Zero

by Claire Stevens

  Chapter Thirteen

  We set out on the road again at first light the next morning.  A bath, food that wasn’t trail rations or dried meat and a decent night’s sleep in a real bed had made a world of difference and even Kallista was managing some light-hearted chatter.  I know.  I was shocked too.

  Despite this, my nerves were still jangling from the night before. I wanted to stay in my cosy room in the inn with my John Grisham book and a hot bath and to never, ever have to think too deeply about the things Raelthos and Oriel had told me.

  I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I barely registered when Neve led us off the main road and down a narrow cart track and when she stopped suddenly in front of a small house I clattered into Raelthos who’d been walking in front of me.

  The five of us stood on the roadside outside the house, taking in a garden so overgrown that it was virtually indistinguishable from the surrounding woodland, the moss-covered roof speckled with missing tiles, the woodwork with peeling, dandruffy paint. ‘Remind me why we’re here again.’ I whispered to Oriel.

  ‘Seamus,’ he whispered back. ‘The portal custodian.’

  It came flooding back to me. Despite tipping his hand and showing off how utterly barking he was, Baeroth still had supporters. People who thought the experiments he’d been doing on the Blessed were somehow a good thing and that if thousands of Unblessed civilians got murdered in the process, well that was nothing more than a shame.

  The town where his castle had been situated, Thornsvale, was the home to the one-way portal into the jail dimension, hidden and guarded by the ex-Protectorate soldiers who lived there now. Supplies were passed through this portal and, more recently, small children.

  Until recently, Seamus had been one of these guards and knew where the portal was. The others had mentioned him a number of times over the last few days and going by what they’d said, our potential outcomes for this mission, in order of preference, were:

  1)  Find Seamus and bribe or bully him into showing us where the entrance to Baeroth’s jail was.

  2)  Hike over to Thornsvale, insinuate ourselves with the locals and somehow convince one of them to sneak us in.  And then out again.

  3)  Stand by as Baeroth killed Owen to complete his ritual and then watch the destruction an incredibly powerful Psion can create when they rampage across the country.

  ‘What are the odds of us actually convincing this guy to help us?’ I asked Oriel.

  He scrunched up his face and shut one eye. ‘Moderate to slim.’

  ‘And the chances of the guards at Thornsvale helping us.’

  ‘Slim to none.’

  When a knock at the door went unanswered, we started skirting round the garden to look for signs of life. Kallista walked between me and Oriel as we surveyed the house. ‘You know, Oriel,’ she said, her expression turning sly, ‘the temple you and the Zero visited was quite badly damaged after that tremor.’ She shot me an accusatory glance.

  I looked at her, mouth agape. Oriel had told me the tremor was nothing to do with me being there. ‘Shut up, Kallista,’ he murmured, standing on tiptoe to peer through a window.

  ‘Just saying, is all,’ she said softly, turning to give me a nasty smirk.

  A few minutes later, it turned out that the overwhelming crimp in our plan was that the house was not only falling to bits, it was also clearly deserted.  ‘Not looking too hopeful,’ murmured Raelthos.

  Neve was still surveying the shack as if she couldn’t quite believe where we’d ended up. ‘Okay, I guess we could break in. See if there’s a clue as to where he is.’

  The door was locked - a bizarre choice given that it looked like a strong gust of wind would have knocked the whole shack over - so Kallista pulled out a velvet pouch containing a set of picks.  Five minutes later and Kallista was still grumbling and struggling with the lock, her forehead beaded with perspiration.  I tried not watching, as I knew how irritating it could be.  Eventually, I asked her if she wanted me to have a go.

  ‘What makes you think you can pick it?’ she asked, her lip curling.  

  ‘I’ve picked locks before,’ I said simply.

  The lip curled further. ‘Oh yes. I remember Neve saying. You’re a thief, aren’t you?’

