Read Colin and The Rise of The House of Horwood Page 16

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  Cold eyes, frigid eyes, that seemed to absorb all the light from the immediate area, turned from their meditation to the three as they struggled to compose themselves, struggled to hide where they had been and what they had been doing. The Nix inside kept her face a frozen mask, hiding her true roiling feelings. She suspected where they had been, had felt the Nix in the crypt moving beneath her, its fury at being dissipated. The voice in her head whispered, telling her to be careful, that things could still go dreadfully wrong. She had to be stealthy, careful; control was the operative word--calm, icy control. Leave the children to stew for a while, let them imagine, yes, let them fear. Purposely ignoring them, she turned her eyes back to her meditation.

  It had not been easy, but she had been able to gather together most of her grandfather’s stolen possessions. The thieves said they bought them legally at the bank’s auction and that they would require payment if they were going to give them up, but when she mentioned who she was and showed them a few tawdry tricks, they were more than willing to be rid of the items. She was sure Blandish was most likely pocketing a large portion of the proceeds, giving only a token to the bank. Well, it was hard to be upset with the man, especially when he delivered the DNA results that proved she was indeed the Horwood heir apparent. This was a time to celebrate! The newly designed foyer was now complete: mounted installations of animal heads glowering down at her in glassy-eyed oblivion formed a gauntlet on either side. They were so life-like, as though they could speak. She let a smile touch her lips, baring her teeth.

  “Children. I have good news. Tonight we’re going to have a dinner party. Isn’t that wonderful?”