by Lucy Banks
“There you go,” Kester replied. “Thor and Pineapple’s shin-bone. It’s a marriage made in heaven. Or alternatively, stick a fake horn on his head and tell Daisy that he’s the world’s smallest unicorn.”
“It’s a plan,” she agreed, then fell silent, apart from the steady, soft sound of her breath. “Well, I’ll let you have your dinner.”
“Good night,” he said, then added awkwardly, “I wish I was there with you.”
“Me too,” she replied. To his delight, she sounded sincere. He hung up reluctantly, then returned to the bedroom, just in time to see Luke turn on the television.
“Hey, look what’s on!” he exclaimed with an enthusiastic gesture at the screen. “Terrington Grange! Man, I love your English period dramas, they’re just amazing.”
Kester put his phone back in his pocket and raised an eyebrow. “If you say so. Don’t they have these sorts of programmes in America, then?”
“Nah,” Luke said, gaze fixed on the screen. “Not like this, they don’t. This is quality.”
“So,” Kester said as he slumped back on his bed and prepared to settle himself in for the evening. “Who is the special person joining us tomorrow, Luke? Do you know?”
He grinned and tapped the side of his nose. “I might do. But I reckon you’ll enjoy the surprise.”
Kester groaned. He hated surprises. Even his mother letting off party poppers on his eighth birthday had given him an instantaneous panic attack. “Can’t you just tell me?” he begged as he perused the menu.
Luke shook his head. “Nah,” he replied. “That’ll just spoil the fun.”
Oh great, Kester thought as he picked up the hotel phone to order. Yet another thing to look forward to. Still, the faster we solve this case, the better. And I guess if this secret person helps us achieve that more quickly, it’s only a good thing.
Chapter 10: The Stake Out
“Now, this is what I refer to as magnificent English weather,” Ian Kingdom-Green declared the following morning, without a hint of irony whatsoever. Kester followed the sweep of his hand as he gestured out to the promenade, which was already dusted with a thin carpet of snow. I’d be so much happier if I was back in bed, he thought and shivered, wishing he’d remembered to bring his proper winter coat. The sky was dun-white and clearly laden with more snow to deposit on them later in the day.
Luke beamed out at the sea and ran his finger along the top of the nearest bench, removing a line of frost as he did so. “This is incredible,” he exclaimed with an expression not dissimilar to a child opening its stocking at Christmas. “I ain’t never seen snow. It’s like a picture postcard or something.”
Cardigan Cummings stamped his feet reflectively on the pavement and tugged his scarf more tightly around his neck. “It’s a little brisk for my liking,” he commented, then pointed down the street. “But enough about the weather. Shall we head on?”
Kester looked wistfully at the hotel entrance, thinking back to the steaming full English breakfast that he’d enjoyed just half an hour ago. Already, he missed the warmth of the hotel restaurant, not to mention the cosy comfort of his duvet. “Don’t we need to wait for this other person to arrive? The special visitor?” he asked, peering around for signs of anyone else about to join them. The seafront was deserted apart from a couple of elderly women who were walking gingerly along the road, clutching onto one another for dear life.
Cardigan smiled and cast a glance at Ian. “Do you think we should tell him yet?” he said.
Ian looked at Kester and shook his head. “His father asked us not to, remember?”
“Hang on a minute,” Kester said with instant panic and suspicion. “What do you mean? What has Dad been up to now?”
Cardigan let out a booming laugh, which startled the nearby pigeons, who were contently pecking around by the bottom of the bench. “Oh Kester, I am sorry about all of this. I normally hate trickery, but I think Dr Ribero wanted to inject a bit of fun into the proceedings.”
“You mean he wanted to poke fun at me,” Kester replied darkly. He knew what his father was like.
Ian patted his shoulder comfortingly. “Let’s go and meet them, shall we? Put you out of your misery.” He led the way, a gallant knight venturing into the unknown. Kester skulked onwards, thinking all sorts of uncharitable thoughts about Ribero.
