

The Trespassing of Souls

## By M.S.C. Barnes

The Trespassing of Souls

Copyright©: M.S.C.Barnes 2015

Published: 26 December 2015

Publisher: Stone Circle Publishing

The right of M.S.C Barnes to be identified as author of this Work has been asserted by M.S.C. Barnes in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format.

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# Table of Contents

Second Day Nerves

It Gets Worse

The Mark

Teasing

The Weekend

Aiden

The Leaf

Explorers

Labyrinths and Doors

Cross-country

Bats and Squirrels

Moonlight

The Sin

The Summons

An Abstraction

The Caretaker

Labyrinth

Think First

A Question of Age

Whispering

The Visitor

History

Left Behind

Dryads and Hellhounds

Believing is Seeing

Sticks and Stones

The Five Springs

Through the Door

The Group

Souls and Trespassers

Failure and Allies!

Listen!

A Quiet Word

New Rooms

The Annexe

Nearly All Together!

Sleeping Arrangements

A Surprise for Zach

Heath

A Father Figure

You Decide

Souls and Spirits

The Ancient Place

Reunited

Preparations

A Time to Sleep

Into the Darkness

Trust

Circles and Summons

The Attack

Defence

Retake Them All

The Fight

Guilt and Power

The Twins

Give up the Ghost

A Mind's Power

Revelations and Revenge

Sacrifice

Eternal Damnation

The Seal

Concealment

Just a Body

The Escort

Final Rest

Sentinels

Retelling

A Binding Pledge

Blame

Things to Come

Confirmation

A Resolution

The Question to End

The Beginning

#  Second Day Nerves

Seb's mum had made him pancakes with ice cream for breakfast. She knew he wasn't happy, but then he rarely was. Mostly, Seb Thomas was troubled.

This morning was particularly troubling. It was day two at his new upper school and day one hadn't gone well.

Socially, Seb had struggled through lower and middle school. With the exception of one friend, to all his other classmates he was either invisible, or the focus of ridicule and derision.

He started the new school with this one friend, Zach, and guiltily admitted, only to himself, that he felt resentment at the friendship. Zach, like Seb, was highly intelligent and into ancient wonders, gods, mysteries and mythical beasties. Naturally they were drawn to each other. Seb, however, couldn't compete with Zach's overconfident, extrovert character. He felt eclipsed and dominated by him but was forced to cling to their friendship or face total solitude.

So on that miserable Thursday morning he ate his pancakes, as the ice cream gradually melted, with a lump in his throat and a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Yesterday morning had been so different, full of excitement at the new start, new possibilities, freedom from the invisible Seb at middle school; a chance to be someone new. Today the gloss had been taken off that hope. He hadn't managed to make one new friend. He had been with Zach the whole day and couldn't bring himself to speak to any of their new classmates. He was left feeling it was all going horribly wrong and he was going to be as sad and out of place at this new school as he had been at his last.

He felt a burst of adrenaline, the stomach-churning feeling of trepidation. To the sound of his mother barking instructions at his younger brother, Seb scooted out of the door.

Brooding clouds gathered overhead.

His sister sat smugly in the front seat of the car. She loved school, made friends easily, loved the novelty of new class timetables and had travelled home from her first day at the school full of stories of the friends she had already made.

Scarlet was extrovert, organised, keen where Seb was introverted, chaotic, reluctant. They had started at the new school together in the same year and, as always, people guessed incorrectly that they were twins. In fact, Seb was ten months younger than Scarlet but their birthdays fell in the same academic year which consigned him to a school career living in his capable, gregarious sister's shadow.

He scowled at the snooty smile she gave him and clambered into the back of the car, dropping his water bottle onto the seat. It tipped over, leaking onto his trousers. He wiped them with a tissue which disintegrated and smeared white, flaky deposits over the black material.

The journey to school passed quietly. As the few miles rolled by, Seb's nervousness grew.

The eight o'clock news came on and his mum turned the radio down. She habitually protected her children from news stories, not wishing them to hear about stabbings, bomb blasts or other tragedies.

Seb remembered his horror the first time he heard about a bombing. His mum had been too slow to turn the radio down, distracted by his then baby brother vomiting the majority of his morning milk over his car seat. The news story told of an explosion in a country called Iraq, in a city Seb couldn't pronounce. It had happened in a crowded market area and women and children were among the forty killed.

Whilst the young Seb drew comfort from the fact this hadn't happened in England, he wasn't sure exactly how much. His internal world map didn't contain the detail of where Iraq was and he had to check on his illuminating globe when he got home. He had been pleased at the distance of that country from England but now a hazy darkness had crept into his consciousness. Up until that point the world had been a safe, innocent place. Now he had been introduced to some of the nasty things that could happen and that people could do to each other.

They arrived at the school approach road and their mum parked on the avenue of oak trees leading to the main gates.

Seb struggled with his heavy bags, which seemed to be so much bigger than everyone else's. Scarlet was shouting at him. She had seen a new friend nearing the school entrance and wanted to join her but knew she couldn't get away with simply abandoning her nuisance brother. She edged away from the car. Their younger brother bawled that she was going without him and chased after her. Everyone could hear the Thomas family, strung out in a noisy procession: Scarlet shouting and waving to her friend, their little brother crying and their mum calling to him, running behind with his raincoat flapping in her hand. Seb, embarrassed, scowled and followed, holding his head down.

Seb struggled to catch up with Scarlet and her friend as they approached Reception to drop off their mobile phones. Feeling grumpy, he decided that actually he didn't need his sister's company today and slowed. He sauntered to Reception, signed in his phone and headed for the playground via the main corridor. Trying to appear as if he had been at the school for ever, he was focusing on the light ahead, the exit door to the playground, when he felt a sudden blow on his right shoulder, heard a thud behind him and was spun around by two hands.

A booming voice shouted, "Halt, mortal, and be identified!"

Peering into the gloom of the corridor, Seb saw a set of bright white teeth shining from a dark face, framed by a head of tightly curled black hair. Zach!

"I heard you coming, your feet stomped so much." Seb tried to sound unflustered.

Zach threw his head back and laughed a loud, outrageous laugh that rebounded along the corridor and must have travelled into every room off it.

Seb was horrified. "Shh! We'll get into trouble."

Zach put his arm around Seb's shoulders and continued laughing. "I've been here ages, what took you so long?"

"I thought you'd be in the playground. Come on, we'll be late now," Seb said.

He moved towards the exit, wishing to goodness Zach would take his arm off his shoulders. He knew he should be grateful to have a friend, but Zach was already acting the fool and drawing attention to them both. They would never make new friends.

"Wow, it got sunny quickly!" Zach boomed, staring at the light shining through the exit door.

"Shh, Zach, there might be teachers in the classrooms."

Zach's arm at last fell from Seb's shoulders as he stepped round and walked backwards. "I see no _Keep Quiet_ signs. I see no teachers," he raised his head. "I do see a fraidy-cat friend though," he carried on, bellowing out the words as a door behind him opened, "who needs to lighten up."

Seb stopped dead, staring beyond Zach's shoulder to where a large figure had stepped from the classroom door between the boys and the exit. In silhouette it looked like a giant – an ogre! Its head only cleared the ceiling by about six inches; its hulking frame filled half the width of the corridor. It was making a raspy sound, thin and high-pitched, but it uttered no words.

"Seb, your mouth is so far open I can see your breakfast!" Zach glanced over his own shoulder and then back at Seb who was frozen where he stood, watching the silhouetted figure shamble forward, still making that creepy raspy sound.

Seb tried to regain his composure. _It's only a member of staff,_ he told himself.

"We were just making our way to the playground," he offered, as the large figure took another lumbering step towards them.

Zach stared at Seb, his back to the giant and laughed again. "Yes we were. So why the heck are we stood here?" Another glance over his shoulder and then he looked back at Seb. "Come on Seb, you're being _weird."_

Ignoring Zach's laughter and confused as to why his friend wasn't concerned at the monstrous shape just behind him, Seb tried to control his rising fear. The ominous figure shuffled another step closer. It had no discernible features and Seb's imagination created the missing information: he pictured a huge, ugly visage, one massive eye in the centre; a low, heavy forehead; large, rubbery lips and a selection of random, mismatching teeth. And this monster was lurching nearer to Zach as it wheezed and hacked.

A sudden bang behind Seb made the massive bulk jump and the light behind it intensified. It stumbled back, turned right and disappeared through the classroom doorway, the door slamming behind it.

Seb turned towards the sound of the bang and saw the head teacher, Mr Duir, staring at him from the far end of the corridor. As the light behind Seb waned he smiled.

"Take your friend Master Thomas and find the rest of your group." He turned and headed towards Reception.

Seb was concerned that The Head knew his name but the thought disappeared quickly as an overwhelming desire to be anywhere except in this corridor swept through him. He grabbed Zach by the arm and pulled him.

"Zach, let's go!"

"You mere mortals, you fear to be late. We gods fear nothing." Zach chuckled.

"Zach, are you mad? The _ogre_ will hear you!" Seb said in an angry whisper. "Let's just get going."

"Ah yes, 'ogres'. You mortals fear ogres too. Not us gods, we fear— "

Seb yanked Zach's arm harder. "Oh come on, or I'm going without you." He began speed-walking to the exit, leaving Zach trying to keep up. He pulled the door open and felt a gust of wind and a smattering of raindrops on his face as he stepped out and straight into a huge puddle.

"Seb you fool!" Zach howled.

Seb was mortified. _Everyone_ knew about The Lake. It was famed throughout the school and Year Nine students were warned about it on day one. _Don't fall in The Lake._

It was a mystery to most why The Head had not provided funding to fill in the deep subsidence just under the step. He had taken the job four years earlier and in that time had spent money on additional buildings: a theatre, fantastic science labs and a new gym, but no provision had ever been made for a simple resurfacing of the playground.

Seb stood, feeling his new left shoe filling with water which seeped up his trouser leg. He leapt out and onto the raised concrete two feet away.

Zach stood on the wooden ramp that formed a dry pathway across The Lake, laughing so loud that all the children within a radius of, well, the whole playground, now turned to look at the Year Nine-er who had stepped in The Lake.

Giggles and chuckles started up and Seb wanted to disappear. Then he felt a touch on his shoulder.

"Come on, little brother."

He turned to see his annoying, full-of-herself sister, with her hand on his shoulder, smiling so nicely at him. Around her were three of her new friends, forming a barrier from the rest of the laughing school cohort. Seb guessed she was trying to impress the girls with a show of kindness. Scarlet took his PE rucksack and handed his satchel to one of the girls, introducing her as Nat. She smiled kindly at him as the girls escorted him out of the main playground.

"Hey, wait for me!" Zach called, chasing after them.

The laughter died down as they turned the corner and headed along the Year Nine pathway. Seb's shoe squelched and his sock moved around on the slippery insole. He didn't know whether to be grateful to Scarlet for rescuing him or totally humiliated at having to be looked after by his sister. Whatever, he was content to be out of the spotlight.

When they reached the smaller Year Nine playground, Scarlet and her group left Seb and Zach and went to find their own class line. Standing in his line, Seb now had time to worry about how his mum would react to his ruined shoe. At least the day couldn't get any worse ...

#  It Gets Worse

Academically, the morning lessons were a breeze for Seb – Maths, Science, then two periods of History whose topic was Greek mythology and specifically Theseus and the Minotaur and Ariadne's thread. He was able to forget his damp sock, able to blot out the embarrassment in the playground – temporarily.

The History teacher, Mr West, had to wait for the class to settle and come to terms with his unusual appearance. The pupils were unused to a teacher who was actually shorter than even the smallest child in the class. His stubby fingers, squeaky voice and the rolling gait, with which he waddled around and between the desks as he talked, drew sidelong glances and the occasional murmur or snigger.

Though they all knew of dwarves or Little People and had all heard of the West Twins, a frequent topic of both student and parent conversations, there was always an initial shock when students were faced with the reality in their midst.

Once that shock subsided and his build and features had been accepted, pupils warmed to Mr West's dynamic personality. Every word he uttered was enthusiastic and mesmerizing. He related the tale of Theseus and the Minotaur and the students followed his storytelling as if connected by the very golden thread Ariadne had given the adventurous hero.

Seb was in his element. So, unfortunately, was Zach, only more loudly. Zach continually put up his hand, each time breaking the spell as Mr West paused, fixed his sunken eyes on the boy and asked, "Master Orwell, you have another question; or is it another observation?"

Zach interjected continually with additional, wholly unnecessary information, facts he had read, speculations and questions designed to demonstrate what he knew rather than to seek answers.

The rest of the class didn't seem to notice or mind, but for Seb, who had experienced years of the same, it was infuriating. Normally he wouldn't be bothered but this was a favourite subject and Zach was ruining it!

Mr West continued, the thread began weaving again and Seb floated along with it. He was in the dank, narrow passageways of the labyrinth. He could feel the cold, sense the dampness on the walls. He was passing the blackened bones of youths who had met their demise in that oppressive place, hearing the low growls and grunts as Theseus neared his quarry. And then the thread snapped; again Zach's hand was up and Mr West was fixing his gaze on him.

Seb sighed. He hadn't meant to, but it was a loud and obvious sigh, accompanied by a visible slump as he planted his elbows on the table and lowered his head. Now all eyes were on him, especially those of Mr West.

"Master Thomas?" The squeaky voice sounded surprised.

Seb straightened awkwardly in his seat, fixed his own eyes on Mr West's, which were half-hidden beneath bushy brows, and said nothing.

Zach, dropping his hand, also looked at Seb; actually he frowned at him.

Mr West turned to Zach. "Master Orwell, I note some among your classmates are struggling to keep up with the story. So they don't _lose the thread_ as it were, can we save questions and observations for the end? If you must, write notes and we can deal with them afterwards. Is that satisfactory to you?"

Zach looked at Seb and nodded smugly. Seb dropped his eyes to his desk and ignored the other glances from around the room. His hands idly played with his water bottle then a small pattern on the surface of his desk caught his attention. He slid the bottle to the side to see the mark more clearly, but knocked it over. The screw top wasn't on properly and it dislodged, emptying the contents across the desk. The spreading puddle dripped over the edge of the table and into his lap. His trousers, the left leg still wet, were now soaked around the crotch. He could feel cold liquid dribbling between his thighs and under his bottom. A girl sitting opposite him, as the water spread towards her, wrenched her chair backward, bumping into the boy behind who had been balancing forward on the two front legs of his chair. As he fell to the floor he clipped his lip on the table and blood oozed from his mouth. The girl beside him screamed and the domino effect spread. As she screamed she raised her hands to her mouth, sticking her elbows out, nudging the boy next to her in the side of the head. He howled and leant away to the side, knocking a vase off the cupboard beside him. The resulting crash seemed to create a crushing silence as all the children turned first to the fragmented pottery on the floor, then to the boy with his lip dripping blood and then back to Seb.

Events after this were a blur: lots of laughter and pointing; Mr West waddling across the room to yank blue-roll from the dispenser and throwing it in a streamer over the heads of the students to land perfectly in the swelling puddle on the table in front of Seb; the boy with the bleeding lip being escorted to the medical room and then Mr West, his oversized backside sticking in the air, on his hands and knees with a dustpan and brush, sweeping the pieces of pottery up and dropping them with a crash into an empty box.

The class never did settle down. Little tittering outbursts and whispers punctuated the remaining minutes of the lesson.

The clanging bell, signalling lunchtime, was the most musical thing Seb had heard. Head hanging, he stood.

Zach clapped him on the back and in a booming voice said, "Thanks for the entertainment, mortal!"

In the back of his mind Seb managed to feel relieved that the performance had not alienated his only friend. One thing about Zach, his loyalty was unquestionable.

Lunch brought more humiliation. Other than the odd snigger, his classmates, with the exception of Zach, made no move to speak to him or associate with him in any way. He did, however, receive plenty of attention from the hundreds of other students queuing for lunch. The wet patch across his crotch and bottom needed no explanation: the Year Nine-er had peed his pants – well that was the chat anyway, and short of standing on a tabletop and announcing that it was _just water,_ how could he stop the story spreading?

By the end of lunch Seb was known throughout the school as the boy who had stepped in The Lake and peed himself on his second day. Having begun the morning resenting Zach's presence he now clung to him for security, relieved that Zach seemed unconcerned at the wide berth they were being given by all other pupils at the school.

#  The Mark

Huddled in the back of the car on the way home, Seb was quiet. Scarlet, however, was not. She recounted The Lake story in vivid detail and described her embarrassment at people believing she was twin sister to the infamous pant-wetting Year Nine-er. She bigged-up her role in protecting him and escorting him to his class line and played down her evasive tactics in the playground at lunchtime, when Seb and Zach had approached her and her girlfriends, looking for a wider circle to be with, and she had pretended not to see them, disappearing into some secluded corner to avoid them.

Seb's mind retreated from the uncomfortable storytelling and returned to the curious mark he had seen on his desk, before the incident with the water bottle. The school desks were mostly battered old wooden items with scrapes and scratches and years' worth of scribblings, some accidental, many intentional as the teachers lost the anti-graffiti battle. The mark Seb had noted was obviously intentional. Scratched in black ink, the line pressed so heavily into the wood surface it scored an indentation. It was the outline of a leaf. That in itself wasn't so exceptional; the school was in the middle of a spread of ancient woodland which would provide subconscious inspiration for students gazing out of the window instead of engaging in their lessons.

This particular leaf, however, had drawn Seb's attention because right in the middle of it was a single upright line, from the left of which stretched two parallel horizontal lines. It was only about half an inch long, but was precise and clear.

Seb turned his left hand over and stared at his palm. He placed his fingernail on the mark which had been present on his skin since birth and traced along the same design – two horizontal lines, joining a single upright line formed by an overabundance of pigmentation, the doctors had told his mother, and spread in an unusually precise network of lines, as opposed to the usual misshapen blobs that typify birthmarks. He gazed at the area surrounding this criss-cross of lines which was tinted darker than the pale skin on the rest of his hand. This patch of tinted skin undulated and curved, giving the appearance of an oak leaf. The whole birthmark was no more than an inch long.

Seb wondered if he should mention the table-marking to his mother and sister. Scarlet was fascinated by Seb's birthmark. He decided mentioning it would just open up the whole water-spilling, pot-smashing, lip-splitting incident again and it was best to leave Scarlet to ramble on about her exciting day. He slumped back in his seat and remained quiet for the journey and throughout the evening, sloping off to bed early, sad and disappointed at the disastrous day.

His dreams that night found him wandering in an endless, dark wood. He stumbled into a stream. His shiny new school shoes were soaked; they swelled in size and fell away from his feet. He clambered up the bank and climbed over the ridge at the top. Stepping down into another rivulet he tripped and fell to a sitting position in the water. As the icy liquid soaked into his trousers he looked up in the gloom and saw the glint of a golden thread stretching from a large tree behind him and disappearing into a dark void on the opposite bank. He reached and grabbed the thread and heard a creaking and groaning sound as he used the fine cord to pull himself up. The thread, which had been taut, bent and the massive trunk of an oak tree fell forward out of the dark void towards the stream. As it crashed to the ground it splintered into millions of pieces of pottery. Seb, pelted with the shards of ceramic bark, put his hands up to protect his face and a fine sliver skimmed across his left palm. He felt a searing pain and woke with a start to find himself at the bottom of his bed, his left arm hanging down, illuminated by a beam of moonlight that sliced through a small gap in the curtains.

Everything was quiet except from the bed below where his brother, _The Taz,_ was gently snuffling.

Seb's left hand hurt and he sat up, holding his palm towards the beam of moonlight to get a better look. Expecting to see a cut or bruising, it was smarting so much his breath caught in his throat as his eyes focused. The lines in the centre of his birthmark looked like they had grown, expanding right to the edges of the leaf shape and they looked lighter than the dark brown he was used to. They seemed to have a hue; a tint he couldn't make out. The moonlight drained the colour from everything around him. He ran his fingertip over the lines and noticed a softness, a slight furry texture.

Seb tiptoed to the bathroom. Turning on the light he held his hand up and opened his fingers. When he saw the network of lines and the birthmark, the loud groan he made echoed around the room.

He wasn't wrong. The lines had doubled in size and now they were _green._ They stretched from the top of the surrounding pigmented leaf shape to the bottom, like a straight spine with veins running from it.

Staring intently at the mark he practically jumped out of his skin as a hand grabbed his left arm. He spun round and pulled away, glancing over his shoulder. Scarlet's angry face, framed by a mass of tousled hair, loomed towards him. She hissed in a whisper, "What the heck are you doing?"

Seb hissed a _Shh!_ back.

"I _am_ shushing! What are _you_ doing?"

Seb's instinct was to lie, but he was now upset and worried and needed a friend. Maybe it was the anxiety in his eyes but Scarlet's face softened.

"What is it? D'you have a bad dream? What's wrong?"

Seb thrust his palm up about a foot away from her nose. He watched her expression as her eyes focused on the mark. The frown lifted, then the eyebrows, her mouth opened, her eyes widened and she stifled a little choke.

Scarlet's first instinct was to call their mum but Seb refused to let her. She wanted to know why not; maybe Seb's birthmark was infected. It had, after all, gone green. Seb became defensive, arguing it wasn't infected; it seemed perfectly healthy. The pain had gone; it was just that the network of lines was now green instead of dark brown. It really didn't matter – did it?

Scarlet lifted his hand to her nose and sniffed it.

Seb pulled it away. "What are you doing?"

"Well, shouldn't it smell if it's infected? You know, gangrene." She screwed her nose up.

Seb's heart lurched. "Well? Does it? Does it smell?"

Scarlet shoved his arm away. "Nope. Well, no more than stinky boys normally smell." She smiled at him.

They spent the next few hours chatting, discussing whether it was normal for birthmarks to change, what the cause could be, and whether there was a hidden reason or meaning.

Sitting in the bright, artificial light of the bathroom with the sky outside lightening through the frosted glass window, Seb's fears subsided. It seemed perfectly normal that the lines in his birthmark should change and grow. Wasn't that part of growing up anyway? He was still adamant he didn't want to let their mum know; she would fuss and take him to the doctor and make a _huge_ deal out of it. Seb cited The Lake incident and the pant-wetting story as all-too-recent examples of unwanted fame and attention. Scarlet giggled and shrugged, letting him have his way. She was thrilled to be in on a secret.

#  Teasing

On waking, their mum was surprised to find Seb and Scarlet already dressed and downstairs having breakfast. Smiling, she busied herself with getting The Taz ready.

Seb and Scarlet had nicknamed their baby brother 'The Taz' after watching a cartoon of the Tasmanian Devil as he wreaked havoc in Daffy Duck's life and decided that their brother was a child-sized version of this whirlwind character. He was now spinning madly on his bar stool, giggling.

Chomping noisily on her Crunchy Nut cornflakes, Scarlet turned and gave Seb a wink when she saw he was wearing his fingerless gloves with his jumper sleeves pulled down to his knuckles. That had been her suggestion to hide the birthmark.

During the drive to school Scarlet sat in the back next to Seb. In a whisper she told him he should show his hand to her friends and swear them to secrecy. Seb hardly paid any attention. He gazed out at the passing scenery. The sun had decided to reappear for the day and as he squinted out of the window he noted a quick movement between some trees. It was only a fleeting glimpse but he grabbed Scarlet's knee.

"Scarlet, did you see that?" He pointed and she stared out of the window.

"See what?"

He could smell crunchy nuts mixed with minty toothpaste on her breath.

"There's no point looking now; you obviously missed it," he stated, turning to look out of the rear window.

"Missed what?"

Seb lowered his voice and leaned towards her. "Scarlet, I saw— I can't believe you didn't see it."

"Getting annoyed now!" She crossed her arms.

"I am _sure_ I saw— well, a silver person!"

She turned slowly to search his eyes for any hint he was winding her up. Then she looked out of the back window. "Seriously? I mean, really, what on earth do you mean by 'a silver person'?"

"It was a man – tall, thin and, well, shining! Standing by a tree. I only caught a really quick look, but he was sparkling. He saw me, looked at me. Honestly, Scarlet, it was a silver person."

"What was he wearing?"

"What? I don't know; I just noticed that he was shining."

"Shining? Like a glow-in-the-dark? A block of silver? What do you mean?" She was getting frustrated.

"No. Sparkling, shimmering, really. The skin, the body— " he tutted, unable to explain properly.

"Well what was he doing?"

"Nothing; just standing next to a tree and looking at me."

Seb looked out of the rear windscreen. The trees had thinned out and he could see hedgerows and open fields. A slight mist hovered above the ground in the farthest fields. A magpie rose from the grass verge near the road and flapped over the bushes, coming to roost in a lone tree in the middle of a field. Seb saw the silver figure step round the trunk. Keeping his head turned towards the window he tapped Scarlet's knee. "Look!"

She turned and frowned.

"By that tree in that field – the one all by itself."

"I see a tree Seb, but there's no one next to it. You're winding me up."

"Scarlet, I'm not. It _is_ there, how can you not see it? Are you looking at the right tree?"

"Of course I'm looking at the right tree! There's only _one_ in the middle of the field. There's nothing there!"

Seb turned to look at his sister's confused and frustrated expression. "How can you not see it?"

She slumped back in her seat. "Well I can't and I think you're making it up."

"Don't get angry; I'm not making it up. Maybe I'm just tired— "

She grunted then snorted a little laugh. "Or mad!"

Seb sat back in his seat, deciding to say nothing more. He glanced out of the window. The silver figure had vanished.

# Miss West

Arriving at school, Seb heard a few sniggers as he walked through the entrance. Fortunately, Zach was waiting at Reception. As they headed down the main corridor and passed the door into which the hulking ogre figure had disappeared, Seb heard a wheezing cackle. He stopped.

"What ya doing?" Zach asked.

"Did you hear that?" Seb put his ear to the door.

"Hear what?"

"That laugh, didn't you hear it?"

"I've heard lots of laughing today, old buddy ..."

Seb frowned as they approached the exit. He managed to negotiate The Lake without incident and they headed to the Year Nine playground. Most of the students there ignored them, although a couple giggled or nudged each other.

Seb's left hand was tingling. He could hear the leaves in the nearby oak trees rustling and looked into the woods. His heart skipped as he saw the silver figure standing about twenty feet away, beside a tree.

Grabbing Zach's arm he dragged him towards the fence.

"Alright mortal, they'll laugh no matter where we stand."

Seb pointed into the trees. The sparkling figure stood staring at the boys.

"Do you see that, Zach? Tell me you see that!"

Zach followed Seb's finger. "What was it? A squirrel? A deer? Seb, it's a wood! I'm sure we'll see them all the time."

"No." Seb looked at Zach. Noting the lack of surprise, the lack of interest, he knew already that Zach, like Scarlet, saw nothing. He chose to keep his mouth shut. "You didn't see it then?"

"Nah."

A piercing whistle made them jump and Seb turned to see a diminutive figure, dressed in dark purple, standing behind the railing on the ramp to the Year Nine block. The dumpy little female had a shock of outrageous, black, bushy hair and as the wind whipped around the playground strands of it were lifted and whirled all about her head. She had a snub nose and low forehead – not an attractive look – and her beady, dark eyes were fixed on Seb.

"Silence, now." Her voice was surprisingly soft, with a melodious tone and the students were silent in an instant. Seb figured that was more out of curiosity at the appearance of this other West twin, than from obedience to her command.

Her crazy hair was still twirling around her head and her stumpy fingers strummed on the railing, which came up to shoulder height on her, as she kept her eyes fixed on him.

"Into your classrooms, please."

The pupils walked up the ramp past her and peeled off to their relevant classrooms; some went left at the top of the ramp, some right. It was like watching a procession, with this curious wild-haired figure at the centre. A few students glanced at her as they walked past, even the smallest of them a good few inches taller than her. One boy paused and tried to speak to her; she lifted a hand and waved him away without ever breaking eye contact with Seb.

Then with a stunningly quick movement she leapt onto the railing with her right foot and launched through the air towards Seb. At precisely the same moment he felt a sharp pain as if tiny spikes were being driven into his shoulder. The blur of activity which followed was punctuated by a shout from Zach, a chant of _Miss West! Miss West!_ from the pupils still remaining on the ramp, a flapping sound very close to Seb's left ear and that persistent little stabbing and pricking pain.

Miss West, landing beside him, grabbed something from his shoulder. As she pulled it away Seb caught a glimpse of tiny little claws gripping onto and tearing the fibres of his green school jumper. She threw the little creature deep into the wood and a screeching sound came bouncing back from the bush into which it disappeared.

The teacher hitched up her trousers, straightened her purple tunic and ran her fingers through the matted locks of her hair. She wasn't looking at Seb now; in fact, she had turned her back and was walking away across the playground towards the main building.

Seb looked at his shoulder. Oh great, there were tiny holes torn in the material and—

"Hey mate," Zach boomed, "that was quite a show! And you seem to have something— oh yuck, you've got bird poo on your shoulder!"

The Year Nine audience, half still standing on the ramp, half looking out of the windows of the classrooms, erupted into laughter. Seb was becoming their daily entertainment.

Having spent break time in the toilet unsuccessfully trying to remove the poo from his jumper, Seb never got the chance to talk to Zach about his birthmark as he intended.

Most of their lessons that morning were spent filling in forms and copying course book lists with their form tutor, a delicate bird-like lady called Miss Crabtree. She seemed very sweet natured and gentle.

Zach spent the lessons asking look-what-I-know questions and the big characters in the class got noisier and noisier. As they approached lunchtime the noise level rose to a crescendo and there was pandemonium in the class. Seb was glad to get out to the more general noise in the playground. He was so grateful now for Zach's continued loyalty and decided never again to resent the friendship.

