by T J Green
“Not yet,” Reuben said.
Suddenly, as if on cue, a scream pierced the night.
“Crap,” Newton said, breaking into a run, the others following.
As Avery ran, she instinctively summoned her power, starting to ball energy into her hands. Torchlight flashed wildly from behind one of the walls, and shouts filled the air.
“It’s okay, Cassie!” a male voice yelled.
“No, it’s not!” Cassie yelled. “I felt something breathe on me, and it wasn’t you or Ben!”
They slowed to a halt as they approached the broken wall. Peering around it, Avery saw three figures in the middle of a large room—although it was barely that anymore. Four partially erect walls encompassed a rectangular space. The floor was made of stone and grass, and broken stones were scattered everywhere.
The three figures carried an assortment of equipment, and they had a couple of lights set up, casting gloomy shadows in the area. First impressions suggested the trio were older than they’d initially thought; Avery estimated only a few years younger than themselves.
Newton stepped out from behind the wall, the witches close behind. “I heard a scream. Are you okay?”
The girl, who must be Cassie, screamed again, and the one of the boys shouted, “Shit! Where the hell did you come from?”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. My name’s Newton, I’m a policeman.” He gestured to the others, “These are friends of mine. What are you doing here?”
The man in the centre was holding a camera, and the big white light next to him cast his face into harsh planes and illuminated his dark skin. “Nothing!” he said belligerently.
Newton’s voice became hard. “I think we all know that’s bullshit. What are you doing with all this equipment?”
The second man answered. He was of average height and a stocky build, and he said proudly, “We’re paranormal investigators—it’s not a crime. We’re not damaging anything!”
Reuben snorted. “Paranormal investigators! Is this a school project or something?”
“Do we look like we’re at school? No! We’re interested in the paranormal, and thought we’d investigate the lights that have appeared up here lately. It’s not a crime,” he repeated angrily.
Newton held up a hand to calm him down, which unfortunately drew attention to the shotgun he was holding in his left hand. “It’s okay, you’re not in trouble.”
“Oh my God!” Cassie exclaimed. “Is that a shotgun?” She started backing away.
Avery stood next to Newton, hoping a female might calm things down. “It’s okay, no one’s going to hurt you. We came up here to investigate the lights, too. The shotgun is just for our protection. The shells are filled with salt.”
The first guy, the taller one, said, “Oh, I get it! Very Supernatural. Cool. Wish I’d thought of that!”
“Well, unless you have a license, I suggest you forget about it,” Newton said impatiently.
“Chill out. I didn’t say I’d got one, did I?” He huffed dramatically.
Avery tried not to laugh. This was turning into a very interesting night. She strolled over to look at their equipment and introduced herself. “This stuff looks pretty impressive.”
“It should do. It cost loads,” the shorter, stocky one said. He reached out a hand. “I’m Ben.”
“And I’m Dylan,” the taller boy said.
“And you must be Cassie,” Avery said, smiling. Cassie was short, with brown hair pulled up into a ponytail, and she looked nervous. “We heard you scream. What happened?”
Cassie glanced nervously over her shoulder. “I felt something breathe on me, over there. It was horrible.”
“It’s brilliant,” Ben said. “That’s what we came here for.”
“But I didn’t really expect it!” she answered him, annoyed.
“This is not our first haunting,” he said, frowning.
“It’s the first time something breathed on me,” she pointed out.
Avery felt sorry for her. It probably sounded like a bit of a joke before they arrived, but it was very creepy up here. There was very little moon tonight, and the air was cold where the sea wind sliced through the nooks and crannies of the broken walls.
“Have you seen any lights?” Alex asked, glancing around the castle walls.
“No, nothing,” Ben said.
“But,” Dylan added, “the lights have been reported at hours later than this.”
“How do you know?” Alex asked, curious.
“My mate lives on the hill, and he has a clear view from his house to here.”
