He could not speak for a long moment. Finally he found the words.
‘I don’t want to lose you like I’ve just lost Gwen,’ he said.
She fell back into her chair, feeling stunned. She reached out to him, taking his hands in hers, wanting to feel the reality of his skin, his being, to know that he existed when everything else was falling away around her. Suddenly the words came tumbling out.
‘I don’t know what is happening,’ she said, ‘I had dreams too. This morning, in the lobby just before I went up to my room, it was as if the person in my dream was standing in front of me. And before, it’s like someone, or something’s been watching me. Then at night, in the storm, I saw,’ she shivered as she remembered. ‘I saw a rider on horseback standing outside our hotel window.’
His eyes hardened. So it was real. He had wanted to ignore it, to pretend that it was some kind of waking dream, but she had seen it, seen him. And she had dreamed too, of him. Nothing in Gwen’s teachings had mentioned or prepared him for this. He was totally alone and did not know what to do or how to act. His mind began to spin into freefall and he fought for control. All he could think of was his aunt, of his failure to be awakened, of all the things that were happening that should not be. Something was going badly wrong and he had no one to turn to now.
‘I am not a bad person,’ he whispered. ‘What have I done to deserve this?’
‘Paul, what’s the matter?’ she asked suddenly scared at his appearance.
He looked away. He had to shut it off, to stop thinking. He focused on Nicola, this hauntingly beautiful girl sitting opposite him, speaking to him. They were linked somehow, in their dreams and now in real life. It was the only thing he had left to hold onto.
‘Nothing,’ he said. ‘Since my aunt died, it’s all been odd, strange, like I’m living another person’s life. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.’
‘But our dreams?’ Nicola began to say but he cut her off.
‘I said I don’t want to speak about it anymore.’ He turned away to look across the bay.
She fell silent, her mind numb with shock.
‘Do you want to go windsurfing?’
‘Are you serious?’ she asked.
‘Of course,’ he said looking back at her. ‘Come on, it will cheer us up, get us out of ourselves.’
For a moment Nicola could not cope with the rollercoaster of feelings and happenings flooding through her. She wanted to be back at the start of the holiday just her and Stefan, everything simple and happy and uncomplicated. Not like now, where she was feeling more and more out of depth, out of control. And now he wanted her to go windsurfing. She almost laughed at the surreal nature of the situation.
‘Ok, sure,’ she said hesitantly.
He stood up.
‘You can hire boards and wetsuits from the lifeboat house on the harbour.’
He moved towards the exit gate onto the road and then turned round as Nicola had yet to move.
‘Come on, it will be fun.’
He held her gaze, a renewed glint of mischief in his eyes. She gave in and got up.
‘Ok, let’s go.’
She left a tip for the waitress and then got up following him out of the cafe and onto the harbour road. They walked side by side along the pavement, passing fishing boats and lobster pots, seagulls and nets and all the other paraphernalia of a working fishing town. Their opposing hands hung loosely at their sides and once or twice they brushed together. Neither looked at the other nor dared to take the other’s hand in their own. They turned left, walking along the five metre wide jetty that jutted out into the bay and formed one side of the harbour. At the end was an old lifeboat house since converted into a bar and windsurfing centre. As they approached Nicola felt the familiar knotting sensation in the pit of her stomach that came every time she was due to do something physical she had never tried before.
Paul walked straight in and up to a counter at the back of the shop. He spoke with the man behind the counter and then turned and gestured to Nicola to come over. She walked up and the man cast his eye over her before disappearing into a door on the right and coming out a few moments later with two wetsuits.
‘Changing rooms through there,’ he said pointing to a door behind them, his Australian accent totally unexpected. ‘Leave your stuff in the lockers and go out the doors at the back to get your boards. We’ll tow you out and come back to get you in an hour unless you are waving, in which case we’ll come straight over. The safety boats out there all the time.’
He grinned at them both.
‘Have a great time.’
They walked through to the doors to separate changing rooms.
‘See you on the other side,’ grinned Paul.
