‘I don’t know. The whole thing’s pretty hazy. One moment I was on the roof, talking to you, the next I wake up in here feeling like I’ve been hit by a bus.’
‘Did you lose your balance?’
‘That’s the thing, I don’t think so. I wasn’t that close to the edge. Honestly, Charles, I don’t know how it happened.’
‘Well at least you’re all right, that’s the main thing.’
Abbie looked down, twiddling her fingers. ‘You think?’
‘What do you mean? Of course you are.’
‘I’m not going to walk again, am I?’
‘Listen to me, Abbs. There’s no way in hell one little fall is going to keep you off your feet. You’ll be up and out of here in no time.’
‘I know what they’re saying, Charley. They might try and sound optimistic when they’re talking to me face to face, but you can tell by their expressions . . . they’re not holding out much hope.’
‘That’s rubbish,’ Charley said as convincingly as she could. ‘Once you’ve had time to recover, you’re going to walk out that door, good as new. I promise.’
Abbie forced a smile, and the pair of them sat quietly for a few minutes. ‘You don’t need to stay, Charles,’ Abbie said eventually, ‘I know you have stuff to sort out with Aiden.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous, I’m not going anywhere. Things with Aiden will be fine.’
‘You sure?’ Abbie asked, rubbing her eyes. ‘I really don’t mind if you want to go find him.’
‘He was here a moment ago. He’s away to . . . well, I’m not sure actually. He said he had to go check something.’
‘Oh,’ Abbie said in surprise.
‘I’m all yours,’ Charley replied, wandering over to the corner of the room where a stack of board games were piled. She picked up the top one – Monopoly – and turned back to Abbie, smiling. ‘I’m gonna thrash you at this.’
Aiden marched into his house and closed the front door, louder than he’d meant to, but at least it made a statement. Or so he’d thought . . .
‘Mum?’ he called, checking the living room first but finding it empty. ‘Mum!’
‘Kitchen,’ she said tersely, and he walked in to find her baking her famous cherry and almond turnovers. ‘Please don’t storm into the house slamming doors, Aiden. You know how I feel about your moods.’
‘I have good reason for my mood swings, Mother, and you know it.’
Tabitha said nothing. She carried on twisting pastry as if he hadn’t spoken.
‘Is it still possible to conjure up a nost?’ he asked matter-of-factly.
‘Why?’ He had her attention now. ‘Why would you ask me about nosts?’
‘Because I need to know if it’s still possible to create one.’
She thought about it for a second, refusing to look away from the task before her. He could tell she was upset – she hated discussing magic with him.
‘Of course it is, but only if the correct magic was used. We would never have the right sort of powers to produce one.’
‘A demon would though, right?’
‘Aiden, why are you asking me these questions?’
‘Will you just answer me?’ he snapped, slamming his fist on the counter.
Tabitha cleared her throat and placed the rolling-pin down in front of her.
‘A demon could generate enough power to create a nost, yes, but they would have to have good reason to do so.’
‘Good? How could a nost be used for good?’ Aiden asked, confused.
‘It wouldn’t be good for anyone but them. They would use a nost to their own advantage. A demon in charge of such dark magic would have no good intentions, let me assure you. But in their eyes, they must be certain that conjuring up a nost is the only option left to help them fulfil their mission, if you will.’
‘Demons don’t have missions,’ Aiden scoffed. ‘They don’t have hearts. They destroy everything they touch, everything that ever gets in their way. They’re monsters.’
‘You don’t really know enough about them to say that,’ Tabitha said, flattening the pastry again, this time with her fingers.
‘Are you sticking up for them?’
‘No, I’m not. I’m saying you don’t know a lot about demons, or what they can do. Hence why you’re here now, talking to me because you don’t have the answers yourself.’
‘I know they can’t be trusted.’
‘In most cases, that’s correct, and you’d be wise to keep your guard up around them – if you were ever to meet one that is.’
