Page 25 of Fiendish Delights
Hester snorted. ‘To say nothing of the subject matter.’
Becky scratched her head. ‘Um…’
‘Intriguing as it sounds, I don’t see how this will lead us to ancient treasure,’ Rizwan said.
It was time to show that I was more than the sum of my parts. ‘I researched it quickly on the way here,’ I said. ‘The poet is believed to be buried on the grounds of Strata Florida Abbey.’ I raised my eyebrows at my pathetic attempt at drawing a tree. ‘There’s not much left there now beyond a few ruins and,’ I tapped the whiteboard, gesturing to the Welsh word for twig ‘some old yew trees.’
‘It sounds like a good place to start. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find the treasure right there.’ Becky looked pleased.
Hugo smiled. ‘We have a starting location. Saddle up, folks. We’re going hunting.’
Chapter
Eight
Wales, I decided, was very pretty indeed. Rolling hills, picturesque villages, crisp blue skies and sparkling frost across the fields, as if somebody had thrown a layer of icing sugar over the landscape. I should have visited before. It was my kind of place.
‘Where are the dragons?’ Hester asked, scanning the glittering vista. ‘They all live in Wales, right? So where are they?’
Slim’s knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. ‘You don’t want to meet a dragon,’ he said darkly.
Becky nodded her head vigorously. ‘No dragons,’ she said. ‘Definitely not.’ She shuddered. ‘Dragons are a treasure hunter’s worst nightmare. Thankfully there are only three left.’ She paused before adding ominously, ‘As far as we know. They tend to stay out of sight.’
Slim’s expression matched Becky’s. ‘They’re vicious, nasty and will attack anyone who goes near their lairs. And if a dragon does decide to go for you, you’re not permitted to do anything other than run away. Anyone who harms a dragon, even slightly, will be slapped with an immediate jail sentence. Not for a month or two but foryears.’
That was understandable given how few of them remained. I hadn’t realised there were only three left, but I knew they’d been hunted to near extinction in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries so I couldn’t blame them for hating us. All the same, I suddenly felt an absurd desire to see one. Yep, I possessed a curious nature that often got me into trouble.
Hester crossed her tiny arms, her wings buzzing as she flapped them in irritation. ‘I’d like to find a dragon.’
‘Not this trip, Hes,’ I said. Alas.
The Jeep in front of us, containing Hugo, Miriam, Rizwan, and a vast quantity of treasure hunting equipment that I couldn’t imagine would ever be necessary, indicated left. Slim smacked his lips in satisfaction. ‘Finally. The abbey is up ahead.’
I sat up straight. It had been a long drive from Scotland and the simple act of sitting in the back of a car had exhausted me. Now we were finally there, though, I felt a surge of adrenaline. Given the possibility that more fiends would become involved, the stakes for this hunt were incredibly high, but I was still thrilled at the chance to search for some real treasure. Frankly, I couldn’t wait to get started.
Slim drove into a small car park and reversed into a space. Unless there were other visitors who had arrived on foot, we were the only people there. I jumped out of the car, both brownies took up position on my shoulders and we looked around.
Unsurprisingly there was very little of the abbey left: a few walls and an impressive archway through which I could see the gentle slopes of low-lying mountains beyond. If I pushed myself up on tiptoe I could also see a graveyard and a small church, but there wasn’t much else.
‘Henry VIII has a lot to answer for,’ Hugo commented wryly as he joined me. ‘Imagine what things would be like if he’d notordered the dissolution of the monasteries. Our landscape could have been very different.’
I gazed at the ruins, trying to imagine what they might have looked like in their heyday. From the remaining archway, it was clear that it would have been an extraordinary building.
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Do you see—?’ I stopped mid-sentence as goosebumps rose across my skin and I stiffened. I could hear faint musical chimes – but there was nobody there. I couldn’t work out where the sound was coming from.
‘You can hear it. I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to,’ Hugo said.
‘Hear what?’ Otis asked.
‘Shhh,’ I told him. I tilted my head and listened harder. It was an eerie, though not unpleasant, sound that drifted across the broken walls as if the ruins themselves were imbued with musical notes. ‘What is it?’
Hugo watched me. ‘Given the dampening effect of the drug on their magic, most spider’s silk users couldn’t hear it.’ He gave a short laugh. ‘Most elves couldn’t hear it, either. You’re more sensitive to power than I expected. This area isn’t only steeped in history, it’s steeped in magic too.’
He was right: I couldn’t only hear the notes of ancient magic that stirred the place, I could feel it too. This was hallowed ground in more ways than one.
‘Are you alright, Daisy?’ Hester asked. ‘You’re looking pale. And you appear to be swaying from side to side.’
I forced my body to still. ‘I’m fine.’
