‘Here,’ Theo yanked a thick branch out of the way and snapped it off.
Olivia stopped at the base of the steps and looked at Theo nervously. The stairs themselves looked stable enough as they were carved into the rock face winding upwards, but they were very narrow and steep and the guardrail was rusty and was swaying alarmingly halfway up, where the wind was stronger.
Olivia glanced back towards the lake and then looked up at the sheer height of the cliff. Biting back a wave of nausea and taking a deep resolute breath she began to climb, with Theo right behind her. The iron railing creaked and groaned, causing her heart to skip a beat every time it pulled under her hand. They’d made it almost three quarters of the way up the cliff face when the wind picked up, tearing at them viciously as if it were trying to pluck them from the rock itself. The railing whined and groaned and broke away from the rock. At the sudden loss of support Olivia fell forward, but her foot slipped and as she went down she cracked her shin against the step and toppled to the side.
Her breath caught in her throat and then came a curious feeling of weightlessness. Theo dived forward and grasped her wrist, desperately hanging on as she dangled over the sheer drop down to the ice below.
‘Olivia, look at me,’ he panted. ‘Give me your other hand.’
He could see the terror in her eyes as she reached for him. The wind buffeted her body and she missed. He felt her slipping further.
‘Olivia,’ he called desperately, ‘take my hand.’
‘Theo,’ she cried out in panic.
‘You can do it,’ he answered over the shriek of the wind. ‘I won’t let you go I swear, now reach for my hand.’
She tried again and this time he caught her fingers and pulled. As she scrambled against the wall one of her boots caught the sheared off bolt protruding from the wall and she was able to push her body further up. Letting go of one hand Theo wrapped his arms around her body and hauled her over the side. They collapsed on to the hard unforgiving steps, with his arms wrapped around her like vices as he buried his face in her neck. She trembled in his arms, her heart thumping so loudly she could hear it in her ears.
‘Is now a good time to mention I don’t like heights,’ she panted.
‘We need to get off this ledge,’ Theo answered. ‘It’s not safe.’
‘You think?’
He climbed carefully to his feet bringing her with him and they edged their way slowly and painfully up the remaining stairs with their backs pressed against the rock face. Olivia breathed a sigh of relief when they climbed the top step and at last stood out on the top of the cliff, looking down at the lake. From this angle they could see the jagged ice spiking upwards as if to form a gateway and hundreds of dark shadowy figures pressing up through the hole, snared in the brightly coloured net. They writhed and surged against it, trying to find a way to break through with arms and claws, reaching up through the gaps in the net.
‘Dear God, look at them all,’ Olivia breathed her stomach dropping like lead. She turned to Theo her voice barely more than a whisper above the howl of the wind. ‘The net is not going to hold them.’
Chapter 24
Isabel glanced out over the lake, watching the commotion below with disdain. The dark sky was lit with muted throbbing colours, like an Aurora Borealis and the lake itself looked like a crazy disco dance floor with threads of red, blue, green and yellow woven together in a huge net. Even from this distance she could see the centre of the lake heaving and pulsing like a heartbeat.
Fools, she thought, that wasn’t going to hold. Even now she could see the edges of the magic pulling taut. Soon it would give and the creatures would swarm across the lake and scatter through the surrounding woods. All that wasted effort for nothing.
She felt Nathaniel behind her watching silently, his black eyes unreadable.
‘They’re trying to block the doorway,’ Isabel murmured. ‘If they don’t know we’re here already it won’t be long before they figure it out.’ She turned back to Nathaniel, ‘we need to move.’
‘What about Charon?’
‘Have you managed to get anything from him?’ she frowned.
‘No,’ Nathaniel replied calmly, ‘he’s still not talking.’
‘Losing your touch are you Nathaniel?’
‘Not at all,’ he shrugged. ‘I have taken him apart piece by piece and he still won’t give in, from which I can only conclude that he is incapable of retrieving Hester’s soul, otherwise he would have broken by now.’
