“Jason,” Fran’s disapproval resounded in her words.
“What?” Jason shrugged. “Dad,” he called into the dark house.
“Up here,” Shane called to them. Jason knew he would be up there.
“Dad, are you going to have a break?”
“Maybe later. There’s dinner for you both in the cooker.”
“Ok.” They knew better than to try and drag him away from his art.
Val had created a picnic area in the bookshop for their dinner and as Zac finished up chicken korma, mushroom rice, poppadom and pickles he found himself leaning back with a deep look of satisfaction across his face. “This food is truly wondrous. I have never eaten like this before. Do you feast like this often?”
“I used to do it every Friday night, but I suppose we can make it our new ritual. The guard and hunter’s curry night.” Val raised her glass of water into the air just as there came a knock at the door. Val jumped up and walked her now satisfied body towards the door to be greeted by, not just Wendy, but Fran and Jason.
“It’s magic time.” Jason made strange hand gestures behind Wendy’s head.
Fran pushed him in. “I’m so sorry Wendy, but Jason missed out on maturity when they were handing it out.”
Wendy turned to Jason and grabbed his hand. Startled, he stopped dead, blocking the way “If I wish, Jason, I can make you run around the streets of Arcsdale telling everyone that you are a little girl and you want your dummy. Would you like that?“ Jason stood statuesquely still and then, slowly, he shook his head in response. “So, are we going to mock a power, about which you have no knowledge or understanding, and that has survived thousands of years through hidden scripts written in the blood of innocents?”
“No,” Jason replied shakily.
Wendy let his hand go. “Good choice.” She grinned and they all started to move into the shop, slightly more subdued than before.
“Can you really do that?” Val whispered into Wendy’s ear.
“No, but it’s a good lesson to learn: sometimes you have to fake it till you make it.”
As Wendy walked past her, Val smiled; Wendy had a dark side that she actually quite liked.
“Ok scary lady, tell us what we need to do.” Val asked.
“We will need to make room for the coven to fit in here,” Wendy looked around the area just inside the entrance door, the biggest clear space the bookshop had to offer. She pointed to the idle book trolley and then the old reliable, mangled water cooler. As Jason and Zac started pulling things out of the way a knock came at the door. Val turned to see Wendy’s mother standing there with a group of strangers. She moved quickly to let them in.
“Good evening, Wendy’s mum,” Val held the door as they all came in.
“You must call me Belinda, and a good evening to you, Val.” Belinda made her way over to Wendy who was already positioning black candles in a circle. As the others entered, they all found a way to touch Val, whether with a pat on the hand or a tap on the arm, and wished her “Merry Meet”.
Seeing that Val was looking uneasy, Wendy came over to her, wearing a softer than usual expression on her face.
“Everything is going to be ok, Val. These people are your family now. As a Witch you are amongst your own.”
“Why do they keep ‘merry meeting’ me?” Val whispered.
Wendy started to chuckle.
“What?”
“They mean exactly what they say. ‘Merry meet’ is our way of saying hello. We don’t always use it as it would bring too much attention to us, but when amongst our own we can speak freely.” Wendy placed her hand gently on Val as a sign that all was good.
“So in this day and age you still have to hide your greetings?” Val felt confused and concerned.
“You will learn that we’ll never be completely accepted, ever. We have more freedom now, but when others don’t understand there can only ever be fear. Our only mission in life is to simply support the environment in which we have been given the gift of life. We try to work with the ebb and flow of our precious planet and moon. As a group we look after our own and never intrude on others. But please don’t think that all witches are good. There are those who bring us into shame and it’s these few who make our existence now, and in the future, one that will always survive behind closed doors and with secret greetings. Now, let’s get you some protection.” She handed Val a black candle and beckoned her over to join the other witches.
Fran, Jason and Zac positioned themselves behind the counter, their expressions enough to let Val know that they weren’t going to get in the way. Belinda had set up a table display in the corner and the people who were circling her had started to chant just like her mother’s coven had in the past. Val followed Wendy, gripping her candle firmly. She wondered if it would melt under the heat her hands were starting to create. She was getting very warm; maybe it was the volume of people in the shop. Wendy led Val into the centre of the circle and made her face Belinda. Then she moved back, joining the other witches who were now holding hands and circling a lot faster than before, repeating a name over and over again. To Val it sounded like they were chanting Brigit or Brigid.
Belinda leaned in towards her table and lit her candle. Suddenly and without warning, the others came to an instant standstill and the quiet rained down on them.
Belinda began to speak, her voice little more than a whisper.
“To this fire Brigid come; Goddess, sister
we are one.
By this dark moon with no light, hear me
mother on this night,
In this place and on this ground, may
protection now be found.”
Val didn’t know whether to rip off her clothes or throw herself at the water cooler. Perspiration was pouring down her back. She looked around to see if the heating was on the blink, but no one else seemed even close to breaking a sweat. Then they started again and this time Belinda joined them as they circled Val. This felt familiar, like the time she had done the spell to protect her parents. She started to relax as their song intensified.
