by Jenna Grey
“Of that, I have no doubt,” Bert said, leading the still hiccuping Liam over to the battered old armchair and forcing him to sit down.
After several cups of tea, Liam, still red-eyed and shaking was ready to talk.
“What happened after I ‘left’ the warehouse?” Liam asked. ‘Left’ was an interesting euphemism.
“Polly grabbed the Torinstone and sent Gaunt and his minions to where they belonged,” Finn explained. A strange look came over Liam’s face then, and Polly knew that Liam was hiding secrets. She wondered if Bert and Finn had picked up on it.
“How on earth did you get out of that place, son?” Bert asked.
“I’m not sure I was ever there, in Helheim I mean. I suddenly found myself in the dark, and when I say dark, I mean absolute blackness, darker than any dark I’d ever experienced. I couldn’t feel, or see, or hear; it felt as if I’d dropped into nothingness and I was terrified.” He stopped for a moment, and Polly could see fear cloud his face.
“Hel came here to visit me, and she showed me an illusion, a fabrication, trying to convince me that you really were in Hell,” Polly said. “It was dreadful, but it doesn’t sound anything like as bad as the reality. I don’t think she could have known where you were, or she would have shown me the truth.”
Liam’s already pale face grew paler, the memory-stealing life from his muscles.
“I almost broke, but then I remembered that I’d been here in this darkness before, all those years ago before I drew my first breath. I knew that I didn’t want to die, and I didn’t want to go where I thought I was headed. I have no idea how long I was there, whether it was seconds or a thousand years. I don’t think that time existed in that place. I just kept thinking about the three of you and how much I wanted to get back to you. I suddenly felt a pull towards something, as if something was tugging at me, although I had no idea what it was. I found myself floating, but I was floating in a place with light and sound and colour, and I have never felt relief like that in my life. Just to have something there was enough – I didn’t even care what it was. The world came into focus then – I was back on this plane, somehow, back in the world.”
“You always were the consummate astral traveller, son. I’ve never known anyone as able as you to move freely between different planes of reality,” Bert said.
Liam gave a fragile laugh.
“All I needed to do then was find a body to move into. I found this low-life. I could feel him, real filth, and he didn’t deserve to live, so I moved in and helped myself.”
“Well, you’re going to take a bit of getting used to, but you’re here now, and that’s all that matters,” Bert said.
“So how does it feel to be back, Bro?” Finn asked. “It must feel weird being in a different body.”
“Yeah, a bit – I’m taller, which feels pretty weird, but mostly it feels like I should be here. It’s just nice to have a body of my own at last. It must feel strange, not having me there.” He tapped his forefinger to Finn’s chest, right over his heart.
“Would you believe it if I told you that after you’d gone, I would have done anything to get you back again?” Finn said. “I felt as if a bit of me was missing, still do, but it’s better now you’re back.”
Liam gave a cool smile.
“And we can talk to one another.”
Polly didn’t register what Liam had said for a moment. Then she fell in.
“Of course, I didn’t think. This is the first time you’ve actually been able to talk, face to face. One of you was always asleep while the other was awake. That must feel so strange.”
Liam shook his head, a bemused look on his face.
“It all feels strange.”
“You said you had some bad news for us.” Finn prompted.
Liam’s face scrunched into a mask of misery.
“Unfortunately yes. I’m not the only one that’s found their way out. Just as I was emerging from that darkness, I felt other presences, and I knew, just knew who they were. Gaunt and his coven are on their way back here – not just them, but other darker things, and we need to be ready for them.”
“Hel said that she’d opened the way for the dead to come back to us; she was obviously as good as her word,” Polly said, her heart beating faster at the very thought of what might be coming through.
Bert gave a little grunt of disdain.
“I felt him, Gaunt. He tried to steal my body, came in my dreams because he knew I was too strong for him while I was awake, but I was protected against him.” Bert’s mouth twisted into a crooked little smile.
“Protected?” Polly asked.
Liam pulled down the neck of his tee shirt to reveal the tattoos on his chest. He pointed to one that looked newer than the others.
“As soon as I got back I had that put on. It will stop any spirit or demon taking possession of me.”
“Me and dad have them as well – only ours are a bit more discreet.” Finn lifted his tee shirt and showed Polly the small tattoo almost in his armpit. “That should keep anything out.”
“That’s a thought, Polly isn’t protected,” Liam said.
“Oh, quite right, although I doubt that Hel would allow anyone to try to take her. She needs Polly’s soul where it is, but all the same. Just wait there a minute.”
Polly wasn’t sure she liked the idea of having a tattoo, but if it kept her safe, she’d put up with it.
Bert came back a few minutes later, holding a small gold amulet. He fastened it around her neck to lie alongside the love necklace that Finn had given her and gave a smile of approval.
“There, that will keep all evil out. Don’t you take it off for anything.”
Polly fingered it and felt a faint thrum of energy running through it.
“I won’t, I promise.”
“Do you think he will keep on trying to get to you, Dad?” Finn asked.
Bert shrugged.
“He may. I must give you some sort of code word or phrase, something that he couldn’t possibly know, so that you can be certain that he hasn’t succeeded.”
