Nine Steps to Sara

by Olsen, Lisa

  Patience, it will all be over soon.

  “Don’t worry, Sara. It’ll all be over soon,” Will echoed at her ear, bringing the dagger up high, clenched tight in her hand.

  “Please… no,” Sara sobbed, pulling as hard as she could.

  “I love you, Sara,” Will whispered, laying a kiss to her cheek even as Sara turned away in disgust. “Run,” he hissed. Releasing her at the last moment, Will neatly sliced through the ropes that bound Jack to the slab of stone. Momentarily stunned, Sara stared in shock as he scooped Jack into his arms. “Run!” he repeated, grabbing for her wrist. In the space of a heartbeat, they were off like a shot, disappearing into the dark forest while the circle gaped after them in dismay.

  “After him! We need the boy to complete the sacrifice!” Thomas ordered, and the others scattered into the woods in hot pursuit.

  Barely able to catch her breath at the pace Will set, Sara stumbled after him as best she could, difficult going between the drugs still in her system and the brambles and burrs that cut her tender feet.

  “I can’t… I can’t…” Sara panted finally, unable to keep up with him, even with Gemma’s energy giving her a boost.

  Will’s face loomed in the darkness, looking back fearfully. “We have to keep moving, they’ll be after us.”

  “I’m slowing you down, you’ll make much better time without me,” she shook her head, leaning heavily against a tree.

  “I won’t make any time because I’m not leaving you behind,” he growled. “I’ll carry you if I have to.” Will shifted Jack to one shoulder, looking for the best way to pick her up but Sara laid a hand on his arm.

  “Then we’ll all be caught,” she shook her head again. “Keep Jack safe, we’ll split up and meet back at the house.”

  “I won’t leave you here, Sara,” he insisted stubbornly.

  “Even if they catch me, they won’t hurt me, they need me, remember? Just go, keep Jack safe, he’s what matters.”

  Will hesitated as long as he dared, necessity making the decision for him. “Head for those lights. If you have to stop, try to find the shelter of a tree or rock and make yourself as small as possible.”

  “I will, just go, be safe.”

  With a last look of worry, Will took off, loping through the darkness which swallowed him up after a few feet. More than anything Sara wanted to lie down and rest, curl up into a little ball and wait for help to find her. But what if Will didn’t make it to safety? What if it was up to her to call for help? Then again, who could she call? She hadn’t seen the faces of the Nine apart from Marwick and Thomas; who could she trust?

  Forcing herself upright, Sara doggedly trudged for the house. The lights in the distance became the sole focus of her world. One foot in front of the other, step after step as every muscle shook with fatigue; the forest floor bitterly cold on her bare feet. Grateful for the scratchy robe, she pulled up the hood, all the better to camouflage her from pursuit and the punishing wind that howled through the trees.

  A crack of thunder boomed ominously in the distance, and Sara’s heart skipped a beat when a jagged bolt of lightning illuminated the sky in a flash of indigo. Seconds later, the lights she’d been so focused on reaching flickered and died, leaving her with no compass.

  “There, I see her!”

  The call sounded behind her, closer than she would have liked, and Sara picked up the pace again, no longer caring what direction she went as long as it was away from her pursuers. Stumbling blindly through the darkness, she became quickly disoriented, panic feeding her frantic steps. Rain fell from the sky in sheets, quickly turning the ground to mud and plastering the robe to her body.

  This way, Gemma’s voice urged, and Sara suddenly felt the right path, changing direction mid step. Sara imagined she saw movement from every dark corner, dreading capture at every step. When a pair of strong arms seized her from the side, she sucked in a breath to scream, only realizing at the last second it was Will who pulled her aside.

  “Where’s Jack?” she sobbed, seeing him empty handed.

  “Shh, he’s safe. Come with me.” Tugging her around an enormous fallen tree, he pulled back a mass of tangled roots and thrust her inside where Jack crouched, pale and shivering.

  “Jack! Are you alright?” Sara strained to see him in the darkness, gathering him into her embrace to feel for broken bones or scrapes.

  “I want to go home,” he whimpered weakly, head lolling heavily.

