by M S C Barnes
The owl flapped its wings now and then hopped onto the hidden grave. Seb stared at the dilapidated headstone and his stomach lurched as he read what was carved in the worn granite. It was one name only — accompanied by a Roman Numeral:
DIERNE
I
“Dierne?” he asked, moving closer to the grave. “Dierne the First. Who was that? Is this a Dryad grave? An ancestor of Dierne’s? But how?”
“Not Dierne the First, Seb,” Dom said, dolefully. “Dierne, in Old English, means ‘secret’.”
Henri looked thoughtful for a moment. “Like the Sanctum,” he mumbled to himself. Straightening, he looked at Dæved and after a pause said to him, “You cannot hear me?” Dæved shook his head. Stepping up to the hidden grave, Henri spoke firmly, “Not like the Sanctum, Dom,” he said. “I believe we are in the shadow of another Sanctum.” He turned to face the others. “But Nicole wouldn’t have the knowledge or skill yet to create such a complex thing; I am sure!” he said, puzzled.
The Caretaker, standing behind Seb, spoke quietly, “I believe it was created by Heath.”
Henri, like everyone else, stared at The Caretaker. “You knew of it?” he asked, astounded. “Then why not say something?”
“I knew Heath had created a second Sanctum; he did not, however, tell me its location. To my knowledge, he never used it, and he was always adamant that no-one else should know of its existence. I had no reason to believe anyone else did, so I had no reason to speak of it,” The Caretaker said. “Until now.”
Seb was equally as stunned as Henri, but it suddenly made sense. The Caretaker was Heath’s Guardian. Of course Heath would, out of necessity, have discussed the creation of this Sanctum, and how to open the lock mechanism, with his own Guardian. He would need The Caretaker to be able to accompany him to the Sanctum, in order to protect him.
But then Seb’s thoughts ran on down the track of logic — which, in turn, led to suspicion. How much more had The Caretaker, as a trusted Guardian, witnessed and been a party to. The conversation between Heath and Henri on the equinox when Seb’s father had died? Heath’s tuition of Nicole? His plans to release Braddock? Had Heath practised the dark magic Nicole was now using? And had he instructed her in those practices? Had The Caretaker known and also not spoken of those things?
There was an awkward silence and Seb wondered if everyone else was thinking the same thing. As if sensing their mistrust, The Caretaker, staring at the owl on the crooked headstone, spoke again.
“After Heath’s betrayal three months ago, everything I knew of his thoughts, words and deeds following Braddock’s banishment, I shared with Aelfric — including giving him as much information about this Sanctum and its lock passageway as I could. I have no secrets.”
Now Nat stepped over and looped her arm into The Caretaker’s.
“Heath must have told Nicole about the Sanctum then, and she is using it,” she said, smiling reassurance at The Caretaker, then looking at Henri. The tone of genuine friendship in her voice made Seb relax. She trusted The Caretaker and that, really, was good enough for him.
He thought back to the night of the battle with Heath and now felt guilty for being so suspicious. The Caretaker, as shocked as everyone else by Heath’s betrayal, had fought as hard as Trudy and Zach to protect Aelfric and him — and had even asked to be one of the four who broke the seals on the Shield Knot — in order to prevent Heath or Braddock from ever escaping the Soul Drop.
Henri regarded Nat in silence for a moment, before giving a brusque nod.
“That would explain why we cannot locate her; she is likely within its bounds,” he said.
“That makes sense,” Dom agreed. He pointed at the grave. “And this must be the entrance to the lock passageway.”
“At least there will only be one staircase turn then,” Aiden said, relieved. “Just the Roman numeral for one.” He indicated the marking on the grave.
“It may not be a staircase, Aiden,” Dom answered. “The triggers or mechanisms to unlock the passageways can be anything.”
Henri looked wary. “Yes, they can. Only your passageway to the Sanctum of Friends is a staircase,” he said. “The others vary in intricacy and form — the one for my group is a sheer cliff face which has to be climbed using nineteen footholds and handholds.”
