“Oh. But did you kill three robbers this week in St. James using nothing but your hats?”
“No.”
“I see.” Her shoulders sagged.
“Well, that’s done,” Snodgrass said, emerging from the washroom. Although he looked as distracted as he had when flying through the storm, Alice was beginning to realize this was his resting scientist face. “I’ve installed an emergency toothbrush.”
“Thank you,” Alice said, “but there was no need, I brought my own spares.”
“As did I,” Daniel said.
“I meant in case you need to shoot someone with poisoned darts, what? Just be careful not to actually use it as a toothbrush, or you’ll have a jolly nasty toothache. I say, ha ha!”
“Ha ha!” Veronica echoed.
“Hm,” Daniel said. With a frown, he brought forth a map from his suitcase and unfolded it across the bed.
“This is the layout of Starkthorn Castle,” he said as the others gathered around. “We are here.” He indicated a small square that represented their bedroom. “We’ll mark the likely places for a weapon to be secured, then organize a grid-based plan for searching. Dr. Snodgrass, do you have a pen?”
“You wish to blow something up?” the scientist asked.
Daniel stared blankly at him for a moment, then turned to Alice. “Miss Dearlove, do you happen to have a pen?”
Alice produced the required implement, and from there rooms and passageways were marked, arrows drawn, and numbers allocated to various squares, in consultation with Veronica, who had spent the past week scouting out the castle (and dusting it). A plan was devised and memorized.
“We will begin with the obvious,” Daniel said. “Jane Fairweather’s private sitting room.” He tapped the pen briskly against a square numbered “one.”
“Caref—” was all Snodgrass had time to say before the paper burst alight with blue flame. Veronica screamed, Alice sighed, and Daniel grabbed a pillow, pressing it over the fire while Snodgrass explained that the map had been incantated to self-destruct upon being tapped.
“It’s really quite fascinating,” he said, flipping back one corner of the paper. “If you just look here you will see the Latin written onto the—”
“Get out,” Daniel said in a voice so cold it would have extinguished the fire had the pillow not already done so.
“Say what?”
Daniel pointed at the door. “Get. Out. Both of you, please. If you need to report—”
“We can telephone you,” the scientist said. “Agent A has been equipped with a portable receiver in her shoe for just such an occasion.”
“You mean this shoe?” Alice lifted her right foot and the sodden slipper thereon. It sparked slightly, and a rather forlorn buzzing sound stuttered from the heel. “Well, that explains it. I thought I had pins and needles in my foot.”
“Oh, I say.” Snodgrass drooped.
“You can just come find us,” Daniel said, folding the map with disconcerting precision.
“But I have another device which—”
“Best to leave now,” Alice said before Daniel grew so calm someone got injured. She hustled Snodgrass and Veronica from the room and shut the door behind them. Behind her, Daniel made no sound, but she could feel his anger clench the atmosphere.
“There have been far too many people for one day,” she said.
“Hm,” he agreed. He turned to unpacking, and Alice walked over to the fireplace to dry herself. She stood vaguely staring at the pale blue-and-white chintz wallpaper as her clothing warmed. The flames’ crackling made her tap her fingers now and again, but she felt gradually soothed by rain pattering against theescape routewindow, and small noises Daniel made as he transferred clothes from his bag into thepotential barricadechest of drawers. The morning’s disturbances faded, and for a moment she remembered falling through the storm, unrestrained and truly peaceful for the first time in months.
If only she could tumble from a flying house every day, life would be much improved. She sighed at the thought of it.
Suddenly a shadow shifted over her face. Alice blinked out of reverie to find Daniel standing before her. She gazed up at him, still half-lost in the sense of falling, and he took hold of her upper arms as if to catch her. The pale murmur became a roar.
“You’re so hot,” he said, his eyes shadowy behind the firelit surfaces of his spectacles, his voice dark with a lingering residue of piratic magic.
