Benlunar - Episode 24
Lilian tries gloaming for the first time since arriving in Freedos.
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 took a deep breath. Her ribs still hurt from lying down on the tiles earlier that day. She was sitting on the carpeted floor of Williams living room, but even these soft surroundings could not dampen her aches and pains. She took another breath and closed her eyes. She smelt a sweet, acrid odour that she ashamedly realised was coming off her own body. She had not bathed in several days and the day's exercises combined with the midsummer heat made her wonder at how William could keep an unwrinkled nose in her presence. She reminded herself to bathe the next morning and then tried to clear her head and focus on her breath. Fritha was sitting on the settee above her and Lilian occasionally felt a waft of breath move her hair as Fritha exhaled. It had been quite a while since Lilian had practiced her attention exercise and even longer since she had tried gloaming again. She felt unsure and unsafe when attempting something new without Mr Attorcop around. But she reminded herself again that Mr Attorcop might not be back with her for quite some time, and that his absence was no excuse to stop practising. She remembered what he said about not overreaching and had decided to try gloaming again. Lilian took another deep breath but several annoying thoughts kept intruding on her tranquility. The first was what William had said about Nightshade.
“It’s a horrible substance.” He’d said, “As dangerous as it is addictive. It’s been on the streets of Freedos for a few months now but no one knows where it’s coming from. The man you saw was right to hide it, if the Weardian were to catch him with some he would have been tortured for the name of his supplier.”
“What does it do?” Lilian remembered asking, “Is it like alcohol?” Lilian had tried some wine with her parents once and didn’t much care for the taste. She’d also seen what happened to folk who drank too much from her evenings in the Fox & Octopus. William had laughed at her comment,
“Ha… Not at all. I’ve never had any myself, nor do I care to try some, but they say…” He paused, weighing his words before speaking them, “They say it steals time from the end of your life.” Lilian had shot him a confused look, he continued. “Imagine you’re going to live to 100 years old. Well, one mouthful of nightshade will take a year off that total and give it to you today. That means you’ll only end up living for 99 years in total. But for a few hours…” He’d trailed off here, shaking his head and gazing into the middle distance. Lilian’s head had been full of questions, but she waited and let William find the words.
“I saw someone once who had taken it. It floods your eyes with purple gunk and the veins on his face were raised and almost glowed. It was pretty scary actually. This man walked into an inn and challenged this fellow to a fight. He’d cheated him out of some money or something, I don’t know. Anyway I watched a bit of the fight before running out of there and… Lilian the things I saw him do. He picked up an oak table, bigger than this one, with one hand and threw it like it was a pebble. You see it takes all that strength and power you’d have in that year and gives it to you all at once for an hour. And seeing as a lot of people die when they’re old and weak the more you take, the stronger you get. And it’s not just about strength. This guy said he could hear whispers from down the street, and he moved like he knew what was going to happen. He knew where to dodge, where to duck he was… terrifying.” Lilian felt herself becoming scared, surely no one could handle such power responsibly. William had then gone on to explain that once someone drank nightshade, they weren’t able to stop. Normal life was said to become painful and unbearable afterwards. And so the drinker would keep drinking, more and more until they’d taken so much time from the end of their life, that they only had hours to go until it was over.
“And then they die.” Said William, “And it’s happening more and more all over the city. No one knows who’s making it, and the Weardian are offering substantial rewards for information.”
Lilian took another deep breath, desperately trying to get the image of all the men and women drinking themselves to an early grave out of her head. She was out of practise, she was getting annoyed with herself and was about to give up and go to sleep when she opened her eyes, looked out of the window, and saw the moon. It was a half moon. Bright as a smile. Once again Lilian found solace in its calm, cool light. She remembered the night she had seen it over Benlunar’s peak and it had dripped its strange substance into the rivers and pools on the mountain. She glanced at her pack and considered extracting the vial of essence. No. She thought. I have to do this myself. And so, with renewed vigour she shut her eyes and went back to focusing on her breath. For some reason, her mother’s parting words entered her mind: “When the winds and storms rage, the mountain remains still. Wherever you go, whatever happens, remember to hold the mountain in your heart, and the storm can never hurt you.” She took a deep breath and became the mountain, still and strong. A few minutes went by and Lilian was finally able to slip into hyper focus.
