Alex’s thoughts were of the twins. He told George he would go to the house first, but wanted to see them instead. ‘I was thinking of seeing the girls.’
No, it wouldn’t be a good idea yet.
‘Why not? What harm would it do?’
You can’t see them until you have found the right home, if it’s not Vesta Mansion you must look elsewhere. Once you find the right house then you can see them even if it needs work. It won’t matter as long as they know in their minds you have a home for them.
Alex thought about his dream when he turned the girls away from the house because it wasn’t ready, and understood. ‘OK, it’ll be the mansion first. I’ll need to get some kind of transport as I don’t drive, and it could mean a lot of taxis.’
No, it would mean too many people coming and going to the mansion. You need a driver, and I can help you there.
Alex smiled at the wolf. ‘You can drive?’
Rho just looked at him and groaned. To think we gave up hunting for this.
‘You don’t hunt anymore? What do you do for food?’
It is left for us.
‘George, by any chance?’
Not personally, but he organises it as his father did before him.
‘My decisions haven’t been great so far have they?’
Don’t worry you’re new to this, and I will help where I can. Are you up for a little run?
‘Yeah, I’d like that a lot.’ It sounded good to Alex, apart from the night he saved the girls he hadn’t run for many years. He also noticed when listening to the wolf in his mind it sounded natural, not that he had to talk that way as the wolf could understand when he spoke normally.
They set off with him wondering what people would think if they saw them running across fields, but he didn’t care as it felt amazing. He wasn’t sat waiting by the phone at work, but running faster than he had ever done before. They had gone in the opposite direction of where the girls had been caged, and approached a village. At the back of a cottage was a man leaning under the bonnet of a small sports car. His eyesight had improved and could see details of the car. It was a two-seater, and was still a good distance away. They made the distance up in a quick time.
Hello, James, said Rho, and the man bumped his head on the bonnet.
‘Rho, you could make a noise when you approach,’ said James, as he rubbed the back of his head.
Do forgive me. I’d like you to meet someone who needs a driver.
The man turned to face him. ‘Wotcha, I’m James Rigel.’ He wiped his hand on a rag before offering it.
‘Hey, Alex Aylward, and likewise,’ he said, and shook the hand.
James looked about five foot nine and slim, he put his fingers through his shoulder length blond hair. ‘How long will you need a driver for?’
‘Not sure, it could be a while though, have you much on at the moment?’
James shut the bonnet of the car, and screwed the cap back on the oil container. ‘Na, I finished my last job yesterday.’
‘Good, I’d like you to keep yourself available. I can’t say how often I’ll need you, but I’ll pay you for every day anyway.’
‘Now that’s a good offer, is it legal?’
Would I have brought him to you if it was anything but legal, said the wolf, sounding somewhat insulted.
‘Course not, sorry, Rho,’ said James, although he didn’t look as sorry as he sounded.
That’s OK, I must leave you now, and I trust you will take Alex anywhere he needs to go.
‘It’s what I do best,’ said James smiling. ‘Goodbye, Rho.’
No need for goodbyes, I will see you both soon, said the wolf, and disappeared into the field.
James turned to Alex. ‘Will you give me a couple of minutes to get changed?’
‘Of course,’ said Alex, and stood there wondering about what was happening. Was he really that rich? Did he have the money to pay this man? And was he really going to look at a mansion he owned? So much was going through his mind, but he knew the girls were his daughters.
James returned a few minutes later, without his denim jacket and wearing a clean t-shirt. It had a picture of an axe with blood dripping from it, below it the words read, “Blood on the Blade”.
Alex had heard of them, they were a heavy metal band. ‘Are you a fan of theirs?’
‘Not really, I prefer soul, but I drove the drummer around and he gave it to me.’
‘Sounds like a fun job you have.’
James opened the passenger side door and gestured for Alex to get in. ‘Oh yeah, I love driving, and have met some interesting people.’
‘Have you been driving long?’
‘Since I was a kid. I got banned for a year for driving without a licence, so I decided if I wanted to keep on driving I’d better clean up my act. It was the hardest year of my life.’
An idea came to Alex. ‘What else can you drive?’
James got in and started the engine. ‘Anything, I’ve driven trucks and coaches, is it important?’
‘I’m not sure, but it’s handy to know.’
‘Anyway, where we off to?’
‘To see a house, Vesta Mansion, do you know of it?’
‘You call it a house?’ said James. ‘I’ve been there a few times, a solicitor friend of mine showed it to me.’
A solicitor, Alex thought. ‘First name George by any chance?’
‘Yeah, George Mizar, you know him?’
‘He’s handling everything for me.’
‘Good choice, a good man to have on your side,’ said James, as they drove off.
Alex noticed how they all knew each other. ‘George has a friend looking after my girls, would you know who she is?’
‘Blaze I’d guess, I’ve had a few jobs off George, and they usually involve driving women around for her. She’s a good woman.’
Alex smiled. ‘At least I know they’re safe.’
‘Hope you don’t mind me asking, but what’s your interest in the mansion?’
‘I need a home for my girls, so I need to look it over.’
