Oddly though, neither child was overly worried about going. The impending departure, like many trips, had been planned for so many weeks now that the actual departure was something of a relief. After a wistful glance out the window both children emerged from their rooms at practically the same time and after jostling for position in the hallway headed down to the car.
Merritt and Grace were already waiting there chatting to Ella. Lucia was inside getting the kitchen clutter organised but came to the door as the children climbed into the back of the station wagon.
‘Mum!’ Niamh suddenly shouted as she saw Cu and Fin trotting round to the back of the car waiting for the boot to open. Their wagging tails contrasted the concern on their faces. ‘What about the dogs! Aren’t they coming?’ she said with her voice quavering ever so slightly.
Grace bent in to the car to make sure Niamh was safely buckled in. ‘Not yet sweetie, but they will join us soon. We can’t take them today. Anyone watching would think it was odd if we are planning to fly away but take the dogs with us in the car. They’ll join us later. Ella and Lucia will see to that.’ Fin came trotting round to the side of the car now and half climbed in, putting his big black paws onto Niamh’s lap and planting a sloppy wet kiss into her ear as she bent down to him.
‘See you soon, my big boy,’ she said, flinging her arms around him for one last hug. Cu had done almost the same to Grady and then, as if communicating with each other, the dogs swapped sides and said goodbye to the other child. A moment later Lucia let out a whistle which rang through the air like a note from a horn. Both dogs responded by breaking away from the children and running up to her with obedience written all over their faces.
‘Let’s go,’ said Merritt. As they climbed into the car with small bags of supplies for the journey into town Niamh noticed an exchange of anxious glances between Merritt and Grace. She knew there was much more tension in her parents than they were outwardly showing.
The children sneaked one last look at the house which, up until a few weeks ago, they had always thought would be their home. They swung out of the driveway, onto the road, and, as the car dropped down behind a stand of trees, the house was lost from view. The children suddenly felt the loss of the rock they had taken for granted all these years. There was little else they could do now but sit back.
On the drive into town Grady began to feel there was something, someone, missing from their day. ‘Dad, where’s Bel and Embarr? We haven’t seen Bel at all today and we’ve barely seen Embarr for weeks.’
‘Oh, Bel is around all right Grady. Take a look out your window. Tell me what you can see.’
Grady peered out through the early morning light looking up, left, right, far away, up close in the bushes, everywhere he could think but there was no sign of him anywhere. ‘I can’t see anything, Dad. Maybe he’s forgotten to come along, or we’re moving too fast for him and left him behind.’
Merritt let out a short laugh in the front seat. ‘I don’t think so, Grady. Look again. Remember its broad daylight out there so do you think he’d make it easy to find him? Take another look, but this time don’t try so hard to see him, close your eyes and see if you can just feel where he is.’
Grady laughed out loud at that! ‘Feel him! What can you mean? You can’t feel where he is.’
‘Oh yes you can, Grady!’ yelled Niamh. ‘Look here!!’ Niamh had closed her eyes just as her father had said and sought out Bel in her mind. When she opened them again she was looking directly at a rippling shimmer in the sky just to the left of the car. Grady at first could not see what Niamh was talking about but his eyes went wide with surprise as the shimmer resolved itself, only for a moment, into the shape of their friend the phoenix. Bel turned his head towards them and winked before fading like the morning mist and disappearing again.
‘Cool!’ yelled Grady in his usual understated manner.
‘Yes it is,’ said Grace. ‘He’s never far away from us these days so if we need him he will be there. When you need him most he will know. Remember that,’ she said cryptically.
The trip into town seemed to take an age but eventually they found themselves cresting the saddle between the hills which surrounded the harbour and separated the city from the country. They drove down onto the flat and followed the river back round through the pretty suburbs with willows lining the riverbanks and sycamores lining the roads. Here and there large mansions hid behind ornate fences or red brick walls peeped through giving hints of grandeur and stories within.
