City of Magic: The Complete Series by Helen Harper (book club recommendations TXT) 📕

I leaned in and peered more closely. ‘What is that?’

‘A plastic bag,’ Anna said.

Nimue’s head re-emerged. ‘It’s sore,’ she complained. ‘I can’t reach down far enough to get it off.’

‘Don’t worry.’ I carefully laid down my backpack and waded into the water. ‘I’ll get it for you.’ I wagged a finger at her. ‘No funny business, though.’

Nimue nodded, her mouth drooping at the sides. Too late, I registered the faint twitch of her eyebrow then she grabbed me and yanked me under. I just had time to hear Anna yell in alarm before I swallowed a mouthful of water.

I came up again, spluttering, and hastily pushed myself back to the safety of dry land. Nimue appeared to be doing a little dance; her arms were raised in the air and her breasts jiggling around. ‘I did it! I did it, right?’

I rolled my eyes and shook off the worst of the water. ‘Yeah, yeah, you did it.’ I grinned suddenly. ‘Well done.’

Anna, who was still pale-faced, stared at me. ‘I don’t understand,’ she said. ‘What’s going on?’

I squeezed out the droplets from my hair. ‘I’ve been teaching Nimue how to play poker,’ I explained. ‘We’ve been working on her bluffing technique.’

‘Oh.’ She nodded slowly then she leaned closer. ‘You’re teaching a creature who already has a penchant for luring people into their depths how to lie more appropriately? Is that wise?’

Now that she came to mention it… ‘Nimue has been very well-behaved,’ I said in my defence.

The mermaid smiled serenely. ‘I haven’t killed anyone for at least a week. Promise.’ This time her eyebrow twitch was far more pronounced. Yeah, yeah. She gave me a pointed look and abandoned her tall tales for the time being. ‘Come on, then. Get the cards out.’

‘Sorry. I wasn’t planning on visiting today so I’ve not brought them.’

Her smile vanished. ‘Then what’s in your bag?’ she asked.

Oh. I bit my lip and picked it up, unzipping it just enough so that she could see Lucy. ‘This is Lucy. Or Lucifer. Whichever you prefer.’

Nimue threw herself backwards, baring her sharp teeth and hissing in alarm. ‘Monster.’

‘Pot. Kettle,’ Anna murmured.

‘Baby monster,’ I amended. ‘She won’t hurt you.’

Lucy poked her head further out and gazed at Nimue, blinking lazily before yawning and snuggling down into the bag again.

Nimue folded her arms. ‘I thought I was your monster.’

‘And you’re still my monster,’ I soothed. ‘Nothing’s changed.’

She held out her arms. ‘Let me hold it.’

Somehow I didn’t think that was a good idea. ‘Perhaps another time.’

‘You don’t trust me.’

‘You’re right,’ I said. ‘I don’t.’

The mermaid glared then a strange expression crossed her face. She pulled her arms into her chest, touching the centre of it before moving her hands up to her throat. She coughed, delicately at first, but it wasn’t long before she started to wheeze and choke.

Anna looked at me. ‘Is this another trick?’

Judging from the vibrant shade of puce of Nimue’s cheeks, I doubted it. I lunged forward, grabbing her from behind. If the Heimlich Manoeuvre worked on humans, surely it could work on mermaids too. I clasped my hands round her waist and pressed in with my thumbs, jerking her upwards. Once. Twice. On the third attempt, something small and red flew out of Nimue’s mouth and I released her. She fell forward, coughing and spluttering.

‘You tried to kill me, you blue-haired bitch,’ she croaked. She threw her arm out and splashed me with water.

I moved away and hauled myself to the lake’s edge. ‘I saved you,’ I said matter-of-factly. ‘You were choking.’

Nimue raised her head, her pupils tiny pinpricks of black. ‘Mermaids don’t choke.’

I shrugged. ‘You did.’

‘Charley.’ Anna’s voice was strained.

I glanced over. She was bending over and staring at something on the ground. I joined her and looked down.

‘Nimue,’ I began, ‘did you by any chance eat any pigeons today?’

‘No.’ She glowered at me. ‘What’s a pigeon?’

I did my best to keep my tone even. ‘A grey bird.’ I motioned with my hands. ‘About this size.’

‘Oh.’ Nimue’s bottom lip jutted out. ‘I might have. You didn’t tell me it was forbidden.’

‘It’s not.’ I continued to gaze at the small object which had flown from the mermaid’s mouth. ‘Maybe next time you should check for foreign objects before swallowing, though.’

‘Huh?’

I shook my head. ‘Never mind.’ I reached down, picked up the little red canister between my thumb and forefinger and walked to the water’s edge to rinse it off. Anna and Nimue watched my every move.

‘Whatever’s inside here,’ I said, ‘remember we can’t reply to it because we don’t have any pigeons to take a message back.’

My words didn’t prevent Anna’s eyes from shining. Nimue, however, looked annoyed. ‘That’s mine,’ she said. ‘I ate it therefore it belongs to me.’

‘Technically you spat it out,’ I told her. ‘Besides, it’s not edible.’ I unscrewed the lid and peered inside at the little rolled-up piece of paper. Without breathing, I drew it out and opened it up.

Anna bit her lip. ‘What does it say?’ she whispered.

Slowly, I read out the words. ‘Do not fear. Help is at hand. 6pm 17 8 I will enter your city for rescue.’ I looked up. ‘F. B.’

‘Fabian Barrett.’ A smile broke out across Anna’s face. ‘17 8. That’s…’

‘The seventeenth of August,’ I said. ‘Today.’ I flicked my eyes upwards. Judging from the sun’s progress across the sky, it was already half past four. Ninety minutes. In ninety minutes’ time, we’d no longer be on our own. ‘The door,’ I breathed. ‘We have to get to the door.’

Anna’s eyes met mine. ‘We have to warn the others too. His intentions might not be entirely benign. He probably thinks we’re all contaminated, remember?’

We were all contaminated. In a good way, of course, but still… I clenched my teeth. Anna was thinking logically. We had to ensure our safety before we jumped to conclusions about why Barrett was really entering Manchester.

‘Get back as fast as you can,’ I ordered. ‘Tell Julian. He’ll be able to get hold