A Body Displaced (Lansin Island 2)

by Andrew Butcher

  Nick hung his head into the palm of his hand, and Juliet gave his knee one gentle squeeze of reassurance before letting go of it. Nick said to James, ‘That’s taking stalking to a whole new level.’

  ‘I didn’t want to live on your stupid street,’ James said childishly, which sounded strange in his deep voice. ‘I didn’t even want to live on this island. But when I found out where you live, I reported back to my kind and was told to position myself as close to you as possible. Lucky me.’

  ‘So you picked a house on my street?’

  ‘Yes; that would be as close as possible, wouldn’t it?’ he said, making his voice ugly. ‘One was for sale at the time, and I’m not having to pay for it, so I thought, whatever.’

  ‘What house number do you live at?’

  ‘Forty-eight.’

  Nick huffed. ‘I hope you keep that house in shape. You live a few doors down from Aimee Price. That woman once came all the way down the road to my house to complain about the state of my front garden.’

  ‘She visited me when I first moved in.’ Then, in a smug tone, James said, ‘She brought me a welcome present, and I thought she was lovely. She must like me more than you.’

  ‘James,’ Tamara cut in, ‘you two can have this popularity contest another time. There are more urgent matters at hand.’

  The half-elf’s face grew tense. Nick said to him, ‘You realise Austin broke into my house yesterday when I was at the station …?’

  James looked embarrassed for the millionth time, and Juliet wondered why the biggest idiot in all the world(s) had been sent to protect Nicolas. ‘You were at the station, surrounded by police,’ James said weakly. ‘So I knew you were safe. Why would I think to guard your unoccupied home?’

  ‘Maybe because it’s full of personal information that can be used against me. I’m guessing you’ve been hacking my wireless too, which is why you knew about my weekend away. That’s why you were at the hotel before I was?’

  ‘Yes. You should really get a password.’

  ‘I know; Austin already alerted me to that mistake.’ Nick’s right fist was clenched so hard, Juliet saw his knuckles turn white, the light of the fire dancing on their tight and shiny skin. ‘What about today?’

  ‘Again, you were supposed to be surrounded by people. I assumed you were at work. But, no. I swear you go off asking for trouble.’

  ‘Oh, yeah …’ Nick pushed forward in the chair. ‘Because I really asked for my girlfriend’s throat to be torn out, and for her body to be reanimated by a necrophiliac necromancer!’ After yelling the last two words, he clamped his eyes shut and took deep breaths.

  The half-elf laughed.

  Nick shot to his feet and went for James as if to throttle him, but before he could get near, Tamara whipped a short brown stick out of her robe pocket and pointed it at him. ‘You will not fight in my house!’ she yelled, still sitting down. ‘Not unless you want to see the type of magic I can summon.’

  Nick froze in his step, his arms out aggressively. Sulky-faced James hadn’t even moved from his chair. The atmosphere was awkward and fraught with uncertainty for a time, but Nick broke the silence by asking the witch, ‘You do your magic with a wand?’

  Tamara hooted a single laugh. ‘Some of it, yes. Now please sit down, Nicolas.’

  He did as told.

  To Juliet’s surprise, the sullen half-elf said, ‘Sorry … I wasn’t expecting that description: necrophiliac necromancer. Why did you call him that?’

  And so Nick told them everything that had happened today. Many blocks of wood turned to ash as he spoke, but eventually the story was all told. When he explained what Austin did to Kerra’s corpse, Tamara covered her mouth and turned a little green. The half-elf’s expression quickly turned contrite. At the mention of the enchanted item used to keep Kerra’s body from decomposing, the half-elf stopped Nick to explain that it was a common item used in the Otherworld to preserve a body between death and the burial ceremony.

  ‘So Austin must have some contact with the Otherworld?’ asked Nick.

  James nodded stiffly. ‘Yes, pointing towards the person we suspect again.’ He looked over at Tamara who gave a firm nod. ‘Okay. So it’s clear we need to stop Austin from harming either of you, and it would also be helpful for my kind to interrogate him.’

  Juliet wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that, but she said nothing. After all, she wanted answers herself.

