‘Are you okay, Daisy?’ Hugo asked.
I’d had better days but I wasn’t going to complain. ‘Yep.’
I felt something rub at my face. I stayed still as he wiped away the worst of the mud before using the water in his bottle to clear the rest. It was a relief when he came into focus and I could see again.
‘Well,’ he said, ‘you’re certainly well camouflaged now.’
I stuck out my tongue. ‘I’ll have to get cleaned up before we go inside. I can’t leave a trail of mud.’
Hugo nodded. ‘We’ll sort it out. I’ve got a spare T-shirt you can wear.’
It would be better than nothing, I supposed. I looked down at my mud-caked body. ‘Still love me?’ I asked.
‘More than ever.’
‘Want a hug?’
His mouth crooked up. ‘I’ll pass.’
Chapter
Twenty-Four
We hugged the castle walls and kept our bodies low to the ground and, within a few easy minutes, reached the rear of the large building. There were very few windows around this side so there was far less chance that we’d be spotted, but we continued to take care; we only stopped when we found a nook beside the old tower.
Hugo rummaged in his bag while I located a small expanse of tall grass that had managed to escape being transformed into a mud bath. I stripped off my clothes and rolled around on the ground to wipe most of the mud on my body then pulled on Hugo’s T-shirt, which was easily long enough to reach mid-thigh. I’d be barefoot and cold for the rest of this incursion, but at least it was now Hugo’s scent against my skin.
I discarded my mud-caked clothes behind a bush and looped my belt with Gladys and her sheath around my waist. It was an interesting fashion statement as well as a necessary precaution.
By the time I rejoined Hugo, he’d taken his coil of rope and snagged one of the tower’s jutting parapets. I shielded my eyes against the glare of the weak sun. ‘We’re going old school, huh?’
‘The trapdoor to gain access to the castle interior is at the top of that tower. We can’t use magic to get up there for fear of alerting Athair. We’ll have to climb.’
I was suddenly glad I’d eaten a hearty breakfast. I cracked my knuckles. ‘Betcha I’m faster at climbing up there than you.’
Hugo raised an eyebrow. ‘Game on, princess.’
‘Does everything have to be a competition?’ Hester complained.
‘It’s a healthy distraction from our impending doom,’ I said cheerfully.
She exhaled noisily. ‘At least you’re acknowledging this is a suicide mission.’ She glanced at Otis. ‘First one to the top is a stinky nincompoop.’ She zipped upwards before her words could even register.
Otis glared after her. ‘Does everything have to be a competition?’ he said, repeating her complaint.
From the uppermost edge of the tower, Hester grinned down and blew him a kiss. ‘You’re right, Daisy,’ she called. ‘Competition is a very healthy distraction.’ She smiled smugly. ‘I’m better than you, Otis. Stronger, faster, smarter.’ She paused. ‘Better.’
Bickering from the brownies wasn’t what I’d been aiming for. To forestall any more sniping, I grabbed the rope, tested that it was secure and slowly hoisted myself up. Being barefoot actually helped. Although I was sweating by the time I climbed over the parapet, I had even impressed myself.
I rolled onto my back and allowed myself a few moments to catch my breath as I waited for Hugo to catch up. ‘I was faster,’ he said, when he finally appeared.
‘I don’t believe so,’ I told him.
‘You know that you two are worse than we are?’ Otis said,
I opened my mouth to tell him he was being ridiculous then closed it again. Perhaps he had a point. Hester laughed and high-fived her brother.
‘We’re not worse than them,’ Hugo muttered.
