Joseph gave her a gentle smile. ‘Yes, it’s almost as if it was destined for Alex to free them, and he would never have done it if not for you.’
‘Couldn’t you have told her in a nicer way?’ said Claire.
‘Maybe, but she’s a woman.’
James gulped. ‘Behave ladies . . . he’s too old for the pool.’
Livvy frowned. ‘That’s not nice, Joseph.’
‘Oh, it’s a compliment really, my dear. I don’t understand women and their emotions, and sweet Daralis had to know she did the only thing she could.’
‘How is that a compliment?’ said Claire. ‘I’m married to one and I don’t understand her.’
‘Oii!’ snapped Paige.
James shook his head. ‘How weird did that sound?’
‘You know who I‘m married to,’ said Claire.
‘I know that, I meant you are one.’
Claire blushed. ‘Oh yeah, I forgot.’
Joseph leant forward. ‘I’m sorry, I’ve never known many women, and have learnt more about you since I‘ve been here than in all my years previous. Daralis I believe is a Healer, and she needed some healing herself.’
James grinned. ‘You best not tell her where Alex put the pixies.’
Daralis managed a smile. ‘I already know . . . an easy mistake.’
‘Well, we’ve done all we can in here for now,’ said Alex. ‘Blaze, will that ball of yours find any more demons we don’t know about?’
‘If there’s any more I’ll find them.’
‘So, what’s the plan?’ said James.
Alex stood. ‘We wait until it gets dark and go hunting in the forests, as for now I’m going to spend some quality time with my girls.’
‘Oh good, so where you taking us?’ said Livvy.
Alex put his arm around her. ‘Where would you like to go?’
‘The cinema.’
‘Me too,’ said Lucy.
‘OK, what we watching?’
‘They’re watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy,’ said Michelle.
Alex gave a wry smile. ‘Oh joy, wizards and magic, that makes a change.’
Carrie grabbed his arm. ‘Oh I don’t know; the fight scenes will help get me in the mood for tonight.’
Alex raised his brows. ‘You need to get in the mood?’
‘It depends what you’re talking about,’ said Carrie smiling, and Alex blushed.
‘I wanna be an elf,’ said Amy.
‘You’ve got the ears for it,’ said James, ‘but do you have a bow and arrows?’
Amy put her hand to the side of her head. ‘No, just a sword, and I know how to use it.’
‘I got a crossbow from your suitcase,’ said Jodie.
James nodded. ‘Yeah, I remember, is it any good?’
Jodie shrugged. ‘Dunno, haven’t had a chance to use it yet.’
Well, you go and get it, and I’ll set up a target for you outside.’
James and half the women stepped out, while Jodie ran upstairs. The others walked to the cinema, with Summer getting the popcorn. Daralis had never watched a film on the big screen before, and it had been a long time since Joseph had been to the cinema.
* * *
James made a makeshift target by painting a circle on a board with a small bullseye in the centre, which he put up the side of the coal shed. There were ten women out there who stood watching Jodie with the crossbow. It looked like a gun with the trigger underneath, but the top was a bow folded back.
Jodie stared at it for a moment and her mouth twisted. ‘We might have a problem here.’
‘Is there something wrong with it?’
‘I don’t have any arrows.’
‘They’re called bolts,’ said James.
Jodie rolled her eyes. ‘OK, I don’t have any bolts then.’
‘Open the bow out,’ said Michelle. ‘Let’s see how long they need to be, and I’ll make a few.’
Jodie opened the arms, when a small metal pin came up and pulled the string tight, and a bolt popped up.
Jodie stepped back. ‘Whoa, that’s neat,’
James scratched his head. ‘Self-loading on a crossbow is more than just neat, it’s amazing.’
Jodie aimed it at the target from forty feet. She pulled the trigger, and hit the bullseye dead centre.
‘Nice shot.’ They all said, and the bow reloaded again.
James stared at the bow. ‘The problem with crossbows is the loading time, but yours does it instantly. See how many are in there, and how quick you can fire them.’
Jodie fired four more in less than ten seconds, and they all hit the bullseye.