They were second-sitting lunch and Seb enjoyed the freshness outside before their turn came to go to the cafeteria. He scanned the woodland around the playground for signs of the silver figure but saw nothing. He decided to chat to Zach about it all but wanted to find a quiet place where they wouldn't be overheard. He had just managed to manoeuvre him to a group of three tree stumps near the wooden fencing and sat on one of them when Scarlet came striding up to them with her new best friend, Nat, and two other friends, Abi and Alex, in tow.

Seb was dreading what was coming, a request to have a private showing of the birthmark for her little girlfriend troupe. He was surprised when Scarlet leant in and whispered, "I haven't told them."

She pulled back and said in a loud voice, "So, where's your pooey-jumper brother? We all saw you being rescued from a sparrow by Miss West; poor Seb. And then you got bird poo all over your jumper – yuck! Mum's going to _love_ cleaning that."

Nat nudged her and said, "Scarlet, don't be mean."

Seb gazed up at Nat. Her big, pale blue eyes had a wide open expression. Her physique was willowy and she was at least an inch taller than him. Her light brown hair hung in gentle waves to her shoulders and Seb stared at the silky strands which seemed to glisten gold in the sunshine.

Scarlet winked at Seb. "You know I'm just kidding, right?"

Seb gave a shrug.

"Are you okay?" Nat asked, with seemingly genuine concern.

Her blue eyes looked upset and very beautiful. Seb thought she seemed kind and smiled. "I'm fine. It scratched my shoulder a bit, but Mum's going to be really angry – my jumper's ruined."

"That's not your fault." It was Alex this time, her little freckle-face pushing between Nat and Scarlet at about their shoulder height. She was tiny, in every way, except for her thick, bushy, chestnut-coloured hair, which was tied into submission in two long plaits.

"Alright girls, I brought you here to see the jumper, not to stand up for my infamous brother!" Scarlet was obviously a bit disappointed that her new friends seemed to find Seb interesting rather than annoying.

A whistle blew and Zach grabbed Seb's arm, dragging him up off the tree stump to head for the cafeteria. "Come on, I'm starving. You coming, girls? We can talk some more inside."

"We left our lunch bags in the classroom. Have to go back and get them," Scarlet answered with a satisfied smile.

As Seb followed Zach he heard a couple of giggles. Scarlet walked up to him and brushed moss and other debris from his backside.

"You actually need a nursemaid, Seb Thomas!"

Seb looked at the three girls watching his sister pat his bum down and received a reassuring smile from Nat.

Fortunately the rest of the afternoon was fairly uneventful and Seb headed home, thankful for the weekend but already nervous about Monday.

#  The Weekend

With his first step into upper school a disaster, Seb was grateful for the weekend. He had managed an undisturbed and dreamless sleep and enjoyed lying under the warm duvet as the morning sunlight filtered in through the curtains. Then he heard his mum's mobile ring. After a few minutes she came upstairs.

"Come on, Seb. I know we said we were going to have a pyjama day but we're now having Zach and Gretel round. Julie has to work. You need to get up and dressed; they'll be here in half an hour."

Seb was actually pleased; he might get a chance to discuss everything with Zach. But Gretel? That was a different matter – she was a female version of The Taz: a Tazette. With those two together the day would be chaotic.

Scarlet mooched into the room, rubbing her cheeks, and groaned as she heard her pyjama day had disappeared, and not because one of _her_ friends was coming over.

"I thought we'd all go to Sandy Lodge for a walk."

Their mum's words brought a groan from both Seb and Scarlet and then The Taz's little head popped round the door. "Yippee!"

When they had been there last time with Gretel, he had spent a crazy half hour rolling down, climbing up and rolling down again a steep hill near the heath area of the RSPB protected reserve.

_That actually would be fun,_ Seb thought. If they went today he and Zach would probably join in.

Scarlet scowled. "That's not fair, Seb will have Zach and The Taz will have— "

"I've told you both not to call him that!" their mum scolded.

The Taz ran across the room and did a flying leap onto Seb who was sitting on the bottom bunk. Seb howled as he felt the full force of the four-year-old's knees impact on his stomach.

"I rest my case!" Scarlet crossed her arms.

"No, seriously, don't call your brother that. Use his name," their mum said.

"Yes, you can't call me that. I'm A-D-A-M, Adam!" his little voice chimed in.

"A-D-A-M, Adam – get off me!" Seb raised his voice.

"The fresh air will do you all good." Their mum stared at Scarlet whose face was now fixed in a petulant frown. "I don't want any moaning from you, Scarlet. Go and get ready. You know you'll enjoy it once you're there."

Scarlet huffed and stomped off to her room. In spite of her mother's instructions, she moaned throughout breakfast and was still moaning an hour later when they noisily piled out of the car at the RSPB reserve.

The Taz and Tazette shot off along the roadway that bisected the vast woodland and Scarlet chased after them, suddenly becoming Nanny McPhee to the pair. Seb and Zach chased after her and before long they were all shouting and laughing and drawing a few frowns from the serious birdwatchers, wandering about the place with their £500 binoculars and fancy oilskin jackets. They drew more smiles, however, from the family groups or middle-aged couples, all out to just enjoy the sights and sounds of this beautiful place, and that included children exploring and having fun.

They all negotiated the cattle grid on the road as though they were tightrope walkers and then took the track that led to the heath. Within five minutes they were scrambling up the high embankment The Taz had named 'The Roly-Down Hill'. This sheer hillside rising up from the footpath was the best playground a four and five-year-old could hope for. Seb grinned and followed Zach and Scarlet as they chased the terrors up the incline.

Seb's mum found herself a suitable place beneath an oak tree where she sat, leaning against the trunk, watching them.

One by one they began rolling and tumbling down the hillside to come to rest, laughing hysterically, at the bottom, before climbing up again. The laughter and antics continued for a good forty-five minutes.

Seb stood at the top of the hill catching his breath, waiting for his little brother to clear out of the way, watching as Scarlet veered off to the left in uncontrollable giggles with bits of twig and leaf sticking out of her hair and hanging off her jacket. A cracking sound behind him made him turn and he nearly fell down the hill as he found himself face-to-face with a huge stag.

A full two feet taller than Seb the beast had the biggest set of antlers. Its soft, dark eyes watched him but other than the odd twitch of its ears it didn't move. Seb could smell its pelt, the dampness of sweat. He could hear its breathing as the creature just stood and looked at him, a slight layer of mucous around its nostrils.

Seb guessed he should probably run down the hill and hope that the stag couldn't follow and gore him with those huge antlers. He could see the soft velvety coating on them, a silvery-grey tinge to it that shone as it caught the sunlight. The stag lowered its head and there it stayed, an arm's reach from him.

_It seems so tame,_ he thought.

Suddenly he heard scrabbling and panting from the hillside. It drowned out the short, fast breaths of the stag. Seb reached an arm out. The beast remained still, allowing him to stroke its soft forehead.

The scrabbling was really close now.

"Seb, what are you doing? OMG, a stag! OMG how lovely; let me stroke it!"

Scarlet came bounding towards Seb. As she did, the deer raised its head, let out a huge, guttural bellow, turned on its hind quarters and darted into the nearest copse of trees. Its crashing could be heard for several minutes as it disappeared into the safety of the thickly wooded area.

Seb felt desperately sad. That had been the most magical moment of his life. As his hand had touched the soft fur of that wondrous creature he had felt its warmth, its life, its energy. He didn't want to let the moment go. And there was Scarlet, tapping him, hitting him on the shoulder.

"What were you doing? What on earth were you doing? Why didn't you let me touch it?"

"Stop it Scarlet," he spoke quietly, sadly. "It was you who made it go, bounding in here and rushing at it. You scared it away. Can you never just be quiet?"

There was a pause and Seb heard more scrabbling up the hill. Their mum called out, asking if they were okay. She had obviously heard the bellow and was worried about them.

Scarlet stepped to the edge of the incline. "Mum, we're fine, but you're _never_ going to believe what Seb just did!"

She chattered about the deer as they trudged to the bottom of the hill where The Taz and Gretel, having been told not to climb up again and stay with Zach, had decided to poke sticks down a nearby rabbit hole they had found. Zach supported them in their endeavours and as Seb and his mum and sister rejoined them the three had their backsides stuck up in the air and arms thrust down the hole right up to their shoulders. Seb's mum gave Zach a lecture on how dangerous that was if there was a cornered rabbit in there: sharp teeth, claws etc., and how cruel too. Zach blamed the four and five-year-old, who then burst into outrageously exaggerated tears while Seb's mum told Zach she was surprised he had been so easily led by children so young. That chastened him and he became sullen and withdrawn for a few minutes until Scarlet started jabbering on about the stag incident, at a pitch above the wailing younger children.

Seb dawdled off down the track, keen to distance himself from the commotion.

Eventually, Gretel and Adam stopped sobbing and the group set off on their walk. The youngsters found a large stick each which they dragged along, leaving spindly, serpentine imprints in the sandy dirt behind them as Zach and Scarlet ran to catch up with Seb. Zach wanted more detail to the stag story and, more importantly, to know why his best mate hadn't called him to see the creature.

As they came to the top of the quarry, in the corner of his eye, Seb caught a glimmer of silver, but when he turned to look he saw only trees.

Walking towards the sliding bar gate leading back to the main track there was a sudden fluttering to Seb's right. From a mass of jagged holly leaves at the centre of the quarry a small creature flew straight at him. It leant back and its tiny legs, with sharp, gnarled claws at the ends, thrust out to impact on his head. Digging its razor-sharp claws into his scalp it began stabbing, lifting and stabbing each foot repeatedly. Seb became rigid and then in a quick, smooth movement Zach grabbed the tiny attacker with one hand and threw it back into the holly bush. A small screech was heard and then silence.

Seb looked at Zach, stunned.

"It's only what I saw Miss West do!" Zach shrugged.

"Seb, there's no poo this time!" Scarlet laughed. Then as the younger children joined them she leaned in closer to Seb. "Did you see that thing?"

"What thing?"

"Duh, what thing do you think? The one that landed on your head!"

"No of course not – it was on my head!" Seb rubbed his scalp.

"Did you see it properly, Zach?" she hissed, grabbing Zach's elbow and making the three of them drop back.

"Yup, a little starling or something. I might take up birdwatching."

"No it wasn't a starling; it didn't even look like a bird, Zach. It was a bat! How could you not see that?"

"So what? You do get them round here!" Zach grinned at her.

Seb started to puzzle over the different species he had read about. He didn't like the thought of the vampire ones and decided he had never read of any being found in the UK so it was highly doubtful it was one of those. He rubbed his scalp again, this time feeling to see if the skin had been broken. It hadn't and he trudged on silently, anxious to get back to the car now.

As they left, Seb's palm tingled and he rubbed it gently. He gazed out of the window and said nothing as the car whizzed past a silver figure standing beside the road between two bushes in the hedgerow.

#  Aiden

Seated at the breakfast counter on Monday morning, Seb tried to force down his Weetabix. Sunday had seen the realisation of the promised pyjama day. Scarlet dedicated her time to searching websites to find a picture of the bat she had seen scraping at Seb's head the day before. She struck gold when she found the Bat Conservation Trust website. Excitedly she called Seb to see one small picture titled _Noctule._

"That's the one Seb, I'm sure of it. It was brown and about the size of an apple." She opened up the fact sheet. "Yes, and it had that funny-looking nose."

"It's not a nose, it's a tragus." Seb pointed at the screen.

"Okay, that funny looking tragus. It was definitely one of those on your head."

"Are you sure? You can't have seen it for more than a second."

"Certain." She crossed her arms triumphantly. "I told Zach it wasn't a bird."

They spent the next ten minutes reading the fact sheet then Scarlet lost interest and wandered off, leaving Seb cutting and copying pictures which he pasted onto a Word document.

Pondering the sludge in his bowl in front of him now he decided he'd had enough. He went to print off the document and crammed it into his satchel.

The journey to school seemed endless and Seb felt butterflies in his stomach as they got closer. Once more he wore his fingerless gloves with his sleeves pulled down past his wrists. The day was cheery and bright, hardly a chill and certainly no clouds. The warm sunlight was causing the remaining dampness in the earth and on the roads to evaporate quickly, but not before forming a low-lying mist that covered the fields.

Seb studied his now clean jumper for signs of the droppings of Friday. He didn't want people reminded of the incident with Miss West, though he did wonder whether it was bird poo he had been decorated with or bat poo. Thankfully his jumper was clean and his mum's delicate stitching made the tiny holes in it all but disappear.

The Taz was playing with his window button, opening the pane as far as it would go and leaning his little head out as far as he could from the confines of his booster seat. He giggled as the wind, whipping past the car, forced his eyes to close.

Seb could smell hedgerows and vegetation and then— tarmac! It made his nostrils flare and almost made him gag.

"Oh Adam, shut your window; that smell is disgusting!"

His brother just smiled at Seb.

"Mum, that stink – you know I hate it!"

Scarlet, back in the front seat, turned to look at him. "I think he's going to puke."

"Do I need to stop, Seb?" his mum asked.

"No, absolutely not here. Get us away from that awful smell and Adam, WILL YOU SHUT YOUR WINDOW!" He couldn't help shouting. He could feel his heart pounding and desperation rising as they zoomed past the roadworks to blame for the smell of fresh tarmac.

"Alright Seb, calm down." Their mum put the window up.

Seb sat back and stared out of his own window, trying not to breathe too deeply until the stench left the car. His mood calmed as the miles rolled by and the smell dissipated. And then they reached the school driveway.

With a heavy spirit, Seb got out of the car. Scarlet, looking around for any of her girlfriends, nudged him and pointed to a pair of black-toed shoes and the side of a green sleeve sticking out from one of the larger trees.

"Zach's waiting to jump out on you." She giggled.

That made Seb smile and suddenly the day didn't seem so full of dread.

Grinning, the two of them veered off the main path to walk along the grass. Seb led the way and, unseen, they made it to the tree behind which Zach was hiding. On the whispered count of three they leapt round the trunk, shouting. The poor lad on the other side jumped so high there was daylight between his feet and the ground. His freckled face blushed bright red, particularly his nose, and he looked like he was about to burst into tears.

Seb and Scarlet were stunned and a voice behind them made them hang their heads. "What are you two mortals up to?" Zach came striding along the verge, holding The Taz's hand.

Scarlet pushed Seb on the shoulder, knocking him into the trunk of the splendid oak beside which the freckly boy was struggling to regain his composure. His face was vaguely familiar to Seb, but he couldn't place him. The boy, however, knew Seb.

"I never made fun of you for peeing your pants, or for getting splatted by a bird. Why are you picking on me?" His cheeks had turned as red as his nose but at least the tears had not come.

Scarlet took The Taz's other hand, leaving Seb to answer. When they came his words were neither convincing nor intelligible, "It, er, Zach was— you're not. Sorry!"

Picking up his bag, the red-faced boy walked off, head down.

"Nice one, Seb." Scarlet followed him with The Taz repeating her words, "Nice one, Seb."

"What? How do I get the blame for that? It was you who said it was Zach!"

Scarlet, not listening, continued walking. In the dappled sunlight under the tree Seb was aware Zach was stood, arms crossed, just behind him. As he turned Zach had the biggest grin on his face. "You thought it was me and you tried to get the jump on me! It'll never happen!"

"Shut up, Zach."

Seb turned towards the school entrance. As he did so, a small object fell down the back of his shirt. It was cold and smooth and he dropped his bag, fearing he had been christened again by a bird. Thankfully, whatever it was didn't feel wet. He tried to put his hand down his back.

"What are you doing _now?"_ Zach pretended to be exasperated.

"Something fell down my back." Seb had his left hand rammed down as far as it would go but the object had fallen to his waist and was balancing on the ridge of his belt. Zach helpfully thrust his own hand inside Seb's shirt as a group of Year Ten students bimbled past and mutterings of "Not in front of the preschoolers please," were cast in their direction.

"Got it," shouted Zach, yanking his arm out. "Oh, it's only an acorn. How boring." He tossed the object in the air, leaving Seb to catch it as he walked off. The outer coating was shiny, pleasingly smooth, and as Seb spun it, it glinted in the sunlight. A quick scurrying to his right was followed by a dead weight landing on his forearm and in a furry flash the acorn was seized between the little front paws of a grey squirrel. It sat momentarily on Seb's arm before jumping onto the trunk and clawing its way noisily into the branches.

"Did you see that?" Nat approached him and gazed up into the branches, trying to spot the squirrel. "Seb, that was amazing – that squirrel came to you! I didn't know they were so tame." She was still looking up and Seb noticed, under the yellow and green shading of the oak leaf canopy, her eyes looked turquoise.

"I think it wanted its acorn back," he said.

Her nose wrinkled slightly as she giggled. "Maybe I should try and find one to feed— "

A yell from the school gates distracted Nat and she waved at Scarlet who was now wandering back towards them.

"Come on Seb, you can nature watch later!" Zach called.

Having joined Scarlet, the four dropped their phones off and took the main corridor to the playground. Nat told Scarlet about the beautiful squirrel. Scarlet was annoyed she hadn't seen it.

"First a deer and then a squirrel; you're becoming quite the Dr Doolittle aren't you, little brother?"

"What deer?" Nat asked.

Scarlet brought them all to a halt as she began recounting the story with helpful interjections from Zach, the four facing each other in a huddle. Then Seb looked up as he heard raspy, wheezy breaths. A familiar hulking figure, its shoulders nearly grazing the ceiling, was lumbering slowly towards them.

"Who _is_ that?" he whispered to Scarlet.

She ignored him, engrossed in her storytelling.

"Um, we're on our way to the playground— " Seb spoke to the ogreish shape, trying to convince himself this was a member of staff and tapping Scarlet's arm to get her to look up. She pulled away.

"In a minute, Seb; let me finish!"

The figure was now only six feet away from Nat who suddenly stared at Seb. She turned her head to look behind her and then back questioningly at him. There was a shimmering around the gargantuan bulk and it drew a sharp, hacking breath before shuffling backwards and passing through the open classroom door, which slammed shut.

"You children should be in the playground by now!" Mr Duir's voice reached them from the other end of the corridor. Startled, Seb turned.

"Run along, Master Thomas." The Head watched as Seb and his friends trotted down the corridor and out of the exit.

As Seb and Zach joined their line in the Year Nine playground Seb saw the freckle-faced boy standing on his own by the tree stumps. He nudged Zach.

"Come on."

Zach saw the solitary figure and tugged Seb's elbow. "Do you really think that's such a good idea?"

Seb ignored him and strode across the playground to where the boy, nose restored to its normal colour, was standing, gazing at the trees beyond the fence.

"I, um, wanted to say sorry for making you jump earlier," Seb mumbled.

The boy flinched and spun around.

"Well done Seb, you did it again!" Zach laughed and moved to the other side of the boy.

He was about four inches shorter than the pair of them and now looked like a rabbit cornered between two Rottweilers.

Seb smiled nervously and offered a handshake. "Seb Thomas."

Sensing his hesitation the freckled boy seemed to grow in confidence. He tentatively took Seb's outstretched hand. "I know. Everybody knows."

Seb was disappointed to have his fears confirmed. "That bad?" he said.

Zach chuckled.

The boy seemed confused. "Why is that bad? You're famous! Everyone knows who you are. Everyone is talking about what Seb Thomas will do next. At least they _notice_ you."

Seb suddenly saw his own life from a different perspective and the small lad's view of life. He was tiny, shrew-like, not the best-looking of boys with a scruffy mane of mousey-brown hair. Seb remembered now where he had seen him; it was in the cafeteria at lunchtime on the first _and_ the second day, sitting by himself at a table in the courtyard. The cafeteria was always rammed and sometimes students had to sit under the covered patio area in the cold and the wind. Seb had been lucky on both days – as he and Zach had approached, other pupils vacated their seats so as not to be associated with them. But Seb had noticed this boy outside, eating his sandwiches alone, nose in a book.

He smiled, suddenly feeling sorry for him. "Well, yes, but for all the wrong reasons. It's a bit extreme if you have to be pooed on and look like you've peed your pants to get noticed."

The boy smiled back, his little grey eyes twinkling. "I'm Aiden."

"Aiden Lord!" Zach said with a click of his fingers. "You're in _our_ class."

"Yes!" the boy beamed, happy he had been recognised.

"Well, I really am sorry for making you jump. What were you doing hiding behind the tree anyway?" Seb asked.

"I wasn't hiding. I found something and was putting it in my bag."

"Oh? Treasure?" Zach commented helpfully.

"Well, sort of. Do you want to see?" The boy undid his rucksack and pulled out his homework diary, removing something from between the pages. And now it was Seb's turn to jump. He stepped back, taking a sharp breath.

Aiden held the object up in the sun. A beam of light glinted off something on the surface of it. He was holding up an oak leaf in the centre of which was _that_ design – one central stalk with two horizontal lines connecting it at right angles. Only these lines were silver. The sun caught the silver and its beams were reflected around the playground as a gentle breeze played with the leaf.

"Wow!" Zach's voice boomed, drawing curious glances from the students nearest them in the playground.

Seb pushed Aiden's arm down quickly to hide the object.

"Yeah, I thought _Wow_ too when I found it." Aiden smiled at Zach.

"Can I have a hold?" Zach grabbed at the leaf.

"Mm, okay." Aiden moved his arm towards Zach but Seb grabbed it by the wrist, careful not to touch the leaf.

"No, the whistle's about to blow; put it away or everyone will want a hold and then it might get broken."

Zach looked upset but Aiden nodded.

"How about we meet at break time and go somewhere quiet, like the library, and we can look at it then?" Seb suggested.

Aiden seemed ecstatic to have the option of actually meeting up with someone at break time. "Oh, that'd be good," he nodded.

Zach frowned, knowing he would have to wait.

#  The Leaf

When the bell went for break, Zach stuffed his books into his bag as fast as possible and was on Aiden's shoulder in seconds. Aiden was thrilled and looked to make sure Seb was coming to join them.

They made their way to the Old School block and Aiden led them to the library. Zach followed him into the room as though joined at the hip, desperate to be the first to examine the leaf.

As Seb stepped across the threshold he heard a wheezing chuckle. From the direction of the huge stained-glass window that dominated the room, opposite the door, a large silhouette lumbered towards them. Aiden and Zach walked past it without acknowledging its existence. Seb hesitated. A door slammed. Both he and the hulking figure were startled and turned towards the sound. To Seb's right, standing in front of an ornate, vaulted, wooden door, in a recess between two tall bookshelves, was Mr Duir. A shimmer of sparkling dust motes danced in the space around him.

Zach and Aiden were already huddled on the seat beneath the magnificent window, which bore a stained glass depiction of an oak tree. They were both focused on Aiden's bag as he opened it, and didn't seem to notice The Head's presence.

"You need to choose with care the places you go, Master Thomas," Mr Duir said quietly and Seb thought he looked slightly concerned. Then, seizing the large silver doorknob, he opened the arched door behind him, passed through and closed it gently.

Seb turned back to the ogre figure and was confused to find it had gone.

The room was crowded with old shelving units, crammed with old-looking books, which squatted in rows creating dark, dimly lit and uninviting aisles. On the far wall at the end of each aisle was a sconce that looked as antiquated as the books and did little to illuminate the narrow spaces between the shelves but provided sufficient light for Seb to satisfy himself the ogre was not there.

Mystified, he joined Aiden and Zach, his heart still racing. "Who is that? Is he the librarian?" he asked.

Zach and Aiden looked at him vacantly.

"Who?" Zach said, looking around the room.

"The _ogre_ man. We've seen him three times now and he's so creepy."

"What?" Zach looked totally puzzled.

Aiden sat silently, not sure he was included in the conversation.

"Oh come on, Zach, stop kidding around. He gives me the creeps with the wheezing and cackling— " Seb's mind was still on Mr Duir's words and he was completely confused at Zach and Aiden blanking the whole incident but he instantly forgot all that as Aiden pulled out the leaf.

The network of lines at the centre caught the light streaming through the window and shot fine beams around the room. Aiden lowered it into the shade, laying it across both his palms, and held it towards Zach and Seb.

"So you found it just lying beneath the tree?" Seb asked.

"Actually no, it was hanging from a branch. It was glinting in the sun and the sparkling caught my eye. I went to see what was shining, the leaf fell and I caught it. That's supposed to be lucky you know, to catch a falling leaf. It looked so amazingly beautiful. I didn't want to be late so I had just put it in my bag when you jumped out on me."

Seb decided now was the time. "I have something to show you both too, but I need you to swear you won't tell anyone else!"

Aiden and Zach weren't listening; they were too captivated by the leaf.

A riotous noise rose outside and the door flew open. Scarlet, Nat, Abi and Alex burst in, giggling. They stopped when they saw the boys.

"What on earth are you doing here?" Scarlet demanded.

Nat smiled and her eyes sparkled as she gazed at Seb. Abi and Alex stood in the doorway looking mildly annoyed.

"We come here at break time, Seb. Why are _you_ here?" Scarlet stopped when she saw the glint of silver in Aiden's hand. "What have you got there?"

Aiden looked to Seb for guidance and Zach boomed, "Treasure – not for the eyes of mortal women!"

Abi and Alex giggled.

Losing interest, Scarlet snapped, "Nothing you stupid boys think is treasure could possibly interest us mortal women, foolish Zach!" She turned to the other girls. "Come on, break time's nearly over anyway."

Bustling them out of the door, she glanced back and mouthed to Seb, _Show me later._

He nodded and the girls were gone.

Seb, realising time was short, made a quick decision. He pulled off his glove and thrust his left palm in front of Zach and Aiden, hovering it above the leaf. The boys gasped in unison and Zach grabbed Seb's arm.

"Oh my g— Seb, when did that happen?"

"I was trying to tell you! On Thursday night my birthmark changed! It's been like this ever since. I couldn't believe it when I saw that leaf, Aiden, and get this, what's really weird is, on my desk in the History room is the same thing – an oak leaf with this exact pattern in the middle!"

Zach's mouth hung open. "Can I touch it?" His fingers crept towards the birthmark.

"Yes, it doesn't hurt." Seb nodded.

Zach moved his fingers onto the brown area on Seb's palm and traced over the green lines. Aiden lifted his leaf and held it beside Seb's hand. They crowded over it, casting their shadows across it.

"They're exactly the same shape. Look, the bulgy bits bulge in the same places."

"How really weird," was all Zach could say and then the bell went.

"You mustn't tell anyone; swear you won't!" Seb looked each boy in the eye until they nodded as he replaced his glove.

"But Seb, don't you think we should ask someone – a grown up?" Aiden said.

A sudden bang against the window startled them all and a little brown and black figure butted against the pane, its leathery wings flapping, its clawed feet scratching against the glass.

"It's another one of those starlings," Zach said.

Aiden looked horrified. "That's not a starling!"

"No, it isn't," Seb said, reaching into his bag and retrieving the scrunched up paper with the pictures of the noctule bat. "I think it's one of these." He showed the page to his friends who looked from it to the winged creature flapping frantically near Seb's head. "Come on, we're going to be late." Seb stood, grabbed his bag and thrust the paper at Zach. "I printed this for you. Scarlet says it was one of these that flew onto my head at the reserve on Saturday." He started making his way to the door.

Aiden gently replaced his leaf into his diary and then his bag. Zach followed Seb, the picture in his hand.

"Whatever they are, they seem to like you," he said. "Come on Aiden, we'll tell you the story on the way back," and he began recounting the deer story and the bat incident.

At lunchtime they regrouped at the tree stumps. It was a fairly secluded part of the Year Nine playground and the other students playing on the main area paid no attention to them. They had been there only two or three minutes when Scarlet found them. She was dying to see the object Aiden had and within seconds Nat had joined them, gently ticking Scarlet off for pretending to go to the toilet.

Scarlet plonked onto the tree stump, nudging Aiden's bottom along to make room for herself. She looked at Seb, who was standing, gazing at Nat and rubbing his hand.

"Come on Seb, we can trust Nat; she won't tell a soul."

"Tell a soul what? What is all this secrecy? Really, you can trust me." Nat smiled.

Aiden burst in, his little voice growing with excitement. "I don't even know what all the secrecy is. I found a leaf, then Seb shows me his hand and then Zach starts telling stories about deer and bats and squirrels. It's _so_ exciting!" The last was said with a high-pitched squeal that made the girls giggle.

Seb chuckled and nodded to Aiden. "It's your leaf, Aiden – up to you if you show them or not."

Aiden immediately opened the pages of his diary. The sight of the glimmering silver lines in the middle of the perfect oak leaf made Scarlet and Nat lean in closer. Scarlet stared at Seb. "Now show them your hand!"

"We've already seen it!" Zach said, smiling.

"I haven't!" Nat stated, stepping towards Seb. "What about your hand?"

Seb pulled off his glove and held his palm up in front of her.

She sighed, "How lovely!"

It was hardly the response Seb had expected but he was pleased.

A screech from the woods beyond the fence broke into their little conclave and a small creature flew from the dense foliage of a nearby bush, flapping towards Seb. Zach leapt onto a small gap on the tree stump, reached his hand up and intercepted the winged attacker before it reached Seb. In the same fluid movement he hurled it back into the bush to the satisfying sound of a further screech.

"Life at upper school is certainly far less dull than middle school!" Nat grinned.

Aiden and Scarlet laughed. Seb felt happy. He was standing in the sunshine with a group of friends who turned everything that was happening into an exciting event. Looking out towards the woods he saw a silver figure near the bush that had produced the bat. It faced him, mouthing words he had no hope of hearing. Then he felt a warm hand lift his arm and a fingernail trace the lines on his palm. He turned and Nat's eyes sparkled at him.

She smiled. "Do you hear anything, Seb?"

Seb was now only conscious of her touch on his skin. "No, I see— I mean, no."

