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“What should we do, Kaden?” said Elisabeth urgently, as Acantha lurched forward and was now trying to sink her teeth into Sol.

  He was holding his sword in one hand and holding Acantha by the neck with his other hand, keeping her at arm’s length, all the while being covered in that awful slobber.

  “Oh my, poor Acantha!” half-sobbed Cecily, but Acantha did not seem to be too concerned as her wicked smile prevailed.

  “What is wrong with her?”

  “Possession.”

  “Possessed by what?”

  “A demon, probably a shadow beast.”

  “Can they do that? I didn’t know that could do that!” Cecily felt panic on a whole new level.

  “Erm, guys?” said Sol. “I’m getting covered here, what should I do?” This distraction really did not seem to faze him.

  “Well we can’t kill her. That won’t kill the demon and there’s every chance that when the beast leaves her, she’ll be OK, so we don’t want to murder her.”

  “What do you mean, a chance she’ll be OK?” asked Cecily, who could not take her eyes off Acantha.

  “Well, possessions don’t always have a happy ending, Cec. Sometimes the demon consumes their prey from within.”

  “You mean it eats them?”

  “Yes, Cec.” Cecily thought she was going to be sick. “And we can’t just let her go as she might report straight to Dasrus.”

  “A torch!” shouted Cecily, enthusiastically. “Mr Fane said demons don’t like bright lights!”

  “True, but we don’t have a torch.”

  As Cecily and Kaden were having their conversation, Jedd stepped forward and knocked Acantha on the head with the hilt of his sword. She was out cold.

  “Thank you, Jedd,” said Sol, glaring at Kaden and Cecily.

  “Eewww!” Fen winced as a bit of whatever Sol was shaking from his arm and hand landed on her.

  “Sorry, Fen,” he said, sheepishly.

  “We can’t leave her out here,” said Kaden. “Someone might see her.”

  Fen, Elisabeth and Jedd obliged by dragging the lifeless body of Acantha to a bush growing at the side of the chapel. They ensured that she was well hidden by arranging the foliage around her.

  “Why would one of those demons possess her, Kaden?” Cecily was repulsed.

  “Who knows what their motivation is,” he said. “Sometimes possession gives them a voice, sometimes they do it for sport. The agents of the Dark are pure evil. Don’t worry about Acantha just yet, she might be ok. We’ll get Verena to inform the Purification Unit. They will try and help her.”

  Cecily hoped he was right.

  Having temporarily disposed of Acantha and the thing she was hosting, the group entered the chapel with trepidation. However, no one jumped out at them, there was no attack or ambush, in fact it was still and strangely quiet.

  Kaden whispered, “There’s time yet, be on your guard.”

  The area inside was large for a chapel. It was more like a small church. Cecily looked up at the high sloped ceiling and beams which formed the pointed roof. It was ornately decorated with statues, paintings and other Christian iconography. It had a stone floor with a rich red plush carpet flowing down the middle of the aisle, held in place by a gold runner. Cecily counted ten rows of pews either side of the aisle and as they progressed towards the front of the chapel and the organ loft, the warriors checked left and right to ensure that nothing was hiding between the ornately carved benches. Cecily tried to forget about what might be waiting for them and instead tried to focus on the exquisite stained glass windows which ran along the wall on one side. The sunlight that shone through the windows cast bright and colourful patterns on the opposite wall. Four magnificent pillars made of cold-looking marble held the structure in place. Cecily thought how stunning this building was, definitely a match for the house it was attached to. She tried to imagine the chapel full of people on a happier occasion, such as a wedding or a christening. Even though it was a warm June day outside, the chapel was draughty and little cold shivers kept running down Cecily’s spine, causing her to shudder. At the front of the chapel, to the right-hand side of the altar, Cecily could see the shiny metal tubes of the organ. Below the tubes was a door which Cecily presumed must lead up to the organ loft and they were now making their way towards the door. It seemed like her distraction technique of thinking about other things was working as she felt much calmer.

