by Leesa Birch
“A man called Malone, who works for Senator Wells and runs a gym.” So far he was following me, as he’d been with me when Ryan, the lab geek, confessed. “The gym runs cage fights.” Kane started to look uneasy. “He threw me in one against three really big guys. You have to understand that I was scared and beaten really badly. My ribs were broken, internal bleeding, cuts, bruises...” Kane stepped forward to try and calm me down. I didn’t want him to hold me until I had finished.
“I killed them Kane - two of the men. I held them still by the water in their bodies and killed them. But they were going to kill me!” I held my breath for what seemed like forever before Kane reached out for me. I stepped forward, almost collapsing with relief in his arms that he hadn’t turned tail and ran.
He held me tight, not saying a word, stroking my hair. Leaning down, he whispered in my ear, “I’m still going to marry you, Ivy.” Before I could say anything, we were interrupted by Gary.
“Ivy, we need you to look at some maps with us, to tell us what you remember about the house. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find it,” Gary said, as he walked me over to the team he’d assembled. I looked back, smiling at Kane as he left, and walked right into a table.
After the laughing died down, I gave them all the information I had. I told them how long we’d driven for, not that it mattered because I didn’t know where we’d started from. I described the hills and the large wall around the top. They had a few ideas. “Do I really have to come?” I asked. I needed to speak to Sylvia about something. Gary grunted something that I think was a ‘yes’, so I excused myself and headed to the bathroom.
After checking under the stalls I went over to the sink and filled it with water. I only hoped Sylvia had recovered from the shock of seeing those bodies. Placing my hands in the water gently, I took a deep breath, sighed and relaxed my shoulders. My eyes shifted in the mirror and I reached out for Sylvia.
“Sylvia, how are you?” I waited for the fuzzy image to clear.
“I’m alright Ivy. What’s happening?” she asked, sniffling. I guessed she’d been crying.
“Well, Sylvia, I told them about Griffin and the robbery.” I hoped Blake had filled her in, as it would take too long to go over it again. “I told them about a painting that might help with the lake. They’re planning some sort of raid. Never mind about that, Sylvia, I need you to do something for me while I’m gone - are you up to it?” I hoped she’d say yes.
“It’s nothing horrible is it, Ivy?” she asked slowly. I shook my head, almost losing the connection.
“No, I need you to go shopping for me.” Her face brightened a little. “I’m planning a romantic night in for Kane and I, in a few days. I need you to pick up a few things, would you do that for me? You can take Blake shopping in the city, as long as he doesn’t tell Kane. Okay?” She seemed pleased at my request; I’d never planned a romantic evening before. I continued to tell her what I needed and she listened carefully. After saying goodbye, I dried my hands and returned my eyes back to their green colour.
I followed Gary and Barrett out to the van and sat between them. Several other council guards climbed into the back.
We drove for quite a while before I started to recognise something. Far off, into the distance, I saw what I thought was the wall-topped hill.
“That’s it!” I pointed out. I wondered exactly how we were going to get in and out. I didn’t fancy trying to drown us all. Well, almost all, I assumed Barrett would be fine.
I was handed a jacket with ID pinned to the front of it. The ID stated my name was ‘Filly Booms’. I scoffed and looked at their badges.
“Hey, what’s with the stupid name? You don’t have stupid names,” I stated, pointing at them.
Gary laughed. “Really, Ivy, I think it suits you. Besides, I don’t think anyone will look that closely.”
I was so going to get him back for this.
The van pulled up to the gated entrance and Gary showed them his ID and papers. I wasn’t sure the guard was going to let us through but he radioed someone and the heavy gates began to shudder open. “Lucky us,” said Gary. “There was already a break in,” he laughed, pointing to me. “No one will refuse entry for insurance investigators.
The house had an astonishingly long drive to get even anywhere near it. Maybe Griffin’s men and I came in the other side. As the van pulled to a halt, I noticed someone leaning against the large, stone doorway. “Oh no,” I said, leaning forward in my seat, out of sight. “What’s he doing here?”
After staring at me, with my head between my knees, Gary whispered, “Ivy, what are you doing now?”
“Over there, by the door - Detective Roberts. I thought you guys took care of him?” I said, keeping my head down. Gary took off his shades and stared at the man. Flipping open his phone, he stepped out of the van.
“You are strange, Ivy. Who is Detective Roberts? Would you like me to have a word with him?” That sounded threatening. The last thing I wanted on my conscience was the death of a policeman. I tried to explain to Barrett who Detective Roberts was; the fact that he’d harassed me only made Barrett want to ‘have a talk’ with him even more.
I jumped as Gary opened the van’s door. “You can come out now, Ivy, he’s gone.” I slowly lifted my head and peeked over the dash board. Sighing loudly, I looked to Gary for some explanation.
“Turns out your detective friend used an old police badge to get in here. Not sure what he was looking for but he’s been escorted off the premises.” Gary held out his hand and helped me out of the van. Barrett also climbed out, as did the men in the back. They were carrying clipboards and small cases – at least they looked like they knew what they were doing. I straightened my jacket and followed them inside.
