by Sam Short
“It’s not that easy,” said Reuben, launching himself from Millie’s shoulder and entering the room before her. “It’s not that easy at all.”
Hearing excited chatter coming from the room, Millie followed her familiar inside and stared at the faces peering back at her. George and Timothy were there, as were Fredrick and Edna, and they were all gathered around the tall, thin man wearing a white lab coat and holding a clipboard.
Sitting in the seat next to the bed, paying no attention to anybody but the man in the bed, was Judith, her face white and her eyes red from crying.
“Tell her, Peter,” said Timothy.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea at all,” said George. “Not if I can’t go with her. If anything happened to her, I’d never forgive myself. None of us would ever forgive ourselves.”
“It’s Millie’s decision,” said Fredrick, giving Millie a brief look of concern.
“What’s my decision?” asked Millie.
“Tell her, Mister Simmons,” said Edna, standing alongside Sergeant Spencer, her fingers on his wrist. “But hurry. His pulse is weakening by the second. The magic is working quickly. If Henry doesn’t intervene soon, I’m not sure we’ll be able to help him.”
As Edna spoke, Judith’s upper body shook, and she wiped away tears as she sobbed. “Dad,” she said, her words strangled. “Please hold on. Please fight. Millie might be able to help you.”
Moving to the seat in which Judith sat, Millie put a hand on her friend’s shoulder and squeezed it gently. “I’ll do whatever I can to help him,” she said. “If somebody would just tell me what it is I’m expected to do.”
Peter Simmons cleared his throat. “It’s simple in theory,” he said, peering down his long nose at Millie. “But possibly a little dangerous in practice.” He paused. “Actually it’s probably a little dangerous. Or perhaps certainly very dangerous indeed.”
“What is?” asked Millie. “What can I do to help? I don’t care how dangerous it is, I just want to help.”
Peter Simmons gave Millie a thin smile. “The problem as I see it, is that somebody needs to get a message to Mister Henry Pinkerton,” he said. “So Henry can help Sergeant Spencer, but the problem with that seemingly simple task lies in the fact that Henry Pinkerton is currently between dimensions, in a place only he can travel to and he’s not due back in time to save our unfortunate friend from total memory loss. That’s the predicament we find ourselves in, is it not?”
“Yes, Mister Simmons,” snapped Edna, her words laced with impatience. “That’s the predicament we find ourselves in, but please, won’t you just tell the girl what you and that other mad scientist have discovered? This is no time for long-winded speeches, Mister Simmons!”
Clearing his throat, Peter Simmons nodded, his cheeks a bright red. “Yes, of course,” he said. He smiled at Millie. “Myself and Mister Spalding heard news of what was happening to poor Sergeant Spencer, and we both instinctively knew that we might have found an answer to your problem. We’ve been studying the gate to The Chaos very carefully since we were lucky enough to be given jobs here at the hall, and it very soon became apparent to us, through the use of speciality equipment, that the gate is not only an entrance to the dimension you know as The Chaos. It is, in fact, an entrance to more than one dimension. We believe that the dimension which you know as The Chaos is just the first destination on the other side of the gate. We believe, through evidence gathered from repeatable experiments, that when in The Chaos, a person may travel to neighbouring dimensions, if they possess a particular type of energy.”
“What energy?” said Millie, already assuming she knew how he would answer.
“Your magic, Miss Thorn,” said Peter. “There is a reason why yourself and other witches from your bloodline have been able to keep the gateway closed to invaders from The Chaos. Mister Spalding and I believe that your magic acts as a key, and we believe that anybody with a key can travel freely through dimensions. We think that you can step safely through the gate.”
“We know that people can step through the gate,” said Millie. “Henry has banished paranormal criminals to The Chaos in the past. Why would my magic make me anymore different than them?”
“Because you can come back, Miss Thorn,” said Peter. “Those other poor souls can never come back. I think that your magic not only keeps the gate locked to intruders but also allows you to travel through it. Both ways.”
