Don't Slay the Dragon (The Chronicles of Elizabeth Marshall Book 1)

by Rachel Lucas

  “I did?” She gave me an innocent look. “Well, from what I hear, any number of things could happen during a visit with me. What did I do this time?” She was resigned to hear whatever I told her.

  “I met Sophie.”

  Address it directly, that was usually the best way to deal with her. This was one way to tell if it was Lisbeth I was talking to right now or Sophie. She didn’t even try a surprised look this time. What I didn’t expect was an apology. He voice was low, soft enough that I wasn’t sure if it would be picked up by the cameras in the other room.

  “I’m so sorry, Caitlyn, it must have been very difficult dealing with her. It’s hard for me to control her.” It seemed to be Lisbeth speaking. I hoped it was.

  “How long has she been around?” I asked casually.

  “She’s new, relatively,” she smiled at the inside joke. “She’s been with me a few years. I know she’s a lot to take. Did she mouth off to you?”

  “She said a few things that were disturbing.”

  “You’re being vague, Caitlyn. Spit it out, what did she say?” This was something Lisbeth would say to me. I relaxed only slightly.

  “She suggested that she might have actually killed Barbara. She hinted that after you and Barbara had fought and then you left, she might have come back and killed her.” I watched a variety of emotions flicker across her face. She went from surprise to shock to horror. At any moment I expected Jade or Maxine or Sophie to appear. I held my breath, looking for any sign of a transformation. There was none.

  “No, Caitlyn, that can’t be. Sophie likes to play mind games. She was just messing with you. Don’t believe her, please!”

  Was this really Lisbeth appealing to me or was I being played by Sophie? I really wish there was a way to know. Her eyes were still bright green and sincere. I hated not knowing.

  “Can Sophie talk to me?” I decided to ask.

  Her face twisted with some kind of eternal struggle. It was so hard to tell now what was real and what was an act. I watched as she drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them tightly. Her shoulders bunched as the muscles tensed. You could feel the battle in the air, as tangible as her earlier emotions. Finally, she laid her head upon her knees in an exhausted motion. She looked up at me with world-weary eyes. There was no grin or smirk that I had come to associate with Sophie. She looked tired, lost, incredibly young and confused.

  “Sophie?” I tried.

  She shook her head slowly.

  “She won’t come out, she’s sulking. She’s upset you told Lisbeth about how she was acting the other day.”

  It took a moment for me to adjust to the change. I rummaged through my memory, trying to decide whom I was speaking with.

  “Bethany?” I guessed.

  “Hi Cate,” she gave me a tired smile. I didn’t see Bethany often. She was one of the more shy and insecure of the personalities. She was usually kept more to the background, protected by the others, the same way Lizzy was. I thought her a strange choice to come forth in Sophie’s stead.

  “I haven’t talked to you in a while. Have you been doing ok?” I was careful to be gentle with her, she was very fragile.

  “It’s been kind of quiet. They’ve been keeping me away from Dr. Ross. They know men like him scare me.” I remembered her fear of men and nodded. The reminder caused me to unconsciously glance up at the large mirror and at the said doctor I knew was behind it. He was getting a show today. I bet he was thrilled. Which I found even more curious. Lisbeth and Sophie knew Dr. Ross was watching these sessions. Why did they send out Bethany?

  “Why are you here, Bethany?” I asked quietly.

  She gave a small shrug, hid behind her knees for a moment then peeked back out.

  “Slayer sent me.”

  I pulled back involuntarily in shock. Did I hear her right?

  “Why would Slayer send you?” I managed to ask.

  “He usually protects me. He makes sure no one harms me.” She looked down at her closely bitten nails, as if reluctant to meet my eyes.

  “Then why did he send you?” Silence. Her shoulders drew in towards her chest and she seemed to want to curl up into a little ball. “Bethany, talk to me. Why did Slayer send you? Does he want you to tell me something?” Her eyes met mine at that last question. Was I on to something? “What does Slayer want you to tell me?”

