Sacrifice (Absent Shadows Trilogy Book 2) (13 page)

I looked at Sam, and the expression on his face told me he didn’t know what was happening either. Then I looked at Elizabeth, and her face was serene. Her eyes were lowered and her hands were folded in front of her. When I looked around at the other ghosts, they had struck the same pose as Elizabeth. It was like respect. But respect for who?

Rachel continued to race around us, faster and faster, still screaming and heckling, seeming unaware of the change. But the beautiful sound continued, and the air around us started to grow brighter. It was as if light was descending upon us in the form of a very fine mist—reminding me of spray from a perfume bottle. And there were little stars in the mist. No, not stars—small, coloured lights that were bright at the centre, with edges that were soft and blurry. These lights radiated in beautiful shades of blue and green and yellow and violet—the colours of a rainbow.

As this mist or light or whatever it was descended, the beautiful sound that was like music, but not quite music, got louder and louder, until eventually it smothered the sound of Rachel’s screams. Yet it didn’t hurt my ears the way her screams had. It was soothing, comforting.

And as the screaming faded I could see and hear everything more clearly. The whole scene around me became sharper, more intense. It was like I could see—really see—for the first time in my life.

As I stared in awe at this magical scene, the mist grew denser, and the little coloured lights got closer and closer together. I could now see an edge, where the light ended—just beyond the line of the ghosts that stood across from me. Then, as the mist got denser still, it seemed to move in closer to us—its edge now in front of the ghosts. And as it came in closer and closer, it seemed to take on the appearance of a beam. Rachel must have felt the denseness of it, as her circling slowed until finally she stood in front of me—her mouth still shouting silent screams at me. And as I watched, the beam became narrower and even denser again until eventually it took in only Rachel.

And as I watched her, her expression changed. Her rage dissipated and became something else—uncertainty maybe? Or fear? Her eyes widened, and even though I wouldn’t have been able to hear her screams over the beautiful sound, I could tell she’d finally stopped.

And then it was over. The light and sound disappeared. And so did Rachel. She was gone. No struggle. No screaming. No last threats.

~ Chapter Twelve ~

The sun was just starting to fade, and it was promising to be a pleasant summer’s evening. The last of the commuters were still making their way through the gardens to the train station, but no one seemed to take any notice of us. The world seemed unchanged by the events that had taken place, even though for us they’d been extraordinary. We’d been sitting on Elizabeth’s bench for some time before I dared to speak.

The ghosts had all gone and it was just the three of us. Sam looked as perplexed as I felt. Elizabeth looked peaceful.

‘What just happened?’ I asked Elizabeth.

‘They came for her,’ she replied, looking up as she said it, the respectful look still on her face.

‘They?’

She was still looking up, and now she slowly lifted her hand and pointed.

‘Ahhh …’ I said, nodding, although I could only guess at who she was referring to.

When she finally spoke again, she seemed to choose her words carefully. ‘I’ve heard of this, but I’d never actually experienced it before. They don’t interfere often.’

‘But they did today … because of Rachel?’

‘Yes. She abused the privilege.’

I looked over at Sam, but he just shook his head. He obviously knew nothing about this either.

‘What privilege, Elizabeth? I don’t understand.’

She dropped her hand back into her lap and looked at me. Her eyes suddenly seemed older and wiser—as if she’d aged considerably over the past few minutes.

‘They say it’s a privilege to be allowed to stay here—in the Penumbra. If you abuse the privilege, there are consequences.’

‘The Penumbra?’

‘Here,’ she said, gently waving her arms around to indicate the space around us. ‘The Penumbra—or at least, I’m pretty sure that’s what they called it. It’s the place in-between.’

‘In-between?’

‘In-between the shadows and the light.’

I could feel the hair on my arms stand up as a chill ran down my spine.

‘The shadows?’ I asked, wondering if I really wanted to know what that was. Did she mean Hell?

‘We’re allowed to stay here, in the Penumbra, while we resolve our issues. But we’re not allowed to do any harm. Pranks are tolerated, but not
bad
things.’

‘Bad things?’

