Dead Souls Volume Three (Parts 27 to 39)

by Amy Cross

  “I never thought I would have to do this,” he whispered, “but...”

  Taking hold of one edge of the sarcophagus, he began to pull the heavy stone lid aside until finally he lifted it up and set it against the nearby wall. Looking down at the sarcophagus, he flinched slightly as he saw the horribly withered body on a cold stone slab. Dressed in what remained of a thin white gown, the body appeared to have become completely dehydrated, to the point that the remaining flesh clung like old leather to the skeleton's angular features. A thin collection of wispy white hair remained on the scalp, while the head was turned slightly to one side with its rotten eyes having been left wide open. Most striking of all, however, was the fact that the corpse's hands were clasped over its chest, clutching a small bouquet of flowers.

  The flowers looked as fresh as they day they'd been picked.

  Stepping closer, Edgar gently took the flowers and placed them to one side, before taking hold of the mummified hands and pulling them aside, causing the brittle elbows to creak in the process. Once he had revealed the metal handle protruding from the center of the corpse's chest, he paused again, as if he was once again trying to decide whether or not he was making the right decision. Finally, however, he grabbed the handle and secured his grip, before whispering a silent prayer and then starting to slide the Crucifix of St. Joan out of the body's chest.

  As the tip emerged, a thin layer of dust fell from the blade.

  Slowly, the desiccated corpse began to move a little, every joint creaking as if the body had been still for many years. Edgar watched with horrified expectation as the head slowly began to turn toward him.

  “Hello, father,” Edgar said finally.

  The corpse opened its mouth, letting out a deep rattle as it tried to sit up, only for Edgar to grab its throat and slam it back down against the stone slab.

  “This isn't a reconciliation, father,” Edgar continued, leaning close to the spluttering, mummified face. “I'll be driving the crucifix back into your chest soon enough. I just woke you up because I refuse to play your games any longer.” He leaned closer to the mummified face. “Who is Kate Langley,” he sneered, “and why have you brought her here?”

  Part Twenty-Eight

  I

  Turning the key in the lock, Father Gregory opened the church's wooden door and stepped out for a moment, looking up at the bright blue morning sky.

  “Dear Lord,” he said after a moment, “grant us another day of peace, free from pain and sorrow.” He glanced toward the mansion on the hill, and a shiver passed through his body. “We need all the help we can get,” he added with a sigh.

  Turning, he headed back inside. As he made his way toward his office at the rear of the building, he didn't notice a dark figure slipping through the door and quickly disappearing into the shadows.

  ***

  “Okay,” Jennifer said, crouching in front of Anna in the yard, “I'm only going to be gone for a few hours, so I need you to be a really good girl and not cause trouble for Kate. Do you think you can manage that?”

  “Where are you going?” Anna asked with a frown.

  “Nowhere,” Jennifer replied, forcing a smile as she licked her thumb and then wiped a smidgen of dirt from her daughter's face. “But did you hear what I said? Kate hasn't looked after you before, so you have to be extra nice to her.”

  “You always go out.”

  “No, I just -”

  “Can't I come with you?”

  “Not this time, sweetheart.”

  “Why not?”

  “Just...” Pausing, Jennifer tried to think of a reason that would satisfy an insatiable five-year-old. “I'll bring you something back,” she added finally. “Something small, would you like that?”

  Anna stared at her, clearly not convinced.

  “Just be good,” Jennifer continued, standing up and ruffling her daughter's hair for a moment before heading to the gate at the back of the yard. “And don't upset the chickens. When they're stressed, their eggs aren't so nice. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Anna replied dubiously. She waited as her mother headed out of the yard, and then she turned to look back into the shop. She could hear Kate stacking crates, but she already felt that she didn't like the strange woman who'd suddenly arrived on Thaxos a couple of nights earlier. She didn't really know why, but something about Kate just made her feel nervous.

  Figuring that she didn't really want to hang around and play by herself, Anna hurried to the gate and leaned out into the alley just in time to see her mother disappearing around the next corner. After double-checking that Kate wasn't watching, Anna made her way out of the yard and hurried after her mother, determined to find out where she was going.

  ***

  “Hey Anna,” Kate called out as she hauled another crate across to the front of the shop. “Do you want to come and play a fun game I learned when I was a kid? It's -”

  Before she could finish, she felt a sharp twinge in her back. Letting out a gasp of pain, she tried to stand up straight, only to realize that her back was in danger of locking up. Making her way over to the counter, she leaned against the wall for a moment, hoping against hope that her back wasn't about to give out on her after moving so many heavy crates. She held her breath, waiting...

  “This is pathetic,” she whispered to herself. “Please, just...”

  She tried to straighten up, but the pain bit at her again. A moment later, she heard the bell above the door as someone entered the shop.

  “Hi,” she said, still feeling the pain in her back, “sorry, I'll be with you in just a moment.”

  Slowly, she tried again to stand up straight until, despite the pain, she was get able to get about halfway, which was just enough to allow her to turn and face the visitor.

  “Hello,” Estella said with a nervous smile.

  Kate froze.

