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  “Run!” he bellowed with all his might.

  Kaden was already one step ahead of the multitudes. He grabbed Cecily’s hand and the two of them, with Fen and Sol close behind, began to make a beeline for the exit. However, Cecily was not quite ready to leave yet and she was struggling to escape from Kaden’s firm grasp.

  “We can’t leave them!” Cecily was trying with all her might to scream above the din of the room. “We have to go back for Cian, Elisabeth and Jedd!”

  “There is nothing we can do for them at the moment, Cec. You have to trust me. We have got to leave.”

  Even though Kaden’s tone was commanding as he spoke to her over his shoulder while still heading for the door, Cecily began to protest again. She could not face leaving them behind. Kaden’s patience was fraying. “We’ve got leave NOW!”

  This outburst from Kaden alerted Cecily as to the urgency of the situation as she was not used to hearing Kaden raise his voice; in fact, she did not think she had ever heard him get truly angry before. As the four friends neared the exit, they encountered a jam because of the volume of villagers trying to escape the doomed festivities, not even yet understanding what they were running from.

  Cecily stole a look back at the balcony, just in time to see her beloved Cian slit Lord Bramble’s throat from ear to ear. Elisabeth was screaming and Jedd’s face was aghast, yet still he retained his grip on Elisabeth’s arm and remained rooted to the spot on the balcony beside the murderous Cian. Cian, who did not seem fazed by the monstrous act of killing his uncle in cold blood, was now murmuring under his breath. He was moving his hands in an upward motion, as if trying to pull something out from the ground beneath him. An even wider pit of dread opened up in Cecily’s stomach as she heard the familiar sound of snarling and shrieking coming from the shadows around her.

  By now, the Great Hall was in complete chaos and the dark stench of evil drenched the atmosphere. The guests were hysterical as the people around them, their friends and family, were cut down like they were paper. The beasts were rising from the shadows, their jaws snapping from beneath like Great White sharks preying on unsuspecting seals at the surface of the ocean. She looked around at her friends to see if they were witnessing the same atrocities as she was, seeking clarification that she had not slipped into one of her nightmares. Her friends, however, had shifted into what could only be described as survival mode, doing whatever it took to escape this waking nightmare. Fen and Sol had managed to get in front of Kaden and Cecily. As bodies around the room were falling, victims of the shadows, Fen and Sol began to scramble their way to the door using a pure agility that Cecily had never seen before. Kaden was dragging Cecily along behind Fen and Sol in the channel they were creating.

  Just as she reached the door, she turned one last time. A quick survey of the room in her remaining seconds at the Bramble Hall Golden Hollywood Summer Party, that had turned into a living hell, revealed the folk of Bramblegate in a blind panic, most covered in blood, clothes torn, in a state of disbelief and confusion as the company around them were being taken. She looked to the balcony and saw her beloved Cian staring directly at her, wearing a huge grin. As she was pulled from the Great Hall, there was just enough time to see Cian disappear and be replaced by a tall, dark figure in a long, black, hooded cloak, riding on a sea of black shadows.

  ***

  Cecily was not sure how long she had been screaming for. It was only when they were running through the woods outside Bramble Hall that she was aware of her own cries. The passage of time was a blur for Cecily. She remained locked in her own head, playing out the events she had just witnessed: the arrival of Lord Bramble, Cian, Jedd and Elisabeth on the balcony, Jedd stoically gripping a sobbing Elisabeth, Cian’s cold, unfeeling detachment, Lord Bramble’s pale, shaking frame. Then the anarchy as everyone tried to leave, Cian severing his uncle’s throat, Jedd and Elisabeth’s horrified faces, people, her friends, being sliced down like ears of corn, blood and frenzy, the beasts of her nightmares in the shadows and that thing that Cian had turned into as they were leaving. What was she saying? Cian had changed into something? It was madness, utter lunacy! And she knew the change was meant for her. Her heart broke again as she remembered the sadistic smile directed at her before his metamorphosis took place. The pandemonium was still ringing in her ears.

