by M S C Barnes
And a realisation hit Seb; all the souls, all the doors, everywhere he had been since becoming a Custodian, they were all in the British Isles. Never had a door taken him to mainland Europe or the Americas, to Africa, Asia, Australia. Why had he never noticed?
“Months ago, Greg explained to you the power of the magnetic fields of the Earth,” Aelfric said to him. Seb nodded, remembering sitting atop Waulud’s Bank, listening to Greg talking about the Arctic Tern, about whales and other creatures that used the magnetic fields of the Earth to navigate by. The magnetic fields formed lines, Ley Lines, and it was these Ley Lines that provided the highways for souls to travel to and from Áberan. Since then, Seb had come to view Ley Lines more as arteries in the Earth from which veins and capillaries branched out, enabling souls to reach their destined bodily host or to depart it at death and return to Áberan. “The magnetic fields of the Ley Lines spread in all directions,” Aelfric continued. “Where one’s power meets that of another, a boundary is formed, demarcating the areas of the Custodians’ responsibilities. Our area is that which falls under the influence of the St Michael’s Ley Line in the south of England.” Seb just gaped at him, still wondering why he had never noticed — never thought — that the Earth and all its souls would obviously be far too high a volume and geographical area for one or two people to deal with. Now Aelfric looked at Scarlet and Aiden. “And Henri Durand,” he used the French pronunciation of the names, “is the Custodian for the area of the Mont St. Michel Line, which runs from Mont Dol to D’Avranches. Both lines connect with the main St Michael Line, also known as the Apollo Line, making them two of the most powerful lines in the world.” He paused, and when he spoke again, he stared directly at Seb. “Henri was a very old and very close friend of Heath.”
Seb was appalled. A close friend of Heath? This Custodian had used subliminal messages to cause him to feel so ill and exhausted he could not function. Heath’s friend! Was he also the one using Voodoo to try to kill him?
“So do you think he also used the sympathetic magic on Seb?” Aiden asked. “Does he want to kill Seb because Seb killed his friend?”
Before Aelfric could answer, Greg jumped in.
“I absolutely believe it is Henri using sympathetic influence to attack Seb. But the subliminal messages, I believe, were meant for Aelfric.” Aiden gasped. “Henri will have known Seb survived the first attacks and so knew that Aelfric would not permit him to read any souls; he would keep him safe.” He turned to Aelfric. “Surely Henri cannot have guessed that you took on Seb’s injuries yourself, but he will have guessed that Seb managed to survive the attacks because you were protecting him — even if he didn’t know how. Believing, therefore, that it would be you, and you alone, who would be reading the souls tonight, he intended to use subliminal messages to debilitate you, thereby ensuring that you could not continue to protect Seb. That would give him the chance to re-locate him and attack, without fear of your intervention.”
Other than the crackling of the fire, there was not a sound.
After a moment, Aelfric spoke.
“We discussed this, Greg; we cannot be certain of anything at this time. Although it is possible you are correct, we cannot assume.”
As he spoke, Trudy and Zach returned from the hidden room, Zach grinning madly. Picking up on the tense atmosphere, however, his smile disappeared.
“Did I miss something?” he asked.
“Only that we think a very, very powerful Custodian is the one trying to kill Seb,” Aiden said, sounding horrified.
“Oh, Trudy told me that. Nothing else then? Nothing new has happened?” The grin returned and Seb noticed Zach was playing with something in his pocket.
“So how powerful is he?” Scarlet asked, looking at Aelfric. “Henri Durand.”
“After Heath, he is the longest-serving and possibly the most knowledgeable of all the Custodians. And it would now seem that he has decided to put that knowledge and his years of experience to a vengeful purpose,” Greg said, shaking his head.
“Betrayal!” Trudy spat. “By seeking to avenge Heath, he betrays everything he is supposed to uphold.”
