The Legacy: A Custodes Noctis Book

by Muffy Morrigan

  “Where’s my brother? Galen?” She looked down at him. Her eyes were sad, they seemed to say sorry. “Where’s Galen?” He reached out for his brother, Galen was still asleep, but there was something wrong with it, it didn’t feel soft anymore, it had an odd gray tinge to it.

  “Rob, lie down.” His father pushed him gently back into the bed. “You have to be careful. You need to heal.”

  Rob looked at his father. He doesn’t sound right, he doesn’t “look” right. What’s wrong? “Why won’t you tell me about Galen? The nurse said…” He was fighting his father’s hands.

  “Rob,” his father looked at him, stern, then his eyes softened. “Okay, but you have to promise you’ll lie still, okay?”

  Rob stopped. “Dad?” He took a deep breath. “What’s wrong?”

  His father kept a hand on his shoulder, there was none of the special, familiar warmth in the touch, just a hand. Rob shifted a little. It didn’t feel right. “He’s very sick right now.”

  Rob knew what that meant. It was the way adults told little kids someone was dying. “Dad?” Rob looked at his father. There were tears on Parry’s face. “But, Dad, you said Galen was okay, you said we could leave when he got up.” He paused, trying to stay calm. Something was very wrong with his father. “I’m thirteen now, about to start my training, you can tell me more than that.”

  His father sighed and smiled. “You’re right, Rob.” Parry sat on the bed. “Galen isn’t in very good shape right now.”

  “I thought you said he was okay. Dad, I saw you heal him, what happened?”

  “Heal?” His father looked at him with a frown on his face. “Heal? You’re right. I…” Parry blinked twice and for a moment Rob thought he saw something moving in his father. “He’s in ICU right now.”

  “Can I see him?”

  “Not yet. You need to stay in bed, Rob. You were hurt pretty bad.”

  “I need to see Galen.”

  “No,” his father’s voice was sharp.

  “Dad? How bad am I hurt? Will I be okay?”

  His father sighed. “Yes, Rob, you’re going to be okay. They said you’d get better, all the way better. You need some treatment, but you should be fine. You might have a few scars, but hopefully not all that many.” His father looked a little sick as he tried to smile at Rob.

  “Treatment? Can’t you just fix it, Dad?”

  “Me?” Parry blinked, confused. “No, you need something to help with the pain. The doctor said you needed treatment.”

  “Dad? What’s wrong?” Something was definitely wrong with his father. Even though the drugs were in his system, Rob knew something was wrong. “Dad?”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t even realize how bad you were until you blacked out, Rob. They had those ritual bandages on you, and the shirt. And I didn’t realize how bad it really was.” He broke off with what sounded like a sob. The look he gave Rob was sad. It made his father look old, defeated. His eyes were bright with tears.

  “But Dad, you fixed it there, you helped me there,” Rob insisted.

  “What?”

  “Dad?” Rob looked at his father and sighed. I need to talk to Galen, something’s wrong. First Dad says we can go home, now he says Galen is in ICU. And now he doesn’t even remember healing me?

  “Now, you need to sleep. The nurse will give you something, and you need to sleep.”

  “Why can’t you help me sleep?” Rob said a little desperately, afraid of what was happening. “Can I see Galen when I wake up?”

  “No, Rob, but maybe later, tomorrow.”

  “Dad, I need to see him, only for a minute. At least tell me what room he’s in.”

  “Rob,” his father said quietly. The nurse came back in the room, Rob looked at her, there was something wrong with her, she had black spots around her, like Ashley the waitress. “Okay, he’s in 415, just down the hall.”

  “Room 415?” Rob was starting to get dizzy again.

  He was alone in his room when he woke up. It was quiet. He could hear a TV coming from another room, further down the corridor. The window was dark. He looked up at the ceiling. It had the kind of tiles that were full of small holes. He smiled, remembering when he’d had his tonsils out when he was seven. Galen had come to California to be with him and sat with him all day.

