The Thirteenth (32 page)

“Do you think you’re clever V?” he hissed, walking towards her.

“Well at least I have a better dress sense than you,” Val smirked.

“Do you think that this dress sense will help to keep your heart beating when I crush you?” He was now far too close for Val’s liking and she could feel the full power of his presence as he circled her.

“Let’s find out,” Val retaliated, wondering if this was the wisest way to deal with him.

“Your blind bravery has entertained me.” Excariot stopped behind her. “But you are the most stupid subject I have ever met.” He lifted his hand and Val was instantly levitated several feet off the ground, her body completely rigid. Sam released Wendy and ran forward, but his fate like the others was sealed with a flick of Excariot’s free hand.

“V, every person you have rescued, every pitiful life you have saved, unlocked one more piece to the jigsaw of my prison.
You
have done all for this for me.” Excariot softly stroked Val’s hair. “All I needed was you to change the fate of thirteen people to free me. You are the very last. You see, the ones you saved were destined to die as their forefathers have for centuries, to keep me trapped. You, the chosen one, who was destined to live, will now die.” Excariot let out a slow sigh seemingly very pleased with his achievements. “Only the great V could change their futures. Moving their paths and shaking the temples of their destiny to make it possible for me to break free from a spell that has kept me prisoner for over four hundred years, thanks to your lineage.” Excariot looked at Val with distaste. “These pawns have come and gone like pestilent rats and I have waited patiently for you to arrive. Now I will reap my revenge.” He glanced at the others and laughed. “Your stupidity and that of your so-called friends has entertained me highly.” Excariot moved across the floor towards Delta. “Although, at times, you have truly disappointed me, V. It took you so long to decipher the book I left for you. “ Excariot shook his head.

“I had to come and find it for you,” Delta sniggered, moving in closer to her master. “He even had to give you a stupid tattoo.” Val could feel herself getting madder. She wanted to speak but he had such a tight grip it was impossible.

“Every adversary that you faced was sent to make sure you succeeded.” He turned his wrist and Val was allowed one last glimpse of her friends who were spread out all over the shop floor, watching in horror.

Excariot flicked his hand back, turning Val to face him. “These disgusting people who have followed you are no better than you. They believed you were special. You all make me sick.” He walked towards Eva and with one foot, kicked her to the other side of the room where Wendy managed to stop her from hitting the wall. “I sent you a pathetic grandma and you managed to attack the wrong person. My followers were weak and stupid, but each one pushed you to save the twelve from certain death. How ironic V; even this innocent baby was meant to meet its doom tonight, but thanks to you he will live a full and free life, and so will I.” Excariot let out a deep and sarcastic laugh. “Ah yes, and let us not forget Wendy the Witch, the one who was sent to guide you. Trying desperately to make friends with you her whole life, but the great V was so superficial that her appearance put you off. Yet you were so easily drawn in by my friend here.” He placed a finger under Delta’s chin and she swooned at his touch. “Proving that you really never had a clue from the start.”

Val could feel the tears starting to run down her cheeks. Delta had been her friend; they had shared summers together. She had sat at the kitchen table as one of her family. Val refused to believe it was true.

“Hard to swallow isn’t it?” Excariot closed his fingers and Val felt her chest constricting until she could barely breathe.

Delta squealed in excitement. “Do it now! Finish her off. I want her powers.” He stroked Delta’s blonde mane with his free hand.

“Soon, very soon.”

Just as Val looked as if she was going to pass out, Excariot released her weakened body to the ground. “Well, you truly are amazing. All that power and you still can’t work out how to hurt me.” He bent down close to Val’s face and as he did, a figure leapt in the air. It was Jason making a second attempt to save Val.

Excariot waved his hand and a bright yellow lightning dome surrounded him, Val, Delta and the baby. Jason crashed into it with his whole body. The lightning engulfed him, shaking him violently until he was finally blown free. Fran ran over to him as he lay unconscious on the ground.

“Well, I would love to stay here with you and play all day but we have an appointment with some old friends and after such a long wait I would hate to disappoint the crowd that is gathering to meet me,” said Excariot.

Val lay on the floor at his feet; she could see Sam helping Wendy and Eva to one side. Fran was holding desperately onto Jason’s limp body. All her friends were hurt and her best friend was actually her enemy. How had this happened? As Val lifted herself onto all fours she made eye contact with Shane who was sitting with his back against the wall. He was mouthing something to her through the shield Excariot had created around them.

