by Karen Binnie
Chapter 10
Clarintor returned to her lair in haste, in her great chamber she had many treasures, the most precious an ornately carved golden frame which housed a full length mirror, a little something she had picked up during the renaissance. She could not resist admiring herself each time she passed her reflection, what a body she now had since the tumour that sucked the life from her had been eradicated.
Raking her thin bony fingers through her hair, she marvelled at the sight before her, she had an exceptional figure, perfect in every proportion. The green sleeveless satin dress hugged her body tightly, flaring slightly at the knees to allow for the movement of her long legs encased in the tight high leather black boots she wore. The green offset her black eyes and fiery red hair to perfection, she removed the cloak which encapsulated her frame, this had been a worthy prize from the first demon she had conquered, such was the fabric it were invisible to the naked eye, an attractive asset. She was careful to drape her cloak around the mannequin she owned, this one of her previous séance conquests, the females form had been like her own much to her disgust but had made an attractive hanger for her cloak.
She moved gracefully but too quick for the human eye as her rage consumed her in the hunt for answers, buzzing across the chamber like a wasp caught in a jar she eventually stopped at her desk and opened a large tomb, the dusty words leaping from the pages to escape, as the sides fell with a crash. A short burst of magic kept the words in check as her incantation fanned the pages until they fell open once more at the revelation she was after. Lure the angels gift to the séance table where the precious one had been taken, then the angel would come, alerted by the signal, oh yes the angel would come straight into her trap, with the power of an angel within her grasp, she would be elevated up the ranks.
Once digested, she turned her back on the book and snapped her fingers, it closed in an instant sending more dust around the room. She paused once again to admire her reflection gently lifting the cloak and placing it around her shoulders, she cocked her head to the left, deep in thought and moved gracefully to a large wooden dresser at the back of the room.
She moved as if floating on air, no footsteps could be heard from the colossal heels of her boots. At the dresser she lifted her hand to a silver tube, six inches tall with no markings, she placed this inside her cloak and smiled her soul catcher smile, then began to laugh, the heinous sound reverberated across the rounded wall of her chamber.
Kate had lost the argument with Stanton, he had proved a formidable opponent, now she sat in silence as he poured his eyes over another book.
The minutes were ticking by and she didn’t want her last moments to be like this, he had made her feel shallow and callous for choosing life over certain death. Stanton had listened to the story of the black stone, smooth as a pebble and how Jol’s grandmother had given it to Christopher as a lucky charm and how he in turn had given it to Jol on the night of his death. There hadn’t been really much of a story to tell but Stanton had come alive at this news reading from some Latin type script he had translated for her, how an angel had the power to afford protection over a mortal and how this had to be Jol, ‘why her?’ Kate had asked.
He didn’t know why but there were tales of an angel’s gift to another, a mortal who would carry this gift as a kind of link for the protected one, a gift that could be used in times of extreme peril to send a signal to the angel for help. Stanton believed this lucky stone of Chris’s had been such a gift and because of the angel’s protective force over Jol, a force so powerful, it had attracted the demon but had inevitably protected Jol. In her disappointment, the demon had detected some other force, a consolation prize as it were and realised that the consolation, the stone, was the gift that could lead her to the ultimate prize, Jol and the angel. It had just taken Stanton a little while to put all the pieces together and figure this out.
Kate had the idea that they leave the stone behind and make their escape whilst it distracted the demons, he was incensed by the suggestion, “are you mad?” he had asked, “this is the one link to discovering what has happened to your friend Jol.”
“What if she is already dead?” Kate replied, “then we’ll just be risking our own lives for nothing.”
He had returned to his book and Kate sat there brooding, the thought that Jol might be dead alarmed her, even more so how she had said the words without thought or emotion. This was some party, a night to remember, the clock was ticking and she decided to swallow her hasty pride, “Stanton, I’m sorry.”
“It’s ok hon, I know you didn’t mean it really, this takes some digesting that’s for sure.”
“Do you have a plan?” she asked wearily.
“Yep, sure do.”
“What’s the time?”
“Time we were out of here,” he handed her back the lucky stone and snapped the book shut.
Kate looked at the cold object in her hand and rolled it over, surely it was just an ordinary stone, she put it up to her ear.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Listening for the signal.”
Stanton rolled his eyes at her, “it cannot be detected by the human ear silly!”
“Oh!” Kate felt a bit stupid but he could have told her that bit before she made an ass of herself.