“Well, I suggest you go home now,” Newton said in a very policeman-like tone.
“Why? We’re not doing anything wrong,” Ben said, becoming agitated. “What are you going to do?”
The witches and Newton all stared at each other awkwardly, wondering what to say.
“Mm, thought so,” Ben said. “Something dodgy.”
“Not dodgy at all,” Alex said. “Why don’t we help each other? We have an interest in ghosts, too. Why don’t you show us how your equipment works?”
“Where’s your stuff?” Dylan asked, suspiciously.
“I have slightly different methods than you,” Alex said with a tight smile.
While the investigators huddled together for a brief second, consulting each other, Alex turned and made a quiet suggestion. “While me and Newton check out their stuff and see if they can help, why don’t you check the rest of the place out?”
“Sounds good,” El said. “Come on, Reuben.”
They turned and headed to the other side of the castle, while Briar and Avery started to explore the room they were in.
“Can you sense anything, Briar?” Avery asked, heading to where Cassie had indicated she had felt something breathing on her.
“Not yet. Maybe an increase in energy in the atmosphere? Nothing concrete. What about you?”
Avery shook her head. “Nothing. It is creepy, though. Any idea when this castle was built?”
“Eleventh century, during the reign of William the Conqueror. After he was crowned, he arranged for the construction of many castles. I come here a lot. It’s one of my favourite places in White Haven. I love the feeling of the age of the place just seeping around me.”
Avery smiled. “I didn’t know that! But wow, this is old, then. That’s a lot of years, and a lot of ghosts.”
“I normally find it such a peaceful place, though,” Briar mused as she wandered around the shell of the room, stroking its walls.
“So no previous indication of spirits?”
“No, despite the rumours of a white lady walking the walls. But isn’t there always, in these old places?” she laughed.
“I’m starting to think people are just imagining things,” Avery said, half-disappointed that absolutely nothing appeared to be happening there.
“But if ghosts do appear, what are we going to do with them?” Briar asked. She looked over to where the three newcomers stood with Newton and Alex, showing them their equipment. The sound of static echoed across the space as they demonstrated a small, handheld device.
“They might prove useful,” Avery said. “Maybe we should think about working with them. They’re clearly open-minded about this kind of thing.”
“Even witchcraft?” Briar said, her eyebrows raised. “I’m not sure we should trust our identities with people we don’t know. We could end up on YouTube.”
“I think we both know we can deal with that,” Avery said.
“You know what I mean. I like remaining anonymous,” she said, heading through a gap in the wall to explore other parts of the castle.
But then the unmistakable sound of an energy blast disturbed the night’s silence.
Avery turned and ran, Briar hard on her heels, heading for the side of the castle where El and Reuben were exploring.
As they sprinted across the grounds, Newton and Alex ran past them, and the three investigators, after a moment’s hesitation, followed.
“Holy shit! That’s a real, live spirit!” Dylan exclaimed.
“I don’t think there’s anything live about it,” Alex said, dryly. He called over to El and Reuben, “Are you okay? Has it attacked you?”
“No, we’re fine,” Reuben explained. “It just appeared unexpectedly, and kind of gave us a shock.”
El looked sheepish. “It appeared right in front of me, and I panicked. But, other than that, nothing. It’s just floating there.”
The spirit seemed to be just an amorphous blob, with tendrils reaching out around it like grasping fingers.
Briar turned to Ben, Cassie, and Dylan. “I think you three need to get out of here.”
“No way!” Ben said, flourishing the monitor in his hand. It was emitting a whining, static noise that was very distracting.
Newton frowned. “I think we all know there’s a spirit here, Ben. Turn your damn machine off—it’s annoying.”
“I can’t,” he said crossly, “I need to measure this.”
Newton scowled, cocked his shotgun, and asked no one in particular, “What now?”
“Can anyone make out what it is?” Cassie asked, finally finding her voice.
As if on cue, the blob started to change, taking on a more human form.
