Page 24 of Skulk of Foxes
‘You can thank me later.’ I swung my head round. There had to be something we could do – we were supposed to be freaking faeries, after all. Think, Madrona. ‘The glamour that Rubus created,’ I said suddenly.
Morgan looked at me, apparently still miffed that I’d thumped him to stop him from combusting. ‘What about it?’ He pulled me towards him just in time to stop me getting another singeing.
‘Artemesia said it didn’t contribute to the magic build-up because it was rooted in rowan. What if we use magic against those clouds but root it in something else?’
Morgan’s expression cleared. ‘Boggart Hole.’
I blinked. ‘Well, there’s no reason to be rude about my lady bits.’
He rolled his eyes. ‘That’s not what I was referring to.’ He paused and leaned in slightly. ‘It’s not what I’d call yourlady bitseither. It’s the name of an ancient park near here. There’s a brook running through it. It has mystical properties. It’s one of the reasons why the bogles live here. We might just be able to harness it.’
I peered out doubtfully. ‘When you say near here, I hope you mean within sprinting distance.’
‘Quarter of a mile,’ Morgan said with a zesty confidence that was obviously exaggerated. For once, I decided not to call him on it. It wasn’t as if we had any other options.
‘Great.’ I glanced at him. ‘Before we go, whatwouldyou call my lady bits?’
‘Focus, Maddy,’ he growled, with just the faintest tinge of adorable pink on his cheeks. ‘The sky is spitting fire.’
Yeah, okay. I shook my arms and legs before stretching my hamstrings, not because I thought it would help but because I decided it would make me look less terrified. Then I put my hands over my head to shield myself from the worst of the fire. A moment later, Morgan and I were running like hell itself was hot on our heels, which in a way it actually was.
We did our best to weave in and out of the fiery rain but soon I was covered in minor burns and scorch marks. We moved far faster than any humans could have done but it still wasn’t fast enough.
When we reached a line of trees and ended up in a small wood, I thought that things might be about to improve; at least the leaves and branches would afford us some cover. Unfortunately, what happened was that the foliage started to catch fire and drift downwards. Now it wasn’t just the rain we had to worry about, it was flaming debris too.
I screeched and ran even faster. Just ahead of me, through the gaps in the trees, I could see the glitter of water. Praise be. As I put on one final spurt, something landed on my shoulders. Without thinking, I threw myself into the small lake, startling several ducks that were already nervous enough thanks to the flaming skies. They were far better at dodging the falling fire than I was though – they’d cope.
The water wasn’t deep and there was a scummy layer on the surface. When I finally felt brave enough to emerge, I suspected I looked like the creature from the black lagoon. The fact that Morgan hadn’t deigned to plunge in after me, despite the continuing drizzle of flames, suggested that the lake held more potential horrors than the skies.
I glanced around. The ducks, despite being terrified and quacking in a relentless cacophony, didn’t appear unhealthy. I was probably safe. But perhaps rather slimy, too.
‘How will this work?’ I called. I was already wet; I might as well stay where I was. All the better to save my eyebrows, I figured.
Morgan pursed his lips. ‘You remember way back when you used magic to hit the sniper?’
I nodded. That had been in front of the Travotel, right before I’d had the dubious joy of meeting Rubus for the first time. The sniper had been there for Julie, not us, another little reminder that this world could be a highly dangerous place for almost anyone.
‘Well,’ he continued, ‘if we combine our magic and try the same thing but aim for the most reflective parts of the lake, in theory we can mirror the magic and send the water upwards towards the worst of the clouds.’ He looked beyond me. ‘There,’ he said, pointing. ‘About twenty feet to your right.’
I spun round, sending a spray of dirty water with me. The ducks quacked louder in further protest; I could swear several of them were giving me evil looks. ‘Has a duck ever killed anyone?’ I enquired.
Morgan didn’t answer; he was too focused on the reflective patch of water. I sighed and zoomed in on it. The sky might be aflame but it was pretty damned shivery and cold in this lake. Hopefully this wouldn’t take long.
‘Ready?’ I called.
‘Ready,’ he returned.
I heaved in a breath. ‘One. Two.Three.’
Together we raised our hands and started blasting. At some point our magic combined above my head before shooting down towards the water at an angle. It was kind of like snooker, I decided, but perhaps a tad messier.
I couldn’t actually see how it was going to work. The water droplets we dispersed upwards created a fine spray, which initially appeared to do little more than pissing off the ducks. I should have trusted more in the magic, however, along with Morgan’s instincts.
The force of our combined spell sent the water upwards and the magic imbued in it did as he intended. Slowly the fiery globules falling from the sky transformed into nothing more than fat raindrops, spreading first from the lake and then outwards, as if each one were infecting the other. I kept up the stream of magic until I heard Morgan yell at me to stop. Even then I continued for a moment or two longer just to be sure. My hair was already singed and burnt; I wasn’t going to take any more chances.
I cast my gaze over the horizon. The clouds were no longer tinged with red and, as far as I could see, there was no more falling fire. Just as bloody well. I glanced at Morgan and pumped the air in triumph. ‘We did it!’ I grinned.
He didn’t smile back. ‘We did.’
