by Phil Maxey
After a few more minutes, she saw something, but she wasn’t sure what it was. A large humanoid figure standing at least seven feet high, with a head that seemed ape-like, and a large jutting lower jaw walked past the back gate, causing her to duck down behind the solid part of the door. What the hell was that?
She had no answers, but it looked like it was guarding the gate. She just wasn’t sure if that was to stop her from escaping, or to stop anything else from coming in. Probably the former.
Then she saw another figure. This one was much smaller, and wiry. As it hobbled towards the large beast man, she could see it was an old man, wearing a large winter coat and hat which meant he wouldn’t have looked out of place in the 1930s. He also seemed to be leaning on an ornate walking stick. A pain shot up her ring hand, making her grimace. She then realised this person was the same man that stood on the other side of the gate from her just days before.
The ancient individual, looked in her direction causing her to duck down again. When she stood back up, he and the larger thing were nowhere to be seen. Every part of her was screaming not to do it, but she slowly unlatched the door, and pulled it open as gently as she could. Even so, the gust of freezing wind caught her by surprise making her take a deep breath and grip the wooden frame.
She stopped and listened into the now almost complete darkness beyond the gate outside the yard. There were no noises. Opening the door wider, she stepped out onto the snow straining her eyes and ears to sense what might be ahead of her.
Step after step she tried to see into the shadows to see if there was anything lurking waiting to grab her, but she couldn’t see anything.
Just as she took another step, she heard a screaming noise from above. She looked up and the sky was full of a huge winged shadow, which swept away all the garden rubbish around her, as its huge wings flapped up and down.
She ducked down instinctively, but she could see there wasn’t anything she could do to stop this creature from landing on her.
She thrust her hand with the ring upwards, while pleading with whatever magical god there was out there to help her. Just as she did, the creature’s talons crashed into something just above her head, making it cry out in anguish and ascend upwards slightly. Again, the large creature swooped and again it hit some invisible barrier between it and its target.
Kat scrambled to her feet and went to run back to the rear door of the house, when she felt a presence behind her. She turned around just in time to see the old man reach out with his walking stick in her direction causing a blinding burst of electricity fly from the top of it in her direction. Again, it hit the protective bubble that was around her. She ran for the house, running inside not bothering to close the door behind her, opened the door to the basement and ran down the steps.
She could hear noises above her as she placed her hand on the strange symbol on the huge door, causing it to open. She ran inside and pushed it shut behind her.
Darren and Chip were standing, looking at her. “Where the hell were you? I thought—”
She raised her hand, out of breath. “Up—” she pointed upwards. “—Creatures, still—”
Darren pulled a chair to her. “Sit. The things are still outside?”
“Yes,” she said, taking a deep breath. “The ring protected me.”
“How?”
“I don’t know, a force field, stopped them from getting me.”
“Cool.”
She went to reply again, when she heard a noise. But this sound, wasn’t from behind her, this rapping noise was from beyond the other door on the right. The one that led to the sewers. “They are trying to get in the other way, we need to be ready! Grab what you can to protect yourself!”
Darren spun around, not knowing what to do. “I’m going to hide with Chip,” he said, running up to the second floor.
Kat got to her feet, and moved so she was squarely facing the second outside door, then held her hand as a clenched fist out in front of her. “Come on then!” she shouted as the sounds outside grew.
The handle started to move, and she readied herself.
The door flew open, with a dark haired unshaven man stood in the opening. “Who the hell are you?” said Jax.
CHAPTER 37
Kat’s hand trembled. “You first!”
Jax recognized the ring on her finger instantly and raised his hands in defence. “Hey, easy, I’m one of the good guys.”
“Anyone can say that. How do I know you’re not with those upstairs?”
Eden, Sparrow, and Justin shuffled into the room behind Jax, holding their weapons at the ready.
Kat’s hand wavered between all of them. “Stay back! I got a magical ring and I know how to use it!”
“Calm down kid—”
“Who are you calling kid, I’m twenty-one!”
“OK, young lady. Look—” he turned his palm around so his ring faced her. “I’ve got one just like yours.”
“Are you Arnold’s granddaughter?” asked Sparrow, her hand holding her bow tight.
“What do you know about my grandfather? Are you here to take me? Or kill me and take my ring?”
Chip barked from upstairs and everyone but Kat looked up.
Sparrow looked at her comrades. “Everyone put your weapons down.”
Eden looked unsure at her. “How do we know she’s not one of them? Maybe she’s some young whiz kid.”
“I’m just a girl, who—” she realized she was saying too much. “Yeah, do what she said put your weapons down. That’s a start.”
Sparrow, Eden, and Justin placed their weapons on the floor.
Kat looked back at Jax. “What about that ring?”
“I ain’t taking this ring off ki—what’s your name?”
Chip continued barking above them.
“My name doesn’t matter, just tell me what you’re doing here?”
“I don’t know if you know where you are, but this is called a sanctuary, your grandfather Arnold used to be the custodian and this was his place,” said Sparrow.
Jax glanced at Sparrow. “And mine.”
