Mortiswood: Kaelia Awakening (Mortiswood Tales)

by Gina Dickerson

  Cassie nodded in understanding. ‘I have so much to tell you but first you’d better do whatever you can to save the man or I’m shooting the Dybbuk.’

  Kaelia held her hands outwards, palms facing the approaching figure. Pressing her thumbs side by side she emitted a bolt of ice-blue light. The man cried out as the light struck him and he crumpled to the ground. He writhed across the grass for a few moments then flipped onto his back, vibrating from head to toe.

  Kaelia raced over and dropped to his side. Placing her palms across his twitching chest, she willed the light to glow with restorative power. The man’s eyes flickered open and he moaned.

  ‘Will he survive?’ Cassie, shotgun safely cocked open over her forearm, peered down. ‘He smells.’ She crinkled her nose against the odour of wet leaves and earth hanging cloyingly around the man. ‘What’s wrong with his eyes?’

  Coal-black eyes glittered from the man’s face, his mouth curved in a sinister smile. ‘I win. You will come with me.’

  The man sprung from the floor with inhuman strength. His hands were extraordinarily heavy, pinning Kaelia to the ground by her shoulders. Saliva dripped onto her forehead, running into her eyes, stinging them. The Dybbuk inside the man’s body, laughed. Opening the mouth so wide the bottom jaw touched its chest, the human teeth elongated, forming ragged points. With a jerk of his head, the Dybbuk screeched and sunk its fangs into Kaelia’s neck.

  Kaelia screamed, pushing her hands against the possessed man’s chest but her light wouldn’t come. Her energy was depleting fast, something was inside her. Teeth tore into her neck for the second time and Kaelia tried to fire but she couldn’t find the strength. The mouth loomed above her again, then, with a crunch, Cassie stove in the side of the man’s head with the butt of her shotgun. Kaelia clutched at her neck. Blood filled her mouth and she spluttered, the warm, metallic liquid surging from her wounds and over her hands.

  The figure convulsed, lifting its half-caved-in head, and grinned maniacally. ‘I wasn’t supposed to taste you but you smell delicious. They all want to taste you.’

  Cassie hit the man with the gun over and over, pulping his head into the neatly cut grass. Kaelia barely registered the disturbing scene as she lost consciousness.

  ‘Kaelia!’ Cassie shook her awake. Her face was splattered with blood, the front of her summer-dress soaked crimson, and blood dripped from the gun in her hand. ‘Stay awake, I’ll have to call someone to see to your wounds. Don’t try healing yourself. You’ve been poisoned.’

  Kaelia struggled to even blink. All of her energy had deserted her; she barely had enough to breathe let alone revive herself. A fresh rush of unconsciousness consumed her and she slipped gratefully into its warm embrace.

  * * *

  Some distance away in the fields which rolled from Cassie’s cottage to the cliffs, the wolf slunk closer. Its nostrils twitched. Blood hung heavy in the air, tantalising animal instinct and teasing the creature into licking its lips. Its huge paws made no sound as it followed the blood scent, loping easily over the land.

  * * *

  Darkness had descended by the time Kaelia regained consciousness. The curtains were half-open and from her position on her bed, Kaelia saw the evening was clear and the stars bright. She experimentally moved her head, wincing against the pain but it wasn’t as bad as she had anticipated. Gradually, she eased upright and dropped her legs over the edge of the bed before padding, barefoot, to the mirror on the wall opposite the window.

  Her complexion was lighter than usual against the vibrancy of her hair, her eyes more sunken, and her lips faded into paleness.

  ‘You’re awake.’ A male voice from the doorway disturbed her.

  Kaelia span around sharply, yelping as a flash of pain tore at her neck in protest. The coarse material of the bandage itched her and she scratched at it, desperate to unravel it. ‘Why does it itch so much?’

  ‘It’s the remedy working its magic. Allow me to help you. Lift your hair up.’ Strong fingers deftly unwound the bandages. Piercing, cornflower blue eyes crinkled within his tanned face as the young man smiled. His blond hair was fashionably cut and he wore a fitted top with the long sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing muscular forearms prickled with blond hairs.

  ‘Who are you?’

  ‘Calix. I’m the one who will teach you to ride the motorbike your grandmother bought you for your birthday.’ He finished unwinding the bandages and gestured for Kaelia to return to the mirror to see her wounds. ‘I dressed the wound with something for the pain. Maybe, when you feel stronger, you could try to heal yourself.’

