26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

T hat evening, despite Darcy's assertion that it was Riquer who betrayed them, Elizabeth doggedly insisted on waiting to hear from him. She could not let her suspicions interfere with her mission. After all, she was still following the Prince Regent's orders, and she would continue to do so until she heard otherwise. Besides, it was essential to know if Riquer had any more information that could be useful.

At the appointed time, Elizabeth carried a chair and sat outside the fort. She chose a place that faced inland, away from the sea. She did not know if she would ever want to look at the sea again. It had brought her nothing but terror.

She refused to think about Darcy's statement. She did not want his words to color her interaction with Riquer. If it was true that he had betrayed them, it was unlikely he would contact her again. He had accomplished his purpose.

However, a few minutes later, she heard the swishing of the mirror, and Riquer appeared.

"You need to return to London at once," he said, without even a greeting. His voice was urgent. "A fleet of balloons are moving towards the city. They are targeting the Prince Regent and the government as well as the King."

If what he was saying was true, then all was lost. How on earth were they going to reach London in time? The balloon could fly much faster than a horse could gallop.

But if it was not true— Riquer had sent them to Hythe, when the balloons were going to London. What if Darcy was right? Had Riquer given her the wrong information?

"Why did you not tell us this before?" she said, trying not to reveal any hint that she suspected him.

"I could not. I was not informed. I suppose they did not trust me. I only found out because my brother communicated through his mirror. He is coming to fetch me. He is on one of the balloons."

She focused on getting more specific information. "How many balloons are there?" she asked, knowing Lord Matlock would ask.

"I cannot give you a number, but I know there are many." He looked at something behind him. "I must go," he whispered.

The mist swirled, and Riquer disappeared, leaving the mirror to reflect her face once again.

This time, there was no uncertainty about Riquer's message. It was very clear. She could hear and see Riquer perfectly well, though she could tell he was trying not to be overheard.

If she had any doubts at all, it was whether she should believe him.

She dashed inside and sent a passing soldier to gather all the Royal mages around Lord Matlock's bedside. Riquer's statement would evoke a storm of reactions, and she was dreading having to answer their questions.

Darcy looked around him at the mages standing around Matlock's bed, arguing. It was like the Council, all over again.

"We cannot trust anything Riquer says." Darcy used enhancement to project his voice, and they stopped talking to look at him.

"We do not know that for certain," said Lord Matlock, wearily.

How much evidence did they need?

"I will not stand here and argue for hours. When you have reached a conclusion, send for me. I am going for a walk. You will find me on the coastal path. I will not go far. I have cobwebs in my head and I need to clear it."

He had reached the entrance to the fort, when he heard Elizabeth calling his name.

"May I join you?" she asked.

"As long you are not here to convince me that Riquer is trustworthy."

Elizabeth did not say anything, and he regretted speaking harshly to her. "I'm sorry. I meant what I said earlier. I need to clear my mind."

Elizabeth nodded and slipped her arm under his elbow. "I need to do it as well. So much has happened. Everything is muddled."

He did not answer. They walked for a few minutes. He was tense, because he could not help feeling they were wasting precious time when they needed to decide how to act.

His attention was drawn to the figure of a little boy who was running towards the edge of the cliff, pointing at the sky. He was dangerously close, and he was not looking where he was going.

A woman screamed. "Joshua! Stop!"

His heart racing, Darcy charged after the boy and grabbed him by the collar just before he reached the edge. The boy wriggled to free himself, but Darcy held onto him firmly. He could see past the edge to the beach below.

A few more steps and the boy would have fallen down onto the pebbles.

Darcy picked him up and carried him to his mother.

His mother's face was white with terror. "Thank you, sir. Oh, thank you! I don't know what's come over him. He's usually a good little boy. I think he's upset by everything that's been going on. Did you see those huge hailstones, sir?" She looked at Darcy. "I didn't let him out. He suddenly ran out of the house. Said he can see balloons in the sky."

Darcy had been at the point of turning to leave, but her words had him spinning back towards the mother.

"What did you say?"

She laughed apologetically. "I know it sounds strange. As I said, all these strange happenings…"

Darcy no longer heard what she was saying. He went to the boy, who had wandered off and was still looking up at the sky. Crouching down, Darcy looked into the boy's eyes."