“Yeah, and this man’s. His name is Jax. We are here to help you, you’re in grave danger from what’s outside these walls.”
Darren came down the spiral staircase, with Chip still barking in tow. “Kat, I think we should trust them, they don’t look like those others.”
“Yeah, listen to your dad here,” said Jax.
Kat baulked. “He’s not my dad.”
“Whoever he is, he’s talking sense. We are here to help you. You can lower that ring of yours.”
Kat’s arm wavered, then she lowered it.
“My name’s Sparrow, this is Eden, and this is Justin. How did you end up here? We looked for you in your home in South London.”
Kat looked confused. “You went to my house in Croydon? You talked to my mum?”
“No, she wasn’t there.”
“What do you mean, wasn’t there?”
Jax walked to the large glass display cabinet. “She means she wasn’t there, as in no one home. I see someone’s been playing with the toys.”
Kat looked back and forth between Jax and Sparrow. “She should have been there. Was her car there?”
Sparrow sighed. “I think it was, I’m sorry, but I think she’s been taken.”
Kat raised her arm again, emotion building inside of her. “What do you mean, she’s been taken?”
Jax turned around. “Did you not get the part, where I said we are here to help? We don’t know where you mother is, but we will do what we can to find her. You need to start trusting us.”
Sparrow walked forward, and slowly put her hand on Kat’s raised hand. “He’s right, we will try to find her.”
Slowly Kat lowered her arm, and Darren walked from the bottom of the stairs with Chip, who was wagging his tail.
Eden walked up to him. “Aw, he’s a cute one,” she said, patting him.
Jax walked across to another cabinet, which displa
yed old books. He passed his hand over it, and the books transformed into bottles of alcohol and glasses.
“Whoa, that’s cool,” said Darren.
A far-off squawk drifted through the air from the Arnold’s Laboratory.
“I see you met Arnold’s pet project,” said Jax.
“I’ll go see if he’s OK,” said Darren.
“Come, sit, and tell me how you got your grandfather’s ring, and how you got here,” said Sparrow, leading Kat to the chairs near the fire.
As Kat and Sparrow moved across the room, Justin looked up at the second floor of the sanctuary. “Is this it?”
Jax poured himself a drink. “Trust me, in this case, the size is not what matters. This place is more secure, than well, a very secure place. So far this is the only sanctuary they didn’t get into.” He took a sip.
Kat sat opposite Sparrow. She then took a deep breath and told her the story of what had happened over the past week, starting with visiting her grandfather in the old folk’s home. The only parts she left out were her seeing the old shop before she physically went there, and how she came by her dog, but everything else she told in vivid detail. Once she was finished, everyone was sitting and listening intently, even Jax.
“That’s some story,” said Justin. Not long after she started talking he realized she was just as new to all this as he was.
“We’re going to find your mum, and bring her to safety, you have my word,” said Sparrow. For some reason Kat trusted her.
“Are we staying here, or leaving?” said Eden, eating one of the tinned pies from the pantry.
“I say we head out,” said Jax. Justin noticed he was on his third glass of whatever the golden liquid was that he found in the magical drinks cabinet.
“You can leave without me, but I’m staying here,” said Kat. She then looked at Jax. “You said earlier, this is the only place where the things outside have not got in? That’s good enough for me. I’ll wait them out.”
“We can’t be sure they won’t get inside, kiddo,” said Eden.
“Tell me more about the old man who you said was also a ‘wizard?’ we actually call people with magical abilities Magi.”
Kat repeated what she saw of the man, trying to think of any new detail. “Why does my hand hurt when I see him?”
“It’s the ring, it senses when it’s close to magic, you’ll get used to it,” said Jax, starting a new drink.
“Don’t yer think you had enough of that?” said Eden.
He raised his glass briefly. “It’s like the magic, you get used to it.”
Eden frowned, then turned to Sparrow. “So, what are we doing? Are we leaving, and if we do, where do we go? London or on to Merthyr Tydfil? And if we are staying, how long do we stay here for?”
“My vote is Merthyr Tydfil, be good for Justin here to see his house’s sanctuary, or whatever’s left of it,” said Jax.
Sparrow looked thoughtful. “We can’t stay here forever, regardless of how well warded it is. We need to move on, but not right now. Let’s sleep here tonight, and leave just before first light in the morning.”
“Fine,” said Jax moving towards one of the bedrooms with his glass and bottle.
Darren watched him approach the room he had been sleeping in for the last few nights, and went to raise his hand, but then lowered it. Jax entered the room and closed the door behind him.
“It’s OK Darren, use the second bed in my room,” said Kat.
He got to his feet, smiled briefly at everyone, then walked into Kat’s room.
“Guess that means I have to take the second bed in Jax’s room. Great,” said Eden getting to her feet. “I’ll bid you all a good night.” She disappeared off down the corridor.
Justin looked around the walls and various doors. “Toilet?”
“Yeah, in the large cupboard room thing, in the hallway, look in there,” said Kat.
He nodded and walked into the hallway, with Chip trotting along with him.
“You should get some rest. We’ll be going to the Welsh sanctuary, then back to London in the same day,” said Sparrow.
