Vesta Mansion: Book One - The Power Inside

by P. A. Priddey

  Alex nodded, and noticed everyone looking at him. ‘I thought he was using his magic to make himself look like he’s aged over the years, but if so, what would the son be for?’

  Paige shrugged. ‘Maybe it’s just his son.’

  ‘He’s not one for having children,’ said Daralis, dressed in a cream coloured dress, and looking nothing like a witch now.

  ‘I don’t see what you’re getting at,’ said Claire.

  ‘The warlock has been using demons bodies,’ said Alex. ‘But not just any demon, it would be his son, and he might have been doing it for quite a while.’

  ‘Since 1846,’ said George.

  ‘How do you know that?’ said Alex.

  George took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose. ‘That was when the Chamberlain Company was founded, but I don’t know much about them.’

  ‘We should find the rest on the internet,’ said Michelle.

  Carrie put her hand to her forehead. ‘There’s something bothering me.’

  ‘What is it?’ said Alex.

  Carrie looked unsure, and didn’t want to look silly in front of everyone. ‘Those board members they showed on the news, they all had those black suits on.’

  George nodded. ‘Suits are common with business men.’

  ‘But what if they’re men in the day and creatures at night, like the demons in suits we fought?’

  ‘I’d agree with nearly all of that,’ said Daralis.

  ‘What part did I get wrong?’

  ‘The night part, I’d guess they could change at any time.’

  ‘Well spotted,’ said Alex, smiling at Carrie, and noticed James writing something down. ‘Are you on to something?’

  ‘I thought his name might be an anagram of another name we could check up on.’

  ‘That’s not a bad idea, but you might be better off doing it with the first Chamberlain, as Oliver’s father probably had a different name.’

  James looked down at the paper. ‘That’s true I guess, as all I could come up with was “Michael Brainlover”.’

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  The Night Hunters

  The Chamberlain Company was established in 1846. Its founder, Henry Chamberlain, was a trader of precious metals. The company was a financial institute until 1933 when the founder’s grandson, Charles turned the company into stockbrokers. The company had been highly successful until recent developments, which had seen the sudden disappearance of Oliver Chamberlain.

  Alex read it off a computer in the library. It brought back memories of his early career, and wondered if the Chamberlains had anything to do with his bad luck at the time. ‘Any thoughts?’ he said, as he looked around the room.

  ‘I can imagine why they did so well,’ said George. ‘He would have had the power to see which companies would struggle and which would prosper.’

  Alex had a smug smile as he leant back in his chair and put his feet on the table. ‘He didn’t see me coming and taking half his power.’

  ‘I don’t suppose for one minute he thought that would happen,’ said Joseph. ‘He had the power for so long he must have thought he was untouchable.’

  Michelle swivelled her chair around to face him. ‘Have you read the part about family life and tragedies?’

  ‘What does it say?’ said Alex.

  ‘Basically, it says the Chamberlain men only had one child each, and they were all sons. The wives all died before they were fifty.’

  ‘It fits I guess, a family business without a family.’

  James smiled grimly. ‘A lot of empty coffins out there I bet.’

  ‘This looks odd,’ said Jodie, staring at the screen.

  Alex glanced over at her. ‘What does?’

  Jodie sat with her legs underneath her, and elbow on the table. ‘There are six Chamberlain men here, Oliver was born February 28th 1967, Robert 1935 no other date, and Frederick, February 28th 1899. There are only years for the others until I searched for Robert Chamberlain, and found when he was born, and it was also in February, have a guess what day.’

  Alex’s eyes widened. ‘28th, by any chance?’

  ‘Yeah, and I bet they all share the same birthday.’

  Alex flashed a smile. ‘Well done, the date could be important.’

  ‘I agree,’ said Joseph. ‘I was thinking of the dates he died, but the birth would be more appropriate, as he needs to be reborn.’

  James scratched his head. ‘I don’t understand . . . why does he need to be reborn if he doesn’t really die?’

