by M S C Barnes
“I said four,” Scarlet said, sounding confused. “And we need to move my brother.”
“Four,” the woman said, pausing to ponder that. Then she continued, “What’s your brother’s name?”
“Seb. Are you okay to move along the tunnel?” Scarlet asked.
“Did one of you say you’ve got a map? I’ll go with anyone who can find the way out of this awful place,” the woman answered.
“It’s more awful now Seb’s decorated it with the contents of his stomach,” Zach said, disgusted.
“He can’t help it, Zach,” Aiden said.
“No, and I won’t be able to help puking too if we don’t move soon.” Zach made a retching sound.
Seb, head spinning, allowed Zach and Alice to drag him along the tunnel, his feet scraping through the small stones that covered the chalky ground. Aiden led the way, tin held in front of him.
“Yes, I can see more and more of the map as we move away from that cave,” he called back to them.
“How is he seeing in the dark? I can’t even see my own hands. How is he reading a map?” the woman asked.
“It’s a GPS audio virtual tech guide — app thing,” Zach waffled. “He doesn’t mean he can see with his eyes. His mind can see what the audio is describing.”
“Wow, you young souls get all this technical stuff so easily,” the woman said and Seb felt her grab the back of his jumper, pulling on him as she followed them along the tunnel.
They wandered in semi-darkness for several minutes. The caves and tunnels they passed through were dank and chilly and all conversation stopped. Seb hardly raised his head. When he did, all he could see were the auras of those around him and the pink glow at the head of their group as Aiden led them left and right along the passageways. As they walked, the woman kept slowing, reluctant to move as quickly as they wanted to through, to her, what was complete darkness. Each time she slowed, she tugged on Seb’s jumper, causing Zach to tut.
“Can you stop pulling. You’re slowing us all down,” he finally moaned at her.
Glancing back, Seb was intrigued to see that the woman’s aura was far brighter than anyone else’s and guessed it was because she was still frightened.
Scarlet seemed to sympathise with her situation.
“Zach, she just can’t see anything. It must be scary,” she whispered, then turned to the woman. “It’s really okay. You can trust Aiden,” she said. “He’s fantastic at this sort of thing. He’ll lead us out of here, then you can get home. Did you come by car?” She tried to lighten the woman’s mood, distract her. “What’s your name by the way?”
“Um, oh.” The woman stopped walking altogether now. “I am Lorna.”
“Don’t stop, Lorna! You can walk and talk you know,” Zach said, as he and Alice were forced to come to a standstill, holding Seb upright between them.
Lifting his head again, Seb got his first glimpse of this woman. Aiden and Scarlet had both stopped too and the light from Aiden’s tin shone on them all. He knew Lorna didn’t have the same advantage — she would be able to see nothing of him or his group in this dark place. She appeared to be in her forties, quite attractive, with a full figure. Dark roots peeked through her obviously dyed blonde hair. She wore jeans, a black, quilted jacket and flat, black ankle boots. Seb could see a bag strap hanging across her body but the bag itself was tucked behind her.
“Are you sure we are going the right way?” Lorna asked, letting go of Seb’s jumper and inching back the way they had come. Her aura grew in intensity and Seb wanted to tell her not to be frightened, but remembering what had caused her fear in the first place made his brain leap back to the images he had seen when reading the trespassing soul. Nausea swept over him again and now his vision was affected too, making it appear there was a black tinge to Lorna’s aura. He closed his eyes.
“I may be sick again,” he panted and instantly Zach span him around to face the wall beside them.
“Not over the shoes mortal,” he said, and then he whispered to Alice, “This is worse than before. What do we do?”
“We need to get him to Greg or Dom,” Alice said.
“This way Lorna. Aiden is sure the exit is this way.” Scarlet passed them to join the woman who was now dithering just beyond Seb. “Come on.”
“It just feels like we are going in circles,” Lorna said. Her hand fumbled around in the darkness and she found Seb’s arm. “Maybe we should go back.” She gripped on to Seb, unaware that she was reaching through Alice’s body; ignorant of his existence, he had no solid substance to her. She gave Seb a tug. “Come on. Come this way with me. It just feels more like this should be the way.” Her voice was urgent and she clasped his arm so firmly, that her fingernails pierced the fibres of his jumper and dug into his skin.
