Page 21 of Skullduggery
Before anyone could dissuade me, I started to scrabble downwards, taking great care to avoid touching the stone itself. If I dug at an angle, I reckoned I could retrieve the hidden item without disturbing the lump of rock. Patience was key: given how much my hands were shaking, I had to take my time and do everything I could to control my movements.
I pulled out several handfuls of dark mud and flung them aside. ‘You’re in luck, Otis,’ I said. ‘If the ground was harder we could create a tiny tunnel for you to burrow through, but it’s too soft and squelchy. It’s pretty disgusting but it’s not difficult. You can stay where you are.’ I pushed my hand deeper. ‘There are only a few more inches to go. I’m almost there.’
I drew out a few pebbles, then scooped away several more handfuls of thick, wet earth. ‘Almost there,’ I muttered again, and planted the side of my face in the mud as I tried to get closer to my target.
My heart skipped a beat, then another, and I paused and waited for my traitorous body to sort itself out. When it returned to a regular rhythm, I stretched my fingertips forward, squeezing them through yet more dirt. Finally, I felt something.
It wasn’t another pebble, and it certainly wasn’t more mud. ‘Guys,’ I whispered. ‘I think I have it.’
I hooked the object with my index finger and clawed it out inch by laborious inch. After what felt like an age, I could wrapmy hand around it. I angled my body to the left to make sure I didn’t brush against the cursed stone, then yanked hard.
There was a loud sucking noise as my arm, hand and the tiny object pulled free. I tumbled backwards and held my prize aloft with a crow of delight. Without waiting for the others, I wiped away as much of the mud as I could. It was wrapped in some sort of sack cloth, and it was the right size to be Gordon’s skull.
‘Cross your fingers, everyone,’ I said. ‘This might actually be it.’
I peeled away the fabric. The mud had seeped through the cloth, so I had to rub it against my thigh to clean off the worst of it, but as soon as I did a slow smile spread across my face.
I was holding a small, three-inch-high golden skull. Its tiny eye sockets were filled with even more mud and there was something chilling about its empty grin, but I could feel the thrum of its magical power beneath my trembling fingers.
‘We’ve found it,’ I breathed. ‘That was easier than I thought it would be.’ Gordon would be delighted – hell,Iwas delighted. There was nothing like the sensation of pure success.
And then my feeling of elation and my bright smile began to dim.Hang on a minute. I glanced to my left then to my right. Heart pounding, I scrambled up and spun around, staring at the path.
Yes, it was dark, but it wasn’t so dark that I couldn’t see what was in front of me. Or rather, whatwasn’tin front of me.
Hugo, Miriam, Slim and Becky – together with Hester and Otis – had all disappeared.
Chapter
Eight
‘This isn’t funny,’ I said. Nobody answered. ‘Come on, you lot. You can come out now.’ Still nothing. My voice sharpened. ‘I appreciate a prank as much as the next person, but this isn’t the time.’
Nothing rustled, nobody giggled, and nobody jumped out from behind a bush to say boo. Cumbubbling bollocks, what the hell had happened?
I slowly turned and double-checked the area. I rubbed my eyes, then I gazed hard at the Fonaby Stone. I hadn’t touched it, not once. ‘I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘But I didn’t do anything so the curse shouldn’t have been invoked. And nothing in those old stories mentioned sudden disappearances!’
Unsurprisingly, the stone didn’t reply.
‘I didn’t touch you! I didn’t evenbreatheon you!’ I ground my teeth. My fingers tightened around the little skull as I turned, searching through the encroaching darkness for signs of life.
It was on my fourth spin that I thought I saw something. My eyes narrowed. It was difficult to tell what it was and going towards it would take me away from the path and the laybywhere the Jeeps were parked. From this distance it was a mere faint glimmer, but I had no other clues.
I pushed away my rising panic, shoved the skull into my inside pocket and set off determinedly in its direction.
The closer I got, the more certain I was that the dim light had nothing to do with my missing companions. It was too small, it wasn’t moving, and it definitely wasn’t making any sort of noise. Nevertheless, I plunged ahead.
I was only ten metres away when I realised that the glow was attached to a spindly pine tree. I marched towards it and hunkered down. A strange blue splodge of goo covered several inches of the bark. I’d never seen anything like it before.
I reached out as if to touch it, then thought better of it and pulled back. The hairs on the back of my neck were raised and my stomach was churning. Every thought in my head was scattered and fearful.
‘Think, Daisy. Just think.’ I reached into my jacket pocket and took out another two spider’s silk pills. Seven pills in one day; that would be a record, and not a good one.
I stared at them as they lay in the palm of my hand, then I grimaced and tossed them into my mouth, allowing their familiar, bitter fizz to calm my panicked thoughts. As I expected, my tinnitus flared up and the heart palpitations made me inhale sharply, but it was okay. My head was clearing.
I realised that I wasn’t alone, not entirely.
Pulling out my phone, I sagged with relief when I saw there was a weak signal. I could call for help; I didn’t have to deal with this on my own. In fact, there was a whole team of competent people at Pemberville Castle who could provide answers. Or so I hoped.