  Kaelia’s fingers butterflied to her neck. A piece of flesh was missing, not much but enough, and the edges of the wounds were peeled back and raw. Trails of black veins tattooed her neck, disappearing under the collar of her dress. ‘What are these?’

  ‘Poison tracks,’ Calix replied. ‘The remedy I applied should flush the evil out but it may take a few days. Come downstairs. Cassie’s cooking us something to eat and I’m hungry. You need to regain your energy.’

  Kaelia followed him downstairs and into the warm kitchen. The scent of basil and roasted tomatoes made her stomach rumble. ‘You’re a friend of my grandmother’s? How do you two know each other?’

  Cassie, stirring a saucepan on the hob, turned. ‘My darling!’ Abandoning the cooking, she raced to Kaelia and flung her arms around her, smothering her granddaughter’s face with kisses. ‘Calix has repaired my little old car on many occasions.’

  Kaelia’s eyes widened. ‘You called a mechanic to heal me? I’m not a machine!’

  Cassie laughed. ‘Calix is far more than a mechanic. He has a gift too, like you.’

  ‘You do?’ Kaelia dropped into a seat at the table, exhausted after standing even for a short while.

  Calix pulled out the chair opposite. ‘I wouldn’t call it a gift. Not compared to yours if what your grandmother’s told me is anything to go by. I’m more of a physician of old; I use potions and herbs to prepare remedies to help people.’

  ‘Against evil.’ Kaelia reached for an apple and bit into it. The piece stuck in her throat, she coughed it back up and spat it out.

  Calix nodded, a smile playing on his face. ‘Mostly.’

  ‘Don’t be so modest.’ Cassie placed steaming bowls of soup on the table for the three of them. ‘There’s no-one I know who can do what you do, Calix. Your father passed his knowledge to you. He was such a great man.’ She didn’t notice Calix’s face freeze at the mention of his father. ‘If you hadn’t arrived when you did, I dread to think what would’ve happened to Kaelia. You saved her life.’

  Calix studied his soup.

  Kaelia smiled. ‘Thank you.’

  Calix’s eyes were moist when he raised them. ‘I’m glad to have been able to save The Chosen One.’

  ‘Don’t call me The Chosen One. I don’t want to be The Chosen One!’ Kaelia recoiled, then, from the corner of her eye she glimpsed something outside the window. Without a further word she raced from the kitchen and sped into the garden, not hearing Cassie’s and Calix’s confused shouts.

  The ground was cold but Kaelia didn’t notice, her heart fluttered inside her chest, her bare feet skimming the neatly clipped blades of grass with the pace at which she moved. She couldn’t explain the burning emotion controlling her. Something pulled at her and she had no choice but to follow the direction she was compelled to take.

  At the cottage door, Calix called after her but Kaelia’s ears were closed. She glanced back, surprised at how far she had run. Calix was but a mere shadow against the light spilling out from the cottage. She dipped her head and surged forwards, leaping into the fields and speeding towards the shoreline.

  * * *

  Kaelia was out of breath when she slowed and picked her way down the slippery, narrow path windingly cutting through chalk cliffs to the beach below. At the last section she lost her footing and slid painfully down on her bottom until she tumbled onto the beach. Along the shoreline waves
crashed against jagged rocks protruding from damp sand. The smell of seaweed and salty dampness prickled Kaelia’s nose, and stringy clumps of kelp squelched under her feet, oozing between her toes but Kaelia ignored the sliminess and pressed on.

  The moon, the only light in the sky for streetlights were not plentiful on the Isle of Stone, cast a disjointed reflection on the swirling, midnight-blue water. The sand was too dark in its wetness to see clearly so Kaelia held a palm out, radiating a mixed blue, orange, and red glow to illuminate the way forward. Under the beam of light, large paw prints were clear to see. They led a trail along the beach, heading towards the sea. Kaelia followed the prints, a glimmer of unexpected hope igniting within her.

  Passing under a chalk arch borne between two sections of tall, white cliff, Kaelia froze. Her light wavered before extinguishing. ‘I knew the paw prints were too big to belong to a dog.’

  Amber eyes glowed from bedraggled, damp fur. Head hunched low, the creature advanced, a soft growl rumbling.

