The Raven’s Knot. Robin Jarvis

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ she declared. ‘That don’t come from no mangy pigeon – see!’

      Miss Ursula stepped forward, the taffeta of her dress rustling like dry grass as she moved, and took the severed claw between her fingers.

      ‘No...’ she whispered uneasily.

      Gingerly holding the raven’s claw as if it were the deadly sting of some venomous insect, Miss Ursula’s expression changed from disbelief to horror and dismay.

      In silence, Miss Celandine padded up beside her and she too appeared frightened as she sucked the air through her prominent teeth and bit her bottom lip.

      Edie glanced from one to the other, their unspoken fear alarming her.

      ‘Did I do wrong?’ she asked. ‘You won’t send me back will you? I doesn’t want to go back to then – even with its pretty bombs. I don’t know what the bird was.’

      For a whole minute no one answered her, Miss Ursula’s face had grown even more pale than usual and Miss Celandine seemed to be on the verge of panic. Then a sorrowful, whimpering voice said, ‘I know.’

      Edie and the others turned sharply. There, still seated in the armchair but now with her head turned to face them, Miss Veronica was peering at the thing in her sister’s hand and a thoughtful scowl creased her powdered face.

      ‘A raven!’ she announced, her vermilion circled mouth widening into a jubilant smile. ‘The talon belongs to a raven.’

      Closing her eyes, she struggled to remember more, but the pathways of her muddled mind were too tangled and meandering, and she tapped her walking cane with impatience.

      Her sisters regarded her cautiously.

      ‘Veronica!’ Miss Celandine trilled, dashing over to the armchair. ‘Do have a pancake, or would you like me to read you a story?’

      Miss Veronica ignored her. ‘But weren’t there two of them?’ she muttered under her breath, trying to wade through the neglected memories. ‘I’m sure there were.’

      Still clutching the claw in her hand, Miss Ursula glared at Edie. ‘Have you told me the truth, child?’ she demanded fretfully. ‘Did you really see this creature in the museum last night?’

      The girl backed away. Miss Ursula was usually so composed and controlled, to see her afraid was startling and distressing.

      ‘Answer me, Edith!’ the woman snapped, seizing her by the arm.

      Edie nodded resolutely and Miss Ursula drew a horrified breath.

      ‘Then I can only hope you are mistaken,’ she hissed. ‘It is too soon... too soon. Nothing is prepared, we are not ready! Can the hour I have long dreaded be here already? Have I been caught out at the last?’

      Casting a final, fearful glance at the confused figure in the armchair, the eldest of the Websters whirled about and hurried quickly from the room.

      Miss Celandine scowled at Edie. ‘You mustn’t upset us so,’ she chided. ‘Fancy mentioning the ravens, and in front of Veronica too. See how agitated you’ve made her. Veronica, speak to me, Veronica.’

      Edie wanted to run after Miss Ursula, but even as she hastened to the entrance her quick, capricious mind had already decided against it.

      If she was caught spying there was no telling what might happen. Of the three Webster sisters, Miss Ursula was the most formidable and Edie knew she had to be wary in her presence. The other two seemed much easier to handle – perhaps she could learn what she needed from them.

      Sitting beside the armchair, the girl looked at Miss Celandine’s ripe wrinkly, walnut-like features framed by her straw coloured plaits, and Miss Veronica’s haggard, overly made-up face.

      ‘Why is Ursula so scared?’ she asked.

      Neither of the Websters replied. Miss Veronica seemed to have drifted off into her own world again and Miss Celandine was nibbling her lip as if wondering what to do.

      ‘There’s some things even you can’t be told,’ Miss Celandine eventually blurted. ‘I thought you were here to look after us but that hasn’t happened at all – quite the opposite. It is, it is! Well, I shan’t say anything to you unless Ursula tells me to – and Veronica won’t either.’

      But her words did not deter Edie. Apparently unconcerned, she lifted the plate of pancakes and sniffed them experimentally.

      ‘Put them down!’ Miss Celandine squealed. ‘They’re not yours, they’re not, they’re not!’

      Impudently Edie arched her eyebrows and proceeded to stuff two of the pancakes into her mouth, much to Miss Celandine’s outrage.

      ‘Wicked!’ she clucked, beating her fists upon her knees. ‘You stop that! At once, at once – ooh, you naughty child. You are, you are!’

      Edie ignored her and looked instead at Veronica who was also staring at her in shocked disbelief as yet another pancake disappeared inside the young girl’s mouth.

      Suddenly the woman in the armchair could bear it no longer. Yowling like a singed cat, she grabbed the plate from Edie and rammed its scrumptious jam-daubed dainties into her own crabbed lips.

      Several minutes passed as Miss Veronica chewed and devoured her most favourite food. Then when the last morsel was swallowed, she frowned at Edie and poked her with a bony finger.

      ‘There were two ravens,’ she said, her eyes glazing over as she struggled to recall the fleeting memories. ‘Two of them, and they belonged to someone... someone very special. What were their names? Why don’t I know? I’m sure it’s important.’

      Leaning back in the chair, the elderly woman sighed heavily and shook her head.

      ‘You are shameless,’ Miss Celandine berated Edie. ‘Poor Veronica mustn’t remember, you mustn’t make her.’

      The girl eyed her mutinously. Perhaps if she asked about something else she could catch her off guard. ‘Tell me what happened to the land of Askar,’ she piped up unexpectedly.

      At the mention of that name Miss Celandine brightened, but she glanced suspiciously at the doorway in case Miss Ursula was lurking there. ‘Come,’ she whispered, ‘over here – we’ll sit by the fireplace.’

      Together they rose, and Miss Celandine settled herself in one of the chairs by the hearth and raked a poker through the cold, dead ashes as if stoking a heap of flaming cinders.

      Edie waited until she had finished before she said, ‘Ursula started tellin’ me yesterday about the ice giants. Did they build the bridge and kill the World Tree?’

      Miss Celandine brushed the ash and coal dust from her fingers and gazed mournfully at the charred, scattered cinders.

      ‘Oh, yes,’ she murmured. ‘The chasm that separated the green lands from the icy wastes was spanned. Oh, but it was so heavenly in those days. Askar was at its most beautiful and Yggdrasill at the height of its power and majesty. It really was glorious – oh, it was, it was.

      ‘Everyone СКАЧАТЬ