  When the time had come for Galen to leave for the night, Rob finally admitted to his brother he was scared to be alone in the hospital. He knew his brother wanted to stay, but the rules wouldn’t allow it. Galen had gently squeezed his hand and let a little healing warm Rob, then he told Rob about the holes in the ceiling. He told me they were worm holes. He said if I was really quiet at night I might get to see the worms, they were magical and they glowed and granted wishes. I remember waiting, hoping to see them. I wasn’t scared anymore.

  “Galen!” Rob said, sitting up. He was still dizzy from the drugs.

  What had his father said? Galen was in room 415? Rob had to see him. He hoped his uncle was there so he could talk to him about what he “saw” in the nurse and what he sensed in his father. His uncle had the Sight and would understand. He slipped his legs over the edge of the bed and realized he was wrapped in bandages. Rob tried to stand, at first his legs felt strange at first, but after a moment he could stand. He grabbed the IV pole and used it like a cane, pushing it to the door and looking out.

  The corridor was quiet. The nurses’ station was to his left, there was no one sitting there. Rob breathed a sigh of relief. He looked to his right, the room numbers went up from his room. There was another set of doors with a sign “Rooms 411 to 421, ICU.” Rob slipped through the doors, hoping no one would see. 411, 412, 413, 414, 415. Rob stopped outside the door. The white board on the wall said “Galen Emrys.” The door was open a crack, Rob peeked in. There was only one bed in the room, so Rob thought it would be safe to go in. His brother was on the bed, eyes closed. Rob could see the gray tinge he’d sensed earlier. It surrounded Galen like an aura.

  “Galen?” Rob said softly. He felt tears form in his eyes and spilling down his cheeks. He walked to the side of the bed and looked down at his brother. “Galen?” He put his hand on Galen’s arm. He sensed the gentle rumble of his brother’s thoughts. Rob looked around the room and out the door, he could see no sign of his uncle.

  “Galen? Can you hear me? Galen?" He tightened the hand he had on his brother's arm. “There’s something wrong here, Galen. I’m frightened.”

  Rob tried to stop the tears, tried to focus on the training he’d had, but fear won out. He started to cry.

  “Rob!” His father’s voice reached him through his tears. “What are you doing?”

  Rob turned, his father was standing in the door, Parry’s face was red. “I had to see Galen, Dad.”

  “I told you he was here.” His father was shouting. It was so unlike Parry that Rob felt the tears form in his eyes again.

  “I had to see him Dad, I had to.” Rob was crying. He realized his brother couldn’t just be asleep, the shouts would have easily woken him.

  A man in a uniform ran into the room. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing,” Parry turned on him. “My son will be going back to his room.” His voice was fierce, Rob could hear it. The security guard looked at Parry and left the room.

  “I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to see Galen,” Rob said quietly.

  His father turned back to him. He walked over to where Rob stood beside the bed. “I’m sorry too, Rob. When you weren’t in your room, I was frightened.” He put his arm gently around Rob. “I should have known you’d come here as soon as you had a chance.”

  “I had to see him, Dad. I just wanted him to know I was here. He might be worried. You know, Uncle Bobby would worry about you.”

  Rob saw his father swallow and tears came to his eyes. “Yeah, but let’s get you back to your room, okay, Rob? Maybe you can come back and see Galen later.”

  When they got back to Rob’s room, he was exhausted. He was a
lso starting to hurt again. His father helped him back into bed and turned the TV on.

  “Dad? Can you help me sleep?” Rob asked, looking at his father.

  “What?” his father asked confused.

  “I just thought…” Rob yawned and was asleep before his father had settled into the chair by the bed.

  He woke up and there was an old black and white movie playing on the TV. His father was snoring in the chair beside the bed, his body relaxed. Rob could see the dark smudges under his father’s eyes, even while he slept. Rob sat up and quietly slipped his legs over the edge of the bed. He needed to see his brother, to let Galen know there was something going on. Rob was sure of that now. He pushed the IV pole quietly down the hall. No one seemed to note his passage. He went through the big double doors and back down to his brother’s room. A nurse came out of the room right before he got there. Rob froze, but she didn’t seem to notice him and as soon as she was gone he went into Galen’s room.