  ‘I’m only surmising,’ said Joseph. ‘He doesn’t die in the normal sense, but he needs to transfer his soul or spirit into the new demon body. There will be some sacrificial rite.’

  ‘So,’ said Alex, ‘the sons won’t be like the other demons?’

  ‘Not according to the book James gave me. With the information we have gathered it’s starting to make sense. The sons have to be born in this world.’

  ‘Why can’t he just take over a demon that’s already here?’ James asked.

  ‘Because it has no human properties,’ Joseph replied. ‘He would have to create something he could use.’

  ‘Is it a real child?’ said Paige.

  ‘Partly, it’ll look like a human child, but in reality it’ll be half demon and half human.’

  Blaze looked worried. ‘What about the mothers? Are they human?’

  Joseph nodded. ‘Yes, and they’ll most likely have given birth to more than one of them, which is why they died so young.’

  ‘That’s horrible,’ said Paige. ‘Why’s he having demon-children?’

  ‘He doesn’t want children who’ll take over from him, just ones whose bodies he can use. The demon will probably move to a clone body so the warlock can take its place.’

  ‘Why would he go through all that hassle?’ said James. ‘Wouldn’t it be easier to make himself look like his son? He must have the power to do that.’

  ‘Yes, but what son if he doesn’t have any? It has to look like he’s having children.’

  ‘Maybe you’re just looking at it the wrong way,’ said Claire. ‘What if he’s not doing it so the world can see, but because he has to?’

  Alex glanced across the table at her. ‘Why would he have to?’

  ‘If these demons are half human, there’s a good chance he might not be able to stop it ageing, and needs another body to use.’

  ‘I’m impressed,’ said Joseph. ‘Very clever, it does add up, and still fits his purpose.’

  Claire blushed when she saw everyone was looking at her, and saw James grinning. ‘Don’t say a word,’ she scowled.

  Alex stood, and strolled around the library. ‘The children are important to the warlock.’

  Jodie beamed. ‘But the warlock doesn’t have any children, and from what everyone’s saying, he’s never had any.’

  ‘What makes you say that?’

  ‘Well,’ said Jodie. ‘If he’s using a demons body, it’ll be the demon who’ll be fathering them, as the warlock is using one of their bodies and not his own.’

  Joseph smiled. ‘Yes, and they’ll be the loyal ones, compared to the others.’

  ‘What others?’ said Alex.

  ‘The ones he summons from the other side. They’ll be the ones you fought, and do all the dirty work. The ones who are born in this world will be his board members, those are the loyal ones. The others are the rebels we talked about.’

  Alex sighed. ‘There could be hundreds of them, and could be anywhere.’

  ‘No, not really, he’ll have to keep them in check or he’d lose control over them.’

  You worked that out well, said Rho, who had sat listening. Now you just need to figure out what happened to the warlock’s body.

  ‘I thought it got sent back,’ said Alex.

  Sent back where? If it was born in this world then it should remain here.

  Joseph nodded. ‘That’s true.’

  Alex flopped down in a chair. ‘Well that screwed up my theo
ry.’

  ‘Obliterated,’ said James. ‘Just like the warlock’s body, I reckon the women went overboard when they killed him.’

  ‘You could be right,’ said Daralis, ‘but I don’t believe he used his own body.’

  ‘There was smoke coming from his mouth, but we can work that out later,’ said Alex. ‘If the date’s correct, it gives us one week to find what we are looking for and stop them.’

  James stood. ‘Shouldn’t we start sending some of them back now?’

  ‘I’d like to send them all back,’ said Alex. ‘But will have to wait on the warlocks loyal ones, as they might lead us to his soul, the others we best send back as soon as possible. They’re a danger to the public and wildlife . . . what we need is a way of detecting them.’

  ‘Daralis, you said you could see them,’ said Joseph.

  ‘Not as clear as I could the warlock. I can tell you there’s a large group of them down south, and there are many more groups scattered around, but I’d have to travel closer to give you an accurate location.’

  Alex didn’t like that idea. ‘No, that would be too dangerous, we’ll find another way.’

