The Book of Beasts (28 page)

The Abbey, Auchinmurn Bay and Era Mina,
Present Day

Vaughn stood in front of Em's triptych, which had been set up in the library. He looked like he was deep in contemplation. Em bit her lip, wondering what he was thinking. Was travelling back in time via the painting to rescue Matt an impossible idea?

When she had come downstairs after sleeping for a few hours, she had been angry with Zach at first, for breaking his promise and telling the adults her plan. But remembering her helplessness at the hands of Henrietta, a part of her was glad too. She had told the adults everything that had happened to her in the cottage, in the knowledge that she wouldn't be alone this time.

‘The impressions you've captured of this unfinished battle, Em,' Vaughn said at last, tracing the images of Malcolm and the knights and the Grendel. ‘It reminds me of the battle depicted in the Royal Academy tapestry that Henrietta stole.'

Renard grunted in agreement. ‘The details are different, but the image is much the same,' he agreed. ‘You saw the tapestry at the cottage, Em. Does it now show this scene instead of the original?'

Em remembered the ghastly beauty of the tapestry that Tanan had unrolled in the crofter's cottage. She had been struck by the similarities too. ‘It's almost exactly the same,' she said.

‘A possible past,' said Simon a little grimly. ‘Malcolm in victory, conquering the Grendel.'

‘Possible but not yet fixed in history,' Renard said. ‘Remember, time isn't linear.'

‘Concentric circles,' said Em, recalling the whirling lights above Era Mina, and the helix.

‘If the tapestry has changed again, Henrietta will know,' said Sandie.

‘Not necessarily,' Zach signed. He looked at Em. ‘You said they had to unroll it? Maybe they rolled it up again. Maybe now Matt's the one standing in victory at the centre, but no one knows that yet.'

Em smiled at Zach, feeling better at this thought. ‘Can you sense Henrietta's presence, Grandpa?' she asked.

‘I know that she's close, but nothing more specific than that,' Renard said.

‘Henrietta is skilled at masking her mind. If she has Tanan and Mara to help her, then she may have also masked her physical presence in some way. But let's not worry about that.'

‘We should eat,' said Sandie. ‘There's macaroni cheese, if you can face it. I burned the top, I'm afraid.'

‘That's why ketchup was invented,' said Vaughn, earning a cuff on the shoulder.

Everyone turned away from the tall windows and headed to the kitchen. They missed the brief frizz of electricity spidering over the bay outside, revealing for one short moment the animated blue outline of a sleek yacht bobbing on the water. It was gone again in an instant.

Inside the large and comfortable cruiser, Henrietta was preparing dinner in the yacht's galley. She squeezed a fresh lime into a mixing bowl, adding chopped garlic and crushed red peppers, blending the ingredients well. Touching her finger to the cloudy liquid, she lifted a droplet to her lips. Perfect to mask the taste of the valerian root she had been feeding Mara and Tanan for the past few days. It had only had a slight soporific effect on Tanan so far, but Mara was already beginning to think she was ill. Today's dose, added to what had accumulated in their systems to date, would be enough to take care of Mara at least.

Reaching into a bag on the narrow counter, she lifted out a small plastic box containing a dark green root. She cut two thin slices and chopped them finely, scraping them with the back of the knife into her lime marinade. Finally, she drizzled the poisoned dressing over two of the prawn skewers and popped them under the grill.

She looked out through a porthole at the monk's tower dominating the beach on this side of Era Mina. Then her gaze passed across the water to the grounds opposite, the jetty and the lawn of the Abbey itself. The lights were on in the library, but there was no one inside. The powerful binoculars Mara had animated earlier had shown Henrietta that Emily and the others had retired to the kitchen.

The timer beeped on the grill. Henrietta slid the prawns on to plates already prepared with a salad, which she carried from the galley to the table in the spacious, well-appointed cabin.

‘How long will we have to wait here?' asked Tanan moodily, pouring himself a glass of red wine.

‘Not long now,' said Henrietta, lifting her glass. ‘
Salut
.'

Tanan and Mara held their glasses aloft. Mara's hand was a little shaky.

‘To our sons and daughters,' said Henrietta, smiling benevolently at her conspirators. ‘May you never forget imagination is the real and the eternal.'

‘This is Hollow Earth,' replied the others.

Mara clinked glasses with Tanan and gulped her wine.

Before she could finish her salad she was dead.

Era Mina
Present Day

‘Three Animare will be better equipped to face Hollow Earth,' said Renard. ‘Vaughn and Sandie, you'll go on this journey with Em. I think Simon needs to stay here and help guard the Abbey with me. Henrietta is still out there, and likely knows we're planning something.'

‘I'm going too,' Zach signed stubbornly.

Renard glanced at Simon, who nodded. ‘Fine,' he said. ‘Four of you, then.'

Em felt an intense wave of relief. She couldn't imagine facing this unknown without Zach at her side.

‘What if this doesn't work?' she said, feeling a little desperate.