  I swallowed hard, reminded myself that I was doing this for a tiny kidnapped child, and said, ‘Do you want me to try, or not?’ After a couple of seconds’ disbelieving stare she pushed the picks towards me and sat back on her heels to watch.

  My dad had taught me to pick locks years ago as part of his grand ‘Here’s something fun we can do at the weekend instead of going to McDonalds like normal people’ scheme.  Thinking about him gave me a momentary flash of homesickness that I pushed to the back of my mind before offering up a quick prayer that locks in this world were built the same as the ones back home.

  They were.  A quick feel told me that it was a simple five-pin system and after a few seconds of making ‘Hmm...this is a tough one’ noises, the lock clicked.

  Kallista gave me a sideways look, one eyebrow raised almost to her hairline.  ‘You know, for someone who’s usually completely clueless, that...wasn’t atrocious.’

  ‘Wow.  Kallista.  That almost sounded like a compliment.’

  ‘Then I must have said it wrong,’ she said.

  The stench hit us less than a second after we pushed open the front door. It was rot, but a different rot to the smell of demons. This smell caught in the back of my throat, searing my nostrils and I was sure I’d never be able to stop smelling it. Everyone let out disgusted groans and covered their noses and mouths. Neve gagged, horrified.

  Oriel turned to me, his t-shirt pulled up over his face. ‘You know when I said the chances of Seamus helping us were moderate to slim? I think that just changed to zero.’

  Neve strode to the bedroom at the back of the house. She re-emerged after a few seconds. ‘He’s dead,’ she sputtered, trying not to breathe in. ‘Few days ago. Blow to the head, I’d say.’ She shut her eyes and shuddered. ‘Okay, Kallista and Roanne, I want you to search the house. See if there’s a clue about the portal, anything we can use at all. The rest of us will keep a lookout.  If anyone approaches, we’ll signal and you’ll have to escape through the window at the back.  We’ll reconvene in the village.’

  I bit back a groan.  Great. Reconnaissance detail with Kallista. I looked over to the back room, where I could just make out a pair of boots hanging over the end of the bed. I’d never seen a dead body before.

  Oriel put his hand on my arm. ‘You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. You’re not in the Protectorate; Neve can’t order you about.’

  ‘No, no, it’s fine. I don’t mind,’ I lied.

  Kallista stepped out to my side. ‘I’m fine to do this, Oriel. Thanks for asking.’

  The others scarpered out into the sunshine and fresh air. I watched them go bitterly. Kallista pushed her sleeves up to her elbows as we surveyed the filthy room.  ‘Shit me, look at this dump.  You take that side of the room, I’ll do this side.’

  Behind us, the front door swung shut on itself and something across the room thumped, making us both jump.  ‘Rat,’ Kallista whispered, but she didn’t look convinced.

  We edged slowly into the one-room cottage, both of us with our shirts up over our faces. I took shallow breaths as I surveyed Seamus’s belongings.  Another smell was weaving underneath the stench of decaying flesh.  I couldn’t place it without taking a deeper breath, which wasn’t going to happen, but it was something...chemicals?  I shrugged to myself and started searching.

  A huge amount of dusty furniture was crammed into the small cottage, but despite the array of storage solutions, Seamus seemed to prefer to store his papers, knick-knacks, spare clothes and broken weapons on the floor. I wondered if we’d have to search the bedroom as well.

  I crouched over a pile of papers and rifled through, putting my sleeve over my nose in a vain attempt to not smell Seamus’s corpse, trying t
o find an envelope that might contain a key, a clue, anything.  I dumped the papers to one side when they yielded nothing and started poking through a box of random pieces of junk.  From across the room I heard the familiar sound of Kallista’s impatient sigh as she conducted her own fruitless search.

  The weird chemical smell was stronger now.  I took a tentative sniff, but it was being masked too effectively by the rotting corpse.  It was...  My mind groped for the answer.  ‘It smells like chemicals, or petrol or something,’ I said.

