by Ian Somers
She didn’t argue with him. It was best not to draw attention to us and she swung the car onto an adjacent street and picked up speed. As we got to the end of the street a figure emerged from a doorway of a grocery store and flagged us down. It was Cathy and she appeared unharmed.
I pushed my door open as the car slowed and she dived in and sat in the middle next to Sarah Fisher, who had drifted back into that daze she’d been in since the fall from the seventh floor of the apartment block.
‘Are you all right?’ I asked her.
‘I think so.’
‘What happened?’ Hunter asked. ‘Where are the others?’
‘Dead. They’re all dead.’
‘And Zalech?’
‘He killed them one by one. He was escaping so I switched my mind into Nightshade and tried to stop him. My head is so sore – Nightshade was killed and I switched out of his body just in time. A second later and my mind would have died too.’
‘Zalech?’ Hunter turned to her. ‘Did you kill him?’
‘I tore his throat out …’
‘That settles it then,’ Farrier said. ‘Let’s get the hell out of here.’
‘Not so fast,’ Hunter replied. ‘They are too many of us to travel in one car and we’ll be running the risk of getting pulled over by the police. I think we should split up.’
‘You’re probably right. We should borrow another vehicle.’
‘Now is a good time to steal one, while the cops are distracted with the fire,’ said Hunter.
We drove slowly around the streets looking for an appropriate vehicle and my nerves were choking me. Ania’s lifeless face in my mind again and I was finding it hard to catch my breath. The only thing that got me through the dreadful hour was Cathy, who never let go of my hand. When we finally found a suitable car, Hunter used his gift to bypass the lock and he got it going within a few seconds. Linda Farrier and Janice switched over to the stolen car and she said she would head to Manchester and lie low for a couple of days.
Cathy sat up front as Hunter drove, and I remained in the back with Sarah who was mumbling quietly to herself. As soon as we reached the first motorway I capitulated to fatigue – or perhaps it was shock – and was out cold.
I woke to see the sun rising over the horizon with a blue and pink sky overhead, a welcome change to the grey skies and the rain that had lasted for many weeks. The car was parked outside a roadside diner, an all-night place for weary travellers and truckers to take rest and fill up on cheap grub. Sarah was sleeping next to me, still clutching that accursed diary of hers. I looked at the glass front of the diner and saw Hunter and Cathy inside, standing by the counter. I caught Cathy looking back at me and smiling. She was so beautiful. I was reminded of the first time she smiled at me, when I was staying at her home and had shot her with a paintball. It seemed a lifetime had passed since that day. So much had happened and I had gone through so many changes and tragedies.
I was cast into a dark place when I thought of Ania Zalech crushed under the car. That same shock I felt when it happened kept repeating inside me every time I pictured it. It would take a long time to banish that image from my mind and even longer to cleanse my soul of the guilt. I had robbed her of so much. At least I’d saved the others from harm. Knowing that I’d saved them from hideous burns or worse made the guilt almost bearable.
My gloomy thoughts were chased away when Cathy pulled open the door next to me and plonked a brown paper bag on my lap.
‘Chips, cheeseburger and nuggets,’ she said with a tired smile. ‘Eat it before it gets cold.’
She sat in the front next to Hunter, who was chomping into a chicken burger, and looked back at Sarah.
‘I got her some too. Should we wake her?’
‘I think you better,’ Hunter said with his mouth full. ‘I doubt the child has eaten since she was abducted.’
I reached over and nudged her, but she didn’t stir.
‘Leave her, Ross,’ Cathy said. ‘She looked tormented a few hours ago and I think the sleep will do her good. The last thing we need is her in hysterics while other people are around.’
‘She did look a bit wired, didn’t she?’
‘So would you if you’d been abducted.’
‘At least she’s safe,’ Hunter said as he finished his meal and wiped his fingers on the lapel of his jacket. ‘And those two lunatics are dead which means she can sleep soundly from now on.’
‘Have some respect for the dead,’ I said to him.
