Honour Among Ghosts by Sean Williams

Author:Sean Williams [Sean Williams]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2022-07-19T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

Twenty-one

The town was abuzz after the events of the previous twenty-four hours. With the sunrise, came the end to curfew, and villagers gathered freely to exchange stories over fires and stoves and cups of warming chocolate. As Mab hurried to Mistress Penalune’s, sometimes stepping up to her knees in snow, she overheard snippets of conversations revealing the puzzlement, worry and anger felt by her neighbours. Slowly, she began to piece together what had happened.

More thefts, and Colm and three others imprisoned!

No one, now, was safe from the magistrate.

Almost, she turned to find Niclas and Penny to see if they were safe, but the armful of documents she carried in her satchel needed to be delivered so Mistress Penalune could sign off on them. There would be more on their way, no doubt. At this rate, Mistress P’s apprentice would need her own apprentice to keep up on the work …

As she turned the last corner, two pairs of mittened hands reached out of a sheltered nook and pulled her inside.

‘What in … Oh, it’s you two!’

Niclas and Penny were huddled together, waiting for her, and Mab tried to suppress another twinge of jealousy. What did it matter that they were keeping each other warm – out of necessity, surely! The weather demanded it, nothing else.

Still, she inched closer to Niclas in the nook, and he didn’t pull away.

‘Do you know about Colm?’ asked Penny.

‘Yes, and I would have come to you but …’ She hefted the satchel.

‘Is there any way to find out if he was under a spell?’ Penny asked.

‘Probably. We’d need to examine him for marks, though.’

Penny’s face fell. ‘They won’t even let me see Pa.’

‘Then you might find something in his room,’ Mab continued, thinking through possibilities aloud. ‘Under his pillow? Sewn into the hem of his clothes? But you’d never get in there to find out.’

‘I could,’ said Niclas, beaming with the excitement of a new plan.

‘No, it’s too dangerous,’ Mab said. ‘There will be constables everywhere. They’ve been hauling in people for interrogation all day!’

‘Fear not, Mab. I will be perfectly safe.’

He pulled her into a tight hug, and whatever protests she might have uttered died in her throat.

‘I – I’d better go,’ she stammered. ‘Mistress P will be waiting.’

‘Of course,’ said Penny. ‘Come by before curfew. We’ll tell you what we’ve found.’

‘If anything. I really think—’

It was too late. The pair were already out of the nook, spinning Mab around in the process, and hurrying up the snow-choked row.

Mab said a word she saved for particularly annoying occasions.

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