Of Buffy, Ka-im and Cla-ere

[ILLYRIAN]

continued

Or that horrific scream that none of the tourists would ever have chosen to hear, had they been alive or if they had been given the choice. With a flick of its wings it soared high into the sky and flew against the wind to the range of hills known as Old Hobs Hill.
It left the beautiful postcard town, a bloodied burning wreck.

Twenty minutes had passed before Buffy appeared, she gazed at the desolation around her, she called for Ka-im, together they stood, and contemplated what must have happened there.

“This is why I called the meeting I knew that this would happen, but I didn’t know where or when, I’d never have guessed it would be this soon. For what has happened here the whole army is of use and may well be needed, call Goddesses Tianara and Cla-ere to be here.

The one who came here Ka-im, he must have been a leader of one of the Son’s Legions. If all the Son’s followers are here we need to be swift. Before any battles begin ask Tianara to call for the Four Horsemen to be here. To have the trumpeter prepare to sound again, too be ready as what will happen here could so easily go wrong.

The Goddesses Tianara and Cla-ere instantly appeared, they acknowledged she who had called them. They were told that the trumpeter and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse had been called. Buffy stood silent, she thought of what was. Ka-im wanted to know if she was alright, when she looked into her eyes she saw the power of God and of the Devil becoming manifest in her.

“Take the Two Swords, have them on the fields north and west, two miles from the town,” she turned to Tianara, “Have the Four Horsemen fly over the town, northwest to the southeast, have the Riders wait behind the lines to the north I have plans for them.”
As the four horsemen appeared the air was filled with the blast of the trumpeters call, Buffy was pleased.

“Yes that was good the demonic forces will have heard that, they will cheer, they will believe they have won.” Ka-im pointed to crowds of children coming.
“How, where did they came from, why are they here?”
Buffy greeted the thin wisp of a man who led them, he held up his hand and the wooden flute.

“Ka-im, meet the Pied Piper, they are not just children following him, each one is a pet of the Devil, each is a werewolf. Take them to the east, three deep have each change to what they can be, with help from many hands we can now win this day.”
Buffy looked to the sky, she waited for a sign.

“It isn’t yet, we still have the time. Ka-im, go to the south, to the villages where the witches lay, to those whose ancestors were witches, have them all prepare a protection barrier. No humans should be here this day. But it is in their kitchens that I seek to hear of problems.”

Buffy waited until she heard Kaim’s voice in her head. The witches new and old were ready, they waited in a their village halls. Some were preparing tea and sandwiches for the fallen, for after the battle, but their fresh baked bread hadn’t risen and all the milk had just been found to be sour. The televisions seemed to be losing reception and now some are saying their candle flames are growing blue.

“Oh thank you, that is more than what I wanted to hear, they have begun to rise. Have the witches make the protection barrier to the south three miles from the centre of town, I want it to run to the old salt road. Though the salt has faded it’s power should still be there. Have the Riders move to be behind the werewolves but keep them from view.”

Buffy looked to the sky. She whispered to it.
“Now, please, be here now.”
Tianara had Kal-na look up to above the town as darkened storm clouds gathered where she was stood. “They will soon begin to spread, to cover the countryside.”

Winged demons left the safety of the hill, they flew over the roads that led into the town. Then the darkened sky began to turn red. Buffy was happy.
“Now it begins,” her announcement was heard by the Goddess, by Ka-im and the Pied Piper.

Any cars that were still being used were attacked by winged demons, and the occupants killed; hit by the flying demonic hordes that destroyed anything that moved. Police cars that came from the nearby towns that surrounded where they were never reached the now afflicted town. All of them screeched to a halt as several Rider’s appeared and blocked the road.

Even the Air Force had sent two jets, but after the dispatched missiles vanished into the protection barrier, unexploded, the aircraft left. Buffy knew it would be now that the demons thought the town belonged to them. So she and the Goddesses left and waited for all demons to rise so they could raise an attack.

Buffy contacted Ka-im.
“The plans of the attack have changed as there are many more of us than I thought which is good. Of those who are north and west they have begun to move forward. Have the werewolves form a wide gap, have your invisible Riders there.

Many of the demons will be forced there, allow them to escape. But have the Riders follow them then once they are far enough away have the Riders appear, attack and dispatch them.”
Ka-im heard the screams of people in the fields near her, leering demons were chasing them. The Riders called to them, to their only chance of safety or they would all be dead.

Ka-im guided the people to her, to their safety. As Buffy had planned many of the demons had broken free, they flew away, followed by invisible Riders. When far enough away the demons turned only to see the Riders appear; the demons knew their seconds were numbered, as the Riders slammed home the attack.

The side of the hill that children once enjoyed riding their toboggans down on freshly packed snow now only echoed the screams of joy of winged demons, followers of the Son that screamed their joy of being released.

They all saw a single girl, she stood alone in a field. The hordes of demons flew down to her, they expected her to try and escape. She didn’t, she turned and faced them, her clothes changed to reveal she was Buffy the vampire slayer.

The glowing Goddesses and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse blocked all of the demons chances of escape.
The power of God and the Devil that had started to show in Buffy’s eyes was released and the demons above the field were given it all.

The clouds of red and black became home to multitudes of streaks of lightning, the bright flashes in the sky disorientated the winged demons that tried to escape, their attempts to escape failed, just as they did. Darkened clouds became white then quickly faded. Bright sunlight beat down on the demons, their ashes covered the field. And one body was seen there.

The Goddesses looked to the body, Buffy smiled. “I was told of the flame of a candle becoming blue, that body you see, that is Vixana.”

An outside broadcast crew having been told it was safe to go in found that field completely covered in ash, though they didn’t know what the ash was, or why it was there. Though it was there no one ever got near, even if an arm was held into the field the feeling of hate was so intense that none could hold their arm there.

A robot once used for moving bombs had tried to be used but it had been left there. The person who operated it began screaming, he kept screaming. It was discovered that the robot had found where Vixana’s final breath was taken, although only the Generals, the Goddesses, the Two Swords, and Buffy knew of its owner.

She was taken to a special prison made for her. Why only her body survived no one found out. There was something about the field, though it held its secrets well even in the years that followed.
For the rest of that year the burning heat from the sun never caused the grass to wilt, driving rain never made the grass in the field get wet nor would any howling winds cause a grain of dust to stir. Then the grass failed.

Of the farmer who owned that field, because nothing would grow in it, or the fields around it. He was given help. Neither of his young daughters would let him disturb the fairy circles that appeared in the fields around that field not that he would have, for within each circle he found two pieces of gold and a tiny message.
‘Thank you for your help.’

He never knew who left the note or the gold. But on the night of the summer solstice he would sit with his daughters and watch as hundreds of tiny flecks of light flew down into those fairy circles.


To be continued

 

[ILLYRIAN]

continued

AT THE DIG

The sun had risen two hours earlier, two groups of people wandered about on the hill. Those people in the first group were Alison, Brian, Lesley, Phil and Kevin they had allowed for the warmth from the sun to soften the soil on the hill a bit.

The last thing they wanted to do was try and dig through frosty ground. The people in the second group were Nigel and Robert Brahms both groups were from an Archaeological Company in Warwick, they were making the initial scans of the ground on the top of the hill.

The first group were there to dig the areas that the ground scans showed signs where it was hoped that finds would be made. They knew that something would be found but none of them knew, they all hoped that whatever it was that it would be worth their while.

Several months earlier both groups had searched the grounds at Edge Hill, they had hoped to find remains from the site of the first battle of the English civil war. The Roundheads and Cavaliers had fought a battle there in the year sixteen forty two.

They didn’t expect to find anything that held much value or a revelation of what was though the company sought to keep what they found so that displays would help make the company financially sound. In the early morning on the first day as they were testing their equipment the sounds of small metal objects in the ground caused them to get their hopes up, it also caused them to be confused.

When some small metal objects were found, an inspection of those items found they were commonly used on horse saddles some two hundred years later. The ground around there appeared to be affected by the ravishing’s of time, digging into that ground they found a creature that no one had ever found before.

Standing around where they had dug the team were amazed at what had been found; a skeleton of a horse that had wings. There was nothing else in that area. What gave them added interest was a book in a saddle pouch, the writing in the book was unknown to them.

That afternoon a bookshop owner from the town next to Warwick was called in, he was an ex theologian much respected by several denominations he would often have other theologians there. He as fast gaining a reputation of deciphering ancient texts, his name was Allan.

It took him three weeks until he had the name of the books to give to the owners of the archaeological company though he suggested they keep word of the book secret. He had deciphered the name of the book to be the Grand Grimoire, he was confounded by it because a passage spoke of it being the first and only Grimoire; it was stated that the current keeper of the book was Normande de Richiel, and that the book was under the protection of the Kuh-rotan.

Richiel was a supposedly the leader of a group worshipping evil in the third or fourth century BC in a south western province of the lands now known as Germany near the borders of France and Switzerland by the town of Basel.

Subsequent attempts to decipher the book had noted that an amendment was added stating that his Son was imprisoned near Stonehenge and while no date was included for the amendment it was written using ink from an early ball point pen which did give a date, although the date was somewhat ambiguous as ball point pens were dated from eighteen eighty eight.

A few people from that group had erected a site tent near the hill. All the finds at the archaeological site were to be displayed in there. A portion of the tent was allocated for some Warwick university people. A freelance outside broadcast unit had been employed to work there to record as much as was possible for a program.

While they are having a mug of tea in the early afternoon Nigel and Robert the men doing the scans came into the tent. The vertical scans they had made into the ground had shown something. They had asked for an area to be dug at the side of the hill so they could do a few horizontal scans at the area.

Those scans had highlighted something in the ground. What it was they didn’t know, it was a few feet long, it appeared to be eight sided, wider at the bottom and a point at the top. They requested to concentrate the scans there and to have the ground of the side of the hill removed.

Much discussion followed, it was agreed that if further finances could be arranged it would go ahead. After a few phone calls by Alison that evening a team from Oxford university would be sending a group of people to help and gain some experience.

They were due to get there the next morning. A few private investors were found one of them was very generous. So by the latter half of the following afternoon several foot of earth had been scraped from that area on the top of the hill. And much soil was removed from the side of the hill.

Several feet at the top of it was revealed though whatever it was it wasn’t of a known material, it was solid enough but see-through. Many phone calls were made that afternoon and by eight the next morning the army had taken control of removing the earth.

They supplied earthmoving machinery a covered scaffold had been erected to stop any passers by seeing what they had found. The hilltop began to be scraped away by various small mechanical earth moving machines. After each subsequent three foot was removed another series of vertical scans were taken and a couple of horizontal scans done.

By five pm a scan showed that what was found revealed the building to be similar to that of a church, as Alison pointed to the top of it being an eight sided steeple, and that it appeared to get wider the further down it went. As more was uncovered Alison’s comments became increasingly likely.

As Alison herself maintained, it saved them having to proclaim it an ‘other worldly’ construction. However because it had arranged for the army to erect scaffolding around the hill and the screen fixed to the scaffolding it was about nine that evening that the army chiefs decided that an armed presence of twenty men and women needed to be continually maintained twenty four hours a day.

At about midday the following day Alison was notified of what might be two wide steps, and that they could be the top steps of a flight of steps. Brian and Alison decided to have the team from Oxford university to dig down and clear to the bottom of the steps.

