Page 24

She pulled out her phone from her jeans pocket, trying to remember whether you dialled 911 or triple zero for medical assistance in England. Briefly dropping her gaze to the phone, she swore. It didn’t matter anyway; she had no service.

Megan ran across the soft grass towards the spot where he’d fallen. A couple of cows mooed from the field on the other side of the fence and she glanced across, hoping they couldn’t get into this field.

The stone post was only a hundred yards ahead now and she put her hand up to shade her eyes to see if David was sitting up. But she couldn’t see him. He must have fallen on the other side. Her chest was hurting as she caught her breath, but she kept running.

What the hell should I do? Her first aid knowledge was minimal and there was no one for miles to call for help. What if he’d had a heart attack or something? She didn’t know the first thing about CPR.

A small brook ran through the middle of the field and she reached down and removed her sandals, gasping as the icy water covered her feet. The grass was muddy on the other side and she dropped her shoes, intending to collect them on the way back.

The huge stone loomed in front of her. It was much higher than it appeared from the cottage. Dark-grained and made of a blue stone, the height and shape reminded her of the totem poles she had seen when she’d visited the States a couple of years back. She touched it as she peered around it, looking for David, but she pulled her hand back quickly. It was warm from the sun and almost vibrated beneath her hand.

Megan stopped and looked around. There was no sign of him. He must have fallen farther away but from her perspective it had seemed as though it was here, at this post.

She shook her head as she remembered how he had been touching the stone when she had seen him fall. He had to be lying on the ground around here somewhere.

“David?” She put her hands up to her mouth and called but was met by silence. “Can you hear me?”

Nothing. The air was still and even the cows had quieted.

Circling the stone without touching it, she kept her eyes fixed on the ground. Stepping away, she scanned the field around her. There was no sign of him on the ground, nor was he walking between her and the tents that were only a couple of fields away.

The air rippled as she stepped back towards the stone.

Where the hell was he? Was he all right?

Megan glanced across the field and took a deep breath. There was another smaller stone farther to the west. She must have come across to the wrong one. A soft humming filled her ears as she strode towards the second stone and suddenly, another smaller stone appeared out of nowhere and loomed in front of her. The grass was cold beneath her bare feet and goose bumps prickled her thighs.

“David, where are you?” Her words came out in a thin scream and she wiped her trembling hands down the front of her jeans as she walked in a straight line between the markers. She reached the final stone and peered around it.

There was no sign of him. Reaching out, she placed her palm flat against the huge rock and pulled back sharply as the cold bit into her skin. Panic swirled inside her as her vision faded and the humming she had heard at the other stone filled her ears.

I’m going to faint.

She dropped to her knees and lowered her head so the blood rushed downward but it made no difference. Cold shudders racked through her and sapped her strength and she held her hand out in front of her face. She was fading and she could see through the skin. Her hand was almost translucent, waving and shimmering as though it was beneath the water.

What’s happening to me?

A strange feeling filled her, as though her bones and sinews loosened. She gripped the hat on her head, touching and squeezing the stiff cotton to ground herself.

I’m all right. I’m not going to pass out. Breathe.

Slippery connections held her together, loose and fragile. It was as though her body was stretching, shrinking, and disintegrating. She fought the cold feeling that was overtaking her limbs and tried to look around. Suddenly her airways relaxed, and as her lungs flooded with cool air, she pitched forward into the soft, damp grass.

Chapter Eleven

“Come on, Davy boy. Snap out of it.” Bear was sitting at the drums with his beefy arms poised, waiting for him to launch into the riff of their opening song. He’d missed the cue to start. For the third time in the last half hour.

David couldn’t understand the unease that was prickling at his neck. Sure, he’d gone to bed frustrated last night and couldn’t get Megan out of his head, but that didn’t explain the feeling that something was wrong. It had nagged at him ever since he’d arrived at the stage an hour ago. Holly had been talking to Bear when David had arrived but she’d taken off as soon as she’d seen him. She’d been avoiding him and his suspicions kicked in. He was getting used to the way she operated and he knew she was up to something.

But if she stayed away from him, he wouldn’t have to watch his temper. He was quite happy to build their reputation by playing as much as they could and didn’t need the sensational media coverage she insisted on. He’d talk to the guys about replacing her.

“You don’t want to miss the cue tonight or we’ll get booed off the stage. What the fuck’s wrong with you, man?” The usually placid drummer glared at David and Slim nodded at him from the other side of the stage as he fiddled with the volume control on his bass guitar.

“Sorry. I’m not focused.” David glanced across at Bear and lifted his guitar. “Take it from the top again.”

He let the music wash over him as he tried to block the unease filling his mind. Technically he knew his playing was perfect, but the synergy just wasn’t here today. He swallowed and closed his eyes, trying to get into the music, but his muse had disappeared.

He loved it when the music dripped from his fingers like honey, and he could lose himself in the rise and swell of the notes. But today he was just playing. Mechanical. Note followed note. It would sound the same to most people listening, but the magic had gone for him. He knew his heart wasn’t there. Hopefully, it would be back for their first set when the festival kicked off at sunset. He wondered whether Megan had gotten over to her festival and whether she’d gone looking for him. He’d have to come up with some excuse about why the band wasn’t there.