Benlunar - Episode 23
The weird man and the Weardian.
The city, like a hive is teaming with life
People crawl over it like insects or parasites
It’s a place you can thrive or die in a ditch
Where you can step on the poor to get slightly more rich
When the mountains are flat and the seas are dry
The towers will stand stabbing the sky
As long as there is freedom and people in chains
Humanity dies, Freedos remains
Lilian stood stock still. She was with Katherine, her new Freedos friend and Fritha, her Feinhound. She was standing on a street in a semi-affluent part of the city, opposite a man claiming to be Cromwell Attorcop. With each passing second Lilian could sense the awkwardness of the situation intensifying, but she had no idea what to say or do. The imposter Attorcop’s brow was furrowing in anger, he still had one hand on the door handle, ready to shut it in their faces at any moment. It was Katherine who broke the silence.
“Er, yes, hello sir. My friend here was travelling to the city with a friend of yours, a Mr Botham and they got seperated…” Lilian suddenly found her tongue and interrupted Katherine. She couldn’t let this man get any more information on her than necessary.
“Oh!” Lilian’s mind was racing, “You know what? I just remembered that my uncle told me of a different place that we could meet. Mr Attorcop was it? I am so sorry to have bothered you. I’m sure you’re very busy. Er my uncle Mr Botham sends his regards I’m sure.” Her plan was to make a quick excuse and then run away but an idea suddenly occurred to her. How committed WAS this man in posing as Mr Attorcop. She looked up at him, she didn’t have to look too high as he was not much taller than her, and she said, “You do know my uncle yes?” The man had gone from angry to confused, Lilian got the impression he didn’t get bothered by young women very much.
“I meet many people in my line of work.” A clever dodge, thought Lilian. She had to find a way to rumble this imposter.
“Of course,” She replied, “I only mean that… when he spoke of you he spoke very highly about your apothecary business.” This seemed to throw him slightly, his eyes narrowed before he spoke, glancing from Fritha and back to Lilian, his grip relaxed on the handle as he realised this was more than just a quick interaction.
“Well it has been a while since I’ve practised apothecary. Perhaps he knew me from my younger days. Please do send him my regards when you see him.” Lilian was too slow to think of a question or statement that might catch him out. He smiled an insipid grin, clearly trying to placate her and began to shut the door.
“Goodbye ladies, I do hope you find your… uncle.” He said this last word through the small crack in the door before it finally closed. Lilian saw the light from the street reflected in his eyes, they were twisted into an almost, knowing smile.
Lilian was fuming, if she had been prepared she might have caught him off guard. She turned on her heel and started stomping away. She was half way down the hill before Katherine and Fritha caught up with her.
“Amelia?” Lilian kept walking, she was trying to think. “Amelia wait.” All she could see was that greasy man’s leering smile etched in anger in her mind’s eye. “Amelia you’re walking too fast.” Lilian suddenly became aware of Katherine, she was practically running beside her. Lilian didn’t know where she was going, but she didn’t want to stop. “Amelia!”
“My name is not Amelia.” Lilian had walked another twenty feet before she realised what she’d said. She froze in place. Fritha trotted up to her and sniffed her hand. Lilian turned around slowly. Katherine was standing at the other end of a crossroads. There were a few people walking past them but most people were minding their own business. To any casual observers, they might have looked like a mother and daughter having an argument. Katherine looked confused, and hurt. And she had every right to be, thought Lilian. People don’t like being lied to. Lilian owed her an explanation. But she was currently too angry to put the right thoughts into the right words.
Lilian started walking towards her, but before she could get within speaking distance two men appeared from out of a sidestreet. They were quick and silent in their steps, appearing like shadows from darkness. Within a second they were beside Katherine, towering over her like two grim statues. Lilian’s head was still too clouded with rage to be able to process the events unfolding clearly. She approached slowly, seeing the look of terror on Katherine’s face and taking it as a warning. The men wore identical clothes, long dark green jackets over black leather breastplates that were fastened with copper buckles. On their chest they wore the emblem of a large cat’s face, possibly a tiger or a lynx. They had big black boots on that seemed to step with a silence unbefitting their size.
“Is everything alright here miss?” The one on Katherine’s right side spoke with a deep and calm voice. Katherine seemed cowed into silence but after a few seconds, she managed to find her voice.
“Yes. Yes sir everything is fine.” His counterpart turned to look at Lilian. His stare was intense and held her in place. The first one spoke again.
