The Guardians Complete Series 1 Box Set: Contains Mercy, The Ferryman, Crossroads, Witchfinder, Infernum

by Wendy Saunders

‘And just how are you going to stop me?’

  She sighed reaching out and pressing her two forefingers to his forehead.

  ‘Sleep,’ she whispered.

  James’ eyes rolled back in his head and he crumpled to the floor.

  ‘Damn it Livy,’ Theo dropped to the ground and rolled him over to check he was alright.

  ‘He’ll be fine Theo,’ she replied, ‘but we need to hurry. I don’t know how long he’ll be out for.’

  ‘Sam help me,’ Theo hooked his hands under James’ arms.

  Sam grabbed his feet and between them they moved him closer to the fire so he’d be warm and comfortable.

  ‘Okay let’s go.’ Theo stood up and strode past the other two, pulling open the door and stepping into the driving rain. His gaze scanned the darkness and through the murky downpour he finally saw James’ horses tethered to the tree. He crossed the small expanse of sodden grass and leaves, with Olivia and Sam trailing in his wake.

  ‘Do you know how to ride?’ Theo asked Olivia, having to raise his voice over the howl and shriek of the wind.

  ‘No,’ she replied.

  ‘Sam?’

  ‘Don’t worry about me,’ Sam confidently swung himself up into the saddle. ‘You take care of Olivia.’

  Theo nodded as he too grasped the saddle and swung himself up. Reaching down he grabbed Olivia’s arm and pulled her up behind him.

  ‘Hold on to me,’ he shouted back to her.

  He felt her arms snake around his middle grasping on firmly. Stretching his arm behind him he held her in place. With the reins firmly held in his other hand he dug his heels into the horse’s flanks and nudged him in the right direction. They set off at an easy canter, weaving their way through the trees of the orchard with Sam close by. Once they hit the outer boundary of James’ land with nothing but open fields ahead they urged their horses into a flat out run, praying that they didn’t get caught out in the open and struck by lightning.

  From the edge of the orchard under the thick canopy of trees a dark figure sat aside a horse. He watched the two mounted figures take off across the field, disappearing into the deluge. His large young stallion danced impatiently beneath him, his inky black coat glistening in the rain and a fine mist snorting from his nostrils as his ears pinned back flat against his powerful head.

  Nathaniel leaned forward and stroked the jittery creature thoughtfully. Now where were they disappearing to in the darkness and in the middle of a raging storm? His black beetle-like eyes narrowed in curiosity as he nudged his horse forward.

  Maybe he’d just see where they were off to in such a hurry.

  Chapter 11.

  Theo reined his horse in under the wet and dripping canopy of trees. It pranced impatiently under the weight of the two riders as if it could sense their unease. Olivia peered around Theo and got her first glance of the Beckett farm, the cold austere place where Theo had grown up. She couldn’t make out a lot of the detail as the night was too dark and the moon obscured by a swirling maelstrom of dark clouds. Every so often the jagged shards of lightning would burst across the sky while rain poured to the sodden muddy ground like a giant pail emptying out high above them.

  Theo slid down to the ground before reaching up and lifting Olivia from the horse. Sam was already on his feet and Theo joined him as they tied the reins to a nearby tree. Satisfied that the horses were secure he turned to Olivia and grasped her hand. Together they crept as stealthily as they could, past the edge of the tree line which opened up onto a field leading to the Beckett farmhouse.

  It sat back in the distance and set against the fury of the storm it appeared as a dark and ominous building. Bleak and uninviting there was only one tiny pinprick of light coming from an upstairs window, glowing sooty and orange in the wake of the storm. They came to a fence at the boundary of the Beckett land and had to pause for Theo to help Olivia climb over the small squat fence. Normally nimble on her feet, the constant downpour had saturated her clothes until they were dripping wet and heavy. With every step she took the weight of her soaked petticoats, dress and cloak slowed her down. They began their trek across the field towards the house but her shoes kept getting stuck in the mud, making her feel as if she were trying to wade through molasses.

  She pulled the hood of her cloak further over her head but it did absolutely no good at all. The rain continued to pound against her unprotected head and her face and she found herself almost wishing for one of the stupid looking hats Sam and Theo were wearing, although it didn’t look as if they were faring much better than her. When they finally reached the small yard in front of the house she almost sighed in relief but it was short-lived. The tall foreboding structure blocked some of the wind but the cold seemed to seep right down to her bones causing her to shiver violently.

