Bourn’s Edge (16 page)

While Louise chattered on about the holiday in New Zealand she and Sam were saving up for, Cassie kept one ear cocked. She heard the sound of water flushing, followed by footsteps descending the stairs.

Tarian reappeared in the doorway, clutching a large china doll. “Is this yours, Louise? I saw her on the landing.”

“Mitzi.” Louise grinned at her. “She was my mother’s and before her my grandmother’s.” She turned to Cassie. “Remember what a dreadful state she was in, Cass, her dress in tatters, paint chipped, one leg hanging off? Danny and Justin told me about a Doll Hospital that’s opened near them. I took her in last month, and now she’s as good as new.”

Cassie had never liked Mitzi, who was one of those ultra feminine dolls popular in Victorian times. Her dress was a monstrosity of lace and pink ribbons, frills and furbelows.

“I didn’t know you liked dolls, Tarian,” she said, even as it struck her that the way Tarian was holding the doll indicated the opposite.

“I don’t.” Tarian resumed her seat next to Cassie. “But there’s something about this one.”

Fortunately Louise took that as a compliment. “She
is
striking, isn’t she?” Murphy chose that moment to vacate Louise’s lap and race towards the kitchen. “Looks like the effects of the chicken liver wore off.”

Louise held out a hand for the doll, and after a pause Tarian obliged—a pause during which Tarian’s lips moved, and, hidden from Louise’s view, she traced a complicated design with her finger.

Cassie narrowed her eyes. Was she working a spell? Tarian palmed something that looked like a wrinkled brown kidney bean.

While Louise fussed over her doll, straightening its dress, and gabbling about its history, and how good a job the restorer at the Doll Hospital had done, Cassie caught Tarian’s gaze and held it. “What did you do?” she mouthed.

Tarian pressed a finger to her lips and gestured. With a faint popping noise, the bean vanished.

“What was that?” asked Louise, looking up in surprise.

Until that moment, Cassie hadn’t realised how tense and uncomfortable she had felt since entering her friend’s house. Relief made her feel a little light-headed. It was as though—she searched for a simile—as though the imminent threat of a thunderstorm had vanished. She glanced at Tarian and saw the tightness around her eyes had gone and her colour was returning to normal.

“What happened?” she mouthed.

Tarian smiled and mouthed back, “Later.”

“You didn’t hear anything, feel anything?” asked Louise.

Cassie shook her head, and Tarian reached for what remained of her coffee cake and began to eat. Louise shrugged and let the matter drop.

A miaow heralded Murphy’s reappearance from the kitchen. He strolled across the carpet, climbed into Louise’s lap, and made himself comfortable. She laughed as he butted her hand with his nose, and set aside the doll and began to stroke him. “He’s at home here already. I don’t think you’ll need to worry about him, Cass.”

“That’s a weight off my mind. You’ve seen Tarian’s dogs. Keeping him wasn’t an option. I can’t thank you and Sam enough.”

“Sam doesn’t know about him yet.” Louise looked guilty. “But I’m sure he’ll be all right. Oh, he’ll sulk about not being consulted, but I’ll tell him it was a birthday present from my best friend, and he’ll come around.”

Cassie grinned.

“I just hope the flies don’t give Murphy a stomach upset,” mused Louise. “Cats sometimes eat flies, don’t they?”

“There won’t be any more flies,” said Tarian.

“No?” Louise looked at her in surprise. “Well,” she said doubtfully, “I suppose we can always hope.”

Chapter 4

“You’re sure the flies won’t come back?”

Tarian glanced at Cassie. “Positive.” There had been a thoughtful silence since she’d told Cassie about the artefact. That silence appeared to be over.

Cassie turned right at the crossroads. The road began to dip. “And all because you destroyed the kidney bean?”

“Ill luck attractor,” corrected Tarian, eying a group of walkers with rucksacks on their backs. If the walkers hadn’t indicated the park was close by, her senses would have told her. There was a refreshing scent and fizz to the air coming in through the half-open window that had been missing since Bourn’s Edge.

“It’s easier to say kidney bean,” said Cassie. “And you say you’ve come across them before, in Faerie?”

Tarian nodded. The creation of ill luck attractors was one of the first spells taught to young Fae (lessons in detecting and destroying them followed soon after), and it was common to use them to play tricks on their peers. The novelty soon wore off, though.

