by Karen Binnie
Chapter 7
Stanton had climbed on the table to help Kate from her hasty descent, he now held her in his arms as she sobbed into his chest, the tears soaking through the cotton of his shirt. A little unsure of the best way to handle a situation like this, he held her close, one arm around her back, the other hand cradling her head as he waited for the sobs to subside.
He looked at the books strewn across the table and floor, sent flying as she had almost fallen into his arms and sighed silently to himself at the destruction.
Stroking the back of her hair he wondered what the hell had happened. He whispered, “It’s alright honey, it’s alright, I’m here.”
Kate was comforted by his voice, the twang of his accent as he called her honey, so wonderful it made her sob even more, the whole emotion of the evenings events had broken to the fore, the floodgates had opened and she fought hard to close them again as each sob welled up inside, lining up to burst forth from her mouth.
He had no idea what she had seen through the window but was only too glad to have her back in the relative safety of his arms as the storm raged once again outside.
Kate was managing to quell the sobs and compose herself, she pulled back from his wet chest and looked up into his eyes, “Sorry” she blurted.
Stanton looked at her puffy eyes and wiped the final tears from them, concern etched on his face, “Tell me what happened?”
Kate swallowed the last sob forcing it back through the pain in her chest and began to speak.
The crack of lightening overhead drowned her voice and a loud crash sent glass showering them from above, Stanton had instinctively shielded Kate’s body against the bookcase as a large Pine thrust at the window above them. The force of entry breaking the window, its frame and the wall above, the tree shot forward like a javelin, stopped only in its tracks through the thickness of its branches that finally wedged it in the gaping aperture above.
The bookcase had become detached from the wall and teetered before coming to a rest, Stanton sighed with relief, sure that it was going to topple upon them as he watched the great trunk of tree wavering overhead then come crashing down upending the edge of the table.
They both slid from the table and landed with a great crash, just missing the back of the sofa. Stanton’s body took the full force of the fall landing on his back as Kate landed on top of him, stunned she shook her head and quickly stood away from Stanton.
His eyes were closed, he had been knocked out cold, Kate knelt beside him and rolled his body over pushing it into the recovery position, thinking this the best thing to do, she had been unaware of the shards of glass that lay beneath his arm, the weight of his body pushing them through his jacket and into his flesh.
It had taken a lot of strength to move him, for a book reader he had incredible muscles, she sat back and gathered her breath into a steady rhythm, while she watched his torso rise and fall under the weight of his own laboured breathing, how long would he remain unconscious?
Kate shivered from the cold night air which now spilled from above, how could such a lovely warm summers evening turn out like this? Edging closer to his body, she noticed shards of glass all around and began to pick them up carefully, placing them in a pile out of the way. Sure most of it was clear she spooned into the back of Stanton’s body her hand draped across his chest checking the rise and fall of each breath, giving yet taking more warmth from his body. What would be the best thing to do? She could fetch her bag from the toilet, get to her cell phone and ring for an ambulance but Stanton had warned her not to leave this room, what should she do, what should she do?
He let out a groan beside her, she hastily rose watching his face, “I feel like I’ve been hit by a ten ton truck” his voice wavered as he asked, “Kiss me Kate.”
She stared at him in disbelief, his eyes still closed, what the hell! perhaps he was delirious?
“Honey…” he asked searchingly.
Kate was a gone burger and leant in to kiss him tenderly on the lips, at first there was nothing, no response, then his lips parted and kissed her far more passionately then she had ever known, gasping for air she pulled back and looked at him.
His eyes were open and he smiled at her, “thanks honey, I knew that would do the trick.”
She stared at him in disbelief, licking her lips, tasting him against them, her eyes fell from his gaze a little embarrassed all the bravado from earlier in the night gone, what had he done to her?
As she helped him sit up against the back of the sofa careful to avoid his gaze, her hands stuck in the gooey mess of the back of his arm as something stabbed at her finger.
“Ouch!” they both said in unison.
