Page 85 of Skullduggery
A slow smile spread across Athair’s face. ‘I’ve found you, Daisy. You’re right here. And you’re mine.’
I smirked. ‘Not for long. The magic that brought us here is temporary. No matter what you might try to do, all four of us will be hauled back to where we belong.’ I glanced at Hugo. ‘In a day, do you think?’
‘Less, I imagine,’ Hugo replied.
‘Rose is no longer in your clutches,’ I sneered. ‘And soon I will be far away too.’
Athair chuckled. ‘Oh, Daisy, not that far away. Twenty-nine years is little more than a breath for me.’ He exhaled with satisfaction. ‘You and I will do great things together.’
Wanker. ‘I will never become a fiend. I’ll never be like you.’
He was still smiling. ‘We’ll have to see about that.’ He leaned closer. ‘I can show you the world. It will be ours for the taking, just wait and see.’
‘Never going to happen.’ There was an odd crackling sound in my ears as I tossed his own words at him. ‘You don’t believein free will? I promise you now, Daddy Dearest, I will never be like you.’
My stomach lurched suddenly. ‘The apple has fallen much further from the tree than you might think,’ I hissed.
Athair’s lips were moving but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. I swayed from side to side, feeling very light-headed, and the crackling sound morphed into a high-pitched ringing.
My eyes widened.No. Not yet. I wasn’t done yet. Cumbubbling bollocks. ‘See you in twenty-nine years or so,’ I said, and as soon as the last word left my mouth there was a flash of blinding white light.
I fell onto my hands and knees, retching uncontrollably. There was a loud expletive from behind me and I raised my head in time to see a cyclist veer past me. ‘Watch out, you fucking muppet!’ he yelled. ‘You can’t appear out of nowhere like that!’ I retched again.
Hester grabbed a curl of my hair. ‘Daisy!’ she shrieked. ‘Are you alright?’
Otis flitted in front of my face. ‘It’s daylight! We’re back. We did it, Daisy!’
‘Hugo,’ I groaned. He wasn’t here: he was still in 1994 with Athair. ‘Hugo,’ I said again. ‘Where?—?’
The air popped. A second later there was a loud thump and Hugo’s body hit the ground next to me. I lurched towards him, my fingers scrabbling at his skin to check if he was alright.
He moaned and raised his blue eyes to mine. ‘We were brought back far sooner than I expected,’ he whispered. ‘But I think it worked. I think we gave Athair enough reason to leave Rose alone. He knows he’ll catch up to you again, no matter what happens. He doesn’t need her any more.’
He sagged forward into my arms and we clung onto each other for dear life.
Chapter
Thirty-One
June 10th, 2024
We spent a warm June night at the French château where Charles and Tash spent most of their time. After a nervous breakfast of croissants, cold cuts and creamy cheese, we clambered into their car to make the short journey to the cottage on the other side of the river. It was a tight squeeze to fit everybody in, but we couldn’t leave anyone out.
‘It’s pretty here,’ Hester commented. ‘Maybe you should move to France, too, Daisy.’
I nodded, although it was to indicate that I’d heard her rather than to imply I had any intention of living abroad. Itwasbeautiful, though. The more I saw of the gently rolling hills, lush vineyards and quaint farm buildings nestled comfortably in the landscape, the more I understood why someone would want to live here. The sunshine and warm weather certainly helped, too. But unfortunately nothing about the stunning location eased the nervous churn in my stomach. My hands were shaking, though whether that was from nerves or the spider’s silk I’d swallowed before I’d left the house, I couldn’t have said for sure.
‘You should have told me, you know,’ Hugo said to his parents. ‘I can’t believe you knew the truth all these years and you didn’t tell me.’
I glanced at Gordon. He was squeezed into the corner of the car, his gangly frame folded over in a position that looked incredibly uncomfortable. He flushed slightly and nodded. ‘If you’d at least spoken to Grace Assigney and told her the truth, it would have saved a lot of the unpleasantness you’ve experienced over the years.’
Tash’s face was now lined but it still held the same twinkling kindness as it had thirty years ago. She smiled gently. ‘It wouldn’t have changed anything. We knew what we were letting ourselves in for. Our silence helped to keep both Rose and Daisy safe for all these years. We knew the truth and that was enough for us.’
Hugo’s voice was tight. ‘I didn’t know, although I suspected there was something you were keeping from me.’ It was better he didn’t mention that those suspicions had included wondering if they really had killed Rose. That particular revelation wouldn’t help anyone.
Tash patted his hand. ‘It was safer for you not to know. And look at what has happened with you and Daisybecauseyou didn’t know. It’s all worked out for the best.’
Except that Athair was still out there, and he would move heaven and earth to bring me to his fiendish side. He had surely worked out that my friends and family made me vulnerable; while he still breathed, he presented the gravest danger to all of us.
