“Oh, sorry. The healing does that, sometimes,” he said absently.
“Healing?” She looked at him with a frown.
“Uh…”
“It’s okay, we’ll worry about that later. What do we do now?”
“I was thinking, that farmhouse. I don’t know, I just think…I have a feeling about it. Let’s go back there and check it out.” He looked out the window. “The sun’s going to set soon. We need to get out there and then back to the rest stop to meet Dad and Uncle Bobby.”
“The farmhouse it is,” she said, getting up and walking around the car. She slid into the driver’s seat. “I’ll just drive till that pill starts to work. Is that okay?”
“Good plan.” Galen said, leaning back and sipping the soup.
When they pulled up at the farmhouse. Galen had the feeling they were being watched. He couldn’t shake it as Rhiannon helped him out of the car. He scanned the area in the front of the house but it was empty. “This is probably a waste of time, I don’t know why I thought there was something here,” he said as Rhiannon came up beside him.
“You thought you heard Rob when we were here last night,” she said with a shrug. “This is a good place to start.”
Galen smiled at her and walked to the house. He opened the door to the house and stopped. Incense, he could smell incense. Galen walked into the room just inside the door.
There was a door to the right, and an archway into the main house to the left. He walked to the archway and stopped, turning back. The scent of the incense was stronger on the other side of the room. He walked over to the door and opened it, there was a flight of stairs. He paused, just at the edge of his awareness he thought he heard a sigh, the soft rush of air from something’s lungs. The sigh carried a feeling of sick pleasure and the scent of death with it.
“Galen? There’s no one around outside,” Rhiannon said.
“Smell that?” He looked at her. “Someone’s been here. I think they were downstairs.”
Galen walked carefully down the steps. He didn’t want to take the chance of a fall. At the bottom of the stairs he paused. There was a room at the end of the hallway and he knew. “Rob?” he called softly. He ran down the hall and pushed open the door.
“Oh no,” he whispered. “Oh gods.” The soup came up, he leaned over, the wound in his side pulling as he vomited. He felt Rhiannon’s hand on his back.
When he was finished he walked into the small room. There was blood everywhere. Someone had drawn symbols, they looked like the ones from Megan’s pictures, on the walls. They were drawn in blood, and Galen knew without a doubt whose blood it was.
Suddenly he was filled with rage. It was white-hot, blinding him. It cancelled out everything else. The pain of the wound in his side, the broken rib, his head, the bruises covering his body—all gone, replaced by the all-consuming, blinding rage. No, I have to get control of myself. One of the first lessons of a Keeper, use the rage, but don’t let it control you. That leads to mistakes, costly mistakes. I have to control it. He took a deep breath and tried reaching out for his brother. “Rob?” he whispered. Nothing, just a fuzzy reflection of pain and fear. “Some of this blood’s still fresh. He can’t be far.” Galen turned to Rhiannon. “I need to let him know I’m here.”
“How?”
“Go to the car. There’s a can of gas in the back. Bring it back here. We’re burning this place.” His voice was so soft, it surprised him.
He heard her walk back down the hallway. Galen stood in the middle of the room. He was here. I know he was here. When? Last night? Was I this close? Oh, gods, was I this close? He looked at the symbols on the walls. He found Rob’s jeans in the corner, picked them up and held them against his chest for a moment.
“Here, Galen.” Rhiannon was back with the gas can. Galen took it from her and poured it around the room. He wasn’t sure if the whole house would burn, he hoped it would but he had to destroy that room. His instinct was to burn it, remove the traces of the rituals that had been performed there. It wasn’t much, but it was something, and he hoped it would help slow the ritual set for that night.
“Go upstairs, I’ll be right there.” He took out his lighter and dropped it on the gas and ran up the stairs. He heard the fuel in the room light with a whoosh. Within minutes the whole place was ablaze. Galen reached out to his brother. “I’m coming Rob, just hold on a little longer.”
“Galen?” He thought he heard his brother answer.
“We need to get to the rest stop to meet your father and uncle,” Rhiannon said, walking up beside him where he was standing watching the house burn.
