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

by Wendy Saunders

  ‘I doubt it,’ he reached for the screw in Temperance’s shoulder causing her to suck in a breath, bracing herself against the pain she knew was coming.

  ‘Not even when it concerns Olivia West?’

  Nathaniel released the screw and turned slowly back to Sabine.

  ‘Well?’ he asked impatiently.

  ‘The doctor who was dealing with Olivia’s pregnancy is Veritas.’

  Nathaniel hissed.

  ‘Them again; I thought Zachary had dealt with them in Prague?’

  ‘Apparently not,’ she shrugged. ‘You know what these humans are like; they’re as prolific as rats. Kill one and twenty appear in its place.’

  Temperance’s head rose slightly as she listened intently to their conversation, biting back the pain in her battered body.

  ‘So kill the woman then,’ Nathaniel replied, ‘problem solved.’

  ‘She’s not the only Veritas here. I don’t know who all the players are yet, but they are planning on killing the new Chief of Police, something about him turning on them.’

  ‘Not my concern,’ Nathaniel answered, ‘one less for me to kill.’

  ‘It’s not just that,’ Sabine shook her head, ‘they are going after the West girl. They are planning on kidnapping her; they want her unborn children for their magical abilities.’

  ‘Amateurs,’ Nathaniel scoffed.

  ‘If they succeed in getting to her before we do, they have the resources to have her out of the country within hours. It could be months before we track her down, maybe years. Are you really willing to risk it when we’re this close?’

  Nathaniel growled and stood abruptly, the stool he’d been sitting on screeching loudly across the hard floor.

  ‘If any of them cross her path, kill them,’ he snarled. ‘I will not have them interfering.’

  A sudden and loud crack of lightning ripped across the sky. Nathaniel looked up at the huge ornate doomed glass roof above the Solarium where he’d been amusing himself with Temperance. Opening up the glass doors he stepped outside. Crossing the overgrown grass he headed toward the sheered away cliff face, the old abandoned hotel at his back. The icy wind tore at his clothes and hair, the sky swirling with foreboding clouds.

  Another jagged spear of light split the sky, followed by another, and another until the whole sky burned with furious electricity. Nathaniel’s mouth curved into a slow smile.

  ‘Perfect timing Zeus,’ he whispered, ‘perfect timing.’

  26.

  ‘Reports are pouring in of freak electrical storms over the town of Mercy, weather experts are baffled as to the cause and location and why they have hit with no warning. Residents are being warned to stay inside their homes and wait for them to pass. Storm chasers are flocking to the outskirts of Mercy for the chance to document this unprecedented series of storms…’

  ‘Switch it off Jake,’ Olivia frowned over at the TV, before turning back to the window. Great, she though sourly, that was all they needed, more people pouring into Mercy like an all you can eat buffet for the monsters which had escaped Hell and were even now stalking the woods and spilling out into Mercy itself.

  Daylight flooded into the room as she stared out at the woods, waiting for Calypso to return. Every so often her gaze would drift to the sky which was streaked with jagged spears of light and micros bursts of electricity. Despite the local news anchor labeling it a ‘freak storm’ she was pretty certain they were staring at the handiwork of a supremely pissed off, thousands of years old, Greek God.

  ‘Is that her?’ Olivia’s eyes narrowed at a dark speck in the sky swooping low and heading for her house.

  Theo jumped up and headed for the door followed by Jake. The huge winged black bird banked sharply and headed for the house. She’d almost made it within the protective wards when a bolt of lightning hit her in a shower of sparks, sending her careening down to the ground. By the time she’d hit the dirt and rolled to absorb the impact, she’d somehow reverted to her human form and lay unmoving on the hard frozen ground.

  Theo and Jake flew down the steps of the porch heading across the grassy expanse to the injured Goddess. Theo reached her first, rolling her over even as Jake dropped to his knees and checked her pulse.

  ‘She’s alive,’ he breathed in relief as her eyes fluttered open, slightly dazed.

  Her whole side was smoking, her shirt was torn and her skin beneath the shredded material, from her shoulder to her hand, was raw with fresh burns.

  ‘We need to get her to the house,’ Jake looked across to Theo.

