B008GMVYA4 EBOK

by Drake, Rebecca Ann

  The Lodge can only be accessed by Fred, Leon and Brendan, one drop of their blood in the precise location of the doorway to the Lodge will open the gates between realities. To anyone else the doorway is nothing but a cold spot; cold spots can be located all over the world. Generally they are found in places where something of great significance happened or something is hidden. Many people experience cold spots in their homes, this is normally because something occurred in their homes which has changed the structure of reality in that spot. This results in an ‘odd’ feeling to some people who are more susceptible to it.

  The reason for Leon leaving The Coven and building his ‘safe house’ for himself and Fred has always been a little vague. Brendan had tried in the past to get some answers from Leon concerning his departure from The Coven but Leon had always shrugged the questions off - Fred was also unwilling to discuss the matter. There were whispers in The Coven that Leon had betrayed them, however, no solid evidence was found and the elders never uttered his name again once he left nor did they try to find him. This didn’t stop Leon from living in fear though, or allowing himself or Fred to ever step into the human realm again. Brendan was forbidden to bring anyone to the Lodge or to reveal Leon’s destination to The Coven or anyone else. Leon and Brendan had been friends for centuries; he would not jeopardize their friendship should anyone have ever asked. Brendan remembered how calm Leon had been the night he had arrived with Madison, something the fierily Scotsman was never like. A part of Brendan wondered whether Leon had sensed this coming before they had even arrived - Leon was weird like that and had powers Brendan couldn’t even conceive.

  “How do you think Gabby got the Black Orchid involved?” Fred asked suddenly, her features blank – deep in thought.

  “She bargained with them. She had something they want…” Leon said flatly, also becoming lost in thought.

  The words ‘Black Orchid’ sent chills down Brendan’s spine. It was the one name that he dreaded to hear, the one name that made him… scared.

  “What do you think it is?” Brendan asked, his eyes flickering from Fred to Leon.

  “I really don’t know? Whatever it is, it’s protected! I can’t see it…” Leon said frustrated looking up towards Brendan.

  “The Black Orchid, they could find us if they wanted too?” Fred said her voice emotionless and her eyes staring blankly at the ground.

  “They could, but they haven’t yet… which leads me to believe they don’t know where to look… yet, anyway. I’m sorry, Brendan. You are my dearest friend but you have to leave tomorrow without fail. I can’t risk me and Fred being found because of Madison. She’s a nice girl, but she’s not family like you! You have no idea what they would do to us if they were to find us. I will help you as best as I can, but it’s in your hands now” Leon said apologetically.

  “I know. I’m grateful for everything that you both have done. I’m sorry that I have gotten you involved in this mess” he sighed.

  “Brendan…” Leon said standing up and placing a warm hand onto his left shoulder “You are my dearest friend; we have been friends for a very long time now and I would do anything I possibly could to help you, but this situation with Gabby is out of my hands. The Black Orchid is involved now, there’s no going back from that. They won’t ever stop, not until they have what they want. And whatever Gabby has bargained with them for must be something of great importance and desire. You’ve worked alongside the Black Orchid before; you know they have no remorse, no regret, and no sympathy. They only have one aim and that aim is now Madison. Their soulless animals, they would kill you if you got in their way… this doesn’t have to be your fight!”

  “I’m not standing down. I have to help her, she needs me!” Brendan said staring hard into Leon eyes, his words clear and certain.

  “Are you in love with her?” Leon said, letting go of my arm and gazing down at the floor.

  “I don’t know?” Brendan said suddenly confused.

  His feelings for Madison were strong he would lay down his life to protect her, but was love really the right word? They had shared so little but so much at the same time and sometimes some things should be left unsaid until the moment is right.

  Leon exchanged a soppy look with Fred. She smiled lovingly at him her eyes full of warmth for a moment which soon dissipated into concern and fear once again.

  “Okay. Well, I love you man!” Leon said grabbing Brendan in a manly hug.

  Brendan smiled in confusion and patted Leon on the back in acceptance.

  Fred rolled her eyes and laughed at Leon’s sudden soft side.