During the following few days the structure that the steeple was built on was cleared. And a width of twenty feet around the church was made, a solid yet see through church. Although the steps had been cleared and most of what was thought to be the bottom more was needed to be done.

Two more days of concentrated work was performed by several people to clear where the earth had overflowed into a passage that led underneath the church to another and a very spacious room that was supported with columns.

While the army had been asked to do the security, when the lower room was cleared a few senior officers on behalf of the army had tried to take control of the whole situation. It was at that time though considered more of a religious find than anything the army should be placed in charge of, it was not deemed to be considered a threat to a national threat they were easily removed and replaced very quickly the security arranged by a private firm.

On all the walls in the lower room were markings that Alison maintained could be some form of writing. As the upper building was thought to be some form of church and having worked with the man that owned a bookshop they called him in again. He was after all a teacher of theologians.

He had only been on site for two and a half hours before he told Alison and Brian that most of what was on the wall were nonsensical words. Only one part of the wall did appear to use words that were written the same language as in the book. Though he said to do more work to the area that a good lighting system would be required.

That night a commercial generator was sited and lighting was put in place by the morning. Allan took it upon himself to reposition a couple of the lights that he needed. As it hadn’t been seen before, the area around it had been dark.

When the lights were installed and turned on the mention of the coffin came as a complete surprise that was in the middle of the room. The coffin that was completely devoid of any markings.

Allan knew he would need some help from those who he thought might know on the subject of what was there so in the corner of the room he prayed to Tianara that someone be sent to help him. Two hours later Allan was approached by two people.

“Tianara wasn’t sure how quickly you needed help so the two people she sent were us,” about to say who she was she heard another voice behind her. Allan turned to see who it was and saw another woman walk into the room behind her.

She walked to Willow and Giles and put her hands on their shoulders. “Hello Willow, Giles, how are you?”
Knowing the sound of her voice, knowing who it was without the need to see her, Willow smiled to herself. “Buffy.”

Allan was impressed with Willow. “Do you know her that well?”
“Yes I suppose I do, both of her.”
Willow grinned she turned to face Buffy, “Would you agree?”
Buffy smiled. Allan looked to them. He faced the wall.

To be continued

 

[ILLYRIAN]

continued

“This bit of wall is why I asked for help I don’t understand what is written here, can you help me?” Buffy looked at what was there. It says about the prisoner who is beyond the end of the passage. Don’t touch this wall.”

Allan looked to her. “And I won’t, but who or what is in there?”
Buffy looked to Giles and Willow. “What do the experts say?”
Alison and Brian came into the room. In front of another person, they looked at the people in the room. “Allan, these people could you introduce us? We need to know who they are for the insurances.

If you need to get people in that is okay, but we do need to know who is who.”
“If you do get injured from what is above just say it is his fault.
If you get injured in here, blame me I built this bit,” said Cla-ere.
“I have just asked for Ka-im to be here,” said Buffy.

“Where we are? What do you mean and what do you know of this place?” asked Brian.
Allan looked about the room. “Before you answer that, considering who is about to be here you might need to tell them that,” said Allan.
He looked to Buffy. “Yes,” replied Buffy, “Those about to be here are of his army, if you need to ask whose army think of where you are.”
Alison looked to Brian. “Under a church.”

“Under yes, but where you are standing it is part of this church. And as it is said, a church is the house of God,” Then Buffy quietly for Willow benefit added, “Good thing it isn’t his residence isn’t it?”
Willow grinned. “If we don’t say who they are it will be ten times worse when they get here, and time is an issue here,” she said.

“The person who I have asked to come here is Ka-im she is a General in his army. I wanted her to be here to clarify who is in the prison. Mainly though I will expect to be told who should be in the coffin because I cannot see any reason why the person who is in there is meant to be there,” said Buffy.

Before either Brian or Alison could manage to say anything Ka-im walked into the room the wrap of her battle dress billowed behind her and blocked what light there was from the steps.
“Why is his prison visible for all to see?” she asked.

“That is my fault and I am sorry,” said Allan, “At the last dig site I was asked to help decipher a book that was found, near where I saw and offered to help Tianara, the book said of something being here but not what.

When the markings here were found I was called in again,” said Allan. Cla-ere walked to Alison, she faced her and told her to look at the room they were in and asked her if she had any idea what it was for. Alison could only shrug her shoulders and look apologetic. Buffy faced Ka-im.

“I’m not interested in what is behind that door, from what is written on the wall it is just the Son’s essence. She pointed to the coffin. “That is what I want to know about.”
Ka-im looked down at the coffin then to Cla-ere, she sought permission to talk about it and the contents. “In the coffin is the body of the witch Vixana.”

“My question still stands, though it is more about who is in there now and who is she in there now?”
Ka-im stared at Buffy, she grew visibly angry then turned and flashed her stare at Brian and Alison. Brian stepped back from Ka-im his hands held as surrender. “No one, I promise you no one has done what you said,” he stated.

“Nor me I can think of no one who, though maybe, but I can’t imagine any of them releasing her. When the army tried to take control of everything at this site, they were down here alone. But like I said I doubt they would do that, I doubt they would know how to do that.”
Buffy grinned to her she told her isn’t wouldn’t be that hard if she had the inbuilt ability.

Firstly she would have to get near the coffin, it has protection. Buffy invited Alison to touch the coffin. Alison tentatively stepped towards the coffin but she was unable to get near enough to the coffin to touch it.
“Only a person who shares a link with Vixana can touch the coffin or someone like me who has the power,” said Ka-im.

Buffy told everyone to move back from the coffin a few paces.
“Not you Ka-im, I will need your help in a minute.”
Buffy stepped to the coffin, she placed her hand on it and was replaced by someone from the English army.
Willow crossed the floor to her. “Who are you?”

The woman looked at Willow. “I do not answer to civilians.”
Willow looked to Ka-im. “Please will you change her mind?”
Ka-im vanished and re-appeared several times them appeared right in front of the woman.

“And I only talk with humans if I have to, and right now I have to talk to you. So answer me this, do you want me to take you to meet The Devil. Or would you prefer to answer this. I want your name, where you live and where your family was from,” said Ka-im.
“My name is Sgt. Jeffers, I live at Lynoak Military base but my parents family herald from Pyreworth it’s a small group of houses.”

“What was the time when you came into this room?” asked Kaim.
“I couldn’t give you an exact time but as far as I remember it was during the early hours of this morning,” stated Sgt. Jeffers.
“One more question and believe me if you give me an answer I don’t won’t you will regret it. Now place your hand on the coffin and repeat after me.. ..,” said Ka-im.

As soon as Sgt. Jeffers touched the coffin she was replaced by Buffy who quickly looked to Ka-im.
“Did she tell you what we needed to know?” asked Buffy.
“She did, but I don’t recognise the name of the village her family was from we need to go there now she needs to be found, and she needs to be found now,” stated Ka-im.

Buffy smiled, so she has links with Pyreworth does she? That is a name that holds a great mystery, no one knows what happened there. How all the people of Pyreworth were killed then people from the surrounding villages were invited to be there by Vixana, no reason is known why those people were allowed to live there.

It must be that an ancestor of Sgt. Jeffers was one of those who Vixana invited to live there. A quick search of the woman’s hidden memories gave Vixana the name of the village, a name of the village that she instantly recognised; Pyreworth. She remembered a time that she had gone there with her sister.

At that point of time Pyreworth was the main town of the area. To keep the army a strong deterrent to invading forces at the same time each year a band of soldiers would go to each of the surrounding villages, seeking men of good health who looked fit enough to be in the army.

That year it was different, an army of six hundred men had gone to each village. They took any man who was the right age to be a soldier. Two or three villages had tried to hide several of their men, that didn’t stop the army it did naught but make the matters worse. The soldiers attacked those villages and rounded up all the villagers.

They asked every man they found too join the army, any man who said no was killed. All the younger fitter and prettier women were taken as play things for the soldiers. All the children and old people were killed. Unfortunately for them a lot of the villager’s animals were slaughtered.

One or two of the villages were completely wiped from the map and the huts burned to the ground.
Vixana and her sister had heard of that armies plan to attack Ashwordly so they went to meet them. Vixana and her sister were feared names by any that had heard of them, and at that time Vixana’s sister had taken to wear only black clothing.

Of the two of the them it was debatable which one was the most evil; they could both kill a person just by thinking or by looking at the person. And on that day that is what Vixana is said to have done to all six hundred of the army, she just looked at them.

Several villagers who were in the fields had recognised the sisters, they saw them walk from there. And as those people soon discovered, none of those men died because of a weapon forged by man, in fact none of them had any wounds.
But that wasn’t all they did, Vixana and her sister the Figure in Black kept going to the town of Pyreworth and set free all those people who had been captured from the villages.

Vixana and her sister took great delight in removing all the living people from the town of Pyreworth. The people of the villages that was destroyed were told by Vixana that they could live there.
Of the Ashwordly Witches Vixana and Figure in Black were written of in the Domesday Book of ten eighty six.

Of what they had done rumours spread about them, in the year four ninety three when the farmers from other nearby towns tried to take the lands from the Ashwordly farmers. For some unknown reason the attacking farmers died during the night.

To be continued

 

[ILLYRIAN]

continued

The result was that the Ashwordly farmers gained more land. One parcel of land was the Ashwordly Whichery Woods.
Dark grey clouds floated overhead, a thunderstorm gathered momentum. A woman stepped from the church that had just appeared near a small lake in the middle of the woods. Dressed all in black she looked about but she saw no one in the woods.

“I felt as though a visitor was in these woods,” said Figure in Black. She took a few steps more but she could not see anyone so she turned back to the church just in time to see a pretty young woman walks from there.
“Well I’ll be,” said the Figure in Black.

“I know I have been gone a long time, I was held in a prison. So is there anything of interest here now?” asked Vixana.
In those surroundings and in the presence of her sister Vixana felt comfortable enough to be as she was known. Her pretty blonde hair changed to become like straw.

Her pretty dress faded to appear like an old hessian sack cloth and a long walking stick appears in her hand. Her body bent over like an old woman’s, and her skin began to be old and wrinkly. The Figure in Black smiled.
“That’s more like the sister I know,” they hugged each other, “And you are just in time the girls will be rising soon.”

Brenda sat at her desk in the drama class, she looked at her watch and saw it was about time. She closed her books and put them in order on the desk ready for the next day. She looked outside to the sign on the lawn. Ashwordly college. Brenda waved to get the lecturers attention.

“Excuse me it is getting close to the time I need to be going.”
The lecturer acknowledged her he told her of the upcoming play the college and asked if she would arrange for her and those like her to do their usual performance. Brenda was impressed to hear the play was the one she liked the most; Macbeth.

Leaving the room she wandered through the halls and passages of the college until she reached the main exit, walking through the doors she went onto the lawn and stood by the bench seat, she leant on it. Stood near them she faced the main doors, she looked at her watch and waited for the end of day bells.

It wasn’t long after hearing the ringing that people started to walk from the college. Stood by the railings she waited for others of the coven to approach her, one by one a small group of people began to congregate near her. Gavin, David, Susan, Lisa, Beth, Bryan, Angharad and John. People who wanted to join the coven knew to greet her then move away.

