by Karen Binnie
Epilogue
Stanton folded the last of his clothes into the suitcase, New Zealand had been a happy place to spend the year. He was saddened by the events of the past week, his failed attempt at catching the demon, now a painful memory. Lucky for him there had been no questions, the partygoers none the wiser to what happened, but what of Kate? He had witnessed her body floating on the water but there were no reports of any death. Stanton recalled everything from that night, right up until the moment his body hit the cool waters of the pool when he lost his hold on Kate. She was such a pretty young thing, he had been captured by her innocent beauty, her fighting spirit, her readiness to believe, he wore the scars of that night, on his arm from the broken window and etched across his heart. His lasting memory of her body floating on the waters above as a face clamped over his own breathing life into his lungs.
He never knew who had saved him or how he came to be in the cave in fijordland but lucky for him the old fisherman had found his unconscious body, the nurses and Police in the hospital disbelieved his claim of amnesia he was sure, but what could they do?
He caught a fleeting glimpse of his roommate on his return, Tim grunted a greeting as Stanton asked him about the party, further probing revealed that Kate was some kind of distant relative of his and as far as Tim knew she was ok, someone must have saved her too.
Stanton sat on the edge of his bed and fingered the edges of the envelope in his hand and thought about his reasons for not visiting Kate. The memories of that night were still raw in his mind, fear of the truth had stopped him, he did not know if Julianne had survived the demon attack, one thing he felt certain was that Kate would never forgive him for what he had started. The envelope was his ticket out of New Zealand and the next leg of life’s journey for him, the taxi would arrive soon for his trip to the airport. His flight to Auckland connected with his trans-atlantic journey, a brief stopover in Los Angeles, then on to London.
He had considered stopping home on the way but he was eager to begin his new role as researcher of ancient scrolls for one of the world’s most wealthiest of men, David White. He had been surprised at the offer, the job had not been advertised as far as he knew and he wondered just what he would be researching, it was a chance of a lifetime, too good to pass up on.
Stanton closed the door on his memories of the past year, the memories that would haunt him forever but he had to get on with his life as he dragged his suitcase behind him towards the waiting taxi.
I sat on the wall outside the old University building and pulled my cardigan tight across my body. Wellington was living up to its reputation of being windy even on this hot sunny day. The street seemed strangely quiet, devoid of all cars except for the taxi which pulled out from the side of the adjoining building.
Kate was inside the main office, trying to get information on Stanton. I decided to wait outside, enjoy the feel of the sun on my face, warming my soul. If it wasn’t for that damned wind it would have been a pleasurable experience.
I mulled over the events of last night as I waited. I had woken at 2 am to find Cooper staring at the moon, she was ready to leave. We sat and talked for the next 30 minutes as she explained her final moments before leaving to find me. The battle was bloody, horrific, thinking she were dead, she opened her eyes on a scene of devastation, not a soul left alive, the screams of death long gone. Through her hazy vision she saw a man picking his way through the carnage, a shadow loomed across his body and he turned, swinging his staff, taking out the last of the winged beasts. He walked towards her, a tiny scratch above his left eye the only sign of damage, the man was Al’ice. She blacked out after that and woke once more to find herself laid upon the flat rock of the clearing, the tender voice of her cousin whispering to her. “I must send you to Jol, only she can help you now cousin, I will follow once I have retrieved the ancient scrolls of Kammerrean.”
She remembered his arms raised, holding aloft Eldeens staff as he began the spell to transport her body. The words fading as she slipped into the void, unlike before when travelling the timelines, the aperture on her world faded with Al’ices words.
Cooper found these words difficult to express, but she truly felt the pathway home was now lost. She did not abandon all hope though, as far as she knew Al’ice was the only one of her people left alive, she didn’t know for sure if there were others. Al’ice was alive and well at their last meeting and she would do all that it took to find her way back now she was almost healed. There was one other than Tadge who could help her and she would search the timelines for as long as it took to find them, for she strongly suspected Tadge would have been summoned to face his fate for his own deception.
So there you have it, Cooper has left, yet I feel no sadness for I know when she returns Al’ice will be by her side. I have to be strong not just for myself but for Kate, we’ll get through Christmas together and face the coming final year of College, a welcome distraction for me. Here she comes now and I can tell by the look on her face, the news of Stanton is not good.
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Karen Binnie
About the author
Karen grew up in south west England, married at 20, has two sons and has lived in Germany and Scotland. She now lives on the west coast of the north island, New Zealand, working full time to pay the mortgage and enjoying the climate the southern hemisphere has to offer. A lover of fiction, the supernatural and sci-fi, she one day decided to revisit her love of writing from her school days. The ideas and images created in her head came too fast for her fingers but she got there with Kamerrean, her first novel.