“Come on” he nodded his head taking the stone from her hand and placing it in the pocket of his jacket that she wore as he rose from the sofa and headed for the door.
“Where we going?”
“Back to the dining room, I’ve been thinking, have you noticed how the demons mist just hung in the air beneath the door? Something was preventing it from entering that room where it had already been before, that something was the stone.”
“But why there, they will be looking for us in this house.”
“The scene of the crime, the place where Jol was taken, we need help and if I’m right and pronounce these words from the book correctly then the signal will stop darting around the house and send a message straight to this angel of Jol’s.”
“That she is in extreme peril?”
“You got it.”
“Will the angel not look for Jol though?”
“I’m hoping it will come here first to discover what happened.”
“But what if it doesn’t?”
Stanton looked her straight in the eyes, “Kate trust me.”
He held the book in one hand and Kate’s hand in his other as he pulled gently on the door, hoping it would not be so noisy this time, as it opened just a little, he paused.
“What is it?” Kate whispered.
A flash engulfed the hallway like one of those old fashioned camera flashes exploding and a rush of wind stopped outside the door as they held their breath undetected.
They looked at each other uncertain what to do next, closing the door would reveal their existence to the entity before them, they watched silently holding the fear inside.
The sudden rush of wind had revealed a hooded figure before them, Kate could smell dank stagnant water, the figure was holding its body at a strange angle as they realised it was carrying something, it was a body.
Across the hall Kroil kicked at the door with his foot, edging forward he was unaware of the audience watching from behind. Before him a chaise lounge littered with bodies which he tossed aside like rag dolls to the floor, Kate shuddered at the indiscriminate act as she recognised the faces of some of her peers.
Kroil gently laid Pete’s naked body on the soft cushions and helped him into his clothes, he had heard the splash which alerted him to the boy’s whereabouts. It was clear to the onlookers the boy was hurt as the figure who Stanton now recognised as the demon named Kroil from earlier held the boys shoulder and mumbled something incoherent. The shoulder began to glow and he cried out in pain as the bones knitted back into shape.
They were talking now and it was clear that they knew each other, knew each other well, the talking, just whispers, they could not make out
what was being said.
Stanton rubbed at his face as he wondered what would be the best course of action, this was the only exit from the library apart from the high windows, did they have enough time to wait here? It didn’t look as if the others in the opposite room were going to move as they were deep in discussion, if only Kroil had shut the door behind him.
Kate watched him expectantly, she knew he would be hatching another plan and she waited. Stanton looked at his watch as Kate drank in his every move during the silence of their predicament. He motioned for her to come away from the door and towards the protruding pine which had invaded the room earlier.
They stood either side of the tree and whispered through the needles, “Its 12. 40” he said tapping at the face of his watch, “if the female demon is true to her word then we only have a few minutes to get to the dining room.”
“I don’t think the other two are going to move from that room” interrupted Kate.
“Precisely, then our only chance is up here, through the window, if we can get to the other side and drop down by the laundry, then we’re home and dry, what do you think?”
“Might work, if we hurry, but the roof will be slippy with all that snow.”
Stanton handed Kate the book, “here put this in the inside pocket of my jacket, we’ll need it when we get to the dining room, right you first and try and be as quiet as possible.”
Kate nodded, it would be easier getting to the window climbing this tree wedged perfectly at an angle to the floor, she had climbed a lot of trees in her childhood. Climbing onto the trunk, on all fours she edged upward being careful not to let the pine needles stab her exposed skin, the scratches as she passed were bad enough. Kate was aware that once again her ass was exposed by this stupid skirt as she picked her way through the branches, yet another undignified climb. Stanton didn’t seem to mind, he was too pre-occupied by his own assent, his crude bandage had become caught in the tree and some of the pine needles stabbed at his wound, picking at the congealed blood, allowing it to drip once more across his bicep.
Kate continued to the window ledge, aware that he had paused behind her, the air was colder as she approached the tear in the wall below the broken window, pulling the sleeve of his jacket around her fist, she began to stab at the wall of snow, releasing a clump down towards Stanton’s Head. He was hit by the huge snowball right on the crown of his head, the hard ice had formed a formidable weapon.
Stanton lost his grip with the force and fell towards the back of the tree, gravity playing with his legs that were hugging the trunk for grip.
Kate looked behind her when she heard the thump and saw the last of his leg disappear round the back of the tree, she waited then whispered, “You ok?” nothing, “Stanton!!!”
