Chapter 11
Chapter
Eleven
The voices drifted closer. I dropped my bag, whispered to She Without An Ear to stay beside it and tiptoed closer to hear what they were saying.
‘There was definitely a light.’
Shit. I sidled closer to the tunnel’s edge. Lady Penelope’s voice was easy to recognise but what the hell was she doing down here at this hour? She ought to have been tucked up in her coffin, gently snoring away the day.
The lazy rejoinder was also immediately recognisable. ‘The tunnels here are well travelled, Pen. Don’t get your knickers in a twist.’
‘I do not wear knickers, Thomas. In my day, only prostitutes wore underpants.’
‘And the old ways are the best?’
‘Of course.’ There was a beat of silence. ‘Plus, I find that a lack of such garments is sexier. It is far easier to be bent over a desk with one’s skirts raised and be fucked thoroughly when there is not the impediment of extra clothing.’
My mouth dropped open. Thomas laughed heartily and didn’t sound at all surprised by Lady Penelope’s admission, but for a moment I was so shocked that I doubted my ears.
I had to bite back the temptation to peer out and double check that it was indeed her.
The woman sounded nothing like the vampire I’d spent hours alongside only last night.
‘I’m ready to go again if you are,’ Thomas purred.
‘You just pointed out that these tunnels are well-travelled, Thomas. There was a light ahead until moments ago – and let us not forget why we are here.’
‘Nothing will dare to hurt you while I am here, Penny.’
Well, well, well: Lady Penelope and Thomas were an item.
They’d kept that little secret hidden. His temporary addition to our small party must have been pre-arranged, and the only logical reason for that was that Lady Penelope had been nervous about me.
Huh. I’d gone out of my way to be the least intimidating version of myself as possible. It was probably good that I had.
‘Nothing dared to hurt me last night,’ she returned. ‘That creature was intent on attacking Ms McCafferty.’
‘Remind me why we care?’
‘You know why.’
‘You like her.’
‘I do like her. She is not what I expected. She is hiding something, of that I am certain, but I believe she genuinely wants to find out what has happened to our friends. And even if I did not like her, we do not invite sun dwellers into the Understream then threaten their well-being.’
Thomas snorted. ‘Tell that to Chester Longchamps.’
I frowned. I didn’t recognise the name.
‘I would tell him, had he not already received his well-deserved comeuppance,’ Lady Penelope returned with a characteristic harrumph. She sighed. ‘But I admit that when I first heard the noise that monster made, I thought that’s what was happening.’
‘We’re too far away, and we still have a few days’ left.’
‘I know.’ She paused. ‘But I cannot believe it was a coincidence.’
Another beat passed then she continued. ‘The creature came from the cross-tunnel ahead of us. We should investigate it. Whoever conjured up that beast must have been lying in wait and they might have left something of themselves behind.’
It was interesting that Lady Penelope’s thoughts were travelling in a similar direction to my own, but I didn’t want her to find me here. I doubted she’d appreciate my eavesdropping even though it sounded like she was more of a friend to me than I’d realised.
I scurried towards She Without An Ear, fumbling my way through the darkness until I heard a tiny miaow. I reached down and felt around for my backpack then swung it onto my shoulders.
‘Come on,’ I whispered to the cat. ‘Time to vamoose.’
The vampire marketplace was empty and very, very dark.
The stalls were shrouded and only a single lantern in the centre lit the area.
I checked my watch. It was not long past four.
Although the sun wouldn’t set for several more hours, I reckoned the market would be a hive of activity far earlier than that but for now I could look around unimpeded.
Naturally, I made a beeline for Trilby’s stall.
I didn’t feel a single thread of guilt for snooping as I lifted the sheet covering their stall’s wares.
There weren’t any magical protections in place and there certainly wasn’t a ward.
Apparently vampires were a more trustworthy bunch than your typical Danksville resident because no stallholder at the riverside market would dare leave their stuff lying out in the open and unattended for hours.
The items weren’t vastly different from those which Trilby sold above ground: a few trinkets and amulets, some magical ingredients, which admittedly were hard to get hold of, and a random selection of bejewelled containers.
If this market was anything like the riverside version, Trilby would keep the good stuff under the counter. Literally.
I crouched down for a quick rummage. There was only one box, and I felt a jolt when I opened it up and checked what was inside.
I wasn’t sure what all the contents were but I recognised the witchlight bottle in the corner as a version similar to the one Trilby sometimes sold at the riverside market.
I picked it up and turned it over; the seller’s mark was etched on the underside.
I grunted faintly and replaced it in the box.
When I saw what was lying next to the witchlight, I narrowed my eyes.
Huh: without a shadow of a doubt, it was magicked catnip.
I already knew there wasn’t a market for cat-related products in the Understream, so Trilby had placed the catnip there for a reason.
‘Well played,’ I muttered and started to close the box.
Then I thought better of it, reached inside and pocketed the catnip.
It was a message for me and it would be rude to ignore it – and it would help me keep She Without An Ear in line, although I’d only use it under extreme circumstances.
If Trilby was upset that I’d nabbed their catnip, they knew where to find me.
She Without An Ear’s eyes gleamed. ‘No,’ I said firmly. ‘It’s for emergencies only.’
She doubled down, widening her eyes, tilting her head and affecting a purr. When that didn’t work, she flopped onto the stone ground and rolled around a few times, though she never took her gaze from me. She knew exactly what she was doing.
‘Cute,’ I said and very deliberately put the catnip into my back pocket.
She returned to all four paws, raised her head and gave me a very feline pout.
‘If I give you some we’ll lose an hour to your ensuing delirium,’ I told her. ‘And I have plans. I don’t want to waste any time.’
