by M S C Barnes
Aelfric looked intently at Henri, who took a short breath and spoke more slowly.
“When sending Dæved didn’t work either, I had no choice but to simply wait and hope that, if I gave it another while, Nicole would assume we had stopped trying to locate her and I could open a door and surprise her. So that is what we did; as frustrating as it was, we waited. And then, I felt the next attack.” He shook his head. “Sadly, that was the indication I needed. Believing that, while using whatever dark practices she was, Nicole would be distracted, I tried opening a door to her. This time, it emerged at the Camberley Obelisk. But there was no sign of Nicole or the others and I had the feeling, as before, that they had just left.
“At a loss, I returned to the Light House and struck on the idea of getting Lotty to use a Scrying Mirror to try and see them. And it worked. Though she said she could see a hazy, dark shadow around them — something she had not seen before when scrying — she was able to locate them. They were in Hellfire Caves.” Aiden was nodding frantically. “Well,” Henri said, “we now had a location, but there was still the issue that, if I tried to open a door to them, they would see it appear and leave once more. Lotty struggled to keep them under observation too. The hazy darkness continually fluctuated, now and then obscuring the images, making it difficult for her to see what they were doing and, therefore, tell if they were off guard. And then, unfortunately, I got the sign again. Instructing Lotty to keep watching them and requesting Philippe try and give warning if he sensed any dark acts, we left to deal with the trespasser.” Now Henri sighed heavily and, using the pause, Zach jumped in.
“Let me guess,” he said. “When you got back, Lotty had disappeared?” Henri looked devastated. “Didn’t see the Philippe thing coming eh?” Zach snorted.
“Zach!” Trudy shouted.
“At that time no!” Reynard snapped at him. “We had no reason to suspect he was working with Nicole and,” he stressed, “when we had left Philippe and Lotty alone on the previous occasion, no issues had arisen. So, save your judgement, Zach,” he snarled. “It is premature and ill-placed.”
Zach, initially taken aback to have been admonished by Reynard, recovered within a moment. “Philippe is your Sensor, but he couldn’t feel the dark stuff, and Henry could? And your Lotty could see a hazy, dark shadow in the mirror, but he still said he couldn’t sense anything? Come on, the clues were there!”
Now Aelfric walked across and stood, towering over Zach.
“Zach,” he said, “Your bluntness often does you credit, but not on this occasion. Hold your thoughts to yourself, unless they are constructive, and take care not to judge with hindsight what you could not have foreseen had you been there.” Though he spoke quietly, he looked uncharacteristically angry. That was as close as any of them had ever got to hearing Aelfric tell a group member off, and Zach knew it. Instantly, his shoulders drooped and he mumbled an apology. Aelfric walked away and sat back down. He was, Seb noticed, holding his side. “Carry on Henri. What happened next?” he said.
“Having finished dealing I tried to get us back to the Light House, but the door I opened took us to Scotland of all places. We found Philippe, beside a loch, half-buried in a snow drift. He was unconscious and had been left in such a remote spot there was no chance he would have been found by a passer by. He would undoubtedly have died of hypothermia if the door had not led us to him. What befell him is another reason we did not doubt his allegiance.” Henri looked at Zach who shrugged and nodded acceptance. “We searched the area but there was no trace of Lotty,” Henri continued more quietly, as though the memory pained him. “Philippe was in such a poor way we needed to return him to the Light House. Worried too now about my wife, we rushed straight back. She wasn’t there! We had no idea what had become of her and even though Philippe quickly regained consciousness, he was able to tell us very little of what had happened. He remembered hearing footsteps in the Light House and then felt a blow to the head. He knew nothing more; certainly not what had happened to Lotty.
