Shadow: Bloody Fairies Part 21

"Pssst," said a voice.

Hippy jumped so hard she almost tumbled over the railing. "Clockwork!" she hissed.

Clockwork leaned on the next balcony, separated from hers by only a few feet. "What are you doing?"

"I couldn't sleep." Hippy clamped her teeth over her lower lip to stop it trembling in a very unfairylike manner. "Well, I could sleep, I could sleep for a week, but I keep having these dreams."

"What kinds of dreams?" Clockwork jumped onto the edge of the railing and leaped the s.p.a.ce between the balconies. He balanced on Hippy's railing, then slid down and sat on it.

Hippy shrugged and looked away.

"You've been acting weird since dinner," Clockwork said. "What did my dad say to you?"

She shrugged a second time. "Just stuff."

"My dad never says just stuff." Clockwork tilted his head. "I had a dream earlier. I dreamed we were running away from Crunchy, and Ralph the Peac.o.c.k landed on my head. Then we saw this shiny ribbon in the sky and sparks fell out of it. Then there was this kind of crack in the air and all these vamps came out of it. We threw fairy dust at them all and then played kick with their ashes."

Hippy giggled. "That was a good dream."

"What did you dream about?" Clockwork's eyes were bright and curious.

Hippy looked away. "I dreamed about Pierus standing outside the gate. He said the Apple of Chaos called to him. Then he said I was with him forever. It was so real."

"You must have thought that was a good dream." All the humour had bleached from his voice.

Hippy shook her head vigorously. "It was scary."

"Come on." He glanced over the garden, put a hand in the small of her back and steered her inside. He closed and locked the balcony doors. "Go to bed."

Hippy sat on the bed, but she didn't get in. "I don't want to have any more dreams."

"I can help with that. Just wait a minute." Clockwork disappeared into the hall.

Hippy listened to the sound of low voices and then footsteps hurrying away.

Clockwork slipped back into the room and sat on the end of the bed. "I just told Fitz about your dream," he said. "He's going to check the grounds to make sure Pierus isn't here."

"Do you really think he did that thing?" Hippy said. "Voodooed me?"

"If that's what Fitz said, then that's what he did. But I can stop you from having any more dreams tonight."

"How?"

Clockwork grinned. "That's a Freakin Fairy secret. You just lie down and go to sleep."

Hippy lay down and closed her eyes. Sleep crept into her mind like a drug. At first it came with an image of Pierus's eyes burning into her brain, but then there was a movement from the end of the bed, and a light.

The dream disappeared.

When Hippy woke up the next morning, Clockwork was stretched across the end of her bed, snoring. She giggled at the sight. She felt rested and refreshed.

She got out of bed and dressed quickly before he woke up. Then she went over and tugged on his hair.

Clockwork blinked. "Huh?"

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead." Hippy went over to the mirror, since it was a novelty, and poked at her hair until all the braids fell into place.

Clockwork stretched, yawned and ambled toward the door. "Come on," he said. "Or we'll be late for breakfast."

Hippy's stomach growled. She followed Clockwork out of the room, skipped down the hall and took the steps two at a time. They raced each other into the dining room, where they skidded to a halt at the sight of Mr Silver seated around the table with Fitz and Ana.

He looked from one to the other. "Overslept, did we?"

"Yes," said Hippy.

"No," said Clockwork.

She poked him. "You did too."

Mr Silver cleared his throat. "Sit. Eat."

Hippy and Clockwork sat at their places, where plates of food lay waiting. Hippy devoured toast and eggs and reached for the mug next to the plate, hoping it was coffee. She was disappointed to find only a weak, milky tea.

When they'd finished eating, Mr Silver spoke. "Fitz informed me of your dream last night, Hippy."

Hippy's cheeks burned. She nodded.

"I checked the grounds and the perimeter, but there were no intruders," Fitz said.

"Nevertheless, I have little doubt the pretender is nearby," Mr Silver said. "Did you have any more dreams?"

"No." Hippy glanced at Clockwork and smiled.

He smiled back, then dropped his fork on the floor when his father's thoughtful gaze fell on him.

"Well Clockwork," Mr Silver said. "Since you and Hippy seem to be getting along so well, you can take first patrol this morning. Any sign of anything at all, I want to know about it. Ana, you take the streets, see if there's any sign of strangers in the neighbourhood. Fitz, you're with me."

Just like that, they were dismissed. Hippy and Clockwork headed out into the gardens.

Hippy looked around for any sign of Crunchy, but the garden was as serene as could be. They headed down the wide driveway together.

Ana overtook them and gave Hippy a hard stare. "I'm watching you," she said, then disappeared in the direction of the gate.

Hippy stuck out her tongue at Ana's retreating back.

Clockwork chuckled. "Wait till you see her in a bad mood."

"Are you telling me that's her happy face?"

"Pretty much. She doesn't like it here. She just kind of hangs around to make sure Fitz doesn't get into too much trouble. She wants to go home and get married to some guy. I heard her telling Fitz."

Hippy watched Ana disappear down the road and thought about her own sister. She wondered how things would have gone if Ishtar had come to Dream with her. "How many brothers and sisters have you got?"

