There had been over thirty creatures in the room when they entered, but it didn’t stop Alex from his main goal. He let his friends deal with them as he focused on another set of double doors. He pointed his still glowing hand, and a burst of golden energy flew from it, blasting the doors apart. A roar came from the other side, and he threw his spear catching a larger demon in the throat sending it flying backwards.
He saw his daughter lying on an altar and near her was a glass vial, with what looked like gas inside. An even bigger demon approached the girl. It had horns on its head similar to those of a bull. It had black eyes, dark leathery skin, with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.
‘House,’ Alex shouted, running at the demon without actually thinking about what was happening. He had one thought, to save his daughter.
I have her.
Alex raised his hand again, and another burst of energy sent the demon crashing. It was soon back up, and now had a huge mace. House wasn’t just busy shielding the girl as a dozen lesser demons were in there, robed for the ritual. They tried to join the fight, but a table flew through the air stopping them.
The demon swung the mace down at Alex who jumped sideways out of the way, his spear flew to his hand and he sliced the demon across its arm.
Alex, you must destroy the vial now, said House urgently.
He dodged the mace once more and sliced the creature up its side, and with one swing he severed the glass container in half. The demon screamed, and clawed at it but the gas escaped. It turned towards Alex with a crazed look, and was hit by five crossbow bolts to its head. They didn’t stop it, but took the demons concentration away. It swung the mace straight down too loosely at Alex, who leapt out the way on to a table. The demon bent over with the force of his swing which gave Alex his chance, and his blade sliced through its neck, taking the head off.
The others came in the room and destroyed the last of the demons. They saw three figures at the far end. There were two old-looking women he thought were witches, with a man between them. The women had hatred in their eyes, but the man had only sadness and what looked like hope.
Alex approached, but there was a cloaked figure behind them, they grabbed hands and vanished. He ran to his daughter and picked her up . . . she was unconscious. ‘House, what’s wrong with her?’
The vial was draining her life energy, we must take her back now.
They appeared back in the hall. Alex carried her over to the sofa, and told them what House had said.
‘We have no cure for that,’ said Daralis. ‘We can give her a tonic which’ll keep her alive.’
Alex rubbed his eyes as he walked around the sofa. ‘There must be something we can do.’
‘With the power here we could find a way, but it might take time.’
‘Power,’ said Alex, and the image of the solar flare was suddenly in his mind. He looked like he caught fire as golden flames covered his body and he walked back over to the little girl. The others all gasped as he picked her up.
‘Alex, no,’ Blaze choked.
The flames engulfed the girl, and she started moving, her eyes opened. They were big and grey. ‘Papa,’ she said.
‘Yes, sweetheart, I’m here,’ said Alex, in a whisper as he held her tight and the flames disappeared.
‘You could have warned us,’ said Blaze.
‘I’d like you all to meet Alhena,’ Alex announced, and passed her to Blaze. ‘Look after my daughter. I’m going back to the house, as I need to take a look around.’
‘Would it be OK for me to come with you?’ said Joseph.
‘I’ll go with House first to make sure we cleared it out,’ said Alex, and vanished, only to return a minute later.
‘Is it OK?’ said Luella.
Alex nodded. ‘Michelle, will you join us?’
‘Yeah, but why do you need me?’
‘To look for computers, and see if you can find anything for your reporter friend.’
Luella and Daralis joined them and they appeared in the room where Alhena was found. The room was large and looked like a church. It didn’t look like a church to any lenient god, but of something evil and malignant. There were no bodies, they had all vanished. James and Asima picked up the clothes which had been left behind, and piled them up. The house demons had melted, but only left a stain on the floor.
Alex looked at the altar before pulling the black sheet off. ‘Joseph, what does this look like to you?’
‘A stone coffin,’ said the older man.
Alex pushed the lid to the side, and turned away quickly. ‘That’s gross,’ he said, looking at the desiccated body.
Joseph glanced inside. ‘Not a pretty sight.’
‘I can see why he needed knew bodies, he couldn’t walk around in that.’
Joseph shook his head. ‘Oh no, my young friend, you did that to him.’
Alex raised an eyebrow. ‘I didn’t even see him.’
‘The vial was taking your daughters energy over to him, when you broke it you finally killed the warlock.’
‘So, it’s over,’ said Luella.
‘Not quite, there are still two witches to find,’ said Alex.
‘And another warlock,’ James added.
Alex pushed the lid of the coffin back. ‘I’m not too worried about him, he looked saddened.’
‘I thought he was pleading with us,’ said Carrie.