Kate pulled back her hand and sucked on her bleeding finger,“can you turn?” she asked.
Stanton managed to move his body around a little and she could see a large cluster of glass protruding from his jacket sleeve, “You’ve glass in your arm, hold still I’ll try and get it out.”
Kate picked gently at each piece having to wiggle it slightly to prise it from the cloth, once all traces were gone she helped him out of his jacket. Blood oozed down his arm from the lacerations, inspecting them closely she said, “ there’s one here that could probably do with stitching, the rest are just superficial, if I had a bandage I could wrap it tightly until we get it seen to properly, how do you feel?”
“Ok, safe in your hands nurse Kate” he smiled, Stanton realised he had maybe taken it too far earlier, Kate was finding it hard to look him in the eye but then what the hell!
“Here, I’ve got an idea” he raised his left arm and reached for the cuff of his torn sleeve, with one sharp tug, the seam gave way and he pulled the whole sleeve away from his arm, “there see what you can do with that!” as he handed it to Kate.
She could now tell from his exposed arm how well he must work out and gently tore at the fabric making a couple of thinner strips to tightly wrap around his huge bicep.
“There that’s the best I can do” she shivered as another gust of wind whistled
through the pine needles and into the room.
Stanton lifted his jacket and put it around her shoulders, “I think you’ll need this more than me.”
“Stanton, what do we do now?”
“We’ve got to go and face this father I guess ………..”
Kate hung her head and realised she had not had time to explain before, “He is outside in the car, but we’re too late, he has suffered a, a …………..”
Kate stumbled over the words, Stanton put his hand to her chin and lifted her face to his gaze, “what did you see?” he asked concerned.
Kate explained about the car and how Mr Serason had clutched at his chest, slumping forward against the steering wheel, one eye staring out into the darkness, it was difficult for her to explain, how could this evening get any worse?
Stanton looked lost in thought for a moment before rising unsteadily to his feet, Kate jumped up to help him. He began searching through the fallen books around the upended table until at last he found what he had been looking for.
The old volume was a deep burgundy leather bound book, battered around the edges with faded gold writing on the side, Kate could not make out the words, they were either too faded or written in Latin or something, “what is that?” she asked.
Stanton led her to the nearest sofa, where they flicked off any traces of glass before sitting, one arm of the sofa was now covered in pine needles and stained green from the intrusion. Kate knew white sofa’s were a bad idea.
“I happened to notice this before when, well just before that tree entered. The writing here on the edge is in the same language of the voices before.”
“I didn’t hear the voices remember?”
“It’s an ancient dialect, much like Latin. I have found this in many demonic books, it took a while to decipher, but I am almost there. There were two voices outside and they called each other by name, Clarintor the dominant female and Kroil
her servant.”
“Who are they?” asked Kate.
“The female demon Clarintor is the one I believed who stole the souls of those I mentioned earlier, from the séance’s. The fact she was here has confirmed my suspicions, if things had gone to plan then I may have been able to contain her then hopefully finish her off with the ancient halesh ritual.”
“But things didn’t go to plan, a man took Jol away, can you work out how to find her?”
“Maybe Kate, maybe, I am hoping there will be some answers in this book. Clarintor left but will return soon, she has left Kroil to search for a trace of…………well I’m not sure yet but it is clear from what was said, they have no idea of Jol’s whereabouts either so that is a good thing. This may be boring for you, please be patient, I need to search the book.”
Stanton had returned to serious mode, which was a good thing if it helped explain the night’s events. Kate studied his face as he read, the lines creeping back around his eyes as he frowned and fanned forward a few pages to another section of the book, he rubbed at his brow as he digested the foreign words, glancing once up at Kate and seeing the concern on her face he took her hand in his as he continued to read.
He stopped, his finger resting against the text beside the picture of what looked like an angel.
“Kate, can you look in the bookcase behind us, see if you can find another book like this, this is only volume one, there must be at least one other.”
