by M S C Barnes
“Seb, you do not need to imagine, you need to see. Like the fairies, the Dryads and all the other things you now see because your mind is open to them, be open to this and see the auras around you.”
Seb understood. Aelfric was telling him that, like the many hazy creatures he was now aware of between the realities, his own aura was there, just waiting for him to focus on it to make it apparent; he needed to accept it was there and simply see it.
This time, he kept his eyes open and looked down at his hands on his lap. The strange thing was, when he did this, he was suddenly aware of other colours nearby, in the periphery of his vision. He glanced up, and now, around Aiden, he could see an outline of pink. He smiled. He glanced at Zach and saw the same thing.
“What’s funny?” Zach frowned.
Seb looked at Alice. His twin was surrounded by an outline of green, so too was Dierne. And now he could see it all. Greg and Trudy also had these auras and then Seb glanced at Aelfric and his eyes opened wide. Far brighter than all the others, Aelfric had a vivid outline of blue brilliance around him. It was so definite and so powerful it spread out as far as Trudy and Dierne and across to Seb himself. Stunned, he looked down once more at his hands, but was baffled. There was nothing around him, no outline, no reassuring glow.
“I don’t have one,” he said to Aelfric, bitterly disappointed to have failed again.
Aelfric smiled. “You do. You just won’t see it Seb, you are within it. Can you see everyone else’s?” he asked.
Seb nodded, looking at Greg and then Alice.
“Then that is all you need.” Aelfric stood as Seb realised, yet again, that his palm was aching. “You will never see your own energy, but if you see everyone else’s then you can comprehend that the influence of each soul’s energy spreads from their physical body. And you are no different. Work with Aiden. Learn to focus and then spread that energy around yourself.” He was already walking towards the door. Still wet from his previous outing, he pulled the door open and braced himself as the wind swept into the room. “I won’t be long.” Then he was gone, along with Dierne.
The moment Aelfric left, Zach asked, “Pink? Tell me I’m not pink really, Seb. I could live with purple, that’d be quite cool.”
“Shut up Zach,” Trudy said, staring out at the distressed sea, waiting for her Custodian to return, or to call for her.
Seb noticed, with interest, that the halo of pink light around her had intensified and become slightly bigger.
“It’s pink Zach,” he said turning to his friend. “Suits you actually.” He smiled.
Zach huffed. “I am so hungry,” he said glancing around the room. “Is there really no food here?” Everyone ignored him.
“So Seb,” Aiden said, taking the seat Aelfric had vacated, “I don’t know what you can see, but like Aelfric says, you have to somehow make your energy, your aura, spread out from yourself and think about it protecting you. The sad fact is, we won’t know if you have been successful until something threatens you.”
“That is true,” Greg said, as though he had just realised it. “We won’t know you are safe until you withstand an attack.” He looked frustrated and Trudy turned, her face like thunder.
“Are you saying the only way to know Seb is safe is to put him to the test?” she said. “Aelfric’s not going to take that risk — and he isn’t going to let him off this boat until he knows he’s safe.”
Greg nodded. “Yes, that is the only way. And I’m afraid you are right, Aelfric won’t put Seb at risk.”
“So remind me what the point of all this was then?” Zach asked. No-one had an answer.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, Aiden tucked his book back in his satchel. He pulled out the little amulet he had made and sat fiddling with it.
“Well, that thing’s a waste of time too isn’t it?” Zach pointed at the amulet. “We can’t prove it works until someone attacks Seb again.”
Ignoring him, Trudy stepped forward, looking defiant.
“Aelfric cannot do The Restoration by himself. He is already exhausted, you can see it. I can’t — we can’t let him do it alone.” She glared at Seb.
Seb didn’t know what to say. He agreed with her and he knew she was right that, all the while there was a risk to him, Aelfric would never let him leave this boat. He lowered his head and stared pathetically at the floor, noticing a slight staining in the wooden boards, where he had fallen. Whoever had cleared up the blood hadn’t managed to get rid of all the traces. He looked away.
“Well, I am stumped,” Greg said, throwing his hands up in a gesture of futility. “Without actually putting Seb at risk and making sure he can withstand an attack, we cannot prove to Aelfric that he is safe to leave the yacht.”