  “I love you too… now stop it!” Brendan chuckled as Leon eventually let go of him.

  “I’m sorry, I just get emotional sometimes. What happened to the Brendan that used to have a different girl each night? He was a funny guy! This Brendan’s all grown up!” Leon joked, sitting back down onto the sofa.

  “Didn’t you hear? He died centuries ago” Brendan smirked.

  * * *

  Madison had been gone for thirty minutes and Brendan had spent the last fifteen minutes gazing out of the lounge window awaiting her return. He debated as to whether he should go after her? She was safe in the grounds of the Lodge but Brendan didn’t like her being angry at him. He knew he had to allow her time to come round on her own terms but he couldn’t stop himself feeling anxious at her absence. There was no way of knowing what kind of effect the Lodge had had on her brain and Brendan didn’t want to risk a argument with her encase it caused some kind of permanent damage.

  Brendan searched the very end stretch of garden, seeking some form of a figure of any kind of movement which might suggest she was still down there. He was becoming even more anxious and irritated as the minutes which pasted. There was nothing in the distance but a thick flow of fog, it was about three foot off the ground and had spread out over the very bottom edge of the garden. Madison would have been consumed by the fog down there, shielding her from Brendan’s sight. Leon called the fog “The river between dimensions” it carried objects and people safely through the doors of reality to the other side without damage. A protective shield, an organism that lived between realities and guiding the lost to where they needed to be.

  “Staring out the window won’t make her come back any quicker” Fred said sarcastically, interrupting Brendan’s train of thought.

  “Why is she taking so long?” Brendan huffed, not removing his eyes from the dirty lounge bay window.

  “She’s a women, mate. They like to make you wait” Leon joked.

  “She’s probably just cooling down. It’s not easy for her at the moment, give her some time she’ll come around” Fred said reassuringly.

  Brendan nodded but didn’t draw his eyes away from the stretch of fog at the very edge of the garden. An empty feeling was beginning to hollow itself away in his stomach and he couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. He was beginning to feel paranoid now, but the he shook his anxiety off as an overreaction.

  “You don’t think she would have left the garden, do you?” Fred suddenly asked, staring at Leon.

  “How would she? The gates locked. You can’t pick a lock like that” Leon replied unconvinced.

  Brendan’s mind span as he considered the possibility. Madison had been distraught when she had stormed off and she was capable of anything. She may have felt the need to escape the Lodge for a while, get away from him – clear her head.

  “She would be stupid to get out anyway! Once she’s out, she can’t get back in! She knows that right?” Leon asked now gazing at Brendan for reassurance.

  Brendan felt Leon’s eyes burning a hole in his back. Madison didn’t know that, he had kept it from her in attempt to protect her from these types of things once again.

  Brendan hadn’t thought it was necessary to tell Madison where they were and at the time he didn’t know her health would suffer because of it and he wasn’t sure how she would react knowing Leon could bend reality – another blow t
o her innocent mind.

  “You told her, about the lodge? Brendan” Leon continued.

  Brendan didn’t answer. Panic flew through him like a wild animal. Instance regret and fear clinging to his chest - squeezing his dead heart.

  “Brendan? Brendan?!” Leon shouted.

  Brendan spun around to face him, his face paler than usual. Leon knew instantly from Brendan’s horror stricken expression that he hadn’t told her, probably risked her life more so by not telling her.

  “He didn’t tell her…” Leon sighed, standing up.

  Brendan leapt forward, sprinting out of the lounge, throwing open the front door and catapulted off the front porch onto the gravel driveway. He sprinted down the garden, Fred and Leon hot on his heels. Brendan’s heart ached oddly, it had not been used in years and yet a single human brought life to something that should have remained dead. Brendan and Fred ran faster than Leon – leaving him behind for dust as they reached the bottom of the garden in a minute flat. They both stopped four feet away from the rusty old gate and boarder line trees - scanning the area for any sign of a figure. It took a few more minutes for Leon to eventually catch up. He doubled over gasping for air while the two vampires remained composed, no need for oxygen and searching for Madison. The garden was empty. Leon rose, grabbing each of his sides as he searched the area confirming for himself that Madison was nowhere in sight.

