by Liz Bower
"I'm fine, James. Really," she added, as he raised his eyebrows at her.
"Okay. You just let me know if I need to sort anybody out."
"I don't need you to sort anybody out, honestly," she said, patting him on the shoulder. "If I did, you'd be the first person I'd tell."
Matt and Emma came back in with the drinks then, and thankfully, they returned to easier topics.
"I'll update the spreadsheet tonight, and give everyone a copy," Matt said, taking a seat next to Emma.
"Okay, great. Jess, did you find out anything about our family history?"
"Not much, to be honest. There's not a lot about our family. It's mainly about the Hall. I found a few articles about William, but again, they were about him building the Hall. I've ordered a few old books, though, so I'm hoping I'll have more luck with those.
James rubbed at the bridge of his nose and nodded. "Okay, well, not a lot we can do about that. Matt, what about you?"
Matt shoved his glasses back up his nose and stood, hands behind his back. He'd gone into teacher mode, she thought with an internal groan.
"Obviously, Altenchester has ties to Roman times. It's a Roman town. But other than that, well, not a lot either, to be honest. There's nothing Roman-related to where the visions took place. Altenbury Hall isn't on Roman land because the fort walls stopped at the top of the lane.
“Again, the fields where Emma was attacked, not Roman related, just the old Roman road passed by them. The visions, though, they have Roman themes. The first one, when Emma moved back here, had a Roman helmet and fort. Also lightning, and the oak tree, are symbols of the king of the gods in Roman mythology, Jupiter. In December, they contained poppies and white roses, both related to Proserpina, based on the myth of spring. January was Pluto, god of the underworld, with the horse and chariot.
“Then, if we take into account Jess's visions, starting in March, we have Mars, the god of war, with the symbols of the wolf and spear. Oh, and the vulture, that was in the vision too," Matt said, moving to point at his spreadsheet.
Jess wondered how long Matt's lecture was going to last because she was starting to feel like she was back in school. She hoped he wasn't planning to give them a pop quiz.
She noticed his cheeks had the look of being out in the cold for too long, and he kept tapping the spreadsheet. He glanced at Emma, then back to the spreadsheet. What had Emma told him? Jess dropped her chin into her hands and waited for him to carry on.
He cleared his throat several times. "Ah, and the latest vision of Juno, the goddess of marriage. Her symbol, the ... erm ... the peacock."
The room was silent once Matt had finished. He sat back down, next to Emma.
"But how does any of that tie into what's happening now?" James asked.
"If I knew that, I'd be able to stop whatever's going on. All I can tell you is what I know. There is a Roman link to all of this somehow. I just haven't figured out what it means yet."
"Okay," James said, holding his hands out, palms up, towards Matt. "Let's keep that in mind, then. Can you find out more about the Roman links to Altenchester? Do we know when the Romans were here, when they left? Jess, are we descended from Romans?"
She lifted her head at her name and gave James a shrug. "I don't know. I can look into that when my books get here, though."
"Good, do that."
"What about you, James? What have you found out?"
From the tone of Matt's question, Jess wondered if she was going to have to play peacemaker between the two of them. She really hoped not.
James leaned against the desk, gripping the edge, legs crossed at the ankles. "Unfortunately, nothing of any use. There are a few legends about Altenbury Hall being haunted and the like, but nothing helpful to us about what's happening. There's not a huge amount of information to go on, so I'm going to try to find some reference books about the area. What about the historical society, Matt? Do you think they'd have anything useful?"
"I can check. We have archives, but we cover a lot of topics. Anything to do with our family I would've been asked to do though."
"Okay, but at least we've made a start. I feel better knowing we're doing something. So I suggest we all go to the pub and drink to a good start, and a relatively quiet week."
***
Rob checked his watch for the fifth time in ten minutes. He hated working Mondays, especially after he'd worked the weekend shift too. It wasn't helping that it was quiet either. Too much time to think, and too often about Jess. He wanted to see her; he had this feeling that, if he left it much longer, she'd freeze him out again. She'd opened up after their little game of truth or lie, but there was only so much he could say in a few texts.
