Dark Arts (31 page)

Maxwell began to read, his empty stomach
turning as the first line of the front-page article.

Police have halted the investigation into
the mutilation of April Sands and the suicide of retired Ontario
Provincial Police Officer Morley Parker after evidence has surfaced
indicating that one Zachary Ross, lead singer to Canadian band Road
Craft, committed the assault on April Sands. Authorities will not
comment on the nature of the assault other than to say more than
one bladed tool was used. Authorities also claim that, after
witnessing the state of Ms. Sands and rescuing her, Retired Officer
Morley Parker committed suicide in the basement of an abandoned
house where she was found.

Some time that day, Zachary was found in his
apartment on Elm Street in Sudbury, bleeding to death from self
inflicted wounds that authorities state were similar to Ms. April
Sands’. He died hours later after emergency surgery.

“Let me sum it up,” Bernie said as Maxwell
opened the paper more so he could read past the top of the fold.
“They found someone to talk about Zack drawing symbols on the bus,
probably one of those hippies he hung out with. They write about
how what he did to April and might have been part of some ritual
because, according to them, Road Craft wasn’t just a band, but also
a black magic coven. Yeah, their terminology is all wrong, and it
isn’t true, but it’s in print now. Thousands of people who didn’t
know our names before will know them now, and it hurts everything
here on the farm.”

“Most of the people who matter won’t believe
this,” Miranda said as she returned with a platter of left over
pancakes, cheesy egg casserole, waffles, bacon and sausages. She
carried two mugs of coffee in the other hand with care. He stood up
and helped her put them on the table. “We’ll share a plate,” she
said, picking up one of two forks. “Sorry, I could hear you from
the leftover table.”

“No problem, this is as much about you,
because the Star had your picture with us on the front page,”
Bernie said. “We’re all named as part of a black magic band, April
is stuck in the middle of it, and people are going to come to the
farm with questions like a few reporters did this morning.”

“Bloody Steven Sands, using this to sell
papers. You’d think people would ignore this rag,” Maxwell
said.

“Some of the owners are attached to the
University,” Bernie said. “The paper will always have credibility
here. Anyway, the damage is done, people are packing up. In seven
years, fourteen years even, the Gathering will happen somewhere
else, there’s too much attention here.”

“I’m sorry, Bernie,” Miranda said.

“I’m more sad for my father, and especially
April. This is going to follow her around, we won’t be able to tell
people it was some accident.”

“Zachary didn’t deserve any of this either,”
Maxwell said quietly, feeling the weight of responsibility for his
friend’s fate. “He could be a complete waster, but Panos got into
him.”

“You’re sure?” Bernie asked. “He followed
you here and took Zachary.”

“Absolutely. He tried to possess me,
couldn’t, so he went for someone he knew was close to me so he
could find out where the book, or the shard was, or both. All this
shit happened because I brought those things here.”

“No, it happened because some crazed asshole
started possessing and cutting people,” Bernie said. “You don’t get
to shoulder this, man, I’m not going to let you. Just like I’m not
letting you two go on the road alone. When you get the shard back,
all three of us are heading out, a full trio, a circle, so we can
all keep that thing on the move.”

“Someone told you about New York,” Miranda
said. “We were going to invite you, but it just came up yesterday,
there wasn’t time.”

“Don’t worry about where,” Bernie said. “My
dad told me this morning about the Dawn Shard, how Sam’s theory is
right.”

“What theory?” Maxwell asked.

“It has to keep moving,” Allen said as he
came through the screen door. “It can’t be kept in the same place
for this long, otherwise it gathers local spirits, and worse. There
have been people at the crossroads since dawn cleansing the place.
Samuel was there for a while, but they had to bring him back to his
trailer. He wanted to be there when you got it out of the ground so
he could give you his blessing before you left. I saw him for a
minute, and he told me he hates being right, he believes you’ll do
the right thing and start travelling with it.”

Maxwell thought for a moment, aware that
Bernie and Miranda were waiting for him to say something, but the
mouthful of egg casserole bought him time. The last thing on his
mind was food, and his appetite was disappearing fast as he
accepted the reality of the situation. He was cursed.