  ‘Water,’ Calypso croaked.

  ‘We’ll get you some as soon as we get to the house,’ Jake told her.

  ‘No,’ she coughed, ‘get me to the water…the lake.’

  Jake looked up in confusion at Theo, who’d already swept her into his arms and was heading to the lake.

  ‘What are they doing?’ Roni asked, perplexed as they watched from the porch.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ Olivia murmured, watching as her husband carried the Goddess down to the water’s edge, being careful to stay within the boundaries of her magical wards.

  ‘I’ll go get the medical supplies ready,’ Louisa handed Jace to Tommy and disappeared back inside the house.

  Theo stopped at the water’s edge, dropping Calypso down to her feet. She stumbled shakily and dropped to her knees, crawling toward the icy water, then plunged her damaged arm in and breathed deeply. After a few seconds Theo realized that her burns were slowly healing and instead of open painful wounds, they were now no more than slightly raised red welts.

  ‘Okay,’ she finally drew in a shuddering breath, ‘let’s get back to the house. We’re too exposed out here.’

  Between them Jake and Theo helped her back to the house and as they stepped through the front door Olivia closed it swiftly behind them. She followed them into the library where Louisa was waiting with first aid supplies and a blanket.

  ‘Take a seat,’ she told Calypso briskly as she began to examine her arm and shoulder. Seemingly satisfied that her injuries were fairly mild she pulled out a small flashlight and began to check her pupils.

  ‘What was with the water?’ Roni asked curiously.

  ‘I draw my power from the water,’ she glanced at Olivia, ‘as Olivia does from fire. I can use it to heal myself to a certain degree; it wasn’t as good as sea water but I was able to heal the worst of the burns.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Olivia muttered, ‘I shouldn’t have asked you to go out there.’

  ‘You weren’t to know Zeus was going to start throwing his weight around.’

  ‘Zeus?’ Tommy’s eyes widened.

  ‘He saw me,’ Calypso sighed, ‘he knows I’m here now. That was just a warning strike to let me know he isn’t happy with me.’

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ Olivia repeated, blowing out a frustrated breath.

  ‘Don’t be,’ Calypso’s gaze hardened. ‘I do not serve Zeus, after what he did to my father and my uncles. I do not care if he’s pissed. If he wants to come after me then let him, but something tells me his focus is on Hades right now.’

  ‘What a mess,’ Olivia shook her head.

  ‘Were you able to reach Boothe’s Hollow?’ Theo asked Calypso.

  ‘Yes,’ she nodded, ‘I saw the clearing.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘And nothing,’ she replied, ‘no one’s there and it doesn’t look as if it’s been disturbed in months.’

  ‘They’re obviously holding her someplace else then,’ Olivia mused.

  ‘But where?’ Theo frowned.

  ‘When Jake and I headed over here, Danae and Davis went to find Charles,’ Mac interrupted. ‘They said he’ll know a few places where Nathaniel may be hiding. I’ll try calling them again.’

  ‘Okay then,’ Louisa looked over at Olivia, ‘why don’t we feed everyone then. It looks like it’s going to be a long day and it’s nearly lunch time now anyway.’

  Oliv
ia nodded, heading out into the kitchen with her friend. None of them particularly had any appetite but they ate quietly and without complaint. They were all feeling the frustration of knowing Tammy was out there somewhere, and the sheer helplessness of not being able to do anything about it.

  The storms continued to light up the sky with a crackling network of lightning. Sometime around midday it knocked out all the TV stations and Internet connections. In the distance were small plumes of smoke, indicating that somewhere near the town itself fires had begun to break out. The air in the house hung heavy with restless expectation.

  When a sudden shrill ringing split the quietness they looked at each other, almost in surprise.

  ‘That’s the house phone,’ Olivia replied in confusion. She’d forgotten she even owned one as no one ever called her on it, in fact she didn’t even think anyone had the number.

  Theo headed through into the kitchen where the old plastic phone was mounted on the wall, tucked unobtrusively into a corner.

  ‘Hello?’ he answered warily as he picked it up from its cradle.

  ‘Hello Theodore,’ a familiar voice crackled along the line, making his blood simultaneously run as cold as ice and white hot with vicious fury.