“The Thelemite lodge isn’t too far,” Cardigan said in a low voice as they rounded the corner and started to climb the hill. “It’s just a bit further inland, past the museum.”
“What’s the plan for today, then?” Luke asked. The first flakes of fresh snow started to drift aimlessly in the air around their heads like dancing, white fireflies.
“The stake-out van is already in position,” Ian said. “We’ll meet with the team first, find out what’s what, then proceed from there.”
Kester looked at him cynically. “Are you sure Hrschni isn’t aware that we’re watching him? A stake-out van seems a little obvious, doesn’t it?”
Cardigan gave him a deliberate nod as a young couple walked past, then continued once they were safely out of earshot. “Perhaps the daemon knows, perhaps not. Ultimately, things like this are always a bit cat-and-mouse.”
Finally, they reached the top of the hill and continued past a large park, until they reached the museum: a squat, brick building flanked with pillars. Ian pointed down the road.
“You see that building with the white façade?” he asked and gave the others a nudge. Kester and Luke nodded obediently. “Well, that’s the spot.”
“It says it’s the British Legion,” Kester said uncertainly, squinting through his glasses.
Ian nodded knowingly. “Subterfuge, my friend. Remember, they’re a secret society. Nothing at all to do with the British Legion though, of course,” he added hastily.
Kester’s gaze travelled to the other side of the road. A van was parked beside the row of houses, complete with the name and details of a construction company along the side. I presume that’s our surveillance vehicle, he thought as he studied it intently. Somehow, I don’t think Hrschni is going to be fooled by it.
“The van moves at regular intervals,” Cardigan explained, catching his expression. “Hopefully that way, we can avoid detection.” Without any further preamble, he marched up to the back of the van and rapped smartly on the door.
A few seconds later, it flew open. A harassed face, wrapped in a brightly-coloured hijab, peered out. She waved them in impatiently, then slammed the door closed behind them.
“You let the cold in,” she muttered, moving over to a computer screen in the corner, which was currently showing a thermal map of their surroundings.
“Rather unavoidable, in order to actually get into the van,” Ian commented, then baulked at the woman’s steely glare. “Any further updates?”
“Yes,” the woman barked, rapping away at the keyboard. A moment later, the screen flicked off. “What took you so long, guys? We’ve been waiting for ages.”
Kester looked around the cramped space of the van. Is that meant to be the royal ‘we’? he wondered. Unless someone was currently hiding in the foot well of the driver’s seat, there definitely wasn’t anyone else in here. The van had a very strange smell too, a tinge of sulphur, as though someone had been lighting matches close by.
“Lili, allow me to introduce Luke and Kester,” Cardigan began, nodding at them both. “Kester, Luke; this is Lili Asadi, who leads our surveillance team.” He looked around. “Where’s Tinker?”
She coughed, wiping her nose across her sleeve. “Tinker’s currently situated on the roof of a hotel across the road, taking photos of the building with an amplifying-heat lens. Hopefully we’ll be able to determine the shape of this daemon a bit better then. At present, there’s no way of confirming whether it’s him or not.”
“Tinker does fantastic surveillance and undercover work,” Ian exp
lained. “Though you probably won’t ever meet him. He’s notoriously shy.”
“I don’t suppose you brought me a cup of coffee, did you?” Lili asked as she placed her hands on her narrow hips. “I’ve been here since five o’clock, I could do with a bit of caffeine. Dr Barqa-Abu is probably feeling a bit worse for wear too.”
Kester jumped so vigorously that he nearly tripped over the wires at his feet. “I’m sorry,” he spluttered. “Did I just hear you right? Did you say Dr Barqa-Abu?”
Lili looked amused. “That’s correct.”
Cardigan winked. “That’s the special guest helping us with the case, Kester.”
Right on cue, the air beside Kester began to quiver, turning almost pearlescent, as though lit by an underwater light. Before he had a chance to react, or even think about the situation, the recognisable face of the genie appeared above him, looming down with an expression of mild irritation.
