A Hollow in the Hills (31 page)

‘And not to
touch
her,’ Pie added urgently. ‘Remember? He’s picky about that.’

‘
Dead
picky,’ Mags emphasized the first word and twisted his mouth in distaste. ‘Said whatever bit of us touched you, he’d slice it off. So …’ He smiled in what he probably thought was a reassuring way. It wasn’t. ‘We good?’

Good. Oh, they were so far from good it wasn’t funny. But yeah …

‘I need you to get me in somewhere. Somewhere they won’t want us going.’

‘Sounds like a bit of craic, really.’ He popped his knuckles so they sounded like walnuts breaking.

‘Why us though?’

Izzy smiled, although she didn’t feel like it. She couldn’t
show them any weakness. No matter what. ‘Because everyone else will try to stop me.’

What they lacked in brains and charm, Izzy discovered, they made up for in ability and willingness. One of their greatest abilities was kicking down doors, and with a willingness to do it without any qualms or concerns about to whom those doors might belong.

The Storyteller rose, a look of outrage making her placid face ugly.

‘What is the meaning of this?’

‘Where’s the book?’ asked Izzy.

‘You have no right to be here, Isabel Gregory. No right at all.’

‘I’ll ask one more time and then I’ll tell the Magpies to start looking. They’re messy when they do that. Tend to break things.’

‘What do you want with it?’

‘I want to read it. All of it.’

‘Don’t you realise what that will do?’

‘Yes. Do you have a problem with that?’

Eye to eye, the two of them glared at each other. Izzy wasn’t going to back down. She needed that book, and what it could show her. She felt the Blade moving inside her, sizzling in her blood and she wound her will around it, using it to force herself not to back down.

The Storyteller shivered and looked away first. Izzy was getting used to that look on those who tried to intimidate her
now. And it felt good. The blade had changed her. Losing Jinx had changed her. The problem was she didn’t care. It made her stronger, harder, more determined.

And if it helped her to find Jinx she’d use every ounce of it. No matter what.

‘Bring the book, Grim. Don’t keep the Grigori waiting.’

It didn’t take long. Especially with the Magpies still circling, breaking bits of the decorations. Mags even got out a penknife and started carving a crude image into one of the fake trees.

They weren’t the most imaginative, but she didn’t need them for their creativity.

Izzy settled herself down to read.

‘Go outside,’ she told them. ‘And don’t let anyone in.’

They ushered the Storyteller and her attendants out and Izzy could breathe again.

No matter what it took, she had to find Jinx.

She brushed her hand down over the binding of the book, the smooth, tanned skin of a long dead prophet.

‘Show me Jinx,’ she whispered. ‘Show me where he is now. Show me how to find him.’

She opened the book and began to read, her mind plunging into the ocean of images that spread out before her, giving up whatever it demanded in return.

Words and Phrases

Aes Sídhe:
(Ay Shee) The highest caste of the Sídhe, most angelic in appearance, the ruling class.

Amadán:
(Am-a-dawn) meaning Fool, also known as the Old Man and the Trickster. Member of the Council.

Bodach:
(Bud-ach) Giant. A lower caste of the Sídhe.

Brí:
(Bree) meaning Strength. Member of the Council.

Cuileann:
(Cul-een) meaning Holly. Holly’s original, angelic name.

Crom Ceann:
(Krom Ken) One of the Shining Ones.

Crom Cruach:
(Krom Cru-ak) One of the Shining Ones.

Crom Dubh:
(Krom Dove) One of the Shining Ones.

Cú Sídhe:
(Coo Shee) Shapeshifting Sídhe who sometimes take the form of a large hound. A lower caste of the Sídhe.

Donn:
(Don) Lord of the Dead. Member of the Council.

Dubh Linn:
(Dove Linn) The black pool, original name for Dublin.

Einechlan:
(I-ne-chlan) Honour price.

Eochaid:
(Yeo-hey) King of the Fear or Fir Bolg.

Geis:
(gaish) A taboo or prophecy, like a vow or a spell, which
dictates the fate of a member of the Aes Sídhe.

Íde:
(Ee-da) meaning Thirst. Member of the Council.

Leanán Sídhe:
(Lee-ann-awn Shee) Fairy lover, the muse, Sídhe who feed from the magical lifeforce of others, but can inspire unbridled creativity in return.

Míl Espáine:
(Meel Es-pan) meaning Soldier from Spain. An early Grigori who entered into legend as the father of the Milesians, the group mentioned in the 11th century
Lebor Gabála Érenn
, the Book of Invasions, as the last to arrive in Ireland."

Púca:
(Pooka) Shapechanging supernatural creature, king of the wandering fae, those not affiliated with any of the hollows. He often takes the shape of a wild black horse, but can take human form as well, though retaining animal features such as horse’s ears and hooves. He can be helpful, or extremely dangerous.

Sídhe:
(Shee) Irish supernatural race.

Seanchaí:
(Shan-a-key) Storyteller. Member of the Council.

Suibhne Sídhe:
(Shiv-na Shee) Sídhe with birdlike attributes. A lower caste of the Sídhe.

Touchstone:
the source of a Sídhe matriarch’s power.

Tuatha dé Dannan:
(Too-atha Day Dan-ann) The People of the Goddess Danu, or The People of God, the Irish faeries.

RUTH FRANCES LONG is a lifelong fan of fantasy and romance. She studied English Literature, History of Religions, and Celtic Civilisation in college and now works in a specialised library of rare and unusual books. But they don’t talk to her that often.

Ruth’s first book about Izzy, Jinx and Dubh Linn,
A Crack in Everything
, is published by The O’Brien Press. Ruth is also the author of
The Treachery of Beautiful Things
.

I
Izzy learns the truth about the secret world of the Sídhe coexisting alongside the human one, and the angels and demons who watch over the affairs of mortals, making their own plans. She becomes a pawn in this game, and it almost costs her everything. Only by taking matters into her own hands can she save her friends and family.

European Science Fiction Society Award for Best Creator of Children’s Science Fiction or Fantasy books - 2015