“You’re telling me that you want me to go into The Chaos?” asked Millie, recalling how terrifying even a glimpse into the dimension had been. “How will that help Sergeant Spencer?”
“Because I believe you’ll be able to find Henry Pinkerton,” said Peter Simmons. “I believe that when Henry travels along the beams of energy he speaks of, he’s actually travelling through dimensions. When he travels from one side of the world to the other in the blink of an eye, I believe he’s using dimensional routes.”
Reuben flew to Millie’s shoulder. “Peter thinks that the meeting Henry and the headmaster are having, with other representatives of the paranormal world, is being held in a place that you can reach by travelling into The Chaos,” he said.
“That’s right,” said Peter. “And I believe the place will be easy for you to discover if you don’t...” He looked at his shoes and gave a polite cough. “If you make it there in one piece, Miss Thorn.”
“If a demon doesn’t get you,” said Reuben. “That’s what he’s trying to say, but as I told everybody here before I came to find you, I’m going with you if you decide you want to risk it. I’ll protect you with my life.”
“Of course I’m going,” said Millie. “I’ll do anything to save Sergeant Spencer’s memories. But, no, Reuben, I won’t allow you to come with me. You used to live in The Chaos. You told me how awful it was. I would never ask you to return.”
“Yes,” said Reuben. “I once lived there. I was what people in this world would have called a demon. I wasn’t evil, though, and it was the most wonderful day when Esmeralda dragged my energy from that awful dimension into this one and placed me in the body of this bird. I have her to thank for saving me from an eternity in that hell, and I will do anything to help a member of her bloodline. And even if you weren’t of her bloodline, I’d still do anything to help you, Millie.”
“Reuben can travel freely between dimensions, too, Miss Thorn,” said Peter Simmons. “Because Esmeralda brought him into this world to be her familiar, he is imbued with her magic — the magic of your bloodline, Miss Thorn. He may travel with you, but the body he uses now will be left in this world, waiting for him to return to it.”
Millie turned her head to the right and stared at her familiar. “So you’ll...”
Reuben answered her question before she could finish it. “Yes, Millie. When I pass through the gate, my energy will find the body I was born in again. The body of a monster.”
Chapter 35
Far below Spellbinder Hall, the gate room occupied a cave in the cliff, the entrance sealed with a thick metal door. The last time Millie had stepped inside the room, it had been so that Henry could show her the gateway to chaos. She shuddered as she recalled the fear she’d felt as she’d ran from the room after staring into the gate and witnessing a demon attempting to break through. The same fear filled her mind as Peter Simmons prepared to open the door.
As Peter pushed it open, Millie realised the room was a very different place than when she’d been there last. A little of her trepidation left her when she smelled coffee brewing and saw the plate of custard slices on a sideboard decorated with a small vase containing a posy of wildflowers.
It seemed that Peter Simmons and Graham Spalding had done what lots of people around the world did in their place of work. They’d made it their own, adding the creature comforts which would help tedious hours tick by.
Graham Spalding glanced up as the procession of people entered the room, his blue eyes bright against the crisp white of his lab coat. He reached for the small stereo on
the desk next to him and turned it off. As the music that had been playing was silenced, Millie became aware of a humming sound emanating from behind a wooden screen on wheels which stood in the centre of the room. The screen hadn’t been there to hide the gate when she’d last visited, but she remembered the sound the gate had made — the soft hum which had reminded her of wind passing through the branches of trees.
Graham stood up and smiled. “Hello,” he said. “I’m assuming that since you’re all here, a decision has been made?” He looked directly at Millie. “You’re going to step through the gate, Miss Thorn?”
Millie took a deep breath. There was no time for small talk. Time was of the essence. She gave a firm nod. “Yes,” she said. “Both Reuben and I are ready to go. Can we get on with it?”
