Phoebe Wren and the Vortex of Light

by Julie K. Timlin

  Overwhelmed by what she had just heard, and with her head reeling, Phoebe plopped down again on to the fallen tree trunk. “How…” she started, then shook her head, unable to pull words together to respond. Demetrius took over on Phoebe’s behalf. “What do you need us to do, Cosain? We’re only kids – well, Phoebe is!” He grinned at the warriors assembled in front of him. Phoebe could see that Demetrius’s fearlessness impressed them, and wished that she could be more like him – trusting, brave, impetuous even.

  “There is no well laid out plan that we can go through with you beforehand,” said Lasair. “But you will see. The necessary things will fall into place and you will know what to do. Trust.” He smiled at the teenagers, and knew that their blend of bravery and caution was exactly what would be needed in the weeks ahead.

  “We can do that.” Phoebe spoke up and her simple pledge touched Cosain’s heart.

  “Yes,” he said. “You can. And you will. And we will be with you every step of the way. For now, you need to go to Ella.”

  “Ella?” Phoebe was at once puzzled and delighted by the mention of her best friend.

  “Yes, she will be instrumental as well. Besides,” Cosain was smiling again. “Aren’t you dying to see her?”

  “Ella! Yes! Come on Dem, I’ve got someone I want you to meet! Cosain, uh… gents…” Addressing angels en masse never got any easier. “We will see you all in due course then.”

  Phoebe set off at a gallop with Demetrius in tow, as the Heavenly Host stepped back into the coppice and disappeared, content that for now Phoebe and Demetrius were safe and secure.

  CHAPTER 46

  Ella Quill had spent much of her morning loitering beside the telephone with her cell phone also planted firmly in her back pocket. Phoebe, the best friend she hadn’t seen in person for ten long years, was home and she was not taking any chances, she would make sure she didn’t miss a single call. Ella’s mother, Rose, had been amused by her daughter’s enthusiasm, and had tried in vain to convince her that Phoebe would need to catch up on a lot of sleep after such a long and tiring journey home from Africa.

  “It’s no good watching the phone, Love,” Rose smiled. “Phoebe will call when she’s good and ready and not a minute before – why don’t you relax, Ella? Go watch some TV or read your book, just punch in a bit of time?”

  “I can’t Mum,” said Ella with a sigh. “Phoebe’s home – she’s home – and I’m finally gonna get to catch up properly, and we won’t have to Skype ever again!” She curled her fingers up into fists and punched the air several times. Rose laughed and shook her head, it was lovely to see her daughter so excited, and she only hoped that Ella’s and Phoebe’s friendship had truly endured the years and the miles between them. Neither she nor Ella would have to wait long to find out.

  The front doorbell rang. “Get that Love, would you please?” called Rose from the kitchen. Ella screwed up her face a little, annoyed to have to move from where she had been hovering beside the phone. “Oh okay,” she muttered under her breath, then pulled her cell phone out of her jeans pocket before running to the front door. Ella flipped open her cell phone to check the messages for the hundredth time as she grabbed the front door knob and heaved the door open, eyes fixed on her cell screen.

  “Hey El!”

  Ella’s head jerked up and her eyes popped as she recognised the voice that had just spoken her name.

  “Phoebe!” she squealed with such volume that Demetrius winced and covered his ears with his hands. In an instant, all nature of telephones were forgotten about, and the two girls were locked in a huge embrace that seemed to wipe out ten years of separation in a moment. They were jumping and dancing and squealing and crying and laughing all at once, and the commotion brought Rose running from the kitchen.

  “Ahh, Phoebe love, you’re here!” she exclaimed and joined her daughter in squeezing Phoebe tight. The sight filled Demetrius’s heart with joy, and he had to bite his lip in an effort to stop the tears that were welling in his eyes. ‘Not very manly, Dem’, he chided himself.

  “Hello Dem,” said Ella shyly, once she had let go of Phoebe. “It’s nice to meet you in person instead of just in cyberspace.” She laughed and hesitated before giving Demetrius a warm embrace; she was sure that they would become great friends and was looking forward to getting to know Demetrius better.

