The Awakening (43 page)

“I’ll never forget what you did mate,” he said.

“I…don’t really know
what
I did.”

“It don’t matter. You still did it.”

*

In the corridor, Gabriella threw her arms around me and planted dozens of kisses all over my face. Each one zinged my skin as if her lips were electric. I laughed and pretended to push her off me, even though I could have happily let her keep going all day.

“How could I not? It was like you hit me with a Taser!” Reading the confused expression on my face she added, “wait until we speak to Faru. I’m sure he’ll have some answers. He always does.”

As we sped along the Nexus, I leaned against the side of the cab, and swung my schoolbag from side to side.

“So why does Selene want to meet me?”

“It’s standard for all new Guardians to meet their local Coven - especially Chosen. Witches get precognitive energy from us. The more of a team they meet, the stronger their premonitions will be.

“You’ve lost me.”

“An attack premonition is like a jigsaw puzzle. When a Witch meets a new Guardian, that person - or piece - becomes available to them. The more pieces they have, the stronger their premonitions are and the clearer the overall pictures become. But if a Guardian that they hadn’t met went on that mission, they’d appear as a sort of black spot in their mind that could cause them to miss things.”

“Do you mean that if I’d met the Coven earlier then they may have foreseen the ambush?”

“Maybe. Normally their visions involve what happens if we don’t intervene. But they may have sensed that there were more than just Blooding’s in the area.”

“Unless like you say there’s a Rogue working in the base who knew I hadn’t met the Coven yet, so planned an ambush knowing that the Witches would see me as a black spot-“

“-and be blinded towards a separate attack directed at you. Yes, I hadn’t thought of that! We have to let Faru know that too.” She shot me a sarcastic look. “When you decide to grow a pair and speak to him that is.”

The elevator shuddered to a stop and the doors rolled open. We stepped out into a rocky tunnel similar to the pathway to the Temple. A pair of flaming torches hung either side on the rough walls. The light stretched our shadows into unnatural shapes that loomed over us. Gabriella lifted a torch from its holder and guided us forward. The narrow passage twisted around itself a few times. Our footsteps echoed around us. A musty scent like forgotten clothes drifted towards us from ahead.

Sophia wasn’t lying about the odd smell.

“Ah.” I thought for a second. “Hold on I got this one. They used to be cats, but now they belong to a Witch they can shift into loads of different animals right?”

Eventually the tunnel came to an end. Gabriella placed the torch in another holder and we passed under a hulking archway. The room beyond looked surprisingly cosy. The rocky walls had been smoothed into a tear shape, joining together at the top. A metal pentagram hung from the apex. The moon shone through a circular hole near the top - impossible considering we were underground and it was still daytime. Crooked shelves covered with dusty books and ornaments lined every wall. The light came from hundreds of flickering candles. Some sat on dedicated shelves, their wax creeping over the edges like fingers. Others were skewered on wall mounted and free standing candelabras. Worn chairs huddled in small groups and wonky wooden tables adorned with Crystal balls and Tarot cards, lay randomly around the room. Benches had been placed on either side of them. Lush curtains covered purpose made holes that looked like they led to different areas. One far corner appeared to be dedicated to modern technology. A small television sat on a corner table. Next to it a telephone lay nestled in its cradle. The wires disappeared through a tiny hole bored into the rock.

Dozens of familiars filled the room. They curled on chairs and rugs, washing themselves or napping, paws twitching in their dreams. One sat on the central table, facing us. It made a low moaning sound and shuddered. Its body shrank and its back sprouted feathers. It became a large raven, which in a flurry of wings, flew up to a shelf high above us. I waited for my brain to react in some way to what I had just witnessed - a burst of adrenaline, a moment of shock - but it didn’t. It dawned on me that I’d finally accepted that these things could happen. That this world existed.

I’m used to it.

Suddenly a curtain was thrown back and half a dozen small children came sprinting through. “Ella!” they squealed as they fought to wrap their arms around her waist. She laughed and hugged them back. I noticed a small boy hanging in the background. He clung to a one eared toy rabbit. It’s not-so-white paws draped on the floor.

Instantly I was bombarded with hands, which tugged at my clothes and prodded my knees and legs. I raised my eyebrows at Gabriella, who laughed.

“Go back to your rooms children,” said a stern voice.

I looked up to see Sylvia standing in the centre of the room. She wore an almost identical black dress to the one I’d seen her wearing the night of the feast. Her hair had been pulled into the same tight bun. I got the impression she wasn’t much of a trend setter.

The children giggled and ran out of the room.

“Please excuse them. They haven’t quite learned the correct manners yet.”

“It’s fine Sylvia. We don’t mind,” said Gabriella. “We have some great news about Sophia. She has…been healed. The spell won’t be necessary any longer.”

The Witch gave a stiff nod. I imagined her pecking at grain on the ground. “I shall inform Selene. The rest of the Coven will convene shortly. In the meantime, may I interest you in some whiteroot tea?”

We waited in silence for a few minutes and then one by one, the Coven began to appear from behind various curtains. They came in all shapes and sizes. Several were tall and thin, others were round like comic strip cooks and just as smiley. Some had blonde hair, others black or ginger. Their ages ranged from teenagers to unidentifiably old. Apart from the fact that they were all pretty pale, they looked very normal. None even remotely resembled the hideous hags depicted in books and stories. Not a pointed hat in sight.

