The Trespassing of Souls

by M S C Barnes

he heard Zach shouting, “Tunnels, doors, pathways and presences, Aiden. How could you not see all this?”

  Mr White answered for him. “Presences of things where they should not be, Zach. The only exception is us. We can see the members of the group and anything that does not belong. Nothing more. These souls belong.”

  Seb was still reeling from the thousands of life experiences his mind had been bombarded with; he felt the passion, the fear, the happiness, love, devotion, sadness, devastation of all of them, and his mind couldn’t cope.

  Alice said again, “Close them off, Seb.” But for Seb it was too late. And then through all the turmoil, the clutter of experiences, his brain picked out one relevant point. Mr Duir. For each of the spectres that had passed through him there was a recollection of Mr Duir.

  He sat upright, snapping back to reality.

  “Nat, they are aware. They all saw Mr Duir. He definitely came this way, they noticed him!”

  “Seb, how could you know that?” Scarlet asked, still cowering.

  “When they passed through me …” Seb couldn’t continue; thinking about it made the memories dance through his head afresh. He closed his eyes, trying to do what Alice had told him, block them out. When he did, the image of Mr Duir became stronger, clearer. Seb knew the way he had gone.

  Struggling to his feet and keeping close to the wall, out of the phantoms’ path, he said, “Mr Duir definitely went that way and then to the left.” As he pointed down the tunnel his hand shook, and so did his whole body.

  “Seb, look at you. You’re shaking.” Scarlet crawled over to him. “Sit down, you can hardly stand!”

  “I’m cold,” he shivered, “and so hungry!” He laughed weakly and sat down.

  “Did you pack any supplies in that bag?” Scarlet asked, yanking his backpack off. He had forgotten he was even wearing it. She pulled out a jumper and handed it to him. “Put this on,” she demanded.

  Zach joined her and searched through the bag.

  “What did you pack? Crisps? Chocolate?” Then his voice sounded disappointed. “Really, Seb – a couple of bagels, a bottle of water and an apple? Is that it?”

  “There wasn’t much I liked.” Seb hugged his arms around his body.

  “Didn’t think you liked apples,” Zach said disapprovingly.

  “They’re good supplies. Seb, eat a bagel,” The Caretaker said.

  “That way then?” asked Mr West, staring down the tunnel. “Aiden, do you see a door where Seb said Aelfric went?”

  As Aiden examined his tin, Dierne, hovering just behind Trudy West, bent towards Seb.

  “Did he look alright?” he asked quietly.

  Seb stopped munching on the bagel, realising that Dierne, unable to communicate with Aelfric Duir – possibly for the first time in their lives together – was worried and looking for reassurance his twin was safe.

  “All I could see was him standing in their path and then he turned left. That was all, but he didn’t look hurt or anything.”

  “Did you see Heath?” Miss West asked.

  Seb shook his head, puzzled. “No, just Mr Duir.”

  Mr West turned to him. “Aelfric read the souls that came before. He was tracking Heath, and whatever or whoever took him. The souls that saw Heath will have passed here before we arrived, so you wouldn’t see their memories, but Aelfric would,” Mr West said. “I am guessing that showed Aelfric the way to go.”

  “Right. Get up, Seb. We need to move on.” Miss West was unsympathetic to the fact that Seb was still shivering and had only eaten half a bagel. Anxious to get to Aelfric Duir she couldn’t accept any hold-ups.

  With The Caretaker’s help Seb stood up and they all huddled at the side of the passageway, away from the travelling souls.

  Aiden was staring into the tin. “I do see a door, on the left, not far up,” he said and Miss West was off, striding along the tunnel, calling for Aiden to show her where. Within twenty paces Aiden pointed to the left.

  “Seb, use Aiden’s light,” Mr White said as they all gathered around.

  Seb, stuffing the last of his bagel into his mouth, reflected light from the tin onto the wall. The door was revealed. Miss West reached a hand towards the knob and then Aiden called, “There’s something there, behind the door!”

  The knob had already begun turning and Miss West grabbed it, shouting, “A good something or a bad something? Dom, help him!” She planted herself in front of the doorway and held onto the still-turning knob, trying to stop it opening.

  Mr White frowned over Aiden’s shoulder as Zach pushed past them to place a hand over Miss West’s, helping to stop the doorknob from turning.

  “It is not displaced, or trespassing,” the dour teacher said.

