The Turning (The Forsaken Series Book 2)

by Phil Price

  A woman with long brown hair approached. She smiled when she saw Jake. “Hello,” she said in her soft South African accent. “How’s Katherine?”

  “Hi Angie. She’s fine. Just resting up. Not long now.”

  “Ah. Bless. She needs to rest now. She won’t get chance once baby arrives. Tell her I said hi. I’ll have to pop round and have a catch up with her.” She looked at Jake expectantly.

  Forgetting what he was standing there for, he hastily produced a piece of paper. “The postman left this for me,” he said handing over the card.

  She took it from him and excused herself to the rear store room. A moment later she returned with a small parcel. “Here you go. Must have been near a fridge. It feels cold.” Jake took the small package and looked at the label. It was addressed to him. No sender’s details were on the reverse side. It did feel cool to the touch, solid too. He would open it at home, away from inquisitive eyes.

  “ Okay. Cheers Angela. See you soon.” She said her goodbyes and turned to a small elderly woman stood behind him. Jake tucked the box under his arm and made his way out into the warm summer’s afternoon. He walked home, thinking about what would be a good choice for dinner as the world passed him by. The warm sea breeze blew around his bare legs and tousled his hair as he made his way along the coastal path towards his home. An imposing hotel lay far off to the left. The sun hovered behind it, slowly sinking towards the ocean. He loved the view. He would never tire of it. All his life had been spent as far away from the sea as was possible in England. Birmingham seemed a world away. Cornwall had given him a new lease of life. He’d endured hardships on his journey to this happy place. He had seen horrors and places he’d never known existed. However, the hard times had yielded Katherine. And for that, he was happy. He would never forget his wife and daughter. They were as much a part of him as Katherine was. However, it felt like their chapter had been read. This part of the book was a new journey, with each page exciting and full of hope.

  ☨☨☨

  He walked the last few yards back to their house, spotting his parents’ car on the drive. He made his way through the carport to a side door, entering the kitchen. Katherine smiled as he entered, her sun kissed skin glowing in the late afternoon light. Her long dark locks had been recently cut, with highlights added. They seemed to catch the sun and shimmer as her hair flicked from side to side. She truly believed she belonged in this world. Salons and coffee shops were fast becoming a way of life for her, which she loved. Gone were the times when she’d wear the same garments for days on end, only to wash them in a bucket outside her family farmstead, before hanging them to dry on the porch. She now had a wardrobe filled with clothes and shoes. She had gained new girlfriends, whom she socialised with regularly. She was as happy as she could remember. The only slight downside was that she tired quickly at night. Even before she became heavily pregnant, she noticed that she started to flag before Jake. The air felt different here to her. It almost had a substance to it that she could feel as she moved around the house, or felt as she walked along the beach. She’d not mentioned it to him. They’d endured enough for now. She placed her arms on the kitchen chair, trying to heave her bulk into a standing position.

  “It’s okay, Babe. I’ll come to you,” Jake said as he quickly crossed the kitchen, planting a long lingering kiss on her lips. He then bent lower and kissed her bump.

  “I would say get a room. But by the looks of it you’ve already have,” Doug said from the far side of the kitchen.

  “Your Father is making sport with us,” Katherine said as she smiled at the older man. “He is pulling my leg.”

  “As oppose to pulling on your legs?” Jake said, teasing.

  “Are you teaming up on me?” she asked, a mock look of indignation appearing on her face.

  Before Jake could answer his mother entered the kitchen, clearly put out by something. “I heard voices. Jake, you’re home! What are you talking about? Am I missing out on something?” Alison hated it when she could hear a conversation, but couldn’t quite make out the words.

  “Doug and Jake were just teasing me as I’m struggling to get out of the chair,” Katherine smoothly interjected. She had become accustomed to Alison’s moodiness. She had quickly learned how to diffuse situations too. She loved her mother-in-law to be, although she knew she was hard work. Her father-in-law was different though. He was funny and warm. He constantly teased her, but in a nice way. Doug reminded her a little of her uncle. A small cloud crossed her sunny horizon. She missed Wilf. She often wondered what had become of him and his villagers. She hoped they’d made it to safety. Maybe to a different land that wasn’t in the grip of darkness. She let the cloud pass by, allowing the sunshine back in.