  “She’s not here!” Brendan whispered, walking the few steps towards the Iron Gate.

  Fred followed close behind.

  “Note to self, need to get fit” Leon wheezed, still not fully recovered from the run.

  Brendan pulled on the bars of the gate, examining them for any form of altercation. The bars were perfectly straight and there was no sign that they had been forced apart of tampered with, not that Madison was strong enough to do this herself but there were Demon’s after her that were. He grabbed the padlock and pulled it, it didn’t budge. It was locked tight. Brendan threw it against the gate in anger, spinning around furiously to look at the others.

  “So she didn’t get out this way?” Fred said reluctantly.

  Brendan didn’t answer. He stared through the gaps in the bars at the white, creaming, fog that covered the sidewalk on the other side of the gate. Slowly, Brendan’s gaze moved upwards catching sight of the top of the frame of the gate. Brendan studied it for a moment, piecing together what happened in his mind.

  “Leon, could she have climbed over the gate?” Brendan asked curiously.

  Leon froze. He stared at the top of the gate, considering the possibility.

  “Could she?” Brendan almost demanded frustrated with Leon’s lack of response the first time he asked.

  “When I designed the security for the Lodge, I specified it so that people couldn’t get in. I didn’t really think about someone wanting to get out?” Leon said reluctantly, still deep in thought.

  Brendan sighed and shot Leon an angry look. Leon smiled apologetically, annoyed at himself for not considering the possibility.

  Brendan began to mount the gate in an attempt to climb over it, testing out his theory.

  “Hang on! We don’t even know she got out that way, she could be in the back garden!” Leon shouted trying to stop Brendan.

  “Fred, check the back garden and all the rooms in the house and I know because if I wanted to get out, this is exactly what I would do!” he shouted down to them...

  Leon threw his hands up and rubbed his face. Concern and annoyance ate away at him, but he didn’t argue with Brendan’s instructions.

  Fred ran back towards the house to search the back garden as Brendan had asked. Leon hovered by the gate watching Brendan as he continued to climb over the large Iron Gate.

  He flung his leg over the gate in the same manner Madison had, he dropped to the ground and landed upright with little impact. From the other side of the gate Leon and the Lodge could not be seen, a thick white fog clouded between the bars preventing unwanted visitors to see what was behind the cast iron gate.

  Brendan span around towards the road ahead, the fog flowed up to the curb stopping at a transparent barrier - the barrier was the doorway back into earth’s dimension.

  He jogged towards the doorway and stopped just in front of it. Brendan had been through the doorway many times in the protection of his car, but he had never crossed the doorway on foot. He was unsure what to expect and unnerved by crossing without the protection of the metal vehicle.

  He reached out his hand; it pieced the transparent watery shell that divided the two dimensions. There was a cool breeze and the warmth from the sun on his finger tips from earth atmosphere. Brendan’s arm began to be consumed by the watery clear bubble and ripples flowed around the doorway as Brendan’s arm was sucked deeper and deeper into the portal. A high pitched ringing filled Brendan’s ears, he stumbled forward off the edge of the sidewalk into the doorway. He was pulled forwards at a great speed and the ringing which pieced his ears causing him to throw his hands up over his ears in protection.

  Suddenly the ringing noise and the sucking motion stopped just as quickly as it had started. Brendan found himself stood at the edge of a tarmac road.

  “Madison?” Brendan called spinning around in a 360 degree circle. He didn’t have time to take in his surrounding; he was looking for a figure in the distance or some sort of clue that would lead him to Madison.

  The sun beat down onto the black tarmac road which was surrounded by an almost deserted countryside, for only a few cattle dotted around the landscape.

  One end of the road stretched for miles down a steep hill and the other continued out over the distance before eventually vanishing in the horizon.

  “Madison?” Brendan called searching the road in both directions.

