Phoebe Wren and the Vortex of Light (34 page)

Phoebe knew that Jack and Eva would be late home tonight. Her mother had left dinner in the fridge for the teenagers to heat up, and once their bellies were suitably full Phoebe, Demetrius and Ella decided that a walk was in order. As they strolled along in the still warm evening air, the friends’ conversation was centred on Celtic Justice Mission, Darken Abbey and their angelic guardians. None of the teenagers had been near the abbey since Demetrius and Ella’s visit last week, and in the interim they had spoken in length with Phoebe about the strange other-worldly glowing which they had witnessed radiating from the abbey’s windows, and the grey mist which had seemed to settle around the abbey, hanging from its walls like a foreboding shroud. They spoke too, and shuddered in sharing, of the peculiar and undeniable chill in the air, and the conspicuous lack of birds or wildlife in the abbey’s grounds. Phoebe could not admit to being surprised by any of this; they all knew that the Enemy had usurped Darken Abbey as the nerve centre for their maniacal purposes, but she wondered why the forces of evil and the forces of good were apparently holding back before the inevitable showdown.

As if he had read her thoughts, Cosain spoke, his voice infiltrating the atmosphere like a bolt from the blue. He and the other angelic warriors had materialised from out of nowhere and were now walking in step with the three friends. As before, the angels’ wings were not visible, and Phoebe found herself still adjusting to seeing the mighty warriors in a form that bore a closer resemblance to humans.

“It is not yet time, Phoebe,” he said. “The Enemy will attack, make no mistake, but they will not be so foolish as to strike prematurely and risk losing their claim to Darken Abbey forever. They will wait until they are certain of victory, and when that time comes, you will all be in mortal danger.” He paused, gauging Phoebe’s reaction, but by now the youngster had become as accustomed to being in peril as it was possible for any human being to be, and as a result she barely skipped a heartbeat. She preferred to be kept informed, and had come to appreciate Cosain’s forthrightness.

“What do we do, Cosain?” Phoebe asked. “How can
we
possibly wage war against
them?
The Enemy’s power is way beyond what we can withstand.”

“Indeed and you do well to never underestimate that dark power,” responded Cahir. “But it is not beyond what
we
can withstand. It is our job to fight for you and protect you. Your job will be to help outsmart the Enemy and put the pieces in place for their demise.”

“Your task will begin in Darken Abbey itself,” said Maelis, his green eyes scanning the teenagers intently. “You already know something of the abbey’s history, how it was a sacred place, run by monks, and a force for good on this island. You know too that the Enemy despatched Craven into its midst in the guise of Brother Clarence, and he was successful over a period of time in destroying the work of the monks from the inside out. When Craven set this chain of events in motion, he ensured that Darken Abbey’s status as a
thin place
was jeopardised. The abbey had formerly been a place where the distance between the Atoner and man was minimal, conditions had been created for communion and relationship between the Creator and His created. But when Craven surreptitiously introduced greed and covetousness and lust for power, the thin place was tarnished and darkness crept in to displace the light. As the Enemy continued to wreck and destroy, the monks eventually all left, leaving the shell of Darken Abbey at their disposal. Abaddon despatched several of his troops to the abbey, and Schnither wasted no time in stamping his mark on the place. In so doing, he also stamped his mark on this area, and although there still remain numerous pockets of light – and believe me when I say that the people of the Light are a force to be reckoned with – this black nerve centre still has a grip that must be loosened.”

Phoebe, Demetrius and Ella listened intently, eyes wide, minds whirring. At last, it seemed, their task was being revealed and the reality of it rendered them all speechless.

“One of the first things Schnither did when he took charge of the building was set a doorway in the substratum of Darken Abbey. It is guarded by the fearsome Behemoth…” Maelis paused, remembering that the young mortals could not know what the Behemoth was, and allowing for the inevitable question.

“Behemoth? Who – or
what
– exactly is the Behemoth?” Phoebe voiced the question that was on all of the teenagers’ minds.

“Yes,” continued Maelis. “Some say Behemoth is a mythical creature confined to the realms of folklore. But we can assure you…” Maelis nodded towards the angelic warriors. “We can
assure you
that Behemoth is not a mere legend, or a figment of the imagination. No, Behemoth is alive and well and serves as one of Abaddon’s most formidable weapons. The creature guards the doorway underneath Darken Abbey.”

“What’s the significance of this doorway?” queried Ella, who had still not quite gotten used to chatting with imposing angelic beings from another realm.

Maelis continued with his explanation. “The doorway was created as an easy access route between Darken Abbey and the Mooar Mountain, which is the residence of Abaddon. Initially, it was Schnither’s intention to have this doorway opened permanently over a hundred years ago, allowing all the forces of darkness to come and go as they pleased. But before he left the abbey, Brother Bennett, the chief monk, found the key, known as the
Key of Esse
, that Schnither had forged for the doorway. Brother Bennett was the last monk to leave the abbey, and by then he was fully aware of how Craven had duped Brothers Byron and Ernest. He took it upon himself to set things right as best he could, and risked his life one night to sneak past Behemoth and lock the great door, thereby closing off the thoroughfare to the Mooar Mountain. Brother Bennett knew that he could not escape with the Key of Esse because Schnither would realise within a matter of moments that it was gone, so he left it back where he found it, taking one piece of it with him as he fled. The Key of Esse consists of three interlocking parts, and only when all three pieces are fitted together will it open – or close – the door in the belly of the abbey. Schnither and Malva did their best to stop Brother Bennett; they would have undoubtedly killed him before he escaped the abbey, so we had to step in and hold the hordes of darkness back. This afforded Brother Bennett the time he needed to flee, bringing the crucial section of the Key of Esse with him, and legend has it that he hid the key somewhere he was sure the Enemy would never find it. Schnither was lax in his duties, assuming that Behemoth had the doorway to the Mooar Mountain secure, so it was almost two days before he realised that the doorway had been locked shut and a part of the key was missing, subsequently rendering it unopenable. By then, Brother Bennett was long gone, and Schnither suffered the wrath of Abaddon for his mistake. That is why, to this day, Schnither is almost paranoid in his determination to prove his worth to Abaddon.”