  Alison was fussing around the sink, making a lot of noise without doing much. “Well, these men don’t know the struggles us women go through. They have an easy ride in life.” Doug looked to the heavens, a bewildered expression crossing his face. Katherine finally levered herself out of the chair and crossed to Alison, embracing her warmly. The tea towel fell from her grip as she was taken off guard momentarily. She quickly regained her composure, returning the hug. She loved Katherine. There was an innocence about her that the older woman felt very comfortable with. She was a real lady, never uttering a curse, unlike most of the women today with their tattoos and piercings. Alison often thought that the younger woman could have been from a classic novel, such was her way. Katherine walked over to her man, wrapping an arm around his waist, cuddling into him.

  Jake kissed the top of her head, drinking in her smell. “Well, what shall we have for tea?” he asked them. “Fish and chips?”

  “Well, it is Friday,” Doug said. “Sounds good to me.” Alison nodded before aiming a cough at her husband. Doug took the hint. “I’ll get them. A bit of fresh air will do me good.”

  ☨☨☨

  A few minutes later he was on his way out the kitchen door, armed with a piece of paper. Katherine took Alison upstairs to show her the new baby accessories in the nursery, leaving Jake alone in the kitchen. He sat down at the wooden table, his fingers clumsily unwrapping the parcel. Inside, was a cardboard box and a note. Leaving the box for a moment, he unfolded the piece of paper. Suddenly his phone chimed, telling him he had a text. Putting the paper on the table, he fumbled for the phone in his pocket. He pulled it out and activated it. It was a text from a potential client, who wanted to arrange a meeting with him soon. He closed the message, backing out to the home screen. Jake sat and smiled at Katherine who smiled back at him from the screen. It was a recent picture, taken when they’d spent the day at Woolacombe. The wind had caught her hair perfectly at the moment he’d snapped the shot. She was smiling warmly at the camera, an ice cream shack behind her with white planking, giving the shot a holiday feel. He reluctantly put the phone on the table, picking up the piece of paper once more.

  Hi Jake

  I hope Katherine and yourself are well. The baby must be just around the corner now by my reckoning. Exciting times ahead!

  Anyway, the reason for the delivery is to send you something. I wanted to mount them for you, which you might think odd. However, I think they look rather natty. Plus, Hooper really doesn’t like them close by so I thought I’d pass them on to you.

  I will be in touch soon and may pop over once baby has settled.

  Take care both.

  Barbara

  Xx

  Jake put the note down and took the box in his hands. It felt very cool to the touch. He reached for his house keys, breaking the tape on the box with his car key. He opened the box, withdrawing a wooden box frame from inside. He drew his breath in, holding it for several seconds. The box frame contained two small buttons that had been mounted on the backing card. The interior of the frame looked like purple faux suede, giving it a look of quality. The wood was coffee coloured and felt like oak. The buttons were about the size of a coin. Much thicker though. They looked more like toggles from a heavy coat. On each button
was an eagle, its wings spread. Jake’s hands were starting to tingle. He was suddenly transported back to where he’d claimed one of the buttons. He’d torn it from the coat of a young boy moments before he’d been torn to pieces by two mutated Orca’s. He wasn’t a regular boy though. He was a vampire. A vampire that was about to kill Katherine and himself in a dark cavern by the sea. He reflected for a moment. How the hell we managed to get out of that place in one piece is still hard to believe, he thought. They had escaped the cavern, only for Katherine to be snatched away by another vampire. He thought about how he and Wilf had escaped from that desolate place, chased by two monstrous pigs. He shook his head. He knew that if anyone was told that tale they’d be reaching for the phone or running for the hills. He’d sat and recounted the story to his father a few days after Doug had found Jake at the Lickey Hills, a giant fang embedded in his thigh. Doug was a believer and yet he’d found it almost too much to comprehend. Jake was at a loss. What should he do with this gift? It was harmless, yet it wasn’t. The cold, dead heart of their previous owner was still imbedded in the metal. He would keep them, but not in the house.