“Romulus and Remus,” Finn said, without hesitation.
Bert chuckled.
“Perfect – the twins that founded the glorious city of Rome – what could be more fitting?”
“So how can we find these people, the ones that Gaunt and his cronies have possessed? Is there some sort of ritual to locate them?” Polly asked.
Bert gave her a wide grin.
“My dear, you’re looking at the proprietor of Mr Fountain’s Magical Finding Service. I can find anything.”
Polly knew who their visitor was even before she heard Blaine’s dulcet Scottish brogue. She really hadn’t expected him to come back so soon. Liam cast a look in Polly’s direction, and she motioned with her head for him to disappear. The last thing they needed now was to have to explain who this stranger was, and where he’d suddenly sprung from. Liam hesitated momentarily, gave Polly a slightly peeved look and then went up the stairs. Polly could guarantee he would spend the next little while sitting on the landing, eavesdropping.
“Guess who?” Blaine said, as he ducked through the doorway into the back room. “I know, I’m probably the last person you wanted to see, but I just wondered if you’d had a chance to look at the documents yet?”
“Oh, you’re more than welcome, my boy,” Bert said, affably. “Sit yourself down—”
“And Bert will make you a nice cup of tea.” Finn finished, his voice just a little acerbic.
Blaine did as he was told and squashed himself into the old armchair. His usual almost smile had vanished, and he looked troubled. Something had happened, and whatever it was, it wasn’t good news.
“Has something happened?” Bert asked.
Blaine didn’t answer immediately, pausing for a few heartbeats to decide what he was going to tell them.
“Perhaps. I’m not sure.” He drew in a deep breath. “I think that Hell might be opening up its doors and allowing some very
unwelcome visitors into this world.”
“Oh that would present a few problems,” Bert said, not giving anything away. “I’ll put an extra sugar in your tea and break out the Hobnobs.”
Blaine managed a smile.
“You take everything in your stride, don’t you? I envy you.”
“Oh, there comes a point in life when you realise that problems all fall into two categories. Either you can find a way to solve the problem, or you accept that there is absolutely nothing you can do about it and give in gracefully to the inevitable. I’m pretty certain we’re still in time to solve this particular conundrum.”
Blaine gave a wobble of a nod, as if he wasn’t quite sure if he were agreeing with Bert or not.
“We have to be honest with each other now, Bert. We can’t afford to keep secrets. I think we have a very serious problem on our hands.”
“I agree,” Bert said. “No more secrets. We do need to trust one another.”
They exchanged a hard stare and Polly knew that some kind of understanding had passed between them. She supposed Blaine was right. They really did have to trust one another.
“So, have you had a chance to translate any of those documents I left with you yet? Especially that sigil we found under Polly’s bed?”
Bert still had the documents laid out on the table and pulled out the manuscript with the sigil on it. He scrutinised it carefully, even though Polly was pretty sure he’d already memorised every line on it.
“Oh yes, I pretty much knew what it was as soon as I saw it, I just wanted to check and make sure. I’ve worked out enough to know that it is a contract between whoever crafted the sigil and one of the old gods – in fact, I can even tell you the name of the god, or rather goddess, concerned. This is a contract between the goddess Hel and our nemesis Elias Gaunt. It’s a contract that would give him unimaginable power.”
Blaine’s face crunched into a frown, as if he were finally fitting pieces of a puzzle in place. Bert gave him a few moments to process the information, handing him the cup of tea.
“And what would the goddess get in return?” Blaine asked.
“She would be released from her imprisonment in Hell.”
Blaine sagged a little.
“Things are beginning to make some sense now. I found a couple of references to the goddess Hel when I looked through; I knew she had to fit into the equation somewhere.”
“Most people would laugh if someone said that they believed that such a being exists,” Finn said. “You’re not laughing.”
Blaine was deadly serious now, all traces of humour gone.
“I’ve had dealings with the old gods, Asmodeus, Sekhmet. They’re both deceased by the way. I can’t claim responsibility I’m afraid, but I had a ringside seat. There’s nothing you can say to me that I won’t believe.”
Bert pursed his lips and sipped his tea. Polly couldn’t help but feel that this was all so surreal, discussing battles with deities over a cup of tea, as if they were discussing the weather or the latest football results.
“Well, my friend, we are indeed facing the goddess Hel, and possibly her father, Loki. I daresay even other members of her family; they are a rather close-knit brood according to all traditions. One of that brood sent us some very unpleasant gifts in the form of a plague of venomous snakes and spiders. They very nearly got the best of us, and would have done if it wasn’t for Polly’s incredible courage. I am quite certain that Hel’s father will take her side in this if it comes to an all-out battle.”
Blaine nodded and helped himself to his fourth Hobnob.
“Yeah. That’s what I figured. I’m guessing that the contract required a sacrifice? The boy that disappeared recently from near here?”
Bert gave a deep sigh.
“Yes, but he was only one of many – the poor lad was one of Gaunt’s victims, but there were many, many others. We found their bodies hidden in the catacombs beneath Polly’s house the other day when we went back there. Men, women and children, even newborn babes. I’ve arranged for them to have a decent burial. I don’t think we can allow them to be made public. I’m sure you understand.”