Elizabeth looked at me with eyes that now seemed not only older and wiser, but sadder as well. ‘She was going to hurt you, Lili. I heard what she said. She was full of rage and threats. She hated her father and wanted him dead. She thought you were going to help her. But when you didn’t, she felt betrayed. All her hatred and anger transferred to you. She’d have searched until she found someone to hurt you—possibly even kill you.’

I cringed at the thought of what she might have done, but I was still curious as to what had happened to her.

‘And so …?’

‘And so they took her. Like I said, being here is a privilege—she abused it.’

‘So, she won’t be back?’

‘I don’t think so.’

‘And what will happen to her?’

Elizabeth looked back down at her hands which were once again folded in her lap. She didn’t answer for what seemed ages. When she finally spoke, her voice was little more than a whisper.

‘I don’t know. But I do know that it’s better to go of your own accord than to be taken.’

‘Has she gone … to Hell?’ I asked, wondering if there really was such a place. I looked to Sam for support, but it appeared he had no answers for me.

Elizabeth seemed to consider her words carefully before she replied. ‘I’ve heard stories … of other ways that some are taken. Ways that are much more frightening than what we just saw. I think she will be disciplined … but she was very young. Of course, I can’t say for sure; I’m only telling you what I’ve heard.’

She looked away from me, and gazed in the direction of Sam’s tree. ‘I don’t know how she did it, you know.’

‘Did what?’ I asked.

She sighed, and when she spoke her voice carried more sadness than I’d ever heard in it before. ‘Followed you to the house … to Sam’s house. I’ve tried, many times. But I can’t go past the tree.’

‘Oh, that.’

‘Yes, that. Simple for the two of you … and for her as it turned out. Yet I can’t. I’ve never understood that.’

Sam’s voice nearly startled me when he spoke—he’d been so quite up til now. ‘I suppose some things aren’t meant to be understood.’

‘Hmmm, you’re probably right, Sam, as usual,’ said Elizabeth, with a tone of respect in her voice.

We continued to sit for a few more minutes in silence. Then Sam reached across Elizabeth and took my hand. Elizabeth stood up.

‘I must go and look for Henry. He’ll be confused too, I suspect.’

We said our goodbyes, and I watched as Elizabeth walked away solemnly toward Henry’s tunnel. And my sadness deepened as I realised it was the first time since I’d met her that she simply walked, and there was no sound of cheerful humming.

~~***~~

We didn’t speak about Rachel again.

The following day Elizabeth was back to her normal cheerful self, but Henry didn’t show himself. When I questioned Elizabeth she said he was just a bit tired from all the commotion and she suspected he was fine.

But unlike Elizabeth, Sam seemed quite troubled by the event. Not that he said as much, it was just a feeling I had. The sadness I’d noticed when I’d first met him was back more often, and I wondered if he blamed himself for what almost happened. Or perhaps it was that witnessing her being taken made him more aware of his situation—of being bound to this earth for eternity. I didn’t know what I could say to make him feel better, so I simply didn’t talk about it. I knew I couldn’t make him forget the experience, but at least I didn’t have to let him know that it plagued me too.

And it most definitely did plague me. I thought a lot about what Elizabeth had said. About it being a privilege to stay in this place between shadow and light. She called it the Penumbra. She’d said they were allowed to stay to resolve their issues. Was that what Rachel had been trying to do? Had she been trying to resolve her issues? I suppose you could say that. Or you could call it unfinished business. But how was I to tell the difference? Would I be any better at it next time? Would Elizabeth have been able to see through Rachel—see her true intentions? It was obvious, now, that I should have sought Elizabeth’s help right from the start. All I’d wanted was to help, but I clearly wasn’t ready to do it on my own.

Now, whenever I was alone, I found myself thinking about Rachel—about what had happened to her and about the look on her face just before she disappeared. The nights were the worst. Sam was always with me when I’d crawl into bed, holding me until I fell asleep. He would whisper my name softly, and tell me how happy he was. But then I would wake later—always around three, when the night was at its coldest—I would wake in a cold sweat, my heart pounding, and I would be alone.

That’s when the insecurities would creep in. Alone in the dark, thinking about Rachel—and how frightened I’d been. Those were the times I tried hardest to convince myself that I could survive in this world—that Sam was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I would remind myself what it felt like to have him hold me, and how tender his kisses were. And after a time, my heartbeat would slow, and eventually I would drop back to sleep, convincing myself for the moment that our love was enough.

