by Tobias Wade
The Matriarch was smiling a thin, shallow smile while he spoke, but she didn’t let him finish. She blinked twice, and when she opened her eyes the second time Noah could clearly see the glowing skull beneath her flesh. Dazzling white diamonds rested in place of where her eyes had been. The stones seemed to gather all the light in the room until nothing was visible except their piercing brilliance. Noah heard Salice scream powerfully for a second, but he couldn’t see what was happening and the sound cut short a moment later.
One of the diamond eyes flared even more brightly. It flashed blood red in stark contrast to the other shining as a star. Light was returning to the room once more, but Noah still had to blink away the spots as though he’d just been staring into the sun. The Matriarch stuck one of her fingers behind the red diamond and popped it out of her eye socket. She blinked twice more rapidly, this time revealing her old eyes back in place once more as the glowing skull faded from view. When Noah’s vision fully returned, he stared in disbelief at the empty stone floor where Salice had lain a moment before.
The Matriarch rolled the red diamond in the palm of her hand and smiled down at it. “There we are,” she said with satisfaction. “He won’t cause any more trouble in there, now will he?”
“What did you do to him?” Noah asked.
“What didn’t he do to Mandy and little Lewis?” The Matriarch asked sweetly. “That’s the only question that matters, don’t you think?”
There was something about the way she asked the question that made Noah think she didn’t really require an answer. The Matriarch opened a drawer in her table and dropped the red diamond inside. It might have been Noah’s imagination, but he thought he heard the faint echo of Salice’s scream as she did so.
“Heel, Visoloth,” The Matriarch said without glancing. The demon had just been regaining its feet and a low growl began to rise in its throat. “Heel!”
The wind stirred again and the dog was flattened to the floor. It pulled itself painfully upright once more, but did not rising beyond a sitting position.
“Better. You will be taking orders from me now, do you understand?” The Matriarch told it. “Salice served at my pleasure, and by extension you and all the other demons will think of me as master. I will not release you from your contracts early.”
Visoloth looked expressionless at Noah for a moment before bowing its head. Noah couldn’t help but feel as though he’d betrayed it somehow, but shouldn’t it be happy that Salice was gone? Being free from his power hungry dominance should be a victory for all of them.
“I suppose I’ll be needing a new demonologist,” The Matriarch reflected, sighing. “Halfway through the year with no notice, what a shame. I might have to even teach the class myself. Would you like that, Noah?”
“Yes ma’am,” Noah said automatically. He gauged that to be the correct answer by The Matriarch’s enduring smile.
“Yes indeed,” she said, “but then is only a poor man’s now. Have you been staying here over Christmas just because you were trying to protect your family?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Noah repeated, eyeing the writing desk where Salice’s soul was bound.
“You dear suffering soul,” The Matriarch sighed again. “Well, you did the right thing, and now you have nothing to worry about. There’s no reason for you not to spend Christmas with them anymore, is there?”
“No, ma’am.”
But Noah couldn’t meet those eyes which had been diamonds a moment before. His gaze found excuses to look everywhere else: the towering books, the drawer with a soul inside, the stained-glass windows now dark without the faintest glimmer of moonlight to give them life. And finally, to the stone gargoyle with the upside-down smile sitting motionless in the corner of the room...
He supposed he should feel like a hero, but heroes must be surer of themselves than Noah felt now.
“You must be worn thin, you poor thing. Why don’t you go rest in the graveyard? First thing tomorrow evening, I’ll collect you for the journey home. You’ll be spending Christmas Eve with your family again, isn’t that marvelous? It will be a happy reunion all around.”
“Yes ma’am,” Noah said, bowing his head and feeling like Visoloth as he did so. He caught the writing desk again out of the corner of his eye—had it just rattled? Or was that only his imagination?
He didn’t just feel worn thin. He felt worn away completely, with nothing left inside.
