Page 1 of Skullduggery
Chapter
One
Iwas sure that somebody somewhere enjoyed posh parties with dainty canapés, fizzing champagne and the delicate strains of Mozart in the background. Unfortunately, I was not that person – especially when all I really wanted to do was curl up in a corner and quietly die.
‘Would madam care for a sourdough buckwheat blini garnished with oak-smoked salmon, beluga caviar, beetroot foam and gold leaf?’
Madam would much rather have had a greasy burger, a hot bath and twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep. However, I managed to smile at the young tuxedoed waiter and decline politely with a shake of my head. He was clearly a low elf, and to be a low elf in this room you were either friendly with someone like Hugo Pemberville or you’d been drafted in as staff to serve the highfalutin’ elite of the magical world.
I’d scanned the hundreds of well-dressed guests and there wasn’t a single one who was a low elf like me and the wait staff. Then again, it was possible that I wasn’t a low elf either. I grimaced and tossed back my glass of champagne before snagging another one.
‘I’m bored,’ Hester complained in my ear. ‘This is a very dull party.’
‘It’s a cultured, civilised affair, Hes,’ Otis told her.
‘I don’t want to be civilised or cultured.’ She sniffed. ‘I want to have some fun. This is the first night we’ve been away from Pemberville Castle in six weeks. I’m wearing my best dress – and I’m about to collapse from boredom.’
She wasn’t the only one on the verge of collapse, though my woes were physical. I could feel myself swaying with exhaustion, every muscle in my body ached and my eyelids were heavy. Even lifting the glass of champagne to my lips felt like an effort. If I wasn’t careful, I’d probably pitch face first into the nearest punch bowl.
My fingers strayed to my clutch bag, inside which nestled three pills of purest spider’s silk. Swallowing one would keep me awake and alert for another couple of hours, but it was only five hours since my last hit; bone tired or not, I had to hold out for longer between doses. Ihadto. I was bitterly aware that my fatigue and aching body weren’t solely the result of my recent training regime; my addiction to spider’s silk was taking its toll in more ways than one.
Otis buzzed anxiously, ‘Daisy? Are you alright?’
‘Of course she’s not alright!’ Hester snapped. ‘Hugo is on the other side of the room flirting with a very attractive woman in a revealing dress, while Daisy is here propping up the wall.’ She nudged me. ‘You should get out there and find someone of your own to flirt with. Then Hugo will get jealous, dash over here in a manly fashion and whisk us all away from this shitty, shitty party.’
I ground my teeth. ‘I’m not twelve, Hester, and this is not a school disco. And Hugo would not whisk anyone away in a fit of preposterous jealousy.’ I looked over at him. He was indeed deep in conversation with a stunning brunette whose glossyhair and sparkling jewels made her look as if she’d stepped off a catwalk. She kept touching his arm and leaning in to whisper in his ear, and my stomach kept clenching in annoyance.
I looked away. I had no claim on Hugo, not really. ‘Besides,’ I continued, ‘as you well know, we’re not here to enjoy a party or to flirt. This is business.’
Otis flapped his wings worriedly. ‘There’s no sign of Sir Nigel. Maybe he changed his mind at the last minute and he’s not coming.’
‘Yeah,’ Hester agreed. ‘He probably decided to do something more interesting with his time.’ Her tiny bottom lip jutted out. ‘Like fold his collection of bow ties into origami shapes. Or watch paint dry.’
‘He said he’d be here and that he’d tell me everything he’s found out about the fiends. Why don’t the two of you see if you can spot him?’ I suggested. ‘Ask around.’
‘And what will you be up to if we do that?’ Hester asked suspiciously.
Ideally I’d be resting my eyes and playing the role of professional wallflower.
I spotted a familiar figure heading towards me. ‘The same,’ I said. ‘Last one to find Sir Nigel is a rotten egg.’
‘That’s you,’ Hester told her brother. ‘You’re a rotten egg.’
‘No,you’rea rotten egg.’
Lacking the energy to deal with their bickering, I waved them off then forced my mouth to curve into a smile as I greeted Gordon Mackenzie, the accomplished sorcerer and occasional nemesis of Hugo. ‘Hi, Gordon.’
He ran a shaky hand through his hair and gave me a quick grin. ‘Good evening, Daisy. I was hoping to bump into you.’
‘Really?’
His cheeks turned pink. ‘Really.’ He coughed and shuffled his feet. ‘I hate these sorts of things,’ he said. ‘Parties likethis are full of people trying too hard to impress their peers. I’m not well suited to them.’
‘You should talk to Hester. She’s not impressed either.’
Gordon gave a surprised laugh. ‘At least I’m not alone, then.’
‘Definitely not.’ This time I smiled more genuinely. ‘How have you been?’