Eventually they moved out of the well-to-do suburbs and entered the riverside estates of the old city. The streets here were less well-kept and the detritus of hundreds of years of industry was strewn around yards and piled up against the walls of Victorian-style factories. The bright clear skies over Avalon’s End had given way here to steel grey cloud and a cold northeast wind. Merritt followed the river road as it wound its way past the old buildings before turning through high wrought iron gates into the cobbled front yard of a gloomy warehouse. An old jetty opposite the gates formed a gnarled and twisted finger in the grey and slow-moving river. In better times barges and flat-bottomed cargo boats ran their loads from the main port around the headlands into the river and up to this commercial centre. Small riverfront jetties like this marked where the commercial heart had once been but now only highlighted decline and decay. There was not a soul in sight.
The gates swung shut behind them with an ominous clang. With a last touch of the accelerator Merritt drove in through the open doors of the warehouse that rolled shut on creaky rails behind them. Inside they were swallowed by the deep gloom of the warehouse.
‘This is where we get out,’ said Merritt. ‘We’ve not much further to go but it’s on foot from here.’
‘But Dad’, said Niamh. ‘We’re miles from the airport or anywhere else for that matter. Where can we go from here?’
‘Good question, little one,’ boomed a voice. No one had seen Bel arrive but he resolved from near invisibility to his fiery best in seconds. Niamh and Grady both let out a shriek and jumped to their parents’ side.
‘Don’t do that,’ bellowed Grady.
‘Sorry, but clearly its better no one sees me round here. I daresay a phoenix in Ferrymead might cause a couple of questions to end up on the news and we don’t really want that!’
‘Yes, well, all the same ...’ said a flustered Grady. ‘Next time you could knock ... or something ... before bursting in, don’t you think?’ he said with a smile as he recovered his composure.
‘I hope I won’t have to remain so well-hidden for a while. But come now, we need to get moving,’ said Bel in a firm no-nonsense voice.
‘How do we get to wherever it is we’re going?’ asked Niamh.
Bel drew closer to both the children. ‘Have you ever been playing a game or running around or just reading a book and seen something out of the corner of your eye? But when you looked it was gone? Well, that’s where you’re going tonight – to the space in between places.’
‘I have no idea what you mean,’ said Niamh, completely baffled by Bel’s cryptic comments.
‘She has a point you know, Bel,’ said Grace. ‘It sounds easy, but for someone who doesn’t have our ... experience it’s not that simple.
‘I know, Grace. They will need your help and you two will need a little push from me to help ease the way.’
‘It’s been a while and we might be a bit rusty,’ said Merritt. ‘And you know we might need more than a little push from you.’
‘I thought you couldn’t do any real magic here, Dad,’ said Grady.
‘This isn’t really magic, Grady ... well not great magic anyway. But to get between our worlds you need to have some magical skill. Like you two.’
‘Come,’ said Bel. ‘Time is short. Let’s make preparations.’ He turned to the darkness off to their right. ‘Finn! Gawain! Callista! Sofia! We must move.’
Four figures materialised out of the darkness. As they stepped gracefully forward
the children saw immediately they were also kin to their mother and father, though as varied in size to each other as their own family was. Their manner was high and lordly with a graceful ease.
‘Make your preparations,’ said Bel.
With a smile at the children and a light touch on the heads of each member of the family – Niamh first, then Grady, then their mum and dad in turn, the four newcomers blurred in the same way Ella and Lucia had. In moments a carbon copy of the family stood in front of them – exact in every detail.
Niamh and Grady gasped as they looked at their twins. ‘How ...why?’ stammered Grady.
‘So we can make good your escape, of course!’ chuckled Bel. ‘A family came into this warehouse and a family needs to leave it or those who may be watching will be awfully suspicious.’
‘You’ve got a snotty nose!’ laughed the real Grady as he took in more of his new twin brother. ‘So have you,’ laughed the new Niamh in exactly the same voice and tone the real Niamh would use.
Again Niamh gasped – ‘How do you do that!’ she exclaimed.
