Modern Magick

Royalty and Ruin: 14

'You want to do... what?' said Milady, some twenty-four hours later.

'Pop back into Farringale, ascertain the true cause of its infestation and consequent demise, mend it, divest it of its juiciest books by way of our well-earned reward, and be home in time for tea,' I said smoothly.

'Is the tea strictly vital to the mission?'

'When have I ever been willing to miss tea?'

I chose to interpret Milady's subsequent silence as either amusement or a hearty endorsement of the plan, and waited.

'Ves,' she said at last. 'This is ambitious, even for you.'

'What if I told you it was Jay's plan?'

'Hey,' Jay objected. 'My plan was to go into Farringale on a research and exploration mission. Scientific. Information gathering. That kind of thing.'

'Right, sorry,' I murmured. 'I might have got a little carried away with the rest.'

'If you find yourself with the means to restore the city then by all means use them,' said Milady, with just a hint of sarcasm. 'One suspects the situation might prove too complicated to mend by tea-time, however.'

When Milady starts referring to herself as "one", she's at maximum satire. 'All right, we'll take tea with us,' I said sunnily.

The air sparkled. Definitely laughter; hopefully the nice kind. 'May one ask what you are doing asking my permission?' Milady continued.

Perhaps not the nice kind.

'We'll need Rob,' I said. 'And I'd like Indira, too.'

'Wait, what?' said Jay.

'On the grounds that there's little Team Patel can't deal with,' I went on, doggedly. 'We'll need the usual toys from Stores—'

'Including that Sunstone Wand Ornelle has been complaining to me about?' said Milady drily.

Since the object in question currently lay at the bottom of my satchel, with Ms. Goodfellow asleep on top of it, I smoothly let this pass. 'And of course, we'll need House to lend us the third key again.'

'Ves,' said Milady firmly. 'Forgive me for pointing this out, but you would divest me of every single one of these advantages, without a word and without compunction, if you thought it necessary. So I ask you again: why are you asking my permission?'

'Is it too much to believe that I'd like to do things by the book this time?'

'Yes.'

Jay folded his arms and lifted his brows at me. The look said: Well. Go on.

So nice to have back-up.

'Sneaking takes so much time and effort,' I tried.

'Undoubtedly, but Farringale has been lost for some four centuries already. It will await your kind, liberating efforts for another day or two.'

Unanswerable.

'I miss Home,' I said. I tried to sound nonchalant but I'm afraid the words came out in rather a small voice.

'You what?' said Milady. Even Jay looked a little surprised.

'I miss Home,' I said again. 'I miss the Society. I miss my friends, and I miss you, even when you are witheringly sarcastic. I dislike being rogue and I want my family back.' I paused. No one spoke. 'Seeing as there's no way the Ministry or anyone else could reasonably object to our assisting the Troll Court with a research expedition, I see no reason to go on playing the loose cannon while we do it.'