  “Then it’s good?” Scarlet asked hopefully. “You said only things that shouldn’t be there, or members of the group. So Mr Duir then?”

  “I hope so,” called Zach, his voice strained. “We can’t stop the thing from turning.”

  Seb could see the knob twisting beneath their hands.

  “Dom, should we lock it or is it Aelfric, Heath maybe?” Miss West shouted.

  “Maybe …” Mr White’s face was contorted in so many frown lines his eyes had virtually disappeared.

  “Maybe lock it or maybe it’s Aelfric or Heath?” The Caretaker stood behind Miss West and Zach, staff at the ready.

  “Maybe it’s Aelfric,” Dom White said. “It is a blue trace, but not completely. It appears blue—”

  And then Scarlet shouted, “I can see … it’s— ”

  Her words became irrelevant. In spite of Miss West and Zach trying to prevent it, the door opened, dragging the pair through it.

   

   

  Circles and Summons

  “Heath!” Scarlet finished what she was saying, as The Caretaker leapt through the door and Dierne whizzed through ahead of Mr West.

  Seb heard Miss West’s voice. “You’re okay? Where’s Aelfric?”

  “I … I don’t know. Is he not with you?” Heath’s voice sounded pained, surprised.

  Emerging the other side of the door, Seb breathed deeply. Fresh, country air! He blinked. Bright, golden light made his eyes water. They had left the dark tunnel and the floating, misty spectres behind and now stood in open moorland. The bright light was the setting sun. Seb was shocked to find so much of the day had gone by.

  “It’s evening,” he said to Alice.

  “It is.” Alice didn’t seem surprised.

  They were in an expanse of countryside peppered with weather-scarred, ponderous standing stones. Some leaning, some more upright, the stones were flecked with lichen and embedded in ground that was covered with short grass and scrub and dotted with gorse bushes. The sky, an inky-blue behind Seb, lightened to orange where the sun was just dipping below the horizon.

  Heath leant against the stone that contained the door, which dissolved as he let go of the silver knob. Breathing heavily, his breath sending out vapour in the chill air, he let his hand drop to his side and only now did Seb see him properly. His silver hair was matted and tangled, his face covered in sweat. There was a bruise above his left eye and a large graze on his right cheek. Blood had gathered in the corner of his mouth and his bottom lip was slightly swollen. His black tunic had a tear across the shoulder, revealing flesh and the suggestion of blood beneath it.

  Mr West took a cloth and a bottle from a small bag under his jacket as Miss West bombarded the ravaged figure with questions.

  “What happened to you? What was it? Who was it? Was it Braddock? How did you end up here?”

  Struggling to speak, Heath’s words came in bursts.

  “Braddock? No, something I have not known. Something freezing, bitter!” He visibly shivered. “From the doorway, it seized my throat … pulled me in. I don’t remember much, darkness …” Unsteady, he hunched down, leaning against the stone for support. The descending sun’s rays behind it threw him into dark shadow as he continued. “I really don’t know, Trudy. It was
beyond my knowledge, my power.” He sounded defeated.

  Mr West dabbed at Heath’s cheek with the cloth. He checked the shoulder wound.

  “It’s superficial … all just superficial. You’ll be fine, Heath.” He tried to sound reassuring but was fooling no one.

  The teachers and The Caretaker stood in silence staring at the stricken Heath who suddenly jerked his head up.

  “Where is Aelfric? Where is he?”

  “He followed you. You haven’t seen him?” Dierne asked.

  From his shadowy position, sitting on his haunches, Heath shook his head.

  “No. All I remember is cold fingers around my throat, being dragged through the doorway, darkness, and then I found myself here. When I saw the door appear I just grabbed the handle, hoping it would take me back to the cave.”

  The sun was setting quickly now and darkness eased across the moorland, swallowing colour and softening form until only the brooding shapes of the monoliths were discernible against the background.

  Seb heard Aiden whisper, “Flamers.” A few little orbs popped into life on his head.

  “Is that it?” Zach asked. “Have you run out?”

  “They do not come to such places.” Mr White sounded surprised. “That any are here at all is remarkable.”

  “Such places?” Scarlet asked nervously.

  “This is a Drífan circle,” Mr West said, putting the cloth and bottle away and gazing out at the stones which, Seb now realised, formed a ring around them.

  “Drífan?” Zach too was looking around at the imposing stones.

  “This is an ancient channelling point on the St Michael’s ley line; three circles that harness certain forces, forces that cause