Benlunar - Episode 30
Lilian sees a strange group of people making their way through the city and joins Mr Attorcop in a shopping trip.
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
Dear Lilian, We were so happy to receive your letter and to hear that you had arrived safely in Freedos. Your journey sounds very exciting! Also glad to hear that Mr Attorcop was able to meet you in the city after his work took him away. Were you not scared having to find your way on your own? Well, you had Fritha I suppose, and it sounds like that woman Katherine is very kind. Not much happening in Benlunar by way of excitement I’m afraid. Brother Thomas held a wonderful Midsummer fair in the town square. Quite a few people from the south are staying in town right now which is lovely. I bought some red spice powder from one of them and your father and I accidentally used too much on some chicken the other night and we were crying all evening! Your father sends his love of course. He’s out right now fixing a roof in the old town. We miss you very much but we’re happy that you’re having such an adventure! Everyone who I meet in town is always asking after you, I’m happy that I will have more news to share with them now, is this address still good for the foreseeable future? I hope the jam and honey did not spill in the box, how is the food in Freedos? Are people kind there? I remember visiting once when I was a girl but I don’t remember much of it. I don’t think I have much more news, Jenny had her baby, a happy and healthy boy. Christoff broke his arm trying to get his cat out of a tree, it looked painful but Dr Rumex was able to reset it. Everyone sends their love, we miss you lots and lots, please write back soon and come back when you can! All my love, Mum.
Lilian folded the letter and placed it on the little desk in her room as a reminder to write back as soon as possible. It had been slightly stained by a bit of fruit jam that had leaked out of a small clay pot that was stuffed in the box it came in along with a pot of thick set honey, some dried lavender and a bar of scented lye soap. She’d found two young boys outside her building that morning carrying the box and asking for anyone called Lily Lasan. She hadn’t bothered to correct them and paid four copper heads for the parcel. Reading the letter made her homesick, the memories of Benlunar’s beautiful views drifted across her mind’s eye. She glanced out of her tiny window where all she could see were a couple of chimneys and the drawn curtains of the apartment next door. The city did have its beauty spots, but the view from Lilian’s room was unfortunately not one of them. The sun was setting after a long day of work with Mr Twitchett and an evening of training with Mr Attorcop. Fritha was already curled up on the carpet and breathing heavily and Lilian could barely keep her eyes open after reading the letter. She considered penning a reply but decided it would have to wait. It had been like this for the past two weeks. She would run errands in the day for Mr Twitchett, bringing Fritha along with her most days and in the evenings she would practise fighting or gloaming with Mr Attorcop. She had managed to replicate Fritha’s invisibility only once but Lilian felt like she was getting closer and closer each time to disappearing on command. If only she wasn’t so tired all the time! On the rare occasion that she had a day off she would wake up late and wander the streets and spend the little money she made on sweet things and knick knacks for her room. The rain had washed away the Summer dust and Freedos was back to its familiar bold colours and smells. Lilian found the food in Freedos to be fresh and delicious, often made even better by expert chefs who used spices from around the world, Lilian had even managed to find a stall that sold the sour berries she had first tasted in Hundsberg, much to Fritha’s delight. Mr Attorcop’s attic was slowly transforming back to its former state. Lilian had informed him about the large quantities of explosives she sensed beneath the floorboards, but it turned out that he already knew about them, because it was him, not Helmont, who had put them there. Apparently they represented some sort of security measure, but Lilian could not think of any situation that was made more secure by adding explosives to it. They kept the vials of Nightshade hidden, unsure what to do with them. Mr Attorcop apparently had to turn a few hopeful buyers away from his door in the beginning, but once word had spread that Nightshade was no longer available at that address, they stopped coming. Genaro had not returned, which was probably a good thing, Lilian didn’t want to be held responsible for what she might do to him if she saw him again. She had managed to see Katherine, but only once during the fortnight, they had gone to a small tea shop in Bonneville and Lilian had tried vanilla tea for the first time. Lilian was remembering its sweet and calming taste as she blew out the candle on her desk. Crawling into bed she replayed the week’s events in her head, thinking about all the things she was going to tell her mother in her next letter.
