Dawn Of Hope: Charity Anthology

by J. A. Culican

  “The headmaster is confused,” Solomon said smoothly. “It is late in the night.” He thrust out his chin. “I’m Lord Edinbane of Scotland, cousin to the Tremaines of Dover.” His eyes darted to me. “Perhaps that is where the confusion lies. Tremaine is not a Scottish surname.”

  Solomon’s flowery words didn’t hide his suit of armor. The only suits of armor in England in this era were located in museums. He looked ridiculous. It was a wonder he’d managed not to be arrested and hauled off to Bedlam.

  Eleanor looked at me with dawning understanding. “He is one of your pupils?”

  “Somewhat.” I fought not to grin, but I lost. Solomon’s hands fisted, the sound of his silver chain mail gloves twisting.

  Poof. The spell was broken and got Eleanor moving. She jumped on her toes and clapped her hands into prayer pose. “Well, I’m sure you have much to speak about.”

  Solomon stepped out of the way lest he be trampled. Her lifted skirts flew down the hall as if she’d seen a haunting.

  “That was not cool.” Solomon frowned.

  I smirked. “Next time, don’t visit in medieval regalia. You could have been jailed.”

  “Lady Eleanor is scared of host. You unnecessarily frightened her.”

  “First, she is not a lady. She is a servant to this establishment. Secondly, she should be frightened of you. War and death follow you in whichever century you travel.”

  “I’ve been taught that all females have honor. It doesn’t matter their station.” Solomon removed his gloves. “Noted: Do not flirt with Lady Eleanor. She’s yours.” I scowled and he went on. “To your second point, I was on the lists, training. I had to leave at once.”

  “Dress rehearsal, eh? You train in full armor?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Story of my life.”

  “You left in a hurry. I understand. Did the enemy make an attempt?”

  Solomon shook his head. “I was ordered an immediate evacuation.” He shook his wrist to show me the leather cord and stone. “Dad gave me a time band so I can leave here if I must. The Mongolian League has been tracked in the Caymans, modern time and medieval era. It made sense to come to Margate.” He forced a laugh. “I mean, why would the Huns kidnap me here, right? They’ve already done that. Although they do lack originality, Margate is my first hiding place.” He unbelted his sword. “And I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you where I’d go next if I’m discovered. But if I am to flee, I will be sure you and your pupils are properly guarded and contained.”

  “Do not give secrets to a spy.” I twisted my lips. “Quite good; you can keep them. Better for me to not be forced to protect you.” Protect me and mine, indeed. One glance of me in serpent form and I was like Medusa. No one would survive if they looked into my eyes.

  Solomon’s hands stilled. “You’re new to the Amalgam, sir, and a host. Pardon me, but this sword I hold is no match for the likes of you. I know that. You could kill me now, right where I stand. You are classed as a weaker host, but I respect your power. Being a host gives you the advantage.” He propped the sword against the wall. “Despite that, I like you just fine and so do Mum and Dad. They trust you, so I trust you. They wouldn’t have sent me here if they didn’t.”

  “Blabber, blabber, blabber.” I snorted. “Englishmen. Always have an answer. Always full of mush and hearts.”

  Solomon grinned. “And yet you spied for us. I’ve wondered why a devoted Frenchman—especially one with your skills—would turn on his country. You’re a legend in history books.”

  “Napoleon had my grandmother executed.” It was out of my mouth before I could stop it. I wanted to cover my traitorous mouth, but I stood and owned it. I’d never told another soul. Here I was having a verbal parry with a mere boy and I revealed something I wanted buried. It had to be the dichotomy of his youth and wisdom. A boy his age should be playing, attending school, catching frogs. He was a special kind of odd.

  Solomon bit the corner of his bottom lip and took a deep breath. “I didn’t know.”

  “No one knew,” I bit out. I turned, peering wildly about the room. It was meticulously tidy as usual, except for the bed. The bed resembled a cave, the way I like it. I turned back to Solomon and caught his gaze also tracking the area. His eyes met mine. “You’re very clever . . . your innocent face and calm demeanor. You’d be an excellent spy—or priest.”

