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

by Wendy Saunders

  ‘I suppose,’ she smiled down at the baby, making little kissy faces at him. ‘You know if I wasn’t already pregnant he’d make me so broody.’

  ‘We’d better not let Roni hold him then, her ovaries are in danger of going into overdrive.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Tommy sniggered, ‘we don’t want Jake to freak out.’

  ‘Don’t want Jake to freak out over what?’ Roni walked into the room carrying a huge stack of pizza boxes, followed by Jake who was holding the rest of the food.

  ‘Nothing,’ Louisa replied, throwing a pointed look at her husband.

  ‘So it looks as if everyone is here,’ Roni glanced around the room.

  Mac and Tammy were in the corner talking with Theo, Danae and Davis were bickering as only siblings can, over by the huge window that over looked the lake. Tommy had his feet propped up on the coffee table sipping his beer, watching his son with a dopey smile as he was rocked and cooed over by Olivia. Louisa was rummaging through the baby’s changing bag looking for something and Charles had just stepped silently through the doorway, his gaze locking on Olivia’s for a moment before he took a seat across from Tommy.

  ‘Okay,’ Jake popped the top on his own beer, ‘Looks like we’ve got the whole Scooby gang together so dig in and help yourselves. We’ve got things to discuss.’

  The living room was suddenly a bustle of activity while everyone helped themselves to pizza and drinks, settling themselves on the chairs and floor.

  ‘So seeing as you’ve appointed yourself chairman, why don’t you start Jake,’ Olivia smiled, leaning back into the couch and putting her swollen feet up on the coffee table next to Tommy’s.

  ‘Alright then,’ Jake tipped his head back and took a deep swig of his beer, before glancing around the room. ‘So where are we on what happened to Olivia the other day at the lake? Davis? You were there, do you have any idea what caused the lightning strike that took out the dock. You said it wasn’t natural?’

  ‘I’ve been looking into it,’ Davis finished chewing his mouthful of Pizza and swallowed. ‘I think we’ve got another Janns on our hands.’

  ‘A Janns?’ Roni looked up sharply, ‘are you sure?’

  ‘The signs are all there,’ he replied.

  ‘God,’ Roni blew out a breath, remembering her up close encounter with one last winter.

  ‘What the hell is a Janns?’ Tommy frowned.

  ‘A Janns is an evil spirit from Islamic tradition. They can transform into animals or humans, but as humans they appear as beautiful women with slit eyes like a snake. They are savage, causing storms and bringing death,’ Davis replied.

  ‘I saw one last winter, they’re pretty damn scary,’ Roni told him before turning back to Davis. ‘I thought we got rid of them all when the gateway was closed.’

  ‘Maybe, maybe not,’ Davis frowned, ‘I mean we knew there was a chance that some of them got left behind like the Soul Collector. There’s also the possibility that they’re finding another way into our world.’

  ‘God, it’s never ending,’ Roni blew out a breath.

  ‘So this Janns, it can control the weather?’ Tommy asked.

  ‘Yes,’ Davis replied. ‘It may not have conjured the storm the other night, but it certainly amped it up and directed the lightning strike. It was a close call.’

  ‘Too close,’ Theo interrupted.

  ‘I hate to say it Olivia and I know you’re going to hate it too,’ Davis spoke up his tone careful, ‘but right now it’s just too dangerous for you to leave the house. Your wards are the only thing protecting you right now. Charles, Danae and I didn’t want to say anything but you’re surrounded. The woods are filled with…’

  ‘I know,’ Olivia replied quietly looking at her uncle. ‘Did you really think I wouldn’t feel their presence? Why do you think I haven’t left the house since? I’m not so stubborn I’d risk my children for my pride.’

  ‘I just thought…’ he frowned.

  ‘You just thought what?’ she replied with a raise of her eyebrows, ‘that just because I don’t like being told what to do that I’m also reckless, with no regard for my own personal safety?’

  ‘I didn’t mean…’

  ‘Look,’ Olivia sighed, reaching down deep for her patience, ‘I don’t want to be stuck in this house for the rest of my life. I want this to be over and quickly, but right now I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. Everyone wants this damn book and they know I’m the key to finding it. The smart ones will try and kidnap me, case in point, Sabine and Nathaniel. The other more stupid ones, a.k.a the Janns and all its playmates, just want me dead and out of the way so they can find the book. I have a target painted on my forehead right now that’s the size of Texas; I’m not about to go strolling into town just because I want some fresh air, so give me a little credit here.’

