by Jill Harris
Lydia nodded. "This is a grave problem. Sapphire is right. Demons are capable of devouring the soul of a person, even a sea priestess."
"And if he eats our souls, we"re properly dead." Blythe chugged at her cigar thoughtfully.
"What"s his weakness?" Constance said.
Blythe took a knife from the breadboard, and started cleaning her teeth with it. "A woman. The right female can weaken the strongest demon."
Lydia glanced round the cave at her family. For a moment she wondered if she"d done the right thing bringing them here, putting them in danger. Yet what choice did she have? Vedmak had to be defeated, and she could not do it alone.
"Eleonora Hardy, a young member of the Templesea Moon Coven has connections," she said. "She's brought in an outsider who has a modicum of power. I forget her name but she's a young woman who knows nothing of her destiny."
"Ah! Destiny. She's a harsh mistress," Blythe said.
Lydia rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Indeed. But the goddess of fate is less use than our human helper right now. And the young woman arrives later today at Raven"s Nest."
Sapphire groaned. "I can't believe you let the Moon Coven get involved. They're dry humans. They have no real magic. What good do they think a girl will do? Surely Vedmak will eat her as an entree. And a blood offering will only encourage him."
Lydia inhaled deeply. "Her name is Adeline Winslow and her power is strong, although she knows it not. And apparently she's got quite a gift as a healer."
"We need a warrior, and they"ve brought us a healer?" Constance said, her calm exterior clearly ruffled by this news.
"I suppose they thought that if she can heal Branwell Hughes, he"ll be strong enough to defeat the demon."
Blythe frowned. "Humans are weak. He'll never defeat a thing like Vedmak. And the girl will need help. I've got contacts among the iron warriors."
"And I know an Italian befana, a stone witch. She might be able to bind him if your warrior can catch him." Constance said.
They agreed that a warrior and a stone witch befana might be of some help, yet they all knew they might have to face defeat, possibly even death.
Sapphire stood up and paced the floor of the cave, her bare feet slapping on the wet stone, her blue silk dress shining in the flames of the fire. "If our powers are useless against Vedmak, all we can do is set things in motion, and let them be. We can't control the outcome. We have to endure what is to come."
"We must do what we can. Our work is to watch, and to cleanse this town of its unfathomable memories when all this is over," Lydia said.
"And if it we can't defeat him, mother will have to leave Templesea with us," Blythe said.
"We'll never be able to return," Lydia said. "And eventually the whole earth will go up in flames of fury, fear, and hatred."
Constance drained her glass of wine. "Ah well. I've always loved this place but I suppose The Fates will spin as they please."
"And sometimes what pleases them is destruction," Lydia said.
"That's agreed then. I'll fight with the warrior, Blythe can work with the befana. Sapphire and mother will watch and record," Constance said. "Now, let's open some of mother"s brain melting marsh samphire gin. Make sure we're properly drunk by morning."
They all stared into the dying fire as the sound of the tide turning echoed from the beach above them.
Chapter 3
Raven"s Nest House.
Later that day...
Perched on a bluff overlooking the cove, the house looked as though it might tumble into the sea at any minute. In the winter twilight everything seemed bathed in blue-grey light as the sun dipped to the horizon. Mountains of darkening clouds hovered overhead threatening more bad weather overnight.
After the difficult climb up a breathtakingly narrow, winding path, the carriage stopped abruptly at a pair of arched wrought-iron gates. The horses stamped their feet, blew clouds of mist into the freezing air.
Miss Adeline Winslow, restless from the long ride down from London to the Dorset coast, was trying not to be alarmed by the final part of her long journey. The steep climb to the house had left her light-headed, and she wondered whether she would have accepted the position at Raven's Nest, if she'd known the house where she was to live and work, was perched quite so high atop a jagged cliff.
Heights did not agree with her.
However a distant cousin, Mr David Hardy - a resident of Templesea, who was one of the few people still speaking to her after her disgrace, had arranged for her employment in this lost corner of England. There was no option but to make the most of it.
She jammed her book, an elegant mystery by Mr Wilkie Collins, into the large carpet bag on the seat by her side. It contained nothing else her purse, and most importantly, the shock box. Adeline peered inside the bag to make sure the box was undisturbed, running her fingers over its polished mahogany lid. She was glad she"d kept it with her. It was too precious to risk strapping to the cold roof of the of the carriage.
The horses' hooves scraped the ground sending scree skittering like marbles thrown by street children.
Adeline leaned out the window. Wind whipped at her hair as she scanned the wooded valley far below to the north of the town of Templesea. It was a very small town. Small and quiet. No one in her previous circle of acquaintances had ever heard of it, let alone visited it. She exhaled and watched the mist of her breath dissolve into nothing.
The driver jumped down, came round, opened the door, and pulled down the steps for Adeline. She got out into the howling gale, grateful to stretch her legs at last.
For the time being she was free of the stain of her past.
Unless her cousin, Mr Hardy had told everyone her business. Her heart stuttered a moment, before reason restored her. Mr Hardy was not a gossip and therefore highly unlikely to spread rumours about her. For now, her reputation was unknown to the locals and therefore spotless.
