by M S C Barnes
stomach with such force Zach flew backward. In anticipation of a further attack he turned, caught the moonlight on his hand and shone it down onto Seb. Instantly Seb’s icy captor felt the strength from it and, as if this was what it had been waiting for, the invisible fingers rushed towards Seb’s hand. Without hesitation this time they latched on to his birthmark. And now he felt the sensation that he was being pushed out of his body, that the forceful presence was overrunning him, thrusting him out of the way.
Zach, fuming, charged at Heath again. Throwing him to the ground he yelled.
“What have you done? What does that do?”
Miss West and The Caretaker leapt forward and stood over Heath, The Caretaker placing a foot on his hand, covering the birthmark. Heath laughed triumphantly. “Do what you will – Braddock is back and your pathetic attempts to prevent it are too little, too late.”
Inside his head Seb could hear whispering.
“Leave. This is mine now. I claim this body … this Custodian’s body. Leave!”
Seb found it hard to resist. The voice grew louder, more commanding. It was so persuasive. Seb’s soul felt wrenched, torn. The compulsion to flee, to desert his body, was almost overwhelming. Ice gripped his mind and heat pounded in his palm … the crystals in his skin burning.
Nat shouted at him, “You can’t give in, Seb. This is willpower, nothing more. You have to be stronger than him. Fight him!”
Seb didn’t want to fight. The cold! His insides were shivering. He wanted to curl up, snuggle down into the deepest recesses of his body.
The voice continued, “That’s it, leave. There is nothing for you here. Go to Áberan.” The whispering was soothing, persuading. “I can do more with this body than you have. I can use it, harness its power, its unique strength – I can be the Custodian!”
Seb stared out of his eyes as though he were looking out of a window. He didn’t feel as if he owned his body, just sat inside it, gazing out.
Mr Duir staggered over to him and knelt beside him. He grabbed Seb’s arm. Seb couldn’t even feel the touch of his fingers as they clasped his hand, twisting the arm to face him.
Heath yelled out, “Aelfric, what are you doing? It is too late. Let Braddock come back to me … to us! He can be a worthy Custodian. Aelfric, think on it, a Dryad soul in a Custodian’s body. Think on it!”
Through clenched teeth Mr Duir answered, “It is an aberration and an outrage! You dare to alter the set of life’s destiny? You dare to presume to change the pattern of Nature?” Seb was stunned at the fury in his words. Spoken in no more than a whisper, the anger was biting.
In his head Braddock’s rustling words continued, “Do not let him touch me … us. Do not. What is he doing?” There was a note of panic and as the hypnotic, persuasive comments stopped, Seb began to regain his own willpower.
Mr Duir stared into his eyes and spoke quickly. “Seb, this is your destiny, your role and your body – you must retake them all.”
Seb felt a pang of guilt, but more keenly he felt doubt. He had spent days living in confusion, denial and fear. Did he even want this body back? Would it not be simpler to leave it to the one who wanted it, to slope off to Áberan and wait for his turn to be called again?
The Fight
“Aelfric, give it up. More come. That summons was for all of them, not just those nearby. Give it up. Let Braddock take the host! Then we can help you banish these trespassers; we can help you restore the balance. Imagine it, Aelfric!” Heath shouted at Mr Duir.
He tried to remove The Caretaker’s foot from his hand, tried to sit up. Trudy West placed her foot on his chest and pushed him back down.
“Trudy,” he smiled. “Trudy, is that really necessary? Can you not see the logic? We could have Braddock! Braddock who understands, who knows. Braddock who would be confident, determined, devoted, who would assist us all in ensuring the true passage of rightful souls is upheld. Instead of this,” he waved his free hand in Seb’s direction, “this weak, uncertain and … well, basically inept soul.”
Seb, barely holding on to reality, felt the sting of his words, the ring of truth.
And then Aiden, sitting beside him, in a small voice said, “You can’t say that! That soul led the quest to rescue you and Mr Duir, saved Alice, harnessed the power it didn’t even know it possessed and sent all those bats and beasts’ souls into that dark place. That soul is simply confused, uninformed and inexperienced. Yours, though, has betrayed everything it was meant to stand for! And Braddock? Braddock is a trespassing soul!”
Heath blanched. Everyone else stared.
Mr Duir glanced over his shoulder. “That about sums it up, Heath,” he said.