Qari Olandesca Illustrations
Christmas
Noah didn’t see Jamie in the graveyard that night. The burden of all he’d seen weighed heavily upon him and he couldn’t wait to tell her everything. She must have an opinion about what the gargoyle in The Matriarch’s office meant, and why Salice had used his last words to try and warn Noah about the road from death.
Without an easy answer, he forced himself to refocus his thoughts on Mandy and Lewis and how good it would be to see them again. Would his grandson have grown in the months since Noah had last walked the earth? Would his daughter recognize him this time, even though she now appeared old enough to be his mother?
Fortunately, Brandon had left with his mother to check on how their money was being spent so Noah didn’t have to worry about another run in with him. The graveyard was almost entirely empty, although he did see Bowser and Elizabeth Washent sitting close in private conversation as he made his way to his mausoleum. It was strange to think that a dog and a rabbit had enough in common to forge a friendship, but it’s not like she would have much in the way of family to go home to. Bowser might have visited the family who had owned him, but Noah could only imagine how hard it would have to watch them getting a new puppy on Christmas morning.
Noah climbed on top of his mausoleum where he’d grown used to sleeping to avoid Brandon. It seemed that Noah had barely closed his eyes before the red glow of the setting sun pierced his eyelids.
“Don’t you use your coffin?” The Matriarch asked, immediately rousing Noah. It took Noah a few tense seconds before he could locate the origin of her voice as she had been sitting completely still on the moldy gravestone of an alumni. She was wearing a long dress the color of the night speckled with real twinkling stars which looked exactly like someone had taken a cookie-cutter to the sky. How long had she been sitting there watching him?
“I hope you at least use your stuffed tiger,” she added. “I make those myself, did you know? Not all the stitching, mind you, but I did cut out your jaw and put it inside. It’s always tricky figuring out which part of the body to hold onto, but I just had a feeling that you’d feel more comfortable with it. There’s nothing like a bit of body for the soul to feel at home, don’t you think?”
Noah was very fond of his tiger, but The Matriarch didn’t stop talking long enough for him to say so.
“No home like home either though. You are ready, aren’t you? Of course, you are, why wouldn’t you be? It must be a relief not having to worry about Salice anymore. You’ll never understand how sorry I am for bringing him to this school, but I suppose that’s what I get for trusting someone who consorts with demons. Shall we be off then?”
“Will we be going through the nether again?” Noah asked with trepidation. The Rasmacht had come so quickly last time that Noah had the unnerving feeling it had been waiting for him. He couldn’t even think of the place without remembering what it felt like to be engulfed in all the grasping, clawing, biting…
“Of course not,” The Matriarch said disdainfully. She rose from the gravestone and dusted off her already pristine dress. “It is nothing short of abdication of duty to allow a student to travel somewhere so dangerous. No, we will be traveling by Whispering Room, as is the only T.D.D. approved method for teleportation.”
Noah expected The Matriarch to explain how the Whispering Room functioned as she led him through The Mortuary, but she either didn’t think he needed to know or took it for granted that he already did know. Considering that Professor Salice had been operating behind her back, it was unlikely that h
e had told her about his previous visits. Considering that Brandon had been terrorizing him with a ghoul at the time, he probably hadn’t recounted the expedition either.
“Is it unusual for there to be a whole family of Chainers?” Noah asked as they walked.
The Matriarch didn’t turn to look at him as she continued her brisk pace. “Chainers themselves are unusual. However when they are found, it isn’t uncommon for them to be found together. It’s no easy feat finding your way back so many times without losing yourself in the process, and we all need a little help sometimes.”
The cathedral was still dark as most of the wisps were still asleep, but The Matriarch snapped her fingers to prompt a pair of them to leap into the air and begin to orbit her. She held the door to the stairway open for Noah and smiled at him as he passed.