“Of course,” said Graham, hurrying to the screen and dragging it across the room on squeaky wheels. “I’m eager to see you step into it, not only so that the sergeant might be helped, but so that we can tell for sure that our hypothesis is correct. Although I’m quite certain that you and Reuben will be able to pass safely back into this dimension, it will be a relief to see it happen.”
“How sure are you that you’re correct?” asked George, concern on his face.
“I’m eighty per cent certain,” said Graham Spalding. “Those are good odds.”
“Those are odds that Millie has to decide for herself whether to take or not,” said George. He approached Millie, gazing into her eyes. “You don’t have to do this,” he said. “You or Reuben. I know it will be awful if Sergeant Spencer loses his memories and is forced to move away, but at least he won’t be lost to another dimension, or... dead.
“Judith is still up there in that room with him, holding his hand, she’s stronger than some people think. She’ll survive his loss, Millie. As harsh as that sounds, it’s true, and she would never forgive herself if her father lost his memories and something terrible happened to you, too.” He smiled at the little bird perched on Millie’s shoulder. “You too, Reuben. We’ve had our differences, but you’re brave, and I’m honoured to know you.”
“I’m not dead yet, bloodsucker,” snapped Reuben. He dropped his head and shuffled his feet on Millie’s shoulder. “But thank you, George.”
George smiled and turned his attention back to Millie. “You too,” he said. “You’re brave, but that doesn’t mean you have to put your life on the line like this.”
She wanted to tell him. She wanted to tell everybody assembled in the room that Sergeant Spencer was her father, and that she’d do anything to help him, but she wouldn’t. She couldn’t. Not until she’d told Sergeant Spencer himself. For the time being it was only her, Henry Pinkerton, and Reuben that knew, and soon, all three of them would be in a different dimension than her father. She smiled at George. “I know the risks,” she said. “And I’m happy to take them.”
Presumably aware of the determination that Millie felt in the way she held her head and stood firm on her feet, the vampire nodded. “Okay,” he said. “We’ll be willing you on, and we’ll be waiting for you here when you get back. Both of you.”
“George,” said Millie. “I need you to get a message to Florence for me. If I don’t make it back.”
“You’ll be back,” said George, firmly.
“Please,” said Millie. “Just humour me.”
“Okay,” said George, with a concerned frown. “What is it?”
“Tell her that I know who the new ghost is,” said Millie. “And tell her that the ghost had a reason to want to kill Trevor Giles. Tell Florence that I know she said the ghost hadn’t left her sight during the school fete, but I’m not so sure. The ghost had real motive. Florence is the best person to deal with it. She’ll know what to do.”
“I’ll tell her,” said George. “But you’ll be able to tell her yourself. As soon as you’re back.”
“There’s no need,” came a soft voice from Millie’s right. “I watched the events unfold in your classroom, Miss Thorn. I know who the ghost is, and I understand the motive. Please be assured that I will investigate thoroughly.” She moved alongside George and gave a curtsy. “May I also say how courageous I consider both yourself and your familiar to be. I wish you success on your journey.”
“Thank you, Florence,” said Millie.
“May I offer you my best wishes, too?” asked Timothy, approaching Millie. “I’m ashamed that it’s members of my community who have put Sergeant Spencer in the position he’s in. If those blasted wolves hadn’t done what they did, then you and Reuben wouldn’t be about to embark on such a dangerous quest.”
“It’s not really a quest,” said Millie. “But thank you, Timothy.”
“Not a quest?” said Timothy, incredulous. “You’re about to search a dimension fraught with danger, for someone who might be able to save somebody we all love. You’ll be facing heinous demons which have the ability to rip you apart, and you’re armed only with the magic you have within you. I’d say that was a quest, and I wish you godspeed!”
Reuben moved his beak close to Millie’s ear. “I’m not sure that I trust him anymore,” he whispered. “I’m not sure that I want you to pursue him romantically, as I’ve advised in the past. He seems devious. George is far nicer, especially after how he just spoke about me. I’m touched.”
“Reuben,” said Timothy, tapping one of his ears with a podgy finger. “Whispering doesn’t work around a werewolf.”