She looked puzzled. "But I thought you could hear it. You looked over to— " She turned her face towards the woods. "I can hear something— " She was still tracing the outline of the leaf on his palm. "I hear it often," she whispered but was interrupted as Scarlet grabbed Seb's wrist.

"It's all really weird. Aiden, can I have the leaf?" she asked.

Aiden handed it to her and she placed it beside Seb's hand.

"They look exactly the same – except for the size and colour, obviously."

Aiden had his nose practically on Seb's wrist, his brow furrowed. His shadow blocked the light until the breeze caught the leaf, lifting it into the sun. Now the light reflected off the silver pattern and directly onto the green lines in the centre of Seb's hand. A flurry of sparks burst from Seb's skin and he yelled in pain. Zach pushed Scarlet's arm up, breaking the link between the leaf and Seb's palm. But now the sparks were flying from his birthmark in a cascade of silver that reached the height of their shoulders. Zach clamped his fingers over Seb's hand and in a second the shower of light was extinguished.

Seb's knees buckled and, groaning, he slumped onto the tree stump. Scarlet grabbed his arm, supporting him but dropped the leaf as she did. Aiden caught it.

"Oh, look. Oh no." He held the leaf up. In the centre were scorched gaps where the silver lines had been. As Aiden gripped the leaf it turned yellow, then brown, then fragmented, and the wind blew the pieces apart. They disintegrated and floated in a shower of dust into his face. Unable to avoid it, Aiden breathed in the trail of dust and sneezed. In moments all signs of the leaf had disappeared.

Nat knelt beside Seb. "Are you okay?" She lifted his hand and opened his fingers. "Did it burn you?"

Scarlet was going through the same process with Zach.

As Nat saw Seb's hand she almost recoiled. "Look!"

Everyone, even Zach, who was nursing scorch marks on his own fingers, looked down at Seb's palm. The outline of the leaf-shaped birthmark was clearly defined but now the criss-crossing lines had turned silver. They seemed to form part of his skin, like silver veins.

"This is getting really too weird!" Scarlet voiced what everyone was thinking.

A piercing whistle interrupted them and the squat figures of the West twins came striding across the playground. Their identical swaying gait and Miss West's riotous hair whipping around her head gave a comical air to them as they approached. The looks on their faces, however, were anything but comical.

Scarlet pushed Seb's hand down into his lap. He sat alone on the tree stump, trying not to faint.

Mr West's squeaky voice came first, "What is going on?"

Seb could feel Miss West's beady dark eyes on him.

Zach broke the silence. "A game, we were playing a game – coin spinning." There was the sound of jingling as he produced a shiny fifty pence piece from his pocket.

Miss West spun on him, a sharp edge to her melodic voice, "Is that so, Master Orwell?" she snapped. "And that would account for the firework display would it?"

They were all astounded. Seb felt too weak to care but looked up at the worried faces of his friends.

"Empty your pockets!" Mr West squeaked.

Obediently they deposited the items from their pockets onto the other tree stumps. There wasn't much to show: a few coins, a dirty pebble that Zach seemed to find interesting enough to keep, a couple of tissues – nothing more.

Miss West still stared at Seb. He kept his eyes on the items on the tree stumps.

"Master Thomas?" She stepped closer to him. "Your pockets please!"

Seb, feeling sick to his stomach, managed to haul himself up. The two teachers didn't seem to notice how pale he had become, or how wobbly on his feet he was. He dug into his pockets and produced an empty chocolate wrapper – nothing else.

Mr West frowned at the collection of items. Seb wondered if the next step would be to get them to empty their lunch bags.

"It is your lunch sitting now. Carry on." Miss West barked.

Scarlet took the initiative. "Come on," she said, retrieving the few coins that were hers and leading the way towards the cafeteria.

The teachers watched them go. If they noticed how unsteady Seb was as he walked away, they gave no indication.

In the cafeteria they found a table together. No one spoke, all too shocked to say anything. The colour had returned to Seb's cheeks but he didn't feel like eating. Aiden spent the time sniffing and blowing his nose which had turned bright red again. Before long, lunchtime was over and the normal lessons of the afternoon were under way.

#  Explorers

Monday night was Explorers night when Zach came to their house for tea so today he travelled home with them. As soon as they got in they dashed up to Seb's room.

"We need to discuss what happened today," Scarlet whispered.

"You're being dramatic, Scarlet." Zach laughed.

"It _is_ dramatic!" She opened her eyes wide.

Taking his glove off, Seb rubbed his hand. The silver lines glimmered and Scarlet and Zach's eyes were instantly drawn to them.

"Does it hurt?" Scarlet asked.

"No, it's numb. I can't feel a thing."

"Wish I could say the same about mine." Zach opened his hand to reveal the slight scorching on his fingers. "Do you think we're blood brothers now?" He looked at Seb's worried face. "Oh come on, Seb. It's not that bad!"

Seb looked at his friend. "I was already embarrassed by my birthmark, now I feel like a real freak with this!" He thrust his palm up towards Zach who had a grin on his face.

"Seb, it's really, really exciting!" Scarlet jumped in. "I would _love_ to have something like that." She pointed to his hand. "I'll bet you've now got some sort of power. That firework display in the playground was awesome."

"Yeah, maybe you are some alien or ancient god reborn and now you've got superpowers!" Zach was as excited as Scarlet.

"Seb, try and _do_ something," Scarlet suggested.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Seb closed his fist.

"Try and move something with your mind," Scarlet said, not put off.

Zach leapt off the bed and grabbed an Uglydoll from the floor. He placed it on the bunk in front of Seb. "Yeah, try and move this just by thinking about it," he said.

Seb looked at the doll. Its one red eye stared blankly back at him. Shrugging, he thought hard, focusing on the doll, willing it to move. Nothing happened.

"Wave your hand over it," Scarlet said.

Seb waved his palm across the top of the doll, again willing it to move. Nothing.

"Maybe you need to shine something on the leaf." Zach jumped off the bed and grabbed a head torch from a drawer. Putting it on, he hunched forward and yanked Seb's wrist. "Open your fingers," he said and shone the torch light on the birthmark, casting a bright reflection from the silver lines onto the face of the doll. Nothing. Zach pushed Seb's arm aside. "Okay, well maybe you can read minds. Try and think what I'm thinking." Zach stared into Seb's eyes. "Come on, Seb!"

"Don't be daft, Zach. Anyone can work that out – you're thinking: _What's for tea?"_ Scarlet chuckled.

Zach shoved her.

Seb laughed, "I don't think I have any special powers."

Zach shrugged. "I wonder what _is_ for tea."

Fed and changed, they were dropped off at the Boyd Field Scout site. This evening they were to build a campfire within a clearing surrounded by tattered old wooden benches, and then they would sit and sing campfire songs.

They were all dispatched to collect firewood by Nicholas, the shaven-headed, lanky, ill-dressed Explorers Leader.

Scarlet disappeared with a friend, Emily, as Seb and Zach wandered off together, venturing into the thicker part of the woods. The yelps and shouts of the other Explorers echoed around them. A couple of crows came to roost in the branch of the tree above Seb as Zach, on his knees, lifted leaves and stones, searching for bugs and beetles. He was thrilled to find a small lizard, lazy and cold in the plummeting evening temperature. Seb knelt beside him to see but overbalanced. He put out his left arm to stop himself falling, scraping his hand against a thorny blackberry branch as he did so. His fingerless glove caught on the thorns and snagged, tearing a small hole. The fabric laddered across his palm towards his fingers, exposing the hidden birthmark. A glimpse of silver peaked through. He closed his fingers over it.

After a successful forage, the boys had their arms full of sticks and Seb was tramping along a narrow pathway ahead of Zach. His palm, where the glove had been ripped, was tingling. He guessed the thorn had also scratched the skin. A crow cawed in the branches above them and flapped away as Seb stopped in a patch of evening sunlight to adjust his load. He had balanced the branches across his forearms and he shook his wrists, which were getting tired, to improve the blood flow. As he did he glimpsed something shimmering. Zach, with his head down, bumped into Seb's back.

"Hey Seb, watch it!" he said. Then, seeing the shimmering, stopped and stared. The dim evening light, cast by the half-set sun, revealed a grassy area clear of bracken and undergrowth within which was a small ring of creamy beige mushrooms – a fairy ring. Hovering above the ring was a halo of silvery sparkles, glinting and dancing in the ebbing sunlight.

Zach shouted, "Nicholas. NICHOLAS!"

Seb watched the dancing sparkly patch as it grew to a column of shimmering speckles as Nicholas, hearing Zach's shouts, joined them.

"What in the world— ?" He placed his own collection of bonfire fodder on the path.

"What is it, Nicholas? Is it magic?" Zach was so excited his voice had gone up about three octaves.

"Glow worms, I think," Nicholas said uncertainly.

Seb was silent, watching the display and feeling the tingling sensation in his palm. He waggled his hand, hoping it would stop the pins and needles. The silvery sparkles danced and he thought he could see a shape within the bright column. The tingling in his palm, instead of fading, became stronger.

Nicholas, in a confused voice continued, "But glow-worms would more likely be on open ground, not under a covering of trees, and they normally glow greeny-yellow, not silver. Look how they are all staying within the mushroom ring." He took a step towards the sparkling shower.

Seb was transfixed as the shape within the display became more defined. It was arched, with a pointed peak. He could make out irregular perpendicular lines running across the width of the arch, like planks of wood, and to the right he could make out a circular shape like a ... he gasped ... like a doorknob. The image was of the door in the library!

Stunned, he stepped back and dropped his collection of wood. His arms fell to his sides and instantly the silver shower was snuffed out. The grassy clearing was enveloped in the natural evening twilight and the fairy ring was barely visible among the solid oak trunks, standing like guardian sentries around it.

Nicholas and Zach groaned. Three Explorers and another leader came bounding along the track towards them.

"Nick, you okay? We're all ready to light the bonfire."

The three boys were running on and off the track, singling out Seb and Zach and flashing their torches in their eyes as Nicholas described what they had seen. Seb, listening, wondered why Nicholas didn't say anything about the door. Still chatting, Nicholas led them back to the benches. The bonfire was crackling in no time and the boys and girls happily sang their campfire songs and waved their torches around in a laser-light-type display. Seb, having checked his hand to find there was no scratch, listened to the singing but didn't join in.

Zach was animated and vocal on the journey back, talking about the glow-worms. Scarlet was envious she hadn't seen them.

Back home after Explorers, while their mum was getting The Taz to sleep, Seb sat with Scarlet on the sofa and filled in the details of the library door apparition.

"Seb, do you think you imagined it?"

Seb wasn't sure. He was disappointed that she suggested it and now doubted his memory. But in some ways he hoped it was just his imagination.

#  Labyrinths and Doors

Tuesday morning and Scarlet noticed how withdrawn Seb had become. She pushed him to say why. The truth was it was PE that morning and Seb couldn't work out how he was going to stop the teacher from seeing his birthmark. The prescribed kit of the day was polo tops – short-sleeved! He wouldn't get away with his gloves. Scarlet suggested a plaster on his hand but Seb pointed out that would lead to questions as to how he'd hurt himself which could lead to the teacher asking to see the injury.

After pondering for a while Scarlet decided the best thing was for Seb to say he had forgotten his polo shirt and wear his rugby top, which had full-length sleeves and was way too big for him so would cover his hands to his fingers. He would have to accept it if he got a report slip for not having the right kit.

Seb hated PE anyway, particularly outdoor team sports like football, rugby, cricket. But sport was a big deal for the Oakwood faculty and the school's pride was to have won the inter-schools championships in every event, with the exception of cross-country, for the last 6 years. The talk over the last few days had been about the potential champions among the new Year Nine cohort. Teachers speculated aloud as to who their footy stars and rugby elite would be in this intake. Seb knew without doubt he would not be in their number. Zach stood a good chance though; he was immensely good at most sports.

As Seb and Scarlet got out of the car, Zach came bounding up to them. "About time! Me and Aiden have been waiting for _ages."_

Aiden appeared from behind the car, sheepishly joining them, uncertain he was accepted as part of the group, especially now his _treasure,_ which had been the cause of their interest in him, had gone. A smile from Seb and Zach's arm around his shoulder reassured him.

It was another sunny day, though a crisp, biting wind whipped the branches and leaves of the trees above their heads. Seb's mum got The Taz out the car and he was thrilled to walk with them all to the school entrance. They collected Nat on the way. She had been gazing fruitlessly into the branches and kicking around the grass beneath the oak tree where Aiden had found his leaf, trying to find more treasure. Together they wandered through the main gate, but not until The Taz had had a hug from everyone. Suffering yet another cold, he managed to leave a smear of mucous on Seb's jumper which Scarlet and Zach found hysterical.

After the phone deposit they travelled the _ogre_ corridor and Seb was relieved when they managed to reach the exit door without encountering the giant. The planks wobbled and bowed as the five balanced their way over The Lake. Zach led the way but couldn't resist turning back to give Seb advice on how to negotiate the expanse of water, which didn't seem to have receded at all in the recent days of sunshine. As he glanced back he made them all stop.

"Aiden my mortal friend, your freckles are sparkling!"

They all turned to face Aiden, who blushed a deep red at the sudden attention. All over his face silver pinpoints reflected the sunlight like a glittering disco ball. He lifted his hands to rub his cheeks but Scarlet pulled them away and stuck her face right in front of his, their noses almost touching.

"It's all your freckles; they're like little silver gems. They're beautiful!"

Still standing on the creaking, bowing planks the others had to have a go at examining Aiden's freckles. When they had all satisfied their curiosity, he leant forward to catch his own reflection in the water below them. The little pinpricks of light sparkled and gleamed. They were beginning to itch and he scratched his face.

Agreeing that it was too crowded and uncomfortable at the tree stumps, they arranged instead to meet at break time at the old rickety, wrought-iron bench that encircled a gnarled oak trunk at the centre of a pebbled area the pupils called The Beach. This was in a quadrangle bordered by the main stretch and two wings of the Old School House; the original teaching building. Most pupils stayed clear of that spot because it was overlooked by the teachers' common room. Scarlet convinced them all that since they were only going to be talking quietly they were least likely to be disturbed there – or overheard.

Seb, Zach and Aiden spent a double lesson of History designing their own labyrinths. Seb kept trying to move the books on his desk to form a barrier behind which he could study the leaf engraved on its surface, but on each occasion, as he checked to ensure he was unobserved, he would find Mr West gazing steadily at him.

Zach was engrossed in his work, determined to design the most challenging and complicated puzzle that would stump his peers. Aiden spent most of the lesson rubbing his cheeks, which were now very red. The freckles sparkled occasionally as he turned his face towards Mr West and followed his rolling progress from one side of the room to the other.

Giving up on his efforts to study the desktop engraving Seb completed his own puzzle. He included many doors, all arched with a pointed apex, which led to dead ends or corridors that returned back to their starting points. Only one true path led through the labyrinth to the Minotaur he drew at the centre. He was quite pleased with his efforts and as he sat back to admire his work he heard a slight rattling breath behind him and became aware of Mr West peering over his shoulder.

"Are you done, Master Thomas?"

Seb believed he was and nodded.

"Right, let's have yours and Master Lord's up on the board, if you don't mind." Mr West snapped the words.

Seb and Aiden exchanged glances as all the other students put down their pencils. The boys attached their pictures to the whiteboard.

"Would you like to explain, Master Thomas?" Mr West said.

_Explain what?_ Seb was at a loss. He glanced at the teacher who was now standing just three feet from his left elbow, staring eagerly at him. Seb looked to Aiden. Facing the board, his mousey-brown hair wind-scruffy and his shirt sticking out of the back of his jumper, Aiden had a look of astonishment on his ruddy face.

Whispers started amongst the pupils in the front seats and gradually spread around the rest of the class. Seb looked at the pictures and then his jaw dropped – the two drawings were identical, with one exception: instead of a Minotaur at the centre Aiden had drawn a noctule bat.

One of the rowdier boys, Dan, shouted, "They copied each other – cheats!"

The whispering turned to mumbling until Zach decided to defend his friends.

"How could they copy each other? They were two tables apart!"

"Well how else do you explain it?" Dan was determined, glancing down at his own poor effort. "They must have cheated! They've used a book or something ..."

There was silence. Mr West, staring at Seb, said nothing. Seb fidgeted, wishing he could go and sit down. Aiden was also looking at Seb, hoping for salvation. Then the bell rang for break – a salvation of sorts. The rest of the class piled their things back into their bags and bundled out of the room, casting hateful glances at the two _cheats_ as they went.

Zach hovered by his desk. Mr West turned his stare on Aiden who squirmed slightly, adjusting his jumper. The boys looked at him, waiting, but he simply nodded, turned and left the classroom.

"Well what the heck was all that about?" Zach boomed.

"Shush Zach, he'll hear you!"

Zach lowered his voice to a loud, harsh whisper, "Well really, _'Would you like to explain, Master Thomas?'."_ He attempted the reedy voice and as he did he swayed from side to side, waddling back and forth in front of the board. Seb and Aiden were giggling but became quiet as Zach stopped inches from the two pictures. "Seriously, who copied who, or what book did you mortals use?"

"We didn't!" they protested simultaneously.

Zach snorted a laugh. "Yeah, right. And it's not nice keeping secrets from your best mate, Seb!"

"I'm not! We didn't copy each other. I don't know how come they're so similar— "

"Similar? They're _exactly_ the same! It's like you traced the picture! Fab bat by the way, Aiden."

Aiden was still speechless. His freckles were sparkling faintly and he kept looking from the pictures back to Seb and then to the pictures again.

"I don't understand," he stammered. "I just made up what came into my mind. I haven't copied a book or Seb. I don't understand!"

"Come on, we've got to meet Scarlet and Nat. Bring your drawings." Zach called, grabbing his bag and heading for the door.

They walked briskly to The Beach. Arriving before Nat and Scarlet, Seb took the opportunity to talk to Aiden and Zach about the ogre incidents. He got frustrated when they both denied ever having seen the figure.

"How can you not have seen it? Zach, on that second day, in the corridor, when you pounced on me ... before I stepped in The Lake— " he scowled as Zach sniggered. "It was right behind you Zach, we talked about ogres! Then again, yesterday morning with Nat and Scarlet ... and ... and at break time yesterday, you _both_ walked past it in the library!" He pointed at Zach then Aiden. "You _must_ have seen it!"

Both boys looked blankly up at Seb who was pacing on the gravel under the oak tree, waving his arms.

"What's up, Seb?" Nat put a hand on his shoulder. Scarlet stood behind her, smiling indulgently.

"What's happened now?" She grinned.

"I am _so_ confused!" Seb plonked himself down on the circular bench. "You have all seen the ogre, only none of you seem to have _seen_ the ogre."

"What is he talking about?" Nat looked to Zach then Aiden.

Seb told her of the ogre incidents. None of the others recalled any meetings of any sort.

"And every time you've seen this _ogre_ The Head has been there?" Scarlet asked.

"Yes, well no. Every time Mr Duir appears, the ogre leaves."

They were all silent.

"I have to tell you about last night too," Seb started.

"Yes, yes," Scarlet got excited. "We went to the woods for an Explorers campfire thing. Seb and Zach were collecting firewood when it started to get dark and they saw a fairy ring in a clearing surrounded by trees. Inside the fairy ring were millions of glow-worms, but they weren't glowing green or yellow like Nicholas said they normally do, they were silver like, like Aiden's freckles!" All faces turned to Aiden, whose freckles at that moment were shimmering and sparkling silver in the patchy sunlight under the tree. He rubbed his cheeks self-consciously.

Seb cut in now, determined to give an accurate description of the door. He explained how an image had started to form inside the glow-worm display. It had grown clearer and then he realised it was the door in the library, the arched door that Mr Duir had gone through yesterday.

"Seb, " Zach spoke slowly, "there wasn't a door. You're making that bit up." He sounded slightly annoyed. "The story was fantastic enough without you adding in that stupid bit!"

"I'm not making it up. I saw a door – _the_ door Mr Duir used when we were in the library yesterday."

Aiden sounded timid. "Seb, there isn't an _arched_ door in the library. In fact, there is only one door: the entrance. There's an arched window. Did you mean— "

Seb interrupted, "There _is_ an arched door, an ancient-looking door that looks like something out of an old church. Maybe you've never noticed it Aiden," he said more gently, realising he had shouted at his new friend. "Maybe you've never noticed it because it is hidden in a recess between two big bookshelves."

Aiden looked doubtful. "It isn't there, Seb. Sorry. I'm not trying to be— "

"It is!" Seb jumped up, annoyed.

"Why are we sat here then?" asked Zach. "Let's go to the library. Either we'll find the door, or prove that Seb here is winding us up."

Scarlet smiled. "Come on then!" She strode across the shingle towards the side entrance to the Old School House. The others trooped after her. Seb scuffed his feet behind them, still annoyed that they doubted him. Scarlet hurried down the corridor to the library entrance and bowled into the book-filled room. She stopped suddenly, causing Zach and Aiden to bump into her.

"What is it?" Aiden sounded frightened. "Is it the ogre?"

Scarlet's reply was sharp and angry. "No it's not!" She stepped sideways, letting the others into the room. They all looked to the right.

"Oh, Seb." Zach sounded so disappointed.

They were facing a bank of high bookshelves, laden with books of every size. There was no doorway, no _room_ even for a doorway. Seb's shoulders sagged. His mind was in turmoil. _Did I imagine it all?_ His hand was tingling and he pulled his glove away from his palm, staring at the silver lines enmeshed in the leafy shape. He felt a slight touch on his elbow and dropped his hand by his side.

Nat had edged close to him. She whispered, "Do you hear that?"

Seb looked up at her. She was concentrating, her vision fixed on a point near the window.

"What do you hear?" Seb strained to detect anything beyond the sound of the wind outside.

"Cackling, wheezing, laughing ... can you not hear it?"

The others had walked over to the bookshelves and on Scarlet's suggestion were pulling and tugging the solid structures and various book spines to see if there was a secret passageway or opening mechanism. Zach declared that she had read too many Famous Five books.

Seb gazed at Nat. "I can't hear anything." Then he felt prickles stand up on the back of his neck as he became aware of the cackling sound and the tingling in his palm grew stronger. "Nat, we need to get out of here!" The sudden urgency in his voice made the others turn towards him. "Now!" He darted out to the corridor.

Scarlet began to follow. "What, Seb? Where are we going? Actually, _why_ are we going? I didn't hear the bell."

Seb's heart was racing and the sound of cackling was louder as he stood in the doorway. In his mind he could hear Mr Duir's words: _You need to choose with care the places you go, Master Thomas._

Feeling panicky he took a few paces along the corridor and the others followed. Zach though, stopped outside the door causing Aiden, close behind him, to stop too.

"I thought we were looking for the door in the library. Where are we going now, Seb? The bell hasn't gone and you're acting really strange!" Zach laughed.

Seb was acting strange. He had a fearful look on his face and was looking from side to side. Scarlet slowed as Zach and Aiden stopped and she felt torn. Nat, close to Seb, was the only one who seemed to be keen to keep up with him.

She turned. "Seb's right! We need to leave. Seriously."

The others began walking along the corridor, looking all around for whatever it was that had spooked Nat and Seb. Behind them a sudden loud slam made them almost start running.

"Come on!" Seb called then beckoned frantically as, behind Aiden, a huge, dark shape emerged from the library. It shuffled quite slowly down the narrow corridor, but still gained on Aiden who, noticing the look on Seb's face, glanced over his own shoulder. Looking back to Seb once more his pace didn't increase. He looked confused, not frightened.

"Can't you see it?" Seb shouted at him. "You really can't see that? None of you?" He was nearing the end of the corridor where it turned right into the main stretch of the old building as Nat said, "They can't, Seb. I can't. But I can hear it!"

She stopped with him as they reached the corner allowing the others to catch up. Seeing them stop caused the three to lose their motivation and slow to a walk.

Seb, watching the hulking frame closing down on Aiden, the boy totally unaware of its presence, yelled at them, "Move! Don't slow down!"

His shout made Aiden jump and he glanced behind again. Seeing nothing, he turned back towards Seb, looking worried. Nat bolted towards the exit door.

"Trust me, there's something there! You can't see it ... I don't know why, but it's there – KEEP MOVING!" Seb shouted. And then he saw a door in the wall beside him, arched, with old, worn wood panels. He hadn't noticed it before and it wasn't the exit they had been heading for but in desperation he grabbed the silver orb-shaped handle. He twisted it and the door flew open. The fresh wind from outside blew into his face, like a blast from the Arctic.

"Here!" he shouted, and thought he caught a glimpse of Mr Duir at the far end of the corridor, before his view was blocked as the others reached him and dashed through the opening and out onto the sports field. Zach, the last through, yanked the door shut. They ran along the outer edge of the building, which bordered the PE field, the gravel on the pathway crunching beneath them. Reaching the main exit midway down the building, Seb slowed and the others followed suit.

Scarlet began to laugh. "Well what on earth was all that about, my crazy brother?" The adrenaline coursing through them made them feel euphoric and they began to giggle.

Nat linked arms with Scarlet as the bell went. "There was something. I could hear it, Scarlet!"

"Really Nat, there was _nothing_ there." Scarlet laughed.

"Well, that was fun!" Zach stated, a look of exuberance on his face. "Mad, but fun! C'mon Aiden, Seb, joke's over – let's get back to class."

Seb felt upset at Zach's inference that this had all been a joke. Looking back down the length of the building he stopped, totally baffled, and then stepped out onto the grass that edged the path, trying to get a better view. Still confused he heard Zach shout, "What are you up to now, mortal? You've really lost it ..."

Seb trotted back. "The door's gone. The door we went through – it's gone!"

Zach continued walking with Aiden. "Don't be stupid, Seb."

Seb knew there was no time to go back, and then his heart sank as he remembered that the next double lesson was PE.

#  Cross-country

The changing room was already packed with one half of the Year Nine boys as Seb and his friends arrived. Some, the sporty ones, were talking excitedly, others were more subdued.

They squeezed into a spot in the corner that was littered with mismatched shoes, trainers, socks and so on as all the boys jostled to get changed as quickly as they could.

Seb changed his bottom half and then went to the toilets. He took his rugby shirt with him and closed himself inside a cubicle. As soon as he had closed the door he heard a heavy bang on the outside. He could see a pair of purple trainers in the gap at the bottom and one foot in a blue trainer next to them.

"You going to cheat at this too, Thomas?"

Seb recognised Dan's voice. To his horror he heard a loud clatter. The purple trainers disappeared upwards. Seb glanced at the top of the door and saw fingers curling over the edge, then Dan's face appeared. "Are you, cheater? Going to cheat at PE too?"

Seb realised he was now the target of this thuggish boy's attention.

"Why have you got your rugby shirt? You know it's meant to be polo shirts for PE unless we're actually doing rugby ... which we're not, idiot!"

A second voice interrupted, "Oi, Dan! Watching boys in the toilet? That's just plain warped!" Zach's thunderous voice echoed around the room and carried through to the main changing area. Seb heard shuffling as a few other boys ventured in to see. Instantly the face and fingers were gone and the purple trainers reappeared below the door.

"Shut up, Orwell. Your mate's the warped one. Steps in The Lake, pees his pants, gets pooed on by a bird, and now we find out he's a cheat."

"At least he's not spying on people in the toilet. That's gross and somewhat disturbing."

_Thank god for Zach._ Seb was relieved. He used the opportunity to quickly change tops and within seconds had opened the cubicle door. He saw Dan push past Zach who stood with his arms crossed, a satisfied look on his face, Aiden beside him looking nervous. The blue trainer and its matching second trainer were attached to the feet of another boy in their class. Seb couldn't remember his name. He wandered over to Zach.

"Thanks. You know we really didn't cheat— "

"Yeah, and he really is going to keep going at you, mortal."

Aiden looked down at his own PE kit. "I didn't know it was rugby today."

Seb smiled at his worried face. "No, I _forgot_ my polo shirt." He pulled up his left sleeve to show his fingerless glove and as he peeled the glove off Aiden glanced at the glinting silver lines in his palm. Seb pulled the sleeve down to his knuckles, hiding the birthmark.

"Oh, of course!" Zach smiled, realising.

Aiden scratched his cheeks. "Good idea, but you're going to get into trouble!"

The boys trooped out to the foyer at the front of the gym. Staring through the glass doors, Seb could see the Old School House. He located the main exit door with its pathway stretching along to the left. He saw the shingle pathway extending right towards the library wing but, where's the door _? There is no second door._ Tugging Zach's arm he pointed to the building.

"Zach, where's the door gone?"

Zach glanced across and Aiden looked too, searching the fascia until their vision was blocked as someone stepped in front of the door and, accompanied by a strong blast of cold wind, entered the foyer.

The hubbub died instantly as the tall, muscular man let the door close and stared around at this new intake.

"I am Mr Carter and I will be taking you for outdoor sports this term." His head moved slowly as he gazed from one side of the expectant crowd to the other. "Now," he continued in a ferocious tone, "a few things for you all to note: I expect drive. I expect determination. I expect ambition. I do _not_ expect defeatism, I do _not_ expect negativity and I certainly do NOT expect the wrong kit!" Instantly his eyes shot to Seb and the sniggering began. "Master Thomas, out of fifty-three boys you are the only one wearing a rugby shirt. Did you not at some point, in the changing room, pick up on the clue that _all_ the other boys were wearing polo shirts?"

Seb looked at the floor. He had known this would come, but hadn't imagined he would suffer a public dressing-down. _And how come he knows my name already?_

In the total silence Dan's gloating voice rose out from the middle of the waiting throng, "Told you, Thomas!"

"I presume you have an explanation, Master Thomas?" The teacher glared at Seb.