A girl who carried her bible for all to see walked by them, she heard Brenda welcome John. “I thought you witches always greeted each other with blessed be?”
Brenda glared to her.
“None of this coven are that sort of witch.”

Another group of students were stood nearby as Brenda led the group passed them to where their cars were parked. As Brenda got into her car many others who had waited by their cars did the same. A girl put her bible on the passenger seat of her car, she watched as a long line of thirty or more cars from the college followed her.

At the car park for the Whichery Woods any space where a car could fit was used, except for the spaces for the witches cars. Many of the spectators had gone into the field around the woods.
As Brenda drove into the parking area those who waited stepped back and gave them room.

She opened the boot lid of her car and gave a robe and a staff to each of her coven; They went to the field and waited.
When they were together Brenda led them single file to the woods she stopped near the woods while they all caught up. She looked to each of them, she wanted to be sure they were closer together. Purposely Brenda put a foot into the woods and a bell began to toll.

“That is a warning to all who are buried here.”
She led them along the path into the woods, as soon as they were all inside the woods the Figure in Black let Vixana know. They looked down at the bare ground, Vixana smiled to the ground. “Soon my dears, soon.” Figure in Black and Vixana went back to be near the front of the church. She told the black shapes to rise from the ground and stop anyone else from entering the woods.

Some of the braver students from the college ran to enter woods as the four little black shapeless shapes appeared on the path, they block the way into the woods. Their eyes of fire gleamed as they were seen. They taunted the students.

“Oh please keep coming, please it will be so much fun to play with you.
“Yes, yes, come on it will be great fun, for us,” taunted another.
Gavin, one of the braver people from the college stepped forwards. He asked the shapes to tell them who said they could play with him.

“Our step-mum did, she has just returned from the prison that was made for our father.” Vixana appeared just behind the black shapes and she asked them. “Are you taunting them my dears?” One of the willowy black shapes grinned to her. “Yes but I promise I’ll stop, if they let us play with them.”
Their bravado gone, the students turned and ran. Flames erupted around the shapes, the flames got bigger then those flames and the black shapes vanished.

Brenda led the members of the coven towards the church. The Figure in Black floated towards her, stopped and pointed to a junction of two paths. Brenda stopped, looked at her and where she pointed, she led the coven to the patch of dead ground.

“We need go to where the paths meet. Two more will leave with us when we are ready to go. They are Monica and Jessica.”
The coven walked to where Brenda had said. They all looked at the barren ground there.
“This is the place, this is where they are buried.” Brenda looked about at where they were, at all the dead ground by them.

“There is another grave here, it is said to be that of their mother, but it is empty now.”
The resident had already returned from her grave. Stood on the dead ground Brenda held her arms wide, she slowly turned about. The others formed a circle around the graves and around Brenda. The members of coven focused their power on Brenda and send their power to her.

Brenda added that to her power, she directed it all at the graves. When the earth on Monica’s grave was seen to be being pushed up, as the pile of soil gets so big and wide that it falls to the sides. A couple of the members John and David break the circle and begin to claw the soil. As Monica’s fingers are first seen John touches them, they both move the soil from above Monica’s head, when her forearm is seen David and John began to pull Monica up.

They cleared the soil away from her to aid her as she rose from the grave. Helped to be stood by her grave Beth Lisa and Brenda brushed the soil from her torso. Gavin and Bryan began to clear the ground away from above Jessica’s grave, with four of them to help Jessica was soon on the ground.

As had been done in the centuries before Brenda handed them each a heavy brown hooded robe just like the one she wore with a golden rope to tie about their waists to keep it closed. It was there partly there to keep their identity hidden partly to help her vanity. Brenda stepped back as Figure in Black came to be in front of them, Brenda gave space as another walked toward them.
“Welcome back girls, you’ll have until tomorrow night to settle in, then we can begin plans for your revenge,” said Vixana.

The crowd stepped back from the track to allow them room as they walked in single file from the woods, as the last of them left the woods the tilling of the bell stopped, the line of witches went to where the cars were.

Only one of those watching, Samantha, a student from Ashwordly college saw what had been done by the witches, as she explained to her friends. When Brenda led the witches into the woods there was nine of them but when she led them out, in single file again, there was eleven in the line. Several other theories were given by other people it was agreed by many that two people were already there, in the woods.

That was the favourite theory and considered to be the truth until Samantha suggested they look at the footwear. “As most people taking a fashion degree will tell you, two of them wore shoes that would have been worn over two and a half centuries ago.” Samantha’s reasoning silenced the crowd then there were questions about why someone from that age would be brought back to life. All was well though no one could answer the questions, until Samantha questioned the questions.

“Never mind why, tell me how they were brought back to life.
And given the time that they could have been from the witch hunts were probably the reason they were in the ground so if they are back for any reason it’ll likely be to seek revenge on any descendent of their accuser. Given the power that was used to bring them back to life, the power the witches have and the knowledge of the dark side of magic, I hope I’m not a descendant.”

She looked at their faces and added the killer punch, then add to that
About today being All Hallows Eve the day that the dead are said to return to life, though the church may not agree I’d say it’s the day the dead are returned to life. Even pagans have differing beliefs some say the dead come back for a few hours, some say for the night some maintain it is until the first day of spring.

When Samantha got home she got onto her computer, seeing what was written about the Ashwordly witches on the internet. The only ones mentioned were the last two hung. It was said they couldn’t be killed that their ability of regeneration scared the torturers away. The day they were hung was All Hallows Eve in seventeen seventy two.


To be continued

 

[ILLYRIAN]

continued

DEATH BY WHITE NOISE

Monica and Jessica had gone to Brenda’s house they suggested ways of working their way down the list of descendants. Though neither Monica or Jessica would have thought their accuser could have had that many descendants they looked to each other amazed, and as Monica said. “When she accused us she only had one child.”

Brenda took out her calculator and showed Monica and Jessica how a line of descendants could be created. If a new child is born on the twenty fifth birthday of each girl and she has two kids, calculate that to two hundred and forty years and you have five hundred and two families that could be descended from her. Monica and Jessica smiled and rubbed their hands at the thought of that many to choose from.

“Are there that many ways to get rid of them?” Jessica asked.
Time has been a great help to you, mankind will to kill each other has helped a rifle may have killed a person two hundred paces away now a days some rifles can kill at a mile away with pin point accuracy. It depends what you are like, are you the sort of person who is happy to know they have gone or do you want to watch the person die. Brenda looked at them.

“My favourite way at the moment is to use E.V.P. coming a close second is using Brazil nuts to poison the person, but that way you only get one at a time.”
“What is this E.V.P.?” asked Monica

“E.V.P. means Electronic Voice Phenomena when instead of being tuned to receive a set signal all you get is what is called white noise.”
Brenda turned the television on and detuned one of the stations. “There that is white noise. If you are lucky you might hear a voice of a dead person but with a television it is possible to receive the visual image of a dead person,” said Brenda.

Imagining with glee the torment that would be caused to a person, both the sisters agreed. They couldn’t wait to give it a go that way.
“So E.V.P. it is,” said Brenda.
“Plans need to be made, first, if we rent a big house near to that our targets house, a house a few houses away. Wait for the person to go out then set the house up ready, to place the camera’s and remote controls.

Once everything is ready we can abduct his wife and children then send a message to have him pay for their return.”
Monica was impressed that they were making a start, but she wanted to know more though she was pleasantly surprised when Brenda said that a few of the sisters might be joining them.

A house was rented near to where the man and his family lived. The father had just spent most of the families money to finance a big robbery so Brenda knew the first part of the plan would work. As the children were being picked up at school they and the mother were abducted on their way home.

They were held in the basement of the rented house, and a message was sent to the father with it what the ransom was. Knowing full well he couldn’t pay on time he was sent another message after the payment was due, that they had been killed.

Monica and Jessica were confused. “As we have taken the family why are they still in the basement when the father is about to be told they are dead, do I get to kill any of them?” asked Monica.
“No,” replied Brenda.
“So, does Jessica get to kill any?”
“No.”

“Does anyone get to kill any of them?” asked Monica.
“No, none of us do and that is the best bit, all we do is record what the children and the mother are saying. We replay choice comments on the white noise, that way the father thinks they are dead, that their spirits are talking to him. Now soon they will start to blame him for their not being freed,” said Brenda.

“I get you,” said Jessica, “We get to watch him think he is responsible for their deaths, that EVP thing is kept being used to remind him. The enjoyment is us watching him drive himself mad.”
“That is the one,” said Brenda, “Watch this.”

The day came that he was supposed to pay the ransom, Brenda had already prepared the reply, she sent it to him with a video. She put on the recording of the children talking amongst themselves with a video recording of them with the Figure in Black in the background.

“Why didn’t daddy pay to get us home, didn’t he want us anymore?” said the eldest child, the youngest began crying.
Brenda smiled to Jessica. “That was worth more than what we could do. How he will put himself on trial, he’ll be his judge and jury and in time he’ll be his executioner. It will be so much fun to watch. As long as he doesn’t kill himself before we press the button.”

“You two can keep watching him while the rest of us make him suffer and take this as our birthday presents to you.”
Figure in Black appeared in the psychic of Ashwordly’s front room. Judith looked to her she wanted to know what brought her there. Figure in Black looked troubled.

“I was making the recordings of the family of who Brenda, Monica and Jessica have abducted and I found out that the man has an adopted sister whose family isn’t quite right. I’ll need you to find out what is wrong.”
Judith thought about it, she couldn’t understand why she had been requested to find out about the family. She had always gone to her if she needed any help.

“The recordings I made, I became aware that something wasn’t quite right, how the mother spoke of her children, even about the number of children,” said Figure in Black.
So I went to find out about the man’s family she paid attention to the mother. It was when the children comforted the mother that Judith knew something was wrong.

The woman referred to her eldest being in a coma not that they were abducted. Taking her best opportunity to redirect some of the camera’s in the house that Judith became confused. Why was the woman in the family photographs not of the woman in the basement. Judith told the Figure in Black her findings.

It was when Judith started to investigate deeper that more things seemed out of place. The mother kept making comments that were wrong. Several times the mother said things that Judith couldn’t find a reason for.

Of those times she had spoken of how her eldest daughter was and how her youngest daughter would cope without her being there. With cameras placed in each room and hallway his every position was being monitored. No sleeping moment was ignored as with the television being turned on, their voices could be heard.

To be continued

 

[ILLYRIAN]

continued

But it wasn’t just the voices he heard, the television would also let him see them staring at him. Figure in Black and Judith asked why the mother never spoke of the children’s father as her husband. It was on the third night that the daughter of the man said about their mother watching over her sister’s daughter.

Judith had gone to Swandar in secret, to try and find out more about the adopted sister. She found that only one family had two daughters and that the eldest had mysteriously slipped into a coma. No reason was given why nor was any known.

So it was discovered that the person at the house was not the mother, that person was her sister. Judith called Figure in Black to help her find out what was happening. Judith told Figure in Black what she had found out.

They both sought help from the dead to find the girl. Only one being came to their aid, and that being only helped them because they were sisters of Vixana. The person revealed to them that the body of the girl in the coma was being protected the guards of the Goddesses Tianara and Cla-ere.

When the being found out that the mother of the girl had been abducted the being laughed at them, it asked them if they were inviting Gods army to kill them off. Judith tried to explain that they didn’t know what the girl had to do with the abduction.