‘That’s not me — it’s the crossbow.’
‘Give yourself more credit than that,’ said James, and strolled down to the target to retrieve the bolts.
Jodie looked at the box part seeing how to put the bolts back in and noticed a little switch. She pushed it up and a bolt appeared on the bow.
‘What the hell?’ said James. ‘They’ve vanished.’
Jodie smiled, and held the crossbow up, ‘I got one back on here.’
‘How did you do that?’
‘I just pushed this switch.’
‘Fire it again.’
‘You have a go,’ said Jodie, a little disturbed by it, and passed the crossbow to him.
His first shot just missed the bull, and another bolt appeared ready loaded, he aimed the next four in quick succession hitting the bull once. He clicked the switch and a bolt appeared as they vanished from the target. ‘Now this is a weapon. Fast loading, never runs out of ammunition, and you’ll never have to pull a bolt out of anyone’s skull.’
Jodie had a look of disgust. ‘That’s horrible; I’ll never aim it at anyone.’
‘OK, a demon’s head.’
‘I could do that.’ Everyone outside had a go, but Jodie was the only one who never missed the bull.
They stopped for dinner, Summer had already left to finish cooking it, and the others were already eating the casserole when Alex walked in.
‘How’s your new toy?’ he asked Jodie.
She leant back in her seat. ‘It’s brilliant, it’s automatic, and reloads itself.’
‘It’s no toy,’ said James. ‘It’s deadly, and has magical properties.’
Alex sat opposite them. ‘How do you mean?’
‘As Jodie said, it reloads itself, only it reloads with the bolts she has already fired.’
‘That is some weapon.’
‘She never misses. Every shot she took hit the bull, and should come with us tonight.’
Alex turned to Jodie who looked apprehensive, then at James. ‘That’s up to you, if you believe she’s ready?’
‘I do, she can fight anyway, but her skill with the crossbow is more than enough.’
Alex looked at Jodie. ‘Do you want to come?’
She brushed her hand over her short hair. ‘Yeah, but I’m a little nervous.’
James shrugged. ‘It’s only natural for the first time.’
* * *
Alex decided to get changed and wear dark clothes. Jeans and a black sweatshirt would be OK. He would tell the others when he was downstairs, however, they all had the same idea. James wore a black bandana to cover his blond hair. They didn’t wait for the children to go to bed as it was still early. Alex looked around at those going, and the “attack-pack” as James called them contained seven, five humans and two wolves. Less than a minute after entering the study they found themselves in an opening in a forest. It was dark and cold, but none of the group noticed, as their sight let them see almost everything. Blaze told them there were demons in the forest and more on the way to the same location. Alex had looked into the ball to get an image in his mind.
‘This way,’ he said quietly, ‘and be aware there could be others around.’ He led them, with Jodie and Carrie either side of him. The wolves flanked one side with Asima and James on the other.
The demons came out of hiding when it got dark, and started moving through th
e forest at speed. They had a destination in mind until their path was blocked. There were seven demons, Alex noticed, one for each of them. Their clothes were now rags as they had outgrown them.
‘Be careful, they’re stronger and faster than the others.’
It didn’t hold them back. James and Asima had similar fighting styles, and both dodged claws before sinking their swords into the demons chests. The wolves were fast and two demons were lying on the floor with their throats ripped out before their bodies vanished. Alex sidestepped his attacker, and swung his bar slicing off the demons hand. The creature roared, and Alex sunk the spear end into its chest lifting it off the ground. Jodie was a bit more hesitant, and a demon was almost upon her. She showed her agility, and somersaulted backwards from a standing position and shot her cross-bow before she landed. The bolts hit the demon in the forehead sending it flying backwards. Carrie’s fight had taken her to the edge of the group. She dodged its claws, kicked its jaw, but it still came at her. She spun past it, and stuck her short sword in its neck. She stood looking at the demon as it vanished, when two more appeared, one struck her and she fell.