  “I see you've been put to work,” Estella continued, clutching a small purse in her white-gloved hands. Glancing around the shop for a moment, she seemed distinctly awkward. “I used to come in here as a child, you know. My mother would bring me and warn me not to touch anything, but of course I'd never listen to her and...” She smiled, but the smile quickly wilted. “Well, that was a while ago now. Sometimes I wish I was still a child, though. Life seemed so much simpler back then, and mother...”

  Her voice trailed off.

  “I know the feeling,” Kate muttered, wary of Estella's motives.

  “Are you in pain?”

  Kate shook her head.

  “Are you sure?” Estella continued. “You appear to be bent double.”

  “I'm fine,” Kate replied, hobbling forward, “I just -” She let out another gasp of pain and immediately stopped, putting a hand on her side.

  “You are in pain,” Estella said, hurrying over and helping her to reach a small wooden chair by the counter. “Here, you mustn't strain yourself. You'll only make it worse.”

  “It's nothing,” Kate muttered. “I just didn't lift properly.” As she sat, she felt the pain twisting in her back, and she realized there was no way it was going away any time soon. She'd had slight back problems her whole life, and lifting heavy crates in the shop had been a mistake. Still, she'd had no choice: on her first full day working for Jennifer, she was determined to prove she was up to the job. “I'll be fine,” she added finally.

  “Let me help,” Estella said, removing her white gloves before hitching up the shirt on Kate's back and placing her cold hands on the bare flesh.

  “Really, you don't -”

  “Sssh,” Estella replied, pressing hard against Kate's muscles.

  “Ow!” Kate exclaimed, trying to pull away before realizing that much of the pain seemed to have dissipated.

  “Better?” Estella asked.

  “Maybe.”

  “One more little push,” Estella continued, moving her hands around to the side of Kate's waist. “This is going to hurt for a moment, but it'll be worth it.”

  “I don't -”


  Kate let out a cry of pain as she felt a sharp snapping sensation in her back, but the moment quickly passed and she could immediately tell that there had been an improvement. She waited a few more seconds, convinced that the pain was about to return at any moment, before finally sitting up straight and finding that her back had returned to normal; in fact, if anything, she felt better than ever.

  “Well?” Estella asked. “Has there been an improvement?”

  Getting to her feet, Kate took a couple of steps forward, still convinced that the pain was waiting to ambush her. As she reached the window, however, she turned and felt as if a miracle had just taken place.

  “How did you do that?” she asked.

  “My mother taught me a few tricks,” Estella said with a faint, embarrassed smile.

  “I went to a chiropractor in London once,” Kate replied, “and even he couldn't do anything.” She paused for a moment. “You've fixed it completely. It's almost like magic.”

  “It's not magic,” Estella told her. “There's no such thing. I just have a slight gift, that's all. Be careful not to strain yourself, though. Lift with your knees, not your back. It's terribly important to take care of oneself. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I don't really think women are cut out for manual labor.”

  Kate allowed herself a brief smile, but her wariness was already returning. Estella seemed friendly, but after everything that had happened to her before, Kate was certain that there had to be an ulterior motive for the visit.

  “I so rarely come down into Thaxos town anymore,” Estella continued, smiling nervously as she made her way to a nearby shelf and peered at the dusty tins. “Since Edgar and I...” She paused. “Well, I grew up down here but my life changed a lot when I became engaged to Edgar. He insisted that I move in with him, which was quite against tradition and caused a few ripples to be sure, but he can be very persuasive and he always gets what he wants. Still, I didn't anticipate that I'd become so disconnected so quickly from my old life.” She glanced over at the window. “I feel like a foreigner, an interloper, when I'm down here now. I feel as if everyone views me as some kind of a spy.”

  “Your family don't live here?”

  “Oh, they do, but...” She seemed to be on the verge of saying something painful, before forcing an unconvincing smile. “Well, one gets so busy these days. One certainly doesn't get as much time as one would like to visit people.”

  “But if they live so close...”

  “You're right,” Estella replied, taking a deep breath. “I should make more of an effort.”

  “I guess you'll see them at the wedding,” Kate pointed out.

  “Perhaps.” At this, Estella paused for a moment. “I couldn't help but notice,” she continued finally, “that you and my fiance... Well, Edgar swears blind that he's never met you before, and I do believe him, but nevertheless I detected a certain frisson between the pair of you. I hope you don't think I'm overreacting by coming down here this morning, but I felt it better to approach the matter head-on.” She paused again. “Do you have designs on my future husband, Ms. Langley?”

  “Designs? You mean... No. Definitely not.”

  “So what are you doing on Thaxos?”

  “It's a long story.”

  “I like long stories.”

  “It's complicated too,” Kate continued. “Didn't Edgar tell you what I told him?”

  “He's been very quiet since last night,” Estella replied. “Not that he's exactly a chatterbox at the best of times, but it's as if a shadow has fallen across him. You're not...” She stared at Kate for a moment, as if she was studying her, and then she stepped closer. “You're not one of them, are you?”

  “One of what?”

  “You know... With the teeth and the blood and all that horrid business.”

