Frost Arch (29 page)

“Yes!” I gasped.

“Avalon Redding, I am not going to hurt you.” My kidnapper promised. Yes, like I was going to believe that. “I’m sorry that I am doing this, but you cannot look at me.”

“I already know who you are!” I growled, wincing as the freezing wall seemed to burn my flesh.

“I know.” He hissed impatiently, “That is why you cannot look at me.”

This made absolutely no sense to me what so ever. I continued to struggle against his strange strength.

“Seth Swaggart.” I scowled.

“Yes.” He breathed.

I was suddenly aware of how much older his voice sounded compared to his appearance, “What do you want?” I hissed, “Come to finish me off?”

He growled menacingly, “Stupid girl.” His voice seemed to shake with anger, “You don’t understand anything.”

“Get off me or I’ll scream.” I threatened.

“I thought you would have set me on fire by now.”

I fell silent and breathed angrily, writhing and fighting him still. I did not want to talk about my fire. How did he know who I was, and what I did anyway?

Trying to calm myself down I tried a new approach, “How do you know who I am?”

“I know everyone.” He sounded smug, “But you, Miss Avalon, are quite interesting.”

“I’m just a servant.” I deflected.

“And so very strange.” He breathed into my ear and I shuddered.

“Why can’t I look at you?” I said gritting my teeth.

“Do you remember what happened last time?”

My breathing faltered. Yes, of course I remembered. I had felt cold, empty, frozen, rooted to the spot, unable to breathe like I was drowning. “Yes.” I whispered.

Did he not want me to see his eyes because he knew what pain it caused? Was he being courteous?

“What do you want?” I tried again, “Why have you been following me?”

“This city is full of secrets and lies Avalon Redding. Its citizens hide and burry the truth. Do you know what I am? Do you know what I can do, Miss Redding?”

I growled, “Murderer.”

He laughed a humourless, cold laugh, “See what I mean? Secrets and lies.”

“Jack wouldn’t lie to me.” I hissed.

“You’re little healer friend didn’t know he was lying. No one knows the truth, because they’re all too afraid to ask.”

“I heard you curse people. I heard you sentence them to die, and follow them like an omen.”

Seth Swaggart let out a dark chuckle, “Well that does sound quite frightening. Were you scared, Avalon?”

I jerked angrily but I still couldn’t free myself, “No.” I lied.

Swaggart sighed and I felt his cool breath cascade over me, “That is not my Power, Redding. Far from it. I have made many mistakes in my life, and people assume the wrong things.”

“Well if you don’t want me dead, then why have you just dragged me into an alleyway?” I huffed angrily. I still didn’t believe him. He must be tricking me.

“I try so hard.” He whispered, “But I fail every time.”

“What are you talking about?” I demanded. I fumed silently at my stupid weak body.

“I do not curse people.” He hissed, “I sense death, Avalon Redding. I sense death and destruction, and I am drawn to those who radiate it.”

“You’re not making sense!” I cried, struggling and calling him a long string of disgusting names.

“You are so eager to assume that the whole world is against you, Redding. You barely stop to think about those whose lives are truly horrific. Selfish girl.”

He was right of course. I’d always known I was selfish. I had been telling myself for years that I wanted to leave home to protect Helena from me. Only now, pressed against the filthy wall by my stalker Seth Swaggart, did I realise my true atrocity. I had left home to protect myself from Helena. To protect myself from the fact that she was Human and I did not want to be caught hiding her from the Realm of Mages. I had run away to live, and not be imprisoned for this crime. This realisation struck my core so hard that I let out a sob of despair and felt my knees buckle. Only Swaggart’s vice like grip upon me kept me standing. I was a betrayer. I deserved to rot. Why now did I see the truth? The thing I had been hiding from even myself. I could have vomited from disgust. I felt dirty and didn’t want to be me anymore.

“The truth is scary, isn’t it?” Seth’s voice brought me back to reality.

“Please, leave me alone.” I begged. This emotional pain hurt more than anything he could have done to me physically.

“No, Avalon. You need to understand.”

“Understand what?” I cried. I hoped someone would hear me, for I was beyond screaming.

“What I am!” His voice was pleading now, and it calmed me slightly to hear him so panicked.

“Tell me then.” I muttered, my face completely numb now.

“Avalon, I do not harm people at all. I have never cursed, or followed someone as an omen.”

“Why did you hurt me then? Why have you been following me?”

“I told you before. I sense death. The moment you crossed my path all those months ago, my Power was drawn to you. It is involuntary. I cannot control it. But you must understand that I did not doom you. You were already doomed before I laid eyes upon you.”

My breath caught in my chest. What was he saying? That I was going to die soon, and his Power simply channelled people who were on death row?

“I don’t understand.” I whispered.

“I can sense when every single person in this disgusting city is going to die. It is never certain and is very hard to explain. It’s as though I can sense people’s life lines. My Power is drawn to those whose life lines are ridiculously short.

“Me.” I breathed.

“Yes. You.”

“But that was months ago.” I objected. Shouldn’t I be dead?

“It is still getting shorter.” Seth fretted. I only noticed now that his grip upon me had loosened now that I had calmed down. I thought about running, but I was listening to intently.

“Why did it hurt … when you looked at me?”

I heard Seth lick his lips before he explained, “When I … read … a short lifeline … it tends to be painful for that person. I’m not sure why. When I gaze upon someone with a long life line before them, I’m sure it might sting a little, but they would barely notice when I read it.”

It was all so confusing, and I barely understood. Seth sensed death. He had the Power of death detection? It was so morbid … so sad. Seth was barely holding me now. My face was no longer pressed against the wall, but he kept his palm upon my shoulder so I did not turn to face him. Would his gaze be more painful now that my life line was even shorter? I shuddered at the thought.

