Thirty-Three

This is the longest thirty minutes of my life, Victor thought as he waited. He could hear sheer bloody bedlam coming from the hostel. On no account could he help. Laura forbade it. After all, Victor was to blame for this episode. To distract Jay from willing those planes to collide he’d told the boy that he planned to marry Laura. Yes, a lie. Anything to stop those twin contrails meeting in a fireball five miles above the island. So he waited. In a yard nearby an iron gate banged with nerve-jangling ferocity. Leaves torn from trees formed green torrents around his head. A head full of thoughts that were as turbulent as the river. He recalled the near miss with the tanker that had sent a tidal wave crashing on to the shore. Laura would have died if he hadn’t reached her in time. Who was to blame? An irresponsible captain with a deadline to meet? No, it had to be Jay. Victor had watched the aircraft turn to fly at one another. Then this epidemic. Islanders had died. Now Victor, himself, faced the second stage of the mystery illness – forgetfulness, lethargy, coma, then . . . he avoided thinking that grim, dark word. As soon as possible he should warn his sister and brother-in-law. So . . . this epidemic . . . this plague. Who’s to blame? Jay. He’s the monstrous spider spinning a web of disaster. Each strand a promise of death. Victor rubbed his face. For a moment he’d forgotten he’d been standing there in the street. Was this the start of the next phalanx of symptoms? How long until second stage really kicked in? How long had he got before he stopped functioning? A day? A few hours? Jay? Where is Jay?

‘Victor . . . Victor?’

Drowsily, he searched for the source of the voice.

‘Victor, up here.’

He lifted his eyes. Laura, beautiful Laura, leaned out of the hostel’s office window on the upper storey. ‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your long hair.’ He clenched his fist, feeling betrayed by himself. He was letting go . . . his mind was slipping . . . 

‘Victor. Hurry. I haven’t got long.’

You’re not the only one. He bit his lip hard. The pain sharpened his wits again. But for how long? The church clock ticked the seconds down to his own personal zero hour. He crossed the street to the hostel.

‘No, not that way, Victor. The children will see you. Use the side entrance.’

Seeing Laura focused his mind. Now’s the time to sort this out once and for all. Today we act on Jay.

Moments later Laura greeted him at the top of the stairs. Holding her finger to his lips, she led him into the office where they’d be alone.

The shouts of the children downstairs were falling; anger yielded to more subdued, gloomier emotions.

‘Close the door behind you, Victor.’ Laura’s face was the epitome of anxiety. ‘The children mustn’t know you’re here. Especially not alone with me. I’ve had to come away for a while, too. They get upset when they see me.’

‘I had to tell Jay something to stop him. I figured a surprise would distract him.’

‘It worked, thank God. It’s just the effect on the other children. Hearing the news from Archer that we were getting married has knocked them off kilter.’ She gave an expressive shrug. ‘These aren’t ordinary children, Victor. An innocuous comment can traumatize them. Lou’s talking to them now. She’s pretending you told Jay that we were getting married for a joke. If she can convince them you were joking, then . . .’ She shrugged again. ‘We may have averted one disaster.’

He sat on the corner of the desk. ‘Now we only have to avert the other disasters then we’re home and dry.’ He gave a grim smile. ‘Nearly being swept away by the wash from that ship this morning might not be the worst thing that happens to us today.’

‘You’ve heard about the epidemic?’ Her expression was grave. ‘That there’s a second stage?’

He nodded. ‘And people are dying. I’m sitting here but I know I should be running like hell to warn Mary and my brother-in-law. They’ve both had first stage.’

‘And so have you.’

‘So far, I’m fine.’

‘But we do have to act quickly.’

‘Jay?’

‘Jay,’ she confirmed. Then she turned an open laptop toward Victor so he could see the screen. ‘Remember what Solomon told us about changelings and curses? Well, I already knew about that. When bizarre events started happening around Jay at Badsworth Lodge I did my own research.’

