by Paul Simpson
Chapter 14
Alive
Returning up the hillside Ffion and George could see that her mother and father were just clearing up after an Imp attack. she looked at her mother and began to well up with tears. Touching the barrier with her hand to Jodie’s, Ffion looked saddened by the news she had to give.
“I’m sorry, I failed. I was so close but I watched as a Reaper finished Jack off and then he smashed the ember necklace.” She produced the fragments from her pocket. John and George felt Ffion’s disappointment and were sad for her. John moved closer to comfort his little girl for trying so hard.
“Ffion,” said Jodie. “Ffion look” and Jodie pointed to the fragments that had started to glow orange in her hand.
“What does it mean, will it work?” She held out her hand to show Jodie, but as she moved the fragments glow faded. “What happened?” She pulled them closer to her body to inspect and again the glow reappeared.
Jodie had an idea. “Remember back at the facility, when we met? I gave you something, didn’t I? Do you still have it on you now?”
Ffion realised what she was getting at and reached around her neck to pull out the pumpkin heart necklace she had been given. Moving her hand away and closer again, the broken ember glowed each time they neared the heart.
Jodie smiled. “You showed me how to channel my power through the necklace, I used it with magic. Put them both together and see if it works.”
Ffion smiled as she placed the necklace in her hand with the ember fragments and the two merged together. The new necklace lifted from Ffion’s hand and slowly floated over to the stone's barrier, passing through.
Jodie took a few steps back as the necklace was drawn toward her. Plucking it from the air she placed it over her neck as the others watched in hope that it would break the spell. The ground began to tremble as the barrier lit up in a blue hue. Cracks began to form all over it as pieces of it lifted off into the air, breaking into a further million fragments rising up into the sky like a thick blanket of twinkling stars, until all of it had disappeared.
Jodie’s spirit stood free in the air for the first time in nearly 400 years. A wave of emotion swept through her as John approached her, grabbing her hand, then with a jolt, pulling her toward him as they swung their arms around each other. Ffion and George were also overcome with emotion as the pair cried and laughed in joy and celebration.
Jodie walked over to Ffion. “You did it, I’m free” she smiled.
Ffion hugged her for the first time in centuries. “I’ve missed you, I’ve missed you both so much all this time and now I don’t want to let go. I’m sorry.”
Jodie was confused. “WHY?”
“If we could just find your body it would have restored you completely,” Ffion explained.
Jodie wiped Ffion’s tears away. “It’s OK, there was nothing you could have done after the burning. My ashes would have blown all around the village. There’d be nothing left to find.”
George raised a point while the others were focused on each other. “Hey guys, regarding that last comment, you should really pay attention to what’s going on.”
Everyone stopped and looked around the exposed roots by the stones as trees along the forest edge began to sway in a mysterious breeze. From the shaking of the branches and bark, a dull grey mist began to form and swirl around the treetrunks, gaining in size as it spun around and twisted toward them.
John stepped forward in defence of Jodie. “What is it?”
Ffion moved over to him and placed her hand on the axe. “I think I know. Put your weapon down father and step back.”
Doing as his daughter asked they all made some room and let the phenomenon follow its path. The swirling mist approached the group and stopped, still spinning. As they watched the mist began to give itself form as if all the tiny particles were beginning to stick to each other. Watching on, the swirl formed a spine, then a skull, arms, hips, legs and feet.
Ffion realised what it was. “It’s ash that’s why you controlled the tree's, they’re a part of you. When you were burned the ash from your body was blown into the surrounding forest where the trees absorbed it from the ground and now they’re giving it back to you.”
Jodie approached the skeleton as it looked back at her. Turning around she held out her arms and stepped backward. The skeleton entered her body where tiny sparks began to flare up through her skin.
“OW!” she said. “What’s happening?”
Jodie began to curl over in pain as the sparks grew more intense.
“It’s your body. Because you have your physical self the process is accelerated into minutes instead of 24 hours. They told me something would happen, I just didn’t know what,” explained Ffion.
The sparks fired up from the new nerve endings as Jodie’s body rebuilt itself. She began to experience all the sensations she had missed through the years, all at once, including the burning that had killed her. All the memories flooded back as her spirit filled her forming brain with centuries of memories from being born, growing up, the facility incident, living in the past and living as a ghost upon a hill. The pain cut through every inch of her body like a hot iron making her scream.