“Shush!” came his reply, phew he was alright, well talking at least.
Stanton hung there like a monkey trying to regain his balance, hanging off the underside of a prickly tree was nothing like gymnastics. He scrambled for a good hold and hoisted himself back round glancing upward wary of more missiles.
Kate was perched on the window ledge now with an anxious look on her face, he raised his arm to give her the thumbs up when she gasped. Unwilling to talk he frowned as if to say, what is it? Kate pointed to his arm, the force of the fall had attacked his wound further and now the blood was flowing freely. He had to ignore the pain and forge on, the clock was ticking. As he approached the opening Kate disappeared through the now gaping hole to allow him room as he pulled himself up and out onto the roof where she was waiting.
“You, ok? let me see your arm.”
“I’d be fine if someone hadn’t started flinging ice balls at my head!”
Kate lowered her eyelids in shame and mouthed, I’m sorry.
“Hey, hazards of the game we’re playing, you can look at my arm when we get there.”
The air was still, yet so cold, Kate had never felt so cold before in her life, the snow was like plunging your hand into a bucket of ice.
Stanton stepped over her body, their faces almost touching, as she leant against the apex roof, “I’ll lead” he commanded, “you’re bound to slip in those silly shoes.”
They edged along the roof as quickly as they could in the icy conditions, twice Kate had slipped into the guttering, luckily it was held fast and she weighed very little. Above the entrance hall was a huge sky light which rose in a conical shape before them, such extravagance was causing them problems, coming between them and the other side, they would slowly have to edge their way along the gutter that ran behind it with the roof for stabilisation. At the edge of the glass Stanton pulled back, holding them against the roof, the huge aperture of glass suddenly lit up in a kaleidoscope of colour.
The rainbow effect looked pretty, enhanced by the glare of the snow, something pretty awful, it didn’t take a genius to know from the look on Stanton’s face, the female demon had returned.
Clarintor stood in the doorway opposite the library and listened to the account of what happened, Pete left out the part where he transformed, this was still to be his and Kroil’s secret.
Kroil’s failed attempt to locate the second pulse would infuriate their mistress, they had decided to reveal what Pete had witnessed as temptation from the truth.
Her arms folded impatiently as she tapped her long painted nails against her forearm, this twist to the evenings events had helped to repel her anger towards Kroil and his inefficiency.
Kroil watched as she smiled, apparently aware of whom the boy spoke, when he had revealed the words spoken by the woman in the clearing, ‘you can perhaps finish this silly feud only once you have spoken with Eldeen!’
“So we have two bites of the Cherry” she concluded, “we must lure the holder of the angels gift to the scene of the séance, once there the pulse will send a signal to the great Tadge, Oh yes I know this fallen angels name, how fitting he should be the one to betray his kind, follow me.”
She led as they entered the great hall on the way to the dining room, Kroil decided not to reveal the force which lay within, Clarintor could find this out for herself, she would only punish him for not dealing with it before her return.
She stopped in the centre of the atrium and looked skyward up into the stained glass window above them. Clarintor cocked her head to the side and listened, Kroil and Pete followed her gaze to the dark skies above devoid of stars but lit by the enormity of the full moon. She said nothing but moved her eyes as if following something, Kroil pulled Pete to the side of the room only to aware of the power building inside of her.
“Head west Kroil, they are on the roof, we will herd them like pathetic sheep.”
Raising her hands, her voice began to sing, the sweetest soprano voice you have ever heard.
Once the light had paled to shadow, Stanton and Kate peered forward into the void, the coast was clear. He gently stood onto the angled ridge surrounding the base of the glass designed to repel water down into the guttering. Once he had a good footing he turned to Kate and helped her up, not letting go of her hand, they were almost to the other side when the atrium lit up once more.
Stanton was unaware at first they had been detected, for deep in the shadows, Clarintor had been watching their every movement.
From below, the sweetest voice, a musical triumph, as it reached its crescendo, Stanton pulled Kate closer to him, “we’ve got to move, she knows we’re here.”
They scrambled to the other side of the glass only to see two hands hoisting a body onto the roof in the direction they were headed.
‘Oh crap’ thought Kate, “quick lets head backwards.”
Stanton held her hand firmly in his, preventing her movement, he looked into her frightened face, “we’re trapped.” he said.
“No” she shouted back, “we head towards the back of the house then.”
Stanton nodded in agreement, “if we slide down to that flat roof on the other side then we may be able to find a way down and it’s not so high.”
