The Boy in the Dark: Book 4 of the Middengard Sagas

by June Wilson

  Once inside the cavernous temple, she slowed her step. She still found the building with its marble floor and high glass dome unnerving. She looked round for Karin and saw she was at the main altar, kneeling, head bowed. Orla was supposed to be learning the evening prayer ritual and it appeared the priestess had started without her.

  “Karin, I’m sorry,” she started, barely registering that the priestess was wearing a furred cloak in place of her normal gown.

  “Don’t apologize Orla.” The woman got to her feet and Orla gave a gasp of surprise.

  “Lady Eleanor! I thought you were in the Southern Marshes,” she said, dropping into an awkward curtsey. Which is what she should have done in the first place. Eleanor was the most powerful woman in Middengard.

  “Call me Ellie, please. We’re going to be spending a lot of time together soon, so there’s no need to stand on ceremony.”

  Orla couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Was Lady Eleanor (for she couldn’t possibly call her Ellie, the idea was preposterous) taking over from Karin? “I – I don’t understand,” she stammered.

  Eleanor made no reply and Orla felt a gentle probing, as if someone was tracing a delicate pattern on her skin. It wasn’t unpleasant exactly, but it felt invasive. “So - what have you felt?” Eleanor said eventually. “In your own words,”

  Orla felt the heat rise in her cheeks. She’d wanted to tell someone about the earth power and here was her chance. She just hoped she wouldn’t make a fool of herself.

  “There’s a disturbance in the earth power. It’s not an abomination, like the barogs. But something’s definitely wrong. It’s making me feel, um, off balance.” There, she’d said it. And Eleanor wasn’t laughing and she didn’t look angry either. In fact, she looked pleased.

  “Well done Orla. Your powers are growing, as we knew they would. Now tell me, have you discussed this with anyone else?”

  “No – not yet. I thought, well, I thought I might be mistaken.”

  “You should have more confidence in your abilities,” Eleanor chided, though her eyes were kind. “Cael believed in you and I do too.”

  Orla blushed at the compliment. It made a nice change from Karin’s scolding.

  “Isolde has made a wise choice,” Eleanor went on. “She will pass her knowledge on to you, now Mathilde is dead. You will be a worthy successor.”

  Orla gave an involuntary start. Isolde’s successor? It was an honour and more than she could have wished for. But how could it possibly happen when she was bound to her duties as a priestess?

  “But the temple,” she said miserably. “I’ve sworn the oath to Freya already. Karin – oh, my goodness, what will Karin say?” The image of Karin’s long face, her eyes full of disapproval, swam before her. “And Lord Regil – he’ll be offended.”

  “The high priestess has no say in these matters,” Eleanor said. “And you can leave Regil to me. Now hurry – there’s no time to lose. We need to see Isolde before we leave.”

  “Leave? Where are we going?” Orla had barely taken in the idea of freedom, let alone a journey.

  “I’ll let Isolde tell you that. Like you, she felt the disturbance in the earth power, but she’s also had a vision. It may mean something.”

  Isolde had been given comfortable rooms in the palace. She’d spent several weeks in the infirmary after Mathilde’s death and Orla saw the enforced stay had done her good: there was a spark in her violet eyes and her skin, though lined, had regained its luster.

  “Oh, you’re here. About time,” the old woman said now, looking Orla up and down. “You’ve felt it then – the disturbance? I’d be a useless teacher if you hadn’t sensed something of this magnitude.”

  “Of course she’s felt it. I thought I’d leave it to you to explain the cause.” Eleanor gave Orla a conspiratorial smile.

  “Humph, typical – I’m always the one to break bad news.” Isolde settled herself at the table and bid them do the same. “ Now - do you know what a breach is girl?”

  Orla nodded. A breach was like a Gate that no one could close. Someone had once told her it was like a hole in your shoe, which caused more problems the bigger it got. Not that it was a matter for levity – a breach was totally against nature. No wonder she’d been feeling so strange.

  “I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how dangerous it is,” Isolde went on. “It must be fixed as soon possible. I’d go myself, but Regil says I’m too weak to travel. Idiot. I’ve been travelling here, there and everywhere since I was ten years old.”

