Miss Chigwidgeon has finally agreed to come with me to my cottage in West Darlson. She seems satisfied with Mr Chadwick and the duties he is performing for Sir Cosmo.

Miss Chigwidgeon is in her room planning what to pack. I have asked Tattvick to help her as, she will need to pack not only for our informal time at the cottage but also for the visit to my family. I will send a letter off to mother tomorrow morning to confirm my plans and request a carriage to retrieve us from the train station at Chester.

Saturday was quite busy. I allowed myself the luxury of sleeping in as I had been out late with Sir Cosmo, Miss Chigwidgeon, and others of the household to see the new musical at the Royal Gallery of Illustration. “Our Island Home” by Mr William Gilbert and Mr Thomas Reed was an amusing bit of fluff and a very nice change from our previous encounter with that theatre. I do hope the critics are kinder to it than they were to the demonized version of “The Rag Pickers: or the Emperor’s New Clothes”.

In addition to my evening’s entertainment, I had arranged to move my Alchemy lesson to Saturday as well. What with the trial, I did not have the heart to go to lessons on Thursday evening. Mr Haversham was quite accommodating in that respect. I am struggling to make sense of the information that he has given me in my last few lessons. It has only been a few weeks since I started studying with him and I am still throughly at sea in the subject. I had thought my Training in Chemistry would help, and that Alchemy would be a more rigorous approach to magik, however, so far I find that it is not so. Perhaps I will have to stop wasting Mr Haversham’s time and submit to fact that magik is inherently irrational (as much as I would like it to be otherwise) and that my Great-Aunt’s approach and that of the Hindu rituals that Salmalin is inadvertently teaching me seem to suit me better.

Miss Chigwidgeon has invited Mr Salmalin to accompany us. I knew that inviting her would necessitate accommodating some sort of body-guard, and he is really the most logical choice. Mr Cuthbert is unsuitable as a guard for young ladies and will be quite busy moving in to the house at 12 Charles Street in the next week (I am given to understand that the house will be ready by then). Dr Wilson, the Marquis, Lieutenant Wooster, and Mr O’Flarhety will be busy at the Rocket Works for the foreseeable future, Inspector MacGregor and Mr Frazer are, of course, busy with their own work, Tattvick is busy with school, George is a bit young and needs more lessons from Edward in driving, Stuart went with Miss Sinclair to see her safely home and back and the rest of the household has duties that keep them at the house at 18 Charles Street. That leaves us with Salmalin, who, in any case, would be Miss Chigwidgeon’s first choice.

I am not entirely certain how to deal with this development. In its favour, after our sojourn to the cottage we will be travelling on to my family home in Cheshire and both Miss Chigwidgeon and Mr Salmalin are exotic enough (she as the Finaceé of Sir Cosmo and he as the Mysterious Footman) that I should look comparatively normal.

Tattvick has come by to inform me that Miss Chigwidgeon is a ready as she (Tattvick) can make her (Miss Chigwidgeon). I asked if she wanted to take a break from her classes and come with us to the cottage but Tattvick seems to have made friends and taken on duties at the school that she would rather maintain. I think this is all to the good, for though I miss her company, it is appropriate for her to be more with girls her own age. I am afraid that the prospect of visiting with my family did not entice her in any way. I am sincerely happy that she has made a place for herself, and I hear nothing but good from both Graves and Lady Ottoline about my charge.

~Later~

I forgot to mention that the Chigwidgeon family (Mr Rip Chigwidgeon, his new wife, and Miss Chigwidgeon’s half-brother Mr Fong Chigwidgeon) will be coming over for dinner this evening. I have yet to see father and son together and Mrs Chigwidgeon is, of course, just getting to know her new family so it should be quite interesting.

~Evening~

Miss Chigwidgeon’s family has been and gone. It was quite a pleasant meal and all parties were on their best behaviour. Mr Fong Chigwidgeon did ask after Nigel when he arrived. Nigel had made his excuses to Sir Cosmo and begged off of dinner. I believe he does have rather a lot of mail to categorise and reply to on Dr Wilson’s behalf and it was certainly less awkward than having all three former suitors to Miss Chigwidgeon in one room. Sir Cosmo certainly bears up well under extraordinary circumstances.

