Captive Magics

17 - Out With a Bang

He was in two minds about whether it was a good thing for him to have gone to the Home Office with Lissy for a third time. On the one hand, he would have preferred never to meet the faintly disturbing Smyrneck again. On the other, it would have been a shame had he missed the spectacle of Lissy sort of resigning before she had officially started.

Surely, thought Leander, someone must be investigating the disappearances of the many residents of Tisk, so he had insisted on asking many surprised Home Office workers in various departments, to which Lissy had readily agreed. She had spent the previous evening hunting through books for a spell to find the missing, without success. After this failure the question gnawed at her as much as it did Leander. They wandered from department to department, asking everyone. No one knew who was responsible.

It was dissatisfying, especially since the only person left to ask was Mr Smyrneck who was unlikely to give them an answer even if he knew it. After interrogating the whole of the building they returned to where Lissy was supposed to be, and Leander once again took Lissy's chair. Lissy herself sat pertly on the end of the desk, talking loudly to Leander and anyone else nearby. The other members of staff, initially reticent, were soon conversing quite willingly until they caught sight of their enraged superior sailing with horrifying menace through the door.

Lissy was immediately subjected to a spit-fleck tirade. Why in St. Seltin's name had she allowed Home Office papers to be seen by a member of the public?!

"He's not a member of the public, he's my butler!" Lissy said, incensed. The man kept going: he was in full flow now, and Leander sat back in her seat, resigned to a long but entertaining spectacle.

He had flippantly considered that Smyrneck might lose control, but as the short, fat, scarlet-faced man's hair and clothing sank further into total disarray with his furious arms wind-milling and his language more and more colourful, Leander suddenly realised it was a concerning possibility. Lissy unflappably threw back better insults than she got, her pale skin gaining no flush and not a hair out of place as if she were playing lawn tennis without having to physically move.

It looked like she would win the argument without losing her temper and Leander was split between tension and amusement. Smyrneck would probably storm out of the room, he predicted, although it would be no surprise if he were suddenly taken ill. Surely he'd go over the edge any minute now...

"You should sit down, sir. You look unwell," Lissy said, unknowingly agreeing with Leander. She had just listened to a list of insults against her former department and Leander saw her jaw clench.

"You are nothing but a talentless lady of leisure, like everyone else who works for the Grand Mage. Swanning in-"

"Have a care what you say, sir."

"Oh, I should be careful, should I?"

"I daresay any decent person would prefer not to insult the Grand Mage."

"He's a bone-idle aristocrat like you are."

"I beg your pardon: the Grand Mage and I are neither bone idle, nor aristocrats. Straighten your facts before you attempt to insult someone."

"You've done no work since you got here," he snapped. That was arguably true, Leander thought. She had done a lot, but not much of what she was supposed to. "Look around this room," he told her. Lissy did, with inspiring dismissiveness. "See what's missing?"

"Joy. Purpose. The spark of hope in the eyes of your employees. Colour, actually-"

"Women. Because this is what happens," he hissed, leaning over her. Lissy laughed openly.