by M S C Barnes
Zach, having satisfied himself that there was no-one else coming, moved closer to Alice. “Is that Nicole’s Dryad twin?” he mumbled and Alice nodded.
“But he’s a boy; should be a girl shouldn’t he?” Zach whispered.
Seb was as surprised as Zach. This Dryad was only about five feet tall, very slightly built and had delicate facial features, but was quite clearly a male.
“All Dryads are male,” Alice said to Seb silently and had presumably passed the same message to Zach because he now whistled.
“I am here to pass a message,” Riven said.
“All of them?” Zach whispered. “That’s no fun.” Scarlet, beside him, nudged him.
“Go on, Riven,” Aelfric said, quietly.
“Nicole requests you all,” Riven turned to Seb before looking back at Aelfric, “come to the mausoleum.”
“Why would we do that?” Greg demanded.
Riven appeared hesitant and when he spoke he sounded disturbed by what he had to say. “Because if you do not, she will kill Lotty.” He lowered his head. “And it must be all of you, or Lotty will die. That is it,” he said and then, as quickly as he had appeared, he disappeared.
There was a moment of silence before Aelfric turned to Scarlet. “Can you see them?” he asked.
Scarlet looked upset. “No, there’s a black cloud over the image,” she said.
“There must be a water source in the woods,” Greg muttered.
“I’ve tried switching to Henri,” Scarlet said. “It’s the same thing, a black cloud. I can’t see anything.”
“They’re going to the mausoleum, then,” Trudy said.
“We must go,” Aelfric said urgently. “Seb, stay in the caves until I send word —”
“What? Riven said all of us,” Zach interrupted.
“And it will be a trap,” Aelfric said. “I will not risk Seb and the rest of you.” He stared fixedly at Zach.
“But she says she will kill Lotty,” Zach said. “Is that okay then?”
“There is more at stake here, Zach. I don’t have —” Aelfric stopped. Taking a deep breath, he leant on Dierne and it was a second before he continued. “I don’t have time to explain. We need to get to the mausoleum and you need to go with Seb to the caves,” he said, panting, and gripping Cue’s fur with his free hand.
Seb, watching him, shooed Pace over to him. Immediately the wolf propped himself against Aelfric’s leg and Aelfric looked up, relieved.
“You’re not really fit to go anywhere,” Seb said, quietly. “And I don’t want someone else to be killed because I am hiding in a cave. If we all go, and with Henri and the others already there, surely there are enough of us to deal with Nicole?”
“Seb,” Aelfric sighed, “that plays to her plan. I cannot risk it.”
“Aelfric,” Trudy mumbled, “Let them come.”
Seb turned to Jacqueline. “You know Nicole. Will she really kill Lotty?” he asked her.
Jacqueline looked sadly back at him. “She doesn’t care about anyone but Heath,” she said. “And she wants revenge. It is not an empty threat.” Philippe was nodding.
“Then we are all going,” Seb said. “Aelfric, I am sorry, but I can’t leave you, especially the way you are, to go alone and I can’t let someone die because of me.” Inside Seb was terrified, but he also couldn’t see what the issue was. Surely three Custodians and four Guardians along with the expertise of all the other group members was more than a match for Nicole with just her group and a golem.
Nat moved over to him and took his hand in hers. “You should do what Aelfric says,” she said; she was crying.
“I can see them all now!” Scarlet shouted suddenly. “Nicole and her group have arrived and they have surrounded Henri and the others. Nicole is raising her hand, like she is threatening Henri, and Reynard has just leapt in front of her.”
Aelfric had already waved his hand at the doorway making it disappear and then reappear and, with Dierne’s help, he approached it.
“Seb, after we have left, go to the caves,” he said, but then he staggered and had to use the wolves to right himself.
“You can’t face her like that,” Seb said. “We’re all going.” Though he felt weak with fear, before Aelfric could argue, he stepped up to the door and opened it. With Zach hot on his heels he walked through.
“SEB!” he heard Aelfric and Nat call together as he emerged the other side and then, like an echo, he heard a woman give a gleeful shout.