Nicola grimaced and went into the room. It was empty except for the lockers and some towels strewn across the benches. She slipped off her t-shirt and jeans wondering if she was supposed to go naked into the suit. Not liking the idea she kept her underwear on and grimly stepped into the suit, pulled it awkwardly up her legs until it was tight against her body. She threaded her arms through and then used the cord to pull the zip up her back. Now ready, she threw her clothes into a locker and then went out the door marked ‘Surfers Exit’ feeling suddenly self conscious, for the suit left little to the imagination in terms of her figure. The door opened onto a small platform and she blinked in the sudden brightness. Paul was already there climbing down a steel ladder onto the boat. She followed him, the boat rocking from side to side as she stepped down, and she felt the boatman steady her as she moved forward.
‘Thanks,’ she said to him.
‘No worries,’ grinned back another young, tanned Australian. Her stomach shrunk by another couple of knots as she saw there was no going back. She sat down opposite Paul who was grinning evilly.
‘You ready?’ he asked.
‘No,’ she said back at him.
He laughed.
Soon they were speeding across the bay, their two surfboards being towed behind them. The boatman took them to the far side, away from a group of people on a lesson. The boards were cast off and Paul and Nicola slipped into the cold water. The boat turned round and motored off and soon they were alone.
‘Right, have you done this before?’ asked Paul resting his arms across his board to keep himself afloat.
‘No, have you?’ asked Nicola as she did the same.
‘Err, no, but I’m sure it can’t be too complicated,’ he said, a grin on his face.
He pulled himself up onto the board so he was sitting astride it. He then got into a crouch and gingerly stood up grabbing the rope and pulling the sail up from the water. At the same time he leant backwards to counteract the weight of the sail and, as he did so, a strong gust of wind swept across the bay and he began to move forwards.
‘Here we go,’ he said as he moved quickly away from Nicola and then promptly began to wobble before he lost his balance and fell into the water with a big splash. Nicola giggled.
‘Come on,’ he shouted. ‘Your turn.’
For the next twenty minutes they tried their best to wind surf. Paul picked it up quite quickly and was able to make some progress backwards and forward across the bay but Nicola just could not get the balance right and was about to give up in frustration when he came over to her.
‘This is so annoying,’ she said harshly as her sail fell into the water for the one hundredth time. ‘And you’re so good at it.’
‘Hey, it’s just beginner’s luck. You’ll get the hang of it.’
‘I won’t,’ she said, struggling with the sail again. She pulled it up, overbalanced and fell backwards with a big splash. With all credit to him he managed to keep a straight face as she surfaced spitting sea water from her mouth.
‘That went up my nose,’ she cried indignantly.
He slipped from his board and swam over to hers. He pulled himself up onto the board.
‘I’ll try and help you,’ he said.
She looked at him befo
re somehow managing to swing herself around on the board so that she was sitting up. She felt him swing his legs around until he was sitting behind her pressed up against her. Before she could feel uncomfortable he was moving up into a crouch.
‘Follow my movements,’ he said, ‘I’ll keep the board steady.’
She pulled her legs up into a crouch and they stood up in unison. She pulled the rope attached to the sail taught and he wrapped his hands around hers. They both pulled, the sail lifting from the water and he grabbed the rail, his body tight against hers, holding her in position. They began to move as the wind hit the sail and for a moment she really did feel like she was flying across the water and she laughed in happiness. She looked all around her, senses drinking in the sights and the scents, the sun high in a cloudless sky, the deep azure blue sea all around them, the land clad in its cloak of green rolling across the horizon, the feel of his body strong against her, holding her, and she felt totally and utterly free.
And then the wind dropped, there was a wobble and they both fell in.
She came to the surface and grabbed for the board, resting her arms across it to keep afloat. He did the same on the other side and their faces were inches apart, arms against each other. She stared into his eyes, noticing nothing else but him, her pulse racing, her body moving forward towards him, her eyes closing dreamily, their lips brushing and then touching, a kiss, a long, sensual kiss.
A darkened room.
