Chapter 24

Chapter

Twenty-Four

W e hugged the castle walls and kept our bodies low to the ground and, within a few easy minutes, reached the rear of the large building. There were very few windows around this side so there was far less chance that we’d be spotted, but we continued to take care; we only stopped when we found a nook beside the old tower.

Hugo rummaged in his bag while I located a small expanse of tall grass that had managed to escape being transformed into a mud bath. I stripped off my clothes and rolled around on the ground to wipe most of the mud on my body then pulled on Hugo’s T-shirt, which was easily long enough to reach mid-thigh. I’d be barefoot and cold for the rest of this incursion, but at least it was now Hugo’s scent against my skin.

I discarded my mud-caked clothes behind a bush and looped my belt with Gladys and her sheath around my waist. It was an interesting fashion statement as well as a necessary precaution.

By the time I rejoined Hugo, he’d taken his coil of rope and snagged one of the tower’s jutting parapets. I shielded my eyes against the glare of the weak sun. ‘We’re going old school, huh?’

‘The trapdoor to gain access to the castle interior is at the top of that tower. We can’t use magic to get up there for fear of alerting Athair. We’ll have to climb.’

I was suddenly glad I’d eaten a hearty breakfast. I cracked my knuckles. ‘Betcha I’m faster at climbing up there than you.’

Hugo raised an eyebrow. ‘Game on, princess.’

‘Does everything have to be a competition?’ Hester complained.

‘It’s a healthy distraction from our impending doom,’ I said cheerfully.

She exhaled noisily. ‘At least you’re acknowledging this is a suicide mission.’ She glanced at Otis. ‘First one to the top is a stinky nincompoop.’ She zipped upwards before her words could even register.

Otis glared after her. ‘Does everything have to be a competition?’ he said, repeating her complaint.

From the uppermost edge of the tower, Hester grinned down and blew him a kiss. ‘You’re right, Daisy,’ she called. ‘Competition is a very healthy distraction.’ She smiled smugly. ‘I’m better than you, Otis. Stronger, faster, smarter.’ She paused. ‘Better.’

Bickering from the brownies wasn’t what I’d been aiming for. To forestall any more sniping, I grabbed the rope, tested that it was secure and slowly hoisted myself up. Being barefoot actually helped. Although I was sweating by the time I climbed over the parapet, I had even impressed myself.

I rolled onto my back and allowed myself a few moments to catch my breath as I waited for Hugo to catch up. ‘I was faster,’ he said, when he finally appeared.

‘I don’t believe so,’ I told him.

‘You know that you two are worse than we are?’ Otis said,

I opened my mouth to tell him he was being ridiculous then closed it again. Perhaps he had a point. Hester laughed and high-fived her brother.

‘We’re not worse than them,’ Hugo muttered.

‘Of course not,’ I said. I flicked him a side glance. He did the same to me.

‘Perhaps we ought to continue with our suicide mission,’ he said.

I grinned. ‘It’s probably safest.’

Although the banter was a pleasant distraction, it didn’t prevent the nauseous churn in my stomach when we edged towards the trapdoor and prepared to enter Culcreuch Castle. This was the perfect moment to swallow down several pills of spider’s silk but I didn’t need drugs to be successful; I knew that to my very core.

I drew in a deep breath of fresh air instead and nodded at Hugo. The teasing twinkle in his deep-blue eyes had been replaced once more by steely determination. Hester flew closer to Otis and reached for her brother’s hand. Suddenly they looked as nervous as I felt.

Hugo tensed his body and lifted up the trapdoor.

A part of me had been expecting to see Athair’s coldly smiling face greet us, so when I saw there was nothing below the trapdoor but an empty room, I sagged with relief. So far so safe. I stepped forward and quickly lowered myself into the building, clambering down a rickety ladder to reach the stone floor. Seconds later, Hugo followed together with the brownies.

