The Guardians Complete Series 1 Box Set: Contains Mercy, The Ferryman, Crossroads, Witchfinder, Infernum

by Wendy Saunders

  ‘You look like you’ve just stepped off the set of The Crucible,’ she laughed quietly.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Never mind,’ she shook her head in amusement.

  He watched her thoughtfully as she bent down to scoop up her discarded clothes.

  ‘We should probably burn our clothes.’

  ‘Burn them?’ she glanced up at him with a pained expression, ‘but these are my favorite boots.’

  ‘We can’t risk anyone finding them’ he frowned, ‘the backpack will have to go too. What have you got in there?’

  ‘Not much,’ she unzipped it and rummaged through the contents, ‘a flashlight, a small first aid kit, an empty water bottle and Hester’s Grimoire.’

  ‘Most of that won’t burn’ he mused, ‘maybe we could bury them.’

  ‘That won’t work,’ Olivia shook her head, ‘you can’t bury it deep enough without the risk of discovery, and we can’t have anyone finding a flashlight nearly two centuries before it’s invented. Same goes with the water bottle, plastic won’t be around for another couple of hundred years.’

  ‘We’ll have to hide it then,’ he scratched the stubble at his chin thoughtfully. ‘If we hide our clothes and the backpack, we’ll just have to make sure we take them with us when we leave.’

  ‘If we leave’ Olivia murmured, glancing down at Sam. ‘In case it’s escaped your notice our ticket out of here is out cold and we have no way of knowing if he’ll have the juice to jump us through time when he wakes up.’

  ‘We’ll deal with that problem when we come to it,’ Theo frowned, ‘gather up the clothes and put them in the backpack. We’ll find somewhere to hide it for the time being.’

  ‘Not Hester’s Grimoire.’

  ‘Olivia,’ he replied carefully as she stuffed their clothes into the bag, ‘we’re in Salem now, you can’t go wandering around with a magic book. If you’re caught with it in your possession you might as well flat-out ask the magistrate to hang you for witchcraft.’

  ‘I’ll be careful,’ she dropped the bag and stood, approaching him slowly. ‘I can’t leave it Theo, it’s my responsibility, wherever I go the book goes.’

  ‘I understand that,’ he ran his hands up her sleeves, unconsciously pulling her in closer, ‘but you haven’t lived this life. You may have studied it in your books but you don’t know…you can’t know how dangerous it really is. So much was omitted from the official record.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ she frowned.

  ‘You remember I told you there were discrepancies in the historical books you showed me?’

  ‘I remember,’ she nodded, ‘there was no mention of Nathaniel.’

  ‘That wasn’t the only thing wrong with them.’

  ‘What?’

  He shook his head as if trying to clear his thoughts.

  ‘Olivia,’ he told her seriously, ‘everything you think you know about Salem and the trials is wrong. They recorded the absolute minimum they could but the persecution of the witches started much earlier than the ravings of a couple of spiteful pre-pubescent girls. Nathaniel is here now, in his true form. Accusations of witchcraft are already being whispered in every corner of not only the village but Salem Town itself. Why do you think I went to such lengths to hide the gift of foresight that both Temperance and I have? People have already begun to disappear.’

  ‘They are taking people?’ Olivia’s eyes widened. ‘Why?’

  ‘I’m guessing Nathaniel is already searching for the Wests, he knows they have the book. He’s using the excuse of witchcraft to take these people and torture them, trying to gain information.’

  ‘How do you know?’

  ‘There were whispers’ Theo replied, ‘I heard a great many things in the village and I had dreams. I dismissed them as nothing but nightmares at the time, but knowing what I do now…’

  ‘Why didn’t you say something before?’ Olivia whispered.

  ‘There was no point, it was in the past, it didn’t impact what we were doing at the time but now…’

  ‘Your past is our present,’ she breathed heavily, ‘well shit.’

  ‘Olivia,’ he pulled her close, ‘it is so dangerous for you to be here. These people are so paranoid they are accusing friends, neighbors, even family members but the truth is none of them have ever seen a real witch in their lives. If they find out what you can do, what you really are…’

  ‘They’ll kill me,’ she finished for him.

