Sinners of Magic (5 page)

Beatrice looked down at her own
hands and saw only the wrinkled lines of age and felt a pang of
despair. She was growing old, there was no denying it, her youth
already a distant memory. Her own hair was peppered with grey, yet
she made no effort to hide it, her only priority was Crystal.
Raising a child on her own on a widow’s army pension was no easy
feat and money was always tight, but they somehow managed and
Crystal was her one beacon of hope for the future.

Whilst
Beatrice continued to think about the years ahead, a more recent
incident scrambled to the surface of her thoughts, yet another
reminder that life was not quite so
‘
normal
’
with Crystal around. Only a few
days ago, there had been a minor incident when Crystal cut her
finger whilst assisting in the kitchen. She was preparing fresh
vegetables for dinner when the knife she was using slipped, slicing
open the tip of her finger. Blood oozed onto the stainless-steel
draining board, creating a dark-red watery pool. Crystal grabbed
the nearest thing she could see, a clean tea towel, and wrapped it
around the wound to try and stem the flow. Whilst the blood soaked
into the cloth, she ran to her mother for help. There’d been a
flurry of panic as they raced to the medicine cabinet looking for a
clean bandage and some tape. Beatrice removed the cloth to find
there was no cut to attend to; the wound had miraculously healed
itself. They both stared in disbelief, the blood-soaked towel lying
abandoned on the bathroom floor, a startling reminder of what had
just occurred.

Back in the kitchen, the radio
was playing softly in the background. The music was mellow and easy
listening and in-between the songs the presenter talked about his
impending retirement. Suddenly conscious of watchful eyes upon her,
Crystal threw her stare directly at her mother.

‘
Penny for
them,’ she said, searching her mother’s doleful
expression.

‘
Not worth
halfpence,’ retorted Beatrice, trying to force a smile. A profound
sigh escaped Crystal’s lips whilst she crumpled the newspaper into
a tight ball.

‘
There’s
nothing written in here that’s going to help me,’ she said,
throwing it into the bin in disgust. ‘But there has to be something
somewhere which will give me some kind of clue,’ she said,
scowling, ‘but I just can’t find it.’

‘
Come on,
love, stop tearing yourself apart,’ her mother soothed. ‘You tried
to help those boys as best you could, but I don’t think there’s
anything else you can do.’

Unconvinced, Crystal resorted
to tapping her fingers lightly on the table, humming to a tune she
recognised on the radio and then she started mumbling the lyrics to
herself.

‘
Mmm, I swear
I left her by the river, mmm, I left her safe and
sound.’

With a cry of inspiration,
Crystal leapt out of her seat, startling her mother who took a step
back in fright.

‘
Of course,
the fishing lake, that must be the place!’ Crystal shouted, her
eyes shining with enthusiasm. ‘It’s the only deep water I know of;
it would make perfect sense.’

‘
You’re not
going!’ cried Beatrice, becoming fretful. ‘I mean it, absolutely
not!’

Crystal flushed. ‘Mum, you know
I have to do this.’

Grabbing her coat from the back
of the chair, she kissed her mother hard on the cheek as she flew
past.

‘
Look, you
mustn’t worry, I’ll be alright.’

‘
No, child,
you mustn’t go,’ Beatrice cried, sounding flustered. ‘You don’t
know for sure if you will be able to stop anything happening, you
might even make matters worse, and you’re just a young girl who has
no experience of life or the paranormal.’

Crystal chose to ignore her
mother’s harsh words, concentrating only on what she must do. She
moved to the other side of the kitchen and opened a stiff, wooden
drawer. She pushed aside the few knick-knacks that had been stored
there to reveal the amulet. With nimble fingers, she placed the
necklace around her throat before glancing in the small opaque
mirror to admire it.

‘
There! Now
I’m safe from harm,’ she said, pawing at the necklace. Her slim
fingers brushed the red stone and the jewel rippled at her touch,
producing a rich, golden glow. Beatrice raised an eyebrow when she
saw the amulet change colour.

