Watchers

by Philip Caveney

  Lou was hunched forward in the saddle, seemingly unaware that he was being followed. He swung the bike around a bend in the road and Ari flew after him. They were nearing the river and the bridge that spanned it, the place where Will had first met Ari.

  Now only a foot or so separated them from their goal. Ari edged to the right to come alongside the bike.

  ‘When we’re close enough,’ he whispered into Will’s ear ‘I want you to grab Sophie and hang on tight.’

  ‘Can you carry us both?’ gasped Will.

  ‘Are you kidding? Tonight I could carry an elephant.’ Ari increased his speed. ‘Now,’ he said. ‘Get ready . . .’

  There was a sudden blinding glare of light and the long bellowing blast of a motor horn as a juggernaut came roaring out of the darkness towards them. Ari cursed and swung frantically back to his left. The great metal leviathan thundered past them, the rush of air it created making them seesaw crazily.

  ‘That was close,” gasped Will.

  Ari nodded grimly, swung back to the right and pumped his wings harder.

  ‘The bridge,’ warned Will. ‘We’re nearly at the bridge.’

  ‘There’s time,’ Ari told him. He accelerated forward.

  Now they were coasting above Lou. His gaze was fixed on the way ahead. He was probably relishing his victory, the many souls that he would consign to hell that night. Sophie’s body was draped over the bike in front of him, her hands trailing dangerously close to the surface of the road. Will extended his arms ready to make a grab for her.

  ‘Ready?’ asked Ari.

  ‘Ready!’ yelled Will.

  Ari swooped suddenly downwards and Will made his move. At the same instant, Lou caught sight of something in his rear view mirror that made him bellow in alarm. Will shouldered Lou aside and his hands closed around Sophie’s waist. The bike began to wobble precariously as Lou fought to control it.

  ‘Now!’ yelled Will and Ari powered himself upwards, taking Will and Sophie with him. Lou made an attempt to grab at Sophie and Will lashed out with his feet, felt them slam into Lou’s chest. He hung grimly on, his arms straining to hold Sophie’s inert body. He was horribly aware of the bridge’s metal superstructure towering in front of them. Ari had left it too late. They were going to slam into the girders of the bridge!

  He heard a crash as Lou’s bike hit the kerb and somersaulted over the low barriers to go tumbling down the steps to the riverbank, but there was no time to think about that because now Ari was angling himself to pass between the gaps in the girders and there was hardly enough room for them to make it through.

  Will winced as vast lengths of blue metal flashed past inches from his head and Ari gave a bellow of pain, as the tip of one wing glanced off metal, sending white feathers spilling. Then they were out into open air and Ari was curving around and wheeling back to fly low over the river. Will’s arm muscles were screaming in protest.

  ‘I can’t hold her much longer!’ he shouted.

  Ari slowed his speed and touched down on the riverbank and Will was able to lower Sophie gently to the ground and slump down beside her. A short distance away lay the mangled remains of Lou’s bike and in the soft ground that surrounded it, a line of footsteps led to a leather-clad figure, lying face down in the mud.

  Ari looked down at Sophie.

  ‘Is she all right?’ he asked.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ said Will anxiously, cradling Sophie in his arms. ‘She doesn’t seem to be breathing.’ Ari crouched and placed a hand on Sophie’s head. He concentrated for a moment.

  ‘She’ll be fine,’ he said. ‘But we’ll let her sleep for a moment, shall we?’ He stood up again and turned his head at the sound of a low groan. Lou was moving. With great difficulty, he lifted himself onto his hands and knees and turned to look behind him.

  Will flinched. Lou’s face was a nightmare. His features were all smashed, the flesh torn and hanging from one cheek. Blood was oozing from beneath his ripped leathers and when he struggled around onto his knees, Will saw a length of shattered bone sticking out from his shin. Ari took a few steps closer.

  ‘You’re a mess, Lou,’ he said.

  Lou shook his head. He didn’t seem to be registering any pain. He was staring at Ari in disbelief.

  ‘No,’ he said. ‘It’s a trick. You can’t be . . .’

  ‘Can’t be what?’ asked Ari. He beat his wings a couple of times and rose a foot or so into the air, then drifted effortlessly closer. ‘I can’t be an angel, again? Well, I am . . . even if it took a thirteen-year-old boy to show me that I could be.’

  Lou was still shaking his head. His voice sounded as though he was close to tears. ‘You can’t . . . you can’t be . . . that means . . .’

  ‘It means that you tore off your own wings and took the wrong path,’ said Ari. ‘It means that if you’d stuck to your guns, and tried to earn forgiveness, like the rest of us, you and your rotten cronies would be going back where you came from.’ He paused. ‘Instead of where you deserve to be.’

  Lou laughed desperately. ‘You think you’ve got the power to send me to hell?’ he cried defiantly. ‘You’re just one, you can’t do it alone.’

  ‘I don’t have to,’ said Ari. He looked upwards.