  “Go on through to the den, kids,” said Rose, ushering them in through the hallway to the cosy family room. “You have so much to get caught up on; I’ll bring drinks through in a while.”

  “Thanks Mum,” smiled Ella, as she closed the den door behind her then bounced up on to the huge corner sofa beside Phoebe and Demetrius and sat cross legged and eager to hear all.

  “I actually can’t actually believe you’re actually here Phoebe!” Ella was grinning from ear to ear, and her babbled words made Phoebe giggle.

  “Actually?” Phoebe teased, and they all laughed. “It’s so great to be home, El. We’ve had an amazing ten years – but there definitely is no place like home!”

  The teenagers talked animatedly for what seemed to them like a few minutes; in reality, their conversation consisted of almost three hours of non-stop chatter. Mrs. Quill brought in refreshments and refills on several occasions, and smiled even more than usual at just how happy her daughter and her friends seemed to be.

  Eventually, when Phoebe felt content that she had told Ella everything of importance from the last ten years, and had heard all of Ella’s news, she unfolded her crossed legs, stretched, then looked from Demetrius to Ella.

  “Ella,” Phoebe started, searching Demetrius’s face for a reaction. “We have some stuff to tell you, big stuff… Crazy stuff!”

  “What? Wait… Are you two…?”

  “What? No! Ella, he’s my best friend!” Phoebe scolded her friend for even thinking that she and Demetrius were anything more than buddies, but blushed despite herself. “No, what we’re about to tell you is entirely bigger and crazier. I know you’ve only just met Dem properly, but you trust us, right?”

  “Of course I do, Phoebs, I trust you guys more than anyone else.” Ella’s face was serious, her eyes fixed on her friend’s face. “So come on, what’s the story?”

  Phoebe and Demetrius looked at each other with expressions that said ‘where do we start?’ then Phoebe puffed out her cheeks and started their fantastic story from the only place she could think of – at the beginning.

  CHAPTER 47

  “Say something El, say anything!” Phoebe twiddled nervously with the end of her hair as she concluded her incredible tale and sat anxiously waiting for Ella to respond. Demetrius had remained quiet throughout, allowing Phoebe to relay their tale in the way she saw fit, and now Ella looked from him to Phoebe and back again. Finally, after a few moments had passed, Ella tilted her head back, ran her fingers through her sandy hair and fixed her blue eyes on Phoebe’s bright green ones.

  “Wow!” exclaimed Ella. “Is that response enough?” She was teasing, but she could tell from the serious expression on Phoebe’s face that she desperately needed to know how Ella really felt about everything she had just heard – giant angelic warriors, horrible cruel demonic creatures, aeroplane crashes that happen then never happen, a vortex of light, time travel. It was a lot to take in by anyone’s standards.

  “Sorry Phoebs,” Ella said, suitably serious now. “It sure is one giant crazy tale. But of course I believe you! Why on earth would you guys make something like that up? It’s too bizarre! So, what happens now? You said that Cosain said that I’ll be involved in this somehow?”

  “Phew!” Phoebe exhaled loudly and relaxed back into the softness of the big leather sofa. “I’m so glad to have all that out in the open! Yes, Cosain mentioned you, he said you would be ‘instrumental’. But for now neither Dem nor I know any more than you. I guess we just wait. Cosain and the others will keep us on the right track.”

  “I’m gonna meet angels,” Ella mused. “I really don’t know whether to be excited o
r terrified!”

  “I know how you feel, believe me! I’m still not sure how to feel about them!” Phoebe concurred.

  “Yes,” said Demetrius. “It is a fairly unique experience. And don’t worry, Cosain knows where we are, he will make sure that we don’t miss what has been planned for us.”

  Ella paused, then seemed to recall something important. “You know,” Ella said. “It’s maybe nothing more than coincidence but there has been, well, weird stuff going on here too the last while.”

  “Weird? How so?” Phoebe was intrigued.

  “Well, you know the Abbey up on Quagmire Hill?”

  “Darken Abbey? It’s still there?” Phoebe asked. Ella nodded then continued.