The first room contained nothing but an old rickety chair that looked as if it might collapse at any moment. The second room wasn’t much different except for a few old paintings stacked against a wall. I squinted at them though I didn’t dare touch them for fear of disturbing the dust and leaving a trail. They looked pretty enough. I spotted a naval scene with an old gallant warship leaving a stormy harbour, and a still-life oil painting of some drooping flowers. I guessed Athair didn’t much care for art.

I wondered if he truly cared for anything or whether his longevity had sucked the joy out of everything. Soldiers grew inured to violence, medical professionals got used to blood. Maybe Athair had experienced too much of life to appreciate anything anymore. I could almost feel sorry for him. Almost.

Hugo took the lead, walking silently down the next flight of stairs. He opened the door to the third room. I peered past him and glimpsed the large pinboard that he had photographed on his previous visit. The carefully marked map of the British Isles was no longer there.

We exchanged glances before I tiptoed inside. The Billy bookcase was in one corner and the books lined up on its shelves looked untouched. In fact, the entire room appeared the same as it had when Hugo had sneaked in herein every way bar one: the stone floor was littered with scraps of ripped paper.

I bent down, picked one up and smoothed it out. It was from the map. Suddenly I could imagine the scene: as soon as Athair had realised I’d passed over the responsibility for the first treasure hunt to a teenager, he’d thrown a tantrum. He’d stormed in here and ripped up his map. He might be ancient, but maturity was not his strong suit.

Otis flapped around, picking up the bits of paper as if he were on a cleaning mission. I reached out to him and wagged my finger to tell him to stop. He paused, gazed down at the scraps and immediately released them. His face flushed.

‘It’s information about treasure,’ Hester whispered in my ear. ‘New treasure.’

That was not why we were here; it wasn’t treasure I wanted. I shrugged to indicate that to Hester. ‘Gold is gold,’ she muttered.

I shook my head. No, it wasn’t.

I scanned the room again, satisfying myself that there was nothing else of note. When I rejoined Hugo, we continued our descent to the basement of the old tower. My stomach was already tightening in wary anticipation: I knew what was coming next. Or rather who. It was why we were here.

The moment I stepped onto the uneven stone floor of the windowless tower, my claustrophobia stirred back into unwelcome existence. I told myself that I wasn’t trapped; there was a door to my right that led into the rest of Culcreuch Castle and the staircase next to it went up to the top of the tower. There was more than enough space to move around and there was certainly no lack of air. But the dank smell, the miserable atmosphere and the corpse in the hole by my feet were more than enough to encourage my old fears.

Hugo sensed my anxiety almost immediately. He reached for my hand without speaking and gave me a look laden with meaning. I swallowed and nodded to indicate that I was fine; I had things under control. William Hausman, whose dead body lay in that terrible pit, deserved far more than my illogical panic.

I calmed my breathing then turned to Hester and Otis. They were both pale faced and Otis was trembling. I wasn’t going to force them to do this. I mouthed,‘You don’t have to.’

Hester glared and set her chin in a stubborn line whilst Otis lifted his head.‘We do,’ he mouthed back. Then without hesitation, and with Hester hot on his heels, he dive-bombed into the oubliette.

I didn’t have a lot of experience with dead bodies – almost none, in fact. There was the Fachan and the fiends I’d killed, but I’d been there when they’d died. This was different.

I had expected more smell, but although the odour in the room was unpleasant and it contained a definite tinge of death it wasn’t overpowering. It didn’t make me gag. William Hausman had been dead for such a long time that his body no longer emanated the reek of decomposition. To be honest, there wasn’t much left of the poor man. With any luck, that would make Otis and Hester’s grisly task much easier.

Hugo and I kept away from the edge of the oubliette so as not to block what little light there was. The brownies were already by Hausman’s body and I could clearly see his gold signet ring from where I was. There wasn’t much flesh clinging to his finger so it wouldn’t take long to retrieve it.

I gazed at the ring while the brownies did their best to remove it without disturbing the body. The three tiny lions etched onto the golden surface were exactly the same design as the ones carved onto the statue of King John in the centre of King’s Lynn. Exactly the same.

‘It’s a perfect match,’ Hugo breathed.

