The Legacy: A Custodes Noctis Book

by Muffy Morrigan

  When he walked into the clearing where Megan had been found, he stopped, looking carefully around this time. There didn’t seem to be much to see until he walked down a path that led into the forest. As he moved into the dark woods he felt something—it felt like someone breathing down his neck. Galen concentrated, reaching out, he sensed the cold touch of the thing lurking in the shadows, he thought he heard something sigh. He wondered if Rhiannon knew what had taken her daughter. Megan he corrected himself. Hearing her name had made it seem much more real. He walked on, winding through the dark trees. He had no idea how far he followed the path before it broke into a clearing.

  The clearing was ringed by huge trees, there was a stone circle inside the trees. Thirteen stones in a ring. Two trees stood in the ring, and between them was another stone, flat like a table. Or an altar. There was something on it. Galen walked over. A golden cup was lying on its side in a pool of liquid. As he got closer, the flies that had settled in the liquid flew away. There was another object on the stone. A t-shirt, faded, the neck stretched. Rob’s favorite. He stopped, his heart in his mouth. He knew then, without a doubt it was his brother’s blood. “No!” He didn’t realize he had called out until he heard his own voice echoing back.

  “Galen! Galen, what is it?” Rhiannon said, running into the clearing.

  He picked the object up off the altar. “My brother’s shirt, the one he was wearing when he was taken.” He looked up at her, his eyes filled with tears, he could feel them spilling, hot, down his cheeks. Having the shirt in his hands, seeing the cup and the liquid that had spilled from it, knowing it was Rob’s blood brought it all slamming down on him. “I have to find him, I have to. Nothing matters but that.” He picked up the golden cup and threw it into the forest.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I don’t know, maybe that will help break the cycle of the ritual. Anything that might help.”

  “I’m so sorry, Galen,” she said softly.

  Galen took a deep breath. “He’s not dead. There are two more rituals, that’s what Dad said. They’ll need to keep him alive.”

  “Yes, they’ll keep him alive,” Rhiannon said.

  “Alive, Rhiannon, but in what shape? I can’t sense him, what’s happening? Blood rituals mean he needs to be alive till the very end, but how bad?” Galen sighed. “I wish Dad had told me, no, if he knew for sure what was going to happen he’d tell me. He understands. If this was Bobby we were looking for…” He trailed off before he said too much, as it was Rhiannon was looking at him with an odd frown on her face. Galen calmed the panic, drawing on his training. “Rob? Can you hear me?” He reached out for his brother, there was nothing there. Silent darkness, nothing, not even a heartbeat. “Rob?”

  “Galen?” Rhiannon was looking at him, tears on her face. She had her hand on his arm.

  “What have they done to Rob?” For an instant it was all too much.

  Rhiannon pulled him to her and put her arms around him, he leaned against her, the tears running down his face. “I don’t know, Galen. The police said the worst was done to Megan the last night. That’s tonight, there’s still time.” She sighed. Galen heard her say so softly there was almost no sound, “There has to be.”

  He pulled away, and looked at her with a smile. “I’m okay, Rhiannon. I’m sorry. Let’s get going. We need to go talk to those friends of Ashley’s.”

  The three men showed up at the diner at ten forty-five. Galen was waiting. He left Rhiannon sitting in the car. He watched the men park their car at the far end of the lot and head towards the diner. Galen stepped between them and their goal.

  “Hiya,” he said, smiling at them. “Hey, nice nose.”

  “Aren’t you dead?” the one with the broken nose said.

  “Apparently not. We need to talk,” Galen said conversationally.

  “Yeah, about what?” one of the other two said.

  “I just want to know if you might know where my brother is?” Galen said, keeping his voice light. His hands were starting to shake as he stood before them.

  “And we’ll tell you why?” broken-nose guy said.

  “Because I asked nicely?” Galen’s heart was starting to pound.

  “Yeah, right.”

  “Where’s my brother?” I sound so calm. I need to be careful.

  “Not here.”

  “Where is my brother?” I still sound calm. I need to stay calm. I have to.

