‘How do you know Diarmuid?’ Emma replied, shaking her hand as Lana wandered off.
Agnes smiled. ‘He came in earlier to try to heal the wounded. He’s got quite a talent, that boy.’
Smiling, Emma nodded. ‘I know.’
‘He told me about you while he was healing some of them.’
‘Oh?’
‘Yes, he believes you share the same talent, you know?’
‘I wish,’ Emma said.
The nurse put her hand on Emma’s arm. ‘You do. I can tell. Perhaps you’d like to volunteer for a little while. We could always use soothing hands.’
‘I… I’d like that Agnes, but first do you mind if I go and see my classmates?’
‘Of course, go ahead.’
Emma followed Lana to the nearest bed, where Ava sat propped up by pillows, drinking something that clearly tasted horrible.
‘Hey, Ava, how are you feeling?’ asked Lana.
‘Lost, confused, in pain,’ she whispered, lowering the cup from her lips. ‘Sorry, I just feel terrible about all this.’
‘I know.’
‘I just don’t understand. How were they able to subdue us the way they did? It was horrible. I was trying so hard to put thoughts into your mind to tell you what was happening out of the water, but I couldn’t get through to anyone. I’ve never felt so helpless in my life,’ she cried. ‘And then to be choked half to death… It was so horrible,’ she cried, carefully rubbing her neck. ‘They were so evil, I’ve never felt such evil before.’
The sisters just nodded, not knowing what to say. When Ava yawned and coughed, she shook her head and handed Lana the cup. ‘Sorry, I’m so tired.’
‘That’s okay, Ava. Lie down,’ Emma whispered, helping her move the pillows before tucking her in. ‘Try and get some sleep.’
Ava nodded and closed her eyes.
Waiting a moment until Ava’s breathing had slowed, the girls stepped away and walked over to the next bed, where Liam lay staring into space.
‘Liam?’ asked Lana. ‘You okay?’
‘Huh? Sorry, I didn’t see you.’
‘You okay?’ she repeated.
He closed his eyes for a moment, his nostrils flaring, and shook his head. A tear rolled down his cheek and he turned away from them, rubbing it away. ‘I’m… I’m fine.’
‘No, you’re not. None of us are. It’s been absolute hell, Liam. You’re allowed to be upset,’ Emma reassured him.
‘I thought I was stronger than that,’ he murmured.
‘Oh, Liam,’ Lana said, sitting down on his bed. ‘You’re one of the strongest people here. We were taken by surprise. You can’t win every fight.’
‘I couldn’tdo anything. Ava was being strangled—strangled, right across from me—and I couldn’t do a single thing. They had this power like nothing I’ve ever seen.’ He gulped.
‘It’s okay, Li. Really. We were ill-prepared, that’s all,’ Lana replied. ‘We never expected they’d be able to come into our home, our place of safety. We were caught off-guard. We’ll get them. We will. Just you wait.’
‘She’s right, you know,’ said a voice from a bed across the room.
‘Nisha, I didn’t know you were injured too,’ Emma said, walking to her bedside and then gasping at the sight of her bandaged head. ‘What happened?’
The young Indian girl sat up slightly. Her eyes were completely covered. ‘They put something in my eyes. I can’t see, Emma. Nothing. Everything is black.’
Emma put her hand to her mouth, trying not to cry but a loud sob escaped. ‘I’m sorry,’ she cried.
Nisha held out her hand. Emma walked forward and held it tight.
‘I wish… I wish… Imran was okay. If he was, then maybe he could turn back time and we could prepare for this properly.’
‘What happened to Imran?’ Emma choked.
‘Didn’t you hear?’
Emma shook her head, before realising Nisha couldn’t see her. ‘No, is he… okay?’
Nisha shook her head. ‘He was the first one they grabbed. He tried to fight, God did he try to fight. I saw, Emma. I saw him trying to go back in time, but they did something to him. They bound him, somehow. He was paralysed. He’s in a coma.’
Lana gasped behind Emma. ‘A coma. Is he here?’
‘I think they took him out just before you came. He’s going to the hospital with Aria and a couple of the Mentors.’
