Demon Storm (11 page)

‘Why not?' Ben asked.

‘In 1729 the Pope dissolved the Memento Mori,' Growl said. ‘They'd outlived the Inquisition, but become arrogant and uncontrollable. Without papal “sponsorship”, the organisation was forced to work secretly. But over time …'

‘To all intents and purposes, they no longer exist,' Knight said.

‘The artefacts they took from Diablo's ceremony were scattered and lost, and the members of the group went into hiding,' Growl said.

‘So does Endeavour have these artefacts?' Maria asked.

‘Unlikely,' Knight said. ‘He has some understanding, some idea of how to perform the Summoning. And a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. If he has Mortagula at his beck and call, that's bad enough. But a creature of that power loose in the world with nothing to restrain it …' He shook his head.

‘Then we have to stop Endeavour,' Ben said. ‘Right?'

‘Right,' Rupam agreed.

‘But we have to find him first,' Maria pointed out. ‘And we have to rescue Gemma. The longer we sit around here talking about it …'

Her voice choked off and she looked down. It was the most emotional Ben had ever seen her.

There was a warbling sound from the other side of the lecture hall. Someone's mobile.

‘Sorry,' Mrs Bailey said, already checking her phone. ‘Text message from Webby. He says that Ben's mobile has been stationary for a while now. The phone's detecting a huge amount of paranormal activity in the immediate area. He's triangulated the co-ordinates and it's a house in an isolated village in Cornwall.'

‘Just the sort of place to summon forth a great demon,' Captain Morton said.

‘Indeed,' Knight replied. ‘Mrs Bailey, I need you here to organise things. See if you can contact Madam Sosostram, will you, please? Morton, re-equip your team and get them back from Hereford as fast as you can. Meet them on the way and tell them what's going on. Maria, come with me.'

‘Where are we going?' Maria asked.

‘A house in an isolated village in Cornwall.' Knight checked his watch. ‘It's gone nine o'clock and we have to get there before midnight. Before Endeavour summons Mortagula again.'

K
INGHT WAS FORCED TO LET RUPAM AND BEN
  come along as well – he didn’t have the time or the energy to argue with them. As everyone assembled in the hallway, ready to leave, Mrs Bailey came out of her office.

‘Madam Sosostram will join you there,’ she reported. ‘Apparently she has to feed the cats first.’ She raised her eyebrows. ‘You know what she’s like. Sure you won’t be requiring me?’

Knight shook his head. ‘No time for the subtle approach. You’re more use to us here, if that’s OK?’ He checked his watch, then clapped his hands together. ‘Right, come on, everyone. No time to lose.’

Maria went with Knight, while Ben and Rupam travelled with Growl. The Reverend had an ancient car that shook so much as it moved that Ben was
afraid it would fall apart. There seemed to be no suspension in the back seats, where he was sitting. Rupam had insisted on taking the passenger seat, claiming he sometimes got carsick. Ben guessed that he’d travelled with Growl before.

But Ben wasn’t alone in the back of the car.

‘Why did you lie to me?’ he asked Sam.

The combined sound of the engine and the exhaust meant that Growl and Rupam couldn’t hear him.

‘I didn’t lie,’ Sam protested. ‘I just didn’t remember what happened to me after I was taken from the home. I still don’t.’

‘You might have told me you were a
ghost
.’

‘Is that what I am?’ She smiled. ‘You sure?’

‘I’m serious,’ Ben told her.

‘I know.’

‘Why can’t you take this seriously?’

‘I am the one who’s dead. That’s pretty serious.’

Ben looked out of the window. All he could see was his own reflection staring back at him. ‘The way things are going, I might join you,’ he muttered. ‘Gemma too.’

At once he regretted his anger. It wasn’t Sam’s fault. None of this was Sam’s fault.

‘Look, I’m sorry,’ Ben said, turning back. But he was alone in the back of the car.

Rupam had turned round in his seat and was leaning towards Ben. ‘Sorry about what?’

‘Oh, I don’t know. Everything. I just don’t feel like I’m helping much.’ He had to shout for Rupam to hear clearly.

‘Hey, it’s because of you that we know where to find Endeavour.’

‘I know. But that also means that whatever happens when we get there – it’s my fault.’

It was after eleven when they arrived. Growl parked next to Knight’s car, which was already there.

The street was a very ordinary one in a small village. The houses were of different ages and designs, all set back from the road. Ben recognised Daniella Lawton’s car parked on the drive of a large detached house. The house was square, with steps up to a central front door that had windows either side. Upstairs windows balanced the ones below, giving the building a symmetry like a child’s drawing of an idealised house. There were lights on behind the curtains and a security light illuminated the front driveway.

A man was standing outside the house, stamping his feet in the cold. As he turned and walked slowly
across the front of the house, his jacket flapped open – revealing a plain white shirt and a dark shoulder holster strapped in position.

Knight was standing in the shadows on the other side of the street, with Maria and Madam Sosostram.