  ‘Only if Nathaniel, the Nathaniel from this time, doesn’t get to you first. You have to remember he is in his true form not that rotting mess your mother forced him into. I barely harmed him back in Mercy and that was when he was already weakened. If it comes down to a fight here and now we have no weapon that would be effective against him.’

  ‘Well then we’ll just have to make sure he doesn’t find us’ she soothed him, ‘but regardless, the book stays with me. I’ll just have to take my chances; I can’t risk it falling into the wrong hands.’

  ‘Olivia’ he breathed, as his hand snaked around the back of her neck gently and he pressed his forehead to hers.

  ‘I know,’ she whispered as she looked up into his dark eyes, ‘we’ll be okay.’

  ‘I’m not worried about myself’ he murmured, ‘but I can’t lose you.’

  ‘You won’t,’ she grasped his wrist firmly and stepped back, ‘we can do this, we just need to lay low until Sam regains consciousness.’

  ‘That may be a while,’ Theo glanced over at their friend who was still unconscious on the ground as Temperance sat next to him, smoothing back his hair and pressing a damp cloth to his forehead.

  ‘I think your friend has a fever,’ she looked up at Theo.

  ‘Damn it,’ Olivia moved closer and dropped down next to him, checking his pulse and peeling back his eyelids.

  ‘What do you think?’ Theo crouched next to her, ‘can you do anything?’

  ‘That’s Louisa’s gift not mine,’ she shook her head. ‘I wouldn’t even know where to start.’

  ‘You need to get him someplace safe,’ Temperance looked up at her brother, ‘I could go back to the farm and fetch the cart. We could hide him in the stables or the barn.’

  ‘No,’ Theo shook his head as his gaze once again fell on his little sister.

  His heart gave a helpless thud as he watched her trying to make sense of the situation she found herself in. She had come to this place to find him because she had seen it in a dream, a waking dream she called them but he knew it was a vision she’d had. Even though she knew she would find him and his companions in their neighbor’s barn he could see she was still struggling with the concept that there were two versions of him.

  ‘The younger version of me is still at our farm, remember Tempy?’ he told her gently. ‘He doesn’t know anything about this.’

  ‘Oh that’s right,’ she frowned, coughing slightly.

  Her skin was pale and drawn, her eyes held dark circles and a persistent cough was beginning to wrack her body. His heart clenched again painfully, she was already starting to show the symptoms of the fever which would claim her life. It wasn’t fair, he had finally been given a second chance with the sister he loved more than anything and he was as powerless to save her as he had been the first time. It was cruel, the worst kind of irony, to be allowed to see her again only to be fated to watch her die once again.

  Swallowing back the sudden rush of emotion threatening to choke him Theo opened his mouth to speak but stopped suddenly, his head turning in the direction of the barn doors. His eyes widened at the unmistakable sound of nearby voices.

  ‘Quick hide,’ Theo hissed as he yanked Sam off the floor and threw him over his shoulder.

  Temperance scrambled deeper into the barn ducking down into the shadows between several large casks of cider and open barrels of apples. Olivia scooped their belongings off the dusty floor and followed. Theo dropped Sam down behind a large barrel and dived into the
shadows himself just as the doors were flung open and the sound of three distinctive voices broke the silence.

  ‘Didn’t manage to make it to market,’ a deep booming voice echoed from the rafters. ‘You have Quince you say?’

  ‘I do,’ a smoother deeper voice replied, ‘I also have a few plums left.’

  ‘You don’t say Wilkins,’ the booming voice mused, ‘bit late in the season for plums isn’t it?’

  ‘Not that late Reverend Alcott,’ James Wilkins shrugged, ‘but you are right most of them were harvested shortly after midsummer, these were late ripening.’

  ‘Hmmm,’ George Alcott scratched his chin thoughtfully, ‘are they inferior quality?’

  ‘Not at all,’ James answered easily, ‘but if you prefer you can just take the Quince.’

  ‘Margaret is partial to plums and I must say she makes a fine plum cobbler,’ he decided. ‘Very well, you win Wilkins I’ll take the plums, the quince and a couple of casks of your apple cider. I hear you’re now using one of those fancy machines.’