Clockwork scaled the perimeter wall and balanced on top of it. "Fifteen sisters," he said. "No brothers. I was kind of glad when Dad said he needed me here for a while. You?"

"Eight brothers and a sister." Hippy scrambled up behind him. She looked out over the street. She hadn't been able to see much on the drive in. It was just a quiet street really, plenty of trees, lots of houses behind big walls. Anyone could be hiding anywhere. She averted her eyes and followed Clockwork along the wall. "I'm the youngest."

Clockwork laughed. "That explains a lot."

"That explains what?" Hippy caught up, ready to clout him if necessary.

"That explains why you're kind of dumb about stuff. Everyone knows the youngest kid gets protected the most."

Hippy dropped her hand just before she made contact with the back of his head and knocked him off the wall. "Protected?" She sighed. "I guess. It's not much fun though."

Clockwork glanced over his shoulder. "You miss them." He said it in a matter of fact way.

She shrugged. "Maybe a bit."

He stopped and took her hand.

Hippy glanced at their interlinked fingers, puzzled.

"Don't go with him," he said, with a peculiar intensity. "I like you."

Hippy's eyes widened in puzzlement. Something about the way he looked at her made her tingle. "Really?"

"Really." Clockwork tugged on her hand. "Come on, we're supposed to be patrolling."

They continued along the wall, hand in hand. Clockwork set a quick pace. The gardens flashed by underneath on one side, the street on the other. Hippy glimpsed Crunchy the Camel and the snake pit, but she barely noticed them because her cheeks had gone so hot trying to figure out exactly what Clockwork meant when he said he liked her.

When she looked at the back of his head and realised she liked him, she was so shocked she slipped and fell off the wall. Clockwork tumbled down with her and landed a few paces away.

Hippy crouched under a thick vine with stems the size of her arm and eyed him. "Freakin Fairies aren't allowed to like b.l.o.o.d.y Fairies."

He shrugged. "I don't care. Do you?"

She shook her head. "No." She gave him a little smile. "No I don't."

Clockwork broke into a big grin. Just as quickly, the grin dropped from his face and his eyes widened. "You won't tell my dad?"

Hippy shook her head emphatically. "No way. He scares me."

He closed the gap between them hesitantly and wrapped his arms around her.

Hippy buried her face in his shoulder and smiled. Somehow it felt so right to be here. She felt like she'd been pretending to be someone she wasn't with Pierus all along.

The thought of Pierus made her stiffen. Guilt squeezed her gut. Her neck p.r.i.c.kled as if he was watching her. Watching her betray him. Her blood began to pound. What if he was watching? What if he was angry?

"Hey," Clockwork said. "Check out that big spider."

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE.

Hippy tipped her head back and squealed. There, balanced on a branch right above her head, was a spider the size of her face. "Fluffy Ducky!"

"Fluffy Ducky?" Clockwork sounded dubious. "Your vamp-eating spider? Are you sure?"

"I'd know Fluffy Ducky anywhere." Hippy wiggled her fingers. Fluffy Ducky scuttled onto them, down her arm and settled happily on her shoulder.

Clockwork swarmed up the wall, balanced on top of it and let out a piercing whistle. When it was returned from somewhere down the street, he jumped and landed back beside Hippy.

"Why'd you do that?" She only gave Clockwork half her attention, because she was busy scratching Fluffy Ducky on the back while he blinked at her with three eyes.

"To let Ana know they're here. Come on." Clockwork grabbed her hand and sprinted down the nearest path.

"What? Who's here?" Hippy grabbed Fluffy Ducky and secured him in his pouch so he wouldn't get lost again.

"Who do you think?" Clockwork picked up the pace when they ran past the place they'd encountered Crunchy yesterday, but he wasn't there. Ralph the Peac.o.c.k sat in the branches of a tree and ignored them.

Hippy had trouble thinking and running at the same time, but she figured it out by the time the house came into sight. The idea made her cold all over. "Do you mean Pierus and Poppy? How do you know?"

"The spider! How do you think?" Clockwork stopped on the stairs leading up to the front door so they could catch their breath.

"But Fluffy Ducky doesn't need them to find me."

Clockwork shook his head. "We can't take that chance. Come on." He pushed open the doors. They hurried inside and down the hall to Mr Silver's study, where Clockwork rapped on the door.

Fitz opened it. "News?" He stood back to let them in.

Hippy followed Clockwork inside. She slowed, reluctant to be in here again. Her eyes strayed to the bookshelf where she knew Pandora's Box rested.

"Well?" Mr Silver rose from behind the desk.

"It's Fluffy Ducky," Clockwork said.

Mr Silver blinked. "You've lost me, son."

"Hippy show him."

Hippy took Fluffy Ducky out, balanced him carefully in her hand and went to the desk. She held him out. "Fluffy Ducky came back to me. I lost him at the Acropolis when he was eating vamps and Fitz kidnapped me."

"You have a vamp-eating spider?" Mr Silver reached a finger toward Fluffy Ducky. Fluffy Ducky waved a foreleg.