Ghosts of Perigord

by Marc Lindsay

  During their walk home Jason decided to mention this to Selene.

  ‘Did you notice Ms Jax this afternoon?’ Jason asked.

  ‘You mean the way she obviously had something important on her mind,’ Selene replied and Jason nodded. ‘Thank God, I thought I was the only one who noticed.’

  ‘I wonder what had her so distracted.’

  ‘My Grandmother told me that Ms Jax had mentioned in conversation something about a family on another world,’ Selene said.

  ‘You think maybe she’s homesick or something?’ Jason asked.

  ‘Possibly, imagine it, she’s been on earth for hundreds, no thousands of years, and if she does have a family elsewhere., why wouldn’t she miss them, she’s a very caring person,’ Selene said.

  ‘Do you really think that’s it?’ Jason asked.

  ‘I don’t know, but maybe we could do something nice for her. She’s always there for us, and she’s helped me out so much lately, dealing with this champion thing,’ Selene said.

  ‘I think that’s a great idea, what do you have in mind?’ Jason asked.

  ‘Something simple, I was thinking a birthday party,’ Selene replied.

  ‘You know her birthday?’ Jason asked surprised.

  ‘No, but I’m thinking that maybe it’s long overdue.’

  ‘We could ask Ulysses…’

  ‘No. Let’s do this on the quiet, make it a surprise party, besides I think we can handle this. After all we prevented the end of the world, a surprise party should literally be a piece of cake,’ Selene said with a snap of her fingers.

  Later that night Jason was going to broach the subject of a party for Ms Jax with his mother, however on arrival home from work there was something else she wanted to discuss with her son.

  ‘So when were you going to discuss this plagiarism allegation?’ Helen asked sternly. Jason’s shoulders slumped with the realisation that he shouldn’t have tried to keep that news from his mother.

  ‘Mum, before you go off, please hear me out,’ Jason pleaded.

  ‘I’m listening,’ Helen said calmly.

  ‘First up, let me assure you that I haven’t done anything wrong. Second, the teacher making the claim, has it in for me,’ Jason said with a shrug of his shoulders indicating that he didn’t know why. ‘And third, I was kinda hoping it would blow over before you got wind of it.’

  ‘Well as much as I appreciate your candour now! I’m still a little upset that you didn’t tell me straight up. I thought we were passed this…’

  ‘We are…,’ Jason interjected, but was silenced by a wave of Helen’s hand.

  ‘However, I’ve learned too. So if you’re telling me that you didn’t cheat. Then I believe you.’ Helen said with sigh.

  ‘You don’t know how happy that makes me,’ Jason said his voice heavy with relief.

  ‘I’ll have a talk with Ms Stonewall, we’re having coffee tomorrow, so I can’t think of a better time to bring it up,’ Helen said. Jason raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. ‘So if there’s nothing else you want to tell me, such as that you and Selene have eloped, or you’ve decided to join a motorcycle gang.’ Jason felt like retorting with a smart comment, but instead bit his tongue.

  ‘Then there’s a bubble bath upstairs with my name on it,’ Helen said and without waiting for a response trudged wearily upstairs. Jason breathed a sigh of relief and thought to himself that conversation went better than he could have hoped. But three things still troubled him, how was he going to clear his name for despite what his mother said, he knew Ms Stonewall didn’t like him. How was he going to fix his carpet upstairs? And the last thing that bothered him the most was, what was his mum doing having coffee with Ms ‘Ballbuster’.

  Chapter 8

  It moved with a dazzling mixture of speed and agility, its small stature enabling it to move unnoticed, especially at this late hour. The absence of the moon this time of the month meant that despite the street lights the neighbourhood would be dark. Every night for the past two months it, along with hundreds of its brethren had been searching the valley, ever since the great explosion had set them loose, they had been free. Free to scour the valley.

  It scampered under a shrub then leapt silently onto a garbage bin, crouched and remaining completely still its large eyes scanned its surroundings. Something moved in the bushes a short distance away. Remaining still its long ears twitched slightly, its kind were practised in being undetected, and that was how they had managed to avoid contact with the humans. The bushes shuddered again and this time a ginger striped tom cat emerged, as it walked a faint jingling sound emanated from a small bell that it wore around its neck.

