The Guardian's Protector: The Chamber of Souls (20 page)

‘I don’t think we’ve got long,’ he announced. ‘I’ve been having the dream for a while and this morning was different. It’s
near
. I don’t know exactly when, but it’s soon.’

Amy could have cried right there in the café. Her heart raced like never before.

‘We’ll be okay,’ she asserted, not at all convincing. ‘I’ll protect you.’

‘I’ll have to protect
you
!’ He leant back as a young waitress placed the teacakes on the table.

Amy thanked her.

‘You’re welcome,’ the girl said then turned to Tom and nudged him. ‘Cheer up! It might never happen!’

‘But it
will
happen,’ Tom promised, seriously. The girl grimaced and walked away. ‘It will, Mum,’ he pressed.

‘Okay, Tom, it will happen…but it’s not happening right now, is it?’

‘Well no but…’

‘Well then can we just enjoy our time here please?’

‘Yes,’ he said obediently.

‘And for the rest of the day, while nothing bad is happening, we’ll enjoy ourselves, okay?’ Her eyebrows were raised waiting for an answer.

‘While nothing bad is happening, I will try to enjoy myself for you, but I will still be worried.’

‘You know ninety-nine percent of all worries never come true, don’t you?’

‘But you know this isn’t just a worry. You know this is an actuality, don’t you?’ He looked stern, his eyes expressing he wouldn’t do as she said unless she accepted this fact.

‘Okay, fine.’

Seeming satisfied she’d taken him seriously, his expression softened.

After breakfast, they headed into what seemed like every toy shop in town but they all seemed babyish for him. Now studying physics and biology, the educational shop couldn’t help either. Knowing how much he appreciated music, she went into the big music shop on Market Street to see if Ladysmith Black Mambazo had any new releases, but he owned every CD they produced. After a full day, Tom turned to her with a tired smile.

‘Why don’t you buy yourself something for my birthday? That would make me happy.’

‘You make me happy every day, do you know that? That’s why I want to get
you
a gift.’

Tom smiled at her, a heap of love behind his gaze, then, as if he’d been stabbed from behind, his expression changed to shock. As his knees buckled, Amy caught him.

‘What is it?’ Amy cried as the talisman became cold around her neck.

‘He’s near,’ Tom whispered.

Amy’s head spun from side to side in panic while passers-by, taking no notice, carried on in all directions. Rooted to the spot, gripping Tom, Amy stared at the crowd like they could attack her at any moment. She knew if anyone had slowed down enough to take notice, they’d think she was deranged.

Then the crowd began to part. Before Amy could register what the people were avoiding, Ethan strolled through, a hideous smile on his crooked face that told of his joy to be scaring the public, the mundane, the powerless. Directly behind him, and only a foot taller in height, was a ghastly looking Kate.

As Ethan’s eyes locked with Amy’s, his expression changed. He seemed alert and surprised to see them. With no side street to turn down, no shop to quickly run into, Amy pulled Tom to his feet and through the crowd in the opposite direction. She heard a roar from Ethan in the crowd behind her but didn’t stop. After another ear piercing scream, the crowd broke out into panic. Amy and Tom were pushed to the side and squashed against a shop wall.

Amy crouched down and held Tom close, frightened by the panic on peoples’ faces. The next second, the crowd opened up in front of her and there stood Ethan, his face riddled with evil intent.

If she shouted Adaizi she’d have to invoke the light. There was no way, after all this time, she was about to do that. The roots of her stubbornness sown so deep inside, she still believed she could find another way out. Amy stood and forced Tom behind her. The crowd continued to move behind him.

Ethan hunched his shoulders and glared, his top lip rising, baring his teeth as if ready to bite. His black pupils spread into the whites of his eyes and a dark entity rippled under the surface of his wafer thin, sallow skin.

Forcing her gaze from his to Kate’s, who stood with vague recognition in her eyes, Amy shouted, ‘Kate!’

Kate’s cheek twitched but Ethan held up his hand and, with a macabre flare in his dark, oily eyes, Kate’s mouth closed. He turned to Amy and she became paralysed to the spot. She tried to fight but her body hardened as if turning to stone.

