by Sam Short
“It is possible,” said Albert. “I’ve not made myself visible before today, because I’ve been using my energy for other things.”
“Writing your suicide note?” said Millie.
Albert smiled. “That, and changing my will. It took a great deal of effort, but I eventually managed it.”
Sergeant Spencer leaned across the table and looked Billy in the eyes. “Billy McKenna,” he said. “I’m charging you with assaulting a police officer, and possession of an unlawful firearm.”
“And when you come out of prison,” said Millie. “The lighthouse is yours, Billy. Albert left it to me, but I think you deserve it.”
“I don’t want it!” spat Billy. “I don’t want to be anywhere near the place that my sister suffered in for all those years. I bought that little house in town, and I’m happy in it. I’ll take Betty’s paintings, but those are all I want.”
“I left it to you, Millie, because I knew Billy wouldn’t want it. Why would he?” said Albert. “After my death, I learned all about this town. I learned who Esmeralda really was, and I learned that you come from her bloodline, Millie. I didn’t thank Esmeralda enough for all the help she gave me while she was alive, so I wanted to forward my gratitude to you instead — the witch who has taken her place. Anyway, after watching your antics from the afterlife, I have a feeling you’ll be allowing a certain mermaid to live in it? If she so desires, and if you can mend the magic in her dress.”
“Witch?” said Billy, his face losing colour again. “Mermaid? Magic dress?”
“Those were some strong painkillers the doctors in the hospital gave you, Billy,” said Sergeant Spencer. “I’d advise you forget what you heard in this room after you leave. It may affect your court-case if the judge thinks you’re crazy.”
“And, Billy,” said Albert. “If you do go to prison, you won’t be alone. I found somebody who would love to spend some time with you.”
Billy stared at Albert. “What are you saying?”
The air shimmered behind Billy, and Millie smiled at the kindly old woman who appeared. “He’s saying I’m here with you, Billy,” said the apparition. “And I’ll visit you in prison whenever you like. I have all the time in the world.”
Billy turned slowly in his seat, a tear forming in the corner of his eye. “Betty?” he said.
“I’m here for you, little brother,” said the ghost. “I’ll always be here for you. Albert found me. You must forgive him for what he did to me, Billy. As I have.”
“How can you forgive him?” sobbed Billy, his bandaged hand passing through his sister as he reached out to touch her.
“Death cleanses a person of all the animosity of life,” said Betty, bending at the waist to kiss her brother’s head. “You’ll find out one day.”
Chapter 28
With Lillieth's dress on the table between them, Henry Pinkerton peered over his glasses at Millie. "Thank you for coming," he said. "I trust Spellbinder Hall no longer holds any fears for you?"
Millie looked around the room. The fireplace failed to make her nervous, and if a ghost had walked through the wall, she was sure she would have hardly raised an eyebrow. "None at all," she said, honestly. "After everything that's happened to me since I've been here, I think it would take a lot to frighten me again."
Henry nodded. "It's been an exceptional four weeks," he said. "I'm sorry that your introduction to Spellbinder Bay was so hectic. I had hoped things would have gone a lot smoother for you. You’ve helped solved a murder, had a gun pointed at you, and inherited a lighthouse from a ghost. I’d say your time here so far has been a little… mad."
"It has been a little mad," said Millie, with a shrug. "But I've sort of got used to it."
Henry adjusted his cufflinks, the little squares of gold vivid against the red of his shirt. "But not used to it enough to decide you're going to stay permanently?" he asked.
"How could you know that?" said Millie. "I've only spoken about that to —"
"Reuben," said Henry, finishing Millie's sentence for her. "Yes, I know. He came to me with his concerns."
"Concerns?" said Millie. "What concerns could he possibly have about me staying or going? I’m sure he’d do fine without me being around."
"What exactly do you know about Reuben?" said Henry. "Do you know where he came from? Where all familiars come from?"
"Yes. Charles Bannister told me," said Millie. "He told me that Reuben came from the chaos, he told me he was a Demon."
