He had barely even caught his breath. Feeling guilty for just sitting and watching, I stood up and began to help but I soon stopped when I had the feeling we were being watched.
I moved closer to Gabriel's side and whispered, “Gabriel, I think there's someone here. I think someone's watching us.”
“Stay close Lilly, and act naturally,” he replied without looking up as he continued to collect kindling for the fire.
I saw from the corner of my eye that he was discreetly looking around to see who it could be. Suddenly he stood upright and chuckled. I turned to see the source of his amusement and noticed a rather large white wild mountain goat perched slightly above us, watching us with beady eyes.
“Hello, old chap,” shouted Gabriel, “I thought I might bump into you again.”
The goat carefully and cleverly climbed down from the narrow shelf above us and as he did so, the top half of his body changed dramatically. Like Sammy, he was half animal, half human in every sense of the words.
His head and arms were that of a human and the rest of him was most certainly that of a goat. His hair was completely white, as was his long goatee. Age wise, I would have said he was in his sixties.
“Gabriel. Good to see you, old man. Frightfully sorry if I gave the young girl cause for concern,” he said in a posh British accent, which completely puzzled me.
“Hello my dear,” he said as he walked over to me, with his hand outstretched. I shook it, my mouth open in surprise.
“Close your mouth, Lilly,” laughed Gabriel, “this is an acquaintance of mine, Charlie.”
“Acquaintance? I would say friend... would you not?” he chuckled, before adding, “absolutely charmed to meet you, my dear Lilly. You must be the old man's granddaughter from London, I presume,” he said, still holding my hand in his.
I nodded, not quite sure what to say. I'd never seen a half man, half goat before. Especially not one with such a strong English accent.
“Nice to meet you Charlie,” I eventually managed to spit out.
He finally let go of my hand and turned his attention to Gabriel, just as Gabriel was explaining that he had met Charlie when he'd visited the Elders the previous winter, at about the same time I'd arrived – the reason Gabriel had been unable to collect me from the airport.
“I presume you are on your way to visit the Elders?” Charlie asked while he began to assist making the fire.
“Yes, I'm taking Lilly up to meet them. What have you been up to lately, Charlie?” asked Gabriel.
Charlie stuttered momentarily before explaining that he had actually been recovering from an injury and so he'd had little choice but to stay on the mountain for the last few months.
“What kind of injury?” asked Gabriel as he lit the fire.
“Oh, nothing to worry about really,” answered Charlie in a way that suggested he didn't want to talk about it. Gabriel promptly changed the subject, asking if he'd met anyone of interest there lately.
Charlie moved over to the now roaring fire and sat down, making himself comfortable as he told us about a small group of travellers he'd seen just a few weeks before. Having not recognised any of the group, Charlie had kept his distance, watching from above. They were a group of young hikers. “Kids,” said Charlie, “the human variety... not fellow goats!” he added, chuckling.
“I just stood grazing while I watched them attempt to make a fire. They drank lots of beer and acted like idiots,” he added, “other than them, there hasn't been much going on around here for quite a while... unless you count the time when a strange young woman stayed the night. It was around Christmastime, I believe.”
“A strange young woman?” questioned Gabriel, “I wonder who that was.”
“Her name was Tabitha, I think. That's it. Do you know her Gabriel?”
He shook his head.
I was intrigued. Who was this Tabitha? Where had she come from? Where was she going? What was she doing up here alone? And why was she strange?
Going by Gabriel's friendliness to the goat man, I finally accepted that Charlie must be somebody (or something) that could be trusted, so I pulled out my sleeping bag and laid it down next to Gabriel's where I curled up and listened to their conversation to find out more about the folk that often gathered around the mountain.
Charlie had obviously spent some time watching Tabitha, and he revealed that she appeared to be a witch.
“So what was she up to at Christmas, Charlie?” asked Gabriel as he warmed his cold hands over the flames.