  “It’s for the best Isolde. You said so yourself,” Eleanor said mildly.

  “Did I say that? Maybe I did. So - it’s down to the two of you. Not on your own mind. You’ll need Guards with you. Just a couple - we need to be stealthy, not announce ourselves.”

  “Already in hand,” Eleanor said. “I’m planning to leave tonight.”

  So that was where they were going – to close a breach. Goodness. And Guards were going with them, so trouble was expected on the way. Perhaps she shouldn’t have wished away her role as a priestess – this was rather more than she’d bargained for.

  “Come, come Orla – don’t look so worried.” Isolde said, taking her hand. “You’re more than up to the task. I wouldn’t let you go, if I didn’t think otherwise.”

  “I’m not worried,” she said hurriedly. “Well, maybe just a little bit. But –um, where are we going exactly?”

  She saw Isolde and Lady Eleanor exchange a look. “To the Vale of Tears,” Eleanor said.

  Orla stared at her. “But we’re not allowed to go there, not until…”

  “We die,” Eleanor finished the sentence for her. “But we have no choice I’m afraid – for that is where the breach has occurred.”

  Suddenly Orla’s head was full of the frightening stories grandmother had told her when she was a child. Tales of Hel, the goddess of darkness, who judged the spirits of the dead. It was said she hated all living things and wanted nothing more than to drag all into her kingdom. She was a monster, a pale corpse that haunted graveyards. It was too horrible to think about.

  “Come, come – courage my dear,” Isolde said, not unkindly. “The Vale holds no terror for such as you. Spirits are harmless things, for the most part.”

  “For the most part?” Orla asked faintly.

  “Of course. Once a spirit reaches the Vale, they can’t hurt anyone, for they have left their corporeal bodies behind. And whilst some choose to stay with Hel and serve her, most are released into eternity.”

  Orla wasn’t convinced. It was hard to ignore the nightmares of her childhood. She was relieved when Lady Eleanor changed the subject.

  “What about your vision Isolde? Have you worked out what it means?”

  Isolde shrugged. “It was nothing - a glimpse of Hel, perhaps. Certainly no one I recognized. For all my long life, I’ve yet to meet that deity.”

  Eleanor frowned. “Really? Is that all?”

  “It is.” Isolde said; her mouth set in a firm line. “I’m sorry to be of so little help.”

  The air went still and Orla’s fingers prickled. Isolde was lying. Why?

  “Well, that is disappointing,” Eleanor said. If she had caught Isolde in the lie she was giving no indication of it. “I was hoping you might have some idea why the breach has opened there, of all places.”

  “You always were a curious child,” Isolde grumbled. “The why isn’t important. The only thing you and Orla need to worry about is closing it. Otherwise we’ll have spirits going hither and thither like they were at a dance party. Not to mention other creatures.”

  Orla swallowed. Other creatures? Maybe grandmother’s stories about the Vale had been right after all. There were monsters there - monsters who could get through the breach into the human world. That had to be dangerous.

  Lady Eleanor however didn’t look the least bit alarmed. “You’re being dramatic,” she smiled. “And there’s no need to scare Orla. But you’re right as always – we need to focus all our
efforts on closing the breach as quickly as possible.” She turned to Orla. “With your command of the earth power, and my standing with Freya, we should be able to traverse the Vale and make repair where needed. As to any mischief from spirits, Stanor may have something to tell us when he returns from the human world.”

  Orla had no idea the Gate Warden had left Skellstor. The last time she’d seen him he’d just returned from the Southern Marshes. But if he’d gone to the human world he must have gone to see Alice.

  “Will Alice come to help us?” she asked hopefully. Alice had the Doom Stone, which could do pretty much anything. Despite Lady Eleanor’s confidence, the task before them seemed incredibly daunting. Surely the Stone Keeper should be going to the Vale with them as well?

  “No,” Eleanor said. “I promised her she could stay in the human world. I don’t want her to come back to Middengard, at least not yet. She may be able to help us in other ways.”

