She put the book back, unimpressed, and scanned a few more titles before she found it: Elemental Magic. She took it down, opened it and started reading. This was it. This was what she was looking for. She found an old chair in one corner and sat, bringing her legs up under her.
Her mobile phone was perched on the arm of the chair. Stephanie held one hand closed, trying to think of the space between her hand and the phone as a series of interlocking objects. Moving one would move another, which would move another, which would move the phone. She focused, opened her hand slowly and then snapped open her palm, like she had seen Skulduggery do.
Nothing happened.
She made a fist, then tried again. The phone stayed where it was. Just like it had done the previous fifty times she’d tried.
“How’s it going?” She looked up as Tanith Low approached.
“You’re starting off too big,” Tanith said. “A phone’s too heavy. A paper clip would be enough.”
“I don’t have a paper clip,” Stephanie said.
Tanith took the book from her, opened it and balanced it on the arm of the chair. “Use that,” she said.
Stephanie frowned. “But that’s even heavier than the phone.”
“Not the book. Just the page.”
“Oh,” Stephanie said. She concentrated again, flexed her fingers and splayed her hand. The page didn’t turn. It didn’t even lift.
“It takes time,” Tanith said. “And patience.”
“I don’t have time,” Stephanie said bitterly. “And I’ve never had patience.”
Tanith shrugged. “There’s always the possibility that you just can’t do magic. It’s one thing to know it exists – it’s quite another to be able to do it yourself.”
“I suppose,” Stephanie said.
“That’s some bruise you’ve got there.”
Stephanie glanced at her arm, to where her sleeve was pulled back. “I had a bit of trouble,” she said.
“So I see. Did you give as good as you got?”
“Not really,” Stephanie admitted. “But most of the bruising was done by a tree anyway, so…”
“I’ve fought just about every type of opponent you could name,” Tanith said, “but I’ve never been attacked by a tree. Well done.”
“Thank you.”
Tanith dug into her pocket and brought out a piece of yellow porous rock. “Run a bath, let this dissolve. A few minutes in there, the bruises will be gone.”
Stephanie took the rock. “Thank you,” she said, and Tanith shrugged.
“I don’t want to scare you, but this mightn’t be the best time for someone to start learning magic. Bad things are happening.”
Stephanie didn’t say anything. She didn’t know anything about Tanith, and she didn’t know how many sides there were in the coming conflict. She wasn’t about to start trusting perfect strangers.
“Thanks for the rock,” she said.
“Not a problem,” Tanith responded. “Us warriors have to look out for one another.”
Stephanie saw movement through the stacks – the man in the bow tie was back. Which meant China had returned.
“I have to go,” she said at once, getting up off the chair.
She found China in the apartment, her back to Stephanie as she approached.
“Have you told the Elders?” Stephanie asked.
“Word has been sent,” China said without turning.
“You sent word? That’s it?”
“Do not presume to question me, child.”
Stephanie glared at her. “I really wish you wouldn’t call me child.”
China turned. “And I really wish you would pick a name, so I wouldn’t have to.”
“Why aren’t we going to the rescue?”
“Going to the rescue?” China said with a laugh. “On our horses, is that right? With bugles sounding and flags flying? You think that’s how it works?”
“Skulduggery has come to my rescue.”
“Well, they don’t make them like him any more, do they?”
“Sending word isn’t good enough. Meritorious has to be told. Tell him that we need Skulduggery to get the Sceptre; tell him that without Skulduggery, Serpine will destroy everything. Tell him whatever you want, but we have to make the Elders act!”
“And then what? They call the Cleavers to action, they call their allies together, and then we all go merrily along to war? Child, you know nothing about war. You think it’s big and it’s loud and it’s good versus evil. It’s not. War is a delicate thing: it requires precision. It requires timing.”
“We don’t have time.”
“Not so. Time is in short supply, but we still have it.”
“So you’re delaying? Why?”
“I cannot have chaos erupting around me until I am prepared for it. I am a collector. I am an observer. I don’t participate. My resources, and my standing, must be secure before I can allow the uncertainty of war to crash down upon us.”
“And what about Skulduggery? While you’re waiting for the right moment to tell everyone Serpine is the bad guy, Skulduggery might be killed!”
The hesitation that flickered across China’s face was barely noticeable. “There are casualties in every conflict.”
Stephanie hated her. She turned and stormed back to the open door.
“Where are you going?” China called after her.
“I’m going to do what you’re too scared to do yourself!”
“No, you’re not.”
The door slammed shut before Stephanie reached it and she spun around. China was walking towards her, her exquisite face perfectly calm.
“You have no right,” China said softly, “to plunge us all into war. Who are you to decide when we fight? Why should you decide when we die?”
“I just want to help my friend,” Stephanie said, taking a step back.
“Skulduggery is not your
