by M S C Barnes
Seb knew immediately where they were. Their uninspiring and rather shabby surroundings — the litter-strewn alley beside an all-night bagel bakery — were off Brick Lane, in London. The door faded out of sight within the panels of a battered wooden fence that ran down one side of the alley.
He looked around, trying to locate the trespassing soul, until he was pulled, by Zach, into the shadows, as a tall, chubby man emerged from a service door at the side of the bakery. Carrying two bulging rubbish bags, the man walked over to an industrial bin. He was surrounded by a bright, white aura which pulsated happily as he hummed a quiet tune. He opened the heavy flap of the bin and another movement, several yards further down the alley, caught Seb’s eye. A fox stepped out from behind some crates. The size of the animal was astonishing, it looked as big as a German Shepherd dog, and its eyes glowed red as it padded stealthily towards the man, who was now turfing the two rubbish bags into the bin, oblivious of its presence. Finishing that task, the man slammed the bin lid shut and turning, pulled something from his pocket — a mobile phone. The screen sent out a flash of light as he tapped it and two fairies, who had been hovering nearby, span crazily in the air as though disoriented before zooming awkwardly away down the alley. The man stood beside the bin holding the phone to his ear; he had his back to the fox gytrash, his portly frame blocking Seb’s view of the animal.
Seb was in a quandary. If he waited, the gytrash would attack, but from where he crouched, with Zach and Alice, in a stinking little recess filled with rotting vegetable waste and paper, he couldn’t deal with it. He needed to pull the trespassing soul from the animal host body it was inhabiting, but he couldn’t do that without illuminating it — which meant stepping out from his hiding place — and then his actions would be witnessed by the bakery man.
“What do I do?” he whispered. “I can’t see the gytrash to deal with it.”
“I’ll distract lardy-boy,” Zach said, jumping up and striding towards the man. “Yo, mate, can I borrow your phone? Need to call my mum,” he shouted.
The man started, and then he mumbled something into his phone before hanging up. His aura had shrunk away to a thin, hard line. Staring in confusion at Zach, he spoke with a thick Eastern-European accent.
“What you do here? What you want?”
“I told you,” Zach said opening his arms, holding his staff in his right hand.
The man, perceiving that to be a threatening gesture, stood straighter, puffed his chest out and put his fists up.
“You want fight? I give you fight. You small. You think you fight me?”
Zach was already only feet from the man and now he moved left. As he had calculated, the man was drawn that way too, giving Seb a clear view down the alley. But Seb looked on in dismay. The fox had disappeared. He guessed that, seeing other people around this man had caused the gytrash to give up its attempt on his body. Momentarily, he feared he would be unable to trace it. Aelfric had explained to him that gytrash only triggered the sign to the Custodians at the point they sought to overtake a living human host body. The animal host was a cloak for the trespassing soul, which masked them from the Custodians’ senses — other than sight — until it was imminent that they were going to invade another body.
His birthmark, however, continued to ache, so, realising the gytrash was still nearby, he searched the darkness for signs of it.
“Alice, did you see where it went?” he asked.
“No,” Alice said, shaking his head. “But there are plenty of other people wandering around here, some alone. It will be seeking another host to take over.”
“I only asked to borrow your phone. I have to get home. My mum will be worried,” Zach was saying, trying to calm the aggressive bakery worker down. “If you don’t want to lend it then no worries; but when you read in tomorrow’s papers about a fourteen-year-old being attacked by a gang, possibly injured, killed even, you’ll have only yourself to blame.”
The chubby man lowered his fists slightly and looked with suspicion at Zach.
“Why you out this time of night? Mm? Why? You probably from gang yourself. Why you carry stick? You want my money? I work bakery, I got no money. You stupid.”
“Now you’re just being horrible,” Zach said, putting the staff to his side. “The stick is for protection.” Suddenly lowering his head, he spoke in a tremulous voice. “I’m scared and hungry and I just need to get home.” He made a small sound, like a sob.
The man’s demeanour changed instantly and his aura swelled.
