by Tim Flanagan
‘I think the creature has climbed out of the chamber and is standing behind this door,’ said Georgia from beside the inner door, ‘I can hear it breathing against the wood.’
‘Get ready to open the door,’ Tracker said to Georgia as he pointed to the main entrance door. ‘Open it just enough so Steven can throw the shirt out, but close and lock it immediately.’
Georgia moved towards the outer door. She remembered what waited for them outside. Her hand hesitated on the key inside the lock; part of her didn’t dare unlock it. Her hand felt rigid and solid as if she didn’t have any control over it. She took a deep breath and began twisting the key, using every bit of strength she could find. The rusty metal lock slid out of the frame and the weight of the thick wooden door made it swing slightly towards them. Steven rolled up his shirt and threw it towards the left side of the path so that it wasn’t in front of the aerosol can. Georgia then pushed the door back into its frame and locked it again. Almost immediately three creatures dived onto the shirt from the roof of the ice house, followed by several more from the sky. Steven picked up the shotgun he had laid on the floor.
There was now scratching coming from the other side of the inner door.
‘Ready?' said Tracker to the other two. He pointed the gun through the gap in the door, held the gun firmly in the palm of his hand and squeezed the trigger. The bullet spun out of the barrel and almost immediately an explosion ripped through the air outside causing the door to rattle in its frame.
Georgia unlocked the door once again and they sprang out into the open air. The bodies of some of the creatures lay on the path, whilst others seemed to be limping or rolling on the ground wounded from the blast. Steven, Georgia and Tracker ran away from the ice house as fast as they could. Although the explosion had given them the opportunity to get out of the ice house, it didn’t take the creatures long to regroup. Georgia could see that some of the creatures that had been furthest from the blast were lifting themselves into the air ready to pursue them.
33. The Magic Portal
Edgar drove the car as fast as he could along the roads. The children held on tightly, as the rubber tires tried desperately to grip onto the road surface as they took the corners at speed. Scarlet sat in the passenger seat next to Edgar whilst the two boys were in the back, sliding from one side to the other.
‘Whose car is this?' asked Scarlet in a loud voice over the rev of the engine.
‘I don’t know, but he won’t be needing it any more,’ replied Edgar as he looked in the rear view mirror. He was sure that they were being followed by some of the Moon Stealers. Every now and then he caught glimpses of black shapes flying in the sky above. Luckily there didn’t appear to be any other cars on the road although Edgar still had to avoid ones that had been abandoned at awkward angles beside the road. Some cars had been driven into the ditch with their exhaust pipes sticking up into the air.
There was a heavy thud on the roof of the car. Scarlet screamed and jumped in her seat. Edgar quickly glanced up and saw a dent in the metal roof caused by whatever the falling object had been. Something had managed to land on the top of the moving car and Edgar had a pretty good idea what it might be. He swerved the car from left to right, swinging it from one side of the road to the other, trying to shake the creature from the roof. In one of the side mirrors he saw a black creature tumble off the top of the car and land against a parked car, causing the orange lights of the car alarm to flash repeatedly.
‘Phew, that was close,’ said Joe as he watched the creature from the back window.
‘Look out!' shouted Max to Edgar. He was pointing towards the front windscreen. Lit up in the headlights of the car was a Moon Stealer standing directly in the middle of the road, both its arms outstretched, the wings hanging down, its small round mouth open in a menacing way. But Edgar didn’t try to stop or swerve out of the way; instead he put his foot down even harder on the accelerator and lined the car up with the creature. As they got nearer and nearer, the children covered their eyes with their hands. Edgar drove straight into the Moon Stealer. The car jolted on impact and a splatter of fluid washed over the car. Edgar turned on the wipers and squirted the windscreen with the water jets and the glass quickly cleared again so he could see the road ahead.
Another metallic thud echoed from the roof of the car. The roof was starting to cave in meaning Joe and Max could not keep their heads upright. This time claws appeared on both sides of the car roof clamping the Moon Stealer tightly on. This creature would be harder to shake off than the first.