  ‘What are you talking about now, Zero?’  Kallista had started sorting through a box of pamphlets and turned to me with a look of exaggerated patience. She’d tied her jacket around her face like an improvised hazmat mask, but even so she was squinting against the smell.

  ‘That smell.  It’s petrol...’  I trailed off as I remembered they didn’t use petrol here.  Or have engines.  Or oil.  I sniffed again.  It wasn’t petrol, but it was damned close.

  She shook her head exaggeratedly and turned back to the papers she was shoving haphazardly back into a rickety drawer.  'I know you're talking, Zero, but all I can hear is white noise.  Could you just-’ She stopped and pulled her jacket down from her face, frowning and took a tentative sniff, staring into the middle distance.  ‘Wait.  I can smell something.’  I gave her my best duh look, but she ignored me.  ‘It’s lamplight.’  She looked at me for confirmation, but seeing my blank expression she gave a huff of impatience.  ‘Lamplight.  It’s the gas used for lighting fixed lamps, like the ones on the...walls.’  Her voice faded away as we both looked at the lamp-free walls.  ‘There are no sconces,’ she said rather unnecessarily.  ‘Then why is there-’

  ‘Let me guess - it’s flammable?’  She nodded. Sudden realisation rushed through me and I could tell from Kallista’s face that she’d reached the same conclusion.  ‘Trap?’ I asked, more calmly than I felt.

  She nodded briefly.  ‘Trap.’

  Pulling each other along, we scrambled for the door.  ‘Where’s the doorknob?’ I screeched.  The handle on the inside of the door had been removed.  Neither of us had noticed when we came in and now we were trapped.

  We looked at each other in blind panic.  The chemical stench was getting stronger by the second to the point where it had overtaken the dead body smell.  

  I looked around for something to smash a window with and wrenched a drawer from a chest.  I slammed it against the window.  It fell to pieces but the window remained intact, save for a small crack.  I swore loudly.  My head was starting to thud with the smell.

  ‘Stand back.’  Kallista choked, her sleeve over her mouth and nose.  She raised her free hand and screamed something.  The window groaned and bowed outwards maddeningly slowly before collapsing along the crack and spraying the garden with tiny shards of glass.

  At the window we wasted precious seconds dancing around, each trying to get the other to go out of the window first, before both deciding to go first ourselves and almost getting wedged in together in the narrow opening before I put my hands to Kallista’s back and shoved with all my strength.  She flew out of the window.  Like, flew.  She skidded across thin air as if she was ice skating before landing in a surprised heap and rolling to a stop by the garden gate.

  I didn’t have time to congratulate Kallista on her aeronautical display.  I heaved myself through the frame, but the thick shoulder hem of my tunic caught on a jagged edge of glass.  I pulled on it to free myself and as I did I heard a click and saw a tiny flame erupt on the other side of the room.  My eyes widened further than I thought possible.

  As I sprang from the window frame, the room ignited in a sunburst of black-tinged orange.  I was already in the air when the explosion hit me, and I felt myself silhouetted against the glare of the rolling flames.  The impact of the blast propelled me faster and further than I would have thought possible.  I soared over the garden fence and hit the grassy verge outside, skidding on my back.

  The impact winded me and for a few moments all I could do was lie still, desperately trying to drag in a breath.  I crawled to my knees and shook my head slightly, trying to clear the ringing in my ears.

  Shielding my eyes, I looked back at the house.  Incredibly it was still standing.  The initial blast had subsided and flames were now licking the inside walls and spreading slowly to the wooden shutters.

  I caught my breath and looked down at my hands.  Lacerated, but nothing too deep.  A quick feel of my face told me my eyebrows were still there.  Thank Christ.  I raked my hands through my hair and a singed chunk came away, followed by another, but on the whole I’d come away pretty unscathed.

