Part 35 (2/2)

The apparition looked keenly through the slits in its mask, first at Gabriel and the G.o.ddess crouching behind him, then at Christopher, then at the Lobster Pot and the general chaos in the hall. ”I had hoped to find this a more respectable establishment,” she said. The voice was deep and melodious. She pushed up her mask to the top of her head, revealing a severe narrow old face. It was the kind of face that at once made Christopher feel very silly to be dressed in a tiger rug and earrings.

”Mother Proudfoot!” exclaimed the G.o.ddess.

”I've been trying to get through this pentacle ever since I traced you, child,” Mother Proudfoot said testily. ”I wish you had talked to me before you bolted like that. You surely knew I would have stretched the rules for you if I could.” She turned commandingly to Gabriel. ”You seem respectable enough. You're that Twelve-A enchanter de Witt, aren't you?”

”At your service, Madam,” said Gabriel. ”Do forgive our present disorder. There have been problems.

We are usually a highly respectable body of people.”

”That was what I thought,” Mother Proudfoot said. ”Would you be able to take charge of this Asheth Daughter for me? It would suit me ideally if you could, since I have to report her dead.”

”In what way-Take charge?” Gabriel asked cautiously.

”See her educated at a good school and so forth-consider becoming her legal guardian,” said Mother Proudfoot. She stepped majestically down from what seemed to be her pedestal. Now she was about the same height as Gabriel. They were quite alike in a gaunt, stern way. ”This one was always my favorite Asheth,” she explained. ”I usually try to spare their lives anyway when they get too old, but most of them are such stupid little lumps that I don't bother to do much more. But as soon as I knew this one was different, I started saving from the Temple funds. I think I have enough to pay her way.”

She swept her trailing skirt aside. The pedestal turned out to be a small strong chest. Mother Proudfoot threw back the lid of it with a flourish. Inside, it seemed to be full of blurred gla.s.sy quartz in little pieces, like road gravel. But Gabriel's face was awestruck. Christopher caught sight of Tacroy and Flavian mouthing a word at one another with their eyes popping. The word seemed to be ”Diamonds!”

”The diamonds are uncut, I'm afraid,” said Mother Proudfoot. ”Do you think there will be enough of them? ”

”I think less than half that number would be more than adequate,” Gabriel said. ”But I had in mind a Swiss finis.h.i.+ng school too,” Mother Proudfoot said sharply. ”I've studied this world and I want no skimping. Will you do this for me? Naturally I shall make sure that followers of Asheth will do any favor you care to ask them in return.”

Gabriel looked from Mother Proudfoot to the G.o.ddess. He hesitated. He looked at Christopher. ”Very well,” he said at last.

”Gosh, you darling!” said the G.o.ddess. She scrambled to the front of Gabriel and hugged him. Then she hurled herself on Mother Proudfoot and hugged her mightily too. ”I love you, Mother Proudfoot,” she said, all mixed in silver drapery.

Mother Proudfoot sniffed a little as she hugged the G.o.ddess in return. But she pulled herself together and looked sternly at Gabriel over the G.o.ddess's head. ”There is one tiresome detail,” she said. ”Asheth truly does require a life, you know, one for each Living Asheth.” Christopher sighed. Everyone in all the Anywheres seemed to want him to give them lives. Now he would be down to the one in the Castle safe.

Gabriel drew himself up, looking his most forbidding.

”Asheth isn't very discriminating,” Mother Proudfoot said, before he could speak. ”I usually strip a life off one of the Temple cats.” She pointed with her silver spear to where Throgmorten was stalking around the Lobster Pot making noises like a kettle boiling. ”That old ginger's still got three lives or so left. I'll take one of his.”

The kettle noises stopped. Throgmorten showed what he thought of this proposal by becoming a ginger streak racing upstairs.

”No matter,” Gabriel said. ”Now I think of it, I have a spare life, as it happens.” He stepped over to the black ropes and picked his limp transparent likeness out from among the library chairs. Courteously, he draped it over the end of Mother Proudfoot's spear. ”There. Will this one serve?”

”Admirably,” said Mother Proudfoot. ”Thank you.” She gave the G.o.ddess a kiss and descended majestically into the ground beside the chest of diamonds.

The G.o.ddess shut the chest and sat on it. ”School!” she said, smiling blissfully. ”Rice pudding, prefects, dormitories, midnight feasts, playing the game-” She stopped without changing the smile, although it was not a smile anymore. ”Honor,” she said. ”Owning up. Sir de Witt, I think I'd better stay in the Castle because of all the trouble I caused Christopher. He-er-he's lonely, you know.”

”I would be a fool not to have realized that,” Gabriel said. ”I am in the middle of arranging with the Ministry to bring a number of young enchanters here to be trained. At the moment, you know, I am only able to employ them as domestics-like young Jason the bootboy over there-but this will shortly change. There is no reason why you should not go to school-”

”But there is!” said the G.o.ddess. Her face was very red and there were tears in her eyes. ”I have to own up, like they do in the books. I don't deserve to go to school! I'm very wicked. I didn't use Asheth as my second life in order to come here. I used one of Christopher's. I didn't dare use Asheth in case she stopped me, so I took one of Christopher's lives when he was stuck in the wall and used that instead.”

Tears ran down her face.

”Where is it?” Christopher asked, very much astonished.

”Still in the wall,” the G.o.ddess sobbed. ”I pushed it right in so that no one will find it, but I've felt bad eversince. I've tried to help and atone for it, but I haven't done much and I think I ought to be punished.”

”There is absolutely no need,” said Gabriel. ”Now we know where the life is, we can send Mordecai Roberts to fetch it. Stop crying, young lady. You will have to go to school because I should be misusing your chest of diamonds if you do not. Regard that as your punishment. You may come and live in the Castle with the rest of the young enchanters during the holidays.”

The G.o.ddess's blissful smile came back and diverted the tears on her face around her ears and into her hair. ”Hols,” she corrected Gabriel. ”The books always call them the hols.”

That is really all, except for a letter that arrived for Christopher from j.a.pan soon after New Year.

Darling Christopher, Why did you not tell me that your dear papa was settled here in j.a.pan? It is such an elegant country, once one is used to the customs, and your papa and I are both very happy here. Your papa's horoscopes have had the honor to interest some people who have the ear of the Emperor.

We are already moving in the highest circles and hope to move higher still before long. Your dear papa sends love and best wishes for your future as the next Chrestomanci. My love as well.

Mama

DlAlNA WYNNE JONES is the author of more than thirty critically acclaimed books. She lives in Bristol, England, with her husband, a professor emeritus of English at Bristol University. They have three sons. Visit Diana at

In the multiple parallel universes of the Twelve Related Worlds, only an enchanter with nine lives is powerful enough to control the rampant misuse of magic-and to hold the t.i.tle Chrestomanci. .

THE CHANTS are a family strong in magic, but neither Christopher nor Cat can work even the simplest of spells. So how can they hope to thwart the schemes of an avaricious enchanter and a ruthless young witch-schemes that could destroy all the worlds of Chrestomanci.

A Greenwillow Book HarperTrophy An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Cover art 2001 by Dan Craig Cover 2001 by HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

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