  Panic echoed around Brendan’s head and it was beginning to consume him. Human emotions were once again getting the better of him, something that shouldn’t affect a Vampire.

  Chapter Eleven: Stephanie

  Madison stumbled off the underground onto the platform, the back of her heel almost sliding down the gap between the train and the platform.

  She scanned the platform cautiously; this had become more of habit rather than searching for any real danger.

  The platform was still - empty. Discarded paper cups and newspapers scattered the ground, the undergrounds of London were never litter free – some worse than others.

  Since the Lodge has unexpectedly vanished before her eyes, she had been left with no choice but to go in search of the nearest town. She had to get back to London - to get to Stephanie. Fortunately for Madison, a taxi had stopped when it spotted her running down the side of an abandoned road and offered a lift to the nearest train station. The little bit of kindness Madison had received by the taxi driver provided her with a small spark of hope that she very much needed at this point. Even with all the evil in the world there was still hope that a little bit of good still existed.

  Now that Madison arrived back in London dread sat heavy in the pit of her stomach. Had Brendan noticed her absence? Was Stephanie still alive? Was she alright? Had Gabby already killed her? All these questions ran circles around Madison’s head, but she felt little concern for her own safety and Gabby wouldn’t stop until she had want she wanted – Madison. She knew that she couldn’t deal with the guilty of Stephanie’s blood on her hands or the sorrow of losing her closest, dearest friend.

  Dread hung around her, a terrible, indescribable feeling crept into the back of her mind and she couldn’t help but feel her efforts to get to Stephanie were not enough – that she was too late. Madison couldn’t give up hope. She pushed the feeling back down into the pits of her mind, took a deep breath and pushed her legs across the platform. She would not believe that Stephanie wasn’t alright until she had seen it with her own eyes.

  There was a sense of calm about Madison’s composure; she was bringing the fight to Gabby. She found a small piece of comfort in the fact that somehow she was saving both Brendan and Stepha
nie at the same time. This small flicker of hope pushed her to power on.

  Her heart thudded rapidly in her chest and her hands were clammy with anxiety. Madison sped towards the stairs which led up onto the street above. She began to climb the staircase, turning unconsciously a few times to check that she wasn’t being followed. She concentrated on the bright light at the end of the dark, gloomy staircase – focusing on it, powering towards it. She found her pace quickening. The hair on the back of her neck rose, a cold, suffocating presence seemed to linger on her tail. She could almost feel the presences ice cold finger tips on her shoulder or was it just the presence of death that was beginning to place its hand over her shoulders?

  Madison continued to push her legs to stride faster and faster, up the solid stone steps - this time not daring to look behind her.

  Her heart beat echoed in her ears, pulsing with each step that she took.

  A shuffling noise echoed the stairwell, Madison froze – she slowed her breathing, listening to darkness. Carefully, she began to twist her torso around to identify the presence behind her. The soles of her shoes slipped slightly on the damp smooth stone and grabbed the thick metal railing for support.

  The stairwell was empty and had become eerily quiet as quickly as the shuffling had started. The platform below was now covered in a shield of darkness that appeared threatening. She sighed, relaxing a little. Slowly, she turned back to face the top of the stairs. Madison jumped. Her footing slipped on the smooth stone, almost causing her to fall backwards down the long flight of stone steps. Luckily, she still clung to the thick metal railing, preventing her from falling and enabling her to pull herself back up onto the step.

  Two dark figures stood before her, they were dressed in black jeans and black hooded jumpers. The hoods of their jumpers pulled up over their faces, masking their facial features in shadow. Their postures were slumped forward, their heads bowed over towards the ground. Both boys were not much taller than Madison; by the structure of their forms they looked to be about 15 years old. They were the same two boys Madison had since on the first night that she had arrived in London, the two boys that she had seen with Brendan. The memory of their faces flashed in Madison’s mind, their drawn, pale, ghost-like faces. The memory had lingered in Madison’s mind for days after she had first witnessed it, even now the memory was as clear as day. She cocked her head wearily, unsure of their intentions – searching for a way around the two boys, but they blocked the width of the staircase.