Duir looked sadly into the mirrored disc.
“Suicide?” Nat whispered fearfully.
He turned and stared at Seb as if trying to bring a message home. “Yes Nat, suicide.”
Now Mr Duir waved a hand in front of the mirror. An image appeared: Seb and Aiden struggling, in torrential rain, against the pull of the wind at Waulud’s Bank.
Zach chuckled until Miss West clacked her stick on the floor.
Seb stared, horrified. He could clearly see Alice, holding his arm, preventing him from walking towards a huge, black hound with demonic red eyes which was merely feet from them.
Aiden gasped, “Seb … I didn’t see it!”
And then suddenly Miss West and Mr Duir appeared. Miss West scooped Aiden up and away. Mr Duir stood between Seb and the crouching beast. He lifted his hand and now Seb could see Dierne spinning above him, forging a path through the dense clouds. A chink of sunlight broke through and Mr Duir reflected it off his hand onto the black hound. A trail of mist zoomed out of it. Mr Duir gave the slightest beckoning motion and the mist trail travelled towards him and through him. He spun, reflected light onto it and the mist trail floated off into the darkness. He scooped Seb up and the image faded.
“So that’s what kept you!” Zach said into the silence that followed.
Seb’s mouth was hanging open. Aiden’s too.
Mr Duir abruptly gave a command, “Torhtian ende!” There was a huge clap, the disc stopped spinning and flipped to lie horizontally above the table. The Head waved an arm and it dissolved into a green mist which evaporated into nothing.
“Seb,” he looked down at him. “You are the Custodian. This is your role: to find, read and deal with trespassing souls before they can achieve their aims.”
Seb, still reliving that moment at Waulud’s Bank, felt his heart pounding.
“My role?” he said weakly.
Failure and Allies!
A sudden bumping sound on the library door made Seb jump. Miss Angel, having sat in silence since their unconventional entrance now walked to the door. Unlocking it without making a sound she grabbed the handle and yanked it open so quickly Mrs Reeves, who had her ear pressed against the other side, stumbled forward.
“Oh! Miss Angel.” The receptionist was flustered. “I didn’t realise it was you. I heard …” her eyes fell on the collection of teachers and pupils in the room. She straightened her too-tight skirt. “Mr Duir, sir, I hadn’t realised the library was in use. I heard noises and thought we had a rogue pupil in here during lessons.”
With an engaging smile he answered, “Actually, five pupils and several teachers trying to deal with them, Mrs Reeves.”
“Five, Mr Duir? Oh, and I see a familiar face amongst them.” She glared at Seb.
He felt a growing annoyance and dislike of this woman.
A puzzled frown crossed her features. “I, er, didn’t hear the coaches. Is the trip over already?” She glanced down at the tiny watch on her wrist.
“We had to bring these pupils back early, Mrs Reeves, in order to deal with them. Actually, we were just finishing.”
“Oh quite, quite.” She reached in and flicked on the main lights in the room. “My, how dark it has become. Is there anything I can do? Detention slips? Exclusion notification?” Again she looked at Seb.
“Thank you, Mrs Reeves; we have all we require.”
Miss Angel began closing the door but Mrs Reeves wasn’t done.
“Mr Duir, I saw the caretaker in the main corridor as I was walking over. Is the fault fixed? Can I remove the signs?”
Mr Duir stared at her for a moment before answering, “By all means, Mrs Reeves.”
She nodded stiffly, stepping away from the rapidly closing door, Miss Angel deciding it was time to bring the exchange to a close.
Once the door was locked and apparently satisfied the receptionist was gone, Mr Duir continued.
“Seb, what you saw in that image was me reading the soul. The Custodian must draw the soul through them. That action reveals the true nature of the soul. Most you will return to Áberan; some, however, will need to be banished. When you know there is no hope of their correction, you will banish them.”
Seb was barely listening. His heart still thumping, all he could think was: Why me? They’ve got the wrong person!
As if realising how overwhelmed Seb was, Mr Duir looked away and addressed the others. “Our group will guide you and mentor you until your group is ready to take on the responsibility we have borne for more than 200 years.”
Two hundred years, Seb thought. How is that possible?