“You will be fine,” Shane mouthed over and over again.

Val felt a strength building in her and she started to rise onto her knees. She had come such a long way and she would not allow this idiot to take it all away. And who was to say that what he was telling her was true? Val looked over at Shane and mouthed “Thank you” as she pulled herself up onto her feet.

“It’s so endearing that you think you need to stand up to die. At least I won’t have to bend down,” Excariot mocked her.

“It isn’t going to be that easy. For someone so clever, you are really boring and your little helper has very expensive tastes, so, if I were you, I would be getting rid of her as soon as possible.” Val said, feeling her hands starting to vibrate. The energy in her body was beginning to fill her with power, but she wasn’t sure how it would manifest itself. What she did know was that she was going for Wallace Excariot first, and then she would do some serious damage to Delta.

“Don’t let her say those things about me!” Delta screamed at Excariot.

“Shut up.” Excariot knocked Delta to the ground.

Val smirked at Delta. She began moving forward; the air inside the dome started to crackle. There was a massive amount of energy bouncing off the walls. Val’s anger was making the dome spark and flicker. For a second, Val saw confusion in Excariot’s face. That was all she needed. She pulled out her sword and flicked it into position. This man was going to hell. Val held the sword in front of her. Excariot grabbed it and began to laugh.

“Did you think you could beat me with your toy, little girl?” He pulled the sword out of Val’s hand; it shrank back to size and he looked down at it. Taking advantage of his moment of distraction, she smashed him across the face with the full power of her free fist. The amazing punch rocked him in his boots.

His head recoiled violently. “Enough!” he shouted in Val’s face as he felt his bloody lip. She knew that whatever happened now she had rattled him.

“Oh dear, is the poor Excariot bleeding?” Val mocked.

“Now you die!” He lunged forward. Val let out a wheeze as he lifted her off the ground. Looking down she saw the sword sticking out of her side. She began coughing, her mouth filling with a warm tinny substance, which she couldn’t stop running down her chin. Glancing at the ground Val saw it was blood.

“Oh my God, I’m going to die,” she thought as she felt freezing cold.

She could hear cries coming from outside the dome. Fran and Wendy were banging on it dome with their fists, even though it was electrocuting them with each stroke. Shane was still sitting looking straight into Val’s eyes, his face unmoved by the whole episode. As she looked around, her thoughts moved to how much she wanted her mum right now, and she knew she would never see her again. She remembered the text she had received. As she took her last breath, Val remembered her mum and dad dancing outside the window of her bedroom on the night of her birthday. Then everything went dark.

“Stop!” Shane shouted at the girls, snapping back into the moment as Val’s eyes closed.

“No, we need to get her out. She needs a doctor, Shane, What’s wrong with you?” Fran screamed turning to hit Shane on the chest as he tried to restrain her.

“Stand back.” Shane pulled Fran and grabbed Wendy’s arm as Excariot began murmuring a strange chant while raising Val into the air. The dome started to glow. The light grew in intensity and they all had to shield their eyes against its power. Excariot suddenly dropped Val’s body to the ground, like a broken doll that was no longer wanted. She landed next to Delta who was still on the floor holding the baby.

Shane pulled the girls back towards the counter. The dome, completely filled with light and disappeared, taking Val with it.

“What do we do now?” Fran screamed at Shane.

“We wait,” Shane said.

“Wait for what Shane, for Eva to die as well? For heaven’s sake, Jason needs medical attention,” Sam said.

“I will explain everything, but first you need to look at this.”

Val gasped and the breath reached deep into her chest. As she opened her eyes, her first sight was of sunlight dappling onto her through the leaves. “Wow, heaven looks like a forest,” she thought to herself, “but the ground is very cold. I hope the rest of the afterlife is warmer.” Reaching down she was relieved to find that the sword was gone. Val looked down at her body to see what she was wearing: her favourite black sack dress. Great!

Suddenly out of nowhere, a cloaked figure was leaning over her. “I see you are awake, my love.” Before Val had time to speak, she was wrapped in a tender kiss.

“OK, I could get used to this,” Val thought. Then the stranger leaned back and pulled off his hood. Val froze as he moved in for another kiss. She jumped backwards placing her hand against his chest.