“I don't know where she was coming from but she stopped at this very cave for a night. I was near enough to watch her without being seen,” said Charlie as I began to get the feeling that he was something of a voyeur.
“She was alone to begin with but was later joined by a young man who wasn't exactly the kind of boy you'd like your daughter to bring home, if you know what I mean. He was covered in those awful tattoos, all up his arms and legs. Dreadful things. I thought they were perhaps lovers but before I knew it, they were having a huge argument. I couldn't quite hear what they were fighting about but it was obvious it was serious. And then just when I thought they were over it, he turned into a wolf, of all things. I knew then that I needed to make a quick exit, so I went and hid away in my cave until they left. They were gone by the next morning. I was intrigued, to say the least. I'd have loved to know what that was all about,” he said.
“Interesting,” said Gabriel, “but I don't know either of them. Did you hear what the boy was called?”
Charlie sat motionless for a moment, deep in thought. “Aah yes. It was Zoltan.”
Zoltan and Tabitha. A werewolf and a witch. I asked how Charlie had come to the conclusion that she was a witch.
“I just knew... it was written all over her,” he chuckled, before adding, “that and the fact that she appeared to be attempting to cast spells before wolfie arrived.”
I was so fascinated that I decided I wanted to meet them. I wasn't sure why, there was just something about the way they had been described that intrigued me.
Gabriel and Charlie began chatting about things that were of little interest to me, so I decided to have a wander around on my own for a while.
“Be careful Lilly and don't go too far,” said Gabriel as I walked away from the two as they continued chatting.
Dusk was approaching and I knew it wouldn't be too long until it was dark so I kept fairly close to our camp. Since becoming a mountain lion, my eyesight had improved dramatically, even in human form, but because I wasn't familiar with the area, I certainly didn't want to tempt fate. And I never forgot that I had promised Gabriel that I would remain in human form.
As I walked out of sight of them both, I heard the gentle cooing of an owl. Following the sound, I saw the majestic creature sitting on the branch of a lone tree. As he cooed, he just sat staring off into the distance. I didn't want to disturb him, so I just stood for a few moments, watching. Looking around for somewhere to sit, I noticed a large smooth rock a few metres away but to get there, I'd probably make some noise. I tiptoed as silently as possible and, sure enough, he turned his head to look at me. He probably knew I was there all along.
Sitting down so he wouldn't feel threatened, I watched as he did nothing. He just sat and stared at me while I admired his unusual dark eyes. After a few minutes, he must have got bored of my face and so he turned to look in the opposite direction before he took to flight and disappeared.
I stayed where I was and, looking around me, I saw what a spectacular place it was. It was amazing how far we had actually climbed, the tops of the dense woods below were quite a distance away. Other than me, Gabriel, Charlie and the lone owl, we appeared to be very much alone. It was an excellent spot to get away from it all and I could certainly understand Gabriel's penchant for doing that occasionally. Whenever life had a strange twist to it, I supposed. Over the course of Gabriel's life there had certainly been rather a lot of twists and turns, and the majority of them weren't particul
arly pleasant.
I wondered then about Charlie. Who was he? And how did he have such a posh British accent? It was bizarre. As far as I knew, wild mountain goats didn't exist in the UK and for creatures that were capable of changing from animal to human, they must have been born into it. Like I was, it was in my genes. There was something about Charlie that was a little odd. Why had he changed the subject about his injury? And why had he been watching us for a while before coming down to greet us? After giving it even more thought, I decided that even though Gabriel seemed to, I wasn't so sure that I trusted him.
On that thought, I decided to walk back round to make sure everything was okay. Plus, darkness had fallen and I didn't want Gabriel to worry unnecessarily about my whereabouts. I also knew that he would be preparing some food before we called it a night.
Sure enough, as I wandered carefully over the rough terrain back to the camp, I could smell the food. I just hoped that the local bears couldn't smell the food too though. But Gabriel knew what he was doing.
He had cooked something delicious over the fire and was just dishing it up as I returned.