After dinner, I had a visit from Mrs Cuthbert. The workmen are going though the house from top to bottom and she is finalizing the arrangements for the movers. Most of the Cuthbert’s belongings will be coming from Mr Cuthbert’s brother’s house in London but many of their personal items will be moved from Sir Cosmo’s house. As she was finalizing the floor plan for herself and her uncle, it occurred to Elethea that, upon her return, Miss Chigwidgeon really should move in with the Cuthberts for propriety’s sake.

So used to our living arrangements had I become, that I had completely forgotten that concern. Miss Chigwidgeon was not pleased with the idea of moving out for the duration of the engagement. To a certain extent, it will greatly complicate my job, and I am unsure which household I should base my own operations out of. I will consult with my mother when I see her next. It might work best for me to stay in my current rooms, then we would have the much more respectable Mrs Cuthbert chaperoning Miss Chigwidgeon in a more the more public role, but I would be available when Miss Chigwidgeon comes calling. Some how I suspect that Mr Salmalin and I, in our various roles in the household, will be making the short journey between No.’s 18 and 12 Charles Street quite frequently in the coming months.

13 June 1870, Monday

I received the most frightfully annoying letter from Our Employer this morning before we set out on our travels. (I am writing this on the train bound for Stoke-on-Trent.) I had written to him early last week asking for clarification on what information I could divulge to my family regarding the death of my Father in April of this year. Also I sought his aid in devising a way to warn my family against the predations of vampires, without sounding like a complete madwoman. He said, and I quote “you should refrain from telling them anything directly related to the ... Office, or anything that can only be explained by that work, but it would be perfectly fine with me to tell your family that you'd gotten a vampire angry with you.”

How very Un-Helpful!

Fortunately Mrs Godwin’s letter arrived by the same post and was much more useful. In addition to supporting my idea for warning my family against madmen who believe (and act) as if they are vampires, she sent along some notes from the Order’s most recent research into the rift that has been opened allowing all manner of evil to cross over into our world. So far not much is known. She has suggested some avenues I could research while I am out in the country.

For now, Miss Chigwidgeon, Mr Salmalin, and I are enjoying the ride. Mrs Murphy packed us a picnic basket so we have quite a nice lunch to look forward too. The sun is streaming in through the windows and Miss Chigwidgeon has offered to read the latest “Kid Rocket” adventure to us to pass the time.

~Later~

We picked up a newspaper as we boarded the train. I note that on page five there is small notice that Baron Blackhall’s appeal was rejected. If that is so, he was scheduled to hang today. I have said a prayer for the repose of his soul.

We have settled in at the cottage. I introduced Salmalin to the House spirit and we managed to get our trunks unloaded without having anyone possessed or other untoward activities. From what I understand, House has a better time understanding my requests ever since I took possession of Great Aunt Hethalyn’s book. The coach driver did give Salmalin a look of pity when we requested that he leave our things at the gate. I imagine that he thought we would let Salmalin wrestle our heavy trunks down the garden path and into the house all on his own. Fortunately he was well away before all three of us worked to drag the luggage into the house. I had taken Tattvick’s advice and packed my trunks so as not to concentrate all of heavy books and other magik items in one trunk. Such a sensible girl my Tattvick.

Miss Chigwidgeon and I consulted with Salmalin on how best to use our time together this week. Miss Chigwidgeon wants to work intensively on her physical skills and continue to learn the Hindu traditions of her mother’s people. I have a pile of books to read courtesy of Mrs Godwin and Mr Weasley. I also would like to continue to work on the skills Salmalin has been teaching us. I also wish to work on my swordsmanship, gain a deeper understanding of how the house works, and discover what I must do to maintain House itself.

As I review the list, I see that I have set rather ambitious goals for myself for a single week!

I have set up our living arrangements to my satisfaction. Salmalin is settled, over some objection, in the guest room, while Miss Chigwidgeon and I will share Great Aunt Hethalyn’s room. I would not be surprised to find Salmalin up and about before either of us. I did explain the cottage defences, as I understand them, to him and I am hoping that he will get use the time in a protected space to rest and recover from our various adventures. I do not know that he has really rested since his time in the hospital back in early April, if you can call time in a hospital restful, and he has been wounded several times since then.

