Dead Souls Volume Three (Parts 27 to 39)

by Amy Cross

  “Now, you have to be very quiet,” he continued, putting a finger against his lips for a moment, “because all the other little girls in hall C are asleep, or at least they're supposed to be. If any of them are awake, they're being very, very naughty, do you understand? It's sleep at sundown, and up at sunrise. That's the rule, and everyone at Raven's Briar has to stick to the rules.”

  She nodded.

  “Let's see if they're being naughty,” he added, grinning with obvious glee as he got to his feet and unlocked the metal door. Pulling it open, he steered Anna through into the darkness, and then they both stood silently for a moment. “Do you hear anything?” he whispered. “Breathing's alright, and farting and things like that, but if you hear anything that sounds like someone's awake, you'd better let me know.” He paused, as his eyes watched the darkness for any hint of movement.

  Staring straight ahead, Anna realized she could just about make out rows of beds on either side of a large, high-ceiling room. She felt a shiver pass through her body as she realized that on each of the beds there was a shape, and all the shapes seemed to be girls who were sleeping. Or pretending to sleep. Anna felt that if she was in bed and heard Constant nearby, she'd probably pretend to be asleep too.

  “Maybe they're just trying to trick us,” Constant whispered, “or maybe they're really being good. Sometimes it's hard for me to tell, 'cause people can be so confusing. What do you think?”

  “Do I...” Anna paused. “Do I have to sleep in here?”

  “This is hall C,” he replied, “and Ms. Eversham said to put you in hall C.” Taking her hand again, he led her past the beds until they reached the far corner, where one bed had been left empty. “You're lucky, we happen to have had a bed come free just last week. Bit of a coincidence, if you ask me, but coincidences happen sometimes. I've noticed that. Elizabeth used to sleep right here, on this very bed.”

  “Where does she sleep now?” Anna asked.

  He paused, before turning to her. “She sleeps under the bed now.”

  Anna took a step back.

  “It's okay, though,” he continued, still smiling, “I think she'll like you.” Dropping onto his knees, he peered under the bed, but after a moment he frowned. “She's not here right now,” he added, turning back to Anna, “so I can't introduce you properly, but I'm sure she'll be back later. Elizabeth's allowed to wander a little bit at night, ever since... Well, it's just easier that way. I don't know how we'd lock her in, even if we wanted to. It's the same with all of them.”

  “I don't want to sleep in here,” Anna told him.

  “Come on,” he replied, grabbing her by the waist and lifting her up, before placing her on the bed. “You don't need to worry about Elizabeth, she's really not that bad, especially since she changed.”

  “How did she change?” Anna asked, trying not to feel frightened as she looked around at the sleeping figures on the other beds. “Please, isn't there anywhere else I can sleep?”

  “You'll love it,” he continued, reaching past her.

  Seconds later, she felt something cold and metallic against her wrist, followed by the sound of a rattling chain. Looking down, she saw to her horror that a manacle had been placed around her arm.

  “Everyone has to have one of those,” Constant told her, taking a step back. “All the other girls have it. It's just... Well, for your own protection, that's what Ms. Eversham says. Before we got these things, we used to have a lot of trouble. Girls would go wandering off in the middle of the night, thinking they'd be better outside, and then I'd get sent to track them down. I always managed it, of course, but still, might as well avoid that kind of trouble if possible.”

  “No,” Anna replied, pulling on the manacle but finding that it was chained firmly to the bed, “I don't want this on! I don't -”

  Suddenly spotting movement nearby, she turned and saw that beneath the next bed along, there was a figure crouched in the darkness, barely visible.

  “There's someone under that bed!” she gasped.

  “That's right,” Constant said, his smile becoming broader than ever. “That's Meredith!”

  Staring in horror, Anna briefly saw a pair of dark, suspicious eyes staring back at her, before the girl retreated further into the shadows under the bed. Whoever she was, she obviously knew she'd been seen, but it wasn't as if she was hiding; it was more as if she was trying to watch everything else that happened.

