The Queen's Necklace Read Online Free PDF Page A

eyes felt dry and gritty, and a dull ache at the small of her back grew steadily worse in spite of the support of her whalebone stays. Leaning back against the black leather seat of the coach, Lili wondered if, by the time she and Aunt Allora finally reached their destination, she would be able to summon sufficient strength of mind and body to bring this arcane treasure hunt to its proper conclusion.
    There was a jolt and a thump, followed by smoother going. Much of the light disappeared as the berlin left the dirt road, crossed an ancient iron bridge, and rolled down a cobblestone lane between rows of tall buildings. The horses began to labor up a steep incline.
    â€œHawkesbridge, I suppose,” Lili said out loud.
    And at last , she added to herself, taking a peek out the window.
    â€œYou are weary, Lilliana,” her great-aunt said from the seat facing her.
    A little old woman with a very flat bosom and very sharp eyes, Allora still looked surprisingly fresh, exquisitely neat as to her gown, her ribbons, and her laces, her tiny gloved hands folded demurely in her lap. But Lili’s aunt was a lady of the old school, andeighteen hours spent rattling around in the coffinlike coach were not enough to ruffle her composure, or dim her indomitable spirit. Her expression softened ever so slightly as she viewed her great-niece across the carriage.
    â€œPerhaps, my child, it is time to stop and rest and eat a hot meal.”
    â€œNo.” Lili leaned back again. Her stomach felt empty and her knees weak; she had not eaten anything since the night before, when Allora produced a wicker hamper from under the seat and they supped on cake, cold beef, and raspberry cordial. Yet she was more troubled now by an odd sense of urgency.
    â€œI would much rather not. I admit that concentrating so hard makes my head ache—but we don’t want to risk losing our quarry, just when we seem to be catching up to him.” Her fingers closed around the metal divining rod she held in her lap. It was a curious device: a hollow brass tube enclosing a long needle of magnetized iron, bound by five alternating rings of copper and zinc, with a pyramid-shaped prism fastened at one end. “Only think how wearisome if we had to keep going for another day and night.”
    As she spoke, the wand moved in her hand and she felt a sudden mental wrench, so sharp and sickening the world turned dark for a moment. Even when her vision cleared, she could hardly focus her eyes, and the pain in her head was so fierce she could scarcely breathe. The crystal prism at the end of the divining rod now indicated an easterly direction.
    â€œMake the coachman stop. We have passed the place and are moving away.”
    Aunt Allora used the ivory knob at the end of her walking stick to rap on the roof of the coach. The berlin lurched to a halt. “What shall I tell him?” she said, opening the door.
    â€œGo back to the street or alley we just passed and turn to the right. And tell him—tell him to keep the horses to a slow walk.” Lili rubbed the back of her neck as she spoke.
    Allora relayed the instructions and slammed the door shut; the coach lunged forward, heading for some wider place where the coachman could turn the horses. Several minutes later, there was a creaking and a swaying as the berlin turned down the alley.
    â€œAnother hundred feet.” Lili closed her eyes, the better to concentrate. The wand was a useful device, so long as nothing obstructed or deflected the magnetic lines of force to which it responded, but it was not so precise as her own native talent, honed by the magicians of the Specularii into a trained sixth sense. “I think—it must be a tavern or something of the sort.”
    Aunt Allora gave another sharp tattoo on the roof, and the coach stopped again. “Do you feel strong enough to proceed?”
    Lili nodded, then wished she had not; the movement only increased her pain, made her vision