Trudy took a step closer and lowered her voice.
“When Aelfric returns, we could tell him there was another attempt at an attack on Seb — and that Seb withstood it. Then he will allow him to help him with The Restoration. It would be a secret between us, that it hadn’t actually happened.”
“Hold on a minute —” Zach said, standing, but Trudy cut him off. She turned to Seb. “Do you believe you can use your aura to protect yourself?” she demanded.
“Trudy, that is unfair on the lad,” Greg muttered.
“No Greg, it’s unfair on Aelfric. It has been unfair on him for a long time now.”
“But to lie to Aelfric, Trudy? Seriously? Do you think he will be fooled? And do you think he will forgive you if he finds out?” Greg said.
Now her shoulders slumped and she frowned at the floor. After a moment or two, she glanced back up at Greg. “So what do we do? He can’t do it alone, Greg.”
Greg put a hand on her shoulder. “He may have to,” he said.
Seb was fighting his internal demons. He was terrified of another attack — not only because of the pain that would involve, but because this time, it may just kill him. But he could see how tired and drawn Aelfric looked and, unlike the others, could see how he was using Cue continually as a source of recuperative energy. He stayed quiet though, unable to resolve the issue. He had absolutely no faith in his own ability to use his aura to protect himself. Looking at Aiden, his freckles sparkling in the light, he could now clearly see the pink aura which surrounded his body. It glowed weakly, Aiden’s disappointed thoughts reducing its energy. He looked at Trudy; her aura glowed lustrously with the anger and frustration she was feeling. Aelfric was right, he had just needed to see, not imagine, and now the auras of all those around him were visible without him even trying to see them. But that didn’t help. How could a glowing light around anyone’s body stop a knife stabbed into an effigy? “You were bleeding,” Alice’s words reverberated around his head and he stared at the floorboards, feeling lost.
As the glass doors opened, he jumped. Aelfric and Dierne, dripping wet once more, stepped into the room. Cue was by Aelfric’s side and he had his hand discretely on the wolf’s back. He closed the doors, but before he could get very far into the room, Trudy planted herself in front of him.
“You need to rest,” she barked. “And you need to let Seb take his share.”
“Trudy!” Greg exclaimed. She waved a hand dismissively at him.
“You cannot go into The Restoration like this Aelfric,” her tone softened, but she stood defiantly in front of him.
Aelfric regarded her thoughtfully for a moment and then he put a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“You care so deeply,” he said to her. “And I love you for it.” He smiled. She shuffled her feet, looking embarrassed and thrilled at the same time. “I will go and lie down, Trudy. But Seb cannot help. His path is a different one at the moment. You are his Guardian as much as you are mine and I know you will give him the help he needs.” Turning to Seb he continued. “Seb, do not feel pressured. Your need, at the moment, is to protect yourself. We will all help —”
“Aelfric!” Trudy interrupted, suddenly pointing at him. “You are bleeding. What’s happened.”
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nbsp; Seb looked where she was pointing and could see, between the lapels of his sodden coat, just below the level of his ribs, a red patch spreading across his white shirt.
Aelfric reacted swiftly. He pulled his coat closed, covering it.
“I am fine,” he said, placing a hand back on Cue, who leant against his legs. “It will pass.”
“What will?” Trudy was horrified. “You are hurt. How are you hurt?”
Greg, hurried up to him and ignoring Aelfric’s efforts to resist, opened his coat. The patch of red had grown. It was clearly blood and there was clearly lots of it. Dierne had been discretely supporting Aelfric but now, as Greg tried to push Aelfric’s coat off his shoulders, his grip was broken. Aelfric staggered. Dierne swooped and, taking his arm, helped him sit on the sofa.
Greg immediately began unbuttoning Aelfric’s shirt, yelling at Aiden to go and get some hot water and at Zach to pass him a fresh towel.
“Greg, enough,” Aelfric said, quietly but firmly. “I have said it will pass, and it will.”
Dierne moved round and took Greg’s hands away.
“Leave him,” his voice crackled.
