by TJ Green
The image of the Green Man with his mischievous, grinning face stared down at her from the archway above the church entrance. It was tucked to the side, but it was unmistakable. Other faces were also there, strange gargoyles with their wild, ugly expressions. She felt they watched her as she set off around the church, trying to spot more carvings. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear James, the vicar, until he spoke from behind her.
"What are you up to, Avery?"
She looked around, jumping with surprise. "You were quiet! I was looking for the Green Man. He's in quite a few places." She pointed up at him, high up the wall on a buttress.
James laughed. "Oh, yes. He's a cheeky thing, isn't he?"
"Do you mind that he's carved here? He's a pagan symbol, not Christian."
"Of course not. He's an ancient symbol of fertility and rebirth. I quite like it that he connects us to our past. Besides," James said, grinning, "he was probably put there to encourage the pagans to come in. You know, make the Church a place for everyone, and then convert them to the true faith."
He said this with a glint of humour, and Avery laughed. "Of course! That makes perfect sense. What about those, though?" she asked, pointing to the gargoyles that projected from the corners of the building.
"Oh, now they have two purposes. They funnel water from the roof to prevent erosion, and also remind people that the devil exists. That's why they're so grotesque---to encourage people to pray."
Avery was surprised. "They funnel water?"
James pointed. "See, its mouth is open. I believe the word is French originally, it means throat or gullet."
"That's so cool. I'm learning so much today."
"What else are you learning about?"
"The Green Man and the Raven King."
"Is that because of the circus?"
"Sort of," she confessed. She hadn't seen James for a while, and he looked good; happy, and free from worry. He also seemed pleased to see her, which was nice, as they'd had their ups and downs in the past. Fortunately, when she'd last seen him before Christmas, he'd been happy to bless some water for them to help in their fight with the vampires.
James became serious again. "Is something happening again?"
"Yes, but you don't need to be involved."
"I think I owe you a coffee or two, and maybe some biscuits. And if I'm honest, you look a little pale. Come on in." He turned and led the way to the vicarage, clearly not accepting no for an answer, and Avery fell into step beside him.
"I'm sure you're busy, James."
"Never too busy for one of my flock."
"I'm pretty sure I'm not one of those."
"You are to me," he said softly, in a way that had Avery pausing in surprise.
He headed inside and she followed him through the toy-strewn living room, into the kitchen, and watched him as he filled the kettle and prepared cups.
"Where's your wife?" she asked him.
"Volunteering at the children's nursery. She does a few things to help the community." She remained silent, and he looked at her. "Did I surprise you?"
"Yes, actually. You know I'm not a believer in your faith."
"That's okay, Avery. I've decided that I don't need you to believe. And besides, you look after our community, too. I imagine the vampires were pretty scary to deal with?"
"Terrifying. I hope I never have to face them again."
He switched the kettle on, grabbed a packet of shortbread, and then sat at the kitchen table, gesturing her to join him. He offered her a biscuit as he asked, "Were you the ones to tell the police about the bodies in the caves beneath West Haven?"
"Yes. That's where we found Lupescu, the chief vampire."
"And you found those two girls?"
"Me and my coven, yes."
"In the middle of the worst snowstorm that we have seen for years?"
She smiled ruefully. "It was pretty bad, wasn't it? But yes. We tracked it and found its lair, and then waited for it to return. Lupescu killed Grace, the girl who worked at The Wayward Son."
His eyes closed briefly. "I thought it must be so. Poor girl. But you saved two more."
She took a bite of her biscuit, enjoying the sugar hit. "I wish we could have saved even more. The vampire had been hunting for years."
"Were there others?"
"I'm afraid so, but we think we killed them all."
"Only think?"
"We can't be sure, but we're pretty confident."
"And what do the police really think?"
"They know vampires were behind it all."
The kettle boiled and he stood to make their drinks, and then brought them to the table, placing one in front of Avery. "Do they know about you?"
"One of them does."
"And the press?"
"I hope not!" She sipped her drink, watching him over the rim of the cup. "We try to keep a low profile."
He nodded. "And you do. What about that house they found the passages under? The medium's house?"
She tried not to roll her eyes. "That was the root of the problem, actually. But hopefully that will never get out, even though the owners are going to run tours."
"They want to run tours of White Haven, not just their house. That's what Stan was telling me, anyway."
Avery felt a stir of worry deep in the pit of her stomach. "I know. He wants to put my shop on his tour."
"He strikes me as an opportunist."
"Oh, he's definitely one of those."
James looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. "I feel I should tell you that I've heard rumblings of concern from my parishioners."
"Concern about what?"
"Black magic. They think that's what the deaths and all those bones were caused by."
For understandable reasons, angry hordes and Helena flashed into Avery's head, and she had a vision of Helena's final moments as she was burned at the stake. "What did you say to them?"
"I've told them it's ridiculous, of course. Have you had any problems in your shop?"
"None!" Avery's customers were always book and occult lovers in general anyway, and she certainly hadn't detected any animosity.
He nodded, relieved. "Good. The last thing we want is a modern day witch-hunt."
