‘What the hell is that?’ Olivia breathed heavily, ‘I have never seen anything like it.’
‘Nor I,’ Theo shook his head.
Suddenly Sam began to thrash violently, his eyes rolling back in his head and a fine filmy froth appearing at the corner of his lips.
‘What is this?’ Theo’s eyes widened.
‘Damn it,’ Olivia swore, ‘he’s having a seizure. Help me with him.’
‘What should we do?’
‘Roll him onto his side so he doesn’t choke on his tongue’ she told him as she grasped his flailing arms, ‘and hold him so he doesn’t hurt himself.’
Theo held him as gently as possible so he would not hurt Sam as Olivia stroked his hair and soothed him.
‘Did you find the girl?’
‘I did,’ she nodded.
‘And will she help?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Olivia,’ he reached for her hand, ‘if she won’t help us Sam will die.’
She glanced up at him her eyes filled with pain. ‘I know…’ she whispered brokenly.
Chapter 6.
Olivia rubbed her brow with the back of her hand then continued to wipe the sweat from Sam’s body with a damp cloth. Tears burned the back of her eyes as she noted the toxic green plant-like vines which were spreading like poison across his skin. Suddenly he started shaking violently once again.
‘THEO!’ she yelled as she pinned him down.
Theo clambered up the ladder and dropped down beside Sam as the tremors began to fade.
‘That’s the fifth one he’s had,’ Theo frowned, ‘they are increasing in frequency.’
‘I know’ Olivia whispered, ‘but without modern medicine I don’t know how to help him,’ she looked down. ‘Even if we had access to a hospital I don’t know that it would do any good.’
Theo looked up at her as she rubbed her forehead slowly in frustration.
‘You should get some rest Olivia’ he told her gently, ‘you have not left his side since you returned, the hour is late. There is nothing more you can do for him.’
‘Maybe,’ she murmured, ‘but I can at least make sure he is not alone.’
‘I can do that,’ he reached for her.
‘I can’t leave him,’ she shook her head.
‘Together then,’ Theo replied.
‘Together,’ she whispered linking her fingers with his over Sam’s body.
There was a sudden loud knocking at the door. Who would be calling at this hour? Theo looked across to the ladder as they heard James stride across the room, his boots echoing on the wooden floor. A moment later the door opened and the sound of hushed voices drifted up to the loft. At the sound of steps upon the ladder Olivia looked up hopefully.
James appeared at the top of the ladder and Olivia’s heart jolted hard in disappointment.
‘We have a guest,’ he told them softly as he moved away from the ladder.
Olivia held her breath as a head with jet black hair of tight curls appeared, followed by skin of dark cocoa and the startling blue eyes of a Caribbean ocean framed with thick sooty lashes.
‘Tituba,’ Olivia breathed heavily in relief.
The woman climbed the rest of the way up the ladder and stepped out into the loft, moving to sit beside Sam directly opposite Olivia. Theo moved out of the way of the beautiful slave woman and stood beside James, watching curiously.
Tituba had discarded her tight fitting coif which tamed her unruly hair, in favor of allowing it to tumble down her back in wild spirals. Her dress was plain blue without the apron and restrictive collar. The neck of her dress was open at the collar revealing the long slender column of her throat at the base of which was a strange looking pendant. It was about the size of a marble, made of dark blue glass and suspended on a leather thong. For a moment it seemed like just a plain blue ball of glass but as her gaze narrowed and she looked closer for a second she could have sworn she’d witnessed a micro burst of lightening within its crystalline depths.
Tituba removed the plain woolen shawl at her shoulders and leaned forward to cradle Sam’s face as she gazed into his unfocused eyes.
‘Thank you for coming’ Olivia whispered, ‘I know you risk a great deal by being here.’
‘You know nothing,’ Tituba looked up, her tone much more sure and commanding than that of a slave. ‘If I am discovered it will mean more than a whippin.’
Olivia nodded in understanding.