“It’s definitely this way,” Aiden said, “Not back that way, Lorna.
Zach pulled Seb, tearing him free of Lorna’s hold. He winced as her sharp nails scratched his arm and Lorna gave a yell of surprise.
“I really don’t want to go that way! Please don’t. Don’t leave me,” she shouted as Zach and Alice began moving Seb along the tunnel once more.
“We won’t leave you,” Scarlet said, trying to calm her.
“I will!” Zach shouted. “Lorna, we are following Aiden. Come with us or stay there. Your choice. My friend needs to get home.”
Lorna started sobbing again but Zach ignored her and marched forward, dragging Seb with him. Alice helped, anxious to just get Seb out of there.
“We can’t leave her,” Scarlet called, hanging back with Lorna who was now in floods of tears.
“We aren’t, Scarlet,” Zach shouted. “She is choosing to leave us. If she wants to stay with us then she needs to go the way we are going.”
Seb heard scrunching as Scarlet trotted up and joined them.
“Come on Lorna. Really, you have to trust Aiden,” she called back.
“Please don’t leave me. Don’t abandon me in the dark,” Lorna shouted, sounding terrified.
“Zach,” Aiden whimpered. “We shouldn’t just carry on. She can’t see a thing.”
“She can hear us though Aiden. If she wants to not be on her own then,” he raised his voice, “she needs to catch up.” His last words were shouted so loud they echoed all the way down the tunnel and bounced back, accompanied by Lorna’s sobs.
“Where are you all?” she now screamed. “It’s dark and I’m scared. Don’t leave me!”
Hearing her cries, even in his exhausted and sickened state, Seb felt the pang of guilt.
“Zach, stop!” Scarlet said. “We can’t just carry on walking and leave her like that.”
Zach, didn’t stop. He glanced back at Scarlet, mumbling angrily to her.
“Seb is ill. This is the worst we’ve seen him. We need to get him to Greg.”
“But we can’t just walk away. Lorna needs our help,” Scarlet panted, trying to keep up. Back down the tunnel, the woman could still be heard crying.
“My job is to look after Seb, Scarlet, not some dippy woman who got herself locked in a tourist attraction. Seb already helped her; he saved her from being invaded by that trespassing soul. Our work here is done. If she is too pigheaded to follow us out now, then she deserves to get left behind.” Increasing his pace, with his free hand he nudged Aiden gently on the back. “Come on Aiden, lead on.”
Aiden glanced back at Seb whose head was hanging, his eyes barely open.
“I think Zach’s right, Scarlet. Seb looks really ill and Lorna doesn’t seem to want to listen to sense.” He turned back and walked faster.
“Don’t abandon her,” Seb croaked, breaking free of the hold Zach and Alice had on him and standing unsteadily in the tunnel, forcing them to stop. “I’m fine.” As he said the words though, his legs gave way beneath him. Alice caught him.
“Mm, so you are,” Zach said. “Seb, she is holding us up. There is nothing stopping her coming with us but her own stupidity. The exit is that way.” He waved an arm in the dir
ection Aiden had been leading them. “Let’s go.” He gave Aiden another nudge and then once more grabbed Seb under the arm and pulled him along the tunnel. The others followed. Seb wasn’t in any state to argue and concentrated on trying not to throw up again.
Scarlet attempted to guide Lorna to them. “Lorna, you need to follow us — follow the sound of my voice.”
“Don’t abandon me! I can’t see you. Where are you?” Lorna shrieked.
“You can hear us!” Zach sounded exasperated. “Follow the sounds. It’s not as if you can get lost; it’s a straight tunnel for pity’s sake!” He lowered his voice and continued, “That woman is not right in the head.”
“Come back! Please come back!” Lorna screamed, her voice now quite far away.
“Nope!” Zach shouted and continued on. After a minute, the sound of her crying died away.
“We shouldn’t have left her,” Scarlet muttered, trying to keep up.
