If Wishes Were Horses 21

Today’s word count 1807.      Total word count 41,307

We moved to the table so it would be easier to work. I laid out my notebook and opened Professor Sturnus’s book at the relevant page.  “I assume Professor Sturnus is also a relative of yours?” I asked Ami, “Given his name and everything.”

“Indeed he is one of my brothers, but that is not his real name, merely a representation for convenience sake. Now let us study his words carefully to see his advice. ‘A member of the leaden group’. That simply means the infestation is susceptible to my kind. ”

“And what is your kind?”

“You already know I am an Asterling.”

“Well yes, I know that, but I have no idea what that actually means, in magic terms. I’ve read the books several times now and I don’t remember any mention of Asterlings or starlings. What….are you?”

He looked at me as if taking my measure before deciding what to say, then began an explanation. I don’t pretend to understand it all but I grasped some. Ami and his kind belong to the silver Fae. They have many of the same powers that the leaden Fae have - ability to change shape, disappear at will, grant wishes and so on – but they are not driven by malice. It turns out that Dee – I had trouble thinking of it any other way – could create havoc through my wishes because sometimes there was ill feeling behind them. The guy in the sports car, the bad tempered way I thought about Mr Elliott, even Father Brendan, if I’m honest. I did resent the fact he wouldn’t help me. Artimisia ignore nice wishes and concentrate on the nasty ones. Asterlings, on the other hand, ignore nasty wishes and grant good ones. Basically it boiled down to the fact that Dee was one of the bad guys and Ami was one of the good guys.

“So if I have such bad thoughts, why did you help me that day in the library?”

He smiled. “Because your good thoughts outweigh the bad many times over. You proved that with your charity donation. You were willing to give freely, and you were generous.”

“Was I?” I genuinely could not remember.

“Yes you were. But we will not succeed in our plan if you continue to interrupt. Let us concentrate on the matter in hand.”

Ami went through the rest of the details in the book, pondering carefully over each sentence. It was too late to prevent my infection and it was clear I had picked up the contamination from the pendant.

“Do you still have the chain?” Ami asked.

“Yes. I think it’s in the bathroom. I remember throwing it there the last time he, I mean it, visited me.”

“Go and fetch it, but do not touch it directly. Do you have gloves?”

“I have some tissues. Will that do?” Ami nodded and I went to find the necklace.

When I brought it back he said, “Place the object on the table. Then hold out these papers in the palm of your hand.” I did as I was told, dropping the chain with a metallic thud, then offering the tissues on my outstretched hand. Ami pointed at them and they vanished in a kind of smoke, but I felt no heat.  He then picked up the necklace and folded it away into a pocket in his jacket. “Why did you continue to wear the pendant?”

I explained that I’d had no choice. Even when I tried to throw it away the Dark Elf would put it back around my neck with magic. And I told him about the time it tried to strangle me.

“Malice indeed. Fear not. The piece is now safe. It cannot be returned to you.”  I breathed a sigh of relief.

“I wish the thing attached to it couldn’t be returned.”

“Angela, you must take more care. You are safe in uttering wishes in my presence but you must never do so again when the sprite can hear. When it next visits, and it will, you must not use that word. You must be ever vigilant against it.”

In spite of my earlier delight in seeing Ami at my door the reality of what I faced sank in. It was easy to believe my troubles were nearly over, sitting here with a protector at my side, but next time I would be on my own, and I wasn’t sure I could handle it.

“Do not fear. Although I might not be present you will have learned some defences. You will be able to fight back.” Then he turned back to the books. “It seems you must discover the creature’s true name if you are to overcome its power. Sadly the book is unclear how to do that.”

I read through the script again. “It says they have their names written on them in some form. What does that mean?”

“I do not know.  Mayhap it is on their skin, although shape changers may hide their skins well.”

“He can do glamour too. I mean, it can do glamour.”

Ami looked amazed. “You know this, how?”