“Looks like a woman to me,” Alex said.
He was right. The blue glow made her shape hard to define, but it did appear to be a woman wearing a long dress—a very old-fashioned dress.
Avery snorted. “Crap. So much for us saying there’s no such thing as a White Lady here.”
The spirit turned in the middle of the space, her arms outspread as she seemed to watch them. Avery felt the hairs stand up on her arms as the woman met her gaze. And then the spirit looked up, over Avery’s shoulder, to the top of the wall behind her. A horrible sinking feeling filled Avery’s stomach, and she turned to follow her gaze.
There, on the top of the wall, was another blue, glowing ghostly figure. It was a man, and he was aiming an arrow directly at them.
Even though part of Avery’s rational mind knew that he couldn’t possibly hurt them, she instinctively yelled and ducked. “Move everyone, now!”
A glowing blue arrow sailed over Avery’s head, landing at the feet of the ghostly woman with a distinctly solid sounding thud. A high-pitched keening sound broke the silence, and then everyone yelled and scrambled for cover.
Arrow after arrow thudded into the ground around them, one narrowly missing Avery’s head. She felt it whistle past her ear.
“What the shit?” Reuben yelled, pulling El behind him. An arrow was headed straight for them and he swatted it away with a sweeping motion of his hand. “This feels scarily real, guys!”
Within seconds, at least a dozen ghostly men manifested around them, all wearing what looked like leather breeches, shirts, and cloaks, and all wielding swords or axes. The woman spirit ran from the room, trying to evade their clutches, but she was too late. The arrows finally found their mark as they thudded into her and she fell, facedown.
The men turned their attention to them, and Avery felt a trickle of fear run down her spine.
“Alex?” She looked at him from where they crouched behind a piece of broken wall. “We need to start the spell. We haven’t got time to get rid of the ghost-hunters.”
Newton was already standing. The men advanced menacingly towards them and he lifted his shotgun and took aim for the closest, releasing both barrels in rapid succession.
Then all hell broke loose as the spirits rushed them.
Avery stood with the others and released wave after wave of energy bolts, but for every spirit they sent whirling backwards, others appeared. Avery felt cold, clammy hands on her arm and looked up into the white eyes of a scarred man with an evil grin. He lifted her clean off the floor as she gasped in surprise. She should not be able to feel this, and he shouldn’t be able to manifest that strongly, but…
Well, in that case, she decided, he could feel this. She punched him with a ball of energy straight at his stomach and he dropped her, disappearing only to reappear a few feet away.
Blasts of energy and fireballs ricocheted off the castle walls, and shouts filled the air. The earth trembled beneath her feet as tree roots shot up, grabbing at the legs of the attacking men.
Avery pulled the wind around her and then sent it through the ghosts like a hurricane. Although it scattered them, they didn’t stop fighting.
“Cover me—I need time!” Alex shouted above the din.
He retreated as far as he could away from the fight, pulling the three hunters with him, who by now were wide-eyed with either fear, amazement, or both. Newton followed him, still firing, trying to keep the spirits back, while Alex started his incantation, his voice strong as it rose above the noise.
Avery glanced around and saw the scattered witches unleashing their magic in various forms on their attackers, and all managing to hold their own. But how were the spirits so strong? It must be the magic they’d released.
She heard a whirring noise and she ducked and rolled as an axe whirled past, thudding into the wall behind her. She grinned. That’s mine now.
Extending her hand and her power, Avery pulled the axe out of the wall into her waiting palm and then turned, wielding her spirit-weapon viciously as she imbued it with extra magical energy. She rolled to the floor and struck out at the closest man’s legs, feeling the horrible crunch of muscle and bone as he collapsed on the ground next to her. It was time to try a banishment spell. Her grimoire only had a couple, and she had never tried them before. She uttered the spell, but her incantation didn’t seem strong enough, and the spirit just seemed to laugh at her as he dragged himself back to his feet.