‘It’s most definitely the right place,’ Growl told them all. ‘I can feel it in here.’ He tapped his chest, then his forehead. ‘Here too, come to that.’

‘Plus there’s an armed guard,’ Rupam pointed out.

‘Which is a bit of a clue,’ Madam Sosostram added. ‘At least he doesn’t have a Grotesque.’

‘Probably just a hired thug.’ Maria said. ‘So what do we do? We can’t just walk in.’

‘And we can’t wait for Captain Morton,’ Knight added. ‘Gemma is in the most terrible danger and we’re cutting it fine as it is. We have no idea what we shall find inside.’

‘Then I suggest we charm our way in and rescue that poor little girl,’ Madam Sosostram said. ‘Let me have a word with that nice young man and see what I can do.’

Ben watched in amazement as Madam Sosostram handed Knight her walking stick, then shambled across the road towards the house.

‘What’s she doing?’ he said. ‘That guard won’t be worried by a little old lady.’

Growl smiled. ‘Watch and learn,’ he replied. ‘Though I’m afraid we’re a little too far away to get the full benefit.’

The guard outside the house also seemed surprised as Madam Sosostram approached him. His hand strayed inside his jacket, but as she spoke to him he seemed to relax. The old lady put her hand out and stroked it down his cheek. It was a strange gesture, Ben thought – out of character, and more likely to make the man suspicious than win his confidence.

But the man pressed his own hand against Madam Sosostram’s. Ben caught a hint of her croaky laughter. The man was smiling as Madam Sosostram stepped away from him. She walked across the driveway, towards the side of the house. Then she paused and looked back at the man for a long moment, before continuing on her way.

To Ben’s astonishment, the man hurried after her. ‘How’d she do that?’ he asked.

Rupam grinned. ‘You’ll work it out one day. Maybe.’

‘Come on,’ Knight urged, leading them quickly and quietly across the road.

Madam Sosostram was coming back and there was no sign of the guard. She pointed to empty space just in front of Ben as she approached. ‘Sorry about that one. It was guarding the back door.’

Growl stepped forward. His face twisted into a sudden fury and he pointed a crooked finger across the drive, towards where Ben was standing, speaking rapidly and quietly.

Ben heard a confused mixture of a snarl and a popping sound. There was a brief flash of light right in front of his face where Madam Sosostram had pointed, and Growl lowered his arm.

‘Cool,’ Rupam said in a hushed voice, running up to Ben. ‘The way you just stood there and faced down the Lawton woman’s Grotesque.’

‘Like it wasn’t even there,’ Maria added. ‘And it was jumping up right at you.’

Ben swallowed. He had known nothing about it until Growl destroyed the creature. Without his phone, he realised, he couldn’t even see what they were fighting. And everyone else assumed he had some of the same power and ability to see the demons that they did.

There was no time to put them right, even if he wanted to. Knight was at the front door now.
Madam Sosostram hurried over and handed him a key she must have got from the guard.

‘Ready?’ Knight asked quietly. ‘Growl, you take Ben and Rupam and see if you can find a way in round the back. Ladies – with me, here.’

‘He’s just trying to keep us out of the way,’ Rupam grumbled.

Ben wasn’t about to complain. He didn’t know exactly how extraordinary the events of this evening were for Rupam and the others, but he was still trying to understand what was happening – to him, to Sam, to all of them … An extra few minutes when he wasn’t being attacked by invisible demons could only be a bonus.

There was a narrow alleyway between the side of the house and the garden fence. Growl led the way, stepping over the body of the unconscious guard. Ben wondered what Madam Sosostram could have hit him with. A spell, maybe.

At the back of the house was a long garden, mostly laid to lawn but with tall trees either side and a hedge at the end. Like the front, the whole area was lit by a security light mounted high on the wall of the house.

‘I’d have thought he’d choose somewhere isolated, not in a village,’ Ben said.

‘The location of a Summoning is very important,’ Growl said. ‘This house may lie on ancient ley lines or at the meeting point of magnetic influences.’

‘Or it might be handy for the supermarket,’ Rupam added.

‘That too.’ Growl smiled. Then he seemed to sway on his feet as if dizzy, grabbing Rupam’s shoulder for support.

‘Are you all right?’ Ben asked.

Rupam shot him a look that said, ‘Be quiet!’

Growl had regained his balance now and turned to glare at Ben. His eyes were narrowed and dark. His face was once more set in a grim, determined expression.

‘Don’t ask stupid questions,’ he snarled. ‘We don’t have time for such childishness. There are demons and familiars all around us here, watching and waiting for the moment to strike.’

The clergyman whirled round, stabbing his finger at the empty air. There was a sound like a gust of wind. Ben felt something pass him at great speed, as if he was standing at the edge of the platform while an express train rushed by. But there was nothing there.

From inside the house came the sound of shouting. A scream – was it Gemma? Or Maria? A gunshot.

‘Come on!’ Growl said, making for the back door of the house.

