the storm inside | kitty (boyxboy)

24 | Mission Find Dru

"You got me for a while," said Ty. "But I saw a glimpse of a scar once I realised you were glamoured, matching the one that Annabel has. What have you done to Dru?"

"That's up to you to find out," said the Dru-that-was-not-Dru. "And you are wrong. I am not Annabel Blackthorn."

"Show yourself, then," Ty said, and Kit saw his hand come to rest on the dagger hidden behind his shirt. "Because I am never wrong. You are Annabel."

"Then, Tiberius, you will be wrong for the first time," she said. Kit saw Ty flinch, but he did not understand why. Had he been wrong before? "I will not fall for your trickery. You will remain shadowed from the truth."

In a split-second, Ty had whipped his dagger out and pointed it at the woman's throat. "Tell me. Who are you? Where is Dru?"

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out," the woman said, and threw a cloud of dust onto the floor—the classic escape plan.

Kit and Ty choked on it, then hurried out as quickly as they could. Ty heard screaming from behind a door, and unlocked it, revealing Tavvy. "Dru is not Dru!" he yelled.

"We know," said Ty grimly as the screech of wheels could be heard from behind the door. "But yet I do not know her identity. I am almost positive it is Annabel Blackthorn, yet she claims she is not."

"Have you been wrong before?" said Kit abruptly, and instantly knew it was the wrong thing to say.

Ty spun on him, an angry glint in his eye, and he looked so furious it nearly made Kit run. That was one terrifying kid. "Why? Do you doubt me?"

"N—no," Kit stammered. "No doubts. No doubts at all."

"Good." He turned back around, and Kit did not understand. "Now, Annabel does not have many choices. She will not linger here. She will run. Annabel does not have many choices.

One, she can go to the Mundane world. But she will find herself in confusion, for she is not familiar with their customs now. Two, she can go to the Fey lands. But they do not like her very much currently, and she will be treated with harsh judgement.

Three, she can go back to Cornwall. Stay hidden in the cottage she once shared with Malcolm. It is her easiest and the most obvious choice. We know the way to Cornwall; we know where the cottage it. It will be easy to locate her.

Of course, this is provided the woman is Annabel Blackthorn, but I am almost certain it is. Hence we shall go forth to Cornwall."

"But you said 'almost certain'," said Kit. "You are not sure."

"Logical deduction points towards the fact that she is Annabel. I am ninety percent sure. Is that not good enough for you?"

"No, but I have a hunch that she is—"

"A hunch is not evidence. It is not logical," said Ty angrily. What was up with him? "You cannot be any surer than I."

Kit found it hard to argue with that. "Right, Sir Logic, then where do we head?"

"Like I said earlier, if you were paying attention, CORNWALL."

"Um, Kit? Ty?" said Tavvy meekly. "Can I come?"

"I suppose we'll have to bring him. We can't leave him home alone until the others come back. It's too dangerous. And we don't have any time to lose. We have to go now," Kit said.

Ty didn't say anything; he grabbed Tavvy's hand and dashed off, Tavvy struggling to keep up. Kit followed after, knowing where Ty was going but not how. He remembered that he had gone this way before.

He remembered that there was a Portal hidden behind one of the tapestries, and what happened, and that there was someone... it was like there was a hole in his memories. It hurt to think about it.

Ty told Tavvy to think of the word "Cornwall", then shoved him into a tapestry. Ty turned to Kit. "Surely you remember this," he said coldly, then climbed through.

Why was he so upset? Did Kit strike a nerve?

Kit stuck a hand through the Portal first, then the rest of his body followed. Cornwall, he thought, remembering that he had been there before. He had been to Cornwall alone, there had been a raven—

And then his feet hit solid ground and he found himself back to where he had been in his memories, only this time, there was Ty and Tavvy, very real and very much alive.

Ty trudged across the grass, bringing his attention to a cottage on the far side of a cliff. Huh. The cottage was nearer than they had thought.

Tavvy and Kit followed him, sticking tightly together as a group. Their hands all rested—with caution—on a weapon, Tavvy holding tiny throwing stars in his hands. They soon reached the cottage, and Ty kicked the door open, a witchlight in his hand.

Strange, Kit thought, holding out his whip in front of him. Shouldn't there be glamours or something? I remember Julian mentioning them.

Ty appeared to have the same thoughts, though he did not voice it.

A soft noise sounded and they stiffened, before they heard sheepish laughter from Tavvy. "Relax, it was me."

Thankfully, the noise was covered up by the boy. The hooded figure placed a palm on the ground and the invisible walls blared to life, trapping its unknowing occupants. He turned away, walking almost jauntily towards his own Portal, which lay awaiting for him.

"You've fallen into my trap, after all," Barnabas Hale mumbled to himself. "Told you I wasn't Annabel Blackthorn."

***

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