by Helen Harper
‘You seem to have thought of everything,’ I managed.
‘Yes.’ Rothsay looked pleased. ‘I have.’
‘But,’ I said, ‘you haven’t actually thought of everything.’
He frowned.
‘You see,’ I said, ‘you don’t know everything about me. You think you do, but you don’t.’
His expression of pleasure turned to one of confusion.
‘A lot of people know that I resurrect after death,’ I said. ‘But very few are aware that every time I die, I grow more powerful.’
Rothsay’s bottom lip jutted out. ‘More powerful?’
I really wished my head didn’t hurt so much. ‘Oh yes.’ I tensed my arms then I yanked my wrists apart, snapping the plastic ties. I sprang up and grinned. ‘Much more powerful.’
The bugbear reacted faster than Rothsay. It didn’t roar or growl, but it leapt towards me with its jaw stretched wide and its claws extended.
I dived to the side, narrowly escaping injury, then jumped to my feet. I knew there were weapons in here – Rothsay had already shown me his damned torture scalpel. I ran to the right, heading for the dark corner where he’d picked up the metal tray.
The bugbear lunged for me again, this time connecting with my calf. I howled in pain as its long curved claws dug into my flesh. I twisted from my waist and punched it in its snout with as much force as I could muster. It didn’t make a sound but it did pull back.
‘You won’t escape,’ Rothsay said. He’d backed away, leaving the bugbear to do his dirty work. ‘It doesn’t matter how strong you are, Barney is stronger.’
Did I imagine the note of uncertainty in his voice? I heaved myself up once more. There was a strange wooden contraption to my left. Jesus – was that a medieval torture rack? I shuddered and kept moving.
I’d already played my hand; if I didn’t get away this time, I probably never would. If I died and then resurrected, Rothsay would ensure that I never had the chance to escape and attack him again. I had to throw everything I had at him.
Still with no idea where the exit was located, I bumped into a table. Squinting through the dark, I saw all manner of gruesome-looking equipment. Some were obvious – a knuckle duster, a machete, a pair of pliers – but I could only imagine the purpose of the rest. It was probably better not to think about them.
I reached for the machete and spun as the bugbear bore down on me again.
‘Get her!’ Rothsay roared. ‘Kill her!’
Nope, not today. I swung the machete at the bugbear’s head. It drew back, suddenly fearful. I gritted my teeth and swung it again. Come on, you bastard. Come closer. Silver crossbow bolts didn’t work against it but it wouldn’t be quite so energetic when it no longer had a head.
The machete didn’t connect with the bugbear’s head, but it did slice deeply into its shoulder. Thick dark blood spewed forth. So, the fucker did bleed after all.
‘Tear that bitch’s throat out!’ Rothsay screamed.
As satisfying as it was to injure the bugbear, I knew I had to employ the same tactics I’d used against Lazarus. Bobby Rothsay was the weak link. Dealing with him and cutting off the bugbear’s escape route was the best way forward. I swung the machete again. As soon as the bear reared back, I leapt for Rothsay.
As he realised I was coming for him, Rothsay’s eyes widened in fear. Yeah, not so cocky when your victims actually fight back, are you, I thought. I ran at him, brandishing the machete and he freaked out, tripping over his own feet in his haste to get away. I prepared to grab him – but unfortunately the bugbear had other ideas.
In one breath it was on me, leaping onto my back and knocking me face down onto the hard, rocky floor. Rather than put my hands out to break my fall, I concentrated on keeping hold of the machete. I managed it – just.
There was a hiss of hot breath by my ear as the bugbear prepared to chow down on my jugular. I steeled myself then, using all the power I could muster, jerked backwards. The bugbear clung to me, piggyback fashion. I could feel its claws ripping into my skin and its heavy weight dragging me down.
Gritting my teeth and summoning my strength, I ran backwards, building up as much speed as I could in the short distance granted to me. There was a jolt as I smacked into the bugbear and sandwiched it between me and solid rock.