"Hey, man, I thought I was on shift with Tom?"
Rob nodded at Josh. "Yeah, you are. I'm out of here. See you later." He quickly changed, shoving his gym uniform of shorts and T-shirt in his locker, and headed for home. If he was quick, he could make it home and get to Jess's by seven. He could surprise her. Maybe take her out for dinner.
As he turned down the road towards his house, he noticed how cold the air had turned. It was only March, but it suddenly felt like December again. Flipping up the collar of his jacket, he shoved his hands in the pockets. He turned his head to look over his shoulder when he heard a scraping noise. But he couldn't see anything, or anyone, behind him in the dim light of twilight.
He carried on, but he heard it again; it sounded like nails tapping against the pavement. Picking up his pace as his house came into sight, the wind began to howl down the street.
He was just about to push open the gate when he was hit from behind. Something landed on his back. The force sent him staggering forward, hands out in front of him. Whatever had hit him was heavy, and he fell to his knees as what little light of the evening was left faded. He felt a hot breath blow across his neck, but then it was gone, replaced by something soft wrapping around his throat. He tried to pry it off, but it just enveloped his hands too. He bucked his hips, trying to throw the thing off him, but it was heavy, and he was struggling to breathe.
The last thing he heard was the sound of a dog howling in the distance.
And then there was nothing.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Jess grabbed her mobile as it started to vibrate across the coffee table. But as Emma's name flashed across the screen, she couldn't help the feeling of disappointment. This was why she stayed away from men, the disappointment. The spending all night checking her phone for a text from him, only to hear nothing.
She had started to trust Rob, thought he was different, but he'd just disappeared. He’d said he would call her, but he must have finished work hours ago, she thought, her gaze flicking to the clock on the wall. She set the alarm on her phone and threw the cushion to the other side of the sofa. She had work the next day, and she was not going to turn into one of those girls who spent her time waiting around on a man.
On her way past, she locked the front door and made her way upstairs. For a long time, she lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, in the darkness of her bedroom. Her thoughts kept whipping around. What if he'd been hurt? What if he was out with another woman? Rolling over onto her side, she took her frustration out on the pillow. She got a few good thumps in before settling down, finally falling into a restless sleep.
Jess blinked rapidly, but she couldn't see anything—she was surrounded by darkness. She was outside, though, that she could tell. The cold wind caressed her bare skin, making music as it weaved through the leaves on the trees. She could smell damp earth.
A hoot from above made her jump and look towards the sound. High above her, she could see two orange half circles, just floating in the dark night. As she stared at them, they disappeared, then reappeared. They moved higher, another hoot sounding from the same direction.
Jess tensed, ready to run. It was an owl, she guessed, but she wasn't sure it wouldn't attack her. Behind her, the soft light of the moon broke through with enough brightness for her to
make out a building in front of her. The owl was perched on the roof of what she assumed was a barn. Mostly, just its face was in view, and its white feathers seemed to glow. Unnervingly, the owl stared straight at her, blinking in its slow fashion and then letting out another hoot.
The barn disappeared from in front of her eyes, and instead, she saw the porch of Alt Hall. James stood outside, looking striking in a black suit and a crisp white shirt. He looked sad and seemed to stare straight at her. James turned at the sound of his name. And there was Rob, looking so handsome in a suit.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, just never thought my little brother would be getting married before me."
Rob slapped him on the back. "Yeah, you are kind of turning into a crusty old bachelor."
"Watch it; you're not part of the family yet. Never did understand what Jess saw in you."
"Neither did I, but I'm not about to question her. I love her, and I just thank my lucky stars that she sees something good in me."
As quickly as they appeared, they both vanished in a swirl of white mist and a hoot of the owl. Now all she could see was the dark again. But instead of hooting, she heard a low growl and twisted to try to see where it was coming from. The growl turned into a howl and the snapping of teeth.