‘So you did know more than you were letting on?’

‘Absolutely. But how do you go public on something like this? That a boy rescued from a refugee ship has the power to curse people? Look at this.’ She pointed at the screen. ‘A curse is the opposite side of the coin to a blessing. Just as most religions have rites that bless newborn children, or homes, or harvests then you get the dark side. There are rites to wish harm on others, or actively invoke evil to befall people, whether it’s to cause accidents, sickness or blight crops. In voodoo ritual an object, such as a skull or a shoe, can be implanted with the curse. Then the person inflicting the curse would hide the object in their victim’s house or even on a path that they know the victim uses.’

‘So, like a landmine? Only it detonates bad luck rather than explosive.’

Laura scrolled downward. ‘See, thousands of web pages about curses.’ She clicked a link. A page appeared showing photographs of strips of metal on which words had been scratched. ‘These pieces of lead were found in springs that supplied a Roman bath house.’ She read aloud from the page. ‘“Roman citizens would bathe in the hot mineral springs, which they believed healed skin complaints, arthritis and leprosy. They also believed that the goddess of the thermal spring could drive away the evil eye. Also, if someone had harmed you, you could write the person’s name and the damage you wanted to inflict on a lead tablet, then throw it into the water.” Here’s one that says, “Lucius Praedox took four gold coins from my purse. I beg of Minerva to extract the blood from his heart.” And another less specific one, but potentially more destructive. “I wish that Neptune sink all the ships of the Egyptians for men of that race broke my husband’s bones in Alexandria.”’

Victor scanned the screen. ‘So a curse can be as accurately targeted as a bullet or, like a nuclear bomb, cause indiscriminate destruction.’ He caught Laura’s eye. ‘If you believe such a thing.’

‘And millions have believed in blessings and curses for thousands of years. Here’s a modern curse: “The Toilet Tissue Sting works surprisingly well. One: write your victim’s name on a piece of toilet tissue. Two: flush it down the lavatory. Three: tell your victim what you’ve done. When you do, just watch the expression on their face.” Then you have blessings in the form of St Christopher medallions in taxicabs, breaking bottles of champagne over ships’ bows. Generally, something like a horseshoe is a non-specific good luck charm. In Northern Europe metal frightened away evil spirits. So often a piece of steel would be put into a baby’s cot to prevent goblins stealing the child and replacing it with one of their own.’

Victor nodded. ‘OK, type in changeling.’

Laura did so. ‘See, thousands more web pages. Belief in the changeling is about as universal as you can get. Globally, parents feared their child would be secretly exchanged for an evil spirit, goblin, demon, you name it. The child initially resembles the parents’ child but it slowly changes in appearance, becoming ugly, behaving strangely and soon bad luck starts to dog the household.’

Victor read off the screen. ‘“Wales. In this ancient Celtic land the changeling child is known as plenty newid. Although the child develops physical beast-like characteristics it is noted for its uncanny wisdom. Parents would attempt to reclaim their own child by ill-treating the changeling. This offspring of goblins would be placed on a shovel before being held over a hot fire.” Extreme.’ Victor rubbed his jaw. ‘Very extreme.’

‘Solomon told us that Jay isn’t a changeling as such. He believed that the doomed refugees on the ship willed Jay into existence to become a Vengeance Child.’

‘And his purpose would be to curse people he came into contact with. First on a fairly random basis, and always one at a time. But now he’s growing up, he’s getting smarter. So now, the aircraft, and we saw what happened with the ship.’ He grimaced. ‘Add to all that a mutant virus. He’s learning new tricks, isn’t he?’

‘But it isn’t Jay that is evil,’ Laura insisted. ‘An evil force is working through him. Because of this.’ She typed N’Taal into the search engine. Straightaway, a website appeared. At first it appeared to be a tile pattern. However, each tile was the photograph of a man, woman or child.