Tabitha stopped kneading for a moment and glanced up at her son, who was standing stock-still in the doorway. The pair of them shared a look – a look of confusion, intrigue. Neither one was quite sure what the other was thinking.
Does she know I’ve met a demon already? Aiden thought.
Has he figured this out yet? Should I be worried? Tabby’s mind ran wild.
Aiden broke the silence, saying, ‘Yeah, well, thanks. I’ll see you later.’
‘Be careful, Aiden. I don’t know what you’re up to and I know there’s little point in asking, but don’t get yourself involved with magic as depraved as this.’
He didn’t say another word, simply turning and walking out the door.
‘Don’t say I didn’t warn you.’
There was a quiet knock on Abbie’s door, and she let out a sigh of relief as Charley walked in, carrying a beautiful bunch of carnations and a punnet of grapes. She’d hardly slept, and she couldn’t bear the thought of yet another doctor or nurse coming to pester her.
‘Morning, sunshine,’ Charley chirruped, ‘where’s your mum?’
‘Away home just now, bringing me in fresh towels. I told her I have no need for fresh towels, but would she listen? To be honest, I’m glad she left. Glad to get half an hour without her prattling away in my ear.’
‘Be grateful for small mercies, eh?’ Charley said, and actually managed to get a smile from Abbie.
‘I guess so, Charles, I guess so.’ She paused for a few seconds, deep in thought, and then said, ‘So how’s Aiden? Have you two worked things out yet?’
‘I think we’re okay. I haven’t seen him since . . . since the day you fell.’
‘Seriously?’ Abbie asked, raising an eyebrow as Charley shook her head. ‘That’s poor, Charles. On his part of course, not yours.’
‘To give him his due, I have been with you most of the time. He phoned me from his house, the day of the accident. Said he was happy to come back if I needed him, but he had some things he wanted to look into. I said it was fine. He’s trying to find out about something called a nost.’
‘A nost?’ Abbie frowned.
‘I don’t know much about them, only that they’re incredibly dangerous.’
‘Oh, superb.’
‘Tell me about it. I’m meeting him later, so hopefully he’ll fill me in. I hate being left in the dark.’
‘Don’t we all?’
Charley got up and walked towards the door, but instead of leaving, she pulled the little brown table over to Abbie’s bedside.
‘No, Charles!’ Abbie cried, ‘I’m really not in the mood for board games, especially not Monopoly. That game the other day lasted for bleeding hours.’
Charley smiled as she lifted the lid from the game and emptied the contents on to the table. ‘Which piece do you want to be?’ she asked.
‘None.’
‘Abbie . . .’
‘Seriously, none.’
‘Fine, I’ll pick for you. You can be the boot, because you’re acting like one.’
Abbie snorted. ‘Gee, thanks. All right, fine, you can be the dog then, seeing as you’re acting like such a bi–’
‘Is that any way to talk to your best friend?’ Charley interrupted, tossing the playing piece at Abbie
and setting up the board.
‘You’re the one who called me a boot,’ Abbie laughed. ‘Besides, you are known for your . . .’ Abbie stopped mid-sentence and gripped on to the bed’s handrail.
‘What’s wrong?’ Charley asked. ‘Abbs, you okay? Are you in pain?’
Abbie didn’t reply.
‘Babe, answer me. What’s happening?’
‘My feet,’ Abbie said weakly.
‘What about them? Do they hurt? I’ll get a doctor.’ Charley got up and made a dash for the door, stumbling over her bag on the way.
‘No, they aren’t sore. I can feel them!’
‘What?’
‘They’re tingling . . . like pins and needles. Charley, I can actually feel them!’
Charley stood by the door for a minute, gaping at Abbie. She couldn’t believe what her friend was saying. It’s not that she wasn’t happy to hear the news – on the contrary. It’s just that Charley had been beginning to think she was never going to hear those words. She thought she was never going to see Abbie’s face light up the way it just had.
