Part 31 (2/2)

The kitchen was cool. Lily poured lemonade for everybody, ice-cold from the fridge, but unfortunately it had gone flat. Emma's fingernails were long and red against the smudgy sides of a gla.s.s that had been in the cupboard for years. You two, like this house, have been running to seed,' Emma said, and took a long swallow of the drink.

I've told Owen everything,' Lily announced, and he has things to tell, too.'

I've no doubt of it,' said Emma. She lit a cigarette. Well, Owen, what do you think?'

Owen was openly staring at Emma. He was searching for signs of decrepitude, lines around the mouth, a crepiness of the skin. Emma was young. There was no doubt. How do I know you are Emilia?' he said.

Emma made a careless gesture. You could ask my daughter.' She laughed. Poor Eva. She isn't happy about this, but then, she always has been a jealous girl. Was a spiteful, secretive child, in fact. What I did to deserve such a lump, I don't know!'

And Othman did this to you, gave you back your youth?'

Emma's tone was flat, uncompromising. Yes. Othman did this to me. I'm afraid I don't want to go into too much detail, because it's hardly a romantic story.'

This is all very hard to believe,' Owen said.

Emma made a careless gesture, spraying ash into the air. Of course it is. Departure from the ordinary makes people uncomfortable. The fabric of reality starts to fray. I quite understand. I myself am still utterly astounded whenever I pa.s.s a mirror, but my feelings are more of relief and joy than of fear.' She paused to inhale from her cigarette. So, Lily has told you about me, and about your father, and his family. Just for convenience's sake, suppose that all this information is true. You can argue with Lily about it later, if you like. Now, what is it you can tell me? Lily seems quite excited about it, doesn't she!'

Owen was reluctant to answer. He still wasn't sure whether he should trust this strange, charismatic female who claimed to be Emilia Manden. It's not much,' he said.

Owen!' Lily scolded. Just tell Emma what you told me. Please! I think it's important.'

Owen shrugged. OK. A friend of mine is psychic, and over the past few days has been picking things up about the Grigori. I suppose he could just be taking it out of my head, some racial memory or something. Does that make sense?'

Emma pulled a face. Possibly. Your friend is Daniel Cranton, with whom you have an intimate relations.h.i.+p?'

Owen glanced at Lily in an accusing manner. Yes. It's not something I want to be general knowledge around the village, though.'

I appreciate that,' Emma said, although I think you'd find the true residents, those who were Grigori dependants, and their families, don't care a twig about such friends.h.i.+ps. Grigori rarely make distinctions concerning gender.'

I think Daniel's father might.' Owen grimaced. Anyway, that's irrelevant to this discussion. I want to know everything you can tell me about Peverel Othman.'

Emma glanced at Lily, who cast down her eyes. Mmm. He is not as much of a problem as you seem to think. Not yet.'

Tell her about the bangle, O,' Lily said. Her face had gone slightly pink.

Owen did so.

Emma listened, her eyes slitted against the smoke she exhaled. First, I think you should consider that Daniel might have picked up the name, as a symbol to represent murder, from you, in the same way he might have received visions of the Garden in Eden. Shemyaza is a potent symbol of the Grigori. You know that. He is supposed to be able to love and kill at the same time, capable of ultimate compa.s.sion and ultimate cruelty. Ultimately, he is totally amoral. His symbolic appearance in Daniel's mind is one possibility. The other, as Lily suggests, is that Peverel Othman did murder this girl in Cresterfield. Othman, or Shemyaza.'

Shemyaza,' Owen said in a monotone, is a mythical fallen angel, who if he lived at all, must have died about eight thousand years ago. I can't see him hanging around night clubs in Cresterfield picking up girls and killing them.'

Emma smiled thinly. I wasn't speaking literally. I think certain Grigori traits are awakening within you, to which Daniel is sensitive.' She leaned forward earnestly. Owen, you are not without magical experience yourself. You should know how it is possible to invoke ancient mythical forms...' She frowned at Owen's blank expression. Oh well, maybe not. But it is possible. As a matter of fact I don't think Shemyaza is a real person walking around killing people. Perhaps Othman or another Grigori was stalking Cresterfield. But Shemyaza's essence may well be behind what is happening. He was reputed to be beyond love and hate, the eternal dying king. A martyr and a seducer, the hanged man of the Tarot.' She flicked ash into a saucer on the table. These are concepts you ought to reclaim, investigate. Perhaps it would help you understand yourselves, your people, better.'

Where are our people?' Lily asked. Are the Murkasters the only Grigori?'

