‘Choose…’
The soft sibilant hiss ghosted on the cold air. He suddenly understood that he wasn’t moving randomly through the dark woods, he was being led. He knew where he was heading now and quickened his pace. The trees surrounded him, tall and imposing like sentries and when they finally opened up he found himself stepping out into a barren, circular shaped clearing.
Boothe’s Hollow.
From its center, thrusting up grotesquely from the ground were the remains of a tree, split down the middle, segments of the trunk peeled outwards, bending and splaying out across the ground like a charred, blackened, Kraken-like sea monster. It was the entrance to a devils trap... a trap that he knew was now vacant.
Theo stepped further into the circle; the ground was scabrous looking, with white patches of lichen spreading across it like a cancerous disease. Trying not to cringe at the unpleasant squelching sensation beneath his bare feet, he slowly inched closer to the tree, his gaze fixed on a lone figure sitting amongst the tentacle remains. She looked familiar somehow, but her head was bent forward, masking her features. Her legs were bent, tucked under her at an awkward angle and her arms were bound behind her.
She suddenly looked up and Theo jolted in shock. It was his sister. Temperance’s face was battered and bruised, almost beyond recognition. Her eyes were wide with shock and her bloodied lips open as she gasped and gurgled for air. His eyes snapped to her neck where a large gaping wound drenched the front of her silk blouse with blood.
Theo started toward her, but a scream tore through the air on the other side of the clearing. His blood ran cold then he skidded to a halt and turned to look in horror as Olivia struggled with Nathaniel. He had her arms pinned to her sides and he gripped her swollen belly with a clawed hand. Her skin began to smoke and burn beneath his touch as she writhed in agony, feeling their children burn and boil inside her.
‘NO!!!!!’ Theo screamed and started toward her, turning to look back at his sister still choking and bleeding to death.
‘Choose…’
Suddenly everything in the clearing froze, as if someone had hit freeze frame. Theo stood between the two women he loved, watching as they hung suspended in a moment of time.
‘Choose…’
The voice came again. He turned to look, his eyes widening in surprise as a figure appeared next to him. The figure was painfully familiar, causing his heart to give a little thud.
‘James?’ he whispered in disbelief.
‘Theo,’ he answered in return.
Theo was speechless as he stared at the man he’d known almost his entire life but had only recently found out was his biological father…a man who had been dead for over three hundred years.
Theo turned back to the frozen scene in front of him, taking in first Olivia, then Tammy.
‘I’m dreaming?’ he muttered in confusion.
‘Not exactly,’ James replied, ‘it has elements of a dream.’
‘I don’t understand,’ he frowned.
‘I’m not really here Theo; I have been dead a very long time. I am merely part of your subconscious, a representation of the man you once knew.’
‘Why James though?’
‘Why do you think?’ he asked. ‘What does James represent to you?’
‘Love,’ Theo replied after a moment, ‘and strength. He made a choice. He chose to pull himself back from the edge after losing the woman he loved, he chose to live for his children, even if he could only watch over them from afar.’
‘Exactly,’ James smiled.
They both turned back to the two women frozen in pain.
‘A choice?’ Theo whispered. ‘I have to make a choice?’
‘It always comes down to a choice Theo.’
‘No,’ he shook his head, ‘I don’t accept that. This is just a nightmare. It’s not a premonition, it’s just my paranoia. The stress is getting to me and my mind is coming up with the worst case scenario.’
‘Are you sure about that?’ James replied seriously. ‘Are you willing to bet their lives on it?’
‘No,’ he shook his head again, ‘it’s not real; it’s just a nightmare.’
‘Theo,’ James replied quietly, ‘you must be prepared to make a choice, if you don’t you’ll lose them both.’
‘I will not accept that,’ he whispered, his eyes flashing stubbornly.
‘Choose,’ James’ hand shot out, gripping Theo’s arm.
‘No.’
