by Sean Stone
*
Victor was not surprised to find that WiccanWares was still open at this time of night. Alistair seemed to know when people would be coming and his shop was rarely closed. No doubt that was due to the abilities of his assistant, Katrina, who happened to be a seer. When he entered the shop he found Alistair not standing behind his counter, but sitting in one of the two armchairs in the opposite corner of the shop, a circular table that held a beautiful ornate sword, was between the two chairs.
"Victor, it has been a while since I had the pleasure of your company," Alistair said with a grin that doubled the creases on his aged face. Victor had always got on with Alistair. Maybe it was because they were both stuck being eternally old, as Alistair was immortal as well, not that he would share the secret of how with anybody. Alistair had been in town longer than Victor, he was here when Victor had arrived. How long he'd been in Cedarstone was another unsolved mystery.
"It has been some time," Victor said, then he noticed the chaser of blood on the table. "Is that for me?' he asked. Alistair had a supply of blood that tasted better than anything Victor had ever had. He used to visit just for the beverage. It truly was a luxury.
"Indeed it is. Join me."
Victor set himself in the free armchair and lifted the chaser. He held it under his nose, smelling it like a fine wine and then took a small sip. He had forgotten just how good it tasted. "I would dearly love to know where you get this."
"That is my secret."
"One of many," Victor smiled.
"Indeed." Alistair smiled back.
"That sword is exquisite," Victor said. "May I?"
"By all means."
Victor lifted the sword carefully, marvelling at how light it was in his hands. It looked like it was made of solid gold and yet it weighed barely more than a feather. The hilt was decorated with rare gems and the blade had what looked like Egyptian hieroglyphs etched into the surface.
"I'm preparing it for a client," Alistair explained. "It's been a while since it has seen use."
"It must be worth a high price."
"More than you could possibly imagine. I trust that this is not simply a social call?"
Victor took another sip of the blood and then placed the chaser gingerly on the table. "No. I don't know if you are aware of the ancient who has taken residence in the castle."
"Osiris? Yes, quite aware," Alistair said with a knowing look in his eye.
"I am looking for another ancient. One who I believe might be able to remove Osiris from town," Victor explained. "His name is Set."
There was a glint in Alistair's eyes at the mention of the name. "I have heard the stories of the two brothers," he said.
"Osiris said that Set is in town."
"Then why hasn't he gone after him?" Alistair asked, his brow furrowed.
"He's too weak to fight. He needs to regenerate fully before facing his brother."
"Ah, I see. So, what is I can do for you?"
"Can you tell me where Set is?" Victor asked. At least then they could cross one problem off their list.
"No," Alistair said, and Victor nearly choked in surprise. Alistair always had the answers.
"No?"
"I'm afraid I cannot."
"That's a shame. We could really use him against Osiris and now that he's weak it would be an ideal time for Set to strike," explained Victor.
"I imagine that a being as powerful as Set would know how weak Osiris is and where to find him. If he was choosing to lay low it would be because he had a plan of his own," Alistair said and for some reason, Victor thought that his words were the truth of it. Set was hiding away somewhere plotting a scheme of his own. But what? Still, Richie wanted answers and he would not accept the one Alistair had just given Victor.
Victor sighed loudly and looked around, desperately trying to think of something. "What about Katrina? She could try and see something?"
"No. Katrina has been through enough. Blinded by Nickolas. Exhausted sending Clara to another realm. I will not allow her to get caught up in business concerning ancients. I"m sorry, Victor, but I am keeping her firmly out of this one."
And that was that. Without Alistair's help, it was unlikely that they would be able to find Set. Even if they went door to door they wouldn't know if they'd found him. They had no idea what he looked like and he could change his face anyway. Victor picked up his drink and thought hard about how he was going to explain his failure to an already disappointed Richie.
*
CHAPTER SIX
Nick was just painting the eyes of his miniature model when Jamal burst into his study making him jump and he smudged black paint all over the model man's face. He took a deep breath and released it as he placed his paintbrush and model carefully down on his desk. He had spent hours toiling over the model, perfecting each detail and now he would have to start all over again.
"The coven is up to something," Jamal said. He slammed the door behind him and strode over to Nick.
"The people in this town are always up to something," Nick said. He'd learned long ago that wherever he went people were bound to be conspiring. Cedarstone was no different.
"They have a weapon to use against you," he said, still flustered.
"What weapon?" Nick said, suddenly more interested. There were few weapons that could cause him any real damage, but if they really had a weapon then they would need to be relieved of it.
"I don't know exactly. It might not be a weapon. But Adam Kent said they're working on something."
"Oh, they're always working on something," Nick said, waving his hand dismissively. He was definitely not going to get hot and bothered over a scheme devised by Adam Kent. The man was an imbecile. How he'd ended up ruling the coven was beyond Nick.
"Everybody is this time. The whole town, the vampires, the sorcerers and the werewolves have come together to find a way to stop us. We need to be more careful," Jamal insisted.
