‘What?’ Olivia frowned in confusion.
‘Right up until my father died in Vietnam,’ Isabel replied bitterly. ‘She knew the moment I was born, the moment she held me that I was defective, a West born with barely any natural ability. Such a disappointment, I always knew it, always felt it. She couldn’t love me; she did try for a while but she was incapable. She was always so cold, so distant. She started trying for another child as soon as she was able to.’
‘How do you know?’
‘Because my father told me,’ a small smile played at the corners of her mouth, the first real emotion Olivia had detected from her mother in years. ‘He was home on leave and he told me he had a secret, that he and mama were trying to get me a brother or sister. Such a sweet man,’ she shook her head, ‘he didn’t understand that it was impossible. No West had ever given birth to more than one child unless it was identical twins and certainly never a boy. Mother knew and yet still she tried and tried, knowing that it was pointless. But I was such a crushing disappointment to her she kept trying. Even after my father died she had affairs, hoping one would result in another child.’
‘No,’ Olivia shook her head, ‘that’s not true. Not Nana Alice. She wasn’t like that, this woman you’re describing? I don’t know her.’
‘No, you wouldn’t,’ Isabel murmured, ‘because right from the beginning she was different with you. Do you remember that night back in Mercy in the library, after I came back?’
‘How could I forget?’ Olivia replied coolly, ‘you punched me and knocked me out so you could steal Hester’s Grimoire.’
‘Do you remember what I told you?’
‘Oh you mean the fact that you didn’t want me?’ Olivia answered bitterly. ‘Or my personal favorite, when you told me you contemplated smothering me as a baby because you didn’t want me.’
‘That wasn’t true’ Isabel replied quietly, ‘I wanted to want you but she ruined that for me.’
‘I don’t understand,’ she frowned.
‘I loved your father,’ Isabel breathed quietly, ‘like I’d never loved anyone else and for the first time in my life I felt loved in return. Truly loved, in a way I hadn’t since my own father had died. We didn’t plan on me getting pregnant, it just happened. We were so young…but I wanted you, I wanted a child of my own to love the way I hadn’t been. At first I wasn’t going to tell mama. I wanted it to be just us, you, me and Charlie but she knew. She knew the minute she saw me. Even if I’d wanted to have an abortion she wouldn’t have let me, she’d have done anything to stop me. I had what she wanted, a child of powerful magical ability. Even in my womb I could feel the magic in you. The problem was, so could she. Once you were born she had the child she always wanted and I was pushed further and further out. She made sure you had a strong bond between you, I had served my purpose so I was no longer needed.’
‘But you still killed her,’ she accused.
‘There was no other way,’ Isabel’s voice hardened. ‘It could’ve been so different, she set this path in motion.’
‘No!’ Olivia hissed angrily, ‘you will not put this on her. You chose to kill all those people, including her. You made that decision, no matter what has happened in your life there is no excuse, none, for taking an innocent life.’
‘She was far from innocent,’ she scoffed.
‘So you say,’ Olivia replied, ‘but the others? Adam Miller? Remember him? You butchered him for his bones. He was a sweet guy and because of you he’ll never get to see his child grow up. He didn’t even know he was going to become a father because you robbed him of that. Or how about Lucas Campbell who was only nineteen, barely more than a child when you ripped out his eyes and his tongue? What about James Talbot who was one of dad’s best friends, someone he loved? Did you think about that at all when you were busy removing his brain?’
‘I have never taken a life that wasn’t necessary’ Isabel replied, ‘you wouldn’t understand.’
‘No I wouldn’t and I never want to,’ Olivia whispered painfully. ‘No matter what you think your justification is, you broke our most sacred law when you chose to harm another and then you abandoned me and Dad. You let him take the fall for you and you let me spend twenty years believing my mother was dead.’
‘Olivia…’ she began.
