Chapter 19
Isucked in a breath of the crisp air as Liam stood, his boat thunking lightly into the wooden dock on the Lairg side of the loch. He leapt onto it in one smooth motion, grabbing the prow to hold it steady as it began to rock.
“You good?” he asked, eyeing me as he slid the rope into place, tying it to a knobby railing.
Good was overstating it. After lunch the day had dragged, with me anticipating the evening, but I had learned a lot from the different teachers, and my brain felt full to bursting, like I’d gorged on an unending Wickersham buffet.
I shrugged. “I’m not even sure anymore.”
“And the curse? Has it been easier on you since I put that seal on it? I’m still trying to figure out how to break it for good, but you might have to bear with it for a few more days.”
“Way better. Still exhausted, but I think it has more to do with how much has been going on since we got here.”
Liam’s eyes were serious. “The pendant’s magic can take a toll as it draws a little energy from you to keep up the glamor.
I didn’t think it would affect you, knowing how strong you are, but it makes sense with how much you’ve had to focus on.
” He gave the rope a final tug before holding out a hand.
I accepted his help, my heart skipping a beat as I shot upward, landing on the dock more from his power than my own, stumbling toward him a little. “This seems like second nature to you.” I pulled away as a tingle ran up my arm at his touch. “You go boating often?”
He frowned, sparing a final glance at the boat before beckoning me to follow him to shore. “Whenever I get the chance.”
“When you live in Scotland, I see why you would. Such a beautiful place to do it.”
He shrugged. “The United States has its own charm, but aye, it’s hard to beat old Alba.”
“Alba?”
“Gaelic name for Scotland. My da always called it that. That’s where I got my love for boating, too. He used to take me every chance he got.”
“Wait, but I thought . . . you have an Irish accent?” I was confused, did I have it wrong all this time? He grinned.
“My ma is Irish, and I have her last name, and we lived there for a long time. Me, I kinda went back and forth after enrolling here for school. My parents weren’t exactly . . . together.”
That much I understood. “I get that. My parents weren’t . . .” Shit. I did not need to go down that road. I shook my head. “Sorry.”
He clapped his hands, breaking the tension.
“Another time for that stuff, when we aren’t on a deadline.
” He winked and pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket.
“The shop is in the easternmost part of town. ‘Bellamy’s Bobs.’ Place was an old hoarder’s house before our contact took it over a year or so ago. I didn’t even know it was there.”
The trip from one end of Lairg to the other felt a lot shorter than the last time I’d come through.
This time, even in the dark, I got to take in the hills lining the street, and the weathered stone homes with their squat chimneys puffing away.
I was able to enjoy the quaint little town for a moment, thinking again how easy it would be to pretend Liam and I were on a regular date, the kind that humans and even Dwimmers went on to enjoy one another’s company.
Amazing what not being chased by vampires did for the psyche. Before long, we found ourselves in front of the shop with a dilapidated sign. Bellamy’s Bobs. With the top of the third b missing, it read Bellamy’s Boos. Not exactly heartening.
“No way this place is up to code,” I snorted as I eyed the dark, rotting wood of the walls. “Looks like the place has been here for ages. Only a year you said?”
Liam nodded, striding the last few steps toward the door. “A lot of the buildings here were built in the 1700s. I think I remember a bakery being here when I was in school. The whole place went downhill after that went under.”
He swung the door open, and I dipped my head in thanks as he held it for me, letting me enter first. I sucked in a breath, a sudden roll of claustrophobia catching me off guard as I stared at the boxes upon boxes of memorabilia, trinkets, and clothing that were stacked high all around – it looked like it had retained its previous occupant’s merchandise too, and maybe the one before that as well.
A faint, low humming filled the air, just below hearing range, like the buzzing of bees in a glass jar.
The scent hit me next: something metallic and sweet, threaded with the sharp tang of sour magic.
And not just any magic. It was somehow foul, with a dark edge to it that made it impossible to ignore.
My stomach clenched and I fought the urge to heave.
This whole place had a weird vibe. Not dangerous exactly, but off, like the feeling you get just before a storm hits and you know you could be in trouble if you don’t batten down the hatches right.
Whatever attempt had been made to organize the space had long since been abandoned.
The half-dozen shelves throughout the room were covered with statues and other items, but the mess below made it impossible to reach them.