  “Oh I see,” she said, trying to hide her disappointment. She didn’t know what Lady Eleanor meant by other ways, but she felt all her nerves returning. Was her command of the earth power really strong enough to close a breach?

  “Remember what I told you earlier?” Eleanor said, obviously sensing her doubts. “Believe in yourself. You can draw on the earth power just as you did when Cael was here to guide you. It will be no harder than conjuring the bedalfen, I promise.”

  Orla blushed. She still couldn’t believe that someone as important as Lady Eleanor had so much faith in her.

  “I’ll do my very best,” she said. “I won’t let you down – either of you.” she added firmly, liking the bold feeling it gave her.

  Isolde banged her staff on the floor. “Right. That’s settled then. There’s a time for talking and a time for doing. Off with the both of you - I’m sure you’ve got plenty to organize.”

  Eleanor got to her feet and Orla realized what Isolde said was true: there were only a few short hours left before dawn. She would have to pack as well as take leave of her grandmother. But as she made to follow Lady Eleanor from the room, Isolde called her back. In an unusual gesture, the old woman took her hands and pulled her close. She smelt of mint and comfrey and her touch was as light as butterfly’s wings.

  “Come and see me before you go,” she whispered. “And come alone.”

  AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 2008

  Chapter 3

  Alice hurried after her father. She felt awful, leaving when Toby’s race was about to start. Would he notice she’d gone? At least Josh was still in the grandstand. He’d shout loud enough for both of them.

  Reassured on that front at least, she turned her mind to her father’s sudden appearance. He looked worried. She could tell he was trying to act as if nothing was wrong, but there were telltale signs – a tightness to his smile and a distant look in his eyes. It had to be bad news – otherwise why would he have asked to see her on her own? By the time they reached a suitably quiet spot she’d managed to convince herself Isolde was dead or even her mother.

  “Dad –what’s going on?” she said when she couldn’t wait any longer. “Something awful’s happened, hasn’t it? Is it mum? Please don’t say it’s mum.”

  “What? No – of course not.” He pulled her into a hug. “Sorry if I’ve scared you.”

  “Isolde then?”

  “Isolde’s fine.” Her father smiled but she wasn’t fooled. She followed him to a ramshackle bench, heart thumping in her chest.

  “When you were in Middengard, did anyone talk to you about the Vale of Tears?” her father said, looking round uneasily. There was no one in earshot, but it was clear he was being super-careful.

  “No, I don’t think so.” The name seemed vaguely familiar. But there had been so many places – the caves of Thaldred, where the Anhaga lived; the plains of Vigrid, where Toby had almost died; Setta Water, where they’d lost Magrid in the ice; not to mention Mount Odin, home of the Gods.

  “Then let me explain.” He took another look round and lowered his voice. “I don’t want to sound morbid – but the Vale of Tears is where you go when you die. At least, where your spirit goes. Humans and Hilderinc alike.”

  “Okay.” Alice said uncertainly, feeling uncomfortable. This wasn’t a subject she’d thought much about. “You mean like Heaven?” she said. “Or, um, Hell?”

  “Sort of. Let’s just say it’s a journey all must undertake, eventually. It’s neither good nor bad – a place of neither reward nor punishment. Spirits must pass through the Vale to reach the Valley of the Dawn – the final resting place.”

  “Oh, right. I see.” Except she didn’t, not really. Whatever it was she thought her father had wanted, it wasn’t this. A talk about dying – it was creepy. “So why have you come? Has something gone wrong in this Vale place?”

  “It has. I’m afraid a breach has opened – and we’re not sure who’s responsible.”

  “A breach? What’s that?”

  “Well, it’s like a Gate that’s been left open for a long time. Unauthorized, usually.”

  “Oh – like a Weald then?”

  “No, not like that either,” he said, scratching his head. “It’s not that easy to explain. Put it this way – it’s more like a tunnel that starts in Middengard and ends in another world. In this case, the human world.”

  Alice took a while to digest this. She was finding it hard to see the difference. But there had to be a reason he was telling her about it. “So, do you need me to do something? Use the Stone to close it?” He’d said it was unauthorized, so maybe that was the problem.

