we’ve been so thrilled to have Patricia join the show for a third year. The girls and I will step out back after the performance to answer questions, so please hold all queries until then. Now, I’m not the one you came to see, so I’ll hop on backstage and let the show go on!” She gave a very low, very long curtsy and sauntered off stage, waving and blowing kisses to the audience the whole while. The rest of the room seemed to be applauding so Malik clapped too, but his mother put her hands over his and whispered “we’re not certain that we are proud of her just yet.” Malik put his hands back in his lap. The three-man orchestra that always played for the Market Theater performers struck up a drumroll and a low horn. Malik grinned and leaned forward in eager anticipation. He could feel Henry and his mother stiffen on either side of him, but excitement to see magic, and his new friends, overrode any tension he might have otherwise felt. A quick overture from the orchestra led back into a drumroll and a few more torches from the back of the house went out as Nora and Triss ran onstage. Triss led the way, bounding eagerly to the front of the stage, very near Malik. Nora stayed two steps behind her sister and kept her eyes focused only on the back of Triss’ head.
“Hello and welcome!” Triss cried at the top of her voice. She raised her arms as her mother had before her, but with more energy and warmth, and Amna did not stop Malik from applauding this time. “Now, a little about my sister and me. Eleanor is more practiced at this sort of thing, and she’s still teaching me what to do, so I want to teach you all a few things today, too, because I learn better in a group.” She said this very conspiratorially, cupping her hands to either side of her mouth, and tossing a wink over her shoulder to Nora, who laughed quietly behind her. “We like music when we cast, because it feels more like playing that way,” Triss continued, leaning down to the orchestra at her ankles and smiling to them. Malik could hear them chuckling under their breath. “So feel free to make noise, to dance, to sing, and to shout along, because this is supposed to be fun!” She raised her arms up high and everyone clapped again. With a bright smile, she turned around to Nora, who took both of Triss’ hands in her own. Henry leaned forward as the sisters stood there a moment too long, and stared at Triss’s hands as they started to glow faintly. She balled them up into fists and whirled back around to shout “We’re ready for a show!”
Triss ran to the middle of the stage, Nora reaching out to muss her hair as she passed. They turned around together and waited for the orchestra to count down a beat for them. Malik watched their faces while he could, and thought he could just see them grin to each other and count down “two, three, four”, and they were off. In full unison, from what would have been three years of practice, Nora and Triss swung out their arms and let bright blue magic, clear and crisp as ice, alight on their fingertips and trail after their right hands. They turned a full circle, letting the magic fall in concentric circles, Nora’s larger one surrounding Triss in the middle. Triss cartwheeled out to an “ah!” from the crowd at large, and left a spell in the middle of her circles behind her. Nora twirled around it behind her and swept runes in between the circles until the magic flashed brightly and rose from the floor in the shape of a glittering, ice blue bird. It twittered quite convincingly and flew over the heads of the crowd, who pointed and whooped at it. Triss ignored the bird and kept dancing, but Nora gave it her full attention and guided it with her left hand twice around the room before sending it to land on the orchestra drums, where it sparked, flashed, and vanished in a puff like snow.
“There is only one caster at work here,” Henry muttered behind him. Malik listened without taking his eyes off the dancing girls, who were now twirling out a back and forth pattern on the floor that left curving, intertwined lines behind. “Keep your eyes on Patricia’s hands. Let me know if the glow on them fades or changes. Eleanor has my attention for the moment.” Their second spell went off with a bang and shot out along the stage floor to lift the footlights at the front of the stage into the air, where they twirled once around the sisters, bowed down to them, and returned to their places, flickering merrily all the while. Nora nudged Triss’s shoulder and sent her skipping forward to center stage again. As soon as Triss had the room’s attention, Nora skittered offstage, running far too silently for the clunky shoes she wore.
