by M S C Barnes
The shadowtrail’s path to Aelfric took it past those in the circle and, seeing it approach, Aiden screamed and dropped his firefly torch. It cracked open and a flurry of fireflies poured out and away towards the altar at the far end of the church as the vaporous figure suddenly stopped. Seeming to notice the huddled group for the first time, and Seb within it, it shrieked and then charged at him. The wave of fast-moving air it pushed ahead of it made him cry out with pain as it struck his aching body and he had to hold on to Alice to remain upright. He watched, terrified, as the black shadowtrail stormed towards him and then, mere feet from him, it disintegrated; like smoke hitting glass it spread sideways and up and down and then floated away. But within seconds it reformed and again it zoomed towards him. As it reached the perimeter of the flagstone circle it disintegrated once more.
“Good circle, not silly circle,” Zach said, nudging Seb behind him.
Aelfric, still leaning on Cue, tilted his hand, but just as he brought it round to light up the shadowtrail, which was reforming feet from Aiden, Aiden backed away, tripped and knocked into Nat. She toppled backwards, falling to the floor outside the circle and on the opposite side to Aelfric. Now the reformed shadowtrail dived at her. Seb yelled and, pushing past Aiden, dropped to his knees. He reached out to pull Nat back into the circle as Aelfric struggled to his feet and ran around the group, trying to get a clear line of sight to the shadowtrail.
His knees agonisingly painful and arms aching, Seb yanked Nat towards him but as the shadowtrail charged at her she was pinned to the ground by the force of the air it displaced and he couldn’t move her. Just as its impact seemed inevitable, Zach leapt out of the circle. Wielding the sword above his head, he brought the blade down and round. It sliced through the air inches above Nat’s chest just as the shadowtrail reached her. There was a flash of light and, like a ball struck by a cricket bat, the shadowtrail was sent flying up and away towards the altar. Seb dragged Nat back into the circle as Zach leapt back in himself.
With an ear-piercing shrieking sound, the shadowtrail flick-flacked around the church as if in agony. Bouncing off the walls and ceiling, its speed increased, as did the destructive force of the air it displaced on its unpredictable path. Windows shattered, the plaster on the walls cracked and pews were overturned. Its passage was virtually too fast to follow with the naked eye.
Aelfric staggered to the middle of the aisle. Holding onto Cue, he lifted his left hand then lowered his head. As the screaming shadowtrail continued to storm around the church he shone moonlight on one spot on the floor at his feet, closed his eyes and waited. The mayhem grew around him as the shadowtrail’s frenzied movement got even faster and suddenly it tore towards him. As if that was what he had been waiting for, with his eyes still closed, he tilted his hand. The reflected moonlight left the floor, and shone straight at the shadowtrail.
“Ályne,” Aelfric said and instantly it vanished. There was no sound, no explosion, no fuss, just a simple bolt of light from Aelfric’s hand and it vanished.
Everyone stood in shocked silence and then Zach asked, “Is that it?”
Aelfric, opening his eyes, nodded.
“Did you want more, Zach?” Greg asked, and gave a relieved chuckle.
“Are they always that destructive?” Scarlet asked, brushing plaster from her shoulders and hair.
“They are what Triadic Enclaves were designed to contain, while Custodians deal with them,” Greg said, leaving the circle and hurrying over to Jacqueline. “But since we have no parchment and no time, that wasn’t possible on this occasion.”
“I pity the caretaker of this place when they open up in the morning,” Zach laughed, looking at the chaos around them.
Wasting Time
Seb had not left the circle. His feet were now so painful he didn’t want to take even one step, so he stood with Alice and watched as Nat hugged Zach who, laughing, told her how fantastic he had been.
“I was truly awesome this time wasn’t I?” he said, swishing the sword.
Nat chuckled. “Yes, awesome,” she said. “And wonderful, for saving me; thank you.”
He bowed to her. “My pleasure.” He grinned and brought the point of the sword down to the flagstones with a loud click.
“Zach!” Trudy called him.
