Father of Storms

by Dean Jones

  “If you could follow me,” a lady said as they entered the huge glass doors. Hope had been to London a few times with her parents and the had walked many of the streets enjoying the hustle and bustle of the city but couldn’t recall passing or seeing this building before.

  It had an air of historical magnificence about it and she had noted the flaking stonework as she entered. The amazing thing about the building though was it was completely unassuming, you would look at it a couple of times before you realised it was there…it just seemed to blend into its surroundings.

  She had looked up in awe at its size as they drove up to it but now they were inside the building took on a completely different feel, it was modern and lighter than she’d expected. The woman greeting them was a small red-haired lady who was wearing the tightest dress Hope had seen in a while. That doesn't leave a lot to the imagination she thought.

  “My name is Sarah and I am the Personal Assistant to Corey, who is eager to meet you both.” She walked towards the elevators in the rear of the lobby. Hope, her mother and Agent Smith all moved with her and waited for the lift to arrive.

  “I apologise for your unfortunate ordeal, Hope. I regret we did not anticipate Agent Bradley becoming such an…animal,” she said as she placed her hand on Hopes' shoulder.

  Hope shrugged her hand away and stayed silent. She was still coming to terms with what had happened and kicking herself she didn’t do anything to stop him. Though she was confused as to why he had jumped out of the window.

  “He jumped out of the window…” she muttered towards Sarah.

  “Yes, well…erm…” Sarah stuttered.

  The bell rang, and the doors opened rescuing Sarah from having to think of an explanation and she walked into the lift and patiently waited as the rest followed.

  Hope watched as Sarah pressed the button for the top floor and the lift doors closed softly before a jolt as it began to ascend the floors.

  They all waited in an uncomfortable silence, Hope still held her mother’s hand and they stood impassively watching the numbers illuminate as they got closer to their destination.

  Finally, the lift stopped, and the doors opened.

  “Here we are.” She said brightly, “Agent Smith if you could head to your office, I will take our guests the rest of the way.”

  Billy nodded and waited in the lift for them to leave before pressing the floor number he needed and letting the doors close.

  Sarah sighed, “it’s a shame really, he’s such a sensitive man. I am sure if he was braver he would have stopped Bradley before it got out of hand but there you go, men are such a difficult species.” The tone in Sarah’s voice angered Hope and she gripped her mother’s hand harder as she gritted her teeth.

  “Relax sweetheart…just relax,” Marcy whispered as they followed Sarah down the hall towards a large set of doors. “He is here…your father I mean, I can feel him,” she said as they reached the doors.

  Hope shot her a look of astonishment, “what do you mean?” she asked quietly.

  “We have been connected for a very long time and I know when he is near,” Marcy answered. Hope looked into her mother’s eyes and saw she was adamant about this and, to be fair, she had no reason to doubt her. The knowledge he was near filled her with confidence and she became calmer and more determined as she walked into the room.

  “Ah, please get our guests some refreshment Sarah, and perhaps a change of clothes for young Hope,” a man’s voice said from the back of the room.

  Hope looked towards the voice seeing a figure stood, bathed in the light from the large window and she squinted to try and make out who it was.

  Sarah retreated through the doors quickly and left them alone.

  “It’s a horrible business, some men can’t seem to contain their desires I am afraid. My deepest regret and sincerest apologies ladies, you have had a less than pleasant introduction to my organisation.”

  Hope felt her mind and emotions calm and suddenly she didn’t feel quite as angry or as much shame about what had happened.

  “Let me take it all away from you, it’s the least I can do,” the man said, and Hope felt light headed for a second before she looked around her again and took in the surroundings.

  The room was empty but for a large desk to her right which had an ornate chair behind it. To her left was a couch and small coffee table and the floor was clearly marble. There was a sound of shuffling as the man moved towards them and his silhouette convalesced into the shape of an older man, perhaps in his sixties who was stooped with age moving towards them.

  His wispy white hair hung limply on his shoulders and was held back with a hair band keeping it from his long-hooked nose, which stood out to Hope as the most interesting feature of his face.

  Sarah returned to the room with a trolley containing drinks and food which she positioned next to the couch and table before they were invited to take a seat. As they moved Sarah took Hopes arm and passed her a new clean top which she looked at confused.

  “You have a nasty tear in the one you are wearing love, best swap it for this so you’re not uncomfortable during your chat.” Hope looked under the jacket and saw Sarah was correct though she didn’t recall how she had ripped her top.

  Hope followed Sarah to a door behind the desk which led to another room. This one had more soft furnishings adorned with colourful cushions. At the back was a door to the large bathroom with ornate sinks and a single cubical containing the toilet. She quickly removed her damaged top and put on the one Sarah had provided her with.

  “I don’t know how this happened,” she said as she pulled the new top down. She noted she felt stiff also but again struggled to recall why.

  “These things happen, love. It’s best not to worry, all sorted now.” Sarah said with a smile, “let me take you back so you can get something to eat and drink.”

