Phantom Stag (A King's Watch Story Book 1)

by Mark Hayden

  ‘Poor bairn.’

  ‘Take me to the Grove!’ shouted Eliza. ‘I will not be denied.’

  I waved my hand around generally. ‘Why are we still here?’

  ‘When I arrived, Oma had already barred Eliza from leaving. Probably because of the text I sent her. Once Tanya heard that her mother was on her way back, the sensible thing was to wait for the real expert to turn up. And you, with the evidence.’

  Alex finished her examination and came over. ‘She can’t stay here much longer. This is going to be difficult. She needs attention, in hospital or in the Grove.’

  ‘Let’s get her downstairs while we can,’ said Conrad. He stood well back while Alex and her daughter helped Eliza to her feet.

  He bent down and lowered his voice. ‘Eliza admitted supplying Karina with a blessed bow, and putting a curse on Ioan’s. She says she had four bows on the altar and messed it up. Ioan’s bow should have gone to Aaron. She’s blaming Colwyn for coming up with the idea, though he had no idea about what his sister was up to regarding the Hunt. We can sort the rest out later.’

  ‘What now?’

  ‘Let’s see.’

  Oma hadn’t moved from the door. A chair had been put in front of her, and Eliza had been lowered into it.

  ‘I demand the Grove,’ said Eliza, eyes locked on Oma. ‘I have confessed and will let the Goddess judge me.’

  ‘Watch Captain?’ said Oma. ‘Are you content?’

  Conrad shook his head. ‘That’s not for me to say. Eliza is out of my jurisdiction, but will you be content if she doesn’t say who enchanted those bows? She may have blessed them, but someone else performed the curses and other magick. The King’s Watch is very interested in knowing who.’

  ‘Name them,’ said Oma. ‘Name them and I will stand aside.’

  ‘Would you turn me away?’ said Eliza. ‘No Oma has ever turned away a Mother from the Grove.’

  ‘And no Mother has ever killed one of the Circle. Name them or go. Forever.’

  ‘I will sit here until you let me pass or I die. Will you do that?’

  Alexandra gripped Eliza’s shoulder. ‘Your child will die first. In your womb. I won’t let that happen. You were born to be a mother, so let the Goddess guide you.’

  Eliza stared at Oma, and Oma stared back until Eliza was racked by a pain.

  ‘Take me,’ said Eliza.

  Alexandra lifted Eliza out of the chair and said, ‘Someone get my coat from upstairs.’

  ‘Is it far to the maternity unit?’ I asked.

  ‘Alexandra Hospital in Redditch. Fifteen minutes max. We’ll be fine. Tanya? Go and get the car open. You’re driving.’

  Alex’s daughter ran out. A Forester brought Alex’s coat. She shrugged it on and led Eliza outside. A couple of the Foresters got up to see them out. Through the open doors, I could hear Alex on the phone to the hospital.

  ‘Close the doors,’ said Oma. ‘Get out the board and let’s sit down.’

  The Foresters moved with practised ease to get that table in place. OK, alright, the board. One of them handed out mugs of tea. Boy did that taste good. Conrad asked for a break and almost dragged me outside. While I went through what had happened in the forest, he smoked a cigarette.

  ‘What about you?’ I said. ‘Did Colwyn put up a fight?’

  ‘Stupid arse thought I wouldn’t use my gun on him and came at me. I whacked him with it.’

  ‘How did you find him?’

  ‘I thought about it. His strategy last night was basically good. Why wouldn’t he repeat it? I got Tanya to take me to Home Wood on her quad bike and there he was. We’d better get back inside.’

  The Foresters were sitting at the board now, apart from Colwyn and Karina in their opposite corners. Seats had been left for Conrad and me next to Oma. She’d had been sitting with her head in her hands, and looked up when we got back in. The strain on her face was there for everyone to see. ‘How did it come to this?’ she said. No one spoke, but a few of them looked as if they’d have plenty to say when the time was right. ‘I know you’re thinking it,’ she continued. ‘And yes, a lot of it has to be down to me. That’s for the future. When we’re alone. First, we have to decide what to do with Colwyn and Karina.’

  ‘And me,’ said Erin, in a very small voice.

  ‘The Watch has no interest in Erin,’ said Conrad. ‘Though we have confiscated her shotgun.’

