Crystal chose to ignore her mother’s harsh words, concentrating only on what she must do. She moved to the other side of the kitchen and opened a stiff, wooden drawer. She pushed aside the few knick-knacks that had been stored there to reveal the amulet. With nimble fingers, she placed the necklace around her throat before glancing in the small opaque mirror to admire it.
‘There! Now I’m safe from harm,’ she said, pawing at the necklace. Her slim fingers brushed the red stone and the jewel rippled at her touch, producing a rich, golden glow. Beatrice raised an eyebrow when she saw the amulet change colour.
‘You know we don’t know for sure what kind of charm that is,’ she said, shaking her head with worry. ‘You’ve always been able to sense things, but it’s not necessarily because of the necklace.’ Crystal turned away from the mirror and pushed her arms through the sleeves of her jacket, the tight band on the wrists proving troublesome. Then she made her way to the back door and opened it. Cold air wafted in and Crystal turned towards her mother, her face softening upon seeing her look of anguish.
‘Look, Mum,’ she said, trying to defend her own reasoning. ‘What you say may well be true, but I always feel safer when I’m wearing this necklace. The truth is, I do feel different when I wear it, I feel a bit like … Wonder Woman,’ she said, trying to force a grin.
‘Please don’t go,’ begged Beatrice, still unconvinced. ‘I think it could be really dangerous, especially with it involving the lake. I couldn’t bear it if I lost you too.’
Crystal felt her heart miss a beat at the mere thought of her dead father.
‘Don’t try to make me feel guilty by using Dad,’ she said, her eyes burning with a sudden fury. She felt a wisp of sadness cling to her at the memory of the man who had died before she was born.
She took a step outside, breaking the last invisible bonds of her childhood, and she unconsciously stroked the orbs, feeling a wave of calm rush through her body. For years she had accepted she was different, she had just never been sure in what way. After the episode yesterday in the library she knew she had a special gift, something unique. Now her strength was growing and with it a sense of bravery which she hadn’t experienced before.
Her mother called out to her one last time.
‘There will be no turning back,’ she said, reaching for her daughter and grabbing nothing but fresh air. ‘Your fate lies in your own hands and I have to admit, that frightens me.’
‘You know deep down I have no choice but to do this,’ Crystal shot back, her eyes still showing signs of hostility. ‘My gut instinct tells me I have to unravel the crazy puzzle which I have seen inside my head. I may not be sure how to use my gift yet, but I’m positive I will know soon enough.’
‘This is sheer idiocy,’ Beatrice declared, her eyes narrowing. ‘You’re just a girl!’
‘Mum, please stop being difficult. Why can’t you see that I feel like a volcano ready to erupt? This strange burning sensation which ignites whilst I sleep grows stronger with each passing day. You know I’m not normal, so why try to play these silly games with me?’
Her mother looked beaten and her lips stayed in a tight line, still unable to comprehend her daughter’s sudden wilful streak.
‘Look, I’ll be back as soon as I can,’ Crystal promised when she saw her mother’s stunned expression. ‘Just don’t go worrying yourself stupid.’
What the hell just happened? Beatrice thought when Crystal left. She massaged her forehead when a banging sensation hit against her temples. She had almost felt intimidated by her daughter’s maturity as she stood her ground. Something had changed, shifted between them. She moved to the stove and grabbed the kettle. Taking it over to the sink, she turned on the tap and watched it fill with water. The loud gushing noise grated on her nerves, making her turn off the gas and place the not-quite-full kettle on the draining board. She turned and looked out of the kitchen window, her eyes drinking in the endless green of the rolling hills lying in the distance. Her mind was in turmoil. What on earth was happening to them? Her eyes filled with tears when she wished for the support of a loving husband, something she had wished for many times in the past, but no one else had entered her life in that way. Her vision became bleary from unshed tears wavering on the very tip of her lids, testing her ability to keep it together. Her throat ached with hurt and fear, and she reached out and filled a glass with water.