She smiled to herself. Nothing would ever be the same again, yet in many ways things couldn't turn out any worse. All she had to do was make the most of the situation at hand, gloomy clifftop house and all. Doing her duty as a nurse, coupled with the avoidance of any hint of romantic love in her life. She had allowed love to bring her to her knees once. She would not let it happen again.
Out of the corner of her eye she noticed an oddly shaped shadow flash past within a flurry of snow. She had the distinct feeling the shadow was sentient. Malevolent. And aware of her presence.
A cold shiver went through her.
The shadow stopped and seemed to be lurking by the stone wall surrounding the house. Unsure as to how a shadow could have any conscious behaviour patterns, she glared in its general direction. When she did this it appeared to melt into the granite blocks of stone. Her eyes must be playing tricks.
She shook her skirts out, reminding her that everyone"s eyes had a habit of seeing strange things during twilight, what with the fading of day and the encroaching darkness of night.
Adeline turned her attention back to the town far below. She supposed it was pretty in its way. There was the spire of the church, the steep winding streets running down to the cove, and the dark tiled roofs slanted against the wind and the elements. Some of the windows of the houses blinked as gas lights and candles were lit for the evening. Smoke the colour of slate curled upwards from the hearth fires of the good people of Templesea as it lay quietly under snowfall.
Perhaps there might be some interesting company living there. Although who in their right mind would choose to live in so isolated a place? She doubted there was a single theatre, art gallery or tennis court to distract her attention when she wasn't working. She glanced once again at the imposing grey edifice of Raven"s Nest. All good houses, even ones as remote as this one, clinging to a rock, had to have a library. There it was then. She"d have to read more books in order to remain sane.
Adeline turned round in a full circle, soaking in the whole vista of her new home. The wind roared. Sea birds swooped and plummete
d to the choppy waves below. A few fishing ketches were moored to the quay jutting out beneath the cliff to the west of the bay, the cliff upon which she was now standing.
There were lobster baskets the size of hat boxes piled on the quayside, and a warehouse of some kind adjacent to the half moon of the sandy cove. Adeline presumed that's where the distinct smell of salted fish was coming from.
In truth, she had been looking forward to enjoying the delights of the green-grey waters of the English channel. She noticed a wooden bathing machine drawn up on the sandy beach, and hoped she might persuade the owner to let her use it.
Next summer. When the sun came out and the winds were warm.
Having learned to swim in the private lake of one her lover, she was suddenly filled with a determination to partake of the rigorous feeling of ploughing through cold sea water.
It might damp down some of the anger she had left over from the unfortunate incident which had left her a social pariah.
With a sense of longing, Adeline gazed back towards the ridge of hills running along the northern horizon. Beyond it lay her beloved London and all of civilisation. Undulating behind the town like some ancient land serpent, the line of hills were steel-blue under a dusting of snow. She pulled her shawl about her.
Looming over the little town, the summit of the serpent-like ridgeway melted into the mist of low cloud, as if at any moment it might liquify, and rising like a giant wave, crest and break, destroying everything, washing all of them into the sea.
Adeline felt a knot tightening in her stomach. An irrational sense of dread nudged at the corners of her mind. She reminded herself that this was not the time for a faint heart.
Because it was too late for her to turn back.
Some things could never be undone, and her decision to leave everything behind had left her with nothing except the warmth of her hands and a quick mind. However, her hands were blocks of ice and her brain appeared to have ground to a halt after so many hours in the bone-rattling coach. The driver dumped her carpet bag on the stoney ground with a grunt.
Standing there on top of that freezing rock at the gates of Raven's Nest House, exhausted and alone, Adeline wondered, not for the first time, whether she"d made another bad decision.
Chapter 4
Adeline adjusted her bonnet, and brushed flakes of snow from the sleeves of her travelling cloak.
Her attention was drawn once again to the gates through which she could see the uneven gables and crenelated tower of the house. The entire structure was almost in ruins, the walls crumbling with bits of masonry missing. Her heart dropped. The house was bleak. One could almost say it was sinister. She had so hoped for somewhere comforting and homely.
It seemed as though Raven"s Nest House was held in place against the wind only by the surrounding wall.
Two ravens carved from granite, stood guard either side of the gates, their heads bowed as if they too wished to get out of the howling gale.
She had to admit to herself that she"d made the decision to come based largely on impulse. If she'd given the matter a little more thought, she was sure she could have taken something much less challenging. Perhaps a position as a lady"s companion in a more amiable and sophisticated town.
Never mind, she told herself sternly. One must always make the best of a bad job.
"Well this looks like a stinking heap of scrag," the driver said, cocking his head towards the house.
His face was completely enclosed in a black woollen scarf so only his red-rimmed eyes were visible. "Do you want me to take you back to proper society?"
Adeline felt sorry for him riding up there through the snow and ice for all those hours. She found a few shillings in her purse, handed them to him. "I'd love to go back to London. But alas, I've worthwhile employment here. So I must stay."
