A Body Displaced (Lansin Island 2)

by Andrew Butcher

  The half-elf took them straight up to the shed, where Juliet discovered it was two women out in front. They were both as tall as her, had short, dark wavy hair, and shared some facial features with each other: a ski-slope nose, pale grey eyes, and freckles. Both were dressed like Indie Kids, kind of boyish, wearing vintage jumpers up top, and jeans and battered Converse below. One of them appeared a few years older and had more meat on her, while the other had a harder face but a lazy right eyelid.

  ‘This is Sara Waters.’ James held a hand towards the older-looking, plumper woman. ‘And this is Seline Waters.’ He swung his hand around to the one with the drooping eyelid. ‘They’re sisters, and both of them half-elf, like me.’

  Without hesitation Juliet’s eyes flicked to the sides of their heads, inspecting each in turn. Both women had some pointedness to their ears, more so than James, but it was still subtle enough to be inconspicuous. Juliet wondered if so blatantly inspecting their features was rude. Peculiarly, Sara and Seline bowed. James rolled his eyes, sank his shoulders, and dropped his head to one side impatiently.

  ‘Hello. I’m Juliet.’ Don’t give out your last name, she remembered.

  ‘And I’m Nicolas … or Nick,’ he said sheepishly.

  Standing straight again, Sara and Seline each gave a cursory glance to Juliet, flicking a look down and back up her. And that was as far as their interest in her went. Their eyes glued to Nick in fascination. Sara began to ask, ‘Is he—’

  ‘Yes,’ said James. ‘He’s the main reason we’ve been stationed here, the oracle I’ve been ordered to protect.’

  Their eyes widened in sync. ‘Cooooool,’ they both said, one of them a fraction behind the other, turning the sound into: ‘Coocooolool.’

  ‘He’s cute,’ added Sara, shamelessly checking him out.

  Then Seline said to James, ‘Try not to sound too cheery about it, Rea.’ She pronounced his surname like the ria in Maria, as if to mock him. James’s expression shifted to bad-tempered.

  Seline’s older-looking sister added, ‘Yeah, Reee-ah. I bet your duty’s more exciting than standing here all day long and having to piss in the TARDIS.’ She pulled a sour face at the portaloo.

  Uncomfortable, Juliet stiffened up at the unladylike behaviour. She hated hearing a woman swear. The worst she ever said was dammit, and she had to be pretty annoyed to utter that. The things I’ve seen today, and foul language still makes me bristle. When she looked at Nick, she saw an odd expression on his face, like he was assessing his own worth; it must have been weird for him to realise these strangers already knew who he was. Juliet heard Coocooolool echo in her mind, and for some reason, it irritated her.

  Why are they so impressed by him? She scanned Nick as if she were missing something. He was attractive, she couldn’t deny that, but his looks hardly warranted instant adoration.

  ‘Anyway,’ James said moodily, ‘I’m showing them what’s inside.’

  Sara gave him a severe look. ‘You need to learn to take a joke, James.’

  He ignored her.

  After a protracted sigh, she said, ‘Go on then, Your Majesty.’ She and her sister both gestured elaborately towards the shed door, as if permitting entrance to royalty. ‘Would you like me to carry you inside?’ Sara mocked further. ‘Ah, and do let me know if you visit the TARDIS any time soon; I’ll be sure to come and wipe your arse for you.’

  Nick laughed shyly, but Juliet made no response. They might as well have hidden her with magic, she felt that invisible.

  Without retaliation, James threw open the shed door and sulked inside. As she followed, Juliet got a chance to inspect the little shack up close. Vines had crept through the wooden panels, and leaves and flower heads also poked through, as if bursting out. I know what’s inside. The humming was louder than when she’d noticed it on their approach. It had a calming effect.

  In she went, following Nick. James closed the door behind them. The portal was set up the same as the one on Aldrich’s land had been: ancient-looking steps leading below ground level, a luminous pool at the bottom. The floor of the shed had been taken out, exposing the rocky ground of the islet, but roots and weeds and flowers had spread out from the top edges of the portal’s staircase, and the verdure had crawled over everything and up the walls, even clinging to the ceiling.