“He has no reason to seek vengeance, Trudy,” Aelfric said, quietly. “No-one outside our groups knows the full details of that night. When I passed on the news of Heath’s,” he struggled for a word, “fate,” he sighed, “I simply told the Custodian Witan that he had tried to release Braddock’s soul from the Soul Drop and had been trapped in there with him as a result. I said nothing more and no-one asked more. Henri left without speaking with me and has not tried to contact me since. I believed he was simply grieving for his friend. It is not logical that he would suddenly decide to avenge Heath, if he has no information about what happened.” He looked at her sadly. Still looking angry, she avoided eye contact with him. Aelfric noticed. “Trudy?” She said nothing. “Trudy?” he asked again.
“Jacqueline asked,” she finally said, looking even more angry. “So I told her. But I told her everything,” she continued quickly. “I told her about how Heath had manipulated Seb into opening the Soul Drop so that Braddock could escape, and how Braddock had taken over Seb’s body, and then how Heath had been willing to kill you Aelfric, in order to allow his twin to have a Custodian host. I told her everything. I had no reason not to; Heath betrayed us all. He deserved what happened to him!” She went to stamp her foot then appeared to remember her sore ankle and placed it back down carefully. “Surely Henri can see that?” she growled.
“Who is Jacqueline?” Aiden asked, timidly.
“Henri’s Guide,” Greg said, moving over to stand with his sister in a gesture of moral support. “Trudy was not wrong to speak of the events,” he said, looking at Aelfric.
“No,” Aelfric said, giving her a small smile. She looked relieved.
“So what do we do now?” Scarlet asked.
“Alice,” Aelfric called. Alice, looking surprised, flitted over to him. “Can you pass a message for me to Dæved, Henri’s Weaver, and ask Henri to meet with me?”
“Aelfric, is that wise?” Greg stepped forward. “Surely that will alert him? He will guess that we know what he has been doing.”
“He is an old friend, Greg; I owe him a discussion. What has been done may not be as it seems,” Aelfric said and then added, “And even it if is, it is not irreconcilable.”
“And if he tries to attack you? You are still —” Trudy, faltered, “You have not recovered fully from your injuries,” she finished.
“I am much better, Trudy. Half an hour with the help of the wolves has healed me considerably,” Aelfric smiled at her again.
He did look quite a bit better, Seb noticed. Colour had returned to his cheeks, as had the sparkle to his eyes and, although he still had his hands on the shoulders of the wolves, he appeared able to stand unaided. Seb hadn’t realised that the time Dom had spent teaching him to withstand the subliminal messages had been so long. Half an hour? But when he recalled the number of times Dom had made Alice push forward those memories and the number of times he had used the owl totem to deflect the effect he realised it must have been at least that long. Looking at Aelfric, he was impressed at what the power of two wolves could do in that period of time.
“Alice, the message if you could please,” Aelfric said and Alice nodded. After a pause, however, he frowned.
“Dæved is not answering,” he said. “I believe he can hear me, but he does not respond.”
As Alice spoke, Seb felt a sudden rush of sadness. Aelfric stood more upright and the wolves whimpered. Seb, realising now what this was, instantly concentrated on building his aura into a wall and within moments the feeling of sadness had gone.
“Good,” Aelfric said, smiling at him as the wolves settled.
“And that is why Dæved wasn’t answering,” Greg said, looking angry. “Henri is still trying to kill Seb!”
“Could you call once more please Alice?” Aelfric asked.
After a moment, Alice shook his head again. “Dæved
won’t answer me. I have tried to explain that you want to meet with Henri, but he won’t even acknowledge my message.”
Aelfric sighed. “Then I will have to join the others.”
“Where are they?” Seb asked.
“Hellfire Caves,” Aelfric said. “They’re waiting at the entrance to the Endless Staircase. I believe Henri is at, or making his way to, the Sanctum of Friends and so that is where I must go.”
At the thought of Hellfire Caves, Seb found his mind returning to the soul he had encountered there. And now the vision of the meeting between Henri and that soul flooded his mind, accompanied by nausea and tiredness. But the training Dom had given him had been effective. He grasped the charm around his neck and focussed on the feeling of the cold metal between his fingers. Instantly, all he could see was a ghost-like owl flying low across the ground and then the yellow eyes of the bird, sitting on the bed, regarding him with interest. A flapping by his left ear was followed by a heavy weight landing on his shoulder. He turned his head. The owl had reappeared and sat, staring at him. The vision of Henri was forgotten, and the sick feeling and tiredness evaporated. Seb smiled, deciding he liked this bird.