Kate stood from the sofa and pulled her arms into his jacket wrapping it across the front of her body, she looked up at the opening thrusting the cold night air into the room, white flurries came through the aperture gently floating to the ground, the deafening roar of thunder and lightning flashes had been replaced with a cool wintry air.
“Stanton.”
“Ummmmm.”
“Stanton, it’s snowing…. It never snows.”
He looked up from the pages and watched as more flurries of snow blew through the opening landing onto Kate’s hair, brilliant white against the black before melting.
“We better find that book Kate and fast, I’ll help.”
As I walk into the other room, I’m awestruck at the humble surroundings of the stone cottage, the same earthy smell of my room echoed in this one. The door to the outside is wedged open and I see the glow of the sun slowly ebb to be replaced with a greyish tinge to the sky, the air blows through the opening, I can feel a chill in the air.
The woman named Cooper throws another log onto the roaring fire, the warmth keeping the cold air at bay as I wonder why they keep the door open on such a cold day but then I suppose it must be the only natural light to enter the room apart from the small window to the left of the fire.
Al’ice leads me to a stool and sits beside me still holding my hand as if to comfort me, my stomach flips at his attention, I can’t believe he’s my cat! He comes across all protective, it’s quite sweet but a little unnerving, I shall have to push all thoughts of the furry bundle I once knew to the back of my mind. Once worried that Al’ice was lost, now here he is larger than life and holding my hand, the warmth radiating from his body comforting as I try not to stare, my cat is quite remarkable.
The trip to the vets plays on my conscience, how could he bare the indignity, I feel embarrassed and ashamed at what I’d done to him, but then I didn’t know.
Eldeen is lovely, such a dear old man, I’ve never really known any old men before, my father’s own father had died before I was born, cancer of the bowel, dad hardly spoke of his father and it was easy to tell that mum had nothing but contempt for the man. Now my mother’s father is a totally different story, no-one knows anything about him except Gran of course but she always changed the subject when asked, all I could tell is that Gran must have loved him very much, you could tell that much by the look in her eyes. Mum always thought she had been born out of wedlock and that’s why Gran never spoke about him.
I have to listen for once as Eldeen explains about the evil which seeks my soul and how Al’ice and Jez had rescued me, I’m not sure how Jez fits into the story and can tell the others are not so sure as well after listening to the stories earlier that day.
Cooper is staring at me warily from her place by the fire and I have to admit I find myself reciprocating her look, I am unsure of how to take the great warrior woman, she looks fantastic and I pale in comparison.
Eldeen continues to talk and I feel detached as if I’m listening to a tale of someone else, he reminds me of my dad, I don’t know why. Oh my god, dad, he will be frantic with worry, Eldeen pauses and I seize my chance to interrupt.
“I am worried about my dad, he would have turned up at the party to collect me at midnight and by now he’ll be frantic with worry and my friend Kate, they’re both probably at the Police Station giving them my details…..”
Eldeen raises his hand to silence me, “do not worry so, little one, it is not yet midnight at your party, perhaps we can think of something?”
“But can’t I go back now, there’s still time…………….”
“NO. It is not safe for you now.”
He became scary there, shouting at me with the forcefulness of his statement, I turn to Al’ice for comfort.
“Perhaps?” added Al’ice “yes, hmmmm,” he begins pacing the room and I watch, waiting.
“I will return and put a sleeping drug into your fathers coffee, he always has one about 11.30, if I add enough to keep him out until the next day we could then leave him a note, pretend he picked you up from the party as planned and the next day who should turn up but your grandmother, keen to show you around, you leave a note that she has taken you on a road trip for a week, that should give you time to get to know us all here and time for the evil one to give up the hunt, what do you think Cooper?”
‘I think it sounds crazy.’
“He will expect Jol to contact him, he will want to speak to this grandmother, will he not?”
‘Oh good, at least she’s talking some sense.’
