The Tavern of the Hall
“Lady Elizabeth, it is an honour that you grace my establishment.” Madame Gillee curtseyed as Elizabeth threaded her way through the groups of tables toward her.
The Tavern of the Hall was quieter than Elizabeth remembered, with only a few groups of Hall Walkers gathered around the fires. The white walls were festooned with holly, ivy and generous swathes of red, white and gold ribbon; in the centre of the room, next to the bar, stood the biggest Satyulemas Tree she’d ever seen inside a building.
The twinkling gold sunburst that topped it brushed the dark blue ceiling and a spiral of ribbons matching the wall decorations spilled down through the dark green branches past delicately coloured glass baubles, shining silver stars and sparkling white snowflakes.
“Thirrin told me that my presence was requested, Madame.” Elizabeth replied, offering her hand to the older woman. “And you don’t have to curtsey to me. I’m a Hall Walker now, remember?”
“No matter where each Hall Walker comes from, I always remember their home world status.” Madame Gillee said. “You are a Countess on Arkingvale and thus four below royalty.”
Elizabeth sighed. “I left Arkingvale to forget about all of that.”
“You cannot evade your responsibility to your home and people, my Lady.” Benjamin said from a nearby table. He stood up and waved for her to join him. “Have a seat and I’ll explain why.”
Elizabeth ignored the seat that he indicated and sat down as far from him as she could. Madame Gillee clicked her fingers and an automaton dressed in livery that matched the decorations appeared through a nearby door with a tray.
“As ordered Madame.” The automaton buzzed, laying out glasses and a carafe of wine on the table between them before stepping back and freezing in position.
“Well?” Elizabeth folded her arms and leaned on the table, ignoring the wine.
“The League of Time Correction has gained the loyalty of a Time Traveller. This could potentially mean the end of the Hall.” Benjamin said.
“That’s what Thirrin said.” Elizabeth snorted. “Stop being vague, Mr Crossworthy and get to the point.”
Benjamin swept one hand through his dark brown hair and sighed. “The League has subverted your young cousin, Elspeth. She and the duchess fell out over the selection of suitors for her debut ball and the league persuaded Elspeth that if she joined them, she could have any suitor she wished…”
“…or none at all; as long as you produce babies for them to bring up in the league’s education system.” Elizabeth ground her teeth. “That’s exactly what they offered me.”
“Well unfortunately where you ran from them, she joined up with them.” Benjamin said. “Their first act was to send her and an assassin back in time to remove good Queen Bess from her throne.”
Madam Gillee gasped. “That was the time ripple we experienced last week? Mon Dieu, more than half a dozen worlds were changed from that one. Chirr, Rilx and Thirrin all reported to me that several corridors had extra doors and at least three corridors ceased to exist.”
“Thankfully it didn’t affect the current historical world. Just made the Spanish Wars more bloody.” He replied. “Clearly it wasn’t what they wanted because our contact has reported that Elspeth has jumped several times more.”
“With no result it would seem.” Madam Gillee said. “I wonder what they are up to?”
“No one knows. We still haven’t been able to find out.”
Elizabeth slapped one hand down on the table, making the wine shiver in the glasses and bringing their attention back to her. “So what is Arthur Archington doing about this? He is in charge of continuity of the Time lines.”
“He sent me to get you. The Council for Historical Relevance have tried a number of times to repair the damage, but they have no wizards as powerful as Elspeth and you are the only sorcerer to be born in the last three hundred years of our world.” Benjamin said.
“How many jumps did she make with the Assassin?” Elizabeth asked, more interested in her cousin’s powers than the politics. “Do you know how badly the Time Sickness affected her?”
“We believe that she made five or six jumps. I wasn’t aware that she got Time Sickness.” Benjamin frowned. “Why is that important?”
Elizabeth shrugged. “It isn’t really. Just wondered. Five or six jumps means that she’s not going to live for that long; Mother travelled a similar Time/Distance in four. You’d better persuade her back to the Council side and get her to have some babies.”
Madame Gillee sighed. “I believe that that is what Benjamin is asking you to do, Lady Elizabeth. Surely she would listen to her cousin?”
“Elspeth listens to very few people. Her Father is one of them.” Elizabeth looked at Benjamin, her violet and green eyes hardening. “He’s Head of the Council; surely he can tell her what she should do.”
The young man closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. “The Duke refuses to get involved. He and the Duchess became estranged after the incident that led to your…”
“Escape.” Elizabeth finished for him. “Good. Lady Delilah is an evil, conniving cow.”
Benjamin shuddered and opened his eyes again, focusing on her face. “You’ve learned some interesting language in your exile.” He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head to the right, a slight smile touching his lips.
“Kaoterker is an interesting world.” Elizabeth refused to acknowledge the jump her heart gave at his look. “Women are held in highest respect there.”
He winced. “The fact remains that your cousin is in danger. In fact your whole family is in danger.”
“My family died in that contraption remember?” Elizabeth snapped. “I have no family.”
Benjamin coughed and looked uncomfortable. “As to that… the Council have given me Carte Blanche as to your effect on history should you come back and help.”
Elizabeth stared at him. “Are you saying… what I think you are saying?”
He straightened up. “The Duke said, “Tell her that she can do whatever it is she wants to do as long as she sorts her cousin out.” He seemed rather concerned.”
Elizabeth stood up. “I’ll think about it. If you need me, I’ll be in the Library.” She strode away, her head spinning with possibilities and left the Tavern.
