Ghosts of Perigord

by Marc Lindsay

  ‘I take it from everyone’s appearance your meeting with Heinrich did not turn out well,’ Kava said diplomatically.

  ‘I’d rather not discuss it right now,’ Ulysses said.

  ‘I’m sorry to hear about that,’ Kava said. Jason felt a sudden surge of anger flow through him.

  ‘So where have you been hiding?’ Jason asked bluntly. This got everyone’s attention. Kava regarded him a moment before answering.

  ‘Errands,’ he replied.

  ‘You seem to have a lot of errands to run in a town in which you’ve never been before?’ Jason asked hotly.

  ‘I’m sorry, am I under interrogation?’ Kava responded.

  ‘Of course not. It’s been a big day and we’re all a little tired,’ Ulysses said. ‘Would one of these errands be out to the orchard?’ Jason asked.

  ‘Have you been following me?’ Kava asked, his eyes narrowing.

  ‘What’s this about?’ Ulysses interjected.

  ‘It’s true, we saw Kava entering the property of Mr Vert, the owner of the orchard,’ Selene said.

  ‘I know who the owner is,’ Ulysses said growing annoyed.

  ‘We weren’t following though, we just happened to be in the neighbourhood,’ Selene said.

  ‘Not that it’s anyone else’s business, but yes I was out there visiting Mr Vert,’ Kava said casually.

  ‘What’s your business with him?’ Jason asked.

  ‘Mr Vert is a collector of certain tastes,’ Kava said. Then looking around he realised everyone’s sudden interest, he then exhaled. ‘Weapons, his passion is unique weaponry.’

  ‘Jason, what seems to be the problem?’ Ulysses asked.

  Jason and Selene then proceeded to tell everyone about the incident they had at the orchard the other night. Everything from Jason’s initial encounter through to their flight from the reanimated scarecrows and co-ordinated attacks from killer birds. When they finished their story there was silence within the room.

  ‘Kava, what does this Mr Vert possess that you now want?’ Ulysses asked.

  ‘As I mentioned before he owns a large collection of unique weaponry and when I say unique, I mean enhanced,’ Kava smiled. ‘You would call it magical.’ Upon seeing Ulysses’ expression, he continued on. ‘The mace of Rostam.’

  ‘Has this anything to do with your helmet?’ Ulysses asked.

  ‘Other than the name. No. I created the mace for Rostam and it was used to slay the Div-e-Sepid, that’s it. It has a great deal of sentimental value to me and of course I want it for my collection,’ Kava said.

  ‘Why didn’t you mention this earlier?’ Ulysses asked.

  ‘It’s taken me a long time to track down the whereabouts of the mace and when I initially contacted Mr Vert, he made it clear that my meeting and any subsequent deals that may arise was to be of the utmost discretion,’ Kava said.

  ‘And you felt you couldn’t trust me?’ Ulysses said.

  ‘Of course not, but this Mr Vert is a rather resourceful individual as you have now learnt. I couldn’t risk anything that may compromise this deal,’ Kava said.

  ‘And how is this deal going?’ Ulysses asked.

  ‘Still under negotiation,’ Kava confessed. Ulysses now turned his attention on Jason and Selene.

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me about the orchard?’ Ulysses asked.

  ‘I was going to, but I, we, were going to do our homework on Mr Vert first,’ Jason said sheepishly.

  ‘Has anybody else got any secrets that they’ve been hiding and would like to share with me now,’ Ulysses said sarcastically. There was a universal shaking of heads within the room. ‘Excellent. I think we should call it a day, I need some alone time,’ Ulysses said, exiting the room without further comment.

  ‘Ulysses wait,’ Jason called out, but was prevented from following by Ms Jax who placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

  ‘I think we should all give him some space. He’s had a day full of revelations, most of them unpleasant,’ Ms Jax said.