“Well done, Seb,” Aelfric said, revealing the owl to the others.
“Oh, that is just lovely, Seb,” Scarlet exclaimed. “Where did he come from?”
“He’s a totem, Scarlet, like the cat.” Alice smiled.
“Cat?” she said, and the owl turned its wide eyes on her.
“Greg my friend, a word please,” Aelfric said, pulling Greg to one side as Zach tried to explain totems to Scarlet. After a minute Greg, smiling happily, returned to the group.
Aelfric now made the doorway appear and walked towards it.
“Seb,” he called across, “Concentrate on defending yourself.” Seb nodded. “Good. Now, take your group back to your house. We may not be able to communicate for a while so if I need to pass you a message, I will send Dierne.” In just a few seconds he, with Pace and Cue, had vanished through the doorway, behind Trudy.
Greg watched the door fizzle out of sight then nudged Seb. “On you go young man. Take us to your home,” he said.
Seb made the door appear and Zach was the first to reach it.
“Yay. Lily can make hot chocolate for us,” he said, opening the door and, followed eagerly by Aiden and Scarlet, passed through it. The owl, presumably feeling its work was done, flapped into the air and disappeared. Seb, with Alice at his side, stepped over the threshold behind Greg, feeling happy to be going home.
As he placed a foot through the doorway he wasn’t prepared for the sight that greeted him on the other side. He had expected to emerge somewhere in the small house but instead he stepped into a narrow passageway illuminated by bright light.
Instantly he recognised the chalky walls and gravely floor: Hellfire Caves. Trudy turning, looked annoyed as she saw the group emerge, and Dom stared in surprise at them. Aelfric, his face unreadable, said nothing. Only Nat smiled.
Zach was already moaning. “Seb, not here! You were meant to take us to your house. We were going to have hot chocolate!”
“But, that’s where I intended to go — to our house,” Seb mumbled.
“Well you didn’t intend hard enough!” Zach tutted.
“The doors do not always lead where we intend or hope, Zach,” Aelfric said, “They lead to where we are needed. If the door opened here for Seb,” he frowned, puzzled, “then he needs to be here.”
Nat inched across to Seb and brushed her fingers lightly against his.
“I’m pleased the door led you here,” she whispered, and now Seb felt pleased it had too. He smiled back and gripped her hand, holding it by his side so the others couldn’t see.
“Are those fireflies?” Zach said loudly, stretching across and grabbing the item Nat was holding in her other hand. It was a conical shaped piece of wood which had been hollowed out. From the bottom of it a small, yellowy-green light shone. The inside surface of the wooden cone had been coated with tiny gems which picked up the light and threw it forward, spreading its rays all around the walls, roof and floor. Dom also held one of these cone torches and a further two had been planted, pointed ends into the ground, beside the far wall. Their combined light made the dark passageway as bright as day. Zach peered into the cone he had snatched from Nat and then blinked, temporarily blinding himself. “Ouch, shouldn’t have done that!” he said, even more loudly.
“Shh, Zach!” Scarlet hissed at him.
“What for?” he asked. “Worried Lorna will find us again?”
“That’s enough, Zach,” Trudy mumbled to him as Dierne and The Caretaker appeared from opposite ends of the tunnel. Neither had made a sound as they approached and Aiden, startled, knocked over one of the planted torches. As it tipped sideways, the fireflies, flitting around in a compartment in the bottom of it, found their way out and zoomed off down the passageway.
“The shadow has not altered,” Dierne said to Aelfric. “It covers the same area as normal.” Aelfric, looking satisfied, picked up the remaining torch from the floor and handed it to Aiden.
“Morgan?” he asked.
“She is not here,” The Caretaker answered, and moved closer to Seb.
“Who isn’t?” Zach said, flashing his torch around the walls and in peoples’ faces. Trudy tutted and took it off him.
“We are safe to open the stairway then?” Dom asked, ignoring Zach’s question. Aelfric nodded and now Dom turned to face the wall which held the door Seb had just stepped through.
