by S. A. Carter
I walk into the kitchen and pop the button on the kettle. As I look out the kitchen window that sits above the sink I see that the sun is shining and the wind is calm. It’s going to be a nice day.
In the distance I watch Uncle Jo herding up the cows, obviously getting them ready for milking. Magi is helping him by skirting around the back of the herd like a sheepdog. I see one cow flick out its rear hoof trying to kick her out of the way but Magi is too quick and moves aside before rushing in to nip it on its shank. I smile as I go about making the coffee.
‘Here’s yours, Phoebs.’ I place the mug down beside her.
‘Thanks.’ She raises herself up on one elbow and blows away the steam. ‘You know, I’ve been thinking. Why does this…’ She pauses, waiting for me to understand who she is talking about.
‘Venator,’ I finish for her.
‘Venator. That’s such a strange name.’ She frowns.
‘It means hunter in Latin,’ I say.
She shakes her head. ‘Yeah, well it should mean douche bag in English!’
I laugh, spilling coffee on myself.
‘Anyway, why does he want to kill you? I mean really, it doesn’t make sense?’
I share with her some of the details surrounding the curse, starting with Isabella Cole, and she thinks about this new information.
‘Yeah, still, what would killing you solve? Other than redeeming that woman’s pride, which let’s be honest is sort of mute now she’s dead, why keep hunting you?’
I hadn’t really looked at it from that perspective before. She has a point. ‘Actually, I don’t know now that you’ve said that. It does sound pretty silly.’
‘I’ve seen the movies. I know that most people kill out of revenge or jealousy, power or greed. But in all of those cases it usually happens because the person is trying to prevent the other from something,’ she says taking a sip of coffee.
I frown. ‘What do you mean prevent?’
‘Well, they don’t want the other person to be happy or to move on without them. They don’t want the other person to have more money or power or success.’ She shrugs her shoulders as if this realisation should be obvious. ‘Or maybe they are just plain old scared.’
Her words hit a nerve. What are they trying to prevent? My skin prickles as I sit there contemplating her words. There is truth in it, I can feel it.
‘You may have a point,’ I say distractedly. ‘But what would they be scared of?’
She pauses for a moment, peering at me from across the rim of her mug. ‘You!’
I sit up straighter. ‘Are you serious? Why would they be scared of me?’
‘Uh…do you recall what you were able to do from the car earlier? You morphed into someone else for a second, and your powers were pretty amazing.’
I think about what she’s said. Could the Puritans really see us as being a threat? Is that what all this is about? And if they do, what is it that they know and we don’t?
Aunt Lily quickly pops her head into the lounge room. ‘Phoebe, your mum called earlier. She said she would pick you up in a bit to go to soccer.’
‘Ugh! Thanks, Mrs. O,’ Phoebe groans.
‘Soccer?’ I ask.
‘I promised Mum I would go with her to see Tom play soccer today. To keep her company,’ she says.
‘Oh, well that’s cool. I’ve got to do research with Uncle Jo today anyway,’ I reply, relieved that I didn’t have to tell Phoebe she had to leave early.
‘Yep, okay. I suppose I better get my things together then.’ She makes a move to get up and we pack away the room.
A short while later we hear her car pull up in the driveway.
‘Alright, well ring me if there’s any new information and…just ring me anyway if you want a chat, okay?’ She hugs me as she opens the front door.
‘I will,’ I say and wave her out. I wait until I see her pull away before I shut the door once more. I decide that I better go find Uncle Jo so we can get started on this research. I need to find answers.
As I head out the back I pull on my polka dot gumboots, breathing in the fresh mountain air as I walk towards the barn.
Magi sees me walking in her direction and comes running up to me, tail wagging. ‘Hey, Mags. What you doing girl?’ I scratch her behind the ear. She licks my hand and we walk towards the barn together.
Uncle Jo is bent over something and he has his welders mask on. Sparks are flying up into the air. ‘Uncle Jo!’ I yell. It takes me three more tries before he hears me and turns off the welder.
