Ingress

by Mary Ann Poll

  “Today you do.” Bart turned the key and it roared to life.

  Main Street was empty except for a few hardy souls who had ventured out for some shopping or a cup of coffee. Forty-below zero didn’t deter the residents of Ravens Cove from finding human companionship to offset the loneliness of a small town in a remote place, far from big-city entertainment.

  Bart made a U-turn and headed north on Main. “First stop, the library. If Gary’s shown up, we can go on to Mrs. Tellamoot’s.” They rolled to a stop.

  Dread hit Kat’s stomach. The last thing she wanted to do right now was to make nice with Brandon McGill. “I’ll wait here.”

  “No you won’t.” Bart turned off the truck. The cold seeped through the metal in seconds.

  Kat huffed and jumped out. They strode up the concrete steps and entered one of the town’s more ornate buildings.

  Brandon stood behind the counter, concentrating on a large computer screen. He looked up and brightened.

  “Good evening, Kat—and sheriff.” His smile lost its zeal.

  “Gary show up?”

  “No. Think he took off for home after the event.”

  “Doesn’t he usually work ’til six?”

  “Usually. But, today being an impromptu holiday, I did tell him to take the rest of the day off. Usually, he doesn’t do what I say. Today he did. Go figure.”

  “Well, since the mayor seemed mighty concerned, guess we’ll go check the house. Thanks.”

  “We still on for coffee tomorrow, Kat?”

  Kat thought. She had no other appointments and maybe Wendy was right. “Sure. See you at three?”

  “Great.”

  Kat and Bart walked back to the truck in silence.

  “You’re having coffee with Brandon?” The way Bart said it brought back Kat’s original doubts.

  “Guess so. Why?” Somewhere in the last few hours, Kat had decided against inviting Bart to join them.

  “Why? He’s new to town and awfully slick. Not to mention, you don’t know anything about that man.”

  “Well, coffee seems to be a good way to find out. For heaven’s sake, Bart, I’m not taking him to meet Grandma or marrying the guy. And he is cute.”

  That got Bart. “Cute doesn’t mean a thing, and you know it. You’re doing it to tick off Melbourne.”

  “Mr. FBI will be gone tomorrow afternoon. I am just trying to get on with my life.”

  “Don’t like it, cousin.”

  “I promise I won’t take him home to Grandma. And, if he becomes too bothersome, I will take him home to meet BC. Feel better?”

  Bart smiled. “How about you have him to your house for coffee first? Then I won’t have to worry at all.” He smiled wider at the thought of BC. That cat was the best bodyguard Bart could hope for where his cousin was concerned. He attacked any man who had an eye on Kat. And he had run off all but one. That one being the man he had called a friend. Bart frowned. He had accepted that Ken Melbourne would be part of their family and Ken had surprised them all when he broke things off and ran for Anchorage.

  “You know you’re overprotective, right?”

  “Right, and I plan to stay that way.”

  They had started north on Main again. As they left the lights of town behind, darkness enveloped them. The headlights shown a few feet ahead on the one-lane road.

  Bart stopped the truck. He and Kat both looked to the burnt out shell of a house that had once been the church of Paul Lucas. The reminder put them both in a sober mood.

  “It really did happen, didn’t it?”

  “Yep, KittyKat. I have a hard time remembering the events of last October. Do you?”

  “Yes. I don’t think I want to.”

  They sat in silence, each lost in the memory of the fight with Iconoclast and his legion of demons that had come to take Ravens Cove. Iconoclast had not succeeded but still had taken several members of their town and had left the Cove scarred and scared. The innocence of Ravens Cove had been replaced by an underlying distrust.

  “We won.”

  “God won,” Kat said.

  “True.”

  “I still miss Josiah.” A tear spilled onto Kat’s cheek. “He died for me. Why would he do that, Bart?” Kat turned innocent, confused eyes to him.

  “Don’t know but I will always be grateful that he did.” He grabbed her hand.

  Kat smiled at the love she so often took for granted. “My life is blessed and I don’t even know it most of the time. Drive on, and let’s make sure Gary is where he’s supposed to be.”

