Page 87 of Kingdom of Locks

“But,” Sir Furnis added hastily, “I was exhorted most strictly to warn you that it’s not finished. The enchanter wasn’t sure if it would work—he hasn’t yet tested it. And it has very little magic imbued in it, so it will probably sustain one attempt only.”

“Only one?” Aurelia repeated, looking at her mother in alarm. She didn’t like the sound of that. “Do you think we could both use it at once?”

“I don’t know,” said Sir Furnis doubtfully, trying valiantly to keep up, even though he clearly had no idea what was going on. “The enchanter told me that in order to activate the magic, you just put the ring on your finger.”

Mama Imelda let out a breath. “It’s designed for one, Aurelia,” she said briskly. “We can’t both wear it. But after you get down, you can send it straight back up to me. You never know, perhaps the enchanter misjudged how much magic was in there, and it will last to get us both out.”

“Mama,” Aurelia said warningly. “I’m not going to do that. There’s no way I’ll—”

“Don’t argue, Aurelia,” her mother said, in a voice Aurelia hadn’t heard since she was a child. “This is not open for debate.”

Aurelia bit her lip, searching the other woman’s face. She knew when it was hopeless to fight, and this was undoubtedly one of those times.

“All right,” she said quietly, and Mama Imelda let out a breath of relief.

She seized a fistful of Aurelia’s hair and threw it out the window, not worrying about the metal hook.

“You’d have to use the ring to get in,” she called to Sir Furnis, “and that would be a waste of its limited power. Just tie it onto the hair, and we’ll pull it up for Aurelia to use.”

The guard was staring at the dark locks in front of him with open astonishment, but at her words, he hastened to obey. Within moments, Mama Imelda had pulled the artifact up, and untied it from the makeshift rope.

“Well,” she said, holding it out to Aurelia. “Here goes nothing.”

Aurelia took it, turning it over in her hand. It wasn’t fancy jewelry. Nothing more than a simple brass circlet. It was sized for a bigger hand than either hers or her mother’s, but it would have to do.

She threw her arms around her companion, squeezing tightly. “I love you, Mama,” he said quietly. Mama Imelda’s arms came up, and Aurelia felt no guilt at her deception as she threaded her own hair gently through the other woman’s belt.

Her task done, Aurelia pulled back, taking her mother’s hand and pressing it as if in emotion.

“Don’t be angry,” she said softly.

A look of confusion passed over Mama Imelda’s face. “What do you—?”

The question died on her lips as Aurelia thrust the ring over the thumb of the hand she still held, then pushed her mother bodily out the window. Mama Imelda’s gasp was lost as she toppled, and leaping back across the room, Aurelia brought both hands up to seize as much of her hair as she could, close to the scalp.

Even so, it was agonizing when her mother’s weight transferred to her hair. Letting out an involuntary cry of pain, Aurelia was tugged mercilessly back against the window. Ironically, the only thing that kept her from falling straight out was Cyfrin’s restraining enchantment. But not a strand of the magically reinforced hair broke. Once her vision stopped swimming, Aurelia looked hastily down, to see her mother lying stunned on the grass, next to a bewildered Sir Furnis.

Mama Imelda struggled to her feet, horrified but clearly unhurt, and Aurelia let out a sigh of relief. It seemed she hadn’t erred in her calculations. The knot around her mother’s belt didn’t seem to have held, but it had jerked her to a temporary stop, so that the final fall had been short and gentle.

“Aurelia, what have you done?” Mama Imelda cried in anguish.

“I’m sorry, Mama,” Aurelia called. “But you would never have agreed, and I couldn’t let you die for me. Cyfrin would kill you if I wasn’t here, you know he would. But he has more than one reason to keep me alive.”

“This is madness!” Her mother cried. “I’m coming back up.”

“Oh no, you’re not.” Aurelia began to tug her hair, but Mama Imelda seized it.

“Mama,” said Aurelia sternly. “In the unlikely event that there’s more magic left in that ring, are you going to waste it climbing backintoour prison?”

Mama Imelda seemed to see the logic of this argument. Her fingers fumbling, she tied the ring back into Aurelia’s hair. Without much hope, Aurelia reeled it up, and put the ring on her own finger.

She stuck her head tentatively out of the window, but when her shoulders reached the invisible barrier, she was unable to move.

“I’m afraid not,” she called down, her voice light. “The magic’s all gone.” She pulled the ring off, considering it dispassionately. It was no longer an artifact. Nothing but a worthless piece of metal.

“Aurelia, you can’t stay there alone!” Mama Imelda cried desperately.

Aurelia didn’t point out that there was by now no other option possible. “I’ll be all right,” she said instead, cheerfully. “You go with Sir Furnis back to the capital. Find Amell, and tell him what’s happened. Maybe he can get another of these artifacts.”

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