Inside the shell of the body he felt was not his, Seb now realised that his friend’s words were truer than Heath’s had been. It was no sin to be weak if that weakness is simply due to lack of knowledge; no transgression to be uncertain because you doubt your capabilities, and no fault to be inept if ineptitude comes from lack of training and practice. But now his world was darkening. Watching Heath struggle against the restraints of Miss West and The Caretaker he felt his soul being forced deep into the most obscure corner of his body.
Mr Duir’s words bounced around in his subconscious, Seb, this is your destiny, your role and your body. You must retake them all.
And then a sudden surge of warmth brought him back from the brink, pushing back the cold. He gazed down at his arm. Mr Duir, holding his wrist, had placed his own left palm in contact with Seb’s birthmark.
Heath was talking. “They come, Aelfric. More come. You can feel them! You need us – me and Braddock! You will not manage alone.”
Now Dierne spoke to Mr Duir, his voice crackling with urgency. “I can call them. The channels are open. I can call.”
Mr Duir shook his head.
“They can help,” Dierne insisted.
“They could not and should not bear it, Dierne.” Mr Duir didn’t look at the Dryad. Whatever conversation they had was continued in private but Seb saw the distress on Dierne’s face and the resolve on Mr Duir’s.
He still felt throbbing in his palm. Those icy fingers had penetrated his birthmark and the cold had spread like a canker. But he could also now feel heat from Mr Duir’s touch spreading through the crystals fused in the skin of his hand. He tried to concentrate on the warmth, on the tingling he could feel beneath the throbbing. There was a ripple of laughter. “You are too late.”
Seb felt the heat moving up his arm.
“My body,” he said slowly. The spread of the coldness receded slightly. His thoughts cleared, his sight became once more his own. “My body,” he said staring out at the world.
Around him, the night was unchanged; the tower dark, the air cold. Heath lay beneath Trudy West’s foot but everyone else now stared out of the stone circle. And then Seb realised why. He saw what they could all see: red eyes surrounding the circle – many of them.
Clinging only tenuously to a thread of self-esteem, Seb felt crushing doubt once more on seeing the mass of creatures approaching. Surely Braddock would be better suited to help fight these demonic beasts? He stared at the dots of red, fear gripping him.
“Aelfric,” Heath implored. “You know you are going to need us both, me and Braddock. There are too many of them. The boy is useless! Let me up, let us help.”
Mr Duir looked over his shoulder at the crowd of animals stalking past the stones and said nothing. Seb watched in horror. He counted at least ten in the first group and behind them a further row.
Where did they all come from?
Zach positioned himself in front of Mr Duir. Mr West ushered Scarlet over to crouch beside Nat and Aiden, backs to the tower. A nod from Mr Duir and Miss West removed her foot from Heath’s chest, The Caretaker released his hand and they walked over to join Zach.
“Yes, Aelfric. You know it makes sense.” Heath jumped up and darted towards Seb but before he reached him Mr Duir shouted.
“No, Heat
h! Do not go near him.”
“But …” Heath was confused. “I thought …”
“You can go.” Mr Duir didn’t even glance towards him.
“Go where? What about the gytrash? You need my help.”
“No, Heath. I need only Seb.”
Seb’s attention was riveted. Mr Duir was placing faith in him? But Heath’s right, I am useless!
“You can go, wherever you choose. But do not be here, Heath; if you stay I cannot protect you,” Mr Duir said.
Heath laughed, though it sounded hollow, fearful.
“Aelfric, you won’t manage. Not with him! The boy doubts and fails at every turn. Can you not see?” he implored.
The vast number of animals – dark horses, black manes catching the slight breeze, great black hounds, huge, sleek panthers, even a bear – padded forward, snarling or hissing or snorting. They surrounded the group beneath the tower.
Seb struggled to sit up.
“Seb?” Scarlet stared at him. “Are you okay?” she whispered.
Seb wasn’t. He could still feel the cold all through his body and could hear the voice of Braddock in his mind.
“Let me take over. I need to help Heath!”
But the power and energy running up his arm and spreading to his chest from Mr Duir’s hand made him stronger.
The first animals were only feet away so Mr Duir was now forced to let go. Seb felt the instant sapping of his energy as the contact was broken.
Before stepping away Mr Duir spoke quietly, words meant for Seb alone. “Seb, I need you.” And then he turned to face the