  The cat hadn’t noticed the creature, brazenly thinking it was the only predator in the vicinity. The grey skinned creature silently pulled a plain thin dagger from a sheath it wore on a belt around its waist. Grasping the blade overhand in its taloned hand the creature’s lips spread in a crude imitation of a smile revealing dozens of needle like teeth. For the first time that night the creature was thinking of something other than its primary mission, ‘FOOD’. Without further thought the creature leapt, its knife raised high above its head. The cat barely had time to register that it was under attack, and by then it was too late. The attack was silent and brutal, and over in an instant, the creature dragging the limp body of the cat into the shadows. After a small pause the sounds of jaws ripping and chewing flesh could be faintly heard in the darkness.

  Chapter 9

  It was just after second period when Selene appeared from the crowd and grabbed Jason as he was exiting the classroom. She didn’t say anything but her speed and demeanour suggested it was urgent.

  ‘Hold up, where are we going?’ Jason asked as he was led along the crowded corridor.

  ‘You’ll know in a minute,’ Selene replied cryptically, as they turned and continued along another corridor. Before Jason could ask another question Selene stopped them in their tracks, then turned to face him.

  ‘Are you going to tell me what’s going on or do I have to…,’ Jason was stopped mid-sentence as Selene grabbed his jaw and turned his head.

  ‘Look,’ was all she whispered. Jason studied the busy corridor for a moment, it was then that he noticed one of the students, slightly bigger than the rest move slowly, almost timidly along. Something about the student appeared strangely familiar but Jason couldn’t make out the face from where he was standing, but what was really unusual was the kid’s hair, closely cropped and snow white in colour.

  Suddenly the student turned and Jason recognised him instantly.

  ‘Holy shit!’ Jason said, that’s Hector.

  ‘I know, I could hardly believe it myself when I saw him earlier,’ Selene said over Jason’s shoulder, I overheard a couple of girls talking, and they said that Hector’s hair has been like that ever since that night he tried to kill us,’ Selene added her face full of venom.

  ‘I wonder what happened later that night, or maybe it was because of the Harvest festival, it can’t just be a coincidence, can it?’ Just then Hector turned around and his gaze locked onto Jason’s, they went wild in fear. The moment was brief but intense, Hector was the first to break, looking away then scurrying off like a frightened rabbit, Jason turned back to Selene.

  ‘Did you see his eyes?’ Selene asked.

  ‘It looked like tears,’ Jason replied puzzled. ‘This makes no sense.’

  Later that afternoon at the library, they had nearly finished assembling the last of the cabinets, when Ulysses approached, his expression cheerful and full of anticipation.

  ‘Don’t tell me you have more cabinets for us?’ Jason asked less than enthused.

  ‘No, quite the contrary actually.’

  ‘Well don’t keep us in suspense,’ Selene said.

  ‘The exhibit pieces have arrived,’ Ulysses announced.

  They waited patiently in the vastly empty warehouse hangar as a large delivery truck backed slowly in, the only sound was the beeping of the truck
’s reverse warning signal. The driver’s side door opened, and a broad muscular man of average height stepped out. The man was dressed casually in jeans and polo shirt, his hair and beard was mid length and tussled in a care free kind of way. His skin was of an olive complexion, and his gaze was a narrow squint suggesting he spent time out in the sun. ‘Kava, you old rogue,’ Ulysses hailed loudly. The swarthy driver grinned back, and Jason thought jealously that he possessed a smile that could easily charm a lot of women.

  ‘Ulysses, my old friend, how are you,’ Kava replied in an accent that was a mixture of middle-eastern and cultured English. The two friends embraced in a manly bear hug, Ulysses briefly lifting the shorter man from the ground.

  ‘Enough, my friend, I fear you’re crushing the air from my very lungs,’ Kava gasped. Ulysses laughed and placed him back down, Kava looked around as if he had lost something.

  ‘Where’s my girl?’ Kava asked.

  ‘Your girl,’ Ulysses replied with a raised eyebrow. ‘Amelia’s running an errand, she’ll be back shortly. We weren’t expecting you till tomorrow.’

  ‘I made good time,’ Kava said, then paused as he noticed Jason and Selene. ‘So, I’m guessing these two are the ones you mentioned in your emails.’

  ‘Yes, this is Jason and Selene,’ Ulysses said. Kava stepped forward and shook Jason’s hand.

