Castle Gout and the Peculiar Petunia: Trussel and Gout: Paranormal Investigations No. 4 by M.A Knights

Author:M.A Knights [Knights, M.A]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: White Harp Publishing
Published: 2023-11-27T16:00:00+00:00

Part Seven

The Wild Garlic Inn, despite being located in a quiet rural area, was the sort of establishment that hires a maitre d’ with the uncanny ability to look down his nose at you, even when you are significantly taller than him. This particular gentleman, being barely five feet tall, deployed this skill often, and with apparent enthusiasm. That is, until Mr Gout, towering over the man, enquired if he was feeling quite well, at which point the man stopped looking snooty just long enough to show us to our rooms. He did raise an eyebrow to dangerously high levels, however, when he learnt that Mr Gout would like to sleep in the stables.

My room was on the second floor, and was possibly the most luxurious accommodation I had ever spent the night in. Mr Gout must have been feeling generous. It made me feel all the more guilty that he was having to rough it once again. Perhaps, I thought to myself, the next day we would finally break the curse and he could spend the night under a proper roof. His own roof.

That, of course, would mean getting past the beast with a thousand tentacles.

Vines, I corrected myself. They were vines, not tentacles, although the distinction did not make me feel better about our chances. If not for Klous, we might all be slowly rotting plant fertiliser right now.

It had been impressive, the fireball. It reminded me that Klous was a powerful creature, even if he did look like a giant toad and spent most of his time bickering with Mrs Winchester. He had also opted to stay in the stables, although of course the Inn’s staff were not aware of this. There was only so much they could be expected to put up with, I supposed.

‘It’s no captain’s quarters,’ the little Kobold had said, ‘But horses often make better company than you humans.’

Mrs Winchester was in the room next to mine. I could hear her pacing. It did not particularly surprise me that she was still up. The last few hours had certainly left us all with a lot to think about. The little tea party with the Hams had broken up not long after I’d brought up the monster. It was clear an invitation to stay would not be forthcoming, so we had driven, mostly in silence, to The Wild Garlic.

I was also finding it hard to sleep, despite being exhausted from the day’s events. I suppose almost being eaten by the bedding plants will do that to a person.

I was also worried about the next day.

Just how would we deal with the thing in the corridor of Castle Gout? Magical gardening shears? Somehow I doubted it.

But more than that, I no longer knew if I trusted Mr Gout. He had hidden far too much from me and I was still angry. Angry and suspicious of what else he might be hiding.

I sighed and rolled over, beating my pillow into a more comfortable shape.

I just had to trust that my master had a plan.

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