by M S C Barnes
“I cannot help,” Henri said, turning to Seb, and indicating his left arm. Seb was appalled to see that scorch marks ran all the way down his forearm and across his birthmark. “They will work to heal me rather than her.”
Suddenly, Moe growled and stepped out of the semi-circle, breaking the chain. Nicole cried out, staring at Aelfric with desperate eyes.
More of the wolves were now turning away. “Move back!” Aelfric called and reluctantly they all stepped back into line, but they were so jittery they kept moving, pawing the ground, bumping into each other, stepping sideways or backwards. Cue was the most fidgety and his snorting and snarling unsettled the other beasts. Gaps in the chain kept forming and Aelfric spoke soothingly to Cue, attempting to calm him.
As Aelfric struggled to control the wolves, Seb glanced at Henri’s wound and at the Voodoo doll he held in his right hand — a doll designed to inflict catastrophic pain and injury on his wife. Remembering the excruciating pain he had felt himself, thinking of Alice and the horrendous green flame that had engulfed his body, leaving him scorched and charred and all but dead and staring at the massive pool of blood where Aelfric had lain, so close to death, Seb wondered why on Earth Aelfric was bothering. Nicole had harmed them all — in the most cruel and despicable ways and would gladly have killed any and all of them. Why would Aelfric want to help her now? Why didn’t he just leave her to die? As Henri had said, was there not justice here?
Removing his hand from Cue, Aelfric lifted Nicole’s shoulders from the floor, cradling her against his body. He placed his left hand over her chest and Seb watched his aura spread around her again; she visibly relaxed and Aelfric’s face told of the pain he had once more taken from her. Cocooned within his aura, Nicole watched him and suddenly she reached up and gently touched his face.
“Why?” she asked, astounded. He shook his head, closing his eyes briefly. She reached her hand around his neck, pulling herself up closer to him, forcing him to open his eyes and look at her. “Why help me?”
“Because no-one deserves this Nicole,” Aelfric said, grimacing and trying to hide the pain he was feeling. “And because there is no sin in loving someone. We all understand the grief of loss.” He closed his eyes gain. “Heath was more than a friend to me,” he murmured, as she rested her head on his shoulder, “I loved him as a brother. I feel pain every moment of every day at his loss. You want me to accept the blame for what befell him?” Opening his eyes, he looked directly at her. “If that is what you need, then I accept it!”
“Aelfric!” Henri said.
“I accept my culpability in not seeing, not understanding and not preventing,” Aelfric said, glancing at Henri and then looking back at Nicole. “To add a ‘but’ would negate that acceptance and so I will not. Blame me if you must — it cannot be more than I blame myself.” He sighed. “Do not, though, damn your own soul, Nicole, in search of vengeance or a means to change what cannot be changed. What happened that night cannot be undone and Heath cannot return,” he said through clenched teeth. “Your soul is worth more than that. I can and will heal you; do not fight me or this body will die.”
Nicole slumped back down into his arms, looking bemused.
And now Seb dashed over and stood between Aelfric and Cue. Aelfric looked up at him, surprised and then wary as Seb blocked his access to the wolf. “Seb, she needs help,” he said.
“I know.” Seb gave a brief smile. “I thought two of us might be able to control them better.” He pointed at the wolves. Aelfric nodded with relief and Seb, gripping Aelfric’s shoulder with one hand, waved the other at Cue. “Quiet,” he said. Immediately Cue stopped snarling and the wolves reformed the chain.
Seb was about to place his hand on Cue’s head but as he looked back down at Nicole, he noticed a smirk on her face. That smirk sent a shiver down his spine.
Her left arm was draped along the floor behind Aelfric and, as though in slow motion, Seb saw her open her hand and angle it towards Aelfric’s back. For the second time that night, it felt like time had stopped for Seb. As the light from the fireflies glinted on the birthmark on her exposed palm, her smirk became a broad grin. Then, at the split second that a bolt of light charged from her hand towards Aelfric, Seb reacted. Raising his own hand, he pointed it at Nicole.