  I felt a tickle at the bottom of my nose and pressed against it with my sleeve.  It came away bloody.  Damn.  I hoped it would stop soon and not turn into a gusher.

  Kallista was testing her weight on one foot, but otherwise she seemed to be uninjured.  ‘Well, that went well.’

  I raised my eyebrows and surveyed the carnage.  ‘If there were any clues to the portal, they’ve gone now.’

  ‘No shit, Zero.’

  First back on the scene was Oriel.  He came pelting round the corner - and damn, he was fast - while I was still sitting on the grass verge surveying the wreck of Flynn’s hideout and skidded to a halt on his knees next to me.  Ashen faced, his eyes darkened to emerald as he took in the various scrapes and streaks of dirt.  ‘Are you okay?  Are you hurt?  What happened?’  

  ‘I’m okay.  I mean I’m filthy again,’ I gestured helplessly at my sooty clothes and hair, ‘but on the whole unscathed.’

  He laughed shakily, raking his fingers through his hair.  ‘I was right down the road and heard the explosion.  I thought - shit.’  He ran his hands over his face.  

  ‘I’m fine, Oriel, thanks for asking,’ Kallista muttered.

  Neve and Raelthos skidded round the corner, carrying everyone’s backpacks.  Neve looked us over, saw that we were still standing and briefly surveyed the devastation.  ‘Right, then. New plan.  We’ll head straight back to the Thornsvale road.  We don’t have any time to lose.’

  ‘But I thought we were going to go back to the inn?’  Kallista’s voice was perilously close to a whine.

  ‘Are you joking, Kallista?’  Neve raised a disbelieving eyebrow at her. This was the sharpest I’d heard her speak to Kallista. Things had to be serious.  ‘There’s just been a huge explosion.  The best we can hope for is that we can make it back to the road before any of the village Guards show up.’

  ‘But we can get to the village through the fields.  No one will know it was us.’

  Neve sighed in exasperation.  ‘We’re outsiders.  When people find out what’s happened here, the finger of blame will be pointed at us.  Now stop whining and get a move on.’

  We reached the main road and Kallista kicked a stone from the path, a murderous expression on her face.  ‘Great,’ she spat.  ‘I’m covered from head to toe in bruises and dirt and now I’m not going to get a bath or a hot meal until the gods know when.  Thanks a lot, Zero.’

  I looked at her, mouth agape, trying to see how any of this was my fault.

  Oriel swung round so he was walking backwards, his face inches from hers.  ‘I swear, Kallista, if you ever call her that again, I’ll-’

  Neve stepped nimbly in between them.  ‘You’ll do what?’ she asked in a dangerous voice.

  Kallista shoved her out of the way with her elbow.  ‘I don’t need your help, Neve.  And Oriel,’ she said pointing at me, ‘you might think she’s shit-hot, but open your eyes. She’s a liability. That house would still be standing if it wasn’t for her.’

  ‘Kallista, don’t be a harpy,’ Raelthos said sharply.  ‘I saw what happened; she saved your life, shoving you out the window like that.’

  ‘Almost broke my neck, shoving me out the window like that.’  Spots of rain started to fall, gathering on the leaves above us and falling with great splashes to the ground.  ‘Oh great,’ Kallista bleate
d.  ‘Now it’s bloody raining.  She can’t even do THAT properly.’

  ‘Kallista, shut UP!’ Oriel shouted.

  She gave a muffled scream and stamped her foot. ‘I’ve been shutting up for a week, Oriel, and I’m sick of everyone tiptoeing around pretending like this isn’t a thing. She might be some all-knowing superzero back in the Sanctuary, but guess what? She’s not got much competition. We don’t need her to get into the jail, we can do it ourselves. You need to send her back to the Sanctuary, Oriel. At worst she’s slowing us down and at the best, the very best, she’s still a waste of space, completely superfluous.’