  Kaden went first through the door to the organ loft, the others looking out towards the back of the chapel for any movement. When Kaden was sure the organ loft was safe, he gestured for the others to join him. Behind the door to the organ loft, there was nothing but a flight of stairs. Nowhere to hide thought Cecily to herself. When everyone was in the organ loft and the door at the bottom of the stairs was closed, Kaden whipped aside the rug that was lying over the floor, exposing bare, rough floorboards. Kaden began murmuring and waving his hands over the floorboards, his eyes closed the whole time. When he had finished, he opened his eyes and stood back. A rectangular shape in the floorboards began to glow an icy blue. It revealed itself to be a hatch which opened itself up outwardly.

  “Quick, inside!” whispered Kaden.

  Fen and Sol jumped inside the space first and then they helped Cecily down, followed by Elisabeth, Jedd and finally Kaden, who closed the hatch and seemed to seal it, as once again it shone a pale blue.

  “Lady Bramble?” asked Kaden to the room. “We’re here to help.”

  As Kaden did not get a response, he started to search the small room. Small though it was, it was still big enough to house three camp beds on one side of the room. Another camp bed stood unmade and folded against the wall in the space where it would ordinarily lie. At the other end of the room was a small kitchenette with cooking facilities, a sink and a small fridge. The wall by the kitchenette was occupied by a long, metal shelving unit that stood floor to ceiling and Cecily noticed it was filled with lots of cans and dried food products. There was enough to survive on for quite a while and Cecily thought how this would not be a bad place to come in the event of a nuclear war. Small lamps lit the room which Cecily noticed were plugged into electrical sockets, so the hideout also had a power supply. The room was L-shaped and as Cecily looked at the space beyond the beds, she noticed a bookcase filled with books and another door, which Kaden was now knocking on. Someone had been to this room recently as there was evidence of it being lived in. The beds folded down and made up, pots in the sink and the lights on. On one of the rugs that covered the floor, a jigsaw had been started. There must be someone here.

  Kaden was now opening the door, the others crowding round to see if anyone was in there. It was simply a small bathroom with a toilet, sink and bath around which a shower curtain was drawn. Kaden moved forward and pulled the shower curtain back. It revealed Lady Bramble and her two children, Oscar and Delilah, one child sat either side of their mother, their eyes closed and heads down with protective arms around them, shielding them from the horror about to be shown to them with the removal of the shower curtain. Lady Bramble’s eyes were shut tight too and she let out a scream as they were unveiled. Fen winced, probably afraid they would be heard.

  Kaden immediately tried to calm her down. “Lady Bramble, it’s me, Kaden Quinn. We’re here to help. We are sent from the Light.”

  The look of relief on her face was undeniable.

  “Oh, thank God,” she cried. “Children, it’s ok, we are saved!” Then when she looked at her rescue party, she added, “Although I thought they might have sent someone older.”

  The three of them got up and as they did so, a knife fell from Lady Bramble’s knee.

  “I don’t know what use that would have been,” she sighed.

  Although Lady Bramble was quite obviously relieved, the children were still unsure. They did not speak or even look at their Cerberean saviours, but remained close to their mother’s side, hugging her tightly.

  “We are going to take you to an even more secure location wit
h us, Lady Bramble. You are aware of the danger you are in?”

  “Of course I’m aware,” she said, sourly. “I was warned of what might happen before I married into the family, but who believes that a bloody demon is going to come after your husband and ask him to sign over his rights as protector of a gateway to Hell and give his blood so it can be opened. It sounds a bit far-fetched, doesn’t it?” she added, sarcastically. “If he wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him again. Why did he agree to work with that demon? I’m so stupid. I should have known that there was something wrong when he reminded me how to get into this room and to stock it up, just in case. He told me we didn’t know what terrorists were capable of these days. The poor children, having to witness their father die like that. And now the responsibility of all that human protector crap has fallen to Oscar. He’s only ten! How can I protect him, both of them? My poor stupid husband!”

  Lady Bramble started sobbing loudly.

  As Kaden tried to console her, Elisabeth whispered, “Won’t someone hear us?”

  “No,” replied Kaden. “As long as the hatch is sealed this room is invisible to both sight and sound. Neither human being nor supernatural being can see it. The magic protecting this room if very powerful. You can only get in if you are a Bramble or if you know the spell, like me. Of course, you have to know the room exists first.”