  Chapter 16

  The following morning Jason decided to venture into the forest for some exercise. Things in his life were becoming complicated and what he really needed was some unadulterated adrenaline, this thought got him thinking, about himself and what it means to be human, sure his mother was and that made him at least half but with what he was able to do he wasn’t too sure that there was really much humanity in him. Was that a good or bad thing, a warm pulse flooded out from the scar on his arm. Jason stopped and touched the area and immediately the clothing there melted away allowing him to see the welt beneath, it was starting to take on a clearer image every day, looking less like a burn and more like a tattoo, the colour going from raw purple to a dark green. He stroked the area and wondered who the man had been that had caused it and why he hadn’t told anyone about it. Shaking the thoughts from his head he transformed himself, short lean body with long arms and powerful shoulders similar to that of a baboon but except for thick hair, he had silver scales like a reptile with a matching prehensile tail.

  Jason stared up into the trees a slow smile spreading across his face, crouching low he leapt with all his might high into the tree tops the branches seeming to accept him into their welcoming arms. The sun was low in the morning sky and under the thick canopy of the trees it was still relatively dark, he adjusted his vision to compensate and his surroundings exploded in warm colour. Jason sat on a branch for a short while enjoying the view before him now remembering exactly why he had come out in the first place. He started to climb higher and higher leaping nimbly along and across branches and once he reached the extremities of the tree he leapt to the next. Jason continued on like this for the next half hour, the process of traversing along keeping his mind free of thought.

  As Jason was becoming one with the forest, Selene had risen early too, taking her bow and quiver she made her way to the library. After letting herself in Selene went directly to storage room six. Ms Jax had started taking her there a week ago for personal training. The room’s diameters were exactly the same as the others, roughly the size of two football fields. Selene walked casually into the centre of the room and readied herself, surrounding her were multi levels of flooring and platforms, rope swings, ladders and other constructions forming a massive continuous obstacle style course. As well as this were dozens and dozens of humanoid shaped dummies located all around the room.

  Selene remained in the centre her eyes closed, breathing deep and controlled, bow in one hand an arrow in the other, she stood like this for several minutes trying to achieve an inner calm.

  ‘Greymeade initiate stealth program,’ Selene called out in an authoritarian tone. Immediately the lighting dimmed and a pulsing hum reverberated through the room, giving it a sinister appearance. Selene heard the faint sound of compressed air, without thinking she arched her body backward and completed a rear flip, milliseconds prior to a three inch dart exploding into the space in which she had just inhabited. Three more darts followed as she continued to back flip out of their path before landing silently into a crouched position, notching an arrow onto her bow she let fly with a projectile, the only sounds were of the thwang of the bow string and the thud of the arrow striking a small target which then disengaged the dart mechanism.

  This however was only a brief victory, and the mechanism was one of hundreds within the room, each one with the sole purpose to disable its mark, Selene. She never stopped moving leaping from one platform to the next, scaling up and swinging across through each obstacle, leaving a trail of darts in her wake. Selene moved silently along, her breath even and quiet, her heart rate akin to an Olympic level athlete at rest. Ever since she had been revived then chosen by the library to be its champion, changes had occurred within her, fine tuning her muscles and joints, reflexes becoming razor sharp her senses heightened to superhuman proportions. Over the last few weeks Selene had been transformed into the peak of human perfection, the ultimate warrior. There was something else too that had changed, subtle tho
ughts, this worried her a little but they were definitely an asset. Thoughts took over in moments of possible danger giving her a warrior’s instinct, an almost bloodlust, and at times she felt she had a sixth sense that seemed to alert her to trouble or harm.

  The training went on for a good hour, Selene never ran out of ammunition, every time she pulled an arrow from her quiver it was immediately replaced so that it never ran empty, she wondered where they came from, was it magic or inserted through from an unknown dimension. She decided that she would ask Ms Jax more about this wondrous gift that she had been given. The program was only designed to run for a certain period of time and now that it was concluded the room fell silent and the lights came back on. Selene surveyed the area looking at the darts protruding from most of the vertical surfaces, she also smiled in satisfaction at her arrows embedded within the visible targets.

  ‘Greymeade, report results for Stealth program,’ Selene commanded. A three dimensional display appeared, ‘100% threats evaded. 99.7% accuracy on targets acquired’. Selene’s smile broadened.

  ‘Hell yeah, getting better each time,’ she exclaimed with a clap of her hands.