"Joshua. Is that your name?"

"Yes, sir."

It was obvious the boy was fascinated at whatever was up there.

"What can you see in the sky?" he asked. "Describe it to me."

"Well, sir, the sky's full of balloons. The balloons have big baskets with soldiers in them. Not red coats. These ones have dark uniforms with funny hats. And there are people wearing cloaks, sir."

"Oh, heavens!" whispered Elizabeth. "He's like Mary. He can see through Concealment spells." She crouched down so her face was level with his. "How many balloons are there?"

He scrunched his little face and looked towards his mother. "Lots and lots of them. Maybe two?"

"He doesn't know how to count, sir," said his mother. "He says ‘two' for everything."

"You're sure you can see them?" said Darcy.

"Of course. They're flying right on top of us. Are you blind, sir?"

"Hush, Joshua. You mustn't be rude." The mother turned to Darcy. "I'm very sorry sir."

"You shouldn't be sorry," he said. "You cannot imagine how helpful your son has been. We might be back to visit him again. What's your name and where do you live?"

"In Hythe, sir. My name's Mary Barker. Ask for my husband, sir. He's a baker. George Barker. But why do you want to know? Is he in any trouble?"

Elizabeth hastened to reassure her. "Quite the contrary. I think your son may have a special Talent. She turned to Joshua. "Would you like to go to a magic academy, Timmy?"

He shrugged and pursed his lips. "Don't know. What's a magic aca— aca—."

"Academy. It's a special boarding school for Talented boys like you. I have a sister who has the same Talent as you."

Joshua suddenly became shy and hid behind his mother. "I don't know."

"Well, there's no hurry, Joshua. You can make up your mind later, when you're a bit older."

Elizabeth and Darcy took their leave.

"You know what this means, Darcy?" said Elizabeth.

"Joshua has the same Talent as Mary."

She threw him an incredulous look. "Do not pretend to misunderstand me, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. The boy has confirmed what Riquer said."

"Very well," said Darcy. "I will say it. You were right. We had better tell the others at once."

He broke into a run. They needed to convey the news as quickly as possible. Then an idea flashed across his mind like a thunderbolt, and he stopped, his blood running cold. "You know what else it means?"

Elizabeth looked at him expectantly. "What does it mean?"

"It means we had it all wrong. The French mages can't do magic on water. They were above us all the time. They did their magic from the balloons."

Once Darcy explained what had happened with the boy to the other mages and presented his conclusions, all the arguments stopped.

The more Elizabeth thought about the implications, the more unsettled she felt. They had been looking out to sea all the time. And all the time the French mages were floating above them. No wonder she had felt she was being watched.

"It all makes sense now," said Miss King. "We had it all wrong. We thought we were dealing with an invasion from the sea. They convinced us that was the case."

"We expected a surprise," said Colonel Fitzwilliam, "but I would not have thought of this."

"Now that we know," said Lady Catherine, "there is not a moment to be lost. We know the balloons are going to London. We need to make sure to warn them."

Warn them about what? An invisible enemy coming in from the sky? There had been rumors of a balloon invasion for some time, but no one had thought it would work. Elizabeth had to give it to Napoleon. It was a very clever plan.

"The first thing we must do is send a message to the Admiralty through the towers, so they will know what to expect," said Lord Grayson.

No one seemed to be grasping the difficulty. "That's the trouble," said Elizabeth, the enormity of the problem sinking in. "We cannot see them. They are under a Concealment spell. They could be right above us at this very moment, but until they attack us, we wouldn't know where they are. Even if we warn the Admiralty, what good would it do? They would not be able to see the balloons, let alone bring them down."

"Nevertheless, we need to send the message through the signal towers. They need to be warned. Everyone needs to be warned."

Darcy nodded. "I agree. And then we need to send messages to the different Academies to join us in London."

"We at least know exactly where the balloons are going. We must safeguard the King and the Prince Regent, or the Kingdom will fall."

"We need to go in different directions again," said Darcy, "and travel under tree cover. We have no idea where the balloons are, but if they can see us leaving, they may target us."