  ‘Now, Nicolas,’ Tamara said in a stern voice, ‘it’s time to tell me what you know of my ancestors’ past.’

  Apparently confused, James looked from person to person. He hadn’t been present when Nick tried to bribe the witch.

  ‘For it to make sense, Juliet and I need to tell you everything that happened on Aldrich’s land,’ warned Nick.

  It took even longer than the last story had, so long that the sky began to darken outside, and Tamara had to switch on a light. The fire went out completely, but the room stayed warm. Nick and Juliet covered everything, making sure to mention everyone who had been involved. Finally, Nick detailed the letter Ryan had sent.

  Tamara’s reaction was unnerving. At first her skin seemed to drain, becoming whiter than white, but as she sat there in silence, it began to turn red in rage. ‘So he was behind it,’ she directed at James as if no one else was present. ‘All this time, all along … He was the one who had them burnt.’

  ‘You’re talking about the person you think was on the other side of the portal?’ asked Nick. ‘It’s a he?’

  ‘Tamara.’ James raised his eyebrows at the witch. ‘We’ve already said too much.’

  Tamara glared back at him, but just shook her head. Her eyes glistened, on the verge of spilling tears. She got up, expelling a shaky breath, and headed towards the kitchen. Juliet got up to comfort her, but Tamara said, ‘No, Juliet. Just let me have a moment.’

  The two men and Juliet were silent while they waited for Tamara’s return. When she did come back, it was as if she’d never cried at all. She had on a brave mask when she sat back down.

  ‘I don’t understand …’ said Nick. ‘You’re a medium. Wouldn’t your ancestors’ ghosts have communicated with you and told you what really happened?’ Juliet had been thinking the same thing. Some spirits seemed to know stuff in the afterlife that they hadn’t before.

  ‘They were burnt to death. It’s the most horrific way to go.’ Tamara’s voice reflected how much she believed that statement. ‘Not just because of the pain, but because the spirit is destroyed in the process. There is no afterlife for the victims of fire. They never see the Spiritworld, and they never move on to whatever comes next. Fire completely devours. You may think it leaves remains, but truly, fire takes everything with it when it leaves this world.’ She paused, seemingly in reflection, before continuing, ‘From what you have told me, the witches would not have known the truth anyway. If Aldrich had tainted their leaders’ minds, then it would have only appeared to be their hate and fear-mongering to them. Nothing more.’

  ‘Okay. But couldn’t you have seen this in a crystal ball or something? You call yourself a clairvoyant. Can’t you see the past and future?’

  ‘Glimpses, sometimes,’ she said idly. ‘But I am no oracle. Divination is the hardest of magical arts. There are many people with some talent in the art. I do not deny that. But oracles …’ She paused, then said with wonder, ‘Oh, the things your kind did in the past.’

  ‘Tam—’

  ‘I know, James. I’m saying too much. But anyway, Nicolas, as you yourself have described, visions are not always accurate, either.’

  ‘Okay,’ said Nick. ‘So where do we go from here?’

  James provided the answer. ‘Go back home to your lives and wait for Tamara or me to contact you. I need to speak to my kind about all of this, and they will make a decision on what I can tell you and how we should proceed.’

  That’s not the plan I was expecting, thought Juliet. She had hoped for … Actually, she wasn’t sure what she had hoped for.
Maybe that they would track down Austin, find out the entire truth, ensure no one else would be harmed by him, and … find out if he actually cared about me at all. Quickly, she scolded herself. Don’t be so pathetic. But truthfully, she wanted to know. Of course he was repulsive to her now, but she still had to discover the extent of his deceit. Am I really so easy to fool?