Paul standing above her, his armour glinting in the dying firelight.
The shouts of men.
‘Hey.’
A shout penetrated her consciousness.
‘Hey.’
She opened her eyes and pulled away from him as if waking up from a dream. A hundred metres away the boatman was waving and then pointing to something in the water.
‘Is this your board?’ he shouted.
‘Oh my God!’ said Nicola.
‘Oops,’ said Paul. ‘Forgot about that.’
‘Yes,’ he shouted back to the boatman. ‘Sorry.’
‘We’re taking you in,’ the man shouted back. ‘Can’t have boards drifting around the harbour, right.’
They waited sheepishly for the boat to come to them.
The man hooked up Nicola’s board and then helped them in.
‘Sorry mate,’ he said. ‘But that’s against the rules, never leave your board floating around on its own, ok, or you’ll get us all into trouble.’
‘I’m really sorry,’ said Nicola. ‘It’s all my fault, I was not doing well and asked my friend to help me. We totally did not think about the other board.’ She gave him her best smile
‘Ok, well, let’s get back in,’ he said and opened the throttle. As the engine revved he said under his breath, ‘Wish the girls would do that to me when I was helping them.’
After they had showered and dried themselves, Paul and Nicola headed back along the cliffs towards the hotel climbing up the steep path onto the headland. They walked until they came to a ridge of land where rocks seemed to make a natural fortress, splitting the land. They sat down on the highest point taking in the vast sweep of sea and sky framed by cliffs. The wind had dropped and they sat in silence, the occasional cry of a seagull the only sound on the still air. The total absence of background noise was something Nicola could not remember really noticing or experiencing before, and it seemed to make the landscape stand out with more clarity and detail. For once she could only hear her own breathing. She turned her head to look at Paul, his back resting against a rock as he sat next to her.
‘That was fun,’ she said. ‘Thanks.’
‘No problem, we can do it again tomorrow,’ he said laughing.
‘Maybe,’ said Nicola coyly.
They fell into silence again. Although they were not touching, Nicola could feel his body a few inches away from hers. She longed to reach out and touch him, to return to the kiss he had given her when they were windsurfing. She had never felt this way about anyone before, had never felt such a deep connection with someone. There was something between them that went further than the brief time they had known each other and she was sure he felt it too.
‘I know this will sound corny and cheesy,’ said Nicola before she could stop herself. ‘But I feel I’ve known you all my life.’
Paul remained silent, his head bowed. Nicola could feel her heart thumping in her chest. Would he think she was being weird, or coming on too heavy?
‘Maybe you have,’ he said quietly.
‘What do our dreams mean?’ she asked.
He looked at her face outlined by the glow from the late afternoon sun. His whole being shuddered, for he had never met anyone so beautiful in his life.
‘That we’re connected,’ he said before his face broke into a grin. ‘And we will be together for the rest of our lives happily married with many children.’
‘Now you’re making fun of me again,’ she said punching him on the arm.
‘Hey, that hurt,’ he said in mock shock. ‘You’re in for it now.’
He rolled over and grabbed at her sides to tickle her. She cried out and tried to wriggle away but he was merciless and she collapsed into a fit of painful giggles and cries still trying to grab his hands to stop him.
‘Stop, stop,’ she pleaded in between fits of giggles.
‘Not until you say sorry for hitting me,’ he said carrying on relentlessly.
‘I’m sorry,’ she cried.
‘Louder,’ he said.
‘Soorry’ she breathed. Seeing she could not take much more he stopped, finding himself lying on top of her, his face inches from hers. She looked up at him, the mirth fading from her eyes. He kissed her and she responded pulling him tightly against her. Their lips parted.
‘I’m sorry,’ she murmured.
‘For what?’ he said heavily.
‘I don’t even know you.’
‘Maybe that will change,’ he said.
‘I hope so,’ she whispered reaching up and stroking his hair. ‘Come to dinner with me tonight, at the hotel. The restaurant overlooks the sea, it’s beautiful.’
‘Is that a date?’