He swallowed and looked to Miranda. “It’s
the only thing that makes sense, that the bloody thing can’t stay
in one place for long. Looks like we’re digging this up then I’m
back on the road. I’m not going to let some poor sod volunteer to
do this for me.”

“We’re on the road,” Miranda said. “You
don’t have to go alone.”

“It’s worse than what you’re thinking, Max,”
Allen said, sitting down. He looked right at his son as he went on,
as though trying to get a point across. “Big populated spots, like
hospitals, police stations, anywhere where there the Shard might
come into contact with haunted places are the worst places for it,
and once you pick this up, it leaves its mark. You attract things
almost as badly. It’s obviously marked you, otherwise that Pastor
would have kept to his church yard like he’d been for so long.” He
looked towards Maxwell. “We didn’t tell you because, well, I think
you know.”

“One last hurrah,” Maxwell said. “So, you
can’t touch it,” he nodded at Miranda. “And you can’t touch it
either,” he pointed at Bernie.

“You won’t have to worry about money,” Allen
said. “The leaders I was able to meet with this morning are happy
with you being their courier, finding things for them and passing
other things from one circle to another. The circles that are
uncomfortable with you touching anything they want found or
delivered are happy to take a collection for you every few months.
They just don’t want you anywhere near their communities.”

“I understand,” Maxwell said. “I don’t blame
either of you if you stay here,” he told Miranda.

“No, you don’t get to leave me behind,”
Miranda said. “Even if New York is too dangerous, I’d rather be
with you on the road than waiting at home for someone to find a
good place to stick the Shard for good.”

“You’re going to need help keeping that old
Edsel on the road,” Bernie said.

“You’re staying here, Son,” Allen said
firmly. “Tibeault has a car for them, it’s not new, but it’s in
good shape, straight from his dealership.”

“I’m going with them,” Bernie said.

“No, you’re going to be here, answering the
phone, setting things up for them whenever you can by calling
ahead. They don’t need a third in the car, but they will need
someone like you, with experience booking gigs, setting up hotels
when they can afford it, arranging meet-ups on the road.”

“He’s right, Bernie,” Maxwell said. “As much
as I’d like you to come along, we’ll need help from outside the
car.” His mind was already working as though he would be back on
the road by nightfall. He remembered the deep cold at the
crossroads, and had a feeling that the Dawn Shard was calling out
to something no one wanted to face. It, and he had to go. “We’ll
need all the help we can get if we’re going to be out there for a
long time while you do research on putting the Dawn Shard to rest
somewhere. There has to be an answer outside of the Book of
Doors.”

“What’s the solution there?” Bernie
asked.

“It’s not a solution,”
Maxwell said, regretting mentioning it at all. “Nothing anyone
would do. Nothing anyone
should
do.”

“But there is something, maybe we can figure
something else out based on that,” Miranda pressed.

“It’s a resurrection spell,” Maxwell said.
“Bring the bones of the deceased out, put a powerful vessel for
souls on its chest, and sacrifice an innocent with the spirit
belonging to that body present. The energy of the innocent, and the
essence of the trapped souls restore the spirit to the body and
make it whole again. Alive like you or me. Whatever vessel you use
to gather souls for this is destroyed, but the resurrection
requires the death of an innocent and violates the covenant. The
walls keeping big magic and bad things out would come tumbling
down.”

“Still, there has to be other magic that can
trade the power in the Dawn Shard for something better,” Bernie
said.

“I’ve never seen it,” Allen said. “But we’ll
both look. People across the world will look as we let them in on
the secret. It’s going to take time to decide who we tell, there
will be people who want the Dawn Shard because it has so much
potential for drawing power.”

“We’ll find a way,” Maxwell said. “Should go
pack, won’t take long, then go get it now, though.” He turned to
Miranda. “Are you sure you want to come with me?”

“Don’t you want me to?”

“Oh yes, but it’s my burden, and we will
eventually run into people who will do anything for it, as bad as
Panos or worse.”