“NO!” he shouted and, without him even using the light from the fireflies, a wave of power blasted from his hand striking her. Knocking her free of Aelfric’s hold, it sent her flying across the room. The bolt of light she had fired at Aelfric, struck the ceiling above his head, carving a deep furrow in it.
Instantly Nicole scrabbled to her feet, span and lifted her arm again.
“I hate you!” she yelled at Seb then turned towards Aelfric. “AND I DO BLAME YOU!” she screamed, pointing her hand at him once more. “Because of you, I have lost everything!”
As Aelfric got up, something shiny by his feet caught Seb’s eye and now he lunged at the floor, seizing it. Aelfric, seeing what he had retrieved, nodded and, without pausing, Seb stood and launched it at Nicole.
Nicole, still aiming at Aelfric, was slow to notice and even slower to react. As the tiny Sælen Sword flew towards her, she turned and tried to dive right but it slammed into her shoulder. A tiny explosion erupted from the point of impact and then thousands of silver threads spread from it. They rapidly grew in size and number, intertwining and wrapping themselves around her shoulder, arm, hand and then spreading across her torso. She screamed as they contracted, pulling her arms in to her sides, binding her top half completely. Henri ran to her as she fell to the floor, wriggling and struggling against the bonds which simply tightened around her in response.
“Stay still!” he barked at her as the glistening strands engulfed her legs so that now only her head remained free of them.
“LET ME GO!” she screeched.
“They will tighten if you keep struggling,” Henri shouted, but she ignored him and continued to squirm and writhe on the floor. Soon she was panting for breath and Seb, running across with Aelfric, could see a patch of blood spreading beneath her.
“Nicole,” Aelfric said, kneeling, “your wounds were not fully healed. You need to lie still or you will bleed to death before we can help you.”
“Even after all this, Aelfric, you still talk of helping me?” she groaned. “Do you not see? I DON’T WANT your help!”
Seb could see fresh blood seeping through the silver threads of the netting around Nicole’s chest and her feet were bleeding badly too. The patch of blood had turned into a vast pool and now she was struggling to breathe. Her aura had faded to the thinnest of lines. The net sparkled around her, tightening even more as she fidgeted weakly, still fighting against it. A fine thread stretching from it had bound itself around Seb’s wrist, and it actually appeared to be fused to his skin. Watching Nicole gasping for breath he opened his fingers, and instantly the net loosened. She drew in a deep lungful of air and then, shockingly, began to cry.
“Let this body die,” she moaned.
Aelfric placed a hand gently on her cheek.
“Nicole,” he said, “if you harbour a hope that being banished to the Soul Drop yourself will give you some form of consolation, you need to understand that it will not. Heath will not know you are there with him, and at the last, you will not care that you shared his fate; all you will know is desolation.”
She wasn’t looking at him, she was gazing over his shoulder.
“That is all I know now,” she whispered. Too weak to even fight against her bonds, she had become deathly pale; the amount of blood she had lost was phenomenal.
She was still looking past Aelfric and Seb, following her gaze, felt a lump rise in his throat. With both hands pressed against the ice window, Riven was staring at Nicole and the look of heartbreak on his face tore at Seb’s own heart. A tear fell from Nicole’s eye. “That is all I know,” she repeated quietly. “I have failed him,” she looked up at Aelfric, “And, without him, I now realise I am just half a soul.” With that she
closed her eyes, and Riven vanished.
The line of her aura was barely perceptible and Aelfric lifted her quickly.
“Cue,” he muttered and the wolf moved forward, the others closing in behind him. Henri, however, blocked Aelfric’s access to the packs.
“No Aelfric. Not this time,” he said and gently placed his hand on Aelfric’s shoulder. “She has made her choice.” He lowered his voice, “And it is too late.”
As he said the words Nicole gasped and let out a rattling breath and then her head fell against Aelfric’s chest; her aura had completely gone.
A Witan Gathering
Standing over Aelfric, Henri spoke quickly.
“You need to leg go of her, Aelfric. She still has the birthmark. I believe Nature will be forced to dispose of the body.” He gazed down at Nicole and then added, as an afterthought, “But sending her soul will be problematic.”