Edgar noticed that the paint on the bonnet of the car was beginning to blister and bubble from body fluids of the Moon Stealer he had driven into. They entered Parsley Bottom along
Harrogate Road past Manor Cottage, then swung hard to the right and into a smaller lane. From where they were the town appeared deserted. Although there were a few lights on in the houses, there was no one in sight. Wisps of grey smoke rose into the air from around the town but they didn’t appear to be coming from house chimneys, but from abandoned cars. ‘What’s happened?' asked Max with a tone of sadness in his voice.
‘We must keep going,’ replied Edgar firmly, ‘or we will end up the same as everyone that was on the train.’
Edgar did not hesitate or slow the car, but continued past the church and followed the lane up the hill between two fields of farmland. They drove over a small bridge causing the car to leap slightly into the air, before continuing towards the faerie ring at the top of the hill.
As Edgar pulled the car to a standstill, the tires skidding on loose dirt. He opened the door and drew his sword in one swift movement. Before the creature on the roof had chance to jump off, Edgar had detached its head from the rest of the body and was running round to the passenger door. He could see the dark shapes of other Moon Stealers in the sky above them. Scarlet had already opened the passenger door and was starting to climb out.
‘Don’t touch the car!' shouted Edgar to the children. ‘Stay very close to me. Come on!’
They ran up the path, through the gate towards the stone circle silhouetted against the sky. Moon Stealers swept down towards them, but something magical seemed to be discharging from the point of Edgar’s sword as he held it above them chanting something that none of the children understood. A white shimmering shield of light arced above their heads, protecting them from the creatures as they dived down to attack. The shield of light seemed to be repelling them back into the sky.
‘Joe!' instructed Edgar between his chanting, ‘get the Silver Bough ready! As soon as we're inside the faerie ring, start blowing into it.’
‘But what do I play!' said Joe who instinctively ducked as another Moon Stealer hit the shield above his head.
‘The Bough will know. All you need to do is blow into it!’ The shield had begun to get smaller in size as Edgar spoke to Joe. ‘Don’t hesitate. The sword’s magic won’t last for much longer.’
The tall stones of the circle were now directly in front of them. They raced through the outer stones and stood in the centre beside the stones of Gawain and Belphoebe. Joe removed the Silver Bough from the cloth. Its surface shone in the dark whilst soft music filled the air, surrounding them all in a comforting blanket of sound.
‘Blow into it, Joe!' said Edgar urgently as the shield of light vanished from the tip of his sword. Joe put the cold metal pipe to his lips and blew. Sweet sounds like hollow bells and metallic vibrations came out from the bottom of the pipe.
As Joe continued to blow, two Moon Stealers had landed on the ground and were now advancing towards them. Edgar stood between the children and the Moon Stealers, sword ready to attack. Small lines of white smoke began to form between the two standing stones of Gawain and Belphoebe, appearing to circle from one central point and spin slowly outward leaving behind a thin ghostly cloud. It rippled and moved like a shimmering pool of water. Joe continued to blow faster, encouraged by what he saw forming in front of him, making the portal grow even bigger. The po
ol of water appeared to be standing upright against all laws of gravity and despite its mirrored surface the stones behind it could still be seen.
The Moon Stealers continued to advance towards them.
Edgar moved forward and swung Ethera at the first Moon Stealer, plunging the sword deep into the creature's chest. A dribble of acidic juices ran down Edgar’s sword and onto his hand. He cried out in pain, as a small patch of flesh began dissolving before his eyes. Glancing behind him he could see that the portal was ready.
‘Go!' he shouted to the children.
‘But what about my family?' Max shouted.
Scarlet held onto Max and Joe’s hands and together they leapt through the open portal.
As soon as they had gone, the shimmering pool began to shrink.
Edgar was now on his own.