The driver twisted his mouth into what might be described as a toothy grin. "It'll never be bang up to the elephant. But I'm sure a young whipper like you will try and make the most of it."
"I expect it's quite nice in the spring," Adeline said.
She picked up the carpet bag, and made her way to the gates of the house, her boots crunching on the stoney ground.
It had become obvious to Adeline that whoever chose to live in such a place wanted to make a statement about himself.
Whether that statement was one of arrogance, non-conformity, or simply a taste for the dramatic, she didn't yet know.
One thing was for sure, the owner had more than enough money to restore the house if he chose. She hazarded a guess that Captain Hughes had a Gothic sensibility. Therefore, he would wish to project that trait outwards for all to see.
The mournful shriek of a gull overhead only served to heighten the overall theatricals. Well, it didn't touch her at all. She remained calm and steady.
It would take more than this to fluster Miss Adeline Winslow. She shook out her skirts with her free hand and took several steps closer to the gates, peering through the wrought ironwork of leaves and curlicues. The courtyard of flagstones was broken and lumpy.
As far as she could make out, the house had at least three gables of varying heights. She counted nine chimneys, two of which were smoking, which was a good sign. She was looking forward to warming herself by a good fire.
The carriage had left her chilled to the core which had done nothing to improve her mood. She found herself wondering vaguely whether the owner spent much time in the tower brooding over his injuries.
The tower looked like it belonged more to a castle than a home. It was round, several storeys high and even had slits for archery practise.
She rolled her eyes. More melodrama.
Then she reminded herself that she had work to do. To that end, it was a good idea to appear enraptured by the tiresome surroundings. After all, the sound of waves crashing on the rocks far below, the screeching sea birds, and roaring wind might in time become soothing. It had been many years since she last visited the seaside, and the air tasted salty, perhaps even fresh.
Her stomach, she realised, was woefully empty. It had been twelve hours since her breakfast of scrambled eggs and buttered bread. Adeline hoped fervently that she would be in time for supper at the house of her new employer.
Adeline stood at the gate looking for a way to alert the occupants of her arrival.
Most of the snow had melted in the sea spray, leaving a grey, crystalline slush banked against the walls. She looked down at the puddle of black ice in front of the gate.
The driver came up behind her.
"It's not locked," he said, and pushed them open with a great creaking noise, revealing nothing but grey-blue shadows criss-crossing the courtyard like pieces of a puzzle.
The two black steeds in harnesses shook their heads and stamped their feet.
"There now, there now," he whispered to the animals. Then, to Adeline. "They don't like it. They won't go no further. Who can blame them? My horses are beasts of refinement."
"I'm sure I'll find the front door without a problem," she said.
"It's as though they've seen something. Like a ghost. If you ask me, it's a bad place with bad goings on. A gaff like this, just don't feel right."
"I'm grateful for your observations, but I really must get on."
At that moment a figure dressed in the attire of a manservant emerged in the courtyard.
He flitted out of the gloom, moving so fast it was as if he had flown down from the tower. Adeline let out a small gasp at the sight of him until she realised he wasn't the shadow she thought she"d seen earlier dissolving into the wall.
This man was much taller, and thinner. He was as solid as Adeline herself. As he got closer she noticed his face was ridged with so many lines it looked as though he had shrunk from a much larger size. His teeth were yellow and broken, giving him a permanent sneer. His eyes were small, yet piercing blue.
He looked Adeline over. Then fixed the driver with a mean glare.
The driver mumbled something about the latene
ss of the hour, and fetched Adeline"s trunk from atop the carriage with great heaving sighs. Then he plonked it on the cold ground in front of the thin man.
The thin man bent his stick-like frame in half. He picked up the trunk as if it weighed nothing, although Adeline knew it was heavy due to the ridiculous amount of books she insisted on taking everywhere.
"Follow me," the thin man said.
Chapter 5
Adeline followed the manservant cautiously across the murky yard, edging past the worst patches of frozen water which clogged the cracked and broken flagstones.
The arched wooden door to the main house was half-open.
Adeline inspected the ornate door knocker. It was fashioned in the shape of a gargoyle, complete with devil"s horns and thick with rust. Her pulse increased at the sight of it, and she rubbed her chin with her left hand. The Captain was determined to impress a feeling of foreboding and fear upon his visitors. In Adeline however, such attempts only increased her curiosity about the man.
The thin servant skipped up the steps and into the gaping darkness. Adeline shivered, seized with the idea that she was about to enter into a monstrous mouth. For a moment she felt a rising surge of anger against her employer. He had described Raven's Nest House as "a pleasant and comfortable abode".
She would have to beg to disagree with him if it ever came to it. Or not. Despite the chill air, she felt her cheeks flush with heat.
After all, irritating as it might be, it wasn't her place to criticise the bad taste of wealthy men who paid her good money in advance for her nursing skills.
And she had nowhere else to go.
Therefore she steeled herself for whatever awaited. Fixing what she hoped was a cool smile on her lips, she moved forward reminding herself of one of her governesses sayings.
A little wit serves a fortunate woman.
In this situation, she must surely keep all her wits about her. If, that is, she expected fortune to follow.