He flips the mask up, revealing his face. ‘Hey.’ He places the welder down and positions himself in front of whatever it is he’s working on.
I frown. ‘Um…what are you doing out here?’ I ask suspiciously, trying to see around his large frame.
‘Uh, not much. Just had a few ideas that’s all.’ He peels his gloves off. ‘So what can I do for you?’
He’s being elusive. ‘I wanted to know when we could get started on that research we talked about?’
‘Now is as good a time as any,’ he responds as he walks towards me, still masking my view of the secret thingy. What is he up to?
He wraps his arm around my shoulders and we walk back to the house. ‘Do you think he’s out there?’ I ask him, as I look towards the tree line where only a couple of nights ago Magi nearly died.
‘No. I think at the very least he was hurt. The way you flipped that car had to have left a mark,’ he says with certainty.
The images of yesterday come flooding back. ‘I’m still unsure how that all happened,’ I say quietly.
‘It’s alright, Ellie. I think your little kuthun friend may have helped on that one. It was glowing as bright as the sun right before the car flipped. So I think we can assume that through using your power, you also channelled its power, creating one very explosive reaction.’
We walk the rest of the way in silence and after heading inside I go and retrieve the laptop while he gets his maps, paper and pens from his study nook. We meet back at the kitchen table, rearranging it into a research station, and sit down to begin what now appears to be a very long day ahead.
‘Right. First I need to bring you up to date with important information I found while working for the government. You need to understand where I was up to and maybe we can work out the rest together.’
I nod in agreement and shuffle closer to him, taking in his familiar earthy scent.
He pulls out a large world map with “Cole Family Tree” written in bold at the top. The regions of America, Europe, The Middle East and Africa have all been magnified and there are boxes that have been drawn onto the map highlighting different areas within these regions.
Inside these boxes are the names of Cole women who have come before me. Names of women I have never heard of before. Names that would have remained unknown if it wasn’t for his research.
Central to these is the box containing Isabella’s name, located in Salem. From there the bloodline branches out to reveal the path of its past, which only adds to the intricacy of the information in front of me.
Uncle Jo begins to explain what it all means. He begins tracing the line with his finger, taking me through the eras of our ancestry. He takes me back through the Salem years which stems up into Vancouver and Whitehorse in Canada. The bloodline then reaches back down into Denver and travels through to San Francisco, into Mexico, and then Philadelphia. From there it enters Portugal, then Madrid and along the Spanish coast. The trail then leads into Bordeaux France, then Italy, and through to Greece. The bloodline finally finishes its journey heading into Turkey, then Beirut and ending with a large asterisk in Cairo, Egypt.
‘From this point on the trail goes cold,’ he says pointing to Cairo. ‘I have more information though that might help us.’ He grabs the box marked “Archives” and begins to pull out reams of paper that contain the findings and details about each woman that he was able to track down—their birth details, next of kin, their children’s names, cause of de
ath, and so on.
I am astounded. I don’t know what to say. My eyes don’t leave the map. We sit in silence for a while and I retrace the lines, trying to commit them to memory. All those women, all that power, ending in one spot.
‘How did you do all this?’ I ask.
He sits back and sighs. ‘It took me a very long time. I was able to trace back obituaries and diary entries that had been preserved over the years, through libraries and computer archives. I visited every library I could find when I was travelling around the world with the military. I scoured thousands of books trying to connect the dots. Any free time I had was dedicated to researching our bloodline. When I couldn’t find the information I was looking for, I would call in favours from those who could gain access to certain documents, and slowly but surely the dots started to form a clear picture.’
I shake my head in astonishment. ‘I just can’t believe you did all this. I had no idea.’ I look at him with a newfound respect. ‘Uncle Jo, this is amazing!’ I say, appreciating how much work would have gone into such an extensive family history.