Then it happened. She didn’t know how or what caused it, but she was on fire. There was a gasp from all present and Wendy had to bring them back to the chanting. The flames seemed to skip up and down Val’s body; her candle began melting over her hands and dripped onto the floor of the shop. The chorus reached fever pitch. Val could feel her heart beating inside her in time with them like a drum, growing, growing, growing in intensity. She was heady with the power surging through her. Then, as suddenly as before, they stopped.
Belinda stepped towards a now flaming, Val. “As it is, so be it done!” She expelled the words on a powerful breath that seemed to push Val backwards; it was as if Belinda had blown her out like a simple candle on a cake. Her fiery cloak had disappeared.
She looked around. Once again everyone in the circle was starring uneasily at her.
“Let us not forget whose presence we are in. What did you expect?” Belinda addressed the others in a stern tone.
They all nodded, then, as if embarrassed by the deep silence, they began to speak all at once. They walked around kissing each other on the cheek and patting Val on the back. Perplexed, not understanding what had happened, Val turned to look at Jason and Fran who were moving around putting things back to normal. They had been witness to Val’s crazy experience, yet they all looked as if nothing unusual had happened. The only person who seemed disturbed was Zac, who was still behind the counter and staring at her with an appalled expression.
“Are you ok?” Val moved towards him, careful not to get too close.
“You are different. I have never seen a guard do that. How… why can you do these things?” Zac actually looked scared of Val.
“Actually that’s the first time I have set myself on fire without assistance, so it’s all new to me.” She grinned, trying to make light of the situation.
“Guards use their hands as weapons, but I have never seen such power. No wonde
r Excariot needs you. It seems that a witch mixed with a guard is a very powerful reject.” Finally he lost the scared look. “Coffee?” he asked.
“Zac, you read my mind.” Val was pleased she had at last impressed him.
She felt a light tap on her shoulder. “Excuse me Val, but we must be making a move. We have done the best we can do and this spell should stop Excariot from entering the shop. However, his power is great and he has his own magic so we will have to keep our fingers crossed.” Belinda embraced Val. “Merry we meet and merry we part, Val, so that we may meet again.” Belinda placed a kiss on Val’s cheek.
“Yes, all of that and come back whenever you want,” Val replied.
“Come, it’s time to leave.” Belinda beckoned to the other witches and they all followed her out.
“I will see you in the morning if you’re sure you’re ok,” Wendy said, also preparing to leave.
“Well, I’m feeling a little safer and a lot cooler now,” Val responded. “Do you think the wax will come off the floor boards?” she asked as she followed Wendy to the door.
Wendy laughed and shook her head in mock despair, then followed her mother.
“So, our turn now,” Fran pitched in as she grabbed Jason’s hand and dragged him towards the exit.
“Are you sure you’re ok, because we can stay?” Jason asked.
“No, I’m fine. Go home and rest. I’ll see you all in the morning.” Val pushed them out locking up behind them.
She turned out the lights and headed upstairs, ready to get some sleep. Then something occurred to her and she turned to Zac who was following. “What do you hunters do at bed time?”
“I should stay here tonight just in case Excariot returns.” Zac said.
“What exactly will you do if he does? You don’t fight so you will become the hunted, not the hunter. Go back to Alchany. We can talk in the morning about what has to be done next. I’ll stay here with the door open so you can return if any escaped prisoners decide to hijack any more bodies. Ok?” Val was tired. The day had been one of the longest she could remember, and she had been through a few odd days recently. Now she just wanted a little time alone to take it all in.
“If that is what you want me to do, then I will.” Zac walked up to the portal. With one glance back he was gone, leaving only a brief shimmer on the face of the gateway.
“Bye.” Val waved at nothing and smiled. She ran a bath and laid out her new clothes on the bed. She still didn’t want to sleep in it so another night on the nest she had created was the only other option.
She sank into the warm water amongst a mountain of foam, thanks to some ancient bubble bath for old men. She knew she would smell like her granddad afterwards, but who cared. She started to wash and noticed her bare arm. There was no tattoo. The one thing that had been constant was now gone. “Time for change,” she told herself as she washed her arm clean.
She got dried, dressed and into her new pyjamas behind the door, just in case the people behind the portal could see in; she wasn’t brave enough to close it just yet. Then, lying on the floor next to the bed, she flipped the switch and the room became cloaked in darkness. She very much doubted that she would fall asleep, but she barely lasted sixty seconds before she was snoring like a baby.
As her breathing deepened, a figure came through the portal. Moving cautiously in the darkness, it moved to the bed next to Val and sat down.
CHAPTER 3
The Connection
Opening her eyes Val realised that she was looking at a highly polished pair of military style boots. Her prison guard instinct kicked in and she leapt to her feet. She would have taken her visitor by surprise had she not forgotten that she was inside a sleeping bag; as quickly as she rose she fell. Luckily a pair of strong arms grabbed her, saving her from an undignified sprawl over the wooden floor.
“Good morning, Val,” Zac said as he pulled her to her feet.
“What are you doing here so early? Is there a problem?” Val started to pull off her bag.
“No, I just thought an early start would be good,” Zac lied. “You have much to learn and I have much to teach you.” He offered Val his hand as she clambered out of the bag.
