Fen, Sol and Kaden took turns in trying to reason with the demon formerly known as Jedd, but it was clear that he was gunning for one person and one person only. His eyes, now black like puddles of tar, were set firmly on Cecily and it seemed that the efforts by her friends to reason with him went unnoticed. Cecily knew that his mission was to finish her and she was sure he would not stop until he had achieved it. She suddenly felt very responsible for what had happened to her fellow Cerberean, her brother. She must have hurt him deeply to make him think this was his only option.
His sword had been replaced by a new weapon which he dragged along the floor behind him. It seemed that with his new-found strength and bulk, he was able to wield a huge ball made of iron, with lethal looking spikes protruding from it, on a long cumbersome chain. He started towards Cecily, walking at first, but then moving with surprising speed, despite his newly formed mammoth frame. As he took his first swing with the enormous spiky ball and chain, Cecily was able to shift out of its way easily, because she too was fast. He struck again for a second time, but again, she dodged the attack. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her friends coming to assist, swords out in front ready to strike, but at that moment, she heard the unmistakable growling of the shadows, succeeded by their rancid smell.
A quick look left and right confirmed that the beasts were gathering as a dark mass and descending swiftly on the clearing. The Cerbereans turned their attention to the hell beasts while Cecily continued to avoid Jedd’s swings. She did not want to hurt him. In the back of her mind, she was hoping there was some way they could bring him back from this. But neither could she avert his onslaught forever. She needed to help her friends get rid of the shadows before someone else ended up with a deadly bite, or worse.
As she was considering the best way to hold off Jedd, something else caught her eye. Entering the clearing was Acantha, quite obviously still possessed. Only this time, Acantha was not alone. Cecily groaned out loud as Dawn and Cherry, two of the weekend staff from the Dairy and members of the Kaden Quinn fan club, stumbled into the clearing behind their manager. All three of them had their arms outstretched, ready to grab and bite, snarling and drooling as they went.
“Don’t hurt them!” Cecily shouted over to the others as they clocked the zombie-like creatures. “We might still be able to help them!”
Cecily was becoming annoyed. She decided that this charade had gone on for long enough. As she continued to dance around Jedd like a boxer in a major title fight, she began a spell. Her hands glowed with their green light as she talked to her newly formed shield that was still holding around three sides of the clearing. The tightly bound thicket bowed to Cecily’s command, doing her bidding as she coaxed it out of the sky. Before Jedd the demon knew what was happening, he had been snatched by the flora and fauna forming part of the natural roof. It wrapped him up tightly so he was unable to move and lifted him high into the air as it retracted. Jedd was now part of the organic canopy that protected the clearing and although he struggled, he could not free himself from his woody captor.
Now that she had temporarily dealt with Jedd, she made her way over to Acantha, Dawn and Cherry, which did not take long as they were unable to move quickly with their slow and unnatural footsteps, one leg dragging behind the other. When the three possessed creatures saw Cecily in front of them, it was as if they had noticed her for the first time. They smiled their evil and distorted grins and immediately made a beeline for her. She began another spell, only this time, tree roots exploded from the ground and took down the crazed humans by the ankles. The shadow beasts noticed what was happening and they turned their attention on Cecily. She drew her sword and skilfully fought the shadows with one hand, while ensuring that with the other hand, she completed her spell. The tree roots wound up the zombies’ bodies from the ankles to their necks, binding them fixedly, rendering them incapacitated. Although they really did not seem to mind as they continued to grin, evilly, like it was a big joke, snarling and drooling all the while.
The Cerbereans were fighting well, even though they were severely outnumbered and one Cerberean down. But Cecily knew that was why they were guardians and protectors; because they were skilled warriors and because they could handle it. But she also knew they were stronger because of her, their leader. And true to form, she was about to demonstrate how quickly Mother Nature could change.
“Kaden! We’ve got to get rid of the demons so I can finish the spell!”
She turned to see where Fen, Sol and Elisabeth were and nodded in their direction.
“Tell them to get down and cover their heads on my signal!”
Kaden put his thumbs up to show that he had understood and Cecily watched him fight his way over to the far side of the clearing where the others were battling back the shadows. When they had all shown her the thumbs up, she began her spell. She knew she had to be careful as she only wanted to expel the shadows, not Jedd or her three zombie prisoners, as she was hoping to return them to their former selves. She closed her eyes in concentration and thought about how she wanted to phrase her magic.
But before any words could leave her mouth, she felt an excruciating pain in her head, which travelled all the way down her body like a river flowing over a waterfall. It rendered her powerless and all she could do was curl up in a ball on the floor. She was half expecting the shadow demons to attack her while she was down, but she knew they would not dare as their master was coming. She could feel him. She willed her fellow Cerbereans to be all right, but there was nothing she could do. He had caught her off guard, although this was nothing he was doing to her; she was doing it to herself.