“It is a very cold day,” she hissed without any other form of greeting. Bobbing and wheeling in the cramped space around them, it felt rather uncomfortably like being trapped in a tiny cage with a large, unpredictable animal.
“Good morning, Dr Barqa-Abu,” Cardigan greeted, then bowed deeply. “As ever, it is a great honour to see you. I take it you weren’t too inconvenienced, taking the time off work?”
The genie glimmered into faintness before sharpening once more, her black, fathomless eyes studying each of them in turn. “The SSFE understands the importance of the case,” she murmured, then stopped abruptly above Kester. “Ah. I see that Gretchen and Ribero’s offspring is with us. Finally, we meet in the flesh, Kester Lanner.”
Kester shivered. He didn’t think he’d ever heard the “s” in his name extended quite as excessively in his life. However, with the genie in such close proximity to him, he now realised where the smell of burning matches was coming from. “Er, hello,” he stuttered and edged back instinctively, intimidated by the swirling form towering above him. “Nice to see you again.”
The genie made a noise that could have either been a snort or a laugh, then rolled towards the other end of the van, where she promptly vanished. Kester looked around with worry, horribly suspicious that she was going to leap out again when he least expected it. To his relief, she reappeared only a few moments later and rested on the top of one of the units near the ceiling, like a large, watchful bird of prey.
Lili coughed deliberately and tapped the nearest computer screen. “Right,” she continued, “here are the most recent developments. They’re quite significant, so I hope you’re paying attention.”
“Of course, my dearest lady,” Ian declared grandly. He leaned against her shoulder, caught sight of her indignant expression, and promptly leapt off again.
“We noted plenty of activity during the night,” she began, shooting a final disapproving look at Ian, who shrank back with embarrassment. Clicking at the computer, she brought up some thermal footage, which they all studied intently. After about five minutes, Lili pressed pause, and tapped at the image. “Here,” she said decisively. “This is what I want you to look at.”
Cardigan peered intently at the screen. “There are two images. Clearly, the one on the right is human, given the level of heat produced. And the other could well be daemonic, judging by its intensity.”
Kester squinted. The blurred figure on the right looked much like any other thermal image he’d seen on news reports in the past, a vibrant woman-shaped silhouette of red, yellow, and lurid green. However, the figure to the left was very different indeed. For starters, it shifted in form constantly. Secondly, it glowed unnaturally bright, and was filled with burning yellow and orange alone.
“Any idea who the human is?” Ian asked.
Lili shook her head. “It’s a female, and she’s slender. Quite short too. That’s all we can tell at this point.”
Dr Barqa-Abu swooped down to join them. Kester felt hot air rush past his face, much like a blast of a furnace. “Watch what happens next,” she muttered and positioned herself in the available space beside Luke, who seemed completely unfazed.
Lili pressed play, and the footage continued. They watched, captivated, as the figures moved closer together. Suddenly, there was an explosion of colour, which filled the screen. Kester looked on in amazement as the colour shrank in on itself until it had disappeared completely—absorbed into the human form.
“Where’s the daemon gone?” he exclaimed, nearly knocking his glasses off in his excitement. “Only the woman’s there now!”
Cardigan let out a low whistle and patted Lili on the back. “This is interesting,” he muttered. “Very interesting indeed.” He looked around at the others. “So, Hrschni has chosen to inhabit another human. That could complicate things a little.”
“Particularly if we don’t know who the female in question is,” Ian added with a worried glance at his colleague.
“Who are the females that attend this particular Thelemite lodge?” Cardigan asked.
Lili nodded at Dr Barqa-Abu, who slid elegantly in front of them.
“We’ve examined the profile of every known Thelemite female that belongs to the Whitby branch,” the genie hissed, her pointy features drifting in and out of visibility. “There are four in total. None match the physiology of the female in question.”
“Are you sure?” Ian asked.