My feet. I can feel them.
Simple words, yet they meant so much.
‘Abbie, that’s wonderful!’ Charley flung her arms around Abbie’s neck, just about choking her friend as she held on, just a little too tightly.
‘Shoulder!’ Abbie yelled, and Charley leapt back.
‘Sorry, your clavicle. I forgot.’
‘Clavicle? Aren’t we posh,’ Abbie said, rubbing her shoulder gently as the pain began to ease. ‘God, that was sore. Only you could manage that, Charles.’
‘Sorry,’ Charley said in a low voice.
‘Don’t be. I still love you.’
‘I should call someone. A doctor, I’ll get a doctor.’
She jumped off the bed and ran back to the door, managing to avoid her bag this time as she hurtled from the room. She sprinted down the corridor, nearly knocking an elderly man with a walking frame over as she rushed past.
‘Sorry,’ she called over her shoulder, still running towards reception.
Much to her delight, Doris was nowhere to be seen. This time behind the desk sat a woman – early thirties? – with long, brown hair, pulled back into a ponytail.
‘Can I help you?’ the woman asked politely, smiling at Charley.
‘I hope so. I really need to speak to a doctor. My friend, Abbie Gibbons, has just regained feeling in her feet for the first time in about,’ – Charley checked her watch – ‘nearly forty-seven hours. She was in an accident, fell from a rooftop.’
‘All right, I’ll get a doctor along to see her,’ the receptionist said.
She hurried away and Charley stayed where she was, letting her weight rest on the desk in front of her.
Just then, the main doors opened and Abbie’s mum wandered in, carrying a pile of neatly folded towels, a box of sandwiches and various bags, probably filled with things Abbie would neither want nor use.
‘Carol,’ Charley said, waving and walking over to help her.
‘Hello, dear, how are you? How’s Abbie doing? Is she still awfully down?’
‘She’s much better. She managed to move her feet.’
Carol stood in awe for a moment, as if Charley’s words hadn’t registered.
‘She . . . she did what?’
‘Yeah, I know. Well, I’m not sure if she actually moved them, but she got pins and needles. She said she could feel them again.’
Carol began to cry, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
‘Are you all right?’
‘I’ve never been more all right. Oh, sweetheart, thank you,’ she said, pulling Charley in for a hug.
‘You don’t need to thank me, I really didn’t do anything.’
‘You’re here, pet. You’ve kept my daughter in good spirits and I couldn’t have asked for more. Thank you, Charlotte. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.’ Carol beamed at Charley once more and then took off towards Abbie’s room.
Charley smiled, fetching her phone from her pocket when she heard the familiar message tone.
It was a text from Aiden, asking her to meet him. She typed a quick reply and then started for Abbie’s room.
She saw him as soon as she turned the corner, sitting on the swing and holding something large on his knee – a box? She couldn’t tell.
She wandered over, her hands stuffed in her pockets to protect them from the cold. It was only October, but Charley was already finding the abrupt change in weather a little unseasonable.
‘Hi,’ she said, and he looked up from what she now realised was a book, resting on his lap.
‘Hi,’ he replied, and she took a seat on the swing beside him. ‘How’s Abbie?’
At the mention of her name, Charley turned to look at the library. The roof seemed higher now than it usually did; it was a miracle Abbie had even survived.
‘She’s a lot better. The numbness is easing off.’
‘She’ll walk again?’ Aiden asked, and Charley nodded. ‘That’s good.’
‘It’s fantastic,’ Charley corrected him.
‘Yeah, sorry. It’s brilliant.’
Aiden glanced down at the book again, and Charley noticed this time how distant he was. His mind seemed to be somewhere else, somewhere far away. Somewhere unfamiliar.
‘You okay? You don’t seem yourself.’
‘I’m fine,’ he said unconvincingly, and Charley reached over to take his hand.
‘Did you find out more about these nosts?’