  Kaelia stood firm. ‘I’m not afraid,’ she said, more to reassure herself than as a statement. ‘I know you remember me.’

  The wolf was in front of her in a flash, its wet fur emitting a damp, wet-dog smell. The amber eyes narrowed to slits before the creature noisily sniffed Kaelia. It pressed its huge muzzle against her bare feet then trailed its nose up her legs until it reached her shoulders where the poison tracks ended. Kaelia trembled but bravely kept as still as possible.

  ‘Hey!’ Calix’s voice boomed from across the sand. ‘Leave her alone!’

  The wolf peered around Kaelia, erupting into a ferocious torrent of rapid howls.

  ‘It’s okay,’ Kaelia lowered her voice to soothing tones. ‘Calix is a friend; he helped me today after a Dybbuk bit me.’ She willed the wolf to understand and a question flashed through her mind; why was the wolf here now and why hadn’t it appeared when she could have used the help?

  The wolf wound around her, its damp fur smearing against her exposed legs. A low grumble resonated from its throat, vibrating through Kaelia’s entire body. It paced around her, never taking its eyes off of Calix.

  ‘Leave her!’ Calix raised the shotgun he was carrying, stumbled over a protruding lump of chalk and accidentally set the gun off. The bullets whizzed across the beach and smashed into the cliff face, sending shards of chalk flying.

  The noise startled Kaelia into action. ‘Go!’ she screamed to the wolf.

  The wolf ceased pacing and stretched to its full height, ignoring Kaelia’s instruction.

  ‘Didn’t you hear me?’ Kaelia boldly pushed at the creature, her hands sinking into its soggy fur. ‘You must leave now. Run!’

  The wolf shuddered underneath Kaelia’s hands, twisted and bounded off in the opposite direction of Calix. Across the other side of the cove, Calix reloaded and fired the shotgun. Kaelia watched in horror as the bullets shot past her in the direction of the wolf. In slow motion it made contact with the wolf’s rear leg, blood spurting upon impact, and the wolf howled. Kaelia screamed, clasping her hands to her face, her knees buckled and she hit the wet sand at the same time the wolf fell.

  ‘You’re okay.’ Calix’s strong grip squeezed her shoulder.

  Kaelia’s palms burned with her power and she jumped to her feet, much to Calix’s surprise. Wet sand kicked up behind her as she ran faster than she ever had in her whole life.

  ‘No!’ Calix shouted. ‘What are you doing? Don’t be stupid, it can still hurt you!’

  Kaelia, one step away from the wolf, which was lying on the sand and growling in agony, ignored him. ‘I can heal you,’ she whispered to the wolf.

  Its yowls cut into her heart, leaving behind a verbal scar. The wolf lifted its giant head as Kaelia collapsed onto the sand beside it. Its amber eyes were pained and it shuddered under Kaelia’s touch.

  Calix, running across the bay at a less vigorous pace, screamed, ‘Don’t touch it, have you lost your mind?’

  Ignoring Calix, Kaelia concentrated on releasing healing, orange-red light. Although her hands shook, she spoke soothingly to the wolf, trying to sound more confident than she felt. ‘I won’t let you die.’

  Her hands were sticky with the wolf’s blood but the orange-red light was unhindered as it pulsated into the wolf’s wound. The creature’s groans lowered to whimpers. The bullet twisted and turned its way out of the wolf’s flesh, rolled across the wolf’s thigh and dropped onto the sand beside Kaelia, tricking the eye into thinking it was nothing more than a glistening ruby-red gemstone.

  ‘You’re completely nuts!’ Calix panted, his piercing eyes saucer-surprised wide. ‘I can’t believe you’re touching that thing!’

  Kaelia, still concentrating on healing the wolf’s wounds, shook her head. ‘I’m not the one who’s nuts. You’re the one who shot him when you didn’t need to.’

  ‘Him?’ Calix asked in amazement. ‘What do you mean him? It’s an it not a him.’

  Kaelia lessened her light as the wolf’s breathing returned to normal and the edges of the wounds began to seal together. Without even thinking, Kaelia flung herself against the creature, her mouth close to its ear and whispered into it, tasting the salt of the seawater that clung to the wolf’s fur. ‘You must go.’

  ‘You have lost your mind!’ Calix grabbed the back of Kaelia’s dress and hoicked her backwards. ‘Such a beast could crush your skull with one bite!’