‘Oh God,’ Lana sobbed, trying hard not to be sick. Her breathing became more rapid and she felt like she was getting hotter and hotter.
‘Now, now,’ said Agnes, as she approached and rubbed her back gently. ‘Breathe deeply through your nose. It’s just a little panic attack, that’s all. There, there. Come and sit down for a moment.’
As Agnes led Lana away to a nearby seat, Emma took off her jumper and walked closer to Nisha.
‘Nisha, would you mind if I tried to, erm, heal you?’
Nisha smiled. ‘Go ahead. Diarmuid tried earlier, too. He made me feel a whole lot better, but my eyesight didn’t return. Maybe you could change that,’ she said.
Placing her hands over the bandages, careful not to exert too much pressure, Emma concentrated on her inner light, focussing the warmth on her friend’s eyes.
‘I can feel it,’ Nisha whispered. ‘It’s very soothing. Just like Diarmuid.’
Emma smiled, but after five minutes, nothing more had happened. She dropped her hands down and let out a sigh. ‘I can’t do it.’
‘Don’t worry, Emma. I’m sure I’ll be able to see soon enough. Maybe you’re too tired. You’ve—we’ve—all been through so much today.’
Emma nodded. ‘Have you, erm…’
‘What?’
‘Have you spoken to any ghosts since the attack?’
Nisha waited for a moment. ‘Are you asking me if I’ve seen Eleanor?’
Emma bit her top lip and nodded. ‘Yeah, I guess I am.’
Nisha shook her head. ‘She might not be dead.’
‘I hope not.’
‘I’m going to try and sleep now. Maybe you should too?’
‘No, I want to try healing again, with some of the others.’
Nisha nodded. ‘Good luck.’
‘Thanks. Night.’
Nisha muttered goodnight, leaving Emma to try to heal someone else. She looked around and focussed on Liam again.
‘Liam?’
He nodded. ‘You can try,’ he said as he carefully pulled back the sheet to reveal both legs covered from thighs to ankles in thick white bandages.
‘Werewolves?’ she asked.
He nodded, wincing as he tried to move them.
‘Don’t try to move,’ she said. ‘Couldn’t Diarmuid help?’
‘Yeah, he eased the pain but it came back about an hour ago.’
‘Haven’t you been given any painkillers?’
‘Yeah, but apparently werewolf injuries are tough to treat.’
‘Oh, maybe I shouldn’t…’
‘Please, Emma. Please try,’ he said.
So she stepped forward and hovered her hands over his legs.
He smiled when the warmth seemed to seep into his bones.
‘It feels just like when Diarmuid did it. You obviously share the same healing power.’
‘I don’t think so, he’s so much stronger and more capable than I am.’
‘Don’t sell yourself short. You’re just as good, maybe even better,’ he said, trying to smile even through the heartache he was feeling.
‘Thanks, Liam,’ she whispered. ‘That means a lot. How does that feel?’
‘Honestly?’
She chuckled. ‘Of course.’
‘The pain is way less than it was.’
Emma grinned and nodded. I’ll come back again when you need me,’ she said as she very carefully placed the sheet back over him. ‘Try and sleep.’
He nodded and closed his eyes. As she walked away he whispered, ‘Thanks Emma. We’re lucky to have you.’
Tears i
mmediately welled in her eyes and she couldn’t help but think of Eleanor.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
News travelled fast, especially the bad kind, and when Emma and Lana heard, they both broke down and cried for hours. Imran hadn’t made it. He’d died in the helicopter, on the way to the hospital.
‘Oh God, Emma. Why, why is this happening to us?’ Lana wailed, in her sister’s arms, as they sat on her bed the following morning.
‘I don’t know… I wish I knew, sis. I wish we could turn back time and make everything as it should be.’ When she realised what she’d said, Emma chastised herself and cried even harder. ‘Oh Imran. I’m so sorry.’
‘Emma?’
‘What?’
‘We need to go see Nisha,’ Lana whispered.
‘Oh—Nisha! They were finally going out together. Oh God. Oh, poor Nisha. I don’t know how she’s going to take this.’
‘I’m sure Declan has probably already told her. Let’s get dressed and go see her.’
