Ash deflected the attack with the same dismissive gesture that had preceded every previous encounter. This time, as she pushed aside the spell, it was as if she were swatting a hurricane. Quick to react to the change, she raised both of her hands, bracing one leg behind her as she leaned in and pushed back. She hummed, sang, and whispered. The air around her thickened and rippled as great forces met. Then she sagged, incredulous at her defeat as she struggled helplessly against her invisible constraints.
John knew it wasn't over. The holding spell hadn't removed her abilities. It was the magical equivalent of pinning her arms to her sides so she couldn't punch anyone. She had to be kept there. In the dojo, it was straightforward. John could detach his attention from her once the spell was in place, having to return occasionally to refresh the flow of magic. It was like spinning plates. He was grateful there was only one plate to spin.
An impact on the back of his head cracked his skull, and he fell to the mat again.
He saw bare feet. Two pairs of bare feet. Before blacking out, he watched two new versions of Ash join the first avatar. One of them laughed. "You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you?"
John shut the door of the dojo behind him and stood in the corridor. The no-time of the Between distorted his memory of what had just happened. When he had been inside, it had seemed like days had passed. Now, he remembered the moment he had walked into the dojo as if it were mere seconds ago.
Time to go back to Leigh Woods.
John opened his eyes. Gai was holding a moss-covered rock above his groin. He rolled, sweeping the noone's legs out from under him.
"Aagh!" Gai hit the forest floor gracelessly, wheezed, then chuckled. "Good. Good! Much better. Still too long, though. Four beats. Plenty of time for me to attack you. I was being kind."
"By crushing my balls? Very kind. Thank you so much."
"Ach. Your protective charms would have kicked in. They wouldn't have been crushed. Dented, maybe."
"That doesn't sound much more appealing." John stood up, offering the noone a hand. Gai accepted and regarded his protégé thoughtfully.
"You're different. How long were you in there?"
"Long enough to know I'll never be ready."
Gai studied him for a short while, then walked across the clearing. When he reached the far side, he called back.
"That sounds like the beginnings of wisdom, John." He bent down and picked up an acorn. "There can be no hesitation when you wield the holding spell. Show me your progress."
He held the acorn out at waist height between finger and thumb.
"When I drop this, I want you to use the spell. The moment the acorn hits the floor, I will counter-attack, and I will not hold back. This,"—the noone made no attempt to hide his amusement—"will hurt considerably. Brace yourself."
John didn't move, other than raising his right hand six inches from his side.
Gai raised his eyebrows. "I apologise in advance for your injuries. Sure you're ready?"
John said nothing.
"Right, fine, here we go then. Three, two, one."
Gai released the acorn. Before gravity had asserted its claim sufficiently to cause it to break contact with the skin of the noone's hand, John allowed the flow of Earth's magic to rise and fill him, channelling it across the clearing. By the time, a quarter of a second later, the acorn had bounced once and settled on the soil below, Gai's face was set in a mask of shock and pride. Only a slight tremor in his arms betrayed how hard he was trying to fight back with magic of his own, to no avail.
John released him, allowing the spell to dissipate, become mist.
Gai took the bottle and a loaf of flatbread from his knapsack. He tore the loaf in two, giving half to John along with some mead, raising his own cup in a toast.
"To the first male Adept."
John shook his head. "I don't want to be an Adept, Gai. I just want to go home."
Gai sipped at the mead. "We don't get to decide what we are, John Aviemore. That's a misconception that's caused untold misery. You are an Adept. What kind of Adept you will be... that's the choice before you now."
John ate some of the bread. It was flavoured with herbs and quite delicious. He washed it down with a mouthful of mead. "I'm a middle-aged widower, Gai. I live in Wimbledon. I invent magic tricks and, occasionally, I perform them. I have a son and a granddaughter. I'm not going to grow into anything. I'm going to perform less, invent and write more, spend all the time I can with my family and friends, read great books again, listen to music. I'm even going to try to appreciate art because that's one way I can remember Sarah. Once I get out of here, I'm leaving all this behind. I didn't ask for it. A quiet life, Gai, that's all I want."
Gai didn't reply at first, his expression guarded. Then he raised his cup and tapped it against John's. "Then I wish you luck and a quiet life, John. Perhaps you will get what you wish for."
John drank.
"What about you, Gai?"
"What do you mean?"
"If we break her grip and we can leave. What's next for you?"
"Back to Da Luan. Father will be delighted to hear his theory about the crummy zones was right. And I think I know what I want to be when I grow up now, so I'll have some arrangements to make."
"And if we fail?"
"I expect she'll kill me." He re-corked the bottle and replaced it in his knapsack. He was whistling. When he noticed the look on John's face, he stopped. "What? What's wrong?"
"You think she'll kill you?"
Gai shrugged as if it were of no concern to him. "I forget," he said, "you humans have a strange attitude to death. We live, and we die. This is all we know for sure. When we die, we will not be here anymore. Why worry about it?"
