He says the words seriously. He is not joking with
us now.
“Is it Ramya?” Marley asks directly. “Is that why she came to Edinburgh?”
The Stranger looks at me and I look back. “Why do you think Portia is after you, Ramya?”
“She rocked up with a squad of henchmen in Edinburgh,” Marley says indignantly, and I’m surprised at how animated he is. He seems different tonight. “She also called the house. She’s not exactly subtle.”
“No need to bite my head off,” the Stranger says serenely, picking at an invisible piece of lint on his jacket. “I know you two are used to dealing with Sirens.”
“Yeah, we only just got away from the last one, no thanks to you,” Marley mutters.
The Stranger has not looked away from me once. “Ramya can take care of her own affairs. Can’t you?”
I bristle. “Yes.”
“Why ask for help when you can do everything yourself.”
I scowl. “Exactly.”
We stare each other down, just as we did in Avizandum – his bookshop on Candlemaker Row, the place where we last met.
“She’s hunting more than just you,” the Stranger finally says. His words chill me.
I can feel Marley glancing at me. Even though she is hidden in her other form, I can tell Alona is listening nervously, I can just feel the energy behind me, mingled with her fear of the Stranger.
Maybe I should be afraid, too. Maybe it’s very unwise to be unafraid of him.
“Don’t forget how we met,” the Stranger says, nodding towards the tote bag on my shoulder. “What your grandfather wanted you to do.”
“Document the Hidden Folk, I know,” I reply. “But we were almost eaten by one just now.”
“Aw, no,” the Stranger says cheerfully. “She just wanted to drown you both for sport. Neither of you would make a very appetising meal for her.”
Marley makes a small noise of distress and I shake my head in disgust. “What is Portia looking for?”
“You never know, Ramya,” the Stranger says, beginning to fade away before our eyes. “You might find it before Portia does. Better watch where
you step.”
He vanishes. As soon as he’s gone, Alona returns. Her bare feet move towards us as she stares at the spot where the Stranger stood. The chill I had starts to disappear and I can’t hold onto the serious feelings I had while he was here.
“He’s weird like that,” I say flippantly.
“He’s not human,” Alona says, reaching down to touch where his feet were. “Not Hidden Folk either.”
“No,” I agree, heading back to the house once more. “He’s annoying.”
Alona walks with us both until we’re beneath our bedroom window again. I turn to her, a little awkwardly.
“Um,” I jerk my head up towards the window, “would you mind—”
“Of course!” Alona says enthusiastically.
Her transformation is quite amazing to see when I truly pay attention. It’s smooth, no sound of bones breaking to form bark or anything ripping, just the sinuous movement that turns girl into tree with a seamless ripple. As a small oak stands before us,
Marley and I carefully climb on. Only once we are holding on tight to the branches does the tree shoot up. We both make noises of surprise as it rises towards
the sky, returning to the height it was when we first climbed down.
As we clamber into our quiet bedroom, I turn to look at the now stationary oak.
“Thanks,” I whisper, knowing the Dryad can hear me. “See you at the same time tomorrow.”
I’m so tired, I can feel myself falling into sleep as soon as my head is on the pillow, but I’m watching Alona as I slip away.
A Dryad. Grandpa would have loved that.
Chapter Six
Witches and Wells
“You two are up to something, I can tell.”
Aunt Leanna says so to my cousin and me as we eat breakfast. Both of us are a little drowsy after last night’s adventure, but we obviously do not reveal what happened. As far as the grown-ups are concerned, we spent all night in our room. Disgruntled but definitely safe and away from any Hidden Folk in Loch Ness.
The oak tree was gone when we woke up. The grown-ups haven’t noticed that either.
