Read Online Lily and the Shining Dragons by Holly Webb - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Holly Webb
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our father your surname,’ Cora put in, staring at Lily and Georgie curiously still.
Lily swallowed. It felt important – admitting who they were to another magician. Aunt Clara had already known, or almost. She wondered if Cora and Penelope would have heard of Merrythought.
‘I’m Lily Powers,’ she said, trying not to sound either too proud or too apologetic.
‘Georgiana Powers,’ Georgie admitted.
Cora and Penelope looked slightly less than certain of themselves for the first time since they’d arrived. ‘The Merrythought girls?’ Cora asked, with almost a snap.
Lily nodded, holding back a smile. She felt absurdly pleased that the Dysarts had heard of them. But then, Daniel had known about Merrythought too. She should have expected it. And she had never heard of a family of magicians called Dysart – still, she and Georgie hadn’t been very well educated.
Cora and Penelope were looking at each other, the glassy shallowness of their green eyes spoilt a little. They were most definitely rattled, Lily realised, watching them. She was trying to think how to ask what they knew about her and Georgie, when Penelope spoke, some of the sweet humming tone missing from her voice this time. ‘We’ve heard of you.’
‘Oh. Really?’ Lily raised a polite eyebrow, the way Aunt Clara did when she wanted to make them feel particularly graceless.
‘Your mother, more than you, actually.’
Lily swallowed. There seemed to be a strange frightened lump stuck inside her somewhere, so she could hardly get any words out. ‘Oh?’ she managed. She was impressed with how calm she sounded, and it seemed the Dysarts were too. They glanced at each other, and she could feel their magic, more tentative this time – soft, silky-stroking fingers instead of claws. She tried not to flinch as they played around her hair, tiny wisps of magic stealing into her with every breath.
‘And your father is, ah…’ Cora smirked sweetly at Penelope. ‘Detained?’
Lily glared at her. ‘Unfortunately,’ she admitted coldly. Then, much as she hated asking these girls for a favour, she forced herself to smile a little, despite the fear inside her. ‘We’d like to find him…’
Penelope and Cora snorted in unison, a delicate, ladylike little noise, that wonderfully expressed how stupid Lily was being.
‘Well, that isn’t going to happen, is it?’ Cora purred.
Lily gritted her teeth. ‘You don’t know where he might be?’ she pressed.
‘No,’ Penelope said flatly. ‘Of course not. No one knows.’
Even with all her magic, Lily couldn’t tell if the girl was lying. But it was obvious that the Dysarts either couldn’t, or wouldn’t, tell them anything useful. Lily’s shoulders sagged. If Aunt Clara knew nothing, and neither did these two, what was the point of being here? They should just have stayed at the theatre.
No. If the Dysarts knew something about Mama, Lily and Georgie needed to find out exactly what. Lily flinched, feeling the twins’ magic coiling around her in soft, sticky strands.
Georgie batted her hands across her face, and frowned. ‘You could just ask whatever it is, instead of spying.’
Lily stared at her, and Georgie shrugged. ‘Well, that’s what they’re doing. Why don’t they just come out with it? We all know what we are.’
Lily nodded, her eyes still wide. Every so often Georgie surprised her with a return to the confident, loving older sister she had been before Mama’s magic lessons crushed her. Perhaps a day of quiet embroidery had restored her spirits a little.
‘Then you are part of it too. We thought so.’ Cora nodded in satisfaction. ‘Not that you’ll manage it, you know. You can see how strong we are. We’re going to be the ones to get rid of her. It might take us a year or so more, but we shall do it. Everyone says so.’
The fearful lump was growing, and Lily felt she could hardly breathe through it now. Georgie had seized her hand, and her nails were digging into
Lily swallowed. It felt important – admitting who they were to another magician. Aunt Clara had already known, or almost. She wondered if Cora and Penelope would have heard of Merrythought.
‘I’m Lily Powers,’ she said, trying not to sound either too proud or too apologetic.
‘Georgiana Powers,’ Georgie admitted.
Cora and Penelope looked slightly less than certain of themselves for the first time since they’d arrived. ‘The Merrythought girls?’ Cora asked, with almost a snap.
Lily nodded, holding back a smile. She felt absurdly pleased that the Dysarts had heard of them. But then, Daniel had known about Merrythought too. She should have expected it. And she had never heard of a family of magicians called Dysart – still, she and Georgie hadn’t been very well educated.
Cora and Penelope were looking at each other, the glassy shallowness of their green eyes spoilt a little. They were most definitely rattled, Lily realised, watching them. She was trying to think how to ask what they knew about her and Georgie, when Penelope spoke, some of the sweet humming tone missing from her voice this time. ‘We’ve heard of you.’
‘Oh. Really?’ Lily raised a polite eyebrow, the way Aunt Clara did when she wanted to make them feel particularly graceless.
‘Your mother, more than you, actually.’
Lily swallowed. There seemed to be a strange frightened lump stuck inside her somewhere, so she could hardly get any words out. ‘Oh?’ she managed. She was impressed with how calm she sounded, and it seemed the Dysarts were too. They glanced at each other, and she could feel their magic, more tentative this time – soft, silky-stroking fingers instead of claws. She tried not to flinch as they played around her hair, tiny wisps of magic stealing into her with every breath.
‘And your father is, ah…’ Cora smirked sweetly at Penelope. ‘Detained?’
Lily glared at her. ‘Unfortunately,’ she admitted coldly. Then, much as she hated asking these girls for a favour, she forced herself to smile a little, despite the fear inside her. ‘We’d like to find him…’
Penelope and Cora snorted in unison, a delicate, ladylike little noise, that wonderfully expressed how stupid Lily was being.
‘Well, that isn’t going to happen, is it?’ Cora purred.
Lily gritted her teeth. ‘You don’t know where he might be?’ she pressed.
‘No,’ Penelope said flatly. ‘Of course not. No one knows.’
Even with all her magic, Lily couldn’t tell if the girl was lying. But it was obvious that the Dysarts either couldn’t, or wouldn’t, tell them anything useful. Lily’s shoulders sagged. If Aunt Clara knew nothing, and neither did these two, what was the point of being here? They should just have stayed at the theatre.
No. If the Dysarts knew something about Mama, Lily and Georgie needed to find out exactly what. Lily flinched, feeling the twins’ magic coiling around her in soft, sticky strands.
Georgie batted her hands across her face, and frowned. ‘You could just ask whatever it is, instead of spying.’
Lily stared at her, and Georgie shrugged. ‘Well, that’s what they’re doing. Why don’t they just come out with it? We all know what we are.’
Lily nodded, her eyes still wide. Every so often Georgie surprised her with a return to the confident, loving older sister she had been before Mama’s magic lessons crushed her. Perhaps a day of quiet embroidery had restored her spirits a little.
‘Then you are part of it too. We thought so.’ Cora nodded in satisfaction. ‘Not that you’ll manage it, you know. You can see how strong we are. We’re going to be the ones to get rid of her. It might take us a year or so more, but we shall do it. Everyone says so.’
The fearful lump was growing, and Lily felt she could hardly breathe through it now. Georgie had seized her hand, and her nails were digging into
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