Page 1 of The Salted Sceptre
Chapter
One
One month.I heaved myself further up the side of the steep hill, my thigh muscles straining with every step.
One month and three days.
Wiping the clammy sweat from my forehead, I raised my head and eyed Hugo who was a few metres in front of me. He was wearing camouflage trousers; despite the loose fit around his legs, the material was straining across his arse and leaving little to the imagination. If the seam split, I knew I’d see his tighty-whities. I’d watched him put them on this morning from the comfort of my sleeping bag. I would enjoy taking them off him later this evening.
One month, three days and five hours.
Hester, who was nestled against the crook of my neck, gave a contented snore. Otis flitted in the air beside me, his tiny iridescent wings flapping as he fought against the breeze that was gusting down from the summit. He’d declined to sit on my shoulder, announcing that he needed the exercise, but I was certain that he’d been regretting that decision for the last hour. He was determined to keep going, though, as if his display of grit and resilience would somehow transfer to me by osmosis. I shrugged; stranger things had happened.
One month, three days, five hours and thirty-six minutes.
‘It’s not much further,’ Hugo called over his shoulder. ‘The gully is just ahead.’
I tightened my jaw and forced a final burst of energy into my aching limbs. It took a second but they finally responded. I caught up with him then scrambled the last few metres on all fours until we reached the rocky outcrop.
Hugo glanced at me, his blue eyes crinkling and his dimple flashing. ‘This is it. We’ve made it. You see the cairn in the bottom corner?’
I nodded and gazed down at the small stone monument nestled below us. It wasn’t particularly impressive; no wonder generations of hikers had passed it by without further investigation. But if I concentrated very hard, I could sense the faint throb of old magic pulsating from the ground beneath it. This was definitely the right spot.
Hugo swung his bag off his shoulder and rummaged inside it. ‘It’s a steep drop,’ he said. ‘We should use a rope to reach the cairn, just in case.’
Uh-huh. I watched him for a moment or two then I started forward, slipping and sliding down the rocky gully. It wasn’tthatsteep.
‘Daisy!’ he yelled.
‘We don’t need a rope,’ I said. ‘I’ve got this.’
‘If you slip and break your ankle, I’ll be the one who has to carry you all the way back down. I’ve told you, we need to be cautious.’
I took another confident step downwards.
Hugo was on a roll. ‘Rushing into situations without undue attention is?—’
I misjudged the slope and slid on a patch of scree. My arms flailed in mid-air as I lost my balance and pitched forward. Oops.
Hester, jerking awake from her snooze, shrieked, ‘What? What’s going on?’
Behind me, Hugo muttered something. As I wobbled, I sensed the surge of magic emanating from his fingertips. In the split second before I started to tumble headfirst towards the sharp rocks beneath me, a powerful blast of air pushed me upright again. Phew.
‘Thank you!’ I called out cheerfully.
Hugo muttered again. ‘If you break your damned neck, Daisy…’
I sucked in a breath and regained my balance. ‘Then I’m sure you’ll arrange a very nice funeral,’ I told him, continuing my descent without a backward glance.
‘Where every mourner will agree that you brought yourowndeath upon yourownhead because of yourownfoolhardiness.’
‘That’s as maybe.’ I skidded down the last section and reached the cairn before I turned my head to grin at him. ‘But they’ll also acknowledge that I beat you.’ I paused for breath. ‘Sucker.’
Hugo scowled, then stuck out his tongue at me. He was a very sore loser. To be fair, so was I.
‘I don’t want to go to your funeral, Daisy,’ Otis said. ‘You need to listen to Hugo and take more care.’ He looked at Hester, clearly expecting his sister to back him up.
She only sniffed. ‘I have a great funeral outfit,’ she said. ‘Several great funeral outfits, in fact. And I’m sure there’ll be an excellent feast afterwards. Nothing beats funeral food.’