  Oriel’s eyes turned the icy green of the sea as he shrugged at Kallista. ‘Hate to break it to you Kallista,’ he said in a bored tone, ‘but the only superfluous member of this team is you.’ Kallista’s face froze but her eyes swam with hurt tears. ‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ Oriel affected an innocent expression. ‘Didn’t you know? The only reason you’re here is because Neve begged to bring you al-’

  Oriel never got to finish his sentence; he was cut short by Kallista flying at him, fingers curled into talons. He whipped round and caught her mid-flight but not before she managed to rake her nails along his cheek.

  Blood immediately began to bead along Kallista’s claw-marks; Oriel dropped Kallista’s arms and she stumbled backwards, landing awkwardly.

  At her yelp of pain Neve, who had been as shocked as the rest of us at Kallista’s outburst, sprang into life, drawing her sword and charging at Oriel with a roar.

  Terror unlike anything I’d ever felt washed through me as the world seemed to focus in on just two things: Oriel and his sword-waving sister. The skin over my whole body prickled and I screamed, feeling something inside me jolt. Across the path, Neve soared backwards. She landed against a tree with a thump, a foot above the ground, pinned into place by a giant invisible hand.

  I stared at Kallista, because surely this was her work, but she looked as dumbfounded as the rest of us while Neve dangled, struggling fruitlessly to free herself, arms flailing and feet kicking.

  The four of us watched helplessly as her struggles turned to coughs and splutters and her face brightened from pink to red. ‘Oh, fuck!’ Oriel shouted. Even when we’d cleared out the demon nest, he hadn’t looked like this: utterly terrified. He whirled round to me. ‘It’s crushing her! Stop it! You have to stop it or she’ll die.’

  He was looking at me. Me? How could I stop this…this thing? I stared back at him, my mouth working uselessly, shaking with terror for Neve.

  There was a deafening crack and a tree, not fully grown but not far off, came crashing into the space between me and Oriel.

  I screeched and jumped back and as I did the ground began to rumble ominously. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the others crouch to the floor to steady themselves.

  I edged further from Oriel and as I did three more trees came crashing to the floor, landing in an explosion of bracken, dirt and leaves, forming a tight triangle of branches and trunk around me. I shrank to the floor, fists to my mouth in terror.

  There was a flash of movement above me and, catlike, Oriel vaulted over the trunk and landed softly next to me. He crouched down carefully, not taking his eyes off me.

  ‘Roanne, you need to calm down,’ he said. His voice was quiet, but panicked. ‘You’re not in trouble.’ At ‘trouble’ another tree crashed down, and I yelped as the ground shook some more. Oriel ignored the carnage around us. ‘I promise everything will be fine, but you have to calm down. Take some breaths.’ He held my wrists, keeping his eyes locked with mine and nodding encouragingly as I tried to breathe deeply and slowly.

  ‘Not to wish to alarm anyone,’ Raelthos’s voice drifted through the tree shelter to us. ‘But it appears that rather a deep crevasse has opened up in the forest floor.’

  ‘Is-is it demons?’ I gulped, even though I knew the answer would be no. The two times I’d been in the presence of demons, I’d been filled with rage, not fear.

  He sandwiched my hands between his and looked at me earnestly. His voice stayed calm despite his panic. ‘Neve wasn’t going to hurt me. That’s how we settle arguments, by beating the shit out of each other. Ro, all you need to do is calm down. Just calm down.’

  I blinked rapidly. ‘She was- With her sword-’ I gulped. She’d been about to kill him. I saw her charging with my own eyes.

  He shook his head and flinched slightly as the ground beneath us rumbled on. ‘She was just going to hit me with it. Or try to. I would’ve got out the way in time.’ Oriel looked at something over my shoulder and nodded. I turned to see who it was and Raelthos reached out as if to comfort me. There was a light touch at the base of my neck that quickly turned into a pinching pain. The air whooshed out of my lungs, and I slumped to the floor, everything around me dimming to a hazy black.