  How does it all grow in here without sunlight? She felt the sense of wonder she’d experienced in Aldrich’s woods. She stole a glance at Nick’s face. The only lighting in the shed came from the glowing pool, and it waved shadows across Nick’s skin and put stars in his eyes.

  When Juliet focused on the hum of the portal, it drained away every concern she’d ever thought she had. It lulled her into a state where time was irrelevant. She had no idea how much time had passed before Nick said, ‘Why are these plants here? When the portal we saw before exploded, all the trees and flowers withered and decayed. But before that, those plants had all been overflowing like these ones.’

  James said, ‘It happens on this side with every portal we construct. Some believe it’s magic from the Otherworld, leaking through, and that all this greenery is the way it manifests itself. On the other side the portal doesn’t have this effect, but that could be because magic is an intrinsic element of the Otherworld, already present in everything.’

  Juliet wanted to fight against it all, struggle in disbelief, but here was a portal … and it hummed to her so sweetly. How could she not believe in magic pouring through from another world, so potent it defied nature?

  Apparently, Nick was incredulous over something else. ‘You built this?’

  ‘I didn’t myself,’ James clarified, ‘but yes. Setting up a portal takes a coordinated effort, with magic-wielders on either side. And, as you’ve witnessed, the use of strong magic on this side has its toll.’ He half smiled, wanly, and the shifting light gave his innocent expression a menacing quality.

  ‘James,’ Nick said in a careful voice. ‘When I spoke with Aldrich, he told me he used to send children through his portal as sacrifices to Moloch. It was the reason my mum ended up at his manor. Aldrich lured her to his home, wanting to use her to send my brothers through the portal. They would only have been ten years old. Aldrich liked to make the parents send their own children through, and then he would wipe their memories. But, like me, my mum was immune to Aldrich’s ability. That’s why he killed her.’

  The portal still soothed Juliet, but something in her recognised the weight of this conversation. She remembered what Nick had told her about the missing children. They’d been on her mind since. Although she admired Nick for wanting to find these people, she doubted any of them were still alive.

  Nick said to the half-elf, ‘Your enemy, the person posing as Moloch, told me the children were better off on that side. What would have happened to them? Are they really better off?’

  ‘Our enemy would have traded them for intel,’ said James. ‘I know that sounds terrible, but those children won’t have been harmed by those he traded with. I’m afraid they’re out of your reach now, and mine. I can’t really tell you more than that.’

  In a raised voice, Nick said, ‘But I swore to myself I’d find out what happened to them.’

  ‘And you have. They will have been cared for.’ James shrugged, his eyebrows going up, too. ‘There’s nothing we can do about it now.’

  It became tense in the shed, snapping Juliet out of her narcotic state … for a short while. Then the humming filled her head again, moved through her body, massaged her senses.

  ‘Fine,’ said Nick in resignation. ‘Why are you showing us this anyway? Can we go through?’

  ‘No. There’s no need for either of you to enter the Otherworld.’

  There may be one day, when I want my soul back. With a start, Juliet remembered something. ‘Are there people on the other side of this? Can they hear our thoughts?’

  James squinted at her suspiciously. ‘There may be people through there, but you shouldn’t be directing your thoughts through anyway.�
� His face became serious. ‘Come on. Let’s go back outside. There are matters we need to discuss.’ He opened the shed door with a creak. Natural light flooded in, but it was unimpressive compared to the portal’s rays.

  It took a strange effort for Juliet to pull herself away, but seeing Nick exit gave her the nudge she needed. Sara and Seline eyed the ‘oracle’ on his way past. They completely ignored Juliet, unsurprisingly, and in turn, James blanked the two of them.

  Squawks came from above. Juliet arched her neck and saw seagulls circling the islet, thrown about by the wind. James overtook Nick and her, and then led them some metres away from the shed. He stopped and turned to face them, looking forlorn by himself with the backdrop of the sea.