  The three of them pressed themselves up against the wet black clapboards of the farmhouse. Theo peered carefully into the window but could see only darkness and there didn’t seem to be anyone downstairs. Not daring to raise his voice above the howl of the storm in case anyone heard him, Theo raised his hand and indicated that they should follow him. He crept forward carefully, constantly on the alert and ready for trouble, until he reached the door. Lifting the latch he swung the door open slowly and cautiously peered into the darkened room. He couldn’t see anything. He paused for a moment listening for the drunken snores of the man he once called father, after all it was not unusual for the man to be passed out in the chair by the fireplace, but there was nothing. Stepping more fully into the room he pulled Olivia in behind him, raising his finger to his lips in warning. Sam stepped in behind them and closed the door silently.

  The room was plunged into pitch black now that they were cut off from the occasional flash of faint light from the lightning streaked sky. The fire was dead in the cold empty grate and without any kind of light they would not be able to navigate the house without alerting either Mary or Matthias. Wishing fervently for her flashlight Olivia had no choice but to use her magic. Opening her clenched fist she allowed one of her fiery dragonflies to burst into flame. Smaller than her usual ones it danced over her shoulder keeping low and discreet, casting a muted light for them to see a few feet ahead of them, but it was enough. It would have to be; she couldn’t risk any more. Especially not here, not now…not Salem.

  Keeping Olivia’s hand firmly in his Theo crept quietly across the room towards the stairway leading up. Uncertain what they were walking into his heart started pounding in his chest. It seemed so loud to him he was afraid the others could hear it. He felt the dryness of his mouth and the old familiar fear of his childhood, climbing the stairs in dread, knowing that his father was up there. For a moment he was that lost eight-year-old boy once again. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he could feel the panic clawing its way through his chest. His hands trembled and clenched but he felt Olivia’s smaller hand in his, damp from the rain yet warm and comforting. She squeezed back, a tangible reminder that he was not that scared little boy anymore and that Matthias was no more than a sick old man.

  The first room he came to was one he knew very well. The one both he and his brother and sister knew to avoid at all costs. His father’s room. Even now he could hear the loud even snores coming from the door which stood slightly ajar. Forcing down the sudden jolt of panic he swallowed convulsively and grasped Olivia’s hand tighter as if to remind himself that she was real, that he wasn’t the boy or even the young man that he had been. His heart pounded as he reached out towards the door with shaky hands. Matthias Beckett was snoring, the distinct symphony of the seriously inebriated. It was obvious that he was out for the count and that they could have quite easily crept past his room, bypassing him completely but something stopped Theo. It was almost as if he had something to prove to himself. He had to know that this man, the one who had terrified him for most of his life, no longer held any power over him. It was a personal demon, one he knew deep in his heart he had to face or he would always won
der if the monster from his memory really matched up to the man of flesh and blood.

  As if understanding that a part of him needed this Olivia let go of Theo’s hand and stepped back. He looked up at her, her beautiful face bathed in the firelight of her magic dragonfly and her deep whiskey colored eyes regarding him seriously. She nodded slowly, encouraging him to take that final step and lay a ghost of his past to rest once and for all. Steeling himself Theo turned and quietly pushed the door open. The golden light behind him spilled softly into the room which reeked of stale sweat, cheap spirits and urine. Theo stepped further into the room his gaze fixed on the prone figure slumped across the bed, one muddied boot resting on the floor and the other smearing more filth on the already grotesquely soiled bedding. A loud gurgling snore reverberated through the small room masking Theo’s steady footsteps until finally he stopped, forcing himself to look down upon the man who had once terrified him beyond all reason.