I glanced up as a rustling sounded from the back of the store, catching sight of the tall, wispy-white-haired man at the desk in the far back.
“If you’re lookin’ for coins or jewels, come on over,” he said gruffly. “Oh, ignore the mess, by the way, the cleaner wasn’t able to make it in this week.”
I stared back at him, blinking, thinking I’d heard him wrong because there was no way someone had ever cleaned this store. “The what?”
“The cleaner,” he repeated, staring at me like I was the crazy one. “A person you hire to clean.”
I jammed my mouth shut in a feat of raw willpower, resisting the urge to tell him that the place was closer to needing a demolition squad than a housecleaner.
Liam gently pressed on my low back, urging me forward. “My friend did say he was an odd duck,” he whispered.
I led the way to the desk whether I wanted to or not, since the pathway through the sea of books and trinkets was far too narrow for us to walk side by side. The shopkeeper didn’t acknowledge us; instead, he continued to stare at a massive diamond ring through his jewelers’ loupe.
Liam pushed up next to me – the space was wider closer to the desk – and cleared his throat pointedly.
“Yes, yes. You looking to buy or sell?” the man asked, his eyes never leaving the ring.
“Neither, though there’s definitely something in it for you if you can help us,” Liam said.
The old man dipped his head in agreement, still not looking up. “How can I be of service?”
“We’re looking for information about a coin,” I said.
He set the diamond ring aside, then reached over to grab an ornate little picture frame rather than turning his attention to us, rubbing the edge of the frame with a piece of cloth that seemed to be leaving more grime on the frame than it removed.
“Tell me about this coin, because there are many, many coins in this world.”
“It’s a large, gold piece with a kraken on one side and a mermaid on the other,” I said. “Does that sound like something you’ve seen?”
He brought the frame right up to his eye, seemingly engrossed in his work even as he spoke. “When you say large, do you mean like an old doubloon?”
“Bigger,” I held my hands out, trying to gauge how big it would be. “Much bigger. Like a small dinner plate.”
He frowned. “Got a picture?”
“No.”
He squinted one eye. “Never heard of anything that meets the description, which is rare for me. Are you sure you’ve not had the wool pulled over your eyes?”
Shit, this was not how I’d thought the meeting would go. Liam had seemed so sure this Bellamy would be able to help us.
“How did you come by knowledge of this giant coin?” He slid the frame next to the ring, then immediately grabbed another item to polish with his dirty cloth.
Liam tapped a finger on the counter as if that would draw this fellow’s eyes. “We have a client interested in purchasing it. And we have reason to believe it’s somewhere in or near Heathermoor. Potentially near water.”
The locket shivered and danced in my pocket. “This is stupid, we should be looking ourselves, not wasting our time with this idiot!” Calyspo said. I think she meant to whisper but it came out like a hissing snarl, even as I slapped my hand over my pocket to muffle her.
The jeweler’s eyes widened at Liam’s words, and I hoped he didn’t hear Calypso, though he still didn’t look up. “Dwimmers, then? Interesting.”
Lairg was technically in the Unlit world, but, according to Liam’s contact, this guy dealt with clients from both realms and was known for his discretion. Part of me wanted to leave, and I could see by Liam’s stance he was ready to go.
“Tell me, what makes you think it’s in Heathermoor then?”
Liam shook his head and turned fully to leave, his hand brushing mine. “We should go; this is a waste of time.”
But I didn’t move. Why so many questions if Bellamy didn’t know the kraken coin? This Bellamy was too polished, too careful with how he avoided making eye contact, how he seemed to be uninterested.
I’d dealt with people like him before. Usually, dealers of the darker sort of items . . . which meant we needed to stay. I took hold of Liam’s arm, stopping.
“Our client,” I said. “She directed us here as this is where it was last seen, but we’ve reached a dead end. We were told you could help.”
“And this patron . . . out of curiosity, why didn’t she come to find it herself? Is she an invalid?”
I clamped down on the locket in disgust as it began buzzing in my pocket. She’d promised on her life that she wouldn’t cause a ruckus.
Fool me once, shame on you, fool me five times –
I kept one hand on the locket “She’s currently . . . indisposed at Neverthorn. Couldn’t get here if she tried.”
His eyes finally shot upward, fixing me with a gaze so intense that I stopped short, losing whatever else I might have said.
“What?” I demanded, pulse thrumming. This was the moment I’d been waiting for, that I’d seen in all those careful movements.