Evanescent Page 6

  Taking Felix’s cue, Alistair and Loki circled the hunter, slowly driving it out onto the drawbridge.

  “Get down!” Felix yelled to Bronwen.

  She crouched out of sight. There was the clink of the drawbridge chains and the thump of the door as it slammed shut.

  When everything had fallen silent again, Bronwen peered over the staircase wall. In the courtyard, the three boys leaned their weight against the closed door. Their faces were pale and smeared with blood.

  Felix glanced up at her. In that fleeting moment, she knew that things were worse than he’d anticipated.

  Much worse.

  Chapter Six

  No Rest for the Wicked

  Bronwen sat in her alcove with her knees tucked up to her chest. She’d given up all hope of sleeping. Not now, not ever.

  The Severan was strong. Stronger than any of the boys. Perhaps stronger than all three of them put together.

  What hope did that leave? Bronwen bristled at the thought.

  Feeling nervous and restless, she tapped on the partition separating her from Felix.

  “It’s really bad, isn’t it?” she whispered into the thin wood divider.

  For a long while there was no response, and Bronwen began to presume he hadn’t heard her.

  But, after a lengthy pause, Felix’s hushed voice returned to her. “Go to sleep,” he said simply.

  “I can’t!” she exclaimed under her breath. “Not while that monster is still out there.”

  “Stop thinking about it.”

  “I can’t!”

  “There’s nothing you can do about it, so you might as well sleep. Or at least let me sleep.”

  Bronwen stared at the diving wall. “How can you sleep after what went on out there?”

  “I don’t know,” he replied. “How can anyone sleep? You just close your eyes and… sleep.”

  She frowned. “Aren’t you worried?”

  “I haven’t had a chance to worry yet. But I assure you I’ll do it first thing in the morning.”

  “Felix…”

  “Yes, Snow?”

  “You don’t think it’ll come back tonight, do you?”

  “No, Snow,” he answered.

  “What makes you so sure?”

  “The desire to sleep makes me sure of anything.”

  “But, Felix, what if it does come back?”

  He hesitated. “Goodnight, Snow,” he said at last.

  Bronwen sighed. “Goodnight, Felix.” She sank into her pillow and gazed into the darkness.

  Relax, she told herself. Close your eyes and sleep…

  The minutes ticked by slowly, and she came no closer to sleeping. In fact, she was more awake now than ever. The slightest rustle of leaves outside sent her pulse into overdrive. And, before long, she was not only aware of the sounds outside, but of the silence inside, too.

  How can they be asleep? she wondered, baffled. It’s as though the attack never happened! They’re obviously not worried… Maybe Felix really does know it won’t come back tonight. Yes, that must be it. She calmed a fraction at the rationale. After all, surely if there was anything to fret about, the boys would be aware of it. Yes, she decided, there’s absolutely no way it would attack twice in one night.

  And then, as though the very thought had tempted fate, Bronwen heard a noise that made her blood run cold. The distant sound of a door opening once again. It was quiet, but unmistakable.

  Bronwen froze. “Felix?” she whispered.

  She heard the click of footsteps crossing the courtyard and moving onto the stone staircase.

  The fire’s embers had fizzled out hours ago, and only a pale strip of moonlight lit the floor. Blinded in the darkness, Bronwen’s ears pricked. She heard another door opening—the door to the sleeping quarters—followed by a slow creak as it fell shut.

  I’m imagining things, she reasoned. There’s nothing in the room with us. I’m paranoid, and crazy, and…

  Footsteps slowly crossed the carpet.

  …irrational, and delusional, and…

  The footsteps neared.

  “Felix!” Bronwen hissed.

  All was silent behind the partition.

  Bronwen held her breath. Felix, wake up! Panic began to rise like an erupting volcano. Please wake up. Please, please, please…

  All of a sudden, the potent scent of rust and leather hit the back of her throat, and the silhouette of a man took form just a stone’s throw away.

  The dark silhouette stepped past Loki’s alcove, then Alistair’s, as it crept silently closer to Bronwen.