Mr Duir looked at Zach who sat clutching his precious stick, a slight frown wrinkling his brow. “Your task is to ensure the security of the travel of all souls, to police the trespassing of those souls who would disobey the laws of Nature and to protect the innocent. The greater your commitment and your belief the better you will be at fulfilling your role.”
He spoke more quietly. “Several times, I have failed in my task.” Miss West drew a sharp breath across her teeth and shook her head. He looked at her and smiled sadly. “I have failed, and each failure and its repercussions haunt me still. Seb we are, none of us, perfect and try as we may, there will be times when we will fail. I will teach you all I can to help you succeed. You will need to rely on your friends, for without them your task is impossible.
He looked at them all. “Need I stress how vital it is that you keep all this amongst yourselves?” With the exception of Seb the others exchanged amazed glances, then shook their heads.
“The development of the human soul relies on ignorance. In order to learn and to grow, on each return to the physical world they must discover for themselves.” He spoke to Seb, “In the human world you will find people who seem to sense something about you all. These people are older souls, more aware and experienced; they are your allies. In this school are several such old souls and they will assist you too.” Seb was hoping Mr Duir didn’t include Mrs Reeves as one of these.
Outside, the chattering and laughter of students returning from the school trip could be heard. Seb gazed around the library. The misty, hazy images of strange beings and creatures milled around but he barely registered them.
Listen!
The bell sounded for the end of the school day but the teachers made no move to leave.
Zach was rolling his stick back and forth across his palms.
Miss West said, “Your staff is not a toy, Zach.”
Surprised, he looked up and shrugged. “Mmm.”
“The casing holds something very precious and very useful.” Zach was barely listening as he held the stick across one open palm, finding the perfect balance point. “You must not show it off, play with it, misuse it.” Zach grinned at her. “It is yours for a reason and for a purpose – it holds the thorn-helm – you must guard against using it incorrectly.”
Zach’s grin widened. “It’s bigger than yours,” he said.
She exploded, “Have I to work with this? Have I to mentor, to tutor one so shallow, so arrogant, so ignorant?” Her voice rebounded off every wall.
Zach froze, his grin now false. Miss West, face like thunder, fists clenched, transferred her furious gaze from Zach to Mr Duir and then noted he was smiling slightly. That incensed her all the more. “He is impossible!” she shouted.
“Trudy, shall I call The Caretaker?” Mr Duir lifted his hand but as he did the lock clicked, the door opened and The Caretaker entered.
“No need,” The Caretaker said and, walking to Zach, removed the stick from his upturned palm.
“Do you suppose yourself better than Trudy West?” The Caretaker asked. Zach said nothing, looking from the stick to Miss West. “Do you suppose yourself better?”
Zach dipped his head and mumbled, “No.”
“Do you suppose she has skills and knowledge that would be of benefit to you?”
Zach’s head dipped lower. Anot
her mumble. “Yes.”
“Do you suppose she wants to teach you?”
“Probably not.” Zach shuffled his feet.
Miss West lowered her own head.
“No, probably not, since you won’t listen. Go home.”
Zach was shocked. “What? Then can I have my stick back?”
“No, you cannot.” The Caretaker turned and left the room.
“Well, that’s not right!” Zach blustered futilely.
No longer smiling, Mr Duir said, “It is home time for all of you.”
The teachers left without another word. Seb wanted to run after them. Not only was he astounded at the exchange with Zach, he felt like a child who had been shoved into a school and told to teach himself. An avalanche of questions tumbled through his head: questions about all the strange creatures he could still see milling around him; questions about the souls who broke the laws of Nature; questions about how he, Seb Thomas, was expected to deal with those when actually he was terrified. He remembered his panic in the storm-ravaged darkness at Waulud’s Bank. I’m never going to be able to do this! They’ve got the wrong person!
Nat and Scarlet grabbed their coats. A couple of fairies chatted idly, legs swinging, as they sat on the bookshelf nearest them.
“I’m sure The Caretaker will give it back in a while. I think they’re just trying to get you to listen to Miss West.” Aiden tried to comfort Zach. The flamers dotted all over his head made him look comical.
Zach grinned and swiped a few of them off his hair. “What is it with you and these things? They really seem to like you!”
Seb was relieved to see him smiling but his own thoughts were still dark and