  “I’m honest; there’s a difference.” He grinned. “But spy? No. I could never betray Dover nor England. As for being a priest, I like girls far too much and we both know I’m not Catholic.”

  My sigh morphed into somewhat of growl. “Exactly what am I supposed to do with you?”

  “I’m here for sanctuary,” Solomon said. “I don’t mind attending classes and labs, wearing the school uniform. I’m not here to burden you. I’ll do what I must to blend in.”

  “Of course,” I said. My mouth bent sarcastically. “You’re perfect. You’re a Tremaine.”

  “You can start by telling me where I shall sleep.” Solomon’s voice turned authoritative. “I’m tired and in need of a bath. Wearing a hundred pounds of silver can be tiring.” His head tilted. “If you’d be so kind as to show me the pupil dormitories, I shall be out of your way.”

  “You will not be staying with my pupils. I will not give your father the chance to make an example of me. I will personally see that you are safe and sound.” I pointed to the bed. “You will sleep here.”

  Solomon assessed the room from ceiling to floor and seemed pleased with the accommodations. “Thanks.” He took a seat on the only chair, my plush wing-back that would now be my bed indefinitely. “I am rather hungry, too. Any possibility there would be dinner left over? Or perhaps, items to make a small meal?”

  “I’ll go down to the kitchen,” I grumbled.

  He caught my arm when I turned to the door. “I don’t intend to be a bother. I know where the kitchen is. I don’t expect service. I can do things on my own. I can most certainly prepare my own food.”

  I shook off his hand. “I won’t have you roaming the school alone; it’s forbidden.” I let my scowl deepen. “I’ll go. Just see that you are quiet. The dormitories of my pupils surround us. We stay close—for protection. I don’t want them to know you’re here yet.”

  As I walked down to the servants’ quarters, a deep stone filled the pit of my belly. Something was brewing in the darkness and the heir of Dover had made us a target. War was coming to Margate.

  ***

  The students loved the young prince. As much as it pained me to admit, I liked him, too. Solomon had a sweetness about him that was infectious. Eager to learn and with a brilliant mind, the boy was also kind and a hard worker. He’d been with us a little over a fortnight when our world turned upside down. No one saw it coming. We had gone lax and apathetic—assuming we were in the clear as we enjoyed days and evenings filled with stories of knights, maidens . . . and time travel.

  “Does your father know you spin stories?” I asked Solomon. We piled the books so I could carry them back to the library.

  “I am free to be creative.” He bit the corner of his bottom lip as was his habit. “Dad is progressive, reformed. The only law we follow is to treat others as we would want to be treated. Honor, valor, and family are my tutors.”

  “But sea creatures?” I chuckled. “Giant octopuses? The students enjoyed the tales, but you must not overindulge them. They respect your station and will believe whatever you say as fact.”

  “They’re legend in the Dark Ages. I keep an open mind when defining legends and tales. As Mum would say, where there is smoke, there is fire.” He shrugged. “Usually, there is a level of truth to the mightiest of fables. The Amalgam investigates farfetched newspaper and magazine articles. The strange, crazy ramblings of people sometimes hide a truth. Host formation brings dark ideas from the best of society. I’ve seen things that make me believe prehistoric beasts and fairy tale animals are a possibility in any time.” He bit his lip and glanced away. “My brother and I saw a
unicorn once. In the woods near the castle.”

  His expression was guarded and at once, I knew he wasn’t jesting. I scoffed. “A trick of your mind, no doubt. Was this sighting in dim conditions? A shadow perhaps? A horse near a tree and you mistook the limb for a horn.”

  “What about basilisks? Do you believe in them?” Solomon asked.

  My lungs were wrung empty of breath. Heat climbed my body and made my heart beat faster and faster. My ears rang as I struggled to draw in air. Solomon watched with tapered eyes and a knowing twist of his mouth. The word basilisk resounded in my mind as visions of prison and torture filled the gaps.