  She recognised the shape at once. Without a doubt, it was the Severan.

  It slinked past Felix’s alcove. It was near enough now for its black eyes to catch the moon’s beam.

  Bronwen braced herself. This was it.

  And then, to her sheer relief, she was thrown a lifeline. Before she had the chance to come up with an ingenious plan of her own, Felix was on his feet. He sprang in front of the Severan, blocking its path. Alistair and Loki were on their feet too, forming a triangle around the intruder.

  For a brief spell the hunter was startled, and it took an involuntary step backwards. Felix seized his moment and struck out at it. But the impact was only enough to daze it, buying a small window of time.

  “Get out of the castle,” Felix told Bronwen without missing a beat.

  On his command, she raced across the room. Fumbling in the darkness, she gripped the door handle. Behind her she heard the sound of glass shattering. She glanced over her shoulder just in time to see the Severan throw Felix against the window. The pane exploded into glinting fragments that caught in the glimmer of moonlight. And as the shards of broken glass scattered down onto the hillside, Felix went with them.

  Bronwen let out a grief-stricken cry.

  Somewhere in her consciousness, she heard the shouts of Alistair and Loki as they pleaded with her to run. But it was too late. The Severan was upon her. It fastened its thick arms around her, hoisting her into the air.

  Bronwen squirmed and kicked, but the Severan might as well have been built from steel. The moss-coloured carpet began to rush beneath her. Before she knew it, they were in the corridor and speeding down the steps until the grey stone floor blurred.

  A torrent of cold air stung Bronwen’s face, and she heard the familiar clang of the drawbridge chains.

  She swallowed hard.

  The Severan had got what it wanted.

  Her.

  Chapter Seven

  We’re Going to Need a Bigger Net

  Bronwen pounded her fists against the Severan in a futile attempt to free herself. But that didn’t even slow it down as they wove downhill through the trees. She grasped for anything in her reach, pulling at fistfuls of pine boughs and stray twigs. In a stroke of luck, she managed to dislodge a sizeable branch, which she swung into the Severan’s back as forcefully as she could.

  All at once, she felt the steel-like arms release her, and she plummeted to the muddy ground.

  I did it! she thought as her palms smacked down onto the soil. But as she scrambled to her feet, she found that she wasn’t the one who had caused the Severan to lose its grip.

  A short distance away, Felix held the hunter to the ground. The muscles in his arms shook from strain as the Severan writhed and thrashed beneath him.

  “Stay back!” he yelled to Bronwen.

  The Severan let out a furious snarl.

  Bursting through the trees, Alistair and Loki appeared on the scene. Alistair held a wooden bow and an arrow in his grasp.

  “Felix!” he shouted. “Hold it there!” He lifted the bow, aimed, and fired.

  The arrow speared the Severan’s shoulder. It spat and hissed, and with one last effort it tore the arrow from its flesh and knocked Felix aside. Felix rolled across the mud and collided into a nearby tree, shaking the trunk and causing a downpour of pine needles to sprinkle over him while the Severan sprung to its feet and bolted into the night.

  “
No!” Felix shouted, thumping the earth in frustration. “Alistair, fire again!”

  Alistair raced forward. He drew back the bow and let another arrow soar into the woodland, already knowing that his shot was too late. Defeated, he dropped the bow to his side as he stared into the dark web of trees.

  “It’s no use,” he muttered, inhaling the surrounding scent. “We’ve lost it.”

  Loki nodded towards the bow. “I don’t think that thing would have done much damage, anyway. This Severan creature is unstoppable.”

  Felix’s eyes shot to Bronwen. “No, it isn’t,” he said quickly. “We’ll get it eventually, I’m sure of it.” He staggered upright and limped towards her. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  She nodded in a stupor. What was okay anymore, anyway?

  Felix studied her for a moment, then glanced over his shoulder to Alistair and Loki. “Go back to the castle,” he said. “We’ll be right behind you.”

  Alistair frowned. “I’m not sure it’s wise for us to separate—”

  “I just need a minute,” Felix interrupted, fixing him with a steely gaze. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  Alistair and Loki exchanged a wary look, then resigned to Felix’s request.