"I put the wrong top in my bag this morning, sir. I am sorry." He hung his head.

There was a pause, a collective silence as everyone waited for the response.

"You all," Mr Carter lifted his eyes from Seb and scanned the faces of the boys in the foyer, "get to play _one_ joker. Master Thomas, you have just played yours." His eyes returned to Seb. "Don't let it happen again. Clear?"

"Clear, sir." Seb nodded. _What do I do next week?_ He worried.

Mr Carter opened the door and stood holding it. "Everyone, it's cross-country day. No negativity, no defeatism. We're going to find a team of winners to get us that inter-school cup. Am I right?"

There was no response, just shuffling as the boys edged out into the cold.

Outside, Seb felt the bite of the wind and was actually glad he was wearing his rugby shirt. Dan hovered by the exit door, scuffing his feet in the gravel and gave Seb a shove as he passed by. Zach pushed him back, slamming him into the wall. Mr Carter looked over but didn't intervene as Zach held Dan against the wall for a second, saying nothing. Then, releasing his hold, walked away.

They set off in groups of ten to complete a circuit of the enormous, windswept field. Seb, with Zach and Aiden, was jumping and waving his arms to keep warm.

"D'you know what, I'd rather run than freeze C'mon!" he said, running towards the line. His surprised friends followed and they began their run.

It wasn't as bad as Seb had worried it would be. He stayed with Aiden for the whole distance. Zach, however, with Seb's encouragement, whizzed around the field and was back before Aiden and Seb had got half way. He received a pat on the back from Mr Carter who made a note of his name and Zach waved thumbs up to Seb.

As Seb and Aiden turned onto the third leg Seb gazed into the woodland bordering the field. He could smell the undergrowth, could hear the trees rustling and the odd caw as crows swept from one tree branch to battle with the strong breeze and gain a perch on another. Then he saw a silver figure standing about ten feet back from the tree line. There was another figure with it, though this figure looked normal, human, wearing blue jeans and a blue, hooded top, the hood pulled over the head. Seb rounded the corner and glanced back. The silver figure had turned and was moving deeper into the woodland. The blue-hooded person had disappeared.

Relieved to enter the warm changing room, Aiden and Seb were greeted by an ecstatic Zach who had been selected for the cross-country team. Dan, giving them a wide birth, threw them a few dirty looks but changed quickly and left before Seb and the others.

#  Bats and Squirrels

After eating their lunch the boys returned to the bench under the oak and Seb told Aiden and Zach exactly what he had seen in the corridor that morning. Aiden was horrified, Zach sceptical. Snorting, he said he knew Seb's birthmark had changed, had seen the treasure leaf, had seen the fireworks coming from Seb's hand. He examined the fading burn marks on his own fingers.

"But invisible ogres in libraries? Disappearing doors? Seb you're letting your imagination run riot!"

A screech broke into Zach's musings and a little shape whipped at amazing speed from the woodland towards Seb. Zach was on his feet instantly, caught the thing and threw it a good fifty feet back into the woods, shocking _himself_ in the process. Aiden whistled.

Seb stared at the tree that had swallowed up the little creature. "How'd you do that?" he said.

Zach shrugged. "What can I say? I'm awesome." Then he frowned. "Those beasties won't leave you alone!"

A crunching on the gravel made them turn and Nat and Scarlet looked sheepishly at them. They were accompanied by Alex and Abi who followed Zach's gaze into the woods.

"What's so interesting about the trees?" Alex playfully nudged Zach.

"We wondered where you had all been sneaking off to." Abi sat on the bench. "The Beach isn't exactly the best place to spend lunchtime."

"Then don't!" Zach said rudely.

"Zach!" Seb said, embarrassed at the blunt comment.

Zach shrugged and sat down. Alex perched her little frame beside him and then inched closer, her bushy hair flying about in all directions as the wind pulled it free of an inadequate hair band. Her tiny feet kicked the gravel under the bench and she smiled cheekily at Zach. "So what do you all get up to in these secret meetings?"

"Nothing much. Just chatting really," Scarlet said lightly.

Alex leant in closer to Zach until her shoulder pressed against his upper arm. He wriggled to his left but had nowhere to go since Abi was on the other side. She, though, decided she'd had enough and stood.

"Come on, let's go and get a softball and play some netball."

Alex jumped up too. "Are you guys coming? I don't like sitting here; I bet the teachers are looking out at us now." She turned and scanned the staffroom wing. Nat and Scarlet decided they needed to go with the girls, fearing the fledgling friendship would fail if they didn't. The four of them left the boys alone at the bench and wandered off in search of a softball.

Seb sat next to Zach and swivelled round to look at the library window. The colours of the oak tree were more muted this side. He felt tempted to walk over to the clear panes at the bottom and peer in, ogre-spotting, and was about to stand when a quick movement beside his right foot held him back. He looked down to see a grey squirrel inching out from under the cobwebby iron slats of the bench. Audaciously, the squirrel sat in the lea of Seb's shadow. It snuffed the air, rubbed its nose with its tiny paws and in a swift movement jumped onto his lap.

"Woah!" Aiden was thrilled. Standing a couple of feet from Seb he took a step forward, tentatively reaching a hand towards the creature.

"You _have_ turned into Dr Doolittle." Zach prodded Seb.

As Aiden's hand reached the hindquarters of the animal it jerked upright, sensing danger. With a quick jump it darted off towards the woodland, but not before leaving a wet patch on Seb's trouser leg. The tang of fresh urine drifted up to Seb's nose and his friends collapsed in fits of laughter.

"Oh, great – squirrel wee! Thanks Aiden!" The warmth of the wet patch was soon replaced by iciness as the wind cooled it. "Oh heck, I can't leave this; I'm going to have to clean it up. Can you smell that? That is really, really strong!" Seb screwed up his nose and stood up.

"Yes we can smell that! I think the kids in the Year Ten playground can smell that!" Zach was struggling to control his laughter. "You are a dream to be with, mortal!"

Crunching across the shingle to head for the toilets nearest their classroom, Seb caught a movement in the woodland near the library. Standing in the trees was the figure he had seen during the run, blue hood still pulled down over the face. He glanced forward to see where he was going and when he looked back at the woods the figure had gone.

Seb spent ten minutes standing in his boxers and socks by the sinks, washing his trouser leg, putting as much liquid soap on the area as he could before scrubbing. He spent a further ten minutes trying to dry the patch under the hand dryers. The lunch bell went and they walked back to class, Aiden and Zach still laughing and teasing him.

The afternoon, with two new teachers Seb hadn't so far met, passed without further incident. However, Seb was the recipient of frequent questioning glances from those nearest him as they sniffed and coughed, trying to pinpoint the source of the unpleasant odour they had detected and narrowing it down to his general area.

On the journey home Seb's mother enquired about the smell, The Taz went on and on about it and Scarlet was blunt, "You _stink_ Seb! You stink of wee. Did you really pee your pants this time?"

"A squirrel peed on me!" Seb mumbled, head hanging as Scarlet laughed.

"How on earth did you get close enough to a squirrel for it to pee on you?" his mum said, surprised.

"It sat on my lap and when Aiden went to— "

"Sat on your lap?"

"Yes, Mum, it just jumped on my lap at lunchtime. We were under the old oak, on The Beach and it just came out from under the bench and jumped on my lap!"

Seb saw his mum's eyes widen slightly in the rear-view mirror but she became distracted by The Taz who was holding a Batman toy out of the open window, trying to get its cape to flap in the wind.

"Adam, don't do that, you'll drop it! Bring your hand in!" She put his window up and the rest of the journey was spent with The Taz imploring her to open it again and promising not to put his toy out.

#  Moonlight

Seb's dreams that night began with giant squirrels lumbering through corridors, laughing and waggling their giant back feet to show off their purple trainers. These images were soon replaced by a hazy figure, wearing a hooded robe, calling to him across an expanse of field. Seb lifted his hand to wave and as the silvery lines were exposed to the light from a full moon it bounced off them and a door appeared in front of him. A silver orb-shaped doorknob began to twinkle and Seb reached a hand towards it. As his fingers closed around the sphere he gasped – his hand was a tiny paw with silvery grey fur. His eyes ran up his arm; it was also covered in silvery fur. Looking back to the curved surface of the doorknob he saw his own reflection, the reflection of a huge grey squirrel! He screamed ... and woke with a start.

He sat up, breathing heavily in the semi-darkness of the bedroom. His brother snored softly in the bed below him. Bright moonlight shone in through the window onto the glimmering lines on his hand which bounced it around the room. He closed his fingers.

A figure in the doorway, silhouetted by the landing light, made him jump. His pulse, already thumping, began pounding until he recognised the sleek hair, the slim frame, the height.

"Scarlet, what are you doing?" he whispered.

"What are _you_ doing more like? I heard you scream. I'm amazed Mum hasn't come up," she whispered back. The sound of the TV downstairs explained why. She came over and clambered up onto the bed. Seb's palm was tingling.

"Was it a bad dream?"

"Yes, I'd turned into a giant squirrel."

Scarlet began chuckling and now Seb laughed too.

"Did you find a boy to pee on?" she asked.

He shoved her. "If I _was_ a giant squirrel the first person I would pee on would be _you!"_

"Charming!"

"What time is it?" He looked out of the window for some hint as to the hour. The sky was inky blue except for the halo of light around the half-moon.

"Hold on." There was a bright flash of light as Scarlet swiped her finger across her mobile phone. She squinted at the screen. "Ten past eleven."

"Do you even sleep with that thing?" Seb said.

Scarlet was inseparable from her mobile and since starting at the new school had added at least twenty new contacts to it – contacts she texted non-stop.

She shrugged and smiled, then, lifting the phone towards him said, "I have to get a picture of that _bed-head,_ Seb Thomas!"

As she went to press the screen, Seb made a grab for the phone. He managed to get hold of her hand but she pulled sideways, dragging him over to the right. He toppled and instinctively raised his left arm to regain his balance but as he did the moonlight caught on the silvery threads of his palm and shone a beam full into Scarlet's eyes.

"Ow, that's bright!" she groaned.

Seb put his hand down and the beam was extinguished. Scarlet rubbed her eyes. Shimmering tears slid down her cheeks.

"You okay?" Seb asked her.

She was still rubbing. "Ow, really _ow!_ That was blinding, Seb. My eyes are stinging now." She blinked at him, opening her eyes wide.

"Scarlet!" Seb grabbed her hands. "Your eyes ..."

"What?" Concerned by the shock in his voice she frowned at him.

He started stammering, "Your eyes are silver. Well, your pupils look silver ... I mean ... the rest ... the brown, it's still there but your pupils are silver!"

Scarlet didn't move; she was facing her own revelation. As she looked past Seb she began whispering frantically, "Seb, the books – I can see them!"

He was lost. "Scarlet, of course you can, it's quite bright in here ... the moon— "

"No, I can see them _clearly_ – I can read the words on the spines." She looked around the room. "The little Warhammer figures ..." she pointed to the small glass cabinet in the corner where Seb had displayed the Dark Elf collection of figures he had lovingly made over the last year, "I can see every detail!" She looked back at Seb. "Your painting is rubbish by the way."

Seb looked over his shoulder at the tiny figures. From where he sat they were small dots of plastic and could have been anything. Scarlet was wide-eyed. "It's like everything is becoming clearer, in fact it's like I can see everything, really _see_ it." Becoming more animated she darted a glance down to where The Taz lay sprawled. "Seb, I can see every strand of The Taz's hair. I can see his eyelashes. I can see the tiny hairs on his pudgy cheeks. I can see _every stitch_ in the fabric of his pyjamas— "

"Scarlet," Seb grabbed her arm to calm her, "you need to look at your eyes." He physically placed a hand on top of her head and turned it towards the mirrored doors in the bank of wardrobes along the opposite wall. Scarlet gasped and then scrabbled down the bunk ladder and trotted to the mirror.

She gasped again, "Seb, they're silver!"

"I know, I told you. Actually they're _amazing!"_

Scarlet turned her head this way and that, checking her eyes at different angles. As she turned out of the moonlight the silver disappeared and her pupils looked normal but for the slightest shimmer.

"Did you see that? It's only when the moonlight catches them." She checked herself, uncertain. "Isn't that the same with everyone?" She sounded a bit disappointed but also relieved. Now she beckoned urgently for Seb to join her and made him face his eyes into the moonlight. All that happened was his pupils closed up, shrinking to pinpoints and the coloured area of his iris grew and reflected the moonlight on their shiny surface.

"Well? Are they silver?"

There was silence, like Scarlet was weighing up whether to be pleased or to go into dramatic despair. She decided on the former and ran to the window. The moon made her blink as though it was strong sunlight and she shielded her eyes. Looking down into their garden she told Seb that she could see the skulking shape of a black cat prowling beside the hedges and the tiny shape of the little rodent it was stalking; she could even make out the individual hairs of the rodent's fur.

"Wow, this is incredible. I can see _so_ much!"

The sound of creaking on the stairs made Seb leap for the door. He closed it to and they listened as their mum went into the bathroom and cleaned her teeth. While she was occupied Scarlet tiptoed back to her own room and Seb climbed into his bunk, making a convincing impression of being asleep when his mum put her head round the door. He lay waiting for her bedroom light to go out but she was obviously reading and eventually Seb fell asleep.

It seemed like only a second had passed when the Homer Simpson alarm clock sounded.

_But I got up yesterday! But I got up yesterday!_ Homer's voice incessantly complained.

The Taz was already downstairs. Seb could hear their mum telling him to get down off the table. Scarlet darted into the room. Standing on tiptoes beside his bed she thrust her face into his.

"How do my eyes look?" She rushed over to stare at herself in the mirror. Seb, trying to flatten his wild hair, joined her.

"Let me see then."

She faced him. "Well, are they silver still?"

Seb hesitated. The irises were shining and looked a deeper, more chocolatey brown than normal. At first, the pupils looked black, then a beam of sunlight struck them and they shone silver – not a blinding silver, just a subtle shimmering that looked unusual.

"Well?" Scarlet was anxious.

Seb whispered, "The silver's still there but it's not massively obvious. You only see it in the direct sunlight. How's your eyesight?"

She smiled, looking pleased. "Still fantastic, Seb, I can see _so_ much. I can definitely see that massive bogey up your nostril! Go and blow your nose you disgusting boy!" She shoved him. He put a hand up to his nose, embarrassed, but smiled. The dawn light was now glowing more brightly through the window and as the sun rose, the silvery shimmering in Scarlet's eyes looked other-worldly. Seb said nothing.

#  The Sin

Another trip to school and Scarlet chatted away happily in the front seat. Nothing caused her to grump or strop that morning. In the confined space of the car Seb saw their mum cast a couple of curious looks at her. On one occasion Scarlet turned to say something to Seb and he was relieved to see that her eyes just seemed a bit peculiar, nothing you could actually put your finger on.

The Taz was playing with his window again and as they turned onto the main road Seb screwed his face up and had to put his hand to his mouth to stop himself gagging. "Tarmac! Can you smell that? Taz, put your window up. Please!"

Scarlet turned. "Seb, it's not that strong! Stop fussing."

Seb stared ahead. They were stuck at a temporary red traffic light as yellow-vested workmen resurfaced one half of the road.

"We won't be here long," his mum said, as The Taz played with the window button, winding it up and down. "Adam, you'll break it! Stop it." She was more hung up on the window being damaged than on the fact that her oldest son was almost retching and had turned ghostly pale.

"It really isn't that bad, Seb. You are so overreacting."

Seb looked over the back of his hand, which was clasped across his nose and mouth, at Scarlet. "It is strong, Scarlet! And you know I hate it."

"Well you need to get over it. I don't know what the big deal is." She frowned.

"It reminds me of Dad. You know that."

There was a sudden silence in the car. Scarlet glared at him. Their mum's gaze flicked across to The Taz. He was still trying to play with his window button and seemed not to have heard the conversation.

"Sorry," Seb said, the word muffled by his hand.

"So you should be!" Scarlet hissed at him.

"That's enough, Scarlet – he knows. Now, what lessons have you two got today?" Their mum tried to change the subject as they eased past the roadworks.

Scarlet flounced round to face front and crossed her arms. The strop was back. Seb felt dreadful and couldn't believe he had _sinned_ so badly. He suppressed the urge to cry which arose not because he had spoken unwisely but because of the memories that now came flooding into his mind.

The putrid smell was still there and it took him back to the day, nearly five years before, when his dad had taken him for a bike ride, trying to make him road aware. They had been held up for a few minutes at the bottom of the main road which was being resurfaced.

Seb remembered the image of the man – tall, athletic, smooth unwrinkled skin that glowed with vitality, his sparkling brown eyes, so like Scarlet's, laughing at his eight-year-old son as he became impatient waiting at the red light. Bringing his bike up to sit abreast with Seb he pointed out the different machines and bits of equipment the workmen used and told him the story of _tarmac_ and how a man called Edgar something – Seb couldn't remember the name – had invented a way of mixing tar and macadam, which meant crushed rocks, so they could be laid together as a road surface and he patented it as Tarmacadam or Tarmac for short.

Seb, as always, hung on his father's every word and as the smell of hot tarmac filled the air he watched the workmen pouring, patting and fixing the layer onto the road. He was fascinated and listened as his dad went on to explain how, with so many more cars using the roads, they got worn out more quickly and local councils had to resurface them every now and again to provide a safer surface for cars to drive along. It cut the numbers of accidents and so helped reduce the number of injuries and deaths ...

... And deaths. Two weeks later death had become a reality for the Thomas children. Two weeks later Seb's wonderful, marvellous dad was slipping into unconsciousness behind the wheel of their car, their mum, heavily pregnant with The Taz, already unconscious.

Their parents had been on their way back from shopping when, for some unknown reason, their dad veered off the road and crashed their car into a tree on the verge beside it. The story had been told in the barest detail by their mum, she herself remembering little of the actual incident. She had woken to labour pains and The Taz had been delivered by an ambulance crew on a thermal blanket on the ground beside their car as her husband's life ebbed away on the grass on the opposite side of the vehicle.

Their dad had only taken the day off work because it was his own birthday, September 23, and it was so close to the birth of his third child. It had been noted by staff later that the time of death, 11:48 as declared by the paramedic on scene, was to the minute the same as that listed by the ambulance crew as the time of birth of the baby boy Adam, Aubrey, Thomas.

The days following their father's death had been subdued and painful. Their mum had been absorbed with the responsibilities of caring for her new baby and Scarlet seemed to find some form of solace in helping. Seb, however, simply walked through life as if he was in a dream, removed from reality, isolated. At the funeral he felt numb.

Over the next days, periods of numbness were interspersed with periods of anger and a refusal to accept. Then he would fantasise that it had all been a dream. Many times, in his imagination, his dad walked through the front door. Each time, the return to reality hit a little less hard.

Slowly, time moved on. There had been an unspoken pact between their mum, Scarlet and Seb that they did not ever, ever discuss their dad or the accident in front of The Taz. He was unaware and living in blissful ignorance. Mostly, he didn't seem to notice the absence of a father. At the age of three, he had casually asked why he didn't have a Dad-Dad like Gretel. Scarlet and Seb had remained silent, waiting for the answer their mum would give.

She simply told him, "Your Dad-Dad had to leave when you were born. He can't be with you."

The Taz had accepted this information and toddled off to play. A few more enquiries followed at gradually lengthening intervals and eventually he stopped asking. Their mother had explained to Seb and Scarlet that she would tell Adam about their dad when he was old enough to understand.

So Seb had committed the sin of referring to a person who, for him, evoked an intricate network of emotions and feelings, in the presence of his brother, to whom that person meant nothing. And now his sister was angry, his mum upset and his own longing for a hug from his dad had been reawakened to an unbearable level.

He sat facing the window, frowning so as not to cry. The smell had decreased but was still there, travelling with them inside the car.

A silver figure stood silently next to the lone tree in the field to his right, where the magpies had taken roost. Seb barely looked. He was fed up with all this strangeness. Fed up with all the emotions. Tired of worrying, of caring. He turned away from the window, controlled his revulsion, tuning out from the fading smell and found his mind wandering to the beautiful sight of the magnificent stag at the Lodge, the musty smell of its pelt, the sound of its breathing. And before he knew it, they arrived at school.

#  The Summons

By the time his mum parked the car Seb had calmed himself. It had only been a minute before Scarlet had uncrossed her arms, turned and mouthed the word _sorry_ to him.

They parked in what had become their usual spot. Zach, Aiden and Nat were already waiting and swooped on Scarlet and Seb as they climbed out of the car. The Taz was ecstatic. The main gate goodbye hugs completed, the five went to drop mobiles off and started down the corridor towards the exit.

Although Seb wanted to give the impression of nonchalance he couldn't help walking quickly and glancing around nervously. None of the others spoke but Seb was aware of Aiden's head moving left and right and occasionally glancing over his shoulder. Their pace was quick and they all seemed to have one goal, the exit door.

"Back here please!"

The shout from behind made them stop. Mr Duir was standing at the end of the corridor with his arms crossed. He looked stern.

They walked back down the corridor and as they reached a point a few feet from him The Head turned and led them across to a flight of stairs behind the Reception area. Seb felt embarrassed as they were watched in their procession by other students depositing their phones and the two receptionists checking them in.

A blaze of light shone through a tall window on the half landing as the stairs turned back on themselves to rise to the next floor. They all knew this was the way to the Head's office, with the Deputy Head's beside it, but none of them had yet been up there.

Mr Duir stopped on the half landing, letting Zach, Scarlet and Nat pass him. As Seb drew level with him by the window a bat smacked into the lower pane of glass. Mr Duir put his hand up to the glass and gently flicked the pane with his index finger at the point of the small beast's head. It immediately veered off, flapping away from the building. The Head, with a blank expression on his face, made a gesture to indicate for Seb to proceed up the stairs, followed by Aiden.

The others were hovering in the seating area outside two imposing doors which sat at ninety degrees to each other in the hallway on the top landing. The Deputy Head's door was on the left and Seb knew that the office, which sat atop Reception, had a commanding view over the entrance gate and the walkway that led to the main door. Several times he had walked through the door and glanced up to see the Deputy Head watching him out of the window.

Mr Duir's door faced them. As he opened it the worn hinges creaked. A shaft of light shot into the hallway and painted a rectangle of brightness on the dark varnished wooden floorboards with The Head's shadow framed within it. The light shone from a tall, imposing window, facing the office door which gave a view of the The Beach and the Old School.

Seb stepped into the room and stopped in line with the others, in a row in front of a large oak wood desk which sat in front of the window. The Head closed the door, with more creaking, and walked round to stand in front of the window. He faced outward, not looking at them. They exchanged confused and worried glances as he spoke.

"You must all avoid the main corridor. We have some ... issues with maintenance in that area and it will be closed to all pupils for the foreseeable future. Do you understand?"

Still facing the window, the Head could not see that what had begun as exchanges of confused looks had now evolved into titters and nudges as the group's heightened nerves at being summonsed to The Head's office made the slightest thing seem funny – namely Zach, squeaking his shoes on the wooden floor as he rocked on his toes. When The Head spun around the sudden movement stunned them all and Seb was sure he saw a shower of sparkles stir in the air.

Mr Duir continued, "You will not walk through the main corridor. Do you understand me?"

There were embarrassed nods from each of them.

"Miss Thomas?" He glared at Scarlet who was staring at the floor trying not to laugh. She put her hand up to shade her eyes as she looked at him. "Do you wear glasses?"

The change of subject seemed to wrong-foot Scarlet and she remained silent.

"Do you wear glasses, Miss Thomas?" The words were repeated steadily, in a deep, rumbling voice.

"No ... um ... no," she hesitated.

Seb knew why. _You're meant to._ Scarlet had been fitted for them a year before and had been so excited to have a new _thing_ to bring attention to herself. But the novelty had worn off within days and the glasses now languished at the bottom of her school bag.

There was silence. Moments passed.

"Well, Miss Thomas?"

Scarlet cracked, "I am meant to wear them, but I don't need them. My eyes used to sting but they don't any— "

"Wear them!"

Scarlet didn't dare answer back to the barked order.

"Master Thomas." Seb's heart pounded. The Head pulled open a drawer in his desk and took out something green which he passed to Seb. It was a pair of fingerless gloves. They were made of a bottle-green woolly material and had the Oakwood crest embroidered into them in silver stitching. "These will be available for all students from this week. According to Mr West, your maze design in History was the best and he asked that I give you a complimentary pair as a _prize."_

"Thank you, sir." Seb meant it.

With a curt nod towards the door the Head ordered, "On to your classes for registration." He turned back to the window.

After a second of hesitation they filed out, led by Aiden, and walked down the stairs, the only sounds the clacking of their shoes on the wooden boards. Obediently avoiding the ogre corridor, they virtually sprinted to the main exit and turned right, around the side of the building, all chattering at the same time. They made a hurried agreement to meet at The Beach at break time and then rushed to their classrooms.

As he dashed into the classroom, Seb ripped open the packaging of his prize and placed one of the thin gloves over his birthmark.

A double lesson of English preceded break. The normal teacher being indisposed, the class was taken by a dull old man by the name of Dominic White whose teaching methods lulled Seb and his friends into a near-sleeping state. It seemed an eternity but the bell eventually rang and the boys hurried to their meeting place. Nat and Scarlet were already seated on the bench.

It was a cloudy day, the biting wind was still present, but not as strong as the day before. The branches of the oak waved lazily in the breeze, shedding leaves which drifted off in all directions.

_Scarlet is wearing her glasses!_ Seb was surprised but relieved. As he approached, the filtered light from the sun, which was trying to push through the greyish-white clouds, bounced off the lenses and reflected back at him. It made it difficult to see her eyes behind the glare.

Each of them tried to speak at once, but their words were stopped instantly by a loud screech. A beastie flew from the woodland, again making for Seb. Zach, quite accustomed to this now, leapt up, snatched it from the air and threw it back.

"What the heck is it with these bat things?" he mumbled.

Aiden sat and began scuffing his feet on the gravel under the bench, hunched forward. "They do seem to like Seb ..." his voice trailed off and he suddenly lurched forward. He began scraping the stones and dirt with his fingers.

Seb noticed the movement and glanced down. Then he realised why Aiden was grubbing around in the mud. He could see a glimmer of silver. Now they were all looking.

"What are you doing, Aiden?" Zach asked casually and then dropped to his haunches as he too saw the silver surface of something buried beneath the earth.

Aiden continued scratching the mud away and in a minute he was tugging at what appeared to be a small, flat, circular tin that was stood on its end. A few wiggles and the object broke free. Aiden rubbed it to remove the dirt, revealing a pleasing silver sheen.

Nat leant in towards him. "Oh Aiden, that's lovely."

He held it out and they all crowded round.

"My mum's got something just like it. It's a make-up compact, Aiden. Great treasure find!" Zach laughed.

"Does it open?" Scarlet asked as Aiden cleared the last of the mud off it. He turned it and sat it flat on the palm of his hand and to Seb it did look like a circular make-up compact.

Scarlet's voice got a touch louder as she pointed at the tin. "Look, it has engravings on it!" She plopped onto the bench beside Aiden, looking at the curved surface which reflected the dappled green of the leaves above. The quick polish Aiden had given the tin made it look pristine. An intricate pattern of an oak tree was carved into it in fine lines. Within its leaves the letter A was flamboyantly engraved.

"A for Aiden!" Zach declared, smiling at Aiden who frowned.

"No, it has an accent over the A," he said.

Seb strained to see it more closely but now Scarlet took the tin from Aiden and began moving it around.

"Have you seen among the leaves? Squirrels, acorns, birds ..." she became really excited. The others were having difficulty seeing what she saw but she was adamant the images were there. And then she almost screamed and nearly dropped the tin, "OMG!"

"What? _What?"_ Aiden was really concerned now. Scarlet's reaction made it seem like the tin was a cursed voodoo doll.

"Look!" Her voice was high-pitched and loud. "The pattern in the bark of the trunk makes the shape of a door. It's like the door you described in the library, Seb!" The others couldn't see it. "Look at that ..." She pointed her little finger at a round object which had looked to Seb like a knot in the wood. As she drew their attention to it he realised it actually was like a doorknob. Suddenly the overall picture became clearer.

"It _is_ a door," Seb said quietly.

Aiden took the tin from Scarlet's hand. "Should I see if I can open it?" he said.

"Of course you should!" Zach stated. "It might have money in it or something."

Aiden held the tin away from himself, as if he thought it contained an explosive. He placed a finger and thumb on the tiny push-button clasp at the front. A small click and it sprang open. Everyone bunched in closer.

Inside on the inner surface of the lid was a highly polished mirror. In the hollow recess of the bottom section were five yellowy-red berries, perfect in shape, without a blemish, as perfect as if they had just been plucked from a tree or bush.

"What on earth are those?" Zach bellowed, snorting in disgust.

"Shh, Zach! We're right outside the staff room. Keep your voice down," Seb said, moving round to sit next to Aiden.

Zach stifled another snort and looked over at the staff room window.

"Can I?" Nat put a hand out.

Aiden willingly gave the tin to her. She lifted one of the berries out and held it up in front of her eyes. "These are rowan berries."

"Now, how would you know that?" Zach mumbled, taking one out of the tin himself and squishing it between his fingers.

"Zach! Why did you do that?" Scarlet had taken one out herself.

"Well it's not like you're going to eat them, is it? What does it matter? A bunch of mangy berries in a compact tin." He reached up to the oak tree above his head and wiped his finger and thumb on one of the leaves.

"Actually you _can_ eat them." Aiden was rolling a berry between his own thumb and forefinger. "In pagan times there was a story of a mythical rowan tree that was called The Tree of Life. It was meant to fruit every month and it was said to stave off hunger. There was also a belief that it could add a year to your life for every berry you ate and in the old Celtic tales it was believed that eating just three rowan berries could make you years younger." With this, Aiden popped the berry into his mouth. He chewed and then spat out a couple of small seeds.

