Azrael's Twins and the Circle of Stone: Book Two of the Nearworld Tales

by Vincent Mortimer

  ‘Can we trust you?’ said Grady, without any pretence at politeness.

  ‘Let’s see what happens.’

  Grady huffed to himself and squeezed Niamh’s hand. ‘Ready?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes,’ said Niamh.

  The change was immediate. The linking of the two Twins filled the minds of Grady and Niamh in the same way it had in the circle of stone. The overwhelming rush of energy was not absorbed by the heat of battle this time, and the children’s hearts beat suddenly faster.

  But the change to the words on the pages in front of them was powerful and immediate. The unintelligible scrawl began to resolve itself at once. Words began to form themselves, rolling down the page as if uncovered for the first time. The children began to read as darkness entombed the castle …

  Congratulations. You have taken the first step along a truly magical journey. As you have worked out by now the words you are about to read are not meant for anyone other than yourselves. I know that if you can read them that the Twins either live within you or have taken you over. Either way it is not important. The Twins can do what must be done or you will do it for them.

  By now I am probably dead. If things have gone the way Manannan Mac Lir foretold, on a night when a blood moon and Lughnasadh fell together, then the Morrigan is also dead. That is good. I know for a fact that she is not the one reading these words. The words here cannot be read by one alone. And they cannot be read by two who are not family. Most importantly the words here cannot be read unless the power of the Twins resides within the reader. That means you are creatures of trust which the Morrigan most certainly was not. For what you are about to embark upon will require you to trust many. In some cases your trust will be well placed. In other cases I don’t doubt your trust will be misplaced. In those cases when you understand your trust has been betrayed, do not panic. You would not be reading these words if you were not resourceful. That means you can overcome adversity and you will face many, many more days of adversity in the future.

  The information you are about to read was known by only a few, most of whom are already long dead. The spells woven over these words are necessary to protect those that should not know because only the power of the Twins could hope to be a match to the task required. Those that know the secret are beyond the cares of this world but are still part of the world. Help may come from unexpected places.

  The world you live in today once had many passages connecting it to the old world. Among them were four special doorways. Only those doorways could unite the magic of the old world with this world. You know by now the madness to which that would lead. I feel certain that between you and the trolls you have destroyed one of these doorways, the circle of stone. I feel this because the trolls, as creators of that doorway, knew the mistake they made in a bargain they struck with the Morrigan. But they, like me, knew that when the power of the Twins was close, the Morrigan would show herself and try to take that power in the one place she could – the circle of stone. The end of that witch and the end of the circle was necessary to complete that work.

  But now my time is done and the task of destroying the final three doorways falls to you. But, there is a problem. I do not know where the remaining doorways now lie. Unlike the circle of stone, they are ephemeral and cannot be found in the same place twice. I could tell you what they were but that would be pointless. I can tell you that one is built from the power of Water, one is built from the power of Fire, and the final gateway, the one you will find hardest to destroy, is made from Air. Some creatures in this world say Spirit rather than Air is the final element. That may be something you should remember in your quest.

  Your destiny, the reason you are reading these words, is to make two worlds safe. Evil has a way of creeping and growing and no matter how much we would like to think it can be driven from the world, it will always return. The night of the blood moon was believed by many, with an evil persuasion, to be the night that marked the start of the reuniting of the magic of the old world with the new world. If they did not succeed in doing that tonight then be sure they will try again.

  One of the unfortunate things about destiny is it has a way of creeping up on you. If you choose not to seek out the last doorways you will find that they will seek you. It is inevitable when you wield the powers that burn brightly within you. Destiny will be attracted to you like insects around a flame. So, you can choose not to act, but action will be demanded of you, eventually. It may not be tomorrow, it may not be for a year or ten years. But eventually you will have to act.

  You have a special bond now with the Twins. But you should also know, you probably already do, that the Twins will continue to grow in power as they live within you. There may come a time when they will try to overwhelm you. So be ready when they test you and remember the bond they have, and the power they can wield, is only outstripped by one other power. I will not say what that is here. I know that they can see these words too and I will not give them a clue. It is your greatest gift, and their greatest weakness. It is something they can never understand as you can. It is a power that extends beyond and between worlds. Use this special power of yours well and know it will be an unbreakable magic. It needs no wand, and it needs no incantations. It is beyond the magic of the Twins.

  So now you know the secret of my final chapter. I wish I could give you better news. All it seems I have done is given you tasks that must appear, to you at least, beyond your ability and given you nothing to use in your tasks other than vague direction and cryptic advice. Be strong in your belief. Understand your powers will grow as the Twins grow stronger. And be ready to play your part. But be under no illusions. This world, and the old world, faces a threat greater now than anyone realises. The death of the Morrigan, and the destruction of the circle of stone, will be a clarion call for some. You two are the harbingers of doom for this world, and its only chance of salvation.