“Seb! Oh, and Aelfric,” she said as Aelfric followed Zach through the doorway. “Twice in one night; what an honour.” Aelfric moved Seb round behind him as she continued. “I am glad you and your precious boy decided to come. Of course you did; you couldn’t really not, could you? You must have worked it all out by now.”
As everyone dashed through the door behind them, Seb edged across to his right, and got his first look at this woman. He knew already it was Nicole; who else could it be? Surrounded by a vivid aura which, Seb noticed curiously, was so intense it shone white, not blue, she was short, only about five feet tall, and slightly built, just like Riven, who hovered at her side. She looked to be in her late thirties or early forties at most, though he knew that meant nothing in the ages of Custodians. Her shoulder-length, greying-brunette hair, hung in soft waves around her only faintly-lined, sweetly pretty face and he flinched as her blue eyes met his and she regarded him with a look of eagerness and loathing. Then she noticed Jacqueline who, with Philippe, had gone to the left of the doorway, and was now moving further around the perimeter wall of the mausoleum.
“Cast him out did you Jacqueline?” Nicole shouted at her. “Such disloyalty. I wonder what Heath would think of you.”
Jacqueline, clinging to Philippe, stopped and turning to face Nicole spoke in a tremulous voice.
“He wasn’t what you made me believe, Nicole. It wasn’t —”
“Be quiet,” Nicole snapped. “Your time to question was before this night. And you Philippe, hoping to catch her affection on the rebound are you? Think you can compete with the memory of him? For such old souls you should both know better.”
Seb found Nicole’s public humiliation of the two cruel and, feeling awkward, looked away, across the mausoleum. For some reason, very few flamers had appeared so the main light was provided by the two firefly torches; one to his right, held by Aiden, which flickered and danced as his hand shook, and the other held by Dom who stood on the opposite side of the enclosure, just beyond the cenotaph. Right in front of the cenotaph, and paying no attention to anyone around him, was Henri. He looked exhausted. He had his left arm raised and he was reflecting light from the torch Dom held, off his birthmark and onto a small object on the ground about fifteen feet from him. In front of that object, and shielding both it and Henri, stood The Caretaker, Reynard, Dæved and, Seb was surprised to see, Lily. The four of them stood shoulder-to-shoulder in an arc facing Nicole and her group. As Seb and the others had stepped through the door every member of that group except one, had turned to face them. The one was Nicole’s Guardian, Yvette. Seb had no problem recognising her from the description Scarlet had given and she alone remained facing forward, holding a rowan staff between two powerful hands and glowering at Reynard as he blocked her view of Henri and the object of all their attention; the golem.
Butting tirelessly against the invisible barrier Henri was creating, one look at this golem made Seb swallow involuntarily and his heart pound. This wasn’t a golem made of snow, ice, water or mud; this was a golem made in the fashion of a voodoo doll. He suddenly remembered Scarlet’s words in the caves: It really is creepy though; more creepy than the last two. I guess it’s because it is a doll… Seb hadn’t thought about what she said or meant at the time, but she was right. The look of this golem, its black-button eyes staring vacantly at him, was about the creepiest thing he had seen. It was made of cloth so sheer that Seb could see, through it, the earth and shingle that had been used to stuff it. Only crudely shaped into human form,
its stubby arms and legs looked worn and battered from the countless times it must have struck Henri’s barrier. The material on the feet had begun to fray from the constant tramping over the coarse ground, and they appeared stained, like they were covered in rust or muddy sediment.
As Seb stared, transfixed, he heard Aelfric speak.
“Nicole, you do not need to do this,” he said calmly.
Nicole sighed and then clicked her fingers. One male member of her group, cowering behind Riven, put a small mirror into his trouser pocket and pulled another object out. Seb guessed this plump man must be Jean-Paul but he was too far away for him to be able to see what the new object was as he handed it to Nicole and she put it straight in her own pocket.
“Now, Aelfric, of course I do,” she said. “And, before we continue,” she grinned at him, “let us be clear. Do you see the protection?” She pointed at the golem. Seb stared at the figure, wondering what she was talking about.