“I bet you’re curious how I’m doing, yeah?” Triss called. A few people called ‘yeah’ and whooped back to her when she cupped her hand around her ear. “Aww, that’s sweet!” she cooed. “Well, I’ve got a new trick I’ve been itching to try, so will you let me give it a go?” Malik cheered loudly with the rest of the audience as Triss raised her arms high. “Well, gee, now I really can’t mess up,” she giggled. Triss took an exaggerated breath, swept imaginary dust from her shoulders and ruffled her hair, then flung her hands out to her sides. Magic sprang up under her arms and twirled merrily, like a tiny snowstorm beneath each of her hands. She grinned happily at it, and shoved one little whirlwind of magic across to her left, and the other to her right, where they blossomed and bloomed like glassy daffodils on the stage. Beside Malik, Henry leaned forward curiously. Triss reached out in front of her chest and grabbed a handful of air. She bit down on her lip in concentration and tugged her arm back sharply, then twisted her hand around and twiddled her fingers. Magic fell down below her hand and sprouted. It grew on the floor as she kept moving her fingers. The orchestra swelled and Triss brought around her other hand to pull on her spell as well, while the glitters of magic twisted around on the stage, growing wider and taller, until it began to resemble a very odd, translucent tree, full of drooping branches and snaking roots that reached across the stage to the orchestra and the audience. The front row leaned in and back at the same time in anxious awe, until Triss was forced to step around her creation to keep sight of what was happening. Malik thought he saw her mouth moving, as it had before when the show had first started. Then, without warning, she threw her arms to her sides again and the tree stopped growing. It sat on stage, life-sized and resembling an ice-sculpture. Its drooping branches dripped glittering sparks and swayed in a breeze that might have been the audience’s sighs of wonder.
“Oops,” Triss giggled. “I guess I don’t know that one too well, yet.” She gave the magic a shove, and at once every branch burst into bloom, shooting off sparks like tiny fireworks which showered the first several rows. Malik gasped and tried to catch a spark as it fell towards him, but it wisped away before he could touch it, leaving only a vague sense of heat behind.
“It must be Triss!” Malik whispered eagerly to Henry as Triss gave another shove and the tree bent in on itself to collapse into the stage floor with an audible whoosh. “That was really good!”
“Don’t let them fool you so quickly, my boy,” Henry chuckled. He pointed up to the rafters above the stage. That area wasn’t lit and Malik had to squint to see, but something was definitely moving up there. “When Eleanor returns to the stage, I expect she will be rather tired. That is an impressive casting distance, but she has had several years to refine her talent, I suppose.” Back on the stage, Triss was wrapping herself in magic once more, or perhaps letting herself be wrapped. Malik tried his best to keep his eyes both on the stage and the rafters, where he still couldn’t see exactly what was happening. The magic on Triss gleamed and flashed brightly while Malik was still trying to see up into the ceiling, and he blinked to clear his vision before seeing that Triss’s plain little dress had billowed into a sort of ballgown, her hair settling into perfect ringlets and crowned with a shimmering tiara. She curtsied, and the room thundered applause.
“If you like that, wait until you see my sister!” She cried. “Ladies and gentlemen, the prodigy of Ampany, Eleanor Muggeridge!”
Triss ran to the front of the stage and swirled around to kneel at its edge as a twinkly flash merrily went off behind her and out of nowhere Nora was back, grinning and sweating, her hair wild and full of ice-blue sparks.
“That is how you know, my boy,” Henry laughed quietly in Malik’s ear. “She is doing all of the work.”
Nora danced and twirled quite as well as her sister, though the magic’s effect wasn’t as immediate. Malik found that for the second sister, he was quite as entranced by her face as he was by her power. Where Triss had simply smiled the whole time, Nora was not at all serene. When a rune was tricky, her face scrunched up to the left, and when she needed to concentrate, her brows furrowed and her eyes went wide, but best of all was when her spells clicked into place and the shining flash lit up Nora’s great crooked grin. The sight of it made Malik smile, too, and lean forward in his seat to try catching her eye. Nora danced for almost two solid minutes, throwing her arms left and right and high in the air, until the whole stage was a curving, curling spell that Malik had long since lost track of. He was suddenly aware of the adults on either side of him leaning in interestedly, however. Nora spun to a halt in the center of the stage, her hands pulsing with blue light and her hair standing straight on end.
