“Where is he, you little rat?” he snarled. I could smell the vinegar scent of wine on his breath.
“What are you talking—?”
The tendons in my shoulder cried out as he dragged on my twisted arm.
“I’m sick of your games! Tell me where he is. I know he’s still here.”
“I don’t know—”
“You’re determined to make life hard for yourself, aren’t you?”
“No!” I screamed, but was silenced as his hand clamped back over my mouth. For a moment he was holding me up only by my twisted arm and the pain was awful. His other arm took me round the waist and we were gliding. The door between the Eyrie and our wing of the house flew open and slammed shut behind us, and then we were flowing down the hallway towards my room.
“You almost had me convinced that he’d gone with that woman, but even witless peasants don’t believe in a haunting without reason. Someone saw a ghost in your room yesterday, and we both know who he is.”
The hallway was empty of potential witnesses. Once we were inside my room he could do what he liked to me. Would Klea be there? And would she reveal herself and help me if she was?
He still had his hand clamped over my mouth. I tried to swerve into the wall or brace myself against some furniture, but he was using magic to move us and I could get no purchase.
“Stop struggling,” he hissed as my door flew open before us. “I could pop this arm out of its socket in a snap; and I will, if you don’t tell me where he is.”
I heard the door slam behind us. The room was empty. Only an unmade bed. No Klea. Oh, no.
“Right. Show me where he is, or I’ll break something. I want that ghost.”
He wasn’t going to take his hand off my mouth, so I couldn’t scream. My mind ran around and around, trying to think of some way out of this.
“Come on, quickly! No, don’t shake your head at me. I know he’s here.”
He yanked my arm back further. The tendons at my shoulder stretched like hot wires. It hurt so much I screamed into his hand.
“Stop that!” shouted a stern voice and Klea jumped up from the other side of the bed.
“What are you doing here?” snarled Illuminus.
“I said, let her go!” shouted Klea. Her crystal flashed and I felt the force of her magic shake Illuminus.
“Stay out of it, rat!” shouted Illuminus, but he dropped me. Luckily we were standing just above the floor; but even so, I fell flat on my face. As I lay there trying to will my stunned body to flee, magical force streamed past me.
With a creak, my huge old wooden bed tipped sideways and Klea disappeared behind it.
I scrabbled forward, not knowing where I was going, simply getting away from Illuminus. A dark shape loomed over me and the huge wooden bed leg thudded onto the floor beside my head. I think I may have screamed like a child.
Klea must have tipped the bed back into place, almost braining me in the process. At least now I was safely underneath it.
“How dare you?” The low hiss of Klea’s voice made my blood run cold. Air rushed and flesh slapped into flesh, and Illuminus started gagging. I could see Klea’s boots on the other side of the bed, and Illuminus’ feet dangling off the floor, kicking at the air.
Something smashed against a wall.
“No, you don’t, you prick,” snarled Klea. He must had thrown something at her. “You—”
The door slammed open.
“Lor—Stop that! Let him go.” The room was full of the rushing of magic. I—hero that I was—huddled under the bed, my hands over my head.
“Who are you?” cried a woman. “How dare you attack one of the family? Are you harmed, Lord Illuminus?”
She didn’t know who Klea was!
Two sets of feet by the door. More retainers, from the look of their boots. And from the way the air was tingling with magical force and full of crystal light, they must have a good hold on Klea. Her boots were still and she’d risen from the floor.
“Let me go,” shouted Klea. “I’m... Ooof!”
It sounded like someone’d hit her in the stomach. Then came the sound of a slap.
“My lord, should you...?” said the woman.
“Hold the rat still, will you?” croaked Illuminus and there came another thudding body blow and a groan from Klea. And they were letting him hit her, because he was family and they were new family retainers and clearly had no idea who Klea was. I had to do something.
“Nooo!” I screamed, pushing myself out from under the bed and grabbing Illuminus’ legs. “Stop him.” And for want of anything better to do, I bit him on the calf. Dry mouthful of cloth.
“Argh, you rat!” shrieked Illuminus and I felt him grab my hair, felt his force gathering against my body and—
“What is going on here?”
For once I was actually glad to hear Impi’s voice.
“Stop this disgraceful... Klea, what are you doing...? Let her go, you idiots—this is Lady Splendance’s daughter, Lady Sparklea. Illuminus, what do you mean by this appalling behaviour?”
They must have pulled their magic back because Klea dropped to the floor. She was clutching her chest. A breast blow, the dirty pig!
I crawled over to her, murmuring anxious questions. Her eyes were screwed up in pain.
“Lord Illuminus! I demand an explanation as to why you would strike a fellow family member. And where is Shine? Why are you mistreating her?”
“I’m here, my lord,” I called out. “She was protecting me. I think he’s really hurt her. Can you sit up, Klea?”
Auntie Eff was there, helping us both up. Klea was still bent over in pain and we heaved her onto the bed. No help from the mages, who were too busy being shouted at by Impi.
“My dear, are you harmed?” cried Eff, clutching at me. I shrugged her off. I was too worried about Klea, who was lying curled up on the bed.
“Did he hurt you?” I whispered to her.
“Leave her quiet so that she can heal herself,” hissed Eff.
Klea opened her eyes and gave me a twisted smile and a nod and closed her eyes again.
“Come,” said Eff, putting her arms around me and drawing me towards the door.
“Hold him!” shouted Impi, and sure enough, there was Illuminus’ crystal lit up, trying to get out of the window. “Lord Illuminus, you will explain this disgraceful behaviour to me. What do you mean by trying to harm a member of the family like this?”
“This is a private matter between these women and myself. I can only say that my anger against this creeping little rat was entirely justified.”
“But striking her is not. Not in this house.”
“Perhaps I allowed my temper to get the better of me, but if you knew—”
“Rubbish,” I shouted. “He’s a—”
To my astonishment, Eff clapped her hand over my mouth.
“I will speak for my brother,” said a voice. Toy stood in the doorway in a swirl of gauzy green robes. I wondered if anyone else heard Klea’s gasp. I turned back to look at her and thought I saw alarm in her eyes. She closed them and seemed to curl further up into herself. I guessed she hadn’t found the letter, and was now giving up all hope. I tried to go to her, but Eff was drawing me slowly but surely out of the room.