  ‘Ah, the changeling,’ Kava said neutrally, his attention then shifted. ‘And this beautiful young woman must be Selene, a pleasure,’ Kava crooned in an appreciating tone, taking her hand in both of his, gazing admiringly into her eyes. Selene was caught completely off guard, she blushed self-consciously, a small giggle escaping from her. Jason frowned.

  ‘Kava tone it down a little please?’ Ulysses asked with a roll of his eyes.

  ‘I’m sorry my old friend, I must admit though, I’m intrigued about your current champion, and the weapon she wields. This comment shook Selene from her trance, as she glanced over to Ulysses.

  ‘It’s okay, Kava is aware of current events, and his interest in your bow is purely professional. You see Kava is a skilled weapon smith,’ Ulysses said.

  ‘The best,’ Kava interjected proudly.

  ‘One of the best, yes,’ Ulysses said quickly. Kava then turned his attention back to Selene.

  ‘You’ll have to show me your astounding piece sometime, I’m very intrigued by it as well as the woman chosen to wield it,’ Kava said bluntly. ‘Why don’t we let you freshen up, then we can talk about this exhibit,’ Ulysses said, clasping Kava on the back. Jason was adamant that it wasn’t just the flirting with his girlfriend he wasn’t crazy about, but he decided then and there that he didn’t like Kava, not at all.

  They met up with Kava an hour later, during which time Selene and Jason had been able to finish assembling the last display cabinet. The entire time Selene teased Jason about his non concealed irritation concerning Kava. When they arrived back at the staff room, Kava was fawning all over Ms Jax who in turn was loving the attention.

  ‘Ah, my young friends, if it wasn’t for this lovely lady here, I would have been dead a dozen times over,’ Kava said theatrically. Ms Jax protested loudly and slapped him playfully. ‘I’m sure she would deny it, but it’s true.’

  ‘How long have you all known each other?’ Selene asked. Kava seemed to ponder on this for a while, Selene thought to herself that he wasn’t going to answer. ‘Let’s see, I met this beautiful creature sitting here roughly five hundred years ago, during the middle-ages in…,’ he paused. ‘France.’ Ms Jax nodded. ‘And this uncultured buffoon in the tweed suit, well we met around the third century BC just after the death of Zahhak the sorcerer,’ Kava said soberly, this was followed by him pulling a pendant hanging from a chain around his neck, he kissed the pendant then tucked it back under the collar of his shirt.

  ‘Wow, that’s such a long time ago,’ Selene said impressed and Kava chuckled.

  ‘I sometimes forget what time means to you humans, but to me those events feel like yesterday,’ Kava said.

  ‘How did you come into this current line of work?’ Jason asked.

  ‘I, like your two mentors here, never intended my current career in academics, in fact it’s kind of laughable considering our backgrounds,’ Kava said.

  ‘Your backgrounds?’ Jason asked.

  ‘Of course, surely you’re aware of their former occupations,’ Kava said, they both shrugged. ‘They’re soldiers.’

  Jason and Selene didn’t look particularly shocked by Kava’s revelation.

  ‘Ah, so you do know about their pasts?’ Kava asked.

  ‘I know that Ms Jax was a clan war chief,’ Selene said.

  ‘And it’s hardly a surprise that Ulysses is a fighter,’ Jason added.

  ‘That’s all these two have ever known, they have been involved in nearly every major war waged in the last thousand years, not to mention some fairly important ones before their time on earth…’

  ‘I’m sure they don’t want to hear about old war stories,’ Ulysses said quickly. Jason and Selene protested otherwise but Kava picked up on Ulysses’ meaning.

  ‘He’s right, maybe another time,’ Kava said, and Ulysses gave him a subtle nod. ‘Anyway, as I was saying, I have spent millennia fuelling the war machine with my weapons, then about fifty years ago I had an epiphany, rather than being part of a continuous cycle of destruction, I wanted to preserve elements of our past. Even if humanity views my works as myth and legend, I know better.’

  ‘Why Persian mythology?’ Jason asked bluntly.

  ‘It was an important part of my life, and much more interesting than Norse and Greek which gets crammed down everyone’s throats nowadays,’ Kava said.

  ‘Well I think it’s very noble of you,’ Selene said.

  ‘Thank you,’ Kava replied.

  ‘I think you kids should call it a night,’ Ulysses announced.

  ‘I want to hear more,’ Selene pleaded, but Ulysses shook his head.

  ‘There will be plenty of time in the days to come to talk with Kava, but not tonight,’ Ulysses said with finality, Jason and Selene knew this wasn’t a point for discussion. They bid them goodnight and made their way home.