Silence followed, and when the moonlight filtered through the clouds again, Rob was sprawled out on the earth, facedown. Blood trickled down his back from the claw marks on his shoulders, and Jess dropped to her knees with a sob. She reached out to him, but her hand passed straight through him, and she screamed.
Her hand tangled in the sheet as she screamed again. Tearing at the sheets, she pulled them free and blinked as a shower of feathers rained down on her. The entire bed and pillow were covered in feathers, brown, black, and white. She checked the ceiling, but the feathers weren't coming from there, and they seemed to have stopped. Just settled onto the bed as she sat frozen, watching them glide gently down onto her bed.
Jess began to shiver and grabbed a sweater from off the floor. It didn't help, though, as her teeth started to chatter. She knew she was safe, but Rob's face as he lay there kept floating behind her eyelids when she closed them. The feeling that he was more than injured kept flashing through her mind. What if he were dead? She sobbed and bit down on her fist to stop herself from breaking down completely, knowing that wouldn't be helpful right then. She scrambled off the bed, rummaging through the pile of clothes on the floor until she found some jeans and yanked them on.
She didn't need to be Matt to work out the meaning of an owl. Owls were wise, and if one wanted to tell her that Rob was hurt, well, who was she to argue? Jess pulled on a pair of socks and dragged a brush through her hair. She didn't care if she was crazy; she had to see Rob. Her gaze darted to the bedside clock as she pulled the bedroom door open—six a.m. She hoped he'd be tucked up in bed, alone, but she wouldn't calm down until she knew he was okay. Until she had seen him with her own eyes.
***
Stopping the car outside Rob's house, she noticed the gate was open. Pulling her sweater up around her neck, she stepped out into the cold, the slam of the car door shutting behind her the only noise in the quiet morning.
As she rounded the car, she saw that the gate was propped open with a shoe. When she got closer, she realised the shoe was still attached to a foot, and she lurched forward. When she saw him on the ground, she wished she hadn't. Her hand rose and covered her mouth, eyes watering as she took a shaky breath.
"Rob," she whispered before she dropped to her knees. Hesitantly, she reached towards him, and a sense of déjà vu hit her. It felt like finding James in the vault all over again. Except James had been okay, so Rob was going to be okay too. He would be all right, she kept telling herself, over and over.
Jess glanced around, but they were alone, and his front door was closed. She patted his pockets until she found his house keys. But as she looked down, she knew there was no way she could move him on her own, even if it was only a few metres to inside his house.
With a groan, she pulled out her mobile. Should she call Matt? But how would she explain being there? Or James? But then James wouldn't be that impressed that she was alone outside Rob's house at this time of the morning. Matt would find out at some point, she thought, pressing the phone icon next to his number. As she waited for him to answer, she started to bounce up and down on her toes. Come on, come on, answer. When it went to voicemail, she swore and dialed again, until he answered.
"Jess? What's wrong?"
"It's Rob."
"What happened?"
"I ... I don't know. I found him outside his house, and he's unconscious. I think he's been attacked, but I can't move him by myself, and I can't leave him here."
"Why are you ...? Never mind. I'm on my way. I'll see you soon."
Jess hung up and slid her phone back into her pocket then sat next to Rob, brushing her hand over his hair.
***
"Jess?"
At the sound of Matt's voice, she looked up from beside Rob, where she had become lost in her own morbid thoughts. Matt helped her up and pulled her into a brief hug.
"You doing okay?"
She nodded, because if she said anything, it would all just pour out, and he would know she was anything but okay.
"Come on. I'll get his shoulders. You take his feet."
She helped Matt roll Rob over onto his back then lifted his feet, and between them, they carried him inside to the sofa. Hunting through his closet, she found a blanket to cover him and took a seat on the footstool next to him. Matt knelt down next to her.
