by P M Cole
Daniel wavered. “I can’t hold him forever, Cog, send him through!”
“—You’re sealing her fate forever, daughter…” Hades laughed, each chortle like a dagger in my chest.
Daniel fell back against a piece of masonry. “Quickly! He’s breaking free of my influence!”
Hades looked up at me and knew his fate was sealed. With a flick of my wrist he sailed through the air and in a burst of immense light he and the portal were gone.
*****
The coach ride to Grayton I undertook alone, only Auto as my company. After Hades was returned to his former realm, another figure emerged through the dust. It was Melanie’s sister, Katerina. She had been in the carriage which I rendered useless. Evidently Hades wanted to use her to secure his own protection and escape but as it turned out, he never got the chance.
As the snow-covered streets, lit by gas flame, gave way to more leafy boroughs, and then a field or two, I tried to gather my thoughts. The three men I had come to trust all tried to convince me that they should go with me, but I brushed away their attempts. If any of Hades' foster children were in the underground palace, I would deal with them, but I had a suspicion I would only find one person in the subterranean home. One person that had been in her own kind of prison for the entirety of my life. I hoped I could convince her to leave it.
The coach stopped outside the main gates. I stepped down onto the snow, gave a shilling to the driver and noticed that for the first time in weeks, I could see the stars in the sky unencumbered by cloud. The dark grey constant backdrop to London had gone, replaced with a brilliant canopy of sparkles. I walked towards the iron gates, which parted with a moment’s thought and kept on going.
As I walked up the icy track, the manor looked devoid of life, with no windows showing any light. I felt Auto flying above me, but there were no chirps to warn me of impending danger, and my only anxiety came from how my mother would react to the news I was bringing her.
I walked down the side of the monolithic building, to the grounds at the rear. My mind returned to the times I had been inside the infernal place. I had no intention of entering it ever again. I walked between ice-covered hedgerows and along avenues bordered by small statues, until I saw the circular arrangement of stone columns at the centre of the grounds, the section of earth and sand that would descend and take me to Hades' former home.
A lone figure sat on one of the smaller stones, dressed in black as she was the first time I had seen her in Hyde park. I hesitated then continued forward until I was just a few yards from her.
She looked up at me, her face covered in a veil. “He’s gone, isn’t he?”
I nodded.
She looked down. “I somehow always knew it would be you who would do it.”
“He told me you said for you and him to survive, I must not.” I awaited her contradiction of my account. None came. “You wanted me dead?” The words burst from me, as tears escaped from my eyes.
She looked back up at me, anger visible behind the black lace. “You gave us no choice! He would have changed the world, Corine!”
“He wanted to destroy it! He was going to kill thousands of people! I thought…” Fantasies of reclaiming my mother from the years he had her were quickly fading from my mind. I fell to my knees in front of her. “He’s gone! You can be free now,” I pleaded.
She looked away from me. “The others. Did you kill them too?”
I sighed, my throat tight with anguish. “I don’t know where they are.” I pushed away the pain of her indifference to me and went to hold her hand, but she moved it before I could. “You are free!” I cried out. “Whatever hold he had on you went with him to the other realm. You can live your life! You can be my mother once more…”
She stood, making me lean back. “I have matters to attend to. I will now become the custodian of his estate. Please do not return to this place again.”
She walked away towards the main house as I sat in the cold, tears running down my cheeks.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
I lay in my bed in my basement. Colin suggested we should use Mr Gladwell’s, but I still wasn’t ready for that despite the comfort the extra room would afford. Colin’s arm was draped across my shoulder, and I lay listening to his breathing, which contained the faintest of wheezes. But he was soundly asleep. I wondered what dreams he was having now the traumatic interlude in our lives was over.
A stream of thoughts cascaded through my mind. Was Charlotte alive in the hell that was the underworld? Despite the weight that Hades' final comments impressed on me, I couldn’t help but feel that if anyone could survive that place, even in the condition she was in, it was Charlotte Claxton, the most feared user of magic in London.
London… my home, was waking up as if having been kissed by a prince. In the sewer behind me a constant stream of water heralded the pavements and streets above were shedding their icy skin and returning to something the citizens of the capital could make use of.
I thought about the others that were born with godly powers. Where were they and what would they do, now the shackles of their guardian had been removed. Would they seek revenge on me or those I cared about? My heart quickened. I hoped they would not, but each of us would need to be vigilant.
Daniel said he would not be returning to his role as medical student. He figured he was now a man in his late thirties, such was his foster sister's effect on him, and none of his seniors at the hospital would believe he was the same person. So instead he had decided to catch a ship to the continent in a few days' time, to make use of his training elsewhere, with a new identity.
The two sisters had returned to Scotland, Gloria’s body in tow. I asked them to inform me when the burial would take place so if they wished, I could attend.
Lucas had said that at sun up he would be making enquiries with the appropriate authorities to find the whereabouts of Bernard and Olivia and would not stop until they had been found. There was also the small matter of the very same authorities still thinking I was to blame for the murder of the Prime Minister. Lucas assured me though, with himself and Daniel’s testimonies speaking to events being different, he felt all blame would be dropped. And if that failed, there were always magical ways to convince those that needed persuading.
Finally, I gulped, suppressing the lingering pain that were my thoughts of my mother. The woman that would read to me when I was a child, was gone. She had died seventeen years earlier with my true father, Gideon.
I took in a deep breath, letting my body realise that for now my troubles were over, and suddenly felt something inside me that I hadn’t before. Hope.
I then promptly turned my head to the side of the bed and threw up.
Colin sat up, blinking. “What… Are you OK? What’s happening?”
My head was light. I tried to sit up but lost the battle when I threw up again. The sickness coming in waves.
Colin jumped out of bed, looking for his undergarments. “I… I’ll get Mrs Ballingsworth!”
As I lay back, my head feeling as if it contained lead, I wondered if this was one final farewell from my father. Some kind of dark curse. I ought to have known my victory would come at an even greater cost.
As I fought with the urge to relieve my stomach once again, scuffling came from the boards upstairs and then the staircase.
I looked at the frayed dress, under a winter coat, belonging to Mrs Ballingsworth. I went to speak but doing so only made me feel worse.
The wife of the innkeeper held her nose for a moment, then sat with me on the bed. “How long have you been feeling poorly, child?”
“It… just came on me. I just started feeling sick.”
“And you are well in all other ways?”
I nodded. “I think so.” I wondered if Colin should run and get Lucas. He might know what magical affliction had been cast upon me.
She looked at Colin, in his breeches, then to me. “I do not wish to talk out of turn. But taken ill like this, with no stoma
ch pains or other ailments. Umm… moments of nausea in the morning…”
“Oh…”
The End.
Thank you for reading The Cog Chronicles book 3: Belonging, I hope you enjoyed it. Book 4 will be released later in the year.
I would greatly appreciate it if you could leave me a review on Amazon, as an indie author that really helps.
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Thank you again.
Phil.
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About the Author
P.M. Cole is a forty something author, living at the top of a Victorian house in greater London. This is his first historical fantasy novel, but he has always had a love of Victoriana. He's looking forward to continuing the adventures of Cog in 2019.
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Acknowledgements
Book cover design by www.starbookcovers.com.
