Page 62 of Tattered Huntress
I’d been expecting something big and grand and it didn’t disappoint. ‘This is your life now, Daisy,’ I whispered to myself. ‘Flitting from castle to mansion to palace.’ My SDS delivery days felt as if they belonged to somebody else; I was no longer that person. I was starting to doubt whether I could ever go back to that sort of life.
I dragged my attention away from the marble arches, statuesque columns with perfectly manicured wisteria creeping up them and the gleaming brass accoutrements on the front door. Where the hell were Otis and Hester? I couldn’t see any sign of them, although that was hardly surprising given their size. If I were going to do a thorough search, I’d have to abandon the safety of the trees and undergrowth for the open space in front of me.
Nobody was visible. It was probably fine.
I took a step forward, brushed away a clinging cobweb and avoided the painful looking nettles to my right. Then I hastily jumped backwards as two burly men appeared from around the corner. Shit. That was too close.
‘I know Greenwood is anxious,’ one of the men said, ‘but we have one of the strongest security systems in the country. Nobody’s getting into this place unless we knowabout it first.’
‘He wants us to check all the windows.’
The first one rolled his eyes. ‘They’re all alarmed and they’re tested every week. Nobody is getting in through a window.’
‘He mentioned the skylights above the dining room, as well.’
‘Reinforced glass. With sensors embedded. They’ll register if anything larger than a pigeon touches them.’
I exhaled quietly. Brownies were smaller than pigeons; Hester and Otis might still be fine.
‘He’s antsy. He wants everything double-checked.’
‘He needs to chill out.’
The two men walked past less than three metres away from where I was hiding. My left eye began to twitch, then that annoying spot between my shoulder blades felt itchy. I clenched my jaw and forced myself to remain still until it was safe to move again. The twitching and the itchiness subsided.
That was when something in my bag began to hum.
My eyes widened in alarm. I’d left my large bag on the motorbike and only brought my smaller backpack with emergency supplies. There wasn’t a lot in there that could make that sound, so what the hell was it? The satellite phone was turned off and my mobile was tucked away in my back pocket.
I waited, frozen like a statue, praying that the two men wouldn’t notice. Hopefully they were too focused on their complaints to listen to a muted sound floating out from behind a tree. Even so, I was certain I was about to be clapped in irons and beaten to within an inch of my life until the two men disappeared around the next corner.
As soon as I yanked my bag off my shoulders and peered inside, I realised where the humming sound was coming from. I carefully slid Gladys out and gazed at her. Yes, the Fachan had said she was sentient – but I certainly hadn’t been expecting anything like this.
‘Shhhhhh!’
The humming stopped.
‘What the fuck was that all about?’ I hissed, feeling something of an idiot as I stood in a clump of bushes talking to a damned sword. Or dagger. Or whatever she was.
I’d barely finished speaking when the tip of her blade started to glow. The hilt felt ice cold and I yelped as I dropped her to preserve the skin on my hand from frostbite. Well, someone was touchy; apparently Gladys didn’t appreciate being scolded.
‘You deserved it!’ I whispered angrily. ‘Your humming almost gave us away!’
The spikes of grass and dropped leaves around her began to turn white as frost scalded their edges, despite the relative warmth of the day.
‘Stop that!’ I muttered. The frost receded. I opened my mouth to tell her that she was a liability and I was going to leave her here, then thought better of it. There was no telling what she might do if I tried that.
I crouched down. ‘Listen,’ I said in a low voice. ‘I don’t know why you were making that noise but you need to stay quiet. Hester and Otis are out there somewhere, possibly in a lot of trouble. We have to find them without anyone noticing us. You have to be silent.’
Unsurprisingly, Gladys didn’t respond.
I waited for a beat then brushed my fingertips along her hilt; her temperature seemed to have returned to normal. Half-convinced I was going mad, I scooped her up and opened my backpack. Then, in case I’d somehow lost track of time again, I dipped my hand into my pocket and took out a spider’s silk pill. I would have to replenish my supplies sooner than I’d anticipated, but I couldn’t afford any more hallucinations or withdrawal-induced double vision.
I tossed the pill into my mouth, half closing my eyes in satisfaction as the bitter fizz hit the back of my throat and my heart rate slowed. Okay then. Okay. ‘You’ve got this, Daisy,’ I whispered to myself. ‘It’s all good.’
Rather than return Gladys to my bag, I slid her into my belt. Then, with even greater care, I stepped out from the bushes again. This time the way appeared clear.
I was wary of the windows and anyone inside the house who might pass by and glance out. Thanks to Burly One and Burly Two, I knew that Greenwood’s security team was on high alert, so a glimpse of somebody skulking around the property would send them into overdrive. The solution was to make sure I didn’t skulk.