  ‘It’s mine,’ said Aaron. ‘She took it without my permission.’

  Oma waved him away with her hand. ‘Bring Colwyn here, Aaron.’

  The Hunter dragged his rival over and shoved him into a chair off to the side.

  ‘Why, Colwyn?’ said Oma.

  The Forester licked blood off his lip but said nothing.

  ‘Jealousy,’ said Conrad. ‘Jealousy of Aaron, I think. And Eliza worked on that. She wanted Aaron dead.’

  ‘How was that going to work?’ said one of the female Foresters.

  ‘Eliza played them both,’ I said. ‘I’m guessing that she knew about Karina’s ambitions to be a Hunter, and she played her by giving her a bow and getting her in the forest. She would have needed a sponsor to help disguise the four bows on the altar and the switch she made. I’ve seen the bow staves now, and there was a double curse, I reckon. One made the Hunter with the cursed bow think that all deer were Stags, and the other made him look like a Stag to everyone else. It only went pear shaped because she mixed up the bows.’

  ‘Is that right?’ said Oma. Colwyn said nothing. Oma sighed. ‘Then let the Cloister Court decide. I…’

  Colwyn sat up. ‘I confess and ask for service in the forest to repay my crimes.’ The words tumbled out of his mouth in a rush, to stop Oma finishing what she was going to say.

  ‘Eh?’ I said.

  Oma looked at Conrad. ‘He has that right. We will hand him over to the Fae, and they will put him to work. Thirty-two years he’ll be in there.’ She shuddered at the thought.

  ‘Better than the Undercroft,’ said Colwyn.

  ‘Say hello to Father Patrick,’ I said. ‘If you’re nice to him, you might get time off for good behaviour.’

  ‘Put him in the store room,’ said Oma, ‘and bring Karina forward.’

  Karina brought to the chair that Colwyn had just vacated. Her glossy black outfit looked right out of place in the homespun surroundings of the Foresters’ hall, and she made a half-hearted attempt to undo a webbing harness. When she couldn’t manage the fastenings with her shaking hands, she dropped into the chair.

  Oma softened a little. She clearly trusted her current handmaiden, Tanya, implicitly, and her attitude to the former holders of the office was quite revealing. She had little patience with Erin, that was clear, and I can imagine that Erin would make a great friend but a terrible officer. Judith, she treated with a wary respect. Don’t forget, Judith had dumped Colwyn and displaced Erin in Aaron’s bed. Then she’d converted to Materianism. I wouldn’t trust her either.

  Karina was different. She looked at her like you’d expect a granny to look at their favourite, most indulged granddaughter. She tentatively reached out a hand, then pulled it back when she saw me staring at her.

  ‘What were you trying to achieve, my dear?’ she said. ‘You need to tell me, and I’m afraid that Officers Clarke and Robson need to hear it. Victoria risked her life tonight.’

  Karina sniffed. Erin reached into her pocket, found a clean tissue and passed it over. Whatever deadly weapons the midnight huntress had in her pouches, a hankie clearly hadn’t been part of the kit.

  ‘Equality,’ she said. ‘For women and men. This is the twenty-first century, Oma. Women should be allowed on the Hunt, and men shouldn’t be forced to win the Hunt to become King.’

  The other Foresters couldn’t stay quiet any longer. One of the women (I think she’d had a small child with her this morning) said, ‘We shouldn’t be doing the Hunt at all.’

  Another woman said, ‘At least she doesn’t want the men eligible to become Oma.’


  ‘Enough!’ said the current Oma.

  It may be the twenty-first century outside, but large parts of the world of magick have barely moved on from the 1300s.

  Oma turned to me. ‘Was Karina’s arrow aimed at you, Officer Robson?’

  ‘Conrad’s the ballistics expert, Oma, but it struck my Ancile quite high up. I’ve seen what a good shot she is, so no, I reckon it was aimed to scare me. We don’t know if she’d have killed me later though. She did threaten to do it. And Erin.’

  ‘Karina?’

  The young Witch dropped her gaze and fiddled with the tissue. ‘I don’t know what came over me, Oma. I don’t know.’

  ‘I think I do,’ said Erin. ‘I think she would have shot Vicky, and me, but I also think she sniffed a bit too much Fae dust.’

  Karina didn’t look happy at that, but she didn’t argue.

