by TJ Green
“Agreed,” Avery said decisively. “And El, you should tell Newton in the morning, before he sees Ethan.”
“Well,” Reuben said, sipping his whiskey to fortify himself, “I guess me and Caspian must persist in finding out what our families did. Although, they seem to have covered their trail very well.”
“If you struggle, I could try to summon one of their spirits,” Alex suggested warily.
Avery rounded on him. “You are not going into the spirit world again!”
“I’m not suggesting I do,” he said patiently. “I’ll call them to me. In a full circle of protection, too. They might even have a way to help Helena.”
“Okay.” Reuben nodded. “We’ll keep that option in mind. And now, before I collapse and my adrenalin wears off completely, tell us about these spriggans.”
Avery looked at Dan and Sally’s shocked faces and laughed. “It’s incredible, isn’t it?”
They exchanged bewildered glances, and Sally said, “I guess that’s one word for it.” She lowered her voice and looked around the shop, making sure it was still empty. “Where is it now?”
“At Reuben’s. Neither he nor Caspian are leaving the house, and it’s fully protected, so that seemed like the best place.” She grimaced. “I mean, there is the slight issue of the hole in the wall in Reuben’s billiards room, but I think they’re trying to fix that with magic today.”
They were behind the counter at Happenstance Books at just after nine the next morning, discussing the treasure. Despite the fact that Avery had slept for only a few hours, she had awoken refreshed and energised, fuelled by their success the night before.
Sally’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “I am still shocked that Caspian has moved into Reuben’s place. Are you sure Reuben will be safe?”
Avery tried to reassure her. “I’m certain. He was seriously injured. They’re both being targeted, and they’re helping each other.”
“So you’re sure now it wasn’t a set-up to get Reuben?” Dan asked, referring back to their conversation of the previous day.
“Positive. I told you, if we hadn’t arrived there yesterday, Caspian might be dead.”
“All right, I’m convinced.” Dan turned to Sally. “She is a good judge of character.”
Sally still looked doubtful. “If a little too willing to see peoples’ good sides sometimes.”
Avery was annoyed. “Sally!”
Sally looked contrite and hugged her. “I’m sorry. I just worry about you. Honestly, the things you get up to lately. And I’m still freaked out by your flying thing.”
Avery felt terrible and hugged her back. “I’m so sorry about that. It was instinctive. I didn’t mean to scare you.” She held Sally’s hands and looked at her worried expression. If she’d been in Sally’s shoes, she’d be worried too. Avery’s life was odd, and she was lucky that Sally and Dan accepted it so well. “In fact, I apologise to both of you. I take you for granted and I shouldn’t.”
Sally smiled softly. “No, you don’t.”
Dan pretended to vomit. “Ugh. Pack it in you two soppy idiots.”
“Piss off, Dan,” Avery joked as she hugged Sally again.
“I’m just looking forward to gossiping about you again,” Dan teased. “We’ll do it over elevenses, when you’ve buggered off on some mad pursuit. I presume you have one today?”
Avery tried to look affronted, and then had to concede he was right. “I’m going to have a look at St Catherine’s Castle in the daylight, just in case I can see where the entrance to the cellar might be.”
Dan frowned. “I’ve never heard talk about deep, dark cellars, but maybe they were blocked up years ago, and all reference has been lost.”
“Or, the entrance is in the grounds,” Sally suggested, “and the cellar isn’t attached to the house, but is something completely separate.”
“That’s actually a good suggestion, Sally,” Avery admitted.
Sally looked smug. “Thank you.”
“Oh, you two! Blah, blah, blah,” Dan said, waving his hand airily. “Back to the pirate treasure. What’s in it?”
Now they both glared at Dan, before Avery said, “Lots of gold coins, some jewellery, and some gems. I’m no expert, though. The boys will get Newton round later today to look at them.”
“Can we see them?”
“I guess so. But you both have to keep this very quiet! Like top secret quiet.”
“Witches’ honour,” Dan said, saluting. “Now, what about the spriggans?”
