In a heartbeat, Thaumaturgia descended, surrounding Liam’s body with her own ethereal energy the very moment before his body died, healing his wound as only she could.
In that instant, Hrothgar, Maud and Lucius realised they had merely been unwilling pawns in the greater plan to gather all the pieces in position at this exact moment in time, to once and for all vanquish the evil of Sawyl Gwilym before it could fully manifest itself. Though their anger remained, they departed their hosts, vowing never to return – their endless bloody feud would find a meaningful salvation in the fullness of time.
In that instant, her healing done, Thaumaturgia vanished from around Liam’s body, and as he slowly sat up, wondering where he was and how he got there, he saw his sister, Matthew and an older man staring around, equally bemused.
‘Okay,’ Liam said with a frown, ‘would one of you please explain what the hell has been going on!’
Epilogue
All Saints Day
2002
Friday
November 1st
Liam could not believe he was inside Dead Man’s Wood. All his life the place had petrified him, yet here he was, standing within the trees, and nothing was happening. Although the others were a little confused, they remembered more as time passed, and explained as best they could what had happened. Liam still had no recollection of events that led to his awakening; the last thing he remembered was planning to go up to the lair of the legendary Warlock of Wicca Hill with Matthew.
It terrified him to think he had apparently done just that, alone, and had, it seemed, awakened the dormant spirit of the warlock himself.
Thankfully, Elen had been on hand to save the day, vanquishing him and disappearing with him. Liam wished he could remember that happening – it sounded so cool.
It seemed inconceivable to him that the old woman from the village, Elaine Oakhurst, had been Elen all along, but Lucinda confirmed Matthew’s story.
There was a tension amongst them as they awaited Elen’s return. Matthew and his father were not speaking; sibling animosity lingered between Lucinda and Liam, and both were aware that the other still lusted after Matthew, even though they both knew neither stood a chance.
With no sign of Elen, nor of Thaumaturgia, and having waited for what felt like many more hours than it actually was, Matthew decided they should leave the woods and try to make their way back to Four Oaks.
The going was tough, not least because they could barely see where they were going. It was a full moon, and although hardly any light filtered down through the dense branches above their heads, it was enough, and they soon found themselves at the stream that bordered the grounds of Four Oaks. They splashed through the cold water, not bothering to try to find the fallen log they had used on their way in, and ran almost all the way up to the house.
Lights blazed in every window, and as they approached, they could see everyone was sitting in the rear drawing room.
Those in the warmth of the house glanced up startled as the French windows rattled open, and everyone was on their feet the instant they realised who was entering the house.
Margaret threw herself at Roger, while Matthew and Theo embraced, and Liam and Lucinda were mildly surprised to find their parents in the room.
‘Mum, Dad, what are you doing here?’ gasped Liam. He was astonished when his father hugged him. ‘What’s going on?’
‘I was knocked unconscious at the hospital,’ explained Ainsley. ‘When I finally woke up, I had to try to explain what happened to the police, who were called after I’d been discovered. Of course, I couldn’t really explain everything, so after lots of questioning, they let me go. Somehow, I knew this was the place to come, and so having borrowed some clothes,’ he stared pointedly at Roger, who blushed, ‘I came straight here. I found everyone else here, and they explained everything that had happened.’
‘I was knocked unconscious here at the house,’ said Chloe, ‘having followed Matthew’s father from the hospital.’
‘Did Max guide you out of the woods?’ asked Joyce. ‘He told us to stay here till morning, and then he disappeared.’
Matthew shook his head as he and Theo finally separated. ‘No. Elen dragged Sawyl’s spirit into the ground and Thaumaturgia saved Liam’s life, and after that we were left alone. All spiritual activity seemed to stop in the woods.’
‘They did it then?’ cried Louise. ‘They finally got rid of that blasted warlock once and for all?’
Matthew nodded. ‘Yes.’
Everyone cheered.
‘So, where are Elen and Thaumaturgia now?’ asked Joyce. ‘And Max? What happened to him when he left here? We all assumed he was on his way to help guide you from the woods.’
‘I should think their task is done at long last,’ sighed Rachel. ‘They have most likely all returned to Avalon, just like Peter.’
‘Have we seen the last of them, do you think?’ asked Phil. ‘Is that the end of all the possessions?’
Matthew shrugged. ‘I have no idea. Who knows? Perhaps… until the next time they need our help.’
‘I won’t miss Peter,’ sighed Phil. ‘I kind of got used to having him around, but he seemed to come and go a little too readily. I got the impression he had some other agenda.’
‘Well, I definitely won’t miss Lucius!’ snapped Lucinda. ‘It’s not in my nature to be such a bitch.’
Chloe, Ainsley and Liam exchanged amused glances, but remained silent.
‘I, of course, am very glad to be rid of Sawyl Gwilym,’ muttered Liam.
Rachel chuckled. ‘We are all glad to see the back of that evil man. I just hope that this time he is gone for good!’ She turned to Louise. ‘Now that I have had time to digest it all, I’m actually rather glad that Gloria has a second lease of life in this place called Avalon. Who knows, perhaps one day I might be reunited with her, just as she said, especially if Jeremy is there too. Mind you, I think this other daughter of hers needs taking in hand!’
Louise smiled. ‘It would be nice to be able to spend more time with her I guess, but I’m not sure I’d want to live another life. This one’s been quite eventful enough! I don’t know if I’m going to miss Thaumaturgia or not.’
‘I don’t miss her, Mummy!’
Louise hugged Glory tight. ‘In that case, neither do I.’
‘What about you, darling?’ whispered Margaret in Roger’s ear.
‘I’m just glad I haven’t lost my child!’ he muttered in a meaningful, apologetic tone, which elicited a smile of gratitude from Matthew. ‘I think I have much to atone for, otherwise I’ll end up like those poor tormented souls.’
Margaret kissed him. ‘It’s about time you woke up to reality.’
‘And how about you, Matt?’ asked Theo.
Matthew laughed. ‘I’m just glad to be me again. I’ve never been overly fond of girls anyway.’
They all laughed, even Roger and Ainsley, who both seemed to have found a personal tolerance from the events of the past few days.
‘So,’ sighed Joyce, ‘have we seen the back of them all?’
Everyone glanced at one another, and in the end, none could answer the question.
‘Well, let’s not think about that right now,’ said Matthew. ‘I don’t know about you lot, but I’m shattered. There’s plenty of room here at Four Oaks. You’re all more than welcome to stay for the rest of the night.’
Everybody agreed, and less than half an hour later, for the first time in its history every bedroom at Four Oaks resonated with the reassuring sounds of gentle snoring.
And no spirits, no dreams, no visions nor nightmares disturbed the sleep that night.
The End
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The Master of Prophecy (The Sawyl Gwilym Chronicles Book 2) Page 36