  “Yeah, not here. Bug off.”

  “That’s not an option. I really need to know where he is.”

  “We’re not telling you. Get lost.” Broken-nose guy moved to shove Galen out of the way.

  “No.” Galen reached around and pulled the nine millimeter out of his waistband. “Let me rephrase the question. I would really like to know where my brother is.”

  “You won’t find him,” one of the other two said. Galen was pretty sure he was the man who’d knifed him. “He was crying last time I saw him, said you’d come. I told him you were dead.”

  “He knows I’m not dead,” Galen said with a tight smile.

  “Doesn’t matter. The next ritual begins soon. They’ll bleed him and cut him and then—then do you know what they do? They’ll lay him out in the sun and She’ll come for the first time. Just for a taste, so She’ll know him tonight.” And he laughed.

  “Where’s my brother?”

  “Sorry, even if I wanted to tell you, I couldn’t. She’d eat me alive.” The man chuckled. “And She’d enjoy it. Not as much as She’ll enjoy your brother.”

  Galen’s hands were shaking as he struggled to stay calm. He was distracted and it cost him. Broken-nose struck out at him and caught him on the side of his head, his gun skittered across the pavement. Galen pushed himself up. And that’s it. Calm’s all gone now. Sudden rage swelled up in him, intoxicating, blocking pain, blocking everything.

  Galen struck out at him, the man staggered, then one of others turned on him. Galen swung at him. He knew this was stupid, the men would be going back to wherever they were holding Rob, and Galen couldn’t let his brother suffer because of him, but he wanted to let Rob know he was searching for him. Looking desperately around for his gun, he noticed the plants growing at the edge of the parking lot. When the man came for him again he tripped him, using the man’s own momentum to put him face down in the patch of stinging nettles. Broken-nose swung at Galen again, connecting, Galen saw stars. He was struggling to get up when he heard a voice tight with emotion.

  “Stand still or I will kill you,” Rhiannon said quietly. Galen looked up, she had his gun in her hands, standing in a shooter’s stance.

  “You won’t do anything, bitch,” broken-nose’s companion said and kicked Galen. As he hit the pavement, Galen heard the gun go off, the man’s body dropped on him. Pain shot out from the knife wound. Galen stayed still.

  “Get out of here,” Rhiannon growled. “Slowly. Take him with you.” The weight was shifted off his body. “Galen? Galen?”

  “Here,” he said, trying to sit up. Rhiannon grabbed his arm and pulled him up. “Thanks.” She helped him over to the car. Once he sat down, he managed to get his eyes open. “Hey,” he said. His head hurt.

  “Thank god. Should I call an ambulance?” Rhiannon sounded scared.

  “No, I still don’t know who to trust. I’m okay.”

  “You don’t look okay, I thought you were dead for a second.”

  “Um, yeah, what happened?” He was having a hard time focusing. He was nauseous. “I think I tore a few stitches, that’s all.”

  “They left. I made them pick up their garbage before they went.”

  Galen remembered the gunshot. “I think you might have killed him,” he said, looking at her.

  “Yeah, I think I might have,” she said, looking back at him. She grinned, it was a feral grin, wild and terrible. “I’m glad if I did. They’re involved with the people who took Rob, who killed Megan and at least five other children.”

  “What time is it?”


  “About 12:30,” she said. “Why?”

  “Dad said the next ritual took place at the thirteenth hour. We need to get back out to the forest.”

  “We don’t know where, Galen.”

  “That clearing we were at…”

  “That’s not where they were last night. Why would they be there today?”

  “I don’t know. It’s a start.” He sat up, then dropped back as a wave a dizziness rolled over him. “Maybe you should drive.”

  It was almost one when she stopped the car. Galen let her help him out and they headed down the path towards the clearing where he’d found Rob’s shirt. When they got there, it was empty. He stood there, desperately scanning the woods around him hoping to see something, a sign of his brother, anything.