‘You could be right, and what was the thing he had round his neck?’
Carrie looked unsure. ‘Dunno, but it looked like a black band.’
‘That’s what I thought,’ James agreed.
Luella’s eyes grew big. ‘What did you just say?’
‘What part?’ said Alex.
‘The part about the other warlock, and what he had around his neck.’
‘He was between two old women, and had a black band around his neck.’
‘That sounds more like a confinement spell,’ said Luella. ‘And if it was, then he’s their prisoner.’
‘Yes,’ said Daralis. ‘I agree with you there, it was a spell which was lost a long time ago . . . for very good reasons.’
‘Then we have to rescue him,’ said Alex.
‘You might need to kill the dark witches to free him,’ said Luella.
‘When I find them I will, have no fear of that.’
Daralis looked around the room in disgust. ‘Don’t underestimate them, just because they were here doesn’t mean they were lesser than the warlock.’
‘Do you know them?’ said Alex.
‘I’ve met a few and they’re pure evil, they’ll sacrifice anything to get what they want.’
‘I did say the warlock had two sisters,’ Luella added.
Alex sighed. ‘Does this ever end?’
‘You don’t have to go after them.’
‘My daughter nearly died, many people have died, and some guy’s imprisoned by some spell . . . I cannot ignore it.’
‘It’s not always your fight,’ said Luella.
‘No, but would it be right not doing anything, and besides you said the witches are powerful, and they know about us. I’ve been given this power, as have my friends and together we have destroyed the warlock after all the years of his evil. We saved the pixies and pucas, so what’s this power for if I ignore the innocents from being hurt?’
‘Nice speech,’ said Claire. ‘And I’d be mocking you if I hadn’t taken part tonight, but I feel amazing for what we did, and I want to carry on doing it.’
‘Me too,’ said Paige. ‘If I can help stop those witches from killing anything else, then I’m in.’
Daralis shook her head. ‘What have you done to these poor women?’
‘I befriended them,’ said Alex, a little guiltily.
‘And got us to learn how to fight,’ said Claire.
‘Yeah, but that was to stop you from being bored.’
‘Whatever the reason was, you have us fighting alongside you now,’ said Paige. ‘And you won’t stop me from going.’
Claire glanced at him. ‘Are we with you, or are you with us.’
‘What difference does it make?’ said Paige.
‘I just want to know if we are part of our group, or his group.’
‘When we’re at home we are part of our group, but when we go fighting it’s my group,’ said Alex. ‘I won’t let anyone else take the blame; it’ll always be my fault.’
‘And if we don’t want to be a part of your group?’ said Claire.
‘Then I fight alone.’
‘You’re so pig-headed,’ Claire groaned. ‘Will you just let me get one over on you?’
‘You already did, why would you want to do it again?’
‘When did I?’
‘When you married my beautiful Paige.’
‘But she was only your friend.’
‘True, but I never wanted to share her, well until I met you of course, and then I was quite happy I was getting another friend.’
Claire sighed. ‘Thanks, now I feel like shit.’
‘I did tell you,’ said Paige.
‘I know, but he got one over on me again.’
Alex smiled. ‘We fight as a team, and are always there for each other.’
Michelle found two computers and both were switched on and logged in. The new bank accounts were all there, and they spent another thirty minutes looking around before going back.
Alex walked over to his new daughter, and picked her up before introducing her to the wolves, and she loved them. Alhena had shoulder length black hair with grey streaks which matched her big grey eyes.
‘I’m sleepy,’ she said.
‘Come on then, your sisters are waiting for you,’ said Alex, and took her upstairs, the three girls were awake. Adhara and Sarin were either side of Shaula and they made space for their little sister.
‘You know we love your children,’ said James, as Alex came down the stairs, ‘but don’t you think it would be easier to get a good woman and have them the normal way?’
He looked around the room his eyes were straight on Carrie, and he smiled. He looked again, and his eyes fell on Claire. ‘I’ll take my chances with the demons.’ He was joking of course, and made sure everyone knew, as the women were still armed.
‘Why do they call you papa and not dad or father?’ said Michelle.
‘It’s what they’ve always called me, ever since they first learnt to talk,’ said Alex, almost as if he could see them as babies.
Blaze stepped out of her room. ‘The demons in town have gone, and so has the illusion spell.’
Alex sat down. ‘They most likely went to the ceremony, and won’t be coming back.’
‘Well,’ said Michelle. ‘If you want to take me there, I can check out the computers and get rid of anything which points to here.’