‘
You know we
don’t know for sure what kind of charm that is,’ she said, shaking
her head with worry. ‘You’ve always been able to sense things, but
it’s not necessarily because of the necklace.’ Crystal turned away
from the mirror and pushed her arms through the sleeves of her
jacket, the tight band on the wrists proving troublesome. Then she
made her way to the back door and opened it. Cold air wafted in and
Crystal turned towards her mother, her face softening upon seeing
her look of anguish.

‘
Look, Mum,’
she said, trying to defend her own reasoning. ‘What you say may
well be true, but I always feel safer when I’m wearing this
necklace. The truth is, I do feel different when I wear it, I feel
a bit like … Wonder Woman,’ she said, trying to force a
grin.

‘
Please don’t
go,’ begged Beatrice, still unconvinced. ‘I think it could be
really dangerous, especially with it involving the lake. I couldn’t
bear it if I lost you too.’

Crystal felt her heart miss a
beat at the mere thought of her dead father.

‘
Don’t try to
make me feel guilty by using Dad,’ she said, her eyes burning with
a sudden fury. She felt a wisp of sadness cling to her at the
memory of the man who had died before she was born.

She took a step outside,
breaking the last invisible bonds of her childhood, and she
unconsciously stroked the orbs, feeling a wave of calm rush through
her body. For years she had accepted she was different, she had
just never been sure in what way. After the episode yesterday in
the library she knew she had a special gift, something unique. Now
her strength was growing and with it a sense of bravery which she
hadn’t experienced before.

Her mother called out to her
one last time.

‘
There will
be no turning back,’ she said, reaching for her daughter and
grabbing nothing but fresh air. ‘Your fate lies in your own hands
and I have to admit, that frightens me.’

‘
You know
deep down I have no choice but to do this,’ Crystal shot back, her
eyes still showing signs of hostility. ‘My gut instinct tells me I
have to unravel the crazy puzzle which I have seen inside my head.
I may not be sure how to use my gift yet, but I’m positive I will
know soon enough.’

‘
This is
sheer idiocy,’ Beatrice declared, her eyes narrowing. ‘You’re just
a girl!’

‘
Mum, please
stop being difficult. Why can’t you see that I feel like a volcano
ready to erupt? This strange burning sensation which ignites whilst
I sleep grows stronger with each passing day. You know I’m not
normal, so why try to play these silly games with me?’

Her mother looked beaten and
her lips stayed in a tight line, still unable to comprehend her
daughter’s sudden wilful streak.

‘
Look, I’ll
be back as soon as I can,’ Crystal promised when she saw her
mother’s stunned expression. ‘Just don’t go worrying yourself
stupid.’

What the hell
just happened?
Beatrice thought when
Crystal left. She massaged her forehead when a banging sensation
hit against her temples. She had almost felt intimidated by her
daughter’s maturity as she stood her ground. Something had changed,
shifted between them. She moved to the stove and grabbed the
kettle. Taking it over to the sink, she turned on the tap and
watched it fill with water. The loud gushing noise grated on her
nerves, making her turn off the gas and place the not-quite-full
kettle on the draining board. She turned and looked out of the
kitchen window, her eyes drinking in the endless green of the
rolling hills lying in the distance. Her mind was in turmoil. What
on earth was happening to them? Her eyes filled with tears when she
wished for the support of a
loving
husband, something she had wished for many times in the past, but
no one else had entered her life in that way. Her vision became
bleary from unshed tears wavering on the very tip of her lids,
testing her ability to keep it together. Her throat ached with hurt
and fear, and she reached out and filled a glass with
water.

‘
Come back to
me, Crystal,’
she heard herself
plea.
‘Don’t leave me like your father
did.’
Her body straightened as though a
whip had hit her spine. She felt her hands reach up and cover her
face, and her resolve broke and a flood of tears poured down her
cheeks. She was no longer in charge of her daughter’s life; somehow
the tide had turned. Her future rested in her own hands and the
child who was her only piece of priceless treasure was becoming
harder to keep safe from the rest of the world. Then, whilst she
wiped away the endless stream of tears with the back of her hand,
the feeling of having lost her precious daughter suddenly
deepened.