‘Come back to me, Crystal,’ she heard herself plea. ‘Don’t leave me like your father did.’ Her body straightened as though a whip had hit her spine. She felt her hands reach up and cover her face, and her resolve broke and a flood of tears poured down her cheeks. She was no longer in charge of her daughter’s life; somehow the tide had turned. Her future rested in her own hands and the child who was her only piece of priceless treasure was becoming harder to keep safe from the rest of the world. Then, whilst she wiped away the endless stream of tears with the back of her hand, the feeling of having lost her precious daughter suddenly deepened.
*
It took Crystal some time before she reached a safe place where she could climb onto the grassy bank that surrounded the lake. She stumbled upon a dry stone wall which had crumbled away enough for her to gain easy access. Glancing around, she checked that no one was watching her, not wishing to draw attention to herself – a girl alone. Satisfied she was not being observed, she made her way through the gap and onto the stony path. It seemed such a lonely place and she trembled with apprehension. She zipped up her jacket to protect herself when a blustery wind appeared from nowhere and made her shudder, making her stuff her hands into her pockets for added warmth.
A small brook twinkled prettily down a slight embankment to her left and she watched the water trickle over the muddy earth, seeping over mossy stones and slippery rocks in search of its final resting place, making the path wet and dark. She continued on her way and within minutes passed a solitary man fishing. His stature was well built and he stood close to the water’s edge on strong, sturdy legs. His fishing tackle was strewn over the pathway, making it difficult for her to pass, but she manoeuvred around him, annoyed at his lack of consideration for others. She stole a glance his way, noticing his eyes were closed and that his mouth was covered with something that resembled blood…
‘What the?’ she gasped, sensing danger. She forced herself to think, realising she had to get away from him – fast. She averted her eyes and then broke into a run. She prayed he wouldn’t drop his fishing rod and give pursuit, convinced this was his immediate intention.
On hearing her running footsteps, the man turned and opened his eyes. Deep within him, something evil began to stir. The festering ooze of a supernatural being, malevolent in character, was hiding itself inside the mortal body of the man and the force of his greed dripped from his twisted mouth. On earth, people called this presence The Shadow of Death; in the extraordinary world he was named Abaddon – the Destroyer.
He continued watching her whilst she fled from his sight, becoming ravenous for the unusual kinetic energy which surrounded her and he sensed she was powerful. He had felt her supremacy when she had closed in on him and he wanted it all for himself. He was known to be a force external to nature, controlling forty thousand legions of souls, and each soul was sent to him to suffer an immortal life of purgatory, and he fed on their fear and loathing.
Now he wanted Crystal.
As she ran, Crystal forced the growing niggles of danger aside, pushing herself on and evaluating what was important. In the strong sunlight she was beginning to look tired and drawn.
Stay focused, she told herself, when her mind reverted back to the stranger and she suffered a shiver of fear. Scanning the lake, her eye caught sight of something oddly familiar. Her gut threw her an almighty punch when she realised what she had spotted in the distance. Against the haze of the sun she made out the shape of the rowing boat she’d seen in her premonition. Bobbing against the tide it drifted on the surface of the water, creating a scene of serenity before her
troubled eyes. Then she saw two small, dark shapes messing about inside and knew instinctively who was on-board. The overwhelming feeling of panic forced her to break into a sprint. The boat seemed so far away and she needed to get there – fast. Adrenalin pumped through her veins and strong muscles, giving her the burst of energy she so desperately needed. With a will of their own, her legs ran faster, her determination and strong spirit urging her on.
‘Get out of the boat, get back to the bank!’ she screamed until almost hoarse. But much to her distress, her cries were swallowed by the sheer vastness of the space between them. It felt like she was never going to reach them and she realised time was already against her.
*
It had been without hesitation that Alfie and Matt had rolled up their trouser legs, shoes forgotten on the bank, and waded into the water to rescue the abandoned rowing boat.
‘This is just the coolest thing,’ laughed Alfie, grabbing the oars and checking they weren’t broken. ‘Let’s row to the middle,’ he said, passing a paddle over to Matt, ‘it’ll give us something to do.’ Matt clipped the oar into the holder, creating a splash when it hit the surface of the water.