I stepped forward and threw myself back again. I felt its shudder of pain as I slammed it into the wall, but it still didn’t moan or roar or even squeak. Its silence was eerie. I stepped forward again, prepared to repeat the sequence, but the bugbear had had enough. It fell off my back, its curved claws tearing my skin even more deeply.
I didn’t waste time checking on the creature; I knew without looking that it would be preparing to come at me again. With blood trickling down my chest from the bugbear’s attempts to slice me, I ran toward Rothsay.
In the time between my first attempt to get him and this one, he’d armed himself more appropriately. The scalpel was on the floor by his feet and he now held what looked like a samurai sword. A damned samurai sword! He gripped the hilt with both hands and waved it. ‘I’ll gut you like a pig!’ he spat at me, swinging the blade first one way and then the other.
I heard a huff behind me and the thunderous sound of the bugbear’s massive paws as it came for me yet again. I’d been lucky last time, but I doubted I’d manage the same pincer technique again.
The seconds seemed to slow. I realised with shocking clarity that even Rothsay’s ineptitude with the sword didn’t matter. No matter which angle I came at him from, he would cut me. A moment later, the bugbear would be on me, ripping my throat and guzzling my blood like it had with Patrick Lacey and Julie Mackintosh.
But all wasn’t lost. There was still one move I could make.
Raising my hand, I released the machete and sent it spinning towards Rothsay then I ran at him. Instead of embedding itself into his thick skull, the machete smacked off the wall of rock to his left and fell to the ground with a clatter.
Rothsay laughed. ‘You missed.’
No, I hadn’t. I took another step and dived for the ground, my fingertips stretching for the discarded scalpel. As I scooped it up and gripped it tightly, I slid between Rothsay’s legs, twisted and thrust it to my right through his Achilles heel.
Rothsay howled in agony and brought down the sword automatically, just as the bugbear lunged for me. Rather than cutting into my soft flesh, the blade sliced the bugbear instead.
Breathing heavily, I dragged myself to the side before scrambling up. The sword was wedged between the bugbear’s shoulder blades. Its massive jaws opened in a silent scream of fury and pain. Without understanding what had happened, it turned on Rothsay, desperate to protect itself from this new, unexpected threat.
Rothsay had told me that it was a beast, an animal without reason. An animal would seek to protect itself against danger, even when that danger came from its master.
It leapt forward. Rothsay opened his mouth but no words came out. His tongue couldn’t form whatever word or command he wanted before the bugbear ripped out his throat with its guzzling maw.
I grabbed the hilt of the sword, tugging it until it slid free from the bugbear’s body. The beast jerked and turned, but it was too late. I raised the blade and brought it down onto the creature’s neck, severing it from its spine.
The bugbear stared at me with dark, surprised eyes, then it collapsed on top of Rothsay’s destroyed body.
Chapter Thirty
It wasn’t until I found a narrow tunnel leading out of my prison and stumbled along it that I realised I was in a cave far underground. I suspected that Rothsay would have been proud of himself for managing to bring my unconscious body here. If he were still capable of talking.
After thirty minutes of shuffling, scrambling and crawling, I finally emerged into bright sunlight. The cave’s entrance was all but obscured by thick bushes. Not only that, it also appeared to be in a wood. I swivelled round, gazing at the trees and listening for any signs of life beyo
nd the buzz of insects and the occasional call of a passing bird. I had no idea where I was and no clue how to reach civilisation.
The blood from my cuts was continuing to flow and I felt incredibly weak, but I wouldn’t simply lay down and die. Reborn in flame or not, I wasn’t that kind of person. I set my jaw and selected a direction at random. Sooner or later, I had to come across a farmhouse or a road or something.
It was slow going. At first the adrenaline that continued to course through my system in the aftermath of the fight gave me enough energy to proceed, but the deeper I walked the weaker I became. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to keep going. There were no paths to follow and a lot of the ground underfoot was boggy; it would have been difficult to cross under the best of circumstances.
Rothsay had the benefit of the bugbear’s strength to get me here when I was unconscious. He’d managed it and so would I. I put my head down and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Lukas would be so worried; I had to get to him and show him that I was alright.
