Watford Tales

The Nursery

Simon

It's been two weeks since Premal's funeral. Two weeks since Penny's been back. It's great to have her back but it's kind of scary too. I've never seen Penny like this. She's sad. And angry. And..... quiet. Sometimes I catch her staring off into space and the other day after Politckal Science I found her crying in the hall. I guess it's understandable. Her brother just died after all. Was killed. Murdered. But I'm used to leaning on Penny in a certain way. I'm used to my problems being bigger than hers. (Now I guess she kind of needs me.)

Sometimes her sadness is so strong, it's palpable. She's been spending every spare minute with the Mage's papers. Baz just handed them over to her when she got back. It's obvious that she needs the distraction.

Agatha is back with us as well, even though she mostly tries to ignore us. But I know now that she's on our side, and I know she's there in a pinch. Strategy and plotting aren't really her thing. That's okay. We have Penny and Baz for that. They love to strategize. When they really get going the room practically hums with their excitement.

Things are a little more comfortable with Dev and Niall now, as well. I'm getting used to hanging out with them. They can be funny sometimes. And I can see why Baz wants them around. The three of them have this kind of fierce loyalty to each other. It reminds me of Penny and me.

I've been going down to the barn every afternoon, to help Ebb with chores and just kind of check up on her. She seems more frail and a bit trembly, since she's been back, but she insists she's fine. When I get there this afternoon the baby gwythaint is still alive. She's rigged up a box for it by the stove. It's all hunched down in a corner, shivering and squawking feebly.

"He might not make it, Simon," she says when she sees me looking at the pathetic scrawny bundle.

"Can I feed him?" I ask.

I hold him in my lap wrapped in a towel and I get some of the disgusting mix of egg, curdled goats milk and oats that Ebb has fixed up for him down his gullet. He's too weak to fight me much. Ebb looks on approvingly. The little goat, the one that's always begging off me, comes over and starts butting my leg, trying to get at the gwythaint's food. Ebb shoos it away.

"He likes you Simon," she says. "That's more than he's eaten all day." He falls asleep in my lap, with his scrawny head against my chest. He's such a weird little creature. Kind of half bird, half reptile. Most of his skin is black and leathery but there are downy feathers on the top of his head and long blue black feathers along the edges of his wings. His beak is black, hooked and vicious looking. It's covered with scales. Ebb has taped a splint to his broken wing. He's so skinny that I can see his heart beating in his chest about 200 times a minute. Sort of the opposite of Baz. When I lay him down in his box he doesn't wake up. I wonder if that's because he's peacefully sleeping or because he's going to die. I know he's making Baz and Ebb nervous, and they know better about this kind of thing than I do, but I can't help rooting for him.

After helping Ebb with the chores, I hurry back up to the castle. I've an idea I want to try, and if it works out it could be good. I have a rabbit key in my pocket, not the one to the tunnel under the moat. A different one.

I have six keys from that quest. Some have been useful, like the tunnel one, some not so much. Several lead to secret compartments with paintings of rabbits in them, one leads to a scary dark hole in the basement next to the wine cellar that I've never had much of an inclination to explore. The one I'm carrying now is the cutest one. It's got a white enamel ring with white enamel bunny ears sticking out of it. The inside of the bunny ears are painted pale pink. It's the key to the nursery.

The problem is the door to the nursery disappeared after the vampire attack and it doesn't like to show itself. It's in the Weeping Tower, two stories down from the headmaster's office. It's normally a busy hallway, full of teacher's offices and classrooms. I get there after the teachers have left for the day and luckily no one's around.