‘Thanks,’ he mumbles. ‘Three years ago I was able to trace the line back to Egypt. From there I couldn’t find any more threads. I searched and searched but kept coming up empty. So by a process of deductive reasoning, on all the information I had obtained, I was able to conclude that our bloodline must have begun in Egypt.’
Three years ago? ‘I’m a little confused,’ I say, distracted by something he just said. ‘So three years ago you found this you say? Was that when I came to live with you?’ I ask.
He scratches his head. ‘Ah, yeah that’s right. It wasn’t long before your mum passed.’ He keeps his eyes focused on the paper in front of him.
My heart skips a beat. ‘Uncle Jo?’ I wait for him to look at me. ‘Did you leave the military to look after me?’ I ask, hoping that he will tell me that I’m being ridiculous and then I won’t have to feel guilty about him having to give up a career I know he loved.
He rakes his fingers through his hair. ‘Ellie, it wasn’t like that. There are some things I haven’t told you, and haven’t wanted to, because I know they will cause you pain.’ He places his hand on my forearm gently. ‘Your mother had already asked Lil and I if we would take you should something happen to her. We didn’t even hesitate in our decision. Everything else in non-important.’
I knew it. ‘I can’t believe you would do that for me. Mum always said you loved what you did. You told me that you retired!’ Tears form in my eyes and I look down at the table.
‘Come on now, don’t get upset. My job is something I had to do. Looking after you is something I want to do.’ He tilts my chin up towards him. ‘I wouldn’t change a thing.’
I know he means it. ‘Alright.’
‘Okay, well let’s get back to Egypt.’ He turns his attention back to the table and points to the map. ‘I was about ninety-percent sure that Egypt was where I would find more answers, but it wasn’t until you told me about the passage in the Book of Cole that mentioned Isis’ name, and then The Watcher’s staff revealing hieroglyphics, that I really felt certain about it.’ His brow furrows in concentration. ‘I think you may have been right the other day when you said that he was trying to help you. I think he may be connected somehow to whatever light it is we need to find.’
He leaves that notion hanging in the air between us before he continues, ‘Since then we have also deciphered the clue that Taqôq Wiyon revealed, telling us that Isis, Goddess of the Sun, is potentially the first of our bloodline. Now all we need to do is find out what the light is and stop this curse once and for all.’
I scoff. ‘Oh, of course! Just like that. We’ll just waltz into Egypt, find the light, and this will all be over!’
He takes a casual sip of his water and doesn’t respond to my outburst.
‘Ugh!’ I groan, dropping my head onto the table. The knock on the head brings back my conversation with Phoebe earlier. I turn to the side, peering at him through one eye. ‘Phoebe said something earlier that was interesting.’
‘Oh?’ he asks, uncertainty creeping into his voice at Phoebe’s ability to make any sense at all.
‘She asked me why the Venators were still trying to kill us after all these years. What was their purpose? What were they trying to prevent happening? It hadn’t occurred to me earlier but she has a point. I mean why keep trying to kill us if not to stop something.’
He frowns. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, we haven’t ever questioned why they are trying to kill us. I mean we assume it’s because of the affair that Isabella had that started the chain of events, but what if it wasn’t? What if it was always about something else? Something we’ve never been able to figure out because we never had the historical facts before now.’
My mind is swirling with images and thoughts, all mixed together in a tornado like funnel—I can see my mother and Isabella, Taqôq Wiyon and Magi, Uncle Jo and the Venator, the kuthun and The Watcher. What am I missing?
A powerful thought occurs to me. ‘What if the Salem witch trials were actually a cover up?’
His frown deepens. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Think about it. The Salem witch trials came about because of a family dispute where one family didn’t like the behaviour of the other, so out of revenge, one little girl started rumours of the other women showing signs of being a witch.’
‘Yes, I’m aware of the event, thank you,’ he replies dryly.
I roll my eyes. ‘Stay with me for a second.’ Could I be right? Is it possible? I continue, ‘These rumours then escalated out of control, but funnily enough this little girl was a daughter of the reverend at the time.’
