The Legacy: A Custodes Noctis Book

by Muffy Morrigan

  Galen took a deep breath, Rob stopped him with a look. “Yes,” Rob answered quietly. “I can guide visions, dreamwalk.”

  “Dreamwalking is dangerous, Rob,” Galen snapped.

  “We’re missing the point here. He can influence people, Galen. He could be influencing you.” Flash was glaring at Rob.

  “He’s not.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Because I can be,” Galen growled. “He can’t alter…”

  “How do you know?”

  “Flash…”

  “Galen!” Rob stood and dashed out of the room.

  Flash looked at Galen. “What was that about?”

  “I don’t know.” The thing was suddenly alive, twisting in his chest, agony grinding against his heart. Galen gasped, trying to stop the movement. The dark center of the thing was sending tendrils out, a spider’s web slowly filling his chest. “Don’t touch me Flash,” he managed to get out, fearing the contact would allow It access to his friend.

  “Here, Galen.” A bottle was pressed against his lips. He drank, feeling the spell slowly work through his body, the tendrils stopped their seeking movement, though they didn’t retract. Galen took a deep breath. The voice was whispering happily, anticipation growing in Its laughter.

  “Galen?” Rob asked softly. “Are you there?” He put his hand on Galen’s back. Warmth flowed into Galen.

  The voice sighed. “Power, power, power. Yes. Better than I hoped. Much better. Better even than the first.”

  The warmth changed, pulsing with white light, silencing the voice. “Not yet,” Rob’s voice was loud in Galen’s mind. “Not yet.”

  “I’m okay,” Galen said, opening his eyes and looking at Rob. “Thanks.” Flash looked from Galen to Rob. “I’m okay, Flash.”

  “Uh huh. Galen…”

  “Don’t start again, Flash. Rob can’t alter…”

  “What?”

  “It’s hard to explain. It goes with the zapping I do, he can’t change how I perceive him through that, and there’s more, Flash. You didn’t know Dad and Uncle Bobby, but, we…” Galen broke off, wondering how to explain who they were to his friend. Flash was shaking his head.

  “I’m on Galen’s side,” Rob said, looking at Flash. “Believe what you want. Galen? We need to perform the ritual before it’s too late.”

  “Galen, no. You can’t. Even if you trust him. You can’t. Last time…Shit.” Flash was frowning with concern.

  “Last time?” his brother asked as Galen pushed himself up, Rob put a hand under his elbow to steady him.

  Galen shrugged. “It was a little rough, Rob, but I figured it out. The spell was wrong, I didn’t find out until too late.”

  “How bad was it?”

  “Bad,” Flash answered for Galen.

  “This is different, I told you. Rob’s here.” Galen smiled at his brother. “I have a small garden in back, will that do? I assume we need to be in contact with the earth?”

  “Galen…” Flash put a hand on his arm to stop him.

  “Watch the shop, okay?” Galen smiled. “I’ll explain everything later.” Galen turned and walked slowly out of the shop. He could hear Flash’s deep voice and Rob’s baritone answers. His brother’s voice sounded angry. Galen shrugged and wandered across the parking lot to his garden.

  He sank down on the bench and looked around. The garden was full of plants. The cold weather had done some damage, but the mints were still growing. The valerian and pleurisy root towered over the soft gray-green alecost and dark green wood betony. The aconite and mandrake were drooping from the cool wet weather. He smiled and took a deep breath, the scent of wet leaves and decaying berries drifted on the air, touched with a slight scent of mint, hyssop and lavender. A sense of peace flowed over Galen as he sat there. The twisting agony in his chest and the voice that accompanied it were suddenly quiet. He sighed and closed his eyes.

  “Galen?” Rob asked softy. Galen opened his eyes, his brother was standing at the edge of the garden. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah.” He stood and stretched. “This part of the garden is bolted.”

  “Bolted?” Rob walked into the garden, stopping beside Galen. He looked around and sighed.

  “Magical plants to protect the garden.”

  “I can see that,” Rob said with a smile. “I can feel it too. It’s not just the plants, you know.”

  “Bringing that up, again?” Galen smiled at his brother. “We’ll see.”