  “I thought you said her name was Elizabeth,” Anna whispered, feeling a cold shiver of pure terror creeping over her shoulders.

  “No, silly,” Constant continued, “Elizabeth's the one who lives under your bed. Meredith lives under that bad.” He laughed. “It's not that complicated. Are you stupid? How could one girl live under two beds, dummy?”

  Looking across the dimly-lit dormitory, Anna realized that she could see figures under all the beds. They all seemed a little hunched and tightly-coiled, as if they were afraid of coming out.

  “What are they?” she whispered, even though she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

  “They're little girls,” he replied, “just like the people on top of the beds.”

  “But why are they down there?” she asked, pulling on the manacle but finding that, even though it seemed rusty and old, she couldn't manage to get free. “What do they want?”

  “Time for goodnight now,” Constant said, turning and heading back toward the door. “I'll be through to wake you all up at sunrise. Meat for breakfast again.”

  “No!” Anna shouted. “Come back!”

  “Don't shout,” he replied, glancing at her over his shoulder. “You don't want to draw attention to yourself or wake the others up, do you? That's a good tip for you, little girl. Try not to draw too much attention to yourself, otherwise you might not be able to control the type of attention you get. That makes sense, doesn't it?”

  Opening her mouth to call after him, Anna finally realized that he was right: she didn't want to draw attention to herself. Instead, she watched as he left the room, and a moment later she heard him locking the door. Sitting in silence, she looked over at the next bed and saw that while another little girl was sleeping on top, the figure under the bed seemed to be wide awake, scratching around as if it couldn't get comfortable.

  “Please come and save me,” Anna whispered, with tears running down her cheeks as she thought of her mother back on Thaxos. “Please, don't leave me here.”

  V

  “Come on,” Benjamin whispered, watching as Edgar's silhouette continued to pace slowly around the stone circle, “it must be midnight by now.”

  Turning, he looked back across the dark field, but all he saw were the stars above, filling the night sky. He'd been hiding in the tall grass for at least an hour now, determined to make sure that Edgar didn't need any help, but so far Quill hadn't shown up and Benjamin was starting to think that perhaps he wasn't coming. After all, he still felt as if there was no way Quill could possibly expect to defeat Edgar in a straight encounter, so he figured the old man might simply have decided to flee Thaxos.

  Either that, or he had something else planned.

  Sighing, he glanced back toward the stones, where Edgar still seemed content to pace through the darkness. There was a part of Benjamin that felt he should go and speak to him, and admit that he'd stayed behind. At the same time, Edgar had seemed unusually pensive when they'd talked earlier, which made him feel that he wouldn't be welcome. Staying hidden seemed like the better plan, and the worst-case scenario was that eventually he'd simply have to slip back to the mansion in secret, taking care not to -

  Suddenly he spotted something moving in the darkness up ahead, on the very edge of the stone circle. Figuring that Quill must have arrived, he tensed, ready to go to Edgar's assistance if necessary, but after a moment he realized that Edgar was walking calmly toward the spot where the movement had occurred. Holding his breath, Benjamin watched as Edgar stopped, turned, and then began to make his way back across the circle, as if h
e hadn't noticed the new arrival. A fraction of a second later, the silhouette of a dark figure seemed to flit across the stones, high up where it couldn't be seen by Edgar. From his vantage point, however, Benjamin was only too able to see the danger.

  “Edgar!” he shouted, getting to his feet and racing toward the circle. “There's something in there with you!”

  In a blur, Edgar turned, just as the shadow rushed down and flashed past him, knocking him back.

  Benjamin stumbled as he ran, dropping down onto his knees but immediately getting back up and running until he reached the circle. Racing between the stones, he stopped as he saw, up ahead, a dark shadow rising in the moonlight, towering above the stones.

  “What are you doing here?” Edgar shouted, turning to Benjamin.

  “Helping you!”