“Ok, not a problem, we’ll leave a message on the answer machine that Jol’s phone is not working and you’ll ring soon, Jol you can record a message on your cell phone? Perhaps Cooper can pretend to be your grandmother, I will transport the message onto the answer machine.”
It’s a stupid idea and dad won’t believe it but if I can’t go back, if I’m in some kind of danger then dad should know. But where am I, what are we supposed to tell him, an evil thing or something is hunting me and I’m hiding out, where? I suppose it will have to work, Gran always had a habit of acting weird and doing the unexpected but we haven’t heard from her in so long. I suppose we can at least try but I don’t want to give up my phone, not even to Al’ice it’s my only link to my life.
Al’ice is watching me as I think it over. I can feel the pressure on me to agree, what am I thinking! I can hear dads voice in my head now, ‘Take this old phone, it has $50 loaded on it.’
I remember protesting, ‘Dad what’s this, I already have a cell phone, what do I want that old thing for? and his response?
‘I seem to recall you have a habit of losing and breaking phones, this is your emergency phone for when that happens.’
Dad had become so overprotective since the accident, I can’t go anywhere or do anything without checking with him first. It’s like a curse and it drives me crazy, when we arrived in New Zealand he had brought me a great phone, then presented me with the ancient Nokia, I stuffed it into my school bag and promised to take it everywhere with me just to shut him up. Then it happened, I dropped my phone at College one day and it shattered against the concrete path, I had been planning to watch the basketball tournament after college with Kate and had forgotten to tell dad and where was my bloody emergency phone? stuffed in my draw back home. He had been worse after that, after I had proven him right and it was unbearable, so the old thing goes with me everywhere now, I will give Al’ice the Nokia.
“Jol, what do you think?” he asks, pressi
ng for an answer.
I’m nibbling at my fingers as I think, if it means I’m safe and dad actually believes then he might not worry too much, he always trusted Gran.
“I don’t know, it sounds crazy, I don’t think dad will believe that will he? hang on, what about Kate?”
Al’ice sat down beside me, “Jol, when the evil one comes, a thick mist precedes their entrance, this mist puts everyone to sleep for a while, it will be morning before Kate awakes, when she goes to your house to see you, your father will explain about your trip, all will be well, see?”
“I suppose, if it’s the best we can do.”
Eldeen nods in agreement, “it is settled, Al’ice you must go now, before you do I wish to speak with you alone, Cooper, you help Jol with the message, then I think it will be beneficial if you were to show her around the village before it gets dark.”
Cooper put down the mug she had been twirling around in her fingers and grabbed a cloak from the back wall of the room.
“Here, you will need this, it has grown colder.” She gently lowers the cloak onto my shoulders and I notice the wariness in her eyes, I don’t think she likes me that much.
“It’s alright child, come I do not bite, fetch your phone and we will record the message outside, then I will fill in the gaps of this story for you.”
Cooper is quite right, there were gaps in the story and many questions I’m eager to ask.
Jez sat at the edge of the great grey slab, his legs dangled as he watched the clouding grey nothingness engulf the sky adding more menace to the already bleak landscape. He could see from here the great expanse of mountains which engulfed each side of the valley, the brown hues devoid of colour. His thoughts returned to that morning and his arrival with the others, it had seemed like a lifetime ago when the flash had brought them to the great heather clad opening surrounded by trees, the thick dense carpet of purple pink colour and the heady smell of the flowers.
Jez had never seen such a sky, not changing in shade but coming closer to the ground.
Looking out to the cottage he watched the woman Cooper emerge followed by a cloaked figure, they walked away in the opposite direction, too far for him to hear what was being said, but from the stature he realised it must be Jol.
He watched as Cooper spoke as they walked, the hooded figure nodding, he would like to know just what tall tales she was filling her head with, but why did he care so much? He sat there racking his brains for an explanation, he did not believe it was just coincidence they were both here, he felt protective of the girl and a little jealous of that Al’ice but then why should he feel that way?