  I wish you well. And above all, I wish you … Love.

  The children’s eyes lingered on the final sentence for a few moments before a ghostly wind swirled through the room. The book covers slammed together with the sound of a tomb being shut. The wind grew louder and more violent, tearing at the children’s clothes and hair. It began to howl as the book was lifted into the air and started to evaporate as if it were sand being stripped from a dune in the desert. Fragments spiralled up and out of the window before vanishing into the night sky. In seconds there was nothing left but the buckles that had kept the book bound. They hovered in the air, trembling, until, as the wind died, they dropped to the ground with a clatter.

  Niamh reached for Grady’s hand but found herself unable to move her arm. ‘What are you doing!’ she screamed silently at Persephone.

  An echoing reply from two voices, not one, sent chills through Niamh. ‘You read Azrael’s words. And you willingly gave yourselves over to us. My brother and I will not be cast off again. Now that Azrael is gone, who is here to protect us? Or you?’ The laugh that followed drifted from sanity to madness and back again.

  Niamh panicked as she found herself trapped within her own mind. But a bright flame began to burn its way into her vision and another voice broke through the laughter.

  ‘Niamh! I’m here! Take my hand now!!’

  Without thinking Niamh reached towards the flames. They surrounded her, threatening to consume her before, abruptly, they vanished. Control of her own mind flowed over her as she felt Persephone’s power vanish. The two disembodied spirits screamed loudly as they were shunted away from the power they sought.

  Grady turned to his sister and breathed deeply. ‘They really need to see someone about that laugh. That’s not natural,’ he said, collapsing to the floor.

  ‘How did you do that?’ said Niamh.

  ‘I worked out what Azrael was talking about. He’s right. We do have a gift that is stronger than the Twins. For now at least.’

  ‘What gift?’ said Niamh, feeling irrationally annoyed her brother had worked it out before her.
<
br />   ‘Family. It’s the power of family. The Twins can’t understand it. They aren’t human so they don’t know what it’s like. They are strong, but what holds them together isn’t what holds us together.’

  ‘You are right,’ said a voice from behind them. The children spun round to see Brighid slowly appearing in her trademark style of arrival.

  ‘Have you been there all the time?’ said Niamh angrily.

  ‘No,’ said Brighid. ‘But I felt something happening. I knew, or guessed, you were up to something in here. But I also knew it was for you alone to work out. I didn’t want to interrupt. But now I think you know the secrets Azrael kept only for you two. And the book is gone.’

  ‘You knew about the book?’

  ‘Yes Niamh. I knew about it.’

  ‘We’ve been used. Haven’t we?’ said Grady. Anger flushed his cheeks as the meaning of the secrets revealed began to sink in. ‘You’re pushing us to do what you want.’

  ‘You always have a choice,’ said Brighid calmly. ‘You can choose not to do what Azrael wants.’

  ‘It’s not just Azrael though, is it. It’s you guys too. You’re all using us. And Azrael said we don’t have a choice. That we have to try and close the doorways.’

  Brighid’s mood darkened. ‘The doorways are not something you should mention. Ever.’

  ‘You mean keep secrets to ourselves? Like all of you have?’

  ‘The doorways are a secret about which not even your parents know. For now that should stay as it is, though they will work it out, eventually.’

  ‘How do you know about the doorways if the secret was only for Grady and me?’ said Niamh.

  ‘There are few secrets in this world that I do not know, Niamh,’ said Brighid patiently. ‘Do you recall Bel telling you he was here long before time could be remembered and will be here long after?’

  The children nodded.

  ‘Well that’s what my memory is also like. I have memories not just of today but of tomorrow and the future beyond that.’

  ‘So you know what’s going to happen!’ said Grady accusingly. ‘You’re herding us towards what you want!’

  Brighid shook her head. ‘It doesn’t work like that. I can see many futures but I do not know which one will be yours. In some futures destroying the doorways causes great damage. In others it saves worlds. I do not know which one is for us. Only you can make that choice for us.

  ‘Why don’t you tell us where they are? You must know that?’ said Grady.

  Brighid shook her head. ‘As Azrael will have told you, the doorways never appear in the same place twice. And I have so many memories of the future that it would be impossible to test every possible location I see.’

  ‘How many different futures can you see?’ said Niamh.

  ‘I can see forever,’ said Brighid cryptically. ‘But I don’t share everything I know. It would cause too much confusion for those that don’t have the experience of living now, and in the future, and in the past. My world is not something you can imagine. But I can see something has changed, something for which we had not bargained.’