  But her father shook his head. “No – Orla’s going to do that. We want you to help us with something else. But it’s complicated, so listen carefully, okay?

  “Like I said, the breach is between Middengard and the human world – but not the human world now. The tunnel leads from the Vale to the human past.” He paused to let that sink in, then added, “Just over a hundred and fifty years ago, to be precise.”

  Alice stared at him. She knew time worked differently in Middengard but this seemed impossible. “So you’re talking about time travel?”

  “Well – yes, I suppose that’s one way of looking at it.”

  Alice wasn’t sure what other way there could possibly be, but another question had occurred to her. “So…a hundred and fifty years ago - where? Melbourne?”

  Her father smiled. “Ah – now we get to why we need your help. The breach ends in Yorkshire. In Leeds, to be precise.”

  Leeds. It was a modern city now, a maze of office buildings and new apartments. But it was close to where Alice had spent the first fourteen years of her life. “Do you think it could be a coincidence?” she said, images of Gorsedale and her old home flashing before her eyes.

  “Maybe. But in Middengard, there’s rarely such a thing as coincidence. Your mother was hidden in Yorkshire as a child, as you know. And you’ve spent most of your life there. Of course the place – and time - could be significant for another reason entirely. But whatever that reason is, we need you to try and find out.”

  Alice nodded slowly. He was going to send her on some sort of fishing expedition. But back in time! The idea was crazy.

  “Um - can I do that? How am I going to get there? Do I have to go back to Middengard or…” If the breach was like a tunnel, maybe you could simply walk through it. But having experienced the scary forces in a Weald she was sure it wasn’t going to be as simple as that.

  “Stanor can open a Gate at the Shrine for you. It’s different to the ones you’re used to, but it’s not dangerous.”

  Well, that was something at least. “And will Stanor come with me?”

  “I’m afraid not darling. Gate Wardens are only allowed a few hours in the human past. But you’ll be fine, as you have the Stone. With Freya’s consent, you have no boundaries of either time or place.”

  “Oh. Right.” Alice looked round the park. It all looked so normal. Could she really do what her father was asking?

  Her father,
being her father, sensed her doubts. He put an arm round her and pulled her close. “I know that settling back into life here with Toby and Josh is what you wanted. If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to. We’ll find another way.”

  “No - it’s okay,” she said. “I like it here but I miss you and mum. And you’re the ones making sure everything’s fixed in Middengard. But it’s kind of my responsibility too, isn’t it? I mean I’m the one with the Doom Stone. So of course I’ll help you. But…”

  “But? But what?” her father smiled. “Come on – out with it.”

  Alice hesitated. She wasn’t sure if it was even possible given what he’d said about the Hilderinc and time travel. But the thought of going on this new adventure without them didn’t feel right.

  “Can Toby and Josh come too?”

  When she got back to Josh in the grandstand, she was relieved to discover she hadn’t missed the race after all. Her father had left after telling her she was to meet Stanor at the Shrine in a week’s time. Alice still didn’t understand the how of it, but she couldn’t deny she was feeling excited. Time travel! It was totally incredible.

  “So – your dad’s gone off again, has he? Back to fight the baddies in Skellstor?” Josh said now, angling for information.

  “Ssh! We shouldn’t use any of the Middengard words - remember?”

  “Oh come on - it’s not like anyone’s listening. The suspense is killing me.”

  “I’ll tell you later.” She didn’t want to tell Josh without telling Toby. “You’re coming for dinner aren’t you?”

  Josh groaned. “I can’t possibly wait that long. How about I guess and you can tell me if I’m close. Let’s see: Magnus has escaped and is running an evil TV empire otherwise known as…Ouch! That hurt.”

  “I warned you - be quiet,” Alice giggled. “The race is about to start.”

  She turned her attention to the track, her stomach full of butterflies. She was nervous for Toby, despite the fact that her father had said he’d win. When the starter’s gun went off, she almost jumped out of her seat. She saw Toby was in an outside lane, not as good a position as the heat. But the field would break soon and he’d work his way to the inside…