Page 71 of A Skirl of Sorcery
‘Morning!’ I smiled and tried to negate the tension that was inveigling its way into every bone, sinew and muscle of my body.
‘I don’t normally see you out at this time.’
I gestured to She Who Loves Sunbeams; hopefully that would be enough of an answer for her. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the other four cats assembling by a front window on the ground floor of Leighton’s property. Excellent.
‘Ah.’ Natasha smiled and bent down to scratch a delighted She Who Loves Sunbeams beneath her chin. ‘Herding cats. That sounds like you.’
‘It’s a dirty job but someone’s gotta do it,’ I murmured.
‘Ain’t that the truth.’ She straightened up. ‘Drop by my stall later if you get the chance. I’ve got some tasty titbits that might help you corral your kitties in future.’
‘You’re fabulous.’
She grinned, waved and went on her way. As soon as her back was turned, I gestured to the cats. They’d done their job; now it was down to me.
‘Go home,’ I told them once they’d clustered around my feet. I doubted they’d listen to me any more than they’d done fifteen minutes earlier, but I had to try. ‘You can’t come inside with me. I need to do this alone – I can’t be worrying about you guys while I’m in there.’
I received five identical baleful stares. Even She Who Loves Sunbeams bristled.
‘You’re a bunch of stubborn, idiotic, contrary cats.’
She Without An Ear headbutted my shin. He Who Roams Wide licked a paw and looked pleased with himself. The others purred briefly.
I sighed. ‘Fine. But stay here and stay out of the way.’ I gave all five of them a hard glare. ‘No matter what happens or who shows up.’
I glanced up and down the street. It was empty but it wouldn’t remain that way for long. I darted across until I was standing in front of Leighton’s ground-floor window.
There was an argument to be made for swallowing a clump of fur so I could sneak into the property in cat form but I’d be vulnerable during the moments of transformation, and I needed to be on two legs with opposable thumbs if I wanted to confront Leighton in person. Sometimes a human body could be more effective.
I smashed the window pane, reached inside to unfasten the latch and climbed in.
There was a strong probability that Leighton had heard the glass break so he’d be on high alert, not just because of what he’d been up to lately but also because of the recent break-in.
I waited for several beats, hoping he’d burst through the door to his front room and confront me because that would be the fastest and easiest way to bring all this shite to an end. Unfortunately, there were no sounds from the rest of the house and there was definitely no sign of the man himself.
I clenched and unclenched my fists. Fair enough. I started to look around.
The front room was unremarkable: a living room, with a nondescript sofa and chairs, a few plump cushions, a coffee table and a grey rug. The mantelpiece held a vase filled with dried flowers and a framed photo of Jimmy Leighton with an older couple, probably his parents. I picked it up.
Leighton’s mum and dad looked as ordinary as his living room. His mum had the bearing of a witch and his dad displayed the tattoos of a druid, although the blue marks were simple in design and likely hinted a lack of extensive magical ability. Jimmy Leighton, who appeared to be around forty years old in the photograph, was bearded with brown hair and sallow skin, though his pallor might have been little more than theeffect of his clothes. He appeared to have a penchant for stark monochrome: black cap, white T-shirt, black scarf, black trousers, white trainers.
I squinted. His style reminded of me something. I pursed my lips – then I realised what it was.
‘Magpie,’ I whispered. He was dressed in a way that put me in mind of the black bird with an alleged penchant for stealing shiny things. It figured.
I returned the photo to its original place and moved to the door that led to the rest of the house. I paused for a moment, my hand on the doorknob. I still couldn’t sense anything or anyone, and there was every chance that Jimmy Leighton was still out searching for more victims.
Even so, I took my time; I wasn’t daft enough to be lulled into a false sense of security. I slowly twisted the knob and opened the door a fraction. The air beyond was still and stale. I opened the door an inch further and prepared to step into the hallway. That was when I heard the whisper of a footstep behind me.
I didn’t hesitate: within a single beat I’d drawn my curved titanium dagger, spun around and raised it to swipe with lethal force at whoever was there. Muscle memory is an extraordinary thing; Keres was lucky that she didn’t bleed out in front of my eyes.
I hissed, yanked back my hand and glared at her. ‘What the fuck? You should be in bed resting!’
The ban sith blinked at me. ‘I’m feeling much better.’
‘I don’t care! Get out of here!’
I caught a glimpse of the same steel-willed woman who’d shown herself to me when we’d walked home from Mallory’s place. ‘You’re here because of me,’ she stated. ‘Is the person who lives here responsible for what happened to me?’
