Bitter Moon: Urban Witch Series - Book 2

by R. L. Giddings

  Carlotta concentrated on the road, we were approaching a steep incline and she had to change down several times just to keep the coach moving.

  “You don’t need to worry: everyone’s very discreet.”

  “How can you be so sure? What about all those guests?”

  “Relax,” she fixed me with her eyes. “They’re our type of people and, besides, they’ll have enough to talk about once this weekend’s finished.”

  She was right about that part, at least.

  *

  In the twilight I became aware of a subtle change in our surroundings. The landscape had opened up, the trees pushed back to afford us some particular views which would have been stunning in daylight. Now, with the colours fading, I realised that we must have been on the estate for some time. Carlotta hadn’t spoken for about ten minutes and I thought I knew why. She was home, but she didn’t seem particularly happy about it. As we approached a copse of trees I detected movement over on our left and tried to make sense of the shapes momentarily illuminated by our headlights. A ripple of movement followed by white flashes disappearing into the distance. Dark shapes broke off then headed towards a gap in the trees before yet more flashes of white receded into shadow.

  “Over there. Look, what’s that?”

  Carlotta barely turned her head. She was deathly tired and anxious to keep her eyes on the road. “What do you think they are?”

  “I don’t know? I was thinking sheep but they’re too quick.”

  “No, that flash of white: that’s the deer’s hindquarters. That’s what you see when they’re running away.”

  “Deer!” I exclaimed. “You’ve got deer on the estate.”

  “Of course. What else do you think they’re here to hunt?”

  And then it struck me. I must have been too tired earlier when she’d said, “our type of people.” I knew what she meant now. This wasn’t going to be the usual type of hunt. The people gathering up at the main house weren’t ordinary farmers and land-owners. These were werewolves. Werewolves who were gathering to track and kill deer.

  *

  Carlotta took a hair-pin turn and we very slowly started to descend into a valley. All the time that I had been anticipating sighting the main house I wasn’t expecting for us to approach it from above.

  We still had another mile to go according to the Satnav but it seemed closer because the front of the house was staked out with blazing torches making it stand out against the dark of the surrounding hills. Sturdy trees rose behind the house and I saw what looked to be a chapel to the left and a line of stables to the right grand enough to contain its own clock tower. The main part of the house was executed in the Gothic style with a row of soaring arched windows. Even from this distance you could see that it was a huge house, the lights burning in the windows suggesting that it was built on three storeys. As we got closer I could see that the chapel was, if anything, even more ornate than I’d first thought with small turrets and little buttresses.

  The overall effect, particularly in the fading light, was one of opulence and grandeur. When I’d visited houses like this in the past I’d always had to pay an entrance fee. The road down to the house was made up of a number of switchback turns engineered no doubt to give the approaching visitor an unbroken view of the main house and its surroundings but Carlotta was really struggling to negotiate the narrow turns in the waning light. In the background the women were getting their things together, eager to escape the confines of the coach, though cowed into silence by the stateliness of their surroundings.

  As soon as Carlotta had parked, I caught sight of a young man striding towards us through the staked torches. He was in his twenties and wore a hacking jacket and riding boots. He had a youthful energy about him which, added to a head of boyish curls, suggested that he wasn’t much older than Carlotta. He came and stood at the foot of the steps and waited while Carlotta turned off the engine.

  “Seb?”

  Carlotta was through the door before it was fully open. She gave him a big hug which he reciprocated though all the time his eyes were on me.

  Carlotta made the introductions. She even pointed out Paula and Nastya who were hovering at the back of the coach.

  “Sebastian here is one of our site managers,” she said.

  Sebastian cocked his head to one side.

  “One of your site managers?” I said.

  “Two site managers and a farm manager,” Sebastian clarified. “I’m in charge of the house and the stables. Keeps me more than occupied.”

  “Nice to see you,” Carlotta said. “I take it you got my message?”

  Sebastian grimaced, “Not until quite late, I’m afraid. That’s why I’m unaccompanied. Your mother’s hosting a drinks reception up at the main house.”

  “Oh well, can’t be helped,” Carlotta indicated the women spilling out of the coach. “Where do you want us?”

  Seb lifted his hands. “I’m afraid that there’s no room at the inn for the moment.”

  “What about the stable, then,” Carlotta laughed mirthlessly.

  Sebastian looked at me before replying. “Your mother thought that your friends might be more comfortable in the lodges.”

  “They’re summer lodges.”

  “I know, but there is literally nowhere else to put you. I’ve had the heaters set up and we’re doing our best to dry them out but – well, if only you’d given us a little more warning.”

  “I know, I know.”

  Carlotta turned and waved at the women leaving the coach.

  “We’ve got to get back on the coach. Don’t worry – it’s not much further.”

  This was met with a groan but gradually the women began to return to their seats.

  Carlotta turned to Sebastian. “I don’t suppose there’s any chance of some food, is there?”

  “The kitchen’s thrown some stuff together, I’ll get them to bring it down.”

  “Can I give you a hand,” I asked Sebastian.