  “The guy at the diner said they would lay him out in the sun, there’s no sun here. It’s all shadows. There’s no sun in a building, so he has to be outside, somewhere.” He looked at Rhiannon, her face was bleak.

  The sound started, he barely even realized it was there at first. Then it crept into awareness. Someone was screaming. It was a terrible scream, someone in pain. Someone utterly terrified. He froze, his heart pounding in his chest. The terrible scream had called his name.

  The scream echoed over the forest. That scream, that was Rob. The realization drove Galen to his knees. The scream continued.

  He took a deep breath and focused on it, focused on the pain he sensed coming from his brother in horrifying waves. Something was there with Rob, Galen thought he could smell the sweet-sick scent of death. Whatever it was recognized his brother, Galen felt that through the connection. He heard it sigh with pleasure. “I’m coming. Hang on, please hang on little brother,” he said it out loud to the silent clearing. The scream stopped, suddenly cut off. But just for a second, he thought he heard his brother’s voice answering him. “Galen?” Then silence.

  Chapter Nine

  They were still sitting with their backs against the wall. Galen was aware of his brother, silent, beside him. “Rob?” Galen said quietly.

  “Yeah?” Rob looked over at him with questioning eyes.

  “Nothing.” Galen sighed. “Well, nothing, really, I just needed to hear your voice not the screams in my head.”

  “It’s okay, I understand.”

  Galen shrugged. “I just…” His phone started ringing, he dug in his pocket and flipped it open. “Hey.”

  “Hey yourself,” Rhiannon answered. “I found his car.”

  “Great,” Galen said, smiling at Rob. “She found your car.” Rob grinned back.

  “Galen…” Something in Rhiannon’s voice drove the smile from his face. “I…”

  “What is it?”

  “I found something in the car,” Rhiannon said softly. “It’s bad. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”

  “Thanks.” Galen flipped the phone closed and looked at his brother. “She found something, said it’s bad, but nothing more.”

  “Bad? That’s helpful,” Rob said with a smirk.

  “Yeah, it worries me a little. Rhiannon doesn’t use words like bad unless it’s bad. Well, worse than bad, usually apocalyptically bad.”

  “Even better,” Rob said, then grinned. “Black Sabbath?”

  “What?” Galen said, a little distracted, wondering what Rhiannon had found.

  “Your ringtone?”

  “Oh, right. No, it’s uh, actually it’s me.” He laughed. “I will grant there are similarities to Black Sabbath, we cover them occasionally.”

  “What?”

  “My band.”

  “Oh, right, Becci said something about the bestest band.” Rob was laughing at him.

  “I’m not sure about that. We do get paid. Every once in awhile, depending on where we work.” Galen grinned. “As long as it’s not Rat’s. Of course, that’s where we’re playing Friday.”

  “What do you play?” Rob asked with a smile.

  “A bit of everything. Mostly rock and metal, but a bit of everything, even a little Mariachi punk.” Rob’s eyebrows climbed a little with that statement. “Hey, The Urban Werewolves embrace diversity.”

  “The Urban Werewolves?”

  “Yeah, I’ll get you a t-shirt,” Galen said, still smiling. “Why are we talking about this?”

  “We needed a break, Galen.” Rob nudged him.

  “Yeah,” Galen said quietly. His good humor suddenly waned, as the memories of the past, those frantic days as he struggled to find his brother rose to the forefront again. The remembered terror was beginning to take the upper hand. He knew what happened to his brother, it had haunted him for years. The fact that he hadn’t been able stop it just made it so much worse. He leaned against Rob a little, sensing what was there. Rob’s terror, the horror and pain at what had happened suddenly washed over Galen. He broke contact with a gasp.

  “Galen?” Rob was frowning in concern.

  “Sorry. Oh, gods, Rob…” Galen stopped himself. “Is there meaning here somewhere? Is there a clue, something to tell us what’s happening now? Or are we just talking about the past? The old wounds? Will it help?”

  “We need to talk about this.”

  “You sound so sure about that. Will it help?”

  “It will help. We have to know what happened, to you to me, we have to face this, Galen. The answer to today is there.”