I am very grateful that Miss Chigwidgeon does not spook easily given our last experience in the cottage.

14 June 1870, Tuesday

The three of us passed a peaceful night. I slept soundly and dreamlessly. Miss Chigwidgeon and I helped each other dress, a process made simpler by our decision to dress informally. I doubt we will have any callers during our time here and it will be quite nice not to change clothes four times each day.

Once down from our room we rendezvoused with Mr Salmalin in the kitchen and had a cup of tea before going outside to practise the hand-to-hand techniques. Miss Chigwidgeon was very focussed and I can see that she is making progress. My own progress is somewhat lacking, but I was able to make use of my height and longer reach in ways that were very satisfying.

After training we returned to the cottage, freshened up, and sat down to breakfast. Mrs Murphy had sent along some of her kitchen’s excellent bread as well as other provisions, and, as at our last visit, the larder is fully stocked courtesy of my Great-Aunt.

We continue to work on our Hindi, and Salmalin continued our education into the mantras and rituals that he uses. He and Miss Chigwidgeon adjourned to the garden for more practise while I started on my research for Mrs Godwin and Mr Travers. I took my books out into the garden so I could continue my duties as chaperone at the same time.

On our way in, Salmalin offered to lay out lunch. Miss Chigwidgeon and I carried fresh water up to the basins in the rooms– later we can bring the kettle up and warm the water before we retire for the evening. I am glad to be with Miss Chigwidgeon, it is very relaxing to be with someone who has no use for the odd customs that I have spent my life observing. If I was travelling with my mother we would have two personal maids and at least one footman with us.

Given the strenuous nature of the assignments Our Employer provides the League, we really should take advantage of any opportunity to maintain our strength. I know that I will have difficulty when I return home. There is so much that I do myself these days that would scandalise my mother and other right-thinking women of her standing. Of course, the mere fact that I am divorced scandalises most of her circle of friends. I am very grateful for the insulating effect of the company that Sir Cosmo keeps. We are all such oddities that, much of the time, I am hardly reminded of my dubious status. I begin to dread my planned visit home. As much as I love my family they are terribly conventional and would be shocked at the amount of work I do in a day. I will have difficulty remembering all the rules after all my time among the League.

Miss Chigwidgeon helped me clean up after lunch and then I insisted that we rest in our rooms for an hour. I know Miss Chigwidgeon was keen to continue training, however, part of the point of coming out to the country was rest. After a nice nap we resumed our training. Mr Salmalin consented to assist me with my swordplay and other vampire dispatching techniques.

After a quick break for tea we began preparing our evening meal. We are trying to take care of our own needs, and it is amazing how much time it takes to run the household as well as work through our routine and we have the assistance of House!

We put together a decent meal, without setting fire to the kitchen or experiencing any other mishaps. By the time we had eaten and cleaned up the kitchen the light had gone from the sky. I lit a fire in the fireplace and we have settled in for the evening. Mr Salmalin seems to be meditating, Miss Chigwidgeon is writing a letter to Sir Cosmo, and I am updating this record. I do not know that I will have much of note to report during the rest of our visit here. We shall see. Now it is time to bank the fire and retire for the evening.

15 June 1870, Wednesday,

Today is moving day back in London for the Cuthberts. I hope everything goes smoothly for them. I asked Tattvick to oversee the move of Miss Chigwidgeon’s possessions to her new, temporary, home for the duration of the engagement.

As for the three of us, we had a rather startling day on the practise field. Mr Salmalin had been working with each of us in turn, allowing us to try to strike him using the techniques he has shown us. My turn was very uneventful, and I was left feeling rather frustrated. Miss Chigwidgeon took her turn next. I am not certain what happened, it seemed that she fell against Salmalin rather than striking him. He quickly called a halt to the practise and it became evident that his right arm was hanging uselessly at his side. Miss Chigwidgeon was quite distressed that she had succeeded in hurting him. He refused my offer of first aid. Apparently Miss Chigwidgeon had accidentally stumbled upon a technique for incapacitating an opponent– fortunately the effect is temporary. We halted our practise for a time while Salmalin recovered. He took the time to explain the technique and suggested that Miss Chigwidgeon learn how to use it properly. As promised, Salmalin did recover full movement of his arm fairly quickly. We resumed practise with no further incident.