  ☨☨☨

  Jake flicked the light on to his loft that sat above his carport. He climbed the ladder, the metal creaking under his weight. He stood in the gloomy space, looking around for the best place to keep them. Over by the far wall was a set of four plastic storage boxes. Each one had a lid that enabled it to sit on top of the box underneath securely. They were labelled in years. They contained Katie and Megan’s things, along with some of his travel memories. He clicked off the lid from the top box. Inside was his wife’s jewellery box along with handmade photo albums. He pondered whether to take them out and leaf through them. Maybe another time, Jake thought as he placed the box frame on top of them, securing the lid back in place with a satisfying click. He flicked off the light and descended the ladder, pushing it back into the loft on its runners. The hinged door was lifted into place just as his father came around the front wall and up the driveway towards him.

  “Have you got enough there?” Jake asked, eying the bulging brown paper bag that Doug was carrying.

  “You know your Mom. She likes her food.” He motioned towards the loft. “What you up to? Finding a place for her to sleep tonight?”

  Jake laughed. “I’m sure she’d love hearing you say that.” He paused. “I received a parcel from Barbara. You know, the lady from Devon.”

  Doug’s face suddenly looked wary. “Is everything okay?”

  “I think so. I’ll show you when traffic inside is a little lighter. Maybe Mom will take Katherine for a cream tea tomorrow. I will show you then.”

  “Tomorrow it is then. Any excuse for cream tea and she’s off like Usain Bolt.”

  Two

  South of Elksberg

  The lone mountain stood proud and solemn over the land. To the east, the land rose steadily towards a huge gorge that ran like a crippled spine from south to north. The north was a nondescript grassland, dotted with farms and outcrops. To the south lay swamps that carried on for miles towards the grey sea. They were crisscrossed with paths and stunted trees. To the west lay a sprawling forest that stretched as far as any eye could see. Darkened mountains lay farther off to the west, shrouded in low cloud. On the upper slopes of the lone mountain that folk called Agar a figure sat in the shadows of an enclave, brooding. He scanned the land in three directions, looking for any signs of movement. Pickings had grown slim lately. He knew why. The forest to the west lay in darkness. He could see that it was not low cloud that made it dark like before. The darkness seemed to seep from the earth, wrapping itself around the trees that had stood for countless seasons. It unsettled him. Something was wrong with that place. He knew that if he plucked up the courage a doorway could take him somewhere else. Somewhere new. Try as he might he could not bring himself to venture towards it just yet. The nights were the worst. Noises and voices carried to him from the vast forest, making him pull his knees up under his chin and shiver. The forest was actually two forests, joined together. The one, Amatoll was where Eddie had recently ventured. He’d entered through a doorway and had taken the soul of a young girl. That had seemed to start a chain of events that culminated with two battles. Two battles that he’d been involved in. Two battles that had taken their toll.