  Her eyes gave me a pleading look, as though she was being forced to tell me something she didn’t want to. I felt helpless. Too much pressure would make her withdraw and I would never find out what she was trying to tell me. I wanted to reach out and touch her hand, but that was always a risk when dealing with any of the family members.

  “It’s ok,” I tried to reassure her, “you can tell me anything. It might help you. Maybe it will help all of you.”

  She took another moment to think before she gradually opened her mouth in a whisper.

  “I was there the night it happened.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  I felt myself tense at her words. What night? Was she talking about the night of Barbara’s death? Was there even more to that night I didn’t know? I kept my questions to myself and fought for patience. Don’t push her, I had to remind myself, she was very fragile and was prone to disappear easily. Hopefully, if I was careful, she would explain on her own.

  “Slayer wants me to tell you about that night, but I really don’t want to. It scares me to think about it. I’ve tried to forget but they’ve made me the Memory Keeper. He says I have to tell you.” Her shoulders started to shake slightly. I could tell this was very hard for her. “I don’t want to. I don’t want to remember.”

  “Start at the beginning,” I suggested calmly.

  She didn’t speak immediately. She wrapped her arms around herself and started rocking back and forth a bit. The steady, consistent rhythm seemed to sooth her. Her voice was a soft whisper when she spoke.

  “I was really excited that night. I had been looking forward to it for weeks. I had my costume all ready. I was going to dress as the Bride of Frankenstein.” This threw me. She was talking about something completely different than what I had thought. I kept my confusion to myself and let her continue. “There was a party I was invited to and I was happy and scared about it. It was my first boy/girl party.”

  I was struggling to wrap my mind around the night she was referring to. Could it possibly be? Was she talking about that Halloween night? The one that had caused the change in Barbara?

  “I was all dressed and ready to go, but at the last minute, Barbara said I couldn’t go. She said we had other plans. We were going to the house of a friend of hers in Salt Lake. I remember being so angry at her. I didn’t speak to her the entire way there. It turned out to be a friend of ours that we used to do the medieval festivals with. Their house was all decorated for Halloween. If I still hadn’t been so mad at Barbara, I would have thought it was pretty cool.”

  She gave a slight smile here but it gradually faded away, only to be replaced by a hollow, haunted look.

  “It was fun at first. Everyone was dressed up and there were all kinds of food. But later on, as it grew closer to midnight, they decided to have a séance.” Her eyes grew hooded and it was evident she was forcing herself to get this out. “Someone brought out an Ouija board. I didn’t want to join in, but Barbara made me. She said it was just harmless fun.”

  She pushed up her sleeves and rubbed her arms. I could see the goose bumps rising on her pale skin. She wasn’t even looking at me now, her gaze was far off, back into the past.

  “It was a very old house. They said it was haunted. There was an old family legend about a violent death that had occurred in that house a long time ago. A man had viciously killed his wife there many years ago. They told this scary story about how she still haunted the house. That it wasn’t just her but other evil things happened in that house. They were calling for the spirits of the house to talk to us.”

  She took a deep, shaky breath, as if forcing
herself to continue.

  “Nothing much happened at first. The board shook a little, then the table. I thought it was just someone in the circle trying to scare the rest of us. I thought it was over. I asked Barbara if we could go home. It was then that she challenged the spirits.”

  Her hand reached out and grabbed one of mine. Her skin was ice cold and clammy. It was a grip of fear and desperation. I tried not to jump at the cool sensation of her skin against mine.

  “Barbara actually called out the spirit. She said she didn’t believe in ghosts or spirits or demons. She wanted proof. She demanded proof. She said she refused to leave until she got proof. What happened next….I can’t explain….I can’t…”

  Her voice trailed to silence and she seemed frozen in place. Her hand covering mine became limp and lifeless. Her eyes were blank and expressionless. I began to get alarmed. Should I call out to the doctors next door? Was she ok?

