Everyone was back in sanctuary at the church. Well, not everyone, thought Kirkgordon. Havers was somewhere, maybe in a box, maybe imprisoned or running riot, but certainly not here and not in touch. There was now a man called Wilson on the scene. One of Havers’ government men, apparently, and he looked like him too. Mannerisms, speech and gait, all befitting of Havers. But I’ll be taking the lead, Mr Wilson. Well, I am an employee too and it’s time we got a proper handle on what is going on.
The lounge of the church manse was the venue for what Kirkgordon hoped would be an enlightening exchange of knowledge. Father Jonah was sat in the largest chair of the room. Rather than dethrone him, Kirkgordon chose to stand, giving him the air of a detective summing up at the end of a novel. Austerley had a chair, as did Miss Goodritch. Wilson sat on a stool while Nefol sat cross-legged on the floor.
“Alright, everyone,” said Kirkgordon. “I thought it best to pull together for a moment and work out what’s happening and what we are going to do about it. There are two main issues. One, where is Havers? Is he alive, dead, trapped or whatever else gets thrown up in our line of work? Two, what’s happening in Dillingham and how do we stop it?”
“I can answer that one for you,” grunted Austerley.
“No, Indy, in a moment. First we have to introduce a new member of our illustrious band of heroes. Wilson, I think you need to tell us all who you are and why you are here.”
Austerley folded his arms and sulked.
“Certainly, Mr Kirkgordon, certainly,” smiled Wilson, “Like many of you, I work for SETAA.”
“Who’s SETAA?” asked Miss Goodritch.
“Major Havers never said?” replied Wilson. “Well, it stands for Supernatural and Elder Threat Assessment Agency, and we are the unknown agency that deals with… well, the sort of thing that’s out there, really. Spiders with bird’s legs, and all that.”
“How do we know you’re SETAA?” Austerley pitched in.
“Indy, will you give him a minute?” Kirkgordon rolled his eyes.
“Well, Farthington wasn’t. He was bloody well just like Havers, Churchy. Just like him, and look what happened because of him. Lost my foot, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Indy, all the blind people in the world couldn’t fail to know you have lost your foot! And it’s good to know Farthington’s now to blame and not me. Just shut up a minute and let the man speak.”
Austerley snorted in disgust.
“It is a valid point, Mr Kirkgordon,” Wilson said smoothly. Austerley pulled a face. “I was sent here by Major Havers before any of you. The priest knows that.” Father Jonah nodded. “Father Jonah had suspicions about what was going on in the town. High levels of occult activity.”
“Yes,” interrupted the priest, “and I didn’t need any instruments either. You could feel it, the evil. I said to Havers there was vengeance brewing. Someone was being twisted in the devil’s hands, nature was being abused. I called it in but Havers didn’t take me seriously and sent this young lad instead. Not your fault, son.”
“Thank you, Father. My mission was to observe only. I could see there was something happening at the care home but it took several weeks to spot the markers being left beside residents’ beds.”
“Like the brooch I saw beside Austerley,” said Kirkgordon. “I brought one back from the home.” He threw it to Wilson.
“That’s it. When these markers were left, the residents would age thirty years in a matter of days and end up looking, well, no offence, like Mr Austerley here. I followed the care staff one night and ran into a ghostly apparition that took several hacks at me, leaving me incapacitated. They brought me back to the care home and dumped me in one of the large commercial bins at the back of the building. I was tied and gagged but I managed to escape. I don’t know how long I was there but the sky was on fire when I climbed out. Running through the town, I saw a mark on all the houses and people trapped inside.
“My first idea was that I should get to the church, but the whole area had a ghostly horde around it. I couldn’t inflict any damage on them, I knew that from my first scrape. So I went further out of town and found that the DIY shop hadn’t been sealed. I managed to break in and get some food but then I was joined by a horrible creature that was a spider crossed with a bird. I decided to rest up in the office where the beast couldn’t enter and watch on the security monitors for anyone coming in. That’s when I met Miss Goodritch on her shopping trip.”
“She was getting items for me in order to deal with this problem,” Austerley chipped in.
“How did Havers know you were in trouble?” asked the priest. “This new crew got here very quickly after your disappearance. I doubt Havers would have been worried by you being missing for a few days.”
“Internal alarm. Had one in my jacket and pressed it during that first attack. It’s only pressed when you think you have been compromised to a point where you believe you will die.” For a moment the room was silent.
Austerley spoke first. “Why don’t I have one?”
“That would seem obvious to me,” came Kirkgordon’s automatic retort.
“He said you two were like this,” observed Wilson. “Major Havers told us all not to be worried about his judgement. They’re not like us, he said. But he told us that you had certain skills. He said you were dogged, Mr Kirkgordon. Like a dog on its chewy toy, you would work it over and over until it gave in. And you, Mr Austerley, he said you were the most dangerous genius that he had ever known.”
Austerley smiled and sat up slightly, milking the silent applause. “Anything else about me?”
“Yes,” answered Wilson. “We were told that if you went south that elimination was to be considered with extreme prejudice.”
Austerley gulped. “Anything more?”
“Just a personal opinion. We don’t normally give those in briefings but he was insistent.”
“Something flattering, no doubt,” said Austerley.
“No,” Wilson said flatly. “He said he thought you to be a total arse.”
Kirkgordon burst out laughing. Austerley refolded his arms with another almighty grunt that contained some swearing.