  Daralis looked at Blaze. ‘You want some help using the crystal ball?’

  ‘Yeah, why not,’ she said, and the two women left the library.

  James shook his head. ‘They didn’t put their hands up to be excused.’

  ‘You can chase after them if you want,’ said Alex.

  ‘Yeah, and I might as well keep on running straight to the swimming pool and save time.’

  Carrie huffed. ‘You’re not going to let us forget about that are you?’

  ‘No,’ James huffed back. ‘Those brooms weren’t cheap, and some of you even used them at the party.

  ‘I’ve found out where the warlock lives,’ Michelle interrupted. ‘It’s a country estate in Somerset.’

  ‘Near a forest I bet,’ said Alex.

  ‘I wouldn’t presume that’s where he hid it,’ said Joseph.

  Alex sighed again. ‘No, I guess it wouldn’t be that simple.’

  Joseph pushed his chair back and stood. ‘The lackeys or rebels as you call them, would have lived there, and would’ve known if anything was hidden at the house.’

  Claire looked away from her computer. ‘It says here the funeral of Robert Chamberlain was private, and held in a small village in North Wales, but it doesn’t mention the name of the village.’

  Alex nodded. ‘Now that’s a good distance from the family home, and I bet there weren't many in attendance.’

  ‘It says, just a select few, but no picture.’

  * * *

  Blaze stared at the crystal ball in the dimly lit office, with the windows covered, the only light came from two candles. ‘Nothing’s happening. I did have what looked like clouds on it yesterday.’

  ‘You’re too tense,’ said Daralis. ‘Just relax and let it come to you.’

  Blaze kept watching the ball. ‘Is there anything specific I should concentrate on?’

  Daralis sat in the chair opposite, looking at the ball from the other side. ‘When you see the clouds forming, put the image of one of the demons in your mind. You do know what they look like?’

  ‘I saw them when the warlock attacked us.’

  The clouds appeared after a couple of minutes, and she thought of the demons. It wasn’t long before the clouds started to clear and images of men in black suits came into view. They were scurrying around inside a large house, with weapons at hand.

  Blaze leant back sharply. ‘I can see them, they’re in a house, and look so real.’

  ‘Yes, I can see them, too,’ said a surprised Daralis.

  Blaze raised an eyebrow. ‘Is it normal for both of us to see?’

  ‘No, but I was hoping it would happen. It’s supposed to see the future not the present. There were other crystal balls I’ve heard of which would let you see the present, but I’d never seen one until now.’

  Blaze moved closer to the ball and stared. ‘There’s a woman.’

  ‘Then the mother’s still alive.’

  ‘She’s pregnant, and what’s wrong with her face?’

  Daralis looked at the woman. ‘I believe she’s gone mad.’

  ‘So, this is her life since she got married, I bet she was beautiful once.’

  ‘Yes, it’s very sad, and the demons will keep getting her pregnant until she dies.’

  Blaze looked pale. ‘I can’t watch them anymore.’

  ‘OK, see if you can leave the house.’

  Blaze looked over the ball at Daralis. ‘How do I manage that?’

  ‘Ask the ball to find more demons.’

  Blaze concentrated. ‘Locate demons similar to these.’

  The image in the ball moved through a window, it moved fast through the air until it came to a forest. It located demons hiding deep inside the thick undergrowth.

  ‘They look bigger than the others.’

  ‘Oh no, they’ve been killing the animals for food,’ said Daralis, looking saddened.

  ‘Do you know where the forest is?’

  ‘Yes, but I haven’t visited it in such a long time as it’s too close to the warlock.’

  ‘Well, with any luck, after tonight those monsters will never hurt anything ever again.’

  * * *

  ‘We killed what I now believe was a demon before,’ said James, sitting on one of the sofas in the hall. ‘It was bigger than those.’

  ‘There are many kinds I presume,’ said Joseph.

  ‘Why didn’t the warlock use stronger ones?’