‘I’m you!’ said the new Niamh. ‘Everything that makes you you is now part of me. I know everything you know and everything you’ve done – including what you did at school last week to Michelle – but don’t worry, I won’t tell your mum,’ giggled the carbon copy.
Bel had been watching the exchange with barely restrained delight and burst out laughing. ‘Oh I do love magic sometimes,’ he chortled. ‘Niamh, Callista is an elf. They can read the patterns of life that make us who we are and copy it exactly. The pattern gives all of your memories – naughty and nice – to her as well, for a while anyway. It won’t last long and the memories will fade soon, but you had better hope you haven’t been too bad lately!’
Niamh blushed a deep scarlet and Grady – the real one – started laughing. It was cut short when Bel said to him, ‘And don’t think Gawain doesn’t know all of your naughty secrets, Grady.’
Gawain turned a knowing smile at Grady and waggled his eyebrows. Grady fell silent very quickly.
‘Enough fun,’ said Bel. ‘Let’s go.’
The “new” family said their goodbyes and quickly took their places in the family car. With a turn of the key and without another glance at the children, the car reversed out the warehouse doors and drove off.
‘Well, the next part of our plan is in place,’ said Bel as the warehouse doors clanged shut again. ‘If anyone is watching they will have seen you drive in and shortly thereafter drive out again. With any luck, they will be following that car and will see you ... them ... board a plane to Ireland.’
‘Time for us to do our bit now,’ said Merritt. ‘Grady – take your mother’s hand.’
Grady did as he was told and Niamh did the same to her father. Merritt knelt down beside her as Grace knelt beside Grady.
‘Niamh,’ began her dad, ‘remember what Bel said? About seeing something out of the corner of your eye? But when you turn your head to look at it it’s gone?’
Niamh nodded. That always seemed to distract her when she least needed to be distracted. She was certain she could see places and faces but they were always just out of reach.
‘Well sweetie, that’s the place you’re about to go into – that space between this world and where we need to go. When I ask you to I need you to let your mind wander. Just be where you are right now but let your mind imagine all the possibilities you could ever think of but daren’t believe could happen. Breathe deeply and let every breath fill you up with magic. Take ten deep breaths and when I ask you to just open your eyes and look for that place again, but this time don’t hesitate – just step straight into it.’
‘How will I get there, though? It never stays there long enough.’
‘It will this time. I’ll be helping. Trust me.’
‘Okay dad. I love you.’
‘Love you too. Now start breathing.’
She started to breathe and felt something spine-tingling run through her hand from her father. On the second breath the feeling grew, like warm water filling up a bath. By the fifth breath Niamh could barely feel herself anymore. It was as if a potion or draught was being poured into her, filling her up from her toes to her head. As the potion filled her she could feel layers being stripped away from her, laying bare a new person underneath. Niamh knew there was something special beyond her comprehension happening.
Behind her eyelids Niamh saw the fiery shape of Bel growing in size and presence. Tendrils of energy reached out and wrapped themselves gently around her.
Grady felt the embrace of Bel’s magic too. He clamped his eyes shut more tightly to try to shut out the steadily brightening glare of Bel, but no amount of effort was enough to shut out the shape or light from the fiery creature. In front of him, the shape of his mother seemed faint and insubstantial but the same tendrils of magic reached out from her, though they were weak and dull by comparison to Bel’s.
The spell around the children built in strength until it seemed to them they could bear it no longer. Niamh breathed once more, twice more, a third time, and then heard her father’s voice, though it seemed to come from a great echoing distance; ‘Open your eyes Niamh, and follow me.’
Never letting go of her father’s hand she opened her eyes. A bright doorway hovered just to her right. Without thinking she stepped towards it and her world changed forever.
Chapter 4
Homeland
Time blurred, and space changed.