By now, though, Greg had opened Aelfric’s shirt and Seb looked on, appalled. On the left side, under Aelfric’s ribs, a swathe of bandages, which obviously covered an open wound, was soaked in blood. Seb put a hand to his own ribs. The wound was in the exact place he had felt the knife-edge penetrate his body and where, he fancied, he had bled from. There was a further, puncture-type wound in the centre of Aelfric’s chest, in the same spot Seb had felt that burning, piercing skewer drive through his breastbone; that one appeared partially healed, but fresh blood had begun to seep from it.
Greg, stepping back as Aelfric buttoned his shirt, whispered, “Now we know how Seb was not killed.”
“What?” Trudy was confused and upset. “What Greg?”
“Enough, please Greg,” Aelfric said softly. “I will go and lie down, but I need nothing more. Help Seb.”
With Dierne’s assistance he stood and walked towards the galley. No-one spoke as they watched him descend to the sleeping quarters.
When he was gone Trudy turned to Greg.
“What has happened? Tell me what’s happened,” she hissed at him.
Greg shook his head. “It would appear that Aelfric has his own secret. I believe that, in order to save Seb,” he lowered his voice, “he used the wolf-stags to transfer the sympathetic influence — and the injuries — onto himself.”
No Poppet Required
Trudy was irate. She stood, glaring at her brother.
“This cannot continue! He will not survive The Restoration, Greg. You need to go down to him, deal with his wounds. He says he doesn’t want help, but he needs it.” And now she span round and glared at Seb. Keeping her voice low, she snarled at him, “Right! You need to deal with the next trespasser. The very next time you get the sign, you need to go instead of Aelfric. He needs time to —”
Zach jumped in. He positioned himself between Trudy and Seb.
“He will do no such thing,” he said, laughing. “You need to calm down my lady.” He spoke as though the whole issue was a joke. “Now, I may be new to this game, but if I get this right, Seb here, if he leaves this boat, could face another attack which could actually kill him. I can’t let that happen — I’d be out of a job. And rather than barking orders at people to do things you know very well they cannot do, maybe you and I should be thinking about how we are going to protect Seb, and Aelfric.” He beckoned to Aiden. “Aiden, show us that book of yours. If Seb’s not up for using his bubble, maybe me and Trudy can — or maybe there’s something else in there that would help?”
Trudy stood, rocking on the balls of her feet, fists clenched, glowering at Zach. Greg moved towards her and put his arm around her shoulders.
“Trudy, I will go and see if he will let me treat the wounds, but I think Zach is right. If you and he can find a way to protect Seb, Aelfric will possibly allow him to share some of the work. We still have over twelve hours until the moment of the solstice.”
Throughout these exchanges, Seb sat, Alice behind him, feeling an abject failure. He was horrified that Aelfric had taken those awful injuries onto himself, and every word Trudy had uttered made him feel more guilty.
Alice spoke silently to him, “This really isn’t your fault, Seb.”
As Greg walked towards the rear of the boat, Aiden, who had been sitting quietly beside them, turned to Seb.
“I have an idea,” he whispered. He opened the book and showed Seb and Alice a double page. The rather odd title on the left hand page read: ‘Poppet’. Beneath it was an image of a crudely-fashioned fabric doll with irregular, bold stitching attaching basic arms, legs and head to a lumpy torso. Two different sized black buttons had been used for eyes, which stared blankly from the page at Seb, and more irregular stitching formed a grim, down-turned mouth. The look of it sent shivers down Seb’s spine.
“That’s a Voodoo Doll,” Zach exclaimed, noticing the page and stepping round Trudy to take a closer look.
“Actually, yes, but its real name is a poppet,” Aiden explained as Zach snatched the book from him.
“Cool,” Zach smiled. “And this is what someone’s been using to stab Seb?” he asked.
“It’s not cool Zach, but it is useful. And the poppet doesn’t necessarily take the form of a doll like this — it can be a wax or clay model, carved out of wood or even a potato, or made out of something simpler. Essentially it just needs to be made to represent the person you want the sympathetic influence, or magic, to work on, and to have a tag-lock or a magical link to the person — like a sample from them, a fingernail clipping, hair and so on.”
