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I wished I could get my hands on him. He’d made my life a misery. He’d robbed me of my parents and caused my mom to go on the run halfway across the world. Now he was making damn sure I couldn’t even set foot off this island.
I thought about my brother and sister. They were somewhere in Gerrenporth right now. Or maybe they were even on this island. But they were out of reach. Working together to find the sword. Doing something useful. Contributing.
I couldn’t just sit here and wait around. It wasn’t fair to expect me to.
Eyeing the clock thoughtfully, a plan began to take shape. I couldn’t zap to the boat. After what had happened to my real mother and to Rodor St Clair, I wasn’t going to risk being out on the open water.
Even so, there was nothing to stop me zapping to Gerrenporth, was there? I had no emotional connection to the place, but I didn’t need one. I was half fae and the fae could transport themselves wherever they liked. I’d give Keely and Harley time to arrive on the mainland then I’d go straight to them, and they wouldn’t be able to stop me. We could find Lyrica together then zap right back here. Job done. I wouldn’t be off the island long. Surely Havok Pendragon wouldn’t have time to do anything, even if he sensed me?
I knew Sirius and Emrick wouldn’t approve, and I also knew Keely and Harley would be furious when I turned up. Even so, I had to do something useful. I was going nuts just sitting around waiting for something to happen. Wulfram and Romy were playing their part, and I needed to play mine.
My mind made up, I watched the clock impatiently, trying to figure out how long it would take the twins and Killian to arrive on shore. I grabbed my coat, keeping my fingers crossed that no one would spot me wearing it. If they did, I’d just say I was going for a walk to stretch my legs. It was partly true. I’d have to walk to The Fool’s Journey anyway.
Finally, I figured they must have landed by now. I steadied myself and whispered, ‘Gerrenporth, where Keely and Harley are.’
Almost immediately I heard the cry of seagulls and the buzz of a busy coastal town. Even in winter this was a bustling place, and as I looked around and realised I was down a side street that led to the main shopping street I thought it was no wonder it sounded busy. There were plenty of people going in and out of shops and peering through the windows at the goods on display.
‘I don’t believe this!’
I flinched as my arm was grabbed and I was pulled into a shop doorway. The twins were glaring at me.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’ Keely demanded. ‘How could you be so stupid?’
‘I couldn’t just hang around waiting for you to get back,’ I protested. ‘Would you?’
‘Yes,’ Harley hissed. ‘I would.’
Keely slumped a little. ‘No,’ she admitted. ‘I’d have done exactly what you’ve just done.’
‘Well then,’ I said.
‘I give up!’ Harley shook her head. ‘You’ve put us all in danger, you realise that? Let’s get to The Fool’s Journey as quickly as possible. We don’t want to hang around here any longer than necessary.’ She tutted. ‘I was going to do some Christmas shopping, too. That’s out of the question now.’
‘Sorry,’ I said sheepishly.
‘You’re here now,’ Keely said. ‘Come on. We need to cut through that alley there. The Fool’s Journey’s just at the end.’
‘Where’s Killian?’ I asked as we walked.
‘Talking to fellow boat lovers in the harbour,’ Harley said, smiling. ‘He loves it there. Being on the water is his favourite thing.’
‘Apart from you,’ Keely said, nudging her.
‘Hmm. I wouldn’t put money on it.’
I was about to ask her what she meant, but at that moment Keely nodded. ‘There it is.’
The Fool’s Journey was a squat building, long but low, with a slate roof, whitewashed walls, thick black beams, and small, leaded windows.
I whistled in appreciation. ‘Wow, that’s old.’
‘Yeah,’ Keely said wistfully. ‘I wonder if it was around when Wulfram went back? I mean—oh, you know what I mean.’
I gave her a sympathetic look and we all headed into the pub. It was certainly ancient, and quite dark and gloomy, despite strings of fairy lights looped around the beams, and the multitude of wall lamps that tried valiantly to make the place look brighter.
There were few customers. Two old guys were sitting at a table nursing half pints of beer and chatting. Other than that the place was empty.
‘I recognise him,’ Harley said, nudging Keely. She nodded over to the bar where a man was leaning on the counter, reading a newspaper. ‘He was here before. Remember him? He told Lyrica off for bugging us.’