James raised both eyebrows. ‘You might wanna buy something else instead . . . it needs a lot of work.’
‘I already own it, and if the mansion’s the right place it’ll get a lot of work.’
‘You sound like a wealthy man and I’m curious why your girls are with Blaze. Don’t get me wrong I like her, but she’s never had rich kids to look after.’
Alex smiled at “rich kids”. ‘It’s not like that. George thought it was the safest place for them.’
‘Will you want me to drive them around?’
‘Hopefully, is it a problem?’
James lifted his hand and pointed with his thumb to show him there were no rear seats. ‘We’ll need a bigger car.’
Alex turned to look. ‘Good point.’ He took his phone out of his pocket and a card the solicitor had given him and tapped in the number off it.
‘Hello, George Mizar speaking, said a voice on the other end.
‘Hey, George, Alex Aylward here, and I must say I expected to be put on hold.’
‘Oh no, Alex, you have my private number and you get straight through. Is there a problem?’
‘Not really, just a couple of things I was hoping you could help me with.’
‘Absolutely, just name it.’
‘I can’t drive so I’ve hired a driver; someone you know called James Rigel.’
‘Good choice, he’s a top man.’
‘It was Rho’s choice, and he seems the right man for the job,’ said Alex, and James rolled his eyes. ‘I was wondering how you put someone on the payroll, so to speak.’
‘It’s no problem, I took the liberty in setting up a few accounts for you to pay for various things and a payroll is one of them.’
‘You make it sound so simple.’
‘I‘ve been doing this for a long time, and you now have two people working for you.’
‘Two? Who’s the other?’
‘Me
, I hope you don’t mind of course.’
‘Not at all, it makes sense if you lose clients because of me.’
‘You’re my only client. My sons will take care of the others, and I’m focussing my full attention on your affairs. You did say a couple of things.’
‘James says we need a bigger car, and I agree, could you sort it out for me?’
‘How big would you like it?’
Alex thought about it. ‘I’m not sure, whatever you think best.’
‘Get James to call me later and I’ll have one sorted for you.’
‘You can get one so soon?’
‘It’ll be no problem.’
Alex thanked the solicitor and they said their goodbyes. They were travelling up a country road, he felt like they were going fast but the speedometer said different. He thought it might have had something to do with being low to the ground.
‘Did it go OK?’ said James.
‘Yeah, he took the liberty to set up some accounts for me, and you’re now on the books.’
James slowed the car down as they approached some large iron gates and pulled over to one side. ‘Hold on a second,’ he said, and got out. He walked over and pulled the gates open, which looked large and heavy. ‘Can you do me a favour?’ said James, as he got back in the car. ‘If you do choose this place, would you sort those gates out first?’
They drove up a bumpy track, which had trees either side. This is nice, Alex thought, but needs a proper path. Not sure about tarmac, maybe block paving. The overgrowth needs cutting back, and some lighting along the trees. He realised it wouldn’t be a quick job as it was a long straight path. He saw the top of the mansion which looked huge as it came into view. James pulled up and Alex got out of the car. The mansion looked old and gothic, with three floors. His eyes darted left, right, and up and down, as he tried to count the windows which were all broken. He thought the mansion looked stunning, and with the right work even more so. He could see two front doors evenly spaced out. ‘It’s huge, I love it.’
‘You know there’s no electricity to the place.’
Alex’s heart sank, as he knew it would take longer than he hoped. He stared at the mansion and knew it would be his home. He didn’t know why, it was just a feeling. ‘I’m staying here tonight.’
James raised both eyebrows again. ‘You decided that already?’
‘I’ve a feeling about this place.’ He wasn’t joking, after living in a one bedroom flat for five years he really wanted to live here.
‘Rather you than me.’
‘You think it’s haunted, too?’
‘There’s something spooky here.’
Alex shrugged. ‘It may be a good idea if I do stay the night and find out for myself. You don’t have to stay as George is going to sort a new car out for us, so you might want to check it out.’
‘I can come back for you later.’
‘No, I’ll be fine.’
Alex turned to look at the mansion. He pulled out the large key he was given, and walked up to the double doors on the left side. He heard a loud clunking noise when he unlocked the door. Inside was dark and quiet, too quiet. There was no noise, no creaking floorboards as he turned right and walked to the windows, where large curtains hung. He tried to open them. The rings they hung on wouldn’t cooperate and he pulled them, nothing. He pulled harder— they fell on him. After he dragged them off, he did the same to all the windows, only this time stepping out the way before getting covered in cloth and dust. He had lit the room up pretty well and looked around. His skin prickled, there was something wrong. He walked over to the window and tapped around the edge of the frame with the heavy key.
This can’t be right, Alex thought, as he looked at the old window which had little glass remaining. There’s no rot, how can that be?
His heart beat fast with excitement at the thought of living here. It didn’t look as big on the inside with a wall halfway down the hall. He saw a wide stairway in the middle and touched the bannister. It was solid oak, with no signs of rot. He decided not to go up the stairs yet, and turned to the left side of the mansion. On the far wall he noticed a large fireplace. He ripped up some curtain and wiped the dust off. It looked undamaged — he liked the fireplace and the stairs.