She could feel him coming because he was a part of her and her a part of him. That niggle at the back of her brain was now free and everything she had been trying to block out, both as Gaea, the goddess and as Cecily Stalks, the human, was at the forefront of her mind, playing itself out like a silent movie. She was now forced to face the very things she had been avoiding thinking about since her memory had returned. She felt the gut wrenching pain of the past as her stomach tied itself into knots. She felt the eternity of agony that lay before her in her immortal life. She cursed having to spend time as a human, because it gave her the ability to think and feel this way. She rather wished she could stay awake and activated forever, learn to deal with the torment and develop the heart of stone she so wished for. She wanted to feel no love in her heart for him, nothing. But then there was the relief of deactivation and the knowledge that she would not know him until she was needed once again in the battle between good and evil. She craved the simplicity of a human life and subsequently found herself wishing she could live and die that way, rather than the immortality she had wished for only moments earlier.
Cecily was two things: immortal goddess, yet also human until the time came for reactivation. These two parts of herself were in conflict with one another and she felt incomplete; half of something, neither one thing nor the other. And this was what had caused the trouble in the first place, because the past never leaves us. It is who we are. He will never leave her alone. He will torment her forevermore. And yet knowing this, she still mourns his love. She knows it is her duty to the Light to destroy the Dark, but she is torn. She is always torn where he is concerned. It was all her fault. Deep down, the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him more, so does that, in fact, make her as bad as him? Another war that rages, but within her.
Dasrus was her soul mate, her one true love and by the time she was able to look up again, once the pain had subsided, he was standing there, right in front of her.
Chapter 34
“Hello, Gaea dear! Miss me?” he said in his eerily calm voice. “I must admit, it has taken me quite a while to put this plan into action. Who would have thought that it would be your own mother and one of your friends who ultimately helped things to run as smoothly as they have? What do you think of the new improved Cerberean?”
With his last question, he pointed up to the canopy a
t Jedd, who was wriggling frantically in an attempt to liberate himself. Cecily was glad her spell was still holding. She said nothing to Dasrus. She could not bring herself to speak and instead simply stared into the hood, thinking about what was there before the darkness. It broke her heart.
“Anyway, I just thought I would pop by and say ‘Hello’ now that you actually remember who I am. Although we had fun as Cian and Cecily, didn’t we?”
Cecily stared at the demon, remaining stoic and silent. She refused to rise to his taunts.
“Nothing to say? OK, I’ll collect my demons and be on my way then. I’ll let you finish your spell to shut down the gateway.” Up until now, although his voice had retained its eerie calm, it had had a lilt of joviality about it. But with his next words, the malevolence returned. “It won’t make a difference, protecting the gateway. By the time I’ve finished I won’t need it. Dark will already be upon the Earth and it will be me locking you away, until I find a way to destroy you for good, that is. You are already too late.” He turned his attention to the Bramble family and spat, “Don’t think I’ve finished with you either!”
Cecily had never seen such fear as the family simultaneously
jumped and gasped at his address. Kaden, who was standing nearest to them, put a comforting arm around Oscar’s shoulder. He was visibly shaking. Cecily knew Dasrus had achieved the required effect.
“See you soon, Gaea, or I believe you now prefer, Cecily?”
His mocking, evil cackle filled the clearing and in an instant, he was gone, as too were the shadows. However, not without leaving Cecily a little reminder of the torture he could inflict on her. She could no longer see him, but his voice resounded around her.
“Remember, it will always be this way. I will never leave you. We will be together for all eternity.”
Cecily, who had not managed to make if off her knees throughout the entirety of Dasrus’s visit, now slumped down onto her bottom, exhausted. The others remained silent for a few moments after Dasrus’s message had finished and although her friends knew what the demon’s final words represented, she could see the puzzled look on Lady Bramble’s face. Every time Cecily saw Dasrus, he stirred such a flurry of conflicting emotions in her. She knew she must pull herself together. She did not want to appear weak. Kaden came over to where she was sat, grabbed both of her hands and helped her to her feet.
“Are you ok?” he asked quietly, so the others would not hear.
“I’m fine,” she lied. “Just a bit shocked. It’s the first time I’ve truly seen him in a while.”
The growling and slobbering noises made by the zombie ladies refocused Cecily to the task at hand and she knew she must regain charge over this situation. She looked up.
“Well he’s taken Jedd, but at least he’s left these three. Hopefully, the Purification Unit will be able to help them.”
“We still have to find out if there’s a way of helping Jedd!” cried Elisabeth. “We can’t just abandon him!”
Cecily could see that Elisabeth was not taking Jedd’s transformation well.
“We will, Elisabeth,” said Cecily. “It is also up to Jedd though. He has to want our help.”
“Of course he wants our help! Who would choose to become like that!”
Cecily knew that Elisabeth was upset and so she said nothing. She felt partly responsible for Jedd’s defection, even though she knew it was not really her fault.
“I’m going to finish the spell. At least the gateway will be protected and that will be one less worry for us.”
“But you heard the demon,” interjected Lady Bramble, shaking. “He said there is no point, that he doesn’t need this gateway!”
“We can’t trust everything Dasrus says. He’s a demon,” pointed out Fen.
“We are the guardians of this gateway. It is our job to protect it in times of trouble,” explained Kaden.