The place was huge. I took a good look around, as I’d only seen that corridor I’d been in. We all followed a short man who was there to greet us. Most of the men then split off, pretending to appraise the artwork. Gary had somehow got a copy of the floor plan and led us downstairs and along several halls.
“Anything look familiar, Ivy?” he asked, looking puzzled, “because it’s a dead end.” I sighed and leant against the wall while he and Barrett argued over the map. It was a little funny, I supposed.
“Would you like me to ask for directions?” I said, sarcastically. Gary gave me the filthiest of looks before snatching the map back from Barrett and continuing to argue. I moved to the end of the corridor to look at a painting. A small flash of light caught my eye. I leant in closer to the painting.
“Hey, guys, come and have a look at this,” I interrupted. Finding where the small flash of light came from in the wall, I ran my fingers along it until I reached a small catch. No one, without knowing it was there, would have spotted it against the giant fleur-de-lys wallpaper. I wiggled my eyebrows in triumph at the stunned guys holding the map and pushed the wall. It moved, revealing behind it another corridor, which looked very familiar.
We walked quickly and quietly down this hallway, past the room where the orb was kept. At the end of the hall was the mess stemming from our break in; just before that was the painting. “Ta Da!” I said, pointing to the four foot painting. “Any ideas how we get it out of here?”
Barrett stared at the painting hard, even removing the glasses that hid his inhuman eyes. “The writing looks… I can’t quite place it.” He reached forward, sliding his fingers along the runes.
“Would you like me to leave you alone with it?” scoffed Gary, pulling out a knife.
“No! You can’t,” I said to Gary. Too late. He took the painting off the wall, carefully checking behind it for any alarm. He turned it over, cutting along the back before pulling a flap open. As he removed the painting a small charm fell out onto the floor. I picked it up and carefully wrapped it in some tissue. “We might need it. You never know,” I suggested.
Gary carefully folded the painting and hid it under his jacket. Such disregard for it made me cringe. I hoped it would be alright. Barrett was still try
ing to remember where he had seen runes like that, when we rejoined the rest of the team. “I think we’ve seen enough. We’ll be in touch,” said Gary in a stern voice.
Keeping my eyes down until we returned to the van, we climbed inside and I took the painting from him. Unfolding it carefully, I rolled it gently and placed it inside the tube we had brought with us. My heart was pounding with nerves as we were stopped at the gate. I watched as Gary stepped out of the van and walked over to the armed guards. He spoke for a few minutes then returned.
“What was that all about?” I asked, letting out the breath I was holding.
“He was just asking if I’d seen anything suspicious. Apparently, there was some guy posing as a cop on the premises,” he laughed, putting the van into gear as we drove away from the fortress.
The lakeside was quiet when we returned. There was a man watching the water who was wearing an ear-piece. I gathered he was one of the council guards assigned to watch the lake. I waited patiently by the van as Gary and the team unloaded before going inside to speak to the Elders. Ripples on the water sparked ear-piece activity from the guard. A low humming sound began, disappearing with the water’s disturbance. I shuddered. I hoped we’d fix the lake soon.
I jumped as Gary returned from the lodge. “Another trip, Ivy?” he asked. I doubted I had a choice.
“Where are we headed this time?” I asked, closing the van door behind me.
“Archives. To see if Monty can translate the runes on the bottom of the picture. We’ll grab some food on the way there, Ivy. I don’t know about you but I’m starving,” he said.
I turned to face Gary as the van hit the dirt road. “Okay, as long as you buy me a really big cup of coffee. You owe me for the Filly Booms thing,” I told him. Gary laughed and agreed to my terms.
Pulling up outside the central library, the heavens opened. Stepping out into the rain, I looked for somewhere to put my empty coffee cup. Someone took my arm as I dropped the cup in the bin. Turning quickly, ready to run, I looked at the man holding my arm. It was Monty. I frowned at him and pulled away as Gary walked over to us.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, Ivy. I thought I recognised you, that’s all. Gary,” he nodded. “Maybe we should get out of the rain,” said Monty.
We followed him out of the rain and through the cramped library. Now I knew where everybody had run to in order to get out of the rain. Monty spoke briefly to the woman behind the counter; she giggled loudly. Monty was definitely one for the ladies. I suppose he did have a certain boyish charm about him. I wondered how she’d react if she saw the full green of his eyes. Swooning and fainting, I’d bet.
After Monty had finished flirting, much to Gary’s delight, we followed him through the library to the quieter area at the back. Careful that no one saw us, he unlocked the small door and we stepped through onto the old stone staircase. Climbing it was quieter without Sylvia’s shoes clonking on every step. I wondered if she’d remembered to go shopping for me. My thoughts trailed off as we reached the top of the stairs and entered the large room of dusty books and that beautiful stained glass window.
Pushing his glasses further up his nose, Monty asked, “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company today?” He stood, arms folded across his chest, staring at Gary. I looked at them, both dripping wet and trying to out-stare one another. I shook my head at them and took the tube from Gary, breaking his concentration.
“Hey, Ivy, no fair. I think I had him this time,” Gary complained as Monty grinned triumphantly.
