A Hollow in the Hills (11 page)

‘And what did the memory buy you?' asked Silver. She settled herself on the chaise lounge in the centre of the opulent room, stretching out her long legs.

‘Holly killed the angel Haniel. I don't know when exactly, although the night of the earthquake seems most likely. They were on top of Shielmartin Hill, in the broken cairn, on Howth Head. She took his spark and buried it and – and I think she woke something up, or started to.
She released the Fear.'

‘Holly?' Silver stiffened all over and every trace of colour drained from her pale face. ‘Holly's back.' She took a breath, a choked, desperate sound, and balled her hands into fists. ‘But she wouldn't. She couldn't do that.'

Did she really doubt Holly's power? Or did she just wish it wasn't so? Was it just denial that made her say it?

‘We've seen them,' Jinx interrupted, before Silver could continue. ‘We barely escaped them. One of Amadán's people fell victim to them. And someone at Izzy's school too. Maybe more that we don't know about. I think they're on the hunt, Silver. I think that old story is very real.'

‘What story?' asked Dylan.

‘It's Sídhe mythology. Old stories.' Silver thrust her chin out, gritting her teeth, the picture of stubbornness.

‘Silver,' Jinx chided. ‘We
saw
them.'

‘You don't understand. None of you do. The Fear weren't the only things imprisoned. The cairn on Shielmartin is only part of it, one weakened lock since it was broken down. And if they're out, if she has opened that first door … She knows where the others are. Everything else could get out as well.'

‘Like what?' Jinx asked. ‘Come on, Silver. What other imaginary things might get out?'

‘The Shining Ones?' The words fell like stones from her mouth and Jinx sucked in a breath, his face pale as parchment.

‘They… they
aren't
real.'

‘The Fear
are
but not the Shining Ones? One story is but
not the other? Listen to yourself. Old stories can be true, Jinx, even if we wish they weren't. I know that. And the cairns held them in. But Holly would have to be …
insane
to do this.'

Insane? Didn't she know her own mother? If anything, ‘insane' was an understatement.

‘Silver,' he tried to make his voice calm, tried to make her believe him. ‘It was Holly. She's come back. She's still powerful. She killed Haniel and took his power.'

‘There was something else,' said Izzy, choosing her words with care. ‘She made something – like a strip of metal, all silvery and blue. She took it with her.'

Silver frowned and her gaze fell on Jinx, so cold and hard that he couldn't help but squirm. ‘Jinx?' He couldn't hide it from her. He couldn't hide anything from her and he'd known all along she would worm it from him. He lifted his chin and Silver scowled. ‘Let me see.'

‘See what?' Izzy asked, but Jinx couldn't look away from Silver now.

‘It was Osprey. She gave it to him. He put it on me.' He stepped forward and knelt before Silver. She leaned in close examining his throat where, as he feared, a new line of tattoos had appeared, encircling his neck. A noose, the Storyteller had called it.

Silver touched his head with delicate fingers, brushed his hair back from his face as if he was still a child.

‘Oh Jinx, that can't be good.'

‘What is it?' Izzy asked again, impatiently this time. Jinx
looked up and Silver glared at her.

‘Holly has ways of controlling Jinx, a very particular type of spell. This is one of them. A new one. A powerful one.'

‘That's what the Storyteller meant?' Izzy asked, leaning in close to look as well. It made him uncomfortably aware of her. ‘More tattoos?'

‘What did she say to him?' Silver asked.

‘I'm right here,' Jinx replied. ‘I could tell you myself.'

‘Not that we'd be sure you'd tell us everything,' said Silver. ‘You have an appalling habit of trying to handle everything yourself. Izzy?'

‘She said there would be two more and that each one would tighten it. She called it a noose.'

‘Holly plans to kill him? No, I don't think so. She always valued him too highly for that.'

She did? That was news to Jinx. And worrying. Why? Why did she value him? Because Holly only valued things that were of use to her. And he didn't want to be of use to her.