  The small group of friends had come to a stop. Kaden, Fen and Sol were talking to Cecily, but they seemed so far away from her. She wanted to answer them, but she just could not. She wanted to lie down, go to sleep and just forget about everything that had happened. However, Kaden was now shaking her by the shoulders quite forcibly. This brought her back to reality for long enough to understand what was being said to her. Or so she thought.

  “Come on, Cec! Shut this place down!” Kaden was speaking with the same urgency he had earlier. “He can’t perform the ritual with only two of us.”

  Ritual? What was Kaden talking about? Nonsense! Was this all a joke? Why were Fen and Sol agreeing with him, telling her to hurry? She looked at her surroundings for the first time since they had stopped. They were in the clearing, deep in the middle of the woods, where the old oak tree stumps formed a circle. Cecily stared into space. She wanted to talk, to answer their questions, to ask why. Why were they there? Why were they talking about a ritual and what on earth had just happened? What about Jedd and Elisabeth? They needed help. They must go back for them. She wanted to scream, but she had no voice left. She was locked inside her own head with the disturbing aftermath of recent events. She heard Fen speak.

  “She’s in shock. Look at her!” Fen walked over to Cecily and felt the temperature of her skin. “She is cold and clammy. We need to get her somewhere safe. She needs to lie down and warm up.”

  “The cottage,” replied Kaden. “I can keep us safe there for a few hours.”

  She did not know if it was the alcohol, the effects of what she had just seen or the mention of home, but Cecily vomited everywhere.

  “We need to go,” said Sol, quietly.

  Things once again became a blur for Cecily as she was dragged home by the others. As they were deep in the wood and far from the path, she kept tripping over the roots and undergrowth of the barely trodden nature, her legs failing her time and time again. She thought about how her beautiful, perfect dress was ruined, just like her beautiful, perfect life of the past few months was now also ruined.

  They arrived at the cottage and bounded through the front door. Purdey was there on the other side to greet them. She looked straight through Kaden, Fen and Sol and began to question Cecily. Where was Cian? Why was she in such a state? What had happened to her dress? Had she been drinking? However, Purdey’s questions were not registering with Cecily as her brain was far too full. They were simply bouncing off her, although she vaguely wondered why her mother was so concerned. Cecily was not entirely sure what happened next and in her current state, she could well have been imagining things. There was a pale blue, bright light and all of a sudden Purdey’s questions stopped and she announced that she was going to bed.

  Fen guided Cecily, Kaden and Sol upstairs to Cecily’s room, sat Cecily on the bed and put a blanket around her shoulders. She then went to Cecily’s little bathroom, poured a glass of water and made Cecily sip it slowly. Fen sat on one side of Cecily and Sol on the other, like sentinels on guard duty. Kaden did not sit. He was pacing the room, muttering to himself the whole while. Cecily wanted to ask him what he was doing and more importantly, ask him to stop. She wanted to ask what all of this meant, but she was still incapable of speaking. She heard Fen, Sol and Kaden talking in far off voices about things she did not understand. Then Kaden turned into a huge, bright ball of light and disappeared. That was the final straw for Cecily and she remembered nothing else.

  Chapter Fifteen

  It was a long time since Kaden had been here. His surroundings held nothing but a frosty blue glow. He did not see or hear them arrive, but he sensed them. Without warning, he was surrounded by six brigh
t balls of light, just like himself in appearance, only different in other ways. Their essence was older, wiser somehow, only he did not know this for sure.

  “Hello, brother.” One of the balls of light greeted Kaden.

  “Hello, Masters. I am afraid that I am not here with good news.”

  “We know, we see all young one.”

  This comment shook Kaden and it took him an extra heartbeat to answer.

  “You saw everything? Were you aware he is back in our midst? That he was getting close to her? That one of our own has joined him?”

  “Yes, young one.”