Ethan stepped closer but before he got near, a flash of light shot from her necklace, releasing her from his hold. Seeing her body relax, Ethan growled manically.

Amy moved her arm to force Tom behind her but as she did, Ethan shot it a look and it set alight. The flames tore through her skin immediately. Full of dread, Amy patted her arm but Ethan raised his hand and she froze.

Tom’s eyes fixed on Ethan’s as an immense glow of light formed in his hands. He took Amy’s arm and the light, turning into some kind of white liquid, travelled up the length of her arm, quelling the flames, easing the pain and releasing her from Ethan’s bind.

The hatred in Ethan’s eyes now mighty, he stared once again at Amy’s arm and this time, his face in agony as he used his power, Amy couldn’t move her arm in any direction. Her talisman shot out waves of light but a paralysing stabbing pain ran up her arm and straight through her body, tightening it again as if she were turning into stone.

Desperately looking from Kate, who stood, rooted to the spot, her expression null, Amy tried to speak, tried to make eye contact with anyone else near who turned to look on their way past so they could help, but, with Manchester being notorious for the strange being normal, and everyone in a hurry to reach their destinations, no one seemed to notice.

Tom stood before Ethan, lifted his charged hands and a shock wave of energy struck Ethan in the chest. Ethan screamed in anger and pain, the sound piercing Amy’s eardrums, the frustration in his face immense. His eyes wide with terror, his skin warped as the dark entity struggled underneath.

Amy, once again released from his spell, grabbed Tom to protect him but Ethan stopped writhing and, with a sideways click to his head, was ready for action again. Ethan glared at Tom with a mixture of hatred and intrigue. His dark, liquid eyes burned with fury as he studied him but as Ethan held up his hand, Tom forced both of his palms out in front of him. An intense blast shot out at Ethan, and he flew backwards into the crowd. After landing hard on the floor, he lay sprawled on the ground, his body jerking as though electrocuted.

A man bent down to help Ethan to his feet but, receiving a shock, released him. The man turned to Tom with a quizzical look, but the rest of the people who had stopped were staring at Ethan in shock, one teenage lad shouting, ‘Look, it’s Elephant Man!’

As if all the energy had drained from his body, Tom lolled to one side like a baby who couldn’t support himself, blood pouring from his nose. As Amy caught him, his eyes lost focus.

Amy grabbed Tom’s hand, pulled him straight up and, while more people gathered around Ethan like he was one of the street performers, dragged him up the high street. As they reached an alleyway, Amy stopped. ‘Tom can you stop the bleeding?’ she asked. Tom just stood, shocked and weak, staring in wonder at the power in his hands, which still sparked. ‘Tom!’ Amy shouted, knowing it wouldn’t stop without his assistance.

‘I don’t know what happened,’ he said with a pale voice, dazedly placing his hands on his nose. ‘I was just determined he wasn’t going to hurt us and I think that’s what sent him backwards. It was like he bounced off the good I forced out of me.’

‘Come on,’ Amy pushed, after checking his nose had stopped bleeding. ‘We’d better go.’

They ran for the bus and, as they stepped on, the passengers stared at them in shock.

‘He had a nosebleed,’ Amy explained, which worked well for the state of Tom but not her burnt sleeve.

‘I need Jack,’ Amy said as she sat.

‘He’s at the café.’

They stopped the bus outside the café and as they walked in, Jack let out a yelp.

‘Oh god,’ Jack cried, running to her and helping her into a chair. ‘What happened?’ The customers stopped what they were doing and turned to look.

‘We ran into Ethan and Kate and he tried to hurt Tom again.’

‘What happened to your arm?’ he said, lifting her burnt sleeve and turning her arm to check for burns.

‘Err,’ Amy said, remembering Adaizi’s claim to take his memory if she told him too much.

‘Ethan set it on fire,’ Tom offered.