Theo gripped James’ hand and pulled his arm free, but as he turned James’ wrist he caught sight of a small symbol branded into his skin. It was a strange looking cross with a loop instead of its top point.
‘Choose,’ he repeated.
‘NO!’
Theo jolted in bed, breathing heavily. Olivia muttered something unintelligible in her sleep, but didn’t wake. He dragged his hand through his damp hair, staring up at the ceiling as his heart thundered in his chest. He felt soft paws padding down on his bare chest and he looked down into Beau’s dark eyes. He lifted his hand and stroked Beau’s head, as the little dog tried to comfort him.
‘Okay boy,’ he muttered, pushing him back down gently as he bumped him with his nose and tried to lick his face, ‘I’m okay.’
Obviously satisfied that Theo was alright, he settled down laying his head across Theo’s stomach. Theo glanced across at Olivia again, almost to convince himself that she was really okay and not out in the woods somewhere in the dark.
Squeezing his eyes shut against the sudden image of her trapped in Nathaniel’s arms and writhing in agony, he rolled over dislodging Beau, who looked up and then padded to the bottom of the bed, curling up across their legs with a loud sigh.
Theo spooned up against Olivia, drawing her back against him gently and wrapping his arms around her. He pressed his face against her hair, breathing her in while resting his hand protectively over their children. He rubbed her belly softly, to soothe himself more than anything else. Suddenly he felt a nudge beneath his hand. Blinking in surprise, he pressed his hand more firmly against her and felt the same curious bump against his palm. He smiled in wonder, feeling, for the first time, their babies moving beneath his touch. Wrapping his arms more firmly around his family he drew in a deep breath, closing his eyes and before he knew it, he’d drifted into a deep dreamless sleep.
He woke some hours later to find daylight streaming in through the window and the bed empty. Rolling over and yawning, he pulled himself up. He felt as if he’d not slept at all. Dragging the sheets from his legs he swung his feet over the side of the bed and stood. Glancing out of the window he could see heavy gray storm clouds closing in. Scratching his chest absently he headed for the bathroom, still yawning as he stripped down and stepped into the shower.
The warm water soothed his aching body and cleared the last of the fog from his mind. It had not been a restful night; the nightmare which had woken him in the early hours was still painfully sharp in his mind. Any other dream would have faded by now, but not this one. It stuck in his mind like a splinter, emblazoned on his consciousness with painful acuity. He didn’t want to admit that it may have been a premonition, didn’t want to face the fact he may have to choose between saving his sister, the woman he’d already lost once or saving his soul mate and their unborn children.
He didn’t want to admit that if he had to choose, there was no choice. He'd save Olivia and their children every single time and with that realization came a huge burden of guilt. He loved Temperance there was no denying that, but he couldn’t lose Olivia. The thought of what may be yet to come made him feel sick. He couldn’t tell Olivia, he couldn’t add to her stress, he was already extremely concerned about her, but he needed to talk to someone he trusted. He needed Jake.
With his decision made he stepped out of the shower and dried off quickly. Before long he was dressed and heading down the stairs. He knew Olivia would be safe alone for a few hours as long as she didn’t leave the house,
which probably wasn’t likely anyway. Since he had left the shower he could hear the thunderous downpour hammering against the windows.
He headed into the empty kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. Downing it quickly, he rinsed out the cup and left it in the sink. He checked the library next, Olivia’s favorite room, only to find that, that too was empty. Frowning to himself he checked his studio, not that Olivia usually went in there at all unless it was to speak to him, the studio was really his space, as the library was hers.
Heading back through the house to the lounge he found her once again wrapped up in her favorite blanket and curled into one of the deeply cushioned chairs with Beau curled into her side. She hadn’t even bothered with the illusion that she was watching the TV this time, with the set remaining switched off. She simply sat and stared out of the rain streaked window panes, her eyes as distant as the moon.