  Kaden felt his emotions rush to the surface. He knew this was a human trait he had acquired after so long on Earth.

  “Why didn’t you warn me? We could have stopped him, prevented the loss of all those lives.”

  The Masters spoke one at a time.

  “We sent you signs.”

  “The dreams.”

  “The girl who is returned to you.”

  “That is all we were meant to do.”

  “We had our orders.”

  “We were not supposed to give you explicit warning, but let events play out.”

  “Have you not learned to trust the Universe and its plan after all this time?”

  “What is meant to be will be.”

  Their voices had a hypnotic musicality about them and they almost sang their responses in tune with one another, one starting before the other had finished, like a beautiful song.

  Kaden spoke quietly. “I had a feeling but I did not act on it. I was afraid to come without solid evidence. I thought you would summon me.” He felt dejection and failure; mortal feelings.

  “Human failure is inevitable, but necessary.”

  “The Lord was supposed to agree to give up the gate and hand the guardians over to the dark one.”

  “That was his destiny.”

  “There has to be a balance between good and evil on Earth.”

  “Good cannot prevail all of the time, but nor must evil.”

  “Celestial forces are at work.”

  “The Universe must keep the balance.”

  Kaden could feel a ball of fire growing in his belly, a belly that was nothing more than light in its present state.

  “What is the point then? What is the purpose of the guardians if not to prevent evil from rising? How can we protect if we are not informed?” He knew that his anger would not get him the answers he sought. He had to remain calm, even though his frustration was mounting.

  “In every age, there are those who battle evil,” replied one of the Masters.

  “Be as you are, as nature intended.”

  “Think about the bigger picture.”

  “The Light will guide you.”

  “Go forth, Light Doer.”

  “What will be, will be.”

  As the Wise Ones were finishing their communication, their essences were fading, their words becoming more and more distant.

  “Wait! What does Dasrus have planned? I need to know! I have to prepare!”

  But their sweet musical tones sang no more and Kaden’s pleas fell on deaf ears.

  ***

  He waited a while in that place, trying to find meaning in their cryptic messages. One thing he was sure of, he must try and get a handle on his human sentiments, after all, he was not human, but a Light Doer, a spirit guide. However, after spending so long in a mortal casing, surrounded by humans, his spirit was bound to adopt some of their characteristics, in particular, emotions. Right now he was feeling guilty. He had let everyone down: his friends, the people of Bramblegate and especially those who had lost their lives. Trust in the Universe, the Higher Power. What will be, will be. Not if he had anything to do with it. At that moment, Kaden was finding it a challenge to accept what the Wise Ones had told him. He was having a difficult time placing his faith in something that may or may not support him in the job he had to do. His version of fate or destiny was that good prevailed. They were the guardians; the Cerbereans. He would certainly be as nature intended and battle evil until the bitter end. That was his job. But what was he going to tell the others? He was none the wiser as to Dasrus’s plans. They would just have to figure it out by themselves.

  Chapter Sixteen

  They arrived at the clearing in the wood where the six ancient oak tree stumps sat in a protective circle. Elisabeth sensed the others had been there, but the area remained unprotected. This worried Elisabeth deeply. Why had they not protected the gateway? She did not like this one bit. Something had gone wrong.

  She stole a sideways glance at Jedd. He too knew that something had gone wrong. She could see it in his eyes. In fact, his whole body was screaming that something had gone wrong. He looked on the verge of speaking, but he was holding back. She wondered what was stopping him. Fear? He was sweating, eyes wide and full of terror, like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car. But what was he afraid of? The evil demon that was pacing around the outer circle of the tree stumps? The wrath of the Light due to his defection? Or the unparalleled betrayal of his fellow guardians, his friends?

