Chapter 20
Chapter
Twenty
H ugo clearly hadn’t experienced the same financial worries that I had. With some time to prepare before he arrived in 1994, he’d acquired the right sort of cash to see him through and had already used a chunk of it to rent a nippy little car. I left the stolen motorbike hidden behind the bush, made a mental note to return it to Pemberville Castle later, then hopped in next to him.
For reasons I didn’t want to articulate, I didn’t want to leave his side even for a short journey down the road. I kept glancing at him to reassure myself that he was definitely there. Although he was driving and focused on the road, his hand kept straying to mine and every time our fingers brushed I felt a frisson of happy delight. Yeah: I wasn’t falling for Hugo. I’d already fallen. Hard.
I babbled away in a bid to hide my turbulent thoughts, explaining all that happened since I’d landed in 1994. It was satisfying to see Hugo’s growing astonishment at everything I’d achieved; sure, I was still a junkie elf with wayward magic and a fiend for a father, but I also had style.
‘Do you think that fiend Vargas was telling the truth about expelling all your magic in one go to achieve control of it?’ he asked when we finally turned into the driveway that led to the Assigney mansion.
‘I wouldn’t trust a fiend in the slightest, but there’s no reason to think he was lying. I’ve never come close to releasing all my magic because I’ve always been too worried about the consequences. But it could work.’
‘It sort of makes sense,’ Hugo said slowly. ‘It’s like turning your computer off and on again, I suppose. But emptying yourself of all your power in one go isn’t easy. I did it once when I was a teenager and experimenting.’
‘And?’
He pulled a face. ‘It took a long time to expel all my magic, I destroyed several acres of good farmland, was grounded for a month afterwards and spent three days sleeping off the effects. If you do this, you’ll be incredibly vulnerable afterwards.’ He hesitated. ‘There’s also no telling what effect the spider’s silk in your system will have. You might need to go cold turkey before you try.’ He cast me a side glance. ‘You don’t need me to tell you how dangerous that could be.’
He was right. I didn’t dare wean myself off spider’s silk until I could control my magic, but I couldn’t control my magic without spider’s silk. Even under the best of circumstances, any withdrawal had to be carefully managed if I wanted to avoid killing myself in the process. It was a question for another time, however; Lady Rose’s impending disappearance took precedence.
In contrast to Pemberville Castle, the Assigney homestead looked markedly different now to how it would in the future. I was stunned when I saw the well-kept gardens and the windows sparkling in the sunlight. This was a much-loved home. I had thought that the building was beautiful the first time I’d seen it but that was nothing compared to this.
Hugo noticed my reaction. ‘It’s quite something, isn’t it? I’m so used to seeing it empty and unloved.’
I gazed ahead. Somewhere within those walls, almost within touching distance, Lady Rose was alive and well. A shiver rippled through me; everything about this venture felt unreal.
We were all silent as we approached the front of the house. I scanned the windows for moving shadows, but if Lady Rose was watching us approach I couldn’t see her.
Rather than park at the front and advertise our presence, Hugo headed for a narrow dirt road that led to an old barn. He parked the rental car out of sight around the far side and turned off the engine. ‘We have to be ready to hide if Athair reappears.’
I nodded grimly. ‘He clearly doesn’t know who I am. I’d like to keep it that way.’
‘There’s still no proof he’s your father, Daisy.’
I thought of the DNA test I’d taken; the results were thirty years away, but I had a feeling that they would confirm everything that Athair had told me. ‘Even if he is, I’m not the important one here.’ I pointed at the huge house. ‘She is.’
‘Then let’s see if we can persuade her to talk to us,’ Hugo said.
‘You could pretend to be a delivery driver again,’ Otis piped up from the back.
‘Or take a leaf out of Athair’s book and be a postman,’ Hester suggested.
I shook my head. ‘No. Lady Rose needs the truth.’
‘That she’s about to vanish forever and we’re from the future?’ Otis screwed up his face. ‘I’m not sure that will engage her trust.’
‘Maybe not,’ I said. ‘But I won’t lie to her. Whatever is going on here, we need to show her that there are people she can trust. ’
‘The truth won’t work, Daisy!’ Hester spluttered. ‘It’s too bizarre! She’ll never trust us if you tell her who we really are.’
I glanced at Hugo but he merely shrugged. ‘It’s so far-fetched that she might actually believe it.’
I straightened my shoulders and opened the car door. ‘There’s only one way to find out.’
We marched around the barn, four abreast as if we were cowboys entering Tombstone for a gunfight. The only thing missing was tumbleweed – and guns. Seeming to sense my thoughts, Gladys buzzed briefly and my fingers lightly brushed her hilt for reassurance. ‘You’re better than any gun,’ I murmured. Confused, Hugo squinted at me but I waved him off and pinned my mouth shut.
