Mirandaexplained how to use her mind to change the glamour then used herown glamour to show Tigerlilly.
She firstshowed her how to use it for camouflage. She stood against a rockand changed her glamour to look the same colour and texture as therock. Tigerlilly liked this game. It took half an hour before shegot the hang of it but then was able to stand beside objects andliterally disappear. Miranda stressed the importance of not movingas that would give away her location.
Miranda wasimpressed by how quick her little daughter learned and felt guilty.The last few days she should have been teaching her daughter how tosurvive. She remembered her own mother was a good teacher when shewas small but then delegated her learning to others, mainlyAllalanllea.
Next Mirandataught her daughter how to hide in the open. She sat and formed herglamour into the shape of a bush similar to those in the area.
‘When people are searching for someone they are looking forthe shape of a person, a colour that is different from thesurroundings or some movement. If you form your glamour to looklike a rock or a bush that is common around you they will generallynot see you. However, they may still be able to smell you or hearyou if you make a sound.’ She explained.
Tigerlillytried for ages to form into the shape of a bush but it wasn’t veryconvincing. She was better at being a rock.
The cat saidthat it would help her with forming her glamour into shapes andalso teach her how about scents and how to disguise hers.
Miranda alsoexplained how you could hide among people or animals if you lookedlike them however warned her that hiding like this was verydangerous as if she interacted with them she was likely to bedetected.
After nearlythree hours of hiding games they headed back to the stronghold.Miranda definitely felt less guilty and more at ease with herstrange little daughter but somewhat tired at answering the endlessquestions asked by Tigerlilly and wondering if she was asinquisitive when she was that young.
It was on theway back that Miranda realized that something was wrong. Shehurried back and ran over to Aquitain as soon as she saw him. Hesaw the serious look on her face and her hand signal for a mindlink.
He linked andimmediately felt a great sadness. ‘What’s wrong? Has somethinghappened to Tigerlilly?’
‘No she’s fine. Slivver’s gone and the problem is I don’t knowwhen he left.’ she replied.
‘It may have been in the nymph camp. I seem to recall he waswith me on the flight there but I can’t remember him afterthat.’
‘Maybe that’s how they tracked us to here so quickly.’ repliedAquitain. ‘I’m sorry but we can’t go back there to findhim.’
‘I know, I know. Poor Slivver.’ replied Miranda and shewhispered a prayer for him as a tear slid down hercheek.
‘I’m sorry I can’t stay here. Let’s go and find Bellen. Idon’t want to lose another friend.’
***
After theyvisited Prendergrass and borrowed his dispel magic wand, they leftTigerlilly with Lord Darkmantle and the three of them teleportedinto the palace and made their way to the Trixies area. Aquitainwas pleased to see that the entrance was closed and guarded byTrixies with weapons. Miranda changed her glamour to her Dragonflyappearance as it would be confusing for them to see her in her realbody and a few minutes later they were met by a delegation ofseveral Trixies worried about Bellen.
‘It’s so lovely to see you again, your Highness.’ saidone.
‘Thank you for coming, your Highness.’ saidanother.
Miranda waspleased with her welcome but Aquitain wasn’t quite as sure. Hedetected from their carefully selected words that there was stillsome dissent about her being their Queen but decided to say nothingas there were too many things to do in a potentially short amountof time.
He mentallydirected questions for her to ask them about Bellen’s disappearancebut all the answers revealed little more than they already knew. Hehadn’t told anyone he was going and no one had seen him leave. Theonly useful information was that they knew where he went to chargehis magic wand.
So Mirandaasked one of the Trixies to take them to the Room of Faces whereshe retrieved her magic items. She looked like a magnificentwarrior Queen in her golden armour, dazzling cloak and with herpowerful staff but Aquitain was worried. She had little fightingexperience, in fact she didn’t like fighting other than as a Jetiand was accompanying him out of loyalty, duty and love.
He was worriedbecause neither he nor Yllandril had much fighting experienceeither, in what was likely to be a magic battle. At least both heand Yllandril were immune to most direct magic attacks but notnecessarily to indirect uses of magic. He recalled all the lessonsand advice that his Granddad and other tutors had given him. Therewere dozens of classic magic attacks and defences and he had toassume that this sentient book probably knew them all. It had alsohad ample time to prepare a nasty reception for unwanted visitorsinto its domain
If Bellen werethere, it would have interrogated him to find out more aboutAquitain’s abilities and tactics. It would also use him eitheroffensively to attack them in some way, or defensively as ahostage.
The book wouldprobably concentrate on Miranda as being its main threat ratherthan him as it would believe that Aquitain’s spirit was still inher body. This left him free to engage it but it would endangerMiranda.
Aquitain wouldhave loved to have more time to plan and execute this attack butwith the potential problem with Adonis looming, time was limited.It was now or never. He mind linked them all together and couldfeel the tension and apprehension emanating from Miranda. Yllandrilin her stone body had no emotions but he was sure she was just asconcerned.
‘Are you sure that you want to do this?’ said Aquitain throughthe mindlink to both Miranda and Yllandril.
‘Yes. We are going whether you like it or not. Someone’s hasto stop you upsetting the Powers.’ said Mirandajokingly.
‘I now understand why you had such a protected life when youwere younger.’ said Yllandril.
‘Someone wanted you to