  “Speaking of spells,” said Sol, “can you not place a protective shield around the chapel to stop Dasrus and his agents from finding us and getting in?”

  “There’s no point. Dasrus has come back more powerful than ever. If he wants to get in, he will. I may as well conserve my magic for getting us to where we need to go.”

  “And where is that exactly?” asked Cecily.

  “The two most important things at this time are getting both the Brambles and us to safety so that Dasrus can’t perform the ritual, and helping you to get your memory back. We need you at full strength, Cec. We can’t defeat Dasrus unless you are.”

  “Oh right,” said Cecily, too tired to argue. She really did not think she was capable of beating Dasrus, if fact, she was sure they had the wrong person.

  “So where are we going?”

  “I’m taking us back in time. I’m taking us back to a certain point in history which I hope will jog your memory. Also, there is little chance of Dasrus finding us there. Even if he realises what we’ve done, it would take him too long to try and find us as we could be anywhere.”

  “Right,” replied Cecily, slowly, “and how does time travel work?”

  “Haven’t you learned to trust me by now, Cecily Stalks?” laughed Kaden. He turned to the Lady Bramble who appeared to be in as much shock as Cecily at the prospect of travelling back in time. “Is that all right with you, Lady Bramble? It’s only temporary until we can get Cecily’s memory back and figure out a way of stopping Dasrus.”

  “As long as my children will be safe, I am in agreement.”

  “They will be. It’s far safer than being here at the moment and you can’t stay in this panic room forever.”

  “Sounds good,” said Fen, cheerily. “How are we going to get there?”

  “A spell,” said Kaden.

  “Great, let’s go then!” Cecily noticed how Sol was always so eager.

  “I can’t from here. I need to draw my power from nature. I’ve got to take nine of us back in time. There is not enough natural energy in here for me to do that. The woods will serve me best.”

  “You’re telling me we’ve got to go back out there?” said Elisabeth. “That is asking for trouble, Kaden. We will probably be walking straight into a trap. And goodness knows how many of those zombie things there are out there.”

  Lady Bramble and her children gasped loudly.

  “Look, it will be OK. We can make it.” Kaden was as positive as ever, although Cecily was not filled with the same confidence as him. “Right, let’s go. Same plan as before, stick together. Ready?”

  Kaden squeezed past the others and left the bathroom where they had all been stood. Everyone followed him to the hatch. Kaden murmured his spell and when he had finished, he silently gave a count of three, using only his fingers. The hatch opened outwardly as it had on their way in and Kaden jumped up, grabbed the edge of the hatch and hoisted himself up into the organ loft. After a few seconds, he indicated that the coast was clear. Fen and Elisabeth jumped up to join him while Jedd and Sol remained to lift everyone else out of the safe room. Cecily went through the hatch next, lifted by Jedd, again feeling uncomfortable at being in such close proximity to him.

  As Cecily pulled herself to her feet, she heard Lady Bramble say, “We have ladders, you know.” And so to Cecily’s dismay, everyone else was able to remove themselves from the room with the help of the ladders. Kaden once more sealed the hatch and then led the way down the stairs into the chapel.

  All was quiet with no demons in sight and they made it to the main door of the chapel, again without incident, the warriors carefully checking every nook and cranny as they went. Once they were all assembled at the door, Kaden said, “Right, we don’t know what is waiting for us on the other side of this door. Cerbereans, are you ready?” They all nodded. Kaden gradually opened the door bit by bit. He must not have seen anything as he ventured out alone to investigate further. A minute later, he was back. “I don’t see anyone. Although Acantha has gone. Be on your guard.”

  “Acantha?” quizzed Lady Bramble.

  “I’ll explain later,” replied Kaden, respectfully.

  The party, now larger than it was on the way into the grounds of Bramble Hall, made it across the lawn safely with no hint of the presence of the Dark. When they reached the old oak avenue, Cecily saw her friends look at each other incredulously. They swiftly made their way to the bottom of the avenue, wanting to take advantage of their good fortune. Once at the end of the avenue, they dived into the woods beyond where an equally baffled Mr and Mrs Fane were waiting for them.