She was almost shocked out of it instantly as even in this late hour the city was erupting with noise. There was a row happening 3 doors down, a party two streets across, someone was throwing stones at glass bottles and that was just the human activity. The patter and squeaks of a thousand rats bombarded Lilian’s senses. Her normally dark focus space was alive with a million silver lights, each one representing some small sound in and around the busy streets of the city. It was hard for Lilian to focus at first amidst this cavalcade of cacophonic clutter. But slowly she managed to find her place amongst all of it and she was able to tune out the useless noises and focus on her immediate surroundings. She found Fritha’s slow and steady breaths, next to her own heart beat which was glowing gold. It was just like that night on the stoney beach. Lilian smiled when she saw the light. It was just as warm and beautiful as she remembered. She considered trying to fill a piece of dust or grit with her light, just as she had done that night on the beach. Only now she would be sure to take it slowly and not force any piece of her surroundings to take on this aspect of herself. She found a thread of the carpet she was sitting on. This particular thread was brushing against her left ankle. Lilian didn’t choose it for any special reason, it was much the same as the others, standing upright like a tree in a forest. Lilian examined it, explored it and slowly tried to convince it to take on the golden glow. It didn’t take as long as the grain of sand on the beach had done and within just a few minutes the strand of carpet was shining like a lighthouse, a bright beacon amongst its dull brothers and sisters. This made it relatively easy for Lilian to convince them to take on the light as well, who would not want to shine so brightly after all? She was careful not to be too forceful and she had to practise a great deal of patience, but in time other strands were persuaded to shine in like.
Lilian lost track of time but she felt her body growing tired from the constant concentration. She had persuaded a patch of carpet under her foot, roughly the size of a dinner plate, to glow golden like a patch of sunlight reflecting in a puddle. Lilian smiled at its beauty. Her own admiration seemed to influence the ground around her and suddenly more strands of carpet and even splinters of wood underneath became receptive to her golden light. Lilian was happy with her practise and decided to call it a night. Before she took the light back however she felt movement behind her. Fritha was stirring in her slumber. An idea appeared in the back of Lilian’s mind, a potentially dangerous one, and yet it appealed to her greatly. Lilian was wondering what would happen if she tried to convince one of Fritha’s hairs to take on her golden glow. She began searching out for one with her attention, but a memory of Mr Attorcop stopped her from continuing. She was recalling what he said about trying gloaming for the first time in a field of flowers, or a town full of people before he squeezed his water skin so tightly it almost popped from the pressure. Well, Lilian wasn’t just in a town, she was in a city and Fritha was a large, living, energetic creature. Lilian thought better of it and went back to trying to slowly bring the golden glow beneath her back into her body. The image of the water skin was still in her mind, and she found that it helped her to visualise it pouring its contents slowly and carefully into a cup. In this instance Lilian’s body was the cup and after all the glow from the ground had been poured back into her she opened her eyes.
She looked about and almost shielded her eyes from the bright light streaming through the window. Was it morning already? She thought. Had she spent the entire night focusing on a small patch of carpet? She slowly opened her eyes and found that the light coming through her window was still that of the moon, only it had become brighter somehow. Lilian’s mind was racing to find an explanation. No, it wasn’t the moon that had become brighter, it was her eyes that could see more clearly. The dark room was lit up like a beach under a cloudless summer sky. She put her hand in front of her face and found that she could see every line and stain as clearly as if it had been under an oil lamp. The colours of the carpet were more vibrant than even during the day, the walls were a deep brown and every crack and crevice in the wood was clearly visible, as if Lilian was looking down on deep valleys from the top of a mountain. She was mesmerized by all the beauty this simple room had to offer. How had she not noticed this before? Had she not been paying attention? Behind the wondrous sights something was bothering her. It was like a roar of wind or water. It reminded her of the caves she had descended through with Mr Attorcop on her way down into the valley from Benlunar. She looked about, trying to find the source of the noise, and her eyes fell on Fritha, asleep on the soft settee. The roaring noise was rising and falling in perfect unison with her chest and Lilian realised that she was hearing her breathing. Fritha herself was looking more dazzling than ever. Her fur seemed to pulse with light and colour. Lilian was drawn to her and had to snap herself out of a reverie after staring at the Feinhound for several minutes. She didn’t know how long this state would last but she wanted to experience different things whilst in it. She walked around the dark city house. At least, in the back of her head she knew it was dark, but to Lilian it may as well have been the middle of the day. She breathed in deeply in the kitchen and could smell the remnants of the roast chicken even though they had eaten the last of it hours ago. Just like when she was in her state of focus, she found that she could stretch her attention out beyond what her senses would normally perceive. She looked at the front door and focused on any sounds that might be coming from the street. No human footsteps, just the occasional patter of rodents or the shuffle of a bird in its rooftop nest. She slid the door’s metal lock up out of its catch. She almost jerked her hand back to cover her ears. She had failed to shift her focus and her automatic motion had made the lock crash so loudly against its metal bracing that it sounded like a firework going off next to her head. This is going to take some getting used to, she thought as she dampened her senses and opened the door.