* * *
The Library of The Hall held every book ever written. Like the Tavern, it had many entrances, some of which were situated on other worlds, but the main one lay two corridors down from where Elizabeth came out of the Tavern. Time didn’t pass in the Library, not even slowly the way that time did in the Tavern. It was the perfect place to get lost in a book.
The Library was also colder than the Hall. The Techs on Zonlasin B think that it’s to do with the stored time here. Elizabeth glanced around the main reading room as she entered, hoping that she’d be alone.
Up at the Desk, the Librarian stood, calm and still with her eyes closed. Elizabeth discounted her immediately. She won’t bother me unless I do something that might harm the Library. Two or three scholars were scattered around the tables, sat as far away from each other as they could get. They’re here to study. They won’t want to talk to me either. One of the signs on the Librarian’s desk caught her eye; a big red triangle with a dragon under a red cross. And this is one of the few places that Teacup cannot track me down to, either.
With each observation, Elizabeth felt the tension drain from her body. She took a deep breath of the dry, slightly dusty air, and exhaled silently. I feel so much better when I come here.
Stopping at the Library map, she checked the direction she needed to go in. World Histories. Third stack on the right, four hundred meters past the checkpoint. Wouldn’t want to get lost in here. She looked up at the shelves that rose above her, disappearing into the gloom past the floating lanterns high above. I remember Aderyn telling me that you could walk for days in here without meeting a living soul.
She set off into the stacks. At the third stack she tapped the checkpoint button and entered her name into the screen, then took the locator button the Checkpoint slid out of its slot, pinning it onto her jacket.
At each junction, a floater lantern illuminated the map sign and Elizabeth checked her direction. Finally, she arrived at the stack that held the History of Arkingvale.
“Now where is that book.” She muttered to herself, scanning the shelves she could reach. “I know I put it back in the right place.”
The sound of footsteps coming from deeper in the library made Elizabeth pause and turn in their direction.
“Don’t look this way.” A voice said.
That sounds like… me? Elizabeth looked at the floor, straining her hearing. I remember something about the possibility of meeting yourself during Time Whirl events, but not in the Library. “Who are you?”
“You know who I am.” The voice came closer, the footsteps sharp against the wooden floor. “I’m from an alternate time line.”
The other person’s feet came into view. She wore odd heavy soled boots with metal fastenings. Elizabeth fought the temptation to look up at her. “What are you doing here?”
“The same as you. I’m looking up the consequences of my actions.” The feet’s toes raised and tapped twice. “In my case, I’m trying to decide if it’s worth destroying the Moon to save a spaceship.”
Destroy the moon to save… what? She reined in her curiosity. “Does that mean that you’ve already beaten the League?”
The other person laughed. “We don’t ever beat the league. All we can do is stop whatever plan they are currently attempting.”
“But what if they were to kill the queen?” Elizabeth asked.
“Depends which one.” There was a rustling, then a dragging noise. A book covered in blue leather appeared in Elizabeth’s view, held in silver leather gloved hands. “This is the one you need.”
She turned it over to look at the title. “Arkingvale Queens and their consequences.”
“Each of the Queens of Arkingvale has an effect on our world. It’s the only reason that the Arkingvale corridor has so many doors. I noticed that Arkingvale J disappeared. Did the league kill Bess?” the right foot tapped.
“Yes.”
“Well it had an effect on the Hall, even if it just prolonged the Spanish War. Thankfully the league don’t know about the Hall.” The feet shuffled. “Can you imagine if the League managed to get into the library?”
Elizabeth shuddered.
“The league think that by killing Sophia of Hanover, they can force the succession to follow the male line.” The other person said. “I’ve already saved her life five times in my timeline.”
“Would it work?”
There was laughter. “You only have to go to Arkingvale N to see the results of that one, but to spare you the trip, I’ll say this; Sophia’s mother is a lot stronger and longer lived in that world.”
Elizabeth thought about her conversation with Benjamin and the Duke’s request to save her cousin. “What would happen if they went back to the beginning?” she turned the book over in her hands.
“What, assassinate Judith of Wessex?” the feet shuffled again. “I don’t know. There are so many worlds on the Arkingvale Corridor. You could go and look, it’s bound to have happened.”
Elizabeth clutched the book to her. “I don’t fancy trawling the corridor. I have duties on Kaoterker.”
There was an intake of breath. “You’re that me? The one who ran away, the original? That means that you’re from Arkingvale Nexus…”
“So what? That world doesn’t need me.” Elizabeth swallowed against the lump that had appeared in her throat.
“You don’t get it do you. You’re so wrapped up in your own misery that you’ve forgotten what your… our mother sacrificed to have you.” The other Elizabeth snapped in tones so close to Lady Louisa’s that Elizabeth looked up and stared at her other self. The ground shivered and far off in the library, there was the rumbling sound of falling books. “Look down before you cause a Hall Quake.”
Elizabeth did as she was told. “I don’t understand anything other than I lost my entire family to that contraption and…” she trailed off, tears dripping down her nose and chin. “What am I supposed to do?”
“I’m not telling you anything else. Take a look in Mother’s Dower Chest. It will explain everything.” The feet moved away slightly and there was a rustling noise. “I’m done here.”
Elizabeth sniffed, pulled a handkerchief out of her purse, wiped her eyes and blew her nose. The feet walked away and the other Elizabeth’s steps echoed longer in her mind than they did in the Library. She put the slightly soggy scrap of fine cloth away again, clutched the book to her chest and retraced her steps back to the main room of the Library, returning the locator to the checkpoint on the way.
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