“Well, only one of anything is good isn’t it?” Aiden asked hopefully.
“Not good,” The Caretaker said, guardedly. “I have never navigated the passageway to it, but when Heath devised the Sanctum, decades ago, he did tell me its purpose — which was for use as a sanctuary, a place of escape and safety, should the need ever arise. This is not a meeting place for friends but a hiding place and the route to it was designed with that in mind.”
Henri raised his eyebrows and Greg murmured, “Why would he ever think he would need a sanctuary?”
“I suppose,” Lily said, “when your own actions become dark you begin to see darkness in everyone else. Maybe he knew where his actions would lead.” She looked sadly at The Caretaker. “A hiding place then? With Nicole at its centre.”
“Probably,” The Caretaker said, giving a nod.
“Not Scarlet and Lotty though,” Aiden said nervously. “I thought we were going to try and find them?”
“They are her security,” Henri said angrily. “I would hazard a guess that where we find one we will find the other.
“So, Morgan, the security of the passageway, what do we need to know?”
The Caretaker stared at the owl once more. “I know very little other than Heath called it a maze. But what I do know is that, in order for the lock to open, each person hoping to reach the Sanctum will have to approach alone — effectively, in isolation —”
“Alone?” Reynard growled, looking annoyed. “Custodians apart from their Guardians? That is too great a risk.”
“There is something else,” The Caretaker said, but the noise from the crows above them now grew much louder and Seb couldn’t hear what followed. Wondering why the birds had suddenly become so raucous, he glanced over his shoulder and was surprised to see no sign of Zach. He gazed around the graveyard trying to locate him.
“Where’s Zach?” he muttered to Aiden who turned and looked too.
“I don’t know… where’d he go?” he said so loudly everyone else turned. “Zach has disappeared,” he said.
Finding Zach
Henri glanced around the churchyard.
“Where did he go?” he snapped.
“We don’t know,” Seb said. “Did anyone see?”
Greg, Dom and Lily all shook their heads. The Caretaker and Reynard loped back over to the sunken graves and everyone else drifted across to join the search for him.
Scarlet’s scolding voice suddenly rose above the noise of the crows.
“So you were supposed to rescue me but you came and joined me instead? Some rescue Zach. Move your hand. No, don’t put it there!” she shouted.
“I am trying to feel around for a lever to open this thing!” Zach shouted back. “Stay still!”
“Where are you Zach?” Aiden called.
“Well where do you think I am, Aiden? Will you stop squirming Scarlet,” Zach moaned, “Okay, I think I’ve — no, that’s not a lever, eiou! I don’t like to think what that was!”
The Caretaker, Reynard and Dom were already examining the headstones, trying to see what had been disturbed or what Zach had apparently touched which had led him to Scarlet.
“How did you get down there Zach? Did you press something, lift something?” Aiden called. “We can do the same; let you both out,” he suggested.
“No, No! Don’t touch anything,” Zach shouted. “We can’t afford to have anyone else in here with us, believe me — there isn’t room. Scarlet babe, this is the only time I’m gonna wish you weren’t so … curvy!” There was a punching sound.
“Shut up and get us out of here!” Scarlet yelled. Then she gasped. “Did you feel that? I felt it again. Something grabbed my leg, Zach! G
et it off! Get it off me,” she began screaming.
“Stay still!” Zach yelled. “I’ll deal with it, but I can’t if you are wriggling.” He paused. “Now, who are you?” he said, sounding surprised.
A female voice spoke weakly. “Where am I?”
“Now there’s a question,” Zach said.
Henri had been watching Dom examine one of the two headstones but now jumped onto the grave and fell to his knees.
“Lotty? Lotty, are you okay?” he shouted at the ground.
“Henri?” the female voice answered. “Oh Henri,” she said, struggling to speak. “You must find Aelfric.”
Placing his hands on the earth, Henri called back to her, “We’ve come to rescue you.”