“It seems like you’re having some sort of disagreement. May I remind you that public outbursts of aggression are prohibited.”
“Yes, there is no disagreement. I mean, there was but everything is fine now. Thank you sir.”
By now Katherine’s legs were practically shaking. Lilian didn’t know why, but she was beginning to dislike these men. The one looking at her suddenly spoke in a raised voice.
“I hope you have a leash for that animal miss?” Lilian wanted to reply that she didn’t need a leash. That Fritha was well trained and very friendly. But Something about Katherine’s eyes begged her to comply. Lilian swung her pack round, reached inside of it and pulled out the ball and rope she’d been given in Hundsberg. She looped the end round Fritha’s neck and raised the wooden spool to show the man.
“All dogs must be leashed when walking the streets of Freedos.” Lilian didn’t understand why she was being told this after this man had clearly just watched her leash Fritha. She began to feel herself wishing for this interaction to end.
“Miss, please make sure that dog stays leashed and you keep your disputes in your homes.” The first man said this to Katherine who was nodding emphatically. There was a moment of silence before the first man spoke again.
“The Weardian thank you for your compliance.” And with that they were gone. As quickly and silently as they had arrived.
Lilian approached Katherine who was breathing deeply, she opened her mouth to speak but Katherine quickly gripped her arm under the shoulder and started leading her away. Lilian tried to speak,
“Who were…”
“Sh!” Katherine hushed her and tightened her grip. She was practically frog marching her through the streets of Ziedmont, past colourful doors and tall residential buildings. The balconies here had steel balustrades, wrought into swirling repetitive patterns. There was a design to Ziedmont that Checkad square and the old town missed. Unlike those areas which had buildings and shops practically piled on top of each other, the streets here had a certain intention to them, like they were all there on purpose, rather than just because they had to be. Lilian didn’t have much time to admire them however as she was being pushed and pulled along the cobbles by Katherine. She turned to look down at Fritha who was managing to keep up, straining a little against her leash which she was not used to wearing. Lilian glanced back and thought she saw a flash of green material disappear behind into a side street.
“Don’t look back.” Katherine whispered sharp and low. She turned them both into a narrow lane that was flanked by bay windows. Lilian caught glimpses of satin dresses and dark formal jackets before she was once again jerked left up a small flight of steps. Small doors lined both sides of the stairway and Lilian looked up to see just a small patch of sky engulfed by slate roofs and little windows.
Katherine finally eased her grip, they must have been walking for ten minutes and Lilian rubbed her arm to ease the slight ache Katherine had left. Katherine didn’t pay her any attention, instead she checked behind them to see if they were being followed and once she was satisfied that they weren’t, she climbed a few more steps before stopping outside a door painted yellow. The paint was old and chipped but it still lent an air of friendliness to the entrance. Lilian watched as Katherine knocked, waited, and after receiving no reply reached up to a brick about a foot above the door frame and began working it loose. It didn’t take long for the brick to come out, revealing a small cavity in the wall. Katherine reached inside and pulled out a key before replacing the brick, unlocking the door and leading Lilian inside.
The doorway opened into a modest city apartment. Three steps lead down from street level into a low ceilinged room with a large wooden dining table on one side and a small kitchen area on the other, complete with wood burning stove, blue painted cupboards and a basin that presumably drained into the city's sewer system. The walls were white plaster framed by old beams. Little corridors lead off to other parts of the house. Lilian strained her neck to look down one of these and saw a small set of ladder steps leading to an upper floor. She smiled. It was like any house in Benlunar, only more compact. She unlooped the leash from Fritha’s neck and turned back to Katherine who was locking the door behind them.
“Do you live here?” Katherine’s eyes were closed, she seemed to be taking a moment before turning from the door. It was as if her whole body was exhaling. At last she turned around.
“No. This is my friend’s house. It was close by and the safest place I could think of.” Lilian couldn’t help but notice how scared Katherine had been on the way over.
“Who were those men back there?” She followed Katherine to the dining table and both women sat down and rested for a second before talking.
“They were Weardian. The Empress’s secret guard. There aren’t many of them, but they are brutal and merciless.” Lilian was confused.
“But, we weren’t doing anything wrong were we?” Katherine exhaled a short, derisive laugh.