  He didn’t know what he had expected to feel in that moment, perhaps hate or uncontrollable rage? Resentment or maybe even a small lingering curl of fear? But instead he felt nothing. He looked down on the man he’d built up in his mind, the man he’d remembered as being so tall and powerful and evil. But that was not the man lying on the bed before him thin, emaciated and stinking, passed out drunk and clinging onto an empty bottle like a lost lover, a thin trickle of vomit drooling down from his slack rubbery lips. His eyes were sunken and dark and his skin waxy and unpleasant looking. He looked so small and pathetic. Theo found that he couldn’t dredge up even the slightest bit of fear nor pity. His face and body now reflected back the ugliness he’d concealed on the inside for so long. He would not live long now. Theo glanced down at him, he was not part of this man. He was not fated to walk the same path, a secret fear he’d always had deep inside him. A fear he’d never even admitted to himself. But now he knew the truth, James was his father. This pathetic creature sprawled out in front of him was nothing, less than nothing and it was oddly liberating.

  He felt a soft tender squeeze at his arm and he glanced down to find Olivia standing next to him, her eyes filled with understanding. Her grip slid down his forearm entwining her fingers with his own. Theo smiled down at her and nodded. There was nothing left in this room for him now, he was done. They both crept out and pulled the door behind them. Sam’s eyes locked on Theo’s as if he too understood the inner demon Theo needed to lay to rest.

  They started off again down the narrow passageway. A dim light spilled out from an open doorway further along and as they neared it they could hear the sound of someone pacing the room. Closer still and an agitated muttering joined the shuffling footsteps. Olivia pulled her dragonfly back in, watching as it disappeared back into her outstretched palm, a soft muted glow beneath her skin. She couldn’t risk anyone seeing it and the room they were heading for seemed to be lit anyway. There was only one problem.

  Mary.

  As they neared the room they could hear her muttering to herself, random phrases which made no sense and were punctuated every so often by a harsh wracking cough. Olivia glanced up at Theo and he inclined his head as if to confirm her suspicions. Mary was in Temperance’s room. Her heart sank, if they wanted to get to the little girl they were going to have to go through Theo’s mentally unstable wife. This was not going well. If Mary created a scene it might wake Matthias and then they’d have to deal with them both.

  ‘We need a distraction,’ Olivia mouthed to both Theo and Sam.

  Sam nodded and disappeared back down the dark passageway. A few moments later they heard a crash downstairs. Theo grabbed Olivia, pulling her past the door to the room and pressing them both into the shadows. Mary suddenly appeared at the door and Olivia had to bite back a startled scream. The woman looked like something from a horror movie. Her hair was matted and dirty and she wore a long, severe looking, high necked white nightgown which revealed dirty feet and overgrown gnarled toenails. Her skin was so white it was like chalk and her blue eyes were wide and wild. Her gaze darted back and forth as she tried to accustom her eyes to the darkness after the lamp light of the room. A loud snore from down the passageway caught her attention and she hurried from the room, her hands flicking absently at her nightgown as if she were trying to brush away something that only she could see.

  She disappeared into the darkness and seeing their opportunity Olivia and Theo slipped into the room. Temperance was lying on the bed, heaped with dozens of blankets which were almost smothering her. Olivia rushed to her side and could just about make out the tiny pale face beneath the mountain of bedding. Reaching out to touch her forehead she swore inwardly, the child was burning up. She began to strip off the blankets covering her. It was almost as if, despite her madness, Mary was trying to help Temperance by keeping her warm but she was only making it worse.

  ‘Tempy,’ Theo whispered shaking her urgently.

  Temperance let loose another hacking cough which sounded wet and when she breathed it was a distressing wheeze.

  Suddenly Olivia felt herself being yanked violently backwards by the hood of her cloak, then she was dragged across the floor. She looked up as she struggled to released her cloak which was biting unmercifully into her neck and cutting off her oxygen. Mary hovered above her shrieking wildly, her mouth snarling and revealing brown dirty teeth.

  ‘MARY NO!’ Theo reached for her, roughly pulling her off Olivia who rolled over and coughed, dragging air back into her lungs.

  Mary shrieked like a harpy, twisting in Theo’s arms as she clawed down the side of his face viciously drawing blood. He lost his grip on her for a moment and she started back towards Olivia. He rushed forward and grabbed her from behind, hauling her back against his body and pinned her arms to her sides as she hissed and snapped, trying to bite him.