“Aiden, we sort of know all this now,” Zach said, handing the book back to him.
“Yes,” Aiden answered, “but I have an idea.” Trudy moved closer, standing with her toes practically touching Aiden’s as she leaned forward to look at the book. “We know that sympathetic magic can be used to harm, and we think that whoever is doing this to Seb is using an effigy or poppet like this. But these poppets can also be used to protect. Our issue with the Aura Shield is that we won’t know it is working until Seb has to defend himself, and Aelfric won’t allow that. I’m not saying this will be any different, but the issue with trusting the Aura Shield,” he turned to Seb, looking apologetic, “I am sorry, Seb, is that Seb doesn’t believe in it, or his own ability to use it, enough.”
“Go on,” Trudy said to Aiden.
“Well, I believe in this and you believe in this?” Aiden looked up enquiringly at her. She nodded emphatically. “So, this will definitely work — if we make the poppet and we use it to protect Seb. Aelfric, of all people, knows that sympathetic influence works — hasn’t he the injuries to prove it? And if it can be so effective in causing harm, he knows too that, with the right belief and intent, it can be just as effective in protecting. If he knows you are guarding Seb from the imitative influence, Trudy, using that same influence — and with your typical,” he paused, looking for a suitable word, “zeal — then he may allow Seb to join him in The Restoration. He trusts us, and in particular, you.”
They turned as Greg, returning from below decks, joined them.
“How is he?” Trudy immediately asked.
Greg looked troubled.
“He is asleep already. I wasn’t going to risk disturbing him to check his wounds — and I don’t believe Dierne would have let me.” Frowning, he added, “It won’t be long before there is another trespasser. He needs a good, long rest, but I am afraid he will be denied that.”
“Well, Aiden here has an idea.” Zach pointed at the book. “Although he totally excluded me from it, which I find very insulting.” Aiden blushed. “Particularly since I am Seb’s Guardian.” He crossed his arms.
The redness in Aiden’s cheeks deepened and he stammered, “I, I, Zach, it’s just that —”
“Just that you doubt me? Charming!” Zach huffed.
�
�I just didn’t think you believed in any of this,” Aiden mumbled, looking fit to cry.
“Mm. Any of this — like fairies? Dryads? Magical doorways? Golems, gytrash, whispy souls and — my fantastic stick?” He pulled it from his trouser pocket, twirled it and stuffed it back in there. “Nah, maybe you’re right. I am a doubter aren’t I?” He pointed a finger at Seb. “I am though, as I said, Seb’s Guardian, and if I have to make bubbles or knit dolls to protect him, then I will do that!” Now he smirked and Aiden relaxed.
“What’s the idea?” Greg asked, sitting once more in the big armchair.
It was Zach who summarised.
“We make a Voodoo protection puppet. We make it — me, Trudy and Aiden — cos we’re the ones who believe in its power and we’re the ones who really want to protect Seb. That way, because Aelfric trusts us, he will be sure Seb is protected and then he’ll let us off this boat — I don’t know about you, but I need a change of scenery — And he should also then let Seb here take part in The Restoration thing.”
Greg lifted his over-grown brows.
“It’s actually a poppet,” Aiden said. “And I just hoped that, if the Guardians and I made it, Aelfric would trust it would work to protect Seb — he wouldn’t have to worry about whether Seb’s own defence of himself was sufficient ...” His voice trailed off and he nervously flicked the corner of the page in the book.
Seb had been listening as though in a daze. He felt like everyone had forgotten he was even in the room. What a pathetic figure they seemed to think he made — self-doubting, vulnerable, needy. But he couldn’t argue with that assessment — that was precisely how he felt. He doubted his ability to use his own aura to protect himself, he felt vulnerable to another attack and he absolutely needed their help.
Greg was slowly nodding as Aiden continued.
“Of course, we still can’t prove it works until Seb is attacked again, but I think Aelfric will trust Trudy’s,” he paused and looked at Zach, “and Zach’s determination to protect Seb, and that, because they are so devoted to their roles, their power will be greater than the attacker’s.”