John thought of the philosophical and theological edifices erected by humans on the foundation of the fear of death. He wished he could share Gai's casual acceptance of the inevitable.
"But..."
"But nothing. I might die. You might die. Ashtoreth might die, although I'm not sure a god that old can die. We'll all do what we have to do. Play our parts. She wants to be a god again, mighty, feared, worshipped by millions. We can't let that happen and, as I'm the only help you have, I'm hardly going to run away, am I?"
"Can't you fetch others?"
"I can't break away from the cage, John. Even if I could, it would take me a moon to return here with reinforcements, and Astarte is moving too quickly."
"Back to square one."
"Yes. So we act tonight. Here's what we'll do."
John interrupted before the noone could speak. "Gai?" The noone looked up. John held out his hand and they shook, the noone's skin as cold as ever. "Thank you."
"Thank me when we've got you out of here. Now sit down and listen."
Thirty-Nine
Evie, child, I woke up this morning and you had gone. I had no memory of you other than a hazy idea that I had once been passed a baby by John, my son. There are moments when I don't even remember him.
It was only when I saw this letter on my desk and re-read my own words that I was able to piece together the facts. I am an old woman, and I have seen more death than most. The idea of letting go of everything is not frightening to me. But this constant attack on my mind, the blank hours followed by moments when I am aware of what I am losing, well, it's hard to bear at times. When I am gone, and you take my place in the family line, you will know me, and I will know you again. I take comfort in that.
While I have temporarily remembered that you exist, I will tell you how to reach me, if I should die before you need to. Do it as soon as you are ready. Do not hesitate.
My dear, you will have to visit the place where I died. It's most likely I will breathe my last in Fir Trees Care Home, room thirty-eight.
When you persuade your mother and father that a trip to England is necessary, make sure to do so soon after a visit to the Between. In your sanctum, focus your intent on the art of persuasion, then listen for a call. Follow that ca
ll when you hear it. If you succeed, you will find people are extraordinarily amenable for a while. Pliable, even. Again, a warning: don't be tempted to abuse this ability.
Come to England, come to Elstree, find the place where I died, and once you are there, go to the Between. This time, it will be different. When you travel, do so with the thought of me uppermost in your mind. It does not matter that we never truly knew each other, it only matters that you are thinking of your great-grandmother when you go to your sanctum.
Ah yes, the sanctum. I don't need to explain now, there will be time enough when we meet. Yes, you read that correctly. Part of me will be waiting in the Between for you. When you visit the Between from my place of death, your destination will be different. You will arrive at the sanctum constructed by your ancestors, the sanctum of an Adept. I will be there. Not the same person who is writing these letters, not exactly, but a shade, a shadow, an echo. Enough of me to fill in the gaps in your knowledge, to teach you the final steps to becoming an Adept.
And so our correspondence comes to an end, my darling great-granddaughter. I regret not spending more time with you. Life as one of the Three is not easy. You will become accustomed to putting duty before your personal considerations. Yes, that sounds appalling, but the benefits of using magic outweigh the dis-benefits. See? I may be an old lady, but I can still use modern words like 'dis-benefits', even when the very idea of it is an affront to my sensibilities.
Never forget, although very few know the truth, that our world is magical. A never-ending stream of timeless power runs through it at every moment. One day, I believe all human beings will once again use magic. Perhaps, by then, it won't be restricted to females, however outlandish that seems now. I sometimes looked at my son—your grandfather, John—when he was growing up, and thought I saw power there. Augustus said I saw what I wanted to see. I'm sure he's right. Augustus is our Warden, Evie. An old, wise friend to our family. You will meet him after you become an Adept. He's watched over us for a long time.
Now, it's time for me to say goodbye. If this last letter seems disjointed, it's because it has taken me over a week to write. My periods of lucidity are getting shorter and shorter. I wake up to find myself standing by the window, looking out across the grounds of this care home, without knowing how I got there. At such times, I imagine someone is with me, in the room. You, maybe, your father perhaps, or even your grandfather. I want you to know that although you may think the manner of my death is sad, or upsetting, no Adept is ever truly alone.
Do not grieve for me, Evie. Come and find me when you're ready.
Your ever-loving great-grandmother
Mae Frances Aviemore.
PS Burn these letters. Better safe than sorry.
Forty
As plans go, Gai's was refreshingly uncomplicated. There were easy-to-understand risks and rewards. The rewards were freedom and saving Earth from a return to the wholesale slaughter of ancient mythology. The risk was getting killed.
The mechanics of the plan were also straightforward. John and Gai would enter the cottage together. When Ash appeared, John would cast the holding spell. While she was helpless, Gai would hit her with the most powerful sleep spell he knew.
"And how powerful is that, exactly?"
"Heard of Rip Van Winkle? Same spell."
Twilight arrived about mid-afternoon. John's day had already included what seemed to be days in his sanctum being painfully killed by avatars. A wave of weariness washed over him at the sight of the sinking orange sun.
Gai punched him on the arm. "You can nap later."
