Page 91 of Destiny of the Witch

Amlodd went quite pale. ‘After what I’ve just seen, no thank you. A brandy wouldn’t go amiss, though, if you have some.’

‘I think we have some left,’ Ewella said, casting an amused look at Iliana, who was on her fourth glass. She hurried into the other room to fetch the bottle.

Killian and Aidan were back within moments.

‘This is bad news,’ Aidan said bleakly. ‘My wedding’s supposed to be happening on the winter solstice. The way things are going the Nine Sisters are going to rethink the whole thing.’

‘And that’s a bad thing?’ Killian asked, surprised.

Aidan ignored him.

‘My wedding was supposed to be happening today!’ Sky cried. ‘How do you think I feel?’

‘We’ll still get married,’ Jethro assured her, putting his arm around her. ‘It will happen one day, when the time’s right.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ Aidan said. ‘I wasn’t thinking.’

‘It’s all right,’ Jethro assured him. ‘To be honest, I think we have far more important things to worry about than cancelled weddings, don’t you?’

‘Would you come with me, please?’ Emrick asked the O’Briens. He turned to me. ‘Wulfram, you, too.’

‘Why not me?’ Sirius demanded.

‘Darling boy, you really don’t want to see it,’ Iliana said bleakly. ‘I presume you’re going to see Bob?’

Emrick nodded. ‘His body has been moved to the crypt and I want the boys to take a look at it.’

‘You’re wasting your time,’ Kendrew said heavily. ‘You really are.’

‘We’ll see.’ Emrick shrugged. ‘Ready?’

We all agreed we were, and a few moments later we were standing at the chapel door. I’m ashamed to say Emrick had helped me. Zapping just wasn’t my strong point.

‘It’s not a pretty sight,’ Emrick warned me. ‘You’d better steel yourself.’

We headed into the chapel, which I noticed wasn’t decorated for a wedding. Evidently, the island had got wind that it had been cancelled. For the first time I noticed a narrow, wooden door in the far wall. I was almost sure it hadn’t been there before, but Emrick led us straight to it as if he was familiar with it, so I supposed it must have been. He pushed it open, and he, Killian, Aidan, and I began to descend some stone steps into the crypt.

I’m not sure what I was expecting the crypt to be like. I don’t think I’d ever been in one before, not surprisingly. It was bitterly cold. A stone room with large pillars and a flagstone floor. There were torches on the walls casting spooky shadows, and I tried not to look at the body of Bob, which was lying on a stone table at the end of the room.

As we walked—reluctantly in my case—towards the table, I was overcome with a sudden dizziness.

‘Wulfram, are you all right?’

Emrick’s voice was a distant echo and I bent over, putting my hands on my knees, and taking deep breaths.

‘Free my love! Take the sword from the stone!’

There she was again. The dark-haired woman. I felt a hand on my back and Killian said urgently, ‘Wulfram, what is it?’

Shakily I straightened. ‘Sorry.’

‘No need to be sorry,’ Emrick said. ‘I gather you saw something?’

I nodded. ‘It’s this room,’ I said, staring round me in amazement. ‘This is it! This is where the Sword of Feidhlim is.’

Killian and Aidan looked at each other, then around the room, then back at me. ‘It can’t be! There’s nothing here. Well, nothing except…’

Their voices trailed off as we all saw what was left of Bob lying on the table.

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