Miss Chigwidgeon rapidly whet from feeling terrible that she had hurt Salmalin, to understanding that she had hurt Salmalin– a rather amazing feat in and of itself. Hopefully he will be more careful of himself in the future.

I have been feeling less anxious in Salmalin’s presence over the past two days. I am still unsettled in my thoughts about him, but he is so clearly devoted to Miss Chigwidgeon and oblivious to me (happily so) that it is easier to manage my feelings than if they were reciprocated. Maybe there were lingering effects of the Song and Dance Demon’s spell that are only now beginning to wear off. Regardless I will try to continue keep my feelings to myself on this matter.

In the afternoon I transferred my attention to learning more about House and how it can be sustained. The ritual is very straightforward and I plan to attempt it tomorrow. The more startling thing I learned was that the food in the pantry is not provided by House but rather by the local hobgoblins, or as the are called in older sections of the book Knockers or Brown Men. They fill the pantry whenever the ‘witch’ is returning, and at apparently random times thereafter, in exchange for shelter and sanctuary within the borders of House’s protection. The book says that you cannot depend upon them as an every day source for food. I have, however, been remiss in not setting out cake and porridge for them each evening, and now I am unsure if I should set out an extra portion to make up for my lapse, or if that would cause unforseen problems. The book does not tell me what to do, I think I may have to consult with Great Aunt Hethalyn if she will come to me.

~Tea time~

Before I undertook to call on Great Aunt Hethalyn, I re-read Mrs Godwin’s letter. She says that: “the Order has made several attempts to question the various spirits about the rift in the veil of worlds. One avenue which has thus far resisted is that of Faery.” Mrs. Godwin's goes on to emphasize that it is very dangerous it is to speak with the Lords and Ladies of Faery: “however, I believe that Hethalyn's heir would be granted some deference by certain forest spirits who might be able to shed some light upon the situation.” I believe Mrs Godwin is referring to the hobgoblins mentioned in Great Aunt Hethalyn’s book. I went back to re-read the passage referenced earlier and found, in addition an entry about the ‘Lords and Ladies’. Aunt Hethalyn and the witches before her seemed to take them quite seriously. Given my own experience with the half-fey ghost that infested the cottage on Miss Chigwidgeon and my first visit here, I will give her cautions due weight.

I shall transcribe that passage here so as fix it in my memory:

"The Lords and Ladies make us want what we can't have. What this give us is worth nothing. What they take is everything. All that is left for us is the cold hillside, and emptiness, and the laughter of elves."

1. Never dance around old stones.

2. Don't let the wild flowers grow uncut around the old stones.

3. Never kill a beast of the earth nor bird of the air within the circle of the old stones. Nor build May wheels, set them alight, and roll through between the old stones. Neither should you allow the procession of the Jack in Green to cross through the circle of old stones without the accompaniment of loud bells.

4. Do not visit the old stones on midsummer eve, all hallow's eve, may day, or the winter solstice without proper protection including iron, the hide of a strong stag, a carved staff, some wine (to offer), a reliable lantern, a saucer of milk, sturdy shoes, a warm cloak, and a good hat.

5. On the night of a new moon, do not dance around the old stones, do not burn incense, do not make a circle of candles, and do chant any sort of summoning or greeting. If you must do these things, be sure to first draw a magic circle around yourself, and arm yourself with some cold iron, the hide of a strong stag, a carved staff, some wine or brandy. A good lantern, sturdy shoes, a warm cloak, a reliable cat or saucer of milk, and a good hat would come in handy.

6. On the night of a full moon, do not dance around the old stones, do not burn incense, do not make a circle of candles, and do not chant any sort of summoning or greeting. Remember the iron, a staff, some buckskin, wine, a lantern, shoes, cloak, and a good hat.

7. If neither midsummer, nor full moon, nor new moon, or other appropriate night is handy, do not under any circumstances dance around the old stones clad only in the sky, after walking three times widdershins around one of the stones, lighting a circle of candles, burning incense, invoking the winds to take thee behind the north wind, east of the sun, west of the moon, behind the beyond, past the fields we know and back again, without the proper protections mentioned above.

