They moved warily, going deeper into the woods, but nothing seemed amiss. The stillness was punctuated every now and then by the ripple of leaves falling, or the rustle of small creatures burrowing into the undergrowth. A bird cry echoed high above them, but they didn’t pause or slow down, knowing that soon they would lose the light and they definitely didn’t want to be caught in the woods after darkness fell.
The closer they got to the clearing the quieter the woods became, even Theo could feel the hairs at the nape of his neck rise. Suddenly, the tree line opened up and Theo got his first look at the clearing.
The Hollow speared up from the center, twisted and cruel looking. The ground itself was nothing but hardened mud. Olivia was right, nothing grew here, not even a stray weed.
‘Look at this,’ Olivia called to him.
She was standing in front of one of the trees encircling the clearing. Pulling away some of the moss covering the thick trunk she traced her fingers along the markings carved deep into the bark.
‘These are wards,’ she moved to the next tree and found another one, ‘and they’re old, very old.’
‘Are they here to protect the circle?’
‘No,’ she decided ‘more like the other way around, they are designed to keep anything in the circle from getting out.’
She stroked the bark of the tree and closed her eyes. She could feel the low thrum of power surrounding the clearing. It was weak but still there.
‘You said that Hester sealed the devil’s trap with her own blood?’
Olivia nodded.
‘Blood Magic, it’s very old and very powerful,’ she replied, ‘even I don’t have the skill necessary for something like that.’
‘Do you think Hester placed these wards on the trees?’ Theo asked.
‘I would imagine so.’
Olivia glanced into the center of the clearing, her gaze locked on the dead tree.
‘Is there really a demon locked in there?’ she murmured.
‘Let’s take a closer look.’
‘Theo, NO!’ she reached for him but it was too late. He had stepped across the line.
‘What?’ he turned back to look at her.
She opened her mouth, but a sudden growl had her eyes widening in alarm.
Both of them turned, their eyes scanning their surroundings, but they couldn’t see anything. The growl came again, closer and more chilling. Theo grabbed Olivia’s hand and yanked her close to his side.
‘RUN!’
Holding tightly to Theo’s hand they darted into the woods. Olivia tried to steer them through the trees back toward the house and the safety of her protective wards, but every time they turned in the right direction the growling would be in front of them. It didn’t take long for them to realize they were being herded further and further away from the safety of the house.
They finally broke through the tree line and came to a grinding halt. Far from home, they were standing at the edge of a sheer drop down into the icy waters of the lake. The shoreline had obviously eroded over time, causing earth and rock to tumble into the water, leaving no easy way down. Sharp jagged rocks just below the water’s surface also meant they couldn’t jump. Turning back they watched as a shape emerged from the woods. It rippled in the dying light, like a mirage, displacing the air. The growl was deep and menacing as the churning mass coalesced into a solid form.
Theo’s eyes widened and he pushed Olivia behind him, drawing his weapon and releasing the safety.
‘Another Hell Hound,’ Olivia muttered.
It took a slow step toward them, like it was toying with them. Theo raised the gun and aimed.
Olivia’s heart was pounding wildly in her chest, the adrenalin surging through her veins like fire. There was a strange tinny ringing in her ears and a kind of detachment. She felt as if she’d stepped outside her body and once again left her emotions behind. Now able to view the perilous situation with a clinical indifference, she became aware of someone standing behind her.
‘Metal and gunpowder will not harm it,’ the familiar voice murmured in her ear. ‘It is a creature of the Hell dimensions, and only a weapon of Hell can stop it.’
Olivia turned, her gaze falling on the beautiful form of the goddess Diana. She was dressed the same as when she had appeared to Olivia the night in front of her house, when they had encountered the first Hell Hound.
‘How?’ Olivia thought.
‘The fire, daughter, you called it forth before, it will heed your call again,’ the answer echoed in Olivia’s mind.
‘I’m afraid,’ her brow creased.
