Chapter 22

Chapter

Twenty-Two

O ne bogle, two elves and three brownies strolled into a coffee shop and ordered tea and cake. I doubted anything stranger had been seen in the eight hundred years since King John had taken a small army and foolishly left King’s Lynn only to be attacked by the tide.

At least Arbuthnot managed to find a chair that was large enough to accommodate his bulk. Amy and I perched on smaller stools nearby while the brownies sat on the small table. Hester’s arms were folded and her glare was terrifying.

Otis, on the other hand, was thrilled to be spending more time with Eloise even under such bizarre circumstances. ‘I like your dress,’ he said, gesturing at the pink frothy concoction she was wearing. Hester snorted derisively.

‘Thank you, Otis,’ Eloise said. ‘I have a matching hat but it’s impractical for travel.’

‘I can imagine. And anyway, it would be a shame to hide your pretty hair under a hat.’

Eloise blushed and Otis shuffled closer to her. ‘So how did you end up with Athair?’ he asked. ‘Was it awful?’

‘Yes,’ she said, hanging her head. ‘It still is awful. He killed my former master and forced me and?—’

‘Can we get down to business?’ Hester interrupted. ‘I don’t think any of us has time for small talk.’

Arbuthnot rolled his heavy shoulders in a shrug. ‘We’ve got time.’

Amy pointed to the watch on my wrist. ‘Perhaps you do, but we don’t.’ She was right: there was little more than an hour before we needed to return to the estuary to resume our search for King John’s crown jewels.

‘What are your orders?’ I asked.

Eloise and Arbuthnot exchanged glances. ‘To follow you,’ Arbuthnot said. ‘And to inform Athair immediately if you’re about to flee the country or go into hiding.’

I exhaled. ‘That’s it?’

‘Pretty much.’

Eloise took up the thread. ‘We’re not supposed to approach you, and we’re definitely not allowed to harm you.’

‘You?’ Amy raised a sceptical eyebrow. ‘Harm Daisy?’

Eloise had the grace to grimace. ‘Obviously not me, but Buthy is strong.’

Arbuthnot didn’t say anything, but from the look in his eye he was doubtful about his ability to beat me in a real fight. He was right to be dubious: I’d kick his ass to Kingdom Come if I had to. He was enormous – but so were my magic skills. A bogle was someone I could beat.

‘We were trying to hide from you when you came around the corner,’ Eloise continued. ‘We didn’t want you to see us and we weren’t expecting you to come that way.’

I didn’t comment on my sudden mad dash; I hadn’t forgotten about William Hausman but I didn’t trust Eloise or Arbuthnot enough to mention him. Not yet. ‘Is he angry? Athair? Is he pissed off?’

‘Furious.’ Arbuthnot chewed at a dirty hangnail with his yellowing teeth. ‘He thinks you’re an ungrateful child.’

That part I already knew. ‘I mean, is he angry that I’m here?’

‘He doesn’t know you’re here. We’ve not told him yet.’

‘We’re only supposed to contact him if you try and run,’ Eloise said. ‘You don’t look like you’re running to me.’ She squinted. ‘So why are you here?’

Hester grabbed Otis’s lapels. ‘Don’t tell her,’ she said. ‘Don’t you say a damned word.’

Arbuthnot’s eyes widened. ‘You have something? You have a way to beat him? Or you know where to find one?’ I didn’t reply. He leaned forward, his chair creaking dangerously. ‘You do not trust us.’

‘Shocker,’ Hester said sarcastically.

‘You should know that I am sorry about what happened at the restaurant,’ Arbuthnot said. ‘I did not want to be there. I did not want to shove spider’s silk into your face. I had heard about you and what you’ve done.’ He gestured to my eyes. ‘And I know you’re clean. There are very few who free themselves from silk. Well done.’

Anyone else would have sounded patronising but for some reason, even though Arbuthnot had often supplied me with spider’s silk, his words sounded both genuine and heartfelt. It didn’t mean I trusted him, of course, but I could be gracious. ‘Thank you.’

He nodded. ‘I sell plenty of alternatives. Weed, of course. The usual pills. An aficionado like yourself might appreciate…’ He registered the hard look in my eyes and stopped. ‘Sorry,’ he mumbled. ‘Old habits die hard.’

He was certainly right on that account. ‘Let’s stick to what’s important, shall we?’ I said coolly. ‘What’s the deal with you and Athair?’

Arbuthnot flushed. His fingers started to twitch and his shoulders drooped. ‘You can tell her,’ Eloise said. ‘It’s okay.’

He passed a hand in front of his face. Although the temperature inside the coffee shop was ambient, Arbuthnot had started to sweat. He shuddered, then he seemed to compose himself and his eyes met mine. ‘He killed my entire crew,’ he said in such a direct, pained manner that I felt truly chilled. ‘Then he told me I could work for him or die. I don’t want to die.’ He gave a sad smile. ‘Until a few months ago, I didn’t even know that fiends existed.’