8. You can skip the cloak, the staff, and the hide of a stag, so long as you never let them see you flinch, but absolutely do not forget the iron, the shoes, and the hat.

~Later~

After I finished the above transcription, I invited the spirit of my Great Aunt to visit and she agreed to appear. Since they were on my mind I asked her about the standing stones.

She was very concerned, asking if a baby had gone missing. I assured her that none had to my knowledge. She commented that most of the times she used the ritual for summoning the lords and ladies that is hidden in the book, it was when a baby went missing, and the brown men couldn't tell her where it was.

"It's not easy to bargain a baby back from the Lords and Ladies once they've taken him." she repeated. It took several repetitions to make her understand that I didn’t want to preform the ritual or summon the Lords and Ladies, I just wanted to know where the stones were and if there were any on my family’s land in Cheshire. After that she told me: "The local stones are just up the road a bit, across from the monument to St. Serc. It doesn't do to leave a map laying around showing suspicious folk you know where the standing stones are, because some might try to use it as an excuse to burn you. But it's perfectly all right to have a note about St. Serc's monument on your map. Good landmark and a nice, Christian reference. There are some stones on your father's land, about a half day's hike north and west of the house, I seem to recall. They're good, quiet old stones."

I had found a map on my last visit, a hunk of goatskin, that lists some bridges, fords, and a "the saint's stone."

After that had been straightened out, I asked her what to do about my neglect of the Brown Men. She confirmed my instinct that putting out a little extra would be appropriate. She also added that if I want to be certain one of them asks to come in and sit a spell, I should fill one of the pewter cups about half full of tea, let it cool down a bit, don't put any sugar in it at all, and leave it next to the food: "They'll always ask if you might have a spot of sugar or a drop of honey, and maybe a bit of hot water to warm it up."

I will try this technique this evening, given that Mr Salmalin and Miss Chigwidgeon have no objections.

~Supper~

I set out cake and porridge in extra portions on the back doorstep as instructed. I also set out the mug of cold tea as suggested by Great Aunt Hethalyn. As Miss Chigwidgeon and I were doing the washing up I heard a tapping on the door. I went to answer it and found a single hobgoblin, resembling a very wrinkled old man, about a foot tall, wearing out-style clothing, and having a small tail, asking if there was a pinch of sugar for the tea.

I invited him in to set by the fire. Mr Salmalin and Miss Chigwidgeon were most accommodating and unsurprised. I really think the only time I have seen Mr Salmalin shocked at anything was when Miss Chigwidgeon decided to ‘clear the air’ between them on the boat ride up the Thames nearly two weeks back.

‘Hob,’ for that is what he told me to call him, was very grateful to sit by the fire to warm his feet.

We chatted for a bit after introducing ourselves. Hob had gossip to share, but it was a bit rambling and difficult to follow. Though really not much different from keeping company with some of my Great Aunt’s on my mother’s side of the family, as they are a bit deaf and out of touch with recent events. The main difficulty understanding Hob was that I didn’t know the past 1000 years of history of the local area. Some of his stories and bits of gossip seemed to relate to old history.

He did admit that there's been a lot of “sendin' back and forth o' letters and emissaries an' the like between the Lords and Ladies and even the King of the Knockers about the trouble ‘over the sea’ and how it's spillin' over here. Been bad signs, there 'ave. Ghosts that hardly ever bother anyone, wailin' and rattlin' about! Weather goin' a bit wonky, as well! Looks like it might be a lean winter 'round some parts."

He eventually admitted that he overheard a courier from one of the Elf Lords, who was taking a message to the King of the Knockers, tell a hobgoblin lass that was giving him some beer, that some foreign humans had gone and slain some monsters, not the evil kind, mind, but the kind of monsters that keep the evil ones locked away so they don't trouble either the fair folk or humans.

Hob said that the names of the monsters were strange foreign names that he couldn't remember. Most of the trouble seems to have happening in the next world, which Hob said most of the Brown Men, with the exception of the King of the Knockers, don’t have much to do with. He suggested that the ‘ghost of the dragon’ might know about the monsters.