“It doesn’t matter. They’re allowed to decide what is right and what is wrong. I’ve seen them arrest stall holders who didn’t give them free food. They said their prices were too low and thus insulting to the quality of Freedos produce. The Empress created them a few years ago when crime in the city had become very bad. And it worked, for a while. Trouble is it worked a little too well, now all they do is go around making up crimes and intimidating people, just so that they have something to do. You were right to keep quiet in their presence. Anything less than complete compliance usually resorts in an arrest or a beating. If you see them in the street, promise me you’ll keep your head down and walk in the opposite direction? Amelia it’s…” Katherine stopped herself, as if remembering a sudden detail. She looked at Lilian as if looking at someone new, she had leaned in to give the advice, but now found herself leaning back in distrust. Lilian felt shame rising inside her.
“Back near Mr Attorcop’s place, you said your name wasn’t Amelia… Why did you say that? What are you not telling me?” Lilian felt her blood boil again at the man’s theft of Mr Attorcop’s name. She took a second to think and breathed in a deep and calming breath. Lilian had known Katherine for less than two days but she judged her to be kind, and if she was to survive on these cruel streets, she would need friends. And friends trust each other, but trust implies truth. And so Lilian told the truth.
“My name is Lilian Lausanne. Not Amelia Botham. I am from Benlunar but I didn’t travel here with my uncle. I travelled here with my friend. His name is Cromwell Attorcop and we did get split up on the journey. I thought that by finding his address I might be able to sneak in later and stay there while I wait for him but… Well someone opened the door and that man we met earlier was NOT Cromwell Attorcop. He’s an imposter.” Katherine raised her hand to quieten Lilian’s quickening rant. She looked offended. Betrayed even. And she had every right to be.
“I’m sorry.” Whispered Lilian, “We agreed that it would be safest to travel under assumed identities because someone in Benlunar had tried to hurt Mr Attorcop when they found him there. I didn’t mean to trick you or lie to you, it was for your safety as well as mine. But…” Lilian was running out of words, “But I don’t know what to do now and I’m scared and I miss my home.” She felt hot tears filling her eyes and falling down her face. Fritha had returned from exploring the various rooms and laid her head down on Lilian’s lap. She licked her hand softly and Lilian was thankful for her sympathy and warmth. Katherine stood up and walked over to the kitchen area. Lilan thought she was abandoning her, that she was going to go over to the front door and kick her out. But instead she returned with a cotton cloth and used it to wipe away Lilian’s tears.
“Why don’t I make us some tea, and you can start from the beginning.”
An hour or so later, two mugs, were sitting on the dining room table drained of their contents. Katherine, Lilian and Fritha had moved to a room further into the house. This one was decorated with framed pictures of the sea, of lonely fishing boats resting on the ocean floor during low tide. There were comfortable seats in this room, padded chairs and even a settee, they had frayed edges and fading colours but were still more relaxing than the hardwood dining room seats. Tears had been shed and comforting words spoken low to them. Lilian was feeling better but the disorientating nature of the city was finally catching up with her. She felt displaced. Without purpose or kinship. At times during the telling of her story she clutched onto Fritha like she was a liferaft on a tempestuous sea. She spared no detail, except the exact circumstance of Mr Attorcop’s disappearance. She wasn’t quite ready to relive that vision just yet. Katherine was the perfect audience, understanding and non-judgmental. In turn she told Lilian more about herself. She was a tutor, she worked for a noble family and taught three children. They had invited her to come with them to Benlunar and she took the opportunity to travel there with her friend, William. She talked about William quite a bit, referring to him constantly as a friend even though Lilian was old enough to guess he was probably more than that. He was also not her husband. Her husband’s name was Taymor, Lilian had seen him in the market the day before. He was kind, but they had married young and Katherine’s eyes dimmed whenever she mentioned him. Like he was a cloud passing across the sun. It was not a hateful or resentful look, just a sad one. Lilian knew better than to ask her to go into too much detail. When the second hour was nearly over, the two women were throwing their heads back in laughter at some silly story. Katherine wiped away a tear, a happy one this time, and took a long and examined look at her new friends.
“So, what are you going to do?” Lilian had been mulling this question over at the back of her mind the entire time the two had been talking.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I have so many things that need taking care of, like where to stay and how to eat, but also I need to figure out what to do about that man! Honestly though he couldn’t have picked a worse person to impersonate, there is someone in this city who has paid a professional assassin to kill hi…” A thought suddenly occurred to her, and also to Katherine at once. They looked at each other. Lilian continued,
“I mean… If I were to find the assassin.”