‘Or perhaps you’re just not as good as you think,’ she replied coolly.
‘Careful Isabel,’ his eyes glittered dangerously, ‘or you may get the chance to find out for yourself.’
She sneered and turned back to the window.
‘You don’t scare me Nathaniel’ she scowled, as her mind returned to the problem of Charon. ‘If he is unable to retrieve Hester’s soul, he is of absolutely no use to me.’
‘For all his power, he remains nothing more than a servant,’ Nathaniel told her. ‘I warned you when we first went after him that he was Hades’ creature but you wouldn’t listen. You need someone higher up the food chain.’
‘What do you suggest?’ she replied sarcastically, ‘that we go after Hades?’
‘No,’ he replied, ‘even I am not stupid enough to go up against a God.’
‘Then what use are you to me?’ her eyes flashed. ‘Perhaps I should shove you back in the devil’s trap I found you in and let you rot for another three hundred years.’
‘Three hundred years to me is no more than a nap,’ he replied coldly. ‘Trust me I have infinitely more patience than you and far more time.’
She sniffed in disgust, turning away from him.
His fingers twitched infinitesimally and he swallowed slowly. He wanted to wrap his fingers around her throat and slowly squeeze and squeeze until she lost consciousness. Then he would strap her to a table and peel the flesh from her body in tiny little one inch strips, taking his time. After all he liked to be meticulous when he worked and took pride in the exquisite amount of agony he liked to inflict on his victims.
His mouth curved as he thought of all the things he wanted to do to the witch but he could wait. She couldn’t, she was impatient, prideful and selfish, like a child denied a treat. She wanted desperately, that which she could not have. He had no intention of allowing her to get her hands on the Hell Book; Infernum was his. He had not spent three millennia tracking it down to be thwarted at the final hurdle by a spoiled brat, who at best was a second rate witch. His lip curled in disdain; he despised humans with their stinking pig flesh and over inflated self-importance. They truly believed the whole of existence revolved around them. They were incredibly arrogant for a swarm of insects.
‘You do know,’ his voice was smooth and cajoling, ‘there is another way.’
‘What?’ Isabel asked suspiciously.
‘There is another way to get to Hester.’
‘You lie,’ her eyes narrowed. ‘If there had been another way you would have already tried it.’
‘I can’t because I’m not human,’ his mouth curved into a slow smile, ‘but you are.’
‘Keep talking.’
‘We need to find a crossroad, not just any crossroad but a very special one.’
‘How is a crossroad supposed to help?’ she scoffed.
‘It’s not the crossroad itself we want but the keeper of the crossroad. They are incredibly powerful beings.’ Knowing that he had snared her attention he pressed on. ‘They are able to grant one’s deepest desires…for a price.’
‘What’s the price?’
‘Does it matter?’ he replied softly, ‘the question is how badly do you want Infernum and what are you willing to pay?’
‘I’ve paid enough already, I didn’t give up my family and become a murderer to turn back now,’ her eyes flashed hungrily. ‘I want the book; I don’t care what it costs.’
‘Then I shall
make sure that you have it,’ he smiled coldly, knowing he had her now. ‘All I ask is that you hold to your end of our bargain, and when you have Infernum in your possession you use its power to raise my brother from Hell.’
‘Of course,’ she promised insincerely.
And he had no intention of the book ever falling into her grubby undeserving hands, he thought beneath his cool smile. Once he’d used her to locate the book he would take it and use its power to free his brother himself. Then they would rule, side by side, Gods over the mortal infestation that had spawned on this world.
‘Where are these crossroads?’ she asked.
‘Scattered throughout the underworld,’ he replied carefully.
‘The underworld?’
Nathaniel nodded. ‘But luckily for you I know the location of one of them.’
‘We need to dispose of Charon,’ she told him coldly.
‘Consider it done.’
‘Then you’d better be quick before my husband or my daughter decide to interfere.’
Smiling, he turned to leave the room.
