Page 18 of Skulk of Foxes
‘On which day was the burst of magic?’ Timmons asked.
Artemesia wrinkled her nose. ‘Guess.’
Morgan shook his head in vexation. ‘The day that we almost handed the sphere over to Rubus. Or rather to his Mendax glamour. That has to be it. That has to be what caused the problem.’
‘No,’ she said. ‘That was the day the burst occurred – but the glamour Rubus created was boosted by rowan. That’s a natural ingredient that is native to this land. Yes, he extended the glamour longer than he should have but it was still a contained spell. The magic I’m talking about occurred without any other support. Whatever it was, it was certainly a powerful spell that has no place here.’
I bit my lip. ‘Something like, er, altering time?’
Artemesia beamed at me as if I were her star pupil. She snapped her fingers. ‘Exactly like that!’
Jodie tutted. ‘But altering time is forbidden. I know it happens occasionally, despite the warnings, but never for long periods. And didn’t you tell me, Morganus, that very few faeries have ever done it?’
Morgan’s eyes were on mine. ‘I did.’ He licked his lips. ‘It’s a spell that I’ve used once or twice but never for more than a few seconds.’
I pulled my gaze away from his and did my best to look innocent. I was busy saving the world that day, not destroying it. Honest, guv.
‘Maddy,’ he said softly, ‘you’ve altered time before.’
‘Mmm.’
‘Maddy…’
I raised my shoulders. ‘Sure. I did it. But mostly before I was told that it was dangerous.’ That wasn’t exactly a lie.
Jodie cursed. ‘So who was it? How do we stop them trying to do the same thing again and making things even worse?’
Morgan was still looking at me. ‘I don’t think that will be a problem. Do you, Madrona?’
I put my hands in my pockets and started to whistle. That would work, right? However, when it became obvious that everyone’s attention, even Opulus’s, was on me, I gave in. ‘Okay,’ I conceded. ‘There is a possibility, a teeny-tiny possibility, that this is my fault.’
Jodie rolled her eyes. ‘Typical.’
I fixed a steely-eyed glare on her. ‘Oi you. Things would be a whole lot worse right now if I hadn’t done what I did. There was no way I could have reached the library in time to stop Morgan from handing the sphere to Mendax unless I slowed down time. Yes, it was dangerous. Yes, it was my decision and therefore my fault. But,’ I held up my index finger, ‘you should be thanking me. If I hadn’t done it, this bar would be dust and you’d be dead. I might have slowed down time for longer than usual but it was a necessary evil.’
‘You should have told us,’ Artemesia snapped. ‘You should have toldsomeone. If we’d had some warning, I might have been able to do something to stop the pressure release. Now all bets are off. It’s too late and the residual magic has been too widely dispersed.’
‘When exactly was I supposed to say something?’ I enquired. ‘Right after the police shot me? Or was it before, when I was trying to stop Rubus from unleashing the apocalypse? There have been things to worry about other than a little bending of the rules, you know.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘A little bending of the rules? There was a pink elephant rampaging through people’s houses!’
I grinned. ‘I know. Isn’t that cool that I did that?’
Everyone glared at me. Not pink elephant fans, then. ‘Look,’ I said, ‘there wasn’t a choice. I did what I had to. There is a bright side to all this. All those arsebadgers who are loyal to Rubus will see how dangerous a little bit of loose magic can be. Maybe it will make them realise how bad things will become if Rubus uses the sphere and there’s a tsunami of magic.’
‘Yeah,’ Jodie said sarcastically. ‘Or maybe they’ll think that this demesne has become too unstable and dangerous and they’ll be even more desperate to leave.’
Morgan sat down heavily on a chair. He looked more exhausted than anything else. ‘How long did you keep up the time alteration?’ he asked.
I tried to think. ‘Maybe twenty minutes? It could have been longer.’
Artemesia expelled a long breath. ‘That would be more than enough.’
So now I was responsible for trapping everyone in this demesne as well as potentially destroying it. Honestly, I made a fabulous villain whenever I was trying to be a hero. I should remember that next time I wanted to be wholly evil again.
Apologies didn’t really suit me. I bit my bottom lip. ‘Um. Sorry?’ I sighed. ‘This is clearly a job for the Madhatter. How do I stop further magic pressure releases? Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.’
‘I already said I don’t think they can be stopped,’ Artemesia sniffed.