“No.” said Katherine, “You’re better than that Lilian. This city corrupts enough young people, I shan’t allow you to be one of them. Whatever you decide to do, you will do it peacefully and you will succeed. And if you don’t succeed, well at least you won’t have blood on your hands.” Lilian nodded. She’d not seriously considered it. It was just a loud, brutish option, masking the quieter, calmer voice of reason. She wondered what Mr Attorcop would do in her situation and she concluded that she needed more time to think.
“I need to get more information. I need to know why he’s chosen Mr Attorcop, and what he’s doing there. But first I need to find a place to stay and a way of making some money.” Katherine nodded, and seemed like she was about to suggest something when they heard the sound of the front door being unlocked. Lilian stood up quickly and readied herself for a fight.
“It’s alright.” said Katherine, “That will be William.” Lilian shot her a surprised look,
“This is William’s house??” Katherine nodded.
“Like I said, it was close and I panicked. Don’t worry, he’s lovely and he’ll be able to help.” She stood up and walked towards the living room door.
“William?” Lilian instantly heard a shout coming from the entrance.
“Katy?? You nearly frightened the life out of me. What are you doing here? Is everything alright?” His voice was deep and warm, Lilian waited a second before stepping out to meet him.
“I came here after a run in with the Weardian, don’t worry, nothing happened. But I’m not alone. I’m not sure if you remember her but… well… Lilian?” Lilian stepped out of the room and came face to face with William and Katherine. William was as tall as Lilian remembered, broad shouldered but with a friendlier, rounder face than she’d thought he had. It had been dark the night they met in Benlunar. He was wearing a red dyed cotton shirt and black trousers. His hands were stained black presumably from whatever job he’d just come from. His expression was one of confusion but when he looked back at Katherine he cycled from realisation, to fear to anger in quick succession.
“Has she…”
“No dear,” Katherine raised her hands to calm him, “She’s done nothing wrong. It’s mere coincidence that we ran into each other on Checkad square. Sit, I’ll make you a tea and I’ll tell you all about it.”
“What in the stories is that thing?” William was taking steps back and pointing to just behind Lilian. Fritha had awoken from her nap and was sporting a particularly vibrant purple coat. Lilian and Katherine laughed, it was strange to see such a big man surprised by an equally gentle giant.
“Could be a magpie?” William set his large mug down on the dining room table with a thunk. He’d washed the ink from his hands, it turned out he was a typesetter at a printing press, and had sat with Lilian and Katherine while they filled him in on the day’s events and a bit of Lilian’s story.
“What’s that?” asked Lilian.
“It’s a form of insurance fraud. Someone dies or goes missing and the magpie swoops in and pretends to be their close family so that they can get some of their inheritance.” Lilian thought on this.
“But then why pretend to be Mr Attorcop?” William shrugged.
“Is he rich? Con-men usually follow money wherever they can find it.” Lilian shook her head.
“He’s not poor,” she conceded, “But I think he spends all his money on his equipment and research.”
“Well it could be that he’s after.” Now Katherine spoke up.
“But then why stay? Surely he’d have just robbed him and left.” said William. The three sat in silence, cycling through possibilities. Lilian was stumped so she once again employed Mr Attorcop’s brand of critical thinking. He liked to think out loud so Lilian, without hesitation began to talk.
“Whatever this man is after, my friend Cromwell Attorcop had some of it already. It might be money, but I don’t think Cromwell would keep his money in his home so it’s more likely to be a way of making money, seeing as what he’s doing IS a crime and crimes are normally committed with profit in mind. We could tell the guards, the Weardian, but I think Cromwell would want to stay clear of the authorities as I’m not sure everything he did was one hundred percent legal.” Lilian’s new friends gave her questioning looks,
“He’s not dangerous or anything. But he’s very clever and so might fancy himself above certain laws. And he doesn’t really like authority in general. So it’s most likely up to me to figure out what’s happening. The first step will be to find out what he’s doing so I’m going to figure out a way to keep an eye on him. I’ll need a place to stay over the next few days so I’ll see if The Greedy Goose will accept board for work.”
“Nonsense.” William flicked his hand away as if brushing away the comment, “You’ll stay here. That is, if you don’t mind sleeping on the sofa.” Lilian and Katherine looked at each other.
“Are you sure?” asked Lilian, “I don’t want to be trouble, I can look after myself.” Again William flicked his hand as if Lilian was describing something too idiotic to even bother himself with.
