‘Are you ready?’ she asked Shane, who nodded back at her. ‘OK, then let’s go.’

Chapter Ten

The Thrill of Chaos

The Clurichaun found a quiet perch on a hill overlooking the bonfire and settled down to enjoy the bottle of wine he had pilfered from the corner shop. As he drank, he watched the little mortals in their costumes running to and fro trying to frighten one another. He shook his head. He doubted any of them had come across a real ghoul or goblin, but they were amusing creatures all the same.

Without meaning to, his thoughts turned to the girl and her companion and the fool’s errand he had just sent them on. His mood blackened. The Clurichaun never normally minded indulging in a little harmless trickery, but this time it felt wrong. Perhaps he was feeling sentimental because the girl reminded him so much of her grandmother and he really did like Mary Donnelly. She was a good woman to pass the time with and she always made sure to stock up on his favourite pipe tobacco when he came visiting.

All of a sudden, the stolen drink didn’t taste quite as sweet. He grimaced and made himself take another swallow. He had warned the children about the other creatures who would be out hunting tonight – at least he had done that much for them. He was a bit worried it had been a bad idea to sing them that little song of his, but he reasoned that since the Pooka’s bony fingers weren’t currently wrapped around his neck he had probably gotten away with it.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than a scent of damp earth filled the air and the creature himself glided out of the shadows. The Clurichaun choked on his drink.

‘Good evening, my old friend!’ said the Pooka with a grin. He did so love catching others unaware.

‘M–Master Pooka, my but you did give me an awful fright there. Are you, ah … having a good night?’ said the Clurichaun. He was nervous and the words spilled out of him like a torrent.

‘That remains to be seen,’ said the Pooka. ‘But I have high hopes for the evening’s festivities. Tell me, how did you get on with the girl?’

‘I did just as you asked,’ replied the Clurichaun. ‘I made sure she saw me in the hospital earlier and when she summoned me, I told her exactly what she needed to know. How did you know she would call for me?’

‘I didn’t, but I had a good feeling she would try to contact something supernatural for help and you seemed the obvious choice given your friendship with her grandmother.’

The Clurichaun huffed. Some friend he was turning out to be. He only hoped Mary never found out about his involvement – should she ever recover, of course.

‘You’re sure she is on her way to the Rath?’ asked the Pooka.