‘Your friend is dying,’ she ran her fingertips lightly across his burning skin, tracing the rope-like vines of poison.
‘Is there anything that we can do?’ Olivia whispered desperately.
‘The poison must be purged from him body,’ the musical lilt of her accent was a balm, giving Olivia hope.
‘Can you do that?’
‘Not I,’ Tituba told her, her clear blue eyes holding Olivia’s gaze, ‘but you can.’
‘Me?’ she frowned, ‘how?’
‘Tell me how he come to be sick,’ she demanded, ‘the truth or I cannot help you.’
‘He was trying to save me,’ Olivia told her, ‘I’m not entirely sure what happened. There was a green fire.’
Tituba nodded.
‘It is the fire which burn through him body beneath the surface, spreading like a disease. It must be purged or he die.’
She stroked his skin lightly as if sensing the toxic fire burning his body from the inside out.
‘What is it?’ Olivia frowned.
‘Demon fire,’ Tituba looked up. ‘I ave seen it’s like before, an ocean away when I was a girl. A demon come to the island bringing with him disease, and in his bare hands he held fire as green as the leaf of the Baobab tree. The fire burns wild, it destroys, it hungers, it cannot be controlled, it cannot be contained. It feeds and it destroys, that is it only purpose.’
‘Demon fire’ Olivia breathed, her eyes widening.
‘That is why it must be you, daughter of fire, only you can draw it out and you must.’ Tituba reached out and grabbed Olivia’s arm, awakening the bolt of power which shot up her arm jarring bones and making her veins throb uncomfortably. ‘You must draw it out as poison from a wound, it is him only chance.’
‘I don’t know how.’
‘Yes you do,’ Tituba took Olivia’s hands and pressed them to Sam’s chest, ‘feel the fire.’
Olivia closed her eyes and reached out. Tituba was right she could feel the fire burning through Sam’s veins, wild and out of control. The room faded away as did Tituba’s voice. The feeling of Theo’s watchful presence hovering protectively over her shoulder, and James’ curious gaze, it all faded away. She could feel the pounding of her own heart throbbing in her ears, her hands and arms trembling with anticipation as she reached out. The fire burned before her, she could see it, flames of emerald green, vast and powerful. Her breath caught in her throat, and everything froze, a moment in time when the whole world almost seemed to cease turning on its axis and the universe to hold its breath waiting to see what she would do. Her fingertips inched slowly forward and her fists clenched.
The roar was deafening; her head fell back, her mouth open in a soundless scream as her hands closed around the fire. It engulfed her, the heat and lick of the flames scorched her body. This was like nothing she’d ever experienced before.
Her Earth fire was a joy and a deep love. It completed her and was as easy as breathing. Her Spirit fire was cool and ageless; when she held it in her palms it was like cradling the beating heart of a thousand souls. Her Hell fire was vast and powerful, the kind of power that held wisdom and centuries of secrets. But this… this Demon fire was wild and untamable, it destroyed and devoured. There was no containing it, it fought and scratched at her. It was like trying to ride the whip of a dragon’s tale, all she could do was hold on for dear life and pray it did not consume her.
Underneath the fire she felt Sam’s heartbeat falter. The fire did not want to let him go.
She steeled herself and tightened her grip, it writhed and tried to escape her but she gritted her teeth and pulled harder. The veins of green flame slowly and inexorably retreated from Sam’s body and wound itself around her arms like vices, sinking viciously into her skin. She pulled back, breathing heavily through the pain until the last of the flame-like tentacles snapped from Sam and dug into her flesh.
She stood up shakily backing away from Sam’s exhausted body. Her vision was washed with green as if she were looking through colored glass. Her body shook and trembled violently as she fought to keep a tight rein on the fire.
‘YOU MUST RELEASE THE FIRE!’ Tituba shouted urgently.
‘I c…can’t,’ she gasped through the intense agony.
‘RELEASE IT OR IT WILL DESTROY YOU!’