  “Did you see anything?” asked Kaden, urgently.

  “Only Ms Sims,” replied Mr Fane. “What’s wrong with her?”

  “Possession.”

  “Aye, we thought as much,” Mr Fane said turning to Mrs Fane. “Nothing else out of the ordinary though, lad.”

  Mr Fane turned his attention to Lady Bramble. He removed his cap and made a short bow.

  “Good day, Lady Bramble.” He nodded in the direction of the children, “Master, Miss. We are so sorry to hear of your loss. If there is anything we can do.”

  Mrs Fane curtseyed at them all.

  “Thank you, Mr and Mrs Fane,” replied Lady Bramble. “I didn’t know that you were a part of… erm… this.”

  “Yes ma’am, always,” replied Mr Fane with a smile.

  Cecily thought how very old-fashioned and respectful they seemed towards the Brambles and then she remembered that the Brambles had once been Mr Fane’s ‘reverent’ employer, but then this made her think of Acantha’s lectures and how she too held them in high regard. This upset Cecily because Acantha was now possessed.

  Mr Fane turned his attention back to Kaden. “So, what happened to the ambush?”

  “I’ve no idea,” answered Kaden, “but we are not out of the woods yet, so to speak.”

  “What now then, lad?”

  “I’m going to get us all to safety and then we have got to try and help Cec get her memory back. Only when Cecily is back at full strength can we think about how to deal with Dasrus.”

  “Yes, I agree,” said Mr Fane. “Where will you go?”

  “I won’t tell you, Abram, just in case agents come knocking.”

  “I understand, lad.”

  Cecily suddenly felt extremely afraid for the Fanes.

  “Hopefully, we won’t be gone for long though. Verena, can you inform the Purification Unit that we’ve finished at the manor? They can do what they like there now. Also, that there is a possession there?”

  “Of course, dear. Now you all be careful and we’ll see you when you get back
.” Mrs Fane smiled kindly at the group.

  “Abram, Verena, thanks for everything. Take care, both of you.” Kaden offered his hand to them, but the old couple ignored this and grabbed him in a warm embrace. Kaden blushed and walked over to a tiny clearing in the trees.

  “Now then,” he instructed his companions, “when I turn into a ball of light, walk into me, like a doorway.”

  The Cerbereans nodded and Lady Bramble looked confused. Cecily was sure the children were still in shock as they had not yet spoken. Why were odd things surprising Cecily less and less? She thought how only a few months earlier, she had cursed the predictability of her life and the predictability of Bramblegate. She thought of all she had been through in the past couple of months and all she had discovered. Her world had been turned upside down and she longed for nothing more than predictability. The phrase, ‘Be careful what you wish for’, came to mind.

  Cecily watched Kaden carefully. His legs stood apart from one another and his hands and arms were outstretched, pointing towards the ground. He was once again murmuring under his breath with such concentration, like she had seen him do before and like she had seen Dasrus do. He was omitting a wonderful light and she thought how handsome he looked; tall, muscular and golden. She had always thought him angelic and now she knew why.

  All of a sudden, the bright, golden illumination turned into a pale, icy blue ball of light with a burst and Kaden was gone.

  “Hurry!” said Jedd.

  One by one they stepped into the ball of light that was Kaden. As she went, she silently said farewell to Bramblegate as the Cecily Stalks she was now, for she might well come back someone different altogether.

  Mr Fane winked at her and said, “Try hard now, lass. Make your dad proud.”

  She simply nodded and then took a leap, yet again into the unknown, wondering where this doorway would lead her.

  Chapter 25

  “Are we still in Bramblegate?” asked a puzzled Cecily.

  She wondered if her journey through the portal had frazzled her brain. As soon as she had stepped into the ball of light that was Kaden, a lot of whirling and twirling had started to happen. She imagined it was a bit like being in a washing machine on spin. The portal had spat her out and once more she was in a twisted heap on the floor, looking up at her friends and the Brambles, although it looked as though Lady Bramble and her children had been in a similar predicament seconds earlier, as they were brushing debris from the wood floor off their clothes. Cecily was still dizzy as she pulled herself to her feet.