  But he was having none of it. “Quite alright, everything’s been taken care of.”

  He waved over three kitchen staff who filed between the blazing torches. One of the men was dressed in a chef’s uniform. They were each carrying boxes stacked with sealed containers. There wasn’t much room inside the coach so as the chef passed each one up in turn, I helped Carlotta stack them on a couple of empty seats. There seemed to be an awful lot of food.

  Sebastian climbed up into the coach and spoke quietly to Carlotta. “Once you’ve got your friends settled, your mother asks that you join her back at the house.”

  “Be a love and tell her I’ll have to give this one a miss. I’ve been driving all day and I’m absolutely exhausted. I’m going to rough it with this lot.”

  Sebastian’s eyes hardened. “But what about your room? We’ve had it aired specially.”

  “Not tonight!” Carlotta switched on the engine and then began the awkward task of turning the coach around. Sebastian got off without a backward glance and headed back through the torches.

  *

  The cabins were exactly as advertised: eight long, log cabins. Each one came with two adult cots and two pull-out beds designed for children. Someone on the staff had left us with extra ground sheets and sleeping bags so that meant six of us sleeping to a room. Although the cabins were still damp we had to remove the stand-alone driers as they just took up too much space.

  But no one was really that concerned about the quality of the accommodation. We were all far too concerned with getting something to eat. There was a picnic table in front of each cabin so we laid the food out there. There were two tureens of hot tomato soup which had to be served in plastic cups as we had no bowls. Two big hams, a small side of beef and lots and lots of cold chicken. There were several bowls of salad, a colander full of green beans, some cold potatoes and eight loaves. My first impressions had been right: there was an awful lot of food. But there was also a lot of us and we were all extremely hungry. Everything was eaten and not
hing went to waste.

  I was feeling wonderfully full by the time we returned to our cabins. The only thing missing was a glass of Prosecco. In the end, we had to settle for tap water.

  I had been looking forward to having a cigarette once we’d arrived but, once we’d eaten, I found that I didn’t have the energy to force myself back out into the cold. In truth, I didn’t have the energy to take my shoes off. I was in a cabin with the two Korean women, a beautiful French-Canadian girl who only spoke French, Kosi and Carlotta.

  All the time we were laying out the food I had been concocting a little fantasy. This involved Carlotta changing her mind and deciding that she did want to go up to the main house after all. Of course, she’d have to invite me along as her guest. But, as the night wore on and tiredness started to take its toll the attractiveness of this scenario started to wane. I’d need a shower and a good night’s sleep before I could even contemplate seeing Silas again, so I resigned myself to waiting ‘til the following morning. I’d waited this long…

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  I was woken by the sound of someone taking a shower. I ran a hand through my greasy hair and made a face. I was lying on the floor, still wearing the clothes from the previous night.

  A vision of Millie lying out on the cold hard ground got me sitting upright. I had things to do.

  I leaned over and gave Carlotta a poke.

  “What time is it?” she drawled.

  “I don’t know but I need to use your phone.”

  “Can’t it wait?”

  “I have to find out how Millie is.”

  I watched as Carlotta struggled to locate her mobile within the confines of her sleeping bag. Then I had to wait a little longer while she scanned through her contacts.

  She said, “Don’t tell her where we’re staying.”

  There was a sudden tension in my stomach. What if Millie wasn’t okay?

  The phone rang for the longest time. I was fooling myself. No one was going to pick up.

  “Carlotta? Is that you?”

  The voice on the other end was slurred but undeniably Millie’s.

  “You’re alright!” I said and then started crying. Shrugging myself out of my sleeping bag, I headed out the door.

  It was a beautiful day outside: cold and bright. I took a moment to process my surroundings. The previous night we’d laid out the food by the light of a few camping lanterns. The place had looked small and cluttered. With the women inside now, everything looked completely different. The cabins had been built over-looking a large stretch of open water which looked like it would be ideal for water sports. It was boxed-in on three sides by rows of gnarly looking trees.

  Millie brought me up to speed on what had been happening. Just the basics, no real details, she sounded incredibly tired. Kinsella had led the Dark Team out to the campus to mop up what was left of the demons. An air ambulance had air-lifted her to hospital.

  Three others had been to taken to various other hospitals but there were also two fatalities. There was still no news of Kohl.

  “Forget about him, what about you?”

  “Seems I’ve been electrocuted. My feet got burnt that’s all.”

  “Burnt? How badly?”

  “Not too bad. I’ll be fine.”

  The line went quiet for a moment but then she continued.

  “Joel didn’t make it.”

  “Okay. What about Pranav?” I assumed that he was the one I’d used the other sphere on, though I couldn’t be certain.

  “He’s in the Burns Unit as well but I haven’t had a chance to see him yet.”

  The Burns Unit. This really was serious.

  “Who was it that found you in the end?”

  “Can’t remember. Don’t remember anything after seeing you. Don’t even remember the helicopter ride.”

  “You are going to be alright though.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Take more than a lightning bolt to finish me off.”

  “A lightning bolt?”

  “That’s what they reckon.”