She shook her head, perplexed. "No. I hadn't even considered it."
"Just to reassure you, there were only a few concerned people. Many who live in White Haven appreciate it for what it is, and love its mysticism and magic, but I just wanted to warn you. I hope that man doesn't stir things up. What's his name again?"
"Rupert." She remembered his resentment once he'd learned she was a descendant of Helena, and wondered if he would create trouble for her. There was something about him that none of the witches liked.
"That's it. Are you sure I can't help you with anything? I mean, this current issue with the circus. There was a death the other day, on one of the beaches."
Avery nodded. "Yes, there was, and someone in the circus is responsible, but we're working on it. You can stay out of this one, but thanks for asking anyway." She didn't see any point in sharing her current predicament. There was nothing he could do.
He smiled, but it didn't mask his worry. "Fair enough. Have another biscuit."
14
Alex nearly spat his pint out as Avery repeated what she'd discussed with Dan and Sally.
"Will you please stop talking about dying!"
"It's a possibility, you know that. Facing my own mortality is weird. But I have to trust this will work tonight. I haven't got a death wish! And as much as you don't want me linked to Caspian, I don't want to trust Estelle. But we have to find the crossroads!"
"But do we? I've been thinking on this all day. Is there another way?"
Alex and Avery were sitting in a secluded corner of Penny Lane Bistro, the former home of Helena, waiting for their starters to arrive. Avery had brought him up to date with all the latest developments, theories, and suggestions, before they went their separate ways later t
hat night. She was drinking a hearty red wine, and Alex was drinking a pint of Skullduggery Ale, his latest favourite tipple.
Avery lowered her voice and leaned closer to Alex. "I could not affect that woman in any way with my magic. And I have great magic, as you know. I can only presume that Hecate's magic protects her, and wow, I wish I had that protection. She was virtually immune! If her link to the crossroads is protecting her, we have to sever it. Only then will she be vulnerable. Only then can we stop me from turning into a standing stone, and stop whatever is killing those young men."
Alex scowled. "I hate it when you're so logical."
She smirked. "Like you, I've also been thinking this through all day, and I believe it's our only option. I haven't seen the woman again since the other night. Some of the circus performers have been all through the town this morning, and she wasn't with them---well, not that I saw anyway. Or the American."
Alex sipped his pint thoughtfully. "Dan might be right about Corbin. If we can see he's still doubtful, I'm happy to talk to him. We have to know who the other woman is. I can't believe how many performers there are. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack."
He was right, Avery reflected. The circus was much bigger than she had anticipated, and a very slick affair. "I think he's right about the Raven King and the Green Man too, but how do we recruit them to our side?"
Alex was silent for a moment as their starters were delivered, but as soon as they were alone, he suggested, "What about an invocation?"
"Like summoning a demon or a spirit?"
"They are spirits of a sort, so why not?"
"Wow. I hadn't considered that as an option, but I guess you're right. But, because they're already present at the circus at certain times, wouldn't that mean they are under someone's control?"
Alex groaned with exasperation. "Maybe? We still don't know enough about how this works. But I really don't think you can control them like that. I think they've just been released, you know what I mean, like they have found a way to cross to our world and are tethered to the circus, but are otherwise free to do what they like. Maybe Hecate summoned them." He shrugged and paused to take a few mouthfuls of food and then said, "Rationally, when I think back to that night in the field when we were pursued, it didn't feel threatening, initially. It was disorientating and confusing, but it wasn't until the end when it changed and we felt something else pursuing us. It's a bit jumbled in my mind, but I think that's right."
"I agree, but I think we need to shelve that idea for another time." Avery chinked her glass with Alex's. "Good luck, and be careful."
***
Caspian's manor house was dark except for a few windows on the ground floor through which a subdued yellow light peeked, and subtle garden lights illuminated the drive, shrubs, and specimen trees.
Avery knocked on his front door, feeling nervous for what the night may bring, and her mood wasn't helped when Estelle answered. Her long, dark hair was loose around her shoulders, and her face was pinched with annoyance. She looked disapproving at Avery. "Avery, you'd better come in."
"I better had, unless we want to do this on your lawn."
Estelle just ignored her, leading the way wordlessly into the large reception hall. She turned left down a long corridor and headed to Caspian's study, which Avery knew from her previous visit was at the rear of the house, overlooking a knot garden, which had been there for years but was recently renovated.
Caspian was standing in the middle of the room wearing a black t-shirt and loose black cotton trousers. The room was painted dark moss green, the parts of the wall Avery could see, anyway. The rest was lined with oak bookshelves, and a large desk sat to the side of the room, covered in old leather books. On the opposite wall was a stone fireplace, and a fire blazed within it. The whole place was masculine and expensively furnished.
However, it was the arrangement on the floor that caught Avery's eye. A large map was spread out on a Persian rug, and a salt circle had been drawn around the whole area, leaving plenty of space for people to sit within it.
Caspian was staring at it, and he looked up as they entered, a trace of a smile on his face. "How are you today, Avery?"