Olivia and Theo kept to the shadows, knowing that if Nathaniel or Isabel happened to look out of any of the windows at the back of the building they would more than likely be able to see them. Crawling through the underbrush and overhanging branches they made it to the side of the building, where several of the windows were broken exposing the rooms beyond to the elements.
They climbed as quietly as they could through the nearest window, and as Olivia dropped to the floor and flicked her flashlight on, she kept the beam low so as not to attract attention. A small snowdrift sloped down to a black and white checked floor and piles of dried curled up leaves littered the corners of the bay shaped room. Above them she could see a domed glass roof which seemed for the most part to be intact, with only a few missing panes of glass. The ornate curved frame of what was once a table stood in the centre of the room, it’s wooden surface long since rotted away. Several metal chair frames were also scattered around the room, some laid forlornly on their sides in drifts of snow, their upholstered cushions long since lost to the elements.
Crossing the once elegant little sun room Theo pushed open the interior door which led into a small parlour. Sheltered from the weather, this had at least fared a little better than the sunroom. Some of the tables remained upright, their matching chairs still retaining tattered cushions, while the lamps in the corners, with their faded tasselled lampshades, spoke of a lost elegance.
They moved on as quickly and quietly as they could, finding themselves in a hallway with peeling walls and wall sconces mounted on elegant black geometric shapes. To either side were doors to more rooms but a quick look was enough to confirm these hadn’t been used recently. They passed through another set of glass panelled doors, inset with intricate coloured stained glass, and came upon a small tiled room with low benches. Beyond, an archway opened up into a cavernous room with high arched ceilings and walls decorated with slim rectangular tiles in a dreamy sea foam green. Stepping further in they saw that the whole middle section dropped down to another two staggered levels, which were also tiled in the same colour. Spaced at intervals were small ladders bolted to the walls and leading down into the empty space.
‘What is this place?’ Theo whispered in her ear.
‘The swimming pool,’ she explained, ‘come on, this way.’
Skirting around the empty pool she headed for the exit at the other end of the room. Moving quietly through the next two archways they came upon another tiled room which, from its design, Olivia assumed must be the Turkish baths, although she’d never actually been to one.
She heard a small rustle, a clink of metal and turned in the direction of the sound, straining to make it out. Following the sound through another huge archway and into a smaller circular room she found herself looking down where the floor dropped into a deep tiled hole. Once a plunge pool, it was now empty of water. She heard the chink of metal again and glanced down into the hole, shining her torch into the void.
A bloodied face peered back at her, one eye swollen almost completely shut and the other bruised and puffy.
‘Oh my God,’ Olivia breathed. Swinging her legs over the edge of the plunge pool she dropped down to the floor next to him.
‘I’ve already told you Isabel,’ he rasped, as if it were painful to speak, ‘I can’t give you what you want no matter what you do to me.’
This was no good, he couldn’t see past the glare of the flashlight and in the poor light he would not be able to see or believe she wasn’t her mom. Switching it off she shoved the flashlight into her backpack. As she snapped her fingers gently, four of her dragonflies burst into flame, hovering above them burning a soft warm red and yellow and bathing them in a muted golden light which would be easier on his eyes.
He stared at Olivia his one eye blinking in confusion, ‘you’re not Isabel.’
‘No,’ Olivia reassured him. ‘It’s a long story but we’re here to help you Charon.’
He looked up as Theo also dropped down into the hole and stepped into the circle of light. He studied Theo intently and then glanced up at the fiery dragonflies dancing around his shoulders.
‘You’re her daughter aren’t you?’
‘Yes I am.’
‘How did you find me?’ he frowned, looking from one to the other.
‘Charlotte told me how to find you’ Olivia answered.
‘Charlotte?’ his gaze snapped back to her and he grasped her jacket with his bound hands. ‘You’ve seen her?’
Olivia nodded gently.
‘She was locked in a death cycle,’ his voice betrayed pain of a different kind. ‘I tried to reach her but I couldn’t.’
‘She’s trying desperately to break free,’ Olivia told him, ‘for you.’