“It’s convenient of course for humans to pretend all souls are the same size, but they don’t really believe it. Insects are killed without hesitation, chickens and fish are slaughtered in mass, but try and do the same with a dog or a horse and you’ll have people up in arms about the sanctity of life. They find it quite acceptable to eat intelligent animals like pigs, but teach that same pig how to paint, how to perform tricks, how to dance—they can learn, you know—and suddenly its soul becomes a little too big to destroy. A genius composer weeping over his music has a doubtlessly heavy soul, but who can even compare that to the drug-addled youth whose mind can barely grasp his own name?
“Mind you, I’m not saying that humans are correct in their imagined hierarchy of souls, merely that they believe it whether they like to admit it or not. The fact is that your average sea sponge can lead a more fulfilling life than a human who is always bitter about one thing or another. You have no idea how many complaints I’ve received about using the weighing ceremony to turn students away, but even the smallest souls have a chance to grow during their lives. Those which do nothing to add to their weight can hardly justify being alive at all. I’m sure a Chainer such as yourself can appreciate that.”
“I haven’t really thought about it,” Noah replied honestly. “I’ve never thought of myself as any more important than anyone else.”
“But you do still surround yourself with other Chainers,” The Matriarch said, opening the door onto the fifth floor.
“Maybe it’s just because I love them.”
“Ah ah ah, but would you still love them if they had shallow souls?”
“Id love them anyway, all the more because I only had one life with them instead of many,” Noah replied defiantly.
The Matriarch looked at him with either pity or disappointment, perhaps both. “This iteration of you is still young. You’ll know better when you get back to your old self. Come though, no matter. Let’s find out if your daughter is still thinking about you.”
Noah followed The Matriarch into the Whispering Room, his brow furrowed in thought. He didn’t like the way she had said that, as if there really was a chance that Mandy had forgotten him already.
The sight of the glowing blue circle chased away these bitter thoughts though, and bounding onto the dais he could hardly wait for the whispering to begin. The instant both his feet had crossed the line in the stone he was met by a wave of blue mist and those sweet words.
“My little boy looks so handsome in his new coat. Dad would have been so proud to see him now.”
And a moment later, Noah really did. The mist grew thicker and deepened to purple. It twisted sinuously in the air until two little hands were clearly visible. A moment later and Lewis’ face resolved from the air, scowling fiercely down at his generously padded winter jacket. Larger hands appeared, a woman—Mandy, it had to be Mandy—stuffing a warm red and black trooper hat lined with thick brown fur onto the boy’s head.
“Don’t like it,” Lewis muttered. “Wanna be cold.”
The red light of the circle was pulsing, growing brighter with each cycle. Lewis and the rest of the mist began swirling around Noah, distorting his image. The Matriarch stepped into the circle and laid her hand on Noah’s shoulder.
“You’re coming with me?” Noah asked, momentarily setback.
“Of course, I am. How else did you plan to get home, my silly bumpkin?” she replied patiently.
Noah had no time to protest. The swirling mist had turned to a storm, flashing around them so wildly that each image was torn apart the moment it had formed. The Matriarch clutched tightly to Noah’s shoulder, her long nails digging slightly through his t-shirt into his skin.
“Is Papa coming too?” Lewis asked. There he was in the flesh with bright red pudgy cheeks, right in front of Noah. The rest of the room spun into place as the mist dissipated in every direction.
“Papa isn’t…” Mandy began, her voice vaguely trailing off. She had her own winter coat on, caramel colored and padded with large black buttons down the front. A black cap was pressed onto her head that did little to hide her wispy golden hair sprouting out at all angles. She stared vacantly at Noah, her eyes not quite focusing, her brow lightly drawn.
They were standing in an unfamiliar modern house with great glass windows. Shining steel shone with harsh white light in the kitchen behind them, everything looking new and sterile and cold. Mandy turned away from Noah and refocused her attention on putting Lewis’ boots on.
“Your father is going to be home any minute, and he’ll expect you to be ready,” she said. “He doesn’t have much time tonight, so we mustn’t keep him waiting.”
“Mandy?” Noah asked, the word coming out as little more than a breath.