“We’re here to see if you can translate the runes on the bottom of this painting,” I said, handing Monty the tube. “While you two play nice, I’m going to dry off.” I walked to a small space away from the books; I didn’t want to get them damp. I shifted my eyes, concentrating. A small buzzing sound and a ‘poof’ later, the water gently exploded off me.
“Show off,” Gary muttered. Monty took off his glasses and stepped towards me, handing the now unexciting tube back to Gary.
“Wow, that’s cool, can you do me? I mean, can you dry anyone?” He looked away, seemingly a little embarrassed. I tried not to smile.
“Sure I can - here, hold still. Gary?” Gary shook his head as water dripped from his hair. “Suit yourself,” I said and concentrated on an eager Monty. There was the buzz, ‘poof’ then a now-dry Monty.
“That was fantastic, Ivy!” He almost squealed with excitement as he checked his clothes and hair. Then he stopped and composed himself, clearing his throat. “What painting?” he said, turning to Gary, walking back over to him.
Gary opened the tube and carefully pulled out the old painting. Monty took it and spread it out over a large table in the centre of the room. His eyes widened with intrigue. Wheeling over a lit magnifier, he positioned it over the runes. “Hmmm.” He ran over to the scrolls and started opening them one by one, unrolling and rolling back up several before he found the one he wanted. “Aha!” Bringing it back over to the table, he laid it over the painting, just above the runes.
After about half an hour, Monty looked up at us with a very worried expression on his face. I looked at Gary than back at Monty. “Well?” I asked impatiently.
Monty nervously scratched the side of his head and put his glasses on the table. “You have a serious problem,” he stated. “Are these what you saw, Ivy? Because this is bad.”
I nodded as Gary spoke. “Two more Lake Dwellers were found dead this morning. It’s happening at most lakes. All but two so far, Monty, so if you know anything, spill!” Gary started to pace the room.
Monty picked his glasses back up and stepped away from the table.
“I’ve translated most of the runes. Some of them need clearing up, but what I’ve read so far is bad. These creatures you think are responsible are called Opals. They’re kind of like spirits, but not ghosts or anything like that. They have no mass of their own. They live in the water, use it as their bodies. I’m not explaining this very well, am I? They shape and form the water at will. They kill, that’s all they do.”
Running his fingers through his hair, he re-checked the runes. Shaking his head at Gary, “Sorry, man, that’s all I’ve got so far. Hopefully, when I’ve cleaned up this last section, you’ll have more to go on.”
Gary sighed. I think he’d hoped for a solution. As I’d seen these things close up, I was hoping for one too. Gary straightened his suit and walked back over to Monty. “As soon as you have anything, let us know.”
We left Monty squinting at the painting in deep thought. He wasn’t sure how long it was going to take, so we headed back to the lake to tell the Elders what we knew so far. Gary was quiet in the van; I asked him if there was anything I could do to help but he never answered. Hitting every pothole on the dirt road, he pulled up outside the meeting lodge.
Agatha’s nephew, Lewis, was waiting as we stepped out of the van. “Ivy, when you have a moment, my aunt would like to see you,” he said before re-entering the hall. Gary looked at little defeated. “I’ve got this, Ivy, you go and see what Agatha wants.” I thanked him briefly and headed towards Agatha’s hotel, wondering what she needed me for.
A small child came running out of the hotel, knocking us both down the steps into a heap. The girl, with a tear-stained face, looked down at me. She had one deep set, black eye, the other was green. She was the girl Gary and I had rescued from the carnival folk. Sitting on top of me on the wet muddy ground, she rubbed her eyes and smiled. She was so cute. Agatha followed her out, wielding a brush.
“Don’t just sit there, Ivy. Grab her!” I looked at the brush then to the girl’s matted hair. I guessed Agatha still hadn’t got close enough yet to finish the job.
I helped myself off the ground, keeping hold of the girl’s hand. I gently pulled her to follow me back inside. I walked her over to the fireplace and sat with her on the floor.
“Have you named her yet?” I asked a very tired-looking Agatha. She sat in a chair nearby and slid the brush towards me.
“You try,” Agatha said, exasperated. “You get her hair straight, you can name her.” I thought about it for a moment then asked Agatha for the use of one of the rooms.
Holding the girls hand, we followed Agatha upstairs and into one of the rooms that were kept warm, ready for unexpected visitors. I got everyone into the bathroom and closed the door a little. Running the bath, not too hot, I motioned for Agatha to get comfy. I stripped off my muddy, wet clothes down to my underwear and sat at one end of the bath. Holding my hand out to the girl, she did the same. She made an excited breathing sound as she sat down. I wasn’t sure if this was her first bath.
Carefully wetting her hair with the sponge, I applied a lot of conditioner. Smoothing it through gently with my hands, I began to loosen the knots. Agatha smiled at us. Gently touching the girls shoulder, I found her damaged vocal chords and healed them quickly. The girl panicked with the feeling and turned on me in the bath. She looked dangerous until she saw my eyes. Looking down at her reflection, and touching her own face, she looked back at me and made a small sound.