Judith explained that she was asked to find out. The being explained it had been a follower of their sisters, that she would have helped if she could but that time was passed. It said Vixana needed to escape or hide or be willing to go back to her prison.

The girl in the come was Kaelyn, that she was in a coma because she who was in God’s army had been called, and that she was Buffy. If it had been noted that the mother hadn’t been at Kal’s bed the General Ka-im would have started a search.

Vixana was told by Figure in Black what had been found out. Vixana called to meet Brenda, Monica and Jessica. It was explained to the three young witches about the predicament they had accidentally been placed in. Vixana said that they didn’t know if the Two Swords knew of them or what they were doing but they would find out before long.

Vixana told them to forget about what they were doing, to clean any loose ends and end what they were doing. With regards to the mother in the basement she suggested they tell her of her daughter to try and be seen to be nice to her, if it wasn’t too late for that.

Vixana said they could always return another day but to get the intended victim and not anyone else. As it was she would try and keep the Two Swords from them so that their revenge could be sought. And that they should decide what to do quickly. Brenda said they would do as she had said, that she had sought where to go next.

A second cousin of the man would be the target. Brenda said that they could get out of Evesham and remove all trace of them being there. Monica and Jessica were understanding of the situation but upset because their revenge was not going as planned.

Vixana had decided to go to her first home that she remembered, the cave that lay on the lands beyond the garden gate. As she thought of the lawn of lush green grass beneath her feet she appeared as she walked on it.

She even smiled as she approached the garden gate, opening it she took a few steps in then closed the gate behind her. She looked to her left at the fairy circle in the woods. She saw the fairies recognise her and scatter.

“There is no need to run away, not now,” said Vixana to no one in particular. She went to her cave and accepted the touch of warmth that warmed her hands by the black flame of her candle.

Mr. and Mrs. Weisse were sat at the kitchen table sharing a quiet few moments together Mr. Weisse faced the kitchen window as it seemed to unlocked then the window opened and a small body flew through the space onto the table.

“Queen T’lucyan! What is so wrong that you need to be here?” asked Mrs. Weisse.
“I have grave news, foreboding news, very disturbing news. I was in the forest circle with those I know when we all scattered, now I have no ideas where they are, all of my people have gone, stated Queen T’lucyan.”

“Why what happened?” asked Mr. Weisse.
“I actually saw her, here, not a minute ago she just came in through the gate. I kept my distance from her but I did follow her again, I flew passed her cave to make sure and I saw that the candles flame, it was a very dark black. Vixana has returned.”

Mrs. Weisse looked to her husband, shocked, scared.
“Call them!” she screamed to her husband. She ran to the kitchen door closely followed by her husband, he called to her telling her that the Goddesses he had called for them.

The Goddesses appeared by the garden gate just as Mr. Wisse caught up with his wife. As the Goddesses made themselves visible to them.
“Stop, why do you need to go in there, why did you call for us?” asked the Goddess Tianara.

“Vixana has been seen by Queen T’lucyan, in the garden,” said Mr. Weisse, “She returned by herself.”
“Ka-im will be notified but for now leave this to us,” said Goddess Tianara. “We will take her from here, the coffin in the prison awaits her return,” said Goddess Cla-ere.

Alison was at the top of the steps, she turned to Allan.
“What just happened, how did I get to be here, wasn’t I just deciphering the text on the wall?”

“That was a good ten minutes ago; the Goddesses were here with an escaped prisoner. They found that Vixana’s power had grown so they put her in the body of the church and the essence of the Son in the coffin. The search for her three sisters will have to begin again.”
“Why was I moved from down there?” asked Alison.

“The Goddesses needed to make sure that no human accidentally releases what was in the coffin again,” said Allan, “Also to that they have added another building at the end of the prison for when the coven Vixana started is found, just in case and we are not to find it.”

Alison looked down the steps.
“Something needs to be done here to stop people.” “It has, they were going to cover it with colour but thought people with inquiring minds might want to see so they left it clear.”
Allan stepped on to the space above the steps, it was as if he walked on air.

To be continued

 

[ILLYRIAN]

continued

GHOSTS TO SEALS IN TEN

Willow had said to Giles that she wanted to go to an old stage coach Inn as a ghost tour held there had been recommended to her by Linda. Giles liked the idea and saw it as a chance to get in Willow’s good books. But by the time he said to Willow that he would pay for her.

Willow had offered to pay for Linda to go on the tour, so Giles found himself in a situation where he had to offer to pay for Linda as well; now he had to pay for three people.

As the tour was to start at nine thirty in the morning and they arrived there a bit earlier as Giles expected there to be some time that he could spend to read up on any material about the tour and the history of the Inn; unfortunately there wasn’t anything.

So they found themselves with longer to wait than expected. Then they were told that the owner was going to be a bit late, they waited in the reception area as it was too early to go to the bar to get a decent drink.

Giles looked at his watch when they were twenty minutes late starting the tour. Linda tried to help pass the time a bit of time when she explained about the actress. That she was in a documentary that she and Adrian had made. Linda said that the actress had eagerly recommended the tour, not that it helped Giles as he wasn’t overly impressed about having to wait for the tour to start.

He looked at the magazines there but decided not to read them as they were last year’s issues. So they sat and waited, Giles looked about the room, his gaze was fixed oh the sign for the place; The Three Horses Inn and the Inn’s curator Miss Fischer.

Giles thought about the name of the inn, it seemed curious. He couldn’t imagine a stage coach that would be pulled by three horses. He asked Linda if she knew what they could expect to see there. Linda wasn’t too sure that any of them thought would get to see a ghost, maybe they’d hear of where a cold wind had been felt or where some white smoke had been seen.

But they were hopeful, and they were still talking about the chances of seeing a ghost when they were approached by a middle aged silver haired man.
“I’m sorry that you have had to wait but my wife is running a bit late, she asked me to do the tour for her, so here I am. My name is Mr. Robert Saunders.

Willow stood up, she was glad the tour was about to start. “At last,” she muttered to Giles.
“What can we expect? The usual musty smells, or more?” asked Linda.

Mr. Saunders was a little embarrassed, he tried to explain that it is hard to say because some ghosts there don’t do as people would like, but you never know. The ghosts do like meeting and new company is generally welcomed as they like to make contact.”

He pointed through to the bar.
“What is in there?” asked Willow before he had a chance to say.
“In there is your first part of the tour, you might even get your first encounter there. But that depends on the ghosts some of them do like to have fun so they can be a bit temperamental.

Sometimes all the ghosts are seen by a tour but it could be that none are seen, some tours see many ghosts but some of our tours only see one or two.”
Linda looked to Mr. Saunders she studied his face.

Had he just said the truth or was it that he tried to protect himself. She needed him to give a positive reply because she had recommended the tour to Willow so to hear that all they might see was a bit of smoke on mirrors wasn’t enough.

“What do you want me to say, it all depends. It could be if the ghost likes the guide, it might be who is on the tour, there might be someone famous near and they all went there to wave to the celebrity,” said Mr. Saunders.
“About the ghosts who haunt the bar how many do you know of,” asked Giles.

“Some, a few, it’s hard to say for sure. There is Julish though, now she is a beautiful girl who likes to look her best for the clientele, she is quite often seen serving the beer by herself. There is an elderly gentleman that sits at a table eating a meal. Over by the door there are two men in heavy cloaks.”

“Is anything known of any of them, or all of them?” asked Linda.
“Julish came here by stage coach late one night, but she didn’t have enough money for a room. The landlady at the time was nice and said she could work here to pay for her lodgings.

How she died, where she died or even why no one knows, but it is said she met her betrothed and soon after that they were wed, although that was after they both had died. The gentleman who ate the food he died here, he choked on a lump of gristle.

I think that as funny as he was a wealthy land owner, a farmer who sold his animals to the town’s butcher who sold the animal meat to here. Some have said that the animal wanted its revenge, though I think they were joking, at least I hope they were joking.

If not that would be a bloody good reason to be vegetarian. As for the two hooded men, no one knows. They could have been women on the run or highwaymen who stopped for a drink who knows, but if we are guessing I could say he was someone famous who didn’t want his presence known.”

Willow looked at the walls of the Inn.
“So tell me Mr. Saunders what can be told about this place?”
“According to the local history, my great grandmother was an owner, her sisters were smugglers, though they never came here. She had a child here and on occasions you’ll hear a babies cries, but there is no proof it is her child, though, and this I find intriguing the babies pitiful cries are distressing to me.”

“Mr. Saunders, I feel that something is here. Though it isn’t in here but whatever it is it does call to me,” said Willow.
“So do you know much about the next part of the Inn we are going to?” asked Giles.
Mr. Saunders looked about.

“As for what part of the Inn to go to next that will depend on you, do you want to see the scary stuff first or last?”
Willow thought about it, a smile lit her eyes, she said that she would prefer the excitement.

“Then follow me, we need to go outside and go across the courtyard to go into the old scullery, that isn’t a scary place as such but it can be. Not for what the place is but for what is in there, weird things have been known to happen in there.”

He opened a door to the courtyard then guided the first of them through. Willow held the door for Linda and herself, after Linda had passed her Willow noticed that where she held the door it was getting very cold, though she saw no one near she heard the voice of a young woman.

“Please miss, say hello to Buffy and Ka-im, remember me to them.”
Willow turned but saw no one though she said out loud that she would but she wanted to know who asked her, and how she knew of Ka-im and Buffy.

“She is the Vampire Slayer miss.”
Willow cautiously looked about, it was as if the Inn itself groaned at the mention of the name. Willow felt the edge of the door become room temperature again.

She looked to Mr. Saunders and realised he could be right, it might get very weird down there. She went to the scullery and looked at all of the doors locks. Mr. Saunders noticed the way she looked at them.
“In there is the weird and quite thought provoking, sometimes it is down-right scary, so please be careful.”

He unlocked the locks on the scullery door then turned to each of them.
“About these three locks, we have to put them on it’s a requirement they are here to protect the innocent and anyone who tries to break in,” he said.

He opened the door, Samuel was about to look inside when he was pulled back by Mr. Saunders.
“Why would you do that, I said be careful. I’m not talking up what happens in there mainly because I don’t have to. But I won’t talk it down, do not go in until I have said it is safe to go in, I need to warn you what to expect in there,” he said.

“What could be so scary?” asked Giles.
“I think we should all listen to him, I just heard a ghost by the door to the bar,” said Willow.
“Really and what did she say that would make you think like that?”

“She wanted me to pass on a message to some friends of Giles and I, a new friend and someone who has replaced a friend.” Willow looked straight to Giles.
“Oh, do you mean? Yes, then I agree.” Giles looked to the scullery.

“So Giles, there is more going on here and if he says don’t go in until it is safe, I’d take his word for it, I have a healthy respect for what is here, and for who is here,” said Willow.
Mr. Saunders told them to look down at the scullery wall, to the potted flowers that were in a line there.

“These are gifts for one of the ghosts in the scullery I hope it is a ghost that’s in there these flowers there is one for each of us, and you’ll have to put it in the scullery yourself. You’ll know if it’s safe for you to go inside as the flower will be accepted.”

