by Helen Harper
Matt’s eyes are round. ‘You’re so clever, Bo.’
I snort although I can’t help feeling pleased with myself. I suck a deep breath into my lungs, savouring the fresh night air.
‘So why did Magix kidnap Dolly?’ He’s watching me with Labrador-like eyes, as if waiting for his mistress to provide him with a chewy treat.
‘Dahlia.’
‘Oh.’ He nods his head sagely. ‘Why did Magix take her?’
‘Templeton probably screwed them over too.’
Except he didn’t include them on his list of potentially disgruntled clients, and the firm probably has its own accountants to do its dirty work. Considering the state of its business practices, it’s unlikely to trust an outsider with such a delicate job. I had looked around when we left Mrs Jackson’s place, on the off-chance that Templeton was still hanging about so I could ask him but, other than a few teenagers, the wasteland of a car park in front of the flats was empty. There could be other reasons why the company is involved with the Templetons, though. There’s one way to be sure.
‘Come on,’ I tell my faithful companion. ‘We need to get a move on. Keep your eyes peeled for a woman communing with nature.’
I jog across the road. I’m about to hop over the fence when I realise Matt’s not behind me. Frowning, I turn round. He’s standing smack bang in the middle of the road and scrabbling at his eyes.
‘What are you doing?’
‘I can’t do it, Bo!’ His voice is anguished.
I’m alarmed. Perhaps Mrs Jackson cast a hex on him when I wasn’t paying attention. ‘Can’t do what? What’s wrong?’
I run back to him and grab his wrists while his fingers flail uselessly in the air. His eyes are already bloodshot. ‘I can’t peel them! I don’t know how!’
Momentarily baffled, I stare at him. Then the penny drops. ‘It’s an expression, Matt. I didn’t mean to literally peel your eyes.’
‘I didn’t know that!’ he wails, beginning to cry.
There’s something heartbreakingly pathetic about the musclebound vampire in front of me bawling out his eyes in frustration. The Matt of old was full of misplaced machismo; this version is like a child. I pat his arm awkwardly, wondering whether bringing him along was a good idea. At this rate, I’m likely to say something thoughtless that’ll cost him his life.
‘There, there. It’s alright. It was my fault. I should be more careful with my words. Don’t peel your eyes, just keep a look out. That’s all.’
He sniffs loudly. I reach up towards his face, wiping away the tears. ‘If I ask you to do something that hurts, you have to tell me.’
‘’Kay.’
‘I mean it, Matt.’
He nods. I smile cautiously in return. ‘Do you want to go back home?’
He shakes his head vigorously. ‘No! It’s awful there. People are mean to me.’
‘Who? Who’s mean?’
He reels off a list of names. By the tenth one, I shush him. No wonder Michael is prepared to break his own laws for Matt. He’s become an easy victim for a bunch of bored, cooped-up vampires. I’ll have words with Beth again. Matt may have been an arrogant prick but he doesn’t deserve this. I guess the minders assigned to him at the Montserrat mansion only care about protecting others from him, not vice-versa. I force down my anger.
‘Okay,’ I soothe. ‘I will deal with this. Right now, however, I need to find Frolic. Can you help?’
‘Yes.’
‘Okay, then.’ I take his arm and we walk to the pavement. I vault over the fence and wait for him to do the same. Then I turn and grin. ‘Let’s stretch our legs. I mean,’ I backtrack hastily before Matt moves into a yoga pose, ‘let’s go for a run.’
He beams at me. Overhead an owl hoots loudly, as if in agreement, and we take off.
Hyde Park covers a vast area. While it’s certainly not the largest public park in the world, and Matt and I have useful vampiric speed to help us cover a lot of ground, it’s still 350 acres. I’m hoping that my suspicions are right and that Frolic is here because it’s close to the Montserrat mansion and she wants to be found. We’ve barely gone half a mile when I hear shouting and realise I’m right.
‘You promised me!’ It’s a woman’s voice, raised in anger.
‘You only collect when you return the feather.’
‘I don’t have the fucking feather! Some kid stole it.’
‘Then our bargain is null and void.’