  “Are you sure? Or… Rob, I…” He broke off again, struggling with the sense of helplessness left over from those days.

  “I heard you,” Rob said suddenly.

  “What?”

  “I heard you, when you were in the clearing. It was…I…” Rob suddenly paled.

  “Rob?”

  “It was horrible, terrifying, I was trying to be brave, trying to hold on to that sense I was a Keeper, that helped too, but I heard your voice. It’s what got me through, Galen. I’ve thought all these years I imagined it, but it was really you, wasn’t it?” He smiled, before swallowing. “After that…”

  “Rob?”

  “I was close to giving up, Galen. I think it was during the sun ritual when things began to change. It sensed something in me…It said…They altered some of the preparations, even as they got me ready for the final ritual and that’s when I almost gave up. I wasn’t sure I could face it again.” He swallowed, going even paler. “I knew you were looking, for me. I wanted to hold on.” Guilt suddenly surged out of Rob washing over Galen.

  “You were thirteen, Rob,” he said gently.

  “I know I was, Galen. I was a Keeper, too. Even so, I had nearly given up hope. Then I knew you were coming, I knew you were close.”

  “How?”

  Rob looked at him. “They were scared, worried that the ritual was going to be interrupted.” He put his hand on Galen’s knee. “And I got your message.”

  “My message?” Galen said, a small smile playing on his lips.

  “That you were close, that you were coming. It let me hang on, even after what had happened, even though I knew what might be coming.” Rob looked at him. “It gave me so much hope, Galen. I knew if I just held on…”

  Ten Years Before

  Day Three to Moonrise-Rob

  There was bright light against his eyelids. Rob opened his eyes. He was lying outside. The sun was pouring down on him. Sun feels good. He was drowsy, he felt almost like he was floating above his body, like he could watch what was happening. That’s kind of strange. I wonder how long I get to stay outside. I hope it’s a long time. I’m tired of that little room. Floating is fun. I’ll have to tell Galen about it.

  Rob thought he could hear chanting—the strange language again—and he could smell the incense, but it wasn’t as strong as it had been. He tried to sit up, and realized he was tied down, he couldn’t move at all. He struggled against the bonds. The movement sent shafts of pain through his body, his heart was pounding as fear blended with panic.

  Then…

  Rob heard something moving towards him. It sounded like something dragging on the g
round, moving slowly. The chanting got louder. He could hear something breathing, gasping breaths, getting closer and closer. Then he smelled death, the sick-sweet smell of a rotting animal left too long in the sun. The scent rolled over him, making him gag. Whatever was approaching smelled dead. He heard it sigh, it sounded glad. “This one is perfect,” he thought he heard it say. “Wait, he’s…No, it can’t be!” And Rob heard something that sounded almost like a laugh. Then he could see it. He struggled trying to get away from it, completely terrified. He could feel the pain as the bonds cut into his skin as he tried to get away. It reached towards him with a clawed hand.

  “No! Galen! Galen!” He heard himself screaming. “Galen!” He screamed again as the thing touched him, pain lancing through his chest from that touch. It bent towards him. “Keeper? Yes, Keeper. Oh, so long since a Keeper. Where is the other?” It sighed. He could feel its breath on him. He was slipping away, from the pain, from the fear. “Galen, please, please, come.”

  “I’m coming, Rob, hang on, please hang on.” He heard his brother’s voice as clearly as if Galen were standing beside him.

  “Galen?” And darkness took him away from the pain and fear and his brother’s voice.

  The sun was gone when he woke up. He slid a hand to his face. I can move. What happened? Where am I? He opened his eyes. He was in the room at the farmhouse again.

  He tried to roll over, he didn’t have the strength. It’s my birthday. I’m thirteen. I’m supposed to start training as Custodes Noctis, a Keeper of the Night. His hand slid to his bracelet, surprisingly it was still there, clasped around his wrist where his brother had put it. He’d asked for chocolate cake and made a point of saying he didn’t need ice cream, knowing Galen always got it anyway.