* * *
Alex woke the following morning feeling refreshed and no warlock to worry about. It was time to get back to a normal life which is what his girls needed. He decided to see how many he could carry downstairs only to find they were not in bed. ‘Who stole my daughters?’ he called down from the bannister.
‘We have,’ said Paige. ‘You should get up earlier.’
‘Sometimes I feel like jumping off here,’ Alex shouted.
‘Go for it,’ Claire shouted back. ‘You already done it twice, a third time won’t matter.’
Alex smiled, and he was still smiling when he walked downstairs. Adhara ran to him, and he picked her up.
‘When we going?’ she asked.
‘Going where?’
‘Shopping for Alhena of course.’
‘That’s a good idea, we’ll go after breakfast,’ said Alex, carrying her into the party room. He heard a familiar hum as the pixies were in there to see the new arrival, and Alhena was excited by them. She was six years old but like her sisters she was small for her age.
They waited for Michelle before going shopping as she took George to his office to pick up some paperwork. She also made a phone call to Rachel Evans giving her a new scoop on the Chamberlains other house in Wales, and what they will find on the computers. She never mentioned the office in town, as Alex thought it best to keep them as far away as possible.
Alex carried Alhena into the study and gave her a necklace with a black Opal stone in the centre. James gave her a choice of two rings and she chose the one with a Melanite stone.
‘You’ll need to get the size altered it’s much too big for her,’ said James.
‘Her fingers aren’t that much smaller than the other girls.’
Alhena put the ring on and it shrank to fit.
James raised an eyebrow. ‘OK, I wasn’t expecting that.’
They walked back into the hall where Michelle had returned with George, who handed Alex some paperwork.
‘What’s this?’ he said.
‘Alhena’s Birth certificate, and would you believe more money,’ George told him.
‘How much is it this time?’
‘Two hundred and forty-two million.’
Alex looked at Luella. ‘Thanks, Mom,’ he said, cheerfully.
‘It’s OK you’re going to buy me a new wardrobe.’
‘Your wardrobe is new.’
‘No, I meant clothes to fill it.’
Alex smiled. ‘I’ll buy you anything you want.’
‘What I don’t understand is the money I collected never amounted to that much.’
‘You were not the only one collecting,’ said George, ‘the Order was, too.’
‘I guess I’ll have to visit this Order sometime,’ said Alex.
‘They’ve been waiting for you to visit.’
‘I hoped you informed them I was busy.’
‘Of course,’ said George. ‘I hope you don’t mind me telling them what has happened.’
‘No, but I’m not sure about visiting them just yet.’
‘The Order is full of your loyal subjects,’ said Joseph. ‘As we all are, but at least we get first-hand knowledge, and all they get is phone calls.’
‘Loyal subjects is what worries me,’ said Alex. ‘I can’t have them treating me like a lord.’
‘I think King would be more appropriate,’ said George.
James grinned. ‘To some it’ll be more like a God.’
‘I’ll give travelling there a miss for a while then,’ said Alex. ‘That’s just too freaky.’
‘You should go, it’s a wonderful place,’ said George. ‘And the Order is expecting you sometime.’
James parted his hair. ‘It might be nice for some from here to visit a castle.’
George scratched his head. ‘There’s something I didn’t tell you, and only because I thought you wouldn’t use them.’
‘What’s that?’ said Alex.
‘They have a security force, and would have sent them if you asked.’
‘With guns I take it.’
George nodded. ‘Yes, they have an array of weapons.’
‘Then you were right,’ said Alex. ‘I wouldn’t have wanted them here.’
‘Could’ve done with a few around my old house,’ said Blaze.
‘You could have asked yourself,’ said George. ‘You are a member and I would have arranged it.’
Alex glanced at her. ‘Your house would’ve been surrounded by armed men, and they would follow you everywhere.’
Blaze raised an eyebrow. ‘Would they have been allowed to be armed outside my house?’
George nodded. ‘They would’ve had all the right permits. Their reach is long, and the Chief Inspector who helped me free Asima is also a member.’
‘I’m sorry I haven’t taken much interest in the Order,’ said Alex. ‘But I promise I will, let’s just see how it goes with the witches.’
‘You’re dead set on going after them?’ said Luella.
‘Yes, Mother, I have to more than ever.’
‘Why do you?’
; ‘It was no warlock they had as a prisoner . . . I saw his eyes . . . it was your brother.’
Here ends Book One of Vesta Mansion. Book Two, Other Worlds, the group search for the witches. They meet new friends and find a portal.
Vesta Mansion: Book One - The Power Inside Page 41