The Gorgons Gaze # 2 (Companions Quartet) by Julia Golding Read Free Book Online

slowly down the hill.
    The roar of a bike gave him ample warning of his father’s approach, but he was hemmed in by high banks on both sides of the road; so he had no choice but to stomp on, pretending he couldn’t see or hear anything. The bike screeched to a halt right in front of him, forcing him to stop.
    Mack lifted his visor. “Here!” he said and held out a brown paper package. “Your mother wants you to have this.”
    Despite himself, Col took the package, amazed that his father had deigned to run an errand for Cassandra. He could only imagine that for once he had managed to put out the blazing argument by his abrupt departure.
    “Get on,” Mack said, gesturing to the back seat of his bike. “It’s a long walk home.” He held out the spare helmet.
    Col hesitated. Putting up a fight now would be pointless. Besides, though he would never tell his father, he rather liked zooming along on the bike—it beat walking. He took the helmet.

    “So, what are we going to do about Connie?” Dr. Brock asked the members of the Society who had gathered in Mrs. Clamworthy’s kitchen. The wooden table was bathed in soft light from the lamp overhead. Around it sat twelveanxious people.
    “Jane and Anneena got in to see her,” said Col. “They say it’s like a prison over there. The old bat won’t let Connie out.”
    “Then we’ll have to get in, too,” said Mr. Masterson, a local farmer and owner of land where many Society activities took place in secret.
    “We’ve been trying,” said Col’s grandmother. She got up, went to the sink and ran her fingers under the tap. Feeling the atmosphere in the room change subtly, the others fell silent. The water curled around her hands taking the shape of one of her water sprites until the creature was standing in the basin, his form rippling like transparent silk. Mrs. Clamworthy closed her eyes and hummed softly. All the other members waited reverently for the encounter to finish.
    “I’ve never seen her do that before,” Evelyn whispered to Col.
    “Neither have I,” Col admitted.
    Mrs. Clamworthy broke off her bond with the water sprite, letting the creature flow back down the drain. She smiled at Col and Evelyn.
    “Who says you can’t teach an old dog a new trick? It was Issoon’s idea actually. He doesn’t like doing it much, but now that I’m getting on a bit in years, he thinks he should make the effort to come and see me at home more often.”
    “What did he have to say, Lavinia?” asked Dr. Brock.
    “That there’s no way in to see Connie. The garden’s hopeless—not a pond or a fountain in sight. No access to the water system.” She glanced out of the window at her own garden which was full of running water and pools. “They’re keeping watch as the Trustees asked, but it has to be from a distance.”
    “But we all know it’s not enough just to guard her,” said Dr. Brock. “There’s Connie’s training to think about. The Trustees are most insistent that this is not neglected. They, like us, have heard rumors that Kullervo has regrouped and creatures are once again flocking to his side. An entire coven of banshees has recently disappeared—we think to join him. We’ve got to get to Connie before Kullervo or his followers do.”
    “That’s all very well, Francis,” said Evelyn, needled by his mention of the defection of some of her companion creatures, “but are the Trustees volunteering to go and tackle my aunt themselves? She sent me away when I tried, so I won’t bet on their chances.”
    Dr. Brock frowned. “We know that Godiva is something of a special case. She’ll deny that she can even see them, if I know her.”
    “You’ve met her before?” asked Col. He could’ve sworn that Dr. Brock blushed.
    “Yes, we used to be friends once upon a time. A very fine girl she was in her youth.”
    “Then perhaps you should talk to her?”
    “No!” he said sharply. “That would do more harm than good. No, I think we should try