"Better, thank you. I've been taking Briar's tonic all day, and with your magic, I feel stronger. How are you?"
"Pretty good, but I can feel the pull of the crossroads, very faintly."
Estelle was dismissive, watching her brother with her arms crossed over her chest. "You're an idiot. It could have affected you, too. It still could."
Caspian didn't even look at her, looking back at the map. "We've been through this. I wasn't about to let Avery die for the sake of father's old grudges. I've moved on, and so should you." He looked up suddenly, flashing her a hard look, before turning to Avery. "I've put this map together from several maps I had. We needed something detailed and big, and this is it. It's the best I could do in the short term. However, I have a feeling we need only concentrate on Scotland."
Avery took her coat off and placed it over the back of a chair, and put her bag next to it, before she joined Caspian. "That makes sense. It seems it's where all this started."
"There was an article on the circus in one of the Sunday papers. Did you see it?"
"No, I don't read them, and besides, I was busy feeling terrible."
"I didn't read it until today. It expands on what Newton told you, and talks about how the circus became so successful."
Avery was intrigued. "Did it give details?"
He shook his head. "Not really. It was a piece about how long the circus has been going, and how they were struggling until Corbin had the brilliant idea to reinvent it after a summer break. He said the history and the wildness of his surroundings inspired him. It mentions Inverness and Loch Ness, but nothing more specific."
Avery stared at the map. "It's a shame we can't narrow it down further. I didn't notice any recognisable landmarks, other than water. It could be the loch or the sea. Inverness is close to both. The only reason I could tell there was water close by was because the moon was reflected in it."
"Excellent. Knowing it's near a body of water will help."
Estelle interrupted. "You don't need to know anymore if you'd both have a little more faith in my spell," she said acerbically. "We can pinpoint the area---if you two can get your part right."
"I think you know better than to doubt my magic, thank you, Estelle," Caspian said dryly.
Avery winced inwardly. There was certainly no sibling affection between them, but maybe that was because she was there, and she knew Estelle didn't like her. That was confirmed when Estelle said, "It's not yours I doubt."
"You should know better than to doubt mine, too," Avery pointed out, resisting the urge to smack Estelle's arrogant face. "But I think it's best we don't look back, don't you?" She was referring to a couple of their previous battles, where she had beaten Estelle, and saved her from attack by the Nephilim when they were still in spirit form.
Estelle chose to ignore her. "We should start to prepare, then. You two sit on the rug, next to the map. I'll get my grimoire."
While Caspian and Avery sat at the base of the map on the soft rug, Estelle collected her grimoire from the table, and sat at right angles to them. "This is a reasonably simple spell," she told them. "We don't need potions or herbs, it's just an incantation. However, we are following your magic, Avery, which means we need a thread of it to follow. And I guess yours too, Caspian, although your connection will be weaker."
Avery frowned. "A thread? How do you mean?"
"The magic you release when you throw energy balls or command air, but rather than releasing it in bulk, we need a tiny part of it."
"It's like when we use witch-flight," Caspian explained. "When I showed you how, we slowed it down. That's what we do now."
Avery nodded. "I know what you mean. What then?"
Estelle huffed, impatient. "You're tethered to a place. That thread will lead us there---in theory. I haven't tried to do any
thing such as this before. However, I have used a version of this to find lost objects that are closely associated with someone."
Caspian added, "Because my magic is linked to yours, we should have double the magic to find it."
"All you need to do," Estelle said, "is clear your mind, and let the spell do its work. Don't resist it. I'll seal the circle first. You two need to link hands."
Avery shuffled closer to Caspian, until they were both in the same position they had been the previous night, cross-legged and knee to knee, but as Avery reached her hand out, Caspian took her right hand and turned it palm upward. "The mark is still there."
"Unfortunately, yes. It itches sometimes."
Gently, his index finger traced the lines, almost intimately, and Avery was suddenly grateful that Estelle was there, as she subdued a shiver at his touch. She felt the power of his magic again, boosting hers. It was a strange feeling, and one she'd be glad to see the back of. "The mark is unfortunate," he said, softly, "but it will help us tonight."
"Done," Estelle said, satisfied, as Avery felt the circle close. "Now, bring forth your magic."
Caspian cupped his left hand beneath her right one, and Avery cupped his right hand in her left. Within seconds a thin stream of what appeared to be smoke left the centre of Caspian's palm and floated upwards, and it reminded Avery of the cord that linked her to her spirit body. She did the same with her magic, focusing on releasing some into her right palm. Her magic had a similar appearance, but it was golden rather than smoky. It curled in the air as it rose, stopping in her eye line.
Estelle then started the finding spell, her voice low but clear, and Avery's magic started to swirl lazily, drifting across to the map, followed by Caspian's. Avery watched, fascinated as the spool of magical thread uncoiled, still linked to her hand. And then she felt a pull in her stomach, and an image of the crossroads flashed before her eyes. She blinked, suddenly dizzy, and took a deep breath to steady herself.
Caspian murmured, "Don't resist it, Avery. We must follow it."