  ‘Nathaniel,’ he grated out from between clenched teeth, ‘where is my sister?’ he asked dangerously.

  ‘Right here with me, tucked in safely from that terrible storm out there.’

  Theo could almost hear the smirk in his voice.

  ‘Temperance and I have been spending some…quality time together,’ he replied mockingly.

  ‘Where is she?’ he growled again.

  ‘Theodore,’ Nathaniel tutted, ‘that’s not how the game is played, is it? I have something you want and you have something I want.’

  ‘Forget it Nathaniel,’ Theo replied, his voice tightly controlled, ‘you will not get your hands on my wife or the book.’

  ‘We’ll see,’ Nathaniel replied smoothly. ‘I will be at Boothe’s Hollow tonight at nightfall, be there and bring your lovely wife. I’m dying to see her again and congratulate her on her forthcoming blessing.’

  ‘The hell you will,’ Theo growled.

  ‘My invitation extends to you and your wife only Theodore, not your little friends. Make sure they stay home.’

  ‘That’s not going to happen.’

  ‘Then your sister is as good as dead and trust me, when her time comes, I will make it as painful as possible.’

  Theo wasn’t sure what Nathaniel did, but he heard the scream of agony rip from her throat.

  ‘Let me speak to her,’ his heart pounded heavily.

  ‘As you wish,’ Nathaniel replied.

  ‘Theo?’ a small voice croaked hoarsely.

  ‘Tempy?’

  ‘Theo don’t bring Olivia into the woods!’ she shouted urgently.

  Nathaniel tore the phone away from her.

  ‘There, now you’ve spoken,’ he replied coolly. ‘My offer is not negotiable Theodore, be in the Hollow with your wife tonight or I will send your sister to you in pieces.’

  The phone line crackled and went dead.

  With a roar of fury Theo ripped the phone from the wall and threw it across the kitchen.

  ‘It’s a good job we don’t really use that phone anymore,’ Olivia spoke mildly from the kitchen doorway. ‘I take it that was Nathaniel? What did he say?’

  ‘He’s got Temperance,’ he breathed deeply, trying to rein in his temper and calm his thundering heart. ‘He’ll be at Boothe’s Hollow tonight with her.’

  ‘Tonight?’ Olivia murmured thoughtfully, ‘full circle…’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Tonight will make it exactly one year since he was raised from the devil’s trap,’ Olivia replied.

  ‘THEO!’ Jake yelled from the other room, ‘Charles and the others are here!’

  Theo walked past Olivia and as he reached the hallway, Charles stepped through the door followed by his two fair haired, half siblings.

  ‘Did you find anything?’ he asked.

  ‘No,’ Charles shook his head. ‘I’m sorry Theo; I don’t know where he’s keeping her. I even reached out to Olivia’s mother.’

  ‘You did?’ Olivia replied in surprise.

  ‘She’s the only one of us who’s spent any amount of time with Nathaniel,’ he shrugged, ‘no one knows him like she does.’

  ‘So what did she say?’

  ‘Nothing,’ Charles answered with a frown, ‘she’s gone radio silent.’

  ‘It might be the storm,’ Jake spoke up. ‘None of us have a signal; it seems to have knocked out almost all communication.’

  ‘Not all,’ Olivia shook her head, ‘Nathaniel called the house phone.’

  ‘Sorry?’ Charles replied, ‘he called the house? What did he say?’

  ‘He’s going to be at Boothe’s Hollow tonight with my sister,’ Theo answered.

  ‘Need I ask what he wants in return?’

  ‘I could give you three guesses but you’ll only need one,’ Theo replied coolly.

  ‘Did he give a time?’ Charles asked.

  ‘Nightfall.’

  Charles glanced down at his watch, ‘that doesn’t give us much time to work with but I’m confident we can come up with a plan by then. Is everyone here?’

  Theo nodded.

  ‘Okay then,’ he headed into the library.

  For the next hour Olivia sat and watched them all argue back and forth over the best course of action. Theo was adamant he was going into the Hollow; her father countered that he didn’t have the magical ability to deal with Nathaniel or the other demons. Theo argued that Nathaniel had told him to come alone but Mac was not being left behind, he was going to go after Tammy no matter what. What followed was a lot of shouting and not a lot of resolution.