  After his spot of exercise in the forest, Jason arrived back at the library to find Selene eating breakfast in the staff room, she gave him a cheeky grin as he entered.

  ‘Decide to have an early start too I see,’ Selene said through a mouthful of bagel. Jason’s stomach growled as he caught the aroma of the food.

  ‘I hope you made enough for two,’ he said pulling up a chair next to her.

  ‘Is that what the woman’s supposed to do for her man is it,’ Selene said with a smirk.

  ‘Of course not, I was just hoping is all,’ Jason leaned forward and kissed her gently, then licked his lips. ‘Is that blackberry jam,’ And they both broke up laughing.

  ‘Laughter so early in the morning, how unusual.’ Jason and Selene jumped at the unexpected voice, then relaxed when they saw it was Kava. ‘Morning,’ Jason said stiffly, and Selene gave him a tap in the ribs with her elbow. This was noticed by Kava who sighed as he poured himself a cup of tea.

  ‘I’m not your enemy Jason. Yes I’ve been secretive. But as I mentioned last night I had my reasons, and those reasons have not been to cause harm but rather retrieve a personal possession,’ Kava explained.

  ‘You’ll have to forgive us, we haven’t had much luck in the trust department,’ Selene said.

  ‘I can understand that. Ulysses has told me of the problems that you’ve had of late, and believe me I know what it’s like to be involved in a deception,’ Kava said.

  ‘I bet if you’ve been around as long as you have you’d get to see the best and worst of people,’ Selene said trying to make a sincere effort.

  ‘That is true, that’s why I try not to hold a grudge, especially when the people in question only had Ulysses’ interest at heart. So what say you Jason, are you prepared to bury the hatchet?’ Kava asked, holding out his hand to Jason. He eyed it then climbed to his feet and took it.

  ‘Sure, I’m the first to admit that it’s just been a huge misunderstanding,’ Jason said, then thought ‘just as long as you don’t expect that courtesy to extend to my mother’.

  ‘I’m glad to see that everyone is getting along again,’ Ulysses announced to the group as he entered the room.

  ‘Yes, you are amongst friends once more,’ Kava said as he poured an additional cup of tea and handed it to Ulysses.

  ‘How is Ms Jax?’ Selene asked concerned.

  ‘She’s fine, just a little tired is all,’ Ulysses said.

  ‘You sure, maybe I could…’

  ‘She’ll be fine Selene. Give her a day,’ Ulysses said gently.

  ‘Of course,’ Selene replied.

  ‘So what have you two planned today?’ Kava asked.

  ‘Nothing,’ Jason and Selene replied in unison.

  ‘Ah, the joys of youth, where nothing can mean anything,’ Kava said with a broad smile.

  ‘We were just planning on hanging out. Unless of course you need us for something?’ Jason added quickly.

  ‘No,’ Ulysses said with a shake of his head. ‘It’s your day off, enjoy it. I doubt I’ll be doing much myself either.’ The room held an awkward silence as it was painfully obvious that the previous day’s misadventure had taken a toll on the librarian in every aspect, physically, mentally and spiritually. Kava gave the young pair a concerned nod of his head indicating that now would probably be a good time to depart. Jason and Selene picked it up straight away, leaving quietly, Jason giving Ulysses a reassuring clap on his shoulder as they quietly let themselves out the door.

  They walked hand in hand through the park, the silence from earlier still heavy in the air. Crossing the path near Greymeade fountain, their presence disturbing a flock of pigeons, the sound of beating wings strong as the birds took flight in all directions.

  ‘Good morning, it’s Jason and Selene, right,’ Aa voice called out. The pair looked around and saw Mr Apollon their new history teacher sitting on a park bench, a canvas and easel to his front. They waved a greeting and made their way over to him.

  ‘You’ve a good memory,’ Selene replied.

  ‘It’s a knack I have acquired over the years as a substitute, picking up names quickly, especially the ones who are eager to learn. Mr Apollon said.

  ‘Without sounding like a suck up, we both really enjoyed your class, it was different,’ Jason said sincerely.

  ‘You’re very lucky. This town has such a rich and unusual past, I find it fascinating,’ Mr Apollon said with a broad grin. Selene’s gaze shifted to the easel and canvas.