“So Schnither couldn’t let his henchmen through as he had planned,” murmured Phoebe. “The doorway was closed and the Enemy lost his easy access route. That must have rattled Abaddon’s cage!”

“Correct. And now it would seem that Abaddon believes the time to be right to try again. It is no coincidence that the Celtic Justice Mission has risen up at this exact moment, for when darkness threatens to prevail, light will rise up and quench it.” Cosain had resumed the explanation, and was encouraged to find that his young wards appeared to have grasped the significance of what was going on around them.

“We do not know the exact location of the third piece of the Key of Esse, but we are certain that Brother Bennett buried it somewhere on the island of Ireland.”

Phoebe wanted to ask how she and her friends could be expected to find one section of a key that was buried
somewhere
in Ireland, but refrained and chose instead to keep her scepticism mute.

“It is your task to find the missing piece of the Key of Esse, join it with the two pieces that Schnither has in his possession, then lock Behemoth, Schnither and all his minions in the Mooar Mountain before destroying the doorway forever. But before that, you must return to Darken Abbey and seek out Brother Bennett’s journal; it will contain the clues that will be vital to your success.”

Cosain’s face was solemn and Phoebe could see that he was deadly serious, but as the bizarreness of his request invaded her senses, she could contain herself no longer and the nervous laughter that overcame her at Johannesburg Airport rippled up her throat and for a few moments she could do nothing but giggle. A secret doorway to another realm, guarded by a mythical, man-eating beast? A key made up of three sections which offered its owner the power to unleash hell on earth? A treasure map of a journal where ‘X’ marked the spot? It just all sounded way too crazy.

Furious with herself but unable to help it, Phoebe’s giggles erupted into chortles, and she laughed until her sides hurt and she was gasping for breath. “Oh Cosain, I’m so
sorry!
” she exclaimed once she had regained some composure. “It’s not funny, obviously I know that. It’s just…”

Phoebe expected to find Cosain vexed by her outburst but was met instead with compassion and understanding, and even a hint of amusement. “It’s okay, Phoebe,” he said gently, smiling at the youngster before him. “I know that this sounds way beyond the boundaries of what is possible. But believe me Phoebe, it is entirely achievable; you only need to trust and take it one step at a time.”

Phoebe had totally sobered up, and was kicking herself for letting nervous laughter get the better of her. “I know,” she concurred. “I know that we have been trusted with this mission. And I know that we can see it through. Right guys?”

Demetrius and Ella nodded in agreement, although the teenagers’ heads must have been whirring and spinning with information overload too.

“Then it is agreed,” said Cosain. “You should expect the unexpected at all times from here on in. For now, you need to go back to Darken Abbey.”

Despite their best efforts, the teenagers’ face gave them away, and Cosain could see the horror that the thought of a return to the abbey caused them.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “This time, your visit has been sanctioned and planned, and we will be with you.”

“Then that improves the odds,” said Demetrius, and he set off in the direction of Darken Abbey with Phoebe and Ella and a dozen warrior angels in tow.

It was a short journey to Darken Abbey, and the diverse group of angels and young mortals arrived at the perimeter fence just as the sun was beginning to set. Phoebe wished that the comforting light of the summer evening had remained just a little longer, as there was something about the dying light of dusk that made the abbey appear even more foreboding.

“Ladies,” said Demetrius, his voice a hushed whisper despite not having even entered the abbey’s grounds. “After you…” He pulled back the wire fence where the friends had previously gained entry, and Phoebe and Ella wriggled though. Demetrius followed the girls and the three of them stood in silence for a moment, surveying the full extent of the abbey’s exterior, which somehow seemed lessened this evening by the enormity of the task at hand. They could see that renovation work had commenced, but so far had really been confined to the grounds and paths surrounding the abbey. Scaffolding had been raised around the old building, but thus far nothing about the structure had been altered. The abbey looked every one of its considerable years this evening, with the scaffold looking as if it bore the weight of the tired old building.

Cosain and the rest of the Heavenly warriors appeared silently beside the teenagers, but Phoebe knew that they would have to keep their presence low key for now in order to avoid alerting the Enemy too soon. The angels would stand guard at a discreet distance, yes, but Phoebe was all too aware that she, Ella and Demetrius would have to enter Darken Abbey unaccompanied. Cosain nodded to Phoebe that she and her friends should approach the abbey, and with a definite air of caution the teenagers began to make their way along the path that lead around the side of the building. As before, Demetrius found the little side door unlocked and went in ahead of the girls, who followed him through into the anteroom. The air inside was stale and damp as before, and caught in the teenagers’ throats. Phoebe shivered involuntarily. She recalled their run in with Malva and the diminutive twin demons Braygor and Graygor, and was reluctant to get that close to Malva’s eyeless face again so soon. Or ever, for that matter. But she knew too that what she had to do was so much bigger than her and the ramifications would be enormous so sucking in a deep breath, she forced her leaden legs to carry her forward through the door off the anteroom that lead to the Great Hall beyond. Ella and Demetrius were hot on her heels, but Phoebe knew that it was fear that kept them close rather than eagerness to pursue this quest.