A wave of sensory stimulus washed over her. The sounds and smells of the city not to mention the sight of the well lit street washed over her like a tidal wave. Lilian smiled and almost burst out laughing. In this state she could smell the people next door, there were two of them, a man and a woman, the woman wore rose perfume and the man had recently been in a stable or around horses. She took a deep breath in through her nose and could smell the alley at the other end of the street. Strangely, in this state, she did not distinguish between good and bad smells. Some fruit or vegetable had rotted and soured in the alley and Lilian consciously registered that normally she would not want to have anything to do with such a smell, but now she explored each and every corner of it. It was some sort of citrus fruit that was off, she could smell the alcohol evaporating off of it. It was a “bad” smell but it held so much information that Lilian didn’t want to leave it alone. But she diverted her attention again, down the street to the main road, a spot where a horse had mucked several days earlier, the sound of a fly buzzing around its remnants, voices behind closed windows, a party four streets away where a fiddler was playing a jig. Lilian heard it. Lilian smelt it. And then she was off.
Shutting the door behind her Lilian leapt into the night. The grey light of the stars and moon illuminated the dirty streets with a shimmering silver beauty. Lilian felt as though she was walking through a dream, but she had no time to dawdle. She picked up the pace and started making her way through the city. She ran when she could, stopping only when she heard feet or voices around the corners she meant to turn. In this state, she was able to avoid detection easily. She wanted to hurry though as she had no idea how long this state would last. At one point, she realised that she wasn’t wearing any shoes. She didn’t mind, she enjoyed the sensation of the cobbles and dust on the soles of her feet. Besides, it was easier to stay quiet this way. She ran down a long road, keeping to the shadows which to her were merely patches of lesser light. She noticed that she was able to run for a long time and when she stopped she was barely out of breath. Her strides felt longer too, as if her legs were launching her further through the air with every step. Her ribs no longer ached from the day’s spying and her head felt clear and sharp. She was in another world. A world that belonged to her. She turned the final corner and arrived at her destination.
Mr Attorcop’s door was across the street from her, illuminated by the moon and Lilian’s new found sight. She stretched her focus up and down the street, trying to sense if anyone was coming. She could hear the clacking of claws on stone, possibly a city fox out looking for scraps, but there was no human activity. A candle burned in a window behind her and two floors up, but its owner was asleep in the chair beside it. A book resting on his chest. Lilian could hear the pages rustle as his body rose and fell. She crossed the street and bent down in front of the door. She didn’t need to scale rooftops, she didn’t need a perfect view inside. In this state, she could explore the house just by being near it. She knelt and put her face close to the keyhole, making sure to stay aware of any changes in the streets around her. She peeked through the keyhole but could only make out several wooden stairs. No surprise there. With the visual sense impaired, Lilian shut her eyes and inhaled deeply. The musty, dust dense air of the staircase filled her nose. She concentrated hard and followed the scents and sounds upwards. The atmosphere was similar all the way up, indicating that there were no other doors going off the stairs bar the one at the top. This door was slightly smaller than its ground level counterpart and Lilian had to consciously slow down her breathing so that she could concentrate enough to find the key hole. This state was very similar to when she practised her focus exercise, only now she could rely on smell just as much as sound. Lilian tested the door, prodding it with every available piece of information until she found that it was slightly ajar. There was a sweaty, human smell coming from within.