The road began to rise. To their left, behind low railings, was a grassy bank, in which were set the wide steps of an artificial waterfall—the overflow from a pool. Up ahead she saw an open gate and signs saying, “Sutton Park National Nature Reserve. Boldmere Gate.”

“How on earth did a Fae artefact get inside Louise’s doll?” asked Cassie, braking to negotiate the gate’s cattle grid. She bumped over a ramp, found a vacant parking spot in the car park just inside the gate, and turned off the ignition.

Tarian looked around her with interest. On a grassy area, bounded by a belt of trees, families were picnicking, playing ball games, or throwing frisbees. To her left were a steakhouse and grill, a children’s funfair, and a vast expanse of water on which sailing boats were tacking to and fro.

Cassie saw the direction of her gaze. “Powell’s Pool,” she said.

Tarian picked up the thread of their previous conversation. “Obviously, someone must have put the attractor in the doll.”

“I know that, silly. But who? And more to the point why?”

“The answer to that depends on when.”

“What?” Cassie blinked at her then shook her head and muttered, “Could this conversation
get
any more cryptic?”

Tarian grinned and undid her seat belt. “Think about it. When did the plague of flies first start bothering Louise?”

Cassie considered. “Sometime last month, I think she said.”

“And when did she get that doll repaired?”

“About the same time. Oh!” Blonde eyebrows shot up. “You mean someone at the Doll Hospital put the bean into the doll?”

Tarian nodded and reached for the door handle.

“But why?”

Tarian got out and turned to let out the dogs. They shook themselves, and set about sniffing everything within reach. “A malicious prank?”

“Some prank! Those flies looked like something out of a biblical plague.”

“Shall we get some lunch?” Tarian pointed to the steakhouse.

“Those two slices of coffee cake haven’t gone down yet. And we don’t want to spoil our appetites. Mum and Dad will be stuffing us tonight for certain.” Cassie’s cheeks pinked.

Her embarrassment made Tarian smile. “They’re allowed to spoil you,” she said. “You’re their only child.”

“I suppose. No doubt they’ll be trying to impress you too.”

Tarian was sceptical. Cassie’s parents would be more likely to resent this stranger who had changed their daughter’s life so dramatically. But she said, “Of course.”

Cassie had been scanning her surroundings and now pointed. Tarian was wondering what a carousel, a go kart track, and swing boats decorated with the skull-and-crossbones could have to do with lunch when she realised Cassie was pointing at the refreshment kiosk. A queue of children showed it was doing a roaring trade.

“Let’s get some ice cream,” said Cassie, confirming her guess. “That should keep us going until dinner.”

“All right.”

They had set off towards the kiosk, the dogs circling them, when they heard a loud “Oi!”

Tarian halted and looked round. A man in uniform was striding towards them. He stopped in front of them and frowned up at Tarian. “Dogs should be kept on a lead, miss. Especially dogs that size.”

“Sorry,” said Cassie. “We didn’t know. Is it because of the children?”

His expression softened as he turned to face her. “No, miss. The wildlife. At this time of year, dogs are in danger of disturbing ground-nesting birds.” Tarian thought it unlikely there were any ground-nesting birds in such a busy part of the park, but he forestalled her objection with, “And because of the bylaws.” He quoted: “‘During April, May and June, in all open areas of the Park, dogs must be kept on leads.’”

“Oh.” Cassie glanced at Tarian. “We must have missed that sign.”

Tarian called the dogs to heel. The speed with which they came impressed the ranger though he tried to remain impassive.

“Their leads are in the car,” she said. “May we fetch them after we’ve had our ice creams?”

He cocked his head, as if he suspected her of being impertinent. “All right.” His tone was grudging. “But see that you do. Big dogs like those, even if they’re well behaved, can scare people.”

“Thank you,” said Cassie. “We won’t be long.”

As he wandered off in search of more lawbreakers, she gave Tarian rueful glance. “They’ve tightened up the rules since I was here last.”

“When was that?”

“When I was still at school. We came to walk one of the Nature Trails.”

Cassie treated them both to a Ninety-nine. Tarian enjoyed it, though she wished they’d been a bit more generous with the stick of flaky chocolate protruding from the vanilla ice cream. She broke up the last of the cornet and tossed it to the dogs, who wolfed it down and looked at her for more.