  “I do see.” Rob walked out of the circle of plants Galen had been sitting in, to the other side of the garden. “I can see this, too.”

  “What?”

  “You’ve channeled a lot into here. It’s concentrated magic. It will focus whatever ritual or spell you perform here. It looks almost like a vortex.”

  Galen laughed softly. “I’m glad, most of the time, that I don’t see the world the way you do. I think I’d be nauseated a lot of the time.”

  Rob chuckled. “Yeah. That’s one of the reasons I went to Billy. I’ve learned to turn it off and on now, like Uncle Bobby did. I’m always aware of auras around things, but I can turn most of it off. I can shut down visions too, if I need to. There for awhile…” Rob trailed off and Galen had a brief impression of flashing colors, shouting voices and blood. “I was losing my mind, Galen,” he said softly. “I didn’t understand what I was seeing. Uncle Bobby couldn’t help. I called more than once, you know.”

  Galen walked through the garden to his brother. “What?”

  “I think he thought it was because the bond was broken, because of what had happened. I was trapped somehow.” Rob shook his head.

  “I’m sorry.” How many sorrys is that now? Galen stopped himself.

  “It wasn’t your fault. We need to start.” Rob carefully laid the things he gathered in the shop down on the ground. “I grabbed the—our—swords. We need them for this.”

  “Rob? If we need them? You used this spell to summon me how?”

  “It wasn’t nearly as big, you know, and I used my knife and bracelet.” Rob pulled the small knife from his pocket. “You gave them to me, the traditional gift. They didn’t have as much magic, but there was enough.”

  “There was only a little protective spell, Rob.”

  Rob snorted. “Galen…” He walked over and laid his hand on Galen’s arm. “Look at it.” Galen felt an odd jolt, the connection between them altered a little. Suddenly the world looked different. The knife in Rob’s hand was gleaming with a bright silver light, fluid, like mercury flowing around the small object. Galen blinked. Rob’s bracelet had a similar shine. The garden, near the bench, had a soft curtain shimmering around it, the place where he stood was a swirling mass of colors. Galen swayed, dizzy, as the thing in his chest purred with pleasure.

  “Rob?”

  “I wish I could show you yourself, Galen. I’m not sure how I’d manage that.” Rob smiled, letting his hand drop away.

  “I…” Galen swallowed.

  “Yes, yes, power, true power. Unlike any Keeper I’ve had. I’ve waited for you my Emrys,” It whispered against his heart.

  Galen grabbed his brother’s arm and pulled him towards the bench, towards the part of the garden he’d bolted against evil. As they stepped through the ring of plants the voice fell silent.

  “If you think that is just the plants, Galen, you’re crazy.” Rob stopped and rubbed his chest. “Nice to have It quiet.”

  “How bad is it?”

  “Nothing like what you experience. It hurts, but…” Rob met his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  “Why are you apologizing?” Galen punched him lightly on the arm. “It can’t hear us here. What do we need to do?”

  “The spell is mostly in Latin,” Rob began and carefully outlined what they needed to do. When he was finished he looked at Galen. “Ready?”

  “No.”

  “Once It becomes Galen, once It returns to Its form as an Old One, Its servants will appear. The ones who served It in the p
ast. Conjured by Its return. We’ll need an army to defeat them.”

  “Still not ready, but we don’t have much choice. Okay.” Galen took a deep breath and walked to the part of the garden that he’d seen swirling with power. He picked up the herbs and items Rob had gathered in the shop and placed them carefully on the ground. “Rob?”

  “I’m here, Galen, I’ll help as much as I can. I don’t have the power for this.”

  “I don’t either,” Galen said softly. Rob sighed, but didn’t say anything. Galen lit the candles, softly reciting the first part of the spell Rob had given him. His voice took on the sing-song he always used when casting, the words slowly forming into a song as he spoke. His voice grew stronger as the song, as the spell, flowed through him. Power pulsed around him, touching him with hot sparks of energy.

