B008GMVYA4 EBOK (32 page)

It wasn’t uncommon for both Brendan and Leon to have
‘disagreements’ about an issue or circumstance. Both men were equally
opinionated and strong headed as each other, they would argue for hours over
something so trivial – so today was nothing new.

The Lodge can only be accessed by someone that knows it
precise location. When Leon created the Lodge he implemented security to
prevent passersby from accidently stubbing across it. Leon had to ensure the
safety of Fred and himself, so typical keys and padlocks where out of the
question when ensuring the lock to the Lodge couldn’t be broken by anyone
purposely looking for them. So Leon created a lock that could only be accessed
by people with the correct DNA.

The Lodge can only be accessed by Fred, Leon and Brendan,
one drop of their blood in the precise location of the doorway to the Lodge
will open the gates between realities. To anyone else the doorway is nothing
but a cold spot; cold spots can be located all over the world. Generally they
are found in places where something of great significance happened or something
is hidden. Many people experience cold spots in their homes, this is normally
because something occurred in their homes which has changed the structure of
reality in that spot. This results in an ‘odd’ feeling to some people who are
more susceptible to it.

The reason for Leon leaving The Coven and building his ‘safe
house’ for himself and Fred has always been a little vague. Brendan had tried
in the past to get some answers from Leon concerning his departure from The
Coven but Leon had always shrugged the questions off - Fred was also unwilling
to discuss the matter. There were whispers in The Coven that Leon had betrayed
them, however, no solid evidence was found and the elders never uttered his
name again once he left nor did they try to find him. This didn’t stop Leon
from living in fear though, or allowing himself or Fred to ever step into the human
realm again. Brendan was forbidden to bring anyone to the Lodge or to reveal
Leon’s destination to The Coven or anyone else. Leon and Brendan had been
friends for centuries; he would not jeopardize their friendship should anyone
have ever asked. Brendan remembered how calm Leon had been the night he had
arrived with Madison, something the fierily Scotsman was never like. A part of
Brendan wondered whether Leon had sensed this coming before they had even
arrived - Leon was weird like that and had powers Brendan couldn’t even
conceive.

“How do you think Gabby got the Black Orchid involved?” Fred
asked suddenly, her features blank – deep in thought.

“She bargained with them. She had something they want…” Leon
said flatly, also becoming lost in thought.

The words ‘Black Orchid’ sent chills down Brendan’s spine.
It was the one name that he dreaded to hear, the one name that made him…
scared.

“What do you think it is?” Brendan asked, his eyes
flickering from Fred to Leon.

“I really don’t know? Whatever it is, it’s protected! I
can’t see it…” Leon said frustrated looking up towards Brendan.

“The Black Orchid, they could find us if they wanted too?”
Fred said her voice emotionless and her eyes staring blankly at the ground.

“They could, but they haven’t yet… which leads me to believe
they don’t know where to look… yet, anyway. I’m sorry, Brendan. You are my
dearest friend but you have to leave tomorrow without fail. I can’t risk me and
Fred being found because of Madison. She’s a nice girl, but she’s not family like
you! You have no idea what they would do to us if they were to find us. I will
help you as best as I can, but it’s in your hands now” Leon said
apologetically.

“I know. I’m grateful for everything that you both have
done. I’m sorry that I have gotten you involved in this mess” he sighed.

“Brendan…” Leon said standing up and placing a warm hand
onto his left shoulder “You are my dearest friend; we have been friends for a
very long time now and I would do anything I possibly could to help you, but
this situation with Gabby is out of my hands. The Black Orchid is involved now,
there’s no going back from that. They won’t ever stop, not until they have what
they want. And whatever Gabby has bargained with them for must be something of
great importance and desire. You’ve worked alongside the Black Orchid before;
you know they have no remorse, no regret, and no sympathy. They only have one
aim and that aim is now Madison. Their soulless animals, they would kill you if
you got in their way… this doesn’t have to be your fight!”

“I’m not standing down. I have to help her, she needs me!”
Brendan said staring hard into Leon eyes, his words clear and certain.

“Are you in love with her?” Leon said, letting go of my arm
and gazing down at the floor.