‘Hey, watch it!’ laughed Alfie, good-naturedly. ‘I don’t want a bath just yet.’ Matt chuckled to himself whilst they both larked about, happy to be outside on such a pleasant day. The wind had died away and the sun was shining down on their naked heads, the water refusing to entertain a ripple, just what you would want to create a perfect afternoon. They made their way to the centre of the lake and noticed they were alone.
‘I’m surprised it’s so dead out here on such a lovely day,’ said Alfie, scanning the horizon for bodies.
‘Yeah, I know what you mean, it’s usually busy down here this time of year and we could have made the most of it if we’d thought to bring our fishing tackle,’ said Matt, staring down at a passing trout.
‘You’re right, it would have been great fun to do a spot of fishing, especially with us finding this boat,’ answered Alfie with a cheeky grin. ‘I wonder what kind of fish are down there? Bet there’s salmon and I heard my dad say there’s carp here too.’ He stopped and thought seriously for a moment. ‘I wonder if there are any piranhas.’
Matt let out a genuine yelp of laughter. ‘You’re such an idiot at times,’ he said, shaking his head in disbelief. ‘You know, you don’t half come out with some right tripe at times,’ he added, placing the oar back in the boat and settling himself down.
‘No I don’t!’ retorted Alfie, feeling a stab of resentment. ‘Don’t say things like that to me, you’re supposed to be my mate.’
‘I can’t help it,’ Matt teased. ‘You should hear yourself.’ He searched for an example. ‘Like the time you believed you get newborn babies from Tesco!’ He let out another peel of laughter. ‘That was so funny.’
‘That’s not fair,’ said Alfie, thinking of a way to defend himself. ‘That was my older brother’s fault, that’s what he told me, and I was only five at the time.’
Matt was starting to enjoy himself. ‘Okay then, what about that time you went to the toilet, and an hour later your mum videoed you fast asleep on the loo with your trousers round your ankles and showed it to half the street.’
Alfie’s head jerked back at the reminder, humiliation burning his plump cheeks. He could feel the heat from his face creep all the way down to the pit of his belly. He opened his mouth in protest.
‘Oh yeah, I forgot you’re so bloody perfect,’ he hissed with such venom that Matt was quite startled. ‘Who’s the one in double figures who can’t even swim then, smart arse?’ A wicked glint appeared in Alfie’s right eye; something dark surfaced from inside him and he decided it was time Matt drank from the cup of humiliation for a change.
*
Crystal managed to cover some considerable distance in a relatively short time, but her body screamed out from the physical exertion. Her legs hurt, her chest was tight and her long hair clung in a damp cluster across her face. Beads of sweat were visible on her pale skin, but she wiped them away with the back of her hand as though they were nothing more than a group of annoying gnats. She was determined to make it to the boat, but she still had a fair distance to cover before she would be close enough to enable the boys to hear her calling them back to safety.
It took her by surprise when she found herself falling and, trying to save herself, she thrust her hands out to break her fall. Crashing hard upon the stones and baked soil, she realised she had been taken down by an obstinate root and had landed badly. Wincing in pain, she thought perhaps she had sprained her ankle. She bit her lip, forcing herself back onto her feet. Crystal felt hot pain shoot up her leg and immediately sat back down. Grappling the soil, she forced herself up with the help of a thick branch she spotted close by. The pressure of her foot touching the ground caused her to wince in pain again, but with each passing moment the throbbing appeared to ease. She wasn’t far from them now; she knew she couldn’t give up. Struggling to calm her beating heart and fill her lungs with much-needed oxygen, the terrible scene she had seen only the day before in her mind began to unfold before her very eyes.
Back on the boat, Alfie had started to rock it from side to side and it was clear anxiety was mounting by the look on Matt’s face, but this only fuelled Alfie’s desire to scare him all the more. Matt shifted his gaze and peered below the surface of the lake. He thought the water had an eeriness about it, as though strange shapes were moving through its dark tangles of weeds, and he gave an involuntary shudder when he realised he couldn’t see the bottom.
‘Don’t even think about it!’ shouted Matt, attempting to read Alfie’s mind, and when Alfie turned to look at him, he realised Matt was genuinely frightened.
‘I mean it, pack it in!’ Matt cried, when he was almost jolted out of his seat. ‘You know damn well I can’t swim.’