“And what happens if the flower isn’t accepted but you go in anyway?” asked Giles.
“That is simple, should you offer a gift and if it doesn’t accepted and yet you still go in, don’t expect to get out, ever. I’m not saying that whatever it is that is in there will kill you, it’s just that you’ll never be seen or heard of ever again. You’ll never get out.”

“Well I’m not a gambler,” said Linda and put one of the potted plants inside the door.
“Even with those three locks there, if it is that dangerous in there, why would you even allow this to be included in the tour?” asked Giles.

“The Scullery isn’t in the official tour it is an optional extra that is reserved for the knowledgeable, those members of an official ghost hunters club are allowed to go in. When it was being deliberated on some judge suggested that we brick the doorway in.

It was suggested that he do it. One thing led to another and I was told to put those locks on the door. As it was those locks were difficult enough locks to put on but because the right people had to be here as the door doesn’t appear for everyone,” he looked thoughtfully at Willow, “Only for some people, hmm.”

Willow saw the way he looked to her.
“Are you flirting with me,” she asked, “Or are you just being extra nice to me?”
Smiling to her, he motioned for Willow to look behind.
“Is that who you meant before.”

Willow turned and looked at a young woman who walked from where she was at the door to the bar.
“I will stay here and I’ll watch to make sure you come out again miss,” said Julish.

“I think I am right,” said Willow, “Were you a barmaid here, the polite way you say miss makes me think that and if so was your name Julish?”
Willow saw her smile, returned the smile she raised a hand in front, and daintily waved to her.

To be continued

 

[ILLYRIAN]

continued

“Giles, a warning, it is best if you understand exactly what is going to happen in there. If you do go in there will be no insurance, it is an insurance company stipulation.” Giles signaled his agreement.

“When we do get in there do as I say.”
Mr. Saunders put a plant inside the door for each of them except Linda.
He held Linda’s hand, as she stepped inside all light vanished for her, even the blackness had life for it was like an oily black.
Still holding her hand he put a flower inside the door and the blackness went.

At his suggestion Willow and Giles were to enter next.

“Weird huh,” he said to Linda. They went down to the bottom step.
“Now, to the left there is a sink that is full of pots and pans and behind you is,” they looked at the stone wall, “That is where you used a door to get in here,” said Mr. Saunders.

“Also if you look to wall at the end of the kitchen through the open doorway you can see there is another room, but that room isn’t there where you see the room is the boundary wall. Next is the preparation room, and that is the way out of the Scullery,” added Mr. Saunders.

Willow put a plant into the scullery, one for her and one for Giles.
Then went into the preparation room when they were all in the room wet blood was seen as it dripped down on the four walls, from one spot on each wall. It came from a rock. “Before anyone says about the blood, it isn’t seen very often. No one knows why it is seen at all,” said Mr. Saunders.

“There is no point to clean the walls, but we do clean the glass window every now and then, and before you say anything about that.”
“Where is the way out?” asked Giles.
“As I was about to say, that is the way out,” added Mr. Saunders.

“Linda if you’d be so kind take a step to the right please.”
A window and door appeared on the wall.
“And if you notice, you can see outside into the courtyard.”
Mr. Saunders looked about the room.

“This is where the animals were killed hence it being called the preparation room.”
A babies screams echoed in the room. Willow looked about, she suggested that the baby wanted attention.

“If it wasn’t a ghost I would,” replied Mr. Saunders
“I’m not sure,” said Willow, “I want to know if all the ghosts you know of at the Inn have been mentioned and if so who’s face is the ghost in the window?”

Mr. Saunders looked to the window that was on the courtyard wall. Willow pointed to the wall behind them.
“I meant that window,” she said.
“Nice,” said Mr. Saunders as he looked at it. “Another window I’ve never seen that one, I have no idea who it is, although.”

As the babies screams faded so did the ghost.
“Okay, that is another ghost that I need to add to the list, now it is almost time to go into the courtyard, but first can someone go into the scullery?” he asked.

Giles went into the room and stood there.
“Mr. Saunders, what am I looking for?”
Mr. Saunders asked him what was in the sink.
“The sink is empty, why, oh,” said Giles.

As they stepped out of the preparation room into the courtyard the ghost of a woman walked by them.
“Now she was once the owner here, I like to refer to her as my great grandmother.”

“Well that was good I’ve seen three ghosts here, that is a lot better than I thought, plus with the Inn itself being a ghost. Why do I think that though, was there a reason why?” asked Willow.

“I’d like to know why we had a morning tour,” asked Linda, “Most places do a night tour.”
“That is what I asked for, as tonight we’ll be at another hotel speaking of which I’d best give them a ring, to confirm the booking.”

“Which hotel is it?” aske Mr. Saunders
“The Watersview Hotel,” said Giles.
“I know of that one, it is a good one and it’s only fifteen minutes away. You’ll feel quite at home there, they had a sighting the other day. Two people saw a ghost in their room, they were not impressed,” said Mr. Saunders.

He went to Willow. “Something you should know, what happened here was just me having a bit of fun. I didn’t do it to upset you, honest.”
All was quiet.

Giles looked around for Mr. Saunders but he couldn’t see him anywhere. Willow saw a middle aged woman who was approaching them from the bar, the woman called to them. She walked up to Willow.

“I am so sorry I am late, I had a puncture. I am Miss Fischer, the owner.”
Willow smiled to her.
“That is alright, your husband took us.”
Miss Fischer looked to Willow. “Who? In case you didn’t notice it my name is Miss Fischer, that is miss as in I’m not married.

“Oh, he did say he was Mr. Robert Saunders I never even thought of the miss thing, I guess we were so glad to be doing the tour,” said Willow.

“I do know of a Mr. Robert Saunders here, he is married to, his wife puts up with a lot for some unknown reason. I think it is a joke between them, he calls her his great grandmother. He died in the cellar a hundred years ago but he didn’t work here. He was an owner here, his wife was said to be a smuggler.

Is this a first for you I dare say it doesn’t happen very often. Given that you had a ghost tour, and the guide was a ghost,” stated Miss Fischer.


Giles steered the car to a parking bay at the Watersview Hotel’s car parking area.
“I know what the name of this place is, I thought it might be nice but look at it, it’s a bit posh here isn’t it why are we here,” asked Willow. She looked at all the hotels lights.

“This place does look like a quality place,” said Linda.
Giles got out of the car he went around the front of the car to the passenger door and opened it for Willow and Linda to get out.
“He is trying to be a right gentleman to you,” said Linda.

“I made the booking yesterday, it seemed like a nice place to come to after the ghost tour we had near here recently,” said Giles. Willow looked to Linda. “What does he mean?”

“He must mean the Three Horses Inn, that is near here,” replied Linda.
Ka-im appeared and opened the rear door, Buffy appeared just behind her as she got out of the car. She smiled to Willow then looked at the hotel.

“Well there’s a thing, he takes you to a posh hotel and then he opens the car door for you,” said Ka-im.
Buffy went and stood away from the cars, she licked her middle finger and held it up as if testing the direction of the wind, she looked to Willow.

“That was it, that was what Kal said to you, get a room you two.”
Willow blushed.
“Buffy, how could you? Isn’t that what Kal said to me?” Giles looked at Buffy.
“Do you share Kal’s memories?”

“You could have stayed in the car, now my Giles will have to pay for you.” Willow poked the tip of her tongue to Buffy.
Giles looked at Willow, how he wanted to be like her. She and Buffy were such good friends.

They could have a laugh with each other not that he was jealous. He stared at the car door, maybe Willow saw Kal in Buffy or, he didn’t know.

Whenever he looked to Buffy he saw his friend Kal, he wanted to join in the joking with her but he thought better of it, he turned to go to the hotel.

Ka-im held his shoulder, Willow believes that Kal and Buffy is one person that by being friends with one the other will know.
Going towards the main entrance Linda ran past him.

“Hey Giles, look at that, I’ve always wanted to have a go in one,” shouted Linda, “They’ve got a revolving door here.” She ran into the door going around twice, each time she had been about she stated to him. “Great fun isn’t it?”

Giles tried to ignore her, he went to the reception desk hoping to be seen quickly so that he could go to their room and ignore Linda. But the receptionist who came to greet them wasn’t quick enough. The memory of that door spinning around with Linda shouting weeeeee was etched on his mind.

“Good evening welcome to The Watersview Hotel, my name is Antoinette, do you have a booking sir?”
“We did but it was for three people, but these two decided to be early,” said Giles.

“Does he mean us Buffy?” asked Ka-im.
“You know I think he does,” replied Buffy.
“Tell you what, are you okay to share a room with me? ‘Cos that’ll reduce the price.”

Buffy smiled to Antoinette. “But we are just good friends, really. Come to think of it though if we do share and Linda has a room to herself that’ll mean Giles only has to pay for three rooms.”
Buffy grinned pointedly to Willow.

Giles tried not to grin. He told Antoinette that they were part of the Swandar Ghost Hunters Club. Antoinette leant forward, she spoke quietly.

“Thank God, we have waited for someone to get here a deal with the ghost? If you don’t mind can you keep any mentions of any ghostly stuff a bit quiet, we don’t want the other customers to get scared. I have no doubt that some of them would use it as an excuse to leave.”

“I think you have got us confused with someone else, we didn’t know about a ghost until you told us,” said Linda.

“Giles, when we took that ghost tour at the Three Horse Inn, didn’t they say something about a real ghost being here? Mind you that was a good tour it was the first haunted tour I’ve been on that was conducted by a ghost.”

To be continued

 

[ILLYRIAN]

continued

“What, Mr. Saunders was a ghost?” asked Linda.
“Yes, the owner is Miss Fischer, she told me that he was married that he called his wife his great grandmother,” said Willow.

“I didn’t know that,” admitted Linda.
Antoinette leant forward to them again. “That’s just a bit too loud, some of the other guests are looking at us.”
“What can you tell us about the ghost here.”

“One was last seen, about thirty minutes ago.”
“I’m actually looking forward to this one all that ghost building stuff it’d be nice to see a person again. Windows and walls that appear that’s not me.”

“Good thing you didn’t get to hear about the horses,” said Ka-im.
Willow looked to them. “Horses, is that how the place got its name?”
“It wasn’t because of a stagecoach,” said Ka-im.

“Why was it then?” asked Willow.
“Just think of Death and where the other horsemen met while they searched for her.”

Antoinette tried to apologise not really knowing what they meant.
“I thought you were here for the ghost.”
“Well we weren’t, sorry,” said Ka-im.
“Trouble is, we go to a hotel that turns out to have a problem. A ghost problem, that’s like, a coincidence?” stated Buffy.

“So about this ghost, where is the ghost from, why is the here,” asked Giles.
“I don’t know, no one’s asked the ghost, but if you’d care to follow me I’ll take you there now,” replied Antoinette.

Leading the way, she did her best to ignore the gaggle of jokes behind her. Several times Samuel had tried to walk passed her she was tempted to speak to him, then realised he was trying to avoid the jokes as well.

Antoinette stopped and opened a door.
“This room is that the ghost has been seen in.”
Willow saw that Ka-im was looking grim.
“What is it?” she asked.

Ka-im looked solemnly about the room.
“I can feel the tremors in the air left by the ghosts but there is something or maybe someone else here. It feels occult, not a dark occult but occult of the high order.”

