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‘It’s not your fault,’ I said. ‘But why put me in that dungeon? Why not bring me here?’
Sister Agnes rolled her eyes. ‘She thought she’d done a clever and remarkable thing that would impress me. She was very eager to impress me. Sadly, her eagerness rather got in the way of common sense. She decided to keep you away from the other Daughters, so she’d get all the credit. If her Sisters had known about you I can assure you that you’d have been released immediately. Thank goodness Sister Gertrude finally had the sense to fetch me, that’s all I can say.’
‘She got into a bit of a panic,’ I said. ‘She told me Zephyr Ambrose had been killed.’ I turned to Sirius. ‘Is that true?’
‘I’m afraid it is,’ he confirmed. ‘It’s been an horrendous twenty-four hours.’
‘Poor Zephyr,’ I said. ‘What happened?’
‘I’d quite like to know myself,’ Sister Agnes admitted. ‘Emrick came here looking for you,’ she told me, ‘but of course the Sisters knew nothing about you. He told them what had happened to Zephyr, but Sister Gertrude was in such a panic by then, realising she’d made a terrible mistake, that she barely listened. All she could tell me was that it was a Pendragon attack, and it took place right here in Whitby. Perhaps you have more information?’ she asked my family.
‘It seems Zephyr Ambrose was trailing Trinity to make sure she was safe,’ Killian explained. ‘While he was busy watching her, he didn’t notice a fae creeping up on him. Well, he wouldn’t.’ His jaw tightened. ‘We believe it was Malliss, Havok Pendragon’s henchman.’
‘Oh dear,’ Sister Agnes said. ‘Zephyr would have stood no chance. He’s lightning fast that one.’
‘You know about them?’ I asked. ‘You’re fae, aren’t you? Sister Gertrude lost her temper with me and transformed into something quite—’ I’d been about to say hideous, but stopped when I realised how insulting that would sound. After all, for all I knew, Sister Gertrude might be the pretty one. ‘Different,’ I said lamely.
‘The Daughters of Hild are mermaids,’ Killian explained.
‘Mermaids?’ I gaped at Sister Agnes in shock. I thought of the mermaid we’d seen off the coast of Peloryon Island on Beltane. ‘But—but you don’t look like mermaids.’
She laughed. ‘Well, we’re not in the water, are we? I can assure you, being on land takes its toll. That’s why it’s important we go home every year to refresh. Fresh air can have a damaging effect on our complexion,’ she added mischievously.
‘Then why do it?’ I asked. ‘Why stay here?’
‘It’s our work, in memory of our beloved Mother Hild,’ she said solemnly. ‘It’s an honour for us to continue her mission.’
‘I’ll tell you more later,’ Sirius promised me.
‘What baffles me,’ Lowen said, ‘is why the Pendragons sent Malliss after Zephyr. Surely he was far too big and important to be a target? They must have known that would risk a war.’
‘But that’s what they want, I’ve told you,’ Killian said. ‘And what better way to draw out the Great Guardian than to start the next great fae/witch war, forcing him to take back his magic and reveal his identity to them?’
‘It seems Sister Gertrude might well have saved Trinity’s life then,’ Sister Agnes said thoughtfully. ‘If she hadn’t, er, removed Trinity from the scene at that exact moment, Malliss would probably have killed her as well as Zephyr, always supposing they knew who Trinity was. If they did, was she the intended victim all along, rather than Zephyr himself? And who told the Pendragons that either of them would be in Whitby?’
We all sat in dumb silence, absorbing this. It was a chilling thought. But how would they know who I was? I had no magic, no way of them tracking me.
‘Which suggests,’ Sister Agnes said, when I voiced my thoughts, ‘that if youwerethe intended victim, someone betrayed your identity to the Pendragons. It seems to me, whether their target was you or Zephyr, someone in your ranks is a traitor. You must be very careful in future.’
‘Don’t worry,’ I said. ‘Next time I’ll be on my guard. I should have thought.’
‘There won’t be a next time,’ Sirius said with a shudder. ‘I’m keeping you well away from the magical world.’
‘Do you really think that’s possible?’ Sister Agnes asked gently. ‘Given her heritage?’
‘Sister Agnes,’ I said eagerly, ‘it was you I came to Whitby to find. My sister-in-law—she has this ability to walk in other people’s memories, and she saw the memory of a conversation between Ewella St Clair and Emrick—’ I paused, suddenly realising I had no idea what Emrick’s surname was. When no one volunteered the information I continued. ‘Between Ewella and Emrick. They were discussing our births—mine and Lowen’s—and they were saying that you’d have more information and that you’d tell us the truth if we asked you.’
Sister Agnes nodded. ‘So you came here looking for me, hoping I’d tell you the truth about your birth?’
‘We’d be very grateful,’ Lowen assured her. ‘I know it was a long time ago, but—’
‘Thirty years or thereabouts, as I recall,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘Three decades. Well, that seems fitting.’
We looked at each other, wondering what she meant.
‘So, is there anything you remember about that day?’ Lowen asked hopefully.
Sister Agnes laughed. ‘My dear boy, I remember it as if it were yesterday. It’s not every day you get to deliver the future Great Guardian into the world.’