  Olivia glanced across to the bed which had suddenly begun to shake and bang against the floor. Temperance was convulsing on the bed, her eyes rolling back in her head and her body stiffening with a seizure. Olivia climbed to her feet, rushing to the bed. There was no time left. Temperance’s fever was too high and causing her to have a fit. It was now or never. No longer caring about waking Matthias or what Mary would witness she opened her mouth and screamed.

  ‘SAM!’

  He materialized out of thin air next to the bed and looking down at the seizing child he reached down and scooped her into his arms. Mary let loose a scream and threw her head back connecting with Theo’s nose and causing his eyes to tear, momentarily loosening his grip. She shoved him backwards and he lost his balance, falling to the floor. Her wild mad eyes locked on Sam cradling Temperance’s now limp body as she grabbed the lamp perched on a chest next to the bed and launched it at them both. By the time it reached the other side of the room it was too late, Sam and the sick girl had both disappeared. The lamp hit the wall and exploded, spraying burning oil across the floor and bed. The flames quickly took hold and began to spread.

  Mary saw the flames and screamed in murderous rage, fleeing the room. Smoke began to fill the room as Olivia crawled across the floor towards Theo.

  ‘Theo,’ she croaked.

  ‘I’m here,’ she heard his voice and felt herself being hauled to her feet, ‘come on we have to get out of here.’

  They stumbled out into the passageway the flames licking at their backs and consuming the doorway. Theo grabbed Olivia’s hand and together they ran back down the darkened corridor. As they passed by Matthias’ room Theo suddenly paused and looked back towards the flames. After a brief internal struggle he swore then turned, kicking open the door to the room. He darted inside as smoke began to fill the passageway.

  ‘Theo!’ Olivia called to him, trying to see what was going on, her eyes burning from the smoke as she coughed and tried to cover her mouth.

  ‘Keep going Olivia,’ he appeared with an unconscious figure draped over his shoulder.

  He descended the narrow stairs with Olivia following closely behind him. They hit the bottom step and ma
de their way back across the dark main room towards the door which had crashed open in the violent wind. Theo disappeared out into the storm but as Olivia moved to follow him she felt a body crash into her, dragging her to the ground. Disorientated she tried to stand but someone grasped the back of her head and slammed it against the hard wooden floor. Stars burst behind her eyelids as pain erupted across her forehead. She was vaguely aware of a trickle of warmth spilling down her face. Groggy and confused she struggled to rise and merely succeeded in rolling onto her back but she was not alone. Mary climbed on top of her, pinning her to the ground and wrapping her claw like hands around her throat, squeezing viciously. Olivia clutched at Mary’s hands as her air supply was once again cut off but the woman’s grip was too damn strong.

  Letting go of Mary’s hands, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to prize her loose, Olivia reached out pressing her fingers to Mary’s forehead.

  ‘Sleep,’ she croaked.

  The effect was instantaneous much as it had been with James. Mary’s eyes rolled back in her head, her fingers loosened around Olivia’s neck and she collapsed on top of her, crushing her chest. Using the little strength she had left Olivia dragged a deep lungful of much needed air in and pushed the dead weight off her body. Mary rolled unconscious to the floor as Theo rushed back in.

  ‘Olivia!’ he rushed to her side. ‘I’m so sorry I thought you were right behind me.’

  ‘I was,’ she coughed, ‘until your wife tackled me like a god damn linebacker.’

  ‘Are you okay?’ he lifted her to her feet.

  ‘I’m alright,’ Olivia nodded at the unconscious woman. ‘Grab her, we can’t leave her in here until I’ve dealt with the fire.’

  Theo nodded, scooping Mary up and slinging her over his shoulder as he had with Matthias. This time he waited for Olivia to leave the house first and then he followed her out into the rain.

  James groaned and rolled over. His head throbbed painfully and for a moment he was back at that moment in time after Emmy’s death when he’d crawled to the bottom of a bottle and stayed there for three years. His body felt heavy and slightly shaky as he gingerly pushed himself upright. His head spun and his vision swam in and out of focus. Pulling in a deep breath he stood and grasped onto the fireplace, closing his eyes and waiting for the spinning to stop. When he finally regained his equilibrium he opened his eyes and glanced around the room. The fire had banked low and barely cast any light into the now darkened room. The storm still howled outside and he realized he was alone. He wasn’t entirely sure what had happened. One moment he was arguing with Olivia about Temperance…