  Bart turned west onto Alder Way—a small, dimly lit hole of a drive. The only house on it was Gary’s. It had been part of his family’s homestead. The small, rundown log cabin popped out from the surrounding woods. The windows were dark. Bart stepped onto the porch and looked through the window beside the door. A large, black shape hit the window so hard it shook. Bart jumped back. The muffled barks and growls kept coming.

  “Gary’s got a dog.”

  “You think?” Kat’s heart still thumped in her chest.

  Bart glared at Kat. Her glib tongue was getting on his last nerve right now.

  “Sorry.” Kat gave Bart an apologetic smile.

  Bart knocked. “Gary?” Only silence greeted him. He knocked again.

  “Odd.”

  “Yeah, it is. Gary has no life outside work and guarding Brandon. If I hadn’t told Mrs. Tellamoot we’d be there today, I’d go on a search. On second thought, I’m concerned that he might be out in this cold somewhere. Will you call Mrs. Tellamoot and tell her we’ll be there as soon as we can?”

  Kat returned the phone to her coat pocket. “She’s okay. Already been visited by Pastor Paul and Tanya. Says she’s kind of tuckered out and she’d see you tomorrow.”

  “Thank you, Pastor Paul.”

  “I’m starving. Can we stop and grab a sandwich before we go on this search?”

  “Really, Kat? There’s someone missing and you want food?” Frustration laced Bart’s urgent tone.

  An all too familiar guilt chomped into Kat’s conscience.

  “Maybe Jo or someone there has seen him. Seems like as good a place to start as any.”

  Bart couldn’t argue with the logic. “Okay. Five minutes is all we have.”

  Mayor Orthell opened the Book of Fallen Angels. The yellow pages and black ink jumped into view. He hesitated, half closing the old book. I can turn back and no one would know the difference.

  “Who says I want to turn back?” His voice sounded unconvincing even to himself in the dark silent attic. Visions of the Right Reverend Plotno and Anita Conner swam into his sight. He had gone to the funeral home that doubled as the town’s mortuary. He had seen firsthand the bloody bodies of his friends.

  “If Paul Lucas had stayed away from this place they’d still be alive.” Resolve straightened his spine. He closed the chest, reopened the book and gently placed the old volume on the lid. He clicked the flashlight. Dead. He turned and looked around the room, located an antique oil lamp and lit the wick.

  At the center of the first page were four symbols. Several lines topped by a cloud—like a puff of smoke drifting on the wind. A lizard with large feet and a line of symbols down its back breathed fire. A small, malevolent dwarf and a spout of water rising from the middle of a large pond completed the symbols.

  Orthell read aloud, “as my ancestors before me, I am calling you to come. Make my home your home. Make my life your life and make all that I see your domain. Destroy those that would do me harm. Destroy those that are my enemies. I will serve you and you alone if you will do as I ask. I await your greatness.”

  An odd glow filled the darkened room. Shapes and colors took form in the sphere of light. A vision of Gary Wenfred floated in the light and a real-life play unfolded before the Mayor’s eyes.

  Orthell saw Gary crouching inside the built-in clapboard of the darkened room of the mercantile. Gary released the latch and brought his lanky frame to its full height. He spent a mo
ment shaking each leg to get the feeling back and then he started to trot, afraid he would get caught. He made it to the front counter and grabbed the silver candlesticks that had been on display.

  Mayor Orthell jumped at the sound of Gary’s voice. He turned; sure he’d see the young man at the rear of the room. He realized the voice was also coming from the misty ball.

  “Sorry, mayor. A man’s gotta eat.”

  Gary sneaked to the top of the stairs, each step groaning in protest under his weight. At the top he looked around the gutted apartment. His nose wrinkled at the musty odor that permeated the upper floor.

  “Yuck. Definitely needs a new coat of paint,” he whispered aloud.

  He jumped and whirled around when a board creaked behind him. “Stupid nerves,” he chided.

  Gary ended up face-to-face with the white wall that separated the hallway from other parts of the living quarters. He methodically checked all the rooms. He kicked the wall of the last room when he found nothing of value to line his pockets. He headed back into the hallway.

