Chapter three

Eth City University: Magic Facility – Western School

‘Who are you?’ asked the tiny young woman with the amazing cheek bones. She looked like a smile.

Lily was startled. She’d been in the packed registration hall for just ten seconds and already someone had come straight over to talk to her.

‘I’m Molly’ she said, marvelling at how very easy it was to lie.

‘Hello Molly! I’m Julia’ said the girl, eagerly, ‘you must be starting today, too...’

Lily was briefly distracted by Julia’s eyes – they were deep and black: unnerving, but without a trace of malice. Her hair was also pitch black, piled in a bun on top of her head. She wondered if when unpinned it might reach the floor.

‘Uhhh, yes, I am, I suppose...starting today, I mean...yes’ Lily responded. Julia tilted her head to consider this mumble.

‘That’s an interesting accent...’ She stopped for a beat, looking a little concerned. ’Oh, Is Ethian not your first language?’

Lily nodded. Julia looked puzzled.

‘It is... or it isn’t?’

‘It is my first language – I’m from Amansk’

‘Oh really? I know nothing about Amansk at all, I’m afraid, but you can teach me all about it. I plan to find out about everything!’

Lily smiled despite herself.

‘It’s not a very exciting place – it’s not like here...’

‘Everywhere and everything that’s new is extraordinarily exciting, I promise you’

For a moment Lily was willing to believe it.

‘Have you made any friends yet’ Julia asked

Lily shook her head.

‘I’ve only been here for a few minutes. I just came in to register’

‘Great!’ Julia laughed and took her hands, ‘we can be first-found-friends – that’s a very important position. It means that you’re my best friend here – at least for a while...’

Lily smiled back. She’d come to the big city (so much bigger than Amansk) apprehensive and cowed but now, for the first time in several days, she’d forgotten all about that.  

‘Shouldn’t we get into one of these queues?’ she asked. The room was full of tables with people waiting patiently in line behind them. The queues had started forming at nine, and now she was regretting leaving it an hour before she came to sign up for her course.

Julia dragged her into the middle of the room. She dropped Lily’s hands and looked round.

‘I have to find Sebastian first’

‘Sebastian?’

‘My brother. He promised that he’d meet me here’ She lowered her voice, ‘He needs a huge amount of looking after. It’s a bit of a yawn, to be honest...’

‘Sounds like my brother...’ Lily stopped herself – did Molly have a brother? John had told her to tell the minimum number of lies possible. So, yes, Molly had a brother who was almost exactly like Toby.

‘Is he older or younger?’ asked Julia

‘Older. And yours?’

‘Five minutes younger – it makes all the difference!’

‘Oh – you’re twins?’

‘Yes’ Julia mock-groaned, ‘it’s such a burden!’

An exceptionally tall young man, with short blue-grey hair, appeared at their side. He looked cross.

‘This is Sebastian’ said Julia, ‘turning up right on time’

The young man glared at her sister.

‘This place is a shambles, Jules; why didn’t we come earlier?’

Julia frowned. She pointed to Lily.

‘I wanted to meet new people... and I did’

Sebastian stared at Lily idly, clearly intending to be unimpressed. However, he did a double take and ended up gawking at her. It was unnerving: was he leering? Lily turned back to Julia.

 ‘The room’s crowded with people... why did you make straight for me?’

Sebastian snorted.

‘Because you’re sweating magic’

Julia slapped his shoulder. Lily pressed her arms flat against her body imagining that she had a big wet patch under her armpits, perhaps even on her shirt.

‘Ignore him, he can be utterly horrible sometimes’

Sebastian glared at his twin.

‘However, it is true... you’re spilling magic like a broken tap spills water’

Julia reached over to slap him again, but stopped herself. She turned her attention to Lily.

‘We’re seers. We can spot emanations of magic. That’s why I came over – to investigate the friendly looking girl with the huge magical glow’  

Lily felt a sharp disappointment and it creased her face. Julia saw the look immediately and hugged her tight. 

‘I’m so sorry – you really did look friendly... And I really do want us to be friends...it wasn’t just the glow...’

The hug was about the friendliest thing that anyone had ever done to her so Lily forgave her. After allowing herself a few seconds of comfort she gently wriggled out of the embrace.

‘I thought it was I who was meant to be unbearable’ muttered Sebastian, ‘you’re positively nauseating...’

Without another word he was gone. Julia shrugged.

‘He’ll be back’ she said, ‘he won’t be able to stay away from you for very long’

Lily’s heart jumped a little, she wasn’t entirely sure why.

‘What?’

‘Because of the glow. He’ll want to know your story, even if it’s despite himself...’

Lily didn’t like the sound of that – no-one should get to know her story at all.

‘Are we going to queue?’ she asked. Julia looked round the room; it had filled up even more since they had entered.

‘No’ she announced, ‘let’s go and get a drink’

 

 

***

Student pubs were scattered around everywhere in the University Quarter; they catered for every taste. Every one of them would have been completely out of bounds for Princess Lily, but they might suit Molly Smith very well, who knew?

Julia started off at a fast pace, as if she knew where she was going, but after two dead ends and a tavern that smelt of straw soaked in horse urine, Lily started to suspect that she didn’t. 

‘Where are we going?’ she asked as they made their way back to the centre of the quarter.

‘No idea...’ giggled Julia, ‘I’m trying to find a nice pub. Preferably full of talent’

‘Talent...?’ Lily asked, knowing the answer.

