Page 72 of Tattered Huntress
My stomach dropped. They were talking about me? I strained to hear Hugo’s reply. ‘I’ve not changed my mind. She’s still untrustworthy and she’s still dangerous. Spider’s silk shouldn’t be messed with – and I’m convinced there’s a great deal more to Daisy Carter than meets the eye. There’s a lot she’s not telling us.’
I wrinkled my nose. I was an open book; I wasn’t dangerous or untrustworthy in the slightest.
‘Wait until he finds out what you’re doing now,’ Otis murmured. ‘What will he think then?’
My grimace deepened.
‘Has she told you why she takes spider’s silk?’ Sir Nigel asked.
‘Does it matter?’
Sir Nigel didn’t answer. Hugo sighed. ‘She did better in the hunt than I expected. It’s only bad luck that she didn’t get two of the three key parts. She’s resourceful and intelligent. And…’ He sighed and didn’t finish his sentence.
‘You really like her, don’t you?’ Sir Nigel asked quietly.
I realised suddenly that I didn’t want to hear Hugo’s answer; maybe it was better not to know. I squeezed my eyes shut and re-directed the breeze towards Humphrey and Eleanor.
‘I guess you’re right. All you can do is try.’ Eleanor was in the middle of a conversation and she seemed hesitant, which immediately put me on edge. Try what?
Humphrey responded cheerfully, ‘Absolutely, my dear! It would be the fairest thing to do, and I know that Hugs wouldappreciate equality.’ He paused. ‘But maybe it would be better if he heard it from you rather than me. He likes you.’
Eleanor sounded surprised. ‘Does he?’
‘Everyone likes you.’
Humphrey was probably right. I listened to them for several moments, hoping to learn more, but their chatter drifted to the vitally important topic of what to have for lunch. Apparently smoked salmon was passé these days and smashed avocado was the way to go. Whatever.
I tuned out and waited until they all reached the tip of the loch. As expected, Sir Nigel took the lead. Finally, he motioned to a small patch of land at the water’s edge that looked no different to any other spot.
I redirected my air magic again so I could hear their conversation. As I did, Hugo’s head jerked up. I stiffened. Shit – I’d clearly not been delicate enough with my touch. I pressed myself further into the undergrowth and held my breath. I was too nervous even to cross my fingers. I had to stay very, very still.
‘Hugo?’ I heard Becky ask. ‘Is there a problem?’
I counted to six before he answered. ‘No,’ he said. ‘Everything is fine.’
I swallowed hard and relaxed slightly, though I chastised myself. As a high elf, his magical skills were far beyond mine. I couldn’t grow complacent.
Sir Nigel took out a pocket watch. ‘It is midday,’ he declared. ‘Bring forth your key parts and let us reveal the location of the gold.’
Becky and another Prime stepped forward and crouched down to place their sections on the patch of the ground. Humphrey passed his to Eleanor and nudged her. She twitched and cleared her throat. ‘Uh, before we do this,’ she said nervously, ‘there’s something I’d like to suggest.’
They all turned to her. Even from this distance, I saw her cheeks redden. ‘Um, so, this isn’t about whether the Arkaig treasure will be found. It will turn up very soon, right?’
‘That’s the plan,’ Sir Nigel said. ‘The British Museum is already preparing to receive several chests of gold coins.’
Hugo shrugged and Humphrey smiled encouragingly.
‘This is a competition to see who can find it first,’ Eleanor continued. ‘But shouldn’t it be a fair competition?’
I raised my eyebrows.
‘Are you suggesting that it’s not been fair up to now?’ Hugo growled.
‘No! It’s been fair! I’m not saying that at all!’ Eleanor sounded panicked and she glanced at Humphrey for help.
He said reassuringly, ‘Of course it’s been fair. I think Eleanor means something else.’
She nodded vigorously. ‘Going forward, I think it’ll only continue to be fair if the numbers are even.’ She pointed towards the Primes. ‘I mean, there are lots of you and only two of us.’