‘It’s a common problem,’ I muttered.

‘Are you really his daughter?’ Eloise asked.

‘Yes.’

She eyed me. ‘You’re not very similar.’

Thank fuck for that. I drummed my fingers on the table top and came to a decision. ‘What can you tell me about the corpse in the oubliette at Culcreuch?’

Arbuthnot frowned. ‘Huh? Culcreuch?’

So he wasn’t part of the inner sanctum and didn’t know about Athair’s castle hide-out. Eloise, however, had turned pure white. ‘How do you know about that?’

I didn’t answer her, just waited.

‘I don’t know who he was,’ she whispered. ‘He was already dead when Athair first became my master. He’s always been there.’

‘You must know something,’ I said.

She shrugged helplessly. ‘Athair spits on his body whenever he walks past. One time when he was feeling chatty, he said that the man had been an idiot who’d thought he was smart and could succeed where nobody else had. Athair realised what he was doing and punished him for even trying.’

In one fell swoop she’d answered my main question about William Hausman. There was no longer any need to question the regular punters of the King’s Head pub.

‘Why would he tell you that?’ Hester sneered.

Eloise looked down. ‘It was a threat in case we tried to do something similar.’

We ? I watched her carefully but she didn’t say anything more.

Suddenly Arbuthnot reached across the table and I stiffened automatically, my magic bristling defensively. All he did, however, was take my hands in his. In all the years I’d known him, he’d never touched me and he’d certainly never acted like that.

Despite the ingrained dirt and lack of a tidy manicure, his skin was far softer than I’d expected and his massive fingers were callus free. They were, I thought sardonically, the hands of a drug dealer.

‘If you don’t show up at the Royal Elvish Institute on Friday night,’ Arbuthnot said, ‘Athair will raze the city. He’s threatened to do it – I’m sure he’s capable of it.’

I had no doubt that he was capable of it. ‘Don’t worry,’ I said. ‘I won’t shirk my responsibilities.’ Because Athair was my responsibility, whether I wanted that burden or not.

Arbuthnot swallowed. He did a good job of concealing it but I knew in that moment that he was truly terrified of my father. I’d always suspected that the bogle was smarter than he looked. ‘I’m hoping that you came here for a reason,’ he said quietly. ‘I’m hoping that you’re sifting through all that sand near Sutton Bridge because you’re looking for something that will stop Athair.’

Amy stiffened but I wasn’t surprised. If Arbuthnot had tracked us to King’s Lynn, he knew where we had been a few hours ago. With a pair of cheap binoculars, he and Eloise could have watched what we were doing from a safe distance even if they couldn’t work out why.

‘It’s true,’ I told him. ‘We’re hunting for a precious object that we’ve learned is powerful enough to destroy all fiends.’

Hester hissed. ‘Daisy! What the fuck are you doing?’

Otis apparently agreed with her. ‘Don’t say anything else,’ he warned me. He gave Eloise an apologetic look. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘But?—’

‘It is fine,’ she told him. ‘I understand. It is better that you stay quiet.’

‘Indeed.’ Arbuthnot swung his large head up and down. ‘You should not tell us what you’re looking for. You have no reason to trust us and you know that I am not a good man. I do not pretend to be.’

‘I think you’re good, Buthy,’ Eloise said.

Arbuthnot looked at me. ‘There’s room for improvement,’ I told him. ‘But that’s the case with all of us.’

He smiled slightly then repeated his words. ‘I am not a good man.’ He lifted his chin. ‘But the evil that your father presents is on a completely different level. It is not something I can countenance.” Both his words and his tone were uncharacteristically formal, as if their weight deserved a greater level of propriety than Arbuthnot usually employed. “If there is any chance you can beat him, I will do anything I can to help you. We will not tell him we followed you here, or that you have been anywhere near Sutton Bridge and know of an object that could destroy him. It is not much, but we can at least offer you our silence.’

For the first time since I’d knelt by the side of the Fachan’s body my lips curved into a genuine smile. ‘I don’t want your silence,’ I said. ‘In fact, I want you to tell Daddy Dearest exactly where I’ve been.’

‘What?’ Hester spluttered.

I leaned forward and picked up my teacup, raised it towards her then took a sip. ‘You wanted a Plan B,’ I said. ‘Now I’ve got one.’

‘Where did you get that damned knife from?’ I asked Amy as we waited for the others to join us in front of the hotel.

‘My mum’s kitchen.’ She shrugged insouciantly, as if wandering around with a dangerous weapon was the most natural thing in the world.

‘You can’t keep it.’

‘Why not? You’ve got a sword. I’ve got a knife.’

‘I’ve had training.’ Some, at least.