“There had better be two of us, then,” she
said. “Besides, I can handle myself.”

“I have no doubt,” Maxwell said.

“We’ll make it our time,” Miranda said. “A
long vacation, we’ll see the sights.”

Maxwell smiled at her and allowed himself to
feel relief. “Grand plan. Thanks, luv.”

“Your aunts aren’t going to be happy, but
they won’t be surprised, either,” Allen said. “Before we pick up
the Shard, Scott and Uncle Desmond want to see you, and the police
have things under control at the hospital, so I thought I’d give
you a lift. Miranda’s Aunts are there right now, so you can talk to
them about your plans there, then come back to get the stone
after.”

“Last chance, can’t take the shard there,”
Maxwell said. “How is April?”

“She’s in and out, but Scott says she knows
he’s there. The doctors are happy he’s sticking around,” Allen
said.

Maxwell took a breakfast sausage, some bacon
and wrapped it in a pancake. “No time like the present,” he said as
he stood up.

“That’s an idea,” Miranda said, doing the
same.

Miranda and Maxwell were dropped off at the
emergency section of the General Hospital so they could avoid the
press, and it worked for the most part. One reporter, his hair a
mess, tape recorder under his arm almost got in their way. He met
them with his little black and silver microphone, pointing it into
Maxwell’s face. “Do you have any comment on your lead
singer’s-“

Maxwell brushed past, without saying a word,
and the security guard kept the reporter from getting into the
Emergency waiting room.

The elevator leading to the fourth floor was
empty, so Maxwell took the opportunity. “I’m sorry about New York,”
Maxwell told Miranda.

She smiled at him, not a reassuring creak of
the mouth, but one of her warm, full-lipped loving smile. “Even if
we’re on the road for years, New York will still be there. Besides,
we’re going to see so much together. It’s happening fast, but I’m
getting excited too. We’ll be doing a good thing.”

“You keep surprisin’ me, luv,” Maxwell
said.

“I know,” she replied.

The doors opened, and they started down the
hall towards the family room. “Hello, Max,” Darren said as he
emerged from a hallway to their right.

“Where have you been, man?” Maxwell
asked.

“Did you get the Dawn Shard back?” Darren
asked. He looked like he hadn’t washed or changed his clothes in
days, and there was something different about the way he spoke.

“You all right?” Maxwell asked.

“Just wondering, I heard there are a lot of
people waiting for you to pick up the Shard,” Darren said. “Sounds
important.”

“Don’t worry about that, mate. Where have
you been? Just hanging about with some of the Gatherers?” Maxwell
said as he moved to keep walking down the hall and put his arm
around Darren. If he wasn’t possessed, then there was surely
something serious wrong with his friend.

Darren pushed him away, pulling a gun from
his pocket. “Just give me the shard and the book and everything
will be fine,” he said.

Scott emerged from the bathroom behind
Darren, saw the gun begin to turn towards him and lunged for it.
The weapon went off, Maxwell rushed Darren, and he was forced to
the floor under the weight of him and Scott.

He got a grip on Darren’s wrist and another
shot went off, firing down the hall. “Help!” Miranda shouted,
waving down a hallway at someone he couldn’t see.

Maxwell elbowed Darren in the face, stunning
him just long enough so he could get the gun out of his hand and
toss it across the floor. In the next instant, something grabbed
him by the scalp. The florescent lights above flickered, and
Maxwell felt a dozen hands on him, grabbing at his shirt, his
wrists, and his legs as they tried to drag him down the hall.

Scott was on the floor, bleeding from his
leg, and Darren began to stand with his hands raised towards Max.
“Where are they?” he demanded through grinding teeth.

“What’s going on here?” demanded a security
guard who arrived with two nurses in tow.

Darren glanced at them, and they were
pressed against the walls.

“Panos,” Maxwell said as he struggled to
fend off the unseen hands, their nails were digging into his skin.
“Where’d you get the power for this.”

“I started opening doors,” Panos said using
Darren’s skin. “Oh, the things I’ve seen, the wonders a couple
sacrifices gets you. I need the shard and the book to continue.
Where are they?”