Kaspar narrowed his eyes. ‘Eaglen? At a time like this?’
‘Is Ad Infinitum not the time for visiting family and friends?’
Kaspar’s eyes flashed black and I inwardly groaned at the insensitivity of his next statement. ‘Eaglen is no relation or friend of yours.’
Quiet rained down on the clearing and for the first time, Autumn Rose stepped into the circle. Her eyes never left the ground and she spoke timidly and quietly, yet her voice rang clear through the air, musical in sound, so varied in pitch it was almost a song.
‘I can explain that, Your Highness.’ She paused, seeming to gather courage. ‘Eaglen was a close friend of my grandmother many years ago; I wished to spend such a time with someone who knew her well. I have no one else.’
Her eyes flickered upwards, coyly gauging his reaction. Kaspar seemed taken aback and his expression softened.
‘Forgive me, Lady Sage. I did not know.’
He bowed stiffly and she nodded her head in return, seeming to gain a little confidence.
‘And might I offer my apologies for not attending your late grandmother’s funeral. The timing was unfortunate.’
She curtsied. ‘A funeral is bitter to the grieving heart. It is no matter, Your Highness.’
I watched the exchange with interest. I felt a pang of sympathy for her. By the sound of it she had no family left. Yet the courtesy and respect Kaspar allowed her sent another type of pang stabbing through my heart.
Green doesn’t look good on you, Girly, my voice snickered.
‘No objections then, Kaspar?’ Fallon continued.
Kaspar shook his head. ‘None.’
‘Then might I suggest we get moving? As I’m sure Violet will testify it’s a little chilly just standing here.’
I nodded vigorously, hands already buried deep in my pockets. Alex swung his guitar back over his shoulders and with that, Fallon led the way into the trees, leaving the corpses of the unfortunate deer behind.
As early evening moved to night the clouds dispersed, blown away by the cold wind that had gradually intensified as we moved deeper into the heart of Varnley forest. The stars twinkled high above and occasionally, when we climbed to higher ground, I could make out the orange glow of London.
Crickets chirped in the undergrowth as I weaved my way through the treacherous maze of roots, tired and ashamed of my stumbling antics. Ahead, the two Sage leapt elegantly from root to root, hardly touching the ground and never so much as brushing a single thorn nor leaf. It was almost as though the forest moved with them, fluid and lithe to their swift pace.
The vampires were grouped in-between, stamina and strength pushing them on and guiding their feet. Kaspar had dropped back, staying behind with me, but he barely talked and when he did it was to warn me not to trip or to stay close.
‘Where did you say we were going?’ I asked for the umpteenth time, hoping he might elaborate on his reply compared to the last time.
‘The brook,’ he replied in a monotone. I sighed, resigning myself to the fact he did not want to awaken from his deep-thinking stupor.
Although his answer did not help, I got the feeling this was not an area that was ventured into much. Thick curtains of ivy were suspended like cobwebs between the mighty oaks that dominated this part of the forest. The ground was earthy and the grass sparse – only the odd bush sheltered life. Creepers snaked across the loose path, perfectly positioned as trip hazards for my ungainly feet.
As we walked on, I watched Autumn Rose. She was truly unlike anything I had ever seen. Her pale skin, intricate tawny scars and fine, straw-coloured hair were so exotic; so strange and alien, her amber eyes so wide, innocent and unknowing … and then there was the power she possessed within. The magic she could wield, shape and conjure at will. The possibilities seemed endless, even frightening.
‘Is she an orphan?’ I asked tentatively, wondering if I was pushing the boundaries too far.
Kaspar sighed. ‘As good as.’ Again he sighed, almost remorsefully. ‘Her grandmother died about eighteen months ago, some months after my mother. Her parents are not Sage and she has no close relations that are either. Since then she has kept far from Athenea – away from the Sagean social circle.’
‘How did she die? Her grandmother I mean. Old age?’ I probed.
Kaspar stopped, turning to me with reproachful eyes. ‘Violet, it was murder.’
Immediately, I felt terrible for asking. I glanced after her and then bowed my head.
‘And you’d do better not to mention it to anyone,’ he added before starting off again. ‘Some things are better left buried.’
I closed my eyes, slowing breathing out. Dark beings buried everything, just never deep enough. Swallowing back my wounded pride, I carried on after him, hopping over another particularly large root in the dark forest.
We must have walked on another hour before the scenery began to change again. The trees narrowed and the oaks were replaced with great swathes of orange and red. Patches of autumn-flowering snowdrops broke through the hard earth, scattered between plots of grass. I could faintly hear the sound of trickling, gurgling water.
Suddenly, Felix clapped his hands together. ‘Right, firewood. Any volunteers?’
We had come to a halt at a tiny clearing, ringed tightly by trunks. In the centre was a little circle of stones, enclosing a heap of wet ash. The group was gathered around, dumping their bags and settling down. There was a general disgruntled murmur and no one raised their hand.
I looked at the fire circle sceptically. ‘Surely it would just be easier to use that magic of yours?’
I looked at Fallon, who smiled amusedly. Cain chuckled, muttering, ‘City girl,’ under his breath.
‘It won’t burn as bright or as warm.’
‘Which is why we need wood,’ Felix put in. ‘I’ll go if anybody nice wants to help?’ Autumn sort of half-smiled and raised her hand. ‘Anyone else?’ he continued.
‘I’ll go,’ I said, taking a step forward. Autumn seemed taken aback and Kaspar looked as though he was about to protest. But Felix was already striding away, heading in the opposite direction to which we had come. She recovered her unreadable expression and turned after him. I hurried behind.
I didn’t know quite why I had volunteered, but something about this Autumn girl fascinated me. The Sage fascinated me. Magic fascinated me.
We approached the brook, a tiny, babbling stream flowing over mossy rocks and perfectly smooth, glinting pebbles. The banks were lined with snowdrops and luscious grass as it flowed down towards the Thames estuary.