Dead Souls Volume Three (Parts 27 to 39)

by Amy Cross

  “I know who you are.”

  “But who will I be in just a few days' time?” she asked, staring up at him with an expression of longing. “I will be Lady Estella Le Compte, your wife. I'd like to think that we can share our troubles.” Stepping an inch closer to him, she let her bare breasts brush against his chest, while leaning up and kissing the side of his neck. “You know,” she whispered, “we should soon start thinking about the future. A family -”

  “There's enough time for that,” he replied.

  “Still, you want a large family, don't you?”

  She waited for a reply.

  “Take me back to bed,” she continued, kissing his chest as she reached down and stroked the back of her hand against his flaccid penis. “Whatever you're feeling, whatever anger or doubt... Take it out on me. Let me feel it through the way you touch me, the way you make love to me. I want you, Edgar. I want you more than ever, and when you become my husband, I'll want you more again.” She began to run her fingers along his manhood. “Edgar, I -”

  “Enough,” he said calmly.

  “My darling, feel how much I'm ready for you.”

  Taking his hand, she moved his fingers between her legs.

  “Feel -”

  “I don't have time for this,” he replied, pulling away and making his way toward the door.

  “Edgar!”

  “We're not man and wife yet,” he reminded her, stopping and glancing back. “I have already broken with tradition by taking you to my bed before we're married. I think now, perhaps, would be a good time to pause and wait until our wedding night. Until then, I want you to sleep in one of the guest rooms. Jacob will make one up for you.”

  “But -”

  “This is my decision,” he continued. “Please, Estella, you know what happens when people challenge my decisions.”

  She opened her mouth to argue with him, but at the last moment she realized that there was no point. Looking back over at the bed, she told herself that waiting a few more nights would be no great hardship, although she worried that the new arrival on Thaxos seemed to be consuming an inordinate amount of her fiance's attention. Turning back to look at the door, she was about to ask Edgar about his plans for the rest of the day when she saw that he had already left.

  “Kate Langley,” she whispered, with a hint of fear in her voice. “Who exactly are you?”

  ***

  The horse and carriage thundered down the dirt road that led toward town, with Jacob whipping the horse regularly from his position on the box seat.

  Inside the carriage itself, Edgar Le Compte sat in silence as a dark anger continued to brew in his eyes.

  ***

  “I don't usually offer room and board to someone who can't pay,” Jennifer Kazakos said cautiously, standing by the counter in her store. “I'm not a charity.”

  “It's not that I don't have money,” Kate replied, holding out the euro notes she'd happened to have in her pockets from the previous day, “it's just... I'm guessing you still use the drachma.”

  “What's a euro?” Jennifer asked, taking one of the brightly-colored notes.

  “It's the currency where I come from,” Kate told her. “Greece eventually joins the... Well, that doesn't really go so well, actually, there's...” Pausing, she realized she probably shouldn't say too much. Slipping her credit cards from her wallet, she held them up for Jennifer to see. “I'm guessing you don't take these, either.”

  “Can you work?” Jennifer asked.

  “Of course. That's the only thing I can offer right now.”

  “I'll let you have the box room,” she continued, “but you'll have to work in the store. It won't be easy, there'll be a lot of carrying and lifting, and my back's been bad lately so you're gonna have to really break a sweat. Also, some of the older people don't speak English, so you'll have to pick up at least a passing ability to get by in the local language.”

  “I'm not afraid of hard work.”

  “There's also Anna.” Jennifer paused for a moment. “Sometimes I have to... go out... and do things. I don't like leaving my daughter alone, so if you can look after her for a few hours here and there, I'd really appreciate the help.”

  “I'd be glad to,” Kate told her. “I swear, I won't be here for too long, but I just need somewhere to stay and like I already told you, I never planned to come in the first place.”

  “We'll call it a trial period,” Jennifer continued. “It's not that I need help, you understand -”

  “You're the one helping me,” Kate pointed out.

  “Exactly. And if -”

  Before she could finish, Jennifer looked over at the door as she heard the sound of a horse and carriage in the street outside.

  “Dear God,” she whispered, her eyes filled with fear, “it can't be...”

  “What's wrong?” Kate asked.

  “It's one of the Le Comptes,” she continued, hurrying around the counter and quickly gathering the various papers. “Make the place look tidy!”

  Grabbing a broom, Kate swept some straw from the floor before pulling some bags of flour toward the wall.

  “It's him!” Jennifer hissed.

  Turning, Kate saw to her shock that Edgar had entered the courtyard and had stopped next to one of the fruit stands. She watched as he picked up an orange, and although he seemed to be inspecting the produce, it was clear that in reality he was waiting for something. In fact, as he made his way to he next stand and began to inspect the plums, Kate couldn't help but feel that the sight of Edgar supposedly doing a spot of shopping was somewhat surreal. He was very, very bad at looking casual.

  “What the hell is he doing here?” Jennifer whispered. “He never comes down to town like this.”

  “I should go and speak to him,” Kate replied.

  “You?”

  “Edgar and I... We sort of know each other.”