“She left us,” Zach answered. “We gave her every opportunity to join us. There’s something wrong with the woman, I’m telling you. And we’ve wasted enough time.” He turned to Aiden. “Now she’s not here though Aiden, we don’t have to keep traipsing through these tunnels. She can’t see us or what we do so, is there a door near here we can use? Back to Greg?”
Aiden nodded eagerly and stopped.
“There,” he said immediately and pointed at the chalk wall, two feet behind them. “There’s one there.”
They wandered back and Alice and Zach turned Seb to face the wall. He stared at the uneven, damp chalk surface while his head swam.
“Hey look,” Scarlet suddenly said. Alice and Zach turned, taking Seb with them, making him feel more queasy. On the opposite wall the Roman Numerals XXII had been carved.
“Twenty-two?” Scarlet asked. “What does that mean? Twenty-two?”
“Graffiti,” Zach stated. “Ancient graffiti. Who cares?” He was completely disinterested. “Come on, Seb, you need to open the door. Get yourself to Greg.” He turned Seb back around.
Weakly, Seb lifted his hand and shone light on the wall. As a door appeared Aiden opened it and walked through.
The driving wind and the freezing rain took Seb’s breath away as he passed through to the other side. Darkness, noise and cold confused his senses and he blinked as the wind drove rain into his eyes.
“Well done, Seb,” Zach shouted. “Now can you get your ghosty friends to help?”
Seb, realising they were back on the rocky promontory on Solomon, was stunned. The chaos and cold of the unabated storm seemed to have acted like an instant tonic, giving him strength and clearing his nausea. As icy air filled his lungs, he stared into the darkness, looking for Aelfric’s boat and the lights of the asrais. Just as he spotted a patch of blueish light around the craggy coast to their left, about twenty metres from shore, Alice called out.
“They are in trouble.” He zoomed up into the air, the wind ripping and tearing at the leaves on his body. “Dierne is calling!” He pointed at the bluish haze. “There!”
Amidst the glowing light and crashing waves, Seb could just about make out a group of large rocks.
“A boat,” Scarlet shouted. “A boat has run aground.”
Seb blinked and wiped his eyes, clearing his vision. And then his heart nearly froze. Lying tilted to one side, snared by the jagged rocks and lashed relentlessly by the enormous waves, was Aelfric’s yacht.
“Alice, bring Zach,” he shouted and, jumped into the sea without thinking. Immediately, glowing hands reached up and caught his feet and instantly Alice was at his side, flitting along above the foaming water, Zach on his back. All weakness and sickness forgotten, Seb broke into a run and the asrais, anticipating every stride, supported him as he dashed towards the large area of blue light and the stricken craft.
“Dierne is saying he needs us below deck,” Alice said into Seb’s mind.
As they reached the vessel, Seb was aghast. A huge hole had been torn in the boat’s hull by the sharp rocks and as wave after wave crashed against its side, water flooded in. It rocked wildly, creaking and moaning under the merciless battering of the storm.
“Take Zach up,” Seb told Alice, “and come back for me.”
Alice disappeared skyward. In seconds he returned and lifted Seb from the waves, dropping him down onto the listing deck. Zach had already gone inside. The slippery planks and the severe angle forced Seb to have to cling to the chain-link rail as a huge wave crashed down on him and his feet slid from beneath him. Alice helped him regain his footing and they picked their way past the smashed remnants of the glass doors and into the living area of the boat. Ahead, in the darkness, Seb could see Zach’s aura. He had reached the steps to the lower deck and disappeared down shouting.
“Trudy? Trudy!”
With Alice’s help, Seb followed and as he stumbled down the steps into the sleeping area, he was horrified by what he saw.
By the light of flamers that lined the upturned furniture, he could see Aelfric lying face down on the floor beside the bed, inches from the rapidly rising seawater that had submerged the far side of the room. Greg was trying to pull him away from the water, but was unable to move him. He was shouting over the deafening creaking of the boat.
“Aelfric, wake up. I need you to wake up!”
Cue and Pace lay on the other side of Aelfric, using their bodies to form a barrier from the encroaching water, but even their huge bulks could not prevent its inexorable rise. Next to them, Aelfric remained motionless and unresponsive.