“I’m not here much so you’ll have to look after yourself to be sure, but I’m not having you wandering the streets again. Katherine seems to like you and so do I, you’ll be staying here and I won’t hear another word on the matter. Besides, you’d do the same for me.” Lilian was at a loss for words. She had no idea how she would ever be able to offer William the same kindness but she smiled and nodded, knowing that if she could, she would. A glimmer of Benlunar sparked to life in the small city house just then. A feeling of community and closeness even amongst the cold, indifferent walls of the city.
“Well then,” said Katherine, “That’s settled. I’ll drop by when I can but it’s not going to be easy. Between work and home duties I don’t have a lot of time to myself.” William put his hand on hers and the two shared a look of disappointment. Katherine suddenly sat up with a start, “Speaking of which, I should be getting going. Amel… I mean, Lilian. Good luck. Hopefully Mr Attorcop will come back to Freedos soon and you won’t have to deal with all of this alone.” Lilian smiled back at her and said in a low and happy voice.
“I’m not alone.”
Lilian slept soundly that night on William’s sofa, Fritha was by her side on the carpet and the two rose the next day when they heard William climbing down the squeaky ladder steps and heading out to work. Lilian ate some bread and spent the morning cleaning the kitchen and the rest of the ground floor, William wasn’t a dirty man but his house felt a little neglected and Lilian thought it was the least that she could do after he had shown her such kindness. Just before midday she persuaded Fritha to change her coat into her shaggy dog look and the two set off towards Mr Attorcop’s address in Ziedmont. Lilian was careful to keep an eye out for any large men in green coats and thankfully she didn’t see any on her way there.
It was a warm day and the various rivers stank of their associated waste and chemicals, the smell was compounded by the heat but Lilian didn’t mind. For the first time since arriving in Freedos she was able to breathe calmly and appreciate its beauty. It may not have had Benlunar’s spectacular views but there was still a certain charm to the multicoloured rooftops and shutters. She had to dodge various piles of horse muck while walking, but as long as she kept her eyes pointed up she was able to find wonder. It took the form of flowers in window boxes, or a cat lounging on a sunhit wall. Lilian even tried smiling at the people she walked past and whereas most of them paid her no mind, occasionally her smile would be met with a cheerful face or a nod or even the tip of a hat. Her sunny disposition began to fade however as she approached Mr Attorcop’s building. Before turning the corner, and looking at the door, she glanced around the street for any place she might be able to hide. It was mostly a quiet part of town, Lilian could hear the sounds of a crowd coming from a few streets away, but what with there not being any shops or cafes on this street this residential area was fairly quiet. Occasionally someone would walk past or come out of a house, so it was rare that the street became completely empty, but it was never busy enough to get lost in any sort of crowd. Lilian tugged on Fritha’s leash as she lowered her head to drink from a dirty looking puddle.
“That’s dirty Fritha.” The feinhound looked back at her, confused. Just then an idea leapt out from the puddle.
In its reflection, Lilian could see the roofs of the various buildings, some had gaps between them but no gap was so large that it couldn’t be jumped. She began to search for a nearby alley or quiet enough side street. It took a little while, and she had to back track quite a bit, but eventually she found a quiet place with a neglected statue of a woman at the end of it. A wooden shutter jutted out above its head and Lilian guessed she might be able to reach the low roof after climbing just a couple of handholds up the wall. She glanced about and was thankful for the slight bend in the alley that obstructed the view of the statue from the street. She buried Fritha’s leash amongst some tall flowers growing in a small bed under a ground floor window. She gave Fritha the sign for ‘hide’ and watched as she sat, became very still and gradually took on the quality of the surrounding plants. Lilian then turned back to the statue and thanked Gorakja for the recent dry weather. She scrambled nimbly up the statue, onto the shutter, up one then two bricks and within thirty seconds she was up on the lowest section of roof. From there it took a running jump and a couple of attempts to scramble up onto the higher section. After she’d made it she was able to look out over the alley and streets below. Smiling, she turned towards Mr Attorcop’s house and began her journey to the main road.