  ‘Sorry,’ Davis answered softly, ‘that did come out a little insulting, didn’t it.’

  ‘You think?’ Olivia replied.

  ‘Okay,’ Jake frowned, ‘hold on and let’s just think about this. I mean, when it was just Nathaniel and Olivia’s mom we had to worry about it was pretty straightforward. If we stopped them, then Olivia would be safe and the book could remain hidden, but now…’

  ‘If the book remains hidden Olivia will always be in danger,’ Theo answered, ‘but if we find it…’

  ‘It will be a god damn bloodbath,’ Jake shook his head. ‘So where does this leave us?’

  ‘The book must be destroyed,’ Charles’ quiet voice interrupted.

  ‘Charles is right,’ Theo agreed, ‘it’s the only way to be sure.’

  ‘Can it even be destroyed?’ Tommy asked. ‘I mean, isn’t it supposed to be like…I don’t know, all powerful?’

  ‘It’s a book Tommy not a genie,’ Charles replied, ‘and a book can be destroyed.’

  Olivia didn’t say anything; she just sat, letting them all argue it out. She wanted to tell them the truth. She wanted to tell them they were wrong, that the book could not be destroyed. They needed this, they needed to believe there was a solution, and they would never understand if she tried to explain to them that she needed the book, that she had no intention of destroying it. For the moment, it was probably better to let them have their peace of mind. She couldn’t reveal her true intentions, couldn’t risk them trying to stop her when the time came.

  ‘What about Nathaniel?’ she changed the subject, ‘he’s been quiet and it makes me nervous.’

  ‘Actually he hasn’t,’ Jake replied, casting a glance at Theo. ‘He’s actually been quite busy.’

  ‘What?’ Olivia frowned suspiciously, ‘what’s going on?’

  ‘This was part of the reason I wanted to get everyone together tonight,’ Jake answered. ‘Theo and I figured out what Nathaniel’s been up to.’

  ‘Did you?’ Olivia’s eyes narrowed as they landed on Theo.

  ‘I saw the crime scene photos by accident,’ he told her.

  ‘Crime scene photos?’

  ‘The murder of the young woman in town,’ Jake replied, ‘do you remember? It was the morning I ran into you and Theo on your way to the hospital. It turns out she wasn’t the only vic, there was another just outside of town, same M.O.’

  ‘What does this have to do with Nathaniel?’ She shook her head in confusion.

  ‘It was the same as Abigail, Olivia,’ Theo told her quietly. ‘He’s been ripping their chests open and tearing out their souls.’

  ‘What?’ the color drained from her face, ‘he’s been stealing souls and feeding on them?’

  Theo nodded, ‘at least three of them including Abigail's. There could be more though, we just don’t know yet.’

  ‘Mom was right,’ Olivia whispered, ‘we’re running out of time. If he continues feeding on human souls, sooner or later he will be powerful enough to break through my wards and when that happens, he’ll be coming for me and none of us will be powerful enough to stop him.’

  The ro
om fell silent, other than the odd murmur from the baby in Louisa’s arms. None of them knew what to say as they contemplated the enormity of the situation.

  Suddenly, the doorbell rang, breaking the silence and Theo looked over to Olivia curiously.

  ‘Are we expecting anyone else?’ he asked.

  ‘No,’ Olivia frowned in confusion.

  She watched as he disappeared from the room then she heard the front door open and the low murmur of voices before Theo re-entered the room, his eyes a little wild and uncertain. She could see there was someone behind him. He stepped into the room and she got her first glimpse of the person who’d been following him. Her breath drew in on a sharp gasp of surprise as she beheld the woman she’d known back in 17th century Salem, the beautiful slave woman known as Tituba.

  ‘Callie?’ Roni spoke up in confusion, ‘why are you here?’

  ‘You know her?’ Theo asked Roni in surprise.

  ‘Of course I do,’ she frowned, ‘this is Professor Callie Atlass, the woman I’ve been trying to introduce to Olivia for the past month and a half. She’s been working with me at the museum. She’s the curator in charge of the Caribbean magic exhibit.’