  “Great,” Jennifer said with a sigh. “I let you stay, and ten seconds later you've got the most dangerous visitor on the whole island. I swear, if you let him anywhere near my daughter -”

  “I won't,” Kate told her, “I swear, just... Let me go and find out what he wants.”

  Heading over to the door, she stepped out into the courtyard and saw that Edgar was examining an artichoke, although from the look on his face it was clear that he had no idea what he was holding. He glanced briefly at Kate before turning back to the artichoke, as if he wanted to pretend that their meeting was nothing more than a coincidence.

  “Can I help you?” Kate asked finally.

  “Do you work here?”

  “I'm helping out.” Hearing a snorting sound, she glanced at the gate and saw a horse waiting outside, strapped to a carriage. “So that's how you get about these days.”

  “It's the only vehicle of its type on the island,” Edgar told her. “What else should I do? Walk?”

  For a moment, Kate couldn't help but remember the first time she'd ever met Edgar, in the same courtyard but a hundred years later:

  “ I hope you didn't come far,” she remembered saying to him.

  “I don't mind the walk,” he'd replied.

  “So did you come down here for anything in particular?” she asked.

  “You know me,” he replied, “don't you?”

  She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.

  “You do,” he continued, “and yet... I don't know you. This puts me in a very unusual situation. Tell me, when and where did you first encounter me?”

  “Right here,” she told him.

  “Here? In this courtyard?”

  “This very same courtyard,” she continued, “outside this very same store, just... In a different time.”

  “So from your perspective, that was the first time we met?”

  She nodded. “I thought it was the same for you,” she said after a moment, “but now I'm starting to think that...” Again, she thought back to that first late-night encounter with Edgar, and she was starting to realize that
although it had been their first meeting from her perspective, for him it must have been more like a reunion, albeit one that he couldn't acknowledge.

  “I'm at a disadvantage,” he continued, making his way to the next produce stand. “I don't like that feeling.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “I want to know what force brought you here.”

  “I want to know the same thing.”

  “So you're an unwilling traveler?”

  “I guess that's one way of putting it.” She paused for a moment. “You really don't know anything about this, do you? It's not some grand scheme or trick, it's not an attempt to mess with my head... You really have no idea what's going on.”

  Clearly irritated by the suggestion, Edgar turned to the stand and picked up a pomegranate.

  “What am I, in the future?” he asked finally. “How great have I become?”

  “Is that all you care about?”

  “What else is there? Tell me, have I pushed all the humans off this wretched rock? Have I spread my legend far and wide?”

  “I don't think I should start telling you things about the future,” she replied.

  “I don't think you have a choice,” he told her, squeezing the pomegranate until it burst and its seeds began to fall between his fingers. “I have ways of extracting information from people, and I would very much advise you to be forthcoming under your own steam. If you know me at all, you'll know that I don't tolerate fools or liars, and I hate being left in the dark. Whatever loyalty you might think I owe to you, you are mistaken. To me, right now, you are simply a bug that is starting to cause me great irritation. I need to know why you're here.”

  “Edgar -”

  “Is this a trap?” he asked, stepping toward her and pushing her back against the wall. “Who sent you? Is one of my enemies seeking to turn me into a fool? Are you a weapon?”

  “Edgar, no -”

  “Who is it? I'll find out, you know.”

  “No-one sent me,” she replied, trying to push him away. “Edgar, I came to you for help. I assumed you'd know what was happening!”

  “So it is a trap.”

  “No -”

  “I will not let you make a fool of me,” he continued, leaning closer with pure anger in his eyes. “I knew that on the eve of my wedding, someone would try to strike at me, but I can assure you, Kate Langley, that I will not stand idly by and wait to be attacked. The only reason I don't kill you right here and now is that I want to see your next pathetic move, do you understand? You can't hurt me, so I might as well let you carry on so that I see where you're coming from.” He paused for a moment. “I honestly don't know whether you're aware that you're a pawn in someone else's game, or whether you're simply being used without your knowledge, but either way... I am not a man who falls into traps, and you are most certainly a trap.”

  “Edgar -”

  “Do you know,” he sneered, “what I do to people who try to hurt me?”

  Staring back at him, she tried not to show her fear.

  “Whatever game you're playing,” he told her, “I would strongly urge you to stop and leave this island, and never come back. If you choose to stay, the consequences are likely to be severe. I'm giving you something I never, ever give to people. A warning. Pay it great heed.”

  With that, he took a step back and turned to head over to the gate.

  “You're forgetting one thing, Edgar,” Kate called after him. “You don't know me. You don't know who I am or what I'm capable of doing, but I know you. In fact, I know you better than you realize, so I really am at an advantage. I know about the torture equipment you've got in your basement, and I know about the tunnel that runs from your house to the chamber under the stone circle, and I know about the wooden panels down there that depict some great war, and I know about -”

  “Enough,” he replied, turning to her. “You're right, you have an advantage, but do not overplay your hand, Ms. Langley, or that advantage will be quickly spent.”

  “And then what? You're going to hurt me?”

  “You seem ill-tempered,” he continued. “I sense that in the future, I have perhaps done something to disturb you.”

