Modern Magick

Alchemy and Argent: 14

'I feel we need confirmation,' I said.

Val nodded. 'We are running too much on speculation. I'd like evidence.'

'House thought Crystobel was telling the truth,' I said. Which wasn't evidence, but we all trusted house.

'I do not doubt House's instincts,' Val said. 'Or whatever they are. But what did Crystobel actually say?'

'She said that little has survived from Cicily's life,' I said. 'Define "little".'

Val nodded. '"Little" could still include the books we're hoping for.'

'And regarding Cicily's work, um,' I thought back. 'She said Cicily's work was unrealised at the time of her death — which I took to mean nothing ever came of it at all. But perhaps it was completed after her death.'

'By her son,' Val agreed. 'For example.' Her hands were moving; she was stroking the arms of her new chair. Was there argent built into its frame? Was that why its levitation charms were so much better than either Val or I could manage?

'Still isn't evidence,' I sighed.

'We need something concrete,' Val agreed.

'She said argent couldn't be manufactured—' I said.

'No,' said Val. 'She said there was nothing in alchemy that would do it. That is not the same thing at all.'

'Giddy gods. You mean we might have been on the wrong track since the beginning?' Why was I even surprised? We'd never found any proof of anybody's making any form of alchemy work, ever.

'Would that even be unusual?' said Val.

She had a point.

'If only we had something more... material,' I mused.

'I've always preferred paper to hot air,' Val agreed.

When Jay realised both of us were looking at him, he visibly balked. As in, he took a whole step back, and raised his hands. 'Hey. There's only so far alumni status will get me.'

'And how far is that?' I asked.

'Um.'

'How about sending in a bulk request for anything attributed to Cicily Werewode-Elvyng?'

'Surely they would never allow it.'

'That's sort of the point.'

Jay blinked. 'Oh. Right.'

Val opened up her laptop, and turned it about to face Jay. 'Here. Use this.'

As Jay clicked and typed, I thought. Our suspicions were huge, bordering upon crazy. But the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. 'Crystobel Elvyng,' I said aloud. 'Why did she really come here?'

Val directed a narrow-eyed look at the wall, deep in thought, but said nothing.

'I mean, if there was really nothing for us to find, she could have just had her secretary phone you, or send an email. Why bother coming all this way in person?' I had to kick myself for not having thought of that before.

Now I was thinking differently. Why had she come here, if not to discourage us from digging any further into her family's most lucrative secrets?

'It still isn't evidence,' said Val.

No. We couldn't take a conspiracy theory to Milady and expect to be taken seriously. And Milady couldn't take a bundle of suppositions, surmises and suspicions to the Elvyngs and expect to be taken seriously.