He quickly swung his sword to detach the arm from the Moon Stealer that attempted to grab him, followed by a desperate two-handed swing that cut straight through the creature’s shoulder and into its neck. He turned and leapt at the shrinking portal just before it sucked into itself leaving the faerie ring empty once again.
Dark shadows continued to circle from above, but for tonight at least, Edgar and the children weren’t going to be victims of the Moon Stealers.
34. Escape to Butterwick Hall
Steven, Georgia and Tracker ran as fast as they could along the gravel path beside the lake and rounded a small collection of trees so that they were now facing the back of Butterwick Hall. Steven looked into the night sky at the circling black shadows that were now approaching them. Several creatures swept towards Tracker making him dive to the ground, but Steven was ready. He had already knelt down on one knee and was levelling the shotgun at the creature at the front. Shotgun pellets burst into the group, scattering them in different directions. The creature he shot fell to the ground, knocking another out of the sky as it dropped.
Tracker picked himself up off the ground. With their heads bent low Steven and Georgia went over to join him. Georgia was watching from behind and could see more creatures around the ice house joining the others ready to attack from above.
‘Come on,’ called Tracker, ‘we must get to the house! There’s too many of them.’
As the bodies of the creatures continued to sweep down towards them, they ran towards the back area of the house. Steven could see an entrance door to the left of a building that was obviously the servants’ wing.
Hearing the air rushing towards his back Steven instinctively ducked his head and twisted round to see the white eye of a creature bearing down on him. He released his final barrel of pellets into the air above his head. There was a small explosion from within the creature’s body resulting in a shower of yellow fluid that covered a well manicured lawn.
‘I’m out of bullets!' shouted Steven to Tracker. Georgia let out a scream as one of the creatures began lifting her off the ground by the claws it had hooked into the bag over her shoulders. Tracker took aim and shot two bullets into the creature which fell to the ground along with Georgia.
They were only a short distance from the door.
Steven and Tracker grabbed Georgia under her arms and ran with her the final stretch of the grass, onto the gravel towards the door. Suddenly a creature landed in front of the door blocking their way in. Tracker raised his gun once again and shot what bullets he had left directly into the eye of the creature whilst still running forward. Behind them more black shapes fell from the sky as they leapt over the body of the creature in front of the door. Steven swung the barrel of the shotgun into the side of a creature’s face that approached them from behind. Tracker opened the door and the three of them stumbled into the house. They pushed the door into the stone archway and leant against it as hard as they could to prevent the creatures getting in whilst Tracker sorted through the keys. They felt the thud of creatures bang against the door, jarring their backs forward, until Tracker managed to lock the door. He then reached up and pushed a bolt at the top of the door into the stone wall and did the same at the bottom.
Together they sank down onto the floor, panting. Georgia could hear her heart beat inside her ears and feel her chest thumping. Although the bangs continued against the door, they knew that they were safe for now.
One of the small windows at the side of the door suddenly exploded as a black claw hooked through the shards of glass trying to break in.
Tracker leapt to his feet, picked up a spade that was propped up against a wall and swung it against the skeletal hand.
‘We need to get away from the windows and doors and make sure the house is secure,’ he said.
The three of them started in the room they had just entered, pushing furniture and tables up against the windows. They left some of them that were too small to pose a danger before following Tracker through into the neighbouring rooms. Tracker collected keys as they went through the house, locking doors behind them. After checking the kitchen and the rest of the servants' wing they made their way into the grander part of the house, moving thick solid furniture to bar the doors and windows.
