Emily Feather and the Starlit Staircase by Holly Webb

Author:Holly Webb
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic UK
Published: 2014-04-09T16:00:00+00:00

“That’s beautiful,” Emily murmured, admiring the design in the sketch pad laid out on Eva’s table. Ivy leaves in shades of green and black and silver wound across the page, and as Emily watched, the silvery lines twisted and shimmered, and tiny creatures seemed to peer out from between the winding stems, grinning at her.

“It’s a design for a silk scarf,” Eva explained, flicking her fingers and sending the little sprites running back into the paint. “Though of course, the scarf won’t have the added extras. . . You really must be getting stronger, Emily, now that you can see the magic in my designs.” She shook up the cushions on the little sofa in the corner of her studio and gently pushed Emily on to it. “You look exhausted,” she told Emily, lowering herself down carefully next to her.

Eva was looking a lot bigger, Emily suddenly thought, noticing the careful way she moved. She was still graceful, but it was a watchful, considered sort of grace, nothing like her usual dancing movement.

“Are you all right?” Emily asked anxiously, sitting up again. She had slumped back against the cushions, tired out after her strange day. A dozen different odd things had happened to her since she’d found out the truth about her family. But the journey into another version of her own life had been the strangest of all. At the same time, Emily was happier than she had been for ages. She was sure now that she belonged here – not with Izzy. She felt peaceful, she decided, now that she knew more about her birth mother. Peaceful, but also a bit limp and exhausted. Still, she struggled upright, looking worriedly at her mother.

“Oh, I’m fine!” Eva smiled at her. “Just so clumsy and big. Sit back, Emily.” Her voice was very soft now, with a low buzz to it like the hum of a bumblebee, and Emily smiled.

“Did you do this when I was a baby?” she murmured. “Sing spells to me, to send me to sleep?”

“Sometimes,” her mother said, laughing. “But you were never that much of a problem to get to sleep. I should think you remember me singing to Robin – he didn’t want to sleep at all.”

Emily nodded. “I wonder what the new baby will be like. . .” she said drowsily, leaning her head against Eva’s shoulder.

“Me too,” her mother whispered, stroking her fingers gently down Emily’s cheek. The buzzing seemed to fill the room – a soft, sleepy, musical sound. It purred in and out of Emily’s mind, making her think of sunshine, and humming bees, and honey sweetness. And cats, just for a moment, which made her twitch crossly, thinking of Dantis and his smug white-catness. The humming of the spell deepened, and pulled her further into sleep.

Emily began to dream. She was restless at first, wriggling and tossing her head, and Eva patted her hair, smoothing it down gently and changing the note of the humming magic that was keeping Emily asleep.

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