“I talked to him about it. I mean it, about it. I read about glamour in one of the books and then I told him – it – later that the outfit it was wearing looked glamorous. I think it was a bit rattled by that.”

“Indeed it would be. You are truly a remarkable woman if you can recognise glamour on a leaden imp. You have strengths you do not know. I am in no doubt you will succeed in your battle. I fear you will have a hard struggle, however.”

We fell silent for a while, contemplating exactly what the words about the Artimis’s name could mean.  Eventually he went on, “I can only advise that you keep a close eye on the creature next time it visits.  I do not know if the book means upon its body in a literal sense or if there will be only hints. A rebus perhaps.”  I looked confused and Ami explained that a rebus is a way of depicting words by using images, sort of like a pictorial crossword clue. We talked longer about the situation I faced and how I could protect myself from the Elf’s power but in the end I figured the battle would be down to me. I could have Asterling amulets on me and even learn to recognise the truth about the Artimis, but my only full armour would be to have Ami or one of his brothers around all the time, and he had other people like me to look after.

“Oh yes, the book is not wrong. As it says, such infestations are common and my family must do what we can to prevent serious damage. I am sorry we could not help your Mr Elliott. That was very early in your trouble and the full extent of your infection had not yet been revealed. We regret his loss greatly.” I tried to reassure him that I didn’t blame him at all for what had happened and pointed out that the Artimis was responsible for all the harm caused.

“I do feel sorry for Father Brendan though. His lovely church getting destroyed and those beautiful windows, he must be devastated.  I wish……. No, I mean it – I wish there was something I could do to help him.”

“That is already underway. The church discovered it had adequate insurance cover to pay for the building to be created again. And an anonymous donor has offered to pay for replica windows to be installed when the building is complete. He has even offered to have another window made showing a phoenix rising from the ashes. It is not a symbol often found in a Christian church, but the donor insisted on all or nothing.”

“Why do I get the impression that the donor isn’t so anonymous to you?” I asked.

“Because I am aware of what he is.”

“What he is?” I echoed, “And what is that?”

“Why he is a phoenix, of course. He has lived near the church for many years and loved those windows. You may find as you battle your foe that you feel heat. Your sprite has made a powerful enemy through his actions and the magic bird will aid you if it can.

“Now I must leave. Are you ready for the battle ahead of you? When your enemy appears be calm. Do not allow your thoughts to utter wishes. Keep the Asterling stone near you at all times and think of me when you feel threatened. Keep a close eye on your enemy’s appearance for any clue to its true name.  If you discover it, simply state it out loud and the Artimis will be driven away. Can you remember all of that?”

I nodded, but I was far from sure. At least I knew I had friends in my fight, even if they couldn’t be there all the time for me.

“I have a question,” Ami said shyly. “May I call on you at any time? If I visit, may I enter your home?”

What an odd question, but then something came out of the depths of my memory.

“Are you some sort of vampire? They aren’t supposed to be able to get into your house unless you invite them.”

“It is the same restriction. No magical creature should invade a mortal’s home and should remain outside the boundary unless invited otherwise.”

“So how did the thing come and go when it wanted to?”

“Sadly you are infected and it can now visit as often as it wishes, unless you discover its name.  You must find it, for your health and sanity. Now I must go.”

He surprised me by standing patiently as if waiting for me to escort him to the door.

“Do you need to leave the normal way?  Can’t you just disappear into the mist like the infection does?”

“I am able to vanish in that way, but it is not polite to do so. In human company I prefer to behave with human manners.”

I showed him to the door and as I reached out for the handle he took my hand in both of his. I found something handed to me as he did so and when I looked down I saw it was a small, silver pendant with an enamelled surface, in the shape of a starling in flight.

“Wear this in place of the old chain, and if ever you need the assistance of one of my family they will come to your aid.” Then he slipped out of the door and walked away down the lobby. I didn’t actually see him vanish, but all at once he had gone.