  ‘Right,’ said Nick unpleasantly to the half-elf, sparking Juliet out of her thoughts. ‘So let me get everything straight before my head explodes. You have an idea of who the person on the other side of the portal is. It’s a he, as Tamara let slip, but it’s not Austin, although you think Austin might have been sent by this person. This person is interested in me because I’m an oracle. He also figured out I could see the future, because he used the portal’s magical telepathic communication system to read it from me. He tried to lure me through to the other side, but when I refused and Juliet and I ran off, he threw a hissy fit and blew up his own portal. Also, he must have spoken about me and Juliet with someone, possibly Austin, because your intel overheard and informed you of us living on Lansin Island. Your kind decided I was important too, so they sent you to find and protect me. With the help of Tamara and my dead mum, you managed to find me before Austin did, although it hardly helped, considering what I’ve been through. Tamara was roped into all of this and told to keep an eye on Juliet. You didn’t know about Austin tracking me down, you were just generally watching me when I saw you at the hotel. I evidently managed to do better detective work than you, seeing as I located Austin and Kerra before you even figured out who had taken my girlfriend. The enchanted item Austin used to preserve Kerra’s body is something you use in the Otherworld, suggesting Austin obtained it from there, and further supporting the theory that Austin is working for the person you think was behind the portal. And now that we’ve informed you on everything, you want us to wait about and do nothing until you’ve spoken with your kind for further guidance.’

  ‘Pretty much.’

  ‘Okay,’ said Nick, sounding as if he was about to throw himself off a cliff. ‘Adding it all up, and also basing this on the looks you and Tamara have been trading, I’m assuming the person on the other side of the portal is an enemy of yours, and that the help you mentioned oracles giving in the past was something that pissed him off. Also, for some reason, he can’t just come through to this side, else surely he would have done that instead of trying to lure me through.’

  James’s jaw noticeably tensed. After slowly drawing it open, he said, ‘You would be correct.’

  ‘Great! Well, someone wants me dead. Putting that aside, I can’t just sit around while Austin is still out there somewhere, making Kerra suffer.’

  ‘Nicolas.’ James tilted his head impatiently. ‘If you try anything now, Austin will just succeed in killing you, and that’ll get me in trouble.’

  ‘I need to set her spirit free. And on top of that, her body needs to be found. However this is resolved, I am not letting her family go on without knowing her fate.’

  James’s face pulled in like he was thinking hard. He winced, and Juliet got the impression he was about to say, ‘Sorry, there’s nothing I can do,’ but Nicolas went on speaking. ‘You’re an elf, aren’t you, or half-elf? Sorry. I don’t really care about the differences right now. But you’ve got magic. Can’t you just cast an illusion or something? Make it look like an accident took Kerra … or …’ Juliet heard the bitterness in his voice, and the regret. He shouldn’t have to be thinking of these things. ‘Or make it so Austin can’t tell the police about me and Juliet. If you’ve got magic, then can’t any of your people do what Aldrich could … wipe Austin’s mind? Then maybe somehow you can get him arrested for her murder? I … I don’t know. It’s just, the police won’t let this drop … They already know my mum was never found. I don’t want another unresolved case hanging over my life.’

  ‘Okay, Nicolas,’ said James. ‘I’ll try to think of something. But for now, just do as I say. Go home, try to surround yourself with people as much as possible, to keep you safe, and just wait. Also, you can’t under any circumstances tell anyone about any of this. You both already know more than it’s safe for you to know. When it comes to humans, my kind are extremely secretive … and willing to guard their secrets. You must remember this.’

  For a reason unknown to Juliet, Nick agreed. ‘Fine.’

  So that was that. They would go home and do nothing.

  Juliet supposed the plan was sensible; at least they were less likely to run headlong into danger this way. They’d be prepared. But for all she knew, Austin could have dropped an anonymous tip to the police by now, linking her to Aldrich’s death. Or maybe, because she had thwarted his plan, he would be waiting for her at home, his double-bladed knife at the ready.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  DRIVING TOWARDS CHANTON, Nick wondered what Juliet made of all these revelations. Elves, witches, oracles, a necromancer, and a mysterious person (with anger management issues) set on killing him.

  Having transitioned from numb to angry, he had somehow ended up feeling volatile. He realised he’d become hostile at Tamara’s house towards the end of the conversation, saying whatever sharp words came to him. In a contradictory way, these little outbursts helped him bottle the deeper emotions.

  ‘Do you want to talk?’ said Juliet, as they drove through darkness.

  No. What I want is Kerra to be sitting where you are. Six months ago, he would have been happy to have Juliet by his side, but now … ‘No. Don’t worry. There’s just so much to think about.’

  ‘Sure,’ she said. She had a way of saying the word genuinely, rather than in the common sarcastic manner.