There was no sign of Trudy or Dierne and as he rushed across to Greg and helped pull Aelfric towards the steps, Zach shouted at him.
“Where is Trudy?”
Greg, stunned, pointed to the water, which was swirling nearby and suddenly Trudy’s head appeared. She spluttered, took a deep breath and plunged her head back under.
“She is trapped,” Greg said. “Her foot. Neither she nor Dierne can free her and Dierne can’t help Aelfric.” Greg looked ghostly white, as though in shock. “I was so wrong.” He shook his head. “So wrong.”
Leaving Aelfric and Greg, Zach skidded over to where they had seen Trudy and dived under the water. Two seconds later he re-emerged and Trudy, poking her head above the water, shouted at him.
“Leave me! Save Aelfric.” She looked angry and Dierne, surfacing beside her, pleaded with Zach.
“I cannot move Aelfric. Help him.”
By now Seb, with Alice, had reached Greg.
“We’ve got it,” Seb shouted. “Zach can help Trudy. Alice, help me lift Aelfric.” Alice, crouching, tried to take hold of Aelfric’s shoulders, but his hands passed straight through him as if he were a ghost.
“You can’t,” Greg said, his voice desolate. “He is unaware.”
And now Seb realised just why Dierne had been so angry at what Greg had done. Dryads were ethereal creatures, belonging in the Dryad realm but able to traverse into the human world. However, if a human could not perceive them, or would not accept their existence, then they had no substance to that person. Whatever Greg had given Aelfric had suppressed his consciousness to such a degree that he had no awareness, not even subconsciously, of the world around him. And since he could not perceive the Dryads, they could not physically touch him.
Dierne, in a heartbeat, would have scooped his twin up and taken him to safety, but he was unable to. Greg didn’t have the strength and, since Aelfric couldn’t direct the wolves, they didn’t know how to save him, other than to prevent the rise of the water. The only person who could have helped, Trudy, was, herself, trapped. Their situation was desperate and now they looked to Zach, Seb and Alice for help.
The freezing water was rushing in at an alarming rate and Seb couldn’t think what to do. Even if he and Greg could lift Aelfric together and get him up onto the deck — What then? Could the asrais support Aelfric if he was unaware?
Zach had once more ducked under the water to try and free Trudy’s foot but she yanked him up.
“Save Aelfric!” she screamed at him.
Zach glanced over at Aelfric and noted the rising water. But Trudy’s chin was only just above the surface and in minutes she would be unable to breathe.
Turning back to Trudy, he winked.
“My lady,” he said, “You will not die here.” Leaving her, he lurched over to Seb and helped him pull Aelfric into a sitting position, propping him against the steps. “That’ll buy us some time.” And then he gasped. The whole left side of Aelfric’s torso was covered in blood. “I thought the rest was supposed to help him heal,” he muttered to Greg.
Greg shook his head. “I was so wrong. These are not normal injuries; it seems he needed to draw the power of the wolf-stags into himself in order to heal them. To do that, he needed to be conscious —aware. Why did I think —”
“Greg, hold him,” Seb cut him off. They were in dire straights and allowing Greg to bemoan what had led them here only wasted time. He pulled him across and made him support Aelfric in a sitting position, keeping his head high.
Zach had already darted back over to Trudy. By now, her head had disappeared under the water. Seb, with Alice, scrambled across to help. Shivering with cold, he forced himself to dive into the swirling torrent. Flamers provided light under the surface too and he was able to see exactly what was trapping Trudy.
The hull on this side of the boat had a further hole in it. The rock that had made it, its cruel, serrated edges shredding the wooden planking as it went, jutted into the cabin. The weight of the vessel, listing as it did, fell on that side and Trudy’s foot was jammed between the rock and the hull. Amidst the churning water, Dierne, Zach and now Alice were frantically trying to tear away the surrounding planks of wood but every time they loosened one, the boat slipped fractionally and Trudy’s foot became more wedged.
Zach left the task momentarily. He surfaced, took a deep breath and plunging under the water, placed his mouth over Trudy’s and gave her a lungful of air. Resurfacing, he took another breath, then darted straight back down to tear at the wooden planking once more.
