Requiem – Chapter One
‘THEY’RE LOCKED,’ SAID HAGAR, turning around in the dark to see the glint of Noq’s eyes behind her. ‘Do we have magic for this?’
‘You can do it,’ Noq whispered. ‘Try saying agori.’
Hagar concentrated on the locks. She wasn’t sure what to do. Noq never explained anything very well. She was certain there were proper techniques that mages followed, but whatever Noq was, he followed no rules.
‘Agori.’
The white foxes yipped. They’d woken them all up by now. At this rate the furrier would be here next.
‘Say it louder, Hagar.’
She raised her voice above a whisper, ‘Agori.’
One fox barked.
Noq reached forwards and touched a padlock. ‘Agori.’ There was a clink-clunk, and it fell. The shed was dark, but she heard it hit the stone floor. The foxes were all scrabbling and yelping now.
‘You didn’t tell me I had to touch the lock, too,’ Hagar whispered through gritted teeth.
‘I did not know. Just experimenting.’
After that, it was easy. With the word and one touch, each lock broke off and the doors opened. Some doors squeaked, while others ground on rusted hinges. As the cages opened, the white foxes ran out. Hagar could have sworn they were smiling.
‘Run free, little ones,’ she said.
High-pitched voices called back to her, ‘thank you, thank you, thank you.’
Hagar turned to Noq. ‘These foxes can talk?’
‘Yes. When we are bound together, you have some of my abilities, and those foxes were pretty special anyway. They’re from The Disputed Land.’
‘Wherever that is.’ Hagar turned to look back at the empty cages. ‘But it’s not enough. He’ll just get more foxes. He won’t stop.’
Noq raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to one side, as he often did when he was thinking. ‘How about we make sure that the furrier never starts up his business again?’
He raised his left forefinger—Noq was left-handed—and smiled enigmatically.
‘What?’ said Hagar.
‘This,’ said Noq, and a small flame burst from his forefinger. ‘You too.’
‘How?’
‘Do as I do, and say taan in your head, and it’s the right hand for you.’
Taan. Hagar lifted her finger and a flame burst from hers too. ‘Oh,’ she exclaimed, instinctively shaking her hand to put it out, but this flame only burned higher, though she couldn’t feel any heat.
‘It will not hurt you,’ he said. ‘Just don’t set yourself on fire.’
Noq stepped forwards and put his finger down on the bench that held the small iron cages. It shouldn’t have caught fire so fast with such a small flame, but this was magical fire.
‘We’re gonna be in trouble for this,’ said Hagar as she laid her finger on the bench too, watching the flames double in just a second.
‘Only if they catch us,’ said Noq. ‘Come on, let’s get out of here.’
Noq wasn’t human. She wasn’t really sure what he was. He moved quickly and was at the edge of the furrier’s property in seconds. It took her more than twice the time, and when she reached him, they both looked back. The whole of the wooden building that had held the foxes was now alight. Flames licked out of the open door and up onto the roof. Hagar was glad the foxes had escaped but wasn’t sure about the fire.
‘Maybe we should damp it down a bit?’ she said. ‘It might burn their house down too.’
‘No time,’ said Noq. ‘The elderguard are coming. We have to go now.’
Hagar could hear the guards coming, footfalls running up the hill towards the inferno she’d help create at Whitetail Furriers. They were not quite close enough to be in view yet—it was only because she was sharing Noq’s senses that she could hear them at all.
‘Come on,’ said Noq. ‘Give me your hand, slowcoach. I can make a portal for us.’
‘Portal?’ Hagar asked breathlessly, but she didn’t argue. It wouldn’t do to be arrested by the elderguard and taken before the elders. It was only a month since the last time, and she was unsure how many more of her misdemeanours they would tolerate. She was eighteen and old enough to go to prison.
As soon as she gripped Noq’s hand, there was a sickening rush and an unbearable squeezing and squashing sensation. A gale force wind that seemed to be inside her head replaced normal sound. Hagar wondered if she was about to die until the brightness and the wind faded, and she thumped down on the wooden floor of her bedroom.
‘Urgh,’ she said. ‘Remind me to take the stagecoach in future.’
‘I only use it when it’s necessary,’ said Noq.
‘Hagar Wixey, what are you doing up there?’ A voice shouted from below. It was her father, Sylvan.
Hagar opened the door and shouted down: ‘I’m fine. Just fell off my bed.’
‘Be more careful, clumsy,’ Pa shouted back.
Noq was standing stock-still in the middle of her room. ‘I’d better unbind us now,’ he said. ‘I’m draining you. You’re going to be exhausted after this. We did quite a bit of magic. You should tell him you’re not well and have a good sleep.’
‘I am rather tired,’ said Hagar, sitting down on her bed. ‘Stay a bit longer, Noq.’
Noq made the rather vicious arm movement needed to unbind them and uttered a few unintelligible words. It looked as if he was throwing something rather nasty away, but Noq had told her that using her energy was wonderful for him. At the same time, it was dangerous for her. He’d told her never to accept help from another mirage. ‘I’m looking after you, but others might only be after your energy, or worse.’
When she’d asked him precisely what a mirage was, he’d not explained. He never wanted to talk about that, and it was the easiest way to cut short his visit. Not that she ever wanted to do that. He had been with her since she was a young child, and they’d grown up together. He always appeared to be the same age as her, but Noq said appearances are deceptive, and he was ageless.
‘I appear as you want me to appear,’ he said.
Maybe that explained why he was so handsome, and clearly not human once you got to know him. The fast movements, unworldly agility, the catlike neatness of him, and his stealth—you could never hear him coming. It was rare to see him actually step out of the mirror. Usually there might be a hint of a shadow following her or standing at her side, and she’d turn to see those unnaturally blue eyes looking down at her. His hair was dark and sleek, and she would have chosen those cheekbones too.
‘There’s no point in falling in love with me,’ Noq had told her. ‘I’m not human, remember that.’
Easier said than done.
‘I wish others could see you,’ she said.
‘It’s better that they don’t,’ he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. ‘Sometimes I think I haven’t helped you at all.’
‘Of course, you have. You’re my guardian angel.’
‘You might have made more human friends if you hadn’t had me.’ He looked sad.
‘I’ve got no regrets,’ said Hagar, moving closer to him. If he would only let her kiss him on the lips, just once.
But Noq jerked away. ‘Oh no,’ he grunted.
Hagar sighed. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘No, not that. It’s the elderguard. They’ve come for us.’
Hagar stood up but was overcome by dizziness and sat down again. ‘You’d better go.’
‘No. I’m staying with you,’ said Noq. ‘The guards can’t see me, anyway.
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