  I was about to call for help when her hand moved. Very deliberately, she removed her hand from mine. Her eyes darkened and focused. Her body stopped shaking, came under complete control. Her feet dropped to the floor, her shoulders straightened, and grew rigid.

  “She won’t tell us much more.” It was Slayer’s voice talking to me now. Before, I had been so frightened of him. His voice was cold and lifeless. I hadn’t been prepared to deal with him. This time I listened and heard something different. There was emotion in his voice, concern. He was concerned for Bethany. He was her protector. Maybe he wasn’t as threatening as I had first thought.

  “What do you think happened that night, Slayer?” He seemed just slightly more approachable than before. “What do you want me to know?”

  “I think Barbara challenged someone or something that night. Something that shouldn’t have been disturbed.” His eyes were so dark now they were almost black. I found myself gripping the leather cushion beneath me as the words he spoke sunk in. “I think whatever she provoked stayed with her, came into her.”

  “Was it Atrus Dracona?” I whispered.

  His dark eyes glowed with satisfaction. He nodded as if pleased I was putting it all together.

  “What more can you tell me?” I urged.

  “Keep looking. You have access to more information than we do here.” He gazed around the room as if surveying his territory. I didn’t miss the look of distain he had as he glanced towards the large mirror. He knew who was on the other side. His focus came back to me.

  “Why are you trying to help me?” I asked.

  “You need to find the truth. When you find the truth you’ll understand.” With those cryptic words I watched as his eyes lightened and his body relaxed.

  “Wait! Don’t go, Slayer,” I wanted to know more. There had to be more he could tell me.

  “Don’t bother, sweets,” the bright, jewel green eyes sparkled at me. She lounged across the couch like a lazy feline. “He’s long gone.”

  I was coming to recognize Sophie a bit more now, at least her tone of voice. She enjoyed playing with me, and that, if nothing else, differentiated her from Lisbeth. I wondered if she realized it. She laid her head back against the arm of the couch, brought her feet up onto the cushion next to me and gave me a sly smile.

  “What do you want, Sophie?” I tried not to show how reluctant I was to deal with her.

  “I don’t like it.” She folded her arms across her thin chest.

  “What is it you don’t like?” I felt like crossing my arms and digging my heels in too.

  Without warning, she bounded to her feet like an energetic child. She gave me a half smile and began walking towards the door.

  “Wait, Sophie, where are you going?” I stood up, ready to follow.

  “This visit is now officially over.” She was at the door and had her hand on the handle, ready to leave.

  “Can I talk to Lisbeth before you go?” I suggested.

  “No, you’ve learned enough for one day.” She opened the door and walked though it and out into the hall. “You’ve learned too much.”

  And with that she was gone.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  “What in the hell is this Atrus Dracona?” Dr. Ross met me at the door and demanded before I could even exit the room. My mind was still processing what I had learned from the visit. I walked past him without answering and proceeded down the hall towards the “debriefing” room. Sophie was long gone. She was probably back in her room by now. “Will you answer me?” He demanded again.

  “I’d rather not have to repeat myself,” I answered calmly as I entered the conference room and took a seat at the long oval table. The usual faces were there along with a few new ones. A large video screen took up one wall and I could see that they were already rewinding the footage of me and Lisbeth and our “session”. She screen was actually split in four with four different angles. I only just realized that new cameras must have been installed and hidden in the room for them to get this many views of the two of us. I tried not to feel violated.

  Dr. Ross seemed to regain control of himself as he came before his staff and took a seat at the head of the table in the chair nearest the screen. He straightened his black and red striped tie in an effort to calm down. The rest of the staff, residents and med students I would guess, were itching to start the barrage of questions. They must have had enough experience with Dr. Ross to know they needed to wait for him to speak first.

  “Ms. Stewart,” he addressed me although he didn’t look at me. He was too busy looking at the laptop in front of him. “Would you please identify the different personas present during your session today?”