  “I don't -” Ducking again, Edgar barely avoided the shadow as it rushed down and swooped low over the center of the stones. “I don't need your help!”

  “You saved my life today. I owe you. Besides, it looked like this thing was about to get the drop on you.”

  “I merely let my guard down for a moment,” Edgar replied, as they both backed away from the shadow, which seemed to be watching them from a point high up at the top of one of the stones. “It's not a mistake I plan to repeat.”

  “What is that thing?” Benjamin asked, as the figure advanced. “It sure as hell isn't Quill!”

  As the shadow flickered against the stone, it seemed to change its shape momentarily, as if it was twisting and turning in an attempt to find a form. Finally, the shadow seemed to rush down to the grass and then flash toward the center of the stone circle.

  “No!” Benjamin shouted, throwing his weight against the shadow, which threw him out of the way and sent him slamming into one of the stones.

  “I've never seen anything like this before,” Edgar said breathlessly, as the creature rose and began to approach again. “It seems to get stronger as it fights, not weaker.”

  “Can't you kill it?” Benjamin asked.

  “It's difficult to kill something that one does not understand.”

  “You could try biting it!”

  “Biting a shadow?”

  “It's the best idea I've got,” Benjamin replied, turning to make sure that he didn't have his back to the shadow as it flitted across more of the stones.

  “I don't know where it's getting its energy,” he continued, backing away slightly. “I swear it's bigger now, as if it's literally growing in front of us.”

  “That doesn't inspire much confidence,” Benjamin told him, taking care to keep out of the creature's striking range, even though its target was clearly Edgar. “Can't you do something?”

  “I want to know what it is first.”

  “So you're keeping it alive so you can study it?” Benjamin asked incredulously. “Are you sure that's the best idea?”

  “Why would Quill send such a thing to do his dirty work?” Edgar replied, as the shadow lunged at him again. This time, hitting the ground, the creature caused the entire stone circle to shudder, and Edgar was thrown against one of the stones, slamming into its base head-first. Flickering across the next two stones, the shadow rushed back toward Benjamin and crashed straight into him with full force.

  Letting out a cry of pain, Benjamin fell back, hitting his head on one of the stones and suffering a cut to the forehead.

  “Now would be a good time to actually do something!” he shouted.

  “It's a Fear Wraith,” Edgar replied, his voice filled with shock. “I've heard of them, but I've never actually seen one before, not while it's still in its shadow-form. It's feeding on our fear, hoping to gain enough strength to develop a physical body!”

  “So stop it!”

  “We both have to stop it,” Edgar told him, as the creature advanced. “Banish all the fear from your mind immediately, or it'll just keep getting stronger and stronger!”

  “That's insane!”

  “It's how these things work!” Edgar shouted. “It's leeching on your emotions, draining them so it can become more dangerous. You have to get rid of all your fear! The only way to defeat a Fear Wraith is through mental strength. No matter how much you fight, it'll always be able to drain more power from you if you're scared.”

  With blood still flowing down his face, Benjamin watched as Edgar stood firm, staring at the creature but making no effort to stay out of its way.

  “Do what I'm doing,” Edgar said firmly. “If we both erase the fear from our minds, it'll have nothing left to use against us and then I'll be able to strike it down. Otherwise, it'll just become stronger.”

  Letting out a roar, the shadow rushed toward Edgar but stopped just before it could reach him, as if it was momentarily holding back.

  “It's working,” Edgar continued. “Make sure you don't let the fear back into your soul.” He paused for a moment, staring at the creature as if he was daring it to attack. “It's already starting to weaken,” he added finally. “I'll be able to kill it soon.”

  Turning, the creature rushed toward Benjamin, but again it stopped at the last moment.

  “Don't be scared!” Edgar shouted. “If you let even a glimmer of fear into your soul, you'll give it more strength.”

  “That's easier said than done,” Benjamin replied, taking a step back as the creature approached with its sword raised.