Alex looked up and could see the stair rail went all the way round the left hand side of the mansion, leaving a big open space, where he could see the rooms on the second floor. He entered a room opposite the front door.
The first room on the far left was what he believed to be a study. He saw broken furniture and books on the floor. He exited and stepped into the next room. It was a library where the remaining books were on the floor. Alex walked back into the hall and glanced at the walls. There were patches where there should have been paintings, but they had all gone. The place had been ransacked. The next room looked like a sewing room. He didn’t know if it was the right name, but it made no difference as it would have to go like the others. The last room he checked on that side had a long table, the dining room. He walked to the staircase, which was ten metres from the back rooms. Beyond was a wall with double doors which led to the right side of the mansion.
The room on the left as he walked through the doors was the kitchen. It was a good size with many old-fashioned cooking appliances. He recognised them from pictures, but didn’t know what they were. Alex walked over to the sink, which was a large ceramic bowl to wet his hands and lose some dust, but there were no taps. His heart sank. No electricity, no water or drainage. He left the kitchen and inspected the other rooms and didn’t like what he saw. So many rooms together, some without windows. It seemed strange to him to have these on the ground floor, but he knew it was the servants living area, and they too would have to go.
Alex stepped back into the main hall and noticed it was getting dark. Time had gone quicker than he realised, and decided he needed some fresh air. He didn’t go out the front doors, but through a door he noticed in the study at the back of the mansion. Outside the air was cooler. It was still warm, but felt nice. He saw a herd of deer and they took no notice of him. He tried shaking off the dust, when he heard a voice.
You’re rather dusty you know, said Rho.
‘A curtain fell on me.’
It happens I guess.
‘Has it ever happened to you?’
No, but I never stand underneath pulling on them.
‘I was trying to open them, not pull them down.’
That worked.
He was sure the wolf was mocking him. ‘I thought you were meant to be helping me.’
I am, and when I saw the curtain fall on you I was ready to pounce, but you pulled it off and I believed you had killed it.
Alex let it pass. ‘There’s no running water in the mansion.’
There never has been.
‘It’s going to take longer than I thought . . . it’s going to need plumbing as well as electrics.’
I take it you’ve decided this is the place.
‘Yeah, it’s just what I need,’ said Alex, none too happy.
What’s the problem?
‘It’s going to take longer than I hoped, and I want to see my daughters.’
Call whoever it takes, and get the work started.
‘I can’t, as I’m not sure how I want it done.’
Does it matter how?
Alex nodded. ‘The inside of the mansion is wrong. It needs to be changed, but I’m not sure how I want it.’
It might not like changes.
Alex considered it. ‘Then I’ll have to choose a new home.’
How do you know all this?
‘My dreams, everything has to be perfect.’
Are you sleeping here tonight?
‘Yeah, I‘ve not been upstairs yet, and it’s gone dark.’
Use your sight.
‘What sight?’
The one you used the other night.
‘I can still do it?’
Yes, just concentrate on your eyes, it will come to you.<
br />
Alex did, but nothing happened. ‘It’s not working.’
You’re trying too hard, just remember the other night and how you could see.
He tried again and felt his eyes go warm. He opened them and could see the deer clearly, and they still looked uninterested in him. ‘It worked. I have to ask, why don’t the deer run from you?’
The wolf looked at him. Why don’t you?
‘You talk to me, help me, and I look on you as a friend.’
That’s nice of you to say, but maybe it’s the same with the deer.
‘Makes sense I guess . . . do you talk to them?’
No, but they know they’re safe as something protects any animal on the mansions lands.
‘That’s interesting to know. I’m going back inside now as I need to check the rest of the mansion out.’ Alex watched the wolf walk back to some smaller buildings he thought he could use as garages.
He ascended the wide stairs, which were even wider at the top. He saw large bedrooms and lots of open spaces along the corridor, and this wasn’t right either. He could imagine the people who lived here a long time ago were happy with it, but not everyone, which confused him about the place. He liked the fact he could see the main hall from up there which allowed you to see all the way down to the right side of the second floor with only the staircase to the next floor blocking part of the view. He walked back down, and sat near the bottom deciding he would sleep on the stairs, when he heard a booming voice in his mind.
I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE HAPPIER!
CHAPTER FIVE
The Spirit of Vesta
Alex almost jumped off the stairs. ‘Happier than what . . .? Who am I talking to?’
YOU DO NOT KNOW?
Alex looked around the hall with his night-sight. ‘No, and I don’t see anyone.’
I HAVE BEEN EXPECTING YOU.
‘It appears a lot of people have,’ said Alex dryly.
I AM NOT PEOPLE, AND I TAKE NO INTEREST IN WHAT THEY DO.
‘You’re taking a lot of interest in me,’ he said, realising George and James were not wrong when they felt a presence in the mansion.
I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU.
‘How did you know I was coming?’
Vesta Mansion: Book One - The Power Inside Page 4