I smiled. ‘Power,’ I whispered.

Unfortunately, that was the exact moment when Gladys buzzed in warning and the door to the tower started to open.

I froze in shock. Although I’d known that Athair was inside the castle, it was a big building and our success at staying unnoticed so far had lulled me into a false sense of security. We’d located Hausman’s ring and I’d let my guard down, a mistake that could well prove fatal.

Beside me, Hugo braced himself and gathered his magic. I reached for Gladys and drew her out. A beat later, I heard Athair’s voice from the other side of the tower. ‘Get a fucking move on, Horace!’

I didn’t know who Horace was and I didn’t care – not until a brownie flapped through the gap in the door. Eloise clearly wasn’t Athair’s only indentured servant.

The little man with dark wings and tattered clothing halted in mid-air. His jaw dropped as he stared at us, his eyes flicking from me to Hugo to Hester and Otis in the depths of the dark oubliette. Then he somersaulted in the air and sped out the way he’d come. My terror increased tenfold.

‘What the fuck are you doing, Horace?’ Athair growled. ‘Get into the tower.’

‘I’ve had enough of waiting for answers. Where is my sister?’ It was unmistakably the brownie’s voice. ‘She’s been gone for ages.’

My stomach dropped. Horace – whoever he was – was putting his life in danger by delaying Athair. He was helping us in an extraordinary fashion.

Athair’s rejoinder was clipped with anger. ‘It’s no concern of yours where she is.’ There was a crack of magic followed by a sharp, high-pitched scream. ‘And I do not appreciate your attitude.’

My hand clutched Hugo’s arm. He understood: he knew exactly what the brownie had done for us and how vital it was that we took advantage of the extra seconds we’d gained as a result. But he also grimaced and gestured helplessly at the stairs. He was right: Athair was less than two metres away. If we tried to leave via the staircase, there was every chance he’d notice us: the door was already ajar by a good four inches.

Alas, there was only one place for us to hide. It would be a tight, unpleasant squeeze but there was no choice.

I spun around and jumped feet first into the oubliette, narrowly avoiding landing on William Hausman’s decomposed body. Hester and Otis had pressed themselves against the damp walls of the narrow dungeon and were holding Hausman’s golden ring between them. I hoped that all the work they’d done to retrieve it would be worthwhile.

I scrambled to my feet, moved to the side to make more space, and a moment later Hugo jumped in and joined us. His white teeth flashed in a humourless grin.

There was a loud creak as the tower door opened fully and Athair strode in. Don’t look down, I prayed. Please don’t look down.

‘Stop snivelling, you whining shite.’

I wrapped my arms around my body and tried not to breathe, blink or twitch but it was easier said than done, especially when my nose started to itch. A sneeze was approaching. Cumbubbling bollocks.

‘I’m sorry,’ Horace croaked, his voice filled with pain. Whatever Athair had done to him as punishment for his question must have been truly horrible. I squeezed my eyes shut for a long, agonised moment. I couldn’t repay Horace’s sacrifice by sneezing. I couldn’t.

‘One more inappropriate word from you,’ Athair muttered, ‘and I will rip the wings from your body.’

Hester’s eyes widened with horror.

‘Be more mindful of your place.’

Horace’s response was a whisper. ‘Yes, master.’

Athair started to ascend the staircase and I risked raising my hand to pinch my nose and stop my sneeze from escaping. It was enough. I breathed out and glanced at Hugo and the brownies. They gazed back at me. We all knew we were lucky to still be alive.

Hugo pointed upwards. There was only one way out of the oubliette and that was the same way we’d entered it. Escape would be impossible for anyone non-magical.

There was a reason why William Hausman had died down here: bottle dungeons were impossible to get out of without help, whether that was of the magical variety or a helping human hand. The walls that surrounded us tapered upwards in such a way that nobody could climb out; there was no point even trying. Air magic would provide us with the boost we needed but we couldn’t try that until Athair was far away and couldn’t sense our power.

