edith, who despite her own love for
music had a very practical suggestion for their group.
“I was going to say, why not start now, while everyone else is
listening?” she whispered. “Even the guards are out of it. We agreed on
two by two, yes?”
Elena nodded. “We’re just having a look around the house. We
may even find something while everyone is still here, listening, for
nearly another hour. Sage, maybe you could sort of liaise between the
two groups, telepathically.”
“It would be my privilege, Madame.”
The five of them set out into the Silver Nightingale’s mansion.
28
They walked right by the weeping door-guards. But very quickly, they
discovered that while almost everyone was listening to Lady Fazina, in
each room of the palace that was open to the public, a black-clad,
white-gloved steward awaited, ready to give out information, and to
keep a watchful eye on his lady’s possessions.
The first room that gave them any kind of hope was Lady Fazina’s
Hall of Harpery, a room devoted entirely to the display of harps, from
ancient, bowlike, single-stringed instruments, undoubtedly played by
individuals who were similar to cavedwellers, to tall, gilded, orchestral
harps like the one Fazina was now playing, the music audible throughout
the palace. Magic, Elena thought again. They seem to use it here instead