Chapter 36

 

Betrayal

 

Olivia limps out from behind one of the larger headstones carrying a large stick.

The Trixies glance up and spread out in front of her.

“Rotten Trixies,” Olivia shouts. “You hurt my cat!”

One of the Trixies starts giggling uncontrollably. Two dance about excitedly while the last one steps forward clapping slowly.

“Brave little cripple girl,” it says coldly. “We all laughed and laughed when our leader told us the gargoyle fell on your head.”

“Yeah!” Olivia snarls. “The Trixie who broke into my room wasn’t laughing when she went out of the window to splatter on the ground. Was she?”

Four sets of glowing red eyes flare brightly. The Trixies’ limbs stretch and their faces distort into fanged, feral mockeries of their glamours. Their fingers flex menacingly—claw tipped and twice as long as human fingers.

Olivia’s face shows her terror at the transformation. She backs away, dragging her injured leg. Her left arm is twisted up uselessly against her chest.

“Our leader wants you for herself but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun and hurt you first.”

Olivia turns and runs. She doesn’t get very far. The Trixies dart ahead, circling her. Giggles is the one behind her now, two split out to either side and the mouthy one who has done all the threatening is walking casually from the front. Olivia backs up until her shoulders press up against a huge marble pillar with a shadowy winged shape on top.

“Please…” Olivia cringes, her voice cracking with fear.

“Pathetic human,” the Trixie scoffs. The other three laugh menacingly. She raises a clawed hand and slashes it down at Olivia’s face.

Olivia straightens and brings up her left arm—her living stone arm—to protect herself.

Claws snap on the stony flesh. The Trixie screams in surprise and pain. It looks down at its ruined hand.

Olivia shoves it in the chest and the Trixie staggers back.

Yip launches off the top of the pillar and lands on Olivia’s shoulder.

“Tricked you,” they both yell.

“NO!” The four Trixies wail together. The creatures start to come slowly apart, strips of their flesh peeling off in tatters and dissolving into shadows.

Giggles tries to run. It takes less than a dozen steps before falling to its knees shrieking in horror as its body also unravels and disappears.

“Tannith is going to kill you,” the leader of the small group says defiantly, just before she collapses in upon herself.

“Tannith?” Olivia’s eyes narrow. She spins about toward the sound of slow deliberate clapping.

“Oh, nicely done,” Tannith congratulates. She is standing atop one of the mausoleums, her golden-blonde hair dancing about her in the cool night breeze. More than a dozen Trixies fan out around her.

Olivia feels a wave of rage wash over her. Tannith is the one who attacked Yip and Cygnet. She is the one who made Cygnet fall. Tannith is the monster who left her scarred and broken and sent creatures to kill her.

She was responsible for Rum-Tum!

Olivia straightens, squaring her shoulders “So, all the friendly stuff today was just one of your twisted games?” Olivia asks.

“Not exactly,” Tannith states. “It turns out your little friend is exceptionally good at setting wards.”

Yip hisses at her.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I could have breached them eventually but I thought it would be easier if I walked my new friend home, and let her invite me inside.”

“You are not my friend,” Olivia snaps.

“Of course I’m not, you stupid girl.” Tannith’s face twists into a feral snarl, hinting at the monster dwelling behind the glamour.

“I was quite disappointed when daddy turned up to collect you.” Tannith sits on the roof of the mausoleum swinging her legs innocently, her features calm again. “I think I might have to arrange something special for your daddy after I finish with you.”

Olivia lunges forward throwing the stick she is holding. It whistles through the air like a missile, spinning end-over-end, straight for Tannith’s hated face.

An instant before it strikes Tannith’s hand flashes up to catch it in mid-air. She flicks her wrist. The stick flies back and smashes Yip right off Olivia’s shoulder.

He hits the ground hard and staggers back to his feet.

“First,” Tannith says, as she leaps to the ground, “I’m going to take your little gargoyle friend and snap his head off with my bare hands.”

“I’m not a gargoyle,” Yip snaps. “I am a Grotesque, a Guardian of St. Giles.”

Olivia remembers the chalk drawing by the gates to the park. She sees again the broken Grotesque’s head lying on the ground.

Olivia sprints off, ducking and weaving through the headstones, leaving Yip to face the Trixies alone.