Dark Winter (25 page)

Curie rolled Troy Jackson’s body onto a pallet truck, and wheeled it into another room. I could not see nor sense what he was doing in there. He was up to no good, that was for certain.

I was certain of something else too. I would no longer be able to stay in this room much longer. My soul seemed to be escaping, despite Curie believing – with canny accuracy, that old wives tale about leaving windows open, so that souls of the recently departed could escape.

The windows were not as secure as he would have us believe. But there was something else pulling me. I could not be certain. But someone’s shape was forming in front of me.

“Beth?” I said, straining my neck to see beyond the mist.

No. It wasn’t Beth. It was my Nan. Tears streamed from my eyes. I could no longer possess a human body, surely. But the sensations were real. I ran towards her as fast as I could. In that moment, I was overwhelmed with love. I forgot about Beth, Troy, Toril, my parents. Everything and everyone. I had come home.

             
                            *                            *                            *

Toril burst through the door. She screamed when she saw me and Beth. She composed herself to draw her wand out of her bag, and shouted out to Curie.

“Get yourself out here, Curie. Your reckoning is at hand.”

The door behind me and to my left opened. Out walked Curie, as calm as you like.

“Toril Withers. How good it is to see you, and your friend with the white hair? Yes you! Jacinta, come on in. Wouldn’t want you to miss any of this.”

“You wouldn’t want us to miss what, exactly?”

“Why – the same as you of course. The
reckoning
, isn’t that what you called it?”

“What did you do to Beth, to Romilly?” Toril spat the words out through gritted teeth.

“What?” Curie looked confused. Why didn’t they appreciate what he was doing? Why didn’t they appreciate his work? He went around the chairs, to Beth’s side first, and said “What-you….you don’t like it? Would you like them to stand? It’s a bit difficult but I
suppose
I could manage it.”

Toril walked forward, and raised her wand.

“Oh come now, silly girl. You think that little toy of yours could harm me?” Curie snorted with disdain.

Toril didn’t move one further step forward. She had never used a ‘banish’ curse before, but now was the time.

“From the deepest ocean to the sky on high, I banish you from here to the hell, and to die.”

A white-blue light emanated from Toril’s wand. She could barely keep her hands still whilst the spell’s power encircled Curie, and then disappeared.

“Hmm. Quite invigorating,” said Curie happily. Then his smile turned into a frown, and he snarled “I hope that was your best shot, little girl. You won’t be getting another chance.”

Toril looked flummoxed. Jacinta was experiencing one big emotion – fear. She cowered and fell on her knees.

“Good. Good,” said Curie, picking up his axe. “You too, witch, and I use that term very loosely. On your knees.”

“No, I won’t do it,” said Toril. “Go back to the hell that spawned you. Lucifer’s bitch.”

“On. Your. Knees.” Curie raised his hand, and Toril’s knees buckled. Some strange power was welling within Curie, and Toril could not fight it. Perhaps there was none who could.

Toril was hurting, but still focussed. With shaky hands, she drew a circle with her wand and wanted to enclose Jacinta in the circle, but Curie rushed at her and knocked her clear of the circle.

“What the-“ said Toril.

“I need her,” said Curie. “I don’t need you, witch. Stay in your so-called Circle, and be damned.”

Jacinta was dazed, but otherwise unharmed. Curie grabbed Jacinta by her arm, and pulled her up. He got behind her, and wrapped his right hand behind her throat.

“Curie! No, damn you…!” Toril pointed her wand at him. “Let her go, I’m warning you.”

Jacinta wriggled but could not get free. Curie tightened his grip on her neck. Jacinta grimaced, and her skin started to turn a dark red.

“Or what,
witch
? You’ll shine a light in my eyes like you did last time?”

He walked towards Toril’s protective Circle, and pushed Jacinta close to Toril, but still out of her reach.

“The wand, girl, give it to me.”

“Go to hell.”

Jacinta was going faint in his grip.

“All I have to do is squeeze.”

“It’s logical you are going to kill us anyway, so what the hell do I care?”

“Oh, you care, alright. You don’t want blood on your hands, Toril. That’s why you couldn’t kill me. You knew the Banish Spell would result in my death. But pointing your wand, saying the words isn’t enough, is it? You have to
believe
, and you don’t. You’re not a real witch, you’re just playing at being one. You don’t even have the genetics to beat me. Now, when you consider all that, doesn’t it sound logical to you?”

Toril seethed, but did not entertain him with an answer.

Curie seemed most pleased with himself. “The wand. Now.”

“Damn you to hell.”

“I’ll kill her.” Curie sang the last word, like he meant it.

“Go on then. I call your bluff.” A short pause from Toril, then she folded her arms, stamped her feet on the floor, solding Curie. “I won’t be yielding to you.”