  “You're not that different,” she replied. “You're as angry and arrogant today as you are a hundred years from now.”

  “I'll take that as a compliment.”

  “I don't want anything to do with this,” she explained. “I don't want to be messed up in whatever's going on here. I just want my life back.”

  “It is not mine to give,” he pointed out as he stepped through the gate. “It might yet, however, be mine to take away.”

  Taking a deep breath, with her heart pounding in her chest, Kate watched as Edgar climbed into the carriage. A moment later, Jacob cracked his whip and the horse began to trot along the street, pulling the carriage until it was out of view. Hearing someone nearby, Kate turned to see that Jennifer had come to the door, while Anna was standing a little further back in the store.

  “Is this going to be a problem?” Jennifer asked. “If Edgar Le Compte hates you, I can't -”

  “It's not a problem,” Kate said firmly. “He doesn't hate me, he just... He doesn't know me yet.”

  “It takes a lot to lure him down into town, though. I can't even remember the last time I saw him around. He usually sends his minions scurrying around to collect things, or he has items shipped in direct from the mainland.” She paused for a moment. “You've clearly got his attention.”

  “I don't want it.”

  “No-one does. Not around here. Getting noticed by Edgar Le Compte is usually a surefire way to end up disappearing.”

  “He's scared,” Kate continued. “He doesn't understand who I am or what I'm doing here, and that worries him. He's used to being in control and he sees me as a threat.”

  “And are you?”

  She shook her head.

  “Huh,” Jennifer replied, with an uneasy smile. “You know, for someone who claims she won't cause any trouble, you're sure off to a hell of a start. Just try not to have him pop by for any more sudden visits, okay? I'll take their business, but I'd rather not have too many of the Le Comptes through my door. Not Edgar, and not his goddamn sister either.”

  “Don't worry,” Kate told her. “As soon as I've worked out how I ended up here, I should be able to find a way back to my own time.”

  “I have to go out for a few hours,” Jennifer told her. “Just some personal business. Can you mind the store and watch Anna?”

  Kate nodded.

  “Don't let any of the Le Comptes near her,” Jennifer continued, stepping out into the courtyard. “I won't have them in her life. I've done a good job of shielding her from the madness of Thaxos so far, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let her get affected now.”

  As Jennifer left, Kate turned to Anna, who was eying her with suspicion from over by the counter. For a moment, all Kate could think about was the first time she met Anna in the future, when the old woman had seemed worried by her arrival. She realized now that Anna Kazakos must have seen a great deal as a child, but that she'd kept it in her soul and – for whatever reason – she'd clearly not been pleased to see Kate all those years later. For now, though, she was just a child.

  “Are you really from the future?” Anna asked finally.

  “I guess so. From your point of view, anyway.”

  Anna paused. “If you are from the future,” she continued after a moment, “then how did you get here?”

  “I don't know,” Kate told her. “I really have no idea. There was someone I thought would be able to explain it, but...” She turned to look back up toward the mansion on the hill. “I don't think he knows either.”

  ***

  “Make sure that no-one disturbs me,” Edgar said firmly as he made his way up the mansion's front steps. “I will be alone for the rest of the day.”

  “Of course, Sir,” Jacob replied, hurrying after him, “but you have an appointment at three with Miss Este
lla and the priest who -”

  “Cancel it.”

  “I think Miss Estella might -”

  “Cancel it,” Edgar said again, heading into the entrance hall and stopping so that Jacob could remove his coat. “Reschedule it, whatever. There are still a few days until this infernal wedding. I can talk to a priest any time of the day or night. Tell him he'll come to me when I call for him, not a minute sooner and not a minute later.”

  “I'll arrange things, Sir,” Jacob replied, taking the coat over to a nearby rack. “Should I see whether -”

  “Tell the others to keep out of my business too,” Edgar snarled, making his way to the door at the far end of the hallway. Reaching into his pocket, he took out a key. “Especially my dear sister and my darling fiance. Make sure they understand that I refuse to be disturbed. I'm sure they can amuse themselves for a short while. I'll be in the basement.”

  “Very good, Sir,” Jacob muttered.

  Heading down the steps, Edgar finally reached the basement and stopped to light a torch. He stepped through the stone arch and held the torch out as he walked along the main room. On either side, human bodies had been strapped into various torture machines; some of the bodies were long dead, but others were fresh and a few even twitched now and again, letting out faint groans in the process. Ignoring them all, Edgar kept his eyes on the wall at the far end of the room, until finally he stopped and reached out to press one of the stones.

  “Please,” whispered a pained voice from one of the nearby machines, “just kill me...”

  “For that pathetic entreaty,” Edgar muttered darkly, “you will be subjected to a thousand times more pain.”

  Pushing the stone all the way back, Edgar waited as part of the wall began to slide away, revealing a hidden room on the other side. With the cries of his victims still in his ears, he stepped forward and then placed the torch in a metal hoop on the wall, leaving him with just enough light to be able to see the stone sarcophagus in the center of the room. He paused for a moment, as if he was having second thoughts, before taking a few steps forward and placing his hands on top of the tomb.