Page 75 of The Dark Hiss of Magic
‘A champion of the people?’
‘Of course.’
‘A crusader, saviour and superhero?’
He tapped his foot impatiently. ‘Yes, yes, yes. All of those things. I am in charge here, not you.’ There was no trace of irony in his responses; he truly believed in his own heroism. It was utterly bizarre but it helped me a lot because now I knew exactly how to play him.
I kept my face straight. ‘I’m so honoured to be in the same room as you, to be breathing the same air. My heart is a-flutter.’
He waved a hand, accepting his due rather than assuming that I was laughing at him as most would have done. ‘Many people feel that way about me but it’s only natural. Do sit down if you’re feeling faint.’
I played along and pressed the back of my hand to my forehead. ‘That’s not a bad idea.’ I moved away from the door and sat next to him.
‘That’s better,’ he said. ‘You didn’t have to guard the door, you know. I won’t run away.’ So he wasn’tentirelystupid. ‘Quentin Hightower does not run away from anything.’
Okaaaaay. I held out my hand. ‘I’m Kit. And I’m beginning to suspect that we both want the same thing.’
Hightower shook my hand vigorously. ‘To keep people like Adrienne McDonald safe and to make sure nobody gets their grubby hands on silphium? Yes.’
‘Nobody gets hold of silphium?’ I asked sceptically. ‘Not even you? A great witch like you could do wonderful things with some silphium seeds.’
His answer was swift but there was a steely edge to his tone. ‘I could, Kitty, I could. But I do not need silphium to do wonderful things. I am already wonderful. In truth, silphium is too dangerous for any single entity to possess – even me.’
He ran a hand through his hair, which was no longer styled in a ridiculous comedy quiff but looked bedraggled and limp. Frankly, it was an improvement. ‘I cannot permit anyone to control such a dangerous product.’
I gazed at him, taking in his droopy hair and his silly clothes. I was beginning to think that there was more to Hightower than met the eye and it was only his own ego which got in his way. ‘You’re far more than you pretend to be, aren’t you, Mr Hightower?’
He smiled slightly. ‘I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. The Hightowers have been successful over the years, and it would be easy to take advantage of my position and sit back to enjoy my wealth and privilege. I want everyone in Coldstream to be equally successful. Silphium threatens the equilibrium which we all fight to maintain.’ His expression darkened. ‘Enough innocent people have already died because of it.’
There actuallywassomething of the hero about the man. Maybe he wasn’t quite the hero any of us wanted, but I couldn’t claim that position either. I’d killed far more people than I’d saved; Hightower was a much better member of civilised society than I was.
‘I could put silphium to good use,’ he continued. ‘But it wouldn’t be wise. There are many who would worry that someone like me, who is already wealthy, intelligent and powerful, could be corrupted by it. I am too pure of heart to present such a danger but silphium offers too many problems, even in my capable hands. It should be found and destroyed.’
‘You’re a good man, Mr Hightower.’
‘I am. Probably the best man in Coldstream.’
I didn’t smirk. ‘And you are trying to do what is best.’
‘Of course.’
‘You truly are a hero.’
He smiled. I dropped my voice and spoke softly. ‘That must be incredibly lonely.’
His expression dimmed. ‘Yes.’ He looked down. ‘It is.’
There was a heavy weight behind his words. Few people took Quentin Hightower seriously except himself. There was merit in his serious attitude towards his responsibilities, despite his self-involvement.
‘Tell me,’ I said. ‘How did you get mixed up in all this?’
Hightower watched while He WhoGuards huffily took up the position I’d vacated. From the cat’s expression, neither of us were to be trusted. I didn’t blame him.
‘I am known as someone with a big heart and a generous soul. A few weeks ago, a young witch called Simon Campbell contacted me. He told me he was peddling a magical herb that would change the world. If I was prepared to hand over enough money, he would grant me exclusive rights to it.’
‘Silphium.’
‘Yes. Silphium.’ He scratched his chin. ‘I thought it was a scam. Silphium is the holy grail and it didn’t seem credible that a lowly witch with little power had found it, but I was prepared to reserve judgment until I could see it with my own eyes. I am open-minded and clever in that way.’