‘You have to ask?’ she questioned laughing.
Chapter Eleven
The children sat on the rocks throwing stones at a plastic bottle that was drifting along on the swell a few metres away. Neil had scored the most hits and was now out of ammunition. He jumped up and went searching for more pebbles. Vicky was getting bored and stopped throwing. She couldn’t stop thinking about the key and the voices, or ignore the feeling growing inside of her that they should be doing something. Neil came back with a handful of pebbles and sat down. He picked up the biggest to throw it but then saw that the plastic had drifted too far away along the cove.
‘Damn,’ he muttered looking around. ‘We need another target.’
‘I’m bored,’ said Vicky.
‘We could go back and get the tennis stuff,’ said Neil.
‘I’m not going all the way back home to come back here again,’ said Vicky. ‘It will take too long.’
‘Hmm,’ said Neil at a loss what to suggest next.
‘Grrr,’ said Vicky. ‘I just want to find out what that man is up to. How dare he chase us off and scare us like that!’
‘How does it feel now?’ asked Neil. His sister reached gingerly down the neck of her t-shirt and pulled out the key holding it between her hands.
‘Nothing, it’s just like normal.’ She sounded almost disappointed.
A sudden cough made them turn in surprise. Standing a few metres away on a large flat rock was the boy. He was quite tall, thin and wiry. His clothes were clearly old, trousers with a few rips in them and a t-shirt with frayed sleeves. His eyes were bright and full of apprehension. Vicky quickly let the key drop back down under her t-shirt.
‘What was that?’ he asked in a thick local accent.
‘None of your business,’ said Neil quickly.
‘My uncle,’ said the boy. ‘It’s his
dog.’ He shrugged, looking away.
‘What do you want?’ asked Vicky after a pause, her voice guarded.
‘He said I have to follow you, find out why you were snooping around the wood, how you got there. Said I have to make sure you don’t go back.’ The boy looked suddenly fearful, glancing nervously over his shoulder. ‘He’d kill me if he found me talking to you.’
Neil glanced at his sister.
‘What’s your name?’ asked Vicky.
‘Rob,’ replied the boy. ‘He calls me Robert.’
‘But you prefer Rob?’ said Vicky. The boy nodded furtively.
‘I’m Vicky and this is my brother Neil.’ The boy looked from one to the other, his face unreadable.
‘Why don’t you come and sit down with us and tell us about your uncle?’ said Vicky desperately hoping that they might get some answers.
The boy took one step forward towards them and then hesitated. He looked over his shoulder again and seemed to see something in the distance. He shivered visibly.
‘What’s the matter?’ asked Vicky suddenly feeling sorry for this boy who obviously had a pretty hard life.
‘That thing round your neck,’ he said his voice rising in pitch. ‘I’ve seen it in his book.’
Vicky felt her hand involuntarily rise to touch the fabric of her t-shirt.
‘What do you mean? What book?’ she asked earnestly.
‘I’ve said too much,’ said the boy almost crying. ‘He’ll beat me for sure.’
‘Rob, calm down and tell us, we can help you,’ said Vicky jumping up. The boy turned to regard her fearfully, flinching from her sudden movement.
‘Stay away,’ he hissed at her. ‘Don’t go back.’
Neil jumped up too.
‘Hey, watch it you,’ he said.
‘You don’t know anything,’ said the boy as he began to back away. ‘He’ll find you, he will, you’ll regret it then.’
‘Regret what? What are you talking about?’ asked Vicky.
He took one last look at them, his eyes wide with fear, then he turned and jumped across the rocks. Neil jumped up and chased after him.
‘No,’ cried Vicky. ‘Let him go.’
Neil ignored her and ran after the boy who was skipping across the rocks with ease. Reaching the beginning of the path, the boy pulled away before disappearing through a gap in a stone wall. Neil followed and as he ran through the gap he felt a sharp thud in the side of his head, realising too late that the boy had waited for him. He lost his balance and sprawled to the ground grazing his knees.
The Dark Rider (Fading Light) Page 10