Olivia threw her head back, her arms outstretched as a scream tore from her lips. She let go and felt the fire rip from her body exploding out of her in a shock wave of pure emerald flames. The circle of fire stretched outwards in a ring of energy knocking the others to the ground as it flashed through the walls of the house like the ripple of a still pond after a pebble had been thrown in. The circle widened, gradually fading as it began to tatter and dissipate.
Olivia’s eyes rolled back in her head and the whole world went dark. She didn’t even feel Theo rush to his feet and his arms encircle her as she crumbled lifelessly to the ground.
Olivia rolled over, her aching body seizing up in protest, every muscle screaming like an abscessed tooth. She blinked and opened her eyes as the room swam back groggily into focus. Her head was pounding inside her skull and as she attempted to sit up a powerful wave of nausea rose bright and urgent. She crawled out of bed as quickly as she could but it felt like her body was crawling through syrup, the room swayed and faltered around her as she clutched the wooden timber of the door frame. Stumbling forward into the keeping room she dropped to her knees and crawled across the floor. Grabbing the bucket she heaved unmercifully. She hadn’t eaten the night before and there was pretty much nothing to come out, but the relentless dry heaves were almost worse than if she’d had a full stomach. Once she’d finished she lay down on the floor too exhausted to move. There wasn’t a single inch of her body that didn’t hurt.
Feeling a soft soothing stroke across her forehead she slowly opened her eyes and looked up into Theo’s concerned face.
‘Sick again?’
‘I think someone should just shoot me,’ she murmured miserably.
He scooped her limp body gently off the floor and carried her back to bed. Tucking her in he climbed in beside her and sat with his back against the head of the bed.
‘What happened?’ she inched over painfully and laid her head in his lap.
‘You collapsed.’
‘Yeah I figured,’ she murmured, ‘what about Sam?’
‘He’s doing better,’ Theo sighed, ‘his fever’s broken and the strange green veins across his skin have disappeared. He hasn’t woken yet but he seems to be resting peacefully so we’re letting him sleep.’
‘How long was I out?’
‘About two days,’ Theo frowned.
‘Two days, seriously?’ Olivia looked up at him, ‘no wonder my stomach’s empty.’
‘I’ll fetch you something to eat if you’re feeling up to it.’
‘As long as it’s not stew,’ she grimaced, ‘I may never eat it again.’
‘No,’ he smiled softly, ‘not stew but you need to eat something. That green fire took a lot out of you. I have to admit Livy you scared me half to death when you collapsed.’
‘Sorry,’ she mumbled.
‘I’m worried about you,’ he replied as he ran his fingers through her hair soothingly.
‘I’ll be okay,’ she yawned sleepily. ‘We never did get that vacation did we?’ she murmured.
‘Vacation?’
‘If we ever make it home, I swear we are going to spend an entire month on a beach somewhere in Tahiti, doing nothing but swinging in a hammock, sipping cocktails and making love to the sound of the ocean.’
‘Will you be wearing a bikini?’
She laughed tiredly.
‘Get some sleep love,’ he settled her down.
By the time he’d climbed off the bed and headed towards the door she’d already drifted off again.
‘How is she?’ James asked softly as Theo stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him gently.
‘I don’t know,’ he frowned in concern, ‘I’ve never seen her this exhausted. Something’s not quite right.’
‘I’m not surprised she’s exhausted,’ James said as they stepped further into the main room. ‘I’ve never seen anything like what she did the other night.’
‘That? Oh that’s nothing,’ Theo shook his head a small smile tugging the corner of his mouth. ‘You should see what she can do with Hell fire.’
‘Hell fire?’ James’ eyes widened.
‘It’s not as bad as it sounds,’ Theo hastily amended.
James was so easy to talk to and so comfortable to be around that several times over the past couple of days Theo had almost forgotten himself. No matter how enlightened James was when it came to witchcraft and supernatural powers he still had to remind himself that James was raised a puritan as he had been. James had not had the benefit of spending the last several months three hundred years into the future, which had given him a somewhat broader perspective.