He was really worried about her; she was the strongest woman he’d ever known. He’d seen her face down the Titans themselves; he’d seen her stand up to Gods and Goddesses. He’d seen her dive headfirst into danger time and time again to defend those she loved, but he had never seen her so quiet, so withdrawn. It was like, even though she was right in front of him, she was a million miles away. She was slipping away from him, like smoke through his fingers and he didn’t know how to anchor her, how to bring her back to him.
‘Livy love.’
For a moment he didn’t think she’d heard him, he was about to call to her again when she turned and looked at him. He’d never seen her look at him like that, and his anxiety ratcheted up another level. She was gazing at him, but it was as if she was looking straight through him.
‘Livy?’
‘Yes?’ she answered after a moment.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked quietly.
She nodded slowly.
‘Have you eaten anything?’
She nodded again and looked down, noticing for the first time that he was wearing his boots and held the car keys in his hand.
‘Are you going somewhere?’ she frowned in confusion.
‘I was just going to go into town and see Jake, unless you want me to stay?’
‘No, you go,’ her mouth curved into a small smile and for a moment he could see his Olivia.
‘I’ll be back soon,’ he told her, ‘don’t leave the house.’
She nodded slowly before turning back to the window once again. Torn between not wanting to leave her alone and needing to talk to Jake, he hesitated. Taking an involuntary step toward her he reached out without thinking and as he did his mind flashed back to his dream, to the moment he grasped James’ hand. The symbol on James’ wrist, it was important somehow, he was sure of it.
Leaving Olivia to her quiet contemplation, he headed into his studio. Retrieving a piece of paper and a pencil he quickly sketched out the symbol he’d seen and shoved it into his pocket. Glancing down at his watch, he grabbed his jacket and headed out the door. If he was lucky he’d be able to catch Roni at the museum first, after all if anyone could find out what the symbol was it would be Roni.
Olivia heard the door close, barely aware of the fact Theo had left and she was now alone in the house. Except she wasn’t alone, she uncurled herself from the chair, wrapping her blanket around her chilled body. It was unusual for her to feel this cold, even though they’d left summer behind and were heading into autumn. In fact due to her affinity for fire, her body usually ran at a slightly higher basal temperature than other people, but lately she never seemed to be warm. It was as if the chill was seeping into her bones and nothing seemed to help.
She headed toward the window. Beau, who had jumped down from the chair the moment she’d moved, seemed content to follow alongside her, not wanting to leave her alone. The rain pelted against the window, giving the appearance of streaming tears trickling down the panes. Through the storm she gazed out across the lake at the gigantic stone gateway, which stood tall and immovable against the fury of the tempest.
Her skin prickled and the tiny hairs on her arms rose; she could feel a dark presence in the woods, dozens and dozens of creatures and entities. They were watching…waiting for her.
Her head throbbed and she swayed slightly on her feet. The whispering was so loud now, so constant she could barely hear anything else. Rhys was right, the book was singing to her. Curiously though, she did not fear it. It was comforting and somehow familiar; she knew it wouldn’t hurt her.
It was lonely. It had been waiting for her for such a long time. She’d found more than once her mind drifted off, lost in memories, silly things she’d not thought about in years. Then suddenly she’d be replaying her favorite songs in her head, humming along absently. It was as if it were trying to get to know her, looking at the world through her eyes. The book had lain dormant for thousands of years and now as it began to stir it was familiarizing itself with the modern world through her. Feeling one of the babies kicking, she rubbed her stomach absently and her mind wandered once again.
Roni turned, leaning forward and moving a tiny, delicate little artefact to a slightly better angle.
‘Hmmm, better,’ Cally nodded, her voice thick with her lilting musical accent, ‘but I do wonder if the singing stones would be better further along the exhibit?’
‘I can move them if you want,’ Roni frowned, ‘but I think you get a better flow with them here. Not only that, if we put them beside the cover stones they’d be overpowered. They’re so beautiful they need to be displayed separately.’