Kirkgordon recovered himself and turned to Austerley. “See if you can leave the arse aside and give us some of that genius to tell us what is happening round here.”
“Forgive me if I don’t stand,” said Austerley, “but it’s a long story about a supposed friend.”
Kirkgordon chuckled internally. Damn, he’s rattled, he thought.
Austerley continued. “There is something very amiss with what is happening and I believe that the priest was correct in his original assumption.”
“You mean someone is in league with the devil?” asked Miss Goodritch.
“Well, that is a question that requires clarification, Miss Goodritch,” Austerley replied. “After all, we are all at times in league with the devil by our actions, are we not, Father?” Father Jonah gave a simple nod. “That being said, I believe there is witchcraft afoot, but it is not being used in the way we believe it to be. The impression given was that Dillingham had been plucked and taken on an interdimensional ride to hell. This is a falsehood. I was able to receive a GPS signal in the car.”
“The one you totalled?” asked Nefol.
Austerley glared at her. “Yes. The sports car. The one wrecked by the winged creature.” He took a deep breath. “Dillingham has not moved. I was tricked into believing that I had stopped its motion, but that motion was never interdimensional. It was only ever a minor induced quake.”
“Never having been on one of those, it did fool me,” noted Miss Goodritch.
“But how did you miss it, Indy?” asked Kirkgordon. “Pride?”
“I admit, Churchy, that I was somewhat overcome at my success, but to be fair, which no one seems to be any more, I had been drugged to the hilt and I was standing next to a ghost with a naked woman dancing close by. And we can all be taken in by these naked dancing women.”
Touché, thought Kirkgordon, touché.
“It occurred to me, while we were operating in this limbo, waiting for Dillingham to descend further to hell, to wonder why hadn’t it happened earlier,” continued Austerley. “There were plenty of bodies to draw power from in the hospital. Our descent should have continued quickly. But that wasn’t the game. Similarly for the ghosts, the deckhands and Captain Smith. Nasty in one sense, but not really the hounds of hell. And none of them were surprised at today’s modern technology.”
Kirkgordon was puzzled. “I’m not with you, Indy.”
Austerley tutted. “A soul or being from the past would be stunned at today’s wonders. A car would take them aback. They would be amazed by them. But something conjured from the mind of a modern person? That creature would be at home with the present, like its master. Or mistress, in this case.”
“Tania! You think Tania’s controlling the ghosts, not resurrecting a spirit?” blurted Kirkgordon. “Previously, you said she’d been infused with a dead witch’s spirit.”
“Oh, she’s a witch alright, one of the continued line of Dillingham witches, as I found out from Miss Goodritch’s records. But one who has been schooled in subterfuge. I’m amazed Havers didn’t see it.”
“Dammit, Indy, just say it straight.”
“I thought he did, Mr Kirkgordon,” interrupted Wilson. “Major Havers did say you were a little slow.”
Austerley smiled and wallowed in having the room at his command and Kirkgordon cut down to size.
“Your Tania,” Austerley pronounced, “is a witch, and of quite a standard too. But she’s being played by Farthington.”
“Zmey Gorynych?” said a stunned Wilson.
“Who’s Zemmy Gorynitch?” said a bemused Miss Goodritch.
“Okay, from the top then,” a proud Austerley continued. “Zmey Gorynych is a three-headed dragon, known as Farthington in his human form, and he’s also the bastard that ripped my foot off.”
“Always the foot,” moaned Kirkgordon.
“Yes, my foot. I can’t walk. I need a babysitter. I’ve been wheeled about by Brown Owl over there!” Austerley pointed to Miss Goodritch. “I faced up to a demon and what did I get? Nightmares and a missing foot. So forgive me, Churchy, if I am somewhat pissed off at the world at the moment. But I am missing my foot.” Tears welled up in Austerley’s eyes. “It might be a flaming joke to you but I am a cripple. I can’t even get to the shops without crutches. I can’t be hauled around by the collar anymore like you used to, dragging my butt out of trouble. Now I’m dependant on someone actually carrying me. Shit, Churchy, I want my foot back!”
“Mind your language in front of the child!” ordered Wilson.
“Shove it up your jacksie, newbie. It’s your kind that got me into this crappy state.” Austerley buried his head in his hands and started to weep bitterly. Father Jonah stood and walked across the silent room, put his arms around Austerley and just held him.
Well, thought Kirkgordon, that didn’t go as planned. “Let’s take a few moments,” he suggested, and he started to wave everyone out of the room. In a few moments, Kirkgordon was left standing looking at Austerley cradled like a baby in the priest’s arms. His crying continued, accompanied by great sniffs. During the whole time, Father Jonah said nothing.
“Sorry, Indy,” muttered Kirkgordon. “I’m sorry I ever let you go to that graveyard up at Gainsborough. I’m sorry you ever came out of the asylum. I’m just sorry. You didn’t deserve to lose the foot. I’m sorry.”
“I know,” Austerley mumbled. “You shouldn’t have had to try and kill me. It was my fault. All of it. I know my curiosity, the trouble it causes. But I love it, the mystery, the power. Dammit, Churchy, it’s how I’m made.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“But it’s my foot!”
Kirkgordon watched Austerley double over in tears again. He felt hollow inside. He felt responsible. Always trying to save everyone, that’s what Alana had said.
“You’re not the only one with a curse,” Kirkgordon mumbled quietly at Austerley as he left the room.