Time of Trial by Michael Pryor

everything around me, but it was like seeing life through a lens that made everything warm and good, as long as I was moving toward my goal.’
    â€˜The Prince?’ Caroline asked.
    â€˜Dr Tremaine hasn’t given up on his plan to plunge the world into war,’ Aubrey said. He put his hand over the Beccaria Cage as it lay against his chest. ‘Imagine it. The death of the Prince, an assassin who – it would be shown – was ensorcelled by a Holmlander who had been the source of the infernal device.’
    â€˜Kiefer,’ George muttered.
    â€˜Agreed.’ Aubrey pursed his lips. ‘Tomorrow, I think we need to pop up to Greythorn and have a chat with this Mr Kiefer.’

Five
    The next morning, Tilly, one of the maids, knocked at the open door to Aubrey’s room. ‘Excuse me, sir. Telephone for you. It’s Miss Caroline. She’s ringing from her home.’
    Aubrey had been assembling a few magical items in preparation for their trip to confront Kiefer but he immediately dropped everything. ‘Thank you, Tilly,’ he said as he bounded past.
    â€˜Aubrey,’ Caroline said a split second before he spoke into the receiver.
    â€˜Caroline?’ He made a mental note to himself: write down a list of clever greetings and store them by the telephone. That way he may have some chance of avoiding such a lame opening sally.
    â€˜I’m glad we’ve sorted out who we are,’ she said. ‘Now, we’re not going to Greythorn.’
    â€˜We’re not? What about Kiefer?’
    â€˜Aubrey, what are we using to speak to each other?’
    â€˜The telephone?’
    â€˜Exactly. Instead of racing pell-mell up to Greythorn, I’ve been using the telephone to make some enquiries.’
    â€˜I thought you were rearranging your schedule.’
    â€˜I’ve taken care of that. Professor Ainsworth wanted me to help him with some phylogeny research, but I’ve asked for a postponement. And Mother can make her own travel arrangements for a change.’
    â€˜Your mother is travelling?’ Aubrey said and he punched himself on the thigh. ‘Of course she is. That’s what you just said. Where’s she off to?’
    â€˜Holmland. Some sort of symposium next week in Fisherberg, but that’s not important right now. I rang to tell you that Kiefer is no longer at Greythorn.’
    â€˜He must be somewhere else then,’ Aubrey said and immediately awarded himself first prize in the Obvious Statement Stakes. He quickly went on. ‘Fled, no doubt, after his machinations.’
    â€˜Not exactly, no. The porter at Kiefer’s college happened to be an old friend of my father. A good man, a noted authority on Albion amphibians.’
    â€˜Kiefer’s turned into a frog?’
    â€˜Try to keep up, Aubrey, I know you’re capable of it. Kiefer was seen being bundled into a motorcar by a Holmland diplomat.’
    â€˜I see. And did the amphibian expert porter recognise this Holmlander?’
    â€˜No, but his assistant did, thanks to his special interest in international politics.’
    â€˜Well-educated staff at this college.’
    â€˜If you’d spent any time with the staff at yours, Aubrey, you’d know that many of them are authorities in one field or another. They may not have formal degrees, but at Greythorn there are many opportunities to better oneself intellectually.’
    â€˜The diplomat?’
    â€˜Hugo von Stralick, Aubrey. Hugo von Stralick kidnapped Kiefer.’

    Caroline’s cab rolled into Maidstone just as Aubrey’s father arrived in the prime ministerial motorcar. From the window of his room, Aubrey sighed as he watched Sir Darius leap to open the door of the cab. He didn’t need to hear the ensuing conversation to know that his father’s charm would be meeting Caroline’s dogged demanding for more progress on the votes for women front.
    They could be hours if he