"Let us put our heads together. We need a clear plan," said Matlock.

They agreed that Darcy and Redmond would head for Carlton House, with Elizabeth joining them as soon as she could. She was the only one in the group that could not ride proficiently, so she would have to go to London by carriage. Their task would be to take the Prince Regent somewhere safer rather than try to protect him against invisible balloons. Lord Grayson and Lord Harcourt would ride to Kew to do the same for the King. Lady Catherine, Miss Bingley and Miss King would go to Whitehouse, where they could work with other mages to set up Wards and Protection. Miss Bingley's role would be to set up Illusions and break through the Concealment spells that were hiding the balloons.

Colonel Fitzwilliam left to dispatch his men with messages to all the Academies between the coast and London, and to Founder's Hall, and to return to the telegraph tower in Deal to pass on the message to the Admiralty.

"If everyone leaves for London, who will guard the coast?" said Redmond.

It was a good question. Nobody had an answer.

While Elizabeth waited for her carriage to be prepared, she went to say goodbye to her father and Lord Matlock.

"Won't you reconsider this idea of going to London, Elizabeth?" said Mr. Bennet, whimsically. He had been moved to a position next to Matlock so that they could keep each other company. "I cannot read, so I have nothing to do all day."

Elizabeth's heart went out to him. He was making light of it, of course, but he was worried for her. "Any other time, I would have been happy to, Papa, but I cannot stay when everyone else is putting themselves in danger while I am sitting here reading to you."

"How do you think I feel?" said Matlock. "Being strapped to a bed, unable to walk, and unable to perform magic?"

She smiled. "The Rochester Healers are here. They will have you both on your feet in no time. Maybe, if matters in London take a long time to resolve, you might even be able to join us in the fray."

"Say hello to Mary for me," said Mr. Bennet.

Mary!! No one had thought of specifically asking for Mary, though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Her mind started racing as an idea struck her. Mary was the most essential person in the plan. She would be able to point out the balloons!

A soldier came to tell her that her carriage was ready, and she hurried out to speak to the others.

"Someone needs to go for Mary," she said. "She will be able to help us see the balloons."

"I will go," said Miss King.

Elizabeth shook her head. "You will be urgently needed. I will arrange for it." She suddenly knew what she had to do. She swallowed hard.

"Well, then," she said to the riders. "We will see each other in London."

Her eyes went to Darcy. She tried not to think of the danger. They had survived so far. They would continue to do so.

"I'll see you at Carlton House," she said, with a wry quirk of the lips. "Like old times."

"Like old times," replied Darcy.

As soon as they began to move, she took out her mirror. Her heart beating wildly, she stared into its depth, wondering if what she was doing was madness. Before she could hesitate, she spoke the words to begin the spell.

She would go to Founder's Hall through the mirror to find Mary.

As he and Redmond rode away, Darcy thought about Elizabeth riding alone in her carriage, and the dangers she might encounter. A carriage was more easily visible than a rider on horseback. She could use a Concealment spell, but that might draw attention.

He wished now he had said goodbye properly to her, given her a kiss at least, held her to him and inhaled the scent of her.

"What are you doing?" said Redmond.

Without noticing, he had slowed his horse to a trot. He struggled against the impulse to go back and see her again, but it persisted. There was something gnawing at him, something she had said.

Frowning, he considered her words. A moment later, he identified the source of his unease. What did she mean when she said she would arrange something to do with Mary? What was she going to arrange?

The answer, when it came, almost threw him off his horse.

"We have to go back at once," said Darcy.

Redmond looked bewildered.

"But why? What could be more urgent than saving the Prince Regent?"

"Elizabeth is about to do something very foolhardy, and it will probably kill her. I have to stop her. You must ride on. I will catch up with you."

"How will you find me?" said Redmond. "I will be useless to the Prince Regent if we cannot Bond. I will come with you."

Darcy was too preoccupied with Elizabeth to argue. "Suit yourself," said Darcy.

They galloped as fast as they could. Darcy's heart gave a jump as he spotted Elizabeth, still standing in front of Dymchurch Redoubt.

Not for long. A moment later, she disappeared into the mirror.

"Noooo!" he cried.

He had arrived too late.