  Oma nodded. She looked round her flock and gauged the mood. Finally, she drew herself up and said, ‘You have lost your way, my child, and you have lost touch with the Goddess. I want you to go on a pilgrimage to reconnect with her. On foot. From Glastonbury to Bríd’s Well in Ireland. If you return, I will welcome you with open arms. Your key, please.’ When she finished speaking, there were no murmurs of dissent.

  Karina, with shaking hands, removed the small golden arrow from round her neck. Oh, that reminds me. I got out the one I’d been given and passed it over. Oma slid my key back to Judith, its rightful owner, while we waited for Karina to come to a decision.

  She held up the little golden arrow and placed it carefully on the board. ‘As the Goddess wishes. I will leave at the next new moon.’

  Conrad had been sitting very still up to now. Always a dangerous sign. He coughed and reached into his pocket to pull out a badge. Oh no.

  ‘Take this,’ he said, offering the badge to Karina. She was so shell-shocked, she took it. On one side is this logo:

  And on the other side is Conrad’s mobile number. And mine. ‘When you’ve finished your pilgrimage, you could join the King’s Watch,’ he said with a smile. ‘We have full equality.’

  Erin had been leaning over to look. ‘Ooh, can I have one?’ she said. ‘Not that I want to join the Watch or anything.’

  Conrad put on a stern face. ‘Can you play cricket?’

  ‘I have no idea. Why?’

  ‘Clerkswell Ladies is recruiting. If you fancy it, give me a call.’ He gave her a smile and handed over a badge.

  Oma cleared her throat. During the nonsense with Conrad and Erin, Karina had pocketed her badge. Interesting.

  Oma gave me Karina’s key. ‘And you should have this, Officer Robson. You are welcome here, should you wish.’

  ‘In the name of the Goddess, thank you,’ I said. That was generous of her.

  ‘And I shall remit a fee to the Constable. Thank you, both of you, for this service. The Arden Foresters are very grateful. Sadly, Watch Captain Clarke, I cannot extend the same gift to you.’

  ‘Can I ask a question?’ said Karina, in the tiniest of voices. She was looking at Conrad. Oma nodded.

  ‘Watch Captain Clarke,’ said Karina, ‘your partner said you might inflict the Blood Eagle on me if I hurt her. Is that true?’

  Conrad shook his head. ‘The Peculier Constable has a policy: the King’s Watch is part of the solution, not part of the problem. I can’t enforce the occult law if I break it, and performing the Blood Eagle would be huge breach, no matter how much you deserved it.’ Karina looked a little disappointed at that, which was quite alarming, but Conrad hadn’t finished. ‘What I’d do is this: I’d come down to your cell in the Undercroft every day and watch you disintegrate. With a bit of luck, I’d be there on the day you took your own life.’

  Karina looked down and swallowed hard. I heard a couple of coughs from round the board.

  ‘And on that note…’ said Oma. She stood up, and we all followed. All except Karina. ‘Erin, the doors please.’

  Oma escorted us to the threshold.

  ‘There is one thing,’ said Conrad. ‘If you would truly do me a service.’

  ‘I can’t deny you, after this,’ said Oma.

  ‘Then see your son.’

  She snorted. ‘As you wish. May the Goddess guide you. Travel well.’

  We bowed, and she returned to face the company of Foresters. Conrad went to the car, but I lingered when Erin waved me over as she closed the doors.

  ‘Is Conrad the coach of this cricket team?’ she asked with a nervous glance at our car.

  Bloody typical. You can’t take him anywhere for Witches (and stable girls) hitting on him.

  ‘Assistant coach,’ I said. ‘His girlfriend is in the team, too. So’s his housekeeper. She’s a Druid. I think you’d like her.’

  ‘What, a real Druid Mage?’

  ‘Aye. A good one, too.’

  ‘What’s she doing in Gloucestershire, then, and why is she his housekeeper.’

  ‘That’s her story to tell. Ask her yourself.’

  ‘I might just do that. See you, Vicky.’

  ‘G’night, Erin.’

  She closed the doors and I headed for the car.

  7

  ‘Well done Vicky,’ said Conrad, as soon as we’d driven through the Wards around Foresters’ Hall. ‘You did a superb job in that forest. You should be proud of yourself.’

  ‘I am. I suppose. It was nice to be above ground for a change, but I’m not so keen to have another encounter with the Fae.’