“Well why you not say?” He looked around the alley, as if checking that Zach was alone. Seb ducked further back into the shadows. “You come in with Darius. I get you bagel, I get you drink. You call to your mumma.”
Seb was anxious. Time was wasting now.
“Alice, tell Zach it’s gone. The gytrash has gone. We have to find it.”
Alice nodded and a second later Zach looked up then glanced around the side of the bins. Realising his efforts to simply move this large-framed man out of the way were now pointless, he backed away.
“I don’t want to go inside. I bet you’ll call the police or something. I just wanted to borrow your phone,” he shouted and continued to back away from the man.
“Darius not call police. You come inside. Darius feed you.” The man put his hands out in a supplicating gesture. Zach moved further along the alleyway, towards Seb, but the man followed him, imploring him to come back. “You not safe leetle boy. I help you.”
And now Zach beckoned to Seb. “Come on, we’ll have to go,” he shouted.
Seb stood and, stepping out from the putrid-smelling hiding place, glanced over to the man, whose eyes now opened wide, before they were virtually obscured as he drew his bushy eyebrows down in a deep frown.
“You try trick Darius. You leetle yob. You are in gang. Well I not scared. You should be scared. Darius boxer in Romania.” He clenched his fists and stormed towards the boys.
Letting out a manic, euphoric laugh, Zach grabbed Seb by the elbow and tugged him.
“Run!” he yelled and, without thinking, Seb was running at full pelt towards the end of the alley, where he could see bright lights and people wandering past the opening.
Darius’ angry shouts chased them along the confined space but as Seb glanced back he realised Darius himself had not. He was standing, feet from the bins, waving his fists at them.
Emerging onto the main road, the bright street lights and cheery all-night cafe windows a contrast to the drab alley, Seb and Zach ducked into a doorway with Alice.
“I need Aiden,” Seb said. “I can’t trace the soul otherwise. It is still nearby, I can tell.” He pressed his thumb to his birthmark. “Is he ready to come through?” he asked Alice.
Alice nodded. “Helen dropped the toast — and soup —” he glanced at Zach, “off and believed Aiden that you two were in the bathroom together. Aiden doesn’t think she’ll come back up for a while.”
“Okay,” Seb said. “Then we need to bring him through the doorway.”
“Darius is going to love that,” Zach grinned.
“Unless Aiden can tell me where there is another door?” Seb said to Alice.
After a pause, Alice replied, “He says there are a few and, actually, one is right beside you, Seb.” Alice pointed at the run-down, office-type premises to their right, its wooden door frame rotten, the paint on it peeling off. “In that door there,” Alice said.
Seb looked left and right down the street. There were several people loitering outside one of the other eateries that competed for custom with the one Darius worked for, but they were engrossed in conversation. Quickly, he waved his hand towards the building, but nothing happened.
“I need natural light,” he groaned. In such a brightly illuminated place he hadn’t needed them, but now he asked for flamers. None appeared. He glanced up at the sky. A thick blanket of cloud covered the moon. Beginning to despair he looked at Zach and Alice. “What do I do?” They both shrugged. “Alice,
can you ask Dierne? What would Aelfric do?”
Within a second Alice was smiling. “He says if you’ve called for flamers then they are there; you won’t see them but you can use them,” he said.
“Oh,” Seb said, surprised.
“Dierne wants us to return to the boat when we’re done,” Alice said.
Nodding, and trusting Dierne that the flamers were there, Seb waggled his hand, tilting it at different angles, until suddenly a shimmer of sparkles appeared and then a more ornate door became apparent within the bounds of the weather-worn one. It opened and Aiden walked out, unnoticed by those nearby.
“I can’t find the gytrash,” Seb said immediately. “It was in the alley and I know it’s still nearby.” He pointed at his palm. “But I can’t locate it.”
Aiden, tin in hand, fiddled around, trying to open it. Eventually he popped the clasp. Frowning, he looked at Seb.
“It’s still in the alley, Seb,” he said, confused.
They dashed back to the alleyway opening and peered round.
Seb gasped. He could see the fat bakery worker, leaning on the bin, chatting on his mobile phone and, yards further down from him, two red eyes glowing in the darkness.
