Read Online One Wish by Michelle Harrison - Free Book Online Page B

‘It’s wrong,’ he hissed, ‘because the less you know about us, the better.’
    ‘Better for you, you mean?’ Tanya retaliated.
    Gredin’s golden eyes glinted meanly, and Tanya knew she was straying into dangerous territory. ‘Careful,’ he said slowly. ‘Be very careful.’
    Tanya lowered her eyes and said nothing, but beneath the covers her fists were clenched as tightly as her jaw. It wasn’t fair. How dare they bully her like this?
    ‘How did you even find me here?’ she asked.
    ‘We can find you anywhere,’ Feathercap replied. ‘No matter how far from home you are. ‘We’re always watching.’
    In the silence that followed, she caught another snuffling sound from under the bed. It sounded a bit like Oberon when he was eating his dinner – but Oberon wasn’t in the room. The snuffle became a gulp, then was followed by a swallow.
    ‘Feathercap, will you please see what that blasted creature is up to?’ Gredin said irritably.
    Feathercap gave a stroppy sigh, but hopped off the bed and vanished underneath it.
    ‘You won’t be punished,’ Raven said softly. ‘Not this time anyway.’
    Gredin made a noise of impatience. ‘How else will she learn?’
    ‘She did not know.’ Raven’s voice took on a steely tone. She looked away from Gredin to Tanya. ‘But now you do. You’re not to speak to that boy about us, or any other fairies, ever again.’
    ‘But I can still speak to him about other things?’ Tanya said stubbornly.
    Raven’s voice was curt. ‘It would be better if you didn’t, but yes. You may, if you really must.’
    Feathercap returned at that moment. For once, Tanya was glad of the interruption. The fewer rules the fairies laid out, the better. Behind him flew a strange little creature, something halfway between a hedgehog and a piglet. It looked moth-eaten and miserable, and landed clumsily on the bed, its ragged wings struggling to keep it up in the air.
    ‘It was eating a spider,’ Feathercap said, his face twisted in disgust. ‘Must have sniffed it out as soon as we arrived.’
    Tanya shuddered. She didn’t mind the Mizhog much, for it never spoke or did anything unkind to her, unlike the others. It just seemed to accompany them rather like a pet, watching everything that went on with its large, gloomy brown eyes. It did, however, have a revolting diet and habits to match. As well as spiders, the Mizhog was fond of gobbling up slugs, snails, worms and woodlice. It was never quiet or discreet about it, either. Every squish, squelch, chomp and chew was plain to hear, and the remains of its grisly meals usually glistened on its whiskers for some time afterwards. It was also full of fleas and constantly scratching and licking itself.
    It regarded her now, hiccuping occasionally. Something long and thin that looked suspiciously like a spider’s leg dangled from its snout. Tanya looked away as her stomach gave a lurch.
    Thankfully, the fairies chose that moment to leave. As usual, their departure was swift, with no goodbyes. A simple, ‘Remember – we’ll be watching,’ was all she heard from Gredin as he leaped on to the window ledge, soon followed by Feathercap. Raven transformed once more, spreading her black wings wide and gliding to the window. As always, the Mizhog was last to depart, its hurried flaps all the more clumsy-looking compared to the grace of the creature before it. Then they were gone and Tanya could finally release the breath she had been holding on to.
    She lay back in bed, willing her heart to slow. The fairies’ visits normally meant bad news and a pickle she couldn’t explain her way out of. It was rare, very rare, for her to escape without punishment as she had tonight, but, even so, she could not count it as a victory. They hadn’t punished her, but the threat of it was still there if she spoke to Ratty again – and how could she avoid speaking about fairies to the only other person she knew who could see them?
    She was wide awake now and too