  Eddie looked at his ruined hand. He remembered the young man whom he’d challenged to follow him and his woman. How he’d blasted three fingers from his hand with his weapon. It had all gone so wrong. Eddie was ready to be accepted into a new coven. He’d done all the hard work, travelling through two worlds to bring his new master a prize, telling his new family that a single man would be following. The trap had been set. Reggan’s clan were ready for an easy fight with one man. But two men had arrived, with a strange looking creature alongside them. No sooner had the fight erupted, Eddie knew that things would turn ill. The little creature with the flaming eyes took down half of the clan while the men did the rest. He had flown at Jake, hoping to take his head clean off. The man was cunning though. He was quick and his aim was true. The hand that was aiming at Jake’s head suddenly lost half of its form as the shotgun blasted it apart. Eddie had reeled back as the man fired another shot, peppering him with lead. He tried to attack, but was repelled by the older one with his cross and weapons. He fled the cave. The last thing he remembered seeing was the younger man locked in a fight with Reggan. That was when he knew all was lost. Others must have heard the fighting and were running to help. However the damage had been done. They would blame Eddie for bringing this to their door. He fled from the catacombs out into the relentless storms. He’d blindly stumbled through the landscape as stones and debris pummelled him. Eventually he found refuge in an underground lake that was devoid of life. The water fizzed and bubbled as he lay trying to gather his thoughts. He didn’t feel pain like humans. Biting the remains of his damaged fingers off didn’t affect him in that way. To Eddie, it looked repulsive. His grey skin was tattered and torn around the wound, exposing the yellowed flesh and stark bone underneath. Even now it had not healed. It was exposed. Only the thumb and index finger had escaped the blast. He had wrapped and old rag around it to keep it concealed. But to no avail. He needed a glove. The prey that he had encountered since were traders and wanderers. Once he’d drained their life, he’d searched them for anything of use. Nothing. He would find one though. He needed a plan.

  He’d sat on this forlorn rock licking his wounds for long enough. He’d thought about revenge. He thought about twisting the head from the young man’s body. Drinking his blood, before taking his woman too. However nice it played out for him, he knew that Jake was dangerous. His thoughts strayed to Elias. He had no idea what had become of Korgan’s henchman. The last time he’d seen him was during the battle in the Vale. They had locked horns during the fight, reluctantly coming to an accord at the end. Elias had left the humans for him as he’d set off to hunt Jake and the woman. That seemed like a lifetime ago now. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He looked over the expanse of forest as the shrouded sun kissed the mountain far off to the west. He moved further into the recess, away from the wind and sounds. Curling up as tight as he could, he began to plot his course.

  ☨☨☨

  Far off to the east the village of Shetland was hosting a union party for two of the folk. The village had been transformed over the last few seasons. The solitary farmhouse was now accompanied by six additional homes. When Wilf and his kin had arrived in haste at Fingles, Zeebu and Zeeba the elders, had provided shelter. Over the next few days they’d held talks with Wilf and the folk from Elksberg. Although strange in appearance, with stunted bodies and giant heads, the Finglers were good allies. The next day they had proceeded to accompany the villagers out to Shetland to begin work on a new home for them. Now, as Wilf stood puffing on his pipe he thanked whatever gods were out there. His folk were safe. They had a new home, and the food was plentiful. Some of the women had even started a vegetable patch down by
the ford. The ford was where Shetland joined the long rocky spit of land that led back to Fingles. Wilf remembered as he puffed his pipe how they’d just managed to pull Jake from the frigid waters before he was torn apart by two Orga’s. The arrival of that young Outlander had altered the path of their lives. For the better though, as it had led them all to Shetland. One of the first jobs they’d completed when they started work was to build a bridge over the ford. The Brynn Halfsted swamps to the north had provided the wood for the bridge and homes. It was unnaturally springy, but tough as steel. The village of Fingles was built almost entirely from the special timber, as it absorbed the sea’s wrath with ease. The bridge was quickly erected, giving the villagers unrestricted access to the mainland. The tides still had to be watched as the roadway to the mainland almost disappeared when the sea levels rose. Only a stout tree halfway to the mainland would offer refuge to any traveller or villager who became marooned. Wilf was content. He had almost everything he needed, with one exception. His niece Katherine was not here. She was far away, under a different sky. Wilf hoped that she was safe, happy, and that the sun warmed her skin every day. If only he could see her once more. To hold her to him and feel her warm embrace. The old man smiled at the thought. Jake would be taking care of her. He didn’t hope, he knew. He walked inside the farmhouse, his stiff legs taking a moment to get going. In the snug living room, he sat himself down at the table with a thump. He reached across to the earthenware bottle and mug, pulling them towards him. He flipped the mug upright and poured a good measure of hokie. He took a swig, letting the spirit sink in. His mind was drifting back a few seasons, honing in on that night.