‘It’s a tribute site maintained by people who don’t believe that this atrocity should be forgotten. Every picture here is of a person that died on the N’Taal.’

Victor read the banner across the top of the screen. ‘“Turned away from every port. No mercy. Three hundred and eighty lives lost. God help them. God help us for letting it happen.” You’ve looked for Jay’s photograph?’

‘Solomon’s right. He doesn’t appear here. Also, his name isn’t in the passenger inventories.’ She clicked a loudspeaker icon. ‘This is a recording of the last radio message from the N’Taal.’ From the surf-like hiss of static came the voice of the long-dead captain: ‘This message isn’t directed at emergency services or to coastguard or navies of the Western powers. We have sailed to each of your nations, we have asked for sanctuary. You turned us away from your harbours. When we told you that we needed medicines and food for the men, women and children on board you gave us nothing. When I radioed that the ship had started taking on water we heard, by way of answer, only silence. We, the Cathdran, are poor people. But we are human beings like yourselves – something that you forget. Yesterday, our last pump failed, and water continues to leak through the keel. Today, the ship’s engines are losing power. In a few short hours this ship will become our tomb. The passengers and crew belong to the same tribe with the same blood, the same beliefs. We have done with begging. We will not cry any more. Our last few hours of life on this earth will be devoted to our righteous and justifiable anger. Ours is the proud way of the warrior. Our ancestors marched with Hannibal on Rome. Even though we have been a persecuted minority for a thousand years we do know how to strike back. From beyond the grave if need be. Our thirst for vengeance is unquenchable. Our rage, eternal. As you’ve hurt us, so we will hurt you. We cry vengeance at you. Vengeance!’ Victor wasn’t sure if he imagined it but he thought he heard hundreds of voices, in a language he didn’t understand, join that of the captain. From the speakers pulsed a single word over and over. Although he couldn’t interpret it he didn’t doubt its meaning: ‘VENGEANCE . . . VENGEANCE . . . VENGEANCE!’

Laura murmured, ‘“From hell’s heart I stab at thee.”’

‘Those people must have been born holding a grudge.’

‘If we were in their position, their children effectively sentenced to death by uncaring governments, wouldn’t we do the same? If we could?’

Torrents of air made ghostly sighs through the window. It didn’t require much to believe that phantoms from the N’Taal, lying at the bottom of the Atlantic, had found their way to Siluria aboard the westerly winds. For an instant, Victor thought he saw shadowy faces peering down through the clouds. They want their vengeance. Now they’re close to getting it . . . He remembered what Wilkes had told him, that he’d seen Jay repeating ‘Laura’ over and over. The boy clearly loved her; maybe, however, his compulsion to wreak revenge on behalf of the doomed passengers of the N’Taal was stronger. Victor wrestled with his conscience. Should he tell her? Would it benefit her to know? After all, they say that the impact of a curse is psychological . . . if one believes that it is real . . . He watched her closing the laptop. On her face, an expression of pure determination. Should he really tell her that Jay had uttered her name? Maureen died in a road accident after hearing Jay say her name. Max had gone berserk with fear. Fearing her reaction might be one of panic, he nevertheless took the plunge. ‘Laura. Mayor Wilkes told me he’d seen Jay in the street. Jay was repeating your name.’

Swiftly, she turned to fix her eyes on his. Had he done the right thing? What if she panicked? This was tantamount to a death sentence.

‘Victor.’ She sounded shocked. ‘You told me that five minutes ago. Don’t you, remember?’

Waves of fatigue dragged at his senses. He struggled to keep his eyes open. ‘I told you that Jay repeated your name?’

‘Yes. You really can’t remember saying that at all?’

He shook his head. ‘Second stage, I guess. The symptoms are kicking in faster than I’d hoped. Still: work to be done: a goal to be reached.’ He breathed deeply as his mind spun. ‘Whoa . . . vicious little bug, huh? Just when I thought I was getting over it.’