They turned their back on the glass, stabbing their feet hard against the snow, compacting it to ice, they managed to finally reach the apex without too many slips as the stain glass behind them exploded into the night sky. It shattered in all directions, showering them from above, they quickly slid the rest of the way on their buttocks to the flat roof. Looking around for a safe descent they realised that this roof was still quite high, they peered over the edge, their reflection returned anxiously from the still waters of the swimming pool.
Sitting back they looked at one another, “so we risk breaking something if we miss the pool then?” he asked.
“I’m aiming for the centre of the pool, what about you” said Kate.
Stanton looked at her in horror, “what’s wrong with you?” she asked.
“I can’t swim.” he replied.
She stared at him in disbelief, after all they had been through and now this, “but you’re American, I thought American’s could do anything!”
The glass behind had finished clattering against the tiles and Clarintor leapt effortlessly onto the apex of the roof behind them.
“I'm a good swimmer, I’ll help you, come on lets jump” Kate positioned herself ready for the leap as Clarintor edged closer, the smell of cherries from before came at them from both sides, threatening to take their senses.
“Hang on, what about the book? after all we’ve been through we can’t get it wet!”
Thinking quickly he pulled the jacket from her shoulders, rolled it into a ball and launched it into the bushes beside the pool.
Kroil had joined Clarintor on the roof now and they were gaining on them fast, “Crap!, it’s now or never”, grabbing hold of Stanton’s arm she pushed as the two of them leapt into the unknown, hoping against hope that this was the deep end.
Thrust unceremoniously forward into the air Kate lost her hold on Stanton, his arms and legs flailing around as he fell, his hand cracked Kate across the face. The whack surprised her but not as much as the shock as they hit the cool water of the pool.
Their bodies descended fast into the deep, Kate an excellent swimmer reached forward to grab a hold of Stanton but he was already sinking fast. Diving down towards him she pulled at his clothes, trying to get a good grip under his arms but he proved too heavy. She resurfaced gasping for air, filling her lungs she quickly scrambled back into the deep, frantically searching for him, where had he gone? he was not at the bottom, she could see that clearly from the poolside lights. Pushing herself forward through the water, she could see a mass of weeds blocking the way ahead, ‘What the hell?’ Stanton’s body trapped within the swaying bluey blackness. He was motionless except for the push of water which turned his body to face her, his eyes open wide, his mouth fell open releasing tiny bubbles to the surface, followed by one last large one. Kate lunged forward to grab him, but her lungs were collapsing against her ribs, desperate for breath she had to re-surface again, weak with her efforts she clung to the side of the pool, relieving the pain in her lungs, the vision of Stanton’s face etched in her mind.
Time was not on her side, movement from the roof alerted her to the danger as she hoisted herself over the edge struggling to regain her feet, she scrambled towards the gate. It was locked, she tugged on it in a frenzy, desperate to escape she attempted to climb, landing with a heavy thump on the other side, into the mud and bushes. Hauling herself up to run she caught sight of Stanton’s Jacket and made a grab for it, running off in the direction of the trees.
Once under their canopy she paused for breath, glancing back to see the shadowy figure upon the roof laughing, a deep throated bellow of a laugh which cut through the night, Kate turned on her heels and kept running.
Clarintor looked down into the pool at the limp figure floating upon its surface, for that moment she was elated in triumph, her cold laugh reaching into the deep recesses of the land.
The warmth had engulfed him, so tired he began sifting through the images in his mind, he found himself looking down upon a past memory and watching himself talking to some mates and telling them he would see them later.
Jez began to feel light headed as if floating above the scene before him, when brought back down to earth with a sharp tug on his jacket sleeve, he heard the old woman’s gravelly voice, “Jerimiah?” wrenching his arm free, he turned sharply toward the voice, an old woman dressed like a gypsy stood before him, she was hideously old with wispy grey hair pushed from her face, a black strand stood out at her ear and she just looked at him, squinting her eyes as she grabbed for his wristband. Her hand made contact, Jez reached to stop her, in slow motion the band loosened and she nearly had it when he snatched it from her bony hand, the studs scratched against her pale skin and drew blood, unable to speak he watched as one of the stones fell to the ground and bounced forward disappearing down into the drain. The old woman looked deep into his eyes as she sucked at the wound in her hand, deep into his soul. Anger welled inside but he could not move as if transfixed by the old woman’s spell.