Amy raised an eyebrow. ‘So have I. Four years of Food Technology classes at Biggleswith Secondary. I’m the fastest onion chopper in the school’s history.’

I folded my arms.

‘I need to protect myself,’ she said. ‘You told me my life is at risk from your dad. That’s your fault, not mine. Really, this is all on you, Lady Daisy.’ She smiled pleasantly.

Cumbubbling bollocks. It was difficult to fault her logic but I wouldn’t be defeated. ‘A kitchen knife won’t do you any good against a fiend – or a bogle, for that matter. You’re more likely to end up hurting yourself.’

Gladys hummed loudly in agreement.

‘I made a leather pouch for it. I won’t stab myself by accident. I’m not completely stupid.’

‘Carrying that thing will cause far more problems that it could ever solve, Amy. Hand it over.’

There was a mutinous tilt to Amy’s chin. ‘No. If I’m going to hang around with you, I need some sort of protection of my own.’

‘No, you don’t.’ I said, ‘And you won’t be hanging around with me for much longer. There’s a change of plan.’

Her eyes narrowed. ‘I want to find King John’s treasure.’

‘You still can. But not right now.’ I managed a smile. ‘I’ve arranged for you to take a lovely holiday in the south of France. I’ve spoken to your parents and they’re sending over your passport. It’s all arranged. After everything you’ve been through lately, I think a holiday will do you the world of good. As you said yourself, you need some protection. Leaving the country is the best protection you can get.’

Amy didn’t look particularly impressed. ‘Oh yeah? And what will you be doing while I’m being forced out of England to sunbathe?’

My smile widened, but it was neither amused nor happy. ‘Embarking on a hunt of a different kind.’ I swallowed. ‘It’s only temporary, Amy. You’re in danger and it’s my fault. I need to know that you’ll be safe while I’m dealing with the situation.’

Her suspicion didn’t lessen. ‘You’re not just trying to get rid of me so you can keep King John’s crown jewels for yourself?’

‘I’m not. I promise.’

She gazed at me, but she must have seen something in my face that convinced her because she sniffed. ‘Fine,’ she muttered. ‘I’ll go to France – but not for long. I’ll come back here as soon as I can. I’m going to find this treasure.’

‘I’d expected nothing less.’ I exhaled. ‘Thank you, Amy. And, please, give me the knife. You can’t travel abroad with it.’ I held out my hand.

She sighed but thankfully she did as I asked. I examined the makeshift pouch, determined it was safe enough, and slid the knife into my pocket. Teenagers carrying sharp weapons was never a good idea.

Hugo came up behind me and slung an arm around my waist. I instantly felt a flood of tension leave my body as I leaned into him. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked as the rest of the Primes gathered around.

I cleared my throat. ‘We’re not going to find King John’s crown jewels.’ The only person who looked unhappy was Amy. Her face was still twisted into a frown and her hands were on her hips.

‘What’s the alternative?’ Rizwan asked. ‘We have to keep searching, there’s no other choice.’

Miriam’s clever eyes flashed. ‘There’s always another choice, dear.’

‘The other choice is that Daisy hands herself over to Athair and agrees to become a fiend just like him,’ Becky said.

‘And then,’ Slim continued for her, ‘we’ll end up having to fight Daisy to the death as well as Athair.’

Hugo growled, ‘That won’t happen.’

‘No,’ I assured him, ‘it won’t.’

‘We’ve got a maximum of thirty-six hours before we have to leave for Edinburgh. There are three more low tides between now and then, so almost eighteen hours of search time left.’ Mark sounded earnest. But we all knew that eighteen hours wasn’t enough; eighteen years might not be enough.

‘We are talking about a vast tract of land,’ I said. ‘Land that’s constantly shifting. King John couldn’t retrieve his treasure after a single tide. There have been hundreds of thousands of tides in the intervening years.’

‘Almost six hundred thousand,’ Hugo muttered. ‘I did the arithmetic.’

William Hausman flitted into my mind. ‘First of all, we have to assume that the treasure hasn’t been found by anyone else. It might have already been dug up and taken elsewhere or melted down. We can’t ever know for sure.’

Amy scowled. ‘We would know. Somebody would have blabbed if they’d found it.’

I glanced at her. ‘Okay. Even if we imagine that nobody has managed to find it, we have to believe that we’re not only the best treasure hunters in the country today but that we are the best treasure hunters in the last eight hundred years.’

‘Works for me,’ Hugo said.

I grinned but I knew that even his ego wasn’t that large. ‘And that we don’t have days or weeks or months or years to find this long-lost treasure.’ I swept my gaze across the group. ‘We’ve only got hours.’

Slim sighed. ‘We know all that, but there’s no alternative.’

They all looked at me and I straightened my shoulders. ‘Some new information has come to light.’ I felt imbued with a strange new confidence; we were no longer on the back foot or playing catch-up. Not any longer. ‘We need to get back to Scotland.’