‘CARRIE,’ Alex shouted, and before anyone else could move he was already there, his spear flashed through the air, beheading the demons in seconds. He knelt by Carrie, who was holding her shoulder with blood trickling through her fingers. Alex took his sweatshirt off and pressed it over the wound, as one of the demons had caught her and sliced into her shoulder. ‘Are you OK?’ he said, scared witless at the sight of the blood.
‘It hurts like hell, but I’m more pissed off I wasn’t quick enough to get out the way.’
‘You had no chance, none of us would, and your speed saved your life. I’m so sorry.’
‘What you sorry for, you didn’t do it.’
Alex picked her up with ease. ‘Didn’t I?’
James fetched the vase, and they returned to the study. Blaze and Daralis entered with a first aid kit.
Alex sat Carrie in a chair. ‘How did you know?’
‘We were watching,’ said Blaze. ‘And I won’t be doing that again, my nerves are tattered.’
House, how bad is the injury? Alex asked.
Quite bad, there is an infection.
Shit . . . no . . . can you cure it?
No, I don’t know what it is, but I am managing to hold it back.
Blaze was cleaning the wound much to the Carrie’s discomfort. ‘It’s going black.’
‘House said it’s infected,’ Alex told her.
‘How badly?’ said Carrie alarmed. ‘I don’t wanna lose my arm.’
‘No, of course not, we just need some antibiotics,’ said Alex, trying to sound reassuring.
Daralis looked at Carrie’s shoulder, and flinched at the black looking veins. ‘They won’t do any good — it’s a demon wound. You have to take me to my cottage quickly.’
Alex touched the vase while holding his hand out to her, and appeared in the cottage. Daralis stepped into the kitchen and took some jars out of a cupboard, and a bottle with strange coloured liquid inside. She put a bowl on the table and tipped some of the contents of the jars in, then some of the liquid, and mixed it into a pulp while chanting words which Alex couldn’t understand. He noticed the smell wasn’t very pleasant. Daralis took a glass and tipped some of the liquid inside, she added a few herbs and topped up the glass with other liquid out of the fridge, and stirred it while chanting more words he couldn’t understand.
‘OK, I’m ready,’ she said, holding the glass and bowl. Alex touched her arm and they were back in the study.
‘How are you holding up?’ he asked Carrie.
She looked like she was going to fall asleep, with her hair plastered to her face with sweat. ‘Sore,’ she said, trying to look up at him. ‘And I feel so drained.’
‘Drink this,’ said Daralis, passing the glass to her good arm.
‘What is it?’ said Carrie.
‘A tonic.’ Daralis started covering the wound with the pulp.
Carrie drank the tonic in one go, her eyes grew wide, and looked at what Daralis was doing to her shoulder. ‘Poohey, what’s that smell?’
‘Brimstone,’ said Daralis.
Carrie giggled. ‘I’m not going to pull tonight with that on my arm.’
Alex rubbed his eyes as he stared at her. ‘Is she drunk?’
Daralis nodded. ‘Sort of, but it’ll soon pass.’
‘Hey, Alex, I bloody love you,’ said Carrie, and giggled again.
‘What about the rest of us?’ said Paige, who had entered the study with Claire, when Alex took Daralis to her cottage.
‘Aw, Paigey, you know I do and everyone else, too. I’d hug you, but I can’t even lift my arm because of what those things did to me. Three of them attacked me . . . three of them . . . big ugly things they were, and they stunk just like my arm does now,’ said Carrie, and fell asleep.
James raised both eyebrows. ‘That tonic wasn’t a pick me up then.’
‘Oh it is,’ said Daralis. ‘But there are side effects. It’ll help heal the body, but will make you feel drunk, so I added something to make her sleep.’
‘Why? I liked her like that.’
‘I put it in because of her wound, as it’ll heal better if she isn’t running around the mansion telling everyone and everything that she loves them.’
‘She didn’t say it to everyone, just Alex,’ said James.
‘Oh yes, it works like a truth drug,’ said Daralis, and if Alex hadn’t been so worried he might have understood.
‘Really,’ said Claire dryly. ‘Can you give Alex some?’
‘Is she gonna be OK?’ said Paige.
Daralis nodded as the black veins disappeared. ‘Carrie will be fine.’