  ‘What an interesting man,’ Selene said enthused, as they walked slowly down the street, Jason shrugged non-committal.

  ‘I suppose,’ he muttered, Selene noticed this and stopped.

  ‘What’s your problem?’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know, maybe I’m just not that interesting or as noble as others,’ Jason mimicked.

  ‘Really, that’s where you’re going with this.’

  ‘Where am I going?’ Jason asked irritated.

  ‘Please you’ve been like this ever since we met Kava, and you’re your behaviour is rather….’

  ‘Rather what?’ Jason asked quickly.

  ‘I was about to say rude, but it’s been more childish than anything,’ Selene replied, Jason’s eyes narrowed.

  ‘Childish, do you realise that’s the way that he sees you, as a child, the man’s old enough to be everyone’s grandfather,’ Jason snapped, then instantly regretted his words.

  ‘I think, that I’ll take myself home, thank you,’ Selene said, turning on her heels she strode off. Jason felt like calling out to her, but his pride and anger prevented him from doing so. Instead he watched her walk away, now feeling small and petty.

  Later, Jason adopted the form of a black panther, and he was running for all he was worth through the forest, the sun having set nearly an hour ago but his superb feline night vision allowing him to easily navigate his way. After his argument with Selene, he felt angry and frustrated and decided to let off some steam with some good old fashioned exercise as opposed to sitting at home stewing. This had proved to be just what he needed. Being in this form he didn’t have to think about anything other than being in the moment, the night forest was devoid of people so Jason had been able to run without fear of stumbling across someone.

  In the past three weeks Jason had been ventur
ing deeper and deeper into the forest, yet despite his avid exploring he doubted he would ever be able to completely traverse every square foot of the valley, it was that vast. Jason nearly always stayed off the trails, Ulysses having taught him that it was better to stay away from possible populated areas, besides if he picked the right form the thick vegetation of the forest floor wouldn’t prove a hindrance. Jason had become accustomed to the sounds around him, so it was painfully obvious when the forest suddenly turned deathly quiet. He froze mid-step as his eyes and ears strained to detect anything that might be construed as a threat. After scanning his immediate area, Jason was able to see a plain timber fence in the distance. Jason approached tentatively, thinking how odd that it should be out here in the middle of nowhere. The fence was plain but sturdily built from large slabs of oak, there were no palings just three cross beams running horizontally, it was obviously not made to keep livestock in or out but rather act as a boundary reference. As he moved closer Jason swore that he could see a figure on the other side. Had he been seen, Jason wasn’t sure. He crouched low and waited for the figure to move, however it just stood there. Jason crawled closer, he was right near the fence now and the figure hadn’t moved but appeared to be staring in his direction. Jason didn’t want to give himself away by running but he was sure he couldn’t just wait for the figure to go either. His senses couldn’t pick up anything either, he let out a low growl to let the stranger know his intentions but the figure was either extremely brave or frozen with fear. Jason decided to throw caution to the wind and ventured carefully through the fence and towards the stranger now on closer inspection Jason was relieved to see that the figure was actually a scarecrow.

  Jason looked down the fence line and saw that he was standing at the edge of an apple orchard, row upon row of neatly planted apple trees. The fence seemed to go on far into the distance and Jason could only guess at how many trees would be planted there. Hundreds, more likely thousands would be needed to supply the brewery with its bottled cider. Now that he wasn’t distracted by the phantom menace, his sense of smell was flooded by the crisp familiar smell of apples. He decided to wander into the orchard for a closer look but as he entered a horrible sense of foreboding filled him, a feeling of dread that he couldn’t explain. Jason stopped and it was at that moment he became aware of absolute silence that filled the orchard, Jason couldn’t detect any sounds or scents of wildlife this side of the fence, it was as if the area was completely uninhabited. The fur on the back of his neck stood up, as if there were an immediate threat nearby, however he was unable to detect any. Jason felt afraid despite his abilities and current form, he sensed something dark and powerful, something possibly beyond even his abilities. He continued to scan the orchard but came up empty, he took a couple of steps forward and a near crippling feeling of cold, dark fear flooded through him, his instincts screamed at him to stop, turn and run, something inside saying there was something terribly wrong and unnatural here and that he needed to flee. Casting one final look around, Jason decided to leave, but would return later.