Outcast (The Darkeningstone Series Book 2) (28 page)

I can’t believe it
, Hafoc thought. “What are you saying?” he blurted. “It was Brond. Of course it was. Do you think I don’t know my own brother? It was Brond, and we’re wasting time while they get away. Why are you standing here talking like a load of old women?”

Sceort scowled and stepped forward, his hand raised. Hafoc turned to face him. He was ready. He’d fight them all if he had to. But Tostig grabbed Sceort by the arm. “No,” he said.

Sceort clenched his fist and growled. He looked at Tostig, and for a heartbeat, Hafoc thought the men would fight. But Sceort lowered his hand then glared at Hafoc. “It’s not right,” he said. “The boy must learn.”

Tostig folded his arms and nodded. “I agree,” he said. “But we have no time for arguments—no time for hot tempers and bad choices.” He shook his head. “We have seen the Wandrian, and we know what they can do. If we are to fight them, then we must be sure.” He looked at Hafoc. “Their prisoner was badly hurt—bruised and covered with blood. He could not stand and we did not see his face. Can you really be sure it was Brond?”

Hafoc closed his eyes and saw again the wretched creature being dragged across the ground. He was so desperate to find his brother; he wanted—
needed
—it to be him. But Brond had always been so proud and strong. Could he really have been brought so low? Hafoc opened his eyes. “I don’t know—not for sure. But there was something…it looked like Brond. It looked like Brond to me. That’s all I know.”

Tostig nodded. He turned to the others. “Flyta, you have the sharpest eyes. What do you say?”

Flyta glanced at Sceort. “I say…yes. That was Brond. I’m certain.”

Sceort narrowed his eyes and looked at Hafoc.
I should say it wasn’t him
—
just to teach Hafoc a lesson
. But Tostig was right—this wasn’t the time to settle scores. “It was Brond,” he said. “I knew it as soon as I saw him.”

Hafoc held his breath. He studied Tostig’s expression, but it gave nothing away.

Tostig rocked back on his heels and stared into the distance. He was their leader, and he’d speak when he was ready. Finally, he took a deep breath, flaring his nostrils, and gave them his decision. “The Wandrian have taken our kinsman,” he said. “We will not allow it.”

Hafoc grinned, but his smile quickly faded away when Tostig looked him in the eye.

“We will not allow them to take Brond,” Tostig continued. “But there are more of them than there are of us. And who knows how many men lie in wait on the other side of the hill?”

Flyta stepped forward. “I’ll follow them. If there are others, I’ll see their tracks.”

Hafoc opened his mouth to speak. He couldn’t let Flyta put himself in such danger. If anyone went ahead, it should be him.

But Tostig was already shaking his head. “You’re a brave man, Flyta. But to go near the Wandrian alone is too much risk for any one of us.”

Sceort frowned. “Then, what are we going to do?”

“We have one chance and one chance only,” Tostig said. “They do not think anyone would dare to follow them. They walk across the open ground as if they have no enemies. But this is their weakness.”

“I don’t understand,” Flyta said. “They have the higher ground. If we all follow them together, they’re bound to see us.”

“No,” Tostig said. “Not if we wait until dark.”

Sceort and Flyta exchanged a look, their eyes wide in disbelief.

Hafoc swallowed. The Wandrian were bad enough in the daylight, but the thought of those savages creeping silently through the darkness, sent a sharp chill across his skin.

“We wait until dark,” Tostig said. “And then, we attack.”

Chapter 26

2018

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

Cally snatched her hand away from the rucksack and turned. Andrew stood behind her, his face taut with restrained anger.

“Nothing,” she blurted. “I’m sorry. I heard it beeping and I was worried. I wasn’t going to open it. I just—you were a long time.” She looked down at her hands.

Andrew picked up the rucksack and sat down, keeping the bag on his lap. He checked the zips were all still closed. “You didn’t open it, did you?”