“So I left Philippe in Reynard’s care and tried several times to open a door to her. On the first attempt, the door opened at the mausoleum below here,” he waved a hand downwards and looked surprised, “and I was hopeful of finding her, but I quickly realised she was not there and I sensed that Nicole and her group had just left. When I opened the door again it led to the Camberley Obelisk. Once more, I felt they had just departed and I was certain now that Nicole had Lotty with her. Every time I opened a door, it led me to one of those two locations and I was now caught in a similar situation as before. However, this was worse — more sinister. I was trapped! It was obvious Nicole did have Lotty with her and was taking her back and forth, as I too travelled back and forth, between the two places — one door closure behind them every time. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t reach Lotty and nor could I get myself back to the Light House or to any other location. My need to find my wife eclipsed all other needs and so the doors would only ever lead to those two points, all the while Nicole was willing to play that cat-and-mouse game. Unable to reach or to save Lotty, I was also unable to go anywhere else. I became frantic, until Dæved intervened.” Henri looked gratefully across at his twin, who watched him quietly and nodded in response. “He forced me to see the hopelessness of my situation and that helped me break free. He advised me to adjust my focus onto the need to return to the Light House and consult with Reynard and Philippe in order to construct a plan to save Lotty. The logic of it was clear. I needed to stop this futile pursuit in order to save her. As soon as I accepted that, I was able to open the door to the Light House.”
Seb, like everyone else, was agog, listening to Henri’s account. He wondered if Nicole had planned the trap Henri had found himself in, or if it had just been an incidental and, for her, fortunate occurrence caused by her attempts to evade him. Everyone sat or stood in rapt silence as Henri continued.
“I also knew by now that you and Seb were in very real danger and that I needed to do something to protect you. Since I couldn’t risk trying to open a door to you, I was planning on calling you, but Philippe, who had recovered somewhat, suggested that you might think it was me who was behind this dark magic. If you had been attacked, which it appeared you had, who else would you suspect but me? And then who knew what you would do? But I couldn’t leave you and Seb at risk.” He glanced up, actually looking guilty.
“With Lotty’s help, over recent years, I have been practising astral projection,” he said, and waited for the response. Dom grunted in surprise and Greg gasped. Aelfric, however, showed no emotion. He simply nodded for Henri to continue. “I have had some very limited success,” Henri said more quietly, “and I struck upon the idea of projecting my ‘spirit’ into your main Ley Line. By projecting my soul’s energy outside of my body, I would not have to physically interact with any trespassing souls that passed along the Ley Line, but I could plant the seed of a subliminal message into their subconscious so that, when you or Seb read them, you would be debilitated. It was the hardest thing I have done,” he said, shaking his head, “encountering, but not dealing with these souls.” He looked horrified at his own actions. “And it was still a risk; I was leaving you vulnerable to attack as you opened your auras to read them, but it was all I could do.” Now he looked surprised as he glanced at Seb and then back at Aelfric. “I am not sure how I failed on that front,” he said. “I suppose I am glad, though, that I did.” Aelfric said nothing but Seb put a hand to the small owl talisman around his neck.
“Anyway,” Henri continued, “Since I was now certain that Nicole was the one using the dark acts, I realised it made perfect sense that she would come to Hellfire Caves.” He pointed at the ground. “The protection of this Sanctum comes at a price, Aelfric, as you know. The Magiks used to create its security also create a barren area underground, beneath this spot, where our senses and abilities are hampered; flamers will not light, Guides’ maps will not work and Dryads cannot communicate. That explained why Dæved could
not locate them. It is the natural hiding place for someone wishing to elude those of us that would hunt them.
“Having no other hope of finding Lotty, there was no alternative but to come to this area. Since we actually knew they were here, I could have sent Dæved alone into the Caves to look for them, but was not willing to risk my twin being unable to communicate if he got into difficulty.” Dæved frowned, as though he wasn’t happy with that decision. “The issue, however, was that Nicole may see the door appear, as before, if we tried to get to the Caves by that means. If we waited, we could, possibly, catch her and the group off guard but we no longer had the ability to monitor them through Lotty’s scrying. I do believe that is why she was taken. Nicole, possibly guessed that we would use that way to track and locate her. So, not wishing to get into the same trap as before, once Philippe was sufficiently recovered, we used the Spirit Stallions to get here.”
“Oh, perfect. Yes, perfect,” Dom said, approvingly.