“Why? Why am I going to die?” My throat felt dry, and ached, “And when?”

Seth sighed, “Why do you think I have been following you? Silly girl.”

I gasped, “You … you haven’t been stalking me at all.” I realised, “You’ve been-” I didn’t know how to phrase it.

“Trying to beat death.” I heard the amusement in his voice, “Not an easy thing to do, I can assure you.”

“You’ve been trying to help me.” I whispered as this realisation dawned upon me.

“Yes.” He breathed.

“You’ve been waiting for the moment that I might die. Waiting to save me.” It sounded more absurd the more I thought about it. A new realisation broke over me, “But you don’t know when it’s going to happen then?”

“No.” He admitted.

“Or how.”

“I do not know that either.”

I felt weak, and cold. Any second my legs might give way.

“Do you understand now, why people think I am the bringer of death?” Seth whispered to me.

I did, “You sense that someone has a short life line … it hurts them when you read it but they think you have cursed them. You follow them … and they think you are stalking them like a death omen … but you’re just trying to help. Just trying to help” I echoed myself.

Seth stayed silent. It was as though he was waiting for me to realise something else, but I didn’t know what more there could be.

“Ask me the most obvious question.” He hissed.

“I don’t know-” I began, but his angry growl interrupted my sentence.

“Ask me how many people I have successfully saved, Redding.”

I licked my lips nervously. Yes, this was quite an obvious question, but did I really want to know the answer?

“H-how many?” I stammered.

Seth’s breathing was hard and slow. I wished I could turn and look at his expression, “None.”

I felt my heart plummet, “None.” I repeated.

“Yes.” He confirmed, “I try, but death cannot be beaten it seems.”

There was no hope. Once Seth saw that death was coming, there was no help possible. I should have been scared, terrified, but I felt numb and empty.

“Why are you telling me all this?” I said in a voice that sounded nothing like my own.

I could hear Seth deliberating upon his answer, “I don’t know.” He said truthfully, “But I try to help every time.”

“Isn’t it depressing? Knowing that someone will die soon, and never being able to stop it?”

“You have no idea.” He muttered under his breath.

I cleared my throat noisily and said in a strangely strong voice, “Then I would appreciate it if you would stop following me, Seth Swaggart.”

All was silent for several moments. I wondered if we had turned to stone and not realised. If there was absolutely no hope for me, then I didn’t want this boy … this man … punishing himself trying to help. He owed me nothing. How wrong my friends and I had been about him.

“I will try.” Was Seth’s response.

I nodded and rubbed the grime from my cheek where it had been pressed against the wall.

Seth’s hand fell away from my shoulder and I took a step away. I did not look at him. I didn’t want to hurt.

“Can you read my life line now?” I asked him.

“Yes.”

I didn’t want to know how short it was. I would rather this whole conversation had never happened.

How should you react when you find out that you are going to die, and soon? I felt as though I should be frightened, but all I could comprehend was this overwhelming numbness. My legs felt weak as I began to walk away from the man who had delivered the news of my coming demise. Would he really try and help even though he knew it would be no use?

I vaguely wondered if I would be facing death so soon if I had not come to Frost Arch.

“Avalon,” Seth’s voice sounded distant as I walked away, “Nice pet.”

I stopped in my tracks.

“Excuse me?” I breathed.

I heard Seth chuckle. Despite the fact that he had been trying to do me a favour, he found my discomfort highly amusing.

“Your pet.” He pressed, “He is very nice.”

I felt my brows knit together in frustration, “Thank you. Keep it to yourself.” I muttered. My throat felt tight. I wanted to cry.

“Of course.” Seth’s tone was not one that I trusted, but how bad could he really be? It was no surprise that he had found out about Hawthorne since he had been following me.

“He is quite the flier.” Seth’s continued conversationally.

I ached to turn around and cast Swaggart a warning glare, but fear of the pain kept me from looking at him.

“He is very strong, and very protective.” I hinted.

“Naturally.”

I gritted my teeth together, “He can sense danger.” I pressed, “He will know when I am going to-” I couldn’t finish the sentence. Die, I thought irritably.

“Let us hope so. Maybe your, uh, flying fox will have the power to save you and defy fate.”

“Maybe.” I hoped so very desperately, “Goodbye Swaggart.”

I heard him chuckle lightly as I began walking away once again. I could have sworn I heard him mutter, “Good luck with the Power trouble,” but I couldn’t be certain.

For someone who was trying to help people all the time, Seth Swaggart still gave me the chills. Although he had a good conscience he was quite dark and lacked certain social skills even I was aware of. Didn’t he know it was rude to grab people from the street and drag them away?

My heart thumping frantically I sprinted from the back street and down the alley next to the Messenger Service shop. Jack was probably wondering where I was. I wondered why he hadn’t come looking for me down the alley. I skidded to a halt when I reached the main street and looked around for Jack’s familiar figure. I couldn’t spot him anywhere among the hustle and bustle of the city people. I peered in through the glass of the Messenger shop only to discover Ræven watching my odd behaviour curiously. There would be no point entering the shop to ask her where Jack had gone, because obviously she would not answer me. I didn’t care for her right now so I wrenched myself away and sprinted back towards the manor.

By the time I was off the winding road that led to the manor grounds I had a very painful stitch in my side. I grabbed at it, panting hard. In the distance was the mansion, the stables just visible behind it, as well as the mass of forest behind that. Had Jack returned to the stables when he had discovered that I was gone? I really needed him right now for I was scared and could go into shock at any moment. I didn’t want to stop and think about anything at all, I only knew that I needed to find Jack before I fell to pieces. I wrapped my arms around my middle as though willing to hold myself together, afraid I might shatter into a million tiny parts.