~ Chapter Thirteen ~

Rachel did not return, and I’d promised not to go looking for her or other ghosts again, so it didn’t take much for me to convince Sam that he didn’t need to worry about me on the afternoons when I finished work. If he was busy, I would be fine to walk home alone. After all, it was broad daylight this time of year, and we only lived across the road. He seemed reluctant at first, but eventually agreed I could leave without him if he wasn’t there when I finished work.

And so, on the Thursday afternoon in the fourth week of my pregnancy, I stood at the front desk for several minutes chatting to Michael. I was still wearing my witch costume as I didn’t want to have to explain my weight gain to the other girls. When Sam didn’t turn up by quarter past five I decided to just to go on home

As I walked out the door I looked up to my left toward the gardens out of habit and spotted him. Only he wasn’t coming toward me; he was heading up the hill toward his tree. I thought it odd that he was so close, and yet hadn’t stopped to walk me home. Then I wondered if something might be wrong with Elizabeth or Henry. I decided to follow him and see for myself.

When I reached the top of the hill with his tree right in front of me, he was nowhere in sight. Perplexed at his disappearance, I walked over and sat on Elizabeth’s bench. I figured he’d probably gone to Henry’s tunnel so I’d just wait. It was a beautiful afternoon in any case, and the sun felt wonderful.

Then, as I sat there enjoying the sights and smells of the gardens, I spotted him. He was down the hill, standing with his back to me, talking to a woman I didn’t recognise. I considered going over to him, but with my witch outfit on I felt a bit silly, so I just sat and waited for him to finish talking to her.

I waited patiently for what seemed ages, but he just continued talking to this woman. As I kept watching them, something about her body language started making me uncomfortable. Even from here I could tell that he was doing all the talking and she was just standing there. She didn’t move her arms, or shift her weight. She didn’t even nod in agreement with whatever he was saying to her. She simply stood there, as if frozen.

The hair on my arms started to stand up, and I felt a horrible sick feeling coming on. Something was very wrong.

Witch costume or no witch costume, I had to go over and see what was happening. It seemed that Sam had this woman in a trance—and that wasn’t right. I knew it was one of his skills, as I’d experienced mild doses of it myself, but I couldn’t think of any reason for him to be using it here and now.

As I got closer, I could see the woman’s face clearly. She wasn’t even blinking. There was no doubt now that she was definitely in some sort of trance. I waved, and called out to Sam, but he didn’t respond so I simply walked right up to them and turned to face him, nearly pushing the woman out of the way in the process. Only when I turned to face him, it wasn’t Sam.

He’d looked so much like Sam from a distance, but I should have realised as I’d gotten closer that his profile wasn’t quite right. I guess I’d been too focused on the woman. He had moved so much like Sam, and was the same height and wore the same sort of clothes; I guess I’d just assumed it was him.

As soon as I stepped in front of him he took his eyes off the woman to stare at me. With his gaze broken, she was released from the trance. She shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair, and muttered something about missing her train as she looked at her watch. She turned and jogged in the direction toward the station and was gone.

And I was left facing a very irritated looking vampire.

For just a moment, his eyes glowed red and his skin was pale and translucent, the way I’d seen Sam that time when he was proving to me that he really was a vampire. But then he pulled himself together, and looked at me with eyes that were as black as any I’d ever seen. His complexion became tanned and healthy looking.

He did look a bit like Sam, but his nose was sharper and his eyes were closer together. Even so, he was strikingly handsome, and now that I was standing alone with him, I suspected he was also very powerful.

‘Hello,’ he said in a voice that was as smooth as warm honey.

‘Hello. I’m sorry I’ve interrupted you. I … thought you were someone else,’ I spluttered, trying unsuccessfully to look away from him.

‘Obviously. But that’s alright. You’re much more interesting than she was in any case. Unusual clothing you have on. Have you got a broom with you?’ he said, with a slight laugh. I sensed that he was trying to put me at ease.

‘Oh, yes, I’d forgotten I had this on. I’m just heading to work. I thought I recognised you but … silly me, I was obviously mistaken. I’d better go … I’m running late for work,’ I lied, desperately trying to control my voice and pull away from his gaze.