‘You’re not so tough now,’ Alfie sneered in delight. ‘You don’t like it when someone else is in control for a change, do you?’
Matt’s green eyes rounded in shock and Alfie’s smile turned into a ghastly grin. He gave the boat yet another sharp tug and this time it almost capsized. Matt clung to the sides, yelling obscenities in fear. He found he couldn’t move a muscle and his knuckles had turned white as he used all of his strength to ensure he didn’t fall into the lake.
‘I’m going to wring your bloody neck when we get back on dry land,’ Matt screeched whilst his face turned red with fury.
‘You’re in no position to threaten me,’ laughed Alfie, clearly enjoying himself. ‘I’m in control for once and we’ll go back when I’m good and ready!’
‘Please, enough’s enough,’ Matt pleaded, noticing the look of madness in Alfie’s wild eyes. ‘Come on, let’s get back to shore and forget all about this.’
‘Not on your life,’ Alfie spat, lifting his chin in defiance. ‘Because today’s the day I teach you a very valuable lesson.’
Abbadon looked on from the safety of the shore and relished the thought of what he was about to do. He calmly made the fisherman put down his rod. His eyes were burning as red as scorching coal embers inside the man’s head and the torturous pain the demon was inflicting tasted savoury and sweet. Releasing himself, the demon began to shake free from his human cover.
The possessed man shook and squealed from the internal pain like a slaughterhouse pig, but the demon only chuckled with infinite pleasure. Invisible claws ripped at the man’s flesh and tore through his entire body, bringing death to him in an instant. The demon, intent on escaping the confines of his mortal shell, poured from his hiding place like the plague, vaporising into a black mist which choked the air like coal dust. The empty carcass fell to the floor, the lifeless body discarded, his soul already devoured.
Abbadon licked his evil lips, wanting to taste fresh, young souls, and applauded himself when he spotted the two boys messing about on the lake, victims rich with life.
He quickly made his way over the water, floating through the air onl
y inches from the surface. Dark clouds filled the once blue sky, swirling and thick, and sat in abundance above the lake amidst the rumbles of thunder.
Crystal felt the malevolent presence before she saw it and with all of her might she screamed her warning one last time. On hearing her cry Abbadon formed a ghostly body. Then he extended his arm and opened his long, bony fingers, seizing her words in the palm of his skeletal hand. A dark sound escaped his blackened lips as he crumbled her words to dust before allowing the ash to fall into the water like scattered cinders. Crystal could only watch in horror when Abbadon flew with purpose towards Matt and Alfie. He hovered over them like some prancing Halloween effigy and both boys flinched when he shot to Matt’s side. Then, with one quick flourish of his hand, he knocked Matt straight into the water.
Matt was under the surface before he knew what hit him. Shock clasped Alfie like strong hands around his throat. He hadn’t actually intended for his friend to fall in and had never expected any intervention by some black, deadly ghost. He sat frozen to the spot as though rigor mortis had somehow invaded his trembling body; his senses told him his best friend was fighting for his life, but he was unable to move.
Matt surfaced only once and whilst he struggled for breath, the water covered his head once more and he disappeared under its cold surface. He fought to make it back. Thrashing his arms and legs, he tried to reach the boat, confused as to why Alfie wasn’t trying to save him. His sodden clothes dragged him under the murky water and he was unable to re-emerge. His lungs screamed out for oxygen as he tried to breathe underwater, his nose and mouth could no longer suck in air and his lungs contracted in pain. His eyes grew wide with terror, watching his world slip away and he floated down to where a watery grave lay waiting.
With evil intent, Abbadon dived into the freezing water, feeling nothing but excitement under its cold surface. The girl temporarily forgotten, he swam in circles around Matt’s body; faster and faster he spun, disorientating him in seconds. Matt was unable to cope, his brain couldn’t decipher the sluggish messages it was receiving, and his mind fled to the safety of unconsciousness, allowing his legs to finally still. The sweeping grasses hidden below reached out for his feet and slipped their slimy leaves around his ankles, tightening their hold, obeying the Destroyer.
Sinners of Magic Page 4