The Bone Magician Page 18

  We have all read the ‘Chronicle’. Aluph is certain that Deodonatus was trying to tell us through his writings that he was the Silver Apple Killer. His mistake, however, was to talk about fault. There is not a soul in this city who would ever accept that they might be to blame for something. It is not in their nature! Aluph was most concerned about Mr Snoad’s Friction Stick, but there was not a trace of it to be found, neither in his lodging house nor at the Nimble Finger. No doubt it will surface eventually.

  The only thing of interest that was found at Deodonatus’s lodgings was a copy of ‘Houndsecker’s Tales of Faeries and Blythe Spirit’. Deodonatus seemed well acquainted with the tale of the princess and the toad. It explained a lot.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Departure

  It was late afternoon when Juno and Pin walked briskly over the Bridge towards the city gates on the other side of the river. Beneath them once again the Foedus was making slow progress inland, groaning and creaking with her burden of broken ice and colourful debris from the stalls that had traded on her frozen back. The thaw had started the previous evening and the streets once more were slushy streams of muck and the smell of the river was heavy in the air. Pin breathed deeply and Juno laughed.

  ‘I should have thought you would be glad to get that smell out of your head.’

  Pin smiled. ‘It is a smell I will never forget,’ he said. ‘And it will always remind me of everything that happened in this city.’ He put his hand to his collar and felt for the tiny bone, the tip of his mother’s little finger, that was hanging from a string around his neck.

  ‘I think I prefer my smells,’ said Juno laughing.

  ‘Well, it’s all behind us now,’ said Pin. ‘And who knows what’s ahead?’

  ‘The truth, perhaps,’ said Juno, thoughtfully, ‘about your father.’

  ‘Maybe,’ said Pin. ‘Though sometimes the truth isn’t such a great thing after all. And what about you? This man you are looking for, what will you do if you find him?’

  ‘He has something that belonged to my father,’ said Juno. ‘I will ask for it back.’

  ‘And what’s that?’

  ‘A wooden leg.’

  ‘Do you know his name?’

  ‘I do,’ said Juno. ‘His name is Joe Zabbidou.’

  A Note from F. E. Higgins

  So it appears that we have reached the end, and what an end! After uncovering a seemingly unrelated cast of characters in Urbs Umida, once again I was led back to Joe Zabbidou. I keep Pin’s box – waxed and polished – beside the wooden leg. I know somehow they are both connected. And in more ways than one. Those of you with sharp memories might recall that there was a confession in Joe Zabbidou’s Black Book that started thus: ‘My name is Oscar Carpue. In a fit of mindless rage, gripped by madness, I . . .’

  This of course begs the question – one of many – did Pin’s father kill Fabian or didn’t he? And will Juno Catch-pole ever find Joe Zabbidou? As yet, I do not have the answers. Having come this far, how could I not continue!

  In the words of Deodonatus Snoad,

  Until next time . . .

  F. E. Higgins

  Urbs Umida

  Appendix I

  The Princess and the Toad

  from Houndsecker’s Tales of Faeries and Blythe Spirits

  I thought this might shed some light on the complicated nature of Deodonatus Snoad’s thinking and the meaning of the silver apple – Author

  There was once a beautiful princess who had everything a princess could wish for. Beauty and wealth, and a loving father and mother. She lived in a marvellous castle and spent her days playing in the surrounding gardens. She was a kind princess, but she had one fault. She suffered somewhat from pride. Her father warned her on many occasions that one day her pride would teach her a lesson.

  ‘I am sure you are right,’ she said gaily, but she paid him little heed and ran away.

  It happened one day that she was playing in the rose garden south of the castle. She liked to play there because the ground was mossy and springy under her feet and in the centre of the grass there was an ancient well. When she became hot she would wind down the bucket and draw up some of the cool clear water that lay deep below to splash on her face.