Emma nodded and grabbed her nearest clothes. Even Lana just put on a pair of sweatpants and jumper. She didn’t even both with her hair.
The infirmary was full of the sounds of sobbing as they pushed open the door. They went straight to Nisha’s bed. Leaning back against the pillows, she was smiling.
‘Nisha?’
‘Emma?’
‘Yes, it’s me and Lana. We came as soon as we heard. We’re so sorry. Are you… okay?’
‘I wasn’t okay. I felt it, when it happened… you know? I just knew. It was like my heart had been ripped out of my chest, but then… then…’
‘What? What happened?’ interrupted Lana.
‘Then he came to me. Imran came to me.’
‘Oh Nisha,’ Emma broke down again and rushed forward, sitting on the side of the bed. Nisha held out her hand until she found her friend’s.
‘He’s okay. He told me not to be sad. He said…’ She sniffed loudly. ‘He said he never felt like he really fitted in with the real world, like he wasn’t meant to be here for long. He knew that. He wanted me to know that he finally felt right, like he belonged, like he is where he should be now.’
Lana and Emma both let out loud gasps, as the rest of the patients listened to what Nisha was saying.
‘He asked me to tell you—all of you—not to mourn him. But to think of him and smile. Remember his silly baseball caps and cheesy jokes. Don’t cry for him. He doesn’t want you to. Even though I can’t help it,’ she stuttered, sniffing again. ‘I know he doesn’t want me to cry, but I will, just for a little while. I’ll never forget him.’
‘Will he come back, Nisha. Will he?’
Nisha smiled and shook her head. ‘Maybe someday. He said he was going to be with the other angels and that he would only return if we ever really needed him. But he didn’t think so, because he knows that we are all so strong and we will… sur-sur-survive this.’
‘Oh Nisha,’ Emma whispered. ‘We’ll be strong for him. We promise.’
‘Absolutely,’ said Liam from across the room.
‘We will,’ said Ava quietly, ‘for Imran.’
Everybody else in the room nodded and agreed.
‘We’ll celebrate him,’ said Declan from the door, roughly brushing a tear from his cheek.
‘Declan,’ Lana cried, rushing to him. ‘Have you any news?’
But he just slowly shook his head. ‘Nothing. Sorry, guys, still nothing.’
‘What are we going to do?’ she asked.
Declan put his hand on Lana’s shoulder and looked deep into her eyes, ‘We’re going to carry on, that’s what we’re going to do. That’s what Ellie—Eleanor—would want us to do.’
‘Yeah, I guess so,’ Lana said, tears rolling down her cheeks.
‘We’ll carry on, Declan. For Eleanor and for Imran,’ she choked and he pulled her into a hug.
oOo
Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there, I did not die, I am the thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glint on snow, When you awaken in the morning hush, I am the swift uplifting rush, Of quiet birds in circled flight, I am bright stars that shine at night, I am the sunlight on ripened grain, I am the gentle autumn rain. Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there, I do not sleep.
Tempus Edax Rerum, for you Imran.
Declan finished by closing his notebook and looking around at the many Watchers and Mentors who had arrived to say farewell to Imran Chaudri, a boy they’d taken into their hearts even though he had been a dear friend for just a year.
He smiled at the sight. A sea of silly baseball caps surrounded him.
Nisha stood by his side, holding his arm, wearing a large pair of dark sunglasses. She smiled as he finished.
‘Imran would have liked that very much,’ her voice wobbled.
Declan patted her hand and led her away from the grave, off of the lush green grass and onto the nearby paving stones.
‘Be careful, the path is a little rickety here and there,’ he said.
‘It’s okay. As long as you keep hold of me, I’ll be fine.’
Lana and Emma stayed a few more minutes, Barber and Diarmuid by their sides, holding them and preventing them from falling into deeper despair.
Lana looked up at the sky and smiled, before turning her attention back to her boyfriend. ‘That really was something, you know?’
He nodded.
‘I think he would have liked it, don’t you, sis?’ Lana asked.
Emma smiled. ‘Definitely. There was a good crowd too. Considering he never felt like he fitted in, he was so well loved,’ she wept, her voice quivering under the strain of trying so hard not to cry. It was what Imran had wanted, after all.