Blaine gave a little growl of disgust, but nodded.
“You’re right. I feel sorry for their poor bloody relatives, not knowing what happened to their loved ones, but maybe better than knowing the truth.”
“If it’s any consolation, the victims were almost certainly chosen because they were people that wouldn’t be missed. Too many questions,” Bert said.
Blaine gave a frustrated groan.
“I just wish I could have found something against him sooner, but he was just one step ahead of me the whole time.”
“Oh, don’t be too hard on yourself,” Bert said. “He was an exceptional magician. That poor lad was just a token, an appetiser, as it were.”
Polly should have been shocked at how blasé Bert sounded, but she knew that it was a veneer, a glamour to cover his true feelings.
“But not the victim that was to be sacrificed to complete that contract.” Blaine suddenly turned to Polly and said, “You were to be the sacrifice, weren’t you, Polly?” Polly opened and closed her mouth a few times, then looked at Finn for some help. Finn just sat tight-lipped, not helping at all. “It’s okay. It wasn’t exactly masterful detective work. The Sigil under your bed, you looking as if you were about to lay an egg. I’m glad you’re safe, sweetheart.”
Bert nodded, ignoring the looks that Finn was giving him.
“She was indeed the intended sacrifice; the contract was tied to Polly by the sigil under her bed. It was planned that she exchange places with Hel and free that bitch from her imprisonment, by taking her place there.”
Blaine made some noises of disgust.
“Nice. Your uncle really was a piece of work, lassie. Anyway, that’s about it for now. If you can think of any―” He broke off mid-sentence and reached into his pocket. “Sorry, I need to take this.”
Blaine looked down at his phone. He had no idea why he’d had the imperative urge to answer it, except perhaps that something told him that it was more than a dirty joke sent by a bored colleague.
The text was most certainly not the best news Blaine could have received – in fact; it ranked somewhere between receiving the news that your favourite pet had been flattened by a bus and finding out your wife was having an affair with your brother. He stared down at it, trying to digest the full implications and realised very quickly that it was worse than the worst news – he knew precisely what the tip-off meant.
Bad news: Something has crept through from darker realms. Check out the breaking news report from the City. I can feel tremendous dark power. Take care, my friend. N.
The sender of the message was an old friend, the same powerful sorcerer that had given him the amulet, possibly the most powerful sorcerer in all of creation, and he didn’t scare easily – if he was worried, then Blaine should be quaking in his boots. He hit the ‘breaking news’ button and stared down at the screen.
Slaughter on the London Underground. Dozens feared dead.
Bank and Monument underground station closed. City in chaos as wild dogs attack packed rush hour train.
Blaine just stared at the screen, not quite comprehending what he was reading – not that there were many facts, all it said was that some time during the rush hour, a pack of dogs had got onto the westbound platform of the Central Line at Bank Station and slaughtered their way through the commuters.
Wild dogs? That was just about as ridiculous as anything Blaine had ever heard – toxic gas fumes and mass suicide included. He looked up into three worried faces.
“Is there a problem?” Bert asked, putting the kettle down.
“Have you seen the news in the last couple of hours?” Blaine asked.
“No. I take it there’s something there we need to know about?” Bert said.
“Probably.” Blaine pulled his phone and brought the latest news up, handing it to Bert, who immediately gave the phone t
o Finn. Polly looked over his shoulder and watched the news headline rolling across the screen.
“Oh dear Lord,” Bert said. “I take it that this is nothing to do with dogs?”
Polly read the updates, her mouth growing dry and a taste of bile rising in her throat.
“If it is, it’s not the kind you show at Cruft’s,” Blaine said. He slumped down on the arm of the chair and groaned, looking for all the world as if he’d just been told that he had a week to live. “I’ve fucked up big time, Bert, I really have. Up until now, I’ve kept all of this to myself, not passed any of it on to my superiors. I thought I had it all under control. I never imagined for a moment that it would come to this. I should have told them about you, got you official clearance, but I just wanted to keep you out of it for as long as I could. I’ve really fucked up.”
Bert gave one of his ‘tuts’.
“Oh come on now, my boy. Stop being so hard on yourself. None of us could have seen this coming; nothing you could have done would have prevented this. Now we just have to deal with it.”
“Thanks,” Blaine said. He hesitated for a moment and then gave Bert a look which spoke volumes. “Bert, I know that this is asking a lot of you, but...”
Bert gave a grim smile.
“You’d like me to come with you and see what I make of it,” he said.
Blaine nodded.
“I know, really asking a lot, It’s probably more than I should ask, but I think I’m out of my depth here. I’ve been told that whatever did this is from... somewhere else, but I have no idea what that really means. We need to know.”
“Indeed, I’m quite certain that our nemesis is involved in this somehow,” Bert said. “You say that these creatures come from ‘somewhere else’, well, my best guess is that they came from Helheim. I would say that we are dealing with Hellhounds of some kind.”
“Can you deal with them?” Blaine asked.
Bert pursed his lips and looked across at Finn, who gave him a tentative nod.
“Oh, if they haven’t already gone back to where they came from, yes, I think we can deal with them.”