‘Respect,’ he spat. ‘Edward Zalech killed more than a dozen people in the last week, most of whom were gifted and valuable members of the Guild. There were also children amongst his victims and you think I should show him respect? Should I mourn his passing?’
‘Just didn’t sound right the way you said it.’
‘Bah! He can rot in his grave now.’
‘That’s if he’s dead,’ Cathy said as she picked her at the basket of chips on her lap.
‘What did you just say?’ Hunter leaned towards her and his eyes looked ready to pop out of his head. ‘I thought you said that you killed him?’
‘Well … he was dying. I presume he’s dead, but I didn’t actually see him die.’
‘Marvellous.’ Hunter gave a weary sigh and rubbed his face. ‘That’s just marvellous.’
‘Lay off her, Hunter. Cathy’s been through the mill and she doesn’t need you interrogating her now.’
‘Bentley, you would want to alter the tone of your voice when you speak to me because that sounded almost like you were telling me what to do. There was even a hint of a warning there.’
‘Hunter, you seem to forget I’m not afraid of you. I wasn’t giving you a warning; I was simply telling you to ease off.’
‘It’s my job to ensure that psychopath can’t hurt anyone else. I need to be certain he’s not still wandering around the north-east of England drowning people in their own juices!’
‘When I was fighting him, through Nightshade’s body,’ Cathy said, ‘I managed to bite into his neck. That was a fatal injury in itself. Just before the end he managed to use psychokinesis to throw me into the road, but when he did I tore out a large part of his throat. There’s no one who could survive that.’
‘You sure?’
‘No, I’m not sure. I’m simply telling you what happened. You can draw your own conclusions.’
‘I doubt he could have lived after that,’ Hunter admitted after a moment. ‘How did the others die?’
‘Horribly. He was in control of a petrol spillage and used it to shield himself and also used it as a weapon. At some point the petrol ignited and he used this flaming rope like a lasso that wrangled the others so easily. He wiped them out in a couple of minutes.’
‘Lucky we have you on our side then, isn’t it?’
‘No. Lucky it was dark and I chose a black cat. It was pure luck that he didn’t see Nightshade approach. I can only imagine what he could have done if he’d managed to escape. He was so strong, Hunter.’
‘I know. Be thankful he was never trained to maximise his gifts. You cannot imagine how dangerous a fully-trained mageleton can be.’
‘I don’t want to imagine it,’ Cathy said, shaking her head. ‘I still don’t feel good about killing him … it makes me sick every time I think about it.’
‘Cathy, he had to be stopped before he could murder any more people. God knows he killed enough. Can’t say I was too fond of Motson, but he didn’t deserve to die at the hands of that maniac. Neither did the others … Christ, two of them were only weeks away from retiring from the Guild altogether.’
‘Some times I don’t think I’m cut out for this,’ Cathy said before she turned to look at Sarah. ‘I hope she was worth all this.
‘Me too,’ I said. I thought back to how Ania was alerted to my presence and started to wonder why Sarah had insisted on bringing her diary. ‘I wonder what’s in that journal. She grabbed hold of it like her very life depended on it.’
‘Most li
kely it’s important notes on how fluffy the clouds are,’ Hunter snorted, ‘or how the colour pink is prettier than blue.’
‘Or they could be a record of her premonitions.’
‘We’ll know soon enough. I’m sure Peter Williams will sniff out if she has a true gift or not.’
‘Will you be staying at the house too?’ Cathy asked him. ‘You could probably do with some sleep.’
‘No. I’ll drop the three of you off then go straight to the Palatium to speak with the Council about what happened last night.’
‘You think they’ll be ticked off?’ I asked.
‘Not half as ticked off as I am, Bentley. I want to know what they were doing sending lightweights like Motson and Chapman to assassinate Edward Zalech. Believe me, Ballentine has a lot of explaining to do.’
He lifted the handbrake and reversed out on the road before shifting into first and flooring the accelerator. The car jolted when it hit the road and Sarah lurched forward, her eyes wide open and her hands clutching her diary so tight that her knuckles were white.
‘It’s all right,’ I told her. ‘You’re safe.’