Lilian pushed her focus through the crack and found an unclean place. The attic residence was bigger than she had thought it to be from looking through the window, it stretched away into the back of the building, several steps lead up to a raised area. Lilian could hear movement, which helped her get a clearer picture. Every step created little echoes from which she could garner information about the types of surfaces and surroundings. The floor was wood, with several small rugs scattered around it. Someone was moving about, Lilian could hear the occasional clink of glass and metal. She found the smell of cold steel blades in a draw, weapons of some kind. She smelled books, boots and large leather gloves. It was hard to discern particular things because the whole place smelled of chemicals and something familiar. Lilian couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She tried to track the familiar smell, leaving the sweaty man she presumed to be the impersonator behind. The smell was coming from… under the floor? Was something hidden there? Yes. Hidden and packed in tight bunches. It reminded Lilian of the farm where she had last seen the real Mr Attorcop. It was like… Manure, yes that was it, manure. But why would someone want manure under their floor? Lilian opened her eyes in shock, snapping her senses back to herself and her immediate surroundings. She could feel a bead of sweat forming on her brow. She had remembered why that smell was so familiar. It was the smell coming from the barricades they had built at the Garrow’s farm. One thought kept repeating itself again and again in her head all the way back to William’s house. It’s rigged. The whole floor is rigged. One spark, that’s all it would take for the entire building to explode.
By the time Lilian got back to the house she was beyond exhausted. Her senses were almost back to normal, the sour smells of the streets were starting to bother her again and she no longer had to keep shifting focus so that the door lock was too loud. When she reached the living room Fritha looked up sleepily from the settee and did a big stretch before tucking her head back down to go back to sleep. Lilian was about to join her when she caught sight of something strange. The light from outside was brightening as dawn approached and the polished glass in one of the picture frames caught her attention. The picture itself was of a naval battle, but that wasn’t what was interesting about it. Lilian had caught sight of her reflection and could have sworn that her eyes seemed different. It was hard to tell because the glass was dusty and not very reflective, but she thought her eyes looked brighter, or maybe even a different colour entirely. A wave of sleep suddenly washed over her and Lilian practically collapsed beside Fritha on the soft furnishings of the settee. She shut her eyes and drifted away into a peaceful, dreamless slumber.
“Explosives!?” Katherine shouted the word, almost spilling her tea as she did. William was out at work and Katherine had managed to drop by his house whilst on an errand for the family she worked for. It was mid afternoon and Lilian was still a little groggy from just having woken up. Her body was not used to sleeping through the day, she had woken up around lunchtime and had immediately chastised herself for not walking Fritha sooner. When they had come back from their walk Katherine was there and already pouring a second cup of tea. Lilian had told her a little bit about the events of the night but had been vague in the details.
“Wait, how do you know they were explosives?” Lilian had expected the question, she wanted to tell Katherine the truth, but remembered her own scepticism when it came to magic and she didn’t want Katherine to be mixed up in that world right now.
“A while ago Mr Attorcop had made some to help protect a farm. I remember it stank of manure and chemicals, I couldn’t smell it from the rooftop but last night by the door the smell was really obvious.” It was a half truth, something Lilian could live with. Katherine sat back in her chair and looked distractedly down at the floor. A look of concern fell across her face. Fritha was busy plodding around the house, putting her nose in every nook and cranny she could find. Lilian smiled as she watched her head disappear into a coal scuttle, leaving a happy, wagging tail sticking up in the air.
“Lilian, I don’t think you should go back there.” Lilian’s attention was snapped back to Katherine.
“Why not?” she asked, genuinely surprised by the comment. Katherine’s face was incredulous.
“Why not?? Lilian, that man is clearly dangerous. He’s giving people that horrible Nightshade stuff, he’s packed his place full of explosives…”
“It’s not his place.” Lilian interrupted, her tone coming out a little angrier than she had wanted it to.
“Yes okay, I understand Lilian. I know that you’re angry but this is not something you should be getting mixed up in. We can do the right thing and alert the authorities and they can take care of it.” She stood up and walked over to the hooks by the door where she had hung her rain cloak, it was still wet from the brief shower earlier in the day. As she put her arms through the sleeves she turned back to Lilian.
“I’m sorry Lilian, I know you want justice here but I don’t want you getting into trouble. Just, promise me you won’t go back there today.” The request came as a bit of a shock, but Lilian considered it. She huffed out a big sigh and replied,
“Fine. I won’t go back. But I can handle myself you know?”
“I don’t doubt it.” Katherine smiled, “But for now there is no need to handle yourself or anyone else for that matter.” Lilian’s spirits fell a little. After the experience of the night before, she felt like she was ready to take on Freedos’ seedy underworld single handedly. But her friend was probably right to caution her.
