“Yeah,” Freddy says, nodding. “She does one broadcast a day. Plus, the entire parliament is in her thrall. And the council.”
“I still can’t believe you forgot to mention you’re her son,” Marley mutters. “Nothing dodgy about that
at all.”
Freddy throws him a sly look. “Trip on that kerb.”
Milliseconds after he says it, Marley does. Compelled to. He shakes himself brutally and looks angry enough to strike Freddy.
“Don’t do that,” I tell Freddy softly. “He’s had enough Sirens for a lifetime.”
Freddy looks suitably chastised and leaves Marley alone for the rest of our walk into town. The city is almost as I remember it, lit with the artificial lights of
a bustling town beneath bright stars in a clear sky. It, for a brief and flickering second, almost feels like
home again.
“Where could your mum be keeping him?” I ask, turning to Freddy and speaking lowly. “Not at your house.”
“No,” he accepts. “I checked out the parliament building and the palace but there’s nothing there.
She would need somewhere with a lot of space, and she’s always had a weakness for grandeur. So, maybe the castle?”
We all gaze up, beyond the Scot Monument, to the stone castle sat upon the high hilltop overlooking the entire city, both New Town and Old.
“It’s a fortress,” Alona concedes. “It would be a smart choice.”
“We could break in,” I say. “But probably not out.”
“I just need to see he’s alive,” she says brokenly. “That’s all I want for tonight; I’ll take that much.”
I feel the same about Murrey. Except I’m determined to rescue him and any other Hidden Folk she has chained up.
“Remember, she wants you to find her,” Freddy tells me. “Don’t be rash. Don’t be impulsive.”
“Me? Rash and impulsive?” I turn to grin at him, and he can’t help smiling back. He nudges me and I dig my elbow into his ribs.
“Are they always… like this?” Alona asks Marley in a stage-whisper.
“Yes,” he says stonily. “It’s revolting.”
I spot the Christmas market on the other side of the large gothic monument before us. I head towards it, recognising the stalls as Edinburgh’s usual vendors. Above ground, human vendors, that is. Sweets, candy floss and hot dog stands with the occasional jewellery merchant – all is as it usually is.
Apart from one caravan.
It is teal in colour and new to the Christmas market. A sign outside says, ‘Madame Lylah’s Parlour: Fortunes Told Inside’.
“Ramya,” Marley says. “A real fortune teller?”
“Hard to say,” I reply. “In the books Opal had me read, there were passages about some Witches who have clairvoyance, and a few Druids. It’s possible.”
“Let’s see. She could be Hidden and know some answers”
I nod and we head towards her little home on wheels.
“You two stand guard,” I tell Freddy and Alona.
“Don’t leave me with the Siren,” she says, eyeing Freddy.
“Alona,” I say her name gently. “Freddy is my friend. I trust him. Just the same as you are my friend and I trust you. So, you can trust each other.”
She lowers her eyes and glances away, almost embarrassed. I frown. It was not the reaction I wanted. I was trying to reassure her.
“Wait here and stay safe,” I reiterate. “We’ll check this out.”
We enter the caravan and, as soon as the curtain falls behind us, all outdoor noise vanishes. The light inside is dim, with only a few candles lit. Sitting in a chair, in the furthest corner of the small wagon, is a woman with silver hair and aquamarine eyes. She looks up sharply as we enter.
“We need answers about some friends of ours,” I tell her, wondering if we’re looking at a genuine fortune teller or a charlatan. “We need to find them.”
She considers me. Then nods towards a small side table with a magenta cloth tossed over it. There is no crystal ball, just a rose. For a moment, something about the single stem makes me forget why we’ve come. I stare at the satin petals and feel very calm.
“Sit,” she says firmly, and we do.
She takes my hand immediately and begins to examine it. “You are lost.”
I find my eyes wandering lazily to the rose, but I force them back to Madame Lylah. “No. My friends are. Murrey and—”
“You,” she repeats, “are lost. You are forgetting who you are.”