“This is the same door we used to get out of here before,” Aiden said, pointing behind them to the Roman Numerals, XXII, which were carved in the opposite wall.
“Ah,” Dom said, lifting his eyebrows. He beckoned for Scarlet to step forward. Looking confused, she joined him. “What do you see Scarlet?” he asked.
She stared at the door frowning, then shook her head. “Just the door,” she said.
“Look again,” Dom insisted. As he spoke, Aelfric lifted his hand and reflected light onto the Roman Numerals behind them. Deep within the furrows of the carved numerals silver metal gleamed and bounced the light back across the passageway to the opposite wall. And now Scarlet gasped.
“There are markings on the door,” she said, looking up. “Arrows that point upwards.” “Yes,” Dom said as Aelfric tilted his hand to shine light above the door. A further door materialised, standing on top of the first one, which now fizzled out of sight, leaving this second door hanging in the wall, six feet above the ground and stretching up so that the top bent over as the wall met the tunnel roof.
“Wow!” Aiden said. He was looking into his tin then looked up, then back into it. “I didn’t see that one before — And I can’t see it now,” he said, sounding confused. “All I see is the lower door.”
“Aiden, this door sits in space right on top of the first one. You needed to raise your map and see it from a different angle,” Dom said patiently.
“Oh; so I was just seeing what was at eye-level?” Aiden asked and Dom nodded.
“Okay, so we have another door,” Zach interrupted, not willing to wait for Dom to tutor Aiden. “But how do we go through it?” he asked, unimpressed.
Seb wondered that too. They needed a ladder.
“Dierne,” Aelfric said and Dierne, nodding, lifted Trudy, who said nothing, from the floor and up to the level of the door. “Just across, Trudy, and then wait for us,” Aelfric said to her. She grabbed the handle and, opening the elevated door, passed through. Now Dierne descended and collected Dom, lifting the gangly man to the doorway. Alice, meanwhile, lifted Zach, who chuckled, and carried him up. All the others followed, transported in turn by the Dryads. Last through was The Caretaker, who, Seb noticed, glanced back, checking the passageway they had just left, before closing the door.
The Endless Staircase
They were now standing, bunched together, in another short tunnel. The confined space was made all the more cramped by the bulk of the two wolv
es who, having been left in the previous passageway, suddenly appeared through the walls and stood beside Aelfric.
The light from the firefly torches danced on three steep, stone steps which were the start of a staircase that spiralled away upwards, to their left.
“I’ll see what’s up there.” Zach, without waiting for discussion, dashed up the stairs. They could hear his quick footfalls getting quieter.
“Zach there’s no need,” Trudy called after him.
His steps got louder as he ran back down. Jumping the last few stairs, he rejoined them all. “It just keeps on spiralling,” he said. “I turned five circles and it just keeps going.”
“It is The Endless Staircase,” Dom said, nonplussed and began climbing.
“If it’s endless,” Zach groaned, “it can’t lead anywhere!” He waved a hand up the steps. “Surely we are not just going to climb, if it’s endless? That is just pointless.”
“That’s precisely what we are going to do,” Aelfric said. “Zach, endless it may be, but not pointless. We have a point — twenty-two.” He smiled and waved the others on.
“Twenty-two steps?” Aiden asked, hopefully.
Dom had already disappeared around the first turn. “No, twenty-two spirals,” his muffled voice called back to them
Aiden dashed after him.
Dierne now approached Alice. “You must walk,” he said and Alice, looking confused, nodded.
The climb was slow. Whilst Alice and Dierne could have zoomed on up, and Zach and The Caretaker seemed to have limitless stamina, for the others, the sheer number of steps, coupled with the fact that each one was just over a foot tall, exhausted them before they reached even half way. Trudy, though determined to keep up with Zach, hobbled on her injured ankle.
Aelfric chose to take up the rear with The Caretaker. Seb heard them speaking quietly as they climbed, but each time he glanced back, The Caretaker blocked his view of Aelfric and Seb wondered if that was so that he wouldn’t see how hard he was finding the ascent.