"Nice!" Zach said.

Scarlet was horrified. "Aiden, you don't know that was a rowan berry!" She turned to Nat. "Nat, are you sure? It might be something else. It might be poisonous!"

"It looked like a rowan." Nat smiled. "My grandmother makes rowan jelly every summer ..." her voice trailed off as Aiden began to cough, his eyes darting upward in a sudden panicky reaction.

"He's choking!" Scarlet stood and began slapping him on the back. "It wasn't rowan – it _is_ poisonous!"

Aiden was spluttering now and his face had turned red. Through the coughing though, he was trying to point upwards.

"No, not poison. Snake!" he sputtered and then pointed frantically at the branch above Zach's head. "IT'S A SNAKE!" he shouted as he managed to clear his throat.

Now they all jumped up and Nat gave a small squeal of shock. Seb stared into the leaves of the tree which were being whipped back and forth by the breeze. And then he saw something move. It looked like nothing more than a branch until it began to weave and twist its way through the smaller branches around it. Then Scarlet leapt back as the head of the snake popped out from between a thick patch of leaves above her head, its tongue darting in and out of its mouth, yellow eyes seeming to stare at Zach. It turned its head around towards him, curving its body down and forward until its flicking tongue was inches from Zach's nose. Zach stared back at the creature, apparently unperturbed. He reached up and grabbed it behind the head and gave a yank. The whole body flopped out of the tree and stiffened. Seb blinked. His mind was now totally confused. In Zach's outstretched hand was a stick. Just a stick! No tongue, no eyes – a smooth, reddish-brown, shiny dead branch with a bulbous end beneath which Zach's fingers curled.

"What?" Zach was obviously as surprised as Seb. He twirled the stick like a majorette and then slammed the thin end into the gravel at his feet. "Some snake, Aiden!" He sounded confused and tried to cover it with a mocking tone.

Aiden blurted, "It was a snake. I mean, I saw a snake. Now it's a stick! How did that happen?"

"Aiden, it's a stick!" Zach was examining the object more closely.

Scarlet and Nat were speechless.

"Maybe I imagined it ..." Aiden's voice was quiet, then he looked eagerly at Seb. "You saw a snake too Seb, yes?"

Seb was uncertain. "Maybe. I thought I saw one. You said snake and I saw the stick. I thought I saw a tongue and yellow eyes. But maybe I just imagined it because you said snake." He turned to Scarlet who was staring at Zach. She shrugged, smiled and linked her arm through Nat's.

"Just your imaginations," she said, but sounded uncertain too.

Nat seemed lost, staring at the stick Zach was now holding between two hands. Her voice, when she spoke, was faint.

"Did you know that rowan trees are supposed to be guarded by snakes and dragons?" The others looked at her, confused. "That's what my grandmother told me. She's quite into things about ancient tree magic and wisdom – bit hippyish really," she sounded apologetic. "Well rowan trees protect us but in turn snakes and dragons protect the rowan."

"Not getting it." Zach shrugged.

"You squished the berry, Zach. Rowan is a protecting tree and you squished one of its berries."

"I squished a berry, and now the tree seeks vengeance by sending a ... stick to get me?" Zach was laughing.

Aiden interrupted, "Zach, in ancient times people also carried small crosses made of rowan wood to protect them or carried a switch made of rowan."

"A switch? A light switch? In olden times? Really!" Zach was still laughing.

"Zach, a switch is a stick or a staff."

Zach gaped at him.

"A stick ... or a staff!" Aiden pointed at the branch Zach was toying with.

"What _are_ you two talking about?"

"Zach, I saw a snake. That stick _was_ a snake!" Aiden was more confident now.

Zach suddenly threw the stick to the floor. "Aargh ... a snake! Save me!" He pretended to bite his fingernails. "I squished a rowan berry and now the snake guardian is trying to get me back!"

No one was laughing.

Zach shrugged and bent to retrieve the stick, turning it in his hands. "It's a good stick though – smooth, straight. I'm gonna keep it."

"How old are you, Zach? Four-year-olds collect sticks!" Scarlet criticised.

"Well I'm keeping it to see if it will turn into a snake for me." He grinned at her and then frowned, cocking his head to one side. "Hey, what's going on with your eyes?"

Scarlet immediately turned her head to one side, lowering her eyes to the ground. Now Nat and Aiden looked at her and she began to blush slightly. Then her brows lifted and she smiled. Facing them all square on she began telling in great detail what happened in the moonlight the night before and what she could now see. All thoughts of berries, sticks and snakes were gone. She had only just finished when the bell went.

#  An Abstraction

All of them were in the same Maths set and they scrambled to sit on a table together. The teacher, Mrs Tilbrook, was a roly-poly female who wore a strange pair of silver-framed glasses perched on her stubby nose and clothing that looked as though she had rummaged through her grandmother's wardrobe.

The class were silent. They had been since she had walked through the door and placed a cream canvas bag onto each of the desks.

"Today our subject is transformations," she stated and bewildered expressions appeared on many faces. "You may remember this from middle school." Seb vaguely did.

The opening of the classroom door diverted everyone's attention. Mr White stepped in. He hadn't knocked. He didn't address Mrs Tilbrook but simply hovered in the doorway. She observed him with what Seb thought was amusement.

"Mr White?"

The teacher gazed around the room and, spotting Aiden, pointed a skinny finger at him then gave a beckoning motion. Aiden nervously stood and started edging his way towards the dull teacher. Two more jabs of the scraggy finger and Seb and Zach were summonsed, then a further two and Nat and Scarlet were called to join him. Without a single word, and certainly no acknowledgement or apology to Mrs Tilbrook, Mr White turned and left the room, Seb, his sister and their friends following.

The seemingly doddery old man was actually very sprightly and as he marched out of the Year Nine block and down the ramp they all had to trot to keep up. His long strides took him swiftly into the main building and down the ogre corridor.

"I guess the rule about not using the main corridor didn't get through to the old man," Zach mumbled as they raced after Mr White.

Following him up the stairs to the Heads' offices Seb wondered how he could be visiting this place for the second time in a day.

Mr White opened the door to the Deputy Head's office. Like everything else on this level it creaked and the teacher ushered them inside.

The room was amazingly bright but Seb hardly noticed the furnishings or objects within it. The scene offered by the floor-to-ceiling window opposite the door was what drew his attention. The elevated view was on a level with the yellowing canopy of the oak woods and through this vegetation the long avenue of the approach road to the school cut like a grey scar.

As they all clustered within a foot of the doorway a figure rose from a small alcove seat recessed in the left wall and came to stand in front of them.

From the few school assemblies he had attended and from the times he had glanced up to this window to find himself being observed, Seb recognised the figure of the Deputy Head: Miss Angel. The female looked as decrepit as Mr White and the contrast between the suggestion her name evoked and the actuality of her appearance was a source of amusement for all students who attended Oakwood; she was elderly and emaciated. Her face was almost skeletal; the wrinkles in the skin across her forehead, cheeks and jaw seemed to have been carved aeons ago. Her silver hair was held back in a long, wispy ponytail and around her hairline were patches where she was almost bald it grew so sparsely. Her eyes were masked by a pair of delicate, tinted glasses.

There was silence _._ Seb's eyes flicked around the room and now he realised why it was so startlingly bright. Covering every wall were mirrors – many, many mirrors – some ornate, some simple, some designed in the shape of familiar objects or animals, others plain rectangles or ovals of reflective glass; small, medium, large. Hundreds of mirrors. Scarlet was nudging him as she too looked around the room. _Why on earth would Miss Angel, so old and so_ ... Seb tried to find a kind way of describing it but couldn't ... _so ugly, want so many mirrors to remind her of the fact?_

Miss Angel spoke, "I have had a report from the caretaker that minor damage has been done to an area beneath the old oak on The Beach and something has been removed." She waited. Aiden lowered his head. Zach snorted. "You have something to say, Master Orwell?" Zach's chin dropped and he shook his head. "Master Lord?" Aiden coughed but said nothing. "You must return the object you took," Miss Angel said.

Seb wondered if the compact Aiden had found belonged to Miss Angel. None of them had thought to ask if it belonged to anyone – and why would she bury it? He looked at the frail figure and started to feel sorry for this strange woman who surrounded herself with mirrors and seemed to have such an obsession with them she had taken to burying them around the school grounds.

Aiden pulled the small tin out of his trouser pocket and gingerly held it towards Miss Angel, who tutted.

"I didn't think it belonged to anyone," Aiden almost whispered.

Another tut. "Not _that_ object. That is yours, Master Lord. You found it, so it must have been meant for you." She turned to Zach, waiting. "Master Orwell. You must return it," her voice was soft, not angry or challenging. It sounded more like advice.

"The stick? Are you talking about a silly old stick? It fell out of the tree!" Zach snapped his head up.

"And where is it now?" Miss Angel took a couple of steps towards him. Zach leant back slightly as she stopped about two feet from him. Skeletal she may be but she was also tall.

Seb tried not to stare at her paper-thin skin and the cluster of five or six long, wiry hairs sprouting from her jaw line.

"In my bag, in the classroom," Zach sounded uncertain.

"You must return it," Miss Angel said.

"Are you serious? The stick! You want me to put a tatty old stick back in a tree?"

Seb was shocked at Zach daring to challenge the Deputy Head and held his breath, waiting for her response.

"You will get the item; you will return it to the tree. You will fill in the hole left by Master Lord and Master Orwell," Miss Angel took another step towards Zach so that she now towered, in all her prehistoric glory, over him. "You will remain under that tree and will not speak until the caretaker says you can go. Am I clear?" She had still not raised her voice.

Zach gave a brief nod.

Miss Angel returned to the alcove and sat on the plump, green cushion that covered the seat there, pulling her knees up to her chin and clasping her legs with her arms, like a young girl.

Mr White stepped behind them and Seb heard the click and creak as he opened the door. He ushered them out.

Closing the door he mumbled, "Did you all eat a berry?" They stopped still at the top of the stairs.

"Just me," Aiden said.

He nodded then Scarlet volunteered, "Zach squished one!"

Mr White opened his watery eyes then said, "Master Orwell, you must do as Miss Angel says."

Aiden took the tin out again and clicked it open.

"You know the rowan?" Mr White asked.

"Yes, my grandmother makes marmalade and jam with it," Nat said.

"Oh, but it is for so much more than that— "

Aiden broke in, shouting, "THERE ARE FIVE!" He was looking into the opened tin where five, yellowy-red berries nestled in the cavity inside.

"But Aiden ate one and I squished one!" Zach said as Aiden plucked a berry out of the tin and brought it close to his mouth.

Mr White placed a hand over Aiden's. "Only one a day." Aiden looked up at him, confused. The teacher continued, "The berries can be poisonous. Actually it is the seeds."

"I read that somewhere and I spat the seeds out," Aiden said, fishing around in the bottom of his pocket. Smiling, he produced two small seeds and held them up.

The teacher raised his eyebrows. "Ah, good."

Zach interrupted, as though he had a burning point everyone seemed to be forgetting, "Does no one else think it odd that there are five in the tin again?"

Scarlet added, as though he were missing the _main_ point, "Does no one think it strange that we dug up a tin and inside, even though it had been buried for who knows how long, were five berries in the first place? Mr White— "

But Mr White had disappeared down the stairs and was gone before they realised he had moved.

"Where'd he go?" Zach looked over the landing railing.

Aiden joined him, peering over at the stairs. "Should we go back to class?"

Seb was puzzling over the summons to the strange Deputy Head's office just to tell Zach to put a stick back in a tree. Not necessary for them all to come really, was it? And something else was nagging at the back of his mind.

"How did Mr White know about the tin and the berries?"he said.

"Well Miss Angel knew too, at least about the tin." Scarlet shrugged and began plodding down the stairs. "Come on, at least we got out of half of Maths!" She smiled as she turned the corner of the half landing.

"But how did they know?" Seb didn't want to let it drop and trotted after her.

"Duh, Seb!" Scarlet's voice shot quite nastily back at him. "We were sat right outside the staff room!"

Seb now had a creeping feeling at the thought that the teachers were watching them, spying on them. He mumbled to Zach, "It's all really strange: the ogre, the teachers knowing about the tin ..."

"And," Zach added as though frustrated no one thought it as important as him, "there were only three berries left but when Aiden opened his tin there were five again! _That's_ the weirdest part!"

"No." Scarlet waited at the bottom and as they joined her she put a hand on Zach's shoulder. "The weirdest part is Miss Angel telling you to go and put a stick back in a tree! That's just plain strange!" She smiled a broad smile at Zach who frowned back at her. "And don't forget you mustn't speak! How crazy is that? I think I may have to come and watch! Oh, and have any of you ever met the caretaker?" She was giggling now.

Nat linked her arm through Scarlet's, guiding her gently towards Reception. Zach overtook them and, walking backwards, said, "Didn't even know there was a caretaker. What's so special about him anyway?"

"Why do you assume it's a _him?"_ Scarlet laughed.

"Well ... it is, isn't it?"

Scarlet simply smiled at him.

They were passing the Reception area, which was deserted, and Zach carried on going, walking backwards. He turned the corner and Aiden called out, "Zach, Mr Duir said not to use this corridor."

"Well Mr White brought us this way. So we can go back this way." Zach continued on.

The others shrugged and followed him. Seb glanced at the ogre door as Zach reached The Lake exit. He felt a slight tingling in his palm and then Scarlet pulled him to a stop. She was staring at the ogre door.

"Come on mortals, what are you doing?" Zach said.

Scarlet whispered, "I see a shape, through there." She pointed nervously at the door.

"It's a door, Scarlet. You know – entry, exit, large slab of wood in a hole – a door!" Zach rejoined them.

"Shh, Zach," she hissed. "There's something in there."

"Probably a teacher. Stop playing games, Scarlet."

"Scarlet, can you actually see into the room?" Seb asked.

She shook her head. "No, not into the room, just ... I can see something there."

"You're not really making any sense, Scarlet." Aiden sounded confused.

Scarlet turned to him. "I can't explain it. I am not seeing into the room; I can just see a figure, a large, dark figure. But it's not _in_ the room, actually."

"You're right, you can't explain it!" Zach sounded annoyed. "In the room, not in the room – not very helpful."

She spun on him angrily. "Well it wasn't meant to be _helpful._ I am _confused._ I don't know what I am seeing and so I can't describe it properly."

"Well why don't you open the door?" Zach grabbed the handle.

"Don't be daft, Zach. There's probably a teacher in there and a class. How well would that go?"

"I highly doubt anyone's in there! The way you've been shouting the teacher would have come out by now," Zach said.

"I wasn't shouting," Scarlet hissed.

Nat put a hand on her shoulder. "You were Scarlet, though it doesn't matter. Zach's right. A teacher would have come out by now. But we should leave. It doesn't feel right!"

Aiden spoke nervously, "I want to go back to class."

"Oh, you mortals are starting to do my head in ... _Doesn't feel right_ ... What doesn't feel right? Just open the door!" Before anyone had a chance to discuss the matter further Zach pulled the handle down and pushed. The door swung back and the dark, hulking shape on the far side of the room turned slowly.

"Run!" Seb shouted.

"What?" Aiden sounded panicked.

"Why?" Zach was confused. "There's nothing there!"

Scarlet was already on her toes, heading down the corridor, Nat by her side. Seb followed, grabbing Aiden's sleeve. Zach stood by the open doorway, calling after them, "What are you guys on? There's nothing there!"

Seb heard the wheezing, cackling sound and called back, "It _is_ there – run!"

Zach reacted instantly though he had a look of utter dismay on his face. He pelted down the corridor. "Honestly, mortals, there's nothing there!" He was laughing now, finding the whole situation ludicrous.

As they neared the turn in the corridor Mr Duir stepped around the corner. They all skidded to a halt. Seb glanced back down the corridor. The ogre had gone, vanished. Scarlet looked back too and gasped.

"But ... where?"

"You were instructed to avoid this corridor." Mr Duir sounded annoyed. He folded his arms across his chest and Seb knew he was staring at him. He looked at his shoes, his heart still pounding. _Don't make eye contact._

Scarlet, overcoming her nerves at being caught said, "So you know about that monster then?"

Mr Duir stared at her, stony-faced. "This corridor is out of bounds. You have been told."

"But the og— "

"Master Orwell!" Mr Duir ignored her.

"Sir?" Zach sounded sullen.

"The caretaker will meet you at the old oak at lunchtime. Do as Miss Angel instructed."

"Yes sir." Zach mumbled.

The Head took a step to the side allowing them to walk past. Heads hanging, they made their way back to class. There was muttering and murmuring as they entered the room.

Dan leant towards Seb as he sat down and whispered, "You guys get a telling off? About time, cheat!"

Seb ignored him.

Zach frowned. "Can't believe we missed half a Maths lesson just to be told to put a stick back in a tree." He nudged the stick, which was under his chair, with the toe of his shoe and he was still moaning about it twenty minutes later when the bell rang.

#  The Caretaker

Seb found Religious Education tedious and the lesson couldn't finish soon enough. He was up instantly the bell for lunch sounded. Aiden too, hurried to the door. Zach was more reluctant.

"Come on, all you have to do is put the stick back." Seb tried to cheer him up.

"It's a stupid old stick, and a hole in a bit of dirt. Really, it's just nonsense."

"Okay, but we'd be going to The Beach anyway, so there's no harm really." Aiden tried to help.

"It's like a detention ... for what? The stick _fell_ on me and it was _you_ who made the hole, Aiden. Why am I being punished?"

The girls were waiting when they got to The Beach.

Scarlet put an arm around Zach's shoulders. "Don't look so glum, Zach. All you have to do is put the stick back. Oh ... and not talk!" she chuckled.

Zach shook her arm off, glaring at her. "Wish it was you who had to not talk." He threw his bag onto the bench and about two feet of stick was poking out of it. He pulled the whole thing out, held the bulge at the top and planted the other end on the ground by his foot. "So where's the caretaker then? I don't want to miss my lunch." He looked around.

There was a crunching sound on the gravel and a figure stepped around the tree. It was the figure Seb had seen in the woods during cross-country. The head was still covered by the hood, throwing the face into shadow. He wondered if this was the caretaker. He had expected an old man with shabby overalls. Judging by the build and the clothing this person was a twenty-something at most; tall but with a slight, athletic frame. The hoodie was accompanied by jeans and a pair of blue deck shoes.

Zach tried to peer under the hood but the youth turned towards the tree, placing a hand on the bark of the trunk. The hoodie's sleeve flopped back to the wrist, revealing delicate fingers with finely shaped nails.

"Luis is a protector." As the stranger began speaking, Zach blinked. The speech was slightly gravelly, almost husky, with a feminine tone to it.

_In fact,_ Seb thought, looking at this character, _It's difficult to tell if it's a male or female._ The height, the clothing, the bearing – all male. But the delicacy, the fingers, the build, the voice ... could be female. Seb found himself distracted from what this newcomer was saying as he struggled to find clues to help him confirm the gender.

Zach had moved round to try and face the youth. "Luis? Who is Luis? Are you Luis?"

"Luis, the quicken-tree, witch bane – take your pick." Again the husky, almost female tones.

"Rowan!" Aiden said. "Those are other names for the rowan tree ... and that stick is made of rowan, I think."

The stranger said nothing. Zach raised his eyes.

"Mm. Fascinating. Are you the caretaker?" He sounded doubtful but keen to just get on with returning the stick. He had no interest in talk of tree names.

"I am." The figure turned and removed the hood.

Scarlet was smiling and nudged Nat who simply stared at the youthful face of this stranger. A couple of older girls walking along the edge of the playground stopped and stared too, then nudged each other, giggled and walked off, talking in whispers.

Even with the whole head visible, Seb still couldn't decide if this tall and slender person was a girl or a boy. The girls' reaction suggested they thought it was a male. Definitely young, couldn't be more than twenty-five he guessed, but Seb was erring towards female and he knew that was mainly because the character had long, glossy, wavy black hair which framed an attractive face. The features could easily be male _or_ female, though: a straight nose; high forehead; full, slightly arched, dark eyebrows; piercing blue eyes, lined with long, dark lashes; a straight, firm mouth with full but not thick lips; and a strong, slightly pointed jaw. The whole effect was of a strikingly good-looking person. But which gender?

_I can't tell._ Seb gawped.

"So what's your name?" Zach frowned, curious.

"The Caretaker." A wry smile crossed the face and the character offered nothing more.

There was a pause and Zach stared. He glanced at Seb, then back at The Caretaker. "So are you a boy or a girl?" he asked, and Aiden gasped.

Seb cringed and Scarlet berated, "Zach! Don't be rude!"

"Well I'm just asking ..." Zach didn't take his eyes off The Caretaker who regarded him impassively and didn't answer.

In the awkward silence that followed, Zach still stared, but in the end he gave in and flicked the stick up into the air and caught it again half way down the shaft, holding it out in front of The Caretaker.

"Here ya go! One stick, returned. Can I go to lunch now?"

The Caretaker made no effort to take it. "You were asked to return it to the tree, to fill in the hole," the blue eyes darted to the small hole at their feet, "and then to remain until I say you can leave. Were you not?" The Caretaker raised an eyebrow.

Zach frowned. "We're game-playing aren't we? This is ridiculous. It's a stupid stick and a hole in the dirt." The Caretaker said nothing. "Oh fine, have it your way. It's ridiculous!"

In a breathtakingly quick motion, Zach hefted the stick into the air. It shot up through the foliage above their heads. There was a clattering sound as it hit a couple of branches and then a further clattering as it dropped back out. Zach caught it and tutted. He tossed it up a second time. Again the clattering, some rustling and the stick dropped back out. "Oh for pity's sake!"

Zach jumped and poked the stick into the tree. He landed and the stick followed him back down. He growled in annoyance. Now he leapt up onto the bench. Feeling up into the tree he lay the stick horizontally onto the thick, main branch and gingerly removed his hands. As he stepped down from the bench with a broad grin on his face the stick fell onto the seat behind him and then rolled onto the gravel.

He fumed at The Caretaker, "Why do I have to put it back in the tree? It's a flaming stick! That's all! _It_ fell out of the tree so it must have _needed_ to fall. It won't go back!" He picked up the stick from the gravel and, using his other hand as he did so, scraped some of the mud around the hole Aiden had made into the middle of it. Then, with his shoe, he shoved the rest of the dirt and the dislodged gravel back in place.

"Well there's your darned hole filled in. As for this," he was shouting and glared at the stick, "it's a stick and I'm not going to stand here for the whole of my lunch break trying to put a flaming stick back into a flaming tree!" The Caretaker still said nothing. "I'm hungry and I'm fed up and I need my lunch."

Once more he threw it up, this time with such force that several leaves and small twigs were dislodged and fell to the ground, followed, inevitably, by the stick.

"Enough!" The Caretaker's voice was harsh and so loud it caused a few boys on the playground to glance over. They stared for a moment at the striking figure. One boy raised his eyebrows and nudged the others who smiled and shoved him back. They walked off, looking over their shoulders at The Caretaker.

"You were asked to put the stick back, not do more damage!"

"I wasn't asked, I was told!" Zach retorted. "If you're so fussed, you put it back." He thrust the stick towards The Caretaker who now put out two slender hands and gripped it. Dropping one end to the ground the figure made a lithe jump, gripped the lower tree branch, which was easily eight feet above the ground, and then swung into the tree, disappearing from sight. In a second The Caretaker reappeared, dropping sure-footedly to the ground ... without the stick.

Zach stood, mouth open. They all looked up into the tree, waiting. No stick.

Zach seemed momentarily lost then he mumbled, "You didn't say I could climb into the tree."

Scarlet laughed. "Like you could have done that, Zach – wow!"

"No Scarlet, not _wow!_ Pointless!" Zach was angry again. "All of this is pointless. This was a stick, falling out of a tree and a bunch of teachers and ..." he looked at The Caretaker, "... staff, playing silly games. Pointless!" He kicked the shingle, sending small stones skittering.

Then Aiden shouted, "Snake!"

Seb stared at him. He was pointing, wild-eyed, into the tree. Seb followed the direction of his outstretched arm where a snake slithered out of the leaves. He blinked, just as Zach, in a re-enactment of the break-time incident, grabbed hold of the thing. As Zach's hand grasped the snake behind its head it stiffened and as he pulled Seb blinked again. Zach was tugging the same stick from the same tree.

Zach's head dropped and he groaned, "Aiden! Not snake, stick!"

"But I ..." Aiden mumbled, "I was sure it was a snake."

"And what did you think it was, Zach?" The Caretaker asked.

Zach was scowling at the stick and, ignoring the question, grabbed the bulbous end with both hands. He lifted the stick to head height and then slammed it towards the ground, ramming the end into the dirt. The tip penetrated the earth and he let go of it. It remained upright. He grabbed his bag and strode off towards the Year Ten playground.

Scarlet called after him, "Zach, where are you going? You weren't told you could leave— "

"To lunch!" he called back over his shoulder and didn't stop.

Nat touched Seb's arm. "Look."

He looked towards the stick. The bulge at the top was elongating, the shaft sagging and then, as he watched, the whole thing collapsed to the ground and began undulating. A long tongue flicked out of the end and two eyes popped open. A snake. It _was_ a snake, and the creature was now slithering towards Zach who was still striding away.

The Caretaker, pulling the hood of the jacket up, walked off, calling back to them, "You can go."

Seb was finding it hard to believe what he was seeing. _It's a stick,_ he kept telling himself as the snake crossed the playground, gaining ground on Zach. He trotted after it.

"Seb, where are you going?" Aiden called, then Seb heard crunching as the other three followed him.

"Zach!" he shouted.

Zach stopped and turned. His mouth fell open as he noticed the snake with Seb running beside it, barely keeping up. In three long strides Zach reached it and scooped it up. Instantly it became the stick again.

Breathlessly Seb said, "It's yours. It must be yours. Every time you try to get rid of it, it comes back – turns into a snake to follow you."

Zach looked incredulously at Seb. "What _are_ you talking about?"

"The stick! It must be meant to be yours. How else do you explain why it keeps coming back to you?"

The other three joined them and as if making a split-second decision Zach pulled open the flap of his bag and stuffed the stick in.

"Are you going to keep it then?" Aiden asked.

"Well, Seb seems to think it's mine, and I need my lunch, so I'm not wasting any more time trying to plant it back in the tree!"

Seb's stomach growled. "I'm hungry," he apologised.

"Yes, _I_ need lunch!" Zach said again with a pained expression and began walking.

As they entered the cafeteria Zach managed to sideswipe one of the dinner ladies with the stick and she ordered him to leave it in the hallway just as The Caretaker entered.

"Oh great. Here we go again!" Zach moaned and before The Caretaker could speak he stated, "I am not going back to the tree. I need to eat and I will get my parents to complain about child cruelty if you don't let me have my lunch." He was shouting and the students queuing in the hot meals line turned to look. As The Caretaker pulled down the jacket hood the girls in the queue giggled self-consciously and the boys nudged each other.

"Leave it in the hallway as Mrs Bentley has said." The Caretaker pointed to a recess in the corridor wall. "You can leave it there."

The dinner lady nodded, folding her arms across her ample chest.

"Are you going to try and make me take it back to the oak after lunch?" Zach sounded confrontational.

"No." The Caretaker, saying nothing more, left the food hall.

Zach stepped over to the recess, propped the stick against the wall and returned to his friends in the queue. They found a table and he began unselfconsciously devouring his packed lunch.

"So why do you think The Caretaker isn't bothered any more about you returning the stick?" Scarlet asked, breaking the crust off her sandwich and nibbling it.

Zach shrugged and took a huge bite out of a granary roll, screwing his face up as he did. "Don't know why my mum has decided to give me this bitty bread stuff. And look at this!" He held up a packet of raisins. "Where's my treat? That's it? A roll and a packet of poo drops!"

"I think the stick was always meant for Zach." Aiden suggested, interrupting Zach's complaining about his lunch. "And I think the whole thing with putting it back in the tree was to make sure it was for him and he hadn't accidentally come across it."

Zach stopped chewing for the first time since they had sat down. "It's just a stick!" he said, getting annoyed.

"Zach, you can't possibly still be saying that!" Scarlet said.

"Well whatever. Sticks fall out of trees all the time." He sounded as though he wanted the discussion to just end.

"Rowan sticks falling out of oak trees?" Aiden said.

Zach shrugged again. "Not discussing it anymore! I need a proper treat." He stood, sticking his hand in his pocket. Coins jangled and he pulled a couple out and examined them then tutted, "Well I won't get much for this, will I?" He sat back down.

Nat smiled. "Have this, Zach." She passed him a packet of mini Jaffa cakes.

"Ooh, thanks." Zach was genuinely pleased. Then a thought seemed to strike him. "So is The Caretaker a man or a woman?" He looked at Scarlet.

She leant across, previous topic forgotten. "That was the point I meant earlier. No one knows. All the boys in the school say The Caretaker is a girl ... and sounds like they all fancy her! All the girls say it is a boy and _they_ all seem to fancy him! So no one knows. What do you think?"

Zach sat back and with chocolatey teeth he grinned. "Definitely a girl!"

Seb felt Zach was right. The more he thought about the character, the fine hands, fingers, the striking features, the glossy hair – a pretty girl.

Nat disagreed. "Well, I think it's a boy. Quite young-looking. But maybe he's older than he looks."

"Don't care either way!" Zach finished the packet. "He or she is a miserable character and hopefully that's the last we'll see of her ... or him." He swung back on his chair, balancing on the two rear legs then lurched forward as he sensed the glare of Mrs Bentley who was stood behind him, arms folded, looking disapprovingly at the slovenly mess he had made of the table.