She offered me a questioning look.
‘Four suspects,’ I said. ‘Trilby will be dealing with their stall above ground. The shifty thrall and that damned Maine Coon could be anywhere. That leaves only one for us to investigate right now.’
Her single ear twitched.
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘He’ll likely be sleeping and that will make it much easier for us to snoop around.’ I grinned and started marching towards the worm stables.
Whether Anthony, the grumpy worm caretaker, was tucked up in his coffin or not, some of the worms were still working. I was less than twenty metres from the front entrance to the stables when there was a loud grinding sound.
Out of instinct rather than a desire to remain hidden, I pressed myself against the wall. She Without An Ear froze and pinned back her ear. The warm glow of a head lantern advertised what was happening as one of the worms appeared.
It wasn’t Dusty; this worm was far smaller in comparison and more like the one I’d seen the first time I’d sneaked into the Understream. Female, perhaps, although I had no way of telling. She slid out from the wide entrance and, without pausing or turning in our direction, headed away from us.
Unlike Dusty, she didn’t have a seating contraption strapped to her back. She was probably too small for anything like that and doubtless could only carry one – or perhaps two – passengers at a time. I reckoned this had to be one of the younger worms.
Youngling or not, She Without An Ear hissed menacingly and raised a threatening paw in the worm’s direction before sending me a hopeful glance.
‘No,’ I said drily. ‘I won’t pull out that catnip to distract you. If you try and take on a worm again, you’re on your own.’
I didn’t wait for her answering huff before I peeled away from the wall and darted towards the stable entrance. ‘Wait there,’ I called softly over my shoulder.
I needn’t have bothered because She Without An Ear remained exactly where I’d left her. She might be a brave fighter with the scars to prove it, but she wasn’t stupid. She wasn’t planning to enter the worms’ lair unless she had to. Fair enough.
Taking more care now that I was inside, I moved forward.
The sudden appearance of the worm made me wonder if Anthony was awake despite the hour.
I reasoned that the worms probably worked around the clock to serve the needs of the vampiric community and that, fanged or not, Anthony had to sleep at some point, but nevertheless I proceeded slowly and as soundlessly as possible.
The inside of the stables was wider than I’d expected.
Shelves lined the walls holding spare lanterns and seating frames for the larger worms but I bypassed them in favour of the board on the far wall, which had the worms’ names, days and times scratched onto it. This had to be their daily schedule.
I noted that the names of the four missing worms were still there although their schedules were blank and my mouth tightened. I was starting to think that whatever had happened to those poor creatures must have been very unpleasant.
I pushed ahead past a bright-yellow sign that warned that my entrails would be roasted over an open fire if I dared to enter, then crossed another painted yellow streak on the floor into what appeared to be the worms’ main living area.
The word ‘stables’ had led me to imagine a number of stalls housing the different worms but it was immediately evident that these creatures were treated as if they possessed far greater autonomy than the average horse.
It was a vast area, at least the size of a football field. In the centre, a large pile of plant debris smelled distinctly of manure and rotting vegetables; that must be their food.
There were worms around the perimeter of the room, some of which were lying down asleep. In one corner three of them had their heads close together as if they were engaging in a gossip session. I counted eleven worms in total, indicating that five were out and about performing their duties.
I took another step – I’d planned to walk around the room – but as soon as I moved the nearest worm emitted a high-pitched squeak to alert the others to my presence. I immediately froze.
I couldn’t tell what the worms were thinking but if they all decided to rush me at once, I’d have problems. I thought quickly then, because there was little else I could do and my mental traffic lights were already flashing a dangerous amber, I raised my hands to indicate surrender.
‘Hi.’ My voice echoed around the huge cavern. ‘My name is Kit McCafferty. I’m not here to hurt any of you – I’m looking into your friends’ disappearance. I thought I’d see if I could find anything here that might help me find them.’
The worms continued to stare at me. It was highly unnerving.
I sucked in a breath. ‘Nicola, Solly, Fields and Tiger,’ I said loudly. ‘That’s who’s missing, right? I will find them.’ Or at least what was left of them.
I recognised Dusty to my right; he must have been on his way here when we’d seen him in the tunnels earlier. ‘There!’ I pointed. ‘I met Dusty earlier. He knows who I am.’
In a synchronised motion, all the worms turned towards Dusty.
Aha: so they understood what I was saying.
I wondered if there was a way to ask them questions and understand their answers in return because if anyone had an idea about what had happened to their four mates, these worms did.
Anthony would be the most likely Dr Doolittle candidate – but he was also one of the prime suspects for attacking me.
Dusty’s vast mouth opened and he gave a series of groans and clicks. Several long seconds passed, then one by one the other worms relaxed and went back to whatever they’d been doing before I entered the room. I guessed I passed muster. I breathed a little more easily.
I turned to my right and began to walk, circling the pile of food in the centre of the room.
Determined not to make any sudden movements that might upset the worms, I kept my steps slow and measured.
I wasn’t sure what I was looking for but hopefully anything useful would jump out at me. Not literally, of course.
It took five minutes to complete the circuit.
I hadn’t seen any other doors or entrances leading away from this tunnel so it was unlikely someone had sneaked in and spirited the worms away.
Neither was there a desk or an area that appeared to belong to Anthony.
If I’d been hoping to find any residue from the monster-conjuring spell in here, I was going to be disappointed.
‘Thanks for letting me look around,’ I said aloud. ‘I’ll leave you in peace now.’
A couple of the worms glanced at me again and Dusty grunted. I nodded to acknowledge him and his friends and turned on my heel. At that moment a furious voice yelled from behind me. ‘What the blasted fuck are you doing here?’
Uh-oh.