After what felt like an eternity, and with almost every inch of me screaming in pain, I heard the burble of flowing water. I stumbled towards it. There might not be a path but I could follow a river; it had to lead somewhere.
It wasn’t a river; even calling it a stream would have been generous. All the same, I launched myself towards it and cupped the cold water in my hands so I could gulp it down. I drank another and another handful. Only when I’d had my fill did I pull back and prop myself up against a tree. I’d rest for five minutes, I decided, and then I’d keep going.
Something fluttered in front of my eyes. I waved my hands to clear my vision and hoped I wasn’t about to pass out again. I waved again – and then I heard a squawk. I blinked as the dark shape that I’d mistaken for my blurry, weak eyes, became the unmistakable form of a bird.
‘Vel?’ I croaked.
The bird cawed and flapped its wings. It tilted its head curiously, eyes watching me, then hopped up and pecked me gently.
‘Go and get help, Vel. Go and tell them I’m here. Find Lukas and…’ I couldn’t continue. I was out of both breath and energy.
Vel squawked. She dipped her head and preened a feather, then she took off, flying over my head and soaring up beyond the trees and away. I closed my eyes. Five minutes. I’d wait five minutes.
The next thing I knew, I was being scooped up and held against a broad chest. Warm arms tightened around me and a voice murmured in my ear, ‘We found you. You’re alright, D’Artagnan. I’ve got you.’
I opened my eyes and saw Lukas gazing down at me, pain and relief etched across his handsome face. ‘Hi,’ I said weakly.
He smiled, his fingers brushing away the hair from my face. ‘Hi.’
I glanced round. The sun had gone but the moon was shining down brilliantly and stars were twinkling everywhere I looked.
‘It’s dark,’ I said stupidly.
Lukas kissed me. ‘Actually,’ he said, ‘now that I’ve got you again, it couldn’t be brighter.’
‘We should keep you in for several days for observation.’
I swung my legs off the narrow hospital bed. ‘I’m fine, doc. Thanks for all your help and care.’
The bespectacled doctor gave me a stern look, but he wasn’t used to dealing with supernatural beings who recovered from near death in record time and he knew it. He backed off, leaving me with Lukas so I could get dressed.
‘You don’t have to keep hovering over me, you know,’ I said. ‘The danger has passed. I feel great.’
Lukas folded his arms. ‘You don’t know what it was like when I came out of that crematorium and found your crossbow on the ground and no sign of you,’ he said quietly
‘I do know what it’s like. I watched you die on Westminster Bridge not all that long ago.’
‘You’ve died far more often than I have.’
‘I come back to life, so you have nothing to worry where I’m concerned. I have everything to worry about when it comes to you.’
‘I wasn’t the one who was abducted in broad daylight by a crazed serial killer and his pet parasitic supe.’
I opened my mouth to argue then I smiled. ‘Are we actually fighting about who has the right to be more worried?’
Amusement flitted across his face. ‘I suppose we are. You know what the answer to that is?’
‘What?’
‘We never lose sight of each other again.’ He smiled as if deeply satisfied with his solution.
I snorted. ‘We’d probably end up killing each other.’
Lukas gave me a long, lingering kiss. ‘Probably.’ He hesitated. ‘Joking aside, I don’t think I could bear it if anything happened to you. Don’t get kidnapped again. And definitely don’t die again.’
I saluted. ‘I’ll do my best.’
I pulled on my jeans and a clean T-shirt and knelt down to tie my shoelaces. There was a knock at the door. Lukas growled in irritation but I waved at him and he opened it. Miranda was standing there, her expression anxious and pale despite her hopeful smile. ‘You’re alright?’
I stood up. ‘I’m alright. How about you? And Albion?’
She touched the bandage around her head. ‘We’ll be fine. No lasting damage.’ She pulled a face and glanced behind her to check that nobody was in earshot. ‘Although I really wish my druid powers extended to better self-defence.’
I grimaced. ‘I’m truly sorry that you were involved. As far as I can work out, Robert Rothsay and his grandfather used you as bait because you lived out of the village and had enough secluded land for them to set up a trap. I don’t think either of them had any inkling about your role in making me the phoenix.’