“First juice and cereal, then we go and find our missing priestess.” Val pointed to the kitchen. Pulling a carton of orange juice and a box of cereal from the cupboard, she filled two glasses and two bowls. Zac watched with great interest as she poured milk over the cereal. Putting it all on a tray she headed back to the bed, pushing her clothes to one side so they could sit and eat. Zac was really getting into the consumption side of things Val thought, watching him clean his bowl. The orange juice was not such a success and his pained expression spoke a thousand words. ‘Note to self: orange juice will not to be on the menu again,’ Val joked.
When they had finished, Val handed Zac the keys to the front door. “You go downstairs while I get ready.”
“But what if...”
“OK, stop talking. I need to get changed and I am going to do that alone. Nothing will happen and anyway, Wendy will be here any minute.” He took the keys begrudgingly and did as he was told.
She looked at the clothes she had purchased the previous day and wondered what Sam would like best. Then she pinched her arm. “Get real,” she whispered as she picked up the trusty t-shirt and Jeans.
Val headed downstairs to find Wendy and Zac, already buried in her dellatrax.
“Morning Val. Did you sleep well?” Wendy smiled over the top of a huge leather bound volume.
“Yes thanks, first dreamless night I’ve had in a while. What is our next move, oh clever one?” Val asked Zac.
“We need to connect our links as soon as possible. It will help us work more efficiently.”
“Uh?” Val shook her head. “Links? What links?”
Zac reminded himself to be patient, but Val really didn’t know anything. “When a guard is born he is connected with his hunter and from the beginning they are together for the vast majority of the time. Obviously we have never had a female guard so things may have to be slightly different for you and me.”
“Slow down, cowboy. What is this connection business, because you are so not my type,” Val said feeling worried.
“First things first. We must connect our signals.” Zac lifted his sleeve to reveal a bracelet. Its appearance was similar to Val’s, but instead of being in a V shape it simply circled his arm. “And what is this type thing you speak of?” Zac looked from Val to Wendy.
“Oh, bracelets, good.” Val let out a sigh of relief. “The type thing is just something we say when two peoples’ DNA doesn’t quite match.”
“Right,” Wendy nodded impressed with Val’s answer.
“Irrelevant. We must get on.” Zac moved towards Val and held out his hand.
“So we just touch bracelets, then?” Val had butterflies in her stomach. This felt so odd and yet she knew that it had to be done.
She pulled up her sleeve to reveal the bracelet her father had left her. Her hand gently moved towards Zac’s, then she stopped. “Will it hurt?”
Zac shook his head.
Val reached for his hand and they were connected. She could feel the floor falling away as if she was in an elevator, yet they were both stationary. All she could sense was what seemed to her to be Zac’s heart. She knew it was him. He reached into her soul. They were all alone in the universe and their bracelets where making the strangest noises and flashing happily away in sync. She couldn’t get over the fact that she felt so at one with him; it was like he was the brother she had never had. They really were connected.
Then it stopped. The lights, the noise the sense of connection gently faded, and Val felt the floor returning. Instinctively they released each others’ hands.
“Is that it?” Wendy looked between them. As far as she could tell, nothing had happened, yet Val and Zac were just staring into each other’s faces as if something very important had just taken place. Then Val shook her head, almost as if wakin
g from a dream.
“Are you seriously telling me you didn’t see any of what just happened?”
Wendy shook her head.
“It was amazing; we were truly connected.” Val turned to Zac who was almost back. “Come on mate, I see now that I have a lot to learn, and some witches to find.” Val pulled him over to the books and they all sat and studied the morning away.
Fran and Jason arrived around eleven at which point the shop was open and quite busy with the usual bookworms.
“Hi guys,” Fran greeted them, adding to their pile of books with a few of her own.
“What’s all this?” Wendy enquired, starting to pick through them.
“Jason received them in a parcel this morning, from Sam; something about local history.” Fran walked off towards the cupboard as Jason came in with another pile.
“Where does this guy get his stuff from and doesn’t he sleep?” Jason dropped them on to the counter.
“Wow, these books are really old,” Wendy said stroking the covers gently.
“You make me glad I’m a geek.” Jason smiled and walked off after Fran.
“Where is this Sam?” Zac asked. Val sensed his apprehension on the subject.
“He’s moving here to Arcsdale. Don’t worry; he’s just a really cool guy who gave me my sword and the stuff that Jason uses to track me. He’s Shane’s best friend, if that makes you feel any better, and I’m going to his house for lunch. So on that note I’m off.”
Val stood grabbing her bag. “Are you ok to close the shop over lunch and open up this afternoon if I’m not back in time, Wendy?”
“Is that a joke? Look at all these goodies.” Wendy’s eyes didn’t leave the books as she gave Val a dismissive wave.
Val could see that Zac wasn’t at all pleased to see her go, but she still had to have a life. Anyway, Sam might have some valuable information to pass on.
“You can contact me on my mobile if you need me.” She waved her phone at him, turned and left. The bus ride was pleasant. Just leaving the shop and not having to try to capture someone made a pleasing change to the recent full on approach.
The Turncoats (The Thirteenth Series #2) Page 5