‘No, I’m done,’ she whispered. ‘I’m just…done. I can’t forgive you and I’ll never trust you. After we’ve stopped Nathaniel you’d better run as far and as fast as you can because if the book really does exist and you think you’re going to get your hands on it, you can think again as I am going to stop you. Then I am going to make sure you answer for the lives you have taken.’
Isabel leaned back studying Olivia carefully.
Suddenly she heard a noise and when she looked around Theo was heading back towards them, as quietly as he could while leading two saddled horses.
‘We should move quickly before they discover the horses are missing,’ Theo told her as he came close enough. ‘You do ride Isabel?’ he asked.
She nodded.
Theo handed the reins of the other horse to Olivia and cupped his hands so he could boost Isabel up into the saddle. When she was seated comfortably Theo grasped the reins, forcing her attention back on him.
‘And just so that we are clear,’ he warned her in a low voice so Olivia couldn’t overhear, ‘if you betray Olivia again I will kill you.’
Isabel leaned back in her saddle, an amused smile curving the corner of her mouth.
‘I do like you Theo,’ she laughed.
Glowering at her he turned and helped Olivia into the saddle before swinging up behind her. Wrapping his arms around her protectively he shook the reins nudging the horse into a slow canter.
‘Follow as closely as you can,’ Theo called over his shoulder to Isabel. ‘We’re heading for my family’s farm and if we hurry, we’ll make it before dawn.’
Isabel nodded in agreement and as soon as they were far enough away from the farm they spurred their horses into a run.
The original Theo looked up from the flickering lamplight at the sound of the latch and shut his journal abruptly. After a few seconds he let out a relieved breath and relaxed the tension in his shoulders. It was just the wind tugging restlessly at the barn door. For the moment he remained as he preferred, alone. Dipping his hand into the deep pocket of his coat he pulled out his most prized possession, a stick of lead wrapped in string.
He’d traded his bible for it from a traveler. He closed his eyes momentarily, his fist tightening around the innocuous object. If his father had still been alive he would have whipped him for it, whether or not he was now a man. Shaking his head at the thought he settled himself on a low bale of hay, tucking the lamp more securely atop another bale so it wouldn’t topple and catch light.
Slipping a leaf of paper free he pressed the lead to the sheet and began to sketch in quick confident strokes. The face which took shape was one that had haunted his dreams for as long as he could remember. He did not know who she was but he could draw every line and curve of her face with his eyes closed. Her hair was a deep dark pleasing brown which fell in loose curls, spilling over her slim shoulders and down her back. Her eyes burned gold, the depths of which seemed to go on forever and her rose colored lips were soft and full, curved into a small half smile.
It was the first time he had put her likeness to paper. It felt strange to see her there staring back at him through layers of black and white and he found himself wishing he was able to put color to the paper. Tracing his fingers along the edges of her face he could hear her voice in his mind as clear as a bell and as fragile as a whisper.
‘Infernum exists Theo and we have to find it before they do or all the gateways will fall.’
He did not understand what her strange words meant but he had heard them so many times he had them committed to memory. He felt as if he knew her, he felt her urgency, her desperation. He felt her love. If only he could find her. He
sighed, it was impossible. Even if he did know where to start looking he would never escape Salem. He would never escape his family; his life had become his prison. Maybe he deserved it, maybe it was his punishment for the terrible things he had done. Shaking his head in resignation he tucked the picture into the pages of his journal.
His head snapped up as the door rattled louder this time and swung open. Theo stood abruptly as a familiar man entered, dragging two dirty ragged looking children with him.
‘Logan?’ Theo’s expression darkened in confusion.
‘Theo,’ Logan breathed heavily, ‘where is James? Is he here?’
‘James? James Wilkins our neighbor? Why would he be here?’ he replied his gaze falling to the two little girls standing either side of Logan, clutching his hands tightly.
‘What are you doing here and who are these children?’ he asked.
‘We have to hide them Theo,’ Logan told him urgently. ‘James was supposed to be here with Justin.’
‘Who is Justin?’ Theo replied in confusion, ‘Logan you’re not making any sense. What is going on? Who are these girls?’