‘Then face the fear,’ Diana’s thoughts communicating directly with her own.
Turning back to the scene before her, she was dimly aware of the hound, snapping and snarling as it rushed at Theo. He fired at it, almost emptying his clip, but it didn’t even slow down.
Theo tried in vain to shield her with his own body, but Olivia stepped out from behind him with a curious calmness.
‘You know what to do daughter.’
She felt the Goddess place a hand on her shoulder, but she didn’t look back. Raising her own hands in front of her, she pulled her fists apart and as she did, a bow of pure fire burst to life in her palms. The flames burned deep sapphire blue edged in black.
Unlike the previous time she had conjured this fire, although she felt the vast inescapable power this time, she owned it. It was hers. No longer overwhelmed she welcomed the whip and thrill of it, as it surged through her body, amping up her heartbeat. A jet black arrow appeared between her clenched fists and she took aim.
The Hell Hound leapt straight for her, snarling and growling.
She let the arrow loose and as it whistled through the air, for that one brief second, time slowed. The falling leaves caught on the early evening breeze, hanging, suspended in the dim light. The Hell Hound hung in mid-air as it leapt. Theo paused even as he lunged forward to protect her and the arrow, brightly blazing with a searing blue flame made its way through the air, twisting at an infinitesimal rate.
She didn’t see the satisfied smile curving at the corner of Diana’s mouth, but she did hear the whisper, deep within her mind, as the arrow struck true, penetrating the hound’s chest and spearing its dead lifeless heart.
‘Daughter of fire...’
Something deep inside her pulsed with recognition at her words, even as everything roared back into focus with painful acuity.
The hound exploded, showering the ground with ash. A shock wave of blue lightening, like an electrical current burst outward, shaking the trees and knocking both Olivia and Theo to the cold hard ground. The earth shook beneath them like the aftershock of an earthquake.
As the tremors subsided Theo stood, pulling Olivia to her feet and checking to make sure she wasn’t injured.
‘Are you alright?’ he asked in concern.
‘I’m fine,’ she dusted the leaves and dirt from her jeans.
‘Olivia,’ Theo studied her seriously, ‘how did you do that?’
She glanced around in confusion, her brow falling into a frown. Had she just been speaking to someone? She had the vague feeling someone had been standing behind her. But as she looked at Theo the feeling began to dissipate, like the remnants of a fading dream.
‘I don’t know,’ she looked down at her hands, turning them over as if they were different somehow.
A blue spark formed in her palm. It swirled and churned, pulsing and growing in size, until it writhed and beat in her hand like a heart. It felt different from the red and gold fire she usually conjured. That fire was as familiar to her, as the sky and earth. It was of this world, Earth fire. But the seething mass of blue and black flames, which crackled in her hand, was something else entirely. It came from someplace else, someplace darker. It was born of magic and it held so much power. When she held it, she could feel the eternal vastness of thousands upon thousands of years.
‘What is it?’ Theo asked quietly.
When her eyes met his, he could have sworn he saw the gateway to an infinite number of worlds.
‘It is Hell fire,’ she whispered.
19.
Olivia stood gazing out of the bedroom window, hearing Theo snoring softly in the bed behind her. She gazed down at her fingertips where a tiny little pulse of blue appeared beneath her skin like a spark of electricity before disappearing again. She could feel the low thrum of power beneath her skin and it felt like she was wired into the mains. Maybe that was why she couldn’t sleep. She felt different somehow; she’d known the minute she’d pulled a bow of pure fire out of thin air, and it was like her body was struggling to adapt.
Releasing a quiet breath she turned her gaze back to the woods, which were illuminated under the bright half moon. The sky was clear and the stars burned like tiny pinpricks in the vast darkness, but it was the woods that held her attention. She knew now what it was that called to her. It was the demon. Even now he stirred in his prison and soon he would wake. After the first snowfall, if Theo’s dream was correct.
She shivered and jolted in surprise as she felt Theo’s arms fold around her and pull her against his warm chest, his chin resting on her shoulder.