  This was Kohl’s doing, no question.

  Millie said, “They got Stahl as well.”

  “I know,” whenever I closed my eyes I could still see her. “What about Anathema? Any news?”

  Millie thought about that for a while. “No one’s mentioned her. I don’t know. What about you? What have you done with all those girls?”

  I looked back at the cabins, the curtains were all drawn. Yesterday had taken its toll on everyone. There were two girls down at the water’s edge but that was it. Both of them were very young, no more than fourteen. They were examining something in the water.

  “I can’t say too much. Never know who’s listening but we’re all safe for the moment. Just got to keep our heads down for now.”

  “So you’re not at your dad’s then? That was my first thought.”

  A horsewoman came trotting down the access road.

  “No, I’m not. Sorry, Millie. I’m going to have to go. Wish you better. Goodbye. I love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  I tucked the phone away in my pocket and watched as horse and rider arrived at our little encampment. The woman was riding a chestnut mare and had the demeanour of someone who’d been riding all her life. She was solidly built and wore the full riding regalia including boots and a helmet. The only thing that was missing was a riding crop. She ignored the two girls and came straight over to me.

  “Good day,” she said curtly. “I’m Antonia Laing.”

  “Bronte Fellows,” she made no effort to get down from her horse and I didn’t know how else to respond. “It’s very nice of you to let us stay here.”

  “Not a problem,” she scanned the cabins looking for any signs of life. “Listen, I don’t suppose you’ve seen my daughter about, have you?”

  “Carlotta?”

  So this was Silas’ mother. There was a certain similarity, something about the set of the shoulders which demanded that she be taken seriously. She had transferred her attention away from the cabins and back to me, making a swift appraisal of my clothes. I wondered what she saw when she looked at me. I had to resist the urge to straighten my skirt.

  “I’ll go and see if I can find her.”

  “If you wouldn’t mind,” she adjusted her chin strap. “And don’t disappear. I’d like a word with you also.”

  I went and got Carlotta who came instantly awake once I’d told her who was outside.

  “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!” was all she could say as she pulled on her shoes and struggled out into the daylight.

  I remained in the doorway so that they could have some privacy. Lady Laing then manoeuvred her horse between us so that it completely blocked my view of Carlotta. Every once in a while, as the horse wheeled around, I managed to get a brief look at her. She didn’t look happy.

  Once the conversation was over, the horse was pulled around in a tight circle so that Lady Laing was now facing me. Her demeanour had undergone a complete change. She favoured me with a smile.

  “We’ve just been discussing what’s to be done with you and your friends. I’m afraid we’re too busy at the moment to properly look after you but, if you’d like to come up to the house, I’m sure we can sort out some basic rations. Very nice meeting you, Bronte.”

  With that, she tipped her head in my direction and walked the horse on with a click of her tongue.

  Carlotta looked deflated, the sense of defeat evident in her body language. I finally allowed myself to look down at the state of my clothes. They were as bad as I’d suspected: my skirt was terribly creased and I was starting to think that I’d have to throw the blouse away.

  “I can’t go up to the house looking like this,” I said.

  “What if I promise to get you some cigarettes?”

  “Sounds tempting. It was nice of your mother to offer to feed us.”

  “She isn’t being nice, she’s being efficient. Once we’ve been fed us she can forget about us. She do
esn’t want anyone disrupting tonight’s celebrations.”

  “But I thought she wanted you at the ball.”

  “That was before I defied her. You only get one chance with mother.”

  “Oh,” I said. “I see. How are we getting there? Are we taking the coach?”

  The coach was parked at the rear of the cabins.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We could walk over and then bring everything back in a Land rover.”

  *

  My shoes weren’t in good enough condition to walk anywhere so Carlotta helped track down a pair of walking boots. The boots were two sizes too big for me but I wore them with a pair of thick socks and they were okay. I looked a little bit odd dressed as I was but Carlotta promised me that there was no chance of us bumping into anyone: they’d all be out on the hunt by now.

  I was looking forward to seeing the main house again. I was particularly keen on getting a look at where the ball was going to take place. I had no urge to be involved – I can’t dance for a start - but it would have been nice to have seen everyone arrive. To see the women in their dresses and, of course, the men in their formal wear.

  We walked back along the track we’d used the previous night. It had been properly tarmacked once upon a time but the work hadn’t been maintained and so there were now as many pot-holes as there were stretches of driveable road. Carlotta warned me that it was a good mile and a half walk.

  “She didn’t seem very pleased to see you,” I said. “Your mother, I mean.”

  Carlotta made a sour face. “Oh that? That was nothing. She was just putting me in my place. Silas is the one who’s feeling the edge of her tongue at present, though she is under a lot of pressure, I suppose. I should be more sympathetic but she doesn’t make it easy.”

  “Is it because of the ball?”

  Carlotta went to say something then corrected herself. “It is partially to do with that, yes. There’ll be a lot of people there tonight. Couple of hundred at least.”

  “How does she cope with all those guests?”

  “Mostly through intimidation. She doesn’t enjoy the socialising side very much. That was always my father’s area.”