Toril really didn’t know if Curie would carry out his threat to kill Jacinta. She was betting they were there for some as-yet-to-be-revealed higher purpose, and simply that Curie
needed
Jacinta. Also, any opportunity to curse at him
was
logical.

“Gah!” shrieked Curie, and threw Jacinta aside. She grasped her throat, gagging for breath, crawling along all fours towards the safety of Toril’s Circle.

“Oh no you don’t,” screeched Curie, and kicked Jacinta hard in the stomach.

This time, she was winded, and lay on her back, coughing violently.

“Damn you Curie!” screamed Toril.

Curie ignored Toril, crouched over Jacinta, and wore a disappointed look on his face. “I thought you were going to be smart. I just saved your miserable life, after all.” Grabbing her blouse, he pulled her towards him.

“Do you see this, Miss Crow?”

From his back pocket, he produced a crucifix, but like those ones used in a Black Mass.

“Jay, stay away from that!” screamed Toril.

“Oh. Are you still here, witch?” sneered Curie. “You’ll have to leave your Circle if you want to save your friend from this. But you won’t, will you? You only want to save yourself. But that’s you all over, isn’t it Toril? Selfish. Deluded. Pathetic.”

Jacinta was still reeling from the pain around her throat and her stomach, and she coughed up some blood into Curie’s face. It was accidental, a reflex from being kicked so hard in the stomach, but Curie took it as an act of defiance.

Curie turned the cross towards Jacinta and placed it over her heart. “You won’t get the chance to try that again.”

Toril could hardly bear to look. She had to leave the Circle to save her. Curie smiled. “You can add
weak
to your list of inadequacies.”

Turning back to Jacinta, Curie smiled in the sickening way that riles and disgusted Toril. “Logic dictates that I win.” he said simply.

“I don’t think so,” said Toril, with renewed confidence. “Your logic is flawed.”

Curie felt a dull pain, lightness filled his head, and he collapsed to the floor.

Troy had emerged from the room at the back.

“Well, hey-lo Troy. Way to make an entrance,” smiled Toril.

She was still pointing the wand in a manner that unsettled Troy.

“Care to put that down, Withers? Just in case Curie has got you all wrong.”

“Oh,” said Toril, “Sorry about that.” She put it back in her bag.

Troy crouched his huge frame over Curie. He was out cold. Satisfied, he moved on to Jacinta.

“Jay-Jay, are you alright? Don’t try to move just yet.”

Jacinta was on the floor in a foetal position. The blood had only been a little, but it suggested she was injured quite badly. Troy placed his hands on her rib cage, and parts of it didn’t feel as it should. As if confirming this, Jacinta whimpered in a way which unsettled Toril and Troy.

“Oh my God…Jay!” Toril left the Circle and huddled on the floor next to her friend.

Jacinta nodded, confirming she understood. She knew Toril would never let Curie hurt her – not fatally anyway. Still, Toril calling Curie’s bluff had its consequences.

Looking around, Troy saw my body and Beth’s in the chairs.

“This…this is so screwed,” said Troy. “Isn’t there anything you can do, Toril?”

The Mirror, Toril. You’ve got to use the bloody Mirror. Come. On!

But would Toril hear me? Was this even my problem anymore?

I had my own problems, and my Nan was being as elusive and vague in the after-life as she was when she lived with us. I actually didn’t mind so much that I was dead, but Beth – she deserved better.
Come on Toril, figure it out.

Nan looked pretty much the same in the after-life, if this is what it was, as she did when she was alive, except she was much healthier looking.

“You must have a million questions, but oh my, it is good to see you again, Milly.”

“Nan, something very weird is going on down there. You’ve got to help me  -
help them
, figure out what to do. Am I really dead?”

I could hardly believe I was asking the question, but here I was.

“This is one ghost story you didn’t foresee, did you, little one?”

“No….no I did not.”

“Walk with me a little, Romilly.”

“Nan, I want to, I really do, but Beth, Toril, Jacinta, Troy…they’re my friends. They need my help. I don’t have time for this.”

“You don’t have time? What nonsense!” laughed Nan. “Time has no meaning here.”

“I need to go back.”

“What you need to do, is calm down, and walk with me. Come on now.”

Alright. I didn’t have much choice in this. I was, however, happy to see Nan again. For all the ghost stories she had told me, she had never came back to visit me once. Did dreams count?

“Of course they do, Milly. Now you want to know why you are here, don’t you?”

I knew why I was here. I was dead. Barely sixteen years old, and I had perished at the hands of Curie. Or Beth, more accurately. Either way, Curie was involved, and he had killed her too. Poor Beth.

“Nan, it doesn’t really matter. I failed. I failed you. The Mirror is lost. I bequeathed it to no-one. I didn’t think I would have to, though Toril held it once. I’m sorry.”