  ‘I do have a cider press now,’ James nodded, ‘it presses more apples in a fraction of the time.’

  ‘Incredible’ George mused, ‘I have to say Wilkins, yours is the finest cider for miles.’

  ‘Well thank you very much Reverend Alcott,’ James acknowledged the compliment with a slight inclination of his head.

  ‘Have you tried Wilkins’ cider yet Nathaniel?’

  ‘I’m afraid Reverend Alcott I have not yet had that pleasure,’ a smooth oily voice replied.

  Olivia’s breath caught in her throat and she sank further into the shadows as a tall slim man stepped forward. Her eyes narrowed in contempt as her gaze locked on the true form of the demon Nathaniel. He looked deceptively like a regular human, which is probably what he wanted everyone to see. Beneath his wide brimmed hat his hair was as black as pitch. The crisp white of his stiff collar was in stark contrast to the austere black of his coat and a medallion hung from his neck, pure silver and disc like. Although she couldn’t make out the details from this distance Olivia knew it was the serpent seal, the symbol which had been seared into the flesh of her mother’s murder victims back in Mercy. The symbol, which was depicted as two intertwined serpents in the shape of an infinity symbol, represented Nathaniel and his brother, the demon Seth, who was trapped deep in the Underworld at the mercy or pleasure, depending on your point of view, of the God Hades. Olivia’s gaze narrowed as she took in the medallion, it surprised her that he wore it so brazenly over his clothes and that no one seemed to question it.

  ‘Then please,’ James stepped towards a small cask, ‘allow me.’ He broached the top and retrieved two tin cups from the shelf nearby.

  ‘I’ve been working on something new, perhaps you’d like to sample it?’

  George lumbered forward in interest, his thumbs tucked into the wide leather belt which was cinched in under his ample paunch. Nathaniel followed politely behind, his dark eyes glittering with an unreadable expression as he watched James dip each cup in turn into the swirling amber liquid. George took a cup giving a loud sniff before taking a mouthful. He swished it around his mouth and swallowed.

  ‘Well James,’ George stared at the liquid in the cup, ‘I think you’ve outdone yourself this time, what is that flavor?’

  ‘A blend of peach and apple cider.’

  ‘Peach and apple you say?’ his eyebrows rose as he drained the rest of his cup. ‘That certainly is good, very good, I’ll take two casks.’

  ‘As you wish,’ James smiled inclining his head.

  ‘Margaret will enjoy it,’ George turned to his companion, ‘what about you Nathaniel? How do you like it?’

  ‘Very good,’ he muttered quietly handing back the cup which looked as if it hadn’t been touched, ‘you certainly have a talent Mr Wilkins.’

  ‘It’s good of you to say so,’ James answered.

  ‘So you live here alone?’ Nathaniel asked studying James’ face with more curiosity than he’d shown for the cider.

  ‘I do.’

  ‘Forgive me,’ Nathaniel apologized smoothly, a cool smile curving the corner of his mouth, ‘I am still quite new to Salem and have not yet had a chance to become acquainted with all of Reverend Alcott’s congregation.’

  James nodded in understanding, watching Nathaniel carefully.

  ‘The orchard passed to me from my father,’ he answered after a moment.

  ‘You need a wife,’ George snorted gruffly. ‘Perhaps I should have a word with Wilmott Howe, he has two daughters of marriageable age.’

  ‘A generous offer,’ James resisted the urge to grimace. He was well acquainted with Wilmott and his daughters, who in his opinion were barely old enough to marry and if he was ever going to take a wife it certainly wouldn’t be one of the Howe girls. ‘I appreciate the thought Reverend but I am not looking to take a wife just now.’

  ‘Suit yourself,’ he replied, ‘but I wouldn’t leave it too long. You’re not getting any younger you know and you’ll need a son sooner or later. It would be a shame to allow the secret of your cider to die with you.’

  ‘You’re too kind,’ James smiled.

  ‘You have no other siblings?’ Nathaniel asked, his beetle like eyes narrowing in interest.

  ‘A sister,’ James replied uncomfortably. He didn’t know what it was about the young looking cleric but he seemed to have some sort of interest in him and his family, that he was certain had nothing to do with his orchard nor his cider.

  ‘Does she live close by?’