  As she sat down next to her mother the man was laughing at a joke he had just made, and she could see the laughter touch her mother’s mouth as it curved into a smile.

  “All better now young lady?” the man asked

  Hope nodded and returned his smile.

  “Now, I have neglected to introduce myself properly with all the rush,” he said looking at them both.

  “My name is Corey and I am, for my sins, responsible for the management of this small organisation.” He nodded to each of them in turn. Hope and her mother sipped at a cup of tea they had been passed by Sarah, who was currently busying herself plating up the sandwiches and snacks for each of them.

  “I’m Marcy, and this is my daughter Hope, but you seem to already know our names so perhaps we could move onto the reason you have asked us here?” Marcy asked.

  “Straight to the point, I like that.” Corey laughed, “well I shall not beat around the bushes either.”

  Sarah placed the plates in front of them on the small table and stood back from the group.

  “I have a small matter I wish to deal with which I believe you both can assist me with,” Corey began. “This matter concerns a certain man who you are both very well acquainted with, given he is your father.” He pointed at Hope, “and your husband.” He looked at Marcy.

  Both looked shocked and turned to look at each other before moving to the edge of their seats eagerly awaiting news of Seth.

  “What do you know of Seth?” Marcy asked. “Do you know where he is?” The desperation in her voice made Corey smile, he did enjoy this part and was looking forward to the next few minutes.

  Already he was teasing and altering their memories and the shock of his revelation opened both their minds to his probing.

  “I know of all the things he has put you both through and the abuse you have both suffered at his hands,” he sighed.

  “As I said earlier, some men do not know how to properly treat women and some struggle most with those who love them. You have unfortunately been subjected to a life of running and paranoia created by a delusional and violent individual. For my part, I only wis
h to make your lives easier and more peaceful.”

  The words felt wrong to Hope and she looked to her mother who was strangely nodding in agreement with the statements he was making. She looked back at Corey confused but as he smiled at her sympathetically she vaguely remembered her father shouting at her when she was small, and then a time he dragged her from her bed and bundled her into a car before he struck her mother for not moving quickly enough. The memories felt strange at first but as Corey spoke they became more vivid and felt like an old wound he was poking and picking at and she struggled with her emotions as the pain of their exposure built up inside of her.

  “It is a shame we have had to bring you here in this way but as you both know, Seth is a difficult and dangerous man who we have had to place in confinement, for the safety of the public as well as for you…I am sure you understand?”

  Both women shot Corey a look of shock as they realised what he had said, he was here. Hope began to cry in relief knowing she would never be hurt by her father again and she fell into her mother’s arms and they both sobbed into each other.

  “I can see this has been a lot to absorb and you are both very emotional, but I need you to do something for me…so I can make sure no one is hurt by him ever again; can I ask that of you?”

  Marcy lifted her head but still clung to her daughter who softly cried into her shoulder. “Ask anything, if we can stop him then we will help where we can,” she stated defiantly.

  Corey smiled a broad and satisfied grin, this had gone wonderfully, they didn’t even notice his touch on their memories which made him feel jubilant at the thought of what was to come. Finally, he would have Seth broken and then there would be no one to stand in his way.

  The Wait Is Over

  It had been six months since the Mara had told Seth of Meredith’s soul being reborn and he had resisted the urge to immediately close his house in the peak district and make his way south to find her.

  He knew she was born in the south of England but not the exact location. Seth was impatient to begin his search but knew she would only be a baby, so waited fifteen years before instructing Val to move his assets and monies into various differing locations under the name Seth Goodman. This was always his plan, he would become a normal man and live life with his love, growing old together and happily leaving when the time came to die.

  Val tried to talk him out of it and she was quite forceful, but Seth was an old, old man and soon convinced her she would be fine and the substantial financial package he had devised would ensure she was comfortable for the rest of her life…or enable further risky investment with her own money.

  The Mara had been buzzing with excitement as their master was finally as happy as they could remember him being in a long time and when they finally set off on the journey south they discussed where they would first start their search.

  “Master you know we would tell you exactly where she was if we knew,” the Mara explained.

  Seth nodded his head and smiled, “I know my friends, but after all this time I would like to just walk up to her front door, knock and say Hello.” Seth had caught the train from Glossop and was heading to Exeter as, for no other reason, he had a good feeling that’s where he should begin the search.

  “She will be fifteen years old now Master and she will not recognise you,” the Mara were saying but Seth had already considered this.

  “Mara in normal years I probably look thirty maybe thirty-five and I am in good shape, having kept up the exercises my father taught me when I was just a boy. I have no interest in introducing myself to a child but I do want to ensure the child grows up to be the woman I love and so I will find her and watch her grow to make sure she comes to no harm.”

  Seth took a deep breath, he was excited but also filled with trepidation, questions came and went but some stuck and they had to be voiced.

  “What if she doesn’t love me?” he asked but the Mara were close, and their perfect faces blanched at the question.

