‘Beau,’ she scooped him up into her arms as he continued to bark madly at something in the darkness.
She looked up and through the pale moonlight she could see the lake was shrouded by a thick fog. For a second she thought she saw a light, out on the water, a small orange glow. She unconsciously stepped forward and peered out, and as the fog parted momentarily she saw a small wooden skiff drifting on the water. It was empty; at one end, mounted on a pole, was an old fashioned lamp which burned in the darkness. That must have been the light she’d seen. Another roll of fog swept in and the small boat once again disappeared from view.
Frowning to herself she turned to leave but her gaze was caught by something floating in the water lapping up against the jetty. Putting Beau down carefully and telling him firmly to stay, she knelt down on the damp wood and leaned over the edge. Her dragonfly hovered above her, highlighting the shape in the water. At first she thought it was just a piece of driftwood, maybe a stray branch, but as it drifted into the light she could make out some sort of carving on it.
Unable to resist she stretched for it, frustrated when it bobbed just out of her reach. Now determined to have it she leaned out further. It lapped against her hand in the icy water, not once but twice, but as her fingers finally wrapped around it, a chalky white hand shot out of the water and grabbed her wrist.
Letting out a bloodcurdling scream she felt herself pitch forwards towards the water.
Suddenly familiar arms wrapped around her and yanked her backwards. Both she and Theo tumbled back against the jetty. Her heart pounded wildly in her throat as she fought to suck in a deep breath, aware that her fingers were still wrapped tightly around the piece of wood she had found floating in the water.
‘Livy, what the hell were you doing?’ Theo shouted angrily.
‘Sorry,’ she breathed heavily, ‘grab Beau before he falls in would you.’
Theo stood and scooped the puppy up, tucking him under one arm safely while he reached down and hauled Olivia to her feet.
‘We’d better get back to the house before you end up with a fever, its freezing out here.’
She realised it was better not to argue with him after all she’d probably just scared another ten years off his life. At this rate she’d probably turn the poor guy prematurely grey.
They struggled through the snow back to the house, shutting and locking the door behind them.
‘Why are you holding a stick?’ Theo asked in confusion.
‘I don’t think it is just a stick,’ she replied as she pulled her coat off and hung it on the rack. Turning it over in the bright light of the kitchen she studied it. It was about three feet long and quite thick. There was a gnarled knot at the top although she couldn’t quite tell if it was part of the wood or whether it had been chiselled that way. In fact she couldn’t even say what kind of wood it was. But it was the engravings that ran the length of it that fascinated her.
‘Are those letters?’ Theo looked closer, ‘I don’t recognise them.’
‘I think they might be Greek,’ Olivia mumbled thoughtfully.
Theo picked up the mop and turned to clean up the wet floor.
‘Here I’ll do that,’ she dropped the stick down on the island and took the mop from him, ‘where’s Beau?’
‘I think he’s thawing out in front of the fire.’
‘I think he’s got the right idea,’ Olivia replied, yelping and dropping the mop as Theo scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder.
‘You don’t need to worry; I’ll thaw you out,’
Olivia laughed as he carried her out of the kitchen, the mop forgotten on the floor as he flipped the light switch on their way out of the kitchen. But as their laughter drifted down from the stairs, forgotten on the island in the kitchen, the strange ancient lettering on the staff began to glow pure silver in the darkness.
KEEP READING
Author The Author
Wendy Saunders lives in Hampshire, England with her husband and three children. After initially training as a hairdresser, she has spent the last twelve years caring for her grandmother but when her grandmother passed away she decided the time was right to pursue her own dream of writing. Mercy is her debut novel and the first of a five book series.
Coming soon.
Book 2 The Ferryman
Book 3 Crossroads
Book 4 Witchfinder
Book 5 Infernum
Come find me:
Website
http://www.wendysaundersauthor.com
On Facebook
www.facebook.com/wendysaundersauthor
On Twitter
www.twitter.com/wsaundersauthor
On Instagram
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By E-mail
[email protected]
If you would like to rate this book and leave a review at Amazon I would be very grateful.
Thank You.
Mercy (The Guardians Series 1) Page 47