“Oh heck, what am I in trouble for now?” he grimaced and Nat smiled as he loped off to Trudy, who was standing with the others, watching Greg check over Jacqueline.
Now Nat turned to Seb and threw her arms around him. “And you were —” As he groaned, she stopped and let go of him. Standing back, she looked closely at him. “Are you in pain, Seb?” she asked.
He was about to lie and say ‘no’, so that she wouldn’t worry, but before he could speak, Aelfric placed a hand gently on his back — about the only place on his body that didn’t ache. Seb hadn’t seen or heard him approach and span around, startled.
“Excuse me, Seb,” he said and looked at Nat. “Can I speak with you, Nat?” He looked ghostly pale. He was leaning heavily on Cue while also gripping onto Pace and Dierne, beside him, held him by the elbow.
“You should sit down,” Seb said to him.
“Soon enough, Seb, but first I need Nat.” He looked at her sadly. “I need your help.”
Seeing the state of Aelfric, she nodded and walked with him to a dark corner several yards away, out of earshot. Seb guessed that, since Greg was now tending to Jacqueline, Aelfric needed Nat to help him deal with his injuries. He wondered how bad they were now and how much more blood he had lost.
“Are you in pain, Seb?” Alice interrupted his thoughts. “Is it your head?”
“Not just my head,” he said, quietly, not wanting anyone else to hear. “I ache all over; my shoulders, my hands, knees, feet, pretty much everywhere. I think I’m going down with flu.”
Alice stared at his forehead. “Flu doesn’t give you bruises Seb. That bruise on your forehead is massive. I didn’t see you hit your head and you say you can’t remember banging into anything?” Seb shook his head. “So how did you get it?”
The question was forgotten as Aelfric, having finished his very brief conversation with Nat, called Aiden to him. Standing in front of the font, he spoke quickly.
“We must lock it.” Aiden opened his eyes wide. “This is the water gateway they used,” Aelfric explained and Aiden nodded, getting his tin out and popping the clasp. Within seconds they had locked the gateway and Aelfric spoke a few words into Aiden’s ear before making his way to Jacqueline. Everyone else, with the exception of Philippe, who was holding her hand, moved back a bit and he knelt down beside her. Her aura, Seb noticed, had strengthened and the black tinge to its edges was gone.
“How are you feeling?” Aelfric asked her.
“Er, like we care!” Zach said, rudely. Trudy, nearby, choked but didn’t reprimand him. Jacqueline put her head in her hands and gave a sob.
“Take your time,” Aelfric said, ignoring Zach. After a minute, when Jacqueline had done nothing but sniffle, Zach became impatient.
“Don’t we need to go?” he demanded. “We’re wasting time.”
“Zach,” Aelfric said, “I need you to stay with Seb and keep an eye on the door.” Zach wandered over to the circle to stand beside Seb, looking unimpressed. Aelfric turned back to Jacqueline who gazed up at him as though she had just woken from a nightmare.
“The things I have done!” she sounded horrified.
“Are done,” Aelfric said, “And they do not deserve judgement. It is what you do now that matters.” She searched his eyes, looking for criticism and then, after a moment, she straightened her back and nodded.
“What do you need?” she asked.
“The purpose of the golem,” Aelfric said quietly.
Drying her eyes, she answered in a near whisper, “I’m not sure I know any more. It’s all changed.” She shook her head.
“In what way?” Greg asked, stepping closer.
“Well, in the beginning, Nicole was intent on ki
lling Seb.” She looked up at Aelfric. “You though, she wanted to capture and I am really not clear why.” She looked puzzled. “I asked her many times, but she wouldn’t explain.
“But her plan, always, was to kill Seb first, using sympathetic magic, and then, with him out of the way, she was going to send three golems after you. You couldn’t, she believed, de-animate three at the same time, so while you were dealing with one, you would be vulnerable to the others and could be captured.
“She has been experimenting — releasing that golem a few days ago and then the one tonight — they were tests to make sure she could create golems small enough to be transported from place to place. And she wanted to try different materials and designs — ones that would ensure the golem forms were broken naturally if not intentionally, so that they could grow to a suitable size when the time came. They were animated with the order to kill Seb if they got the chance, but in reality they were just experiments. If the designs worked — and they did — Nicole would be ready to create the three that would be animated with an order to capture you.”