Katherine must have noticed Lilian’s disappointment because she walked over to her and gave her a big hug before saying,
“Listen, tomorrow there’s a fair in Checkad square. I’m taking the children I look after in the morning but how about I meet you there tomorrow afternoon and we can enjoy ourselves a little hm? You look like you could use a little fun. And a bath. You could use a bath.” Lilian rolled her eyes and smiled.
“Yes?” asked Katherine.
“Yes!”
“Yes what?”
“Yes I’ll come to the fair.” Katherine smiled and ruffled Lilian’s hair.
“And you’ll not go near that man’s house?”
“No.”
“And you’ll have a bath?”
“Alright!” shouted Lilian as she playfully pushed Katherine away.
For the rest of the day Lilian kept her various promises to Katherine by staying clear of the imposter’s house and filling the bathtub with water and some soap. One thing she did enjoy about city life was that most houses seemed to have water pumps inside them. William’s took some effort to get going but eventually a trickle of fresh volcanic water sloshed into the pail and Lilian was able to heat it on the stove before emptying it into the large tub in the back room. It took several pails to fill and the water was a little cold when she got in, but after her body had gotten used to it she found herself enjoying the relaxing buoyancy and muffled silence when she submerged her head. It had been a long time since her last bath, a fact which became all too clear when she examined the water around her and found it to be dark grey. A curious Fritha had come to have a closer look and Lilian stroked her chin as she sniffed at the bubbles. And then without any warning, Fritha jumped straight in, splashing water everywhere and causing Lilian to double over with laughter.
Lilian fought the urge to visit the imposter’s house for the rest of the afternoon, but she quickly realised that she was just bored. So she set about finding what food William had around the house and preparing him a meal for when he got back from his work at the printers. She managed to find a head of cabbage, some mustard and some garlic cloves with which she made a thick soup. She was so used to eating road rations that she had almost forgotten how much she loved to cook. Fritha made an excellent kitchen aid as she was always ready to snaffle up any scraps Lilian dropped on the floor, either by accident or on purpose. When William came home he was thankful for the meal and the two talked about Lilian’s experience the night before. William agreed with Katherine, as Lilian might have guessed he would, saying that this imposter was “far too dangerous” for anyone to be getting involved with. After eating the two played cards, Lilian found William to be a much better opponent than Mr Attorcop had ever been. They played 4 ladies, tiles and William even taught Lilian a new game called Catch the Knight which she was not very good at and so did not enjoy playing.
The next day Lilian put on her least dirty set of clothes and went to join Katherine on Checkad square. William knew a lot about Freedos and had explained to her that Checkad Square was named after a woman called Amala Checkad who had led a hunger strike against an oppressive tax on farmers. Apparently most people assumed it was called checkered square because of the black and white tiles that make up the central mosaic and there was speculation that the tiles were put there to purposely confuse people. Regardless of why they were there, when Lilian approached the square the tiles were nowhere to be seen, obscured instead by a tumult of flare and activity. Lilian walked past stands where people were tossing cork balls at glass bottles, she saw a juggler catch a flaming pin with his teeth and there was even a set of cages where people could pay to peek through curtains at exotic animals. Everything was designed with two purposes in mind, grab your attention and separate you from your coin. Lilian loved everything about it. The painted signs above the stalls, the colourful outfits and language of the owners, the smiling crowds and the smell of sugar roasted nuts. She had left Fritha at William’s, not wanting her to draw too much attention in the large crowd and she was thankful that she did lest she be swiped and shoved into a curtained cage like the rest of the curious creatures. Lilian finally found Katherine by a set of swings. Children yelped in delight as they swung past. Katherine was eating something, a plum that had been dipped in buttery sugar syrup, she had a punnet of them and she handed Lilian one with a smile. Lilian bit into it eagerly and almost winced at how sweet it was. She had never tasted anything like it. Katherine stifled a laugh and took Lilian’s arm. She took her to see the sights of the fair, having seen this particular troupe once or twice before, Katherine knew exactly which stalls were worth visiting and which performers worth waiting to see. It was while Lilian was watching Katherine trying to throw some hoops over some deceptively large looking pegs that she noticed the two men in heavy green coats. She had spotted them through the crowd, she couldn’t be sure if they were the men that had stopped her and Katherine in the street, but they were certainly dressed the same. And then, like when hunting for mushrooms, spotting two suddenly revealed more and more. Every which way she looked there were large men in green coats watching the crowds with stern expressions.
“Lots of weirdmen about.” Lilian whispered to Katherine.
