Page 80 of Tattered Huntress
‘Well, I wasn’t trained,’ I said flatly. ‘And I didn’t know where to go to, or who to speak to for help. But I had heard of spider’s silk. While my mum and dad were recovering from smoke inhalation in hospital and our home lay smouldering, I went out and found some.’
I finally turned and looked at him. ‘I’ve not had a nightmare since. The drugs dampen my magic so there’s less of a danger to me and to others. I’m sorry about your friend, I truly am, but I wouldn’t have survived without spider’s silk. And now it’s too late for me to be anything other than an addict. You told me about your friend to distract me from the selkies. I appreciate that. But you have to understand that spider’s silk once distracted me from my nightmares. It will kill me eventually.’ I smiled crookedly. ‘If the selkies don’t get me first, of course. But nobody else will die because of me and that makes every pill worth it.’
Hugo watched me, a grim, speculative expression on his face that I didn’t quite understand. ‘The fire wasn’t your fault.’
‘And your friend’s death wasn’t yours,’ I said softly. I touched his hand. ‘But we both feel guilty.’
He took a step towards me, raised one hand and cupped my cheek. For a long moment we stared into each other’s eyes. But the selkies were still there and they were still watching us. ‘We can’t lose our concentration,’ I whispered.
Hugo’s jaw tightened and he dropped his hand. ‘You’reright.’ He checked his watch. ‘Another four hours until the tide will be low enough to return to the mainland. Then we’ll be safe.’
I nodded before turning to face the selkies again. Safety, however, is always a relative concept.
Chapter
Thirty
‘Ifeel like I’ve been hit by a train.’ Otis rubbed his head over and over again.
‘Not a train,’ Hester said. ‘A ten-tonne weight that fell from the sky and squashed us.’
‘Getting hit by a train is more lethal than getting squashed by a weight falling from the sky,’ he retorted.
‘No.’ She shook her head vigorously. ‘A ten-tonne weight would be worse.’
‘How would it be worse than a train? And how would it happen?’ He threw his hands upwards. ‘Where would it come from?’
‘We’re in the middle of the sea! Where would a train come from?’
I smiled at them fondly. The fact that they were bickering again meant that they were recovering. We were going to be okay. All of us.
I’d worried that the selkies would remain when the tide receded, waiting us out. There’d been a few occasions over the last hours when Hugo’s defensive fire had faltered, but together we’d managed to keep it burning just enough to keep us safe.And when enough time had passed and the sea was doing its thing by retreating away as it always did, the selkies snorted in disgust and slipped off, one after the other.
I’d reached for Hugo’s hand without thinking and together we stood there, waiting until there was no more sign of the slippery, sharp-toothed creatures. He’d squeezed my fingers in a brief show of reassurance that had warmed me far more than the blistering heat from the fiery circle. I supposed that, bizarrely, we genuinely were friends now. All it had taken was yet another near-death experience. They were becoming a nasty habit.
Hugo allowed the flames to die back, testing to see if the selkies had really gone and weren’t skulking around the corner for their final chance at a tasty breakfast. Meanwhile, Hester flew slowly out to the east and Otis headed west. It didn’t take them long to return.
‘The way is clear,’ Hester announced. ‘They’ve gone out with the tide.’
I exhaled and cradled my injured hand. The last hit of spider’s silk had kept the worst of the pain at bay, but soon I’d have to resort to weak-ass painkillers again. The once-pristine white bandages were grubby and I’d have to get the dressing changed soon. The last thing I needed was for sepsis to set in.
‘You saved my life,’ Hugo said. He quirked an eyebrow. ‘And you know what that means.’
‘Your undying gratitude for the rest of eternity?’
He smirked. ‘That part goes without saying. According to the Chinese, you’re also now responsible for my life forever.’
I stared at him. ‘What? How is that fair?’
Hugo’s grin grew. ‘We’re bonded for life. You have to look out for me until the day you die.’
I folded my arms. ‘Technically, you saved mefirst by giving me spider’s silk when I was in withdrawal. You saved my life then, even though you hate the stuff.’
‘So I’m responsible for you for the rest of my life? That’s what you’re saying?’
I shook my head vigorously. ‘Our actions cancel each other’s out. We can happily go our separate ways with no obligations.’
He gave me a long look. ‘Mmm.’ What did that mean?