His words sounded indelicate given that Nicole’s life had only just ended, but Seb knew what he meant. When Heath’s Custodian body had died, it had dissolved into a swirl of sparkling motes which faded and disappeared. No Custodian’s body ever survived death and so now, Nicole’s body should dissolve into nothing too, releasing her soul. But Nature had been stripping her of her status as Custodian — was she human enough, as she died, Seb wondered, for Nature to leave her body intact? It appeared not. As he watched, Nicole’s face began to sparkle and lose substance, and so did her body.
Aelfric hadn’t moved. A tear rolled down his cheek.
“She is contained,” was all he said to Henri.
Suddenly the net encapsulating Nicole contracted. It happened so quickly, and made such a loud snapping sound as it did, that Seb jumped. In the blink of an eye the net had reformed into the tiny Sælen Sword which fell into Aelfric’s lap. All evidence of Nicole’s physical existence had disappeared; not even the blood which had spilt from her body remained.
A gasp from Henri made Seb turn and look at him. He had fallen back into the large armchair; his eyes were closed and his face displayed a tortured expression. He gripped the arms of the chair and groaned. Aelfric didn’t turn, he remained sitting with his head bowed, the Sælen Sword glinting on his lap.
“Is he okay?” Seb asked, alarmed and Aelfric raised his head.
“He is witnessing her legacy, Seb, as we did Heath’s,” he answered quietly.
And now Seb remembered that moment of exquisite physical and emotional pain he had felt instantly Heath’s soul had been released from his body. Episodes from Heath’s life — from his centuries as a Custodian — had stormed through Seb’s mind. Unlike ordinary souls, however, Seb had not witnessed every event, known all the thoughts and felt all the emotions of Heath’s long service. Instead, all he had seen — punctuated and highlighted so that they shone like beacons — were the relevant events, thoughts, decisions and actions that had led to the moment of his death and to his demise. It was only when Seb had discussed it with Aelfric, days later, that Aelfric had explained to him that what he had witnessed, in the form of a damning biography, was Heath’s legacy. And Aelfric was devastated.
“In Nature’s eyes, Seb,” he had said, “Heath’s legacy, was corruption and betrayal. Nature did not weave the good through the bad. At the end, all the years of loyal, devoted and selfless service Heath gave were disregarded and a spotlight shone on this one episode of failure. It is that for which he will be remembered, that on which his reputation will be based. That is his legacy to us. It appears that a Custodian is not judged on the sum of all their parts but only on the worst part.” He had lapsed into silence then and had never discussed the matter with Seb again.
Now Aelfric glanced over his shoulder at Henri. “A Custodian’s legacy is only witnessed by the other Custodians within their connected groups. Nicole’s legacy, good or ill, is not ours to see or know. Only Henri will know the truth of it.”
Seb had a feeling he knew the truth of it himself but said nothing as Henri let out a long sigh and opened his eyes. Standing unsteadily, he beckoned Moe over and placed his right hand on the wolf’s back. His left arm he hid behind his coat.
“Aelfric, may I speak with you?” he asked quietly, looking troubled.
Aelfric carefully picked up the sword and, standing, held it out to Seb.
Seb glanced at his own wrist. The thread, fused to his skin, was still there and it ran from him to the sword’s delicate hilt. He stared at it, unsettled.
“She is in your care, Seb,” Aelfric said.
“What?” Seb blurted, confused and anxious, and waved the sword away. “No!”
“Seb,” Aelfric said softly, “Nicole’s body has gone, but her soul still exists and the net has simply closed around it, keeping it contained within the form of this sword. That is why the thread still connects to you. The net you cast will not be released until you give the word. I am sorry; it is a huge responsibility, but, until we lift the enclave her soul cannot be sent — it will have no freedom to travel beyond the bounds of the enclave — and so she will have to remain in your care until we can release her.”
It was as though Aelfric were talking about a delicate butterfly or a bird that needed releasing into the wild, not a woman who, only minutes before, had tried to kill him.