‘Oh, don’t rush off like that,’ he said, his voice becoming more soothing and his eyes drawing me in further.

I was really starting to feel sick now. There were people passing by, on their way to and from the train station, but none of them seemed to take any notice of this strangely dressed woman and the exceedingly handsome man that was talking to her. My hands started to tingle, and I was having trouble breathing. But worst of all, I couldn’t pull my eyes away from his.

‘Come, let’s go for a walk, shall we?’ he said, and he reached down to grab my arm just behind my elbow.

I wanted to scream, but I had no voice. Instead, I followed as he led me toward the path that went down to King Street. It felt like I was in a dream. One that you really want to wake yourself up from, but can’t. I thought as hard as I could about wanting to scream, and about wanting Sam to be here. And then I thought about Elizabeth, and her image filled my mind.

That’s when I heard it—her soft humming coming from behind me. And as I heard it, I could feel my mind become a bit clearer.

Elizabeth danced around in front of me, appearing to be her normal cheerful self, but then I saw a look of determination cross her face, and I knew that she’d assessed the problem. I could hear her as she called out loudly, but the vampire didn’t even flinch. She hadn’t allowed him to see or hear her yet.

It only took a few seconds. Suddenly there was a group of ghosts around us—maybe fifteen of them. Elizabeth gave an order and they formed a V shape extending from each side of her. Then she moved in front of me and was directly facing the vampire.

‘NOW,’ she yelled, and they all started racing full speed ahead, straight into him, and then through him. He could obviously see them now, as his gaze fell away from me and he ducked, and jumped back. It was long enough for me to pull away from his grip, and run back up the hill toward Sam’s tree, and down the other side, back to the safety of the restaurant.

Michael saw me as I reached the door and he raced over. Then he rang Sam and Crystal. Breathlessly, I explained what had happened. Within a few moments, both Crystal and Sam appeared. Once Sam was certain that I wasn’t hurt, he and Michael raced out the door. I just stood there shaking.

Crystal led me into Michael’s office, and sat with me. Her presence made me feel calmer, and after a few moments I stopped shaking.

‘It’s fine now. They’ll take care of him. You’re fine. There’s nothing to worry about,’ she said in her soothing voice.

‘I thought he was Sam. He seemed so much like him—at least, until I got up close enough to see his face. He had that woman in a trance ... I don’t know what he was going to do to her, but when I interrupted him, I think whatever he’d planned for her was going to be my fate.’

When I said those words out loud it hit me just how close I’d come to being his victim. I felt my throat start to close and had to blink hard to keep my tears at bay.

‘Yes, he was certainly up to no good. But you won’t have to worry about him again. Michael will take care of him. You have nothing to worry about now.’

‘Sam’s going to be furious with me,’ I started to say, but trailed off as I saw him appear. He’d returned within just a few minutes. He was alone.

‘Of course I’m not. I’m just glad you’re safe. He didn’t hurt you, did he?’ he asked, reaching out to look at my arm where a slight bruise was already starting to show.

‘I’m fine, really, it’s okay. But is he …,’ I knew dead wasn’t the right word but I wanted to know he was gone.

‘Michael has him. He’d recovered from the ghost’s attack, but we quickly caught up to him. Michael’s got everything under control. It’s fine.’

Crystal continued rubbing my hands, but turned to look at Sam, a question on her face that she didn’t ask out loud.

‘It was rather odd,’ he said, ‘his attempted abduction in broad daylight. I’m not sure what to make of it. I suppose we’ll need to keep a closer eye on things during the day even, at least for a while.’

‘But if Michael’s going to destroy him, the threat is gone, right?’ I asked.

‘You’ve nothing to fear from him ever again,’ Sam replied, not actually answering my question.

Sam’s words were meant to be comforting, but his demeanour didn’t have me convinced. He appeared agitated as he paced back and forth across Michael’s small office.

Then Crystal spoke, and her voice was as calm and soothing as it had been before. ‘I’m sure Michael will be back shortly. Perhaps he’ll be able to get some information before he destroys him. His behaviour was rather unusual, not waiting for the cover of darkness. I mean, broad daylight, with so many people around. Of course, he may have just been stupid. Becoming a vampire doesn’t necessarily increase one’s intelligence,’ she laughed.