  His brother hadn’t moved since Rob had last been in there, his uncle was sound asleep in the chair beside the bed. Rob walked over and put his hand in Galen’s. “Hey, Galen. I thought I should come and visit you. I don’t know if anyone told you how I am, and I thought you might be worried,” he said, in case anyone was listening.

  “Rob?” Just for an instant he thought he heard his brother’s voice. Rob put his hand down on Galen’s arm.

  “Galen? Can you hear me? There’s something wrong here.” Bobby shifted a little in the chair. “I’m sorry I was crying last time. I was afraid, Galen.” He leaned against the bed, he was tired, and the walk down the corridor had taken more out of him than he thought it would. “Whatever is going on, Dad and Uncle Bobby are affected.”

  “I just wanted to come by for a minute, Galen. I need to get back before Dad wakes up. I think he was worried last time when I wasn’t there. I’m worried about you. You need to get better, Galen.” And the tears started. “I need to talk to you Galen. I need your help.” He could feel the tears running down his face. “I need to go back now, I’m a little tired, but I’ll visit again as soon as I can.” He squeezed his brother’s hand and turned to go. His father was standing in the door. “Dad, I…” He took a step back and bumped into his uncle. Bobby jerked awake.

  “Rob? What are you doing here?” Bobby squinted at him.

  His uncle had the same odd gray tinge around him that his father did. “I was checking on Galen.”

  Parry came over and put his hand on Rob’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Rob. We understand, we do.” His father looked at his own brother with a gentle smile. “I just wish you had let me know you were coming, that’s all.” He smiled at Rob. “You can’t be walking around alone, what if you fell? You could hurt yourself.”

  “Okay, Dad,” Rob said. He felt dizzy and swayed on his feet.

  “Rob!” He was surprised when his father picked him up and held him against him. “Let’s get you back to your room.” Rob could feel his father trembling. Parry carried him all the way back to the room and placed him gently on the bed.

  “Thanks, Dad,” Rob said.

  “You have to promise me you aren’t going to try that again. I’ll take you to your brother, I promise you that, Rob, but you have to promise me, too.”

  “Yeah, Dad, I promise.” He sighed.

  “Thank you, Rob,” and his father sank back down in the chair by the bed. He smiled at his son. “Maybe you should see about getting a little more sleep, how’s that?”

  “Yeah, Dad,” he said drowsily. “I think I should.”

  Rob closed his eyes. He was tired, but not all the way sleepy yet. He listened to his father fuss around the room, and he was pretty sure Parry very carefully pulled the blankets over him and tucked him it. Rob smiled, the gentle actions of his father finally lulling him into sleep.

  Someone putting a hand on his arm woke Rob up sometime later. He sighed, thinking it was his father letting him know he was back in the room. The pressure on his arm increased. Rob tried to pull his arm away.

  “You’re hurting me,” he said.

  “That’s really the point,” a voice said. Rob recognized it.

  He opened his eyes. The bearded man was standing beside the bed. He had a small bandage on his neck. He slapped his other hand over Rob’s mouth, cutting off his shout for help. Rob could see darkness surrounding the man, black blended with the edges of his body. The pressure on Rob’s arm, over the cut made by the knife, was increasing. Rob felt something tear loose in his arm. It hurt, he tried to struggle free. The bearded man held him down.

  “We need to start again, I think, you and I,” he said looking at Rob. There was something in his eyes. They had been frightening before, but now there was something utterly terrifying, utterly inhuman behind those eyes. Rob thought he could see the thing there. He looked again and knew it was true.

  “Galen, they’re here!” he called out to his brother.

  Rob fought against the hand on his arm, the hand over his mouth. The bearded man shifted abruptly and took his hand from Rob’s left arm and slammed it on his right. Rob felt the stitches holding that wound tear loose as well. The hand over his mouth moved up, blocking off his air. Rob started to see dark spots before his eyes.

  “This is the beginning, I will be back. I need to check on your brother before I go,” he said and let go of Rob. He disappeared out the door before Rob could get his wits together enough to shout for help.