“Where is Nicole?” Lotty sounded suddenly anxious and then her words, interspersed with coughing and panting, came in a rush. “She plans on releasing Heath’s soul — Have you found her? — Find Aelfric — Tell him she intends to kill him — And Seb — the new Custodian — She needs information from —” Her breathing became so laboured she had to stop speaking.
“Calm down my lady, and breathe for goodness’ sake,” Zach said. “You sound awful. We already know all that — have dealt with all that; and now we are here to rescue Scarlet and you. So, can you tell us how she got you in here?”
“I don’t know,” Lotty panted. “I remember being by the River Styx — then nothing…” she lapsed into laboured breathing.
“Lotty, we’ll get you out,” Henri said decisively, jumping up. “Zach, what was the trigger? What got you in there?”
“The headstone — the one with the name ‘Fréond Ge-something-or-other’,” Zach called back. “There’s a very small, shiny stone in between the first and surname. I pushed it. But don’t you do that; you’ll end up in here too. Tight squeeze already with these lovely ladies; don’t need you joining us.”
Reynard leapt onto one grave and examined the headstone then jumped across to the other and leant in close to that headstone, brushing a hand over the old granite and clearing away a climbing weed.
“Fréond Gehata,” Aiden read aloud, joining Reynard on the grave. “Those aren’t names, Zach. It’s Old English. Fréond means friend and gehata means an enemy opponent,” he said.
“A trap then,” Henri mused. “When you pressed the stone, you were seen as an enemy and it activated the trap.”
“So what do we do?” Nat asked. “If we press the stone, won’t the same happen to us?”
Reynard, gently lifting ivy, weeds and the odd bit of lichen off the surface of the headstone, revealed something between the two words which glinted.
“I see it,” he said.
“When you pressed the stone, what happened Zach?” The Caretaker asked. “Talk us through it.”
“I pressed it and instantly one side of the grave dropped, tipped and I was rolled into here,” he answered. “It was really, really quick,” he added. Seb knew it must have been amazingly quick; Zach’s reflexes were phenomenal; for him to have not been able to jump clear as the grave dropped implied it all happened at incredible speed.
“Was there a fall?” The Caretaker asked. “Or are you close to the surface?”
“I was rolled,” Zach re-iterated. “The grave surface tipped down on one side and I slipped straight into a curved metal ditch. The ditch then rolled over, trapping me under it,” Zach said. “So we can’t be far from the surface but we are caught under a metal lid.”
“Which side dropped?” Reynard asked.
“The right,” Zach said. “As you face the headstone, the right side dropped.”
“The right,” Reynard repeated and Greg nodded. He now knelt on the narrow strip of ground between the two graves which was to the right of the one with the stone Zach had pressed.
“There,” Greg said, pointing and Dom shone his torch. The light it cast created an obvious shadow, revealing a small channel in the earth next to the left hand grave. The channel ran along its entire length. “That will be a hinge I would guess.”
“Simple mechanics then,” Reynard muttered.
“Yes,” The Caretaker agreed. “Which can be jammed. We wedge it open.”
“Good idea,” Greg said. “Keep it open so they can climb out.”
Reynard and The Caretaker examined the area around and on the graves and seemed to come to an agreement as to how they were going to open the trap and jam it open but now The Caretaker, looking at the crows in the yew tree, spoke to Henri.
“We have an issue if we open this.”
Henri looked puzzled.
“Morgan is right,” Reynard said, glancing up. “The second we open the trap, and reveal those beneath it, they will be attacked by the crows.”
Seb watched the frantic behaviour of the birds and listened to their cacophonous squawking; it was as if they sensed their prey would soon be in the open. Their avid anticipation made him wary.
“The owl showed us that grave for a reason,” he said, pointing to the tilting stone. “Does it not mean that is the route we should take to free Scarlet and Lotty? It seems the owl was guiding us away from the trap Zach found.”
Henri shook his head. “We can get to them more quickly if we spring the trap,” he said.