“Oh, good. I’m glad you’ve brought that up. They were crazy strong! They had massive shadows that could actually touch us, but they looked like funny little wizened men.”
Dan’s eyes lit up. “Fantastic to know that these folklore creatures really exist! I wish I could see one.”
“No, you don’t,” Avery told him. “They are vicious and deadly. I’m convinced now that one of them killed Inez and the other two victims. We had to bind them and spell them to sleep.”
“I’m glad you didn’t kill them,” Dan said, relieved. “And it means the lore is right. They do guard treasure. Fascinating.”
“Let’s just hope Shadow can communicate with them in some way. It would be nice to have them on our side,” Avery mused.
“Talk of the devil,” Sally said, nodding to where Shadow was striding past the window. “Here she is.”
The bell jingled as Shadow strode in, and her eyes lit up as she joined them. “I have news!”
“Spriggan news?” Avery asked, feeling hopeful.
“Absolutely!” She looked around, frowning. “No customers yet?”
“No, so get on with it,” Dan said impatiently.
Shadow huffed. “It’s a good thing I like you. Anyway, after I spoke to Briar, I had a think about what they may be and whether they had a link to my world, but I honestly couldn’t think of anything similar. I decided I had to see one first hand, so I headed to Looe last night with Gabe, and ventured down to the tunnel where Inez died.” She smiled at them triumphantly. “And I found one!”
“Strange you should say that,” Avery confessed. “So did we. Two of them actually, in Fowey.”
Shadow’s shoulders dropped and her smile faded. “Oh! Did you talk to them?”
“Talk? Ha!” Avery snorted. “They tried to kill us. We had to bind them with magic and put a sleeping spell on them.”
Shadow relaxed and smiled again. “That’s okay, then.”
Avery wasn’t entirely sure what was okay about her and Alex nearly being killed, but she presumed Shadow hadn’t wanted her to steal her thunder.
“Did they speak English?” Dan asked, intrigued.
“A mix of English and old fey, actually.”
“Hold on,” Avery said, “why didn’t it attack you?”
Shadow leaned her hip on the counter. “It did, initially. We went in fully armed, but Gabe was more than a match for its strength and managed to pin it against the wall so I could speak to it. It also helped that I bribed it with fey metal.”
“What kind of metal?” Sally asked.
“I offered it one of my fey-made armguards from my armour in exchange for information, and its little eyes gleamed!” She laughed. “And it was that easy!” Shadow’s version of easy was very different to Avery’s. “It seems that it kills on instinct. It doesn’t really plan its attack. It’s quite a simple creature, really. Inez and Newton disturbed it, and it lashed out. They love precious metals—it sort of calls to them, and the reason it’s still hanging around that passage is because it still scents gold. ” She shrugged nonchalantly.
Sally crossed her arms and huffed. “You shouldn’t look so pleased about it. Inez is dead!”
“I’m not pleased about that!” Shadow shot back. “I’m pleased I could speak to it.” She tried to make her tone more conciliatory, and clearly struggled with it. “It is part giant, too. That piece of folklore is correct. I could sense the spirit of one contained within it.”
Dan shook h
is head, confused. “But how does that even work?”
“I don’t know…and as I said, it’s a simple creature. It is what it is, so it couldn’t tell me. But it’s ancient, I could tell that, too. They have probably been part of the landscape here for millennia, hidden underground, guarding ancient hoards, or even base metals in the ground.”
“I felt it, actually,” Avery said, recalling the ancient magic she had sensed the night before. “Old, powerful magic, and you’re right. It’s completely rooted in the earth. Did it know anything about the pirate treasure?” she asked. “Or had it been motivated by someone in some way?”
Shadow shook her head. “It didn’t know anything. From my admittedly limited interaction with it, it’s like a bloodhound. Or should I say dragon?” She nodded to herself, as if confirming her own idea. “Yes, that’s exactly it. Dragons love gold, too. It calls to them, and they sniff it out and sit on it. Spriggans are the same.”