  Once they were out of sight, Felix limped towards Bronwen. He stood before her, his head bowed.

  “I didn’t…” he hesitated, looking down to the ground and then up again.

  Waiting for him to continue, Bronwen took hold of his hand.

  He stared down at their joined fingers. “I thought…” he paused again. “I thought the situation was under control. I knew it was in the castle, but I thought if I timed it right I’d be able to stop it.” He looked up and searched her eyes, following her gaze as it flickered away from him.

  “It’ll never be under control though, will it?” she said. “We can’t stop it.”

  “Is this about what Loki said? Pay him no mind. He spouts all sorts of nonsense.”

  “It’s too strong, Felix. There was nothing I could do. I tried but I couldn’t…” her voice wavered with emotion.

  “It’s not your responsibility to fight it,” Felix reminded her. “Leave that to me. I’m not worried. I know I can do this. I know I will do this.” He may have spoken with absolute confidence, but the expression behind his eyes gave away something deeper. Something more akin to fear.

  “Tonight,” Bronwen murmured, “when it had hold of me… I thought it was over.”

  Felix dipped his head again. “I’m sorry,” he uttered quietly.

  “It’s not your fault,” Bronwen told him. “It’s just that, I don’t think we can win. You tried to stop it and–”

  “I’ll do more than try next time,” he avowed to her. “I won’t fail you again, I promise you that much.”

  Bronwen stared at him through her misted eyes. “What are we going to do?” she appealed to him forlornly.

  “Sleep.”

  “Sleep!” She laughed in spite of herself. “If I couldn’t manage to sleep before, there’s no way I will now.”

  “I will,” he said with a boyish grin. “And, when you really think about it, isn’t that the most important thing?”

  Bronwen smiled. “Good to know you’ve got your priorities straight,” she teased.

  “Oh, don’t you worry, my dear,” Felix whispered smoothly, “my priorities are exactly where they should be.” Then, with his final words hanging in the air, Felix began leading her back towards the castle.

  As they walked side by side, Bronwen savoured the sensation of his hand enveloping her own. His touch made her safe, and it made her strong. She didn’t want it to end. She didn’t want to let go.

  They made their way across the drawbridge and into the courtyard where Alistair and Loki had been waiting on tenterhooks for their return.

  Felix shut the courtyard door behind them. “I’m beginning to think we should start locking this,” he said with a blithe smile.

  “Welcome to the twenty-first century,” Bronwen commented.

  “This is senseless,” Loki huffed, stamping his feet on the stone floor. “We’ve never had reason to lock the door before. We’ve never had reason to fear anything before.” He pouted. “Nothing has ever been stronger than us.”

  Alistair laughed under his breath. “And we’re all the more foolish for our ignorance.”

  Felix pulled the iron deadbolt across. “There,” he said. “Nothing will open that door. Come through it, perhaps, but not open it.” He made for the stone staircase, moving into the light of the oil lamps.

  Bronwen, Alistair, and Loki gasped in unison.

  Felix whirled around to face them. “What?”

  “Felix…” Alistair stuttered. “You’re… hideous!”

  “Thank you, Alistair. Your compliments never cease to boost my self-esteem.”

  “Blueck!” Loki scrunched up his nose in disgust.

  Standing before them, Felix’s face was speckled with cuts and bruises. His shirt was torn, and his dark hair was patchy with blood.

  “Felix!” Bronwen cried. “You look awful!”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Well, I did fall out a window, lest we forget. Into bracken, I might add. I think a few cuts and scrapes are to be expected under the circumstances.”

  Alistair recoiled. “But this is horrible. Truly, truly horrible. I hope it heals quickly.”

  “Me, too,” Loki agreed. “It’s terribly unpleasant to look at.”

  “Oh! I’m sorry that I’m such an eyesore,” he shot back. “I’ll be sure to take your feelings into consideration next time I plummet to my would-be death.”

  Bronwen edged closer to him. “Are you in a lot of pain?” she asked.