Blaze covered the wound with a dressing and taped it on. Alex picked Carrie up, and took her upstairs past the others, who all looked worried.
‘What’s happened to Carrie?’ said Summer.
James shrugged. ‘She hurt her arm, Daralis got her drunk, and now she’s sleeping it off.’
Alex carefully put Carrie on the bed. Blaze and Paige followed him inside.
Paige looked at him. ‘You blame yourself for this don’t you?’
‘Of course I do, I might as well have done it to her myself.’
‘That’s a ridiculous thing to say,’ said Blaze.
‘Is it?’ snapped Alex. ‘I took her with us tonight, and I didn’t bring her here for this.’
‘No,’ said Paige. ‘But she wouldn’t change it for the world.’
Alex rubbed his face with both hands. ‘She could’ve got killed.’
‘Any of you could have,’ said Blaze.
Alex stood looking at the bed. ‘Yeah, but that’s my choice.’
Paige gave him a stern look. ‘It’s also Carrie’s choice.’
‘Maybe I should put a stop to that.’
Blaze shook her head. ‘No, you can’t.’
‘It breaks my heart to see her like this. Jodie came tonight, which frightened the hell out of me.’
‘You never really saw Carrie before she moved here, a lovely woman, but always sad,’ said Blaze, and paused as she looked at the bed. ‘She always appeared as if something was missing from her life, then you came along and made her feel alive. You gave her something to live for, and now you want to take it away?’
‘You would break her heart,’ said Paige.
Alex sat on the bed and gently stroked Carrie’s face, which surprised the others. ‘No, I promise you, I’ll never break her heart.’
‘I take it you’re not going to stop her going with you,’ said Blaze.
‘No, we need her, she’s so skilled and fast. Carrie was unlucky tonight . . . I brought you all here, and put you in danger.’
‘Ah, I get it now,’ said Paige. ‘Just like before when you left all your friends.’
‘That was different, it wasn’t demons hurting them.’
‘It’s still the same thing, you feel like you’ve got to protec
t everyone. That has to stop, or you’ll end up going out on your own.’
Alex looked injured by it. ‘I’m not that bad you know.’
‘You lived on your own for a long time, and you’re not used to having others help you.’
‘I’ve had plenty of help in getting where I am now.’
‘I’m not talking about the mansion or your wealth, but the fighting. It’s one thing to have the wolves or James and Asima with you, as they’re established warriors, but now you have to give the others a chance to prove themselves.’
‘To prove themselves against what? I didn’t get you all to come here and put you in danger. I’m sorry I never knew any of this would happen.’
Paige put her hand on his shoulder. ‘Do you want to throw us all out?’
‘Would that make you safer than living with me?’
‘Who knows, but it would be a lot more boring. I’m very happy here, warlock or not; so you gonna kick me out?’
‘What do you think?’ said Alex.
‘I think you’re an idiot to be honest.’
‘Thanks.’
‘A loveable idiot,’ Blaze interjected. ‘You save the children, pixies and the pucas, with help. Who knows who you’ll save next, I don’t have a clue, but I’m looking forward to it.’
‘So stop worrying,’ said Paige.
‘Yes, boss, but is it OK to be frightened for them?’
‘No, not when you go out there, you might let your enemies know.’
‘You were frightened,’ said Blaze. ‘Now you know how I feel when you go on these trips.’
‘Does it get any easier?’ said Alex.
‘No, you just have to suffer it.’
Alex spent the next couple of hours with his girls, all seven of them and Tia, it took his mind off Carrie. They were playing on the arcade machines and pool, where he lost every game because of the pixies nudging the balls into the pockets for the girls. He did wonder what people would say if they walked in and saw the pucas on the dance machine.
When the children had gone to bed he walked over to the wolves. ‘Fancy a run?’ he asked them.
We’re always ready, said Rho.
James stood. ‘You’re not going to look for them without us are you?’
Alex shook his head. ‘I want to have a look around North Wales to see if I can find anything about the village where the funeral was. You can run with us if you want.’
Vesta Mansion: Book One - The Power Inside Page 33