“So it couldn’t tell you where other treasure might be, or whether more spriggans are there?” Avery persisted.
“No. But at least we know a way to stop them from being violent.”
“Have you spoken to El about this yet?” Avery asked. “She’s going to Perranporth to investigate the tin mine this morning. This will be really important for her to know!”
“No. But in that case, I’ll go to see her now.” Shadow pulled her phone out of her pocket and quickly texted her, and then patted the messenger bag she carried. “I’ve got a few trinkets in here for all of you—just in case.”
Dan’s eyes widened. “Fey metals?”
Shadow grinned as she pulled out another armguard and some fey coins and placed them on the counter.
“By the Gods,” Dan said, examining the armour. “This is amazing workmanship.”
He was right. The engraving was intricate and breathtaking, but the metal was light, too.
“Not ‘by the gods’, but fey masters,” Shadow said, her eyes taking on a faraway look. “Such skill.”
Sally looked at her, concerned. “Are you certain you want to give these away, Shadow? Surely they’re precious to you?”
“They are, but I’ve kept the bigger pieces. And besides,” she addressed the counter rather than them, “my friends’ safety is more important.”
Avery, Dan, and Sally shared astonished glances before Shadow looked up at them again, her violet eyes bright, and Avery once more reflected on what a contrary creature she could be. She smiled at her. “Thank you. We appreciate it.”
“My pleasure,” Shadow said, dropping her gaze shyly. “Anyway, I’ll leave these with you, and go see El.” She shouldered her bag, and then paused. “Oh, I knew there was something else. Have you seen the news this morning?”
They all shook their heads, and Avery said, “No, why?”
“That blonde reporter was on, doing a piece about White Haven Museum. She was interviewing Ethan James. It turns out that part of the stuff they found were Zephaniah Job’s old ledgers. They contain a mine of information about smuggling connections and money across Cornwall, apparently.”
Avery nearly spat her coffee out. “Seriously? Wow.”
“Does that help you?”
Avery’s mind raced with possibilities. “Yes, I think it might.”
“Great! Call me if you need me!”
They watched her go, and then Dan slid her gifts under the counter as they watched a couple of customers enter before turning to Avery. “So, Zephaniah Job. His ledgers weren’t destroyed after all. He could have all sorts of secrets in them!”
“I agree. Now I’m convinced that Ethan found a bloody treasure map!”
Chapter 22
Caspian walked around Reuben’s kitchen while he spoke to Gabe on the phone, moving gingerly so as not to aggravate his injury. “Are you sure there’s no damage?”
“None at all,” he reassured him. Gabe had phoned him to explain that the large warehouse in Harecombe was attacked by ghosts during the night, but the protection spells had held. “Barak and Niel said they could just about see them, and it was a half-hearted attempt only. I’m hoping they won’t bother again.”
“I think there must have been a dozen here last night, as well as the ones at my place earlier. How the hell many are there?”
Gabe grunted in his usual, non-committal way. “Hard to say. Depends what your ancestors got up to, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it does,” Caspian conceded. “No injuries, then?”
“None. They sent the regular staff inside, so all good there.” Gabe fell silent a moment, and then asked, “Is there anything we should know about Estelle?”
“No, why?” Caspian answered quickly. What had she said now?
“Nothing, she’s just a bit, er, crankier than usual.”
“Well, that’s Estelle for you.” He refused to elaborate. He couldn’t, anyway. Who the hell knew what she was thinking right now?
Caspian heard Reuben enter the room, and he turned to see him head for the fridge, nodding at him in greeting. Caspian nodded back. Gabe continued to update him, telling him how he and Shadow had found a spriggan, as well. Caspian paused in front of the patio doors, not really noticing the fine drizzle starting to fall as he absorbed the news, and then they chatted about the business for a few more minutes before hanging up.
Reuben looked none the worse for his late night, and was busying himself getting bacon and eggs from the fridge. He glanced up at Caspian. “Breakfast?”