  “Yes. As a matter of fact, I am. Not to mention my possible scarlet fever and an acute migraine. Thank you, Snow, for having the decency to ask. It’s nice to know that at least one of you isn’t entirely superficial.”

  Loki pulled a revolted face. “It’s hard not to be superficial when your face is right there in front of us. Good god, Felix, I hope it heals. I can’t spend an eternity looking at… that.”

  “Loki,” Alistair scolded him gently. “Be sensitive. Don’t worry, Felix, we will always remember you as you were.”

  “How thoughtful.”

  Felix spun around and stalked up the steps. He marched along the corridor and into the kitchen, where he flopped down at the breakfast table.

  “Bronwen!” he bellowed. “Where is my washing basin?”

  “No need to shout,” she said, calmly walking into the kitchen behind Alistair and Loki. “It’s right there in the sink, where it’s supposed to be.”

  He gave her an intolerant look before stomping to the sink and filling the basin with water. Clumsily, he carried the overflowing basin back to the table and set to work washing his face. In a series of jerky motions, he splashed the water onto his skin. Drops trickled down his neck, staining his collar a pinkish hue.

  Bronwen cringed. “Let me help you,” she offered. She took a clean rag from under the sink and dipped it into the water. Very carefully, she began blotting his face while he winced and grumbled in complaint.

  The cuts weren’t as deep as they’d initially appeared, and were already beginning to heal.

  I wonder if that’s one of the benefits of having dragon’s blood in your veins, Bronwen mused as she worked on a particularly nasty cut.

  “Careful, Snow!” Felix barked, swiping at the cloth in her hand. “You cumbersome oaf!” Then, noticing her scowl, he quickly rephrased. “Thank you, dear,” he summoned reluctantly. “Although I’m quite sure I was doing a perfectly good job of it myself.”

  “I’m sure you were,” she humoured him.

  “By the way,” he added, glancing at the windowsill, “those pinecones look utterly ridiculous. Get them out of here at once—Ow!” He swatted the rag away. “Must you be so cack-handed!”

  Bronwen smiled and pushed the hair from his brow.

  “So,” Felix began, motioning f
or Alistair and Loki to take their seats whilst simultaneously taking jabs at Bronwen’s probing cloth, “I think it’s time we moved on to plan B.”

  Bronwen finished dabbing at a graze on his temple and then wrung the excess water into the basin. “What’s plan B?”

  “Good question,” said Felix. “Anyone got one?”

  Alistair and Loki stared blankly at him.

  “Maybe we should do some research on the Severan,” Bronwen suggested. “You know, find out more about it?”

  Felix laughed heartily. “Okay, Snow,” he drawled. “We’ll just call that plan C. Anyone got any better ideas? Ow!” He shoved the cloth away from his cheek.

  “Actually,” Alistair mused, “perhaps Bronwen is right. After all, we know nothing about this Severan. It couldn’t hurt to find out what we’re up against.”

  Bronwen shot Felix a satisfied smile.

  “But where would we start?” Loki moaned. “It’s not as though we have anyone to ask.”

  “How about the Net?” Bronwen offered.

  The three boys frowned at her.

  “You mean…” Felix hesitated. “No. I don’t think there’s a net in the world big enough to hold this thing.”

  “No,” she chuckled. “The Internet.”

  Again they stared perplexedly at her.

  “Haven’t you ever heard of the Internet?” she asked.

  They looked between one another in confusion. Apparently, hundreds of years of solitude had kept them out of the loop as far as technology was concerned.

  “I’ve got it!” Alistair raised his index finger. “We could find a book! Surely something as powerful as the Severan would be documented somewhere.”

  This idea seemed to please Felix and Loki, and they nodded enthusiastically. A book—finally a word they understood.

  “Right,” Felix mused as he rubbed his chin. “Where can we find a book?”

  They gazed thoughtfully at one another.

  When they came up with nothing, Bronwen intervened again.

  “How about the library?” she said.

  All three boys sprang from their seats.

  “To the library!” Felix declared.