  “Come now,” he taunted. “You’ve heard of the powerful creature. Yellow eyes, poisonous fangs, snake-like body. A proper reptile of great size with fabled origins.” He smirked. “Ever seen one, because I think I have. In these very hallowed halls, there is something brewing and it isn’t host formation. At least, no host formation as the Amalgam knows it. Something peculiar is happening in Margate.”

  “Your imagination is miring reality.” My voice sounded winded and for a moment, I felt my eyes flicker to the color of the basilisk. The gills hidden under my collar flared. I turned my face away. Solomon was just a boy, only a fraction of my years. By all accounts, this was preposterous. Man versus child. I should be leading the inquiries, not nearly collapsing in panic. He could not threaten me. “Your mother spoils you with fairy tales.”

  A brisk knock at the door sounded, effectively ending the inquisition. I jumped in my skin from the swift intrusion. My life was a series of interruptions. This time it was welcome.

  It was Lucy, and her eyes were as round as tea saucers. Her hands were all over the place—wringing, swatting the air as she spoke, crossed over her bosom. “Have you seen the children, headmaster?”

  “They are about the grounds.” I glanced at my fob. “I asked Dominic to facilitate afternoon activities.”

  Solomon crossed the room to look from the window. “It’s the pupils of the Deaf School,” he said. His body was cloaked by the curtains as he peered down onto the garden. “They’re as still as stones. Not a one is moving. How peculiar.”

  “Aye, sir.” Lucy’s head bobbed. “There is something mighty amiss. Cook called to them, but no one as much as blinked. They just stand there. Headmaster Whipple is in his cups and we cannot find Miss Marple.”

  “Thank you, Lucy,” I said. “I will search for her.”

  The maid curtsied and fled.

  “Come away from the window,” I commanded Solomon. He didn’t budge. “Do you want to be seen?”

  “They already know I am here.”

  I walked over to the window. It was fall, cool, and a dreary drizzling rain was falling. Soloman pointed to the tall hedges on the west side of the garden. “There.” His finger moved to the stone fountain. “And there.”

  Barely discernable next to the fountain was a burly bicep covered in brown animal fur, and an arrow aimed at the child nearest—

  “They’ve targeted the children,” I said, my voice low and growling.

  “There is blood on the veranda,” Solomon stated. He stood on his toes. “A large amount. See the pooling? The source is laying at the side door if I had to guess.”

  My bones chilled. “I . . . I will go alone.”

  “No, you won’t,” Solomon snapped. He let the curtain fall. “I’ll summon the children. This is what they’ve been training for.” He smirked. “Unless you don’t need their help.”

  “What about you?” I barked.

  “I’m the heir.” His fingertips touched his chest. “It’s a widely known fact that I love a good battle as any knight does, but my dad would kill me. I was sent here for sanctuary, remember?” He crammed his hands into his front pockets. “Tell you what. I’ll catch a wormhole back to the castle.” One of his brows lifted. “That way I won’t see anything I’m not supposed to.”

  I blew out a breath and started to lie.

  “I read your diary,” he said flatly.

  “You what?”

  “Now is not the time to argue,” Solomon said. “But at least you’re not denying it anymore.”

  It infuriated me that a child chastised me.

  He shrugged. “I was bored and it was there. You really shouldn’t put words to such an important secret . . . or else put a lock on it.” His head tilted as he watched my fist clench and unclench. “Here is a problem with the written word. How much of it is really true? I mean, it’s not as though I’m an eye witness, so I’m not lying to the Amalgam. Just omitting some drab fairy tale ramblings of a Frenchman. I am a child; what do I know? Perhaps you are a better storyteller than you claim.”

  I scowled, but my heart was thumping. The sound of it thundered in my head. I couldn’t shake the sinking feeling I’d had since Solomon spotted the pool of blood. I wasn’t angry that he knew of my origins; I was terrified as I considered how many sources of blood the enemy might have.

  “I’ll get the kids and leave. You let those idiots know they’re too big to hide behind bushes,” Solomon said and exited without another word. “And tell them to get better costumes. They’re not even authentic.”

  I could feel my eyes begin to glow and my gills open. The sound of gasping filled the room as I employed both my gills and my lungs. But I didn’t want to scare the children, so I retracted the strange while calming my mind.