“Papa!” Lewis declared excitedly, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Noah only appeared to be a boy himself and looked almost nothing like the grandfather the boy once knew. Lewis rushed to Noah and tried to hug his legs, but he sailed straight through and tumbled to the ground.
“Enough with this silliness,” Mandy said sternly. She passed through Noah to force the second boot onto Lewis’ foot. “Papa is in the happy place, remember? He isn’t coming tonight.”
The Matriarch meanwhile had peeled off to snoop through the kitchen. Noah caught her eye for a moment, but she quickly looked away as though fascinated by the double oven.
“You can see me, can’t you Mandy?” Noah asked, louder this time. “I’m right here. I’m sorry that it’s taken me so long to visit and I know I don’t look like you remember, but just wait until you hear about…”
Mandy passed straight through Noah a second time on her way to the kitchen counter. She retrieved a sleek black purse with a golden buckle, her hands trembling slightly as she did so. She paused, looking lost as though she’d forgotten what she was doing. Then nodding to herself, she passed through Noah again and joined Lewis by the door.
“He should be here any minute,” Mandy said, her voice thin and strained. “Please stop wandering off.”
Lewis had been walking toward Noah once more, but Mandy had seized him by the shoulders and turned him back toward the door.
“Papa’s coming?” he repeated.
“No, baby,” Mandy said. “I want you to stop asking that.”
Noah squatted down to Lewis’ level and looked him in the eye. “I want you to tell your mother that my spirit is here, alright? I’ve come to spend Christmas with you both.”
“Mommy—” Lewis began.
“I heard him,” Mandy said sharply, her attention focused on the door. “He isn’t your Papa. Remember what your father said: only crazy people talk to spirits. We aren’t crazy, Lewis, and we won’t let anyone think that we are. Your father takes such good care of us, but he wouldn’t love crazy people. We aren’t crazy. We’re normal. Perfectly. Perfectly normal.”
The door opened and Barnes Horton stepped through smiling. His thick black beard made him look much older than when Noah had seen him last before Lewis was born. His dark hair was short and cleanly cut, and he wore a well fitted dark suit with a deep burgundy tie. Noah had seen zombies with more life in their eyes than his cold grey stare which didn’t alt
er in the least when his mouth smiled.
“Not waiting too long, I hope?” Barnes asked, swooping in to kiss Mandy. He then hoisted Lewis into the air, prompting the boy to giggle madly at his flight.
“We’d wait for you forever, dear,” Mandy replied smoothly. “Do lets hurry though. I feel like I’ve been cooped up in the house all week.”
“Forever isn’t nearly long enough,” Barnes said through his perfect teeth. “I would wait forever and a day.”
“Forever and two days!” Lewis squealed.
“I can wait here too,” Noah said from behind her. “I won’t touch anything—I can’t, obviously, but I won’t cause any problems. Then when he’s not around we can—”
“Enough waiting! Let’s all leave,” Mandy said, putting particular emphasis on the last word. “Please,” she added, casting Noah a glance for a fraction of a second.
“But Papa—” Lewis started to whine, barely getting the word out before Mandy gave his arm a tight squeeze. Barnes looked instantly suspicious as his mouth pressed into a hard, thin line.
“Peppa Pig and all your other cartoons can wait until you get home,” Mandy interrupted at once. “We’re going to enjoy Christmas Dinner with your other grandparents.” She avoided Barnes’ probing eyes and exited immediately, holding Lewis by the hand. Barnes swept the house with his grey eyes before turning to follow them out the door.
Noah felt like he was watching a dream, powerless to interact or even wake from the sight before him. He wanted to say something more, but by the time his wits had returned the door had already closed. He rushed toward it, but a hand on his shoulder caused him to lurch to a halt.
“Easy there,” The Matriarch said, her voice sweet and soothing. “It isn’t uncommon for the dead to carry the living longer than the living carry the dead. It isn’t your place to force a burden onto those who cannot bear the weight.”