  Angels were drifting down from the sky. Will almost cried out in wonder.

  Reg landed first, his mighty wings spread wide. Then Marc, still clutching the body of a broken bass guitar; then Wormwood, his wings somewhat stumpy and flapping at high speed to support his plump body. And Amy, looking quite different; transformed from the dowdy creature she had been, into something proud and beautiful. Will saw, with a dull sense of shock that she was bare-breasted just like her companions. Strangely, he didn’t feel embarrassed, as he might have done.

  Now more angels were landing, angels whose names Will had never learned, until at last there were some fifteen or more of them, standing on the riverbank, looking down at Lou’s broken, kneeling figure.

  Ari said, ‘Goodbye, Lou. Give my regards to your master.’ And he pointed at Lou. One by one, the other angels joined him, all pointing an index finger, their faces devoid of expression.

  ‘No!’ hissed Lou. ‘Wait . . . wait a minute. We need to talk first. Please, don’t . . .’ He stopped talking and began to writhe in agony, clawing at his neck with his black-gloved hands. He threw back his head and screamed in rage.

  There was a sudden, blinding flash and he was gone, leaving just the faintest whiff of sulphur to mark his passing. Ari walked to the spot where he had been kneeling and there was nothing left, no trace of him. He turned to look at his companions.

  ‘What kept you?’ he asked them.

  Reg smiled. ‘We had some things to sort out back at the school,’ he said. ‘Children had passed over before their time, but we managed to call them back. There were major injuries to heal, broken bones to mend. We left some minor cuts and bruises, just to make it look convincing. Tomorrow, the newspapers will talk of a miraculous escape.’

  ‘There was a good deal of mind-wiping to be done also,’ Marc reminded him.

  ‘Oh, yes,’ said Reg. ‘That too. And of course, Lou’s friends needed to be sent back where they belonged. They’ll already be waiting to greet him. All in all, it’s a wonder it didn’t take us longer.’

  Ari nodded. ‘Looks like we’re done here, then,’ he said.

  ‘I don’t understand,’ said Amy. ‘When did you realise that we could fly again?’

  Ari looked at Will. ‘It just came to me,’ he said. ‘In a flash.’ He looked around at the others. ‘The dumb thing is, we may have been able to do this for a long time. But you know how it is. You just stop trying. You just assume that nothing is ever going to change. And sometimes, it takes somebody else to point out how blind you’ve been.’ He gazed around at the others. ‘Well, I’m sure you’re all anxious to be on your way,’ he said. ‘There are things you’ll want to rediscover.’

  ‘Table tennis!’ said Wormy, rubbing his hands together. ‘I can
hardly wait.’

  Ari chuckled. ‘Why don’t you all go on without me?’ he suggested. ‘I still have a couple of loose ends to tie up.’

  They nodded as though they understood perfectly. One by one, they flapped their wings and lifted themselves up into the sky. Will watched them going, wanting to burn the memory into his mind forever. Amy was the last to leave. She smiled at Will.

  ‘Goodbye, son of Adam,’ she said. ‘May you and your woman have a long and fruitful life together.’ She took a step closer and lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘If you want, I could put a charm on her while she sleeps,’ she said. ‘I could fix it so she’ll love you forever and never want another.’

  Will smiled, shook his head. ‘Thanks,’ he said. ‘But it’s just like the exams. I’d rather take my chances.’

  ‘As you wish, Will Booth.’ She put a hand on his shoulder and for an instant he felt that warm, melty feeling inside, more pronounced than it had ever been before.

  ‘Farewell,’ she said. And she soared gracefully upwards into the sky.

  At that moment, something in Will’s pocket began to make a trilling sound. He reached in and pulled out the soul-meter to see that the green light was flashing repeatedly. He stared at it in delight.

  ‘Ari, does this mean . . .?’

  Ari nodded and then pointed along the riverbank. A figure was approaching, coming slowly towards them; a misty, wraithlike figure that seemed to shimmer in the darkness, its feet hardly making contact with the ground. Will recognised the smiling face instantly and his eyes filled with fresh tears.

  ‘Dad?’ he whispered.

  The figure stopped a short distance away and gazed at Will. There was a sadness in the smile and gratitude as well, and there was a silence so deep that Will thought the world was holding its breath to listen.

  ‘Dad,’ he murmured. ‘I miss you. I wish you didn’t have to go.’

  Dad nodded and gave another sad smile. He raised one hand in a wave. And as Will watched, sobbing, the shimmering figure began to drift slowly upwards until it coiled like smoke and merged with the night sky. The soul-meter stopped trilling.

  ‘I wish I could have kept him here longer,’ said Ari. ‘But he, too, was eager to make the journey. He’s been a long time trapped between worlds.’

  Will nodded and dashed the tears from his eyes.

  ‘It’s ok,’ he said. ‘I understand. I’m happy for him.’ He studied Ari for a moment. ‘How do you find your way to heaven?’ he asked.