"Do you want me to take you home?"
Dragging her gaze from Rob, she looked at her brother through narrowed eyes. "We can't just leave him here, alone."
"I know. If you can drive yourself home, I'll stay with him."
Grabbing the end of her ponytail, she twisted her hair around her hand. Turning from Matt, she said, "It's okay, I'll stay with him." Her gaze never left Rob as she waited for Matt to say something.
After what felt like an eternity, he stood and rested a hand on her shoulder. She let out the breath she'd been holding.
"Let me know if you need anything, and call me when he wakes up."
Covering his hand with her own, she nodded. "I will. And Matt, thanks."
After Matt had left, she took off Rob's shoes and tucked the blanket over his feet. Hesitantly, she pressed a hand to his cheek; it felt cool but not icy. Gently, she traced her thumb across his lip but stopped when her hand started to shake.
Standing, she made her way into his kitchen and switched on the kettle. Resting her elbows on the worktop, she dropped her head into her hands and quietly let the tears fall.
Thinking James was dead had been awful, the attacks on Matt and Emma terrifying, but this? She felt like she was losing her mind, and somehow responsible for whatever had happened to Rob. Hadn't she seen him in her vision in the exact same position she'd found him in? What if she could have done something to stop it? Instead, she'd been too busy pathetically wondering why he hadn't been in touch with her. Because she couldn't have called him, could she? Or texted him.
This was her fault. If Rob didn't recover, she'd never forgive herself.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Rob woke to the sound of the radio and, when he opened his eyes, found himself in his own living room, on his own sofa. Shit, he had no idea how he'd made it home. He needed to stop drinking so much, he thought, especially when his head throbbed as he sat up. Where did the blanket come from? The horrible thought that he might have actually brought someone home with him crossed his mind, but the last thing he could remember was leaving work.
"You're awake, then?"
Slowly, he turned his head and saw Jess standing in the kitchen doorway. Now he really was confused. Why would Jess be at his place? "Yeah," he said, and then cleared his throat as his voice cracked over the word.
"Do you remember what happened?" she asked, kneeling in front of him.
> He reached out to tuck a stray hair behind her ear, and she leaned her cheek into his hand. In answer, he shook his head, stroking his thumb over her cheek as it started to flush beneath his touch.
"I found you, outside on the path. Unconscious."
He remembered he had been going home, thinking about taking Jess out, then pain. Someone had hit him from behind, like a coward. "Someone hit me."
In response to his words, her eyes widened. "Who?"
He shrugged, then winced, as pain radiated down his back.
Jess stood and leaned over him, pulling at his sweater to peek down the back of it. "You have red marks around your neck, and down your back. I think it's going to bruise. It ..."
Leaning back, so he could see her face, he asked, "What?"
Jess let go of his sweater and looked over his head, not meeting his gaze. "It doesn't look the same as when Matt was attacked."
He took hold of her hand and tugged at it until she sat next to him. "I don't think it was the same. There was no strange darkness, or weird feeling beforehand. Someone just jumped me from behind, which—" He stopped speaking and started to check his pockets. "—come to think of it, is strange. They haven't taken anything, so they weren't after money or my phone. It doesn't make any sense."
Jess dropped her head at his words, biting down on her bottom lip as the feeling she was about to cry again hit her. Rob's finger underneath her chin forced her head gently upwards until their gazes met.
"What is it?"
One tear escaped, and she roughly brushed it away with the back of her hand. "I thought ... maybe it was my fault you were attacked."
Not responding to her admission, he leaned forward and dropped his hand to her hips. Firm fingers wrapped around her and dragged her onto his knee until her legs were straddling his. One hand ran up the length of her back and wrapped around her ponytail, tugging her head to the side, the other gripping her waist.
Her eyes started to close in anticipation, but he squeezed her side. He waited until she looked into his eyes and said, "It doesn't matter if it was your fault. I'd fight anyone, or anything if it meant keeping you safe."