“Sam? What are you doing here?” Val asked, concerned that he too was in heaven with her, although the kissing thing wasn’t a bad side effect of being dead.

“I have come to collect you to go to meet with your mother. You know you cannot be late.” Sam smiled and grabbed Val’s hand, pulling her to her feet. Val wobbled, unsure whether she would be able to take a step forward.

“Is my mum dead too?” Val asked, tears welling in her eyes.

“Do not jest, V,” Sam said as he started to lead her away.

Val started to feel uncomfortable. Sam had just called her V. That was her name in the past. Was she dreaming? She wasn’t sure. It felt real and the fact that she had no shoes on and the pain in her feet was excruciating, led her to believe she was awake.

“So, where is my mum?” Val asked following Sam.

“Back at your dwelling.” He looked at her with a confused expression. They moved through a clearing and Val saw in front of her something she had seen several times before: the village. Her village. As she walked past the pond, shivers went up and down her spine. Sam looked the same as the Sam she knew and he even answered to Sam, but he wasn’t the real Sam. How could that be?

At the house closest to the pond, Sam pushed the wooden door open and the sweet smell of scent rushed out into their faces.

“Wyetta. V is here,” he called out. Val looked at him, he’d said Wyetta, and that certainly wasn’t Val’s mum’s name. Val was relieved on one hand that this possibly wasn’t heaven yet; on the other hand, she was freaked out that she was about to meet her mother.

A small door on the other side of the room opened and out walked a woman. She was slightly taller than Val and had a long mane of brown hair just like Val’s. Val recognised the woman from the pictures she had been given by Sam. This was the woman with the tattoo, the woman who had looked so much like Val. Being so close to her, Val knew that this woman was somehow, in some strange way, her mother. She didn’t know how but she was going to find out.

“Samuel, leave us please. We will meet with you and the others by the pond soon.” Wyetta smiled warmly at Sam, and he did as he was told, squeezing Val’s hand before he released her.

Val was just about to open her mouth when Wyetta placed her finger on her lips. “If you let me speak you will learn more quickly,” she said. Val tried one more time to speak, but Wyetta turned her around, marched her to a makeshift chair and sat her down.

“I know you have come here from the future, so please believe me when I say I am your mother. It was I who sent you to the future to keep you safe. The tattoo you have on your arm,” Wyetta pointed to Val’s arm, which was now exposed and had only the strange backwards y with the dot on it, “was the only way I could make sure that if Excariot got to you I could get you home safely.”

Now Val understood why they both had the same one in the centre but the zodiac book hadn’t.

“Excariot will believe you are now dead and this gives us an advantage, my daughter.”

“If I’m to believe you’re my mother, then where is my father?” Val looked at her for an answer.

Wyetta took Val’s hands in hers and inspected them. “You haven’t grown since I sent you away; it’s like time has stopped for us both.” She took a deep breath. “Val, your father is dead, I’m so sorry.” Her face softened and Val knew that whoever he was, this woman had loved him.

“Your father was very special. He was not of this world.” She released Val and started to walk around the room. “He came to our village one night and he told us of a man he was searching for, a prisoner. I remember seeing him across the room and falling in love, knowing instantly that he was going to be my partner for life. The man he was looking for was called Excariot. Your father’s name was Gabrielle,” she said with a softness that moved Val’s emotions, bringing her dangerously close to tears. “Your father and I both felt the same way, V, and what happened next was out of our control.” Wyetta blushed and Val assumed that love at first sight was a little out of the commonplace four hundred years ago.

“OK, I get the idea,” Val said.

“Gabrielle and I knew I was with child within days, and things moved very quickly, more so than is normal.” Val knew she was about to hear things that were going to be strange. “Val you were born in only thirteen days. You grew at a rate no one had ever seen. You grew faster than any child in the village. Gabrielle spent his nights following Excariot’s tracks and his days with us. Then, one night, when he returned from his exploration he seemed worried. He said that he would have to leave by the next full moon and you would have to stay with me. I cried until I thought there were no more tears in my body. Then the women of the village met to decide our fate. They agreed that as soon as you came of age you would join the coven, that being a witch was your birthright from me. It didn’t matter to me how fast you grew or who your father was, I just loved you.”