She went to look out the window, and looked to Antoinette.
“Why would a ghost want to be in this room, has it been here long?”
Antoinette went to the coffee table she picked up a Hotel’s brochure.

“This brochure will tell you the story of the extensions that have been added recently. Which rooms were added and what rooms were here before. There was a forest nearby but the edge was far enough away so that no tree was disturbed, come to think of it there was, a path there but we thought only animals used it.”

Willow watched as Ka-im and Buffy paced the room, it seemed as though they were measuring it.
“There were six rooms added at each end of the Hotel, when the work was finished a fire exit was added.”

“Was that when the ghost was first seen?” asked Willow.
“It was a month or so, so yes,” replied Antoinette.
“About the forest path, where does it go to?” asked Willow.

“There is a path but I don’t know where to, no one has followed it through the forest yet.”
Antoinette went to the door, turning.

“Before you do go Antoinette, can we talk to each other for a minute or two.” Ka-im looked out of the window. “Did a path pass through where this room, that might explain about the ghost being here. Willow, have a look in the bathroom please.”

Willow went and stood in the bathroom, as soon as she was there she heard the running of water, she realised that someone was in the shower.

“Sorry,” said Willow, “I’ll come back when you have finished.”
About to leave the room, a naked woman stepped through the shower screen. As her skin dried her clothes appeared on her. She walked through the wall to the bed behind where Antoinette was standing.

Willow ran into the room, she indicated the ghost.
“Antoinette, tell me, what would you do if you saw a ghost?” asked Giles, then he stood and waited for her reply.

“I don’t know I’ve never seen one. I’m not sure if I should be afraid, after all a ghost is just a person who is dead.”
She sat on the end of the bed.

“We did have medium here yesterday he said that the ghost is a man, either a smuggler or a pirate.”
“I’d suggest you don’t bother calling that medium again, he really was useless.

The ghost is a woman and I’m not just saying that I can prove that, as long as you are okay with seeing a ghost.”

“As long as I’m not here too for much longer, I ought to get back to work,” said Antoinette.
“You can see for yourself right now if you want, the ghost is behind you.”

Antoinette turned to face the ghost, she watched as Willow invited the ghost to sit down. Giles looked at the ghost.
“Mariatha, my name is Mariatha.”

She quietly looked about the room.
“How did you know I was about to ask you that?” asked Giles.
“Sorry, I am Kaim this is Willow, Giles, Linda, Antoinette works here and she is Buffy.

We were told you’re a smuggler or a pirate, personally I’d say a smuggler. Which one is it, and what would cause you to come here, are you by yourself?”

“I was a smuggler, but I am not alone my sister Julienne is also here. We have been searching the forest for our other sister, we lost her near here a long time ago. We had just taken some small barrels to a public house over the hill.”

Ka-im looked to Mariatha.
“So this sister if she is here, can you ask her to be here please.”
Mariatha smiled and Julienne appeared, she smiled to her sister.

“What is it, why call me here?” She faced Ka-im and became surprised. “Maraitha, what has happened? Why is a General of the Two Swords here?”

“Like your sister just said of herself Julienne, I am not alone. Another like me is here and if you know of me you will know of her, though why you know of either of us that I don’t know,” said Ka-im.

Julienne faced the forest. “Out there in the depths of the forest there are three horses. I have heard people on them; talking. They have said of another, that is how I knew of you.”

“That other they spoke of was it Death?”
Buffy stepped forward. “I am Buffy, I doubt you will see them again, the one in whose footsteps I follow has returned.”

“Yes, yes of course!” Willow exclaimed, “Now I see it, Mariatha, Julienne. The sister you seek, I know where she is and I know she is a ghost, that her husband and child are there, if you want I can tell you where.”

“Who do you mean?” asked Giles.
“Mr. Robert Saunders is the father, Miss Fischer said he married there that his wife was a smuggler. Also when we heard the baby crying, when the cries stopped the ghost I saw in the preparation room faded, I believe she’s the daughter.

Though I would ask of you to give my regards to Julish, she is the ghosts of a bar maid there. Tell her that you have seen Ka-im,” she looked to Buffy.

Willow looked to Ka-im amd Buffy. “Though how she knows of you I have no idea.”
Ka-im looked around the room, she glanced to Willow. “Yet the feeling I have remains and now it is stronger,”

Ka-im’s eyes grew wider, “I have just called for the Goddesses Tianara and Cla-ere to be here. They will want to see Faith.”
Buffy looked at Antoinette; she dropped to her knees.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” she said.
Antoinette was stunned she had no idea why Buffy was now knelt like that at her feet.
“Why you might ask?” asked Willow, “She’s Antoinette, the receptionist here.”

“Willow,” said Buffy, “Listen to me, I am not wrong though her name is Antoinette now. At the beginning of time her name was Faith, God himself will be pleased that she has been found.”

Flashes of light invaded the room, Ka-im drew wide the curtains as multiple groups of streaked lightning flashed between the clouds, Linda ran to the window to see the night become as day; all the colours were gone there was now only white.

Tianara and Claere appeared, they touched Antoinette’s shoulder and disappeared.
“What was that for?” asked Buffy, “I didn’t expect as much as that, when the last of the seals has been found maybe, but not for the first of them.”

“She was not the first, the Four Horsemen and her are five. The one said to be hope you have met, her name was Holly Marie she was the leader of one army when her army joined another’s, they became the Two Swords.

And the sixth one was with us though her name was another. So now the Seven Seals are as one, ready and waiting for us to find and free the souls, Buffy,” said Ka-im.

To be continued

 

[ILLYRIAN]

continued

THE SOULS OF THE DEAD

Having wandered over many lands Buffy and Ka-im wondered where it was that they should go to next. Where the Souls of the Dead could be or who watched over them, it was an elusive task as they were tired after four weeks of searching thinking about what was next.

Neither of them knew where to go to next as they had no more new ideas.
“I still have that place, but it seemed wrong so I didn’t say it but now I’m thinking we might as well,” stated Kal-na.
“Where is it?” asked Ka-im.

“My mind keeps taking me back to the same place, where Death was keeping the army, could that be the place?” she asked.
“Well why not, of all the places we have looked so far it does have the right qualities.

If it is the right place the gargoyles would not have gone there and the vampires would never go into there not when they know they would have to pass an army of werewolves,” said Ka-im.

Buffy looked to her and agreed
“When you say it like that, it does sound the place to look,” said Buffy.
She and Ka-im sat on their charges and flew to near the foot of the hill.

Getting off the winged creatures they walked to where Georgina had said the hill opened. Buffy and Ka-im looked at the hillside.
“How do we get in?” asked Ka-im.
Death appeared next to them.

“I think I know why you are here but that is my thought telling me that, I want to know what your reason for being here is?”
“A feeling, just a feeling that what is here is what we are searching for,” said Buffy.

“We have looked in many places and in all of those places we didn’t find what we looked for. All we found was more failure. This place we came to not because it was planned, not because all the signs pointed to here but because of instinct,” said Ka-im.

“And those reasons are good, the reasons for coming here. But neither of you have told me what you want to find. I know what is here and where here those thing are. So why not tell me what it is you want to find, is your reason for not telling me that you want all the glory of being those who found what you seek yourselves?” asked Death.

“Finding them is what counts, being one who looked is enough. That what we seek are The Souls of the Dead,” said Buffy.
“We seek no glory, only the freedom for them,” added Ka-im.

Death tipped her head to them then slowly waved her arm in an arc towards the side of the hill. “After you.”
A part of the side of the hill opened, a cave became apparent to them.

Death followed them as they marched beyond the entrance and into a passage where tunnels went at right angles to further passages. At each junction they looked behind to Death, and at each junction Death pointed straight on.

The cave began to grow until the dimensions were so vast that they walked along the floor of a cavern going still further. Even after they saw the sides of the cavern became closer until they walked into a passage filled with darkness, one that neither of them saw its end.

“This is wrong, the hill we saw was a small hill, a glorified mound that we are still walking on a path,” said Ka-im. But Death knew where she was and when she told them to stop neither Buffy nor Ka-im knew where they were.

“This is the end of that passage,” said Death.
They stood there at the end of that passage and looked into complete darkness. As their eyes became accustomed to the dark a glimmer of light could be seen at one end.

Buffy asked if that was the way to go but Death’s reply was that they should go the opposite way.
“Are you sure we have to go away from the light, at least we would be able to see where we are going,” said Ka-im.

“You are sure of that are you?” asked Death, “Tell me Ka-im when you look to the light what can you see halfway.” Ka-im looked to the light, only to see that she would be halfway to the light.

“If what you seek cannot be found, maybe it is hidden. If it is hidden where would it be hidden best. In the light or where it cannot be seen; in the dark?” said Death. Death did not hear an answer.

“Right then we go this way, but if the passing of time could mean you are closer to where you want to be think of this. Consider that even though I have no eyes how do you suppose I can lead you?”

They followed where Death led for another minute or so.
“Now where we are going is near,” said Death as Buffy and Ka-im bumped into something they did not see.

Ka-im felt in front of her what she described as a door handle. She felt the shape of it, it was not round but elongated so she tried to push it down the she tried to pull it up; nothing happened.

“Where would you suppose we are, given you were led here by me? Do you think that any of my domains obey the rules of heaven, hell or earth? Though one thing is here that was copied from earth, have either of you ever heard the saying when is a door not a door.”

“I have, the answer is apparent only when thought is added to the question. A door is a boundary between one place and another but if the door is open should it still be called a door.

Should it only be said that the door is ajar. If so and that is the answer the way to open what is here is not as a door but as a jar, that being so,” said Ka-im.

Ka-im held the handle though this time instead of just pushing the handle down she then pulled it and it turned around. What was in front of her vanished, with that which held the darkness in gone all Ka-im saw in front of her was light.

Death asked Buffy to describe what she could see and what she had seen. Buffy took a moment to clear her thoughts.
“We came through a passage that led into a tunnel that only had light at one end.

If that light had life I could understand it for it seemed to look the other way. Though I saw the light it did not see me. Then we were led away from the light into the darkness where Ka-im opened a door that brought us here into this landscape.

Light is here but there is no sun in the sky. In front of us is a field of long grass but when pushed by the wind looks more like the waves on a lake,” said Buffy.

Ka-im watched as the long grass moved with the wind, after watching it for a while. “I agree the long grass does move like water when blown by the wind.”
Death waved her hand across her body and the field of grass was a lake.

“As you just said, like water,” said Death.
Ka-im looked to Death, Death lifted back her hood uncovering her skull. “If you could see me and my skull was a face would you see that I grinned or smiled.

Why you are here why I have led you here will soon be revealed.”
She led them forward to the edge of the lake. Of what you are to face you will need each other’s support.

Death began to smile, Buffy and Ka-im could feel her start to smile.
“Ka-im I want you to walk into the water until you are waist deep. Then say how you feel?” asked Death.

Ka-im did as she was told, she slowly walked into the water and stopped as soon as the water reached her waist, “I feel good, though I expected the water to be cold it isn’t. It feels as though the water is touching me but not as water should, she turned to face Death.

“Now what?” Ka-im looked about, “Why did you want me here?”
“In the lake is your second sword, it has been protecting the souls of the dead. As the Goddess Tianara once said to Grevoth and Holly Marie the second sword cannot be used, for that sword has the power.”