Kat got to her feet, then held her hand out to Sparrow. Tears were in her eyes. “Thank you for not being one of those things.” She looked up briefly.
Sparrow smiled and shook her hand.
“I’ll check on Hack before I sleep.”
Sparrow looked confused.
Kat smiled. “The griffin, in the room at the end down there.” She briefly pointed.
“I see, night then,” said Sparrow. Kat left.
Sparrow leaned back in the comfy chair.
After a short while Justin returned and sat where Kat was sitting opposite her. “You sure we’re safe in here?”
“If they could have got in, they would have by now,” she said with her eyes closed. A few moments passed. She could feel his eyes on her. One of hers opened. “What’s wrong?”
“This might be an odd question to ask, but …”
“Yes?”
“Well, what with—umm. Not sure how to say this, but how old are you really?”
She smiled.
Justin quickly continued. “I mean, it’s not that it matters, it’s just that everyone is older than they look because of the rings, and—”
“Don’t worry, I’m not like eighty-nine years old or anything.” She laughed.
“OK?”
“You really thought I was eighty-nine years old?”
“Ha, no, of course not.” His eyes flitted around. “Actually, you know what? It doesn’t matter how old you are, I don’t need to know.”
“OK.”
Justin sighed. “No, I need to know, how old are you?”
Sparrow laughed. “I’m thirty.”
“Thirty er, human years or thirty magical years?”
“The former.”
“Oh … so you’re like an older woman. Because I thought you were, you know … younger … not that …” The interview with Stanwell came flooding back, and he could feel his face getting warm.
She continued laughing. “Well I’m not sure I’m quite an older woman just yet, but I’m nine years older than you. I just look younger, which is partly the ring, and partly good skin products.”
He laughed then suddenly she leaned in and kissed him gently on the cheek.
Justin’s mind fizzed for a few seconds. He then opened his eyes. Sparrow was leaning back in her chair, her eyes closed. He wanted to say something, tell her how he was starting to feel, but he could tell she was already falling into the arms of sleep, and he needed the rest too.
CHAPTER 38
“Are we all ready?” said Sparrow in the tunnel leading to the sewer exit.
“Yup,” said Kat well wrapped in her winter clothes, holding Chip’s leash. Just a moment before she was near the cage of the Griffin, making sure there were a lot of pies scattered around him, which she pushed through the bars. She even managed to find some gold coins after talking to Jax, who pointed her to a drawer unit on the second floor which held a whole tray of them. She threw some next to Hack, who immediately grabbed them with his talons. She then told her feathered friend she would be back. He squawked in reply.
“Yeah,” said Darren, his eyes not fully wanting to open.
“OK, I’m going to scout ahead, see if the way beyond this threshold is still safe, wait here.” Kat opened the door for her and Sparrow listened into the darkness beyond, then quickly moved into the tunnel. They all watched her until she was absorbed by the shadows. Chip gave a little whimper.
“It’s OK, boy, she’ll be back,” said Kat.
A rustling came from the end of the tunnel, then Sparrow appeared waving them towards her.
Kat had a quick glance back at the sanctuary tunnel then left, followed by Darren, Justin, Eden then Jax who closed the door. She switched on her small key ring torch giving them at least some light to see their way.
They moved through puddles, hustling through the narrow tunnel.
Darre
n grimaced when any of the splashes from the rancid water landed on him and was trying to hold his nose, but at the same time didn’t want to touch himself. “I really don’t like this,” he whispered.
“Better than the alternative,” whispered Kat in reply.
Soon they were at another set of stairs. At the top, an old metal plated door sat, with a large chain and padlock looped around it and the brickwork.
Jax ran forwards and up the steps to the door, with an old key in his hand. He briefly looked back at the others. “This way will lead us back to the car.”
Everyone murmured in acceptance and he unlocked the padlock, pulling the chain off as quietly as he could, then opening the door. The smell of earth drifted through the opening. They quickly moved up the stairs and into a small dusty room full of gardening equipment.
Sparrow and Eden moved to the windows and looked out into the park, trees, and fields outside. The sun was just beginning to come up, but most things beyond the shed they were in, were just black blobs to be guessed at.
“Hard to see, but I think it’s clear, I wonder where those things have gone,” said Sparrow, not expecting an answer.
“Maybe they are asleep as well,” said Justin, half-joking.
“The car is about a five-minute walk in that direction.” Jax pointed to the south, “Keep moving and don’t stop no matter what.” Everyone nodded. He opened the shed door and a blast of ice-cold air hit them, making them all check their clothing to make sure it was as tightly done up as possible.
They all filtered outside as Jax reattached the padlock, then joined the others securing the shed door as well.
Kat’s hand began to itch. She looked at the uniformity of the black around her and took a deep breath.
Jax moved quickly and everyone had to run to keep up.
Soon they were moving through a wood, along a narrow snow-covered path mixed with roots and leaves.
Darren’s foot caught something which would not give way and he fell forwards heavily. Immediately he put his hand up, as Kat shone her torch on him. “I’m OK, let’s—” before he could finish the sound of creaking trees echoed all around them.