I took out my phone and checked it: no signal, not even a flicker. For the time being we were trapped. I pulled a face to indicate that to Hugo and he nodded grimly. We were stuck – but the brownies were a different matter.

I didn’t dare speak aloud so I gestured to Hester and Otis. They could fly out of the bottle dungeon with Hausman’s signet ring. It would take them some time to travel to the rendezvous point with Slim but they’d manage it. They’d be free and they could take the ring with them.

Hester and Otis watched my attempt at silent communication then looked at each other. An unspoken agreement passed between them. A moment later, Hester shrugged and Otis, obviously confused, pursed his lips. I gritted my teeth. They knew exactly what I was telling them to do but they were pretending not to understand.

I nudged Hugo, indicating that he should try sign language with them but he raised his eyebrows dubiously. They were no more likely to pay attention to him than they were to me, but their lives might depend on it. At least if they were safe, I’d feel better.

Hugo embarked upon a complicated mime and this time the brownies’ confusion was genuine; frankly, so was mine. Charades were not his strong suit. I tried to add my own fluttering hands into the mix but I didn’t get far before we were interrupted.

‘What the fuck are you lot doing here?’ The harsh hiss came from overhead. I looked up and immediately spotted Horace hovering above us. He lowered himself until he was level with Hester and Otis. The large welt across his face was still bleeding. My jaw clenched. Fucking Athair. Fucking bastard.

‘We came to get that,’ I whispered as quietly as I could and pointed to the gold ring that Hester and Otis were hanging onto. ‘From him.’ I nodded at William Hausman’s body beside us.

If anything, Horace’s disbelief only increased. ‘Why?’

‘It’s important,’ Hugo told him. ‘Very important.’

Horace shook his head in dismay. ‘You must know what he will do to you if he finds you here.’

I opened my mouth to answer.

‘And, yes,’ Horace continued, ‘I know who you are. Your shared blood won’t mean a damned thing. He’s already furious with you. Your heritage won’t save you.’

Good: I didn’t want it to save me. I didn’t want Athair’s attention and I didn’t want to be continually reminded that he was my birth father. It had proved easier to escape drug addiction than Athair.

‘Eloise told you who we were?’ Otis said. Horace nodded. ‘You’re the reason why she wouldn’t leave Athair?’ Horace nodded again.

Otis threw a triumphant look in Hester’s direction but she barely noticed. She was staring at Horace with two high points of colour on her cheeks. And she was being unusually quiet.

‘I’m the hostage,’ Horace said sadly. ‘Athair keeps me by his side to force her to do whatever he wants. I’ve told Eloise to leave but she won’t go.’

Hester finally spoke. ‘That’s incredibly heroic of you.’

Otis choked.

Horace looked at them. ‘I know who you are, too. You’re Otis. And you,’ he bowed, ‘are Hester. From what Eloise told me, you’re the heroic one around here. You do just about everything you can to keep your brother safe. You even attack your mistress when the situation calls for it.’

‘Sometimes Daisy needs to be kept in line. I only do it because I care.’

Hugo was grinning as I glared at Hester. Unbelievable. ‘Let’s stick to what’s important, shall we?’ I hissed. ‘Does Athair know where you are?’

Horace bobbed his head. ‘He sent me to the kitchen to get him some food. He’s going to be up there for hours.’

My stomach sank. That was not the news I wanted to hear.

‘What’s he doing?’ Hugo asked.

‘Sticking his big map back together.’ Horace gave me a pointed look. ‘He believes you’ll jump ship tonight and he wants to give it to you as a welcome gift. My master has to feel that he’s in control at all times. He won’t be happy when he finds you’re already here.’

‘He won’t find us here,’ I said.

Horace didn’t say anything but he didn’t need to: his expression spoke volumes.

‘Don’t underestimate Daisy,’ Hester said earnestly. ‘She often falls in shit and comes up smelling of roses. She might surprise you. She’s going to defeat Athair. That’s why Otis and I are staying by her side until the bitter end, no matter how many times she tells us to leave.’

Horace’s answer was stark. ‘Nobody can defeat Athair. In the end he will destroy us all.’