‘Hell fire is the name of a very ancient and vast power. It doesn’t mean that it’s evil,’ Theo shook his head as he tried to explain. ‘The world is so much more complicated than you realize.’
‘I’m beginning to see that,’ James breathed thoughtfully, ‘do you want me to fix her something to eat?’
Theo shook his head. ‘We’ll let her sleep for a while longer.’
‘Do you want to practice again?’ James asked.
‘It depends,’ Theo smiled slowly, ‘are you going to throw more apples at me?’
‘Maybe,’ he laughed, his smile matching Theo’s.
It wasn’t long before Theo was once again standing in the barn, scowling and covered in pieces of apple pulp.
‘You’re not concentrating,’ James frowned.
‘I’m trying,’ Theo growled, ‘but it’s a bit hard to focus when you’re being attacked by fruit.’
James chuckled. ‘Are you ready to go again?’
‘What are you doing?’ a small voice interrupted.
‘Tempy?’ Theo turned, an unconscious and genuine smile gracing his face.
The small skinny dark haired girl sat on a large cask, swinging her legs as she watched them with curious eyes.
‘Hello Temperance,’ James turned to watch her.
‘Hello Mr Wilkins,’ she replied.
He winked and tossed her an apple which she caught easily.
‘What are you doing?’ she bit into her apple.
Theo sucked in a breath as he briefly considered making something up, but the truth was he’d never lied to Tempy before. For so long it had only been the two of them with this huge secret between them but now they had James. He glanced over to her his heart clenching painfully, she had no clue how little time she had left. He wondered idly if they’d known about James before, if they’d known about their mother, if it could have somehow made a difference. He shook his head frowning slightly, probably not, it’s not like James could have cured her of the illness that would take her life. But just for once it was nice to not feel so alone. He walked over to his little sister and dropped down to his knees so he was more her height.
‘James is helping me to learn how to control the things we see,’ he told her softly.
‘The waking dreams?’
‘Yes,’ he nodded, ‘they’re called visions.’
‘But how does he know?’ she frowned, ‘you said to never tell anyone.’
‘I know I did,’ he told her, his voice low and serious, ‘but James, well you see
he is special like we are.’
‘Does he have the dreams too?’ her little brow wrinkled.
‘Not exactly, he has his own special gift but he knew our mother really well.’
‘Was she special too?’ she whispered.
‘Yes,’ he smiled, ‘she was like us, she could see things before they happened.’
‘But what can he do?’ she turned to stare at him.
James walked over to her and gently took the half eaten apple from her hand. He pulled a pip from its core and turned it over in his palm.
‘Watch,’ he told her softly.
The tiny little seed in his hand twitched and rolled over. A minute seam began to open up, splitting the side of the small pod and a thin white vine snaked out. Slowing elongating and coiling slightly as it grew, the end began to darken into a green color. The seed casing finally split and fell away, an empty husk, as the end began to bud and split into two. The two edges unfurled and spread out into delicate little leaves.
‘I feel the earth Temperance,’ he told her, ‘I can feel it grow and change beneath my feet. I can sense its moods. I can make things flourish.’
‘Like your apple trees?’
‘Yes,’ he smiled nodding.
He placed the small fledging plant carefully on top of one of the barrels making a mental note to go and plant it out in the orchard once they were done. He turned back to Theo and Temperance, unaware that the tiny seedling had slid from its perch and tumbled to the floor. Being so tiny and delicate it slipped between the cracks in the floorboards and toppled to the damp moist earth below. Neither did James notice when its roots continued to grow, spearing down into the soil and throbbing with new life as it spread out and took root.
‘So what was he trying to show you?’ Temperance asked.
‘To focus on seeing into the future by only a few moments. To control the vision so it does not come unbidden.’
‘Can’t you do that already?’ she replied in confusion.
The Guardians Complete Series 1 Box Set: Contains Mercy, The Ferryman, Crossroads, Witchfinder, Infernum Page 127