Caspian didn’t normally have breakfast, preferring only coffee before heading to the office, but this morning it appealed to him. Perhaps it was the overcast weather, or the odd, bunkered-down mood he found himself in, sharing Reuben’s house. He nodded. “Yes, please. Sounds great, actually.”
“Bacon and eggs always does. Did I hear you mention spriggans?”
He nodded and updated him on Shadow’s success with fey treasure.
Reuben paused, about to put the bacon in the frying pan. “Is she telling El?”
“Apparently, although she headed to Avery’s first.”
It was strange; he found himself reluctant to say Avery’s name, as if he might give his feelings away, but Reuben was too worried about El. And besides, he didn’t strike Caspian as the type to discuss love lives—or the lack of them. He doubted Reuben had ever had a lack of love life, ever. He watched his easy, laidback attitude, and noted he was like that with everyone, a subtle but supreme confidence in himself. Caspian exuded confidence too, and a tinge of arrogance—he’d been accused of it often enough—but he also knew that he didn’t always feel that way, and he doubted Reuben did, too.
Reuben just nodded and continued to cook. “Good. I’m worried about El, but she’s headstrong, and magically strong, so I have to trust her.”
“Have to?”
Reuben laughed. “Yes. But I do, anyway. Those bloody mines are dark and damp and treacherous though, so I’m glad Shadow can help.”
“I take it El and Briar are already at work?”
“Yeah.” Reuben sighed and met Caspian’s eyes, looking grim. “We have to find out what our ancestors did!”
Caspian refreshed his coffee cup and sat down at the wooden table in the corner of the room. “But what if we can’t? Does it matter?”
Reuben turned around, half an eye on the bacon, and slung a tea towel over his shoulder. “I suppose it depends on what we want to do, or can do.” He shifted his weight, leaning against the counter and waving the spatula as he spoke. “Virginia and Serephina cast a spell together to stop the Dane—we know that much. We assume that it was either to protect their businesses, the towns, or both.”
“Or could it be revenge for something? Someone who was hurt, or a business that was damaged?”
Reuben nodded. “Maybe, but whatever the motive, they acted together, in an unusual show of trust.”
“Unless, of course, at that point in our history, they actually were friends,” Caspian countered, amused by the thought.
Reu
ben gave a wry smile. “It’s possible.” And then his expression sobered. “But why not go to the Witch Council? That would be their obvious support, right?”
“Actually, I don’t think the council existed then. And remember, it was harder to communicate between towns far away. Penzance would have meant hours of travel, unless they went by boat. The roads were probably awful. Closer would have been better.” He tried to recall what his father had told him. “I don’t think the council existed until later on in the 1900s…not like it is now, anyway.”
“I guess it doesn’t matter,” Reuben reasoned. “But I do think the spell is important. It was designed to get rid of Coppinger, and it worked. He disappeared, and it looks like his men went with him. Piecing it together, they must have wrecked the ship he was trying to escape in. Some of his men would have been on that, but others would have been here, surely, continuing the business.”
Caspian nodded. “That would make sense. He had a big operation, was ruthless, and surely energetic, when you consider he was moving down from the north of Cornwall.”
Reuben turned to flip the bacon. “But Bodmin was the central hub. A network carried smuggled goods there from all over Cornwall, and then on to the rest of England. They would have all known each other—or of each other, at least.”
“And would have probably divided Cornwall between them.”
Reuben laughed. “But there’s clearly no honour among thieves, is there, if Coppinger was moving into other areas.”
“I would imagine he was universally disliked. Actually, hated is more likely. He terrified people.” Caspian had also been reading the books about smuggling that El and Avery had bought in Bodmin.
“You happy to have your bacon and eggs in a sandwich?” Reuben asked, already slicing crusty bread.
“Absolutely.”
Reuben plated their breakfast up and carried them to the table, where he took a seat, too. He had a large bite, sighing with satisfaction as he swallowed. “Awesome. So, I suggest we head up to my attic where my spell books are, take yours there too, and search them thoroughly. I honestly think the key to understanding what’s happening now is to understand what happened then.”