  “I know, baby, just stay quiet, we’re not out of the woods yet.” Literally.

  “Here, give him my coat,” Will shrugged out of his jacket, wrapping it around the both of them. “I’m sorry if I scared you, but they’re not far behind us and I lost my way in the rain. It seemed safer to hole up and let them pass us by. Sara, I’m so sorry about all of this. Please believe me when I say I had no idea they ever intended to harm Jack.”

  A flash of lightning illuminated the hidey hole and Sara caught a glimpse of Will’s earnest face, drawn with sorrow. “But you did know something was up, didn’t you?” That much was clear in the way Thomas had brought him into his plans.

  “I only knew they were desperate to make you stay at Darling Park; I had no idea why. You believe me, don’t you? The moment I found out what they intended I tried to help as best I could, but I didn’t know where they were keeping Jack.”

  Ask him why he came to Darling Park. Gemma’s voice was subdued, and Sara had almost forgotten she was still around.

  “Gemma wants to know why you came to Darling Park,” Sara asked softly, but Will pressed a finger to her lips, signaling her to be quiet.

  “I’m going to lead them away from here, sit tight,” Will whispered, slipping out of the small space before she could protest, disappearing into the rain.

  Shouts could be heard, closing fast, and Sara waited, heart pounding in her ears as she prayed for them to pass. A figure blocked what little light they had, and Sara clapped a hand over her own mouth to stifle the gasp of fear that threatened to escape.

  Lightning flashed, illuminating the pinched features of Mrs. Poole, squinting in the darkness at the same instant her eyes found Sara. The two stared at each other, neither speaking nor moving as the rain sluiced over the housekeeper, starting to fill the bottom of the hidey hole with water.

  “Ellie!”

  Sara recognized Thomas’ bellow in the distance, and she cradled Jack to her, prepared to fight tooth and nail to keep him safe.

  “I’ve found them, they’re over here,” Mrs. Poole called out, eyes still on Sara in her bower. “This way, I saw them this way,” she called out, moving away from the tree, leading the searchers in a different direction to Sara’s utter shock. With a final glance back over her shoulder, she trudged off into the night.

  “Momma, I’m cold.” The chatter of Jack’s teeth brought Sara back from her stunned stupor. The ground reached its saturation point, and already a few inches of water gathered at the base of the tree. They couldn’t stay put much longer or risk hypothermia.

  “Alright baby, I’ll get you home, I promise. Can you put your arms around my neck?” Pleased to feel him comply weakly, Sara pushed their way out the tree’s shelter, shifting to keep Will’s coat covering as much of Jack as possible as she stepped into the rain.

  Determined to make it back to the house, Sara set off, again feeling she was headed in the right direction. The rest of the trek passed in a blur of rain and wind; Sara’s feet numb with cold and worse by the time she spotted a flicker of light up ahead. The warm glow of the house offered the golden radiance of sanctuary, both near and yet impossibly far at the same time as she quickened her pace.

  “We’re almost there, Jack. Almost home.”

  Only it wasn’t the flicker of lights from the house that greeted Sara when she stepped through the trees, but the remains of the bonfire, partially sheltered from the rain by an ancient, gnarled, oak tree. She’d inadvertently brought them right back to where they started from. “Gemma,” she sighed
accusingly. “I thought you were taking us home!” The ghost gave no reply, and Sara faltered as the strength fled her limbs. “Gemma?”

  Thomas stepped out from behind the tallest of the standing stones, a look of indescribable triumph on his face. “Hello, my Lady.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “Thomas,” Sara gasped, feet slipping in the mud in her haste to back up.

  “I knew there was no sense in mucking through the woods all night; not when the dark ones would lead you here soon enough. Give the boy to me.”

  “The hell I will,” Sara clutched him all that much tighter, feeling Jack’s heart beating fast like a rabbit next to hers.

  “I mean to have him, one way or another. His blood is the only way to restore order here.” A crack of thunder punctuated his words, the flash of lightning following scant seconds later. “Don’t you feel it in the air? The gate has been opened; a sacrifice is demanded.”