Seb had ridden a Spirit Stallion himself and loved these magnificent beasts. Giant, other-realm horses, these creatures could vault a town in a single leap and cover vast tracts of land in seconds. They could, at the will of a Custodian, also shrink to the size of a normal horse and Aelfric had, when unwilling to risk Seb using the doorways, transported him to Royston Cave using a trap pulled by one of these creatures.
“We had only just arrived,” Henri continued, “when Dæved got your message, Aelfric. I apologise that he did not answer. What could I have him say? That my successor had rebelled against me; that my own group was splintered; one had betrayed me and one’s fate was unknown; that I had deviated from my role as a Custodian and interfered with trespassing souls in your area in an attempt to debilitate you? I certainly didn’t want you coming here, if Nicole was, indeed here. But I couldn’t tell you to stay away either, you would have been suspicious and, therefore, sure to come anyway. If I am honest, I was not in my right mind either.” Now his voice really cracked. “I have lost my Lotty,” he said, in a near-tearful whisper, “and my worst fear is what they may do, or already have done, to her to punish me for my efforts to interfere with their plans. I have no idea if she is even alive.” He stared at the grass, looking desolate. And then, suddenly, his shoulders started shaking, and he sobbed. Aelfric got up from his seat and crouched beside him. Putting a hand on his arm, he spoke quietly.
“I am so grateful for your efforts to protect me and Seb, Henri,” he said. “This burden was never yours to take on. Trust me now, we will find Lotty, and we will deal with Nicole.”
Henri looked at Aelfric, his face distraught; Nat rushed over and hugged him.
“Lotty is alive,” she said. “I know she is. Don’t ask me how, but I know.” Gazing at him, her expression sincere and open, she gave him a small smile.
Henri stared at her, stunned. After a moment though, he took her hands in his. “You are remarkable,” he said.
Giving Henri a moment to compose himself, Aelfric pulled Dierne, The Caretaker and Trudy to one side and spoke to them out of earshot of the others.
“I feel excluded,” Zach moaned. “Don’t they trust me?”
“Maybe Aelfric just has a different plan for them,” Aiden suggested. “Maybe he is going to look for Nicole with them and he will leave you here to protect Seb?”
“I’ll bet that’s exactly what it is!” Zach said, sounding even more unhappy. As he finished muttering, Aelfric addressed everyone.
“We know Nicole and her group are in Hellfire Caves, or at least using that as a base to work from,” he said. “But what we cannot do is fall into the same trap Henri found himself in. Our need, obviously, is to locate Nicole, and so any door we open will, naturally, lead to her location. If she then commences the same tactic, leaving as we arrive, we could, as Henri was, be caught.
“What is not clear is whether Nicole knew the affect that her fleeing, on Henri’s arrival, caused. If she did, then she truly has been clever, manipulating that situation to entrap any who would seek to apprehend her.” He paused, letting his words sink.
“But how is she even able to use the doors?” Dom asked. “If she truly is the one who is wielding sympathetic magic to do harm, then any motive she would have for travelling between two locations would not constitute a legitimate need and so she should not have been able to even locate the doors, let alone activate them,” he said, looking concerned.
“Well, if she has a genuine belief that Heath was betrayed by Aelfric,” Greg said, “wouldn’t Nature see her intentions as ‘pure’?”
“No,” Aelfric said, quietly, “Using sympathetic magic for vengeance would negate any justice in her cause.”
“Then how is she doing it?” Henri asked.
“I think I know, but I will explain when I return,” Aelfric said, standing. “First, I must deal with a trespasser.”
Seb, caught up in the speculation of how Nicole was using doors she shouldn’t be able to use, hadn’t noticed the dull ache in his palm until now.
“I should go,” he blurted, remembering his promise.
“That time is past, Seb,” Aelfric said. “The hour is up and it is too dangerous. I will be back in just a short while.” He turned to Reynard. “Reynard, I can hold you to your promise?” he asked and Reynard gave a quick but decisive nod.
“Aelfric, is it wise?” Henri asked. “You will have to let down your guard.”
“Which is why I am taking Morgan,” he turned and smiled at Zach, “and Zach with me.” Zach jerked his head up.
