Page 26 of A Skirl of Sorcery (The Cat Lady Chronicles #3)

Chapter

Twenty-One

‘What the fuck, Kit?’

My response was mild, even though Thane looked incandescent with rage.

I stroked She Who Loves Sunbeams, cooed at She Without An Ear, and grinned at He Who Crunches Bird Bones as he batted a determined paw at Tiddles.

‘I gave Keres my word that I would find her magic and return it to her,’ I repeated,

‘And if you can’t?’ he demanded. ‘When you’re writhing on the floor and screaming in agony because you gave your word to a dead woman?’

‘Keres isn’t dead.’

‘Yet.’

‘She needed to hear me say it, Thane. She’ll cling on to life for longer if she believes there’s a chance that she’ll get her powers back. All it means is that I have to succeed.’

‘All,’ he scoffed.

I gazed at him. With his hands on his hips and his face in a scowl, he looked remarkably cute. ‘It’ll be fine. Stop fretting.’

He threw me an irritated look. ‘I’ve spoken to several people and I think you’re right that the Barrows are also victims. Nobody has seen Ashina for weeks.

Other Barrow pack elders have also been absent, and they’ve been buying up all sorts of random medical supplies from witchery stores.

I’m certain they’ve been attacked in a similar way to Keres. ’

His voice darkened. ‘What would you have said to me if I hadn’t vowed to keep my distance and stormed up to Cayden to give him my word that I’d save the entire Barrow pack from extinction?’

‘I wouldn’t be happy,’ I conceded. That was an understatement. Another confrontation with any of the Barrow werewolves, let alone with Cayden, would result in more bloodshed. A lot more.

Thane raised his eyebrows to emphasise his point. I waved a hand at him, indicating that I understood his feelings but it was too late. I couldn’t unsay what I’d already said: the vow had been made.

‘You’re not normally this rash, Kit.’

He was right. ‘I guess I feel a sort of kinship with her. We both have an odd relationship with death that’s unlike other people’s experience.’ Thane continued to look unimpressed. ‘Besides,’ I continued, ‘I think I might know who’s behind all this.’

‘Who?’

I told him about my encounter with Bin. ‘Since then I’ve learned that the Shellycoats were burgled not long before Keres lost her powers.’

‘Okay.’

‘Keres was burgled not long before she lost her powers, too.’

This time his answer was more drawn out. ‘Okaay.’

‘And one of the windows at the Barrow stronghold had been broken and boarded up,’ I finished, ‘I think they might have also been burgled.’

His green eyes narrowed. ‘By this same trow?’

‘I don’t have any proof of that, and I’m not saying he’s definitely involved – at this point it’s little more than a punt. But it does seem strange, doesn’t it?’

‘It’s worth investigating,’ he agreed reluctantly. ‘Although it might be an unlucky coincidence.’

‘Captain Montgomery is coming up with a list of recent home burglaries. If it matches more of the magic-loss victims, we’ll have Bin the trow bang to rights.’

‘How long will that take?’

I shrugged. To be fair to Montgomery, he was a busy man. ‘A few days, I guess. Maybe longer.’

Thane’s frown deepened. ‘Does Keres have that much time?’

I certainly hoped so. ‘We don’t have to wait for the list.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because Bin told me where he lives.’ I checked my watch. ‘And if we go now, we can catch him before he heads out for the night. The sun won’t set for another two hours.’

Thane was already moving towards the door. ‘Then what are we waiting for?’

We travelled sans cats. I checked over my shoulder several times to make sure that Tiddles wasn’t following us but it appeared that while she was unwilling to accept my orders to stay at home, she was prepared to do what Thane told her.

‘Cat caviar,’ he informed me, after I glanced behind me for what was probably the twentieth time.

I blinked. ‘Huh?’

‘I import it from Edinburgh specially. It costs a fortune but when I give it to Tiddles, she does exactly what I tell her. It’s worth its weight in gold.

’ I stared at him. ‘Don’t worry,’ Thane continued.

‘I left some for your furry family, too. It’s special – it’s not like normal caviar because that’s not safe for cats.

This stuff is good for their health as well as their behaviour. ’

I wondered which came first, the cheeky behaviour or the expensive caviar? I sneaked a look at Thane’s expression; it might be wise not to suggest that Tiddles was actually training him to give it to her. Besides, I didn’t disapprove, far from it. ‘Okay.’

‘Have I gone overboard?’

‘That’s not for me to say.’ I paused. ‘Just don’t try to tame me into submission with expensive treats.’

Thane grinned. ‘I wouldn’t dare.’

‘I saw your stocked fridge when I broke into your flat.’

‘You mean the flat I can no longer go back to?’

I pulled a face.

‘It’s okay, Kit. There are other places where I can stay.

’ The purple sparks of the approaching tram appeared.

It slowed to a stop in front of us and the doors slid open.

‘But I did buy that food for you. I wanted to cook for you, and I will. After we’ve enjoyed some sizzling sex, I will make you dinner.

Or breakfast. Or,’ he smiled slowly, ‘whatever you want.’

The tram driver looked impressed. Thane winked at her, dropped two tokens into her outstretched hand and walked towards the nearest empty seats.

‘Cat caviar,’ I whispered to myself, then I smiled at the driver and joined Thane.

The journey to the stop nearest to Green Humbleton, where Bin the trow had told me he lived, was pleasantly long.