  Elisabeth considered for a moment how long she had known Jedd for, not just in this lifetime, but also in the others. She reflected on all they had been through together, all the evil they had battled in their roles as protectors. Jedd had barely looked at her since she was discovered outside the bedroom at Bramble Hall, let alone spoken to her. He knew what he had done. She was dying to talk to him, to discover why he was doing this. Why the betrayal? What was in it for him? She wanted to talk him out of it, make him see sense. Convince him to escape with her and get back to the others so they could work out how to stop Dasrus. But most of all, she wanted to tell him how much his treachery had hurt. Deep down, Elisabeth thought she may know the reason for his deception. However, she wanted him to admit it, say it out loud so she could tell him how ridiculous he was being.

  At least the physical pain had subsided and she was thankful for small mercies. Jedd had relinquished his grip on her and she could now walk freely. Well, as freely as one could with bound wrists. Elisabeth knew that she must keep up her pretence of pain and anguish. She did not want to give anything away, just in case they had not realised she had remembered everything. Just as Jedd refused to look directly at her, she would not look directly at him, but for a different reason. She hoped that the reason he would not look at her was because he was ashamed of what he had done. She, however, did not want to give herself away by looking in his eyes, as she knew she would not be able to hide her hurt and disgust.

  Initially, the shock of all her memories flooding back was too overwhelming. She was over that shock now and in warrior mode. For the moment though, she would continue the charade of whimpering and sobbing to throw them off her track. She was not scared of Jedd or of the dark entity that stood before her, now inside the sacred circle of oak, the gateway, not meant to let things in but to keep them out. His agents stood guard over them, some lurking in the shadows of the wood, watching, ready to pounce should she step a foot wrong. Others were in their place at his feet, ready to do his bidding. She could smell their acrid breath and hear their low growling and snarling; foul creatures from beneath. If only she could access her sword.

  He spoke in his calm, yet sinister manner. “The gateway remains unprotected.”

  “Yes, my Lord,” answered Jedd, “although I sense they have been here.”

  “You sense they have been here?” Dasrus remained passive, yet his servants’ voices began to rumble louder. “Maybe the Light thinks it is not too late for you?” He turned and from beneath his hood his oddly glimmering eyes were set upon Jedd.

  “N… n… no, my Lord,” he stuttered. “I serve only you.”

  “You have seen what happens to people who betray me.”

  Jedd unconsciously looked down at his white shirt, covered in blood spatter from the recently deceased Lord Bramble. “I will not betray you.”

  Elisabeth recognised this resolve and the re
turn of his bravado, feeling that he was lost to them.

  “Can you sense them now?”

  “No, I feel nothing.”

  Elisabeth knew he was telling the truth because she could not sense them either.

  “What about you, raven one? I offer you the same bargain as our brave boy here. Join me and you will be rewarded handsomely.”

  Elisabeth continued her masquerade by not replying to Dasrus, but by simply looking at the floor and weeping quietly. Dasrus left the circle and rode on his sea of black to stand right in front of Elisabeth. As he spoke his speech was measured.

  “I know that you remembered what you were earlier in this lifetime. I know that is why you were sent away. It is also clear to me that the other guardians have been reactivated, otherwise why come directly here? So, if the others have been reactivated, then so have you.” He raised his voice and drew himself up to his full height which sent his agents into a frenzy of snarling and growling. “Do not lie to me, Cerberean! Drop the act!”

  Elisabeth immediately stopped her crying and with a straight, yet slightly wet face, she too drew herself up to her full height and looked directly into the abyss beyond the hood.

  “I will never join you!” She shot an acerbic look at Jedd who was now puce with anger. “I will die before I let you open that doorway! I am a Cerberean, a warrior of Light and guardian of the gateway. Protector of Earth and humanity.”

  As she recited her oath, her temper got the better of her and she launched herself at Dasrus, even though her hands were tightly bound behind her back. Luckily for Elisabeth, it was Jedd and not the beasts that anticipated her move. He pounced on her and pinned her down with his weight which rendered her unable to move. While Elisabeth’s fiasco unfolded, Dasrus laughed hysterically.