Kreedy was still busy rearranging his cottage when there was a loud knock at his door. He froze for a second, then, dodging columns of books, made his way to his kitchen door but hesitated. Then came another knock. Kreedy adjusted his bow tie and then opened his door. “Henry, my dear fellow… come in… come in!” he bellowed, pleased to see someone he knew. “I had no idea that I’d be seeing you so soon,” he continued. Henry senior stepped inside but said nothing: he just gave Kreedy a brief smile and a nod. “What brings you here?” Kreedy said as he placed a kettle over the burner. “If you don’t mind me saying, o’man… you look frightful.” Outside, Dunk had sensed Henry senior coming sometime ago. Having poor eyesight like all tree-morphs, Dunk could feel the presence of people and other living things, and could never be fooled by appearances, and as such, he knew exactly who or what they were even before they had arrived, and Dunk knew that this wasn’t the uncle of the host master. The thing that had just gone into his friend’s home was something much darker and much more dangerous. Unfortunately, he had no way of warning Kreedy. Being a tree-morph, Dunk moved very slowly and had no voice as such to call out to his friend, so all he could do was watch and hope that Kreedy wouldn’t be harmed.
Dunk’s small, intense eyes then looked up as he sensed something approaching him, then ever so softly a large, grey owl landed on one of his branches. However, Dunk didn’t respond. He knew Breeze well and was pleased to see him again after so long. The large owl nested itself down and started to clean its feathers. It was obvious to Dunk why he was there: he could also sense that something wasn’t right and had decided to find out why this dangerous being had decided to visit Kreedy at this late hour. They both couldn’t do much to help Kreedy: all they could do was wait. Inside, Kreedy was busy making hot drinks and hadn’t stopped talking since his visitor arrived. So much had happened since Henry was there last, and there was so much for him to record in his books. “O’ where are my manners?” Kreedy said as he sat at the table opposite what remained of Henry senior. “You didn’t come here to hear me chatter on,” he said. “Now what can I do you for?” Henry senior didn’t respond: instead he gave Kreedy a sinister look with his intense eyes, making poor Kreedy fidget uncomfortably in his seat. Then Kreedy noticed the Moonstone around his neck. “Where did you get that?” he gasped, standing up. Henry gave Kreedy a wicked smile as his eyes turned a burning red. Kreedy instantly recognised them for what they were: there was only one being that had eyes like those. His heart dropped as he resigned himself to his inevitable demise.
That evening found Kreedy sitting at his table fumbling with the chain around his neck. Suspended on that chain was a purple stone surrounded by a golden dragon… the Moonstone. The shadow master absent-mindedly ran his long, bony fingers over the smooth surface of the stone as he stared down at the lifeless body of his brother Henry. Having inhabited Kreedy’s strange bony body, he sat and tried to think back to when all four were young together, his brother and his two sisters. But it was so long ago and they had all changed so much – him even more so. He could remember nothing of their early days. The only thing he had left inside was hatred, not just towards his dead brother or his sisters, but hatred for everything… including himself. He never set out to be what he had become.
He was born to the darkness and had no choice in the matter. His brother was born to the light, but Henry had always been weaker and never seemed to settle into his role as guardian. Whereas he was much stronger and had always had complete control of his dark powers. So when Henry decided to live with humans, the light became weaker, much weaker, making it easy for the darkness to spread. But now he and Hazel were dead, it just left him and his sister Sophia. But Sophia was the strongest of them all, and now that damned nephew of theirs was host, his quest to bathe the earth in darkness was going to be a great deal more difficult from here on in. As the shadow master sat trying to get used to Kreedy’s strange body, he gave a wicked smile when his thoughts turned to young Henry. He may be strong and have complete control of the Wyvern’s powers, but back in the void he showed that he had a weakness: the boy cared… He cared for the safety of others around him, but most of all he cared for the wood nymph and that was a weakness he would happily use against him.
Between Darkness and the Light Page 60