‘We’re not safe.’
‘What do you mean?’
She sank slowly back into her seat and a deep frown fell over her face.
‘Those two won’t bother you again, lass,’ Hunter said from the front. ‘They won’t bother anyone again.’
‘That’s what you think.’
‘What do you mean?’ Cathy asked, turning quickly and fixing her gaze on the young girl. ‘Have you seen them in the future?’
‘I’m not sure. There’s a lot of darkness ahead and it’s hard for me to see anyone clearly.’
‘You think we’re in danger?’ I asked her.
She nodded slowly.
‘What have you seen?’
‘There’s a big shadow spreading over the world.’
‘What’s casting such a big shadow?’
‘Bad people,’ she said. She looked away from me and her grip on the journal tightened.
‘Who are these bad people?’
‘Bentley, you’re giving her an audience,’ Hunter said. ‘Leave it to Williams to figure out what she’s capable of.’
The car fell silent after that. I guess no one was in the mood of talking, and each of us had a lot on our minds. The journey to the Williams estate was a long and very uncomfortable one.
I experienced a strange mix of emotions when we turned off the narrow road and through the tall gates of the Williams’ estate. I felt secure coming to this place, but also felt great sorrow when I remembered the last time I drove away from the house and left Cathy and her mother behind. And there was also the memory of bringing Romand here only a few months before, dragging him out of the car onto the lawn and trying to revive him to no avail. Romand had been a tough mentor but I missed him a lot, especially in times of trouble. He’d have made some sense of the regret and confusion that filled my heart.
Mr Williams was standing in the shadows of the front doorway when we left the car and stepped outside to greet us as we approached. He kissed Cathy on the cheek then shook my hand before stooping to talk to Sarah.
‘Well, well, well,’ he said. ‘Who do we have here?’
‘Sarah,’ she replied. ‘Sarah Fisher.’
‘Pleased to meet you, Sarah Fisher. My name is Peter and I’m hoping I can help you to cope with all that you have had to endure throughout your short life.’
‘I don’t know what you mean,’ she said, wrinkling her brow.
‘I’ll explain it all after you’ve had some rest and gotten used to your new surroundings.’
‘I get to stay here?’ she looked up at the tall and rather grand façade of the house. ‘It’s much nicer than the last place I lived.’
‘Safer too,’ Hunter added.
‘Indeed,’ Mr Williams smiled. ‘Let’s go inside, shall we?’
Cathy took the girl inside the house and brought her through to the kitchen while Mr Williams led Hunter and me into the sitting room; he said he needed to know what happened up north right away. His mood went very sombre once inside and he told us to sit down while he remained on his feet near the window.
‘I’ve heard some rather disturbing reports from the north-east this morning,’ he said as he clasped his hands behind his back. ‘I take it all did not go according to plan?’
‘You can say that again,’ Hunter laughed, although there was no hint of amusement in his voice. He looked very tired and his eyes were circled with shadows; I don’t know how he managed to stay awake because he hadn’t had a wink of sleep in over two days.
‘The rescue was an unmitigated disaster,’ Hunter went on, giving the arm of the couch a tired slap. ‘I’ve never been involved in such a mess in all my years with the Guild. We should be thankful that young Bentley here was involved. He was the one who saved the kid.’
It should have felt good to get praised by Hunter, but it simply reminded me of what had happened after I rescued Sarah from the apartment.
‘Well done, Ross,’ Williams said. He gave me a smile that disappeared when he saw how dejected I was. He didn’t question me and returned to his conversation with Hunter. ‘I’ve heard Edward Zalech remerged.’
‘Yeah. He was the one behind the killings in Switzerland and he was the other person searching for Sarah. He murdered those newspaper people and he also managed to kill Motson and his team.’
‘Dear God,’ Mr Williams breathed; he seemed to shrink right before our eyes at this news. ‘Chapman and Adeyemi were friends of mine … They were ready for retirement … And Motson … he had three young children.’
‘A tragedy,’ Hunter said quietly. ‘No doubt about it.’