“Dierne and I cannot approach it,” Alice, sounding awed, spoke into his mind. “Aelfric says that she has created an inferno shield around it. It would incinerate any Dryad who breaches it.” And now Seb realised, the air around the golem was shimmering and rippling, like a heat haze on a desert road. “It prevents us from taking the golem, or from clearing a path beneath it,” Alice explained.
“The bonus of dabbling with other ‘Magiks’, Aelfric,” Nicole continued, “is that the more you learn how to wield them, the more you learn how to protect the things you love with them. Do not, therefore, be thinking of using the Dryads’ speed…” she looked at Dierne then at Seb, “I am assuming your twin is here too,” she said to him. “Well, do not be tempted to use their speed to run any foolhardy errands on your behalf,” she said to Aelfric. “Keep them away from my baby.”
Now Nicole barked at the other two men in her group.
“Georges, Emile, bring the boy to me.” The two men moved forward a few paces but as Aelfric turned his eyes on them, they seemed to lose confidence and stopped. “Do as I say!” Nicole snapped and they moved forward again.
Emile, approaching Seb, looked unsteady on his feet. He was perspiring and finding it difficult to walk in a straight line. Before he and Georges had covered half the distance, Zach took a step towards them and, holding his sword with both hands, brought it up to his eye level.
“Try your luck boys! It won’t end well,” he shouted at them and, as the wolves growled, Aelfric waved his hand to reveal them to the men.
Emile stopped instantly, swaying and looking like he just wanted the night to be over. Georges took one more step then, as Pace growled again, he stopped too.
“Zach is it?” Nicole called, looking at Zach who ignored her and continued glaring at Emile and Georges. “You really don’t know what’s going on here. Let your Custodian come to me and it will end better for everyone.” She smiled.
Zach, frowning, kept the sword levelled in front of Georges.
“Nicole is it?” he called back at her. “I really don’t care what’s going on here. You’re not having Seb.”
“We’ll see,” she said. “You know Aelfric, I am surprised, I must say, to find us all in this situation. I really did think that the first attack tonight would be sufficient. At least it was meant to be quick.” Seb put a hand to his chest and, noticing, Nicole grinned at him. “You did feel it then, Seb? That’s good to know; it will give you an idea of what I am capable of. Anyway, it was, to my mind, a merciful way of dealing justice to you before I moved on to Aelfric and I am still mystified as to how you survived it. And then the second attempt too. How did you manage it? Not without a hand from you I am guessing, Aelfric?” She looked questioningly at him. “Sadly for Seb, though — and happily for me — whatever you two did to thwart those attacks and the attempts I have made since, has led us to this point, where now, Seb’s end will not be so humane.” Seb, hearing those words, suddenly forgot the pain in his body, as fear took hold of him. His end would not be so humane? A hot poker thrust through his chest was humane? A serrated-edged knife stabbed into his rib cage was humane? He really didn’t want to hear any more from this woman. Fortunately neither, it seemed, did Zach.
“Do we really have to listen to this? We all know what happened. And we all know that we are going to fight about it. So can we not just get on with it?” he moaned.
Nicole was furious. “Shut up!” she spat at him.
Trudy, having moved around to stand in front of Aelfric, called back to her with a touch of humour in her voice, “This is Zach, Nicole. He won’t!”
“No, I won’t,” Zach said, grinning. “Nicole, my lady, you are just talking blah. As intriguing as you find your tale of ‘oh the cleverness of me’, we’re just finding it tedious. Either get on with what you plan to do so that we can thwart you again or let us all go home. Emile here looks fit to drop and I know I’m ready for my bed.”
Nicole stared back at him, stunned. She fiddled with whatever the object was in her pocket. Pace, baring his teeth, growled at Georges and Emile again and they dithered in front of Seb, not sure now what Nicole wanted from them.
“Fine!” Nicole said eventually. “Let’s all just wait then shall we Aelfric? That game works for me. Bit of an issue for you though, yes? You don’t really have time to waste now, do you?” She grinned nastily.
Standing behind Zach, Seb was trying to pay attention, trying to keep up with what was happening, but it was now all he could do to stop himself from groaning. Even with Alice’s help, the pain throughout his body was once more severe. Breathing hard, he felt as though he had climbed a mountain and as sweat began to drip from his temples, he wiped it away with the back of his hand. As he did, Alice grabbed his arm and pulled it towards himself.
