Reuben studied the hole in the wall of his billiards room and mourned one of his favourite spaces, a place where he and Gil had spent many happy hours.
“Well, what a bloody mess. I suppose I should be grateful that they didn’t blow the whole bloody house up.”
The dust had finally settled, but bricks were strewn inside and out, and the billiard table was upended, as were other items and furniture. Caspian, El, Ash, and Briar were with him, inspecting the mess.
Caspian’s eyes narrowed as he inhaled deeply. “Gunpowder. It’s very distinctive. I guess it’s something they’d be familiar with.” He turned to look at Reuben. “Intriguing.”
“That’s one word for it.” Reuben looked up at the cracks in the ceiling. “For spirits, they’re remarkably destructive.”
“And remarkably solid!” El added. “I know I was carrying the Empusa’s sword, but they had a real physical substance!”
Ash nodded. “I agree.” His wings had now disappeared and he was wearing his t-shirt again. “They are certainly bridging two worlds now, and that’s ominous.”
El righted one of the upended chairs and leaned against it, thoughtful. “It reminds me of when we encountered the ghosts at White Haven Castle last year. They had a strong physical presence too, and we thought that was because of our magic.”
“Good point,” Briar agreed, “which lends weight to our beliefs that the spirits are being strengthened by a witch.” She looked a little sheepish. “Sorry about your garden, Reuben. I’ll fix that in the morning.”
“No need to apologise,” he said breezily. “You helped get rid of them. Thank you.” Reuben was always amazed by how much power Briar wielded in such a small frame.
“The important thing,” El said, moving next to him and sliding her arm around his waist, “was that they didn’t get to either of you. But wow, your families must have really pissed them off!”
Caspian scratched his head. “That’s something I know we’ve been good at for a long time. And this, to me, has the feel of a curse. We were good at those, too.”
Just then, a door banged at the front of the house, and Avery shouted, “Hello?”
“Down here,” Reuben shouted back.
He had called Alex after the attack, taking a chance that they’d still be up, and wanting to make sure he and Avery were okay. Alex leapt at the chance to come over, telling him they had news. In a few minutes, Alex and Avery stood next to them, mouths hanging open.
“Bloody hell,” Alex said. “I thought we’d had a crap night. What happened here?”
“Ghosts,” Ash said dryly.
Alex looked sceptical. “With explosives? Or was that one of you?”
Reuben laughed. Well, he tried to; it got stuck in his throat. “Nope. That was them.” He finally turned away from the hole in his wall and had a good look at the new arrivals. They were both dishevelled, their clothes rumpled and their faces smeared with dirt. “You’re filthy. What have you been up to?”
“Spriggans and buried treasure,” Avery said, unable to suppress a grin.
Everyone’s attention now left the smoking ruins and switched to Avery.
Briar almost stuttered. “You’ve found treasure?”
Alex and Avery were both grinning insufferably, but at least it was taking Reuben’s mind off repair bills and feeling like he had a death warrant on his head.
Alex preened. “Yes, and if you fix us a drink, we’ll bring it in.”
Five minutes later, they were assembled in the snug, after plugging the hole with yet more protection spells. Ash had volunteered to keep watch, anyway. Three wooden chests were in the middle of the room, their lids open, revealing the collection of gold coins and jewels within.
Reuben stood transfixed, arms folded across his chest. “Herne’s magnificent hairy balls! You actually found treasure.”
In fact they were all mesmerised, standing in a circle, just staring.
“Where did you find this, again?” Briar asked.
“We think we were beneath St Catherine’s Castle,” Avery said, going on to explain the hidden tunnels. “I’d like to go back in the day, actually, just to check the grounds, but I doubt we’ll find a thing.”
“That place is a complete ruin,” Caspian agreed. “If there’s an entrance, it’s been long buried by earth and rubble.”
“How much do you reckon that’s worth now?” El asked.
“Hundreds of thousands of pounds, probably,” Alex estimated. He stepped forward, picking up a few coins to examine. “A few guineas, doubloons, and…” He frowned. “Something else I don’t recognise.”
It was as if he’d broken a spell, and they all started to pull coins and jewels out, a palpable excitement filling the room.
“But,” Alex continued, “we think this is part of a larger hoard. It has to be, or why does there seem to be a few sites involved?”
Reuben looked at his old friend and nodded. “Something like this must have been in the chests in Looe. Maybe they carried it out in bags instead.”
Caspian had retreated to the sofa again, the night beginning to take its toll. “Bags would certainly look less conspicuous.” His hand rested gently on the site of his stab wound, and Briar immediately headed to his side to offer another healing spell.
“You should go to bed and sleep,” she advised him.
Caspian shook his head. “I’m not missing out on this! Besides, I need more whiskey to get me to sleep after all this excitement.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Reuben said, heading to the cupboard where he kept a bottle and glasses. His head was buzzing with the events of the night, and after passing round drinks to those who wanted one, he sat down. “Tell us about Mariah again.”
Avery looked bleak with disappointment. She always thought the best of people, and no doubt Mariah’s betrayal was a shock. Actually, to be fair, it was to Reuben, too. He just happened to be more cynical than Avery.
“There’s not much to tell,” she said, easing into the armchair. “She snuck out of Ethan’s home looking very shifty. She has to be involved, and not in a good way.” She looked at Caspian. “You know her better than any of us. What do you think?”
He met her eyes briefly, before glancing at the rest of them. “I’m afraid that since I have become friends with you, she and Zane are ignoring me. They feel I’ve betrayed them.” He gave a dry laugh. “They were big fans of my father, and our families go back many years. But, Zane and Mariah are both vindictive, narrow-minded, and spiteful. I’m honestly not surprised she’s involved. She probably knows a lot more about that cave in Looe than she’s letting on. What was she like at the council meeting?”
Avery shrugged. “Her normal self, really. If anything, I found her more animated than normal, but maybe that’s because she was being questioned about smuggling in Looe. She certainly didn’t seem awkward or guilty.”
Briar’s hand flew to her chest. “I hope she wasn’t behind Inez’s death. Or the man on the cliff top.”
Alex shook his head. “I think that’s the spriggans. But she must be responsible for the super-powered ghosts.”
“Wow,” Briar said, flabbergasted. “Should we tell Genevieve yet?”
Avery answered immediately. “No. We’re sure she didn’t see us, and what if other witches are involved?”
“But Genevieve wouldn’t be. We can trust her,” El said.
Reuben looked at his friend’s pensive faces. “I think Avery is right. Let’s keep this between us. Whatever her reasons are, she’s involved. Maybe she’s connected to pirates in some way, or maybe she’s a close friend of Ethan’s and is getting a cut of the treasure. I don’t actually care. The important thing is working out how to stop her.”
“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 his 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!”