  Juliet’s sense of self returned as she walked farther away, and when she came to a halt, she gave her attention to James. Such a downtrodden vibe emanated from him that she realised she pitied him. He doesn’t belong anywhere, or with anyone …

  Her sympathy would do him no good right now. She said, ‘You didn’t answer Nicolas’s question in there. Why did you show us the portal?’ The wind ceased, leaving quiescence, and the temperature became mild again.

  James began to explain. ‘Since our intel informed us about you two and the portal that was destroyed, the one you saw explode, my kind moved in on the corresponding area in the Otherworld. We were looking for the person we suspect wants Nicolas dead, but had no luck finding him.’ He spoke monotonously, making no attempt to embellish his tone. ‘Before all of this, the only connection my kind had with Lansin Island was through Tamara, but, like her ancestors, she can reach the Otherworld through guided meditation. It makes no difference where she is. Anyway, we had no portal on the island. So when my kind decided Nicolas needed finding and protecting, we set up this portal. Kern Islet is in a convenient location.’ He gazed about himself. ‘Like Lansin Island, it’s not in a particularly useful or strategic place, so boats rarely pass close by. And if any do, that’s why we have half-elves like Sara and Seline stationed here, maintaining the illusion of an empty rock in the sea.’

  Juliet wondered where Gerry, the mute and bearded man, had gone. Was he a half-elf too? Or human? Or something else … She glanced back over her shoulder and decided he must be in the portable office … or maybe he’d been in the portaloo this whole time. ‘You still haven’t answered the question,’ she said.

  ‘I’m getting to it.’ James’s hair had been completely dishevelled by the wind, but with this respite, the ashen curls rested on his head. ‘I showed you two the portal because I was given clearance to tell you something. You both need to understand the magnitude of this situation …’ To Nick, and then to Juliet, he gave an uncompromising look. ‘The reason the Otherworld is guarded so strictly, why most humans don’t know of its existence, is because full-blooded beings of the Otherworld, like elves, can’t pass through to this side. They are magic beings, and require magic to live. If they tried to pass through, they would quickly weaken and die. The person I suspect was on the other side of Aldrich’s portal is a pure being of the Otherworld, which is why he couldn’t pass through and tried to lure Nicolas instead. The only reason I can survive here is because of the human side in me.’

  After letting it all pass her mental block and assimilate, Juliet was still confused. Why is their not being able to pass through such an issue? ‘Okay … but no one is trying to force your kind through here, are they?’ She looked at Nick and saw his eyebrows had pulled inward.

  The half-elf said, ‘No. That’s not the problem. The problem is that humans can pass through to the Otherworld.’

  Still, nothing clicked in her mind. She waited for further explanation.

  James huffed. ‘It means humans have the advantage. If your kind decided to wage war with the Otherworld and managed to seize control of some portals, you could send troops through, but then your troops would be able to retreat to this world during battles, or whenever they wanted. Even if your kind decided to devastate the Otherworld, they would still have this one to return to. And for my full-blooded kind, the only army we’d have on this side would be hybrids, cross-breeds like me, and there are just too few of us to make a difference.’

  Juliet recognised the Otherworld’s concerns, but needed to ask, ‘Why would humans discovering the Otherworld lead to war?’

  Again, James puffed out his breath. ‘Do you think your kind would let us coexist? That they wouldn’t want our land and resources? Even if humans didn’t fight as one, which I doubt you would anyway, you would separately claim land across the Otherworld and then fight each other on that side. The deaths of my kind and other beings of the Otherworld would just be casualties of your war. And whoever wins will subjugate those who survive the carnage.’

  For a moment, Juliet was lost in thought. She understood James’s theory. Most countries would want at least some claim over the Otherworld, and whether they only wanted the corresponding land or the entire world, there would still be conflict—and the Otherworld would suffer more than anything else.

  Nick said, ‘I don’t know if this is an awkward question … but, erm, if you’re all so secretive about the Otherworld, then how did hybrids like you end up coming about?’

  Although it wasn’t the most urgent matter, Juliet wanted to know the answer too.