‘What? Does that drugged up wreck of a mother of his let that psycho carry matches?’ he asked. Tom looked at him in shock. ‘I’m sorry. I know he’s deformed or
special
, if that’s the politically correct name you give to someone as freaky looking as him, but that…that
thing
is horrid and vicious to the core. His behaviour, his nature, his manner and
everything
about him just isn’t right!’ Jack shook his head. ‘Are you burnt?’ he added, still turning her arm.

‘Not anymore,’ Tom said.

‘I’m okay,’ Amy offered.

Winston approached with a cup of tea and a glass of milk for Tom. ‘You okay?’ he asked, his voice business-like.

‘Yes,’ she answered, taking a sip of tea. ‘Thanks.’

‘I’ll cancel my tournament,’ Jack said, placing his martial arts bag on the ground.

‘No!’ Amy retorted. It was his most important one yet, she remembered, especially after him just being nominated the next up-and-coming kickboxing champion. The top martial arts magazines were taking his picture for the front cover if he won today. ‘I forgot all about that. You
have
to go! Go. Go! And good luck.’ She batted her hand.

‘I’ll come to yours as soon as I’m done, then!’ Jack gave Amy a quick kiss on the cheek then rubbed Tom’s hair. ‘Look after your mum, mate.’

‘I will,’ Tom promised. As Jack made his way out the back, Tom took a sip of his milk and sat back. ‘In my head,’ he said contemplatively, ‘there’s a feeling of love. I’m sure I’m not meant to hurt another, so why have I got power that can?’ Amy’s expression told him that once again, she wouldn’t answer. ‘I think my light can heal everyone else, but it hurts people that are dark,’ he concluded, as though he’d settled the matter.

Amy looked up at Winston, who smiled for a moment but then, as his eyes shot to the door, his expression turned grave. Amy turned to see Kate entering. As Ethan followed in behind,
silence fell.

‘I’ve come to say sorry,’ Kate offered.

Amy stood to guard Tom and Winston took position beside her. Ethan stood glaring by Kate’s side, his wicked eyes falling on everyone and everything in the room like they were beneath him, his vicious intent felt by each customer.

‘How are you, Ethan?’ Winston asked in a sarcastic tone.

‘How do you think?’ Ethan snarled. ‘You should give me respect!’ As he spoke, his horrid, malevolent voice caused an eruption of voices around the café.

‘No chance!’ Winston countered.

‘I’ll have to earn it then!’ he shouted, shooting a look to the table by his side, which flew into the counter and crashed.

‘I’m so sorry,’ Kate said, bending down to pick up the pieces of smashed salt and pepper grinders. Customers jumped to their feet in panic, some shouting at Kate to get Ethan out.

‘Don’t come here again,’ Winston threatened with an unimpressed roll of his eyes.

Ethan filled with rage. ‘If
I
can’t come here,’ he seethed, his pupils dilating and beginning to liquefy, ‘then neither can you!’ He ran into the play area.

Amy heard screams from the mothers and children in the play area, then ran through to see flames erupting all around the place. Amy and Winston exchanged dark glances as Ethan ran into the back kitchen. Panic took over. Within ten seconds mothers had scooped up their children, Winston had ripped the fire extinguisher from the wall and began to spray and Amy had run, dodging the flames, to open the fire doors.

When the old ladies in the café area screamed with fear, she left Winston in the play area to carry on putting out the flames and help everyone leave through the fire door and raced to Tom. As she did, an explosion from the kitchen threw her to the far end of the opposite counter.

She stood and, with pots and pans crashing and wood cracking and groaning around her, looked for Tom but black, billowing smoke filled the entire café like someone had turned out the lights. As the smoke filled her lungs it reminded her of the sand-filled mist of the Dark Army’s pendants.

As Ethan and Kate escaped through the front door, part of the smoke disintegrated and Amy could see Ethan outside revelling in the blaze of destruction he’d left behind. Amy turned to see Tom trying to help an injured old lady out of her seat in the far corner. Amongst the flames surrounding him, he looked tiny.

Knowing there was no way Tom and the old lady could get through the flames without the fire extinguisher next to the kitchen, Amy sidestepped into the flames. The fire tore through her entire right side as she grabbed it and, screaming in pain, she yanked the extinguisher from the wall and sprayed her way through the gap in the counter.