The screaming attracted attention from all around, and the hillside became crowded in new movement. Ffion caught sight of an imp in the darkness, then another, then several more. To the other side Reapers walked into view until they were surrounded by at least 50 of them on one side and over 200 or maybe 300 Imps on the other. Ffion, John and George took up defensive positions around Jodie as she cried out in pain, a dull glow coming off her body, lighting the immediate area.
The imps looked at Jodie, their ultimate prize if they could get to her before she became fully human. The Reapers also watched her, their downfall if they let the imps take her soul and her power. Their best hope was to grab her soul and take it away before her transformation was complete.
The attacks came from all around. Ffion, John and George fought imps and Reapers, while Reapers fought Imps and vise versa. The hillside turned into a battle zone with Jodie’s soul the main prize. Ffion used the pipe to defend and knock her opponents away as the Reapers tried to get past her. John fired several arrows in a spread hitting targets around him as he turned and swung his axe to deflect a nearby blow from a scythe. George pounced and scratched as he hissed at the imps, trying to slash with their long clawed fingers. As the fight raged on so did the screams from Jodie, the glow from her body growing brighter and illuminating the surrounding hillside even more. The Reapers fought the Imps. Some had fallen where others from each side seemed to be gaining the upper hand over each of their opponents.
The trio continued to protect Jodie and she reached out and grabbed a scythe to join the fight around her as an Imp charged forward to grab her. Swinging the scythe she cut the creature in half across its belly, each piece landing on the floor and beginning to twitch on the ground by her feet. Jodie let out another scream as she doubled over in pain again.
To the other side Ffion sent out a blast of magic, knocking several imps over into a pile where two Reapers were placed, who attacked and finished them off. John swung his axe as a wave of energy cut through a Reaper and knocked over another with enough force to send it rolling down the grassy bank.
Once again the screams from Jodie grew louder, as did the light pouring from her body. Curled up in agony she rose up from the floor, 10 feet into the air, where she spread her arms wide with her feet dangling beneath her, as if being lifted from the waist. She let out a deafening scream that seemed to last forever. All around the stones the fighting stopped as some covered their eyes from the light, others their ears from the scream. Jodie turned in the air and opened her eyes which were white over with power that crackled through and around her body.
With another scream, she dropped suddenly to her knees on the earth and with a large boom a wave of energy burst out from the impact. The area lit up like daylight as the force of the blast rocked the ground, sending out a
wave of energy equivalent to a bomb going off. Ffion had luckily brought up a shield around George and her father but the Reapers and the Imps were not so lucky. Most were knocked to the floor, some through the air and those closest were killed where they stood.
The dark of night returned to cover the land. In the light of the fires that still burned, knocked over upon the ground, bodies were everywhere. The groans of the survivors began to fill the air. At the center lay Jodie, her skin pale and cold as she lay on her back, staring blankly between the passing clouds into the endless stars up in the sky above. Ffion, George and John ran over to her to check she was all right after what had just happened.
“Mother… Mother can you hear me, are you ok” asked Ffion, kneeling down and taking Jodie’s pale hand in hers.
John walked over to inspect the situation. “Look Ffion, your mother is becoming mortal again.” They could see the change in her skin tone as the colour slowly became more vibrant, starting from her fingertips.
“Jodie my love, can you move? Let us know you’re OK,” asked John, standing by Ffion’s side.
“MUM, Oi! MOTHER, WAKE UP,” shouted George as the other two just looked at him. “What? You didn’t get an answer, I was just thinking she might be a little deaf after that loud bang she incidentally set off. Heaven knows my ears are still ringing.”
With the slightest of movement Jodie began to grip Ffion’s hand. Ffion smiled as a tear rolled down her face in joy. As Jodie sat up, John went to help her get back on her feet, lifting her with ease as she turned and faced him.
“Hello again my sweet,” said John as he brushed a lock of hair from her pale face. Jodie wrapped her arms around him like she'd never let go again. “Not much longer now and the spell will be complete and we can all go home.”
Opening her eyes Jodie saw Ffion staring at them and opened out an arm for her to join the hug, beckoning her closer with a wave of her hand. As Ffion stepped forward a shaft of brilliant white light shone down over where they all stood and like a blast of energy they were all sent flying through the air, landing with a bump.