“It’s there!” he whispered.
“Seriously? You said it had gone, Seb. Oh hell,” Zach grumbled. “Come on.” He charged back into the alley.
“You yob. You come back for more? You are fool. Come try your luck,” Darius shouted as he saw them running at him. With his mobile phone clenched in one fist he jabbed the other into thin air, lumbering about on heavy, unfit feet.
“Just be ready Seb,” Zach called and raced up to Darius then, with a flying leap, he somersaulted over his head and landed behind him, feet apart, staff raised above his head, right in front of the gytrash.
Seb and Aiden followed him up the alley at a run, but stopped about eight feet from the fuming Darius who now span around to take a swing at Zach. He froze instantly though, as he saw the huge fox.
“What? What is that?” he stuttered as the gytrash leapt and Zach, with a high, wide swing, brought his staff crashing down on its head. The animal collapsed instantly and the carcass began disintegrating as a white mist trail rose up from it.
“Call it Seb,” Alice said to him.
Seb beckoned and the soul flew along the alley. Zach ducked to avoid it and a moment later it stabbed into Seb’s chest.
It didn’t seem to matter how prepared he had tried to make himself for what was to follow. As the lives of this soul were revealed to him in graphic detail, he fell to his knees. The images were not nearly as unpleasant as the previous soul’s had been, but, coming so soon after the last, they sent him on an emotional roller-coaster which made him feel ill and weak once more. He lost track of his surroundings, forgot who he was even with, and why. His whole conciousness was overwhelmed by the visions in his mind.
“Seb, let me help you,” Alice’s voice broke in. “Let me in.”
“Okay,” Seb said, gasping, and immediately Alice began his work, meshing happier, more uplifting memories with the dreadful ones that seemed to create the strongest imprints.
“Ready Seb? It will be free soon,” Alice warned. “Be ready.”
He felt Alice and Aiden lift him from the filthy floor.
Swallowing hard, he nodded. The images, and their accompanying emotions, were still pouring into his mind and now he saw this soul’s latest, unsanctioned visit. He saw it hunting along the Ley Lines, looking for a host to take over; he felt its despair as it got further from Áberan and knew it had failed to locate a human body. And then Seb’s breath caught. Miles from here — not long before this moment — this soul had met with someone in the Ley Line. The memory was vivid but the detail of what had been discussed, and the appearance of the person the soul had met with, were obscured, clouded, as if deliberately hidden. Before Seb could dwell on it though, the image changed. He caught a glimpse of a roaming fox, which crossed the path of this soul and watched as the soul, in desperation, took over that host. Able now to break free of the Ley Lines, it travelled at speed across the countryside, seeking the press of humanity that London offered. And finally, Seb saw an image of the chubby bakery worker, followed by Zach, before the soul broke free of his body.
If Alice had not been supporting him, he would have once more fallen to the ground. As it was, he leant against his twin, breathing hard and trying not to throw up.
“Seb, come on. It’s the last bit. You can do this,” Alice said.
Seb looked up. He could see the back of the bakery man, and the soul fleeing away along the alley. He raised his hand.
“Flamers,” he whispered and a few orbs illuminated along the top of the fence. He reflected their glow at the soul, which had reached the far end of the dark alley. “Rest,” he said. The soul froze and then floated back towards him and away over his head.
He slumped into Alice’s arms, totally drained and unable even to lift his head.
“Are you okay Seb?” Aiden called. Seb couldn’t answer, he was breathing heavily and trying not to vomit. “We should get him back to Helen’s,” Aiden said.
“So you hero then, not gang yob?” Darius’ voice boomed close by. The large man, one arm draped across Zach’s shoulders, was patting him on the chest. “You save Darius. Save him from rabid fox. You come with Darius, have big bagel feast. Forget your mumma, Darius look after you.”
Zach was laughing. “It was just a fox.” He winked at Aiden. “A bagel feast sounds good though.”
“Zach,” Aiden mumbled, “We need to be getting home. Helen will be worried.”