He tipped his head back against the tiles and gulped down a deep emotional breath.
‘We need to get you out of here, can you walk?’ She glanced down at his bloodied and battered body, covered only by a scrap of material tied around his hips.
‘I can’t leave’ he sighed, rattling the metal manacles around his torn raw wrists.
‘I can deal with those’ Olivia murmured, having a good look at the metal. ‘It won’t be pretty but it’ll get you loose.’
‘Even if you could it’s not those that are the problem.’ He lifted his chin and Olivia saw the black metallic collar around his chafed and swollen neck.
‘What is that?’
‘It’s a Demon collar,’ Charon whispered, ‘forged in Hell fire. Once it’s on there’s no way to unlock it, unless you cut my head off and as you can imagine I’d rather you didn’t.’
‘Forged in Hell fire?’ Olivia repeated thoughtfully.
Charon inclined his head, ‘they are designed to enslave souls. Once it’s on, any supernatural abilities are neutralised. While I’m wearing this none of my powers will work.’
‘We need to get it off,’ Olivia looked up at Theo, ‘otherwise all this is for nothing. He won’t be able to close the doorway.’
‘What’s happening?’ Charon asked suspiciously.
‘Spirits have been escaping through the doorway ever since you went missing. The town is overrun with them and now creatures from the underworld have realised it’s open.’
‘They’re trying to break through?’ he replied.
Olivia nodded. ‘We’ve cast a net but it’s not strong enough. There are too many of them trying to come through at once, not to mention the ones already here. We haven’t much time before it fails and they are all turned loose.’
‘I was afraid of this,’ he whispered brokenly. ‘I cannot stop them as there is no way to remove the collar.’
‘Olivia? Can you?’ Theo asked.
‘Maybe,’ she looked up at him. ‘If it’s forged in Hell fire I might be able to do something with it.’
‘What?’ Charon looked at her with a sceptical expression. ‘You are a mortal,
what would a mortal know of Hell fire.’
‘Quiet,’ Olivia murmured to him, her attention already fixed on the collar.
She gently laid her fingertips on the metal. It felt cool to the touch but vibrated like a plucked string. As she traced her fingers along the surface writing appeared, glowing with sapphire blue fire. As the room faded from her awareness and her eyes drifted closed, she could hear a low murmur, a whisper in the furthest corner of her mind. It was a language so ancient it had not been spoken in millions of years, a language from the very beginning of time. It spoke to her soul and she realised with a start that she recognised it.
When she opened her eyes they were no longer their warm whiskey colour, but deep, deep blue and held within their depths endless eons and a vastness of power beyond measure. The words rose unbidden to her lips as she murmured the language that came to her so easily. The collar grew warm under her touch and as she wrapped her fingers around the sides and tugged, it came apart in her hands with an audible click.
‘It’s not possible,’ Charon gasped.
Ignoring him Olivia reached up and wrapped her hands around the chains attached to the manacles at his wrists. The metal burned bright blue and melted, breaking the links. His hands dropped and she shook her head lightly as if to lift the fog from her mind. When she blinked her eyes were once again their usual colour.
‘Charon, do you know where my mother and Nathaniel are?’
He was staring at her silently, his one good eye wide with shock.
‘Charon please,’ she shook him lightly, ‘we don’t have much time. Do you know where they are?’
He shook his head mutely.
‘We need to get him out of here,’ she looked up at Theo.
He reached down and wrapped Charon’s arm around his neck helping him to his feet. As they made their way to the pool side Olivia scooped up the two halves of the demon collar and dropped them in her bag, before slinging it over her back. She moved to join the other two, taking Charon’s weight against her as Theo hauled himself up and onto the ledge. He reached down and grabbed the Ferryman, pulling him up behind him, while Olivia hooked her hands under his dirty feet and gave him a boost. When he lay breathing heavily at the side of the plunge pool Theo stretched down and grasping Olivia’s arms pulled her up easily.
The Ferryman (The Guardians Series 1 Book 2) Page 36