The Terrible Business with the Loch Ness monster

1. Edinburgh

When miss Heather Blackheart slid into a halt outside the Edinburgh High quarter's gates she was on the brink of exhaustion, her hair was a mess and all of her was covered by the dust and dirt from the road. Even Requiem, her fine black stallion who usually had quite a temperament, was unsteady on his legs as he stood with his head low, drawing heavy breaths from the many days of canter across the Scottish highlands. Heather leaned out from the horse and pulled a sting attached to a bell somewhere in the building, and was about to fall right of the horse as she did so. Carefully, she pulled herself back into the saddle, really hoping someone had heard her, as repeating the movement would most definitely make her fall.

The gates were about three meters high, and attached to an equally high brickwall, that encircled the mansion and the ground belonging to it. As the law demanded, both the gates and the frontdoors were closed and locked, and the combination of a heavy lock and protective magic made sure that no one who didn't have business there could enter. Whoever had business with the Guardians would have to wait at the gates until one of them felt like answering the door, and Heather really hoped they would soon, before she fainted.

The sound of steps reached her ears, and made her snap out of her dreaming. She looked up and saw an elderly man come walking across the courtyard towards her. Like all Scottish men he were dressed in a kilt, shirt, waistcoat and a jacket, with his sward by his side and a knife tucked into the hem of his sock. Everything was in the Guardian's black and silver, and Heather felt as if a heavy weight was lifted from her shoulders.

"what's this about, lass?" the man asked with a distinctive Scottish accent.

"I need to speak to the Guardians!" she had no idea how she managed to keep her voice steady as she spoke, but she did.

"yer' in the right place then, who are ye'?" he just kept on talking, and Heather felt how she started to sway in the saddle, but was just about to try to answer him when a new voice broke in.

"Brian! What do you think you're doing keeping this poor girl waiting, can't you see she's absolutely exhausted?! Open the gates!" it was a woman's voice, not bearing quite as much accent as the mans, and as Heather raised her eyes she could see a lady in an expensive dark blue silkgown standing on the steps leading up to the church, looking very cross indeed.

"madam..." Brian started, "we need to know more about her before we let her in..."

"oh, don't bother, what will she do, snore at you until you die? Can't you see she's almost sleeping in the saddle!" the woman started down the steps, and came across the yard in long strides. As she reached the gates, she yanked them open, and sized Requiem by the bridle to lead him through. The fact that she could do that and keep all fingers was proof enough that the stallion was utterly finished, and for a moment, Heather was scared that she might have ruined him for good. She really hoped that she hadn't, he was one of the best horses she'd ever had.

The woman lead him all the way to the foot of the stair before she handed the rains to Brian.

"you take the horse to the stables and make sure that he is cared for in the best way possible, poor thing." Brian muttered something under his breath, and Heather guesses it was something rather unflattering, but she didn't catch the words. "and now, darling, will you dismount?" the woman reached up and patted her on the shoulder, and Heather realised that she was nodding off again. She tried to will her leg to swing over the back of the horse, but it wouldn't move, and she felt herself making a face.

"oh darling, are you hurt?" she sounded concerned, but Heather shock her head, and then focused on her right leg again, and this time it moved, and swung over Requiems hindquarters with far more force than Heather had intended, finally making her fall of, tangled in her skirts and the woman caught her with surprising strength. That was the last thing Heather remembered before the world turned black around her.