  “Rob?” he called softly. His brother stood beside Galen and handed him his sword. Galen took it, feeling the power run through his hand. He continued the spell, no longer needing the written words Rob had given him. He instinctively knew what was needed, and the words flowed out of him in a song. He let it fill him, the light flowed around him, pulling him with it. His hands moved of their own accord. He was aware of his brother standing beside him, Rob had his own sword in his hand. The power in that blade resonated through Galen’s, resonated through Galen. Pain from somewhere burned white-hot against his arm, the light coalesced around him, the song grew, voices joined his and then the spell exploded outwards in a flash of light so bright it seared his skin and blinded him.

  “I’m sorry,” his brother said softly. The ground was hard under Galen’s back, someone was winding something around his arm. “Galen?”

  “Did it work?” Galen opened his eyes. Rob was bending over him, his face paper-white, wrapping his arm in a piece of cloth. “What happened?”

  “Galen…” Rob gave him a wild look.

  “Did it work?” He looked around, half expecting to see a crowd around him. “I thought I heard voices. Are they here?”

  “I don’t know,” Rob said quietly. “Galen, are you okay?”

  “I’m not sure. What’s wrong with my arm?”

  “You cut it.”

  “I did? Huh.” Galen looked down at the bandage. “I don’t remember that from the spell you gave me.”

  “It wasn’t there.” Rob flashed him a panicked look. “Galen…”

  “What?” Galen pushed himself into a sitting position, his brother put a shaking hand behind his back.

  “That spell…”

  “What? It was the one you gave me.”

  Rob was shaking his head. “No. It started out that way. The same one I used when I summoned you.”

  “But? Help me up.”

  Rob stood and pulled him to his feet. “But…You started singing.”

  “I always do when I cast.”

  “It wasn’t Latin, Galen. I think I recognized part of the language, it’s an old European tongue. But that wasn’t in the spell I gave you. I tried to stop it, but you held me back.”

  “I don’t remember you grabbing me.”

  “I didn’t, Galen, I couldn’t get close enough. You held me back. Then you cut your arm with the sword. I caught the word for ‘rise’ and ‘blood’ but it went so fast.” Rob bent to retrieve their swords. “I…”

  “What?”

  “I…” Rob looked at him. “Galen…”

  “Can we try a whole sentence? I have a headache.” Galen tried to focus the healing inward. The light failed to appear.

  “Galen?” Rob walked to him and put his hand on Galen’s head, Galen could feel his brother’s hand trembling where it rested against his forehead. Gentle warmth flowed into him, and stopped the throbbing behind his eyes. “What’s wrong? You look funny,” Rob said, looking at him.

  “It’s the spell. It drained me. It’ll take awhile to recover.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Why are you apologizing?”

  “I had no idea, Galen.” They walked together towards the shop. “I had no idea you…” Rob shook his head.

  “What?” Galen put a hand on his brother’s arm to stop him,

  “Galen…I…you…”

  “Rob? What?” Galen looked at his brother, tried to get a sense of him through the contact. The Gift was still silent, just a soft hum. He caught the very edges of disbelief from Rob.

  “I knew, but I never suspected…My gods, Galen, do you realize…?”

  “Are you okay?” Flash pounced on them. They walked into the back of the shop with him.

  “I’m fine, just a headache.” Galen stopped by the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.

  “What happened to your arm?”

  “The spell required blood,” Galen replied easily, knowing it was true. The memory of the pulsing power tingled through his hands.

  Flash grabbed his arm and pulled him into the shop and shoved him down on a stool. “Galen?” He turned to Rob. “Is he okay?”

  “I’m not sure,” Rob answered. His face still was still white, his hands shaking. He looked at Flash. “I’m sorry.”

  “Would you stop saying that?” Galen snapped, then smiled as a customer came into the shop. “Why don’t the two of you go get coffee and something for us to eat?” Galen handed his brother a twenty dollar bill, hoping the walk would help remove the shocked expression from Rob’s face. “There’s a sandwich shop down the block. Tell them it’s for me, they’ll know what to make.”

  “Veggies with cheese,” Flash muttered and shook his head in disgust. “Don’t know how you survive on that shit. Yech.”

  “I survive on it too,” Rob said. He smiled at Galen. “We’ll be right back.”