They arranged themselves into a semi-circle either side of the central curtain. There were twenty six in total. They bowed their heads in a uniformed greeting. A wrinkled hand extended from behind the cloth and slowly brushed it to one side.

A grey haired woman stepped through. She looked as old as time itself. Her shoulders hunched around her narrow neck. A large crooked nose dominated most of her road mapped face. She shuffled into the room, beady eyes watching each step, as gnarled fingers lifted the edges of her black dress.

“Alexander,” she began in a voice like scrunched paper, “I Selene and the rest of the Coven would like to welcome you to Moon’s Edge – our home.”

“Thank you, it’s a pleasure to meet everyone.”

Selene’s face cracked into a warm smile. “Right now we’ve got all that informal rubbish out of the way, we can relax.” I raised my eyebrows at Gabriella who gave a little smile.

Selene gestured towards the centre table. “Please, sit, sit.” I headed over and sat down. Instead of joining me, Gabriella walked around the side and hugged the old Witch.

“It’s so good to see you again my dear,” sighed Selene. “It always feels like years between your visits. The children do miss you so.”

“I know, I promise I’ll visit more. It’s been so hectic with Alex's Awakening.”

Selene pulled back and placed both hands on the sides of Gabriella’s arms. “Sylvia told me that Sophia has made a miraculous recovery. I thank the moon and stars.”

Turning back to Gabriella she asked, “I pray that this will make that poor girl see sense and come and live here at Moon’s Edge, away from all that horrible danger.”

Gabriella gave a slow shrug. “You know she won’t leave Midnight.”

The Witch made a tutting noise. “Well then you tell that brute to make sure he keeps her out of harm’s way or he’ll have me to deal with.”

Gabriella laughed. “I’ll pass on the message.”

She joined me at the table, squeezing my shoulder as she sat.

“Well then, I suppose we had better get down to business,” said Selene, settling herself down at the opposite side of the table. She leaned across and lay her arms on the table, palms upwards. “When I nod, I need you to place your hands in mine. Don’t worry, it’ll only burn a bit,” she added. She gave an unsubtle wink to Gabriella.

Around the room, the Witches all joined hands and bowed their heads. Selene closed her eyes and began to mutter something under her breath. Her body rocked backwards and forwards. Occasionally her body would jerk in an odd direction as if an invisible force were pulling her. I watched her and waited for her signal. After a while, she gave a slow nod of her head.

I placed my hands in hers.

As soon as I touched her, an image of a giant face formed from the earth and trees seared into my mind. A burst of energy surged from Selene, sending me and Gabriella flying across the room. I smashed against a shelf, scattering jars of herbs and candles across the room. Gabriella hit the floor hard and slid along, ending up in a heap next to me, half covered in a rug. I looked back up at Selene. Her body had gone as stiff as a rod. Her eyes were wide open staring blindly at nothing.

One of the Witches called out Selene’s name. The group gathered, trying to calm her. At the same time, the candles began to flicker as if a strong breeze had entered the room. The Pentagram screeched as it swayed from side to side. Selene started thrash about. One arm swatted the Tarot pack, sending a cloud of cards whirling around the room. Spittle flicked from her thin lips onto her chin. Panicked I looked at Gabriella. “What’s happening? Is this a premonition?”

“No! I-I don’t know! This isn’t normal!”

The children, who had been peeking from behind the curtains, began to cry. The familiars were going crazy, hissing and swiping at the air, or morphing continuously like their shift switch was broken.

“She’s having a fit. Lay her down for heaven's sake!” shouted Sylvia.

Two younger Witches tried to place their arms around the thrashing woman. Selene flung them away from her as if they were rag dolls. One collided with the far wall and fell unconscious. The other flew onto a table, smashing the crystal ball. Selene’s jaw unhinged like a snakes. She wrenched back her head and a voice completely unlike hers boomed from her throat. The message was fractured, like a radio tuning in and out of frequency.

THE TWELFTH YEAR OF THE THIRD MILLENIUM MARKS THE AWAKENING OF THE SECOND TWIN. BOTH MARKED BY SORROW…BETRAYED BY THE MOON AND STARS. FACING THE ABYSS, HE SHALL SEE WHAT IS HIDDEN…WHEN THE NIGHT SKY IS ABLAZE WITH WINGS OF FIRE…THE FURY UNLEASHED SHALL END THE AGELESS WAR AND BEGIN THE RISING. WHEN YOUNG BECOMES OLD…STAND AGAINST HADES. ALL SHALL PLAY THEIR PART.

Selene’s mouth snapped shut and she slumped over the table. The candles stopped flickering and the pentagram came to a rest. A mixture of confusion and fear filled the room. Some Witches went to help the injured ones and a few more gingerly approached their fallen leader. This time they were able to lift her up and place her down on the table. Sylvia rushed from the room and re-entered with a pillow which she placed under the old woman’s head. Around us, the familiars were pacing the room in cat form, sniffing the corners and letting out deep guttural moans.

I looked down and realised that at some point, Gabriella and I had locked our hands together. We untwisted our fingers and rushed over to the table.

“Selene, its Gabriella. Can you hear me?”

For the longest moment, there was no sound at all. Everyone waited with baited breath. Then the old woman made a groaning noise and placed a hand over her eyes. “I’m getting too old for this nonsense,” she sighed.

“Selene what
was
that?” I asked.