The four of them looked around, preparing to follow the crowd, when someone in the distance with long wavy blonde hair caught their attention. As she slowly walked towards the group gathered for the funeral, Barber let out a deep gasp.
‘Barber? What’s wrong?’ Lana cried.
‘It’s her,’ he said.
‘Who?’
He pointed towards her.
‘My… Guardian Angel.’
‘Your Guardian Angel? What are you talking about?’
‘The woman who rescued me, all those years ago, when Sthenelaus stabbed me through the heart and left me for dead.’
It was Lana’s turn to gasp.
The woman smiled as she approached Declan.
‘Can I help you?’ he asked.
Lana and Emma both grabbed their boyfriends’ hands and walked forward.
‘Actually, I was hoping I might be able to help you.’
‘Sorry, I don’t understand. Do I know you?’
The woman shook her head. ‘No, but I know you, Declan.’
He raised his eyebrows and turned to Nisha. ‘Nisha, Saleena will help you back, okay?’ he gently took her arm and put it on Saleena’s.
Nisha nodded and was led away with most of the others. The only people left standing in the graveyard were the strange woman, Declan, the two sisters and their boyfriends.
‘How do you know me?’ he eventually asked.
‘I’ve been following you and the Watchers for years.’
‘Following?’
The woman nodded. ‘Sometimes helping, whenever I could,’ she briefly glanced at Barber and nodded.
He nodded back.
‘Perhaps we should talk indoors?’ suggested the woman.
‘Look, we’ve just lost two of our loved ones. I’m not in the mood for games, darlin’. Who are you and what are you doing here?’
‘Declan,’ Barber said, stepping forward. ‘This is the woman who rescued me from Sthenelaus all those years ago.’
Declan raised his eyebrows. ‘In that case, follow me.’
oOo
‘Thank you,’ the mysterious woman said to Wilbur as he passed her a cup of black tea with a slice of lemon on the side.
Declan opened the door and walked in.
‘Sorry, I had some impor
tant business to attend to. Now, who are you?’ he asked as he sat opposite her.
Lana and Emma hadn’t left her side; neither had Barber and Diarmuid.
‘My name is Marlene,’ she said, taking a sip of tea. ‘I’m Eleanor’s daughter.’
Everybody gasped, even Declan. ‘No, that isn’t possible, love.’
‘I can understand that you don’t want to believe that, but it’s true.’
‘If it’s true, then why did you never show yourself to her?’
‘Oh, I wanted to, how I wanted to, but I wasn’t permitted. They placed some kind of curse on me that prevented me from showing myself to her.’
‘And now?’
Marlene looked pained.
‘And now she’s gone,’ Emma whispered.
Marlene nodded.
‘Do you know if she’s… if she’s…? Lana began.
‘Dead?’ Marlene asked.
Lana nodded.
‘To be honest, I’m not sure. All I know is that I’ve never been able to get past the Praxos gates, but this morning, when I tried, I walked straight in.’
‘But how did you know to try in the first place? Declan asked.
‘I know an awful lot of people and I hear the news, the gossip. I heard about her and I knew I had to try.’
‘Marlene, how can we believe you?’ he asked. ‘After everything that’s happened over the past few days… you could be a Skull, for all we know.’
Marlene looked a little hurt but nodded. ‘I understand,’ she said, placing her cup and saucer on the coffee table in the middle of the sofas before standing and lifting her blouse to reveal the true Watcher’s mark: a winged-eye with the wordsSeculo Seculorum.
‘Seculo Seculorum? What’s that mean?’ asked Diarmuid.
‘Forever and ever,’ Declan answered, smiling.
‘In that case, welcome to Praxos Marlene. I’m sorry I doubted you.’
‘You believe me now?’
Declan nodded. ‘Ellie once told me she’d had a dream about a young woman with the words Seculo Seculorum on her back. She was certain it was you. I guess she was right.’
Marlene nodded and tears began to build up in her eyes. ‘I’ve wanted to come here for so long. I can’t describe how good this feels right now. This is where I belong. I just wish that my mother was here, too.’