To begin with there was a reasonable gap of about three inches between Thane and me but it didn’t take long for it to close.

Thane initiated the move and shifted closer to me.

When his thigh was pressed against mine and we were shoulder to shoulder, I realised how comforting his body heat was.

He possessed a warm, reassuring solidity.

I dropped my head onto his shoulder. ‘I’m glad you’re here,’ I mumbled. ‘I missed you during the full moon.’

Thane took hold of my fingers and squeezed them. ‘Is that some genuine emotional honesty from the cat lady?’

‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘It is.’

I heard the answering smile in his voice. ‘I missed you, too. I’m still sorry I wasn’t there when you came around with Tiddles.’

‘You should have left a note,’ I agreed. ‘But it’s okay. You don’t need to apologise twice.’ I paused. ‘I’m not sorry I gave my word to Keres, though I should have told you what I was doing first.’

‘I don’t want anything bad to happen to you, Kit, but your decisions are your own. I only want to know you’re doing everything you can to stay safe.’

Feeling a wash of relief, I snuggled closer. ‘Ditto.’

We lapsed into silence for the remainder of the tram ride, enjoying the peace we brought each other.

There were different ways to compromise within relationships and I decided I liked this way very much; in fact, I was almost disappointed when the tram pulled into its final stop – but then I thought about Keres, pale-faced and shaking.

I jumped up, straightened my shoulders and strode off the tram. I could be a snuggly kitty and a ferocious tiger. Both were good.

‘I know this area,’ Thane said as he alighted behind me. ‘The fastest way to Green Humbleton is through those trees. I come here sometimes during the full moon, though it’s been a while. The last time I was here, I ran into a clump of concealed wolfsbane.’

I glanced at him. ‘Just lying around?’

‘Yeah.’ He pursed his lips. ‘I wasn’t sure if someone had left it deliberately or it had been dropped by accident.’

Given the price of wolfsbane recently, I doubted it was the latter. ‘And yet you’ve not been back to this area since,’ I pointed out.

Thane scratched his chin and we exchanged looks. A beat later, we both picked up the pace.

Green Humbleton couldn’t be described as a large settlement. It was too far from the city limits to count as part of Coldstream and too small to be considered a village in its own right, not to mention that there were no visible buildings. But there was still magic bound into the land.

Usually you had to be close to the border between Scotland and England to feel the natural ground enchantments and Green Humbleton was several miles away, yet the thrum of magic was tangible.

This was protected land. As far as I was aware, annals that went back five centuries had decreed this land should be maintained as a green space as much as possible.

Those laws certainly suited the trows, who lived in holes in the ground.

Tourists visiting the area would probably have likened them to fictional hobbit holes, but tourists weren’t allowed here.

This was a place for a peaceful rural life, not social media, and it helped that it looked like an uninspiring field rather than a magical fairy landscape.

Thane frowned as he surveyed the area. ‘It’s one thing finding Green Humbleton, it’s another locating a trow in Green Humbleton.’ He waved an arm. ‘All I can see is grass. I can’t scent much, even though my senses are still heightened from the full moon.’

I smiled serenely. ‘Don’t worry. We’ll find Bin.’

‘You have a contact here? Somebody you know from your EEL days who can pinpoint his home?’

‘Nope.’

‘He told you his address?’ He cast a dubious glance around the empty green space.

‘Nope.’

‘You’ve formulated a tracking spell?’

‘Nope.’ Maybe I could have used the shell that Tiddles had unearthed outside the Shellycoat home to come up with something like that, but I’d not kept it. And anyway, there hadn’t been time to make spells.

Thane’s frown deepened. ‘What then?’

‘Patience.’

He squinted. ‘Patience? That’s your big plan?’

‘It’s the assassin’s greatest weapon – well, that and a lovely sharp dagger.’ I glanced up at the sky, which was darkening to a deep magenta. ‘Although given the way dusk is settling in, we won’t have to be patient for long.’

There was a muffled rumbling noise and Thane raised an eyebrow. ‘Not long at all. I’ve never been here at the right time to see any trows wandering around.’

‘Well, now’s your chance.’

The first trow to appear was a female who emerged from the ground about a hundred metres away.

Given the growing darkness, the only way I could tell she was female was by the shape of her bonnet, which was typical of those worn by all trow women.

She was followed immediately by another trow-shaped figure, probably a male.

Over to the left, three more appeared. In front of us eight more emerged in a line from the ground as if Mother Earth had given birth to them. Thane whistled.

‘It’s quite a sight, isn’t it?’ I whispered.

‘I can’t make out any of their faces, Kit. How will you tell which trow is ours?’

I grinned. ‘That part’s easy. Bin will be the trow who’s running.’ I delved into my pocket and withdrew a slender torch. I wouldn’t use it to light any faces; there was a far faster way to locate the trow I wanted from this crowd which, now that the sun had disappeared, numbered around three dozen.

I flicked on the torch and angled it up to illuminate my features.

‘He’s met you,’ Thane breathed as several of the trows turned in our direction. ‘And he’s scared of you.’

‘Got it in one. I give it five seconds.’

Thane scanned the area. ‘Five,’ he said, counting down. ‘Four, three, two…’

A single figure broke away from the others and sprinted in the opposite direction away from us. ‘One.’ I smiled coldly.

Then, for the second time that week, I ran Bin the thieving trow down.