“Ready for a show?!” she shouted. Kingston roared its approval and Nora stomped her foot down on her magic as hard as she could. It flared, rippling out from where she stood to the edges of the stage, and puffed little bits of glitter out at the crowd, but no one had attention to spare for the lovely sparkles this time. The magic wasn’t staying crystal blue anymore, but took shape and color and formed itself into three people, red and green and gold. They were masked, with exaggerated, unmoving features, but their costumes flowed in the same wind that had shaken Triss’ tree before, and their hair swung around, braided and strewn with ribbons as they began to dance. Henry sat back and applauded loudly.
“How on… what is she doing?” Pickett gasped, just loud enough for Malik to hear over the roaring crowd.
“I have no idea how,” Henry laughed back, “but that is illusion magic. She’s performing my thesis research.”
Triss leapt up from the stage floor where she had been kneeling and twirled into the dance. She wove around the masked dancers, bobbing and dipping, and at one point even ducking through the tallest dancer’s legs, laughing merrily all the way. In the middle of it all, Nora turned more slowly, her fingers twitching and magic pouring out in little ribbon-like rivers from beneath her shoes. Triss made a show of waving her hands to Nora’s feet every chance she got, but Malik was in on the trick now, and the spell-light on Triss’ hands was fading. But the most obvious tell was their hair, for although the stray sparks of icy blue glittered over everyone within ten feet of the stage, Triss’ hair had fallen into lovely twinkling curls, while Nora’s became a whirlwind of sparks and pulsed every time she moved. She held the spell steady long enough for the dancers to make four full rounds around her, then threw out her arms and stomped again and they wisped away into puffs of glitter and haze. The audience roared and Malik heard his parents applauding for the first time the whole show, while Henry whistled to his left.
Nora took a deep bow, then stood up quickly with her lopsided grin in place and eyes shining brightly. She swept her left hand to the left side of the audience, and a whirl of sparks followed it, as Triss had done before. But the magic did not plant itself on the stage. Instead, it tumbled off the edge and fell in the lap of an eager young woman in the front row, who found herself suddenly bedecked with jewelry and wearing a silken dress. She screamed in delight and stood to twirl about, astonishing everyone around her. Nora turned her focus to an elderly man down the aisle and swung her fingers to him, too. A silver crown landed on his head with a puff and dripped crystals down all the way to his waist, where a jeweled cane twisted into being, glimmering in the torchlight. He touched it wonderingly, but did not stand as the woman before him had. Nora smiled, nodded and looked around again, and finally, finally she saw Malik. She gave him an enormous grin and threw out both hands to him so that a wave of magic poured over the whole royal company, and when Malik was able to see again from the flashing lights, his parents were draped in velvet, and Henry twinkled in a suit of gold and sapphires. Pickett, on his other side, found herself covered in silver and looked from her hands to the stage in utter bewilderment. Malik was so entranced that he almost forgot to look himself over, and when he did, he saw the uniform of the palace guard, all blue and silver and polished brown leather, and whooped encouragingly down at the stage. Nora and Triss gave him little salutes, and the crowd laughed and cheered with him.
Looking at her closely, Malik could see Nora’s legs trembling and her hair beginning to drip with sweat where it touched her face. Her expressions remained energetic, however, and with a nudge she sent Triss off dancing again while she walked downstage to the orchestra pit. The music faltered every so slightly, but she whispered something to them that Malik could not hear, and the music redoubled in a lively tune. Nora swept her hand over them, gently this time, and twisted her wrist in midair like she was catching a moth. Triss had done this before, and though her acting had been good, Nora was clearly struggling to pull magic from the instruments, and slowly, very slowly this time, the magic did come. She tapped her foot against the stage as Triss began clapping in time to the rhythm, encouraging everyone she skipped past to do the same. Miraculously, the music swelled, then it rose again, and soon each instrument, horn and drums and flute were covered in the glittering sparks, and made the sounds of ten instruments at once. The three-man orchestra got the idea and began playing different tempos and songs, the tunes echoing around into a broad, full melody that had even Malik’s father clapping along and smiling serenely. Triss reached out and pulled Nora back into the dance, where the music deepened, thrummed, and the sisters spun once, twice, and whirled apart to face the audience with their arms high and wide, and everything flashed to a stop.