  The children met me at the bottom landing, in the back foyer. Their stances were readied, but their eyes told a different story. Thomas handed me a black cloak. “It’s cold out, sir.”

  I took the cloak, but tossed it to the floor. “All of you listen.” I squatted down. “I need you to be brave. I looked them over. “Come out behind me tallest to shortest. Thomas, you’ll take the rear.”

  “But—” Thomas began.

  “You’re the smallest and the weakest,” I said. I had begun to sweat, a cold perspiration that soaked my linen shirt. I went for the door, but my hand halted on the knob. “Something isn’t right.”

  Dominic pointed to the floor. “Is that blood?”

  The children jumped back. One of the girls shrieked. Blood seeped under the door and onto the floor. I stepped around the pool and turned the knob.

  “I want my mother,” a young one wailed. An older girl put an arm around the child and told her to be brave.

  If I cast a lot, I’d bet we all wanted our mothers. But we were invisible to the world. Our families were either dead or had disowned us and yet we held this vital task. Mayhap the future of England depended on this moment.

  I opened the door and leaves blew in, whirling about my legs. The cool air flushed over us in a wave. In years to come, I would always associate great loss with autumn. Browning leaves, cooler weather, the smell of burning stacks and cinnamon. And death—always death in autumn.

  A sob left my mouth as I dropped to my knees. “Eleanor?” I asked, gently touching her cold hand. But I knew she was dead. She must have been coming to me for help, because she never used the rear entrance. Her beautiful face was forever frozen in a shocked gasp. She didn’t know the terror of this world and she’d met it head on. I’d promised to protect her and I failed.

  Snide grunts and a twisted laugh pierced the evening. I looked up and saw no one. My eyes bounced to where Solomon had spotted the enemy, but they were camouflaged from this angle.

  Rage filled me. They’d killed Eleanor in front of her students. It was her manner to tell them to stop where they were until further instructions. She’d always been so protective. Her pupils littered the yard, some with tears streaming down their faces, but they did not move.

  Knowing war and battle, I knew this could take a long time. My students were scared and may not be able to fight at full form, but there was a way I could end this.

  I motioned to Audrina, who stepped forward. “I want to you to go out with me first. The students of the Deaf School are facing the doorway, scattered about the lawn. Sign to them to close their eyes and keep them
closed until someone touches their shoulder. They cannot open their eyes no matter what they sense about them. It’s critical, do you understand?”

  Audrina nodded and hopped over the blood with a yelp, then ran as far as the veranda’s stone floor allowed. She began signing in frantic measure. Curious, some of the Mongolian warriors stepped from their hiding places.

  I had never seen anything like them. Squat, medium height, full of muscle. They wore the skins of animals and most had bows ready to fire. Slowly, I stood and pressed the children back.

  “Close your eyes, all of you.”

  An arrays of ‘why’ sounded.

  “Just do as I say or you’ll be killed,” I growled. Audrina put her hands over her eyes. Others shut their eyes so tightly they probably saw stars, but some of the boys didn’t. “Do you want to die?”

  That did it.

  The game pieces were all in place. It was time to avenge my beloved. I murmured a Catholic prayer and crossed over her body. My eyes burned with an intensity I’d never felt before. The beast within me had a thirst for vengeance. Gills opened and my lungs shunted to reptilian survival. Hun after Hun came forth, bows drawn, blades flashing. They stalked toward the school in formation, weaving through the students on the lawn. They were accustomed to hosts, because their arrows had onyx heads. Onyx, the only stone that could kill a host.

  “Get the boy,” the leader commanded.

  My body lengthened. “He’s not here.” My fangs elongated as my skin and scales tore my clothes away. “But I am.” My serpent head bumped the roof, so I slid forward as my body reached full form. My gaze swept left to right. “Look at me!” I hissed. The sound of my voice whooshed with snake-like whispers. The Huns who stared into my eyes fell dead, their bodies evaporating into dust. It was then that they charged. I coiled, ready to strike when I felt something large tread on my tail. Fire shot out from behind me, avoiding the students with an accuracy that had to be missile guided.