Nephilim Quest Book 1: Shadowhunter

17. A Safe Place 1/2

"I knew you were involved in all of this," I yelled at Grandma. Not because I was angry, but because there was no other way to make her hear what I said. "And could you please turn that horrible noise down?"

We were speeding in her sports car on the motorway, once again weaving our way in and out of the slower traffic. This time she did not stick to the speed limits but drove like someone possessed, despite the speed cameras staring down at us from nearly every bridge. I sat in the middle, and Professor Rowan was on my other side, looking like a big spider with his long legs folded into the small space available. He was holding a small loudspeaker in his hands and from it the brass bowls music was howling at full volume. It really resonated in my whole body in a horrible way and my spine especially, which was something I did not understand. Toothache of the spine I kept telling myself, wincing at the sensation.

"Sorry, no!" Professor Rowan yelled back, "the vibrations keep the shadows at a distance, if they are following us!"

I rolled my eyes. Grandma was going to have some explaining to do once we finally stopped.

The fact that no police car was around was a miracle. Grandma really stepped on the gas and the little red car responded instantly. I tried to see what was written on the road signs flashing by, and it did not take long for me to realise we were not heading homewards.

"Where are we going?" I yelled.

"To a safe place!" Grandma yelled back, and after that said nothing. Probably because saying anything required just that - yelling.

The professor opened the window for a while.

To my surprise, Grandma shouted angrily "Close that, now!"

The professor mumbled something (I did not hear it, but saw his lips move), looked embarrassed, and closed the window.

It took us two hours to reach our destination. Two hours that almost drove me crazy, listening to the singing bronze bowls, their howling sound resonating in my bones. We did not talk during the drive, for obvious reasons. Covering my ears did not help either. The last part of the route headed off into the hills along minor roads. I guessed from the journey time that we were probably somewhere in Yorkshire.

The safe place turned out to be an old manor of some kind – the year on the wrought iron gate announced it was established two hundred years ago, and everything about it and the surroundings spoke of old money. A discreet metal plate announced the place was called the Magellan Spa. Some people were walking around the grounds - most seemed to be middle aged or older. A few who were sitting on elegant wooden loungers outside the building wore very luxurious-looking bathrobes.

"Ahh... safe at last," Professor Rowan said and the music stopped the second we were inside the gates.

My ears continued to ring and my back ached from the sound.

"What is this place?" I asked. A few curious glances were directed towards us from the passers-by, but nothing more. It seemed we were not that interesting, we were probably seen as just more new guests.

"Officially a high-society spa," Grandma said, as we got out of the car, "and it looks as though you will be staying here for a while. Follow me!"

She headed for the mellow stone building and we followed, trying to match a pace that was so fast that even the professor with his spider-legs had a hard time keeping up. I had to take a few running steps every now and then.

Grandma sped in through the front doors and we followed. To my surprise we did not enter the big reception hall in front of us behind a glass wall. Grandma turned to the left and we followed her into a corridor that ran along the inside of the front wall of the building. We walked all the way to the furthest wing of the great house before pressing the button of a bell next to a solid, heavy, carved wooden door. A small plaque announced the area was private. I wondered if this was the wing where the owners of the building lived, having turned most of the building into a spa. 

A surveillance camera stared down at us from above the door. Whoever was observing us seemed to be happy about what they saw, and there was a soft click from the door in front of us. Grandma pulled the door open.