“I think we should be going, Millie,” said Reuben. “I’m sensing hostility.”
“We should be going,” agreed Millie, turning slowly to face the circle of white light contained within a vertical ring of stones. “We can’t waste any more time.”
“When you step through,” said Graham Spalding, “you’re looking for other gates similar to this one. The gates should not be too far from where you arrive in the next dimension.”
“I don’t recall being aware of other gates,” said Reuben. “I lived on the other side of this gate for an age, and I only remember seeing this gate. The gate to this world.”
“The other gates would have been hidden to you,” said Peter Simmons. “This gate would have been visible because it had already been breached by demons from your world. The others will be visible to you now you have the same magic as Millie within you.”
“Each gate will take you to another dimension,” said Graham. “But you won’t need to travel to each one to find Henry.” He handed Millie a leather pouch. “This is the jewel which Henry calls The Stone of Integrity. It’s tied to Henry by strong bonds of energy, and it will lead you to him.”
“You’re sure?” asked Millie, taking the pouch and pocketing it.
“Peter and I have tested it,” replied Graham. “We’re certain. We passed it through the gate on a rod, and the stone began vibrating almost immediately. We think the stone’s vibrations will increase in intensity the closer it gets to Mister Pinkerton. Think of it as a homing device.”
Millie nodded and stared into the ring of light. “What do I do if I come across a demon?” she asked.
“You do nothing if we come across a demon,” said Reuben. “You leave it to me. That’s what you do. I’ll deal with any demons. I’ll be a little bigger than this cockatiel when I take on my true form again.”
“Okay,” said Millie, stepping onto the stone plinth, her eyes squinting against the bright light cast by the gate. “Let’s go, Reuben.”
“Good luck,” said Edna, as Millie stepped onto the flat slab of rock the gate sat upon.
“Yes,” said Fredrick. “Good luck. It is a brave thing you’re both choosing to do.”
Concentrating only on the task at hand, Millie approached the glowing circle. A little taller than an average man, the gate was large enough to walk right into without needing to duck, and as she neared the wall of light, she closed her eyes tighter to shield them from the brightness.
A soft breeze blew from the circle, making her hair dance on the peripherals of her face, and the humming gr
ew louder with each step she took. Remaining on her shoulder, Reuben dug his claws deeper into her as the breeze became stronger.
When she was close enough to put out her hand and touch the light, she turned her head to look at her familiar. “After three?” she asked.
“I’d prefer five,” answered the cockatiel. “But three is fine, too.”
Millie smiled. “Okay, on the count of three, I’ll walk into it. Hold on.”
“No, I’d better not hold on,” answered Reuben. “I’ll leap into the light. The body of the cockatiel will remain here in this world, and I will occupy the body I was born into, and you wouldn’t want me sitting on your shoulder in my true form, believe me.”
Readying herself to walk into danger, and preparing herself to see her familiar in his true form, whatever that might be, Millie took a deep breath through her nose, blew it out through pursed lips and counted slowly. “One. Two. Three.”
Forcing herself into the circle of light, aware that Reuben had left his perching place on her shoulder, her breath left her in a gasp as the glow enveloped her and the ground fell away beneath her.
Screaming as she tumbled, and blinded by the light, Millie called for Reuben but received no answer. Then suddenly, emerging from the light at high speed she saw solid ground. Knowing if she hit it at the rate she was travelling, she would be smashed to pieces, she closed her eyes and awaited the bone breaking impact, a scream forming in her throat.
Chapter 36
Her arms outstretched before her in an instinctive attempt to break her fall, the scream left Millie’s mouth. Against the backdrop of wind noise rushing past her, she could hardly hear the sound she made, but her throat hurt as she expelled fear from her body.
And then, suddenly, it was over. Rather than hitting the ground with a body breaking thump, she found herself stepping gently across the threshold of a gate just like the one she’d stepped into in Spellbinder Hall.