The only sound was the crunching of both my and Hugo’s footsteps on the gravel and the faint hum as the brownies’ wings flapped beside us. If Lady Rose was watching us secretly from behind those vast walls, she’d know that we meant business.
The ward that encircled her home wasn’t visible to the naked eye but that didn’t detract from its strength. Every time I veered close to the building, I felt it thrum and bristle, all but yelling ‘keep away’. Despite my anxiety about its reasons for being there, I had to admire its force: this was a magical barrier that any witch would be proud of. No wonder Athair was having to resort to other methods to get to Lady Rose; even he would find it nigh on impossible to get past this ward.
At the main door, I looked at the others. Hester and Otis nodded while Hugo flashed a tight smile of encouragement. I inhaled deeply and walked to the door, ignoring the screech as the ward tried to shoo me away.
I raised my fist and banged loudly on the wooden frame.
Nothing happened. I knocked again; this time I also shouted, ‘Hello? Lady Rose Assigney?’ No response. ‘My name is Daisy Carter. This,’ I waved behind me, ‘believe it or not, is Hugo Pemberville. Beside him are two brownies.’
‘I’m Hester!’
Otis cleared his throat. ‘My name is Otis!’
I raised my voice to its maximum volume. ‘We know you’re having trouble with a fiend called Athair, but we’re here to help you. We are on your side!’
I waited, hoping that Lady Rose would offer some sign that she’d heard me. When there was nothing but silence, I opened my mouth– but as I drew breath to shout again there was a faint creak from above.
I looked up. One of the second-storey windows was opening. Yahtzee. That had been easier than I’d expected. ‘Thank you!’ I called. ‘All I need is for you to hear me out. You see?—'
I didn’t get the chance to finish my sentence before Hugo muttered a warning. A gust of warm wind rippled towards us from the east; seconds later, that warm breeze transformed into shooting flames that were coming straight towards us.
I yelped, then reacted as quickly as I could. With a surge of defensive magic, I tempered the fire with a burst of cold water conjured up from the damp, humid atmosphere.
As soon as I’d acted, I realised my mistake. The cold water dousing the flames instantly transformed them into scorching hot steam that hurtled towards me. Hugo barrelled into me, knocked me to the ground and covered my body with his. Hester and Otis screamed and also dived. The hot air rushed past, but even with Hugo on top of me I felt the tips of my ears burning. Damn. Lady Rose was far cannier and more capable than I’d expected. The boiling steam could harm us far more than her fire magic.
A high-pitched voice yelled down from the open window, ‘Burn in hell, you bastards!’
I swallowed hard .
‘I think that counts as me saving you yet again,’ Hugo murmured in my ear.
Yeah, yeah.
‘Think before you shoot out any more bloody magic, Daisy!’ Hester shouted. She had a point. Unfortunately, they both did.
As soon as the steam dissipated, Hugo rolled off me. His skin was flushed but he was otherwise unharmed. He’d been lucky; we’d all been lucky. ‘Thanks,’ I said, trying not to sound too grudging.
He grinned. ‘Time for Plan B?’ he asked.
I picked myself up. ‘What’s Plan B?’
‘I was hoping that you knew.’
I grimaced and looked up. I couldn’t see Lady Rose but the window was still open. ‘We should move away. We’re sitting ducks if we stay here.’
‘Back to the barn to regroup?’ Hugo asked.
Hester pushed back her hair with an irritated hiss. ‘Anything’s better than staying here. That stupid elf in there is crazy.’
Otis glared at his sister. ‘She’s defending herself.’
‘From the time-travelling heroes who are here to save her,’ Hester snorted. ‘This won’t work if she doesn’t want to be saved – and anyway, we probably can’t alter history. Let her get killed. We can watch what happens from a safe distance and report to Gordon when we finally get home.’
I wasn’t giving up. ‘Let’s try the back of the house first,’ I suggested. I put my hand in my pocket and fingered my stash of spider’s silk. I could always swallow several pills in one go and put my addiction to good use; I’d done that once before when I’d needed to break through a ward. ‘There might be some weak points in the ward around the rear.’
Hester pouted, but Hugo nodded. Otis didn’t look enthusiastic, but he didn’t fly away at top speed in a desperate bid to escape.
We headed around the house, taking considerably more care this time. I racked my brains. There had to be a way to make Lady Rose understand that we weren’t a threat but nothing was springing to my mind. Not yet. I grimaced and set my jaw in a tight line. I would find a way to convince her. There was no other choice.
It didn’t take long to reach the back door. I knew it led to the kitchen, and I knew both what and who was inside. But I also knew that the air-magic trick I’d pulled in the future wouldn’t work here.
I turned to Hugo. ‘Can you tell what sort of ward it is? I can’t see anything so I’m assuming it’s not a typical salt ward.’
‘I didn’t get much chance to investigate it before Athair showed up,’ he said. ‘I’m not sure what sort of magic is powering it. And we don’t want to break it if it’s keeping Rose safe from him.’
