Page 71 of Tattered Huntress
‘I don’t want to camp in Dundee,’ Hester whined.
I shook my head. ‘We’re not doing that either.’
The brownies stared at me. ‘A hotel then?’ Hester asked hopefully. ‘Five star? With butler service?’
I smiled. ‘Afraid not. We’ll still be camping, but we won’t be doing it here. We’re going to Loch Arkaig.’
‘Yessss!’ Hester pumped the air with her fists. ‘You’re going after the treasure anyway, aren’t you? We’re going to get that gold!’
By contrast, Otis looked horrified. ‘But … but … but … that’s not the rules. We’re not part of the treasure hunt anymore. The gold isn’t ours. Only Humphrey and Eleanor and Hugo and his Primes can look for it.’
‘Says who?’ Hester sneered. ‘Nigel Hannigan? The gold doesn’t belong to him. Daisy is allowed to find it, no matter what he says. He’s not her boss.’ She nodded at me. ‘This is a sneaky, desperate move, Daisy Carter, and I like it. I like it a lot. This will show Hugo Pemberville who’s in charge.’ She shrugged. ‘He’ll probably go back to hating Daisy’s guts and she’ll never get into his bone zone, but there are other men. It’ll be fine.’
‘Daisy,’ Otis said, ‘you can’t do this. Hugo will hate you and every high elf in the country will believe you’ve got no honour. They’ll be right – plus,they’llall hate you. Sir Nigel will never invite you to take part in another treasure hunt. And what about Humphrey and Eleanor? They’re nice people. They’re our friends. They?—’
I held up my hands. ‘I’m not planning to steal the Loch Arkaig gold. Not yet, anyway. I only want to watch what goes on.’
This time both Hester and Otis squinted. ‘Eh? Why?’
I tapped the side of my nose. ‘I’ll tell you later.’ I glanced at the motorbike. Riding one-handed was daunting but not impossible. All I had to do was take my time.
I winked at the brownies. ‘Buckle up, darlings. This ain’t over yet.’
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
The excess of spider’s silk coursing through my system started to wear off soon after midnight. Between my fear of running out completely and the concern over overdosing until my body ceased to function, I hadn’t dared take any more. Instead, I’d been swallowing the painkillers that Dr Flanagan had given to me as if they were sweets.
At least I’d made it to Loch Arkaig before the worst of the pain began, and I had coped with riding the bike one-handed. In fact, it was easier than I’d expected. Unfortunately, after hiding the bike in some scrub, traipsing up a hill until I found a spot to hunker down and spy on proceedings and spending several hours lying flat in damp undergrowth, I was no longer particularly enamoured of my decision to come to the loch.
‘Be a treasure hunter, they said,’ I muttered aloud. I gazed at the stunning vista with its multi-coloured hills, pretty loch and gleaming blue sky dotted with fluffy clouds. Bah. I was wet and uncomfortable and the pain in my hand was almost unbearable. ‘It’ll be fun, they said.’ I pouted.
‘You’re not a treasure hunter any longer,’ Otis said mournfully in my ear. ‘Now you’re just a cheat.’
‘There’s nothing wrong with cheating,’ Hester declared in my other ear. ‘As long as you win.’
‘Shh,’ I said. ‘You need to be quiet.’
‘We’re in the middle of nowhere,’ Hester said. ‘Who will hear us? A sheep?’
I pointed down the slope. The brownies might not have spotted them, but there was a group of people about a mile away. They were walking around the edge of Loch Arkaig, making a beeline for the northern edge that was directly in my eyeline.
I narrowed my eyes. Hugo was at the front of the pack with Sir Nigel next to him. The rest of the Primes were trailing behind, followed by Humphrey and Eleanor, who was waving her hands first towards the glittering blue waters of the Loch and then to the undulating hills on the other side.Yes, Eleanor. It’s pretty here, I thought.Stop dilly-dallying.
My right leg was starting to cramp up and I shifted slightly though I didn’t dare move much. Although I was a reasonable distance from the group, I could still be spotted. I knew it wouldn’t go well for me if I was.
I kept my head down but I stayed focused. There wasn’t long to go.
‘I wonder what they’re talking about,’ Hester whispered. ‘It’d be good to know. Shall I fly down and eavesdrop?’
‘No, Hester!’ Otis gasped.
‘They might see you,’ I said mildly. ‘You should stay here.’ But she was right: itwouldbe good to hear what they were talking about.
I tilted my head to one side then, with as much care and attention as I could muster, I gently used air magic to create a breeze heading in my direction. I had to be cautious; I couldn’t permit any of the people below to sense my magic or to grow suspicious. But when their voices drifted upwards, carried tomy ears by the magicked wind, I knew the risk had been worth it.
‘I’m glad you’ve changed your mind about Daisy,’ Sir Nigel said.