Nora was panting, sweating, and definitely shaking now, as her magic wisped away off the audience and orchestra, and the last strains of music rang in everyone’s ears. Triss led their bows and ran to the stage-edge to salute the orchestra, who got to their feet to join the applauding crowd. Malik shouted and whooped, but couldn’t even hear his own voice over the roar of noise that cheered the performance. Nora looked up to give him a special wave between curtsies, however, which he eagerly returned. The sisters bowed together one last time and ran offstage as the theater doors were opened once more.
“What… what just happened?” Pickett gasped.
“Magic, my dear Advisor!” Henry laughed. “Magic like I’ve never seen before. What an astonishing child! Excuse me, if you would. I very much need to catch that girl.”
“I want to go, too!” Malik called. Henry had already skittered around Pickett, who needed a moment to collect herself, so Malik turned to his parents quickly and said, “Please can I go with Mr. Henry? I’ll stay with him the whole time, I promise!” Amna looked around to Nehemiah, who raised his eyebrows, and nodded.
“Stay with him, you hear,” Amna said warningly.
“I promise!” Malik hopped over the empty chairs in front of him, much to his mother’s embarrassment, and slipped through the crowd after Henry. He caught up to the Advisor quickly and tapped his arm to let him know that he was there.
“Good, very good,” Henry said in a cheerful tone. “They’ll be looking for you, won’t they. Stand tall, young Smedley, there’s a lot of crowd to see over here, and those girls are short!” Most of the theater seemed to have come around to the back of the building to greet the girls and their mother, but Kingston made way for their Royal Advisor as he passed, and Malik, keeping in Henry’s wake, got within sight of the door very quickly. Gilda Muggeridge was already outside, chatting to groups of people who were all as finely dressed as she was. Henry ignored her completely in favor of watching the door, although many other audience members crept around to shake her hands.
It took maybe three minutes of waiting, Malik shifting his weight anxiously the whole time, before the theater’s back door opened and Triss slipped out, alone. Henry smiled, but did not go up to her immediately, and held Malik back from racing to her as well.
“Wait a bit more, my boy. Let her enjoy her fame. She is not the one we need in any case,” Henry whispered. He need not have bothered, however, as Triss noticed them only a moment later and sprung over to Malik.
“Thank you so much for the tea! Nora showed me just as soon as we were backstage. It’s extra special, now, too, because we aren’t staying here tonight like we thought after all, so we wouldn’t have had a chance to go get some. Thank you! We get tea together at every stop and it would have been such a shame to miss Kingston, since we have no idea when we might come back.” She said all of this in one breath to Malik before she saw Henry beside him and gasped loudly. “I know you!”
“I wondered if you would,” Henry smiled, giving her a little bow.
“I thought it might be you, when you came in, but I was distracted looking for my new friend. Sir!” Triss started and gave a quick but low curtsy.
“A great pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Patricia Muggeridge,” Henry intoned. Triss looked up to him, giggling, and grinned broadly at Malik. “I was hoping for the chance to congratulate your sister,” Henry went on. “Will she be making an appearance, as well?”
“Oh,” Triss said. Her smile faltered and she looked back over her shoulder to the closed theater door. “Nora just got some bad news, you see, and… she’s supposed to be out any moment now, but…”
“Bad news?” Malik asked before Henry could. Triss nodded.
“Our schedule just changed. We were supposed to have a week off next week, where we could go home, and Nora had…plans for that.” Triss seemed to be choosing her words carefully and glanced over her shoulder to her mother, who was being kissed on the cheek by a short man wearing a blue velvet sash over his torso. “She’s trying to go to school,” Triss whispered quickly, “and for magic, you need an interview, but if we aren’t going home…”
“I may be able to help you,” Henry said, leaning down and lowering his voice to match hers. Triss looked up with a delighted gasp. “I am currently searching for a student myself, as it so happens, one who is particularly gifted at magic. I would like a person to train who could assist me here in Kingston. Do you think perhaps…?” Henry trailed off suggestively, while Triss snuck another glance at her mother. She bit her lip, nodded to herself and turned back to them with a very determined look.