“You’re right. Wait! What’s that?” Galen thought he saw something. He walked to the edge of the clearing around the house. His heart started pounding. There were fresh footsteps leading down a trail into the woods. “I think they’re on foot, headed back to that clearing we found earlier.”
“Galen, you can’t be sure.”
Galen stopped by the trail and rested a hand on a tree, reaching out for his brother. “Rob, they took Rob this way. I know it. I can’t explain how, but I know. I have to go. I can’t leave him this time.” He ran back to the car. Rhiannon had left the back open. He grabbed a shotgun and a sword, and turned to her. “Take my car. Dad will be looking for it, it was a gift. Bring him to that clearing. That’s where the final ritual is. That’s why they found Megan up the trail from there.”
“Galen, you can’t go alone.”
“No, you have to go get them. I know there’s something else. I have a feeling killing this thing won’t be easy. I need them there, but I have to go after Rob.” He was nearly crazed with the need to follow the trail into the forest. “Please. My father’s name is Parry. Please.”
“Okay, Galen. I’ll hurry. Get to your brother. Save him.” She pulled him into her arms and kissed him gently on his forehead. “Save him, Galen.”
“I will.” He ran down the trail into the dark woods.
The trail wound around through the old growth forest. It was dark, almost as if it were already night. Galen knew the sun was going down. He thought he must be getting close. There, he could hear chanting. Suddenly the forest was filled with terrible screams. Galen’s heart was pounding. No. That’s not Rob. That’s not his voice. He ran a little further and thought he could see light through the trees.
“Rob! Rob! Answer me! Rob?” he shouted, holding his breath he waited for a response.
“Galen! I’m here!” Rob’s shout answered him.
Relief washed over him. “I’m coming Rob! Hang on!” He started towards the break in the trees. Something blocked his path, racing at him. He felt the man connect with him, the fist drove into Galen’s side where the knife wound was, and he dropped to his knees.
“You’re going to pay for trying to stop this,” the man said.
Galen looked up at him. It was one of the men from the diner parking lot. “I don’t really have time for this,” Galen said, trying to stand. He noticed the sword lying on the ground beside him, the shotgun was just out of his reach. He moved his hand towards the hilt of his sword.
The man walked towards him. “I’d kill you right now, but I think you should get to watch what’s going to happen to that little shit first.” He grabbed Galen and hauled him to his feet. Galen swung the sword, not intending to kill, the flat of the blade connected with the side of the man’s head and he dropped. Galen took one last look at him before he ran in the clearing.
He reached the edge of the ring of trees. There were people standing inside the ring, the altar was covered with a purple and red cloth, two golden cups rested on the cloth. From one of the trees hung something that looked like a side of beef, Galen realized it was what was left of a human being.
From the other tree…
“Rob!” The thing was standing in front of his brother. He could smell the rotten dead scent of it. It had a hand on Rob. His brother was moaning in pain and covered in blood.
Galen raised the shotgun and fi
red at the thing. It pulled back from Rob towards the altar. Galen ran to the tree, madly scraping the symbols from around the base of the tree with his foot, hoping he was doing enough to destroy them. He reached up and took Rob’s weight and cut the rope.
“Galen?” Rob eyes fluttered open.
“I’m here, Rob. I’m here,” he said, frantically trying to get the symbols off of his brother. He could sense the thing moving behind him.
“No!” Someone grabbed him and pulled him away from Rob. It was a large bearded man. “You can’t stop the ritual.”
The man raised a fist and swung. It connected, and Galen saw stars. He must have fallen, the man leaned over him and wrapped his hands around Galen’s throat. He couldn’t breathe, and knew he didn’t have long. Suddenly the pressure released. Galen took a gasping breath. The man was screaming, clawing at his own throat. A large safety pin was sticking out of the side of his neck. Rob was standing behind the man with grin on his face. “Got him,” Rob said.
“Good job, Brat.” Galen hit the man with the butt of the shotgun “Rob! Look out!” The thing had come back and grabbed his brother. Galen watched in horror as Rob screamed in pain and then collapsed. The thing started dragging Rob towards the woods.