Avery started to despair. These spirits were strong, too strong, and she could see the others struggling, too.
But then she felt Alex’s power swell around them, and his voice seemed to magnify within the castle walls. As he completed his incantation, a wave of magic passed through the castle like a tsunami, sweeping up the spirits as it passed through, until every single one disappeared and the place fell into an eerie silence.
Now the spirits and their weird blue glow had gone, the place was plunged into darkness, a faint light from the stars overhead their only illumination. Someone sent up a couple of witch lights, and Avery sighed with relief as she saw that everyone was okay. She collapsed to the floor, her heart thudding wildly, and her hands shaking as her adrenaline ebbed away.
It was Dylan who spoke first. “Oh, wow.” He stood on slightly shaky legs and gazed around, his mouth open. He grinned, “Wow, wow, wow! Guys, that was amazing! What the hell was that? Who are you? You have to teach me that!”
5
Avery gathered some wood from the fallen branches in the grounds and started a fire in the shelter of a reasonably solid corner of the castle, while the three paranormal investigators retrieved their gear. Then they sat and leaned against the castle walls, while Alex lectured. “Guys, we are not teaching you anything. In fact, you need to forget everything.”
Ben laughed in a slightly maniacal way. “Ha! You’re kidding, right? I can’t forget that! Ever.”
Alex glanced at Avery, and she knew what he was thinking. Should they try and glamour them so they forgot what they’d seen? But they both knew that there was too much magical evidence to enchant away successfully.
Dylan looked excited, Ben looked shocked, and Cassie looked at them with fear in her eyes. She hadn’t said a word.
Briar smiled at her. “It’s okay, Cassie, we’re not monsters, and we’re not going to hurt you. I’m just sorry you were here to see it.”
Ben made a strangled sound. “This isn’t one of those times when we’re made to disappear, is it?”
Reuben groaned from where he was lying flat on the ground. “We’re not assassins, dude. Calm down. We’re just aliens. We have extra-terrestrial powers.” El laughed and poked him in the ribs with her toe.
“Not helpful, thanks Reuben,” Avery said, laughing despite the horrified expressions on Dylan, Ben, and Cassie’s faces. “He’s kidding!”
“So what are you?” Cassie whispered.
“Can you keep a secret?” Avery asked her.
“And we mean, no blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube chats, leaked camera footage, or anything else!” Alex said, looking each of them in the eye sternly.
They all nodded mutely.
“We have the ability to do magic,” Avery said, reluctant to say ‘witch.’
Ben snorted. “Magic?” He started to laugh, but it died on his lips as he saw that no one else was laughing. “Are you serious?”
Newton sighed from the shadows, where he’d sat next to Briar, the shotgun on his lap. “They are very serious. Why, Ben? What did you think that was?”
Ben stuttered. “I-I don’t know, I thought maybe they had some sort of weapon. I mean, you have a shotgun!”
“That’s because I’m not a witch.”
Avery saw the newcomers all flinch at the word.
Reuben rolled over to look at them. “Guys, let them think we’re aliens, it’s probably more believable.”
El sniggered again. “Shut up, Reuben.”
He winked at her, grabbed her hand, and kissed it.
“Let me get this right,” Alex said. “You’re paranormal investigators, you believe in spirits and things that go bump in the night, but you don’t believe in magic or witches?”
“Well, I admit to the possibility of them,” Ben said defensively. “But we base our findings on rational and scientific investigation.”
“Good for you,” Alex said. “In that case, you can put this all down to a very active imagination.”
Dylan glared at Ben. “Ben, stop being an ass. You wanted to see something tonight! Your EMF meter was off the charts. These guys are the real deal. I mean, look at that weird light thing floating above us.”
Ben grabbed his meter from where it lay on the ground next to him, flicked it on, and pointed it at the witch light. He swung the device around and they could hear a low static buzz, steadily rising in volume.