The dining-room looked out towards the gravel driveway and a fountain. The room had dark wood panelling on both end walls, decorated with gold ornate framed paintings and carved shields with crossed swords behind. In the centre an oak table stretched almost the length of the room, and to the side opposite the front windows a large stone engraved fire surround dominated the room. The table and fire didn’t look like they had been used for some time as both were empty, with no cutlery on the table and no logs in the fireplace. Steven and Tracker automatically went up to the windows and checked that each lock was secure. Georgia strolled around the room and noticed one of the paintings which showed a man dressed smartly in a suit outside the front of Butterwick Hall. He seemed to closely resemble Tracker. Suddenly her attention was drawn towards the fireplace. She didn’t know why, but something had caught her eye. A small movement or something out of place, she didn’t know what it had been. Standing perfectly still she then noticed what it was that had got her attention: two hooks had appeared from inside the fireplace underneath the mantelpiece, and small trails of soot were falling silently from inside the chimney.
‘Tracker,’ she whispered to the Gamekeeper who had by now walked the length of the room to the opposite end to Georgia. He turned to her then followed her gaze towards the fireplace. A second set of hooks now appeared and they could hear some soft movement from behind the wall space above the fireplace.
Tracker slipped the gun out and aimed it at the fireplace. Steven climbed onto a chair that was probably priceless and pulled one of the swords from its display mount on the wall. They both walked silently towards the fireplace as two clawed feet landed on the base. At first the creature looked smaller than the others they had encountered, but they soon realised that to get down the chimney, it had curled itself up. It now stretched itself up to its full height and unfolded its wings. The black eyelid slowly lifted and the white eye glanced around the room. Tracker pulled the trigger on his gun, but all it did was click harmlessly; he had run out of bullets during their escape to the house. Realising what had happened, Steven ran round the table and swung his arms back ready to strike the creature, but before he could, the creature let out a high pitched scream, flapped its wings and leapt onto the oak table. Steven missed and harmlessly struck the fireplace with the sword. Tracker leapt onto the chair and pulled the other sword from the wall mount together with the shield and advanced towards the creature from the other side of the table. He swung at the creature’s leg whilst deflecting an arm that clawed at him with the shield. As the creature’s focus was on Tracker, Steven swung his sword at the other leg. Although the creature moved the leg out of the way, the tip of the sword slashed into the blackened flesh causing the creature to stumble forward slightly. In anger it swept its wing backwards and knocked Steven against the fireplace, banging his head against the stone surround. Using one of its long arms for support the creature managed to move
along the table whilst still using its other arm to grab at Tracker. Once again, Tracker’s shield deflected the blows but the repetitive strikes knocked him off balance and he stumbled backwards. The creature took its opportunity and leapt onto Tracker, using its body weight to pin him to the ground preventing him from swinging his sword at the creature. To Tracker’s amazement it looked like the creature was sweating, he could see small beads of liquid forming over its skin. Where the creature’s body was touching the shield, the metal now seemed to be smoking and there was an acidic smell in the air. The creature’s face was just inches from Tracker, its stale breath blew from the small circular mouth below the eye. The creature’s body suddenly felt even heavier than it had as Tracker realised it was no longer moving. Confused, he tried to look round the body of the creature to see what had happened, but couldn’t so stayed where he was. Georgia came into view and pushed the creature with her foot. It rolled off Tracker and crashed against some of the chairs. It was then that he noticed that the creature appeared to have a metal candle stick holder sticking out from its body.
‘Thank you,’ he said to Georgia as she helped to lift him off the ground. The shield now appeared useless, the surface was scarred and partially melted from the creature’s attack.
A moaning noise drew their attention back towards the fireplace. Tracker braced himself for another attack but was relieved to see Steven standing up holding the back of his head.
Between them they managed to tip the table on its side and push it against the fireplace, preventing any more creatures entering the house through the chimney.
They continued to work methodically through the rest of the house locking all the doors they could and confining themselves to the lower floor servants' quarters which had a few small windows, as well as a well stocked kitchen and the gamekeeper’s weapons cupboard.
They sat in the kitchen nervously eating bread and cheese, swords and numerous loaded guns laid out across the thick table ready to defend themselves should they need to. They took it in turns staying awake to keep watch whilst the other two slept. The silence in the house would occasionally be broken by the thud of a creature as it attempted to break in.