Despite the banter, John was aware of the noone's increasing tension as he unlatched the gate at the back of the cottage. They walked in without speaking. John glanced around the room. It looked just as it had the first day he'd arrived. He suspected that if he checked the fridge, the same cheese, butter, and bottle of wine would be in there, unopened, despite the fact he had used them every day.
Gai went to the foot of the stairs and stood aside to let John go first.
The sun sank below the horizon during the few seconds they'd been in the cottage, and the shadows of night reached from the corners to claim the room. John climbed the stairs, his heart rate rising with each step. He paused when he reached the top, looking inside himself for the calm he had found in the dojo. It was elusive now because the woman waiting for him was no avatar. She was no woman either, he reminded himself. She was a god who cared nothing for the suffering of others. Any pain she inflicted on him tonight would not disappear when he stood up. It would be real, lasting pain.
He stood outside the bedroom door. It was half open. All was quiet. John looked back at Gai, whose eyes gleamed in the darkness.
A light came on in the bedroom.
Ash's voice was calm and unafraid. If anything, she sounded amused.
"How sweet, John. You've brought a friend. I've never been averse to threesomes, or foursomes. Or fivesomes. Orgies can be fun, don't get me wrong. And noones are notoriously good lovers. Why do you think so many human women go wandering into the woods in fairy stories? Looking for a ride on a noone, that's why. Came back with a smile on their face and a half-breed in their bellies. Not that your friend is much of a catch. Don't be shy. Let me have a look at him."
Catching Ash by surprise would have been better, but Gai had allowed for contingencies in the event that she was waiting for them. The already simple plan became simpler still. Attack immediately.
Ash's voice had come from her customary position on the bed. John raised his right hand in readiness.
He held his breath, summoning the detached state he had achieved in the Between, then he stepped into the room and allowed the melody of the spell to unfold, clearing a path for the magic of the realm to flow through him.
When he saw Ash propped against the pillows, he unleashed the full power of the spell. Instantly, he knew something wasn't right. The figure on the bed did nothing to defend herself, her knowing smile remaining in place as the full force of the spell hit her. Her eyes gazed towards the distance, seeing nothing. John was looking at an illusion. Even as the thought struck him, the figure on the bed began to dissolve. The real danger was behind him, in the corner of the bedroom.
He swung around.
Ash stepped out of the shadows. At least, that was what John was prepared for. But the woman he saw, her body painted blue by the moonlight, her hair shaved short for chemotherapy, was Sarah.
John dropped his hands. Only for a second until he recognised the Glamour. It was long enough.
Her hands were raised. John braced himself for the attack, realising too late that it wasn't directed at him.
A light brighter than an arc welder transformed the doorway into a portal to hell. John shadowed his eyes with his hand and was able to make out Gai, his arm thrown in front of his face, his whole body rigid. John watched in horror, seeing blackened flesh peel away from Gai's arm as his defences failed.
John directed the holding spell at Ash. Even as he did it, he knew he was too emotionally invested, there was too much of himself standing in the way. The spell was weakened, the flow of magic stifled. Even so, enough got through to break her attack on Gai and remove the Glamour. The instant her onslaught on the noone faltered, John sang to the wind.
As Ash brought her terrible gaze around to John, the window shattered, and thousands of tiny shards of glass blew into her face and body. She flinched as they struck. John's counter-attack only bought him a few seconds. He ran, scooping up the fallen noone and sprinting down the stairs.
He jumped the last couple of steps and ran for the back door before stopping in confusion.
He was back on the landing. The bedroom door was in front of him, the stairs behind. Without thinking, he ran again. A terrible heat rose from Gai's limp body along with the smell of cooking flesh. John tried not to retch as he reached the bottom of the staircase a second time and, once more, found he was back in front of the bedroom door.
"Let me go!
" he roared.
Ash stepped into the doorway, her manner as casual as if they were disagreeing over which television channel to watch. John turned sideways, holding Gai's limp body away from her, trying to protect him.
"How is your pet noone? Is he dead?"
John could feel the shallow rise and fall of the noone's chest. Gai's left arm was horribly burned, and his left leg was damaged. John calmed his breathing the best he could and looked into Ash's green eyes.
"Whatever business you and I have, he's nothing to do with it. Let me take him back to the woods."
"Nothing to do with it? You have been to the Between, John. There is no other way you could know that spell. He has taught you to use your power, and he has encouraged you to use magic to hurt me. You came here to destroy me. I defended myself. Should I have let you kill me?"
John remembered that Gai didn't think Ash could die.
"No one came to kill you. Just to stop you."
"To stop me doing what?"
"Escaping. Gai told me all about you, Ash. The gods' war, the time cage."
Ash had become very still. John knew he could go to the Between, look for a spell to attack her or heal Gai, but two factors stopped him trying. One was that he was so new to all of this. He did not know exactly what he was looking for, he did not know his own limits, let alone the extent of Ash's power. The second factor was his memory of Gai's hands around his throat when he came back from the Between the first time. He would be completely vulnerable for a second or two. He didn't know what Ash might do to him during that time, and he didn't want to find out.
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