“What? Moi? Not the pint-sized one? Moi?” he grinned.
“Yes you, Zach,” Trudy said through clenched teeth, “And if you fail him, you will have me to answer to.” She looked as though she didn’t agree with the arrangement at all, but wasn’t about to go against Aelfric’s wishes again that night.
“Zach,” Aelfric said. “Trudy will help Reynard protect Henri and Seb.” He didn’t mention anything about Trudy’s injury but Zach understood instantly and glanced at her ankle, which was now clearly swollen. Trying, unsuccessfully, to hide his grin, he pulled his staff from his waistband.
“Let’s go then!” he said, and took a few steps forward, then stopped, disconcerted. “Er, which way?”
Aelfric looked genuinely amused at his confusion. “That way,” he said, revealing a door in a tree trunk to Zach’s right.
“Well that’s a relief,” Zach said. “I thought we’d have to go all that way back over the water, along the corridor and down the stairs!”
“You only have to unlock the route to come here, Zach,” Greg said. “Leaving is much easier.”
“We’ll be off then,” Zach said, rushing to join Aelfric and The Caretaker as they approached the door. “Seb,” he turned and winked at him, “If Trudy fails you, she’ll have me to answer to.” With that, he darted through the door leaving a fuming Trudy standing beside Reynard who was trying not to smile.
“He’s not funny,” she muttered. “He thinks he is, but he’s not.”
“Trudy, let me take a look at that ankle,” Greg said, as Dierne passed through the door behind The Caretaker and Aelfric, and it closed. Only after the door had fizzled away did she sit on one of thrones and allow Greg to remove her boot.
Watching them, Seb jumped as he suddenly felt a presence behind him and turned to find Reynard inches from him and Alice. The Guardian’s movement had been so stealthy Seb hadn’t seen or heard him approach.
“Relax Seb, I am here to protect you, not harm you,” Reynard said and smiled, amused at Seb’s shocked face.
“I think that’s comforting,” Seb said.
“Then try not to look like a cornered deer,” Reynard laughed.
“So, what do we do now?” Greg asked Henri, producing a bandage from his pocket and wrapping it tightly around Trudy’s foot.
“There’s is nothing we can do but wait,” he answered. “We can’t track Nicole any more, and if I open a door again, the same thing will happen as before.” He sounded frustr
ated.
“Scarlet?” Dom said, raising his eyebrows at her.
She looked doubtful. “I’m not sure I can,” she said, but pulled the small mirror she had used in the Pytt from her pocket.
“Oh, good idea,” Aiden said, jumping out of his seat and trotting over to her.
“You have a Scrying Mirror?” Henri asked, surprised. “How long since you were confirmed?”
“Three months,” Scarlet said, uncertainly.
“And you can use it?” Henri raised his eyebrows.
“Well, Dom only taught me tonight and I’ve only done it the once, but it worked. I found you,” she said, then blushed, worried Henri would be annoyed they had been tracking him.
“Then, try, by all means,” he said, wandering over to her.
Nodding, Scarlet brought the mirror, its reflective surface almost black, up in front of her eyes and stared into it.
“What is she doing?” Seb whispered, edging his way over to Aiden with Alice. Reynard followed, like he was tethered to him.
“Scrying,” Aiden whispered back. “You use a reflective surface like a mirror or a glass ball to divine or see things. That’s how she located Henri before.” He smiled at Seb as Nat joined them.
“A glass ball? Like a Fortune Teller?” Seb asked.
“No, it’s not fortune telling. Divining is just ‘seeing’ things as they are — but at a distance beyond your normal vision or past physical barriers,” Aiden whispered.
Trudy, standing, moved to one side and stared out into the trees but Henri, Greg and Dom crowded around Scarlet, and Seb peered between them, trying to see what Scarlet was doing. After more than five minutes of watching her frowning into the mirror and saying nothing, he glanced at Henri, looking to see if he was getting impatient. Henri, he noticed, held a ginger cat in his arms and was absently stroking the creature while keenly watching Scarlet. The only sounds were rustling leaves, the occasional chirp of a cricket and the purring of the cat.