  Rob stood up on unsteady legs. As he moved away the IV stopped him. He tore it away from his hand. “Galen!” He ran down the hall towards Galen’s room. When he got to the door he saw the bearded man over by his brother’s bed. “No!” He shouted, hoping it was loud enough to get security.

  The bearded man turned away from Galen. “This can wait.” He walked towards Rob and struck out, knocking him to the floor. The impact was too much for Rob to bear. The wounds—it felt like all of them—had torn loose. He knew he was bleeding, he hurt. He heard the bearded man laugh. The laugh, the pleasure in it, sounded like the thing. The pain exploded as the bearded man placed a hand against his back. Rob moaned, before darkness claimed him he thought he heard…No, Dad and Uncle Bobby killed it…And he blacked out.

  “How did this happen?” Rob heard his father, angry, from beside the bed. “I went down to get a cup of coffee and this happens?”

  “He went down the hall again,” another voice answered. “He must have tripped and fallen when he got there. The security guard found him.”

  “Just a fall did that to him?” His father was very angry.

  “Yes, the impact from the fall tore the wounds open on his chest and back. In several places…”

  “What?”

  “We are worried about the damage. The doctor thinks we might need to consider something a little more drastic.”

  “No, not yet,” Parry snapped back.

  “Dad?” Rob had to force the words from him. He still couldn’t open his eyes.. He tried to reach for his father’s hand, he couldn’t move. Something was holding him to the bed. He fought against it.

  “Rob, no.” His father put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, open your eyes and look at me.”

  Rob opened his eyes. His father was standing beside the bed. “Dad?” He looked at his father, “Is Galen okay?”

  “What?” His father seemed surprised. “Yeah, Rob, he was okay when they found you in his room. Bobby and I had just stepped out to get coffee. Everything was okay.”

  “Why can’t I move?” He pulled against the straps on his wrists. They hurt his wounded arms.

  His father looked sick, he looked angry and—what scared Rob—he looked resigned. “They said you tore your IV out and went to Galen’s room, Rob, we can’t have you doing that. You hurt yourself. They had to re-stitch your arms. And those other…” His father was struggling to keep under control, Rob knew that. “You promised me, Rob. You said you’d wait till I took you to your brother.”

  “Dad! He was here, the beard
ed man—he said he was going to go to Galen. He was going to hurt Galen, I know it. I had to get there. I had to get to Galen.”

  “Rob, you were the only one in Galen’s room. They found you on the floor. You’d fallen.”

  “No, Dad. Someone had to see him! He said…Dad you have to believe me.” Rob was desperate, he could see disbelief in his father’s eyes and the hand that still rested on Rob’s arm had nothing of the “feel” of his father.

  “There was no one here,” the woman standing by the door said. Rob looked at her. “We’ve had no one on the floor for at least an hour.” She turned and walked away.

  “Dad,” he hissed. “She’s has spots.”

  “What?” Parry looked down at him with unfocused eyes.

  “Dad! You have to believe me!”

  “It was a nightmare, Rob. It must have been. After what you went through, and the drugs they are giving you…” His father looked sad.

  “He said he would be back.” He was struggling to sit up.

  “You need to relax, or I’ll have to call the nurse.”

  “No! No, you’re right, Dad, maybe it was a nightmare,” Rob said, trying to sound convincing. The last thing he wanted was to be drugged again. “Sorry, Dad.”

  “It’s okay, Rob. I understand. Drugs can do that. Probably made you feel weird, huh?”

  “Dad? I might just be starting my training, but I am a Keeper.”

  “What?” Parry said. Rob looked at him, the light he always saw was completely gone, replaced by the flat, sickening gray.

  “I am thirteen, you know.”

  His father smiled. “Yeah, I know. You…” he cleared his throat. “How are you feeling?”

  “Weird,” he said with a little smile. “Dad? What’s wrong?”

  “They said…they told me...” Parry shook his head. “You can’t get upset like that, Rob. I understand why you were afraid. And it’s okay. After everything you went through, nightmares are reasonable, Rob. But you can’t fight the restraints, you can’t get upset like that. They’ll sedate you again or take you away to another part of the hospital.”