Cecily could see the panic on the faces of the Bramble family, so she decided she must reassure them. “You will be perfectly fine in the safe room, as long as you do as we say. You must not worry.”
“Not worry?” replied Lady Bramble, her voice becoming high-pitched and more neurotic with every word. “I’ve an army of demons threatening my family. They’ve already killed my husband and had a good go at me. How can I not worry? I feel… powerless.” She paused while she found the right word.
“We understand,” said Fen, soothingly. “We will get you some help so you can cope with those worries.”
“We will find a way to stop them, Lady Bramble,” said Sol, confidently. “The balance of good and evil on Earth must be preserved in equal measure.”
Cecily loved Sol’s confidence. It was infectious.
She walked over to the edge of the clearing where the green wall made of thicket was half-grown into the sky. She completed the spell and watched as the natural canopy sprouted and met with the other corners to form a dome-like roof. The clearing fell dark and Cecily was satisfied that the gateway was guarded. Nothing magical could take place there now and Cecily was the only one with the power to enter or exit the clearing and lift the spell. With a green light emanating from her finger, Cecily carved a doorway in the newly grown protective wall. The companions left the clearing, with the three zombies, and Cecily then sealed the doorway they had just exited. As the zombies were bound from the ankles up, Cecily thought the best way for them to travel was by tree, so she whispered softly to the trees of Bramblegate Wood and once again, branches bowed down to lift the possessed creatures up and the trees carried them through their bows, one branch at a time, following the path of the Cerbereans. However, the friends were careful not to walk beneath the drooling zombies, as for the second time in as many days, Sol found himself covered in gunk falling from their slobbering mouths above.
The group headed towards the dell and before long they found themselves at the Fanes. True to form, the Watchers were waiting and the Cerbereans had to go to the trouble of identifying themselves again. Only this time around, Cecily knew exactly what to do. When it was her turn, she stepped forward and said, “My name is Gaea.”
In his characteristic sharp tone, Mr Fane said, “Show me!”
She reached behind her head with one hand to the place in between her shoulders and grabbed the hilt of her sword. She felt the brand sizzle on her palm, only it did not hurt. Before it disappeared into obscurity, she brandished the tall proud oak at him. And then just for good measure, she allowed a small, green glowing light to dance playfully between her fingers.
“Welcome back, lass,” said Mr Fane, winking at her.
Once they were inside the house, Kaden erected his icy blue shield so they could talk freely. The Cerbereans, the Brambles and Mr Fane made their way through to the sitting room, while the zombies remained at the back of the kitchen by the door. Mrs Fane was preparing tea for the visitors and every now and then, her voice could be heard loud and clear.
“Now do be quiet, dears!” as she addressed the zombies’ growling and snarling.
While they were waiting for Mrs Fane, the group filled Mr Fane in on everything that had happened since they left: about Jedd, the ambush, Cecily getting her memory back, the decoy plan and Dasrus’s real plan. They also told him about the surprise visit from Dasrus.
“Heavens above! Things have certainly moved on in the last day or so! It looks like you young guardians are going to have to work out a solid plan of action, especially if you are going to track Dasrus down to the other gateways.”
“We’ve certainly a lot to consider and not much time to consider it,” said Kaden.
“Well, you are welcome to stay here till you sort things out and we’ll help if we can.”
He gestured towards Mrs Fane who had just entered the room with a tray of tea, cake and biscuits.
“Thanks, Abram. We appreciate that,” said Kaden, gratefully.
“And I’m sorry about young Jedd. I was hoping matters would turn out differently, but I’m afraid that once a traitor, alway
s a traitor.”
The group said nothing. They all averted their eyes, except for Elisabeth, whom Cecily had noticed was wearing a look of defiance on her face. Mr Fane appeared not to have observed this.
“But first things first, we need to get the Purification Unit here to sort out our cases of possession in the kitchen,” pointed out Cecily.
“Don’t worry, dear,” said Verena. “I’ll call them.”
And off she went into the next room. Cecily smiled to herself as she remembered the last time she was here and how she had wondered how such a call to the Realm of Light would be made. She had imagined Verena using a telephone. Now of course, she knew that you just needed a quiet space to concentrate and all you did was simply ask the Light out loud for what you needed. You had to be specific though!
A few minutes later, Mrs Fane re-entered the room with a tall, thin man with white blond hair and pale skin, dressed in a long white coat, white trousers and white shoes. Some other members of the Unit dressed in the same way waited outside the sitting room door. When they had greeted each other, Cecily explained about the possessions in the kitchen.
“Please do your best to save them,” said Cecily.
“Well of course, we always try our best,” replied the pale man, “but you know what those shadow demons are like. They slowly devour their prey from the inside out. It’s all a big game to them. We’ll have to take them outside into the garden, beyond the shield. We can arrive and depart while the shield is up, but we can’t purify.”
Cecily nodded in agreement and watched as the members of the Purification Unit picked up the slobbering zombies like rolls of carpet and took them outside.
It was a while before Cecily heard the Purification Unit come through the back door, by which time, the tea and sweet treats had all been wolfed down by the hungry guests. Cecily walked into the kitchen to meet them.
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