  Sara edged away, keeping the stone altar between them as Thomas advanced, making a slow circle. “If you’re so keen on spilling blood go ahead and open up your own vein, who’s stopping you?”

  “It must be the firstborn of the Darling line, and it must be by your hand.” His foot brushed against the dagger, lying forgotten in the mud and Thomas bent to retrieve it. “Listen to reason, my Lady. You can easily have another child; have ten for all I care. All we require is this one, little sacrifice and a lifetime of prosperity and wealth will be ours,” his voice took on a sing song, placating tone, at direct odds with the way he brandished the knife.

  “Are you deaf or just dumb? I won’t do it! There is nothing in heaven or on Earth that would make me spill a drop of my child’s blood, get it through your thick skull! I will never sacrifice him!” Sara yelled up into the sky.

  A crack of lightning rent the air in answer, splitting the stone altar in two with a shower of sparks and sulfur. “No!” Thomas staggered back as if he’d been struck, staring uncomprehendingly at the smoking slab of stone. “What have you done, you traitorous bitch? I’ll kill you for this!” Nothing to hold him back, he stalked towards her, the knife gleaming wetly in his hand.

  Sara backed up, surprised to find the largest of the standing stones at her back, stumbling as she lost her footing.

  Release me.

  “I can’t do it, I can’t break it,” Sara sobbed aloud, feet slipping in the mud.

  Release me now! Gemma implored and Sara held the bloodstone pendant up, brandishing it like a weapon in front of her.

  “What’s that?” Thomas chortled. “You’ll need more than a trinket to save you now.”

  “I have more than a trinket,” Sara replied, holding it high. “I have family.” With a sweeping arc, she brought the pendant down as hard as she could to crash against the standing stone. The bloodstone fragmented into tiny shards upon impact and Sara slumped to the ground as she felt Gemma leave her body.

  “I am free!” Gemma declared triumphantly, her voice echoing through the trees. Thomas stood stock still, the color draining from his face as he heard the ghostly voice. As they watched, a shimmering light coalesced between them and Gemma took form, her image flickering at first, but growing stronger as she advanced on Thomas. “I will put an end to this ancient evil once and for all,” she promised grimly.

  “You… you can’t do anything to me, you’re n-not real,” Thomas stammered, though he did give way and back up a step or two.

  “For generations I have watched the Nine steal the lifeblood of this family, but no longer. However, you are right, a sacrifice is demanded,” her eyes flashed wildly as a terrible smile curved Gemma’s lips. With a scream like a banshee, Gemma threw up her arms, and in the same instant lightning struck again, severing a branch from the ancient oak. Thomas had only time to raise his hands and turn away, but they offered little protection as the limb crushed him to the ground. Gemma’s image dissipated with the effort, but her triumphant cry still rang in Sara’s ears.

  Sara sat huddled against the stone, clutching Jack protectively in her arms, too weak to do more. Dimly she registered that Thomas was down if not dead, and with the stone altar destroyed Jack was safe, but she was too tired to care. What she really should do was get up and get Jack home and out of the rain before they both got pneumonia, but without Gemma’s strength, her body gave out and she succumbed to the drugs in her system. The last fleeting thought to cross her mind was that she hoped to God it was Will who found her and not the rest of the Nine.

  “Have no fear, Sara. I shall watch over you both,” Gemma’s voice floated to her on the breeze as the wind died down and the rain reduced to a drizzle. Giving up the fight, Sara closed her eyes and surrendered to sweet oblivion.

  *

  In the hours that followed, Sara was hazily aware of being pulled into Will’s arms, but even in her weakened state she resisted releasing of Jack until she heard Gemma’s voice urging her to let go. The next thing she knew she was warm and dry, tucked between the clean white sheets of her own bed. Poked and prodded, she drowsed through an examination, barely able to coherently answer the questions put to her. She heard Will telling them what happened, but it sounded like he was telling someone else’s story, not hers. Could she really have survived all that?

  When she next opened her eyes, it was late afternoon. Will slumped in a chair beside the bed, asleep; his hand covering hers. Though it all had taken on a nightmarish quality and Sara was hardly sure what part was real and what part was dream, one question swam to the forefront of her memory. Why had he come to Darling Park? Slowly, she pulled her hand from his, unsure if she could trust him.

