That Grey Area - Book 1 - The girl from Otherworld

The winner of the Sphinx Tournament

My ears are burning when I walk in, and I try to forget how daft I've looked, running away like that. Rowan is reading the riddle once more but Esther greets me with a comforting smile, like a mother whose baby has just fallen down. I struggle not to blush even more.

When I finally reach the table – who knew there were so many steps from the entrance? – I take a seat at the table, my bottom so close to the edge I might fall off any moment. The cracks in the polished wood of the table are suddenly fascinating.

'What are we going to do about the riddle?' Rowan asks.

I'm not sure whether he is addressing me, but Esther saves me the trouble. 'Well, although the girl does not know anything about the riddle, I said I would try to help you,' she says. 'I do not have the time nor the mind for riddles. But fortunately, I know someone who does.'

I look up. Someone who could spare me the embarrassment of trying to solve this stupid riddle? Someone who could actually understand this gibberish?

'My niece is a very smart girl,' she continues, 'and it so happens that she excels at riddles. I think she could be of help.'

'No!' Rowan says.' Absolutely not.' I'm stunned that he dare speak to Esther like that; after all, she is the Wise One. His tone seems to swing from military obedience to insolence, with no room for anything in between.

Esther ignores his mood swings and continues in a neutral but authoritative tone. 'Well, I'm afraid I don't have an alternative solution. I have given you enough of my time. I'm sure you are aware of the threats to our country, and the governors need my full attention.'

Rowan takes a deep breath.

'I understand. But with the greatest respect,' he says, even though his voice is hinting at quite the contrary, 'I'm not sure it would be wise to involve any more people. Marec only mentioned the three of us and I don't –'

'And none of us know anything about riddles' the Wise One interrupts. 'My niece has won the Sphinx Tournament three times, including once in the adult category even though she is only sixteen. If someone can crack your riddle, it's her. Not me.'

Rowan doesn't answer. He is chewing over his options, his jaw clenching and unclenching.

'What harm would it do?' the old woman adds, her tone softening. 'I think it's worth a try. What about you Lacie?'

'Me?' What do they want my opinion for? Oh dear, decisions... not something I am particularly good at. I can sense Rowan will hate me if I side with Esther, but this girl might just save the situation.

'Erm... okay,' I say.

Rowan stays silent; in fact even his breathing does not make a sound, but I can feel his annoyance. I try to make myself very small and resume my inspection of the cracks on the table, tracing them with my finger.

'Well, then. That's a majority. I'll post a sending straight away'.

For a moment I forget my embarrassment. After writing on a slip of parchment with a quill, Esther holds it between the palms of her hands, rotating both hands so that her fingers point towards her wrists, then again in the other direction, all the while murmuring something with her eyes closed. A ray of light shines through the gap between her palms, and when she unfolds her hands again, the parchment has gone.

'You may close your mouth now,' Esther teases, and I blush.

The knock on the door makes me jump, but Rowan sighs in annoyance at the disruption; he had been reading the riddle again to try to decipher it. Esther comes in and a girl steps out from her shadow. I freeze. The girl is an apparition. She looks a little like Esther, but with the slanting eyes and flat eyelids that I would associate with the Far East. Her skin is so pale it almost glows, not sickly but rather a pearlescent beauty. A mane of raven black hair falls down to her waist, except for a fringe of vivid crimson swept across her forehead. Even from the distance, her eyes stand out. The colour of liquid gold, they are ablaze with either rage or intelligence.