Chapter 26: A warm welcome

Tobias cringed inwardly from embarrassment as he clambered out of his bright orange camper van. He’d parked the blasted thing on the gravel outside Winterton Hall, but felt uneasy leaving it to dribble oil onto the immaculate driveway. He would’ve rested easier parking it around the back – it looked so out of place against the grandeur of the architecture – almost as if some idiot had just abandoned it there.

He brushed himself down and looked critically at his costume; he’d always felt a tad self-concious – even ridiculous – wearing a dinner jacket and bowtie. But what made it worse was the thought of how it must look to the poor onlooker who’d happened to witness someone resembling a nerdish James Bond clambering out of a rusty old campervan with all the panache of a university professor.

Curiously, he’d noticed that the choice of costume didn’t seem to bother Hillary, who’d decided to dress himself in what at first glance appeared to be some sort of bizarre Edwardian evening garb. Tobias shook his head and brushed himself down once more.

‘Each to their own.’ he mumbled.

The mist that earlier had covered the grounds in a thin veil, seemed to becoming denser by the minute, with visibility down to about twenty metres or so. Anything beyond that was subsumed by the ever-thickening curtain of opaque nothingness.

Hillary pulled out the invite, and stared at it again. A polite cough from the direction of the doorway caused him fumble and drop the card in surprise. Both Hillary and Tobias looked at one another briefly, before slowly turning to find themselves staring up at a balding middle-aged gentleman dressed in a butler’s uniform.

‘Welcome to Winterton Hall sirs.’ he announced.

The butler stood at the top of the stone steps that wound up to an ornately carved wooden door. He held his head high and peered down imperiously at the new arrivals through his half-moon spectacles, which were perched on the end of his beak-like nose. There was a pause, before he beckoned them towards the entrance.

‘Sir is expecting you. I’m delighted to announce that all the guests have arrived and are being attended to in the Great Hall. And so if you will follow me, I’ll show you through…’

And with those words, the butler turned and shuffled back through the open doorway into Winterton Hall.

Tobias couldn’t help glancing over his shoulder one last time at the forlorn campervan as it sat there on its sagging suspension, slowly leaking dirty black engine oil onto the driveway…

* * * *

From a darkened room, eyes stared down upon the driveway from an upstairs window.

‘More arrivals…’ muttered Augustus, flicking the curtain aside and squinting at the figures below through tiny pebble-like eyes.

Godfrey, the mayor, sighed. ‘Hillary – the last watcher of Bracken Wood. I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist our little invitation. Whoever would have thought that after all this time fate would bring us face to face again. How deliciously ironic the way things turn out don’t you think?”

‘Do you think he suspects anything?’ asked Augustus.

‘Of-course.’ said Godfrey. ‘That’s why he’s here. Nothing could keep him away. He’s far too inquisitive. He still wants to make us pay for the death of his mentor.’

‘He doesn’t strike me as the vindictive type.’

‘No, but there is another reason; he’s protecting the children – the last heirs to Talistay.’

‘How can you be so sure?’

‘You of all people know the rumours and legends…’

‘Maybe that’s all they are.’

‘Maybe, but we can’t take that chance. It all depends on how much the old fool has revealed to them. Remember how fate brought us together,’ recalled Godfrey. ‘Everything is here. This is not coincidence. Coincidence is reserved for mortals and unbelievers who have no grasp of the workings of the world.’

Ichabod nodded slowly. ‘If they are who Hillary thinks they are then, indeed, they have powers undreamed of for humans.’

‘All the better to kill two birds with one stone then,’ sneered Gideon. ‘Literally.’

Augustus peered down again and grunted. ‘Who’s that with him?’

‘A friend perhaps?’ suggested Godfrey. ‘He doesn’t look familiar.’

Ichabod snorted. ‘It’s the annoying little tourist who was hanging around the church the other day.’ He turned slowly, giving Gideon a disapproving look. ‘I knew he was showing more interest than was healthy. Although I didn’t think much of it at the time…’

Godfrey turned away from the window. ‘I see. And now he turns up out of the blue with Hillary. Most interesting don’t you think?’ He turned back to the window. ‘Do you suppose this is the same person that Toadflax chased into the wood?’

Gideon shrugged. ‘I seem to recall seeing him briefly at the Church too…’

Godfrey allowed himself a smile. ‘Come Gideon. We are not dealing with coincidence here! Fate has revealed itself at work here. Learn to trust your instincts more.’ He turned from the window and warmed his hands in front of the fire. ‘No matter. We will make sure that we give him and his little friend a proper welcome…’

Augustus rubbed his hands together gleefully. ‘You mean the way we welcomed Cornelius?’ he leered.

‘Hilary no doubt relives the scene in his mind everyday. How could he ever forget? We’ll make sure that he won’t miss this one.’ The mayor paused. ‘Do you remember the look of shock on poor Cornelius’s face as we pushed him into his own furnace?’

Augustus’s eyes watched the dancing flames of the fire. ‘It seemed an age before he finally stopped screaming…’

‘He almost managed to climb out at one point, but then you kicked him back in.’ said Gideon.

Augustus nodded. ‘I had to use a pitchfork to shut him up and even them he still wouldn’t quieten down.’

Godfrey raised an eyebrow. ‘He writhed about in the embers for far longer than he should have…’ He turned to face Gideon. ‘Tell Edgar that the fire will need stoking,’ he said. ‘We have the Ivory Flute now and we are one step closer to possessing the dragon egg. Notify Toadflax of our plans and make sure that everything goes to the letter. Don’t tell him too much though… Timing is critical. We cannot afford to make any mistakes.’ Godfrey stared at his watch and tapped it. ‘The time is almost upon us. Assemble our guests in the great hall. Let’s put an end to this interminable curse once and for all. Let no one get in our way. And I mean no one…’

‘I’ll tell Edgar straight away.’ nodded Gideon.

‘Oh and Gideon,’ said Godfrey, ‘one more thing – tell our little friend to make sure the children are disposed of. We don’t want any nasty surprises do we?’

Gideon smiled darkly. ‘My pleasure.’

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