‘What's the Daughter of Míl?' asked Izzy.

Silver blinked at her, surprised. ‘That would be you, although I haven't heard that name in many years.'

‘The king of the Fear used it.'

‘You met their king?' She went so still, all her attention focused on Izzy. ‘You met Eochaid?'

‘Yes. He said I was promised to him. What does that even mean?'

An awkward silence answered her, weighing on all of them
until Silver replied. ‘That's something you need to ask your father. But Míl … Míl was Grigori, like you. And he was the one who sealed Eochaid away. Only one of them could survive, if the Shining Ones were to be defeated. It's an old story, and not one for me to tell.' She sighed, the sound ragged, and sat forward. ‘Jinx, call my messengers. We need to alert the Council and summon them. Immediately.'

A jangling tune interrupted Silver, silencing her and Izzy started. They all stared at Izzy as she flushed red.

‘My phone.' She pulled it out of her pocket and answered the call, not caring who heard her relief. ‘Dad! Are you – yes, yes fine. I'm in the Market – Yes.' She looked up, her eyes filling with doubt all of a sudden. ‘Yes, Silver's here.'

There was a pause and then she held the slim phone out to Silver. ‘He wants to talk to you.'

It didn't escape Jinx's notice that when Silver took the phone, her hand was shaking.

‘Grigori,' she said. The deferential tone made Jinx uncomfortable, but he knew exactly why she used it. Even talking to David Gregory at a distance wasn't exactly easy. And Silver didn't like confrontation. ‘Yes, we'll send her home at once. But I need to talk to you.' She spoke cautiously. ‘I must call a meeting of the Council. Under the Grand Compact, I request that you join us.' She paused while Dad replied. Whatever he said, she didn't look happy. ‘Of course. But – yes, Isabel can relate the details when she's back with you. My deepest respects.'

The Market was already peopled with diplomats and henchmen serving one of the council members. At least one of them, often more. They were each summoned and despatched with sealed letters, written in code despite the heavy wax seal the colour of blood. No fae trusted another completely.

And there was no one to act in such a way for the Grigori. No one but Izzy herself.

‘Now we just wait to see if they will come,' Silver muttered, gazing across the now hushed and fearful Market. There was no hiding what they were doing. Not here. ‘They have to.'

All of which left Izzy the unenviable task of telling her dad. It was too important to trust to a phone call. At least she knew he was okay. Not that he'd bothered to tell her that, or how he'd talked his way out of trouble. No, he'd see her at home and that was that.

Where she'd have to ask him to come to a fae stronghold and meet all the senior Aes Sídhe.

Jinx muttered something about needing to see someone before they left and, not having anything else to do, Izzy followed him, trying her best not to look like a stray puppy in search of a home. It didn't seem to bother him. In fact, he barely seemed to notice.

He walked through the Market with the air of someone on a quest, but headed for the fringes, those dark and ratty
corners of the hollow where the stalls looked bleak, dirty and disreputable and the stall holders even worse.

‘Don't say anything, okay?' he told her as they approached a stall staffed by a small red-haired fae dressed in a green hoodie, with the shiniest shoes Izzy had ever seen. ‘He's a lep, and if they lose it there's hell to pay.'

‘A lep? Do you mean a leprechaun?' She smiled. ‘But aren't they … I don't know … lucky? Jolly?'

Jinx looked at her as if she'd never said anything so stupid in all the time he'd known her.

‘You saw them at the museum, didn't you? Cudgel and his mob? Did they seem jolly? Look, ever seen a poltergeist?' She shook her head. ‘Well, anyway, doesn't matter. He's way worse.'

The leprechaun scowled at them and proceeded to shove more things into a backpack.

‘Where are you going?' asked Jinx.

‘Puck's Castle,' he said. ‘It's the only safe place. Something terrible is happening in this city and I don't want any part of it.'

‘Oh, come on, Art,' Jinx began, but the leprechaun glared at him, then stared at Izzy, as if noticing her for the first time. He shook his head, blinking, and took a step back. Afraid. It was unmistakable.