“No. Of course not.” Cally blushed. “It sounds stupid, but I was worried you weren’t going to come back. I started thinking about bombs and I…” Her voice trailed away. It sounded ridiculous even to her.

Andrew stared at her. “
Bombs?
What are you talking about?”

Cally shook her head. “Nothing. I was just being stupid.”

“It was just my phone, I expect. I told you, I keep my phone in my bag.”

“I know, I know.” Cally looked him in the eye. “I said I’m sorry, and I didn’t mean to pry, really I didn’t. But, well, if you want to leave, I wouldn’t blame you.”

Andrew hesitated. He was tempted to walk away, but how would that help? The whole morning had been a disaster, but as far as he was aware, he was the only one who knew where Cally was. If he let her out of his sight now, it would be game over, and he’d never live it down. Besides, this latest mistake was Crawford’s fault really. What was the use of covert equipment that beeped? It was a joke.
They just don’t take me seriously
.
They don’t even trust me enough to give me proper equipment.
He sighed and lowered the bag to the floor. “No, it’s all right. No harm done.”

Cally gave him an apologetic smile and studied his face. “I’m so sorry,” she said.

Andrew shook his head. “Forget about it.” He picked up the menu and flicked it open, scanning the crowded rows of curly typescript, looking for something to keep his energy levels up. He pulled a face as he skipped over the cakes and pastries.
Does everything have to come with clotted cream?

He realised Cally was watching him, and when he looked up, their eyes met. For a split second, he forgot where he was and what he was doing. Then he remembered his real purpose, and though he knew he should look away from her, he couldn’t.

He smiled at her. And neither of them said a word.

“Right m’dears, what can I get you this morning?”

They both turned with a start and looked up at the waitress. “Oh, I’m not quite sure,” Cally began, but Andrew had started talking at the same time. They caught each other’s eye and laughed.

The waitress raised her eyebrows. “Do you want me to come back in a minute?”

Cally blushed and glanced at Andrew. “No, it’s all right,” she said. She ordered them both a coffee and a scone, and Andrew surprised the waitress by asking for his without clotted cream.

“Just butter and jam then?” she asked.

“Do you have any low-fat spread?”

The waitress rolled her eyes. “Anything else?”

“No, that’s fine thanks,” Andrew said. They watched her bustle off across the café.

“Oh dear, I think I’ve offended her,” Andrew said.

“Yes, I think you probably have,” Cally said. “This is Devon, you know. It’s all about the clotted cream.”

Andrew laughed. He sat back and looked out of the window, watching a crowd of tourists being led around the cathedral by a man in a bright red jacket. The man pointed up to something and the tourists raised their heads as one.

Cally followed his gaze. “An official guide,” she said. “They’re very good. They really know their stuff.”

Andrew looked at her. “That means a lot coming from you.”

Cally shrugged. “I mean it. I’ve met quite a few of them.”

“Research for your degree?”

“No. I had a job over the summer holidays, and sometimes at weekends.”

“Right. Isn’t that a bit, I don’t know, a bit amateurish for someone like you?”

Cally raised her chin. “He might look like a bit of a joke to you, but those guides really know what they’re talking about. They
understand
. You know, history to them, isn’t just theories and essays—it’s something real, something
alive
.”

Andrew smiled. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, fascinated.
There’s another side to this girl
, he thought. She had a passion, a fire he’d never have guessed at. “You really love it, don’t you? History, I mean.”

“What gave it away?” Cally said. She laughed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to go on about it.”

“No, it’s good. It must be great. I’ve never really had anything I was so…enthusiastic about.”

Cally tilted her head on one side and looked thoughtful. “
Enthusiastic
—well, that’s one word for it.”

“I mean it. I think it’s fantastic. You’re very lucky. My work is so…” He let his voice trail away.
That was stupid—now, she’s going to ask me about work
.