Laura touched his forehead. ‘The fever’s back. You need to be in bed. I’ll fetch the doctor.’

‘No.’ Reaching up to where she rested her cool palm against his brow, he took her hand in his. ‘We’ve got to see this through to the end. If I keep myself active, I’ll be fine.’ He smiled. ‘I never could stand being cooped up in stuffy rooms.’ He shot a longing glance at the outdoors.

‘What are you going to do, Victor?’

‘Solomon told us how to deal with a changeling.’

‘Victor. Not only is it illegal, but Jay’s a little boy. He—’

‘Please, listen to me, Laura. I don’t have long. You know it, I know it. I’m entering second stage of this infection. In a few hours I’ll have lost whatever wits I had. Then after that, coma. Then end stage . . .’ He shrugged. ‘I just wanted to tell you that you do mean a hell of a lot to me. Only when I get close to someone I start thinking about Ghorlan. I can’t stop thinking about her. Deep down, I still know I didn’t do enough to find her. The thought of her lying at the bottom of the river, it—’

‘It’s not your fault.’

‘The evening she went missing she called me. My phone was switched off because I was giving a lecture. It was only after she’d disappeared that I realized she’d left a message. It was this: “Never mind, Victor. I’ll catch you later.” There was something about her tone. She wanted to tell me something important. That “never mind” was loaded with so much emotion. Never mind? Never mind! Those seven words she left behind haunt me. It’s worse when I meet a woman and start getting to know her. Never mind, Victor. I’ll catch you later. See, there I go again, being obsessed with Ghorlan.’ He sighed. ‘Now . . . I’m going to tell you something, Laura. Although I’m not sure if I told you a minute ago and forgotten. It’s hard to keep a grip now. Second stage? How can something as devastating as having your mind erased have such a banal name?’

‘What did you want to tell me, Victor?’ She regarded him with a gentle, caring warmth.

‘I like you. I like you a lot. Lou told me I was stupid. I’ve told myself I’m stupid not to follow up that first night we had together with a long heartfelt discussion, where I should have said you are the most wonderful person to come into my life in the last ten years. That I want to see you again. And try . . . try as hard as I can to develop a relationship with you. You might have decided I’m a lunderhead, then told me to take a hike. But at least I would have put the past behind me, so I could have the opportunity of making a go of it with you.’

‘Lunderhead?’

‘Old Silurian word.’ He paused in thought. ‘I was a complete, blithering lunderhead to retreat into my shell and risk losing you. It’s important I tell you this now. Because by tomorrow I don’t know if I will be capable of even stringing a sentence together never mind telling you how I feel.’

‘Thank you.’ Laura’s smile suggested something had opened in her heart. ‘I did want to hear that. Because I like you, too, Victor. The truth is, I find it hard to trust people. And, despite myself, I found I trusted you. When you kept your distance I thought I’d left myself overexposed and downright foolish. Now this feels like starting over.’

The door burst open. ‘Oh, sorry, I didn’t know you were here with Victor.’ Lou eyed him with a fair amount of suspicion.

‘How are they?’

‘Less volatile, but I’m worried about Archer and Jay.’

‘Archer’s always been the most sensitive. If I speak to him alone I’m—’

‘No, not that, Laura. Both Archer and Jay are missing. I’ve checked the garden. We’ve looked in the streets nearby but there isn’t a sign. Neither hide nor hair.’

Laura shot Victor a telling glance. Then she turned to the woman, who stood wringing her fingers in the doorway. ‘Don’t worry, Lou. You keep the others occupied. I’ll find Archer.’

Victor nodded. ‘You leave Jay to me.’

After Lou vanished back through the door Laura caught Victor’s arm. ‘When you find Jay, what are you going to do to him?’

‘Whatever happens, just remember we didn’t have this conversation about Jay today – and especially not anything about what Solomon told us.’

‘Victor?’

But Victor ran downstairs without looking back.