  “A vampire?” Kate smiled. “No, I'm not a vampire.”

  “Or a werewolf like Nixon?”

  Kate shook her head.

  “So you're just a woman?”

  “I'm just a woman,” Kate replied.

  “I see.” Estella paused. “I thought that answer would reassure me, but now I find that perhaps it's rather unsettling.”

  “That's quite a compliment,” Kate continued, “coming from the Witch of Thaxos.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “I know what you are,” Kate told her, “and I know what you can do.”

  “I rather think there has been a misunderstanding,” Estella replied. “I'm just a woman, like you.”

  “Apart from jumping into other people's bodies,” Kate continued, “and trying to poison them with nightsorrow.”

  “With what?”

  Kate paused for a moment, unable to determine whether or not Estella's confusion was genuine. There was something so timid and mousey about the woman, and she found it hard to reconcile the figure standing in front of her with the cruel witch who had caused so much havoc in the future. As much as she wanted to call Estella's bluff and tell her that she knew the truth, she felt deep down that this younger version of Estella might be different.

  “Is it true?” Estella asked finally.

  “Is what true?”

  “That you're from... Well, it sounds bizarre to even say the words, but... Is it true that you came here from the future?”

  “That sounds kind of crazy, don't you think?”

  “Welcome to Thaxos,” Estella said with a faint smile. “So... is it true?”

  Feeling as if she shouldn't say too much, Kate paused again.

  “Tell me one thing,” Estella continued. “In the future, are Edgar and I... I mean, I know we're perfect for each other, and I know I shall carry many fine children for him, but I hope also that we're happy. That I can tame him a little and make him appreciate the world. He's so unhappy, deep in his soul, and I just hope that I'll find a way to make him see the world differently. Is it possible that I might achieve that?”

  “Please don't ask me about the future,” Kate replied, swallowing hard.

  “And the island... Thaxos can't stay like this forever, gripped by fear. We're in the darkest days, I feel certain. In the future, Thaxos is a happy place, is it not? Maybe I'm getting a little over-excited, but I feel that perhaps my wedding to Edgar will serve as a beacon of hope for everyone. We can use the event to reunite the whole island and make everyone happy again.” There were tears in her eyes now, as if she was desperately hoping that Kate would calm her anxieties.

  “I have work to do,” Kate told her, carefully avoiding the question. “I'm sorry...”

  “Can we meet again?” Estella asked, stepping closer. “I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I shan't ask you such things again, I promise, but please... There are so few people I can talk to, and I should very much like to discuss some other matters with you. You don't mind if I call on you again some time, do you?”

  “Maybe it's better if...” Seeing the desperation in her eyes, Kate relented. “Sure. Just don't ask me about the future. Not ever.”

  “I shan't,” Estella replied, with a broad smile. “I must hurry, Edgar won't like me being away for so long and I have some other errands to run, but I'll call again soon.” She hurried to the door, before stopping and looking back at Kate. “It's good to make a new friend,” she continued. “By the way, what was all that nonsense about witches and nightsorrow? I'm afraid you completely lost me at that point.”

  “Don't worry about it,” Kate said. “It was nothing.”

  She stood and watched as Estella hurried out into the courtyard. Although she was worried that she was falling for another of Estella's tricks, Kate couldn't shake the feeling that somehow this version of Estella was more innocent and vulnerable, as if all the bitterness and anger had yet to take root in her heart. Feeling a shiver of sorrow rush through her chest, Kate found herself wondering what horrors could turn such a friendly woman into the cruel and manipulative Witch of Thaxos.

  “Anna?” she called out suddenly, turning to look back through to the rear o
f the shop. “Hey, Anna! There's a game I used to play when I was your age. Do you want to try it out?”

  She waited, before hurrying through to the kitchen and then heading to the yard.

  “Anna?” she shouted, filled with fear as she realized that there was no sign of the little girl. “Anna, where are you?”

  II

  “Hello?”

  Looking up from his lunch, Father Gregory waited for someone to reply, but all he heard was silence. He was certain, however, that a moment earlier there had been footsteps over by the altar.

  “Hello?” he said again.

  He waited a little longer, before finally looking back down at his food, figuring that he must have been mistaken.

  ***

  “Werewolves aren't known for their abilities as mind-readers,” Nixon said as he leaned against the doorway of Edgar's study. “We leave that sort of thing to the Persiads and the Criads and all the other beasts at the bottom of the metaphorical garden. Still, I can't help noticing that something seems to be wrong this morning.”

  Turning from the paperwork on his desk, Edgar glared at his friend.

  “More wrong than usual,” Nixon added. “If -”

  “Are you trying to tell me how to run my household?”

  “God, no. I wouldn't dare.” Taking a sip of tea, Nixon crossed the room until he reached the desk. “I just can't help wondering what you were up to all night, down in the basement.”

  “You know what I do down there.”

  “But I popped down to visit you at around three in the morning,” he continued, “and there was no sign of you.” He waited for a reply, but Edgar had already turned his attention back to the papers. “As a friend -”

  “As a friend, you'll understand that I don't wish to discuss private matters.”