Reluctantly, Seb took the sword, gingerly closing his fingers around its sharp blade. Aelfric now accompanied Henri to the far side of the Sanctum, where they spoke in hushed voices for just a minute. Seb waited, feeling the cold metal in the palm of his hand, and, knowing what it contained, battling with all sorts of conflicting emotions.
“Are we ready?” Henri suddenly called out and, looking only marginally less troubled, strode past Seb, towards the water wall, his hand on Moe’s back. Seb, dithering, watched all the other wolves in the room leap and disappear into thin air.
Now he turned to follow Henri but Aelfric, touching him lightly on the elbow, stopped him.
“Thank you, Seb,” he said and Seb stared up at him, puzzled. “For saving my life.” Aelfric looked at the floor nearby which was still awash with his blood. Seb looked too, and then back at Aelfric’s body. His clothes, like Seb’s, were still covered in blood but he was now obviously injury free and he looked more healthy and alert than Seb had seen him look in weeks. The tiredness and exhaustion were gone and he appeared rejuvenated.
“They were always meant to be my injuries,” Seb mumbled, embarrassed, then fell silent and, opening his hand, stared at the sword.
“Seb,” Aelfric said, firmly, “It was not your fault.”
Seb shuffled his feet and looked awkward.
“I didn’t think it through properly,” he muttered. “I didn’t see all the possibilities. I just thought I could use the wolves and I … I didn’t … Her aura; how could I not realise?” He shook his head.
Aelfric wrapped his arm around Seb’s shoulders and began walking with him towards the water wall.
“Your assessment was different to mine, Seb. It doesn’t make it wrong,” he said and Seb jerked his head up to look at him. There was the slightest smile on Aelfric’s face. Seb blinked. Was he quoting Zach? “Greg — and all of our group — were taught that same lesson — the labyrinth one — by Heath’s Sensor before we were confirmed.” They had reached the water wall and Aelfric stopped. “Not in the same format, of course,” he said, “but essentially, the same lesson — about not being so goal oriented that you fail to see every possible outcome in every action. Greg felt the supposed failure more keenly than the rest of us, but my opinion has always been more along the lines of Zach’s. Seb, you simply cannot foresee every eventuality and sometimes, you have to just follow your heart when you act. How can a person’s desire to save someone else ever be a cause for blame? Your concern for me outweighed any other influence around you and you followed your heart when you made your assessment of the options open to you. No matter what the consequences, that cannot be wrong. As always, you judge yourself so harshly. You have been able to see auras for how long? A few hours; no
more. And you judge yourself because you did not interpret a difference in colour while you worried that I would die if you did not help me and if you allowed me to take back those injuries? You saved my life, Seb. Thank you.”
With that, he ushered Seb through the water wall.
Immediately they passed through, Dierne swooped over to Aelfric, looking ecstatic and relieved. Henri had been joined by Reynard and Dæved, who looked equally relieved to see their Custodian safe and sound. The Caretaker, however, hung back in the shadows, head bowed, hood up. Seb thought it strange, but when Aelfric said nothing and, without even acknowledging The Caretaker’s presence, walked over to Henri, Seb followed.
“I believe Seb’s was the last marker to be placed?” Henri asked and Aelfric nodded. “So it will be the one to be removed.” He still held his left arm behind his back and had his right hand on Moe. Now he lowered his voice. “Assuming Heath built in the facility of a direct exit, there will be a door around here somewhere; or maybe several. But,” he muttered, “I am not in a position to find one, nor can I open it.”
Seb, remembering Aiden’s tin, fumbled in his pocket and pulled it out. He offered it to Aelfric.
“I can’t make it work but you might be able to?” he suggested.
Aelfric smiled at him. “That will be because of the shadow of the Sanctum, Seb. I will have no more success than you; but thank you anyway. We can try something else.” Seb tucked the tin back into his pocket as Aelfric moved over to the centre of the passageway that formed this Bastion Ring. He closed his eyes. Slowing his breathing, he opened his left hand and then placed the palm over his own heart. He remained perfectly still for a minute. Eventually, he opened his eyes and said, “There are six around the circumference of the ring. The nearest is that way,” he pointed past Henri’s shoulder, “a few yards only.”