Henry gazed at the fireplace. "Demon is an unfortunate term — it conjures up images of evil entities, and Reuben couldn't be further from evil if he tried, but not all Demons are bad, some are just born into an unfortunate existence."
"The chaos?" said Millie.
Henry nodded.
"What exactly is the chaos?" asked Millie. "I've heard about it, and the face Edna showed me in the fireplace gave me an idea of what sort of things live there, but what is it? I've had so much to learn about since I've been here — I've put it out of my mind."
Henry stood up, and pushed Lillieth's dress across the table towards Millie. "I've tried to fix the magic that this dress is imbibed with," he said. "I can't do it. It's as we thought — only you are capable of giving Lillieth her legs back."
"Not too much pressure then?" said Millie.
“There’s no rush,” said Henry. “When Timothy and I transported her back to the ocean, Lillieth told us she was going to make sure Jim Grayson would never have to catch lobsters again, and then she was going to travel for a while. There’s no need to worry too much about her dress. It can wait for a while.”
“It’s still pressure,” said Millie. “If I can’t fix her dress, Lillieth can never walk on land again.”
"I'm afraid the pressure is about to go up a notch or two," said Henry. "I didn't just call you here to talk about Lillieth's dress. I called you here to explain some things which I fear should have been explained when you first arrived, but after you witnessed a murder on your first day in the bay, and after Edna had terrified you in this very room, I didn't feel it was right to place further burdens on your shoulders. And the fact that you summoned Reuben, may, I fear, increase the weight of the burdens I speak of."
Millie narrowed her eyes. "What is it, Henry?" she said. "What you trying to tell me? What's the fact that I summoned Reuben got to do with anything? Judith suggested I do it — she told me how to do it."
"Judith doesn't come from a powerful bloodline like you," said Henry. "Witches such as her don't have the ability to keep a familiar. When Judith suggested you summoned Reuben, she had no idea of the importance of such a gesture."
"You're making me nervous," said Millie. "Stop speaking in riddles — just tell me what it is you have to say."
Henry sighed. "Would you like to take a walk? Into the depths of spellbinder Hall? There's something I'd like to show you."
Henry led Millie down the steps towards the dungeon in which Lillieth had been held captive. Glancing at the door, Millie raised an eyebrow. "Have you got another prisoner in there?" she said. "Is that what you want to show me?"
"No," said Henry. "The room is empty, and thankfully it rarely contains a prisoner." He pointed further along the corridor, into the shadows. "We're going deeper into the depths of the hall."
"What's down there?" said Millie, able to make out an archway in the shadows.
"Chaos," said Henry. "That's what's down there."
Had Millie been told a month ago that the staircase she was descending led to chaos, she would have turned around and ran the other way, but a lot had happened in four weeks. She was braver. More resilient.
She remained close behind Henry as he led her down the dimly lit corridor, deeper into the cliff below the hall. At the bottom of the steps the corridor curved to the right, lit by flaming torches secured to the rock face by metal brackets.
Henry reached into his pocket as he walked, and retrieved a large set of keys, the jangling sound of metal breaking the eerie sil
ence. He took a few more steps before a door loomed out of the darkness, and he stopped. "We're here," he said.
Set deep in the rock, the metal door clanked as Henry inserted a key into the lock.
"What's in there?" whispered Millie.
Henry pushed the door open, the hinges groaning. Light flooded the corridor, and Henry pointed at the glowing circle of light which seemed to hover in the small room beyond the door. "That's what's in here," he said. "The door to chaos."
Henry stepped into the room, and Millie took tentative steps behind him. As she neared the circle of light, it became apparent it wasn't hovering — it was contained by a stone circle, and a small plinth — resembling an altar, was built on the floor before it, carved from stone.
The circle of light flickered and shimmered, and as Millie neared it, she became aware that it was emitting a low sound, reminding her of wind in treetops. "It's beautiful," she said.
"What's beyond it isn't so beautiful," said Henry, standing before the light. "Would you like to see?"
"What will I see?" asked Millie, detecting a soft breeze in the air as the light flickered between bright reds and deep greens.