Zach made a pathetic effort to scoop up the crumbs and the dinner lady wandered off. The others finished their food and as they headed out of the hall the bell for the end of lunch sounded. Zach raced to the alcove to retrieve his stick and then groaned when he realised it had gone.

"I'll bet The Caretaker took it. That's really not right!"

As he moaned Miss West appeared in the corridor.

"You will be late for class. Enough complaining and move on!" she said and Seb noticed she was holding the stick, in her hand. As they approached she held it towards Zach who tentatively took it.

"Fit it in your bag," she said, walking away, leaving a puzzled Zach and his friends in the middle of the corridor as students pushed past them, rushing to their afternoon lessons.

#  Labyrinth

Sitting in the History lesson the following morning, Seb thought back to that moment in the corridor the day before, as Miss West strode off, when he and the others had watched Zach obediently try to fit that stick into his satchel. As he poked the end into the bottom corner the whole shaft bent, like a piece of spaghetti softening in hot water and the entire stick disappeared into the bag. Zach, unquestioning, had buckled the clips with a satisfied smile.

This morning, at break, they gathered at The Beach, as had become normal.

Seb immediately asked, "Doesn't it worry any of you? All these strange things happening, and the teachers know ... they obviously know."

Zach had shrugged, removing the stick from his satchel like a magician pulling a run of colourful hankies from a stooge's pocket. As the shaft of the stick emerged it straightened then Zach gently pushed it back into the bag. The others, ignoring Seb's question, peered in, watching it bend and curl into the bottom. Zach removed the stick again, it became rigid and he leant on it.

"What's the biggy, Seb? Nothing _bad_ has happened."

"But, my birthmark, Scarlet's eyesight, Aiden's freckles ..."As he said that Aiden got his tin out, "and his tin that refills every time he opens it ... and your stick!"

"So what?" Zach wasn't interested in problems.

"So? This isn't normal. Why are none of you concerned? What about the ogre?"

Zach snorted, "You guys and your ogre. There isn't one and, Seb, there are lots of strange things in life. We're just kids starting out. We're bound to come across strange things."

Seb fumed. "You are all in denial. This is really scary!"

Nat stood and placed a hand on his arm. "Seb, only because you don't understand it. Zach's right, nothing bad has happened. I agree it's strange though. Do you think we should talk to the teachers? Or our parents?"

"Woah, hold on there, Nat!" Zach twirled his stick. "My mum for one would cause a riot trying to find out what's going on, and Seb's mum ... well she'd whisk him off to the doctors about that silver in his hand. And personally, I'm not having anything to do with quizzing Miss Angel or Mr Duir if I can help it!"

Scarlet agreed. "I think it's exciting and no, I don't think we should tell our parents. What a nightmare that would be! We could ask Mr White though; he seems _tame_ enough."

Zach began flicking small stones with the stick, like he was knocking a croquet ball. One flipped up and struck the window of the staff room. Miss West appeared at the window, frowning. He smiled pathetically and she moved away.

Aiden offered Nat a berry, which she took nervously.

"I think we're meant to eat one a day," Aiden said, eating one and spitting the pips into his hand. "There are five berries, five of us – it can't be coincidence."

Seb was astounded. "None of this is coincidence! There's something going on and I can't believe none of you are worried by it!"

Aiden smiled. "It's _magic_ Seb. All the books I've read since I was so young ... and now I am living something magical!" To demonstrate he closed the tin then re-opened it. Once more there were five berries inside. "It's fantastic!" he beamed, offering a berry to Scarlet and Zach who took one each and put them in their mouths. "You all need to spit the seeds out." Aiden reached his hand to Scarlet's mouth. She was disgusted.

"That's foul!" she said. "They'll be covered in everyone's saliva!"

"Nothing wrong with a bit of spit!" Zach laughed, grabbing Aiden's hand and gobbing one seed into it. Aiden didn't seem bothered. He pulled a tissue from one of his pockets with the other hand and grabbed the seeds with it. The girls reluctantly deposited theirs into the tissue.

Aiden offered the tin to Seb who shook his head. "I really don't like berries. And I can't believe you are eating them," he mumbled.

"But Seb, they're supposed to make you live longer," Scarlet argued.

"Scarlet, you are _so_ gullible!" Zach laughed as they walked back to their classes.

Seb was suddenly snapped from his musings and brought back to his History lesson by the sound of flapping as Mr West pulled a large sheet of canvas from an object which had been on his desk before the students arrived.

The object turned out to be a large model of a labyrinth in which a marble had been placed, as he explained, to represent Theseus. The 3D wooden model sat on a cradle that allowed it to be rocked and moved in order to roll the marble around the wooden corridors.

The pupils would work in groups to try and get the marble to the centre of the labyrinth. Within it, however, were doors which only opened one way. If the weight of the marble fell on the appropriate side, they would give way and the marble would fall through to the next corridor. However, care had to be taken. Since the doors did not open back the other way there was no option of a return through to the corridor the marble had left; if it was an incorrect choice there was no going back.

"The rules," Mr West squeaked. "You can lock the doors but only as you come to them and, once locked, you cannot reopen them. To mark your route you can use these." He opened his stubby hand to reveal hundreds of tiny silver sticker dots.

There was laughter, frustration and finally resignation as, one by one, each group failed at the task. Mr West sat and watched with a smile.

The fifth group, led by a bossy girl called Clarissa, bounded across to the table.

"On you go girls."

Clarissa took charge and in fact it became pretty much a one-woman show. She moved and rocked the labyrinth, snapping orders to her timid friends to lock doors here and there. Impatient and headstrong she rolled faster and more chaotically and the girl placing the sticker trail lagged behind. Before long the runaway marble had been rolled, by Clarissa, down more turns than the sticker placer could keep up with.

"Slow down, Clarissa!" she pleaded.

"What? But I'm nearly there ..." Clarissa continued tipping and moving the labyrinth. The marble rattled. The sticker marker got flustered and now the marble had moved several corridors on and it was sheer guesswork as to the route it had taken.

"Look, look ..." Clarissa called excitedly. "I'm nearly ... huh? No!" She let go of the labyrinth and stood back, turning angrily to her friends, looking for someone to blame.

"Miss Stone?"

She looked at Mr West then back to the labyrinth. The marble sat in a dead-end corridor, which ran alongside the central atrium of the maze. She had failed, the marble was trapped. She stood, cheeks flushed, looking like she was ready to explode.

"Thank you, Miss Stone. Last group."

Clarissa bumped and pushed her way back to her desk, followed by her disappointed friends. Dan was already standing and heading to the table with his friend Marcus in tow. They had reluctantly been grouped with Seb, Aiden and Zach to make up numbers.

Dan took prime slot in the middle, gripping the edge of the labyrinth, ready to start it moving. "Ready boys? Let's show the girls how to do it," he stated.

Seb stepped over and took hold of a corner, holding the labyrinth still.

"Why don't we all take a corner and get Aiden to check which way the doors open. He can mark the track and tell us which way to move the marble."

Dan looked ready to argue but Zach grabbed a corner next to him and said, "Great idea. We don't want to rush it like Clarissa!" He sneered, nudging Dan. "Us boys use our brains."

Dan grumpily edged his way to the third corner, leaving Marcus to take the fourth. Aiden stepped to the edge, and collected a handful of silver dots.

Mr West had been removing the previous trail, unlocking the doors and now took the marble from its dead-end trap and handed it to Aiden. "Proceed."

Aiden placed the marble at the start and, armed with the dots, indicated for Seb and Zach to drop their end, making the marble roll towards them. Deftly placing dots behind the fast moving sphere he called a halt as it neared doors, pressing a finger against each one to check the way it opened and locking it or leaving it as he thought necessary. On his instructions the other boys dropped or righted their corners as he worked out the path ahead.

The room was absolutely silent except for Aiden's commands and the gentle roll of the marble.

Five minutes of door-pressing, locking and marble-rolling later and the class sat enraptured. At no point did the marble trace over a path it had already followed.

Mr West said nothing. Seated on a high stool a few feet away he rubbed his chin and watched Aiden.

There was a _humph!_ from Clarissa as Aiden manoeuvred the marble to the opposite side from her attempt, and it now rolled along a seemingly dead-end path. But there was one final door. Aiden didn't even bother to try it; he simply told Dan and Marcus to dip their end, causing the marble to roll across the door. The door gave way and the marble slipped into the square centre of the labyrinth.

Dan bellowed, "Yes!" and punched the air. Marcus was beaming, Zach and Seb smiling and the rest of the class erupted into cheers, with the exception of Clarissa who frowned and crossed her arms.

The track of fine silver dots made an intricate pattern through the corridors, one that Seb believed he could never replicate. He listened to the cacophony of cheering and chattering and followed the dots of the marble's path to the centre – and his heart sank. They had got the marble to the centre, that was the aim, but now he realised, how would they get it out again? What was the point of marking your track? It was to help you find your way back. But they had passed the marble through a _one-way_ door. Their track was pointless. They couldn't get home again. Puzzling over this, he looked up to see Mr West staring at him.

The cheering was still going on and Dan was managing to take the accolade for all the work. Aiden stood silently opposite Seb, a frown on his face. Zach clapped both friends on the back and then noted their perplexed faces.

"What? What now? You guys are such downers!"

Mr West put his hands in the air, shuffling off the stool. His squeaky voice penetrated the general noise of celebration.

"I think Master Thomas believes we have an issue." Gradually the noise died down. "Master Thomas?"

Seb could feel himself blushing. He looked at Aiden's upset face for confirmation of his own thoughts. Without turning to face the class he spoke to Mr West, "We're trapped! The marble is trapped."

"What are you talking abo— " Zach looked down at the maze, at the shiny marble which had come to rest in the exact centre. His eyes widened as his brain made the leap and realised the marble was now stuck!

The sound of the bell masked the confused mumbling from the class and then the issue was forgotten as they packed up their bags so as not to waste a moment of their lunch break.

Seb, Aiden and Zach were still staring at the trapped marble.

"Well that was great!" Zach said, turning back to his desk. "One moment we are conquering heroes, next, we're failures! But d'you know what? I still think we did well, we achieved the task that none of the others could do. Who could have known it was a trap?"

"Quite, Master Orwell." Mr West placed his hands on the side of the labyrinth. "Your achievement is remarkable in the face of the failure of others. And whilst you did not anticipate this being a trap, you will know in future to _think_ of the possible _consequences_ of everything you do rather than just focus on a given task. There was a simple thing that could have ensured you received the accolade that comes with complete success. Ponder on it."

He took the marble from the chamber, handed it to Aiden and left the classroom.

Aiden stared at the shiny sphere in the palm of his hand. They spent another minute gazing at the door and the marble before packing away their things and heading off for lunch.

#  Think First

They were still talking about the labyrinth when Nat and Scarlet joined them in the cafeteria. Zach had reached the conclusion it was a mean, _no-win_ task designed to humiliate the students.

"What are you boys so gloomy about? We've just had double PE – we're the ones who should be miserable!" Scarlet complained as she opened her lunch bag.

"Well we were turned from heroes to idiots in a split second, thanks to Seb."

"Hardly fair, Zach." Aiden said. "We should have seen it."

"No! We managed to do what none of the others could, but that was all forgotten just because Seb here noticed a minor flaw."

"Minor flaw? We were trapped, Zach!" Seb pushed his own lunch away and folded his arms. "That's not minor. It's a major thing."

"It doesn't matter. It _didn't_ matter. The task was to reach the centre. No one said anything about getting back out again until _you_ pointed it out."

"I think Mr West would have said something even if we hadn't." Aiden said.

"What are you talking about?" Scarlet asked, taking a drink.

"Mr West, in History?" The girls nodded. "He brought in this labyrinth model. We were split into groups and had to get a marble to the centre. No one could do it, except our group. But when we got the marble to the centre, right in the middle of everyone cheering us, Seb here points out that we now can't get the marble out and home again, which we were _never_ asked to do!"

"If it was Theseus— " Seb started.

"It wasn't!" Zach cut him off.

"If it _was_ Theseus and he— "

"It _wasn't_ Theseus; it was _Sebeus_ and his _stupidus_ friends in History, Seb," Zach cut in again, "who were _only_ asked to get the marble to the centre!"

"Zach, you're the one who loves the Greek legends. If it _was_ Theseus and he had been given the golden thread by Ariadne to find his way back, and he managed to get to the centre and kill the Minotaur but was trapped and never did get out, do you think the legend would still be known today?"

"It wasn't Theseus, Seb; it was our moment of glory!" Zach took a massive bite of his sandwich, turning towards Scarlet. "Have you done the labyrinth yet?" he asked.

Scarlet and Nat exchanged glances. "No, we're not even doing Theseus and the labyrinth. We did that in middle school. We're doing the history of this village." Scarlet looked at Zach. "So why was the marble trapped?"

"There were these one-way doors that let you through to different corridors. You could lock doors to stop you going through them if you thought you wanted to carry on down a corridor, but once you locked them you couldn't unlock them and the only way into the actual centre was through one door that opened into it." He was chewing vigorously now. "Well, Aiden gets the marble to this last corridor, which is a dead end, but it has the door to the centre and we rolled it across the door. Bingo, it opened and in went the marble. Yeah, all hail the conquering heroes. But— "

Nat's eyes widened and she filled in the blank, "They were one-way doors and you couldn't get back out. Was that the only door?"

"Yes it was the only door and the most annoying thing was that we had carefully marked the trail we had taken so that we could get back to the start. But we couldn't get out of the door!" Seb answered.

Zach threw his arms up and sat back, exasperated. "But we were _never asked_ to find our way back!" He looked infuriated. "Everyone was cheering us until Seb here puts this puzzled look on, which Mr West notices and then gets Seb to tell the _whole_ class that we can't get home. None of them cared before, they were just impressed we had made it to the middle. Then suddenly they all forget that we've done what _they_ couldn't do and all they notice is that we're idiots because we're stuck in the middle!"

"So it was an impossible task then!" Scarlet stated. "What did Mr West say?"

Aiden sat forward. "He said we had done remarkably well, but that now we would know to think about consequences before we just focus on a task. Something like that, anyway."

"He thought you did well then?" Nat tried to mollify Zach who was still fuming, and comfort Seb who was obviously upset at the failure.

"But he also said something about us doing a simple thing that could have meant we had complete success ..." Seb frowned, still puzzled.

"I think we _did_ have complete success." Zach refused to accept they hadn't done well. "Like Scarlet said, it was an impossible task."

"No it wasn't." Scarlet said with a smug grin.

"What? You've changed your tune." Zach was almost shouting. "What's the answer then, you're so clever?"

"The answer, _stupidus boysius,_ is to keep the door open! If you knew the doors only opened one way then you must know that if you go through, and it's the only door in, you won't be able to come out again if the door closes. So you needed to keep the door open, wedge something in it. Did Mr West say you couldn't do that?"

There was silence. Zach's jaw dropped open, displaying a half-chewed bit of chicken sandwich.

"And in fact," Scarlet continued, "you should have wedged all the doors open that you thought you might want to go back through. Your trail home was also useless because you had used one-way doors to get to the centre. You needed to keep all of those open too. Mr West was right; don't just focus on a task – think first!" She smiled a huge smile of self-satisfaction and then took a bite of her own sandwich as the boys and Nat sat gaping at her.

Eventually Zach's mouth closed and he muttered, "We were never told we had to get back to the beginning again. I say we finished the task we were set!"

Nat sat forward and spoke quietly, changing the subject. "I found something amazing on the Internet last night," her tone was hushed and she continued even more quietly, "about the teachers."

"What, Nat?" Scarlet was curious.

"Something I think you will find very hard to believe." She smiled mysteriously.

Zach took a huge bite out of a chocolate muffin donated to him by Aiden. "Don't tell me, they are all part of a weird, secret society that meets in the woods and holds strange and mystical rites under the trees," he sniggered.

"When everyone's finished can we go to The Beach?" Nat asked, as Aiden shut his lunch bag. Seb hadn't touched his lunch and Scarlet was just finishing. They all nodded. Zach still chewed. Four pairs of eyes turned to him, waiting.

He shrugged. "Not bothered where we go."

#  A Question of Age

Minutes later they arrived at The Beach. A huge grey cloud had moved across the sky and seemed determined to hover over the school for the entire lunch break. Spots of rain fell and they sheltered on the bench under the oak. Nat held a folded sheet of paper.

"So what have you got there?" Zach asked. He rifled around in his bag and pulled out his stick, planting the tip on the ground. Leaning on it he peered at the sheet on Nat's lap.

She carefully unfolded the paper. The wind made the corners flap in her hands. The others leant in to see. It was a printout of a newspaper article. The headline read:

Purchase of Land for School Development

It reported on the purchase of a large tract of woodland in the area for the building of a new school, Oakwood.

"So what?" Zach had read the headline and scanned the first paragraph. He stood and threw a stone which skipped across the Year Ten playground.

"Look at the date of the article: 1923!" Nat said.

"And? Everyone knows the school is old ... almost as old as Miss Angel!" Zach snorted.

"Yes, they do," Nat said patiently, smiling. "The article says that the purchase was completed through an agent, West and Co." Zach ignored her. "On behalf of a company, Duir and White."

Now Zach turned to look more closely at the paper. "Still don't get the point."

_I don't either,_ Seb tried to grasp the threads of information.

"Legal affairs were completed by Angel Solicitors!" Nat was beaming now and Scarlet grabbed the sheet of paper.

"So what?" Zach frowned. "So their grandparents were all involved in the purchase of this land. Maybe that's why they all decided to come and work here as teachers."

"Mm. Now look at the picture."

Scarlet gasped then passed the sheet to Seb and Aiden.

"Is that— ? Oh, Nat ... how did you find this?" Aiden's voice screeched. He pressed his face in towards the flapping paper and Seb craned his head round him to see.

"What?" Zach grabbed the article and took a closer look.

"The picture, Zach?" Scarlet was grinning too.

Zach studied the picture and his mouth opened. He put the page to his side then lifted it again, peering at the date.

"I was on the Internet last night," Nat started answering Aiden's question, "doing our history project." She looked at Scarlet. "We were told to research the history of a local building. I thought I would do the Old School. I know we were meant to do something like the town hall or an old church but I was just curious about the library wing and the window, which is beautiful." She glanced over her shoulder at the stained glass pattern. "So I started a search on the school and found this article on the original purchase of the land." Zach looked down at her. "It's an article from the _1923_ Bedfordshire Chronicle. I couldn't believe it when I saw the photo!"

Seb took hold of the paper and had a closer look. The photograph in the centre of the article was slightly fuzzy, a poor shot from the 1920s. It was a picture of a man striding away from a business premises doorway. Stepping over the threshold of the doorway was a woman, her bespectacled face in three-quarter profile as she glanced back to another male. The subjects of the photograph obviously had not intended to pose for the camera.

Seb studied the most identifiable character. The emaciated, skeletal frame, the wizened and wrinkled face, the thin, lank hair, held back in a ponytail – without a doubt it was an ancient Miss Angel, the image of today's Miss Angel but clothed in the least extreme version of pre-World War II fashion.

Seb looked at the male striding away from the doorway. His frame muscular, his height impressive, head reaching the level of the top of the ground floor windows in the old Victorian building. His short hair, strong features, the unmistakable set jaw line – Mr Duir had apparently been anxious to depart without attention. Seb took a look at the male behind Miss Angel. The lanky physique, the old and weathered face: Mr White. The caption under the photograph read:

Messrs. Duir and White completed the purchase of 10 acres of Bedfordshire woodland, through Angel Solicitors based in Church Street.

"So maybe they just look exactly like their grandparents?" Zach was reaching and he knew it.

Seb sat, dumbfounded. What they were looking at was an old black and white photograph in a newspaper article dated nearly a hundred years ago, that depicted three of the teachers at this school. And looking at Mr Duir, he hadn't aged a day. Miss Angel and Mr White were as ancient-looking as they were today, but this was nearly a century ago!

Scarlet spoke first. "But this means these teachers have been alive for over a hundred years, if it really is them, Nat! Could it be wrong? Could the wrong date be on the article? Could the wrong photo be attached to the internet page? There are all sorts of reasons why it may not be real. It might even be—"

"A fake!" Zach put in. "You can make anything look real on the Internet."

The spots of rain were getting heavier, making a pattering sound on the leaves above their heads. Seb was still holding the paper which flapped around in the breeze but he wasn't looking at it. He stared at Nat. And now he noticed his palm was tingling. He shivered slightly, as a few large drops of rain hit his face, blown by a sudden horizontal gust of wind.

Seb folded the sheet of paper and handed it back to Nat. Another gust of wind and there was a loud cracking sound as a not insubstantial branch above their heads broke in a jagged split halfway along its length. Laden with smaller branches and a dense network of wet leaves, the heavy, foliage-covered end fell. Without a pause for thought Zach whipped his stick up and hooked the end of the branch, catching it inches above Seb's head, spun and hurled it in a sweeping arc over The Beach shingle. It crashed to the ground forty feet into the Year Ten playground which, fortunately, was deserted, all other students having taken refuge from the unpleasant day in the big hall. Seb only had time to cower slightly and raise his arms and now he stared at Zach, stunned.

Scarlet stood, picked up a small stone from the shingle and threw it in the direction of the branch. It fell about twenty feet short and bounced several times before stopping, still some distance from the greenery.

"That was a stone, Zach, not a dirty great big branch full of twigs and leaves. A small, light, stone. How did you do that? And how did you react so quickly? None of us had even realised the branch was falling until it was too late. How did you do it?" Scarlet was standing with her hands on her hips. Small droplets of water glistened on her nose and glasses. She was grinning.

"I'm awesome! What can I say?" Zach said, plopping onto the bench and sounding like he felt anything but awesome.

"Yes, you are," Scarlet said. "More than before!"

Zach looked at the scuffed toes of his shoes and shrugged.

Seb's hand was really tingling now and he pushed down the glove to rub his birthmark. As he exposed the palm a chink of sunlight squeezed through the heavy clouds above. It caught the silver lines on his palm. The light rebounded, intensified and reflected into his eyes. Suddenly flames leapt from his palm to his eyes. He yelled. Nat, dropping the piece of paper, which was carried off by the wind into the woods, grabbed his hand and turned it over, out of the sunlight. The flames extinguished.

"Ohh-kay," Zach said slowly. "That was kind of worrying."

Seb, half blinded, caught a movement in the corner of his eye. He glanced at the staff room window and saw Mr Duir turn quickly and walk out of sight.

Now he was beginning to feel light-headed and darkness started to close in on him. His palm felt very warm. Then everything went black.

For a long while everything was dark then a noise drifted into his mind, very faint, but getting louder.

"Follow me. We'll take him to the sick room." Mr Duir's voice was accompanied by a lurching feeling as Seb's world warped. The blackness receded and he opened his eyes to see grey clouds, someone's chin, a strong jaw line, a green tie, a white shirt.

It was a second before Seb got his bearings and realised he was being carried up the planks across The Lake, like a baby, by Mr Duir. He felt queasy, as though he had just stepped off a roller coaster. His brain was muddled, his senses woolly. He struggled to comprehend what had happened. Had he fainted? A couple of cold raindrops fell on his cheeks. As he turned his head to look around, he saw Nat's concerned face.

"You fainted, Seb," she spoke quietly to him.

Seb looked up at Mr Duir, whose eyes looked straight ahead.

"Relax, Master Thomas."

The grey clouds disappeared as they entered the gloom of the ogre corridor and turned towards Reception. Seb's palm was once again tingling and he tried to ignore the urge to rub it. As Zach led the way inside Mr Duir stopped abruptly a foot over the threshold. Seb heard a small sound like a whimper and realised it had come from Nat, who had just stepped in behind them.

"Miss Kitchener?" Seb heard Mr Duir's voice rumble through his chest.

Nat's reply was slightly breathless. "I hear ... sorry, I just feel something ..."

Scarlet walked through the doorway behind them. "What's happening, what's the problem?" There was a gasp and then she stammered, "Who is that, sir? Shouldn't we leave?"

Mr Duir still held Seb and now Seb could hear it, the wheezing, the cackling. He lifted his head and looked along thirty feet of dark corridor. He could just see Zach who had stopped further along when he realised everyone else had come to a halt.

"What's going on?" He turned back just as the massive bulk of the ogre emerged through the doorway feet from him.

"Zach!" Seb called a feeble warning. Zach just looked confused.

Nat couldn't disguise her fear. "Mr Duir?" She moved back behind him. The huge ogre took a lumbering step forward.

"Are we going or not? What _are_ you all doing?" Zach looked at his friends, huddling around Mr Duir in the doorway. "Someone tell me what's going on!"

"Is Seb going to be sick?" Aiden asked, wondering too why they had stopped in the doorway.

The ogreish figure took another, heavy step forward. Seb gripped Mr Duir's arm as his heart raced and he started to panic. He wondered why Mr Duir didn't lead them back out the door but then maybe, like Zach and Aiden, he couldn't see it.

And then The Head muttered a strange word in barely more than a whisper. Seb, his right ear pressed to Mr Duir's chest, caught the clear vibration of it. One word, which he couldn't make out.

Suddenly a cascade of sparkles surrounded them and the mammoth figure stopped in its tracks. It remained on the spot and rocked from side to side. Seb strained to see features, details to it, but he could detect nothing. The sparkles danced and then the hulking figure turned, lumbered back to the door and shambled through. It didn't appear to have opened the door and it left an eerie silence until Zach boomed, "Why are we just standing here?"

Seb looked at Nat and Scarlet. They were staring in awe at Mr Duir. The Head moved on down the corridor as though nothing had happened. Passing the door, Seb glanced at the handle, looking for any sign of movement. There was none.

The sound of the group's footsteps rattled through the corridor accompanied by Zach's words. "At last! I thought we were going to spend the rest of lunch here!"

#  Whispering

Still carrying Seb, who was now feeling much better and rather stupid, Mr Duir strode past the Reception desk towards the sick room. The older of the two receptionists jumped to her feet and hurried over to open the door.

"Student's name, sir?" she asked in a clipped manner, as if she needed to be rid of this disruption to her day.

"He won't be going home, Mrs Reeves. Just needs a bit of rest." Mr Duir answered, placing Seb on the bed.

"Could you ask Mr West to come to my office, please," he said, ushering the woman out. She gave an indignant look over the top of her glasses and closed the door behind her. The strong scent of her perfume hung in the room as Mr Duir pulled a chair up next to Seb. "You'll need to rest, Master Thomas." He smiled, his green eyes reflecting the rectangle of light from the window beside the bed.

Seb still felt weak and as he nodded felt queasy again.

"What was that all about?" Zach asked. Mr Duir twisted round to face him and waited. "Er ... sir!"

The Head replied in an even voice, "Master Thomas fainted."

"I get that ..." Zach paused, trying not to sound rude. "What was that all about in the corridor?"

"In the corridor?" Mr Duir's eyes were fixed on Zach and Seb watched his friend's confidence wane. His shoulders dropped as he made the decision to let it go. It was obvious from The Head's demeanour he wasn't going to explain anything.

"I will get Mr West, you rest," Mr Duir said, rising. Towering over Seb, his massive frame blocked most of the light. Then, with a nod, he left the room.

"Well? What _was_ that all about?" Zach waited not even a second after The Head's departure to ask.

Scarlet plonked herself on the foot of the bed. "Not sure we should tell you Zach; you'll just make fun!"

"Don't tell me, it was _the ogre!"_ He raised his arms and, wiggling his fingers, made a ghostly moan, "Oooooooo."

Scarlet stared defiantly at him. "Yes, it was _the ogre._ It came out of that same classroom and stood in the corridor. It was only a foot from you Zach!" She smoothed her hair down, tucking a stray strand behind her ear, as if that would help suppress her urge to shout.

Zach looked at Aiden who was gazing out of the window at the trees being buffeted by the wind and the raindrops spattering the pane.

"Aiden, come on. I need some support. There was nothing there."

"Just because _you_ couldn't see it, Zach doesn't mean it wasn't there!" Scarlet snapped.

Aiden turned to Zach. "I didn't see anything, but Scarlet and Seb obviously did. And so," he paused, "did Mr Duir!"

Zach crossed his arms and frowned. "No he didn't. He didn't say anything and when I just asked him he— "

"He chose not to answer you, Zach. He did see it and what's more, _he_ made it go. I don't know what he did but there was sparkling and the ogre ran away!" Scarlet said.

"Well how come me and Aiden didn't see it, and Nat? She couldn't either!" Zach said smugly.

Nat looked nervous and perched on the bed beside Scarlet. "I didn't _see_ anything— "

"See? See!" Zach was triumphant. He stood and pointed at Nat. "I don't know what you guys think you saw but none of _us_ did."

Seb, watching Zach, thought he saw a flash of green whizz behind his back. He spun his legs round, sitting upright and immediately regretted the movement. Hanging his head, trying not to faint again, he shivered as a dense cluster of clouds overshadowed the sun, changing the light in the room to sombre darkness. He heard a fluttering in his ears. Feeling dizzy he gingerly shuffled his bottom back on the mattress and leant against the wall.

Aiden hovered by the bed. "Seb you look really pale. Are you going to puke?"

"I hope not." Seb closed his eyes.

The sound of Aiden's voice became muffled, "Should we get Mrs Reeves? Are you okay?"

He heard shuffling feet.

"Where are you going, Zach? We can't leave him like this." Aiden's voice was louder and Seb heard Zach answer.

"To get Mrs Reeves. Oh, and to get out of the firing line if Seb here decides to projectile vomit."

The sound of the door opening seemed distant and Seb focused on the hardness of the wall against the back of his head, scared he was about to faint again.