Some tiles were loose and the moss made them a little slippy but on the whole she made it across the rooftops without too much trouble. When she reached the one opposite Mr Attorcop’s place she dropped to her stomach and crawled to the edge. She suddenly became aware of the large window in Mr Attorcop’s attic residence but decided that hiding behind a chimney should give her enough cover from anyone looking out. Besides, this view of the window AND the front door was too good to give up. The first hour went by with little activity. Lilian was able to see the imposter wondering about the attic through the window, but she couldn’t make out exactly what he was doing. During the second hour she began to worry that this was all a waste of time. Her neck was hurting from propping herself up and her smock was getting filithier by the minute. The heat of the afternoon sun was also not something she had counted on having to endure, but on the roof she was exposed to all elements. It wasn’t until the third hour that she seriously considered giving up. She was worried about having left Fritha down in the alley and her stomach was starting to grumble from lack of attention. Lilian was about to call it a day when finally, something out of the ordinary happened. The sun was starting to set and cooler air was making Lilian start to shiver when she saw a man approach the door on the street. Lilian's heart leapt into her mouth. Hopefully this could provide her with some information as to what this fake Attorcop was up to. She suddenly realised that were she in her state of focus she might be able to hear what he said, but it was too late as the door was already opening and the short, greasy haired charlatan was poking his head through the crack. They spoke for just a few seconds, the fake Attorcop glancing up and down the street as they did.
“What are you up to?” whispered Lilian, out loud to herself. Suddenly the door was shut and the visitor was left alone on the street. He tried to look as casual as possible, but Lilian could tell that he was nervous. He shifted his weight constantly and kept bringing his hands in and out of his pockets. He was a young man, possibly around William’s age, with hair so blonde it was almost white. Lilian couldn’t tell much about him from his clothes but he looked tired. Not long after the door shut, it opened again and the greasy man was back. Lilian narrowed her eyes, desperately trying to catch every detail, but the visitor annoyingly placed himself in front of the crack in the door. The two men spoke a while more and then Lilian saw the door shut. She swore under her breath. The most interesting thing to happen all day and her brilliant viewpoint had been useless. She cursed herself for not slipping into hyper focus and listening in. For all she knew it might be days before he had a similar interaction.
Lilian watched the man turn and start walking down the street in the direction from where he’d come from. Lilian had to make a quick decision, follow him, stay watching the door or head back to William’s. She decided to stand up, her body was stiff and aching so she was immediately grateful for her choice. She made sure to stay low and began tracking the visitor’s movements through the streets from the rooftops. She tried to stay quiet but had to double check that he hadn’t noticed anything after a couple of jumps between roofs. He was walking quickly and Lilian ended up mistiming one of her jumps, perhaps her body hadn’t fully regained its strength after lying on her front for so long, but she slipped on her landing and scraped her chin on a slate. It stung something terrible but Lilian pressed on. Finally, after ten minutes of tracking, the man ducked into a side street and stopped moving. Lilian had a perfect view of him and although he looked about after stopping, he never would have thought someone was spying on him from above. Lilian watched as he reached into an inner pocket of his jacket. His hand withdrew slowly as if handling something very precious. Lilian watched in confusion as he seemed to be double checking the item’s very existence. From what Lilian could tell, it was a small bottle that appeared to be filled with a purple liquid. Quick as a flash he placed it back in his pocket and was on his way. Lilian didn’t feel like following him, not wanting to leave Fritha alone for much longer. She returned to her faithful companion, who was still perfectly hidden in the flower bed, and walked back to William’s house, her head full of strange meetings and bottles and mysterious purple liquid.
William was home when she returned. She let herself in using the same hidden key Katherine had used the day before. She opened the door to the incredible smell of roasted chicken and steamed vegetables.
“Just in time!” she heard William say, his voice as warm as the steaming chicken he was currently dishing onto plates. The pair sat down to eat and Lilian filled him in on her progress that day. She had gotten to the point where she was watching the man from the roof above the quiet side street when William set his cutlery down and paused.
“And what happened then?”
“Nothing really. He reached into his pocket and brought out a little bottle, put it back and went off, that’s when I decided to come…”
“Lilian,” William interrupted her, “What was in the bottle?” Lilian felt a pang of nerves for some reason.
“Just some liquid.” William fixed her with a serious glare.
“What colour was the liquid?”
“Like a sort of dark purple.” Lilian was looking right at William’s face, so she watched as the colour drained from it in seconds. He put his hand on the table top, as if to steady himself, even though he was already sitting down.
“Gods above us.” If Lilian didn’t know any better, she could have sworn he was scared. No. Terrified.
“What is it?” she asked. William took a big gulp before uttering the word:
“Nightshade.”