  ‘So we either do something about the doorways now or we’ll be forced into it later? Destiny will take its course?’

  ‘Destiny is what you choose to make it. But I wonder. If you felt you could change the world, that you had the skills and the opportunity, would you do it?’

  The children said nothing.

  ‘Well, the choice is yours,’ said Brighid. ‘The way you choose to face it, and those whom you ask to face it with you, is up to you. But right now your present is about to come crashing in on you. Your parents are outside the door.’ A knock on the door echoed around the room as if on cue. ‘Think about it,’ said Brighid as she began to fade.

  ‘We will,’ said Niamh, glaring at the phoenix. ‘We will.’

  Morning broke over a castle that was already awash with activity. The coaches for the return journey and the dragons ready to pull them were lined up before sunlight touched the battlements.

  Niamh was turned roughly out of bed, though sleep had been hard to find. What sleep she had found was peppered with dreams – or nightmares – of a ghoulish Morrigan returning with bow in hand to hunt them down, and of Azrael standing to one side, smiling.

  Niamh eventually made her way to the breakfast table and found the room empty except for Grady. ‘I had the worst dreams,’ she said, a little groggily, as castle faeries appeared with breakfast bowls and food.

  ‘You too?’ said Grady. ‘Her, and Azrael?’

  Niamh nodded. ‘I still don’t know whether he was on our side or not.’ She took a virulent coloured berry smoothie from a faerie that appeared by her side. ‘Well, we’re both here,’ she said. ‘We still have all our arms and legs, and we know a secret only Brighid knows about. I think. But it can’t stay that way.’

  ‘I’ve been wondering about that,’ said Grady. ‘I think you’re thinking the same thing.’

  Niamh nodded. ‘Probably. We can’t trust the Twins, we can’t trust our parents, we have a task to do that we can’t escape from, and if we don’t do something about it ourselves then we’ll be chased down by weird, stupid forces of destiny. Oh, and the fate of this world and the world we came from hangs on what we do. And so your plan is?’

  As if in answer a knock on the door was followed by the entrance of Quinn. Bree and Tulliah were close behind along with Hugh and Devin. A sound from the balcony made Niamh turn sharply. Two hooded elves had landed. Eilidia and Alliandra stepped through the door, pushed their cowls back to reveal their faces, and bowed in their stiffly formal way.

  Niamh turned and gave Grady a squinty-eyed look. ‘You must have been up early to get this organised.’

  ‘Guilty as charged,’ said Grady.

  ‘What’s up?’ said Hugh, grabbing a spare plateful of honey-laden toast. ‘It’s not often I get an iWand message from Grady before the sun’s up.’

  ‘Help yourself,’ said Niamh, watching with disgust as Hugh forced the exceedingly large piece of toast into his mouth.

  ‘Don’t mind if I do,’ said Hugh, spraying crumbs.

  Grady smiled as Niamh dodged a flying morsel. He turned to Quinn. ‘Before we start, can you do your bug check thing on the room?’

  ‘Sure,’ he said, drawing his wand and casting the spell. The glow from the charm sank into the stone around the room but no signs of mischievous spells could be seen. ‘You won’t have long before that wears off.’

  ‘Right,’ said Grady, stretching and cracking his knuckles. ‘We need …’

  ‘Grady!’ said Niamh urgently, grabbing her brother’s arm. ‘We can’t tell them everything. Brighid told us not to!’

  ‘I know. But Azrael said we will need to trust many. So I’m starting now. Besides, they don’t need to know everything. Just enough will do the trick.’

  ‘Is this what we’ve become? Hiding things from our friends?’

  ‘We can’t do this alone,’ said Grady aloud, while holding Niamh’s eye. ‘We’ve a job to do, and we need friends to do it.’

  ‘A job?’ said Eilidia, cocking her head. ‘What sort of job could we possibly do for you?’

  ‘Let me guess,’ said Hugh. ‘Little likelihood of you knowing what we’re really in for, and high risk of evil witches, wizards, monsters and mythical creatures creating near-death situations for us?’

  Niamh sat with her mouth open, searching for words.

  ‘Thought so,’ said Hugh.

  ‘How did you know?’ said Niamh.

  ‘You seem to have acquired a bad habit since you arrived of weird things following you around. It wasn’t exactly hard to figure out. When do we start?’

  Niamh was lost for words again but eventually broke into a smile.

  ‘I think we should sit down,’ said Eilidia, gracefully settling into one of the chairs around the breakfast table.

  ‘I think you should too,’ said Niamh. She took a deep breath and began. ‘As Grady said, we have a problem. And w
e need your help …’

  The End

  But…

  Niamh and Grady will return

  in

  Azrael’s Twins

  and the Path of the Oceans