I gesture to Matt, silently instructing him to take up position nearby while I pad forward to get a better idea of what’s going on.
‘You can’t do this to me. I risked my life…’
‘We are all risking our lives,’ Frolic responds.
‘This isn’t my fight!’
‘We didn’t force you to get involved.’
I peer out from behind a tree. As far as I can tell, there’s only two of them. Unfortunately I didn’t see enough of the woman Michael rescued from the mugger but I’m sure that this is her. Frolic appears unchanged from our last meeting, an implacable and immoveable woman.
‘It’s just a feather. I’ll get you another one.’
Frolic shakes her head. ‘It’s proof of purchase. A receipt, if you like. You know it needs to be the same one. Unless you return it, I can’t do anything. I’d like to help you, I really would, but my hands are tied.’
The woman rushes towards the so-called neo-druid. A man appears from out of nowhere, hauling her back before her flailing fists connect with Frolic’s face. He seems familiar but the shadows swallow him up again before I get a clear look. He drags the yelling woman away and I hear him tell her to get the hell away if she knows what’s good for her.
‘You may as well come out, Ms Montserrat,’ Frolic calls in my direction.
I stiffen before shrugging and stepping into the moonlight. ‘It’s Blackman now,’ I tell her.
A tiny smile plays around Frolic’s mouth. ‘Is it? Well now, that’s interesting.’
‘That was a bit harsh,’ I say, gesturing in the direction of the departed – and still yelling – woman.
She shrugs. ‘I’m not a charity. You wouldn’t return an item to a shop without a receipt, would you?’
‘Yes, but still…’ I wonder if Michael still has my green feather. Perhaps I could give it to the woman and she can get whatever she was promised.
‘Every feather is unique,’ Frolic replies, as if reading my thoughts. I think of X and shiver. ‘Without her specific one, there’s nothing I can do. Rules are rules.’ She leans forward. ‘Unless, apparently, they are fledgling vampire rules.’
I shift uncomfortably. I don’t want this conversation to be about me and my place – or lack of it – in the Montserrat Family. Now that Frolic is standing in front of me, I have more important things to question her about. ‘Why did you make me take a feather?’
She ignores my question. ‘I wasn’t sure you were going to turn up. I was under the impression you were vaguely intelligent for a vampire, yet it’s taken days for you to come and speak to me. I was beginning to think you wouldn’t come at all. Vampires don’t tend to do much without their Head’s permission ‒ and yet here you are.’ She glances behind my shoulder in the direction of Matt. ‘Is there some kind of vampire exodus going on?’
‘You can read about it in the papers next week.’ I fold my arms. ‘I didn’t know where you were.’
‘I’m a neo-druid,’ she answers calmly. ‘I like nature. It’s hardly surprising that I’m in the largest park London has to offer.’
I think of my grandfather. ‘There’s no such thing as a neo-druid.’
She laughs. ‘I’m here, aren’t I? I’m not a figment of your imagination.’
I’m getting tired of her prevarication. ‘What in the hell is going here? Is this about a cure?’ I demand.
‘It’s about Magix.’
‘That much I know,’ I growl.
‘Then you’ll know that Magix ran me out of business.’ Her expression turn
s cold. ‘And others like me. The company is creating a monopoly. Soon witches, black or white, will have no choice but to get all their materials from it. Magix is developing a stranglehold over every magic user in the country. Imagine what it can do with that kind of power.’ She plucks a leaf off a nearby branch and examines it carefully before tossing it away. ‘Maybe you want to develop a new spell, something to help sick children with congenital heart problems. Except Magix makes a deal with the pharmaceutical company that creates the medicine for that illness. Magix doesn’t want the spell. It pulls the necessary ingredients from its shelves and,’ she snaps her fingers, ‘just like that, innocent children suffer and die as a result of Magix’s need to make more money.’
‘Why would it do something like that? I’m sorry that its executives saw you as competition and you had to shut down your business but that doesn’t mean they’re going to be complicit in killing people.’
‘They’re not complicit. They’re the perpetrators! The masterminds! They need to be stopped.’