  ‘No,’ he answered cagily, ‘she married and moved away.’

  ‘I see,’ Nathaniel murmured, his gaze scrutinized James’ face slowly.

  ‘Well,’ George interrupted, ‘as pleasant as this has been I must be getting home. You’ll see to it that the casks are delivered?’

  ‘Of course Reverend Alcott,’ James inclined his head, ‘the Burroughs boy has been helping out, I’ll see to it he has them delivered to your house by supper time.’

  ‘Excellent,’ he extended his hand, ‘shall we Nathaniel?’

  ‘As you wish Reverend,’ he bowed slowly, his eyes lingering on James’ face a fraction longer.

  James watched warily as the two men headed towards the barn door. After a moment he moved to follow but a sudden glint in the dim light drew his gaze to the dusty ground. His brow furrowed in confusion at the tiny silver ring but before he could stoop to pick it up a sudden small cough came from behind him down between two large casks.

  Nathaniel stopped suddenly and swung around, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

  James covered his mouth and coughed loudly as he stepped forward, covering the small silver ring with his foot.

  ‘Forgive me,’ James gave another small cough, ‘the dust, you understand?’

  Nathaniel’s gaze darkened, narrowing on James’ face once again.

  ‘Of course,’ he replied after a moment.

  ‘Come along Nathaniel’ George called, ‘let’s not keep Margaret waiting, she has a rabbit stew waiting for us.’

  Nathaniel forced a cool smile for James before turning and following the Reverend Alcott from the barn. After a moment James bent down and scooped the small silver ring off the ground and turned it over in his palm, studying it carefully. It was tiny and delicately crafted with a tiny hinge on one side. He’d never seen anything like it. He frowned wrapping it tightly in his fist he walked over to the door, watching through the crack as the two men hauled themselves into their saddles and headed out, with their horses picking up the pace to a brisk trot.

  He waited patiently until he was sure they were gone before closing the door and stepping back into the dimly lit barn.

  ‘You might as well come out,’ he called into the shadows, ‘I know you’re there.’

  Temperance finally stepped out.

  ‘Temperance,’ James greeted her, although she couldn’t tell whether his tone conveyed surprise or censure.
/>
  ‘Mr Wilkins’ she replied hastily, ‘I wasn’t stealing nothing I swear.’

  ‘I didn’t think you were,’ he smiled in amusement, ‘you might as well tell your brother and his friends to come out, I know they’re here too.’

  Temperance said nothing, simply stood staring at him.

  ‘Alright Mr Wilkins,’ Theo crawled out of his hiding place followed by Olivia, who he kept tucked protectively behind him. ‘How did you know we were there?’

  ‘I heard your sister’s cough.’

  ‘No, I mean how did you know she wasn’t alone?’ Theo asked suspiciously.

  James ignored the question and stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as he studied Theo’s face carefully.

  ‘You’re older,’ he murmured as his gaze drifted over Theo’s shoulder to Olivia, ‘and you don’t belong here,’ he spoke to her softly.

  Theo stiffened and pulled her further behind him, his expression hard and guarded.

  ‘I mean her no harm,’ James held up his hand gently as he stepped closer to them, as if approaching a skittish animal. ‘I believe this is yours?’

  He held out the small silver hoop and as Olivia reached for it he dropped it gently into her outstretched palm.

  ‘Thank you’ Olivia replied softly, she clutched her earing in her hand, mentally admonishing herself for being so careless.

  She could feel the waves of anxiety pouring off Theo, his spine was as rigid as steel, his jaw clenched and when she reached out to touch his arm she could feel his muscles corded tightly.

  ‘It’s okay Theo,’ she murmured as she stepped out from behind him and got her first good look at James Wilkins.

  He was as tall as Theo and of a similar build. His hair was dark and wavy hanging almost to his collar, with streaks of grey. If she had to guess she’d peg his age at late forties perhaps, his suntanned face was slightly lined, he had dark chocolate brown eyes and his mouth curved into a smile as she continued to appraise him. For an older guy he was seriously good looking but more than that there was just something about him, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. One thing was for certain he was not as he seemed, but even then she didn’t feel threatened by him, if anything she felt completely the opposite.