I asked what the ghost of the dragon was and Hob told me a long, rambling, but entertaining, story about a human priest who came in, convinced the local people to stop paying attention to the old ways, finally killing the dragon that lives in the river. "They erected a stone to 'im, an' everything! Told great stories about 'ow 'e was a great man o' god for killin' a poor old dragon who never did no one no 'arm, least ways 'ardly ever. They fail to mention that it didn't rain that next season, neither, 'cause the dragon wasn't there to call down the storm clouds. No, they don't mention that, do they! Nor to they mention how, when the witch--maysherestinpeace--got back from her trip abroad, that she's the one that got the rain goin' again, by going to the place where the dragon was kilt, and offerin' him some wine and pleadin' with him to let the rains come back."

Out of curiosity I asked which witch had done this and he admit he did not know here name. "She was prob'ly your great-great-great-and-so-on-great grandmother or a sister of one."

It occurred to me that the reference stone Great-Aunt Hethalyn mentioned might be the stone Hob was referring to. When I asked him if that was so, he confirmed it. The dragon killer was St. Serc.

At the end of this story he excused himself, for the evening was getting on. I thanked him again for his hospitality and company and he disappeared out the door.

I did one last round of dishes before settling in to chat with Miss Chigwidgeon and Mr Salmalin as we enjoyed the fire. Not that Mr Salmalin chats as such, mostly he sits quietly while Miss Chigwidgeon and I talk over the days events or read to each other from the various books we brought with us.

Salmalin then got up and said he would patrol the grounds before we settled down for the night. I asked if he and Miss Chigwidgeon would like to walk out to the Saint’s stone and standing stones. I am curious to see if the ghost of the dragon can tell us anything. I am wondering if the ‘good’ monsters that have been killed include the ‘Great White Stallion’ that we encountered when Mr Sentenza was hunting Dr Wilson. I remember that Sentenza had trapped the White Stallion and used it’s power to bind the Black Stallion to his bidding.

16 June 1870, Thursday

Our week is passing quickly. Miss Chigwidgeon makes amazing progress in her fighting skills. She and Mr Salmalin have devised a method that takes advantage of her clumsiness. It is amazing how effective she can be when her attention is focussed.

I, on the other hand seem to have reached a point where I cannot improve further. It is extremely frustrating. Today, during practise, I felt like I could do nothing correctly– two left feet being only the beginning of the problem...

I did make some progress on the research for Mrs Godwin and Mr Weasley. Mr Salmalin, Miss Chigwidgeon and I took a picnic lunch to St Serc’s stone. It is a stone that had a crude picture of a man killing a serpent carved into the side, with the name words "Saint Serc felled the terrible dragon" carved beneath the picture.
I will attempt to transcribe the events and conversation as it occured:

I set an open jug of wine, open, in front of the stone, Then cast a protective circle around myself, Miss Chigwidgeon, and Mr Salmalin. It took a few minutes of chanting to raise the amount of power that seemed to be indicated my conversation with Hob before I cast the Reveal Oni spell. The world seemed to shimmer for a moment. The grass underfoot and the leaves on the bushes rustled as if a wind blew by, but there was no wind. A shadow passed over the sun, though the sky was mostly clear of clouds. The songs birds of the field and wood fell silent.

The ghostly image of a snake - a giant serpent at least a hundred feet long, appeared before us on the ground. It raised its head. There was no sign of wings or feet or claws. Its long tongue tasted the air. “I taste Witchcraft, and Faith, and Dreams," it said, in a voice that was as soft as a whisper, yet shook the earth like thunder. "I smell Christian, and Heathen, and Blessed." (The latter was pronounced Bless-edd, as two distinct syllables). "I hear Woman, and Man, and Maiden," it continued. "I see English, and Hindoo, and Half-breed. I feel the tread of Witch, and Guardian, and Vessel. Is this the Witch of Darlson and her Companions who summon me?"

“Yes, I am Victoria of Hethalyn’s family, chosen by Hethalyn, as her heir and these are my friends and companions.”

"Is this wine an offering for my service?" the serpent said.

“Yes.”