‘Why aren’t you in bed, its freezing in here,’ his voice was rough and sleepy.
Breathing in the familiar scent of him she felt her body relax. Glancing over at the small fireplace in her bedroom she noticed it had burned down to embers. Reaching out she gave it a little nudge and it once again burst into flame. She could feel Theo smile against her shoulder.
‘So why aren’t you in bed?’ he asked again.
‘Couldn’t sleep,’ she murmured, ‘I feel like I’ve drunk fifty espressos.’
‘What’s an espresso?’
‘Never mind,’ a small smile played at her lips. ‘I guess I’m a little wired. Ever since I conjured Hell fire it’s like it supercharged my body. I’m full of restless energy.’
‘It's more than that though, isn’t it?’
Olivia sighed and her gaze was drawn back to the woods once more.
‘I just feel like I’m missing something important. I have all these jigsaw pieces in front of me, the murders, the killer, my father, the pale haired man, Hester, the demon, you…’ she shook her head. ‘I just can’t make them all fit together. I can’t see the big picture.’
He turned her in his arms, tilting her face up to his.
‘We will find the answers,’ Theo replied. ‘I have also found myself frustrated by recent events. I have given much thought to the purpose of the demon seal.’
‘And?’
‘I wonder why it is branded into the bodies of the victims? What is the significance?’ he replied thoughtfully. ‘In my dreams, I have seen the devil’s trap open and Nathaniel escape his imprisonment. I know the last victim was there with his heart cut out. I suppose the victims could be some sort of sacrifice… some means of raising the demon.’
Olivia thought over his assumptions carefully.
‘You’re probably right,’ she concluded. ‘I don’t know anything about raising rituals except that, like most spells, there are many variations. Each spell is almost tailor made to the person or situation. In order to understand how the killer plans to raise Nathaniel, we have to understand how Hester trapped him in the first place.’
‘I’m not sure I understand.’
‘Every witch keeps a record of her magic, every spell she has ever written or performed. This record is known as a Grimoire or sometimes a book of shadows.’
‘So we need to find Hester’s Grimoire?’
‘That’s easier said than done,’ Olivia shook her head. ‘I have been through every single one of Hester's journals. She talks about her magic, but there is no mention of Nathaniel or of her Grimoire. I’ve been slowly searching the house but I haven’t yet come across it. She would’ve hidden it, but after three hundred years, it is probably lost.’
‘Back in my time,’ Theo answered thoughtfully, ‘when a person died they were buried with their most prized possession. My father was buried with his bible; could Hester not have been buried with her Grimoire?’
‘It’s certainly possible,’ Olivia conceded, ‘but the thing is, she wasn’t buried in consecrated ground or in a marked grave. As a witch she would have been placed directly in the earth so that her body could become part of the wheel of life again, while her soul passed on to the summer lands.’
‘The summer lands?’ Theo asked curiously.
‘It's like heaven, where we meet our loved ones and pass on to the next life.’
‘I see.’
‘The problem is, I remember my Nana telling me once that Hester was buried in the woods and a tree was planted over her bones. I just have no idea where in the woods and it stretches for miles around the lake. She could be anywhere. Besides, even if we did find it, we can’t exactly rip out a three hundred year old tree to get to her grave.’
‘True,’ Theo frowned pulling her closer. ‘Perhaps a solution will present itself, but one thing is for certain we are not going to discover all the answers tonight.’
‘I suppose,’ she answered quietly as her eyes locked on his.
Unable to help himself he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her softly. Unlike before when the fire burned hot and bright, consuming them both, this time it banked warm and content and when he took her under, his kiss was soft and sweet, filled with promises that she wasn’t ready to acknowledge.
Suddenly he broke away and turned his head.
‘Did you hear that?’
‘Hear what?’ Olivia asked in confusion, but even as the words left her mouth she heard the sound too.