  Gary smiled when his eyes lit on a small black latch at the end of the corridor. He walked over and gave it a yank. The wall popped open, revealing a narrow staircase, flanked by white painted walls. It disappeared into the darkness above. He pulled out his flashlight and turned it on. He reached the top and gasped. “I knew he had to have hidden the stuff.”

  He ran to a table full of antique lanterns, old snowshoes made of softened birch and dried leather, even some odds and ends of ivory carvings. He grabbed the ivory and began shoving it in his coat pockets. One of the carvings caught his attention. It was just like the rock in the courtyard of Old Town. It was so old the ivory had turned brown. The eyes and beak were perfect imitations of the one on the boulder.

  “I can make a fortune on this ugly thing alone.” He grinned. “Especially once the town’s a famous tourist attraction.”

  Gary stuffed it in his pocket and began scouring the room for other items that were lightweight and easy to turn into quick cash. The sound of someone sweeping with an old straw broom caught his attention. “Who’s there?” Gary headed toward the sound, forgetting his treasure hunt.

  He examined the corner and found no one. He swung the flashlight left to the right and back. He stopped the light on a small, round table holding a maroon candle. The wax was still soft. Gary leaned in. A five-pointed star had been etched into the table beside the candle. On four points were odd creatures. The only one he recognized was a lizard.

  “What the heck is this? You’re not part of this old building, that’s for sure,” he said to the pentagram.

  “What are you hiding Mayor? And, how much would you pay me so I won’t let on?” He thought hard. Understanding dawned.

  “I’ll be rich! I’ll keep my job, though, just to keep up appearances. Wouldn’t want to let anyone know.”

  Something moved in a far corner of the room. He turned and saw a large shadow and ran for the narrow stairs. Halfway there, he was sure he heard a hiss and a growl.

  “What’d he do, bring in snakes, too?” Gary laughed at his own silliness.

  “No, he brought in something even more amazing,” a voice answered from behind him.

  Gary whirled, heart pounding, and came face to face with the black shadow. The dark mist grabbed and swept Gary into the air before his feet hit the first stair.

  “Welcome to my world. A thief and liar you are and a thief and liar you will continue to be.”

  Gary opened his mouth in a silent scream. His vocal chords were paralyzed, along with his mind and body. He could not comprehend what was in front of him. His mind screamed, fight, but he stayed still instead.

  He found his voice and croaked. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know anyone was here. I will put everything back.”

  “No, I’ll put it all back. Hand me the skull.”

  Gary frantically searched his pocket, trinkets bouncing off the attic floor. He found it.

  “Here.” He shoved it at the being.

  The creature smiled, which made it all the more terrifying. The razor-sharp teeth were red.

  “I am just a humble herald of the one who is coming. But you will make a good meal and sacrifice for me.” Atramentous tightened his black mist around Gary and squeezed. The candle on the table burst into flame and a small crack broke through the wall behind the pentagram. It widened to the size of Gary’s frame. Atramentous flew through, Gary in tow. Gary’s screams diminished when the wall closed.

  Mayor Orthell dropped the Book of Fallen Angels.

  “That didn’t just happen, did it?” He asked aloud. He jumped up and raced into the night.

  Josiah Williams awoke to the sound of running water. He rubbed his eyes like a child and looked around. A cranberry bush, full of ripe berries, stood beside the water.

  The memory of battle flooded his conscious mind. He searched his own body, first with his left hand, then rolled over and searched with the right. No pain. No sign of the deep wounds and torn flesh that had resulted from the attack. He felt his face. He had a full beard where before it had been clean shaven.

  The rivulet of water gurgling beside his ear made his dry mouth water in anticipation. Josiah cupped his hands and lowered them into the cold, sparkling spring and drank deeply of the sweet liquid. He hungrily plucked the berries, and ate handfuls at a time.

  “A feast like none I remember.” Josiah marveled at the surge of energy he experienced. He sat up straight and really looked at his surroundings for the first time. The tall and rocky ravine walls greeted his eyes. He stood up while his eyes traced the hard surface of the ravine to its opening high above the chasm’s floor. Bare trees and dark spruce bent toward the gap in an unrelenting wind.