Jacqueline’s aura was growing more vivid by the second, her strength returning, and now her words came in a tumble, as if she were eager to confess all — clear her conscience.
“Anyway, when Seb survived the first sympathetic attacks her plans started to go awry. She became frustrated. She blamed the tag-locks we had been using for the effigies. She said they weren’t strong enough. We had managed, through another student, to get some hairs from Seb’s school jumper but, because they were external samples, they could be blocked. So Nicole demanded a blood sample — a much more powerful link — to ensure that Seb couldn’t possibly withstand the next attack.” She looked guiltily at Seb.
“But then, suddenly, just when I had managed to get the sample and had created the template for the effigy, Nicole’s plan changed. It was after she spoke to Lotty. Something Lotty told her made her angry. She wouldn’t tell me what it was, but, when she calmed down, she now became adamant that Seb needed to live. It was then that she asked me to alter the effigy and to prepare a golem — just the one — for her to animate — All she would say was that she needed a bargaining tool. We now started to focus on attacking you.” Jacqueline looked sheepishly at Aelfric. “But Nicole continued to track Seb, occasionally reaching out to confirm his location and what I don’t understand is, although she insists that he has to live, the order for the golem hasn’t really changed.”
Seb still hadn’t moved. Standing in the circle, between Zach and Alice, he had been listening to Jacqueline, trying not to hate her for what she had done to him and what she had helped Nicole do. But now he found himself wondering what Lotty could possibly have said that made Nicole decide not to kill him. He took a painful step forward, feeling hopeful.
“So does she know it’s not my fault then?” he asked and both Jacqueline and Aelfric looked at him. “If she doesn’t want to kill me any more? She knows it’s not my fault that Heath is in the Soul Drop?”
Jacqueline frowned at him. “No,” she said guardedly. “Nothing will persuade her that it wasn’t your fault. That’s why the golem —”
Aelfric put his hand on her arm and gave the smallest shake of his head then, leaning in, whispered in her ear.
“Yes,” she mumbled back, giving a sad nod and Aelfric stood abruptly, beckoning Scarlet to him.
“So what is the order?” Greg asked. “For the golem?”
“As I say, it hasn’t really changed, just become more specific,” Jacqueline said, looking puzzled. “She has ordered it to crush Seb’s heart.”
“I need you to check on Henri,” Aelfric said as Scarlet joined him. She nodded and pulled her mirror out of her pocket.
Seb yelped as Zach grabbed him by the arm and yanked him towards Scarlet, forcing him to take two or three agonising paces.
“What Seb?” he asked. “Come on, you need to stay close to me.”
Seb winced as he took a few more steps.
“His feet hurt, Zach,” Alice said. “He’s got blisters.”
Now Zach belted out a laugh so loud more plaster fell from the walls. “Blisters Seb? Get over it mortal. Blisters!”
Treading awkwardly, Seb allowed Zach to drag him to Scarlet so that they could peer over her shoulder. As before, it was pointless, they couldn’t see what she could see, but Zach didn’t seem bothered.
After a minute, Scarlet glanced up, looking pleased with herself.
“I can see them. They are still at the mausoleum. Henri is stopping the golem from moving anywhere. The Caretaker and Reynard are keeping guard. Lily looks like she is using her scrying mirror.”
“Bet she’s watching us,” Zach said. “Halloooo!” He leant over Scarlet’s shoulder and waved into the mirror and she jerked it to the left, huffing at him. “Don’t be silly,” she said and then sighed.
“What?” Zach asked.
“She’s waving back,” Scarlet said, sounding disappointed.
“Hah!” Zach laughed. “Told ya.”
“Is there any sign of Nicole and her group?” Aelfric asked and Scarlet shook her head. “Can you switch and find them?” he asked.
As Scarlet stared back into her mirror, concentrating, Greg moved closer to Aelfric.