I remember reading up on factual accounts of the witch trials over the years, trying to piece together parts of our history where I could. I pause for a moment, gathering the new information in my head to produce a crazy, yet plausible conclusion. ‘The reverend himself was a Puritan right?’
He nods.
‘A Puritan, Uncle Jo!’ I exclaim, hoping he is on the same page.
He raises his hand to interrupt me. ‘Hold on a minute.’ I can see his mind working overtime. ‘If what you are saying is accurate, then are you suggesting that the Puritans used the Salem witch trials as a cover up for trying to kill off the Cole bloodline?’
I nod excitedly. ‘That is exactly what I’m saying. It all makes sense. I mean, we think it was because Sally Fischer was intent on revenge against Isabella for the affair, but what we know, and didn’t consider, was the fact that she was a Puritan herself. If it wasn’t for her husband caring for Isabella and warning her, then she would have almost certainly been killed, ending the bloodline then and there!’ I pause, letting him absorb what I’ve said. It all makes so much sense. My body is buzzing with adrenalin. ‘What do you think?’ I ask him.
He puts his hands behind his head, leans back and closes his eyes. Taking a deep breath he says, ‘I think your epiphany has just potentially changed the course of a monumental historical event.’
We are still, neither of us saying anything as we contemplate the enormity of what we’ve uncovered. I can’t believe it! ‘Everything I was told to believe is all a ruse.’ I shake my head in disbelief. ‘Uncle Jo.’ I touch his arm, causing him to open his eyes and look at me. ‘How did we miss this? What was it that the Puritans found out?’
His hazel eyes have darkened and I can feel his frustration seething under the surface. ‘I spent so much time trying to trace our history, hoping it was going to reveal the answer, and all along it only took one unassuming girl and one conversation to make more sense of it than I could in over a decade.’ He shakes his head in disgust and bangs his hand down on the table with such force that it startles me, causing me to jump in my seat. ‘How could I have missed this?’ he growls.
I touch his shoulder lightly. ‘We couldn’t have understood any of this if it wasn’t for all the work that you did. None of this would have happened without your input
.’
Aunt Lily walks in and notices Uncle Jo’s body language. ‘What is it?’ she asks worriedly, putting her bag on the kitchen bench.
‘Ellie just changed the course of history,’ he responds gruffly, looking down at the table.
I glance at her and shrug my shoulders.
She nods, knowing better than to get involved. ‘Okay, well I’ll just leave you two to continue your history lesson. I have to go to the shops anyway so I will see you later.’ She gives me one last look and smirks, before grabbing her bag and heading out the door.
I wait patiently for him to stop sulking. The minutes tick by and I decide to fix myself a sandwich. I make him one of his ridiculously strong coffees and place it in front of him. The scent of it wakes him out of his trance and he finally lifts his head.
‘So let’s assume that all this is correct. Now all we have to do is find out what the Venators know,’ he says sullenly, grabbing his mug.
‘Exactly!’ I mumble between chews.
‘We have a lot of work to do,’ he says. He starts to shuffle around the papers and organise the information into alphabetical order.
I finish off my sandwich in silence, while questions run manic inside my head—who are these Puritans? What do they know? Why are they threatened by us? I am unable to have the answers I need right now but I know where I can find them…Egypt!
As if sensing the exact same conclusion Uncle Jo draws a great big circle around Egypt on the map.
Chapter 13
He gets up to make himself another cup of coffee and I turn on the laptop. Magi enters through the back doggy door, looks at me, scratches her ear and then pads into the living room to resume her spot by the chaise.
I log on. ‘Alright, where do we start?’ I ask.
He walks back towards the table and sits down. ‘I think the first thing we need to do is find out more about Isis, don’t you?’
I type in her name. ‘Oh great! Only about seven million sites mentioning her name. How excellent!’
‘Just tap on the first one and we’ll go from there,’ he says blowing on his coffee.