“No more until dinner,” said Tarian. “Can’t have you getting fat.” Their expressions were the equivalent of canine outrage, and she smiled as she retrieved the leads from the car’s glove compartment.

Anwar and Drysi submitted gloomily while she attached the leads to their collars. “I’ll let you off when we get to the woods.” She handed Anwar’s lead to Cassie and took Drysi’s herself, letting it unreel to its fullest extent.

“Which way?” asked Cassie.

Tarian pointed to the belt of trees separating the grassy picnic area from the rest of the park. “There’s something I want to investigate.” She had become aware of a tingling energy emanating from that direction. It tugged at her with its familiarity, and was the last thing she had expected to find here.

“Oh?” Green eyes drilled into her. “What?”

“I’m not sure. It’s a league in that direction.” Both dogs turned their heads to follow her pointing finger.

“How far’s a league?” wondered Cassie. “It’s not another of those kidney bean things, is it?”

“No.”

“I don’t want to tire you out, but you look all right.” Cassie scrutinised her. “In fact you seem to have perked up since we arrived.”

“I feel brighter already,” said Tarian. “Shall we take a look?”

“Okay. We must leave by five at the latest, though. I promised Mum.” Cassie set off in the direction Tarian had pointed, and Tarian followed.

“Thanks.”

They walked through the belt of trees and started up the heather-covered slope behind it. The dogs ranged out as far as the leads would allow then circled back, making a game of it, but Tarian grew tired of having her arm almost jerked from its socket, and when the lead threatened to trip up Cassie for the third time told them to stop it. After that, the walking was easier.

In the sky ahead, dark shapes swooped and banked. Tarian squinted at them in puzzlement. “Crows?” But they didn’t move like birds.

“Model airplanes,” said Cassie.

The tingling sensation was getting stronger. Tarian corrected their course, steering more to the right. They crossed the road.

“Holly Hurst,” said Cassie.

“What?”

“That’s where you’re heading. I think it’s one of the oldest woods in the park.”

There was indeed an area of woodland directly ahead of them. If the density and spiky nature of the trees didn’t prove a deterrent to members of the public, the two-bar fence enclosing them might. They halted in front of it, and Tarian made out the shapes of individual trees and bushes.
Oak, holly, alder, silver birch. Native species
.

“There are footpaths, but I don’t think many people use them,” said Cassie. “Odd how I never played here as a child. I was a great one for climbing trees—I must have found this place too daunting. Or prickly. Or both.”

Anwar and Drysi took advantage of their long leads to duck under the fence and sniff around. Anwar cocked his leg against a tree trunk and returned to Cassie’s side.

“Are you going to tell me about this feeling?”

Tarian glanced at her. “I’m fairly certain there’s a crossing into Faerie here. It feels the same as the one in Bourn Forest.”

Cassie’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

“I’d like to investigate it. Not now, because we haven’t got time. And I wouldn’t go myself,” she added, before Cassie could object. “I’d send the dogs and ask them to report back.”

“Oh.” Cassie looked thoughtful. “I don’t suppose that would do any harm.” She pulled a face. “Trust you to get exiled from Faerie twice.”

“It’s not as if I planned it,” said Tarian, amused rather than offended. She slipped her arm round Cassie’s waist. “Later then. Shall we head back to the car?”

“Okay.”

As they walked back, Cassie was pensive. Tarian was content to leave her to own thoughts while she enjoyed Nature all around her and sucked untainted air into her lungs.

They had almost reached the belt of trees beyond which lay Powell’s Pool when Cassie said, “About that kidney bean.”

“Mm?”

“It’s something only someone from Faerie could have created, isn’t it?”

Tarian nodded.

“And now we’ve found this. An entrance to Faerie. It can’t be a coincidence.”

“There are entrances all over the British Isles, Cassie. Though most have fallen into disrepair.”

“Since you can sense it, let’s suppose this one hasn’t.”

“All right.”

“Let’s also suppose a Fae came through it, made his or her way to the Doll Hospital, planted the bean in Louise’s doll and went home again.”

“It’s not something a Fae would do,” said Tarian, wondering how to put it without being insulting. “We’re a proud people, Cassie. Targeting a mortal at random and from a distance would be . . .”

“Beneath you?”