  ‘You’re a painter?’ Selene asked.

  ‘I paint, but no I’m definitely not a painter,’ Mr Apollon said humbly.

  ‘May I?’ Selene asked. Mr Apollon nodded his permission. They both peered over the teacher’s shoulder and were astonished to see a magnificent rendition of the Greymeade fountain, in all its graphic glory.

  ‘That’s really impressive,’ Jason said, continuing to study the image.

  ‘Thank you, as much as I enjoy the process, my brother was truly gifted when it came to putting brush to canvas.

  ‘What’s that thing at the bottom step of the fountain,’ Selene said, leaning in and pointing to an image on the picture.

  ‘I have no idea,’ Mr Apollon said. The two teens both looked around at the fountain and saw what their teacher had attempted to paint. It was small and humanoid in shape and looked as if it were cowering. Jason and Selene gave each other a knowing glance then moved toward it tentatively, much to the amusement of Mr Apollon.

  ‘Is that what I think it is,’ Selene whispered.

  ‘I only got a brief glimpse, but yes I think it’s that creature from the other night,’ Jason whispered back. He was now only a few feet away, and the creature hadn’t moved.

  ‘Be careful,’ Selene replied and Jason nodded his gaze never leaving the small figure. Jason could see it quite clearly now, only a foot high and a dark grey in colour it was crouching low in an attempt to hide under the lip of the fountain footing. It’s face partially obscured by its large hands. Jason reached out with his hand and touched the creature, it remained completely unyielding. Jason jerked his hand back.

  ‘What is it?’ Selene asked concerned. Jason turned to face her.

  ‘It’s a statue, I mean it’s made of stone,’ Jason said perplexed.

  ‘And what did you think it was made of?’ Mr Apollon asked. The young pair spun around to the teacher, matching looks of embarrassment on their faces.

  ‘I thought it was an animal,’ Jason said quickly, hoping the teacher would accept his explanation. Mr Apollon watched the pair closely a strange look in his eye, it was clear to both teenagers that he wasn’t buying their story. ‘So apart from the painting, what else brings you out today Sir?’ Jason asked attempting to change the subject.

  ‘As a matter of fact there is something else I was checking into. Do you remember during my lesson I ta
lked about the murder of the babies within the poor quarter?’ Mr Apollon said.

  ‘Yes,’ Selene answered quickly.

  ‘Well I have my suspicions that the man accused of the murders may have been innocent,’ Mr Apollon said.

  ‘Really,’ Jason replied interested. ‘What makes you so sure?’

  ‘Small things really. Are you sure you want to know this? Most kids your age might find this boring,’ Mr Apollon asked.

  ‘Not at all,’ Selene said, and Jason nodded his agreement.

  This reaction seemed to excite the teacher as he grabbed a leather bag lying at his feet and unfastened the straps producing a thick notebook from within. The teacher’s eyes seemed to sparkle as he opened the notebook. ‘I have started to accumulate a great deal of information on the events that happened during those tragic months and what I have found are huge discrepancies with the evidence during his trial,’ Mr Apollon said.

  ‘How so?’ Jason asked.

  ‘From what I’ve been able to find concerning court transcripts and mine pay sheets, the man accused of the murders wasn’t anywhere near the vicinity of some of the crimes when they occurred,’ Mr Apollon continued. ‘Surely that can’t be the case, they would have had better access to the facts back then. I mean over a century later and you have been able to easily get a hold of the information, why couldn’t they?’ Jason asked.

  ‘I wouldn’t say it was easy,’ Mr Apollon said.

  ‘The real question is why couldn’t they?’ Selene said.

  ‘Precisely,’ Mr Apollon said. Jason gave them both a confused look.

  ‘Don’t you see Jason, the case was covered up. Someone wanted to see the poor man framed for murder.’

  ‘Wow, that’s pretty screwed up,’ Jason said.

  ‘Indeed,’ Mr Apollon said with a chuckle.

  ‘Do you know who was behind it?’ Selene asked.

  ‘Not yet, I’ve still a lot of research to conduct,’ Mr Apollon said.