Page 61 of Tattered Huntress
‘Are you absolutely sure?’
‘I am.’ Otis flew closer and patted my cheek. ‘Let’s go to Dundee and get that key.’
We took our time.Greenwood’s Dundee property was considerably closer to Smoo Cave and Durness than the mansion in Wales, so even with a delayed journey we’d arrive there much earlier than the other teams who I was certain were heading south.
I also managed to avoid getting another sore arse from too much motorbike riding. Honestly, everything about this situation was win-win. I pictured Hugo’s face when he realised he’d gone all the way to Wales for nothing and I couldn’t hide my smile. Even when we arrived outside the large house and I saw its high walls, CCTV cameras and the unmissable trespass warnings.
I couldn’t see any signs of runes, and the only witchy ingredient was a bedraggled clump of monkshood that was growing in a pile of gravel near the northern edge of the wall. I was almost sure there was nothing magical barring our entry.
I considered all the options then asked the brownies, ‘Can the two of you sneak in? You don’t need to enter the building – that’d be too risky – but it’d be helpful to understand what lies beyond those walls. Any entrance or exit points into the building would be great.’
Hester beamed. ‘A spy mission! I won’t let you down, Daisy.In fact, I will be excellent at this.’ She pirouetted in the air. ‘Just watch me!’
I glanced at Otis, half-expecting him to decline. ‘Let’s do it,’ he said. His renewed enthusiasm surprised me. When I raised an eyebrow, he shrugged. ‘There’s nothing illegal about a little fly-by.’
‘You don’t have to do it,’ I said quickly.
Hester stuck out her tongue and grabbed him. ‘Yes, he does!’ she trilled. ‘I will make him!’
Before I could say anything else she darted towards the wrought-iron gates that barred entrance to the driveway, dragging Otis behind her. Exasperated, I called, ‘Hester! Stop that! Let your brother go!’
‘It’s fine, Daisy,’ Otis shouted. ‘I want to do this for you.’
I wrinkled my nose. Was I creating a monster and corrupting Otis? Perhaps this wasn’t a good idea but, alas, it was too late to stop them; they’d already passed through the narrow gaps in the gate and disappeared.
I sighed, turned around and wheeled the motorbike around the corner where it would be out of sight but close enough for a quick getaway if we needed it.
I sincerely hoped we wouldn’t.
Chapter
Twenty-Three
Iwasn’t expecting the brownies to be long; they were nimble and spry and, despite their small size, I knew they could flap their way around the exterior of the house quickly. It was a brief reconnaissance mission – nothing more, nothing less.
I wasn’t concerned when they’d been gone for five minutes. I wasn’t anxious when that stretched to fifteen minutes. But when close to half an hour had passed and there was no sign of them, my anxiety started to get the better of me. There was no reason I could think of why they’d not reappeared – other than that they’d been spotted and snared.
I decided to give them another five minutes before I went after them into the grounds but I only managed thirty seconds. I crossed the road in double time and marched to the gates to peer through them. With a little air-magic boost, I could probably scale the wall on the left-hand side without too much difficulty but I wanted to make sure the way beyond was clear.
There wasn’t much to see through the gaps in the wrought iron, just an immaculate driveway that seemed to be free of a single dropped leaf or loose pebble. Onlyfifteen or so metres were visible as it curved away to the right, and the verdant green foliage of a dozen different trees masked any sign of the grand house that lay beyond.
There was no gatehouse and no sign of life. I sucked my bottom lip; I couldn’t see any CCTV cameras or spot any booby traps, but that didn’t mean that they didn’t exist. But I couldn’t leave Otis and Hester alone in there so I’d have to risk it and hope for the best.
‘No brownie left behind,’ I muttered. ‘Hang on, guys. I’m coming.’
I jogged to the furthest corner of the wall; the thick conifers on the other side of it would give me my best chance of making an unobtrusive entry. Before I could conjure up the magic I needed to boost me upwards, however, there was a whirr of electricity. I spun around and my stomach dropped to my feet when I saw the main gates swing open.
I expected to see a troop of uniformed security guards march out waving batons and machine guns, carrying tiny cages containing two imprisoned brownies, but instead an old van trundled out. I glimpsed a woman at the wheel and the wordsHags With Ragsemblazoned on the side. I remained frozen, watching the van as it turned right and moved onto the main road. A second later, I sprang into action.
Throwing all my energy into the attempt, I sprinted for the gates. They were obviously accessed remotely and were already closing. I held my breath and pumped my arms and legs as I hurtled towards them and made it in the nick of time, sliding through the gap the moment before the gates clanged shut.
There. I was in.
I felt a sense of wrongness immediately. I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it was, but the moment I’d passed through the gates I knew in my bones that something aboutthis place wasn’t right. Goosebumps rose across my skin and I shivered as foreboding rippling through me.
I did my best to shake it off as I slipped into the line of trees at the edge of the driveway, my senses alert for any signs that my presence had been noted. Despite the unpleasant sensation, I couldn’t feel the buzz of any gateway magic in the air, and there was no shouting, yelling or gnashing of teeth either from me or from anyone else.
Unfortunately there was also no sign of Otis or Hester, so I certainly wasn’t celebrating yet. I jogged quietly forwards, maintaining a steady speed until the house came into view.