It was a scratching sound, followed by a whimper. Pulling on his jeans and sweater, he disappeared from the room. Olivia grabbed her robe from the nearby chair and wrapped it around her body as she turned to follow him. Padding down the stairs she could see him at the door glancing through the peephole. After a moment he unlocked the door and stepped out onto the porch.
She followed him out into the bitter night air and scanned the nearby darkness, but when the sound came again directly behind her, Olivia spun around in surprise. She saw a small cardboard box tucked against the side of the house. There was another small whimper and the box shook.
‘Olivia don’t!’ Theo warned as she dropped down next to the box.
‘It’s okay Theo,’ she replied absently, her gaze firmly fixed on the box.
Reaching out slowly, she folded back the open flaps and peered in. A small bundle of fur lay curled up and shivering on a blanket. Carefully picking up the box, she stepped back into the house and headed into the library. Theo cast one more wary look around outside the house and followed her back in, making sure to lock the door and shoot the deadbolt.
Olivia dropped down in front of the fireplace and with one glance the fire flared up, bathing her with light and warmth. Reaching back into the box, a head popped up and a pair of dark eyes blinked back at her. Scooping up the little ball of golden fur, her face broke into a smile. The puppy shivered as she held him close to her chest to give him some of her body heat.
‘Poor thing,’ she murmured, ‘he’s freezing.’
Theo dropped down onto the couch close to her and frowned.
‘Why would someone leave a pup on your porch in the middle of the night?’
But Olivia had a fairly good idea who would do this and why. She’d known the minute she’d lifted the puppy from the box and got a good look at him. He looked exactly like her dog Truman.
As he began to warm up, he wriggled in her arms and stretched up to lick her face. Stroking his head and his long soft ears sent the puppy into a paroxysm of delight. He rolled in her arms, treading all over her with soft paws.
‘I wonder what breed he is?’ Theo murmured, leaning over to stroke the puppy’s head.
‘He’s a Cocker Spaniel,’ Olivia replied.
Noticing the red
collar he wore she twisted it round to get a good look at the tag hanging from it.
‘TRUMAN.’
Her eyes filled with tears and she tried to swallow past the hot hard ball of emotion caught in her throat.
‘Olivia what is it?’
She unbuckled the small leather collar and handed it to Theo, who turned it over in his hands and read the name tag.
‘Truman?’ he asked in confusion.
‘Truman was my dog when I was a kid. My dad brought him home for me not long after my seventh birthday. We were inseparable, he was always with me, Jake and Louisa. The night my mom died, Truman was curled up on my bed. When I heard the shouting downstairs, he followed me. It’s a bit hazy, but I remember the house being on fire and Truman jumping up at me, barking. I picked him up and wouldn’t let him go. When my dad scooped me up and dumped me in the car, I was still holding onto him, but when the cops finally caught up with us and my dad was arrested I was put into foster care. Truman was taken away from me and re-homed. I never saw him again.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Theo said softly.
‘I tried to find him,’ she shrugged, ‘when I was old enough, even though I knew it was a long shot. By this point ten years had passed, but I managed to find the family who’d taken him in. He’d died an old dog, happy and contented. They were a good family and it was obvious by the pictures he’d been well loved, so I have to be grateful for that.’
‘That still doesn’t explain why there is a puppy on your porch.’
‘My father,’ she sighed. ‘This isn’t the first time he’s left me a little reminder of my childhood.’
‘What?’ Theo’s voice was flat and his expression hardened.
She climbed to her feet still holding onto the puppy and headed over to the desk. Pulling open the top drawer she retrieved the doll and handed it to Theo.
‘This was mine,’ she told him quietly. ‘I was holding this the night of the fire, and those blood stains are my mother’s blood. He left this on the porch for me a while ago.’
‘And you are only just mentioning this now?’ his voice rippled in anger.
‘I wasn’t ready to talk about it.’
The Guardians Complete Series 1 Box Set: Contains Mercy, The Ferryman, Crossroads, Witchfinder, Infernum Page 33