Snow starts re-shelving while I search through the first book. With Lady Salisbury’s reading glasses on, I can turn directly to the page I’m looking for —it’s a list of announcements.
Announcements constitute the bulk of The Magickal Record—births, deaths, and, after the Mage took power, arrests. Only huge magickal news warrants more detailed coverage in The Record, something like an attack on Watford. （I wonder whether they’ll write up this rash of potential saviours.
Meet the candidates. ）
I scan the page for “Smith-Richards” …
“Here it is,” I say. “His birth announcement.” Simon comes to look over my shoulder while I read aloud: “Smith-Richards-comma-Smith. Jemima Smith and Hugh Richards of Skipton are delighted to announce the birth of their son, Smith. The child was named for his paternal grandfather, Smith Alan Richards, who died in June. Young Smith will inherit his grandfather’s oaken wand. His mother reports that the child was born during June’s solar eclipse. How auspicious!”
“Huh, look at that,” Simon says, “he was born under an eclipse.”
“Hmm. According to his mother.”
Snow pokes my shoulder. “Why would she lie about that?”
“I don’t know,” I say. “It’s a very boastful thing to mention in a birth announcement.”
“So Smith is thirty … He looks good for thirty.”
“Does he?” I reach for the second book.
“I expect this’ll be his parents’ death,” Snow says.
He’s right. He rests his forearms on my shoulders, and I hold up the book, so we can both read the report:
Jemima Smith and Hugh Richards died January 12th in a car accident near their home in Yorkshire. They are survived by their only son, Smith Smith-Richards, age 1. The child will be cared for by his godfather, Evander Feverfew, most recently of Mexico City.
“Evander Feverfew,” Simon says. “What a name. Are you related?”
“Feverfew is an old family,” I say. “But I’ve never heard of Evander.”
Simon stands up straight, scratching the back of his head. “So it’s just like Smith said. It’s all true.”
“Well, he does seem to be an orphan named Smith Smith-Richards—”
“Isn’t that what we came here to verify?”
“I suppose,” I say. “I’d like to see what else we can find on his family.”
“We know his parents’ names now. We could search for those.”
“Indeed.”
Jemima Smith and Hugh Richards were two run-of-the-mill magicians. They graduated from Watford together. They got married. They got normal Normal jobs. She was a dentist, and he was some sort of graphic designer. They didn’t win any awards. They didn’t run for office. They died before the Mage started making mischief.
Evander Feverfew is only slightly more remarkable. He was in the Dramatic Society at Watford, and one of his cousins was on the Coven.
There’s a Feverfew estate in the North, but it’s occupied by a distant relative.
This isn’t like researching my mother’s death. We don’t uncover anything shocking or surprising. After two hours in the library, all we’ve got is what Smith told us, plus some not-very-interesting backstory.
Simon has put most of the books away, and he’s itching to leave.
“All right,” I say, giving up. “It doesn’t look like there are any skeletons buried here.” I push away from the library table. “Would it be all right with you if we stopped in the Catacombs on the way out?”
“To see where the skeletons are actually buried?”
“To visit my mother’s tomb, Snow.”
“Oh, fuck, Baz, sorry—I wasn’t thinking.”
“You don’t have to come with me.” I get up to shelve the last of the books.
“I can meet you outside.”
“No.” His hand is on my arm. “I’ll come.”
The roses are in bloom, so I don’t have to magic up any flowers for my bouquet. （Food and flowers are the hardest things to create with magic. They take it out of you.）
Simon follows me into the White Chapel. He reaches for my hand in the doorway. I don’t think he’s been inside the Chapel since the Mage died here.
“All right, Snow?”
He nods.
We duck behind the altar, behind the sanctuary, through the hidden entrance to the crypt. “How’d you find this door in the first place?” Simon asks.