The next day Lilian walked to work with Fritha, the sun was hiding behind wispy white clouds and the streets were buzzing with activity. Lilian became engrossed in watching the various shopkeepers opening their doors and blinds to let in the sun and potential customers. Today was not a market day so any trade would have to be done inside, this meant that the normally quiet shopping quarters would be thronging with nobles, locals and tourists. Lilian spotted a few young pickpockets loitering in alleyways chatting between themselves and keeping keen eyes out for any purses. Nobles from the top of the hill had a funny way of showing off just how wealthy they were by keeping their purses hanging heavily off the back of their belts. As if their brazen boasting was not enough, they dressed in bright clothes dyed in the rarest and most fashionable colours. Lilian caught sight of three young noblewomen leaving a hat shop, laughing and gossiping and each carrying a beautiful new hat. It seemed that the fashion in women’s headgear these days was to have long and garish feathers protruding from the top and back. Lilian made a mental note to tell Mr Twitchett that there might be a market here for any spare feathers he had lying around. She found herself distracted by the colours and laughing faces of the crowd. So distracted that she failed to notice that after turning down one of her regular routes to work, the crowd had become decidedly thinner. Lilian failed to see that people were avoiding this particular street and anyone walking past her in the opposite direction was doing so in a hurried fashion with their heads down. Fritha, however, did notice. She sniffed at the air as people ran past, she saw the looks on their faces and felt her old instincts begin to prickle. She stopped. Lilian was jerked backwards as she was still holding onto Fritha’s lead. She looked back in confusion and saw Fritha sitting on the cobbles and staring intently ahead. Lilian followed her gaze and only then noticed that the street was completely empty. Her attention was suddenly drawn back to Fritha who was lowering her head to the ground. Lilian noticed a ripple of blue on her chin and chest and worried that someone might notice.
“What is it?” she asked, “What’s wrong lady?” Lilian stroked her companion’s head in an effort to calm her. Using her affectionate name for her, rather than her more formal title she used when training. Suddenly, Fritha let out that familiar gong like sound.
It was deep and chilling and had Lilian not known about it before she might have looked up to see if a church was ringing its bell nearby. Lilian knew by now though that the sound meant fear, be it Fritha’s own fear or the fear of others. The sound and the emotion were so linked in her mind that it produced feelings of fear in Lilian as well. She looked about and began to notice the twitching curtains and the markedly empty shop windows. Lilian was in the wrong place. She glanced back down the street where she had come from but saw only a hand reaching out of a window two stories up to close a shutter. She began to look around for her own place to hide, knowing that hiding was necessary but without actually knowing why. And then, she saw why.
The sound of shoes on cobbles drew her attention back up to where Fritha was looking. A small group was approaching her, Lilian counted four people. She had been so caught off guard that she found herself freezing to the spot and gawking aimlessly at the group as they stepped closer and closer. There was a tall, dark man whose every step sent little ripples through the puddle in front of Lilian. His arms were big as tree trunks and his chest was as wide as a barrel. To his left was a small and graceful woman with a peculiar red mark around her left eye. Lilian could see the handles of two long blades poking out from behind her shoulders. There was another man slightly behind them but Lilian could not see his face as it was covered by the blue hood from his beautiful travelling cloak. A red gem brooch, roughly cut was pinning it together. Beside him walked a slender and dangerous looking dog with pointed ears. The man held it close to him by way of a rusted chain attached to a dirty leather collar. None of these people drew Lilian’s attention as much however as the woman who was leading them. She was striding confidently ahead, her shaved head held high and her silk blouse billowing in the wind. Lilian caught sight of a dark bird, its wings and claws outstretched in a killing swoop emblazoned across the top of her chest in dark ink. Her face was freckled and friendly looking, especially considering the wide smile she was currently brandishing in Lilian’s direction. Her heeled boots clicked across the cobbles in effortless grace as she swung her bejeweled fingers in wide arcs by her side. She was the only one of the group that was smiling but all of them were looking at Lilian, including the black dog, as they walked past her. The dog growled a low rumble at Fritha but Lilian was too distracted by the lead woman to pay it any attention. The tattooed leader suddenly gave Lilian a cheeky wink as she went by and in a hoarse voice said,
“Cute pooch.”
For the rest of the day Lilian could not get the image of that group out of her head. She’d asked Mr Twitchett about who he thought they might be and why the street had cleared so quickly in anticipation of their arrival. Unfortunately he did not recognise any of them from Lilian’s descriptions and he became distracted by a customer before Lilian could pursue the issue further. Fortunately Mr Attorcop proved more illuminating on the subject. Lilian mentioned the group to him while he was measuring out a greyish liquid into a few glass dishes. Lilian often arrived at his attic before he’d finished his work for the day and whenever this happened they would chat about trivial things or Mr Attorcop would test her on her history or philosophy. On this occasion he seemed to be very distracted and so was not talking much as he worked. When Lilian described the lead woman however he nearly dropped the beaker he was holding and had to gently place it down before turning to Lilian.