*

It took Crystal some time
before she reached a safe place where she could climb onto the
grassy bank that surrounded the lake. She stumbled upon a dry stone
wall which had crumbled away enough for her to gain easy access.
Glancing around, she checked that no one was watching her, not
wishing to draw attention to herself – a girl alone. Satisfied she
was not being observed, she made her way through the gap and onto
the stony path. It seemed such a lonely place and she trembled with
apprehension. She zipped up her jacket to protect herself when a
blustery wind appeared from nowhere and made her shudder, making
her stuff her hands into her pockets for added warmth.

A small brook twinkled prettily
down a slight embankment to her left and she watched the water
trickle over the muddy earth, seeping over mossy stones and
slippery rocks in search of its final resting place, making the
path wet and dark. She continued on her way and within minutes
passed a solitary man fishing. His stature was well built and he
stood close to the water’s edge on strong, sturdy legs. His fishing
tackle was strewn over the pathway, making it difficult for her to
pass, but she manoeuvred around him, annoyed at his lack of
consideration for others. She stole a glance his way, noticing his
eyes were closed and that his mouth was covered with something that
resembled blood...

‘
What
the?’
she gasped, sensing danger. She
forced herself to think, realising she had to get away from
him
–
fast. She
averted her eyes and then broke into a run. She prayed he wouldn’t
drop his fishing rod and give pursuit, convinced this was his
immediate intention.

On hearing
her running footsteps, the man turned and opened his eyes. Deep
within him, something evil began to stir. The festering ooze of a
supernatural being, malevolent in character, was hiding itself
inside the mortal body of the man and the force of his greed
dripped from his twisted mouth. On earth, people called this
presence
The Shadow of
Death
; in the extraordinary world he was
named
Abaddon – the
Destroyer
.

He continued watching her
whilst she fled from his sight, becoming ravenous for the unusual
kinetic energy which surrounded her and he sensed she was powerful.
He had felt her supremacy when she had closed in on him and he
wanted it all for himself. He was known to be a force external to
nature, controlling forty thousand legions of souls, and each soul
was sent to him to suffer an immortal life of purgatory, and he fed
on their fear and loathing.

Now he wanted Crystal.

As she ran, Crystal forced the
growing niggles of danger aside, pushing herself on and evaluating
what was important. In the strong sunlight she was beginning to
look tired and drawn.

Stay
focused,
she told herself, when her mind
reverted back to the stranger and she suffered a shiver of fear.
Scanning the lake, her eye caught sight of something oddly
familiar. Her gut threw her an almighty punch when she realised
what she had spotted in the distance. Against the haze of the sun
she made out the shape of the rowing boat she’d seen in her
premonition. Bobbing against the tide it drifted on the surface of
the water, creating a scene of serenity before her troubled eyes.
Then she saw two small, dark shapes messing about inside and knew
instinctively who was on-board. The overwhelming feeling of panic
forced her to break into a sprint. The boat seemed so far away and
she needed to get there – fast. Adrenalin pumped through her veins
and strong muscles, giving her the burst of energy she so
desperately needed. With a will of their own, her legs ran faster,
her determination and strong spirit urging her on.

‘
Get out of
the boat, get back to the bank!’ she screamed until almost hoarse.
But much to her distress, her cries were swallowed by the sheer
vastness of the space between them. It felt like she was never
going to reach them and she realised time was already against
her.

*

It had been without hesitation
that Alfie and Matt had rolled up their trouser legs, shoes
forgotten on the bank, and waded into the water to rescue the
abandoned rowing boat.

‘
This is just
the coolest thing,’ laughed Alfie, grabbing the oars and checking
they weren’t broken. ‘Let’s row to the middle,’ he said, passing a
paddle over to Matt, ‘it’ll give us something to do.’ Matt clipped
the oar into the holder, creating a splash when it hit the surface
of the water.