Unexpected Discoveries
Chapter Fourteen The Guest
Lord Peregrine was impressed. “This is a splendid hidden stair,” he said. “I can’t believe that I’ve got the chance to see it.”
“It’s not my first choice,” Hilary grumbled.
“Bracken needs to stay upstairs,” Lord Peregrine continued, magnificently ignoring Hilary’s comment.
Bracken looked relieved. “I will watch the time, keep the kettle warm and have food ready for your return,” she said.
“We’re only going into a cellar,” Hilary said. She glanced over at the doorway. It may be brightly lit, but cold radiated from the stairs down. It didn’t look like she would find a small room at the base. It looked like it could take her anywhere. “We probably won’t be more than a few minutes.”
“I couldn’t comment,” Lord Peregrine said. “There are a lot of wards down there. I couldn’t tell you anything.”
“The Committee are going to be furious,” Hilary muttered. She checked her phone and grabbed the flashlight that she had insisted on getting out. “I know that there’s lights on the stairs, but I don’t know what to expect once we’re down there.” She squared her shoulders. “This was absolutely not on record when I bought the cottage.”
Lord Peregrine shrugged. “Lead on, Miss Hilary.”
Hilary took a deep breath and stepped through the doorway.
At the back of her mind, Hilary knew that she was overreacting. It was just a staircase that no doubt led to an old coal cellar with nothing more alarming than a few desiccated spiders. But with the issue of the missing notebooks, and a complete lack of evidence that Annie had ever been a witch, it was hard to rule out finding something a little more interesting. And the thought of finding a pooka, a being with a natural knack for magic, that had had a chance to study a witch’s notebooks and pick up a few new skills, made her feel sick. She started down the stone steps. “It’s so cold,” she said.
“The stairs aren’t that scary,” Lord Peregrine said. “They’ve even got a handrail.”
“Great, we have a safety-conscious monster waiting for us at the bottom,” Hilary said, but without much conviction. The second lamp at the foot of the stairs shone brightly enough to show that it opened out into a large space that had plenty of light, at least near the foot of the stairs.
“You must have an idea of what to expect,” Lord Peregrine said. “After all, you’re a witch yourself.”
“Not all witches are alike,” Hilary said, reaching the bottom of the stairs and stepping away to allow Lord Peregrine to join her. “And I would never dream of doing this.”
Lord Peregrine flicked the light switch next to her and stared. “It seems a little…”
“It’s claustrophobic, that’s what it is,” Hilary said. “We’re in a cellar and someone made it their home from home.”
The low ceiling forced Lord Peregrine to stoop, but otherwise the room looked like any other windowless living room out there. Most of one wall was covered with deep shelving stacked high with notebooks. Across from there was a desk, with a stack of unused notebooks, a tub of pens and a series of candles that were gathering dust. There was even a cosy armchair next to an electric heater.
Well aware of her breath hanging like steam in the cold, Hilary strode over and switched on the heater. “We might as well be comfortable,” she said. “Annie obviously was.”
“Agreed,” Lord Peregrine said. “She enjoyed her creature comforts.” He wandered over to the far corner. “She had a sink fitted in here,” he said. “Look.”
“She’s not exactly got a full kitchen down here,” Hilary said. “But it’s not bad.” A tiny sink unit sat next to a table with jars of teabags and sugar next to a china cup. Hilary eyed the mini fridge under the sink with distrust. “I’ll work up to seeing what’s in there,” she said. “I’m not in a rush to find out what milk looks like if it’s left for six months.”
“It’s very dry down here,” Lord Peregrine said. “It’s even more noticeable now that things are warming up.” He glanced over at Hilary. “Putting on the heater was true inspiration.”
“It’ll take a while to warm up properly,” Hilary said. She opened a door next to her. “I can’t believe this.” She pulled on the cord at the door and the room lit up.
Lord Peregrine leaned over her shoulder. “Whoever put this together was thorough,” he said. “Putting a bathroom in a cellar isn’t necessarily easy.”
“It’s not a big bathroom,” Hilary said. She shook her head. “What am I saying. Having a toilet, a sink and a shower down here is amazing.”
“And I cannot imagine a workman being thrilled to lug a bath down those steep steps,” Lord Peregrine said. He eased past Hilary and tried the taps. “It’s a little stiff, but they work,” he said, fascinated by the unexpected swirl of water running through the taps and into some unsuspected drain. “There’s even a fan up there in the corner.” He looked around and flicked a switch. The fan started, drawing warmer air from the main room into the tiny space.
Hilary reached past him and turned the tap off. “Let’s not waste water,” she said, turning and going back into the main room.
Lord Peregrine looked again at the fan, then turned it off and followed Hilary, closing the door behind him. “Two more doors,” he said. “Do you think that one of them is a bedroom.”
“I can’t imagine why anyone would want a bedroom down here,” Hilary said as she wandered back towards the notebooks. “Not when there are so many good bedrooms upstairs.”
“A bedroom down here would be useful if someone was hiding,” Lord Peregrine said.
Hilary wasn’t paying attention. “Some of these notebooks are really old,” she said, picking a thick notebook with a faded blue cover. “I wonder how long this has been a witch’s cottage.”