I met his eyes. ‘She’s not safe, though,’ I said quietly. ‘We already know she’s in danger. She will disappear in five days’ time, Hugo.’
I squared my shoulders and walked closer to the back door with the invisible barrier pushing against me all the time, then I crouched down to examine the ground. There had to be something here that would give us a clue about what magic Rose had employed. If we could find a way to get past it and speak to her face to face, I was sure I could persuade her of the truth.
Hugo sighed heavily. He started to move forward to join me, but he’d barely taken three steps when he cried out in pain.
I spun around, alarm flashing through my bones. Hester and Otis zipped towards him and a split second later, they both cried out too. Shit, shit, shit. I ran to them. Hugo was one knee, sweat beads forming on his tanned face. Both brownies were groaning loudly.
‘What?’ I asked anxiously. ‘What happened?’ I glanced upwards to see if Lady Rose had thrown any more magic at us but the windows on this side of the house were firmly closed.
I darted back, crouched down and gazed at the three of them.
‘Uhhhhhh…’ Otis rubbed his forehead. ‘I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus.’
‘A bus that’s on fire, is carrying twenty fat elephants and has spiked wheels,’ Hester said. Her skin was pale and, despite the obvious exaggeration, she wasn’t well.
Hugo sucked in several sharp gasps of breath before pulling himself upright and staggering away from the house. I hastily scooped up both brownies and joined him. ‘So much for a weaker ward,’ he said, wiping his brow. ‘It’s stronger here than at the front.’ He sent me a long, worried look.
‘What?’ I asked.
His expression grew darker and he dropped his gaze.
I stared at him. ‘What, Hugo? What is it?’
‘That barrier has nothing to do with elvish magic. Neither is it normal witchery.’
I tilted my head, confused. ‘Okay.’
‘In fact,’ Hugo continued, lifting his head to shoot a malevolent glance at the Assigney building, ‘there’s only one sort of magic that’s strong enough to create a ward that has that kind of effect.’
A sudden nervous spasm churned in the pit of my belly. ‘And what sort of magic is that?’ I asked quietly.
He grimaced. ‘Blood magic.’
I stared at him. He stared back at me. ‘Using blood magic is the first step to becoming a fiend,’ I whispered .
‘Yes.’
‘Are you saying that you think Lady Rose is using blood magic?’ I asked.
‘She might have hired someone to create the ward for her,’ he said, though he sounded dubious. ‘But the most likely scenario is that she magicked it up herself.’
A dozen possibilities rushed through my head. What if Lady Rose wasn’t a victim at all? What if she was a villain? I swallowed hard, then I realised that Hester was slowly backing away from me, her wings fluttering quickly in the air. Otis looked genuinely terrified. I clocked Hugo’s tight, worried expression again.
‘Hang on a minute,’ I said.
‘It didn’t seem to affect you, Daisy. The blood-magic ward didn’t hurt you in the way it hurt us.’
‘Because I’ve got fiendish blood,’ I whispered. ‘Because Athair is my father, I’m half fiend and a mere footstep away from becoming an abhorrent evil creature that cares only for power.’ Oh God, I was the villain here; I was a vile creature who craved blood and death and horror and…
I gulped in air. As my twisting, terror-driven thoughts coalesced, my hands stopped twitching. ‘Wait,’ I said slowly. ‘That doesn’t make any sense. Lady Rose created the ward because Athair is after her. We don’t know why he wants her, but the visit he paid to your parents and the request he made prove that he wants her out of that house and away from the ward. It’s not my heritage that’s making me less susceptible – it can’t be. It must be something else.’
I still didn’t know what made me react differently, but logic dictated that my alleged birth father had nothing to do with it.
Otis relaxed visibly. ‘You’re not fiendish, Daisy.’ He managed a tiny smile. ‘You’re certainly not evil.’
Hester was no longer trying to put as much distance between us, but she still looked wary. ‘I’m not so sure. Anyone wearing that particular combo,’ she waved at my charity-shop ensemble, ‘has to be slightly evil.’
I threw her a half-irritated, half-amused look. Another thought occurred to me. ‘It’s the spider’s silk. It has to be. Something about all those drugs in my system means I’m less affected by that ward than you are.’
Hugo frowned. ‘That doesn’t make sense.’
‘It’s the only material difference between us.’ I looked at the house. ‘I can feel the ward – I know it’s there, pushing against me – but if it’s not affecting me in the same way that it’s affecting you. I think I can move past it.’ Optimism rushed through me. ‘I can get inside and speak to Lady Rose.’
Hugo was already shaking his head. ‘We already know she’s dangerous from the way she attacked us, Daisy. If she’s using blood magic, you’re putting yourself at risk.’
I winked at him. ‘Nothing new about that.’ Before I lost my nerve, I spun round and ran straight for the back door, determined to force my way in.