Vaughn pulled on his dark flak jacket, filling the pockets with chalk, charcoal, crayons and paper. ‘If we can't fade through your painting, then we try something else,' he said, and patted his pockets. ‘But I think we'll be fine.'

‘And Albion will help,' added Renard, pulling Em into a hug. ‘Somehow.'

Em dressed quickly in black leggings, her favourite knee-high black boots with thick black socks for extra warmth, a long-sleeved T-shirt and one of Matt's black hoodies under her jacket. Vaughn and Sandie were also in black.

Sandie offered Em a stocking cap. ‘Want this?'

‘I'm fine,' said Em, and zipped her hoodie up to her chin.

But she wasn't. What if she had misunderstood Albion's intentions?

I'll be there
, Zach reminded her, smiling into her eyes.

They gathered at the end of the jetty, waiting for Renard to reverse the boat from the boathouse. Simon and Zach had wrapped Em's triptych in tarpaulin and now lifted it carefully aboard. Em climbed on with Vaughn and Sandie, holding tightly to her mother's hand. Then Simon took the helm with Renard, and steered them all across the bay to Era Mina.

The island had lost most of its trees many years earlier. To Em, it looked even more barren than usual as they sailed west to Monk's Cove, on the north-west side of the island.

Simon and Renard moored the boat next to two stout rocks, and helped the others ashore with Em's painting.

‘Are you sure we shouldn't have left the painting in the library?' said Renard anxiously. ‘You would return directly to the Abbey that way.'

Em shook her head. ‘We might need all Era Mina's powers to make it work. That's why we're taking it with us.'

She gazed around the cove, remembering the stiff climb up the cliff face to access the caves inside the island. She, Matt and Zach had made the ascent many times that summer. It seemed a long time ago.

Sandie and Zach hugged Simon and Renard goodbye, and joined Em and Vaughn at the foot of the cliff.

‘Ready?' said Vaughn, who was standing beside Em, shouldering the triptych in its tarpaulin.

Em ran back to her grandfather, who swept her into a hug. The feeling of his arms was like a cozy blanket, and she had to laugh.

‘You make me feel so warm and safe,' she said, gazing up into Renard's much-loved face.

‘It's the least I can do,' he said. ‘Now go. Be brave, and bring your brother and Jeannie home. Simon and I will be waiting.'

Em ran back to the others waiting for her at the foot of the cliff, pausing only to blow Simon and Renard kisses. Renard caught his and placed it against his heart.

Auchinmurn Bay
Present Day

Henrietta watched from the cabin window through her binoculars, tracking the boat until it disappeared round the south coast of Era Mina.

‘The game's afoot,' she said with satisfaction. ‘They will enter Hollow Earth tonight, I am sure of it. And I will be with them. Then my son will come home, bringing glory and power with him.'

‘What do you want to do with her?' said Tanan, nudging Mara's motionless body with his foot as he stood up. He seemed uninterested in how or why she had died.

It is just as well
, Henrietta thought with some amusement.
As you will soon join her.

‘Unless you object,' she said aloud, ‘I'd suggest over the side.'

‘Why would I object?'

‘I wondered whether you had a soft spot for her,' she replied.

Tanan's gaze was steady. ‘I care for nothing but Hollow Earth and Malcolm's vision for us all.'

‘Then what are we waiting for?' Henrietta said. ‘We have work to do.'

Together they heaved Mara's body up the cabin steps and out on to the deck, where Tanan rolled her inside a tarp. With an unceremonious splash, her body dropped overboard.

Henrietta checked her diamond watch. ‘I think enough time has passed for us to approach Monk's Cove unobserved,' she said. ‘Take the boat close to the shore, Tanan. But be careful. We don't want to alert them to our presence.'

‘We won't do that,' said Tanan with a grin. ‘We are invisible.'

The laptop winked on the table, showing Tanan's digital sketch of the yacht they were on. The colour and contrast had been adjusted to the point where the sketch all but blended with the backlit screen.

Henrietta found that she was starting to regret the valerian root. Tanan would be dead in a matter of days, and here he was proving so useful.

‘We must still use caution,' she said. ‘Quickly now. We need to be there when Emily opens Hollow Earth or we will not be able to enter and help my son.'

It was cold on deck. Henrietta tied a Hermes scarf around her head to protect her ears from the wind and admired the steel grey of the sky as Tanan piloted the boat along the small island's coast. As Monk's Cove came into view, Henrietta lifted the binoculars to her eyes again.

Em was on the cliff-side with Sandie, Vaughn and the deaf, fair-haired boy from the Abbey whose name Henrietta did not know. They were wriggling into a hole, carrying something bulky. Henrietta adjusted the binoculars and squinted. A painting.

So that is how she will do it
, she thought admiringly.
My granddaughter is even more powerful than I imagined.

Hollow Earth was so close now, she could almost touch it.

‘Soon,' she said to herself, thinking of her son. ‘Soon,
mon chéri
, we will take power from them all.'

Distracted by her own arrogance, Henrietta failed to notice two figures in black climbing on board the boat behind her.