  ‘Was it that bad?’

  ‘No, and that’s the worrying thing. She was under orders to be nice. There has to have been another agenda going on there. Talking of agendas, what the hell do you think Eliza was up to? She never expected to get away with that, surely?’

  ‘You’d think not. Talk it through, Vic, what was her preferred outcome?’

  ‘Aaron gets killed and Karina shoots the Stag.’

  ‘Which creates all sorts of chaos in the Circle, doesn’t it? Would Oma Bridget have called in the Watch if it hadn’t her nephew who got killed?’

  I thought that one through. ‘She’s a bit harsh, but I didn’t see her playing favourites.’

  ‘Don’t forget, Aaron was very unpopular in some quarters. A lot would have been glad to see him dead, and Oma Bridget was more concerned to be impartial because Ioan was her nephew. She couldn’t have pointed the finger at anyone without being accused of bias by someone else. And we shouldn’t underestimate the chaos that would have been caused if Karina had killed the Stag. Your Fae friends would not be at all amused. If we hadn’t been called in, there would have been too many suspects for Eliza to be proved guilty beyond reasonable doubt.’

  ‘I suppose. We learnt a lot from Karina, didn’t we? And if she’d succeeded in killing the Stag, her testimony would never have come out.’

  ‘Yes. And there’s something else.’

  I waited for him to go on, and when he didn’t, I looked up. It was starting to get light out there, and Conrad looked a bit troubled. ‘What’s up Uncle C?’

  ‘While you were in the forest, I talked to Tanya about all sorts of things, just trying to get gossip, really. She said that Eliza was a week overdue. I think that giving birth in the Grove was a top priority for her, but I’m scared to ask why.’

  I sighed. ‘It can go on our list of unanswered questions, but I’ve a horrible feeling you’re right: I doubt we’ve heard the last from the Arden Foresters.’

  It was almost dawn when we finally reached Clerkswell. I was dead on me feet, but I wasn’t going to let Conrad get away lightly. I was also famished, and he owed me a cooked breakfast. The noise of the car woke up Myfanwy, and she wasn’t going to miss a fry-up, either.

  ‘You know what I think you two should do,’ said Conrad when he’d tied on his apron.

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘Myvvy should pour Vicky a large glass of wine and you should both go through to the drawing room while I cook. Put your voice recorder on, Vic, and tell Myfanwy all about it. You can turn it into a
story later. After all, you’re going to have to write the report.’

  ‘Fine. Can’t argue with that. C’mon, Myfanwy.’

  And that’s why I’ve been telling you this story, not Conrad. He hasn’t seen what I’ve written, but I’m sure he’d want you to know that his cooked breakfasts are worth staying awake for.

  I started typing it up a week later, and I’d just begun when he passed by and dropped a tatty old book on the table.

  ‘That might help,’ he said.

  I lowered the lid on my laptop (to stop him peeking), and looked at the book. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. ‘Eh?’

  ‘My GCSE English set book. It’s got all my annotations in. Don’t worry, I had to rub out the obscene ones before the exam.’

  ‘Eurgh. Why will this help?’

  He gave me his especially annoying smile, the one where he knows something that I don’t. ‘Read it and see.’

  ‘Nah. I’ll Google it later.’

  I pushed the book away and he left me to it. The phone rang shortly after, and I never did get round to Googling the play, and now I’ve finished typing this up, it doesn’t seem worthwhile.

  Vicky, Conrad and the King’s Watch will be returning in more novellas.

  Author’s Note

  I hope you enjoyed this short departure from the main story of Conrad’s journey through the King’s Watch, and I hope you enjoyed finding out what Vicky really thinks about some of the things they get up to.

  This story is also important because if features our heroes’ first real encounter with the Fae. They will definitely be back.

  I hope to write more of these parallel adventures to fit in with future instalments of the Watch – beginning with Nine of Wands.

  The story for Nine of Wands takes place in several locations around England, and has a spin-off story for Conrad set in the East Riding of Yorkshire - Wings over Water.

  As ever, thanks are due to the brilliant Rachel Lawston for designing the cover and to Anne for reading the first draft.

  Finally, Phantom Stag is a lonely little story. Please cheer it up by writing a review on Amazon, Goodreads or anywhere. It makes a huge difference.