‘That’s for sure,’ replied Sam as he came and sat beside me. He appeared somewhat calmer now.

A short time later Michael returned with Tom following right behind him. Sam immediately questioned them and Michael took a deep breath before answering.

‘He didn’t say much. He laughed a lot, and snarled. But I got the distinct impression from a few of his threats that he felt someone would avenge his destruction.’

‘So you think maybe there is a new group in town, perhaps one that is prepared to take more chances?’ asked Sam, the nervous energy beginning to show as he stood again, and started pacing back and forth.

‘Relax, Sam. It’s just a hunch, but really, even if there are others, they’re no match for us. We’ll just have to be more careful, and pay particular attention to the gardens.’

Michael turned to me and I thought he must be trying to counteract Sam’s nervousness by appearing ultra-calm. ‘Lili, it was clever of you to call out to Elizabeth the way you did. And Sam, you’ll need to go over there and thank Elizabeth for her quick thinking. Calling on the ghosts like that probably saved Lili from what might have been a rather unpleasant experience, although I can’t bring myself to believe he’d have actually done anything there in the gardens.’

‘He was walking me out of there … he had me by the arm … if Elizabeth hadn’t turned up, who knows where he’d have taken me,’ I started shaking, remembering the control he had over me, and my inability to pull away from him. I stood up, and crossed my arms around my waist, thinking of the baby that would also have been harmed, or even destroyed.

Sam put his arm around my shoulders. ‘It’s alright now, sweetheart. He’s gone. We won’t let anything like that happen to you again. I promise.’ Then he turned to Michael. ‘Yes, I’ll go see Elizabeth shortly, and ask her to monitor the gardens for a few days as well, just to be on the safe side.’

Michael nodded in agreement.

Sam looked at me, but when he spoke it was directed to Crystal. ‘Can she stay with you tonight? I’d feel a lot better knowing that she was in your home. I think it best if Tom and I do a thorough patrol tonight, starting right now, just in case there are others out there like him.’

‘Of course, Lili is always welcome. And I think you’re right. We’ll all feel a whole lot better if you do a thorough check. I’m sure everything will be fine, but it won’t hurt to be extra careful for a little while.’

Sam gently kissed my forehead, then walked with us to Crystal’s house. When we were safely inside he turned to go, instructing Crystal to lock the door behind him. I knew I’d be safe with Crystal, but it was still hard to let go of his hand as he walked away.

After she shut the door and turned the deadlock, Crystal walked back over to me and sighed softly. ‘Don’t worry about them, dear. Really, this is what they do. If there are others out there, they will find them. And they will not take prisoners. There will be a big clean up tonight, and word will get out that the area is locked up tight. You’re safe now, and there is nothing more to be concerned about. Now, I’ll make us some dinner. How does a green-curry-chicken stir-fry sound?’

~~***~~

When I woke the next morning, Sam was there next to me.

‘Good morning, sleepy head,’ he said, smiling.

‘How long have you been there?’ I asked, rolling over to face him.

‘A few hours. I came in just before dawn.’

His smile warmed me, and I nearly forgot about the previous day’s events. Nearly. I reached up and stroked his cheek as I spoke. ‘I didn’t hear you come in—in fact, I don’t think I woke once during the whole night. Do you think Crystal put something in my food?’

‘I doubt it. I think it was just exhaustion after the adrenaline rush you got from the fright.’

‘I suppose. So, how did everything go?’

‘Okay—nothing out of the ordinary. We’re pretty sure he was a loner; probably just arrived in town and didn’t realise what he’d be up against. We found two vampires, but neither seemed to know anything about him.’

‘Oh. But what about that comment he’d made? Remember, Michael said he made some threats?’

‘It’s hard to say for sure but I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. I will ask that you don’t go into the gardens by yourself for a while however, just to be safe.’ He reached over and placed a hand on my slightly protruding belly, then leaned forward and gently kissed me. ‘You know I’d never let anything, or anyone, hurt you, don’t you?’ he asked, almost shyly.

‘Yes, I know that.’ I reached out and took his hand in mine, and brought it to my lips and held it there.