He heard Zach's surprised voice, "Oh, sir, I was just going to get Mrs Reeves. Seb's doing it again – he's going to faint!"

Pinpricks of light were appearing and disappearing like a private firework display behind Seb's eyelids. He heard Mrs Reeves and smelt a waft of her perfume.

"I'll call his parents," she said.

"No!" Mr Duir sounded firm. "He's safe here, Mrs Reeves."

Seb now heard Mr West's voice, "Some water would help. Fetch a glass please."

There was a pause before the clip-clop of Mrs Reeves' shoes could be heard as she crossed Reception. The remnants of the strong perfume did nothing to ease Seb's nausea and he swallowed hard.

"It will pass, Master Thomas." Mr Duir's deep voice was reassuring.

"What's wrong with him?" Scarlet sounded more interested than concerned.

"Absolutely nothing. Now, it's time for you to go to your classes," Mr West said.

Scarlet and Zach grumbled then Seb heard more footsteps as the others left and the click as the door closed.

He heard a buzzing sound and felt a breath of cool air as something breezed past his cheek and then he felt a slight touch on his right hand, which lay, limp, on the bed. A fleeting pressure and then it was gone. He pulled his hand away. The sudden movement made him retch, his stomach heaving in an uncontrollable spasm. No vomit, he was relieved, but he felt so ill. He sat forward, placing his forehead on his knees which he bent up to his chest and then the mattress beside him lurched away as a heavy weight depressed it. He toppled left, too weak to stay upright, but his fall was stopped as Mr Duir's arm looped around his shoulders and cradled him.

In an instant the nausea subsided, the dizziness stopped and Seb felt well enough to open his eyes.

Mr West peered at him and smiled. "Ah, that's better."

Seb felt fine. He turned to look at Mr Duir and as he did caught sight of another whoosh of green colour that darted from near the door towards the window.

"What was that?" Seb asked as he heard more buzzing and felt another breeze skim across his cheek.

"Just listen, Seb." Mr Duir's words were mumbled, barely audible over the buzzing which had become whispering and was almost recognisable as speech but just beyond Seb's comprehension. Dominating his hearing, it disturbed him, like it was the chattering of ghosts.

Mr West opened the window. A gust of air rushed in. The curtain flapped and Seb felt his hair being ruffled by the breeze. It wasn't comforting, it was chilly, and he shivered again. The whispering around him rose and Seb saw another flash of green whizz across the room.

"I am not well," he groaned.

Mr Duir spoke quietly, "It is now as we thought, Greg."

Mr West grunted, "Very young! I will tell the others."

Seb watched the curtain dance in front of the window and listened to the fluttering which had become a definite whispered voice.

"Seb, pay attention," Mr Duir said to him.

The whispering grew louder and now Seb realised he could hear words:"Do you see me? You need to see me."

"You will stay?" Mr West asked, walking towards the door.

Mr Duir nodded to him.

"See me ..."

"Who's saying that?" Seb asked.

Mr West didn't turn. He left the room. Mr Duir removed his arm from around Seb's shoulders, stood and closed the door. Leaning against it he stared down at Seb. Although relieved that the nausea and dizziness didn't return, Seb was alarmed at the ghostly whispering he was hearing.

"You must see me!"

"Who is saying that?" He looked around the small room. Mr Duir watched him, his face expressionless.

"See me. You can see me." The whispering became a rustling voice.

"I can hear something, someone." Seb stood, confused.

"Don't ignore me, Seb _... "_ The whispering voice rose above the noise of the flapping curtain and Seb spun around. As he did he jumped – the figure he saw, sitting on the end of the bed swinging its legs back and forth, made him believe he had lost his mind.

#  The Visitor

Seb leapt backwards, slamming his shoulders into the window. He gaped and blinked, then whimpered.

The creature that regarded him from the end of the bed had human shape, like a youth about Seb's age, but its body, with the exception of the face, hands and the long, slender feet, was covered almost entirely in a mesh of small green leaves that overlapped like the scales on a fish. The leafless areas were covered in yellowy-brown skin.

Seb stared at its face. Oval and narrowing to a pointed chin, its features were hauntingly like Seb's own. Its head and forehead were covered in a patchwork of tiny leaves, a row of minute, brown acorns ran along the line of the eyebrows and the two large eyes had stunning silver irises surrounding their pitch-black pupils. They now watched Seb in expectation.

The leafy creature suddenly leapt and stood on the bed. "At last!" Its voice was like the rustling of leaves.

Seb looked at Mr Duir who was observing him keenly, still leaning with his back against the door.

The creature twirled, turning a circle and its leafy scales fluttered. It completed the circle and then jumped from the bed to stand between Mr Duir and Seb.

"You see me. It's about time – I spoke my name ages ago!"

Seb opened his mouth to respond but flinched when the door to the room banged as someone on the other side tried to open it. Unable to move it with Mr Duir leaning his body weight against it, Mrs Reeves called in to them, "Mr Duir, is the young lad okay? Do I need to call his parents, a doctor, an ambulance?"

"No, Mrs Reeves," Mr Duir answered over his shoulder. "He's fine. In fact he is up and about now."

He stood away from the door and Mrs Reeves barged in. She checked her pace as she saw Seb standing by the window, mouth agape.

"Ah." She peered over her glasses. "I must say, you _look_ very well!" She narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

Seb glanced at the leaf-boy. The creature stood between him and Mrs Reeves who, to Seb's astonishment, gave no reaction at all; no shout, no exclamation, in fact nothing to indicate she even noticed this strange boy standing just two feet in front of her. She continued to glare at Seb and now her fingers, bright purple nail polish flashing, began drumming on the sides of her ample hips.

"Well my lad, what is going on? Have you been wasting these teachers' time?" She called over her right shoulder, "What are we to do with him, Mr Duir? This boy has been having you on." She pursed her lips.

Seb was totally bemused. The receptionist was looking right over the head of the leaf-boy who now leapt to his left and plopped down to sit cross-legged on the bed.

Mr West waddled through the doorway. He frowned at Seb.

"Mr West, he was feigning, faking!" Mrs Reeves glared at Seb.

And then unexpectedly, Mr West clapped his hands, his face breaking into a massive flat-toothed smile. "Ah Mrs Reeves, these youngsters recover quickly, don't they? Now, I need you to find me a file if you wouldn't mind." He physically ushered the protesting woman out of the room. Mr Duir once more closed the door.

In a sudden blur of green the leaf-boy shot through the door as though it didn't exist and was gone.

The bell rang for the end of lunch but Seb just stood, open-mouthed, wondering if he had imagined the leafy creature. His heart sank as another flash of green whizzed back through the door and the leaf-boy rematerialised beside Mr Duir who had stepped towards Seb, a look of concern on his face.

The leaf-boy, silver irises sparkling in the light from the window, smiled. "You should stop staring at me."

Seb gaped. "Who? What is that?" he asked Mr Duir.

"Seb— " Mr Duir started then there was a rap on the door.

Mrs Reeves called out, "Mr Duir, lunch is over." Without waiting for a response she once more opened the door and stomped in.

Mr West followed behind her. "Mrs Reeves, the boy needs to be left in peace."

Seb saw the slightest frown of annoyance on Mr Duir's face as he turned to Mrs Reeves. She had stopped at Mr West's protest and now stood _inside_ the body of the leaf-boy as though he were a ghostly shape or a film projection. Seb was horrified. He stared at the image of this strange creature, swallowed up within the larger frame of Mrs Reeves. _I am going mad,_ he concluded.

He breathed heavily and then physically jumped as, in a flash of greeny-yellow, the creature zoomed from Mrs Reeves' body to materialise inches from him. The leaf-boy was exactly the same height as Seb, the same build and with features so similar to his, Seb felt he was staring at his own foliage-covered twin.

Shocked and confused, Seb bolted for the door. His heart was pounding as he pushed past an irate Mrs Reeves and he heard her remonstrate, "So there _was_ nothing wrong with that lad!"

Mr Duir called out, "Seb!" And Seb heard footsteps, but he was already running towards the main entrance. Stepping into the open, a strong gust of wind pushed him sideways. He turned left, heading up the virtually unused path by the building. The rain was falling in a constant light stream and accompanied by its pattering sound, the rustling of wet leaves and the splash of his own footfalls, he was glad to be away from that small room and its strange occupant.

Following the path as it turned ninety degrees round the side of the assembly hall Seb took the route most students avoided. It ran under a natural tree tunnel where the older oaks stretched their branches across to almost grasp the side of the building with their finger-like twigs, creating a dark, ominous space beneath. Trotting through the dank tunnel he had just reached the threshold of the playground when a movement in the periphery of his vision made him panic. Staring straight ahead, he sprinted through the puddles, focusing on the ramp that led to the classrooms. The greeny flash whizzed past him to his left and then the leaf-boy materialised at the base of the ramp, blocking Seb's way to his classroom. He skidded to a halt, feet from the figure who was staring with what Seb interpreted as annoyance at him. Uncertain what to do now, Seb tried not to scream and stood dithering, his feet in a puddle.

The figure reached out a hand. The fingers were slender and smooth, no wrinkles over the knuckles, no discernible fingernails. Seb stepped back.

The boy's lips moved slowly. "Are we not to be friends?" his voice rustled.

Seb remained motionless, his mind reeling. The figure in front of him threw back his head and laughed a rippling, whispering laugh.

Looking at Seb he said, "You really don't understand and Seb, you look terrified. Am I so scary?" The laughter and the words sounded good-natured but Seb was too upset to care.

"This _isn't_ real!" he shouted.

Rain drops drummed on his head, his shoulders were soaked and he could feel the dampness seeping through his jumper. Then he heard chattering voices, normal voices and the tramping of many feet.

A procession of students filed out of the classrooms at the top of the ramp. They ignored Seb, standing, soaking at the bottom. They also ignored, or did not comprehend, the leaf-boy and Seb watched in horror as the first students reaching him simply walked through this figure as if he was a ghost.

Scarlet reached the bottom of the ramp. "Seb, what _are_ you doing?" She moved him to the side. Nat, Abi and Alex joined them and stood with hunched shoulders as Scarlet berated her brother, "You should still be in the sick room. Why are you standing here in the rain? You'll catch a cold."

"Ah, the sister who should see but does not." The leaf-boy didn't seem bothered by the repeated passage of people through his body, but as he spoke Nat gasped and turned in his direction. "Mmm. Interesting, Seb, do you not think? I do believe your friend can hear ..."

Nat tilted her head towards the leaf-boy.

"Do you Nat? Do you hear?"

"Come on, Scarlet. We're getting soaked," Abi moaned and trotted off with Alex.

Scarlet threw a vicious glare at Seb. "We have to go, Seb. Go back to the sick room!" she ordered, but didn't leave.

A shout hailed from the top of the ramp, "Seb, oh mortal fool, why are you standing in the rain?" Zach bounded down with Aiden beside him and then stopped on exactly the spot where the leaf-boy was standing. It was like he had stepped into its body and was shrouded by it.

Seb stared, appalled. Zach waved a hand in front of his eyes and frowned. "Girls, Aiden – he's lost it. We need to get help." Aiden was nodding frantically, raindrops dripping from the end of his nose.

Out of the corner of his eye Seb saw Mr Duir emerge from the path under the tree tunnel. He looked across at Seb. In a sudden flash of colour which whizzed to Seb's left, the leaf-boy vanished in Mr Duir's direction.

Seb decided he didn't want to be taken back to the sick room by Mr Duir to be shut in with the strange leafy creature and have Mrs Reeves pester and nag him. He wanted the security of being with his friends, his sister. Snapping out of his indecisive stupor he grabbed Zach by the arm and trotted along the path.

"Where's everyone going?" he asked.

"The hall. There's an assembly." Scarlet and Nat ran with them.

Zach laughed. "Seb, one minute you are about to puke all over us and the next you're standing in the playground like you were never ill. Did you get booted out when they realised you were faking?"

"No, he ran away, from me actually." The leaf-boy zoomed forward to block Seb's path. Seb stopped again.

"What now?" Zach splashed to a halt in a big puddle and grabbed Aiden's arm, making him stop too. Aiden looked miserable as the rain spattered his face and dripped off the top of his raincoat hood.

"Do we have to stop in the rain, Seb? I am sorry, but I'm freezing and wet and ..." he looked at Seb who was staring at nothing, "you are acting quite strange. I don't mean to be rude but ..." Aiden stared desolately at him.

"Aiden's right, oh strange mortal, you are behaving weirdly," Zach said.

Seb looked down at his feet, tried to ignore the rustling of the leaves on the figure in front of him and the broad grin on those features that were so like his own. He heard Mr Duir's footsteps approaching rapidly from behind them and made a decision. With a deep breath he ran through the leaf-boy and got a slight electric jolt as he did so. Relieved, the others joined him and in minutes they were following other stragglers inside and passing through Reception, with Mrs Reeves glaring at Seb as he headed through the double doors to the assembly hall.

Miss Angel stood in the centre of the floor area waiting for everyone to settle. The assembly began with an award-giving for those who had earned a milestone number of merits or praise slips, Scarlet being one of them. She smiled proudly at Seb from the floor as she collected hers. Miss Angel continued to cover basic administrative topics, which included a brief reference to the main corridor being out of use for health and safety reasons.

Cocooned in the normality of his surroundings, Seb relaxed. He stared at this woman and recalled the picture Nat had shown them all. _How old is she?_ He could see her scalp through the thinning covering of her hair and in the artificial light shining from the recessed bulbs in the ceiling, the shadow of her features looked more gaunt and skeletal than ever.

"No merits for you then, Seb? I wonder at that."

Seb nearly fell forward as he lurched away from the rippling, whispered voice that came from just behind his head. He turned to look and the leaf-boy grinned at him, sitting _in_ the lap of the pupil behind him in the next row up, who was unaware of the ghostly intrusion.

Zach whispered to Seb, "What _is_ the matter, Seb? Sit still."

Seb, facing front, hung his head.

Miss Angel continued, "Finally, the main purpose of this unusual assembly is to make you aware of a great opportunity the school has organised." She paused, looking around to make sure she had everyone's attention. "As part of the History syllabus, we have organised two trips to sites of historic interest in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire ..."

Seb barely registered her words, his eyes focused on the leaf-boy who now stepped down, through the oblivious Zach and sat in the same spot as he occupied. Sickened by the grotesqueness of that scene – his friend encased by the ghostly body of this strange visitor – Seb turned his eyes away and sat rigid, staring straight ahead. He noticed Mr Duir in the shadows at the corner of the elevated stage area behind Miss Angel. The Head was staring at him with intense interest.

"You know, of course, that others know I am here." Seb ignored the whispering words. "Shall I name them? Shall I tell you why? Are you not interested, mystified, confused? Do you not want answers, Seb?" Now Seb did turn and stared at leaf-boy. "Oh Seb, you are really making this difficult! You accept the silver elves; you accept what Scarlet can see; and you accept, for goodness' sake, that your friend has a stick that can turn into a snake!" Seb opened his eyes wide. "How can you not see it all?"

Zach turned slowly towards Seb. He mumbled, _"Why_ are you staring at me?" Seb faced front.

" ... Waulud's Bank in Leagrave and then Royston Cave," Miss Angel continued. "Details of the dates of the relevant trips, the first of which is next week, will be sent home in letters to parents and guardians today."

"I give up, Seb. When you stop doubting and start to believe beyond this reality I will come back. But you need to catch up!"

With that there was a green blur and the leaf-boy was gone ... a streak of colour that swirled its way across the huge assembly hall, over Miss Angel's head. She paused in her dialogue for a second and then continued. The green flash zoomed across to the right and vanished through the wall, inches in front of Mr Duir whose eyes were still firmly fixed on Seb.

#  History

When you stop doubting and start to believe beyond this reality I will come back. But you need to catch up!

The leaf-boy had uttered those words and vanished a week ago. With the distance of time, Seb now believed his appearance had been a side effect of fainting and since then life had settled into a form of normality. He and his friends still met at The Beach every break and lunchtime but other than the apparent magical manifestation of five ripe berries each day in Aiden's tin, the inconsistent properties of Zach's stick and the occasional bat attack, nothing strange happened. Seb refused to eat the berries but the others had become used to their morning dose and the ritual of spitting the seeds into Aiden's waiting tissue. After wiping them off, he would place them in a small drawstring pouch. None of the others knew why, or cared enough to ask him.

Scarlet got used to her phenomenal eyesight and enjoyed enacting the odd parlour trick for the others, such as reading the scribblings in some student's diary from the other side of the playground. Of course, as Zach pointed out, the others couldn't prove or disprove the accuracy of her account but they all enjoyed the pastime nonetheless.

Seb hadn't seen one silver person and the ogre had not reappeared. However, Seb wondered if that had something to do with the frequent sightings he had of Mr Duir. Pretty much whenever he turned a corner The Head was there. It gave Seb a peculiar feeling and he always knew he was going to see him because the silver lines in the skin of his palm would tingle first.

Twice at home he had felt that tingling and once he thought he heard the cackling sound of the ogre but it never materialised.

He thought about telling the others about the leaf-boy but, convinced that he had imagined it, he kept quiet.

They discussed the strange happenings of the first week innumerable times and tried to quiz Mr White but they got no answers. So in the backdrop of a more comfortable normality Seb allowed himself to feel excited. This morning was the first of the two visits to sites of historical interest which Miss Angel had detailed in the assembly.

Today they were going to Waulud's Bank in Luton, an earthwork bank believed to date back to around 3000 BC. Seb was thrilled. He imagined a stone circle, a half-excavated skeleton or two, exhibits of flint spearheads, misshapen, crude coinage. Zach was as excited. He was also living in expectation of finding a circle of monolithic stones, only in his version, at the centre, there would be a larger sacrificial stone and he spouted on about how many poor souls must have met a gruesome end at the hands of some crazed Druidic shaman.

Aiden, seated across the coach aisle from them, was less enthusiastic.

"I went on the Internet and researched it, Zach. I don't think there's anything astounding there. It just looked ... well ... grassy."

"Aiden, it is never obvious. You have to use your knowledge, your vision, to see hidden signs. The stones probably look like an old wall or something. I hope there's a skeleton or a bog-person."

There followed Zach's own graphic description of the squashed and deformed remains of Lindow Man he had seen in the glass display case at the British Museum until Clarissa, sitting in front of them, told him to stop being gross and shut up.

The journey from the school to the site lasted only forty minutes and when the two coaches pulled up in the middle of a grotty car park, overlooked on one side by a vast housing estate, Seb was crushed.

They piled off the coaches and lined up, facing what appeared to be a simple and uncared for playing field. The place was drab, filthy. Bits of rubbish lay trapped in the grasp of the lower twigs of nearby bushes, there was more debris being blown around the grassy expanse in front of them and as Seb turned he could see huge high-rise blocks of flats dominating the skyline.

Zach was unimpressed. "This is it? This is the 5,000-year-old ancient monument?"

Aiden jumped off the coach step behind him. "I did try to tell you. I looked at the photos on the website – not very inspiring."

It was a blustery day but the sun shone resplendently in a blue sky devoid of clouds. The pupils formed a raggedy circle around Mr West in the middle of the car park. Seb's eyes roved over the landscape and he tried to just be grateful that they were out of the classroom.

Seb, Scarlet and their friends were together in one group, which pleased Seb, and he was even more pleased to discover that their teacher was to be Mr West. Unfortunately Clarissa was in their group too and bounded over.

"Ah, you must be unlucky enough to be Seb's twin!" She smiled at Scarlet. "I'm Clarissa." She nudged Nat. "Let's stay together." She linked an arm through the girls' arms. They looked, to Seb's annoyance, quite pleased.

"We're not twins!" he mumbled as Mr West approached them.

"Come now, Master Thomas, Master Orwell. My, such long faces. It may seem uninteresting now, but just wait and see what of our history and heritage we can unearth." He winked at them and smiled happily.

He led their group across the grass and along a footpath to where a huge horse chestnut tree spread its limbs, leaves reddening, over a small concrete platform that was fenced off on three sides by harsh metal railings. He herded the six pupils into the small area. Seb was squashed between Scarlet and Zach. Clarissa muscled Nat out, standing to Scarlet's left, complaining about being crushed.

Mr West spoke from behind them, "Though many do not know it, behind and beneath these monstrous blocks of flats are five springs which together form the source of the river Lea. It emerges here and trickles down that way," he pointed along the river course, "to Rotten Corner, where it is joined by other springs which increase the flow to something more magnificent than that which you see here at your feet."

Seb looked down. He could see the railings of a gated grille which spanned the rectangular hole below the platform. Beneath its bottom rung, water limped over a stony bed. No more than an inch deep it didn't even cover some of the bigger rocks and stones. A crumpled drinks can, some soggy newspaper and a bicycle wheel decorated the banks as the unimpressive flow of water rippled its way between their shallow sides to disappear under overhanging trees.

Seb watched the water barely managing to bubble along, and then a sweet wrapper floated away from the railings where they stood and gently dropped onto the surface to be carried away under the trees.

"Clarissa!" He shot an angry look at her.

"What?" she answered aggressively, leaning round Scarlet to frown back at him. "What, Seb? Have you got a problem?"

"Yes I have!" Seb dropped his voice, "This place could be quite beautiful if people didn't drop litter."

"Oh don't be so prissy, Seb. Who cares?"

"Actually, I do!" Mr West stood, glaring at her. "Master Thomas is quite correct. These places, albeit surrounded by the not-so-glamorous examples of twentieth-century buildings, still hold a natural beauty we would all do well to respect. You will, none of you, drop litter, damage the wildlife or do anything else that disrespects the natural environment we are in."

The anger in his voice was breathtaking and Clarissa blushed. Making a mumbled apology to Mr West she flicked her eyes back to Seb and mouthed at him, _I hate you!_

Now Mr West led them off towards the steep embankment that was Waulud's Bank. Scrambling to the top of the two-metre rise Seb looked down at the expanse of grassland and across the tree-smattered landscape. Mr West explained that this bank was believed to have been built around 3000 BC in the traditional 'D' shape of such earthworks. Excavations of the bank in 1953, 1971 and 1982 brought forth a wealth of artefacts. Finds included Neolithic pottery, animal bones and flint arrow heads. _No skeletons then,_ Seb thought.

Standing atop a piece of ancient history, the sounds of the nearby road and urbanization fading away, Seb tried to imagine what it would be like growing up in those harsh days 5,000 years ago.

"This is _so_ boring!" Clarissa's moaning voice intruded, "When's lunch?" She stood beside Aiden. "This is a tatty rec area in a yucky estate and I can't believe this is a school trip. Why couldn't we do Hampton Court?" she mumbled.

"Actually Clarissa, it really is quite lovely here. Can you see the river, the trees? If you ignore the estate you can think you are in the middle of nowhere," Aiden said.

"Precisely ..." Clarissa began tramping down the slope. "Nowhere!"

"Not quite the Stonehengey sort of thing I'd expected, but hey, it's history!" Zach beamed, ignoring her.

"Ah yes, Master Orwell, history and nature." Mr West shuffled over. "It is no accident that man has chosen this spot on which to establish habitations from as far back as those early settlers. A source of fresh water is a treasure and all civilizations have, to some extent or another, held a belief in the magic and spirituality of places where the Earth deigns to bring forth its blessing. This place has five!" He turned to Zach, accentuating the word by lifting his hand, splaying the digits in his face, _"Five_ such sources. _Five_ springs. How magical must this place therefore be?" He beamed and Seb smiled at his enthusiasm.

Clarissa reached the bottom of the slope. "Mr West, where are we going now?"

"Why, nowhere Miss Stone." With that the dwarf sat down among the prickly, spiky grass and patted the ground, indicating for the others to sit also.

The breeze blew fresh air into Seb's face and he breathed deeply. He felt happy. Aiden sat next to him and so did Zach, smiling as Scarlet and Nat joined them. Clarissa, having stomped back up the bank, found a patch of grass to sit on and waited.

Aiden's pudgy cheeks were flushed and his eyes twinkled with excitement. "This is fantastic isn't it?" he whispered.

Clarissa overheard. "Don't be stupid, Aiden. It's a pile of grass-covered dirt in a disgusting litter-filled field in the middle of a tatty housing estate. It is anything but fantastic!" she hissed at him.

"Wonder where all the litter came from." Seb stared at her.

She ignored him. "I'm cold, and I'm hungry." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a sweet. Seb noticed that after undoing the wrapper she paused as if ready to drop the paper and then instead stuffed it back in her pocket.

Mr West began a captivating monologue which covered, in a nutshell, the transformation of lifestyle from the marauding, roaming tribes of ancient England to their gradual conversion to settlement and civilization. He traced the 'D' shape of the mound on which they sat with a stubby finger, drawing their attention to how it fell away to a ditch on one side and suggested that the purpose of such earthworks may have been to provide shelter within which early settlements could be built.

Above them the heavens were a piercing azure blue and the brisk wind had kept the clouds at bay until now. Enthralled by the teacher's narrative none of them noticed the bank of black and ominous clouds storming towards them from the rear as the wind picked up.

Mr West continued, "But Waulud's Bank is more fascinating and amazing than just this overt and tangible record of history." He paused and glanced around the eager faces of the group. "Through this place, through Waulud's Bank, runs St Michael's Line."

Aiden squeaked with excitement, "I've read about that!"

"You've read about everything!" Zach jovially chided.

Mr West beamed at Aiden. "You have? So please, do explain to those less well-read, Master Lord."

Aiden happily began, "St Michael's Line is a ley line. Ley lines are straight lines which join the tops of hills and along which you will always find hallowed or sacred places, like churches, burial grounds, henges and so on. They're sort of _mystic_ highways— "

Zach butted in, "Aiden, England is very hilly and I am sure if you drew a straight line on a map of England you would _always_ find the tops of hills, churches and ancient monuments and things along it. There's nothing mystic about that – just lots of history!"

"Ah, Master Orwell, but that is not so. Yes, with any line drawn across a map of this great patch of Earth you would get a smattering of churches, old graveyards, the occasional barrow, but along _ley_ lines there are many, many of these sites." While speaking, Mr West delved in his jacket pocket and pulled a tattered map from it. He spread the huge document on the grass and as the wind played violently with it indicated for Zach and Aiden to sit themselves on the corners for anchorage. Everyone else crowded in.

The huge paper showed a map of England and in green marker pen a straight line had been drawn, running from Land's End at the bottom left to Bury St Edmunds on the right. Along the line, black dots had been marked.

As Mr West pointed to the first dot he was interrupted by Clarissa, "Burrow's Mump? That can't possibly really exist!"

Mr West ignored her, keeping his finger on the first point. "This line begins at Land's End and traverses St Michael's Mount," he ran his finger along the line to the next dot, "a monastery on an island off the coast of Cornwall. Taking the line back up through England, see here ..." he poked the map with his nail as the wind really picked up, "the line runs through an ancient site, a set of three stone circles, called the Hurlers." Zach chuckled. Mr West said, "You would do well not to laugh. _Legend_ has it that the stones are actually the petrified remains of men who dared to practice hurling on the Sabbath. A punishment indeed!"

"Wish we'd gone there!" Clarissa mumbled.

"Miss Stone!" Mr West glared at her, then after a moment he again pointed at the map. "Burrows Mump does exist ... but is also called St Michael's Borough. It is one of two famous Somerset hills, Glastonbury Tor being the other, also traversed by this line and both of which have churches atop them dedicated to the Archangel.

"Other sites along the line include Avebury Henge and Big Rings near Abingdon. It continues into Bedfordshire to— " he pointed at the ruffling map.

"Waulud's Bank!" Aiden squealed. "And look, it goes through Royston! Isn't our next trip to Royston Cave?"

"It is indeed, Master Lord. But this isn't just about dots on a map. This is about a _ley line."_ He widened his eyes. There was silence except for the haunting howl of the wind. Mr West studied their faces before continuing. "You all understand that a compass needle finds magnetic north?" They nodded. "Well the Earth has a magnetic field and it has long been believed that animals – such as birds, whales, bees and so on – navigate by use of this field. They have a certain tissue in their bodies which contains a substance called magnetite and by this they sense changes in the magnetic field. That is how the Arctic Tern can navigate its way across more than 21,000 miles of land and ocean each year; how salmon can find their way back to their spawning pools; how whales, butterflies, caribou and all manner of living things manage to find their way without use of map, compass or ..." he looked at Clarissa, "satnav!

"Interestingly, it is now known that the ethmoid bone in the front of the human skull also contains such tissue. So it is not too far-fetched to believe that humans could sense, _tune into,_ the natural magnetic field around us." Everyone except Aiden and, surprisingly, Scarlet, looked lost. Mr West ploughed on. "Ley lines are straight lines whose _magnetic field is different_ from the Earth's normal and dominating field. They stand out from the magnetic background of the Earth and they provide a route, a track, _a pathway_ for those able to sense or detect them.

"There are many theories as to the purpose of these lines. One such theory touches on a mystic element. It is said the energy of all those that tread their path is absorbed and bound within the line, producing a collective record which increases the energy output of the ley lines, making them stand out further from the background of Mother Earth's natural magnetic transmissions, effectively more clearly defining their path and route. And their significance is profound: it is stated that ley lines are a path for the _travel of souls!"_

A sudden stillness descended on the group, the wind pausing for a second and then there was a massive thunderclap. They all turned to see the monumental mass of clouds coursing across the sky towards them. It spread from one side of the horizon to the other without a break and looked like a sheer wall of black, swallowing up the blue as it rushed towards Waulud's Bank. And then the wind resumed in a sudden, tremendous gust that whipped and buffeted them. The map was torn up from beneath Aiden and Zach, the paper shearing at the corners. Then calm descended once more, the wind lessening but the cloud mass still rolled towards them.