‘They are important Theo; we have to protect them at all cost.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Nathaniel is coming; we have to hide them. We can’t allow him to find them.’
Theo’s expression darkened. Nathaniel Boothe was not a man to be trusted, there was something about him that made Theo’s blood run cold. He was always there in the background, quiet and self-effacing. A true man of God according to his father but Theo knew that there was something much darker and dangerous about the man.
‘Why would he want the children?’ Theo asked.
‘He doesn’t want them; he wants something he thinks they have. He wants Infernum.’
Theo’s head snapped up at the strange word that had echoed in his mind for as long as he could remember.
‘You know about Infernum?’ Theo asked urgently. ‘Logan this is important, do you know what it is?’
‘There isn’t time to explain we have to find James and…’
He was cut off abruptly, his eyes widening and his mouth falling open in silent shock as he looked down and saw a knife blade protruding from his chest, surrounded by a rapidly expanding circle of crimson that saturated the fabric of his clothes.
‘Logan!’ Theo rushed forward as his brother collapsed into his arms and sank to the hay strewn floor.
One of the girls screamed and was dragged to the side of the barn by her sister as they watched on in horror.
‘Theo looked up from his brother’s limp body and found himself staring into the grinning face of Stephen, Nathaniel’s avid supporter and his brother Logan’s usual companion. The long knife he held in his hand still dripped with his brother’s blood.
‘Why?’ Theo’s fists tightened. ‘He was your friend; why would you do this?’
‘Nathaniel’s orders,’ he smiled. ‘Besides’ he added, ‘he’s not the one I’m after.’
Theo stood slowly, his gaze flickering to the two small girls huddled together in fear.
‘Don’t worry I’ll get to them in time,’ his black eyes narrowed, ‘but for now Nathaniel wants you dead.’
‘ME?’ Theo frowned. ‘Why?’
‘You’re in his way.’
Stephen lunged forward and Theo grabbed his wrist with one hand and his throat with the other, spinning him around and slamming him into a thick wooden post. As he did two men came rushing into the barn. He recognized one of them as James Wilkins.
‘Get them out of here now!’ he yelled as he fought to keep Stephen pinned.
‘Don’t go too far,’ Stephen smiled as he called over his shoulder, ‘I’m not finished with them yet.’
‘You will have to get past me first,’ Theo breathed heavily, as he pitted his strength against Stephen’s.
Something was different, he was stronger. A lot stronger than he remembered. After all this was not the first time he’d gotten into a fight with the man. He’d never liked him. Stephen had always taken a little too much pleasure in the trials and the questioning of the accused for Theo’s liking, not to mention the part he’d played in his wife Mary’s death. There was something about this Stephen. His face still held the same streak of cruelty but now it was kept solidly in check by a ruthless control that hadn’t been there before. There were also his eyes, they were the wrong color. He’d known Stephen since they were children and his eyes had never been black.
At the edge of his vision he saw another man, whom he assumed was the Justin his brother had spoken of. The man was ushering the two terrified girls out of the door followed by James Wilkins, who was dragging Logan’s limp body from the barn.
Stephen shoved him backwards breaking Theo’s grip and planted his fist in his face. Theo stumbled back blocking the doorway his eyes wary, his only thought to keep Stephen from the open door. He knew he had to give them as much of a head start as he could before Nathaniel Boothe arrived. Laughing mockingly at his attempt to shield his half dead brother and the two small children from him, Stephen rushed at him with his blade held high. Theo moved to meet him, raising his arm to block the downward stroke. A searing pain speared up his arm as the knife passed clean through his forearm protruding from the other side. But before Stephen had a chance to pull the blade clear Theo twisted his arm with a determined cry.
As he had hoped the hilt snapped off leaving the blade embedded in his arm and denying his enemy a weapon. Balling his good hand into a fist he drove it into his stomach. The air whooshed from Stephen’s lungs forcing him to buckle forward giving Theo the opportunity to bring his fist up under his chin. Stephen's head snapped back and he stumbled backwards, trying to pull in a deep breath.