‘You need to stay away. I don't know what it is, but it feels wrong and it all centres on you. On the two of you, but mainly on you, Cú Sídhe. You're all about hollows, kith and kin, but we're not. My kind, I mean. We're solitaries, only tolerated
because we're useful and do the jobs the mighty Aes Sídhe don't want to sully their hands with. When the shit hits the fan we're first against the wall. That goes for all the wanderers, the outsiders, the ones who don't belong. But listen, mate, the Cú Sídhe are usually next to get it.'

‘But why Puck's Castle?'

‘Don't you know anything? Puck's Castle?
Puck
? The Púca, Jinx, king of the wanderers, lord of wild magic. First among us? Hell's bells, Holly did a job and a half on you. Did she beat our stories from you? The Sídhe had their gods and we had ours. They're all gone, but they linger on. They can be called back. Sometimes. Some say they're just sleeping under the earth or in a hollow in the hills.'

‘The Púca's a story.'

‘Yeah,' said Art, zipping up the rucksack and swinging it over his shoulders. It was almost as big as he was, but didn't impede him in the slightest. ‘And I'm off a bleedin' cereal packet. There's a lot of it about. Try to keep up, doggy.'

He pushed by Jinx.

‘Hey!' Jinx caught him by the shoulder, stopping him.

‘What? I've paid you all I owe you. My books are clear. No debts, Cú Sídhe.'

‘I know.' He released the leprechaun and nodded to him. ‘Just … take care, okay?'

It took Art by surprise. He stared for a moment, mouth hanging open. ‘You too,' he said. ‘Try to, anyway. Stay out of trouble, Jinx.'

And then Art was gone, lost in the milling crowd of the Market. Jinx stood there, almost looking bereft. If you didn't know he didn't have feelings, which Izzy did. Obviously. But he looked like he'd just lost his only friend. And perhaps he had.

‘Jinx?' she said tentatively.

He turned sharply, his metallic eyes hard again.

‘What?'

He hated it when she saw vulnerability in him. Izzy knew that, but it still hurt.

‘I should go,' she said and Jinx took on that guilty, hunted look that made her squirm inside. This wasn't his fault. So why did he have to look like she was blaming him for something?

‘I'll accompany you,' he said, all stiff and formal again.

‘It's okay. I'm sure Dylan will come with me. He's heading home anyway.' They made their way back to Dylan and Silver in silence, Jinx mulling over Art's departure no doubt and Izzy wondering why his mood changed so quickly all the time. ‘Dylan, ready to go?'

‘Of course, whenever you're ready,' her friend replied willingly enough. ‘Unless Silver—'

‘No,' Silver interrupted sharply. Dylan looked devastated until Silver spoke again in a softer voice. ‘You go home. And stay there. It's safer. Especially now. Jinx will go with you both. He has to see Izzy's father.'

‘Fine,' Dylan replied. ‘I'll be coming back with Izzy anyway. You need me here.'

‘No, I don't.' But he only smiled at her. He was the source of her power. Of course she needed him when she was summoning the Council. ‘Dylan … you must be careful. You know my people are not … not kind.'

‘If one of your charming family tries to eat me again, I'm safer with you anyway, amn't I?'

Silver shook her head, more in defeat than denial. ‘Take Jinx with you, Izzy, I beg of you. As a gesture of goodwill towards you and your father. He is my emissary. He shares my blood, my kinship, and he will keep you safe should anything untoward befall you on the way.'

Izzy didn't tell her about saving Jinx from the Fear. It didn't seem fair. Silver was adamant about this. And so formal it was getting worrying. What could she do but accept?

What would Dad say? He'd been freaked enough about Jinx turning up at the Leprechaun Museum. Who knew how he'd react to her bringing him to the house? Whatever was going on there, she'd need to get to the bottom of that as well. She wasn't looking forward to it. ‘Well, okay then, I guess.'