Андреа Хёст - The Pyramids of London

“A circle?” Eluned said. “Is this place a grove, or does it belong to Sulis?”

“Set up for a lot of visitors. But what’s—”

Breaking off, Eleri strode ahead down the path, and Eluned dogged her heels, past the stone circle to where the split path merged back into a single line of stones. To the Gate.

If the whole of the house seemed set up to allow a stream of people to visit the grove and circle of standing stones, this final barrier, rising twice the height of a tall man, clearly made keeping people out its business. Yet it was beautiful, the bars of stern black metal supporting an interlacing of copper gone green with age: verdigris leaves hiding all but a few glimpses of the space beyond the dividing wall. Grapes rested heavily among the green: some silver dark with neglect, others dusky red, a metal that Eluned did not recognise.

And through it all, untarnished, wound two golden amasen, the ram-horned snakes sacred to Cernunnos. They met at the junction of the gate’s two halves, at the height of Griff’s head as he peered through the hole framed by their open jaws.

“It’s only trees,” he announced.

“Circle’s on this side, so why the gate?” Eleri asked. “Must be something important in there.”

“Perhaps this side belongs to Sulis and that side is the Forest Lord’s?” Eluned traced the pattern on one of the amasen’s curving horns. “This is glorious, a masterwork. Aunt Arianne, I don’t think this is a minor grove. Did this Dem Makepeace…”

Glancing back, Eluned realised their aunt hadn’t followed them to the gate, but was instead standing back at the joining of the path. Veil and umbrella made it impossible to be sure, but she seemed to be looking up, not at the gate at all.

“Aunt Arianne?”

After a moment their aunt said: “It will indeed be interesting to see what Dem Makepeace has to say for himself. Does the key fit that lock, Griff?”

“No. Something round needs to go here, I think.”

“Then shall we explore the rest of the building?” Aunt Arianne said, turning away.

Grimacing, Eluned followed obediently, but lagged behind to study the worn shapes etched on the standing stones, and the delicious shadows made by the serrated leaves and plump thistle heads.

Not reliable, and sadly superficial . Their unfailingly-blunt mother had said that the one time Eluned had asked about their aunt, and Eluned had been puzzled by the description in the months since Arianne Seaforth had come into their lives. But anyone who could walk away from that gate as if it held no more interest than a chain link fence definitely lacked something.

Quickening her step, Eluned chased after Eleri and Griff, and raced with them through receiving rooms, kitchen, a wine cellar, sitting rooms, bath and bedrooms and a long attic punctuated by dormer windows. The rooms were plain compared to that magnificent hall, but nicely put together and with a comfortable selection of aging furniture swathed in dust cloths. Most rooms featured large windows looking south, and every time they pulled back curtains or threw open shutters they were treated to a view of hidden trees, handily sheltered from the summer’s scorching breezes by high walls. The dappled light made wonderful patterns across the attic floor.

“I can see part of the Great Barrows,” Eluned said, as she examined the fastening of one of the windows. “We’ll be able to hear the solstice singing and see the triskelion without going outside at all.”

“Maybe two blocks away, or three?” As Eluned opened the window, Griff climbed up on the wide sill and craned not to see the barrows, but over the highest branches of the space below. “The warehouses look old, but the wall looks older. They built a wall around this place, and later added the warehouses to hide it? But there’s only trees and the standing stones. I can’t see anything else down there.”

“Plenty of walled groves about,” Eleri said, less interested in the view than poking about the long attic’s collection of old furniture, boxes, and trunks. “Pack all this down one end, make an excellent workroom.”

“So this is home now?” Griff leaned out to inspect the spread of windows below him critically.

“Maybe?” Eluned rubbed her shoulder, then shrugged despite the burning points of pain. “Let’s go find Aunt Arianne and see what she wants to do.”

They found their aunt on the first floor, sifting through a pigeonhole desk. Even indoors she wore her hat and veil, and Eluned thought it an appropriate underlining of her status as stranger to the family.

“Feel free to pick bedrooms,” Aunt Arianne said, turning toward them. “If we concentrate on getting the dust out of those, and part of the kitchen, that should be enough to go on with until Dem Makepeace deigns to let me know whether this constitutes some form of alternative employment, or is merely his idea of a meeting place.”

“Could anyone be that silly?” Griff asked.

“Never underestimate any person’s capacity to ignore the convenience of others.”

Aunt Arianne stepped toward the open window. Eluned didn’t need to see her aunt’s face to recognise surprise, and narrowly beat Griff and Eleri in crossing to look out.

The wall dividing the hidden grove in two was not as tall as the outer one, but still rose higher than the first floor. The well-spaced trees allowed Eluned an almost clear view of the top of the wall, and the row of half a dozen glossy black birds.

“They’re watching us.” Griff, who tolerated very little that was furred or feathered, moved back from the sill, and even Eleri shifted uneasily.

“Crows or ravens?” Aunt Arianne asked.

Unless one took flight, Eluned couldn’t be more than half certain. “They’re very quiet. Crows hardly ever shut up.”

These didn’t speak at all. They perched in a close group, their only movement an occasional head bob or settling of feathers. People were forever pointing to passing crows or ravens and spouting rubbish about the Morrigan watching, or Odin’s spies. This was the first time Eluned had believed it.

Griff tugged Eluned’s sleeve. “But why would any—”

A blur of green struck the row of observers, and five crows launched skyward, a riot of wings and harsh cries. The sixth was gone. Gasping, Eluned craned to see, spotting only a lone feather spiralling down. The body—presuming there was one—had to be on the far side of that dividing wall.

“More than trees, then.”

Wondering if Aunt Arianne had maintained that light, amused tone even while a vampire nearly killed her, Eluned said: “Unless it was a tree. It looked leafy.”

“Perhaps.” Aunt Arianne turned abruptly away, crossing to pull the dustcover off a high-backed armchair tucked in the far corner of the office. Sitting down heavily she added: “Another question for Dem Makepeace.”

“But why would anyone be spying on us?” Griff asked doggedly, from the position by the door where he’d retreated. “Do you think it’s Them?”

‘They’ were the unknowns behind Mother and Father’s deaths. But Eluned, reaching to close the window, shook her head. “If it was Them, we’d surely have noticed birds hanging about before now.” She began folding the panels of the interior window shutter back into place.

“Something to do with the grove,” Eleri said. “No sign before.”

“Maybe.” With the room now restored to stuffy gloom, Eluned turned to their aunt. “You’re getting worse.”

“So it would appear.” Aunt Arianne lifted off her hat and veil. “Don’t worry: I’ll give fair warning if I develop an urge to bite.”

Griff giggled, but Eluned was focused on practicalities. “Vampires drink blood if they’re hurt by the sun. Do you think eating something would help?”