What Niamh remembered most about the next few moments was the feeling of speed. That, and the feeling her body had been stretched across a million miles of dark ocean. She saw in sharp detail everything disappear rapidly away from her – arms, legs, even her nose! Everything! She started to scream but before the sound left her mouth the sensation was replaced by the feeling of her body snapping back together like a rubber band released after being stretched to full length. For a moment a black space full of dark swirling shadows replaced the dizzying vision. Niamh saw dark robed figures flash by so fast she thought she must have been mistaken. One of them reached a taloned hand towards her but she passed it at such speed there was no chance of it touching her. A scream filled her ears as she felt her feet touch solid ground.
As she felt reality return Niamh realised she could still hear the screaming and was embarrassed to realise it was coming from her mouth. Not only that – there were two screams – Grady had obviously not enjoyed the experience much either! She took a few moments to catch her breath as her heartbeat slowed. She heard a voice saying, ‘Grady, you can let go now,’ and turned to see her mother holding onto Grady – or rather Grady was holding onto her. His arms were wrapped around the top and sides of his mother’s head with his legs tightly wound around her chest. Grace’s head was squashed into Grady’s chest so tightly that it was a wonder she could breathe.
Grady unwound himself from his mum and dropped down onto the floor of the building they had arrived in. For all they could see they didn’t appear to have gone anywhere. The same high roof and grimy windows filtered a weak light onto a floor they suddenly realised was not quite the same. It was wooden rather than the concrete of the warehouse they had just left, and bulky wooden timbers spanned the width of the building rather than the iron spars of the building they had left moments earlier. Altogether it felt much older.
Without warning, Merritt and Grace fell to the floor clutching at their heads. As the children turned to look at them their parents both glowed with a dull green light before a spiralling green mist rose from them and shot roofward before disappearing. ‘Mum!’ screamed Niamh, racing to her fallen parents.
Merritt held up his hand as he slowly picked himself up with help from Grady. Stretching out a hand he helped Grace back to her feet and hugged her for a moment before turning to the children. ‘Sorry – should have warned you. We knew that was coming.’
‘What was that, Dad?’ asked Grady.
‘That was the spell that stripped us of our deeper power
s being removed. It can’t exist in this world so it was … wrenched … out of us. If that makes sense. It is an alien spell and a very special one.’ He turned and stared at Bel. ‘Thank you my friend.’
‘You are welcome,’ said Bel, bowing deeply. ‘We need all the help we can get here so helping you recover those powers is as much in my interest as yours.’
Grace stood uneasily using Niamh for support. ‘You didn’t mention it would hurt quite so much, Bel. But thank you anyway,’ she said with a smile.
A sound from behind them made hairs stand up on Grady’s neck. It was like the whinny of a horse but much deeper, resonant, and infinitely older. A hot sulphurous breath accompanied the rumble. Both children turned around slowly and found the most enormous set of nostrils they had ever seen parked only metres behind them. Grady thought he had seen some ugly lizards before, but this was the granddaddy of ugliness. The creature flexed its long neck and gave its small leathery wings a quick flap, stirring up the detritus on the floor into little dust devils. Both children realised they were staring at the business end of a dragon!
Niamh let out another scream and raced behind her father. It took her a moment to realise that she was the only one panicking. Everyone else was taking the appearance of the dragon in their stride. Even Grady had not moved. He was obviously finding the sight of the wispy steam rising from the dragon’s nostrils more fascinating than frightening.
The big creature seemed to find the sight of Grady equally as curious, turning its head slowly from side to side so that each of his enormous ruby red glowing eyes, with snakelike yellow slits, could take in the view of his little red head. It moved its head closer and sniffed around Grady who by now was wondering what dragons enjoyed as snacks. The scales on the dragon’s nose were armour-like plates of red and gold and swept back to form a smooth unbroken mail across the shoulders and flanks of the creature. Every movement of the dragon sounded like a sword being smoothly drawn from a scabbard. What light made its way through the windows glittered off the scales reflecting back into Grady’s face like sparklers on Guy Fawkes Night. Without warning, the dragon reared up and then dropped to the floor like a puppy looking for attention and wagging its tail. Little mewling noises came from a mouth filled with sabre-like teeth.
Azrael's Twins Page 6