“Wait right here. I’m going to get her for you,” Triss said, and she dashed around back through the theater door. Henry straightened up and patted Malik’s shoulder.
“If we are lucky, perhaps you’ll get some friends in town, yes?” he winked. Malik couldn’t even pull his eyes from the door long enough to grin back at him. It took Triss maybe thirty seconds to come bounding back out, tugging Nora along behind her. Nora’s skirt pocket was bulging oddly, and she still wore the clunky shoes from the stage. She rubbed her cheeks and did her best to smile as Triss pulled her up to Malik and Henry.
“Here she is!” Triss panted. “Do it, Nora, go on, please!”
“Do what?” Nora asked a little dazedly. Malik started to answer, but Henry beat him this time.
“It is my honor to meet you, Miss Eleanor Muggeridge,” he said kindly. “Has Patricia relayed my offer?”
“Offer? No, I don’t—“
“Oh go on, Nora! Just say yes!” Triss overrode her excitedly. Nora rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself, and took a breath before looking Henry in the face.
“I think I might like to hear the offer before just saying yes,” she said.
“Wise girl,” Henry replied. “I find myself in the market for a student to whom I can teach high level magic and magical theory. I hear you are searching for a teacher.” He nodded at Triss, who was bouncing on the balls of her feet. “I was hoping we might be of some service to each other.” Nora’s breathing quickened, and she looked down at her feet, then at her hands, then at her sister before turning back to Henry.
“How much would it cost?” she asked quietly.
“For you, not a bit. Room and board included. All I ask is that you consider becoming my assistant,” Henry smiled. “And as for an interview, I believe you just gave me one.” He winked, and Nora flushed a little, but held his gaze now.
“I need my sister with me,” she said. Triss whined, “Nora!” but Nora took her hand and held it tightly while keeping her eyes on Henry.
“This is not a need for magic, I presume,” Henry guessed. Nora shook her head.
“No, but I can’t leave her. I only travel to…” Nora hesitated and blinked, “to try to make things better for her, for us. I’ll find a job and pay for her stay, but I need to know that she can be here, too. That’s my condition.”
Henry laughed, bright and merry, and the sound made Nora flinch. Triss, however, started giggling again, and Malik smiled at Nora, who only just then caught sight of him. Her jaw dropped as he waved at her.
“Oh, there’s no need for such grand promises,” Henry said through his chuckling. “I’m sure we can find space for two little girls in the palace, particularly if they intend to room together.” Nora started to smile, then the words caught up to her, and she gasped in shock.
“The palace? The royal palace?” she stammered. Triss tugged down on Nora’s hand and whispered loudly, “I told you to just say yes, silly! That’s Mr. Hotspur! He’s the Advisor to Magic!” Nora whirled back to look at Henry again and her jaw slackened amusingly as he smiled down to her. She swayed, and her knees buckled, but Triss gave her a shove that shook off her shock and steadied her feet again. Malik reached out to grab her shoulder, too, and Nora nearly fell into him. She flushed bright red, stammering, as he put his hands to her shoulders, and her knees almost gave way again. Triss elbowed her sister in the stomach gently, then took a skipping step up to Malik.
“I didn’t know you were so important or I would have made her stay longer before,” she winked. Malik laughed and ruffled Triss’ hair which made her shriek in happiness.
“I’m not important, I just happen to know some important people, that’s all,” he grinned.
“That’s not so different, really!” Triss laughed.
“Indeed it isn’t,” agreed Henry. “Now, Miss Eleanor, would you like to—”
“Yes!” Nora blurted before Henry could finish. “Yes! Please! Thank you, thank you! I can’t— thank you!” She spun around and hugged Triss so tightly that she lifted her off the ground. Triss squealed and kicked her heels up playfully as Nora swung her in a circle. “I won’t doubt you again, I promise! How did you know?”
“I remember his face from the money!” Triss said. “And when we were dancing, I thought I saw Mrs. Randolph next to him, and I was right!”