  ‘He needs to control them, there are demons that are a lot more powerful than he is and could destroy him in an instant.’

  Claire looked up from the book she was trying to read, but couldn’t concentrate. ‘You know a lot about all this.’

  ‘I’ve studied it for a long time, but I never really believed any of it until I came here.’

  ‘We’ve found some of them,’ said Blaze, as the two women came out of the office.

  ‘How did you manage that?’ said Alex.

  ‘The crystal ball James gave me.’

  Alex sat down rather heavily next to Claire, which earned him a somewhat unfriendly look. ‘I thought they were for seeing the future.’

  ‘This crystal ball is different,’ said Daralis. ‘It’ll search for anything Blaze asks, it’s like watching a television.’

  Blaze frowned, and clenched her fists. ‘We saw inside the house, too, and the mother is still alive if you can call it that.’

  ‘Would she know she was giving birth to demons?’ said James.

  Joseph shook his head. ‘Not until the first one is born.’

  ‘Why do the mothers stay afterwards?’

  ‘They’ve no choice, madness will set in and they’ll become bodies to give birth to more of them, I guess.’

  Paige looked horrified. ‘That’s the most disgusting thing I‘ve ever heard.’

  ‘I agree,’ said James. ‘Why don’t we go and get rid of all of them, and there’ll be no one to bring him back.’

  Alex considered it. ‘That’s a good point.’

  Joseph shook his head. ‘We don’t know there will be no one to bring him back, our only leads are the demons and some village in North Wales.’

  Claire looked injured. ‘Well I thought a village in Wales was a good place to start.’

  ‘Indeed, it’s one of the best clues we have, but everyone has to understand the warlock’s soul will be protected.’

  ‘He’ll still be dangerous?’ said James.

  ‘Daralis will know more about him than I do.’

  ‘He’s an evil man,’ said Daralis. ‘He has no thought to anyone’s life but his own, and will kill anything to protect it. Rushing in to kill all the demons now won’t help . . . we need to finish him once and for all.’

  ‘What about the women being used like this?’ said Paige.

  ‘That won’t happen again until the son gets married, and will only hap
pen if the warlock succeeds,’ said Daralis, as her face dropped. ‘I believe many of you think of me as a coward for not trying to stop him a long time ago, and you’re probably right, but I refused to let him near the pixies.’

  ‘What!’ Alex looked incredulous. ‘Where on earth did that come from? No one here believes you’re a coward.’

  ‘You’re my hero,’ said Livvy. ‘Protecting those little ones for all that time.’

  ‘No, Daralis,’ said Joseph. ‘Those doubts are yours, and they crept into your mind soon as you found out about the other pixies.’

  ‘How do you mean?’ she said.

  ‘You always thought they were murdered. You never once thought they could have been saved until you came here, and now it’s eating away at you, and you’re angry at yourself.’

  Daralis put her head in her hands. ‘Is that what you believe?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Joseph, in a calm voice. ‘It’s all your fault they were trapped for two thousand years, and yes you could have found out what happened to them if you wanted.’

  Daralis cried. ‘Yes, it’s all true. I could’ve done so much more.’

  ‘Joseph!’ snapped Blaze, as she put her arm around the woman.

  ‘Sorry, it’s the truth as she believes it.’ Joseph put his hand up to stop any objections. ‘And what would have happened if you had found out?’

  ‘I would have tried to save them?’

  The pixies swarmed about Joseph in an unhappy manner. He whispered to one of them, and they stopped to watch instead. ‘You would have died, and he would have the last three.’

  ‘I know, or at least that’s what I keep telling myself.’

  ‘My dear lady, you didn’t save three of them that day . . . you saved all two hundred and seventy-seven of them.’

  Daralis looked across at him. ‘How do you work that out?’

  ‘The warlock needs a link to come back, as does everything. There was three pixies left alive on this side, and that’s all they needed as well as someone with a lot of psychic energy. With your three pixies over here the others could still sense them, and gave them hope. It could be the reason your three have lived for so long.’

  ‘You really believe that?’