‘Did Magix kill your husband?’ I ask softly.
Frolic’s jaw tenses. ‘He was a good man. He didn’t deserve what they did.’
‘I’m sorry,’ I say, ‘I really am, but this still doesn’t explain what’s going on with the feathers.’
‘Didn’t your grandfather work it out?’
I start, surprised.
‘I’m not an idiot,’ she tells me. ‘I know who you are – and who he is.’ She looks at me pointedly. ‘There was a time when he would have prevented a company like Magix from getting away with all this.’ Her face becomes ugly and twisted. ‘From taking away all my hard-earned profit.’
I doubt that. Back then, Grandfather had little to do with humans, even humans who were trying to dip their toes into triber pools. I don’t rise to the bait, however. ‘Tell me why. Why me and why the feather?’
‘Magix needs to be stopped.’ She raises her eyebrows in my direction. ‘Call the feather an IOU of sorts.’
I try not to hold my breath. ‘An IOU for what?’
Frolic smiles. ‘You already know the answer to that.’
I watch her. ‘The cure.’
‘Just so.’
‘You said it was too dangerous to go looking for it. Even if it did exist.’
She rolls her eyes. ‘There was a Family Head about fifty feet away at the time. What else was I going to say?’
‘So there is a cure?’
‘I have absolutely no idea. But you help me bring down Magix and I promise I will find out either way.’
‘As long as I give you the feather back.’
She smiles. ‘Those are the terms.’
‘Did Magix kidnap Dahlia Templeton?’
‘Who’s that?’ She frowns at me. ‘Magix doesn’t waste time bundling people into cars. There would be a too much of a trail. Why kidnap when you can murder?’
‘So much for that theory,’ I mutter. I dig into my pocket, searching for the card the policeman gave me. When I find it, I pull it out and pass it to Frolic. ‘Have you seen this hex before?’
Her face clouds over. ‘It’s a Magix speciality. Black magic. Very similar to what killed Fingertip.’
I sigh, pressing my fingertips to my temples. The policeman had been convinced it was white magic. ‘What do you want me to do?’
I spot a flicker of triumph before she answers. ‘There’s a new line coming out. Glamour spells, distasteful things if you ask me, but there’s a market for them. The woman who was here before you stole the recipe for us. All you have to do is break into the factory and alter one of the ingredients. Then, when Magix’s big new product is released and goes wrong, the company’s reputation will be ruined.’
I don’t even need to think about it. ‘No.’
She starts. ‘What do you mean no?’
‘You can’t mess with spells.’ I point at Matt. ‘You see him? He’s fucked because of a spell created with good intentions.’ I pause, then amend my words. ‘Okay, with semi-good intentions. People died. I won’t do it and you shouldn’t either.’
She doesn’t bother to hide her fury. ‘No one will die.’
‘You’re not a witch,’ I say. ‘You’re not even a triber. How do you know?’
‘I’ve worked in the magic business for years. I know when a spell is true or not! My husband was a white witch. He taught me what to look for. The spell is clean.’
‘It doesn’t matter.’ I shake my head. For once, I’m immoveable. ‘I wouldn’t be in the mess I’m in now if it wasn’t for that spell. I’m not going to twist another one just so that I can be cured.’
‘It’s not just about you,’ she hisses. ‘Magix is…’
‘Evil. I know.’ Regret fills me. ‘I’m sorry.’
Frolic stares at me. ‘Fair enough. There is an alternative. It’s more dangerous but our terms can remain the same.’
‘Go on.’
‘The Magix executives know we’re after them. We need to know what they’re planning. Find whatever files they have on us so we can be sure we’re one step ahead.’
I think of my failed attempt at breaching Streets of Fire. ‘I’m not a thief. I don’t have the skills to…’
Frolic interrupts me. ‘I’m sure you’ll think of something.’ She shrugs. ‘Otherwise we are done.’ She may appear benign and friendly but there’s an edge of steel to her.
‘I’ll consider it,’ I say finally.
‘You know,’ she replies slowly, ‘my husband would have liked you. He also had a strongly defined sense of what was right and wrong.’ She stares at me. ‘He was going to change the world. Are you?’