“We can’t take him with us,” he whispered.
“I see Nicole,” Scarlet said excitedly. “She’s in a graveyard.” Trudy was already moving, running to the church entrance, as Scarlet glanced over her shoulder looking worried. “The graveyard outside,” she added.
Zach went to run after Trudy but Aelfric put a hand out to stop him.
“Seb,” he said, beckoning him, “This will take you to the caves.” He made the doorway appear, rising out of the collapsed church door which lay on the floor just inside the entrance. “You and your group are to go to the River Styx. If I am right, the only way Nicole will now be able to get to the caves is by a physical route, so it is the safest place,” he said.
“We’re supposed to just hide?” Zach asked. “What are you all going to do?”
Aelfric turned to him. “We are going to find Lotty and deal with Nicole. You cannot come. Stay with Seb.” Zach frowned in frustration until Aelfric added, “You have the sword, Zach, use it if you need to.”
“Well, okay!” he beamed, then seemed to have a thought. “What against? I mean, the golem’s in the mausoleum, Nicole’s in the graveyard.”
“If you need to, use it Zach. That’s all,” Aelfric said. Then he turned to Scarlet. “I will need you with me. Are you okay with that?” he asked her. Looking scared Scarlet nodded anyway and Aelfric gave her an appreciative smile.
Seb glanced around, trying to locate Nat. He hadn’t noticed where she had gone after her conversation with Aelfric. He span, scanning the church for her. As pain shot across the bottoms of his feet he winced and gave a small groan.
“They are only blisters, Seb. Toughen up!” Zach said. “Come on Nat, Aiden, we’re moving.”
Seb finally located Nat, sitting on one of the only upright pews, with Aiden. They were both holding onto an object together and talking quietly. Seb couldn’t tell what the object was and Nat let go of it as she and Aiden jumped up. Aiden stuffed it in his coat pocket and the pair walked over.
As Aelfric waved them all to the door, Philippe helped Jacqueline towards it. Zach barred their path.
“You’re not coming,” he said.
“They are, Zach,” Aelfric said calmly.
Zach looked shocked. “But they betrayed us!” he raised his voice.
“Where no loyalty is due, there can be no betrayal,” Aelfric said.
“Well, they betrayed Henry then,” Zach persisted.
“They made a mistake,” Aelfric said, evenly. “No-one should be damned for a mistake.”
“Pretty darn big mistake!” Zach moaned. “She used voodoo on Seb.” He jabbed a finger at Jacqueline. “It’s not like she didn’t know what she was doing; that took some planning and some really nasty intent!”
“Actually, Zach,” Greg intervened, “it is like she didn’t know, or couldn’t help, what she was doing. Her body hosted Heath’s shadowtrail, the latent residue of all the hate and vitriol he felt towards Aelfric and Seb at the point of his banishment. Those emotions will have increasingly influenced her actions.”
“Well she let it in!” Zach was getting louder and more outraged and the rest of his group stood around looking awkward.
“And I truly am so sorry,” Jacqueline said.
“Yeah, sure you are now. And what about him?” Zach pointed at Philippe who flinched. “He turned a golem on us. What’s your excuse Philippe?”
“Zach,” Aelfric cautioned. Zach stood, glaring at Philippe. “They are as at risk from Nicole now as we are. You will protect them.”
Zach huffed. “Might find a use for the sword after all,” he muttered, dragging Seb, once more, by the arm.
Hobbling his way to the door, Seb tried not to make it obvious he was in pain.
“Alice,” he said, silently, “I know Zach thinks I’m pathetic, but it really hurts. Can you help?”
Alice looked thrilled. “Of course I can,” he said and instantly Seb felt Alice wander through his thoughts. As he had done before, he wove a link between them and then let the pain flow towards him, dulling Seb’s experience of it. Seb felt relief wash over him; he hadn’t realised how severe the pain had become. He smiled at Alice.
“Thank you,” he said quietly and now, able to walk without limping, he strode towards the doorway.
“Blisters gone Seb?” Zach asked, surprised. Seb was about to answer when Scarlet spoke.