“And they are all safe?” asked Ka-im.
Death faced Ka-im.
“Thanks to you two, yes. The Son, his protectors and his followers they have been killed.

When the souls leave here they will go into the tunnel, to the light at its end that will guide them home. Now you need to look to the middle of the lake and put your hand on the hilt of your sword.” For the Souls feel the safety here, they will only go home should the sword be removed.”

“Then what should we do?” asked Buffy.
“Ka-im I want you to look to the middle of the lake,” Death shouted, “Ka-im the General of the Riders, she of the Two Swords stands here, waist deep in these waters.”

Rising up out of the water in the middle of the lake was the blade of a sword, it rose up until it was all seen above the surface of the water. Lying flat on the water it floated straight towards Ka-im then it stopped. Ka-im stretched to reach the sword.

“No, stay as you are Ka-im, do not reach in front of you, lay your own sword in front of you, rest it on both your hands, one at each end of it.”

Doing as she was told Ka-im called to them that she felt the weight of another sword in her second sheath though she was holding her sword.
“Now Ka-im put your own sword in its sheath and you will have two swords. Call out to the middle of the lake, say that you now have the two swords.”

Death looked to her she waited while Ka-im thanked the waters.
“Come back onto the land, I want you to stand between us.”
Death smiled to them both.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable Ka-im was forced to step back, a breeze of warmth passed through her. She looked to the water of the lake as it began to churn.
Many small gusts of wind began to pass through the three of them, for several hours they felt the gusts going through them. Several times Buffy glanced about as the breezes sounded like people talking. Then all was quiet.

“What was that?” asked Ka-im, “I felt good, very good but what were they?” Death looked to her.
“What you saw, each one of the grasses you saw was a soul of the dead and those small breezes, the waves of the water were the souls of the dead finally knowing safety they were allowed to go home.

If you look at the lake what you thought was water was the souls of the dead. And though your sheath has the second sword, you cannot touch it as it is the power.”
“That the Son never attacked you in anything but his own form and why Buffy and the Goddesses were able to defeat him so easily. All those times the souls had protection from him, the souls were always safe from him.”

“Now is the time I need to say farewell. Buffy, given the choice I would choose much more time with you,” she stared at her, “I will go to join the other Seven Seals ready to protect the next souls who come,” said Death.

She shrugged her shoulders then she disappeared.
“Well Ka-im that is the same for me, I’ve done what was asked of me as well. I know what I have to do now.”
And Buffy was gone.

Ka-im stood there by herself, it was the first time she felt so alone.

To be continued

 

[ILLYRIAN]

continued

KAL IS RETURNED

Buffy had known her time was almost at an end, even knowing that she she had patiently kept going waiting for the end to present itself. And it had but she knew there was one thing she had to do, that she wanted to do, looked forward to the time she would do it.

As she walked through the graveyard she saw Willow and the other members of the Swandar Ghost Hunters club waiting patiently by an open grave.

Not wanting to disturb them she kept a good distance away from them though when she saw that Willow had seen her she waved. Willow waved back and after excusing herself from the members of the club she ran to be with Buffy.

She wanted it explained to her, how if she and Kal were of the same body how could one of them be dead? Buffy agreed with her that they were of the same body.

Buffy smiled and said that no-one else had questioned her about that, if they had they’d get same response that she was about to get. Kal had to die in order to release her from the body.

Buffy grinned as she told her that she had brought Kal back to life because if she was to live then Kal had to as well, that it was part of the plan. What would be the point of his army having to save mankind if to do it one of mankind had to die?

As Buffy said to Willow, who was it that said Kal was dead it wasn’t one of them, it was a human.
“I broke Kal’s arm when I was called, now that I’ve done what was required of me I’ll go and have a rest.”

Willow still didn’t understand it, she wanted to know more.
“Why are you here I don’t understand, what is happening?” asked Willow. Buffy hugged her.

“It is like this, you and your friends, where you are stood waiting. There is no point waiting there.”
Willow stared at her, absolutely surprised her eyes widened.
“Oh! When?”

Buffy told her to wait for about thirty minutes. Willow hugged her then was running back to the grave, she was so happy she didn’t even allow Buffy to finish. Buffy smiled as she watched her run.

Buffy walked into the morgue’s viewing room, she looked about to make sure no one else was there. The room had many coffins but only one was open. She looked at the nameplate on the coffin, Kaellyn Nataniella.

Buffy stood by the open coffin, she looked down at Kal’s motionless body, she smiled to her.
“So here we are again.”
Buffy smiled to Kal’s cold body.

“One day we are going to have to stop meeting like this. One day we’ll have to meet when you are awake, I’d like that.”
Buffy reached into the coffin, she gently brushed a few hairs from Kal’s ear then she touched her forehead.

“Get what rest you can little one, for you the time to rise is soon,” said Buffy. She had to look behind her as a glow of light filled the room.

Buffy looked to the light as Cla-ere stood before her. Buffy asked if she was there to help Kal on her way back. Cla-ere said that was not why she was there, that although Vixana was back where she belonged the coven that she formed was still active and could pose a serious threat to a peaceful stability.

Cla-ere said it was her will and Ka-im’s that the three of them should be together.
Buffy thought a while, she would be happy to remain but as she told Cla-ere she was raised from obscurity to do a job and that job had been done.

The souls of the dead had been freed and they have gone to where they should be.
“If there is more to be done then she would have to speak to him to ask for his permission,” said Buffy.

Cla-ere replied that God would be asked though she said that Tianara should be the one to ask him.
Buffy looked into Kal’s coffin, she saw that Kal needed to be revived, that the body needs it.

Also as Buffy said to Cla-ere if the body does begin to fade then so will she. And it is Kal’s body even if she would disagree with you.
“What that makes me I’ll let God decide, I don’t see myself as Kal’s soul nor do I see myself as her spirit.

More that I am the spirit of mankind and right now the spirit of mankind needs to be allowed to be led back to the best of health.”
Buffy watched as Cla-ere’s body began to glow and fade, Buffy allowed her physical form to fade and the transparent shape that was her began to merge into Kal.

Only five minutes had passed before the Morgue’s officer Mr. Barkley came into the room, he looked about, gathered a cloth and a can of furniture polish. He began to give Kal’s coffin a good clean as the coffin was due to be taken ready for the burial ceremony soon.

The attendant looked at Kal’s dead body, he did a last minute check on the clothes she wore.
“You’ll be pleased to know they did do a good job of your make-up, you do look good.

And very life like, even though you are not. I don’t know if you knew this but when you were on the ward upstairs in the hospital, someone had marked your progress charts ‘that you weren’t to come here until your arm was repaired.’ They never did find out who ordered it or why, still,” said Mr. Barkley.

He looked at her open eyes and saw her eyes were beginning to dry so he closed her eyelids.
“I didn’t like doing that to you, with your eyes open you look like you belong here.”

Kal’s eyelids opened while he was looking at her.
“What the bloody hell!” he exclaimed, “Dead bodies don’t do that.”

He looked at her eyes again and as he watched her pupils began to move side to side, then she blinked.
“Oh crap! You have got to be joking!”

He ran from the room to his office, he quickly looked at the numbers in his address book for the phone number. In his panic he couldn’t find the number so he rang for the hospitals receptionist. She contacted the ward for him.

After a quick explanation of who he was. “I need to speak to someone, anyone who is in charge of the ward at the moment,” stated Mr. Barkley
As he waited he heard voices near the phone. “Hello? Mr. Barkley is that you, it’s Dr. Fitzwilliams here, what is wrong?”

“Thank God it’s you, you understand me better than most people do. I was talking to the body as I usually do, you know how I like to treat the dead bodies as real people. It helps me if I allow them some dignity you know what I’m like.”

“Yes, I know, I also know you waffle on a bit. So just tell me as succinctly as you can what it is?”
“It was while I talked to her body, and this is exactly what happened. I saw that her eyes were dry and as I didn’t have any fluid at the time I closed her eyes.

Thing is they opened straight away, I figured it could have just been a muscle contraction so I closed her eyelids again. That is when it happened, I saw her pupils move side to side and not just one move, several moves.

So I ran here, to my office and now I’m ringing you to tell you that.”
As he waited for a reaction from Dr. Fitzwilliams Kal walked into the office and sat down. She looked to Mr. Barkley and smiled.

“Oh my good grief what is going on? Hello Dr. Fitzwilliams? The girl I am telling you about, well she just walked into my office. As I am speaking to you she is sat opposite me.”
Mr. Barkley looked at his watch.

“And they are due to collect her in fifteen minutes and the burial ceremony is due to start ten minutes after that. So can you get someone down here and fast. I want the death certificate rescinded.”
The Morgue’s officer looked at Kal.

“I am so glad you were not cremated,” he said.
Kal looked to him and grinned, she stood up, turned and went into the doorway. She leant against the door frame and smiled.

“Who cares what they wanted to do, so what if I was too be cremated, even if I was to be buried?
My name is Kal,
in me is vampire slayer,
I cannot die.”

To be continued

 

[ILLYRIAN]

continued

SEARCH FOR THE SISTERS

Ka-im came to rest within sight of the castle at Pyreworth. It was close enough for her to feel and to follow the latent powers in the ground, evidence of the powerful witches that had once passed that way. Quite amazed by the strength that those witches must have had she followed that feeling towards the town of Ashwordly.

The closer she got to the town the more evident the feeling became, it was apparent that many other powerful witches once roamed the lands there. Ka-im followed the lines of power until she was stood opposite the Ashwordly College.

She looked at the gates trying to understand why she could sense such a strong presence. Ka-im even considered if the fabled ley lines could be the favoured routes of witches. Ka-im was so caught up in her thoughts she missed the arrival of the Goddess Cla-ere.

Suddenly aware that someone was stood near to her Ka-im turned to look. She gratefully acknowledged Cla-ere’s presence. “What is here was here has left a considerable path for me to follow, it feels good to have your company though I hoped that Buffy would be here,” said Ka-im.

Cla-ere told Ka-im that Buffy couldn’t be with them until Kal’s body had been sufficiently revived.
“So what have you discovered and what do you plan to do first?”
Ka-im tried to explain that she had only just tracked the witch to where they were stood.

That she had only stopped there as the power she felt was strongest between there and a short distance back along the road. Cla-ere asked to be shown the other place, it took only a minute or two to walk to where Ka-im had meant.

“I know this house, I’ve seen it in my dreams. I didn’t understand why it was in my dreams and I still don’t but at least I know where it is now,” said Cla-ere. Ka-im and Cla-ere went to stand at the gate that led to the front door of the house.

There was a great deal of foot traffic at the front of the house.
“I wonder if the rest of the town is as rife with witches as I feel here, or is it that everywhere in the town we go we’ll feel the essence of witches,” stated Cla-ere.

They went back towards the college gates although Cla-ere said that they’d have to go back to the house as she felt herself being drawn there. They continued to walk past the college, they followed where their instincts had them go.

They kept going out of town until they walked by a road side car park, they stopped when they had almost passed it. “Now we have two places of interest, which one would you like to go to first?” asked Ka-im.

As they went back to the psychic’s house Ka-im began to ponder why it was that they knew nothing of the witches there. I’ve been at one end of town and beyond the other end and I feel witches everywhere.