Although I watched Charlie carefully while we ate, I concluded that there didn't appear to be anything to worry about and so, exhaustion taking me by surprise, I curled up in my sleeping bag and drifted off to sleep. The sound of Charlie's and Gabriel's words did nothing to keep me awake.
“Lilly, Lilly.”
I awoke with a start, someone was nudging me, “Wake up, Lilly. It's Gabriel. He's gone,” said Charlie as he finally managed to drag me out of a comfortable sleep with a bang.
His words twisted my stomach into a knot, “he's gone? What do you mean, he's gone?” I asked, jumping out of my sleeping bag. I looked around and saw that Gabriel's sleeping bag was still there, exactly where it had been the night before, a few embers smouldered in the fire but Gabriel was nowhere to be seen.
“Are you sure he didn't just go to get some water or something?” I said, trying hard not to panic, even though I could feel it rising from the pit of my stomach.
Charlie shook his head and stuttered, “I've... I've been awake for over an hour. I thought the same. I assumed that he had gone for water or to the toilet. But he hasn't come back, Lilly. We must leave immediately. We must travel to the Elders together. There we will be able to get some help,” he said as he grabbed everything in sight and shoved it into mine and Gabriel's rucksacks.
I didn't even want to think what might have happened, but I couldn't prevent those negative thoughts from entering my mind. Had a bear attacked him? Surely I would have heard if something so large and ferocious had done, wouldn't I? What about a vampire? Or that man who could change into an alligator, the one Gabriel had first mentioned months ago? My mind was running riot. I thought of Rose, 'Breathe, Lilly, breathe. Slowly, in and out, in and out'. I knew that's what she would be telling me to do. It's the same breathing technique to calm down as it was to change back from lion to human.
Charlie stood looking at me, quizzically, “Lilly, my dear. What are you doing? We must get out of here.”
“I need to calm down, Charlie. I need to calm down and think. I need to think about this sensibly and not react wrongly. I wouldn't want to rush off only to find that Gabriel isn't far away. I can't just leave now. Anything could have happened,” I whispered while I continued to practice the deep breathing techniques.
“That's exactly why we need to leave now. We need to get to the Elders now,” he said authoritatively.
“You go and I'll stay here and wait,” I said, standing my ground.
“Lilly you are coming with me and you're coming with me now, young lady,” he said as his nostrils flared. He was angry. His whole face and demeanour changed suddenly and I began to get the feeling that Charlie wasn't who or what Gabriel thought he was. I began to think that my feelings the previous evening had been spot on. Charlie wasn't one to be trusted.
“Charlie... where is my grandfather?” I asked, knowing that Gabriel's disappearance was beginning to look suspicious. “What have you done to him?” I asked.
He turned then and laughed a deep laugh, “You're a smart girl Lilly, aren't you? I thought I had fooled you both last night, but clearly not. Now listen to me. If you want your grandfather to remain alive, you had better do as I say.”
I knew I had no choice but to do exactly as he said. Until I knew where Gabriel was I couldn't risk losing him altogether. I nodded, trying hard to keep myself from transforming.
“Pick up your bag and walk ahead of me... that way,” he said, pointing in the same direction where I had seen the owl the night before.
I stumbled ahead and tried to think of ways to escape this mad goat man but I knew I couldn't go anywhere. Because if I did, I might never see Gabriel, alive, again.
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
“Why are you doing this?” I asked Charlie after we'd walked in silence for over an hour. “What have you done with Gabriel?”
“Be quiet and continue walking,” he said, while I wondered how my grandfather had trusted this beast. He was usually such a good judge of character, how could he have let this happen? But I knew it wasn't his fault. Being so close to the Elders, Gabriel had obviously assumed he could trust him. Clearly he had been wrong. But there was no point dwelling on it.
Charlie was after something. I didn't know what that was yet but I would find out soon enough.
