Page 48 of Star Witch
I was hardly an expert in the ways of sheep. As far as I could tell, it looked perfectly normal. And getting jumpy simply because it was roaming around the Highlands, where there were probably a million other sheep doing exactly the same thing, was ridiculous. Probably.
I brushed my hand along its back, marvelling at its coarse wool, then sighed and pushed back my hair. I was jumping at shadows.
Lou called out to me as I went back to the boat. ‘What was that about?’
I shrugged. ‘Nothing.’ She looked like she wanted to press me for more so I hastily got back into the boat. ‘Look,’ I said unnecessarily. ‘Our chateau awaits.’
A smile spread across Lou’s face. ‘That has to be record timing.’
I beamed. ‘Yep. And now we can all get some proper rest.’
Famous last words.
Chapter Fourteen
I woke up Harriet and Mike while Lou tethered the boat. Naturally they were disorientated for a minute or two but it didn’t take Mike long to realise what had happened. ‘What did you do?’ he yelled, his face going an extraordinary shade of puce.
I twirled a stray curl. I could make something up but it was probably just as easy to tell the truth. ‘You weren’t going to listen to reason. Instead of spending five hours traipsing up a mountain and getting sore and tired, we spent an hour getting here and you’re all rested.’ I wasn’t, of course; I was about dead on my feet but I wasn’t going to tell him that.
‘Unbelievable,’ he muttered. He gestured angrily at the nearest cameraman. ‘She can’t be allowed to get away with this! There are rules!’
The cameraman didn’t react. Mike huffed and glared.
‘Complain to your producer later,’ I said. ‘Let’s get inside first.’
Harriet, who hadn’t said a word since she’d woken up but who was evidently upset, pulled herself out of the boat and walked up to the hut. She rattled the doorknob. ‘It’s locked,’ she informed us flatly.
Mike growled. ‘Let me try.’ He joined her, shoving all his weight against the door. It wasn’t going to budge.
‘There’s something here,’ Lou called over. She held up an envelope. My heart sank. Great. This would be the supposedly inspiredEnchantmenttwist.
Ripping open the envelope, Lou began to read. ‘Congratulations. You have found shelter. The problem is that you can’t gain access to it until you master the entrance spell. This chalet is warded against intruders. It’s up to you and your team to find a way in and complete your first task.’
I rolled my eyes. Chalet. As if. If this were a chalet, I wanted Swiss chocolate and a hunky ski instructor, not this lot and an empty belly.
‘There are some herbs in here,’ Lou said. ‘And instructions for how to use them.’
‘Go on then,’ Mike sneered at me. ‘You’re the expert. Open it up.’
‘I can’t.’ I slumped into a sitting position. ‘I’m too tired.’ If they had instructions and they could read, they really didn’t need me.
His mouth flapped open. Then his eyes hardened. ‘Fine. We don’t need you anyway. Come on, Harriet. Lou.’
The three of them hunkered down, picking over the herbs and discussing the spell. A few of their words drifted over. What they had to do was so basic that even if there were only one iota of magic between them, they’d manage it.
I dropped backwards with my spine on the ground. It was hard and cold and there was an icky wet patch somewhere near my right thigh but right now I didn’t care.
I let my head flop to the side. It really was very pretty around here. The grass was long and there had to be different varieties all growing naturally because the range of shades of green was extraordinary. There were long-stemmed daisies in one patch, and a lone bee buzzing around a clump of thistles. My eyes tiredly tracked its path as it abandoned the spiky plant in favour of something tastier. It flew over a muddy puddle, bypassed the rabbit droppings and the bloodstains, and headed up the slope behind the hut.
I sat bolt upright. Bloodstains?
‘It’s open!’ Mike crowed. He shot me a nasty look. ‘No thanks to you.’
I ignored him and scrambled to my feet. Maybe it wasn’t blood. Maybe it was something else. I ran over and knelt down, taking care not to touch the dark patch with any part of my body. Bringing my nose down, I sniffed then recoiled. It was definitely blood. Not just that – it smelled rotten, an almost exact match for the reek from the zombie-thing that Winter had killed only last night.
I sprang up in a panic. ‘We have to get out of here.’
The others didn’t hear me. They’d already gone into the small hut, although one of the cameramen had stayed behind to film me. I walked right up to him and spoke into the camera. ‘It’s not safe here. We have to leave now.’