The genie glowered, circling around him like a stalking mist. “Of course we are sure,” she retorted. “The other women are all too tall, not to mention mostly too large in build. The female who is carrying Hrschni is not from the Whitby lodge.”
“We’ve also reviewed the CCTV footage from the camera on the street,” Lili added. “The woman was in a coat with a big hood, it was impossible to make out her features.”
“So how are you going to get a good look at her?” Luke asked.
“That’s why Tinker’s using the amplifying-heat lens,” Lili explained. “We’re hoping he’ll catch a better image with it.”
Ian rubbed his beard thoughtfully. “This rather changes things, doesn’t it?” He looked over at Dr Barqa-Abu, who had almost faded to invisibility once more. “What do you propose?”
The genie whirled into sharper focus, bringing with her an even more pungent smell of burning sulphur. “I suggest that I slip into the building to see what I can discover,” she murmured smoothly and wheeled to a halt in front of Ian.
“Is that wise?” he replied with a glance at the others. “What if you’re detected?”
The genie pulled herself up to full height. “Humans would not be able to detect me, if I wished it so,” she said haughtily. “The only threat is Hrschni himself, so we would need to be sure he is not in the near vicinity.”
Lili rapped the computer smartly. “I can keep tabs on that, no problem.”
“And I guess the rest of us could position ourselves in the surrounding area, to watch out for any short women heading this way,” Luke suggested, as he scratched his head. “How short are we talking here?”
“Very short,” Lili replied curtly. “And small-framed. I’d say 5 feet or less.”
Kester patted his stomach reflectively, taking comfort from the remnants of his breakfast, still filling him up pleasantly. “This all still seems a bit odd, though,” he said slowly, thinking about the events so far. “I mean, why now? Why did he wait all this time before entering the body of another human?”
“What are you driving at?” Lili asked as she studied him curiously.
“It feels a bit like he’s playing a game,” Kester concluded with a nervous shrug. “I can’t help feeling like we’re all being led on a merry dance.”
“So you keep saying,” Cardigan said. “The only problem is, what can we do? We have to work with what we’ve got.”
Dr Barqa-Abu floated closer to Kester, examining him with open interest. He flinched under the heat of her gaze, not to
mention the eye-watering scent of her person. “You interest me,” she concluded finally and shifted backwards. “You are observant, but you have not yet learned to use the right perspective.”
“What do you mean?” he asked. Her comment was confusing, to say the least.
Her empty, black eyes shifted into sharp focus. “You will see,” she said cryptically. “Time will show you the way, I can promise you that. However,” she continued, whirling above their heads, “now we need to act on our plan. I will go into the Thelemite lodge now and see what I can find. The rest of you must ensure my safety while I am in there. I am old and powerful, but I do not underestimate Hrschni’s ability to cause harm to me, should he so wish.”
“We’ll safeguard you as best as possible,” Ian announced with a dramatic beating of his chest. “You have my word, my good Jiniri.”
“See that it is so,” she hissed before vaporising into nothing. Kester looked around in bewilderment, then spotted the bright yellow shape, moving on the thermal imaging screen.
“Gosh, she moves fast, doesn’t she?” He followed her as she floated across the road and entered the building.
“Of course she does, she’s one of the djinn,” Lili said firmly. Stalking across to a box in the corner, she rummaged around before pulling out four tiny devices, which she threw at the others. “Walkie-talkies,” she explained, seeing Kester’s look of confusion. “Get out there, get watching. I’m going to contact Tinker, then move the van to a safer position.”
She threw open the door and ushered them back out into the cold. In their absence, the snow had picked up pace, and was already an inch thick on the pavement. Luke stamped his feet. “Jeez, you guys really know how to do winter here, don’t you?”
“We have it down to a fine art,” Ian confirmed, then nodded down the street. “Luke, you and Kester stand watch near the park. You’ll have a good view of any passers-by there. I’ll take this end of the road. Cardigan, are you okay to go around the back?”
Cardigan nodded. “Of course. Any sign of a small woman, you must raise the alarm. Got it?”