"We are being careful. Relax." Even together, Nick doubted the residents of Cedarstone could do much. No alliance they forged would last anyway. They were all too egotistical; incapable of working together.
"You didn't see the look in Adam's eyes. He has something useful. He's keeping it to himself for now, but once he's certain it will work he's going to bring everyone else in on it," said Jamal.
"And when he does we will put a stop to it," Nick said calmly. Unless his plan involved Kayla. Nick forced the thought from his mind. He stood up and crossed to the drinks cabinet. "We have worked too hard and come too far to fall into a frenzy now, Jamal." He poured two whiskies and returned to his desk, placing one on the desk before Jamal.
"I know, but I just… He seems so sure, so smug."
"It doesn't matter. We're too close to achieving our goal to lose our heads now. Even if he does have a weapon or something to use against us, his coven is not strong enough to fight us. We are the Thirteen."
"It's not just the coven. The pack, the clan and SIT will be standing with them."
"If there's one thing I've learned about this town it is that its people cannot build lasting alliances. They will not stand together for long. They never do," Nick said confidently.
"Don't forget the ancients, though," Jamal said.
"I hardly can."
"Did Kris and James get the sarcophagus?"
"It was a fake," Nick said, slightly irritated. The bloody thing had turned to dust the moment he'd touched it with magic.
"So are they looking for the real one?"
"No. It's a waste of time. The real one was probably taken by someone long ago. I have a new plan now. I'm just waiting for the right tools," Nick said. The new plan was far more dangerous than the old, but the gains would be far greater and far more satisfying."
"All these ancients in town. Maybe it would be better if we left and finished our plans elsewhere," Jamal suggested. Jamal was no coward which meant this was not about self-preservation. He was trying to protect Clara; he was worried that she'd get caugh
t up in the crosshairs. She was becoming a nuisance that Nick could do without. Constantly trying to find a way to kill him was one thing, but getting into the head of his right-hand man was quite another matter. He'd leave her for now but if Jamal got too close then she'd have to go.
"We need the ancients in order to complete our plan." Plus, Nick had run away when he was a boy and had made a vow to himself that he would not flee again.
1399
Nick woke up on land. He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was the canopy of trees above him. He was still sopping wet and as he sat up he felt his shirt, now covered with mud as well, cling to his back. His head felt like it was on fire, but otherwise, he seemed to be okay. He pushed into the dirt and managed to climb to his feet. All he could see was trees around him in every direction. Had he made it to France, or was he still in Britain? He could see patches of the night sky above him, but most of it was blotted out by the trees. If he could get to a position where he could find the north star then maybe he could get his bearings and find his way… He didn't know which country he was in, so finding his way anywhere was almost impossible, even with the north star. His best chance was to find his escorts; if they'd survived. They would know what to do. Looking about, he could see no wreckage from the ship. How had he managed to wash up here without even a single piece of the ship which he came on? Then he remembered that the wave had torn him from the ship. The ship might not even have crashed in the same place as Nick, the storm had been virulent enough to have sent both Nick and the ship in opposite directions. If that was the case then he was done for. He would not be able to survive alone, no matter where he was. He was an eleven-year-old boy with only basic combat skills. He couldn't even wield a sword yet. He was unable to defend himself. He had to get moving. His only chance of survival was to find some sort of civilisation and hope that he didn't come across any enemies.
He picked a direction and began walking. If he walked in a straight line for long enough then he was bound to find the edge of the forest. The problem was that it was pitch black amongst the trees and seeing his way was difficult, several times he walked into a tree or tripped on a root. Hours seemed to pass and still he had come no closer to the edge of the trees. What made the situation all the more eerie was the silence of the forest. There was no sound from any animals, nor even the slightest whistle of the wind. The trees remained perfectly still. The only sounds he heard were those made by himself. He had never experienced such a thing before.
After what seemed like a lifetime of wandering aimlessly in the dark, he finally succumbed to tiredness. He curled up at the base of a thick tree and fell quickly into sleep, hoping that when he awoke he would have better luck at navigating through the trees.
When he woke it was daytime, thankfully, and he could see more clearly. The forest was still dark because the tall trees blocked out most of the sun's light, but he could now see. What he saw was the most curious thing he had ever seen. Every single tree and every single leaf in the forest was black. Not dark, completely black. He took hold of the tree he'd been sleeping under and used it to pull himself up. He ripped off a piece of the bark and examined it, sure that it must be some kind of dye, but it was not. The tree really was black. He pulled off more and more of the bark until he reached gooey sap beneath and discovered that even that was black. At least he could take solace in the fact that he was most certainly not in England or any place in Britain. Not one that he had heard of anyway. No wonder he had been unable to see last night if the entire forest was black.
He looked around him to see if any part of the forest look like it might give way to open land, but he could see nothing and so he resumed his plan from the night before. He picked a direction and walked in as straight a line as possible. The forest was still silent and he made sure to kick up as much noise as possible as he walked just to make it less creepy. He hoped to at least find a stream of some kind to quench his rapidly increasing thirst, but it seemed that that was not to be. After an hour so of travelling he finally did.