“I don’t know?” Brendan said suddenly confused.

His feelings for Madison were strong he would lay down his
life to protect her, but was love really the right word? They had shared so
little but so much at the same time and sometimes some things should be left
unsaid until the moment is right.

Leon exchanged a soppy look with Fred. She smiled lovingly
at him her eyes full of warmth for a moment which soon dissipated into concern
and fear once again.

“Okay. Well, I love you man!” Leon said grabbing Brendan in
a manly hug.

Brendan smiled in confusion and patted Leon on the back in
acceptance.

Fred rolled her eyes and laughed at Leon’s sudden soft side.

“I love you too… now stop it!” Brendan chuckled as Leon
eventually let go of him.

“I’m sorry, I just get emotional sometimes. What happened to
the Brendan that used to have a different girl each night? He was a funny guy!
This Brendan’s all grown up!” Leon joked, sitting back down onto the sofa.

“Didn’t you hear? He died centuries ago” Brendan smirked.

*  *  *

Madison had been gone for thirty minutes and Brendan had
spent the last fifteen minutes gazing out of the lounge window awaiting her
return. He debated as to whether he should go after her? She was safe in the
grounds of the Lodge but Brendan didn’t like her being angry at him. He knew he
had to allow her time to come round on her own terms but he couldn’t stop
himself feeling anxious at her absence. There was no way of knowing what kind
of effect the Lodge had had on her brain and Brendan didn’t want to risk a
argument with her encase it caused some kind of permanent damage.

Brendan searched the very end stretch of garden, seeking
some form of a figure of any kind of movement which might suggest she was still
down there. He was becoming even more anxious and irritated as the minutes
which pasted. There was nothing in the distance but a thick flow of fog, it was
about three foot off the ground and had spread out over the very bottom edge of
the garden. Madison would have been consumed by the fog down there, shielding
her from Brendan’s sight. Leon called the fog
“The river between dimensions”
it carried objects and people safely through the doors of reality to the other
side without damage. A protective shield, an organism that lived between
realities and guiding the lost to where they needed to be.

“Staring out the window won’t make her come back any
quicker” Fred said sarcastically, interrupting Brendan’s train of thought.

“Why is she taking so long?” Brendan huffed, not removing
his eyes from the dirty lounge bay window.

“She’s a women, mate. They like to make you wait” Leon
joked.

“She’s probably just cooling down. It’s not easy for her at
the moment, give her some time she’ll come around” Fred said reassuringly.

Brendan nodded but didn’t draw his eyes away from the
stretch of fog at the very edge of the garden. An empty feeling was beginning
to hollow itself away in his stomach and he couldn’t shake the feeling that
something wasn’t right. He was beginning to feel paranoid now, but the he shook
his anxiety off as an overreaction.

“You don’t think she would have left the garden, do you?”
Fred suddenly asked, staring at Leon.

“How would she? The gates locked. You can’t pick a lock like
that” Leon replied unconvinced.

Brendan’s mind span as he considered the possibility.
Madison had been distraught when she had stormed off and she was capable of
anything. She may have felt the need to escape the Lodge for a while, get away
from him – clear her head.

“She would be stupid to get out anyway! Once she’s out, she
can’t get back in! She knows that right?” Leon asked now gazing at Brendan for
reassurance.

Brendan felt Leon’s eyes burning a hole in his back. Madison
didn’t know that, he had kept it from her in attempt to protect her from these
types of things once again.

Brendan hadn’t thought it was necessary to tell Madison
where they were and at the time he didn’t know her health would suffer because
of it and he wasn’t sure how she would react knowing Leon could bend reality –
another blow to her innocent mind.

“You told her, about the lodge? Brendan” Leon continued.

Brendan didn’t answer. Panic flew through him like a wild
animal. Instance regret and fear clinging to his chest - squeezing his dead
heart.

 “Brendan? Brendan?!” Leon shouted.

Brendan spun around to face him, his face paler than usual.
Leon knew instantly from Brendan’s horror stricken expression that he hadn’t
told her, probably risked her life more so by not telling her.

