Amanda Cadabra and The Hidden Depths by Holly Bell (best love novels of all time txt) 📕

keep her footing and cross the remaining yards to Trelawney, Amanda was now further hampered. She was struggling for breath after asthmatic breath, the fumes biting. Her vision was fizzing before her. Trelawney took a run, jumping and grappling his way towards her. Finally closing the gap, catching her as she fell, he half-carried Amanda towards the tunnel. She put out her arm behind her, trying to grab Jonathan, coming up with a stumbling run. As she did so, Amanda caught sight of the Oracle, standing secure and stable upon her dais, her eyes shafting across the distance between them. The woman raised her hands then lowered them palm down. The ground of the hall was settling and reforming.

Jonathan had gained the ramp.

‘I’m all right,’ he gasped. ‘But I think the water could rise. We have to get up above!’

The uneven and rocking steps made the climb steep, the powdering rock swamping their lungs, as they gradually gained the ascent. Barely conscious, Amanda knew that there one more thing she had to do. As they made the top of the stairs Amanda, groped for her wand and murmured the words of the spell to let them safely back across the time boundary. The pulsing portal was the last thing she saw before darkness took her.

Chapter 35

The Clue

There was something in her mouth. Amanda felt spray in the back of her throat and began to cough, as the object was removed. She opened her eyes to see her inhaler in a man's hand. She looked up. Trelawney was supporting her, with her head on his left shoulder, as they sat on the stone floor of the stacks. Tempest sat unconcerned, cleaning his fur, but Jonathan was staring anxiously at Amanda. However, the inspector assured her,

‘Take your time, Miss Cadabra. We got out safely.’

With no more chalk dust or exertion, Amanda’s breathing soon returned to normal.

‘I’m OK,’ she told them presently.

‘Sure?’

‘Yes. I have to get Jonathan back to normal.’

Trelawney helped Amanda to her feet and over to a chair by the table.

‘Can you do it from here?’

‘Yes, I think so.’ She got out her IKEA pencil and unsheathed the wand within. She held it up and pronounced:

‘O Twantra Weoroldrow Vrifte, ime besidgi wou. Liefa adraelan eodha rifteunow. Liefa edhwiersk Jonathan Sheppard. Framth keaold brystioc dho keaold keoaoldes. Aswa gworsp pehyhtya maegal.’

They saw the Jonathan standing beside them move towards the Jonathan at the table, as if drawn by a magnet. The two merged, form into form. Amanda spoke another simpler spell, taking him from trance to sleep:

‘Cusslæpath.’

‘I’ll let him doze for a bit,’ she said to Trelawney, putting her wand away. ‘It was quite a traumatic experience for him.’

The inspector took a seat beside Amanda. ‘Indeed. Now … I heard the Oracle say, “Liver dew”. Was that her only answer?’

‘Yes, and she got pretty annoyed when I asked for more. In fact, that seemed to really set her off and start the whole cave rattling.’

‘So, is this a reference to some witch’s potion involving offal and moisture gathered at dawn, brewed at midnight under a full moon?’

Amanda smiled. ‘If there is such a potion, I’ve never come across it.’

‘Not even in one of those darkly arcane tomes of your grandmother’s?’

‘No … although … it might be on one of the pages Grandpa sealed or made invisible because he thought it was unsuitable. But no, you see, I don’t think that she was speaking in English at that point. She did keep switching between the two, and I think those words were Cornish.’

‘Lyver …’ Trelawney groped around in his memory. ‘I feel I should know this. It’s a simple word.’

‘Book,’ supplied Amanda.

‘Book. Wait. The other word. Not dew but du. Black or dark?’

‘I’d say black. There’s another word for dark.’

‘Black book then. Was she saying that Miss Gibbs was in someone’s black books?’ suggested Trelawney.

‘I don’t think we have that expression in Cornish. No, I think it was literal.’

‘A black book.’

‘Yes, and I think she meant one that’s here, in the library, because this seems to be a place that she can manipulate.’

‘One of the books that fell on Miss Gibbs, perhaps?’

‘Have you looked at them?’ asked Amanda.

‘Just quickly. I assumed that it was the weight of the books and shelves that was the instrument of death rather than any individual work being significant.’

‘Me too,’ she admitted. ‘But let’s say it is one of the ones that fell down. How many of them are black?’

‘We’ll see. We kept them all together back there.’ He gestured towards the crime scene.

‘How much time to do you have left before your arrest deadline?’ she checked.

Trelawney hadn’t wanted to bring that up. Adding pressure would not increase efficiency in so enigmatic a situation. Now that Amanda had asked, he didn’t need to consult his watch.

‘Eight and half hours.’

‘Gulp. Shall we wake Jonathan? He could help: tell us if there was anything special about any of those books.’

‘Good idea.’

Amanda drew out her wand once more and with a tiny movement towards their resting friend, uttered,

‘Awaekdenath.’

Jonathan opened his eyes and blinked a few times. He looked at Amanda.

‘That wasn’t a dream, was it?’

‘More a sort of vision. And thanks to your help, Jonathan, we got an answer of sorts: black book. We think it could be one of the books that fell on Samantha. If you’re up to it, the inspector is going to show us where his team has put them.’

‘Oh good. Yes, I'm fine. I actually feel rather refreshed. I must say I am looking forward to when those fallen books and files are released. Then I can catalogue and shelve them properly, as necessary,’ said the assistant librarian diligently.

‘I’m sure,’ agreed Trelawney, and led the way to the crime scene. There were large boxes of books and ring binders stacked up in the aisle. ‘Let’s take these back to the table,’ he suggested. The men hefted the cardboard containers back to the chairs, and Amanda joined them in looking through the stash.

‘Just black?’