“Sorry,” she said, “I didn’t mean to startle you. Does that mean you know who she is?”
“I do,” he replied, nodding, “her name is Tazial Bried. And she is a very dangerous and nasty woman.” The name rang a big bell in Lilian’s head. Bried.
“I’ve heard of her. Isn’t she some sort of underworld, boss, gangster woman?”
“She is all of those things.” Lilian thought for a second and remembered her friendly, smiling face.
“She didn’t seem nasty.” she said.
“You’re going to have to trust me on this one Lilian.” replied Mr Attorcop as he turned back to his work.
“You know, people said you were nasty when I first met you.” remarked Lilian.
“I am nasty.” Lilian laughed.
“Nah. You’re just misunderstood.” Mr Attorcop did not reply to this.
“What are you doing there?” Lilian tried to look over his shoulder at the little glass dishes he was filling with grey solution.
“When I was in that horrible forest I managed to swipe a bit of soil and keep it in my pockets. I wanted to find out what kind of properties it possessed, seeing as my keeper was able to dig out fresh food from beneath it at a moment’s notice.” He pointed to a small reed-woven basket on the edge of the table that was filled with dark brown, almost black earth. “It doesn’t seem to be anything special but then last night I had an idea. What if I combined some of the lunar essence with the soil? Something so filled with energy mixing with something so devoid of life might produce interesting results.”
“And…” asked Lilian.
“So far, inconclusive. But the essence does seem to have lasted a much longer time in the solution than when just out of its vial and exposed to air.” Mr Attorcop pointed to a small beaker to his left that had a thin layer of what looked like water at the bottom of it. Lilian assumed this to be a control beaker. Lilian took the basket of earth and peered inside, it looked like moist earth and crumbled at her touch. It smelt like decaying damp, like the smell you might find in an old basement that had flooded a few months ago. Lilian wrinkled her nose and put it back.
“It’s actually quite interesting.” Lilian looked back to Mr Attorcop, it was hard to tell if he was ever excited by anything, but today Lilian did notice it by the slight speed in his speech and how he would occasionally blink rapidly. “This is by far the longest I’ve ever seen the essence last outside of the Kerakis glass.”
“How long has it been?” asked Lilian.
“Four hours.” Lilian’s eyes widened. The grey liquid in the dishes was still quite clearly energised by the essence. It was thick and shimmering and ever moving like thick broth above a flame. Lilian found the movement mesmerising and she was staring at it for a good while before she thought of a question.
“Have you tried using it for any gloaming?” Mr Attorcop shook his head. “What about, tasting it?” Mr Attorcop shot her a quizzical look. “You know. Don’t you sometimes drink essence when you use it?”
“On occasion.” he replied.
“Well, this must taste pretty horrible if it's got dirt in it.” Lilian didn’t mean to burst his proverbial bubble but she did notice Mr Attorcop’s face fall a little when she mentioned drinking dirt.
“Well, I suppose there’s only one way to find out…” Lilian stepped back to watch him work. Mr Attorcop took one of the small glass dishes containing the grey solution with his left hand and placed his right hand, fingers open, palm down over the dish. A look of intense concentration fell over his face. Lilian saw a small vein in his forehead begin to pulse with effort.
“I shall try and produce the moonblade.” he whispered so softly that Lilian almost didn’t hear him. They looked at the grey liquid. It continued to shift and move just as it always had done. Lilian began to worry that the experiment was a failure when slowly a dark and shimmering handle began to rise from the dish, Mr Attorcop placed his hand comfortably around it and lifted it up, pulling out a long blade from the dish as he did. The metal was noticeably darker than that of the blade Mr Attorcop had given Lilian to fight with that afternoon against Helmont. Mr Attorcop put the dish down and stepped away from the table to give the blade a few practise swings.
“How is it?” asked Lilian.