“What?” Katherine looked over to where Lilian nodded. It took her a few seconds to realise who she meant. “Oh, Weardian. Yes. I’ve seen them too. Pretty normal I think for such a big crowd. They like to remind people of their presence whenever they can.” Lilian watched her catch eyes with the stall attendant and both of them shared a pained look. The stall holder was even brave enough to roll his eyes. Katherine finished playing and together they continued round the fair. At one point Katherine pointed to a poster, freshly glued to one of the pillars surrounding the square and propping up the fancy town apartments that overlooked it. Lilian approached the poster and read.
CITIZEN’S APPEAL it said, IF ANYONE HAS ANY INFORMATION REGARDING THE SALE OR POSSESSION OF THE ILLEGAL SUBSTANCE KNOWN AS ‘NIGHTSHADE’ PLEASE REPORT TO WEARDIAN CHIEF GARROCK AT THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING IN LAGA QUARTER.
“See,” said Katherine, “It’s dangerous stuff and no good can come of getting mixed up in it.” Lilian read the note again and examined the wax seal at its base. It was imprinted with a set of scales. Something about it made Lilian feel uneasy. Should these people be relying on citizens to rat each other out? Mr Attorcop’s voice came to mind and she imagined how he might react. It either shows a lack of self confidence in their abilities or reveals just what they think of the people they’re sworn to protect. You’ll notice there’s no reward, and no please or thank you. That tells people they’re supposed to be blindly obeying, as if that is the RIGHT thing to do, no questioning, no thanks. Lilian almost smiled when she recalled his manner but quickly suppressed it as she realised that it had been she who had had the thought, not him. She turned to Katherine,
“Where is the municipal building?” Katherine raised a hand and pointed down a large parade road heading south.
“Laga quarter is down there. Courts, embassies, all formal and political and boring. If you want to report what you saw we can go there tomorrow? Is that alright Lilian? Lilian?” But Lilian was not alright. And she was not listening. She was staring intently in the direction that Katherine had pointed. Not to the large statue-lined parade in the distance, but at something in the middle ground. In broad daylight, only slightly obscured from the crowd by a temporary stage, Lilian could see him. The imposter. She was sure of it, sure she would recognize his greasy, weasel face anywhere. She felt anger rise inside her. And look at that, she thought, he’s standing so close to two Weardian officers. She could run over right now and point him out. She more than half considered it but something stopped her.
“Lilian are you feeling alright?” Katherine must have been talking the whole time.
“Sorry,” Lilian replied, “I’m fine, I just… look.” She gestured covertly to where she was looking. Katherine looked past the stage into the dim light behind it. It was positioned near a wall so there was only a narrow passage that most people seemed to be avoiding. Katherine saw who she was referring to.
“Huh! There he is. And he’s with Weardian.”
“That’s what I thought,” said Lilian, “we could go over there and turn him in!” Katherine didn’t seem excited by the idea.
“No Lilian, he’s with Weardian. They’re meeting about something.” And then Lilian saw what she meant, and her naivety popped like a bubble. The man and the two officers were standing near enough to hear each other and Lilian could see the man’s lips moving slightly, despite clearly not being in conversation with anyone. Lilian desperately wanted to know what he was saying, she even considered closing her eyes and trying to focus, but there was too much noise in the square, it would have been like staring into the sun. Instead she whispered to Katherine.
“What do you think they’re talking about?”
“Damned if I know. Hold on, he’s leaving.” Lilian was tracking him at once and even took a step forward, but Katherine put out her hand and held her back.
“What’s that he’s got with him?” Lilian, didn’t understand, why did that matter? She looked closer and noticed that he was carrying something. A box? no, a satchel.
“Did he have that when he arrived?” said Katherine, Lilian thought back but couldn’t be sure.
“I don’t know.”
“Think, Lilian, was he wearing a bag?” The pressure made Lilian more confused, she couldn’t remember.
“I don’t think so, I don’t think he had a bag. In fact, no, I’m pretty sure when I first looked he didn’t.”
“Gods around us.” Katherine swore under her breath.
“What? What is it? What does that mean Katherine?” Katherine turned to look at Lilian square on.
“Oh come on Lilian, think about it.” Lilian thought. And Lilian guessed, she shook her head but Katherine only nodded in reply.
“No. But that means the Weirdmen know. The Nightshade.” Lilian almost couldn’t say it outloud. “He’s getting it from THEM.”