‘How did it come to this?’ Mr Williams said. ‘I had hoped Edward had conquered his demons and would become a decent man and a valuable member of our group. He had made so much progress in recent times …’
‘He was a bloody psycho.’
‘I only spoke with him a few weeks ago. There was no hint that he could commit such atrocities.’
‘I saw what he did,’ I said, leaning forward in my chair. ‘He had no regard for human life and he had to be stopped. If you’d only seen what he did to the newspapers editor and his wife you’d realise how twisted he really was.’
‘And what has become of Edward?’
‘Most likely dead,’ Hunter answered. ‘Cathy switched her mind into Nightshade’s body and attacked him as he fled.’
‘Cathy killed him!’ Mr Williams gasped. ‘How has she been coping with this?’
‘Been pretty quiet the whole way down here. She’s doing fine, though, as far as I can tell.’
‘I’ll speak with her shortly, to be sure. This has not turned out to be the simple rescue mission we thought it would have been.’
‘It certainly didn’t,’ Hunter nodded. ‘I’m going to kill Ballentine for leaving Motson in charge of the operation. He sent civilians into a war and there’s only one outcome when that happens.’
‘There was no one else to send, Hunter. All our British-based operatives have been flown to the continent to track down the Cramer’s murderer. Ballentine had no one other than Motson and his team to call on. At least the two of you and Cathy survived. What of Linda? Is she alive?’
‘Linda is fine,’ Hunter said. ‘She returned to Manchester with Janice Powell. They’ll lie low for a few days.’
‘Good,’ Mr Williams nodded thoughtfully. ‘That’s the wisest course of action. So, were there any clues as to why Edward Zalech turned?’
‘None. But I find it hard to believe he was acting alone. He must have been working for someone, or at least planning to sell the girl to one of our competitors.’
‘That would make sense. I wonder who got to him.’
‘Probably Golding,’ I said. ‘He seems to be everywhere.’
‘He would top the list of suspects.’ Mr Williams agreed. ‘Oh, and Edward’s sister? Where is she?’
‘Dead,’ Hunter said with no emotion. ‘Bentley killed her.’
‘I was acting in self-defence – not that it makes me feel any better about it. Jesus, I feel like getting sick every time I think about her.’
‘It’s never easy to kill,’ Mr Williams said as he turned to me. ‘I understand what you must be going through, Ross. We should talk this over, you and I, at great length.’
‘I don’t want to talk about it.’
‘Trust me, Ross. You cannot continue in the Guild if this incident makes you hesitate in the future. There will always be threats to the gifted and we need agents who can deal with killing, if it’s needed.’
‘I didn’t turn into a sissy all of a sudden. It’s just … if it had been Edward that I killed I’d probably feel proud of myself, but Ania was just a kid. We don’t even know she was involved in the murders. Edward could have told her that they were rescuing Sarah and that we were the bad guys who were trying to harm her. Maybe that’s why Ania reacted so violently.’
‘You’re making up excuses for her,’ Hunter argued. ‘She didn’t seem to have the child’s wellbeing at heart when she shot fire at you both and sent you tumbling off that balcony.’
‘I suppose – even so, she was only twelve or thirteen. I wouldn’t have wanted to die for things I’d done at that age …’
‘There’s no supposing! Those two snatched the girl for money. End of.’
‘You think we’ll find out who was behind it now that they’re both dead?’ I asked. ‘I’d sure like to see the people responsible punished.’
‘Unlikely.’
‘There will have to be an investigation into what happened,’ Mr Williams added. ‘There always are in such circumstances.’
‘Hopefully it will be a proper one this time,’ Hunter said under his breath.
‘It will be,’ Mr Williams snapped. He was obviously tiring of Hunter’s abrasive attitude. ‘We will have a meeting at the Palatium about this.’
‘I’m going there as soon as you make me a cup of coffee.’
‘No, Hunter. Stay the night; you look dead on your feet.’
‘I’ll live.’
‘Sleep on it, old friend. You’re tired and cranky and will only be going there looking for a fight. Best not to argue with the Council. You know this better than anyone.’