‘Boys, of course... What do you call them in Ardansk?’

‘Amansk...’ Lily corrected her softly.

‘In Amansk, sorry – what do you call attractive young men?’

Servants thought Lily, but she just shrugged.

Julia stopped in the street and grabbed hold of Lily’s sleeve. She mimed shock.

‘You do know some attractive young men, don’t you, Moll?’

Lily though of Dom, but maybe he didn’t count. Who knew where he was anyway? They seemed somehow to have lost touch.

‘Not really’ she admitted, in awe of this level of sexual sophistication. ‘Do you, then?’

‘Well...’ started Julia, pushing her chest out so that her body shape was strongly accentuated. Lily was as astonished as she was impressed: her new friend must know so many things! But then Julia giggled. ‘...not really – that wasn’t the sort of thing that mother encouraged’

Lily felt disappointed again and once more Lily noticed her expression change. She grabbed hold of her hand again.

‘But we can do something about that now, can’t we. We’re going to meet loads of boys! And you’re so lovely they’ll buzz round you like bees...’

 ‘...I’m not sure that I want lots of bees buzzing round me...’

Julia groaned. ‘...let me finish...’

‘What?’

‘It’s an Ethian expression... it’s “like bees round a honeypot”

Lily coloured slightly.

‘Isn’t that a bit rude?’ she asked, half-hoping that it was.

Julia sighed and raised her eyebrows.

‘Perhaps we’ll find a tea shop’ she said, ‘I’m not sure that you’re ready for pubs and boys just yet...’

 

***

That was how they found Aunt Amelia’s Jam Emporium, a tweedy shop whish served beverages in a tiny room in the back. They ordered cream teas, which were served by a hairy man who they assumed was not Aunt Amelia.  Once the pot of tea and the scones has arrived Julia began to tell Lily her life story – and the expectation floating there was that ‘Molly’ would do the same.

Julia started off at a breakneck pace.

‘So, my father is the High Lord’s lawyer; well, one of them. He’s based at the Inner Lion Court. His job is amazingly boring but fortunately he isn’t – he’s rather fun. |The there’s my mother. She hates that Sebastian and I are Seers and she blames my dad; which is sort of true. He’s a westerner and I think he’d have been a witch if she’d been given a chance. But his parents are so fuddy-duddy...’

 She stopped, frowned and took a sip of her tea. Then she looked at Lily.

‘Sorry – I gabble; I’ve been told it’s a serious etiquette problem...’

Lily smiled. She felt much calmer now that they were in a safer space.

‘I don’t mind. I do the same thing...’

‘Really?’ exclaimed Julia, ‘you seem a bit quiet at the moment... but feel free to gabble away. I’ll eat my scone. Tell me about your family...’

Lily’s heart sank. She had been prepared for this moment, of course, but now that it had come she felt tempted to tell the truth and get it over with; but she knew she couldn’t, it would be the end of her adventure. All the adults, from her father down to John had made it clear that if she was found out then she would have to go home.

‘My father is an Ethian merchant from Hinter. He’s been based in Amansk for a long time now – it’s the only place I’ve ever known. My mother tries to keep to the Ethian ways, although she’s from Gorodnikov...’

As she spoke she realised that, with Julia at least, this was going to work. Her new friend had clearly only the faintest idea where any of the places that she was talking about were to be found.  She was able to weave a story that was true enough to be believable and for the time being it was being swallowed.

So, she gave herself a governess (plausible enough in a foreign country), a loving father (proven time and time again), an equally loving, but very particular mother (only a bit unfair), and a clumsy, dull and boorish brother (grossly unfair). Maybe this would be more fun than she had feared.

‘And they don’t know I’m training to be a witch’ she blurted out, happily.

Julia’s eyes widened precipitously.

‘What? Really? You’re going to be a witch? How do you know that? I thought that was all dependent on how good we are and... well... lots of other stuff I don’t yet understand’

Lily gulped. Julia’s expression changed completely – she almost looked glum.

‘Of course you’re going to be a witch – just look at you...’ Julia stared at her as if she were wearing a tiara and a diamond necklace.

Lily shook her head violently. She swallowed the last piece of her scone, but too late to interrupt her companion, who was now staring at her, imploring.

‘Will you help me?’ she asked, ‘I really want to be a witch, but Sebastian says that I’m not ruthless enough and that I’m not focused enough. He says I’m only good for fixing and mending things... will you help me...umm... focus?’   

Lily slumped in her chair. Why hadn’t she kept her mouth shut?

‘I’ll try...’ she mumbled, ‘...I really will. But I don’t know what’s going on either. That was just a slip of the tongue’

Julia shook herself and grimaced. She had that look again that Lily was beginning to recognise – an acute awareness of the effect that her actions were having on others.

‘I am such a foolish thing...’ she moaned, but the smile had returned to her face, ‘and I’m really bad at waiting for things!’

Lily smiled back.

‘I’m not good either...’ she admitted, ‘I can’t wait to start learning properly’

Julia pushed back her chair and stood up. She unpinned her hair and it dropped down to just below her hips. She looked striking and just a little scary; Lily thought she looked wonderful – just like a witch ought to be. She reached across the table to touch Lily’s hand.

‘Let’s go and learn to be witches then, Molly...’ she said, ’...and let’s not let anyone stand in our way!’

They finished their tea and went back out into the big world. Neither of them had any idea what they had just started.