  Galen watched them go, then walked over to the young woman who had come in the shop. He helped her find the herbs she was looking for, and recommended a protective amulet. Rob and Flash were back as he was finishing up the sale. Rob looked at him with the unfocused look and shook his head. He handed Galen a cup of coffee and pulled a stool up to the counter. Flash settled beside Rob on the other stool. They exchanged a look and then turned to Galen.

  “What?” he asked, looking at them. “Rob? Flash?”

  “We’ve been talking,” Flash started.

  “Save me,” Galen said, taking a bite of the sandwich.

  “Well, we have,” Rob chimed in.

  “And?”

  Rob shrugged and looked at Flash. “We think it’s best…”

  “We? I thought you didn’t trust him only five seconds ago, Flash,” Galen frowned at his friend.

  “Yeah, well, I changed my mind. So there.” And Flash stuck out his tongue.

  “Nice,” Galen snapped, then sighed. “Whatever you two have decided, just let me eat in peace, okay? Before you pack me upstairs and lock me in my room or...or whatever…”

  “We just thought it would be a good idea to call Rhiannon and let her know what’s happening, maybe Mike too,” Rob said.

  Galen looked at his brother, Rob met his eyes. Galen saw the resolve he’d seen earlier, but there was something else, an undercurrent of fear. It’s getting close. As sure as he is, there’s no way this will be easy on either of us. As sure as his is, there’s no way to know if we survive. We will need help. The summoning didn’t work. A soft voice from somewhere whispered to him. Galen turned his head. “What?”

  “Call Rhiannon?” Flash said.

  “No, what did you say?” He looked at Rob, the voice had sounded like his brother.

  Rob shook his head. “Galen?”

  The voice whispered to him again, the words flowed over him, too soft to become intelligible. Galen glanced around the shop. “Galen,” the gentle voice whispered.

  “What?” he asked again.

  “Galen?” Rob frowned at him with concern.

  Galen looked at Rob, then smiled. “Rhiannon, not a bad idea. She’d kill us if she missed this party.” Galen pulled out his phone and called Rhiannon.

  “Happy Birthday, honey,” she said when she an
swered.

  “Thanks. It’s tonight.”

  “We’ll be at the shop in twenty minutes. I’ll call Mike, always good to have a doctor along.”

  “Rhiannon? What’s with you and Mike?”

  “Nothing, Galen, nothing at all,” she said. Galen could hear a smirk in her voice. “We’ll be there soon, don’t leave till we’re there.”

  “Right.” He flipped the phone closed and looked at Rob. “She’s on her way.”

  “Good,” Flash said.

  Galen smiled at him and turned back to his sandwich. Rob watched him. “I’m okay, let’s eat. We might not have another chance.” Galen could hear the thing chuckling happily against his heart. He could hear the soft, gentle whispers from somewhere else.

  “Galen?” Rob was looking at him, he frowned then glanced around the shop, following Galen’s look. “What?”

  “I’m not sure.” Galen shrugged. “Let’s eat. You used to be all about the food, Brat,” he said, a teasing note in his voice.

  “Yeah, I did.” Rob smiled, still watching him. He seemed to sense Galen’s need to change the subject, and turned to Flash. “Becci told me you two have the bestest band in the whole Northwest.”

  Flash grinned. “Now if Sarah would only think that,” he said with a sigh and launched into an enthusiastic appraisal of the group. Rob snuck smile at Galen as Flash talked. Galen let the talk flow around him as he focused inwards, trying to sense the Gift. It was still dark, inactive. There was a small hum, but nothing else. Galen wondered what the spell had actually done. He sighed. The soft whispers were still just out of hearing, although he heard one call his name again. He finished the food and sipped his coffee, idly watching two men and a woman walk down the street outside the shop. They turned and came across the street.

  “Time, my Emrys Keeper. Time,” the thing sighed with pleasure.

  Galen stood, Rob turned to look out the store window.

  “Galen,” he said softly. “They’re coming.”

  “A little sooner than we planned, Rob,” Galen said. He looked at Flash. “Go, get out.”

  Flash looked at him. “What?”

  “Get out now!” Galen shouted at his friend.

  It was too late. The door slammed open, the three came into the room. One of the men held a gun in his hand. He fired at Rob, Galen heard the phftt of a dart. The gun was turned on him, the dart hit him, dragging him down into the dark before he could react.