“Eh? What is wrong weeth your friend?” Darius noticed Seb, sitting in the filth, leaning against the fence panels.
“I think he fainted when he saw the fox,” Zach chuckled. “He’s not good with animals.”
Seb’s head was swimming. The visions from the soul were still triggering rushes of adrenaline and he couldn’t clear them from his mind.
“I think I’m going to be sick.” He sat forward and, drawing his knees up, put his head on them.
“Woah, Seb. Point it the other way mate,” Zach pretended to jump backwards. “Guess you’ll not be wanting any of our friend’s bagels then?” He turned to Darius. “I think I’d better just get him home.”
“Well you come with Darius, call your mummas. I see you get home safe.”
There was no arguing with this giant of a man. He bent down, grabbed Seb and lifted him up.
Aiden tried to protest, “No, we really do have to get back.” He trotted after Darius, who was striding towards the side door of the premises, carrying Seb.
“I not leave you here in stinking alley. You come to nice bagel shop. I fix you bagel and you wait for mummas there. Your friend save me from rabid animal. I help you.” With that, he kicked the service entrance door open and took Seb inside, Zach and Aiden close behind, and Alice, unseen by him, flitting in with them.
Bad Reaction
Inside the bagel bakery aluminium surfaces gleamed. The small kitchen area was well ordered and spotlessly clean.
Darius carried Seb through, past the serving counter, and placed him on a chair at one of the four tables in the small public area. A young couple, being served by another member of staff, watched with interest as Zach and Aiden sat down with Seb.
“Hey, Darius, what are you doing? I need help here,” the female staff member called to him. “And where’d those kids come from?”
“Is long story,” Darius said. “You do work for change; I take care of these boys.”
The girl huffed, tutted and slopped a pile of tuna mayonnaise into a badly-cut bagel, before unceremoniously plopping it onto a piece of kitchen parchment and thrusting it at the young couple. “Anything else?” she asked, grumpily.
“Not sure we even want that now,” the taller male of the couple said. His shorter partner squeezed his hand and whispered to him. He nodded, paid and they left the bakery, casting curious glances back at the group
at the table.
“So what’re you doing with these kids?” the girl asked, leaving the serving counter and walking over to them. “They’re a bit young to be out at this time of night.”
“I find them in back alley,” Darius said, taking his plastic apron off. “Big fox out there. This one, he was afraid and he faint. His friend here, he is not afraid. He kill the fox.”
“Killed a fox? Oh the poor thing,” the girl said.
“Not poor thing.” Darius frowned at her. “Nasty, rabid thing. It wild creature. It attack Darius. This boy, he save me.” He clapped Zach, who was grinning wildly, on the back. “And now I get them food and they call their mummas to come collect them.”
Seb was still feeling nauseous. Aiden, sitting beside him, leant towards him.
“Seb, we need to go. Helen will soon find out we’re not in the room.”
“What did you bring them in for?” the girl barked at Darius. “A simple thanks would have done. Now we’ll have cops here.”
“Cops? Why cops?” Darius asked.
“Well they’ve got to have been reported missing or something. Look at them. How old are you?” she demanded of Aiden. “Eleven? Twelve? Have you run away?”
“He’s fourteen actually,” Zach said, fronting up to her, “and our parents always let us out late at night. It’s no biggy.”
“Yeah, really,” the girl said, sneering. “Well I think you’re runaways and I think the cops’ll be looking for you. Get rid of them Darius or we’ll be in trouble.”
Listening to the exchange, Seb was still trying to calm himself. He felt too weak to stand but Aiden was right, they needed to get back to Helen’s house. The last thing they wanted was the police being called. His stomach was churning and the smell of bread, various fillings and the bakery girl’s cheap perfume weren’t helping it to settle.
“I really do think I’m going to be sick,” he groaned, sitting forward.
“Sophie, bowl. Get bowl for this boy,” Darius said. “Quick, quick.”
“Gross,” the girl, moaned, trotting over to the kitchen area.
Seb, panting, swallowed hard and staggered to his feet. “I need fresh air,” he said. “I need to get out of here.”