“You had three Royal Advisors in attendance today, actually,” Henry told them. “I expect the others are trying to find us now. I’m sure that Miss Pickett would like to speak with you both.” Triss started bouncing again in joy, and Nora opened her mouth to ask something, but she didn’t get the chance.
“There you two are! Eleanor, Patricia, there’s someone here to meet you!” Gilda Muggeridge fluttered over to her daughters. She held her arms wide and tried to herd them away, but Nora stepped aside and Triss ducked under her, so she just made a funny little circle instead.
“Mom, I need to talk with you,” Nora started, but Gilda paid her no attention.
“Girls, come on over here. We mustn’t keep him waiting—”
“Mom, please, this is important!” Nora tried again.
“Eleanor, now, if you please,” Gilda hissed. Nora flinched very subtly, swallowed, and stepped back as her mother tried steering her across the street again. “Eleanor! Where are your manners? I know you wanted to go home next week, and we will go home soon, but—”
“Mom, we have to—”
“Enough! Get over here now, Eleanor, or we’ll forget the week off altogether! Patricia, with me!” Gilda kept her voice quiet as she spat, but Malik and Henry were close enough to still hear every word. Malik’s throat went dry, but he couldn’t think of anything to say. Triss started to sadly step over to her mother, but Nora flung out her arm. Everyone jumped, expecting sparks to fly from her fingers, but Nora merely blocked Triss’ way physically, and no magic appeared. Henry smiled quite happily and stepped forward instead.
“Madam, if I might intervene here?” he said serenely. Gilda Muggeridge looked him quickly up and down and, seeing no symbols of wealth or status, sniffed at him.
“I would ask you not to, good sir. These are my daughters, and their manners are failing them briefly. I will have them behaving momentarily,” she snapped.
“I believe Eleanor’s judgment to be good here,” he went on. “Perhaps—”
“It is never good manners to slight your host,” Gilda insisted. “Now, girls, come on. The mayor of Evina wants to meet you and he’s offered to provide transport tonight if we hurry, so let’s clip clop!”
“Mom, I need you to listen!” Nora cried, as her mother took her my the arm and tried pulling her away. Triss dodged her mother’s other hand and scampered around behind Malik, who, without thinking, reached out to Nora. Nora turned, flailing and reaching back for her sister. Instead, she found Malik’s hand, which she grasped before she knew whose it was. For a moment, Malik’s heart stopped as their eyes met and Nora saw who she was holding on to. Then, he tugged her hand. Nora gripped his firmly back, and her mother, who had expected no resistance, lost her grip. Nora stumbled forward, catching herself inches from Malik’s face.
“Eleanor!” Gilda snapped, but Nora whirled back to her before she could say any more.
“I’ve been offered schooling!” Nora shouted. “I have an offer, and I’m taking it!”
“Eleanor, we have had this conversation,” Gilda spat.
“And you didn’t listen then, either! Mom, this is dangerous!” cried Nora. “I don’t know what I’m doing and I need training to be able to keep going! I’m going to hurt someone if I’m not careful and I don’t want that! What if it’s Triss? I can’t! I need help, Mom! Please! Just for a year, and then we can—”
“And what will we do for a year?” Gilda shot back. “You know Patricia won’t go on stage without you. How are we going to provide for her, hm?”
“I’ve taken care of it,” Nora said. “Really, I have! We won’t be a burden on you. You can do what you did before, just for a while, and you won’t have to worry about us at all. I’m doing it, Mom. I’m making that better life for Triss that we always talked about. Please, just for a year.” Gilda Muggeridge’s face went so deeply red it turned purple. She sputtered and stammered, much more angrily than Malik thought she should have been, but couldn’t find any words to express herself.
“If I may,” Henry tried once more, but his voice seemed to help Gilda find her tongue.
“No!” she shouted. “I won’t allow it.”
“But—” Nora choked.
“I’ve given my answer! And that is my final word on the matter. Now—”
“Follow the shouting, like I always say, Henry! There you are, in the middle of it!” Pickett Randolph called brightly over everyone’s heads. Malik took the opportunity to grab Nora’s hand again and pulled her around behind him so that she and Triss were suddenly surrounded by royalty. Triss gasped delightedly when she saw Pickett’s face, and dropped into a deep curtsy. Nora, watching her, curtsied as well, but Pickett reached under her chin and led her to standing again. Nora recognized her from before with a gasp, but Pickett just smiled and winked down to her.