“Good point, that makes you wonder what they were doing,” said Cla-ere. They walked towards the door of the psychic’s house. As they got on the steps by the front door they stopped.

“Now I remember, when I was first interested about Vixana, when I saw this house in those dreams I never connected the two things, seeing this house in a dream while I was trying to find out about Vixana? The towns people might know this house as where the town’s psychic lived but what if she has more to do with Vixana.

It wouldn’t be such a surprise to find out that the psychic here is a sister to Vixana and that makes the psychic a witch.
“Put your hands on the wall of the house, can you feel the vibrations?” asked Cla-ere.

Ka-im did as Cla-ere suggested then stepped back from the house, she looked at the house and wondered what that could mean.
“What could make the building reverberate like that and why have you started to get so serious?”
“In an unspoken history of this world Ka-im, it is said that Vixana was created by God, she was an early mistake an unknown mistake. Because of that the Devil’s Son and her became the best of friends. The Son taught Vixana how to create a person, and Vixana was thought to have created three sisters.

As God created the four horsemen it was feared the Son created a balance but, it was never known what,” said Cla-ere.
“Consider that the Son didn’t make the balance, what if it was Vixana who created the balance; her three sisters and her. I just hope they didn’t realise what, like Vixana. She didn’t know what she was,” said Ka-im.

Cla-ere didn’t know or understand what Ka-im meant.

“The four of them,” Ka-im looked straight into Cla-ere’s eyes, “God’s creation was to save the world. So the four sisters, they might be the four Succubus,” said Ka-im.

Cla-ere looked along the path to the road. Two others have recently been here, neither of those two were witches. They may have just been here to see the psychic. “What brought them here, if we find them we may find the sisters.”

“Yes, but they are not here now. I’ll call down two unicorns, we can search a wider area from up there,” said Ka-im.
Two days later and a hundred miles away Ka-im and Cla-ere stood outside a police station in a suburb just inside the northern reaches of greater London.

Ka-im asked Cla-ere if she could feel them there. “Do you know who they are?” Cla-ere looked at the building.
“They are here, we need to go inside and find detective Susan Torrente and detective Belinda Jacks,” said Cla-ere.

“Leave it to me,” said Ka-im she led the way into the police station where she asked the duty officer if they could see Det. Torrente and Det. Jacks. Cla-ere told the duty officer they wanted to see them about a visit they made to the psychic in Ashwordly.

They sat down and waited. After a reasonably short wait a woman police constable came to them. She told them that she was there to take them to see the office they were in. Detectives Torrente and Jacks were waiting to meet them in detective Jacks office.

“What can we do for you?” asked Det. Torrente.
Ka-im waited until the uniformed officer had left. She faced the two detectives and said she wanted to know why they had gone to see Judith Bridger in the town of Ashwordly recently.

“We want to know what you wanted to know?” asked Cla-ere.
Detective Jacks laughed. “So who are you, why do you want to know and why do you want to know what we were doing?”
Ka-im replied that they only wanted to know if they went to see her as a psychic.

“As the psychic,” replied Det. Jacks, “But we’d need to know more about you before we expand on why we went to see her. Not that we found out what we went there for, even though we had a time to meet her she wasn’t in.”

Cla-ere stepped towards the desk. “Okay, as you were there to see her in the capacity of her being a psychic I can help you.” She looked at each of them. She looked to Ka-im and whispered to her. Then she faced detective Torrente.

“She who you went to is not a true psychic in the fullest form of the word, but I am. I will tell you why you were there. There was a message in a newspaper that you want to find an answer to. And given time I’ll tell you the question and answer it,” said Cla-ere.

“Time is at a premium, it is thought we might be facing terrorist act, we went to her for help to find what they are planning,” said Det. Jacks.

“From beneath the seat will come the power, as the waters rise the waters will sink and rise again. Has anyone considered that you are doing isn’t about any terrorist activity, it is for a big robbery in the city?” asked Cla-ere.

“It hasn’t been, we could pass that on if you have anything to say why you think that?” asked Det. Jacks.
Cla-ere looked at the detectives, she thought for a moment.
“The message seems quite straight forward enough to me.

The first part is a repeat of history; the Gunpowder plot, an explosion to kill the King of England and his heirs when he opened the government, it was sat in the room above the explosion. ‘From beneath the seat will come the power.’ A bomb made from gunpowder.

They were going to use about a hundred times to much gunpowder before. This time they want to cause as much damage as possible to the houses of parliament and the surrounding buildings. By exploding the bomb during a king tide with the boom gates up they could flood part of the city.

The next part of the message refers to the underground rail, by blowing a gaping hole above a railway line the Thames would flood into the system and any low lying stations would get flooded. All police, the ambulances and fire brigades would need to be utilized so they could do the robbery in peace.

“That is your problem solved now let’s do ours,” said Cla-ere, “To do a large robbery what would be needed?”
“Okay I’ll go along with that,” said Det. Jacks.
“I’ll have them check under the houses of parliament for a bomb,” said Det. Torrente.

To be continued

 

[ILLYRIAN]

continued

"Remember to check under where the Queen will be sat, and that the bomb is actual gunpowder, it'll be disguised as something big."
Detective Jacks started making notes about what types of robberies it could be, she noted that there was an art exhibition where works of art were being presented from other countries.

Ka-im wondered if any notable figures of the world of crime had been involved in any incidents during the last few days.
"Yes," replied Det. Jacks, "A known financier of large crimes was killed in Evesham, odd case that."

"Does he have a relative in the same or a similar line of work?" asked Ka-im.
"You could try Ralph Winters he lives near Fouteur Kestrel, actually he deals with art, we will see who he has been in contact with," said Det. Jacks.

"That sounds right for us and.. oh.. I hope you can keep a secret because you are about to be a witness to something very.. .."
A massive pure white light filled the room. The Goddess Tianara walked to Cla-ere and made herself known to her, Ka-im looked about. "Why is it still so bright, I can hardly see anything."

"He is here, Buffy will be returned soon but with greater power while at rest the power of the souls was returned to their rightful destinations. Buffy will be returned with power beyond belief because what was said about the four Succubus is the truth. Find them," said Goddess Tianara.

She vanished, and the bright light began to fade. Before the detectives could ask more questions Ka-im said that a descendant of a woman who had accused two young women of being witches, and now two hundred and fifty years later they want revenge.

Detective Jacks found the story hard to believe but more so when she was told that two witches had been resurrected nearly three hundred years after they had been killed. She was doubtful about the story being the truth.

Undaunted Ka-im continued to tell her that they had helped the police and now that help was being sought. So if the information they sought was found there was two ways to contact them. One way is to go to church and pray, ask that the message be sent to the Goddess Cla-ere. The other way was to ring this number and ask for Allan or Willow.

Ka-im and Cla-ere appeared on the stretch of land known as Nomansland Common, near Wheathapstead. As they stood looking onto the tract of land they were joined by Buffy but as her power was so great no one could see her. Ka-im shielded her eyes. "I knew it was you Buffy but I cannot see you."

Buffy held Ka-im's hand and saw the glow on her hand. She withdrew the power into her body: and the glow faded.
Willow appeared. "Okay," she said as she looked about, "Where am I and why am I here?"

Ka-im pointed into the Common. "A friend of mine is sometimes seen here, while Buffy and I go to see about another relic that will be of use. I would like you to say hello to her for me. I don't think she can help us but it would be rude to be so near and not to pass on my greetings to her.

I do see it as important that you announce my presence, Cla-ere will stay with you."
Willow looked to Cla-ere then at the Common. "I think I ought to know some more, you want me to say hello to your friend, that is okay. I will but to be left here where I seem to need the company of a Goddess that makes me feel a bit uncomfortable."

Ka-im tried to smile, but she was more than just a little embarrassed.
"Sorry, about my friend, her name is Katherine Ferrers, although her title is Lady Katherine Ferrers. She has haunted these grounds since sixteen sixty. If you can be friends with her it'd be a feather in your cap as the ghost is of the person who was one of the few highwaywomen in England.

Buffy and I are going to see if a specific object was left at the four hills town in Cumbria. It will be helpful in locating where any of the Succubus are.

As Ka-im and Buffy were about to leave Willow received a phone call from detective Torrente she waved them to wait. Detective Torrenre said that while checking the telephone usage of the family they found that the father had been in touch several times with a second cousin; Nigel Beard.

He was an art dealer who was thought responsible for a few art thefts and that he lived on a sheep farm near the Welsh town of Herrllecht. Willow told Ka-im about him and asked if she could help. Cla-ere suggested that they wait there for as long as they could she should then she should go to help Allan until it was known to be safe for them.

Buffy and Ka-im had gone to watch the farm where Nigel Beard lived, they had only been there an hour before two of Vixana's sisters Judith and Deborah were seen to be watching the house in Brenda's car.

Ka-im called for more twenty more Riders to position themselves around the outskirts of the farm, to watch for any signs that other witches were there.
It was a bit less than two hours later that the car began to drive away with the witches in it.

Willow contacted Ka-im, they had met Lady Ferrers and made friends. Katherine had mentioned about strange activity at a farm near one of her old hiding places. That the farm was owned by a Ralph Winters who owned an art gallery in London, she said it looked as if he was planning to have some art at his farm.

Buffy and Ka-im agreed to go there, arriving at just after daybreak. They found that Nigel Beard had stayed the last two nights at the premises, so all was looking good. They placed a message on the mind of the weakest in the coven and waited for the witches to go there.

Willow suggested the others be located behind any incoming witches so that those could be trapped if need be. Tianara and Cla-ere joined Buffy and Ka-im in a watch of the farm house, they all sat at one of the old hiding places of Katherine Ferrers.

The hours passed before they had company; Vixana's three sisters were seen together. The Goddesses Tianara and Cla-ere created the Sphere of a Silver Rainbow behind the car. As they were Succubus they could be held in the sphere, they were pulled from the car by the power of the sphere.

The Sphere was taken to the mound, the prison. Getting Brenda and the coven was easy thanks to the easily placed message. Three hundred of the Riders followed the rest of the witches they tightened the noose on them without any of the witches having any suspicion they were in a trap.

The witches had gone into the courtyard of the farmhouse before they discovered they were in a trap, Brenda with Monica and Jessica tried to run away but were stopped by three lines of Riders.
The witches faced the battle dressed soldiers of the Two Swords they stepped back as the Riders began to start to circle them.

Other witches faced to the sides and behind them only to see more Riders had formed three complete circles about them. The Riders began to walk around them. The light produced from them tightened on the witches.

The circles of light that held the now blind witches sped up into the sky. Another four groups of witches found themselves caught the same way.




Allan, Alison and Brian stood across the field by the stones of Stonehenge and took photographs of the mound. Brian fitted the camera to a tripod for a timed group shot. As he stood with the group Buffy appeared.

"Why are you here?" asked Allan.
"Three more witches have been given coffins the rest of them had lived to long though no one knew it, so they had a debt to God that had to be repaid, I released their souls," said Buffy.

"And that is all you are doing here?" asked Allan.
Buffy looked at him and what he appeared to be doing.
"What are you taking a photograph of?"
Allen said that they knew the scaffolding was in the way but they all knew what was behind it.

"That mound of earth?" asked Buffy.
"Of course?" Allan turned around to point at the scaffolding but it wasn't there. All that was there was a grass covered mound.


THE END