“He didn’t tell her…” Leon sighed, standing up.

Brendan leapt forward, sprinting out of the lounge, throwing
open the front door and catapulted off the front porch onto the gravel
driveway. He sprinted down the garden, Fred and Leon hot on his heels.
Brendan’s heart ached oddly, it had not been used in years and yet a single
human brought life to something that should have remained dead. Brendan and
Fred ran faster than Leon – leaving him behind for dust as they reached the
bottom of the garden in a minute flat. They both stopped four feet away from the
rusty old gate and boarder line trees - scanning the area for any sign of a
figure. It took a few more minutes for Leon to eventually catch up. He doubled
over gasping for air while the two vampires remained composed, no need for
oxygen and searching for Madison. The garden was empty. Leon rose, grabbing
each of his sides as he searched the area confirming for himself that Madison
was nowhere in sight.

 “She’s not here!” Brendan whispered, walking the few
steps towards the Iron Gate.

Fred followed close behind.

“Note to self, need to get fit” Leon wheezed, still not
fully recovered from the run.

Brendan pulled on the bars of the gate, examining them for
any form of altercation. The bars were perfectly straight and there was no sign
that they had been forced apart of tampered with, not that Madison was strong
enough to do this herself but there were Demon’s after her that were. He
grabbed the padlock and pulled it, it didn’t budge. It was locked tight.
Brendan threw it against the gate in anger, spinning around furiously to look
at the others.  

“So she didn’t get out this way?” Fred said reluctantly.

Brendan didn’t answer. He stared through the gaps in the
bars at the white, creaming, fog that covered the sidewalk on the other side of
the gate. Slowly, Brendan’s gaze moved upwards catching sight of the top of the
frame of the gate. Brendan studied it for a moment, piecing together what
happened in his mind.

“Leon, could she have climbed over the gate?” Brendan asked
curiously.

Leon froze. He stared at the top of the gate, considering
the possibility.

“Could she?” Brendan almost demanded frustrated with Leon’s
lack of response the first time he asked.

“When I designed the security for the Lodge, I specified it
so that people couldn’t get in. I didn’t really think about someone wanting to
get out?” Leon said reluctantly, still deep in thought.

Brendan sighed and shot Leon an angry look. Leon smiled
apologetically, annoyed at himself for not considering the possibility.

Brendan began to mount the gate in an attempt to climb over
it, testing out his theory.

“Hang on! We don’t even know she got out that way, she could
be in the back garden!” Leon shouted trying to stop Brendan.

“Fred, check the back garden and all the rooms in the house
and I know because if I wanted to get out, this is exactly what I would do!” he
shouted down to them...

Leon threw his hands up and rubbed his face. Concern and
annoyance ate away at him, but he didn’t argue with Brendan’s
instructions. 

Fred ran back towards the house to search the back garden as
Brendan had asked. Leon hovered by the gate watching Brendan as he continued to
climb over the large Iron Gate.

He flung his leg over the gate in the same manner Madison
had, he dropped to the ground and landed upright with little impact. From the
other side of the gate Leon and the Lodge could not be seen, a thick white fog
clouded between the bars preventing unwanted visitors to see what was behind
the cast iron gate.  

Brendan span around towards the road ahead, the fog flowed
up to the curb stopping at a transparent barrier - the barrier was the doorway
back into earth’s dimension.

He jogged towards the doorway and stopped just in front of
it. Brendan had been through the doorway many times in the protection of his
car, but he had never crossed the doorway on foot. He was unsure what to expect
and unnerved by crossing without the protection of the metal vehicle.

He reached out his hand; it pieced the transparent watery
shell that divided the two dimensions. There was a cool breeze and the warmth
from the sun on his finger tips from earth atmosphere. Brendan’s arm began to
be consumed by the watery clear bubble and ripples flowed around the doorway as
Brendan’s arm was sucked deeper and deeper into the portal. A high pitched
ringing filled Brendan’s ears, he stumbled forward off the edge of the sidewalk
into the doorway. He was pulled forwards at a great speed and the ringing which
pieced his ears causing him to throw his hands up over his ears in protection.