  Ari grinned. ‘You just have to try, Will. You taught me that.’

  Will nodded. ‘I’m glad for you, too,’ he said. ‘Even though I know I’ll miss you. Do you suppose . . . am I ever going to see you again?’

  Ari shrugged and his mighty wings flapped with the motion.

  ‘I don’t know, Will. If you lead a happy life, you’ll have no need of me. On the other hand, if you’re ever in trouble . . .’ He smiled. ‘You’ve got my email.’

  He sighed, looked around. ‘Everything is so peaceful after the storm,’ he said. ‘It was like this on the first night of creation. Everything lay in front of us and it seemed that nothing would ever go wrong. But we messed it up so badly. Now we have another chance and this time, we’re not going to ruin it.’

  He sighed, glanced at Will. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I suppose I should be on my way . . . it’s quite a journey.’ He seemed to remember something. ‘Oh, yes, I almost forgot.’ He kneeled and touched his index finger gently to Sophie’s forehead.

  ‘Time to wake up, my dear,’ he whispered.

  Will looked anxiously at Sophie’s pretty face, so white, so deathly pale. Her eyes flickered and she gave a gasp, as though she had just remembered how to breathe. She was looking up at the sky and she flinched, as she saw something up there that startled her.

  ‘Oh!’ she said.

  Will followed her gaze. Something was soaring up into the heavens at an incredible speed, something with huge white wings. It was only visible for a moment and then it dwindled in size until it was a single white point of light amidst a multitude of stars. And then it was gone so completely, it might never have been there at all.

  ‘What . . . what was that?’ whispered Sophie, sitting up.

  ‘What was what?’ asked Will, innocently.

  Sophie looked around in dull surprise. ‘I . . . saw something in the sky . . . something that . . .’ She registered where she was and forgot what she was saying.

  ‘What are we doing here?’ she asked. ‘We were at the Halloween Ball, weren’t we? We were dancing . . .’

  Will nodded. ‘Something happened back there. An accident. The building was struck by lightning, I think. I got you out of there.’

  ‘But . . .’ She stared at him. ‘This is miles away. How . . . how did we get here?’

  He smiled at her. ‘We flew,’ he told her.

  Sophie laughed. ‘Be serious for a moment,’ she said.

  Will’s phone shrilled, saving him the problem of having to invent a plausible story. He pulled it from his pocket and flipped it open. It was Mum and she sounded frantic.

  ‘Will, where are you? Are you all right? We’re at the school; it’s chaos here, we didn’t know where you were . . .’

  ‘I’m fine, Mum,’ he reassured her. ‘Sophie’s with me, and she’s fine too. Tell everyone that we’re ok, will you? We decided to come home.’

  ‘Home? But . . .’

  ‘Don’t worry, everything’s fine. I’ll be at the house when you get back and I’ll explain when I see you.’ Will smiled at that. Another story he’d have to invent. It was going to take considerable ingenuity on his part, he decided. He snapped the phone shut, ignoring Mum’s other questions. He stood up and helped Sophie get to her feet. She swayed a little and lifted a hand to her forehead, so he placed an arm around her to give her support.

  ‘I do feel odd,’ she said. ‘Like I’ve been asleep for hours and just woken up . . .’ She registered the twisted wreckage of a Harley Davidson lying nearby. ‘Wonder where that came from?’ she said.

  Will shrugged.

  ‘Who knows?’ he said. ‘Some little devil driving like a maniac, I suppose.’ He took her arm and led her to the steps. ‘Come on,’ he said. ‘Let’s go.’

  Up on the bridge, they paused to look down at the river. Will lifted his gaze to take in the night sky and the billions of stars, twinkling like beacons to guide the angels back to the place they had wanted to be, for so long. He felt happier than he could ever remember.

  Beside him, Sophie had begun to shiver. He took off his jacket, draped it around her shoulders and together, they started for home.

  Reviews for Crow Boy

  Very exciting and very educational.

  --The BookWitch

  A chilling adventure, full of surprises and twisty turns . . . the novel is written in a very accessible style, and should appeal to both boys and girls age 10 plus.

  --Historical Novel Society

  The book is both intriguing and thrilling . . . It is a rich, satisfying book, with lots of layers and plenty to think and talk about, and it deserves to be as popular with readers as Mr Caveney’s other excellent books.

  --The BookBag

  More books by Philip Caveney

  Crow Boy

  Seventeen Coffins (2014)

  Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools

  Sebastian Darke: Prince of Pirates

  Sebastian Darke: Prince of Explorers

  Sebastian Darke: Prince of Spies

  A Buffalope’s Tale

  Alec Devlin: The Eye of the Serpent

  Alec Devln: Empire of the Skull

  Alec Devlin: Maze of Death

  Movie Maniacs: Night On Terror Island

  Movie Maniacs: Spy Another Day

  Movie Maniacs: Space Blasters

  Cursery Rhymes (with Bob Seal)

 

 

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