His cape billowed out after him as he ran, with Ben and Rupam close behind.

The door was panelled with small panes of glass. Growl tried the handle, but the door was locked. He gave a grunt of annoyance, rammed his elbow through one of the glass panes and reached inside to unlock the door.

It led into a kitchen – in darkness except for a single candle standing on a worktop near the oven. Wax had melted and run down the sides of the candle, creating a bizarre, corrugated mass.

Growl ran through the kitchen and into the dark corridor beyond. Rupam was close behind him, with Ben following. Because he was last, he saw the others trip and stagger, and managed to stop before he too fell over the shapes on the floor of the corridor outside the kitchen.

The bodies.

Knight and Madam Sosostram.

‘More visitors. We are honoured tonight.’

Ben recognised the tall, thin man who stepped from the shadows. Growl was pale with anger as he raised his hand to point at Endeavour.

But then another figure stepped out of a
doorway behind him. Daniella Lawton swung the butt of her pistol hard into Growl’s head and he slumped to the floor beside Knight.

‘You’ve killed them!’ Rupam yelled, rushing forward.

‘Oh, don’t be so stupid,’ Daniella Lawton told him. Then she turned the gun so that it was pointing at Rupam. ‘Though I
ought
to kill them for what they did to my Grotesque just now.’

Ben shrank back into the shadows. Had she seen him? His eyes were now beginning to adjust to the faint, flickering light. Further down the corridor he could see more figures. Maria was there, being held tight by two men. Though she was struggling to pull free, she was having no success. He stepped back into the kitchen, keeping to the darkest shadows – out of the light of the sputtering candle.

‘I think we shall have to open up a couple of the guest rooms,’ Endeavour said. ‘Put the children in one, the adults in the other.’

‘You can’t –’ Maria protested, still straining to pull free of her captors.

‘If she gives you any trouble, kill her,’ Endeavour said, without looking at Maria. ‘Is the little girl down in the cellar? We’re almost ready for her.’

‘You leave Gemma alone!’ Maria snapped.

Endeavour ignored her. He turned and kicked at Knight’s inert body with the toe of his shoe. ‘It was kind of you to find her for me. The last part of the puzzle. A child of such power and vision is the very thing I need, and naive Dirk Knight had her all ready for me to collect. How very thoughtful.’

‘What about the soldiers?’ Daniella Lawton asked.

‘No sign of them yet,’ one of the men holding Maria said.

‘Probably on their way,’ Endeavour decided. He turned slightly to look at his stooped shoulder. ‘Can I trust you to keep watch? Will you do better than your little friend, I wonder?’

Ben could hear the faint sound of high-pitched giggling, as Endeavour raised his shoulder and the weight lifted from it. He stooped down, talking to the empty air in front of him: ‘If they do grace us with their presence, you’ll have to hold them off. Just until midnight. After that we can make other arrangements. Now go.’

Ben shrank further back. He hoped the Grotesque wasn’t coming his way. At any moment some demon or imp might spot him. He had to do something soon – but what?

‘We had better make a start,’ Daniella Lawton was telling Endeavour.

From his hiding place in the kitchen, Ben watched as one of the two men led Maria and Rupam away. The second hoisted Madam Sosostram on to his shoulder and followed. Ben could hear their footsteps on the stairs above him. Daniella Lawton followed Endeavour through a door. He heard their footsteps echoing on stone, descending into the cellar – where Gemma was being held captive.

Ben was desperate to run after them and try to help. But he forced himself to stay hidden in the shadows until Endeavour and Miss Lawton’s footsteps had died away. Then he ran to Knight and Growl.

‘Wake up,’ he hissed, shaking Knight. ‘Help me. What do I do?’

But they were both deeply unconscious. And now Ben could hear the footsteps coming back. The doorway that Endeavour and Daniella Lawton had gone through was filled with flickering light, so that Ben could see the stone steps leading down.

A shadow appeared in the doorway.

Another figure was at the other end of the corridor.

Ben was trapped between them.

He sprinted back towards the kitchen, hoping that no one would see him. Though he thought they must hear his heart racing if not his feet. He knew he didn’t have time to get through the door and hide.

Daniella Lawton emerged from the cellar doorway. She looked towards the kitchen, where Ben was pressed to the wall by the door. If he moved, she would see him in the corridor, silhouetted against the candlelight. She took a step towards him.

‘The kids are locked up safe and sound,’ the man at the other end of the corridor said. ‘And the old lady.’

Daniella Lawton turned. ‘Good. Get these two out of here. Mortagula will deal with them very soon.’

At that moment a blast of stale air seemed to rush through the whole house. The candle in the kitchen was snuffed out. The light from the cellar danced and guttered.

The two men were dragging the bodies of Knight and Growl down the corridor. Their movements strobed in the flickering light, jerky and disjointed like an old movie.

Daniella Lawton, standing framed in the cellar doorway, gasped, ‘Mortagula!’