“A little heavier than normal.” he replied, swinging it in a wide arc over his head. “But it’s still well balanced and seems sharp enough.” He looked back at the desk, specifically at an empty part near the edge. “Stand back.” Lilian took a couple of steps towards the stairs and turned to watch Mr Attorcop step back, raise the blade in an attacking stance and swiftly lunge towards the table. The dark metal streaked a black flash through the air and Lilian heard a loud crack as Mr Attorcop brought it down on the wood of the desk. He had clearly meant to embed the blade in the wood to test its strength, and Lilian even thought at first that he had succeeded. But on closer inspection she saw that it was the blade that had made the noise and had apparently shattered into 6 different pieces. One was still skidding across the floorboards as she heard Mr Attorcop curse under his breath.
“It’s not as reactive as pure essence, and clearly not as strong.” Despite the obvious failure he turned to Lilian with a smile on his face.
“But this is progress! Certainly the most significant step since discovering the glass, and that was a long time ago.” He began to pick up the pieces of the sword and Lilian went to help him. They were cold to the touch and were almost back to their liquid state by the time Lilian placed them in the glass dish.
“What do you think it needs?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. Perhaps some kind of reacting agent. Something to bring out the power of the essence without nullifying the preservative effects of the soil.” He turned to look down at Lilian. “Miss Lausanne.” he said, standing up straight, “I think we need to go shopping.”
Lilian looked on in confusion as Mr Attorcop grabbed one of his dark cloaks, a brown and black wax cotton travelling cloak with a silver chain, and threw it over his shoulders with a flourish as he prepared to go outside. This was confusing to Lilian because it was evening and most shops in Freedos tended to close around mid afternoon. Not knowing how long they would be, Lilian whispered to Fritha to stay and be patient (which Fritha seemed to welcome as she hastily jumped onto Mr Attorcop’s bed, tired from the day’s walking). She then hastily followed Mr Attorcop who was already halfway down the twisting stairwell.
Lilian had trouble keeping up with him as he strode confidently up the hill. They walked past terraced houses with increasingly ornate iron wrought balconies. Lilian recognised the path they were taking as one leading to Leuhta, a rather nice part of Freedos that mainly comprised of houses belonging to lesser nobles and their families. Lilian had delivered a few pieces for Mr Twitchett in this area, including a white cat and a rather smart looking otter. The noble families enjoyed showing off their heritage to each other and one way they did this was by using animals. Land-owning families used to have sigils, often depicting animals, painted onto their banners and shields. It was a way of identifying them on the battlefield. These days the battles between families were no longer fought with swords, but rather with deceitful actions and cutting words. Sometimes families that came into new money had to look very hard amongst the city records to find evidence of any sigils and animals from the past that they could associate with their names. Lilian suspected the family who stuffed the otter might have had to invent their animal from scratch.
Lilian continued to follow Mr Attorcop until they turned a corner and found themselves in a small square. The stone paved area was so small that it could barely be called a square, it was more of a courtyard but instead of just one entrance it had doors and steps on all three sides. In the centre was a small statue of a woman sitting on a rock, she had long intricately carved hair only slightly worn away by the rain and instead of legs she had the tail of a fish. Lilian suppressed a giggle. She looked ridiculous.
“Lilian?” Suddenly, there was a voice behind her saying her name. She whipped round to see Katherine coming down the steps leading up to an ornate black door with brass detailing. The house was thin but three floors tall. The windows were framed in white painted wood and Lilian could see lace curtains lining the inside.
“Katherine!” she shouted, smiling. Mr Attorcop turned to see who she was addressing.
“Do you live here??” asked Lilian in astonishment. Katherine laughed as she walked across the sloping street to the little courtyard.
“Goodness no. This is where I work.” Lilian remembered how Katherine was the governess to a noble family. She wanted to give her a big hug but quickly realised that she was being rude by not doing introductions.
“Katherine this is Cromwell Attorcop, Cromwell, this is Mrs Katherine Brown.” Lilian watched them as they bowed the socially appropriate half bow.
“A pleasure Mrs Brown.”
“Likewise Mr Attorcop. I’ve heard much about you from our mutual friend here.” Lilian couldn’t stop smiling. This was a strange and funny experience. They were both such different people and yet Lilian held them both in such high esteem she found herself saying a little prayer inside her head that they would like each other as much as she liked them both separately. She felt suddenly worried that each of them might judge her for the odd company she kept when not in their presence. But they were smiling. That was a good sign surely?
“May I ask what brings you to Luehta quarter?” asked Katherine. Lilian blurted out,
“We’re going shopping!” Before realising that this might be information Mr Attorcop had wanted to keep a secret. Lilian wondered why she was being so ridiculous in front of her friends.