The fact that Gabriel was gone and Charlie was kidnapping me suggested I had something he wanted. I dreaded to think what it was. As I thought about this evil creature, I began to notice something familiar on a tree a little further ahead. It was an owl. And if my eyesight served me correctly, it appeared to be the owl from the night before. It was watching me. I began to wonder if it was just an owl or if it had special abilities like me. I stared hard at it, hoping that it would swoop down and rescue me, somehow. But it didn't. Like before, it swiftly looked away and then took flight.
“Keep moving!” yelled Charlie and he shoved me causing me to stumble on the loose stones beneath my feet. As I fell onto my knees, I contemplated whether I should just change and rip the goat to shreds.
But I calmed myself down again, thinking only about Gabriel's safety. I pulled myself back onto my feet and rubbed my hands on the front of my combats, to get rid of the grit and dirt. In the distance I could see what appeared to be another cave. We seemed to be heading in that direction. After another ten minutes or so, as we approached it, I noticed that we were not alone. Somebody was waiting for us.
The person was well hidden by an old black cape that covered them from head to toe.
Charlie spoke first. “Here she is, Master, here she is. Just as you requested. Lilly Tulugaq,” and he pushed me so hard that I fell once again to the feet of the stranger.
The fall angered me and I yelped. It was with great difficulty that I stayed relatively calm.
“Don't you mean Lilly Taylor?”
As she said those words, I felt as if I had been kicked in the stomach. I was winded. I closed my eyes momentarily and then looked up as she removed the cape from her face. I gasped at the sight of Vivian.
But this wasn't the Vivian that I had lived with for fourteen years. This Vivian had thin greying hair and wrinkles. Her shoulders stooped forward and her back curled over, like a hunchback. This Vivian had become an old hag.
“I might have known that you would be responsible for all of this,” I spat. “Where is my father?” I demanded.
“Now that's not a very nice way to greet your dear mother, is it?” she spat as she circled me, looking me up and down with a scowl.
“My mother is dead... and you killed her, along with my sister,” I shouted, as I became increasingly angry.
Charlie shoved me down to the floor again and told me to shut up.
I could feel the lion in me trying to take over but I knew if I transformed then, not only would I lose Gabriel but I would lose my father too.
“I raised you and this is the tha
nks I get,” said Vivian cruelly.
“You haven't got a clue how to raise a child,” I spat back, adding, “why are you doing this? Where is Gabriel? And where is my father? If you've hurt either of them, I swear to God I'll...”
“You'll what, Lilly? You'll kill me with your bird's claws? I don't think so, my darling. A little raven isn't going to kill me. I'm one of the greatest witches that ever lived,” she announced.
“If you're so great, then why do you look like an old hag,” I asked.
“How dare you!” she yelled back, slapping me hard on the side of my face.
“You hit like an old hag,” I said with a glare, knowing I was hitting a nerve.
“Get her and bring her in here,” she ordered Charlie, who grabbed my arm roughly and pulled me after her. The entrance to the cave was small, but inside it proved to be a lot bigger than it first appeared.
“Throw her in there,” she said, pointing to a huge bird cage in the centre of the cavern.
As I was pushed into it, it dawned on me that Vivian had no idea about my true self. She thought I had the ability to transform myself into a raven, but she knew nothing about the mountain lion. I began to think that I could use it to my advantage.
“What are you going to do to me?” I asked her, watching as she read from a large ornate book that looked centuries old.
“I'm going to take your blood and your hair... not that you've got very much of that these days... and use it to make me young and beautiful again.” She said it as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Is that what you did to my father?” I asked, hoping to find out the truth.
She ignored me, instead standing up and walking over to a large shelf that had been created from an old log, similar to the ones I had seen on the beach at Powell River. On it were a number of vials filled with all kinds of creepy looking things. I recognised a few of them. They were just like the vials that the police had found in the black room where I used to live.
“Is that my father's blood?” I asked.
When Darkness Falls - Six Paranormal Novels in One Boxed Set Page 128