“How did that happen?” he said, silently to Seb. “What have you done?”
Puzzled, Seb looked at his hand. In the dim light he could just about make out dark patches — bruises — and amongst those were fresh grazes. Bewildered, he shook his head.
“I, I don’t know,” he stammered at Alice, speaking aloud and Zach looked over his shoulder at him.
“You okay?” he whispered and then saw the bruises and blood on the back of Seb’s hand. “I need to sit down,” Seb mumbled. “I hurt all over.” He leant against the wall and Nat moved across and held his arm. Seeing the grazes, she pulled a tissue out of her pocket and began to dab at them gently.
There was the sound of scuffling and Trudy let out a yell. Zach span back, swishing the sword through the air at Georges, who had run towards him. The tip of the blade cut across Georges’ chest, making a tearing sound and he cried out.
“Don’t be a wooss,” Zach said. “It’s just your clothing; but if you move again, I’ll cut deeper.”
Georges took a step back, glancing helplessly over his shoulder at Nicole, who didn’t react, she just stood, grinning at Aelfric. Now she crossed her arms and began tapping her fingers.
“It’s going well, isn’t it, Aelfric? How long do you think this can last? Gets more torturous by the minute doesn’t it?” She sounded so pleased Seb, confused, glanced at Aelfric, trying to gauge his response. Aelfric actually had his eyes closed and was leaning so heavily on Cue that Seb wondered if he would fall over if the wolf moved. “It would be better for him if you let me finish it quickly,” Nicole said and suddenly Aelfric opened his eyes.
“Does Emile know why he is ill?” he asked. The incongruous question seemed to startle Nicole, and Emile, hearing his name, jerked his head up and stared at Aelfric. “Do Georges and Jean-Paul know that they will soon be suffering in the same way?” Aelfric continued, and now Georges looked at him. Nicole didn’t answer but she did uncross her arms. Placing her hand in her pocket she fiddled with the object again as Jean-Paul looked nervously at her. “Maybe that was a bit of knowledge Heath didn’t impart to you when he taught you about water gateways?” Aelfric asked Nicole. “Or is it one you chose not to share with your group?” Her group were now exchanging confused looks.
>
“What’s he talking about?” Jean-Paul whispered.
“Nothing!” Nicole snapped. “You know him,” she glared at Aelfric. “He cannot be trusted. His ambition drove him to orchestrate the death of a fellow Custodian. Nothing he says can be trusted.”
Aelfric sighed. “So you chose not to share, Nicole,” he said sadly.
“That’s enough, Aelfric,” she shouted. “I am more than happy to stand here until Seb breathes his last, and enjoy the anguish and suffering witnessing his agonising death causes you. After all, think of the suffering Heath is going through now, and will continue to go through for eternity. Do not try to use subterfuge and lies to turn my group. They know the evil of your ambitions and what lengths you are willing to go to in order to achieve them. Nothing you can say can change their loyalties.”
“What does she mean, until I breathe my last?” Seb asked Alice silently, feeling another jolt of fear.
“I don’t know,” Alice answered, looking worried.
“Nicole,” Greg now said, angrily, and moved around to stand with Aelfric. “Aelfric and Seb were not to blame for Heath’s fate. Aelfric has no ambition other than —”
“Be quiet, Greg,” Nicole snapped. “You all betrayed Heath, and you all will say anything to protect Aelfric.”
Aelfric, ignoring Nicole’s words, stepped forward. “Help Emile,” he said to her, “Or let me. If you do not, he will die — and then Georges and then Jean-Paul. Eventually, so too will Yvette. Is that what you want?”
The confused looks on the men’s faces were now replaced with concern and Yvette glanced over her own shoulder for a fraction of a second, before looking back at Reynard.
“What’s he talking about” she asked.
“He is time wasting!” Nicole snarled. “Ignore him.”
“You have already said, Nicole, I do not have time to waste,” Aelfric said. “And neither do your group. This needs to end.”
“End it then, Aelfric. Let me have Seb; let me get the information I need from him and the others and then I will deal quickly, and humanely with him.”