“Shopping?” wondered Katherine looking around at the distinct lack of shops, “Where?” Lilian looked to Mr Attorcop as she had been wondering the same thing. Mr Attorcop looked a little sheepish and glanced around before speaking in a hushed voice.
“My lady, we are seeking certain unsavoury folk who sell certain substances and items not fully approved by the state. Nothing illegal you understand, just too dangerous to be sold openly in Checkhad market. I should not like to mix one so refined as yourself up in such a low business.” For the first time Lilian understood how Mr Attorcop was able to run his business of power. He effortlessly guided conversations while making everyone feel at ease, offering possibility with one hand while snatching away suspicion with the other. Katherine smiled and shot Lilian a little wink.
“Good sir you mistake me for a noble lady of soft sensibilities. Rest assured I do not swoon at the sight of Freedos’ rough underbelly. I’m intrigued rather, might I join you both in your illicit mission?” Lilian’s head swivelled back to Mr Attorcop, it was like watching a game of back and ball between two champions. She looked pleadingly at him, willing him to agree.
“My lady I would welcome your company. Be sure to stay close to Lilian here, she will act as your personal guard should the situation become dangerous.” Lilian smiled and Katherine linked arms with her in mock fear. They both watched Mr Attorcop turn back to the square with an analytical gaze. He looked at the statue and then left and right, he looked like he was trying to remember a detail he’d memorised some years ago.
In the blink of an eye he was off, walking towards the back of the square, where there was a tall bush cut into the form of a diving fish. The tree was just big enough to hide all three of them from sight of the main street and any prying eyes from the windows above. Katherine and Lilian exchanged confused looks as there was clearly nothing here that resembled a shop. There was just a corner where two brickwork walls met. Mr Attorcop studied them for just a second before glancing back to check no one was watching. He then raised his right hand and knocked on the brick wall. He knocked twice, paused and then knocked again. Lilian had expected the bricks to absorb the sound and for his knocks to only produce a stony thud. But each strike sounded more like the tapping of wood. After a quiet and tense half minute there was a click and a large section of the brick work swung open. Lilian’s eyes widened in amazement at the intricacy and detail of the facade. In the opening, one hand resting on the open cover, was a young man. Probably only a few years older than Lilian he looked at the three of them with clever green eyes. A quick jerk of his head signalled that they were to enter.
Lilian, Katherine and Mr Attorcop stepped over the threshold and began walking down a small, rickety wooden staircase. The lad followed them after shutting the false wall. The stairs creaked under their collective weight and Lilian worried about getting splinters from the unfinished banister. Flickering candles lit their descent into a large basement. Mr Attorcop had to stoop to avoid hitting the beams.
“I’ll just ask that you keep your voices down while you’re here.” said the boy in a tone barely above a whisper. He stood in front of them and pointed at the ceiling, “Upstairs don’t really know about this place.” They all nodded and Lilian began to look about. The room was lit exclusively by candles and the scent and smoke of their wax filled the air. They illuminated several shelving units around the edges of the room, all erected tightly against the brick walls. Every shelf housed a myriad of jars, baskets, boxes and containers all of which contained different substances and materials. Lilian saw a glass jar filled with bones, a box with a label that said ‘deadly dapperling’ and even a small bottle filled with blue liquid with a fading ticket round its neck that read ‘do not gargle’. She was just examining a jar that had a familiar looking multicoloured fur in it when the soft sound of a muted woman’s voice drew her attention to a doorway behind a makeshift counter.
“Hello Cromwell. Long time.”
“Good evening Katrina.” The soft voice belonged to a short, red haired woman dressed in a lavish lime green gown. She held a fan that was a similar colour to her dress, which had tiny gems and stones detailing its ornate lace. Lilian smiled at seeing someone with the same hair colour as her, she hadn’t realised how rare it was in this city.
“I see you’ve brought friends. Welcome to the rare flower market. Please don’t touch anything, Pete, be a darling and fetch our guests a drink.” She flicked her fan towards the boy and he rushed to the doorway behind her with a, “Yes mum.”
“Lilian,” Mr Attorcop was gesturing for Lilian to come over. “I’d like you to meet Katrina Sturgeon. A friend and someone who will help you if I’m ever, indisposed again.”
Lilian bowed graciously, “A pleasure Ma’am.” Katrina pretended to blush.
“I like this one Cromwell. Quite the little lady.” Perhaps it was the smoky atmosphere or the strange intoxicating smells, but Lilian was charmed. She felt her face grow redder and redder as Katrina complemented her clothes and hair.