Emma shook her head. Obviously not. The Grigori have always had a hand in human affairs, of that I am sure, even though my knowledge of their activities is limited. The Grigori want to keep humanity in the dark about this, of course they do. You are half human, and have a foot in both worlds. Maybe you can rediscover Grigori knowledge for your mother's people, those whom the Murkasters abandoned to die. They all looked out for Helen. They deserve to be repaid.'

It could be dangerous to delve into these things,' Owen said.

Emma exhaled a snort. You!' she exclaimed. What have you been doing in Herman's Wood all these years? You were playing with fire, the only fire, without realising it. That in itself was potentially dangerous!'

Owen stared at her, unable to speak.

What has he been doing?' Lily asked.

Something similar to what you experienced at the High Place,' Emma said, almost dismissively, with a sidelong glance. Your brother thought he was acting in secret, but we, the women, we knew.' She smiled at Owen, a knowing rictus.

What have you been doing up there?' Lily demanded. Was it with Othman?'

Owen pulled a sour face. No! And I don't want to discuss that now. It's irrelevant.'

Emma laughed. Hardly. But still, that is a private issue between you. The women of this village have used the High Place for centuries for their own rites. You were drawn to that place, Owen, because it was significant to the Grigori. Notice you never came across us on the Friday nights you went there. We were aware of your activities, and considered them essential. What you did there was a re-enactment of an ancient ceremony as old as the flame itself.

What is the flame?' Lily asked. I think I saw it when I was at the High Place, in a room deep beneath the ground. It was in a vision, or a kind of dream, but it felt very real. A blue flame. I breathed on it to make it grow.'

The flame is the source,' Emma said. The source of their power. Othman wants you to reawaken it. The Murkasters dampened it before they left, perhaps to keep it in reserve for a future time when they would return here.' She smiled bleakly. They promised to return, of course.'

And what if they do?' Owen asked. What will happen to us?'

It is important for you to become yourselves,' Emma answered obliquely. That will give you protection.'

This is all too insane,' Lily said, clawing her fingers through her hair. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and find this was all a nightmare. Everything's happened so quickly. I wish we could go back in time to last Sat.u.r.day.' She laughed nervously. We should have ignored Pev when he came to us in the garden at The White House. None of this would have happened.'

Don't kid yourself,' Emma said sharply. I wouldn't have let Othman leave this place without taking what was mine. You wouldn't have been able to keep out of it for long, not once the process had started. I was waiting for this time, watching you in silence, but I knew the day would come when I could come to you and tell you both the truth.'

Do you think we will ever meet our father?' Lily wondered. Do you think he knows what is happening?'

I can't answer that,' Emma said. I've no idea where he is, or what happened to him.'

Did he know about us?' Owen asked.

Emma nodded. Oh yes. That was why Helen was so well provided for. He knew about you.'

Then why has he never come for us?' Lily said.

He might not be able to,' Emma answered. Let me tell you what happened the last night the Murkasters were here.

Several days before, there had been some kind of dispute between Helen and Kashday. As to what it was about, we only had rumours to go on, but it seems Helen wanted to have some Grigori power for herself. Kashday was besotted with her, but he must have resisted her demands. So, Helen had left Long Eden and returned to the farm where she worked. Kashday had tried to lure her out, but she was strong-willed, wouldn't have it. She kept him dangling for three days. Then, he must have relented, because he brought her back to Long Eden with him. There were undercurrents of disapproval in the house. I know Lady Lilieth argued with Kashday about Helen.

I was at Long Eden in the afternoon, on that last day. It was the eve of Lammas, and an important family ritual would take place that night in the temple on the island in the grounds. But it was to be no ordinary ritual. Kashday had an inkling, I think, that something was about to happen, because he sent some of his people up to the church. I was there in the garden when they came back with the effigy, wrapped in a black cloth. I went to him in the early evening, to see if I could find anything out. He was on the phone, talking quickly. I remember asking what was happening. I was afraid. He said, and I can recall this as clear as day, ”Emmie, tonight is very important, but I've no idea how it will turn out yet. It may be that I'll have to go away for a while, but don't worry, I've been sorting things out. I want you to speak to all the dependants for me, rea.s.sure them.”

Of course, I was horrified. Kashday often went away, sometimes for a couple of years at a time, but there was a tone in his voice that day that spoke of endings. I panicked. The first thing I thought of, and I was right to do so, was that the Murkasters were running away from Little Moor, and that it would mean a death sentence for me, and my kind. I pleaded with him, begged him to take me with him. He said, ”I don't need to hear this, Emmie. I have problems of my own. Rest a.s.sured you will be provided for. The Murkasters do not abandon those who have helped them.”

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