“No!” Galen dove at his brother. He grabbed the thing, his hands sinking into rotting flesh. It turned on him. He fired the other barrel of the shotgun. It still had Rob in its claws. Galen grabbed his brother’s arms and the thing reached a hand out towards Galen. Pain—like nothing he’d ever experienced—filled his chest. He heard himself scream, but he was still trying to pull Rob away from it.
“Keeper,” it sighed, pleasure in the sigh, “the other half.” Something twisted in Galen’s chest, a shaft of pain stabbed into his brain. “Wait,” it said. “I know this, I know you.”
Out of the corner of his eye he saw the waitress, Ashley, dressed in red robes. She stood up from where the bearded man had fallen. She had a knife in her hands, walking towards where Galen was struggling with the thing.
“You don’t get to stop this,” she said, raising the knife to throw at him. Suddenly she was screaming. Rhiannon landed on her like a tiger, tearing the knife away. Galen saw the wild feral smile on Rhiannon’s face before he looked away.
The thing was tearing at him, pulling Rob away from him. He was trying desperately to hang on through the pain and the blood that was now half-blinding him.
“Galen! Down!” his father yelled. Galen pulled Rob away from the thing, trying to get out of the line of his father’s shot. Something exploded over his head. The thing turned and ran towards the forest, his father and uncle right behind it.
Seconds later a horrible scream echoed around the clearing. It was terrifying. It sounded triumphant. It wasn’t human. Galen heard his father’s shout. It was a wild sound. “Got the bitch!”
Galen was on his knees, holding Rob against his chest. There was no life in his brother. “Rob! No!” He tried to hold Rob’s head up, Galen’s hand on was resting on his cheek. “Rob? Come on.” Galen focused the healing into his brother, he felt the light flowing out of him, felt it tugging at his own life. He stayed focused on Rob.
Suddenly Rob coughed and took a shuddering breath. “Galen?” Rob whispered, Galen pulled away long enough to look at his brother. Rob’s eyes opened and met his, with a smile. “Galen?”
“Rob,” he pulled his brother back against him.
“I knew you’d come, Galen,” Rob whispered, his arms going around Galen.
“Yeah, Rob.” Galen felt his body give way. The combination of the wounds, and the energy he had expended in healing Rob, had taken a toll. He fell to the side.
“Galen! Galen!” Rob said, grabbing his hand. “Hang on, I’ll get Dad.” Galen held on to Rob’s hand. He was not about to let go. “Dad! Dad!” He heard Rob shouting. “Uncle Bobby!”
“Galen? Hang on,” Rhiannon’s voice came from beside him. She sounded panicked.
Someone was trying to pull Rob away. Galen held on. “No, Rob, no,” his voice sounded like it was coming from a long way away.
“It’s okay, Galen. It’s me. I’ve got him, it's okay. I've got your brother,” his uncle said, his voice, calm as always. “It’s okay, Galen, Parry’s coming.”
Someone was pushing against him, against his chest. It hurt. He could hear Rob crying, his uncle comforting Rob. “Galen, Dad’s coming.” That was Rob’s voice, he was still holding onto Galen’s hand.
“Hang on, Galen,” his father said.
Galen tried to struggle back to Rob. He had to know his brother was alright, he tried to reach out, but the healing left him drained. “Rob? Is he okay? Dad?” Galen asked, unable to move. His senses were beginning to dim. It was getting hard to breathe.
“Galen? Rob’s okay. Bobby’s got him. It’s going to be fine.” He felt his father’s hands on his chest and head. “I’ve got you.” Warm flowed out from the touch, lighting the dark spots of the wounds in his body, calming the pain the thing had started when it grabbed him. “Relax. Let go,” his father said gently.
Galen listened, and obeyed. There was a moment more of pain and then the soft nothing of healing sleep.
Chapter Eleven
“I thought you were dead,” Rob said softly.
“I thought I was, too,” Galen chuckled.