‘Sheer bad luck, then,’ she said with a half-hearted shrug that spoke of more pain and heartache than she was willing to admit to.
‘I’m sorry that I have to ask this now,’ I said, ‘but I don’t suppose you and Patrick Lacey…’
Miranda stared at me. ‘Me and Patrick?’ she laughed suddenly. ‘No.’
‘He had a lot of condoms stashed away at his house.’
‘From what I knew of Patrick,’ Miranda said, ‘he bought condoms because he was eternally optimistic rather than because he had an actual active sex life.’
Or maybe Rothsay had planted them deliberately as part of his plan to draw me to Miranda James’s property. I’d never know. What it did tell me was that I should not put too much faith in a single piece of evidence. Details were vital but, at the end of the day, it was the big picture that was important.
‘You know,’ I said softly, ‘we might be able to help you with your illness. The Carlyle Library has all sorts of obscure texts that might include references to druids and help for how to offset problems that arise from using your powers. We could reach out and see if there are any other druids as well, and—’
Miranda shook her head firmly. ‘No. I’m perfectly happy living my quiet little life here in Kent. And I can’t risk other people learning more about druids. It’s not just my life and freedom at stake, it’s all the others like me too.’ She glanced at Lukas. ‘Forgive me, Lord Horvath,’ she said, ‘but I don’t want to be treated like the vampires are.’
‘I don’t blame you,’ he replied. ‘I don’t blame you at all.’
Miranda turned back to me. ‘Thank you for all that you’ve done. I’m really glad you’re alright. I’ll leave you both in peace.’ She ducked out of the room and closed the door.
For a long moment, I didn’t move then I sighed deeply. A dull ache remained deep in my chest. ‘This is a situation of society’s making,’ I said to Lukas.
‘What do you mean?’
‘If it wasn’t in the best interests of certain supes to stay hidden,’ I explained, ‘I might have known about what Miranda did for me a long time ago.’
‘She doesn’t think of herself as a supe.’
‘No, but that bugbear was definitely a supe. Until a day or two ago, we didn’t know such a thing existed. If we had, m
aybe Rothsay and his grandfather wouldn’t have been so successful with all those murders.’
I looked away. ‘Liza’s been in touch,’ I continued. ‘Using what we’ve learned, she’s been able to pinpoint twenty more killings that can be attributed to Lazarus – and possibly to Rothsay, too. More will probably be uncovered.’ I shook my head. ‘And nobody had any idea. If supes weren’t an anathema to so many people, creatures like bugbears and people like Miranda might not be so secretive.’
Lukas’s clever eyes were watching me. ‘You say that like you have an idea for how to improve matters.’
I licked my lips. ‘Not yet.’ I raised my head and managed a smile. ‘But give me time and watch this space.’
I grabbed my few possessions and wandered out of the hospital hand in hand with Lukas. There were a few ominous dark clouds on the horizon, suggesting a storm was on its way. I sniffed the air, noting the tang of impending rain.
I heard a voice call me and glanced over to see DCI Boateng. ‘Detective Constable Bellamy.’ His expression was warm as he strode over. To begin with I thought he was merely going to shake my hand but he drew me into a hug. ‘Congratulations.’
I raised an eyebrow. ‘For bringing down a stone-cold killer and his pet supe?’ I asked. ‘Or surviving the encounter?’
‘For everything,’ he said simply. He took a step back. ‘I’m sure your parents would be very proud, Emma.’
I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek to prevent tears welling up. I’d finally avenged them. That was enough. For now. ‘Thank you.’
‘We’ve uncovered several unsavoury details that back up your report. Oliver Tigman, the prisoner who instigated the attack on Samuel Beswick at HMP Galloway, has been questioned.’
I raised my eyebrows. ‘He’s talking?’
Boateng smiled faintly. ‘He’s been persuaded that it’s in his best interests to do so. Apparently Rothsay told him that, in his role as a police officer, he could access evidence in his upcoming trial and dispose of it. I doubt that’s true, but Tigman believed him enough to tap Frederick Parris for the attack.’