"The Witch of Darlson must be in dire straits to require the counsel of a serpent long vanquished." The dragon's ghostly head hovered near the jug. "What assistance can a dead wyrm be to the Witch of Darlson?"

“There is a rift in the veil between worlds and rumors of guardian spirits killed. I need to know what has happened so I can protect this world from the evil that has been loosed upon it.”

"Yes, across the water, in the land colonised by the children of Europe, the natives do not take kindly to the incursion, to the stealing of land, to the killing of children, to the destruction of the old religions. Have the English forgotton their own past? When the Christians came, preaching love but putting those who would not convert to the sword? When the Vikings came, stealing the women, burning the villages, and proclaiming themselves kings? When the Normans followed, doing much the same as the Vikings?"

“We learned the wrong things from the conquerers and in turn have spread that learning to the new land. Children learn what their ancestors teach and conquest teaches conquest. In time, I hope we will live to teach our children a different way.”

"Well spoke, Witch of Darlson. You have placed your finger upon the crux of the matter," the dragon moves its head up to be level with Victoria's eyes. "The people of the corn and the buffalo have had their fill of European invaders. They have breached one of the gates between the land of the living and the land of the dead. They have released horrors upon the land of men and have made a deal with the Cannibal Spirits. Now the Corruptors, the Eaters of Life, and the Devourers of Peace have unfettered access to the mortal plane."

“Do you know the nature of the pact entered into by the people of the corn and buffalo?”

The serpent paused in thought before answering. "The Cannibal Spirits have been promised unhampered access to the lands of the White Men, to sow death and harvest fear. The Cannibal Spirits have been promised that the warlocks who released them will do all in their power to prevent wiser heads from imprisoning them again."

“What did the Cannibal Spirits have to promise to gain this release?”

"The Cannibal Spirits were asked to leave the people of the corn and the buffalo in peace. All other humans are theirs to prey upon, but the natives of the land across the sea are to be left alone."

“Will the Cannibal Spirits keep their end of the bargin, or are the people of the corn and buffalo in danger as well?”

The dragon laughed. "The Lords and Ladies will adhere to the letter of a promise, and even, sometimes, so will a god, but these creatures are called Corruptors for a reason. The fools have let their thirst for revenge blind them to the true nature of the abominations with whom they have sealed this pact."

“What idiot set these dangerous spirits free?”

"They are led by a warrior who thinks himself a warlock. He wraps himself in the mantle of the Morrigan and an avenging son. The others are more the the same. Child witches without training or restraint. Though it is not fair to blame them. If the sons of Europe had not killed so many of their elders and leaders, perhaps these young men would have taken a different path."

“How can the Cannibal Spirits be re-caputured?”

"That knowledge is older than me, Witch of Darlson. In life, it was my task to guard the river from harm, and thus I have a kinship with the guardian creatures which were killed by these so-called avenging sons, but I was born after the ice retreated from Britain and spring returned to these shores after a thousand lifetimes of winter, while many of these horrors had already been bound, or at the least restrained, long before the ice covered the land."

The serpent stirred restlessly and continued. "I have told you all I know of this subject, Witch of Darlson. Allow me to take my offering and bid me to return to my slumber."

“Take the offering with my thanks, and return to your rest.”

The jug seemed to empty itself. The shadow departed. The birdsong returned and all else returned to how it was before the summoning. I carefully closed the spell and dissolved the protective ring around the three of us. Miss Chigwidgeon and I talked over what we had learned while Mr Salmalin listened.

We then visited the standing stones across the road from St. Srac’s stone. (We had with us the three cast iron fry pans from the cottage kitchen, just in case). We were very careful to confine our activities to inspecting the stones. They were free from overgrowth, there must be someone else in the neighbourhood keeping an eye on them.

We had a very pleasant walk in the June sunshine. It was invigorating to be able to cover ground quickly and comfortably, even after our vigorous practice this morning, this afternoon’s proposed no difficulty. Though Miss Chigwidgeon and I did need to dress up a bit more than we have been, just in case we met neighbours along the way.

In spite of this afternoon’s progress, I’m feeling a bit lost on how to best prepare myself for what ever our next adventure will be. We have leapt from one frying pan to the next fire with very little rest or time for reflection.