  James was clearly on the fence of whether to explain or not. He blinked slowly, and began. ‘The existence of the Otherworld didn’t used to be so secret, hundreds of years ago. A lot of human folklore and mythology came from those days, when our interaction with this side was more common. But as your civilisations advanced, we saw the danger and drew away from your world. Over the years, your tales have distorted. You have all kinds of strange myths, some of them absolutely ridiculous.’

  Says the half-elf. ‘James,’ Juliet interrupted, ‘you’re answering everything but the question again …’

  ‘That’s because I’m giving you all the elements you need to understand the answer first. You just have no patience,’ he scolded. Speaking of patience, Juliet normally had none for anyone who talked to her so bluntly, but this was James’s domain, and she respected that.

  The half-elf continued. ‘So, as I was saying, the Otherworld has agreements with select humans in power, but these humans normally have links to the Otherworld already. This could be for a variety of reasons. Some families have a long history with my kind, some humans discover the Otherworld’s existence by mistake—it does happen—and find a way through, some humans are actually more than human—like witches, for example—and these separate groups may have formed allegiances with the Otherworld.’ He stopped for a breath, then shrugged. ‘Any of these reasons and more could result in a human ending up on the other side … and having offspring with a being of the Otherworld.’

  After a pause, Nick asked, ‘So you’re not going to tell us how your parents hooked up, then?’ He made it sound friendly and inclusive, rather than mocking.

  James seemed about to answer, but pulled a hard frown instead. It suited his gaunt face. ‘This isn’t relevant right now. I’ve told you both what you need to know regarding the Otherworld.’ He crossed his lanky arms. ‘Do the two of you understand how important it is to keep these secrets?’

  There was only one safe answer to give, Juliet gathered. ‘Yes.’

  Nick echoed her.

  ‘Good. Then we can move on to the next issue.’ James peered past the two of them and shouted, ‘Sara. Seline. Get the package. If you need help, get Gerry or one of the others to lend a hand.’

  Juliet swung around to see what was happening. If Sara and Seline were really guarding the portal, then wouldn’t they have weapons like James did? She squinted. Maybe one of them had a crossbow in her hand, and the other an axe hanging at her side, but Juliet couldn’t see through the illusion. The thought gave her a chill.

  Sara said something to her younger sister and pointed towards the portable office. Then she made her way inside the shed while Seline went towards the metal contain
er. A scraping sound made Juliet twist back to her company, where she found Nick gazing up at the seagulls with consternation. Slightly concerned, she wondered, Does he really think those birds are stalking him?

  ‘Okay,’ James began. ‘What they are about to bring out of there will probably make the two of you uncomfortable, so just be warned. It’s nothing dangerous, but you need to keep an open mind.’

  The shed door banged open behind. Juliet looked back. Together, Sara, Seline, and Gerry were carrying a man, the sisters at the legs and the bearded mute at the end. An odd sensation ran over Juliet, making her aware of every inch of her skin. Is he dead?

  They brought the man over and placed him down on the rocks. He had olive skin, dark hair and stubble, and his clothes were ragged. Juliet watched closely to see if he was breathing; she saw a steady rise and sink of his belly. His eyes were shut, though, and his face slack.

  ‘Who is he?’ Nick beat Juliet to the question.

  As the sisters and Gerry walked off, James said, ‘He is the solution to the Kerra problem.’

  ‘What do you mean, the Kerra problem?’ Nick sounded less than friendly.

  ‘I told you … I’ve found a solution for Kerra’s body being found, and for the police to close the case. Like you asked of me, Nicolas.’ It was obvious he thought Nick should be more grateful. But how could he expect anyone to have a predictable reaction to an unconscious man being plonked in front of them?

  Nick gestured impatiently towards the man. ‘Explain how he’s the solution.’

  Squawk! Squawk! Seagulls cried above, but James paid them no mind. ‘His name is Jean-Sébastien Laurent, and in France, he is a wanted murderer.’

  The words took the scene, fading everything out, and even silencing the raucous birds. Unnerved, Juliet shifted. She instinctively made distance between herself and the unconscious man.