  “How could she not love you Master, you are Seth the mighty!” They protested, “you have slain thousands by your hand and protected those in need of your sword in the darkest of nights, your compassion is a well as deep as the earth...” they looked stunned and Seth couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “Of course, that’s how I will introduce myself…Hello, I am Seth the Mighty did you know I have killed thousands of men, but I also protected a few people too.” He laughed and the Mara, getting the joke laughed too, though their cackles held little joy to those who were not used to its sound.

  “I think,” Seth said composing himself, “in this modern age of the two thousand’s, a woman will be looking for a little more from a man than a strong back and a good sword. Things, I think, will have changed since I first met Meredith.” he paused, and it suddenly dawned on him.

  “Mara, I have no idea how to court a woman…I have never had the need to do so, Meredith was picked by my parents and Mae,” he looked at them pleadingly.

  “Master we are sorry, but affairs of the heart are not our area of expertise, we can provide some dreams of a…sexual nature if you like so you can, how should we say it…remind yourself?” Seth laughed despite the embarrassment. They were right of course, he had not engaged in any sexual activity since Meredith was taken from him, so he would be rusty, to say the least.

  The train pulled into Exeter station and Seth grabbed his cases on his way off the train and headed for a taxi rank, jumped in the first one he saw and headed to his hotel. He had planned to rent a house while he was here, and he still might but for now, he wanted to find her. If she wasn’t in Exeter, then he would search the entire south of England if he had to. After all, he had time.

  The search wasn’t too difficult, he first accessed local records to find girls born in nineteen ninety-one and then picked up the phone book and try to locate where her parents might live. When he found potential matches, he would walk the street opening himself up to the energy of the air and feeling. He knew her soul so well and her essence had imprinted itself on his heart, so he knew once he felt her then he would know.

  Several failed attempts and three months later he was beginning to lose heart. The Mara were still insistent she was around the location he was but could be no more specific than, “she is within a day’s walk Master,” which essentially meant an area of over sixty square miles, which covered a lot of the south.

  After walking down another of the Exeter streets and feeling nothing, he looked at his list. There were only five more names remaining and he had become frustrated. He stopped outside a travel agents and absentmindedly scanned the window. His eyes flicked over several advertisements for Majorca and Seychelles but kept resting on a coach trip to Exmouth. He focused on the window and looked at the sheet of A4 detailing a three-day trip on a luxury coach with two nights accommodation at a four-star hotel on the seafront.

  Without thinking he opened the door and walked in.

  “Excuse me, Miss,” he said as he spotted a girl working a computer on one of the desks as he got inside.

  “Yes sir, can I help you?” she responded.

  “I am interested in the Exmouth trip...” he started.

  “Oh, I’m sorry sir, that’s fully booked now, we will be arranging another for next Easter. Are there any other locations you might be interested in?” Seth shook his head.

  “Thank you, I will call back another time,” he said and turned to walk out of the shop.

  “We could book hotels in Exmouth if you’d like, sir,” she called after him and Seth stopped and looked back at her over his shoulder. She was probably in her early to mid-twenties with shoulder length blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Seth looked at her badge and saw she was called ‘Marcy’ and he moved slowly over to her desk and dumbly sat down in front of her.

  “So, you would be interested in a hotel then Mr…?” She inquired politely.

  Seth stared at her for a long moment and she became uncomfortable but remained profession
al as she had been taught.

  “Sir are you OK?” she asked trying to get his attention.

  “Marcy?” Seth said finally.

  “Erm…yes sir and you are Mr.?” She stayed calm though it was plain to see she was getting more and more uncomfortable with the situation.

  Seth had the feeling he was treading water trying to keep his head afloat as he looked, really looked at this woman sat across from him and felt her energy…

  “Meredith!” he blurted out and sat upright in astonishment

  “OK, Mr Meredith, when would you like to travel?” she asked but he wasn’t listening.

  “You’re supposed to be fifteen,” he said incredulously. “I mean I was told you would be fifteen…” panic flooded his brain as he realised he was talking to the woman he had been waiting for. His eyes widened as he looked at her, she was as beautiful as she had been when they first met.

  “I’m sorry.” Seth started as his face flushed redness. “I have been looking for so long…” he said composing himself, “for a trip to go on, I mean, and this one for some reason jumped out at me and... forgive me but you reminded me of someone I once knew, her name was Meredith.” he smiled holding her eyes and allowed himself to feel for the first time in a very long time.

  Marcy looked back at the man sitting opposite, she was starting to worry he was crazy but now she looked at him and took in his face she knew he could never be anything but warm and kind.

  “Is everything OK, Marcy?” She blinked and then started to blush as she became very aware they had just been staring into each other’s eyes for several minutes.

  “Eh? Oh, yes I am fine thank you, Brenda, I was just helping this gentleman with a trip to Exmouth.”

  Seth looked up at the plump woman in her tight-fitting uniform and black permed hair and smiled his most reassuring smile while sending confident feelings her direction. She nodded her head, after a second, and walked away.