Theo grasped the detached blade tightly and pulled it through his arm, ignoring the stinging pain as it bit into the palm of his hand. The useless piece of metal clanged to the ground, from his wet bloodied hands.
Stephen glanced at Theo, it was blind madness meeting cold fury. Stephen’s teeth peeled back in a snarl as he launched himself forward, tackling Theo’s torso and slamming him against the wall. From that point on there was only hate and madness between the two of them. They grappled and rolled into the wall and across the floor, slamming each other into any hard surface they could find, landing a punch wherever they could. It was a dirty fight in which neither was willing to give any quarter.
They were barely aware when they slammed into the bale where the lamp sat sedately. They certainly didn’t notice when it teetered precariously on the edge, nor did they care when it toppled to the ground with a resounding crash. Fire caught the straw littered floor immediately, like a great claw of flame devouring everything in its path. The fire let out a great roar and the beast grew. Flames licked up the wooden supports towards the beamed roof. A huge sheet of red, gold and orange broke and rippled like a gigantic wave.
Smoke choked the air as the two men continued to wrestle across the floor. Suddenly there was a loud cracking and Stephen looked up from where he had Theo pinned to the ground with his hands around his neck. The beam gave way and crashed to the ground as Stephen rolled clear. Theo coughed through the dust and ash that was thrown into the smoky air. His lower body was pinned to the ground and he struggled to pull himself free but it was no use.
‘Well it seems my work here is done,’ Stephen shouted above the roar of the fire. ‘Your soul is going to burn in Hell my friend.’
‘Then I’ll see you in Hell,’ Theo ground between his teeth as he watched Stephen turn towards the doorway.
‘You first Beckett,’ Stephen smiled as the roof gave way sealing the doorway.
Theo dropped his head back against the floor and roared in frustration. He tried once again to pull himself free but it was no use. So this was how it was all going to end. He prayed to God the children got away. If he had done nothing else good with his life at least he hoped they would get to live theirs, away from S
alem and free from Nathaniel.
He coughed again as the thick oily smoke invaded his lungs. It was like inhaling burning hot brands from the fire. He looked up as he heard another huge groan of timber and an alarming splintering sound. He drew in a painful breath and the whole world seemed to slow. He watched with the quiet dispassion of a man who had accepted his fate, as the roof broke apart and plunged directly down towards him. Unable to do anything else he closed his eyes and waited to die.
Suddenly he felt a strange pressure on his upper arms as if someone had grabbed him. The next thing he knew everything around him lurched and he found himself upright and standing on a strange hard surface in the freezing night air. He stumbled as he tried to regain his equilibrium. Leaning forward with his hands on his knees he coughed up thick black spittle and dragged the crisp clean air into his lungs. Slowly as his breathing evened out and he regained his balance he stood slowly and took in his surroundings. He didn’t recognize where he was, he almost certainly was no longer on his family’s land. The burning barn was nowhere in sight and the air smelled and tasted clear with the cold bite of autumn. He could hear the rustle of huge trees in the night breeze although he could not make them out in the darkness. The clouds moved across the sky, suddenly illuminating his path with silvery moonlight.
He stared as a figure was revealed by the pale light. The man standing in front of him was as tall as him and broad. His dark hair seemed to curl slightly at the ends, his skin was as pale as the moonlight and although Theo couldn’t make out the color of his eyes they watched him calmly and patiently as if waiting for him to adjust to his new surroundings.
‘Who are you?’ Theo croaked, his voice sounded foreign to his own ears, so he cleared his throat and tried again. ‘Who are you?’
The man in front of him smiled warmly in amusement.
‘A friend,’ he replied.
‘Where am I? How did I get here?’
‘A better question would be - when are you?’ the man replied casually.
The Guardians Complete Series 1 Box Set: Contains Mercy, The Ferryman, Crossroads, Witchfinder, Infernum Page 149