  He was going to work his way around to the question he really wanted an answer to. That was ok. I was willing to be patient. I was still thinking through things myself.

  “Lisbeth was there first to greet me,” I had been through this before, kind of knew what to expect. I gave them enough information to appease them and kept to myself anything I didn’t think they needed to know. “After that it was Bethany.”

  “Yes, Bethany,” Dr. Ross interrupted. “She’s one of the child personalities. Twelve or so if I remember correctly.” He liked to show his knowledge to his staff. It made him sound like an expert. It made him sound like a pompous, arrogant jerk to me. “She made a reference to another personality during your conversation, didn’t she?”

  “She spoke of Slayer,” I answered with a nod, saying no more.

  His eyes lit up as he spoke to the other staff members.

  “See! Proof that the different personalities are aware of each other and may even communicate with each other. Fascinating! Make sure you’re including that in your documentation.” He followed his own advice and began typing notes into his laptop. “Now, I wanted to focus on a certain area of your discussion with this Bethany. She was relating a memory I would guess. Something about a Halloween party. Please elaborate.”

  It wasn’t a request but an order. He knew very well every word we had discussed. He just wanted to look superior and to see how much more he could get out of me. Well, I could be pretty stubborn.

  “It was an incident that happened when she was about sixteen. Elizabeth and her mother, Barbara, went to a Halloween party. You heard the same things I did.” I crossed my arms and settled back into the office chair, volunteering no more.

  Dr. Ross gave me a look of frustration.

  “She also mentioned a séance,” he prodded. I simply nodded in agreement and didn’t say more. I could almost hear him grinding his teeth further down the table. “There was a point that she seemed frightened and wouldn’t say anything more about the incident. I believe Slayer came in at this point.”

  I knew where he was heading. I wasn’t going to help him. I just nodded again and waited for him to push. His complexion started to get blotchy and he fought to keep his irritation in check.

  “Please explain to us what Atrus Dracona is.” Again, not a request but an order.

  I took a deep breath, knowing I couldn’t push him much further
without a scene. He’d probably find out eventually anyway. Especially since Mark Jacobs seemed to have such a big mouth. It made it a little easier to speak to the room at large instead of him.

  “I’ve been doing some research with one of the detectives on the case.” The different faces around the room looked eager to hear more. A quick glance at Dr. Ross showed his face growing redder. He didn’t like information withheld from him, I knew. “We’re still piecing things together and it’s still a lot of guess work. We have a theory that something happened the night of that séance. There’s a chance, as crazy as it may seem,” I almost wanted to laugh when I said this, considering the company I was in, “that Barbara may have become possessed that night.”

  There, I said it, it was out. I watched the ripple of shock go around the room then the mass confusion of questions and mad jotting of notes in notebooks. Arguments ensued between colleagues. Possession? Had they heard me right? Was possession even real?

  It was a long standing argument in the psychiatric community as to whether possession by a “demon” was real or just another form of what Lisbeth had, dissociative identity disorder. Psychiatrists didn’t want to believe in devils and demons. It wasn’t something they could define and control. It wasn’t something you could medicate someone for. And most doctors definitely didn’t want to dwell anywhere near the realm of religion.

  “Just one moment,” Dr. Ross fought for control of the room. “Please, everyone, let’s get to the bottom of this.”

  He gave his staff a minute to calm down before he turned his icy stare on me. He wanted me to feel like a bug under a microscope. I allowed him to feel a moment of superiority.

  “You can’t possibly be trying to tell us that you think Barbara Marshall, the deceased mother of our patient, was possessed? By what? A devil? A demon?” His voice was incredulous, condescending. It was obvious he wanted to make a fool of me. I took a subtle glance at my watch to note the time then moved forward.

  “We’ve discovered a journal Barbara began shortly after this séance. She describes all the signs of being possessed.” The whispering began again. Dr. Ross held his hand up for silence.