It is very odd to be out of Sir Cosmo’s house and the constant comings and goings of all the residents. It will be strange (though hopefully easier on Graves and the rest of the staff) to break the household in two. For while the Cuthbert’s and Miss Chigwidgeon will be right next door, that is not quite the same as down the hall.

So many changes coming... I will meditate before retiring this night, if Great-Aunt Hethalyn comes again, I can thank her for her guidance.

17 June 1870, Friday

I had no dreams or visitations last night, so I worked up my courage and spoke to Salmalin on my own behalf. I realize now that my comfort with him these past few days, came mostly from my role as chaperone. As there are only the three of us, I am required to be in his presence whenever Miss Chigwidgeon is– nearly all of the daylight hours, an arrangement that has been very satisfactory to me without my even realizing it.

I was very nervous, but events of this week have convinced me that Alchemy is not the right path for my magik. Great-Aunt Hethalyn and her forebearers practised a type of magik that is much closer to that which Salmalin practices. I will not waste any more of Mr Haversham’s time learning a style of ritual that is incompatible with my own. I also know that I must become more accomplished in defending myself and others of the League from physical danger as well as the more mystical kind. I may not always be able to count on my magik or the strong arms of others to defend me.

I asked Mr Salmalin what disciplines I should study to prepare for future adventures of the League. I hope I managed to appear my own self in his presence, or that my anxiety was concealed by my concern for the Leauge.
Salmalin is a most difficult man to be sure of. Fortunately for me, he was most matter of fact in his recommendations. He suggested that I continue my hand-to-hand training, continue to work on my meditations and begin to learn how to move with stealth (an enormous challenge in a crinoline, I’m afraid) and learn to control my breathing. Both new skills are ones he can teach me in addition to the ones I am already learning from him.

He said that as I learn to control my body, control over my magik will follow. It is true that one of breathing exercises he gave me to use at the Tribunal was most effective in controlling my nerves. Mr Salmalin also suggested that I work to maintain my current skills and not worry too much about my current inability to progress in hand-to-hand. He reassured me that all of his students have reached such barriers in their training and there is nothing to be done but keep at it. Though in light of Miss Chigwidgeon’s progress it is rather frustrating. Of course, she is also eleven years my junior and has the robust good health and suppleness of limb given to all of us at that age. I shall turn thirty this year, however, since I have undertaken to learn the physical discipline that Salmalin teaches us, I feel younger, and more physically at ease than I have in a very long time.

The divorce from William took more from me than my status as a respectably married woman. Once I had set my feet upon that path, I was subjected to the loss of my household and the subtle ridicule that people of my class are masters of. If it were not for the support of Tattvick’s family and that of a few like minded women friends (most of whom had witnessed some of William’s excesses) the experience would have been even more distressing. As it was, nearly all of my social connexions were severed as well as many of my opportunities for exercise and fresh air. When I returned home from India (courtesy of my former husband’s commander) I was surprised at how out of condition I had become. I was exhausted by even a short horse ride. Now, with my place in Sir Cosmo’s house and position in the League I feel my old health and vigour again.

18 June 1870, Saturday

Today is the last full day of our vacation at the cottage. Tomorrow being Sunday we will rest and prepare to catch the train on Monday to the Whitnell Estate in Cheshire. I am looking forward to seeing my mother and my sister Anne. I do not know if any of my other siblings (other than John and his wife, Emily of course) will be visiting. In the last letter I had from Mother, it seemed that Elizabeth and her children were also visiting. I shall see when I arrive, I suppose.

19 June 1870, Sunday

Our last day at the cottage passed peacefully enough. Miss Chigwidgeon and I spent much of the afternoon packing our trunks and doing various errands around the house. I have learned much about House but I feel better when I contribute to the upkeep of this house. It is so nice to know that I have a place of my own, a refuge to retreat to should it ever become necessary.

I spent part of the day in meditation, preparing for my visit home. I will try to be a good, normal daughter during the visit. I must lay the ground carefully, if I am to warn my family of some of the threats they may face as a result of my activities, and have them believe me. John will be inclined to ignore any advice that comes from me, simply because it comes from me. This will be the one of my most challenging assignments I fear.

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