‘“No, Galen,” Rob’s voice was barely audible. “I thought you were dead. I thought you’d died there for a moment.” Galen looked over at his brother. Rob was trembling, his face white as he looked down at his hands.
“Rob?” Galen curled his hand around his brother’s arm, aware of the pain, the anguish those moments had caused. “I wasn’t dead.”
“I know, but didn’t, not just then. I thought you were.”
“But Dad and Uncle Bobby were there.”
Rob looked at him, his eyes haunted. “When I first saw you come into the clearing during the ritual…” Rob swallowed. “And you cut me down, I…Galen…”
“Rob? What is it?”
Rob sighed. “I was so glad, but then I was scared, you looked…then I thought you died.”
“Uh, Rob?"
"Yeah, Galen?"
"You aren’t actually making a lot of sense, you know,” Galen said.
His brother looked up at him. “You were there, that was the most important thing. That was what mattered at first. But then...But, you…Dad was…Uncle Bobby was…”
“Rob?”
“I think it was the moment when I was sure you were dead. Your hand went limp, like in the movies, you know? Uncle Bobby was scared, that calm but scared thing he did, but Galen…” Rob trailed off.
“What is it? Dad was there, you were okay. Rob what’s wrong?” he said, trying to comfort his brother. “Dad was just…”
Rob looked at him, tears at the edges of his eyes, the memories reflected in haunted blue eyes. He swallowed. “Galen—Dad was crying. They both were.”
“Oh, gods, Rob. All I thought was you were safe. I should have stayed with you a little longer. I tried.”
“I remember…” Rob paused and looked away, across the room. “I remember I asked if you were dead. Dad looked up with a smile and said no, he’d just put you into a healing sleep so you could get all the way better. I was still frightened, I wasn’t used to people telling me the truth about things like that. My adoptive parents told me my hamster had run away when it’d actually died. So I was still unsure.
“Uncle Bobby let me go, so I could get closer and see that you were okay. The affects of the incense were wearing off and I could ‘see’ you a little better. Dad assured me you were going to be okay, but he was still crying, so was Uncle Bobby and then I realized…”
“It was for you?” Galen said softly.
“I think so. Uncle Bobby held me and Dad put his hand on my head. It was the first time he healed me, it was always you before. It felt different, you know. I remember the pain leaving, and I tried to stay awake to make sure you were okay, but I couldn’t.”
“Galen,” Rob said quietly, looking at him. “Even then you were…”
“What?” Galen asked, puzzled.
“You were always stronger than Dad. And your ‘touch’ is different somehow.”
“No.” Galen said softly. “Dad was…”
“Galen, don’t you realize?” Rob put his hand on Galen’s arm. “It’s true, you…When you heal, you ‘look’ different, too.” Galen was shaking his head, trying to deny it. “And you know Dad couldn’t have…”
“No.” Galen pushed himself up, trying to shove the memory away. He ran a hand across his face, and carefully put the sword on the bed. The scar picked that moment to twist, hard, Galen gasped, trying to catch his breath. The voice was back, whispering to him. He felt Rob’s hand on his back, and focused on the warmth of his brother’s hand, using the contact to slow the twisting of the wound. “I’m okay,” he said quietly.
“Right,” Rob said softly, supporting him as the pain continued. “Can I get you something? The red bottle? It’s right here.” Rob’s hand left his back for a moment, and the bottle was pressed into his hand. Galen took a sip and waited, the pain backed off a tiny bit, the voice stilled. “Is it usually like this?” Rob asked.
Galen opened his eyes and looked at his brother. “No. Usually it just wakes up and twists.”
“Wakes up?”
“It’s quiet most of the year, it’s only really bad around…” Galen sighed. “Sorry, nice homecoming.”
“Homecoming,” Rob’s voice was wistful.
“Rob?” Galen winced as the scar twisted. “Let’s get a cup of coffee and something to eat.” He sensed they both needed a break from the past.
“Yeah.” Rob turned to leave, and they both came face to face with Mike standing in the door. The doctor was pale.
“Mike?” Galen looked at his friend.
The Legacy: A Custodes Noctis Book Page 14