  The wolf, its wound now nothing more than a slight gash, twisted and sprung to its paws, lips curled back exposing fierce, pointed fangs. Calix raised the gun once more but Kaelia threw herself in front of it.

  ‘Let him go!’ Kaelia cried. ‘He hasn’t done anything wrong!’

  Calix shook his head. ‘It’ll come back for you. Again and again until it kills you. It’s what they do, they’re hunters, Kaelia.’

  ‘He won’t hurt me!’

  The wolf howled, menacingly low.

  Calix, not taking his eyes off the hunched creature, refused to lower the gun. ‘It’s not an ordinary wolf; it’s too large. I think it’s a Vallesm.’

  Kaelia shrugged. ‘I don’t know what a Vallesm is but if this wolf is one of them, then they can’t be all bad.’

  ‘Are you joking? Vallesm wolves are the worst kind. Rumour has it they stalk and play with their victims for days. I thought the last of their kind died out in this country over a decade ago. I don’t understand what one is doing here right now.’

  With a flick of its tail, the wolf shot off, disappearing into the darkness. Kaelia heaved a sigh of relief and with it expelled the last of her energy, wilting onto the sand.

  Calix shook his head. ‘You made a huge mistake saving that thing.’ He bent down and lifted Kaelia into his arms. ‘You’re obviously too kind.’

  Struggling, Calix carried Kaelia back across the bay and up the winding chalk-path to the fields above. Kaelia, eyes drooping, struggled to speak. ‘You’re kind too, this is the second time you’ve helped me in one day.’

  ‘It’s because you’re special.’

  Kaelia, drifting into sleep, pondered if Calix thought her special because she was The Chosen One. The same words, “You’re special” echoed in her foggy mind, followed by “I love you”, words spoken with Bay’s voice.

  A solitary tear pierced out from the corner of her right eye as sleep washed over her. The glistening teardrop trailed to her mouth where it slipped between her lips. For a moment, the corners of her mouth lifted in a contented smile and she dreamed.

  The damp grass licked her bare ankles as she raced across the wide expanse. The air was stuffy, sticky. She was wearing short denim shorts with leggings underneath and a loose jumper that hung off one shoulder. Pushing the sleeves of the jumper up to her elbows, she ran through Northdown Park, past the play-area, through the copse of trees, and back towards the library. The cry of foxes and the roar of a speeding motorbike spliced through the otherwise quiet of the night. The moon was clearly visible and a faint drizzle of rain fell from the sky. Droplets settle
d atop Kaelia’s hair, glistening water-diamonds.

  ‘Are you here?’ she hissed.

  Leaves of the nearby trees rustled in the wind. The call of the foxes sounded again, closer this time and somewhere further along the road from the park, a dog barked in response.

  ‘Hello?’ Kaelia tried again, a little louder this time.

  A twig snapped. Kaelia struggled to see clearly.

  ‘Boo!’

  ‘Aaarrgghh!’ Kaelia screamed, jumping out of her skin as she was knocked to the ground.

  ‘Gotcha!’ Bay laughed. He rolled on top of her and pushed her hair from her face before smothering her with hot, firm kisses. ‘You wanted me to catch you, admit it!’

  Kaelia hooked her hands around the back of his neck and stretched up to meet his lips with hers. ‘Of course I did,’ she murmured, her lips brushing his with each word. ‘I can’t keep meeting you so often at night.’

  Bay’s smile turned upside down. ‘Why not?’

  ‘My mum’s bound to wake up one time and realise I’m not at home. I know I’m not a kid but she worries about me.’

  Bay’s touch was gentle under her chin. ‘I worry about you. I can’t believe you forgot something so important. You should be worrying about why your mum’s disappeared. Are you sure you’re okay, is the stress of trying to find her too much for you?’

  Kaelia awoke with a start. Her head bounced against Calix’s chest. It was difficult to open her eyes, she was so tired but the dream had felt so real. Pressing her lips together it was as if she could taste Bay, the tang of his lips lingered on hers. No, she told herself, it was another dream because she was missing both him and her mother. He had been taken before her mother had disappeared, he would never have known about her disappearance. She was making the dream-Bay speak words, the words she would want to hear from him if he were still here. Her head lolled and this time it was unconsciousness, not a dream, which claimed her.