"I can't tell you," said Henry. “It’s always different. When you saw that face in the fireplace, you were looking directly through this door — Edna used a simple spell to show you what we’re looking at now, but with the veil removed so you could see into the depths."
Millie nodded. "Show me," she said. "I'd like to see where Reuben came from."
Henry took two steps closer to the glowing circle and lifted a hand. As his outstretched finger made contact with the light, ripples spread across the surface, and the bright colours gave way to a swirling mass of deep blacks and bright silvers.
"I can't see anything," said Millie, stepping closer to the circle and staring into the depths.
Henry put a hand on her shoulder. "Prepare yourself for —"
Wind rushed from the circle in a powerful surge, and Millie screamed. She stumbled backwards, tripping over her feet, and crashing to the floor, the small of her back slamming into hard-rock. "Close it!" she shouted. "Close it!"
The haggard face which glared at Millie appeared to be attempting to force its way through the barrier. Drool hung from the needle-sharp teeth which populated the lipless mouth, and the cavernous hole where a nose should have been, revealed bloody flesh and sinew. The deep-set eyes, filled with anger and hate, stared directly at her as the face pushed against the invisible force field.
Henry touched the barrier again, and the face was gone, the blacks and silvers replaced with vibrant colours once more. "I'm sorry," he said, offering Millie a hand, and helping her to her feet. "I didn't expect that to happen. The creatures are becoming more brazen since Esmeralda died. Are you all right?"
Millie took three steps away from the shimmering circle, and rubbed the painful spot at the base of her back. "What was that, Henry?" she said. "What the hell was that?"
"A creature of chaos," said Henry.
"A demon?" said Millie.
Henry nodded. "Yes," he said. "I'm sorry you had to see it. I was expecting a far less spectacular show."
"What did you mean?" said Millie. "The Creatures are becoming more brazen since Esmeralda died?"
Henry pointed at the stone plinth on the floor. "Do you see that?" he said, indicating a deep circular recess in the stone.
"Yes," said Millie. She looked more closely. A bundle of thin white strands tied together with course string had been laid in the bottom of the hole. "There's something in there. What is that? It looks like hair."
"It is," said Henry. "It’s Esmeralda's hair."
"Why?" said Millie.
Henry looked at the floor. "I haven't been completely honest with you, Millie," he said.
Millie took another step away from the circle of light. "Honest with me about what?" she said.
"About why you're here, in Spellbinder Bay," said Henry.
Millie pulled her jeans higher around her waist, the small of her back aching. "Just why am I here?" she said, glaring at Henry. "Tell me, Mister Pinkerton."
Henry bent at the waist, and picked up the snippet of Esmeralda's hair, gripping it between two fingers. "This contains magic," he said. "Powerful magic. The same magic which flows through your veins, Millie. The magic needed to form this barrier between good and evil. The barrier between order and chaos. As long as there is a witch from your bloodline living in Spellbinder Bay, the barrier will remain as strong as it has for centuries."
Realisation dawned on Millie. "So you brought me here to use me? To use my magic?" she said. "Was anything you told me true? Did Esmeralda's energy just happen to find me after she died, like you told me it had, or was that a lie, too?"
Henry didn't need to speak, his eyes conveyed everything Millie needed to know. He took a step towards her. "I'm sorry," he said. "I —“
Millie had heard enough. She turned her back on Henry and the terrifying door to another dimension, and ran from the room. She wasn't going to stop running until she'd grabbed her belongings from the cottage, and turned her back on Spellbinder Bay, too.
Chapter 29
Reuben squawked with fright as Millie barged into the cottage, slamming the door behind her. "What's wrong?" he demanded. “I was trying to have a snooze!”
"I've had enough," said Millie. "That's what's wrong! My life may have been miserable in London, but at least I knew what was happening to me. At least I didn't keep discovering things which made me question who I was, and what I was doing."
Reuben fluffed up his plumage, and fluttered the few feet from the sofa to the table. He looked up at Millie. "Where have you been?" he said. "Tell me what happened, Millie. You look… distraught."
