A Hollow in the Hills by Ruth Frances Long Read Free Book Online Page A

‘But the Fear are a nursery rhyme, a made-up monster.’
    â€˜Not made-up. Defeated. Long ago. When we first came here we defeated them and locked them away. Someone has let them out.’
    â€˜Where did you lock them away?’
    â€˜In a prison that was already here, in the earth itself. Like that thing on the hill Brí guards that you found out far too much about last summer. We made use of what we could find and tossed them all inside. We sealed it. Now someone has released them.’
    â€˜And what do you want me to do?’
    â€˜Stop them, of course.’
    â€˜But why me?’
    â€˜Well, you see Jinx by Jasper, you have a certain in with the only people who can hope to do it. David and Isabel Gregory.’
    â€˜You’re wrong. Not anymore.’
    â€˜A lovers’ tiff, lad?’ The mocking tone faded to sharpness. ‘Go and buy her some flowers or something. This is more important than your adolescent emotions. If the Fear are loose, who knows what else may be set free. There are things imprisoned on this island we cannot afford to have running around, if you know what I mean. The Fear are only the first step to something much worse. And they can do damage enough. They know nothing of temperance. They have no self-control. They’ll fall on the human world when Samhain lets them take physical form, and then what? Eh? What will humanity make of that?’ Jinx made to answer, but Amadán raised a hand to silence him. ‘Don’t say anything. I know what you know.’ He pointed upwards. ‘Our celestial cousins wouldn’t take kindly to us using their toys, if you know what I mean. It never ends well for us. They can’t be allowed to find out about this. Orthey’ll destroy us all.’
    Amadán beckoned Jinx to him, wrapped an arm around his shoulder, the hand that was still holding the unlit cigar gesturing expansively as he turned them both around and headed back towards the door. ‘If they find out about this they could decide to eradicate us all, just to be sure.’

Chapter Six
Visitation
    D ad strode out of the principal’s office as if he was looking for something to dismember and had to remember he didn’t have the right to do that here. Izzy waited in the hall, Clodagh beside her.
    ‘Ouch,’ said Clo, seeing his expression. ‘See you later.’ She faded into a group coming down the corridor before he reached them.
    ‘Would you like to explain how the fire alarm went off?’ Dad asked.
    ‘Some sort of malfunction?’ It was worth a try. That was what she’d said to everyone else.
    Dad looked far from convinced. ‘Sure. And the girl just collapsed.’
    Izzy lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘That wasn’t me. There were things in the mist. I couldn’t breathe. I only managed todrive them off with—’
    He held up a hand in a combat gesture calling for silence. Training made her comply at once and she hated him a bit for that. But his voice softened. ‘Not here, love. Appearances and all that.’ And he gave her that quirk of his lips just for moment. He believed her. She had that much at least. Relief made her sag on her feet. ‘I’ve spoken to your headmistress and she’s checking with the fire brigade but it does appear that the sensors malfunctioned, picked up heat where there couldn’t possibly have been fire, if you see what I mean. Okay?’
    She nodded solemnly. ‘So are we going home?’
    ‘Sure. We have to pick up your mum first though. She was at a meeting in town so she wasn’t too thrilled when the school rang her, especially as they’re only meant to ring me these days. But someone thought of your mum first and so that happened. She had a good rant to me about casual sexism. She probably enjoyed that anyway. Train is in ten minutes. Come on.’
    Mum was coming up the steps from the platform as they pulled up outside the little redbrick station. She glared at Izzy and got into the car beside Dad.
    ‘What