  Will startled awake at the movement, rubbing his eyes blearily as he got his bearings. “Hey, sleepyhead,” he smiled. “It’s about time you’re finally awake, we were about to send for the doctor again.”

  “Marwick is here?” Sara clutched the coverlet, eyes widening in alarm.

  “No! Not Marwick, he’s been arrested along with the others. It’s a doctor from Dorcester. I wanted to take you to hospital, but he said you just needed some rest.”

  “And Jack, where’s Jack? Is he alright?”

  “He’s fine, Sara. A little groggy, but fine all the same. Doctor says he’ll make a full recovery, probably won’t even remember any of it thanks to the drug they used.”

  As if that was a good thing…

  “What about you? How much do you remember about what happened last night?”

  Nightmarish visions of being carried through the darkness… Will’s hand over hers; the knife held high, running through the woods in the rain… it was all a blur, except for Gemma’s unanswered question. “Why did you come to Darling Park?” Sara deflected his question with her own and Will blinked, clearly taken aback.

  “Why did I come here? To offer my services, as I said. Chauffeur, gardener, any way you’d have me,” he smiled.

  “No,” she licked her lips, wishing for a glass of water, but not trusting anyone to get it for her. “Why did you really come to Darling Park?” Sara held his gaze with hers, stomach dropping the instant he lost his smile and guilt flushed his cheeks.

  “I was hired on to see to it that you wanted to stay here; to make Darling Park your home.”

  “What were you supposed to do to get me to stay?”

  “Charm you, I suppose. Get you to fall in love with me and the idea of building a life here. I swear, I didn’t see the harm in it at first. Once I met you, it didn’t seem like a chore at all; I wanted you to like me.” Will reached for her hand again, but she pulled it away.

  “And the marriage proposal? The declaration of love? That was all master plan, right?”

  “Sara, it wasn’t a lie. I knew everything wasn’t as it should be here, I tried to get you to leave with me, remember?”

  “Get out.”

  “Sara please, if you’ll only listen…”

  “I said get out,” Sara couldn’t even look at him. A wave of nausea seized her stomach, and she wasn’t sure if it was the aftere
ffects of the drug or from his betrayal.

  “Sara…”

  A soft knock at the door interrupted, and Katie opened it a crack. “Begging your pardon, my Lady, but there’s a policeman come to see you. Shall I let him in or would you like me to send him away?”

  “Send him in please, Katie,” Sara replied, unable to look at the maid either. Had she been part of the plot? Would she ever feel safe again in her own home?

  Will rose and left the room without another word, giving a wide berth to the detective who entered. A plain man of middle years, he wore a plaid mackinaw over a brown suit, hat held in hand.

  “Sorry to bother you, my Lady. I’m Inspector Shaw, and I need a few minutes of your time to clear a few things up,” he waited respectfully by the door.

  “Of course, please come in, Inspector,” she sat up in the bed. Noting for the first time that she still wore the soft, peach nightgown, she pulled the covers a little higher.

  “Oh, you’re American, how lovely,” he smiled, revealing two dimples that for some strange reason made her feel more at ease.

  “Guilty,” she quipped weakly, trying to find her smile. “Have you seen my son, is he alright?”

  “Not personally, but I talked to Doctor Chapman, he says the boy is right as rain,” he gave her a reassuring smile.

  “Thank you,” Sara nodded, some of the nausea passing. “Will said you’d made some arrests, did you get everybody?”

  “As far as we know, my Lady. We’re still in the process of interrogating everyone. There might be a name or two that’s slipped by so far, but we’ll catch them right enough, mark my words.”

  “I wish I could be as sure of that. It’s been bothering me, who I can trust. I didn’t see their faces, except for Marwick and the Pooles. How do you know you got them all?” Not to mention anyone behind the scenes with guilty knowledge, like Mrs. Poole who hadn’t been one of the eight wearing robes, but involved up to her neck. And Will.

  “I can sympathize, but I assure you, we’ve rounded up the lot of bigguns. That old gaffer’s talking as if there was no tomorrow.”