I ignore her question. ‘What makes you think Magix killed him?’
‘Because I begged him to meet with them. To do something to reverse our failing fortunes. He didn’t want to go but I was adamant.’ Her mouth tightens. ‘The last thing I said to him was to get our money back.’ Her shoulders fall. ‘I never saw him again. When his body turned up and the police wanted me to identify him, I refused. I couldn’t face them trying to convince me that he’d died of nothing more than a heart attack. Magix killed him. I know it did. And now that Magix has acquired my shop I have nothing left.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Do you know, I rather think you are.’ Her tongue wets her lips. ‘I’ll be here waiting when you finish your task.’
The man who escorted away the previous supplicant emerges from the shadows. I look at him hard but I still can’t work out who he is. He doesn’t glance in my direction, just murmurs something in Frolic’s ear. I watch them for a few moments but it’s clear that the shopkeeper is done with me. I’m tempted to rush them both. I could grab Frolic and haul her plump arse to the Montserrat mansion and do whatever is necessary to make her find out if there’s a cure or not. I realise that my fingers have curled into tight fists. I force myself to relax. I’m desperate, but not that desperate.
* * *
Twenty minutes later, I drop Matt back at the mansion. To my surprise, Harry D’Argneau is outside. When he sees me, his face clears.
‘Bo! Where have you been?’ He glances up at the imposing building. ‘I thought Montserrat might have done something to you.’
Exasperated, I say, ‘Like what?’
‘I don’t know. You can’t trust bloodguzzlers. Not these days.’
‘I’m a bloodguzzler.’
‘You’re different.’
I sigh. ‘Not you too. Harry, you need to stop believing everything you read. Vampires aren’t evil. They’re not out for world domination and they’re not even angry about what I did.’ I’m tempted to tell him that Michael engineered the whole thing then I decide against it. D’Argneau already has an unhealthy obsession with the Families. ‘They’re the good guys,’ I say eventually.
‘You’ve not gone back to them, have you? Is that why you’re here?’
I smile. ‘No. Not exactly.’
‘Good. Although…’
‘What?’
/> ‘Well, I wondered if there might be chance for some more negotiation. You know, about what happens now, that kind of thing. You lost your flat when you were recruited, didn’t you? And all your belongings?’
I nod slowly, unsure what he’s getting at.
‘I could sue them. Get you some compensation. We can make it public and then you’ll be more likely to make a killing. Their reputation has already taken a hammering, they’ll want to settle quietly and out of the court. I can make an appointment and discuss it with Lord Montserrat. In fact,’ he licks his lips, ‘it might be better if all the Family Heads attend. We can set up new guidelines for other vampires who are in a similar situation.’
‘You’re not in this for the commission or the glory, are you?’
‘Huh?’
I lean in and drop my voice. ‘You want access to the Heads. That’s what this is about.’
He stares at me meaningfully. ‘Bo, the Families keep to themselves. They’ve got all those secrets and all those laws. I can help them. Give them a direct line to the human world.’
I stretch up on my tiptoes and try to match his height. It doesn’t work but it makes me feel better. ‘You mean you want a direct line to them.’
He lowers his head. ‘Everyone wants something.’
Suddenly there’s a crash from the direction of the mansion. Both D’Argneau and I jump. He grabs my arm and I turn to see Michael standing on the threshold, glowering at us. It occurs to me that I’m standing compromisingly close to the lawyer. I pull my arm away and step back.
‘Don’t touch her,’ Michael snarls.
I hold up both my palms. ‘He’s my lawyer. He’s just checking everything’s okay.’
‘Get inside, Bo.’ Michael strides towards us.
I move in front of D’Argneau. ‘Again, Lord Montserrat,’ I say, attempting to keep my tone light, ‘you’re not my boss.’
‘Lord Montserrat,’ D’Argneau interrupts. ‘We should discuss this inside. I understand you’re angry that Ms Blackman left…’
‘I’m not angry.’
No, I think you’re bloody furious. ‘Harry,’ I say nervously, ‘you should go now.’