Cally opened her mouth to speak, but Andrew suddenly looked over her shoulder. He’d spotted the waitress heading in their direction. “Oh good,” he said. “I think she’s bringing our coffee.”

Crawford stared out of the car window, deep in thought, ignoring the countryside as it flashed by. Peterson, his driver, coughed politely and Crawford turned his attention to him. It must be something important; the man knew better than to make idle conversation.

“Excuse me, Mr. Crawford, but you asked me to tell you when we were fifteen miles from Exeter. We’ve just passed a sign.”

“Ah, good. Thank you.” Crawford took out his phone and made a call. When it was answered, he simply said, “Report.” He listened carefully, until he heard something he didn’t like. “What?” he snapped. He listened for a moment and then let out a frustrated sigh. “Just make sure you keep them in sight and keep me updated. I want to know the second they move.” He ended the call and pocketed his phone, shaking his head in disbelief. It was always the same. You put your faith in people and they failed to live up to it.
Thank God we’re almost there
.
If you want something done properly
,
you’ve got to do it yourself.

“Two large Americanos, and two scones,” the waitress said. “One with low-fat spread, and one
proper
one.” Cally tried to contain her giggles as the waitress dispensed their order, and for the next few minutes she and Andrew sipped their coffee and pretended to take an interest in their scones.

Andrew drained his coffee. It wasn’t as good as the brew from the little place he liked near the office, but it wasn’t bad. He looked down into his empty cup and thought of London and Crawford, and the shoddy equipment they’d given him. The beeping must’ve come from the Taser. Perhaps it had a flat battery.
Typical
, he thought. But at least the damned thing was silent now. He ought to check it over but he’d have to bide his time and wait for an opportunity.

He looked out the window. The tour guide was leading his group across the grassy area surrounding the cathedral, bringing them closer to the tearoom. The group stopped next to a statue, and the tourists formed a polite semicircle. A young woman who’d been leaning against the statue, chatting into her phone, suddenly found herself the centre of attention. She hoisted her shoulder bag and walked away, looking around as though not quite sure where to put herself.

There’s something odd about her
, Andrew thought,
something furtive
. Then suddenly, the woman looked directly at him and a flash of cold certainty surged through Andrew’s veins. The woman had glanced at him for only a fraction of a second, but it was long enough. She was watching them. He stared after her as she walked casually away. She paused for a moment to look in a shop window, but it didn’t fool him. She was part of the extraction team and the others would be nearby. Andrew scanned the wandering tourists, the harried shoppers, the huddles of teenagers. It was useless trying to pick the field agents out. They could be anywhere.

“You can’t take your eyes off it,” Cally said.

Andrew forced himself to look away from the window. “What? What do you mean? I was just…”

Cally smiled. “The cathedral. You keep staring. I’m almost jealous.”

“Ah yes, it’s very impressive.”

Cally hesitated. She smiled shyly. “Would you like me to show you around the inside? I’m not quite as good as the proper tour guides, but I do know the most interesting bits.”

Andrew’s face fell. He needed to get moving, he needed to get her away as fast as possible. He couldn’t let the extraction team take her—it just wasn’t right. There was no need for their brutal methods. He couldn’t let them harm her. But he had to get her away and keep her moving without alarming her. Anxious people were unpredictable and whatever happened next, it was vital she followed his instructions. He couldn’t afford to make any more mistakes. “Not really my thing,” he said. Cally’s smile faded. “But I would like to get out of here,” he went on. “We can go and do something else if you like.”

“What sort of thing? The cinema?”

“God no,” Andrew blurted. That was just asking for trouble. “I mean, it’s much too nice a day for that. Why don’t you show me the sights?”

Cally laughed. “This is just Exeter you know, it’s not Paris or Rome.”

“Even so, there must be something. It’s an old city.” He waved his hand toward the window. “There must be some hidden gems.”

Cally looked thoughtful. “Well, if you’re really interested, there is something I could show you.”