‘I did . . . I asked my mother who was as helpful as ever.’
‘What did she say?’
Charley knew she had to tread carefully when talking to Aiden about his parents. She still didn’t know if they were like him – magicians – or if they only knew what he was.
‘She didn’t say much. Just that nosts are dangerous and I should keep well away from anyone who has anything to do with them.’
‘Has she ever conjured up a nost?’ Charley asked cautiously, and he shook his head.
‘Magicians can’t summon nosts. We don’t have that kind of magic.’
‘So your parents are magicians.’
Aiden immediately looked defeated, and Charley couldn’t help feeling somewhat triumphant as he glanced up at her, his eyebrows raised.
‘Well played, Chambers. I didn’t realise how devious you could be.’
‘I learn from the best.’
He let go of her hand and flicked through the book again, the pages turning so fast that it was impossible to read.
‘Yes, my parents are magicians. This is my mother’s book. I took it when I realised she wasn’t going to give me any answers.’
‘Did you find anything in it? About nosts or . . .’ Charley wasn’t sure what else there was to find out about, but the book was so big, she was intrigued to know what else was in it; what other secrets it held.
‘Take a look at this,’ Aiden said, flipping the pages until he came to the right one. On the left hand side, there was a drawing: a thick, black, wavy creature, just like the one she’d seen that night with Marcus. ‘Is this what you saw?’
‘Yes, that’s it.’
‘It was definitely a nost then,’ Aiden said, his voice wavering slightly. ‘According to this, a demon can create a nost to–’
‘Wow, wait a minute. A demon?’
‘Yes, a demon.’
‘You’re saying that Marcus is a demon?’
Charley wanted to laugh. She wanted to tell him how foolish that sounded, that Marcus couldn’t possibly be a demon. She didn’t know why the idea seemed so ridiculous though. After all, it wasn’t long ago that Aiden had first told her she was a magician, something that seemed so absurd at the time.
‘That’s exactly what I’m saying. Apparently, the only creatur
e that can create a nost is a demon.’
‘Creature?’
‘Well he’s hardly human, is he?’
Charley couldn’t think of anything to say that would contradict his argument. ‘So what does a nost actually do?’ she asked instead, not entirely sure if she wanted to hear the answer or not.
‘As far as I’m aware, they can be used for a number of things. But the main reason for conjuring one is to lock it on to somebody. Once it’s attached itself, it’s almost impossible to remove it. Only the demon who created it can separate the nost from its victim.’
‘Can they choose who it latches on to?’ Charley asked, imagining the snake-like varmint wrapping itself around a person’s body, their soul, worming its way in until it had consumed them, leaving nothing but an empty shell.
‘Yes, that’s kind of the point. Before it’s been summoned, the demon chooses who the nost is to pursue. Once it has materialised, it will find that person, link itself to them, and slowly kill them.’
‘What?’ Charley gasped.
‘They’ll get sicker and sicker but show no indications of ill health. Well, there might be signs, but no doctor or scientist will be able to help them. They’ll simply deteriorate, their body shutting down as the nost lives off their vitality.’
‘My gran . . .’
‘I know.’
‘Is that what’s wrong with her?’
‘Certainly sounds a lot like it.’
‘But why would Marcus want to hurt my gran? He doesn’t even know her.’
‘I’m not sure, Chambers, but I plan on finding out. I know this doesn’t seem good, but at least we know what’s wrong with her now. We have a better chance of helping her.’
‘But we’d need to get Marcus to remove it. Why would he do that if he created it in the first place?’
‘Well that’s what we’re going to find out.’
The two teenagers walked through the school courtyard, Charley clutching on to Aiden’s hand as the cool wind brushed past her nose. His skin was warm, familiar, and Charley felt content as she held on, her fingers entwined with his.
‘You okay?’ he asked, pulling her closer as she shivered, either from the cold or from the trepidation of what they were about to do. Who they were about to see.
Charley Chambers Page 13