"I've been to see Henry," said Millie. "He began to tell me things, things he'd lied to me about. He showed me the doorway to chaos, too — the awful place that you came from. Everything is getting too much for me, Reuben. I've had enough, I'm leaving, I've come to say goodbye to you and pick up what few belongings I own."
"You've come to say goodbye?" said Reuben. "So that's it? You’re leaving me — just like that? With no concern about what will happen to me?"
Millie scowled. "I'm sure you'll do just fine without me, Reuben," she said. "You've got plenty of other people in Spellbinder Bay to speak to — Henry told me you’d been talking to him behind my back."
"I was scared," said Reuben. "Since all the excitement of solving Albert's murder died down, you've still not committed yourself to staying here — in spellbinder Bay. In this cottage."
"I made a few remarks," said Millie. "I never once said to you that I definitely wasn't staying. There was no need for you to go airing your ridiculous concerns to Henry. I don’t like people talking about me when I’m not there. It’s rude."
Reuben looked away. "I don't think my concerns are ridiculous," he said. "When I was retrieved from chaos by Esmeralda, she promised I’d never have to go back there. The thought of spending eternity there terrifies me. And as I told you before, when you finally commit yourself to living in this cottage, the cottage will reveal more of itself to you. That's how I know you haven't decided to stay — the cottage hasn't accepted you yet.”
Millie gazed down at the cockatiel. "What do you mean, Reuben? she said. "About spending eternity in chaos?"
Reuben blinked. "I assumed… I assumed Henry had told you."
"Told me what?" said Millie, lowering herself onto the sofa. She patted the cushion next to her. "Come here," she said. "What's wrong? You look scared."
Reuben swooped from the table and landed next to Millie. He bowed his head. "I shouldn't have said anything," he said. "I don't want to add to your burdens."
"That's exactly what Henry said," explained Millie. "He told me that by summoning you I may have added to my burdens. What did he mean?"
"He means that knowing what will happen to me if you leave, may affect your decision about leaving, or staying in Spellbinder Bay," he said. "
I didn't know whether to tell you or not — it felt selfish to worry about myself when you were having doubts about the path of your own life. I almost told on the day you called me into your bedroom to show me the photograph of your mother which had been fixed by magic. Thankfully George interrupted us before I could finish telling you."
So much had happened since then, and Millie hadn't had the time to focus much on people around her, and what had or hadn’t been said, but as she remembered that day, she recalled the conversation Reuben was referring to. "That's right. You began saying it was a matter of —"
"I'm glad George interrupted us," said Reuben. "I had been about to say it was a matter of life and death, but that would have been incorrect — it would be a matter of the wonderful life I'm living now, or a life in chaos."
"I don't understand, Reuben," said Millie. "What is it about Spellbinder Bay? Why won’t anybody say what they really want to say instead of beating around the bush. Look me in the eye, Reuben, and speak to me."
Reuben gave a small sigh, and shook out his feathers. "Okay," he said. "When you summoned me, you formed a link between as — a link that can never be broken. A bond between witch and familiar is a strong one. If you leave Spellbinder Bay the bond will be broken, and my spirit will be ripped from the body of this cockatiel and sent back to the chaos. For ever."
The cockatiel bowed his head, and Millie placed a finger beneath his chin, gently lifting his eyes to hers. "I could take you with me, Reuben," she said. "If I decide to leave."
Reuben shook his head. "It doesn't work like that," he said. "I need to be within the radius of the magic emitted from Spellbinder Hall. I can never leave this town."
"What about when Esmeralda died?" said Millie. "You didn't go back to the chaos then. Surely the bond with her was broken?"
"As I told you before," said Reuben. "Esmeralda's energy remains within this cottage. The energy of every witch who has ever lived in this cottage returns here when they die. The energy of generations of witches resides within these walls. Until you summoned me, it was Esmeralda's energy tying me to this dimension — now it's yours, and if you leave Spellbinder Bay, your energy leaves with you, and I go back to chaos.”
