Homesick Book 2. The Secrets of Blackthorn Manor

In the Depths of the Manor

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Chapter Seventeen

In the Depths of the Manor

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'Oh, this is bad. This is really, really bad,' Adrian groaned, pacing back and forth.

Daniel was still crouched down by the hole, examining it carefully. 'Surely we would have noticed something in the walls, right?' he asked with a frown.

Lyndall shrugged an elegant shoulder. 'This is a very large manor. Perhaps we have just never noticed or perhaps it's only active at night?' Adrian looked at his two friends, something like guilt on his face.

Daniel's eyes narrowed. 'Something you want to share with the class?'

'I may have heard some weird things at night...'

'You have?' Lyndall asked.

'We cannot let that thing escape the manor!' Adrian hissed. The implications were horrific. Aside from the very worrying fact that they didn't know what the creature was or what it could do, if anyone outside the manor found it, Adrian would have a lot of questions to answer.

'Yeah, but we don't even know what it is,′ said Daniel, his fingers running over the scorched wood. 'This is old magic.'

'Everything in here is old magic!' Adrian barked, throwing his hands up.

'Be calm,' Owethu rumbled. He placed a large hand on the practitioner's shoulder. Adrian nodded shakily. It wouldn't do them any good for him to lose control.

'Which book were you looking at Lyndall?' Daniel asked, rummaging through the small pile they had brought in with them. Lyndall darted over to help. She found the one she was looking for as Adrian tried not to dance on the spot. She frantically flipped through the pages of the journal as Daniel peered over his shoulder. 'This is where I saw the section on living artefacts,' she said. 'Here!' Her eyes whizzed down the pages. Her sudden excitement turned to worry. 'Oh dear.'

'What? What does it say?'

'There are quite a few warnings that the living artefacts will need to have their containments refreshed.'

Daniel frowned. 'Refreshed?'

'Well, yes. Sigils for captivity usually require a boost every now and again as well as inspection to make sure there's no wear and tear.'

Adrian groaned miserably. 'Bit hard to top up a sigil I didn't know existed!' Owethu gave his shoulder a squeeze. The link between them stayed opened. Adrian was quietly amazed at just how calm Owethu was. The naga was concerned but it was at arm's length, controllable. Stable. Adrian tried taking a few calming breaths.

'No one is blaming you for this,' Lyndall said gently.

Adrian shook his head. 'It doesn't matter if anyone blames me! There is a dangerous magical thing loose in the house!'

'We'll find it,' Lyndall promised.

Adrian nodded, still feeling slightly hysterical. He'd been taught plenty of tracking spells but they, like most magic were specific. He had to tell the spell what it was tracking and of course, he had no bloody idea!

What if it hurt someone? Peters might be used to crazy things attacking him, but Amy and Beth certainly wouldn't be! They were just mundane humans.

'Could they track it?' Owethu asked. Adrian turned. The naga was looking down at the two cats. The familiars were still staring at the hole in the wall, their tails flicking. Adrian frowned. 'I'm not sure. I've never asked them to do anything like that.'