  When they got to Chanton, Juliet directed Nick to her home. He parked out the front and saw her house for the first time. The street she lived on was very upper class. It looked kind of suburban: a wide road, large abodes spaced apart, beautiful front gardens. Not a thing out of place. Juliet’s house itself was more grand than any belonging to the people Nick knew.

  Juliet sat silently and seemed reluctant to get out. After a while she said, ‘Are we really going to wait and do nothing until those two get back to us?’

  ‘I don’t want to,’ he replied without hesitation. ‘But as we have no idea where Austin is staying, I don’t know what else we can do. Anyway, if we did know where he was, what would you do? Would you even come with me after everything that happened before?’

  ‘I …’

  Nick shrugged, assuming her answer would be a regretful no.

  But she said, ‘Yes, I would. I told you I’ll help Kerra if I can find a way. When I sensed her suffering …’ Her voice became quiet and airy. ‘… it was awful.’

  Emotion stirred in Nick while he remembered the vulnerable look in Kerra’s eyes, the haunting silent plea. No, not now. Keep it together. ‘Maybe if we find out more about Austin, we can try and track him down ourselves.’

  Juliet nodded. The car’s dome light was on above them and reflected off her long blonde hair. ‘We should swap numbers.’

  And so they did, like they had once done before. It felt wrong to Nick, even though he knew it was only for practical reasons, but he took the digits anyway. He could hardly bear to see Juliet’s face, the gorgeous face that had popped into his mind when Kerra told him she loved him, the face that had made him hesitate, miss his chance, and had ruined the moment. If it wasn’t for that face, then he would have entered that room with his girlfriend. Maybe she’d even be alive right now.

  More likely we’d both be dead.

  ‘Do you want me to see you inside?’ he asked, thinking of Kerra entering that room alone. He felt a sudden protectiveness over Juliet, mixed with blame and resentment.

  She glanced up the dark front garden. ‘Just to the door, please. I’ll have a quick look around before you leave, if you’re okay with that?’

  ‘Yeah. Oh, the scarf …’ He leaned over, extracted it from the glove compartment, and handed it to Juliet. Understandably, she didn’
t appear too happy to touch the object.

  ‘I’ll burn it tonight.’

  Nick walked her to the door and waited at the porch while she let herself in. He wished she would have invited him inside, in case Austin was there waiting in the shadows. Maybe I should have insisted on searching her home. Whatever he attempted to do now would probably turn out awkward, so he just waited and tried to stay alert. Juliet returned shortly and gave the all-clear.

  ‘Okay.’ Nick smiled at her wearily. ‘I suppose I’ll see you soon.’

  ‘Yes.’ Folding her arms, she gave a single nod. ‘The el—’ She stumbled on the word. ‘Half-elf? James …? I’m just going to call him James. He said you should keep yourself surrounded by people. Will you be alright?’

  ‘Tom is living at mine for now, and I can call my best friend.’ Although these weren’t direct lies, he was pretty sure Tom was staying at Michael’s for a few more nights. There was no way Nick was going to surround himself with people who could get hurt. ‘What about you?’

  ‘I’ll be fine. I have my personal alarm, and I’ll lock everything up. Anyway, he tried to kill me before. I can defend myself.’

  Her confidence took Nick by surprise, and then he realised something: She didn’t look at all tired from the day’s events. Immortal …

  ‘Call or text me if there’s anything,’ said Juliet.

  ‘Yeah. You do the same.’ Nick was exhausted. He turned and walked back to his car; Juliet’s front door clicked shut behind him.

  The drive home was treacherous. Nick’s eyes strained to keep open. He knew it was selfish to be behind the wheel in his state of mind, but he had to get home somehow. At least the roads were mostly clear at this time.

  As he neared Maw Street, fear began to grow in him. If all Austin wanted to do now was kill him, then wouldn’t he be waiting here, knowing Nick had to return at some point?

  The tall sycamores were black giants in the night, huddled around the bungalow like sentries, but as Nick drove into their company and parked his car at their feet, he imagined what could lurk in their shadows. He remained in the car with the doors locked at first, waiting, relying on his ears to alert him of danger.