“Do you think that Samgan is hiding behind one of these doors?” Lord Peregrine said. “If he is, he’ll probably be getting desperate as we’re between him and the exit.”
Hilary put the notebook down sharply. “I thought pookas were able to get in and out of places unseen.” Lord Peregrine shrugged and opened the nearest door.
“This is amazing!” Hilary edged into the room and looked around. “I’ve only ever imagined something like this.”
“Hmm?” Lord Peregrine said. He stopped at the door and picked up a jar of bismuth crystals from the shelf next to him, enjoying the play of colours on the iridescent mineral.
“Look around,” Hilary said. “Some of this stuff must have cost a fortune!”
Lord Peregrine glanced around and then looked again. Shelf units were stacked with candles of all different hues and sizes. Jars filled with incense of all types were ranged neatly next to them. The shelf next to him had a wide array of crystals, including small jars of what looked like unpolished sapphire and amethyst. And in among the mystical supplies were the pragmatic matches, candlesticks, cleaning supplies, and utensils. Above all there were herbs. “No wonder it’s so dry down here,” Lord Peregrine said. “It’s almost like a business.”
“It is a business,” Hilary said, pointing at the small box of mailers and blank labels. “And it looks like it was doing well.”
Lord Peregrine nodded. “I don’t know how many of these you recognise,” he said. “But some of these herbs, naturally dried, are expensive.”
“I’m recognising yarrow, agrimony, woodruff, lady’s mantle, hyssop, willow herb…” Hilary’s eyes were wide as she took in the bundles of plants hanging from cords strung across the room. “It’s a really wide selection.” She stepped over to what looked like a drying rack. “There’s red clover, cleavers, and I think that’s raspberry leaf,” she said.
“It will be interesting to see what grows in the garden next spring,” Lord Peregrine said.
Hilary left and paused in front of the third door. “I wonder if this is a bedroom,” she said. “I can imagine that there was a lot of work with the herbs and being able to take a quick nap without breaking off too much must have been tempting.”
“It’s only one flight of steps,” Lord Peregrine said. He grinned at her with mischief. “It could still be the hideout of Samgan.”
Hilary pushed the door open, flicked the light switch and stepped in. “Of course, she said. “It’s the work room.” She shivered. “And it’s even colder in here.”
“I feel chilled and I don’t feel the cold,” Lord Peregrine said. “But I can understand why.”
The room was almost as big as the original, with cupboards lining one side of the room and thick, black velvet curtains covering the walls. In the centre of the room was a large, ornate, and meticulously engraved pentagram. The glare from the overhead light was pitiless and exposed every detail. Candlesticks with part-burned candles were placed at their appropriate places around the circle. The altar in the centre was wide and laid out as if ready for the next ritual. Unconsciously, Hilary drew closer to Lord Peregrine. “Not all of this looks like witchy stuff,” she said. “The circle, it doesn’t look right for anything that I’d do.”
Lord Peregrine shrugged. “Like you said, not all witches are the same,” he said. “But I agree. I don’t recognise the circle, but I do feel uneasy. There’s something very wrong.”
Hilary tried to work out what was going on. “This is full of that spiky magic,” she said suddenly. “You know, the stuff that’s causing problems around here. I wonder if there’s some sort of crystal amplifying it in here.”
Lord Peregrine’s teeth began to chatter. “I don’t think that it’s a good idea for me to stay here much longer,” he said. “This is not a safe place for my kind.”
Hilary took a look at his pale face and grabbed his arm. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s get you out of here.”
Lord Peregrine swayed and brushed against one of the velvet hangings. As it swayed back to reveal a sigil-painted wall, Lord Peregrine froze. A demonic roar echoed around the room and the temperature plummeted. Darkness started to swirl in the corner.
“Oh no you don’t!” Hilary snapped. She dragged Lord Peregrine, rigid and icy, out and propped him at the foot of the stairs before diving back to the store room. Mentally thanking whoever kept this room so organised, Hilary grabbed the large jar of salt next to the incense and rushed back to the work room. “Get out!” she yelled, twitching the hanging back in place and then flinging a large handful of salt at the shadow in the corner. There was a hiss, a growl, and then silence.
Hilary wasted no time. Shutting the door on the workroom, she half helped, half carried Lord Peregrine up the steps and back into the welcome warmth and daylight of the library. Bracken screamed.
“Bring in tea, with plenty of sugar,” Hilary ordered. “And then call Tom.”
Lord Peregrine slowly shook his head as he allowed Hilary to guide him to a sofa near the window. “That was a fierce attack.”
“It really wasn’t,” Hilary said. “That was a hint of one because the sigils were half uncovered without any extra magic involved.” She eased Lord Peregrine down onto the cushions. “That was a tiny fragment of what would hit you if we pulled down those hangings and there was active magic in the area. And it’s not something that a witch should be involved in. It’s all wrong!”
Bracken scuttled back in with a large mug of Earl Grey tea and a plate of macaroons. “What happened?” she asked. “What are you going to do?”
Hilary looked over to the ominous staircase. “I think I’ll start by calling the Committee,” she said.