  On that particular day, she saw something glittering in the grass. She reached down and recovered a small silver apple, just big enough to fit into the palm of her hand. In the sunlight it was quite beautiful and she threw it into the air and delighted in catching it. Then she threw it so high that she lost sight of it in the brightness of the sun, only to hear a moment later a loud splash from within the well.

  She ran over to the well and looked into the darkness, but there was no sign of it. But she was not one to give up so easily. ‘Perhaps,’ she mused, ‘there is a way.’

  Carefully she lowered the bucket into the water and then brought it up again full to the brim. Hopefully she peered inside and exclaimed with joy when she saw something glistening at the bottom. Quickly she emptied it, but it was not a silver apple that sat before her, only a gleaming toad. Its green legs were splayed on the grass and its toes gripped the mossy ground. Its knobbly skin and wide grin repulsed her.

  ‘Ugh,’ she exclaimed and turned her head away.

  ‘Please don’t turn away from me,’ said a voice, and when the princess looked again through her fingers, she saw that it was indeed the toad that was speaking.

  ‘Why not?’ she demanded. ‘You are too ugly to deserve my gaze.’

  The toad looked up at her sadly. ‘I might be able to help you,’ he said.

  The princess laughed, rather nastily. ‘And what could you do for me?’

  ‘I could fetch your silver apple,’ he said. ‘It is at the bottom of the well. If you could just put me in the bucket and lower me down, I can get it for you.’

  ‘But I would have to touch your ugly skin,’ she said.

  ‘Is that such a torment for you?’ asked the toad, and the princess thought of the beautiful silver apple and said, ‘Perhaps not. But I shall have to close my eyes.’

  ‘Very well, if that is your wish,’ said the toad, goodnaturedly.

  ‘And once you have recovered my silver apple,’ said the princess, ‘then that will be the end of it?’

  The toad cocked its head to one side. ‘I ask only one thing,’ it said, ‘in return for my help.’

  ‘And that is?’ The princess looked surprised. After all, what favour could she possibly do the toad?

  ‘As soon as the apple is in your hands, you must kiss me.’

  The princess could hardly keep the look of disgust from her face, but such was her desire for the apple that she agreed all the same. So she closed her eyes, picked up the toad, all the time grimacing, and dropped it quite harshly into the bucket before lowering it into the well.

  ‘I have it,’ called the toad from the bottom of the well, and the princess began to pull up the bucket. As it came nearer and nearer she regretted her rash promise and cruelly let the bucket go. It rattled all the way down and hit the water with a loud splash. The princess ignored the toad’s cries and ran back to the castle.

  That night there was a terrible storm with torrential rain. The next morning the princess went back to the rose garden as usual, but when she saw the well she gasped, for it was overflowing with water and there, sitting on the grass, was the toad with the silver apple between its feet.

  ‘The rain has lifted me out of the well,’ he said. ‘It was so unfortunate that you dropped the bucket yesterday.’

  The princess, sensitive to the toad’s good nature, felt dreadful remorse at the way she had treated him.

  ‘Would you like the silver apple?’

  ‘I would indeed,’ she said, ‘but first I must do something for you.’ She bent down and kissed him gently on the cheek. And lo and behold when she opened her eyes again the toad was gone, and in his place stood a handsome prince.

  Appendix II

  The Shaking Spider

  P
holcus phalangoides

  Also known as the daddy-long-legs spider, Pholcus usually remains perfectly still in its web during the day. When disturbed, however, it shakes itself vigorously up and down, causing the web to vibrate along with it, to ward off predators. Pholcus’s long legs are an advantage because they allow the spider to keep well away from dangerous prey while simultaneously flicking spinnerets at it to bind it up. Pholcus feeds on insects and other spiders, even its own kind. At night the males search out females and make their presence known by gently vibrating the web. Initially the hatched spiderlings stay around the mother’s web, but as they grow they move away to avoid being eaten by their siblings.

  Table of Contents

  Begin reading

  Title page

  Copyright notice

  Half-Title page

  Epigraph

  Contents

  Prologue

  Introduction

  Epilogue

  Appendix I

  Appencix II