  “It’s been empty for, like, forever, you know? Nobody really goes up there, and there definitely hasn’t been anything happening in it since you left Ireland, Phoebe. Only recently, there have been some peculiar things happening up there – people reporting strange noises, lights inside the building and in the grounds… I didn’t really believe any of it, but now… well, now I’m not so sure!”

  “Hmmm.” Phoebe chewed on her lower lip and was surprised to find that Ella’s information had made her strangely nervous. “I guess it might just be coincidence, or overactive imaginations?”

  “Or,” Demetrius interjected thoughtfully. “It could be more pieces in this crazy tale we’re caught up in. One thing’s for sure though, our angelic friends will be keeping an eye out.”

  As the summer evening began to draw in, a dark form materialised just outside the den window at the Quills’ house.

  “Yes, those wretched angels know where you are Phoebe Wren. But so do I. And I’ll be keeping an eye on them and you!”

  Glinting red eyes peered in at the three teenagers, and Schnither’s face contorted into a maniacal mask of malevolence.

  “I will be avenged,” he sneered. “I will have my day!”

  And with a swish of black wings he was gone, leaving a trail of sulphurous yellow smoke in his wake.

  CHAPTER 48

  Exhausted from their trip and still bewildered by the happenings of the past few days, Phoebe and Demetrius bid farewell to Ella and returned home, assuring her that they would return tomorrow, first thing in the morning. Ella had pondered all she had heard, and by the time her friends were ready to go home, she had processed her thoughts and was highly excitable, firing a thousand questions at Phoebe and Demetrius which they had done their best to answer.

  “I’m beat guys, it’s been a busy day,” Phoebe announced to no-one in particular as she sat in the living room with her parents and Demetrius. “Time to turn in I reckon. Goodnight everyone.”

  “Me too. Goodnight folks.” Demetrius yawned as he arose and joined Phoebe as they ascended the stairs to their rooms. “Let’s see what tomorrow brings,” he said, before giving Phoebe a quick hug and disappearing into his bedroom.

  Phoebe gazed absent mindedly at her own reflection as she brushed her teeth before bed. She rubbed her eyes with her free hand, then leaned it on the side of the sink and shook her head. ‘Why me?’ she wondered, then immediately, ‘Why not?’ Phoebe climbed gratefully into her cosy bed, and within a few seconds she was in a sound sleep, dreaming of angels with kind eyes and unrelenting swords.

  FRIDAY 23rd JULY

  IRELAND

  Phoebe, Demetrius and Ella passed a relatively uneventful few days together, unpacking and putting away Phoebe and Demetrius’s belongings and helping Jack and Eva to get their home into some sort of order. Phoebe and Demetrius’s first week in Ireland had passed quickly, and since Uncle John and Aunty Kate had come over with the kids most days, the week was busy enough and breezed by fairly quickly. Today, the Wrens needed to arrange for the bulk of their goods to come out of storage, and had several meetings to attend. Neither Jack nor Eva had offered any further information as to what these meetings entailed, and in her own busyness Phoebe had not thought to ask. Eva had asked Phoebe if she and Demetrius would be happy enough to do their own thing while she and Jack saw to what needed to be done, and Phoebe had been glad to be afforded the opportunity to spend the day alone with her friends. As soon as Jack and Eva left the house, she and Demetrius called Ella, who came round straight away.

  “Guys, I’ve been thinking – a lot – about everything you’ve told me the last few days, and I think we ought to pay a visit to Darken Abbey on Quagmire Hill. I mean, surely that’s the most obvious place for us to start? Shouldn’t we investigate a bit and see what it is that Cosain and the others have in store for us? What do you reckon? Are you up for it?”

  Phoebe had been leafing through a magazine which was three weeks past its print date, and now she paused mid-leaf and frowned at Ella and Demetrius. She was hesitant, reluctant even, and something instinctively told her that they should wait for further and more precise instructions. “I don’t know, El,” she said slowly. “Don’t you think we need to wait until we hear from Cosain?”