  “Why aren’t I frozen or cold?” he asked aloud. “Maybe I’m dead.”

  “Not dead, Josiah Williams.”

  He spun, lost his footing and fell toward a glowing being. He waved his arms in a backward circle, managing to keep upright. Fear and awe overcame him. Josiah fell to his knees and then prone on the ground.

  “Get up! I am not to be worshipped. I am a servant of the Most High, just as you are.”

  Josiah’s shaky legs had just enough strength. He stood.

  “You have seen me before, why are you afraid, Man of God? I have come to awaken you and tell you to return to Ravens Cove and your friends. It is ordained by the Lord Jesus.”

  Josiah could only nod agreement. He took his eyes off the blue glow to look around and up the Ravine. The original path was still blocked by a large rock that had grown up out of the ground on the night he confronted Iconoclast.

  “With all due respect, how?”

  The angel pointed to a bush-covered area beside the small waterfall and pond. A narrow pathway peeked through the thick shrubbery. It ran at a steep upward angle from the bottom of the chasm floor to the land above.

  The angel shot skyward.

  “Excuse me.” The angel did not return.

  “Lord, you know I am not young. And, I know I’m not supposed to question you. But, really, Lord, is that the only way?” Josiah waited. The gurgling stream was the only response.

  Resigned, Josiah took in a deep breath and made his way to the trail. He grabbed a branch with his left hand and pulled himself onto the footway.

  “One for the money, two for the show …” He walked forward and tripped over an obstacle on the path. There lay his worn winter coat, the button still missing. The hood looked new. Beside it were his favorite winter boots, black, heavy, and equally worn. He had intentionally left these behind when he travelled to Ravens Cove in October because they were additional weight to an overloaded bag.

  “Your ways are amazing, O Lord.”

  He slipped into the coat and boots and began the long and slow uphill climb.

  Chapter 4

  Missing No Longer

  Jo’s Bakery was empty except for a few good citizens that seemed reluctant to face the cold again and make their way home.
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br />   “Good evening, Kat, Bart.” Jo nodded and smiled. “What can I get you?”

  “Kat’s starving and we’re looking for Gary. So, I guess you’d say we are killing two birds with one stone.”

  Jo smiled wider. “How do you stay so slim, Kat. You eat, what—six times a day or more?

  “I know, I know. I’m a bottomless pit, or so Grandma Bricken says. Am I known for anything else in this town?”

  “Yep, there is your scathing tongue when you get riled up.”

  “Oh, there is that,” Kat said meekly. “I’m working on cleaning that up a little—patience does not come easily for me.”

  “Not for any of us, sweetie. Just keep trying.”

  “Give her a mocha and something fast, Jo. Has Gary been in?”

  “Not yet. But he should be here soon. Has made this his dinner place since the family left.”

  She turned and looked at the clock. “Actually, he’s late.” She pushed the mocha and two turkey sandwiches across the counter.

  Bart gave her a questioning look.

  “You need to eat, too.”

  “Thanks. If Gary comes in, have him call me.”

  “Think something’s happened to him?”

  “I’m more inclined to think he’s playing video games at a friend’s or something else.”

  “Gary has friends?”

  “Don’t know but anything’s possible. Maybe he’s made a few since his parents left.”

  Paul and Tanya walked up to the counter.

  “Thanks for visiting Mrs. Tellamoot.”

  “We enjoy her company.” Tanya said. “She has some great stories about the old days and how Ravens Cove became a town.”

  “Sounds like you two are settling in more and more. I’m glad. Thought we were going to lose you for a month or so.”

  “None more surprised than me,” Paul said. “But I prayed, as I am apt to do.” He smiled at Bart and Kat. “I know Ravens Cove is home.”

  “I’m so glad!” Kat hugged Tanya then Paul. “I’d miss you in the worst way if you left.”

  “We’d miss you, too. So much so, I think my heart would be shy a piece if we left.” Tanya answered.