Roni gazed down at the deep blue stones. Despite being naturally formed of stone they had an almost metallic gleam to them and as they caught the light they shone with multicolored layers, like petroleum on a wet road. They felt warm to the touch and as she ran her finger over one of the stones it emitted a low hum.
‘They really are incredible,’ Roni murmured, transfixed.
‘It’s the magic in the stones,’ Cally smiled, her ocean blue eyes deepening. ‘They were formed at the very heart of the ocean and given to a mortal wise woman by the Gods themselves.’
‘I didn’t realize there was so much magical lore in the Caribbean Islands.’
‘There is magic everywhere,’ she turned to face Roni more fully, her long hair tumbling over her shoulder in jet black, tightly formed spirals. ‘You have only to peel back the layers to discover it. You know this teacher.’
‘Why do you keep calling me teacher?’ Roni asked curiously.
‘It is a term of respect, of affection,’ she smiled. ‘You think yourself first and foremost an Historian, but you are so much more than a keeper of our histories. It is a noble calling to be sure, but you do not just collect and catalog history, you learn, you question, you pass on your knowledge. You are a teacher, you will teach those who come after, about those who came before. Do you understand?’
Roni nodded.
‘You must come to the Islands,’ Cally invited. ‘You bring your man and live the Island life, if even just for a little while and then you will understand.’
‘I might just take you up on that offer,’ Roni grinned.
‘You do that,’ she replied, ‘you will come stay with me and I will show you around. Then you will understand your true calling; this museum is only a part of it.’
She was about to ask Cally what she meant when she heard someone calling her name. Turning in the direction of the familiar voice she saw Theo, soaking wet and striding toward her.
‘Hey Theo,’ she smiled, ‘I’d like you to meet Professor Cally Atlass.’
‘Who?’ Theo asked.
Roni turned back to her companion to find that once again Cally was nowhere to be seen.
‘Oh for heaven’s sake,’ she muttered, placing her hands on her hips. ‘That woman is as slippery as an eel.’
‘Never mind,’ Theo brushed it off, ‘I can’t stay. I don’t like to leave Olivia alone for too long and I still have to go see Jake yet.’
‘How is
Olivia?’ Roni asked in concern.
‘I don’t know,’ he sighed, ‘I’m really worried about her. Physically she’s fine, considering everything she’s gone through recently, first being drugged and then nearly drowning but…’ he shrugged helplessly, ‘she just seems so withdrawn, so…not Olivia.’
‘It’s understandable,’ Roni placed her hand on his arm reassuringly. ‘As you said she’s gone through a lot recently and there’s still more to come. She’s under a great deal of stress.’
‘I know,’ he replied. ‘I wish it was all over so things could just go back to the way they were.’
‘I don’t think any of us will ever be able to go back to the way things were.’
‘I guess,’ he muttered.
‘Have you found out anything else about Nathaniel, or Castor and Pollux?’
‘No,’ Theo shook his head, ‘nothing, all we have are some loose theories…you?’
‘No,’ she answered, ‘nothing more than we’ve already dug up. If Nathaniel and Seth really are Castor and Pollux, there are a dozen different versions of what happened to them. I can’t get to the root of the myth.’
‘We’re at a dead end then.’
‘Seems like it for the moment,’ she nodded. ‘What about Infernum? Has Olivia made any progress in discovering its location?’
‘No,’ Theo frowned. ‘Part of me hopes it’s never found, but if we don’t deal with it this will never be over and Olivia and our children will always be in danger.’
‘Have you tried talking to her about the book?’
‘A couple of times but she just clams up, I think she’s hiding things from me.’
‘That’s not like her,’ Roni frowned.
‘I know,’ he answered, ‘I don’t know what to do.’
The Guardians Complete Series 1 Box Set: Contains Mercy, The Ferryman, Crossroads, Witchfinder, Infernum Page 180