"Thank heaven," he said upon finding that it was not black, but beautifully clear. He had dreaded that everything in the infernal forest would turn out to be black.
He noticed that although the water was flowing at a steady speed it was making no sound. Did that mean that other things in the forest could move silently also? Perhaps there was other life amongst the trees and he had simply not heard it. He put the thought from his mind and fell to his knees at the edge of the stream, scooping handfuls of water to his mouth and glugging it down greedily. He wished that he had a skin or something to store the water in, but all he had was the tattered clothes on his back. Once his thirst was satiated he eased up onto his knees, meaning to relax at the side of the stream for a while, and that's when he saw her. On the other side of the stream was a woman. She wore a simple light blue gown and had long flowing blonde hair. She looked young, no older than thirty, even younger perhaps. She looked at Nick with a focused yet kind gaze. Her eyes seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.
"Hello child," she said gently, her voice carrying across the water easily.
"Hello, my Lady," he said, not sure how he should address her. "Where am I?" he added, pulling himself to his feet.
"This is the Black Wood Forest," she answered simply. The place was imaginatively named.
"Is it England I am in, or France?" Nick asked, dreading the answer. The woman had an odd accent that gave nothing away as to her nationality.
"Neither. This is Elysium."
Elysium. One of the plains of the Greek afterlife. Nick's heart filled with despair. "So I am dead?" he asked, his voice cracking.
The woman smiled and shook her head. "No, child, you are alive. The dead have no business here. I named this place Elysium because it is a place of joy, as the Elysium in the Greek tales is said to be."
Nick exhaled loudly, releasing his brief sorrow with it. "I was afraid for a moment then."
"I saw. Why don't you tell me your name?" she asked.
"I am Nickolas," he was going to leave it at that, but then an odd feeling overcame him that made him feel he should be completely honest with the woman across the water. He should tell her the name that he had learned not too long ago himself. "Nickolas Fitzroy."
"Fitzroy? You are the son of a king?"
"Yes, not that it means anything. I am a bastard," He looked down with shame.
"Well, there are no kings nor bastards here, Nickolas. Your lineage is irrelevant. I am Kayla and this land is mine. There are no silly rules of law that force everyone to bow to one man. So long as you bring harm to no-one, you may do what you will. How did you come to be here?"
"There was a storm that wrecked the ship I was on. I woke up here."
She nodded. "Why don't you come with me, I can find you some clean clothes, feed you and bath you, and then we can discuss what you would like to do next."
Nick followed Kayla through the remainder of the trees and then across several fields. He was pleased to see that only the Black Wood Forest was black, and the field they walked through had grass as green as emeralds and beautiful varieties of flowers, some that he had never seen before, most in fact. The sun shone down brightly, adding to the beauty of the place. His damp rags quickly dried under the rays and he found the walk at least a little more comfortable.
"Is it not winter here?" Nick asked. The trees had all their leaves, flowers were blooming and the sun was so warm.
"No. Winter does not touch this land, it is summer always," said Kayla.
"How is that possible?" Nick asked.
"Magic." She said and Nick uttered a small laugh. She was obviously joking; nobody would admit so openly to being a witch.
"The rest of the people on my ship, have you found them?" Nick asked.
"Your ship has not washed up here. Believe me, I would have heard of it by now. Wherever your companions are, it is not here."
"Where could they be? Are we far from France?" he asked. They were in th
e Celtic Sea when the storm struck, so surely they had not been blown that far from their destination.
"I do not know where they are, Nickolas," she said, ignoring the latter of his questions. He decided not to push the matter. There were so many questions flooding his mind, but he was also tired and that inhibited his ability to focus on anything in particular. He put his questions aside for now and allowed Kayla to lead the conversation. She asked him about his journey and his aims and he told her everything. It seemed harmless to divulge the truth to her. Or maybe he just knew in his heart that Lord Edward's plan had been smashed to smithereens with the ship.
The fields of green came to an end and another forest began, this one with ordinary brown trees and green leaves much to Nick's delight. It was a much smaller forest than the Black Wood and after a short while they came out the other side where Nick saw a large stone building. It wasn't as tall as the tower of London, but it was twice as magnificent. It was carved out of white stone and the walls were completely patternless which somehow added to their beauty. Either side of the giant double doors, the walls were lined with towering pillars that ran up to the roof. Each pillar had the Egyptian Ankh symbol carved across its entire length. A great set of steps led up to the doors.
"What is this place? A temple?" Nick asked. He wondered if the church back in England would disapprove of him setting foot inside such a clearly unchristian building. He also did not understand why a place named after a Greek heaven had an Egyptian temple in it.
"This is my home. Like you, the villagers call it the temple," Kayla said. She stopped at the base of the steps, perhaps sensing Nick's reticence to go inside. "Do not worry, this temple was not built in worship of any god. Christian or otherwise. You are breaking no sacred vows by going inside."