  Cosain… hmmm. It struck Phoebe as odd that a week had passed without any word from the Heavenly Host, but as Demetrius kept reminding her, they just had to trust that Cosain and the other angels knew what they were doing.

  “No, it’ll be okay Phoebe. We’re not going to do anything, just have a look around. Oh come on Bird, I’m dying to see the place, a quick visit can’t hurt?” Demetrius was eager to get going, and his willingness to have a snoop around only served to make Ella all the more eager. Despite her gut instinct, Phoebe just couldn’t say no.

  “Oh okay then,” Phoebe concurred reluctantly. “But we’re just gonna swing by, see it, and get straight back – agreed?”

  Demetrius and Ella grinned excitedly at each other. “Agreed!” they said in unison, and the three friends pulled on their jackets as they set off in the direction of the old abandoned stone Abbey that stood still on the top of Quagmire Hill. It was a good twenty minute walk and despite the bright July day, there was a nip in the air and the teenagers were glad of the extra layer of clothing. Phoebe was certain that the temperature dropped as she and her friends approached the old wrought iron gates that guarded the walkway up to the Abbey, but Ella and Demetrius had laughed and told her that she was being entirely paranoid. The teenagers stopped outside the decrepit rusty gates, and Demetrius pulled at the heavy duty metal chain which had been wrapped several times around the closed edges of the two heavy gates and fastened with a very old fashioned rusty padlock.

  “That’s not gonna budge,” he observed, although he grabbed the chain and tugged on it again as if to prove the point to himself.

  “Well, we’ve been, we’ve seen it, we can’t get in,” remarked Phoebe with a not inaudible sigh of relief. “Let’s just get back home, my folks might be wondering where we are.”

  “Your folks aren’t gonna be back for ages, Bird,” said Demetrius without looking in Phoebe’s direction as he was scanning the perimeter fence, obviously hoping for a way in.

  “Dem, you promised. You said we’d only look…” Phoebe was getting nervous now; there was something about the blackness and the chill of the dilapidated old abbey that made her very uneasy. She was convinced now that the nip in the air was not just in her imagination, and was wary of the way in which the bright July sky seemed to darken and cloud over above the abbey’s arches and spires.

  “We are only looking, Phoebs, no need to panic,” soothed Ella. “Although maybe we could look just a little closer. Like from inside this fence?”

  “Dem, Ella. Please, no, let’s just go now.” Phoebe already knew that her pleas had fallen on deaf ears, and the sense of foreboding in her belly crescendoed until her she felt shaky and a bit nauseous. “Guys…” she tried once more to make Demetrius and Ella see sense, but her pleas were lost on her less cautious friends, who had both started off along the perimeter of the abbey in search of a broken post they could squeeze through or a suitable point to climb over.

  “Come on Bird, just a quick look,” coaxed Demetrius, who had found a space i
n the fence was already squeezing through it sideways like an overgrown crab. Ella followed Demetrius through the gap, and the two stood grinning out at Phoebe, who furrowed her forehead and tutted her disapproval before she too shook her head and slipped through the space in the fence, joining her friends inside the grounds of the abbey.

  “See?” Demetrius grinned his ‘I told you so’ at Phoebe. “We’re through, and we’re okay. There’s nothing to be afraid of here.”

  Phoebe could not bring herself to agree with her friend’s assessment of the situation as she reluctantly followed him and Ella along the overgrown path, which lead to the imposing front doors of Darken Abbey. The abbey had not been used since the early 1900s, and Phoebe had heard it said that its sudden closure was cloaked in scandal and mystery. If local people knew exactly what had happened back in 1909 when law enforcement had raided the building, no-one seemed to want to talk about it. ‘Must have been something dark going on up here,’ Phoebe mused. The thought flittered only briefly through Phoebe’s head, but it was enough to make her shudder and renew her appeal to Demetrius and Ella to make a U turn and head for home. There appeared to be no reasoning with them now however, so Phoebe pulled her jacket tightly around herself as if its flimsy fabric could somehow protect her from whatever lay ahead, then put an inch to her step to keep up with her adventuring friends.