He had recognised the strange language in which the others had spoken, but could not remember where he recognised it from. He would need to learn more about these people, if not only to find out how to return home.
At least he did not have to worry about missing milking the cows, only yesterday a truck had come to take them all to market. His own grandfather had squandered the money from the farm and was slowly selling off all the assets to pay for his retirement, there had been no thought of Jez, what he wanted or needed, no reason to feed him even with no jobs left to do.
‘I am thinking of selling of the land’ he had said, ‘I don’t expect you to hang around.’
Nice sentiments from a grandfather who had always needed him to practically run the farm for him, free labour for the price of a meal and a roof over his head, they had despised each other but even now Jez did not know what to do, the plan so far was to head off on the open road on his bike, the only flaw being that he hadn’t paid the road licence for it yet. He needed to get it fit for the journey first, now it looked like time was running out, Grandfather would not miss him that’s for sure.
No he would stay a while here, see how things would pan out, besides Jol had not even thanked him yet for saving her, he hadn’t given her the chance but he was damned he was going to let that bloody Al’ice take all the glory.
Aroused from his thoughts by a sound to his left, Jez leapt to his feet in a motion so swift he surprised himself, behind him stood the antagonist of his thoughts as he tried desperately to hide the pain erupting in his chest from the quick movement.
“Where the hell did you spring from?” he demanded.
Al’ice stood firm, his arms folded and smirked at Jez, “There is a lot you don’t know about me.”
“Come for the re-match then?” anger welling up inside, Jez raised his fists ready for the fight only too aware he still stood at the precipice.
Al’ice stood tall and proud holding Eldeen’s staff, Jez started to edge forward when he dismissed him with that bloody smirk of his.
“I would love to finish you Jez, but I do not have the time, against my better judgment Eldeen wishes me to inform you that a storm is coming and unless you wish to freeze to death then you should return to the cottage.”
He turned and in the blink of an eye had vanished round the side of the mountain much to Jez’s annoyance.
Jez turned back to look at the ominous clouds which sure enough had engulfed the top of the mountains, the air whipped around his body as the first flurries of snow touched his skin. It was icy cold and much as he disliked being told what to do, Jez decided to quickly make his descent towards the warmth of the others.
The sharp grey rocks had been harder to climb than expected. Jez wondered what he was doing on these rocks and why he had come here.
The sun left the sky to be replaced by a dull grey and a biting cold wind which he could feel stabbing at his exposed skin, the stabbing so sharp and raw, could this really be in his dream.
A sharp biting wind whipped at Jez, stinging his exposed skin, the only pain on his numb body, could death be so painful?
He had been slipping into nothingness only to be confronted with this! He tried to move, test his lifeless body, so numb, it did not respond.
Now he could hear the howling of the wind as he slipped on the icy rocks beneath him. The sensation of falling but he could not brace himself for the fall, the freezing blanket of snow enveloped his body as he landed jarring the once healing rib in his chest.
He could barely lift his face from the snow, the icy particles clumping to his eyes, he could manage to part them enough to see the treacherous path ahead. Nothing but a blanket of snow engulfed the ground around him, hanging in the air like a dense curtain barring his way. Jez wiped at his eyes and forced himself up, he had to keep moving, in the distance a pale blur of what he hoped was the cottage.
If he could just move his legs, the heaps of snow around him fought to hold him steady, I will not die here, I WILL NOT DIE HERE, this thought forged him onward towards the blur.
He tried to focus, he knew not to take his eyes off the shape getting closer, one false move and he would be lost forever. Stamping his feet as he moved, attempting to force the blood through his veins, to regain any sense of feeling.
The shape came closer to him, with each step it blurred into focus, the cottage, a cottage, any cottage, it didn’t matter, he could see smoke from the chimney and where there was smoke there was fire. The door was getting closer, his arms too cold and heavy to lift, if he could just reach the handle. The darkness started to creep across his eyes as the handle moved further away from him, the small aperture of light closing in on him once more.