  “I managed it,” Edgar continued. “Either you banish the fear now, or it'll kill you. Trust me, that's not a conversation I want to have with my sister. I'm sure she'd find some way to blame me.”

  As the creature got within striking range, Benjamin forced himself to stand firm. Part of his mind was screaming at him to run, but he knew deep down that Edgar was right and that he had to find a way to get rid of the fear. Staying still and not running was one thing, but there was still panic in his heart and he felt as if he couldn't bring his emotions under control. And then, finally, he whispered one word to himself:

  “Madeleine.”

  The shadow seemed to be waiting for him to crack, for his fear to return. Flickering across several of the stones, however, the creature also seemed to be diminishing slightly, as if its form was shrinking. A faint roar filled the air, but Benjamin merely focused on thoughts of Madeleine, while ignoring the seed of fear that threatened to burst through his soul at any moment.

  “Stay strong,” Edgar said firmly. “Don't let the fear back, not even for a moment.”

  “Madeleine,” Benjamin said again, briefly allowing himself to imagine a future in which he, Madeleine and their child lived a happy life together. He imagined them staying together, somehow dealing with all the problems, and raising a family. The thought was striking, and it was enough to give him just a glimmer of hope.

  The creature let out another roar, but this time it was barely big enough to cover one of the stones. It rushed toward Benjamin, but again it seemed to hold back at the last moment, as if it lacked the strength to make one final strike. For a few seconds, the shadow seemed to flicker near the top of the nearest stone, before fading away and finally disappearing for good.

  “Is it... gone?” Benjamin asked.

  Edgar paused for a moment, still looking around as if he half-expected the creature to return. “Once our fear was conquered,” he said finally, “the Fear Wraith lost its strength. At that point, it faded from existence. Fear Wraiths were used by both sides in the vampire war, although they were only really effective against opponents who didn't understand how they worked. Quill should have known that I'd see through it, this whole attack was more of an annoyance than a genuine threat.”

  “I've got to be honest,” Benjamin continued, “it probably wouldn't have occurred to me that the best way to defeat it was to just stand still.”

  “Of course it wouldn't. You're from a lower species.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I'm impressed that you banished the fear from your heart,” Edgar replied, turning to him. “I didn't believe humans could do such a th
ing, I was quite certain you would die, although obviously I did my best to keep you safe. Tell me, how did you manage to show such resilience?”

  “I had a small trick up my sleeve,” Benjamin muttered, staring down at the corpse, realizing that he didn't want to get too specific. “Anyway, I thought you told Quill to come alone?” he added, looking around at the darkness beyond the stones. “Do you think he's going to send anything else to try to kill you? Maybe this thing was just the first wave.”

  “This wasn't an attempt to try to kill me,” Edgar replied. “He must have known that I'd be able to defeat the wretch fairly easily. Quill might hate me, but I doubt that he thinks I'm a fool.”

  “So why did he bother?”

  “I cannot imagine. It's almost as if -” He paused for a moment, as a terrible realization began to fill his soul. “It was a distraction,” he said finally, turning to look toward the distant mansion. “This whole attack was just a way to distract me while he went after something else.”

  ***

  “Yes?” Madeleine asked, turning to look back at the door.

  She waited, but no-one entered her bedroom.

  “What do you want?” she called out. “Whoever's there, I'm busy!” There was a ring in her hand, and she had spent the past few minutes turning it over and over, imagining the possibilities. “If it's you, Benjamin, come in. Anyone else, I'll see you in the morning. I don't want to talk, not tonight.”

  She waited again.

  Silence.

  “Kate? Is that you?”

  Again, silence.

  Sighing, she made her way back across the room and then leaned out into the corridor, but there was no sign of anyone. She paused, feeling certain that she'd heard footsteps a moment ago, but finally she figured she must have been mistaken. Having felt jumpy all evening, ever since Benjamin had headed back into town, she could just about believe that she might have imagined a faint bumping sound.

  “Come on, Benjamin,” she muttered, heading back to the window. “What's keeping you out so late?”