  ‘No,’ Theo replied, ‘she’s not.’

  ‘What?’ Roni frowned, ‘what are you saying? How do you know her?’

  ‘Her name is Tituba,’ Theo replied his gaze hardening as it fell on the stunning, dark skinned woman with vivid ocean blue eyes. ‘She was a slave belonging to Samuel Parris; we first met her in Salem in 1692.She was supposed to have died in Nathaniel’s house, the night we fled Salem and the town burned.’

  The room flooded with the briny scent of the ocean and Olivia found she could see clearly for the first time. The woman who stood before her, watching her intently with a small smile, was not what she seemed. Olivia blinked but the vision in front of her remained. She could see her standing on the rocks, the waves crashing at her feet and the shriek of a huge sea bird over her head, her hair caught in the wind as she raised her hands up to the sky.

  ‘You’re both wrong,’ Olivia spoke quietly, her gaze locked on the woman in front of her… ‘She’s the Goddess Calypso.’

  21.

  The room went instantly silent and all eyes turned to the two women who were standing staring at each other.

  ‘You were never Tituba were you?’ Olivia spoke after a moment, ‘it was just another name…another face.’

  ‘Tituba was very real,’ Calypso replied, her voice deep and rolling with her island accent. ‘She was a sweet girl but she died back in Barbados before Samuel Parris even sailed for the Massachusetts Bay Colony. I simply took her place.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because of you,’ she replied, her blue eyes direct.

  ‘Me?’ Olivia frowned.

  ‘I knew you would show up in Salem sooner or later and my father had asked me to look out for you.’

  ‘Your father?’ Theo interrupted.

  ‘I believe you have already met him,’ Calypso answered easily.

  ‘Theo, her father is Atlas,’ Olivia whispered.

  ‘The guy who created the book with all the maps in?’ Tommy whispered to Louisa.

  ‘Atlas is a Titan, Tommy,’ Roni told him. ‘He and the other Titans came before the Gods. Zeus cast them down into the Underworld where they remain trapped in Hades’ domain.’

  Theo’s eyes widened in recognition as he thought back to the colossal Titan they’d met in Tartarus, the deepest level of the Underworld.

  ‘That’s right little teacher,’ Calypso smiled fondly at Roni.

  ‘I guess you weren’t really serious about me coming to visit you in the Caribbean then?’ Roni murmured absently.

  ‘Of course I was serious,’ she returned. ‘After all this is over, you come to my island and I will show you things you cannot even begin to imagine.’

  ‘You’ve been here ever since we returned from Salem haven’t you?’ Olivia asked suspiciously.

  ‘More or less,’ Calypso shrugged.

  ‘Why haven’t you come to me before?’ Olivia frowned, ‘why now?’

  ‘I wasn’t supposed to interfere directly unless it was necessary and only then, if your life was in danger. I was instructed, not just by my father but my uncle Prometheus, to ensue nothing happened to you, but I was not to give you any information.’

  ‘Is that why you’re here now, because I’m in danger?’

  ‘Not exactly,’ she shook her head, ‘you’ve been in danger from the moment you set foot back in Mercy. I have been watching you, trying to stay out of the way.’

  ‘The bird,’ Olivia whispered, ‘the magnificent frigate bird I kept seeing. That was you, wasn't it?’

  ‘Yes,’ Calypso nodded, her expression serious, ‘but things have changed. I’m not supposed to give you any direct information as I said, but others are breaking the rules. Hades has defied Zeus by bringing his creatures to the mortal world to protect you and Nathaniel has defied Lucifer by harvesting human souls. There are also others who are supposed to remain neutral who are interfering. We are running out of time. The book is almost fully awake now and Nathaniel is more dangerous and powerful than ever. If you are to have any hope of defeating him you are going to need my help.’

  ‘You’d better take a seat then,’ Olivia sighed, ‘and welcome to the club. Someone get her a drink.’

  ‘Pizza?’ Tommy held up the half empty box containing the remnants of a Cheese Supreme.

  ‘No thank you,’ Calypso smiled in amusement, looking up as Roni handed her a glass of wine. ‘Thank you,’ she took it gracefully and sipped.