“You know I have a root that will bring out the red colour even more, only 6 silver bits per stone.” Lilian was interested but Mr Attorcop cut the deal short.
“Would you mind if we discussed business Kat?”
“Cromwell,” she replied, in mock disappointment, “Always so serious. Very well then, what do you need?” Lilian drifted away from the grown ups to go and explore the shelves with Katherine. After a few minutes the boy, apparently called Pete, brought out a sweet green tea that they sipped while listening to him explain the fascinating properties of various mushrooms.
“This whole wall is mushrooms. Mostly they’ll just make you sick but this.” He pointed to a glass bottle with some dried green strands of plant in it, “That will make you sick just by touching it. It’s literally called puke weed.” Katherine and Lilian laughed at the name and recoiled at the thought of touching it. Pete’s knowledge was encyclopedic, he even gave the Dormese names for a lot of the herbs and powders he showed off. After the tour Mr Attorcop approached them holding several net bags filled with thick paper packages and signalling that it was time to go.
“Little Lilian,” Katrina’s voice drew Lilian’s attention as she started walking back up the stairs. She turned to see the glamorous woman handing her a short orange stick, no bigger than her finger. “Just crumble it into the bath and soak your hair for a few minutes.” Lilian beamed as she took it,
“Thank you very much. But, I’m afraid I have no money…”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Katrina said, waving the comment away with her fan, “A little gift from me.” Lilian smiled, and pocketed it.
The three of them said goodbye and left the rare flower market as quietly as they came in, clicking the wall shut behind them and breathing in the fresh evening air. Lilian felt as though she had been on some grand adventure, the memories of all the sights and smells mixing into one sensory explosion in her head. Katherine chatted excitedly all the way down the hill.
“And did you see all the materials? Do you know how hard it is to find Spider silk in Freedos, I haven’t seen any in years. She must charge a fortune, what did you say her name was? Sturgeon?” Mr Attorcop gestured with his hands for Katherine to keep her voice low.
“Yes, she is an old friend. One of the good ones, but you’re right, she is a ruthless profiteer and charges outrageous prices. Lilian I believe that is the first time I’ve ever seen her give someone anything for free. You know… if you ever needed any extra cash, a few of Fritha’s hairs would probably sell quite well and she would only charge a small commission.” Lilian wishes she’d known that when she had been half starved but felt odd about cutting away any of Fritha’s beautiful coat.
“Katrina Sturgeon…” Katherine was still musing, “Hold on.” she said, dropping her voice so as not to be heard by a couple walking up towards them, “Kat Sturgeon, she’s not… She’s not the Catfish is she?” Lilian didn’t know what this meant, but she turned to see Mr Attorcop suppress a smile.
“I’m afraid I’ve no idea what you mean my lady.” Katherine’s smile faded a little and her face went pale. Lilian was about to ask about the revelation when they reached Mr Attorcop’s door. The journey back had been surprisingly short, probably because most of it had been downhill.
“Would you like to see Fritha?” Lilian asked Katherine, knowing how fond she was of her companion.
“Oh I would, do you mind if I come up?”
“Not at all, it will be nice to have that creature slobber over someone else’s clothes for once.” They all laughed as Mr Attorcop went to unlock his door. Suddenly he froze, staring in shock at the lock. Lilian looked down to see that the wood surrounding the lock was splintered and broken. Mr Attorcop touched the handle lightly and the door swung open with ease.
“Get behind me.” He spoke with urgency and fear. Katherine and Lilian did as they were told, sensing the worry in his voice. He reached into the depths of his cloak and Lilian heard the familiar pop signifying the unstoppering of a bottle of lunar essence. The next instant Mr Attorcop was brandishing the moon blade out in front of him and running up the stairwell two stairs at a time. Lilian followed quickly behind and was out of breath by the time she reached the attic. The door at the top of the stairs was still not fully fixed from when Mr Attorcop had smashed through it, so Lilian pushed the remnants easily aside. She was met with a site of destruction. Glass beakers lay shattered and scattered everywhere, covering the floor in sharp shards and splatters of liquid. The desks were broken, the bed was cut to ribbons, but Lilian ignored all of it. She only had eyes for one thing, the sad and bloodied body of an animal lying in the middle of the floor. She ran over and knelt beside it, her heart pounding in her chest. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry but all she could do was utter two, terrible words.
“Fritha. No…”