“Who are—” Gilda started again, but Pickett wasn’t in the mood to listen now.
“How old are you, dear?” she asked Nora loud enough for everyone to hear.
“I’m fourteen,” Nora answered, much more quietly. Her voice carried, however, as everyone in earshot was listening for her answer.
“You are not! You are—”
“My birthday was five weeks ago in Northpointe! I’m fourteen, Mom!” Nora retorted, her voice rising to a shout as she spoke. “I’m fourteen, ma’am.”
“And are you aware of what that means in terms of schooling?” Pickett asked.
“I’m already a year behind in magic studies, but I can catch up, I promise!” Nora started, but Pickett shook her head.
“It means that you are able to take guardianship of yourself if you intend to enter schooling,” she said. “At fourteen, you are able to choose schooling on your own, without parental consent, if you prove ability and desire. If a school accepts you, you have every right to go there. And I believe I am not mistaken in saying you have been accepted.” Nora’s jaw was slack and her eyes wide, but her mind was still working quickly, because she nodded at Pickett and stood up straighter, taking Triss’ hand in her own again. “Now, do you want to attend schooling at the academy here in Kingston?”
“Yes, ma’am, I do,” Nora answered firmly.
“And when would you like to start?” asked Pickett.
“Today,” Nora replied at once. She turned to her mother for a second, then looked back at Henry and Pickett again. “Within the hour, if possible.”
Pickett and Henry both laughed loudly and clapped. Only then did Malik realize how many people had been paying attention to the quarrel as applause echoed up the street and all around them. Nora jumped, but Pickett’s hand on her shoulder calmed her. Gilda Muggeridge, on the other hand, was given no comfort, and the man with the blue velvet sash who she had been speaking with came over to see what the fuss was about.
“Henry! Good man, did you see that show?” the man bellowed excitedly. “Quite good indeed! I’m looking to book them for Evina, now. Complementary tickets to the crown if you want a second go.” Gilda Muggeridge mouthed “the crown?” and looked at Henry and Pickett with scrutiny for the first time.
“I’m afraid the show might not be traveling for a while yet, Georges,” Henry called back over the bewildered Gilda’s head. “Miss Eleanor wants schooling, and I wish to give it to her. Looks like I’ll get to retire within the decade after all!”
“Starting them younger all the time!” Georges laughed. “Well, I’m sorry to lose such a spectacle, but if she holds up, we’ll be seeing quite a bit more from her once you’re through. You like the idea, Randolph?”
“Top notch choice far as I can see!” Pickett said brightly. “She impresses me one more time today, and I’ll appoint her myself. Henry could use a few years retirement in Evina!” Gilda Muggeridge’s face was starting to slacken in understanding, but no one was paying her much attention anymore. Pickett leaned down briskly to Malik. “Why don’t you take our two new students and show them around the academy?” she whispered. “Grab your mother and father and we’ll all meet back at the palace. The fewer scenes we cause here, the better. Do you girls need anything from the theater? I can slip in for you.”
“I always keep my jewelry on,” Triss said proudly, pulling out a glowing locket from her collar and showing it to Pickett.
“I’ve got everything but my other shoes,” Nora replied. “We travel light, and I keep things in my pockets mostly.”
“I’ll do a sweep anyway. Lead them quickly now, Malik. Miss Eleanor wants schooling within the hour, after all.” She winked once more and shoved them all lightly down the street. Malik took Nora’s hand in his right and Triss’ in his left and sprinted off away from the crowd, tugging the two sisters laughing behind him.
“Wait, I need to ask!” Nora called up. “How do you know the Royal Advisors?”
“My dad’s the third!” Malik told her, never breaking step. “I’m Malik Smedley. I’m thirteen and I start school this fall, too! But first, we’re going to try every tea shop in the city this summer.”
Triss squealed and Nora let out a loud laugh that was rather like a puppy’s bark, and Malik started them to skipping on either side of him down the street to the palace.