  ‘How exactly are you planning on helping,’ Theo walked around the couch and took a seat on the arm next to Olivia.

  ‘First by telling you exactly who and what Nathaniel really is,’ she began.

  ‘We found a symbol mixed in with the documentation which is part of your Caribbean exhibit,’ Olivia told her. ‘It’s the Gemini symbol and it was attached as part of the serpent seal, a depiction we know that represents Nathaniel and his brother Seth. We thought they might somehow be connected to the myth of Castor and Pollux.’

  ‘You’d be right,’ she nodded, ‘why do you think I brought the exhibition to Mercy? It was for you to find the information you needed to defeat him. Castor and Pollux aren’t a myth; they are very, very real.’

  ‘Nathaniel and Seth are Castor and Pollux aren’t they?’ Theo asked.

  ‘Yes they are,’ Calypso glanced around the room. With the exception of Olivia, Theo and Roni, everyone else was looking slightly perplexed. ‘Why don’t I start at the beginning, then all your friends will understand too?’

  Olivia nodded, settling back comfortably into the couch.

  ‘For those of you who do not know the story of Castor and Pollux I will start there,’ Calypso began. ‘The story begins with a human of extraordinary beauty named Leda. Not long after her marriage she became pregnant with her husband’s child, but she had also caught the eye of Zeus. Overcome with desire for her, he came to her in the guise of a swan and seduced her. Her womb was flooded with his fertile seed and a second child was conceived. Although the two offspring were technically twins they both had different fathers. When the children were born, Castor was mortal and Pollux was a demi God. The two brothers were inseparable, so deep was their love for each other.’

  ‘Is that actually possible?’ Tommy whispered to Louisa.

  ‘It’s very rare,’ she frowned, ‘but it is physically possible to conceive another child in the early stages of an existing pregnancy.’

  ‘So what happened?’ Jake asked curiously; ‘how did they end up as Nathaniel and Seth.’

  ‘Pollux knew he was destined to lose his brother because he was mortal,’ Calypso picked up the thread of the story easily. ‘So Pollux went before his father Zeus and begged him to allow him to share his immortality with his brother. Zeus, of course refused. Incensed Pollux defied his father and made his
brother part immortal anyway. Zeus was beyond furious; he went searching for the two brothers in order to punish them both. But Pollux was wily; he knew his father would come after them, so before he’d left Olympus he stole a relic belonging to his father...a compass.’

  ‘A compass…’ Olivia whispered, her hand going automatically to the Time’dhal which was concealed beneath her clothes.

  ‘Yes, but it was no ordinary compass, it enabled it’s wearer to travel trough time and across great distances,’ Calypso continued. ‘Pollux used its power, taking both him and his brother back through time. They changed their names to further conceal themselves from Zeus’ wrath.’

  ‘The perfect crime,’ Jake murmured. ‘Lost in time, they would have been impossible to find.’

  ‘Exactly,’ Calypso agreed, ‘it was almost perfect, but for one problem. Castor was mortal, or at least he was born mortal; he was never meant to be an immortal. It changed him, not just physically but it twisted his mind and erased his humanity. Little by little he fell, until he was unrecognizable. His brother was also changed; as he’d shared his immortality with his brother they were bound to each other, mind, body and soul. He shared his brother’s fate, becoming just as dark and twisted.’

  ‘Nathaniel is Castor isn’t he?’ Olivia asked quietly.

  ‘Yes he is,’ Calypso nodded. ‘The problem is, as Nathaniel is stealing human souls and ingesting them, its awakening the human traits inside him that have been long since buried, only they’re a thousand times stronger, all the very worst parts of humanity. He can’t cope with them, it’s making him more and more unstable, which in turn makes him incredibly dangerous.’

  ‘So what are Nathaniel and Seth exactly?’ Theo frowned, ‘Demi Gods or demons?’

  ‘Both,’ Calypso replied. ‘There are many different kinds of demons, damaged human souls, fallen angels who’ve become corrupted, and so many more. Nathaniel and Seth are Demon Lords, the first demons, the oldest and most powerful. Seth was eventually captured and turned over to Hades where he remains imprisoned deep in the belly of the Underworld. Nathaniel fled to Hell where he allied himself with Lucifer. It’s a very long and complicated story, one for another time.’