Page 5 of Fiendish Delights
Hester’s hands were curled into fists. ‘Fuck.’
I opened my mouth to repeat that she could wait for us outside the cemetery walls but before I could say a word, there was a guttural shout from my left followed by the sound of pounding footsteps. Hester shrieked and flew behind the headstone.
‘Oi! Stop that! Stop desecrating the graves!’
I dropped my hands to my sides to indicate that I was doing no such thing as Otis zoomed in front to defend me. A burly man wearing a high-vis jacket and overalls appeared from behind a row of trees, marching in our direction with his shoulders swinging and his jaw set.
As soon as he saw us, he came to a stuttering halt and his face slackened. ‘Oh. Sorry. I thought you were somebody else.’
I waved a hand airily. ‘That’s okay. I’m just having a look around. I live nearby.’
He nodded then stared at Otis. ‘Is that … is that … is that a brownie?’
‘Good day,’ Otis said.
The man jumped.
Hester raised her head from behind the curved edge of the stone. ‘Attack!’ she screeched. ‘Attack him now before it’s too late!’
‘It’s fine, Hester,’ I said quickly.
She drew in a breath. I gestured towards her to keep quiet before she started bellowing unnecessary insults or kill commands.
‘I’ve never seen a brownie in real life before,’ the man whispered.
Otis executed a perfect bow. ‘In that case it is a real pleasure to make your acquaintance. I’m Otis. This is Daisy. And that’s my sister Hester hiding behind the headstone.’
‘I’m not hiding!’ she yelled.
‘I’m Will. Nice to meet you all.’ He continued to switch his stare between Otis and Hester, shaking his head in wonder.
I stifled a smile and eyed him curiously. ‘So who did you think I was?’
Will pulled his gaze away from the brownies and a dark expression crossed his face. ‘There’s been a witch lurking around here lately taking things from graves, messing with the dirt. It’s not right. It shouldn’t be allowed.’
Suddenly I was very interested. ‘A witch?’ A cemetery seemed a strange place for a witch to hang out in. Their skills tended towards adapting living material to their own purposes, usually leafy plants and herbs. A witch had no use for the dead. But a witch who was taking things from a graveyard sounded exactly like the doll-stealing culprit I was looking for.
‘Aye, a strange bloke with strange powers. I’ve got nothing against witches per se – I’ve used their services from time totime myself when I’ve needed to. But this particular witch is…’ he paused to suck in air through his teeth ‘…unnatural.’ He swept his eyes up and down my petite frame. ‘You should steer clear of him if you see him.’
Excellent. I smiled brightly. ‘Do you know where I can find him?’
‘Didn’t you hear me?’ His left eyebrow was starting to twitch violently. ‘He’s clearly not right in the head. He’ll do someone like you an injury.’
Uh-huh. I knew what Will saw when he looked at me: a small vulnerable female with messy red hair who couldn’t fight her way out of a paper bag if her life depended on it. I didn’t take offence. Like most people, he only took notice of the obvious.
So I gave him obvious: I raised my hands and made a show of tucking my hair behind my ears to reveal my pointed elvish heritage. Then I glanced casually at Gladys, the slender, sentient, short sword hooked onto my belt and half-hidden by the tail of my coat.
Will blinked and stepped backwards. ‘You’re an elf?’
I nodded. I didn’t bother telling him that I was a low elf with fewer powers and ability than a high-born individual, or that I didn’t actually possess any sword-wielding skills. He didn’t need to know everything.
‘I didn’t realise.’ His eyes took on an eager light. ‘Can you do magic?’
‘Yep.’ Before he asked for a demonstration, I took control of the conversation. ‘So this witch. Where will I find him?’
‘I don’t know. He comes here on foot so he can’t live far away. I think his name is Mud McAlpine.’ He shrugged awkwardly. ‘I only know because he talks about himself in the third person and that’s what he calls himself. It might not behis real name. He’s a weird guy. I don’t know where you’d find him, other than here.’
Otis smiled. ‘Daisy is the best treasure hunter in the country. She’ll find him.’