“Seb has a point, Henri,” Dom said. “Totems appear for a reason.”
“Either we release them here, and hurry them through the door,” Henri said, glancing at the crows, “or we enter Heath’s maze, where each of us will face any number of new and unknown traps — alone.” He looked at Seb. “And those traps may not be as benign as the ones I devised for the Sanctum of Friends. They were designed to obstruct, contain and constrain — Heath’s may be far more dangerous.”
Seb forced himself to hold eye contact with Henri, intimidating as the man was. There was something about the agitated eagerness of the crows’ behaviour which made him certain that they should follow the guidance of the owl totem.
“Totems have helped me twice tonight; I believe we should follow the guidance this one and these ones,” he swept his hand up through the air to indicate the crows, “are giving us now.”
Henri looked astounded at being challenged, and then suddenly his face crumpled and he looked broken.
“She is my wife, and I can hear how weak she is,” he said, so quietly the crows’ noise nearly obscured his words. “She does not have the luxury of time, Seb,” he said. “Nicole has dragged her through who knows how many water gateways. You saw Emile? Some people are more susceptible to the effects of water-welts — you would know them as asthmatics. Lotty and Emile both suffered from symptoms akin to asthma prior to being confirmed. She and he will be struggling to breathe now.” He looked distraught. “To waste time trying to navigate the path Heath has created could see Lotty dead before I reach her.”
Seb stared at Henri feeling awful. His heart went out to this man who obviously worshipped his wife. He wondered how he could be so devoted to her after so many decades; and then he felt Nat lean against him, her arm in contact with his; instantly his heart leapt and he knew how. Lowering his head he mumbled an apology.
“Let’s get them out quickly then,” he said and Henri gave a grateful smile.
“Is anyone still up there?” Zach called.
“We’re still here, Zach. Just discussing a few details,” Greg shouted to him.
“Okay, well here’s a detail that might be relevant,” Zach said. “This place is filling with water. It’s creeping up slowly, but the water level is definitely rising.”
“Can you open it?” Henri snapped at Reynard.
“We believe we can,” Reynard said with a slight nod to The Caretaker.
“Once it is open, we need to get them through that doorway,” Henri made the doorway in the grave on the far side of the churchyard reappear, “before the crows reach them.” He turned to Dæved who had been hovering just behind him.
“I can transport one for definite,” Dæved said. “Maybe not both.”
Henri looked trou
bled.
“Zach?” he called.
“Still here, still listening,” Zach said. “Still getting wet!”
“Who is the nearest to the opening, Scarlet or Lotty?” Henri asked.
“The lid is over me, I am lying on top of Scarlet and Lotty is squeezed in a gap to our right,” Zach answered.
“Okay,” Henri said, “the doorway will lead to the Hellfire Caves. Dom, once the trap is released, you take Scarlet through; Dæved, you will take Lotty. Reynard, Morgan, you two and Zach will need to fend off the crows.” He didn’t wait for any further discussion but pointed at the small stone embedded in the gravestone. “Spring the trap Reynard,” he ordered as Dom passed the torch to Lily and stood at the foot of the grave.
The Caretaker moved into position at the top of the strip of earth between the graves.
“Zach, be ready,” Reynard shouted.
“I am always ready,” Zach shouted back. “Hit the button oh Ninja-man,” he chuckled.
Reynard, sighing, leant around the headstone, reached across and pressed the small stone.
Zach had been right, the mechanism was incredibly swift. Faster than the eye could follow, the right side of the grave surface dropped, revealing a hollow, metal ditch which, as soon as it appeared, began to roll over. As it approached the halfway point, Reynard drew his sabre from its sheath, lifted it high in the air and brought it down, jamming it into the top right corner of the gap, keeping the metal cylinder from rolling completely. At the same time The Caretaker, Sælen Sword grasped in both hands, rammed the tip of the blade into the earth at the top of the channel between the two graves and then twisted it. There was a harsh grating sound and sparks rose up the shaft.