  Finally Olivia slipped away, unable to stand the noise any longer. She curled up in Theo’s favorite chair in his studio, surrounded by his paintings. Her head was pounding and she felt sick to her stomach that it had come to this. Whether they wanted to admit it or not, they’d been backed into a corner and there was only one way out. She had to face Nathaniel because she was the only one who could. There would be no Hades to protect her this time; he was too busy with his furious brother.

  They had run out of time.

  ‘Hey,’ a soft voice called from behind her.

  She looked across to the doorway as Theo walked slowly in.

  ‘Are you okay?’ he asked.

  ‘I’m fine,’ she shook her head, ‘I just needed some space.’

  ‘Not exactly how I planned on spending your birthday,’ he told her softly.

  ‘That doesn’t really matter now,’ she shrugged.

  ‘I have something for you.’

  He crossed the room and retrieved a small sized canvas wrapped in pink tissue paper.

  ‘I’m sorry I didn’t have time to get you something better but it’s been hard to get into town with everything that’s been going on,’ he apologized, sitting down on the small chest next to her and handing her the gift.

  She turned it over in her hands and carefully unwrapped it, her mouth forming a smile as she took in the picture he’d painted for her. It was Beau lying on the floor of her library, with his head resting on his paws as he stared up at her adoringly.

  ‘I love it,’ she whispered.

  ‘I’ll have it framed for you as soon as I can,’ he smiled softly.

  ‘Thank you,’ she leaned forward and kissed him gently.

  He reached out and toyed with a loose lock of her dark hair.

  ‘Talk to me.’

  ‘I’m worried about Temperance,’ she sighed. ‘Having been a ‘guest’ of Nathaniel myself I can only imagine what he’s doing to her.’

  Theo’s jaw tightened.

  ‘Sorry,’ she shook her head.

  ‘It’s not your fault,’ Theo blew out a breath, ‘I’m just frustrated and I can’t see a w
ay out of this where any of us walk away unscathed.’

  ‘We’re way past that now Theo,’ Olivia looked up at him. ‘You know what has to happen; you just don’t want to admit it.’

  He was shaking his head before she’d even finished speaking.

  ‘I know you don’t want to consider it Theo,’ she continued.

  ‘There’s nothing to consider, you are not going into the woods.’

  ‘We don’t have a choice Theo and you know it,’ she sighed. ‘I’m the only one who stands a chance against Nathaniel.’

  ‘You’re asking me to make a choice,’ Theo frowned, ‘between you and my sister.’

  ‘That’s not fair,’ she replied. ‘That’s not what I’m doing and you know it.’

  ‘But that’s what will happen,’ Theo replied. ‘Don’t you understand? I will protect you and our children no matter what, even if it means sacrificing my sister,’ his eyes flashed angrily. ‘Please don’t put me in that situation.’

  ‘I’m not,’ she insisted, ‘Theo please just try to understand. This isn’t what I want. I don’t want to go into the woods; I don’t want to go back to the Hollow. I don’t want to face Nathaniel but it’s not about what I want. It’s about doing what is needed.’

  ‘No,’ Theo shook his head painfully, ‘you’re asking me to put you at risk.’

  ‘I’m asking you to stand beside me and together we’ll save your sister.’

  ‘No,’ he stood quietly, ‘you’re asking me to put you at risk and that’s one thing I won’t do…’ his voice cracked slightly, ‘I can’t Olivia…’

  She watched silently as he walked out of the room. She stared down at the beautiful and thoughtful gift in her hands and her eyes filled with tears.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Louisa asked from the doorway.

  ‘Uh,’ she quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks and stood awkwardly from the chair.

  ‘Olivia?’ Louisa frowned in concern.

  ‘I’m uh,’ she shook her head; ‘I’m not feeling great. I think I’m going to lie down for a while, tell Theo…’ she paused. ‘You know what, just someone come and wake me in a few hours when they’ve finished arguing, okay?’

  ‘Olivia,’ Louisa stopped her as she moved past into the hallway, ‘he loves you; he’s just terrified of losing you.’