Seb realised his wrist was throbbing. A shadow fell across him and he looked up. Mr Duir stood towering over him. "We need to move them back to the coaches, Greg," he said.

"Quite!" Mr West was up in an instant, staring at the approaching storm. "We love this English weather." He tried to sound carefree but hastily hustled the group back down the bank towards the car park.

#  Left Behind

As they reached the bottom of the bank the clouds caught up with them and the downpour began. Seb found it difficult to walk. The wind was ferocious and sucked at his clothing, pulling him back towards the bank. He felt the pounding of the raindrops on his head and within seconds was drenched. He could hear Aiden beside him gasping and Clarissa whimpering. It was now as dark as dusk. Seb could barely see through the torrent of raindrops.

Mr West's voice rose above the shrieking wind, "Head for the coach lights."

Seb could just see the white internal lights of the coaches a short distance away. It was a welcoming sight. He thought how weird it was that the wind was pulling him. _Does wind pull?_ Surely it only ever pushed! He heard Clarissa scream that she couldn't walk anymore and then begin sobbing. He turned and, through the torrent, saw Mr Duir lift her, carrying her forward ahead of the rest of them. Zach and Mr West were helping the other girls.

Aiden stumbled and Seb felt his fingers grasp his arm, dragging him down with him. They landed with a splash in the squelchy quagmire the ground had become. Aiden let go as water seeped into Seb's trouser legs and his hands sank to his wrists in cold mud.

"Aiden, are you alright?" Seb called over the howling wind. He felt Aiden's fingers grasp his arm again, gripping so tightly they hurt. He peered through the curtain of rain.

"I can't get up," Aiden wailed. "The mud is too sucky!"

Beneath the sodden fingerless glove, Seb's palm was throbbing painfully. Blinking as the rain dripped from his eyebrows Seb could no longer see the coach lights but could see the others moving on into the murkiness.

"Come on, Aiden." He managed to stand but was hampered by the tight grip Aiden had on his arm. He helped him to his feet. They rocked unsteadily as the wind tugged at them and Aiden called, "Wait for us!"

"They can't hear us." Seb placed his mouth right next to Aiden's ear, "We have to move. Come on!"

Around them the darkness was now almost complete. Seb felt a stab of desperation, fear of being left behind. Pulling his foot loose from the mud he stomped it forward.

The grip Aiden had on his left arm was so painful.

"Aiden, can you let go a bit?" he shouted and then to his astonishment saw Aiden raise both his muddy hands to cup them round his mouth and shout back at him, "What?"

The firm grip on his arm was still there and Seb jerked his head down, straining to see. It wasn't Aiden – both his hands were still cupping his mouth. In the relentless downpour he could see nothing.

He panicked. "Aiden, something's got hold of me. Someone's got my arm!" He screamed the words and reached across with his right hand, feeling for the fingers that were bound around his arm. And then he heard a rustling voice as though it were whispered directly into his ear: "Stand still."

Seb was already standing still, frozen to the spot in fear.

Aiden called, "We need to get to the coach."

Seb fumbled up his arm trying to find the hand that was gripping it so tightly. There was nothing there.

"It's me, Seb Thomas, and it is time for you to accept more than you see. In fact you have to. Stop doubting your senses and open up to the realities around you!" The words rustled into his ear.

Seb's heart was palpitating and his mind racing. He would have run if his feet weren't stuck.

Aiden tugged his arm. "Come on Seb, they'll go without us!"

"Hold fast!" the rustling voice ordered. Seb was straining to see, trying to locate the fingers on his arm, the body that went with them. All he could see was blackness and the horizontal sheet of rain. He could feel his feet sinking and pulled one free, taking a wobbly step forward.

"Seb, over there. The coaches!" He just heard Aiden's words and then he spotted two small red lights hanging in the darkness, perfectly still. Not the internal white lights he had seen before. Rear lights, Seb thought, the back of the coach!

"I see them. Rear lights!"

Aiden took a step to the right, tugging his jacket.

"Seb Thomas, you are not safe." The words sent a chill through him and the grip tightened.

He called out, "Let me go! We'll miss the coach!"

Aiden shouted, "Seb, come on then," and pulled his jacket.

"Seb, see more than your reality. It is not safe!" The rustling sound was urgent, the grip on his arm painful.

Seb had had enough. He yanked his arm away and took two stilted steps with Aiden towards the red lights. There was a buzzing in his ear, a touch grazed across his cheek and then through the blackness he could see the leaf-boy a foot in front of him, blocking his path.

"You must not, Seb. It is not safe. Open your eyes!"

Aiden, oblivious to the figure in front of Seb, pulled him again, shouting over the wind, "Quickly." Seb couldn't move and Aiden turned to him. "Seb, come on! What's wrong?"

Seb stared at the leaf-boy in horror. _I am definitely losing my mind._ He decided the stress and panic was making him see things. He tried to ignore the throbbing in his left hand, tried to blot out the image of the leaf-boy ... and then he saw it. It was as if his brain had just made sense of the images it had been seeing but not recognising. In the darkness in front of them was a deeper, denser patch of blackness. And from this blackness these lights shone. Seb's heart nearly stopped. The shape, the blackness ... _A huge black dog ..._ and the red lights were its eyes, glowering at him.

#  Dryads and Hellhounds

Seb shouted, "Aiden, a dog!" He pointed but Aiden grabbed his jacket again, trying to pull him towards the lights. Seb resisted and his friend overbalanced, falling to the boggy ground.

He let out an angry shout, "What are you doing, Seb? We'll miss the coach."

The leaf-boy was chattering, "You need to believe what you see. You have the power to deal with this— "

"What are you talking about?" Seb shrieked. "You are talking nonsense!"

Aiden screamed back, "The coach, Seb! It's not nonsense." He scrambled to his feet, blocking Seb's view of the red eyes just as the black shape lunged forward.

Then Aiden was suddenly dragged sideways. The swift movement was followed by a large figure swooping in to stand between Seb and the leaping hound. Mr Duir. He raised his hand, pausing for a second, then turned and paused again, hand raised, before he lifted Seb off his feet, threw him over his shoulder and ran across the waterlogged ground.

Bent over Mr Duir's shoulder, Seb looked back expecting to see the dog pursuing them. All he saw was a wall of rainfall, grey-blackness and a few shimmering silvery sparkles. No hound, no leaf-boy.

Within seconds Seb was placed gently onto the tarmac of the car park in the spread of light below the coach windows. His legs were wobbling, he felt frozen to the bone. Rain still poured from the sky as Mr Duir shrugged off his jacket and draped it around him. Next to them Miss West, Aiden's rescuer, was placing a thermal blanket around him. The bedraggled dwarf, water streaming down her face, looked up at Mr Duir.

"It is only five minutes to the school," he said without looking at her. "Mrs Parkinson expects us."

With a hiss the coach doors opened and Miss West ushered Seb and Aiden up the steps, accompanied by a massive gust of wind which rushed in and crashed along the length of the vehicle.

The boys, directed by Mr West, sat in two empty seats near the front. Mr Duir, his soaked shirt clinging to his skin, followed a dripping Miss West into the coach and sat in front of them.

Seb's palm was now merely tingling as the driver slipped the coach in to gear and drove out of the car park. Seb cleared the mist from the window beside him and looked out. It was like staring into the night and he couldn't believe it was only about midday.

He could hear Clarissa, two rows back, complaining, "What on Earth were Stupid-Seb and Idiot-Aiden doing? Why didn't they keep up? Serves them right. Bet they catch flu now and spread it to the rest of us!"

Seb shut out her words; he had more serious things to worry about than her disapproval. _Am I going mad?_

Aiden hadn't spoken and pulled the thermal blanket over his head. Seb guessed his friend blamed him for making matters worse in that dark, swampy place.

Zach appeared in the gangway next to Aiden, the tight black curls of his hair glistening with residual raindrops. "Oh it's a laugh a minute with you around, Seb," he boomed. "You okay, Aiden?" He reached out and yanked the foil blanket down from Aiden's head then let out a yelp of loud laughter, "My friend, you need a hairdresser!"

As the coach turned a sharp bend Zach bumped against one of the teaching assistants, Miss Frank, who occupied the aisle seat opposite Aiden. A very large lady, her ample backside also occupied a fair bit of the aisle. She huffed and was about to rebuke him when Mr West, smiling, suggested she moved over to the empty seat beside her and let Zach sit down. Moodily, she did as he suggested.

"Waulud Lower, Mr Duir, sir," the driver said as the coach stopped. He opened the doors and the head teacher from the lower school, flapping rain droplets off an umbrella, climbed the steps, announcing that she had organised biscuits and hot chocolate for all in the school hall. Cheering, the students stood as one, barging and shoving each other to be the first off the coach, but Mr Duir's appearance in the aisle instantly brought the clamour to a halt. He directed the teachers off first, followed by Aiden, Zach, Scarlet and Nat. Both girls smiled at Seb as they passed, then Mr Duir placed himself in front of Seb, blocking his exit until everyone else was off the coach.

Seb wondered if he was about to be told off.

Mr Duir stepped into the aisle and, towering over him, regarded him thoughtfully. "Quite an experience, Master Thomas."

Seb nodded sadly as his mind flashed back to the red eyes in the blackness and the whispering of the leaf-boy.

"Master Lord is a bit upset." Mr Duir sat down.

Seb stared at his hands.

"Maybe he feels you contributed to your predicament?" Mr Duir's eyes watched intently for Seb's reaction.

Seb felt a stab of guilt and looked up. "Maybe I did," he mumbled.

"Maybe you didn't." The Head leant forward. "Storms can be confusing, the darkness, the noise – it can make you doubt your senses."

Seb was certainly doubting now. In the bright internal lights of the coach he realised that his fear and confusion had made him imagine things. He felt foolish. Something tickled his left ear.

Mr Duir was still watching him. Seb didn't want to speak; he felt like an idiot. Again a breeze fluttered past his ear.

"You shouldn't doubt your senses." Mr Duir's words were accompanied by the slightest echo, _Shouldn't doubt._

Seb shivered. "I should," he said, "if they make me imagine things!" He stared at Mr Duir. "I saw things, in the dark ..."

Mr Duir's reaction was surprising. A kind smile spread across his face. He sat upright and with a sudden movement he made a grab into thin air. As his hand closed, the wrist, then arm and then the whole body of the leaf-boy materialised, wriggling and squirming, trying to release his grip.

"Things like this?" Mr Duir was still smiling. "Be still!" he commanded the leaf-boy who instantly stopped squirming and shrugged. He had been hovering two feet off the ground and now placed his feet on the coach floor. Mr Duir let go of him and he stared at Seb like a defiant child.

"Seb, it is not your senses that deceive you, it is your doubt."

"Precisely what I told him!" the leaf-boy uttered, sticking his chin out.

Seb stared at The Head. "You can see him? He's real? I'm not imagining— "

There was a sudden hiss as the coach doors opened.

Mr Duir stood. "Master Lord, I hope you are feeling a bit warmer. Thanks, Dominic."

Seb craned his neck around the seat backs to see a tousled and confused Aiden, two cups of steaming hot chocolate in his hands, climb the coach steps, Mr White behind him. Aiden smiled sheepishly at Seb and shuffled towards the vacant seat next to him, passing through the ghostly leaf-boy without noticing. He sat down and handed a cup to Seb. The teachers said nothing, waiting.

Seb felt too awkward to speak. So it seemed did Aiden.

Eventually Mr Duir said, "Things will be a lot easier if you talk to each other."

Seb wondered what he was supposed to say. In the end it was Aiden who spoke, "I am sorry I shouted at you, Seb. I was just so frightened and you ..." he stopped, unable to find the right words.

"I know, you thought I made it worse out there," Seb said.

The leaf-boy flitted upward and hovered mystifyingly just below the coach roof. "You did!"

Mr Duir glared at him, giving a small shake of his head.

"The storm caused the problems Seb," Aiden said.

"It's just that out there I saw ..." Seb paused, unsure whether to continue. "Well, I don't know what I saw." He hung his head.

"Course you don't!" The leaf-boy frowned.

"Do not interfere." Mr Duir became angry.

Aiden jerked his head up thinking the comment was directed at him and then seeing the direction of The Head's gaze, turned to look.

"Well he is clueless!" The leaf-boy perched on the headrest in front of Seb.

"You would do well not to be rude. He has not had the advantages of your existence. Do not mock, young Dryad!"

"Dryad?" Aiden seized on the word. "I've read about Dryads!" He looked at where Mr Duir had been gazing.

"And what have you read?" Mr White asked.

Seb watched his friend whose eyes were now roaming the space around them.

"Well, I know they are ethereal creatures, tree spirits actually, only visible to those they want to be visible to." He turned back to Mr Duir. "Is there a Dryad here?"

Seb was surprised how open Aiden was to the idea. "Aiden, you don't really believe such things exist do you?" he mumbled.

Aiden turned to him with wide eyes. "Of course I do, Seb." He gave no further explanation but began looking around again.

"Of course he does, Seb," the Dryad echoed. "I love this boy!" He turned to Mr Duir. "Why couldn't _he_ have been my twin?" In a sudden blur he disappeared, only to reappear sitting on the headrest above Aiden, patting him on the head.

Seb felt a stab of hurt pride at the Dryad's rejection of him in favour of a friend who couldn't even see him. "Why, _of course?"_ he snapped. "Why? We are old enough not to believe in fairies, in Father Christmas, in pixies and elves! Why _of course_ would he believe you exist?" Seb was shouting and Aiden recoiled then, realising his rant was aimed behind him, looked over his own shoulder. "It is not wrong of me to not believe. People would think I'm mad if I told them I was seeing a boy, who looks like me, covered in leaves! Stop giving me a hard time for not believing in something I have been told is not real!"

"Seb! You can see something?" Aiden sounded so excited.

Seb's anger had subsided slightly after his outburst and he slouched back in his seat, trying to ignore the Dryad. The more he thought about the worry and upset he had experienced over the last week, believing he was losing his mind, the more he decided he really didn't like this Dryad who seemed to know so much and be ridiculing him for knowing so little. He crossed his arms.

"Oh, and now you sulk. You won't face what you are and what you can see and so your defence is to sulk. Very grown-up!" The Dryad's fluttering words were like the crackling of autumn leaves.

"I'm not a grown-up," Seb shot back, "and, actually, neither are you! I don't know what you expect from me but I want nothing from you. Leave me alone!" He stared angrily out of the window.

"Wow, Seb. Calm down." Aiden was trying to grasp what was going on.

Mr Duir stepped forward. "Speak your name," he said harshly to the Dryad.

The creature folded his arms and lifted his chin in the air. "I will not," he bristled.

"Do not try me, Dryad. Speak your name." The words were not shouted but they were said in a tone that made Seb turn and face Mr Duir. The look of thunder on his face conveyed a clear warning.

The Dryad slumped and murmured, "Aiden, Dominic – I am Alice."

As he spoke the name, Aiden fell off his seat into the aisle, landing on Mr Duir's feet. He stared up, open-mouthed at the Dryad who Seb guessed from his reaction had just become visible to him.

"A ... well ... a Dryad!" Aiden finally managed to blurt out.

Seb began laughing. "A Dryad named _Alice,_ Aiden!" He tried to suppress his giggles. "That's really your name – Alice?" He turned to the Dryad.

"Yes it's my name!" The leafy character lifted off the back of the seat and flitted over to hover behind Mr Duir. "And you ought not to laugh."

"Seb, that's enough," Mr Duir cautioned. "Names have powerful meanings for Dryads, in fact for all. Do not make fun."

Seb's laughter stopped as he saw the serious looks on the faces of the teachers and felt bad when he saw the pained expression on the Dryad's.

"It's just that Alice is a girl's name, isn't it?" He looked to Aiden for support but Aiden was still staring, open-mouthed at Alice.

"Sounds in one language can mean and be associated with many different things in other languages, Seb. You cannot spend your life restricting yourself to one experience, one perspective. In fact, it is essential that you do not." Mr Duir spoke quietly, watching Seb.

"The sky is clearing," Mr White muttered.

The change of subject drew everyone's attention to the world outside the coach where the cloud cover was lifting.

#  Believing is Seeing

A tap on the door of the coach broke the silence and Mr West climbed the steps. "Mrs Parkinson has offered the use of their sports hall for the children to have lunch."

"That's fine, Greg." Mr Duir turned back to face Seb and Aiden, with Alice still hovering behind him, more subdued. "What you see is real. _All_ you see is real. Your Dryad twin, Alice, is here to guide you and to reopen your mind to the realities it has learned to close off. You do not like him?" Seb didn't answer. "He does not like you," Mr Duir stated flatly. Seb felt a twinge of hurt. "That your starting point is one of dislike and mistrust is not a bad thing. You will each have to prove your worth to the other."

Seb flicked his eyes towards Alice. The Dryad looked angrily back at him, his expression laced with loathing. Seb felt his own dislike swell. He decided he was simply going to ignore this creature. He had no need of him. In fact, so far, _Alice_ had brought him nothing but trouble and worry.

He frowned at the brightening sky. The tail of the storm was clearing away, leaving a refreshed and pristine blueness to the cloudless expanse he now saw outside. The return of the sunshine brought sudden warmth to the soaking ground and a mist of evaporating rainwater lifted from the playground surface. Seb's thoughts were building in ferocity and defiance. His eyes watched the mist, and spiralling vaporous columns began to rise. He remembered his fear at the Bank, caused by Alice he believed and, getting angrier, he watched the columns swirl and thicken.

Mr Duir reached past Aiden and put a hand on Seb's shoulder. "Seb, anger and resentment can be very destructive."

The touch made Seb jump guiltily. He turned as the spiralling columns disappeared, replaced by a low layer of hazy mist, which lay like a blanket just above the surface of the playground.

"It is lunchtime, Alice," The Head said to the sulking Dryad. "You will accompany your twin. The number and nature of those who see you is up to you, as you know, but it may help your relationship with Seb if you include those he will also need."

The noise of chattering and footsteps signalled the return of the other students and nothing more was said by Mr Duir or Mr White, who got off the coach.

Chaos followed as the pupils, in the wrong order, stomped along the aisle, barging past each other to where they had been seated to retrieve their lunch bags.

In the noise Aiden turned to Seb. "Seb, you are _so_ lucky; Alice is _so_ cool and weirdly he looks exactly like you, except for the leaves and things!"

Seb felt secluded in the double seats, surrounded by noise and he mumbled back to Aiden, "Aiden, _he_ was the one who caused the problem, out there, in the dark. _He_ had hold of my arm. That's what made me panic and stop. And when I tried to move he told me to stand still, right where the dog was!" Seb was talking in rapid sentences, trying to keep his voice from being heard by Alice.

Aiden looked lost. "What dog? I didn't see a dog."

"Aiden, there was a dog, and it was like he wanted us to be attacked by that awful beast!" Seb whispered.

"What beast, Seb?" Aiden looked alarmed.

"A massive dog, with glowing red eyes. It wasn't the brake lights of the coach we saw – it was horrible, angry eyes. The dog! It was just about to pounce on you when Mr Duir and Miss West arrived!" Seb hissed the words as Aiden stared wide-eyed.

"But ... but I didn't see a dog; all I saw was the lights."

"When we got back on the coach and everything was so normal I started to think I imagined it, like when I thought I saw Alice at school. But then Mr Duir made Alice appear, and then you could see him too, so now I am _sure_ the dog was real!"

"You saw Alice at school? Today?"

"No, no, last week, that day I fainted. He was in the sick room, the playground and the assembly too. I thought I was going mad, Aiden."

The buffeting and bustling of the other students continued and suddenly Zach thrust his head into the recess where Aiden and Seb were seated. "C'mon you two – lunchtime. What have you been doing?"

Scarlet and Nat stopped on their way up the aisle. "There you are, Seb. You missed the hot chocolate!" Scarlet stopped as she saw the untouched cup Seb had placed on the seat-back tray in front of him. "Or maybe you didn't!"

"Lunchtime. Come on!" Zach insisted, pulling Aiden into the aisle.

Seb stood to follow. As he did, Alice flitted into the space in front of Aiden's seat.

"Am I invited?" His leafy voice was cold and challenging.

Seb ignored him. Taking a deep breath he stepped through him. As he did he felt a sharp kick like a static shock. He fell against Scarlet.

"Careful, Seb," she tutted. "And bring your cup, dirty boy. Who do you think is going to clear up after you?"

Seb frowned. To get the cup would mean passing back through Alice, which he certainly wasn't going to do. Scarlet tutted again and, leaning through Alice, who didn't move but watched Seb angrily, she grabbed the cup and thrust it towards Seb.

"Your cup. Your responsibility."

He took it and his packed lunch which Zach handed him and they made their way to the lower school sports hall. Still annoyed, Seb sat beside Aiden as the girls began chattering about the terrific storm.

A movement in the corner of Seb's eye and he knew Alice had come along too, invited or not.

Aiden nudged him. "Aren't you going to speak to him?" he whispered.

"No." Seb took a half-hearted bite of his sandwich and didn't look up.

" ... like night-time. Never seen a storm like it." Zach agreed with the girls. He took a slurp from an orange carton. "Bet you boys were scared." He looked eagerly at Seb.

"Yes, but not for the reasons you think," Seb answered.

Aiden nudged him. "Seb, be careful. He'll hear!"

"I am well aware that he'll hear, Aiden. And he doesn't scare me!" Seb shouted, turning to stare at Alice with a frown.

Zach, Scarlet and Nat stopped eating and gawped at Seb who seemed to be glaring into thin air. Realising he was making a spectacle Seb turned to them and lowered his voice. "I have to tell you something."

Alice whizzed forward to stand between him and the other three. "Do you, Seb? And what would that be?"

Seb stood. As he did he realised his palm was tingling. He heard Nat gasp. Behind Zach, emerging through the double fire exit doors, he could see a black shape. Scarlet, seeing the look on his face, looked over her shoulder and stifled a scream just as, in a flash of green, the Dryad whizzed to stand in front of the ogre shape that was now completely through the door. Alice began flitting backwards and forwards in front of the ogre so fast he left a trail behind him. Seb's eyes couldn't follow him. In seconds the trail had formed a mesh in the air.

Aiden stood beside Seb. "What is he doing?"

"Who ... what are you guys staring at?" Zach was confused and other students nearby had started to look over.

The ogre shape took a step forward and walked into the meshing Alice had made. It recoiled as if struck, stumbled backward and disappeared.

Scarlet spoke, "Seb did you ...? I thought I saw ... no, it's gone."

Alice rematerialised beside Seb, hands on his hips. Seb caught a glimpse of Mr Duir leaving the sports hall through the internal doors.

Alice sounded angry. "I am here to help. I did _not_ cause you problems at the Bank and if I had not made you stand as you did, your friend here would be dead. There is so much you just don't know and yet you have so much arrogance you wish to dismiss me and believe you can manage alone!"

Nat was staring at the spot occupied by Alice. Zach, demolishing a Kit Kat, laughed. "Scarlet, there's nothing there. Don't be such a girl!"

"I thought I heard something ..." Nat said then shook her head.

And now Alice zoomed forward and bent towards her. "You did hear something, Nat, and you should trust your senses." Her head darted up, her eyes searched the air. "You see, Seb? There is more to believing than seeing. Nat knows there is more, which is why she hears." Staring down at Nat, Alice bowed. "Nat, I am Alice."

As he completed his flourishing bow Seb watched Nat's eyes open in amazement. She stood, dropping the sandwich she had been holding.

"Nat!" Zach was horrified. "Your lunch!"

Nat looked guiltily around as though she thought she was alone in seeing Alice. Then she made eye contact with Seb. He nodded to her as Aiden stepped forward. "Nat, do you see?" She smiled and nodded.

Scarlet had noticed their strange behaviour. "What are you three doing? Sit down. I'm sure they'll call us back to the coach soon. You'd better finish your lunch."

Zach looked at Nat's sandwich. "I'll have that if you don't want it." He reached over to retrieve it from the floor.

As he did Alice spoke, "Zach, Scarlet, I am Alice." He completed his sentence as Zach's fingers made contact with the sandwich. A look of horror crossed Zach's face as Alice materialised around his outstretched hand. He snapped his arm back.

"What is that? What are you? OMG it's a ghost!" His voice boomed around the sports hall and all eyes turned on him.

"Zach! Be quiet!" Aiden whispered.

Scarlet was staring open-mouthed at Alice.

"Sit down, Zach." Seb tugged Zach's arm, making him sit.

He looked back and forth between Alice and Seb. "Can you all see it? Tell me you all see this, or have I lost the plot?"

#  Sticks and Stones

A shrill whistle from the main doorway brought silence to the hall.

"Finish up, toilet breaks and then back to the coach," Miss West said.

Bedlam followed as there was a mad scramble for the toilets. In the privacy of the noise and disturbance Zach was speechless for once.

Scarlet gazed at Alice. "Seb, it looks exactly like you ... except the leaves and things."

"That's where you are wrong ..." Alice hovered beside Seb. _"He_ looks exactly like _me,_ except the pasty skin and strange hair and things," his voice rustled. "And Scarlet, I am a _he_ not an _it!"_

Zach regained his composure and confidence and now leant forward to wave a hand underneath Alice's feet. Then he lifted his arm up and through Alice's legs. Alice leapt upward, blurring into a green flash, then reformed feet above where he had been. "Watch it, Zach. You don't know me well enough!"

Zach pulled his arm back. "What did you say your name was?"

"You heard perfectly well, otherwise you would not see me."

A smile crept across Zach's lips, actually more of a sneer. "Mm. Alice, wasn't it?"

"Zach, don't make fun of his name. Mr Duir said we shouldn't." Aiden said.

"Mr Duir? What has he got to do with this _hallucination?"_ Zach turned to Aiden.

"He can see him and I believe Mr White could too."

"Oh, so we're all going mad together then?"

"Seb, your friend is worse than you," Alice complained as Scarlet and Nat stared in admiration at him. "Zach, if you see you should believe." A flash of green haze and Alice disappeared.

From the sports hall entrance Miss West beckoned them and then placed her hands on her squat hips, frowning. They packed away and walked towards her.

"Toilets then onto the coach!" she snapped.

"What is that thing, then?" Zach whispered as they entered the boys' toilets.

"He's a Dryad," Aiden said. "A tree spirit."

"Oh, hence the leaves I suppose," Zach said sarcastically, approaching a urinal. Alice reappeared in front of him. "You are not seriously going to follow us in here!" Zach almost shouted. The last boy in the toilets glanced at him then shuffled out of the door.

"Nothing I haven't seen before." Alice crossed his arms.

"Now you are just being creepy and I tell you what, nothing will stop me peeing." With that, Zach approached the urinal and unzipped his trousers. Alice raised his eyes upward and zoomed off, disappearing through the solid door.

"Thank goodness for that!" Aiden relaxed. "I really don't think I could have gone with him watching." He went towards an empty cubicle.

Zach called out, "So why is he here, then? And why does he look like you, Seb?"

Neither Seb nor Aiden had an answer.

Miss West met them, with the girls, back in the corridor and escorted them to the coach. They found their original seats and Nat and Scarlet swapped with Jack, next to Aiden, who gladly relinquished his one seat for their two.

Standing at the front, Mr Duir announced that the weather had improved sufficiently for them to return to Waulud's Bank. There was a collective groan as the coach driver pulled out of the playground.

Seb stared out of the window, wondering what had happened to Alice but glad to be free of him until Zach nudged him and pointed. Seb leant across to see what he was indicating and then huffed in annoyance when he saw Alice, seated _inside_ the driver's body, hands on the large steering wheel. His head stuck out from the driver's shoulder and he winked at Seb then turned to face front, pretending to drive the coach with the driver but over-accentuating the steering, leaning dramatically from side to side and laughing with that rustling sound Seb had begun to hate.

Zach laughed. "Hey, Alice is driving!" He nudged Aiden who leant into the aisle to look, just as Alice leapt out of the driver's space and somersaulted onto the rail beside the driver's access door. Zach was still chuckling. "I like him, Seb."

Seb frowned and sat back in his seat. "I don't." He jumped when a green blur reformed into Alice, perched like a cheeky child on Nat's lap.

"Woah!" Zach was shocked. "You're fast!"

Nat smiled.

"Nat, you need to talk to these boys. We are going to be in real trouble if they don't start to take this seriously." A leaf dropped from his head and fluttered down to land on Scarlet's hand then dissolved in a shower of sparkles.

"What are you?" she said, in awe.

"He's a Dryad." Aiden and Zach whispered in unison.

"Scarlet," Alice's voice rippled. "I am what you would call a _wood elf._ That information will not help you, any of you, other than to make you realise that there is so much more to this world than what your naive minds see. You should already know; in histories past the Five already knew. I am not here to teach you the basics." He zipped across to stand in the aisle. "You will have to learn as we go and all of you," he turned angrily to Seb, "will have to learn to believe in more than you see." He put his hands on his hips. Another leaf fell onto the wet floor and disappeared.

"You're moulting," Seb mumbled.

The Dryad recoiled as though he had been hit. Momentarily stunned he didn't move and then shot upward in a blur to disappear through the coach roof.

"I think you upset him, Seb," Aiden said as Mr Duir stepped into view between the seats and the coach came to a stop in the Waulud's Bank car park.

"You five off first," he ordered and led them off the coach, followed by Mr White. He marched them straight across the car park which glittered with residual water. The wind had all but ceased and if it had not been for the damp ground and the mud on his clothing, Seb would have doubted the storm had ever happened.

Seb didn't dare speak as Mr Duir strode quickly, veering past the ugly tower blocks and then out onto the sodden ground to follow a muddy footpath. Ignoring a mottled stone, covered in lichen and nailed to the top of which was a green sign which read _Source of River Lea,_ they eventually stopped in a rather uninspiring place, surrounded by short, wet grass and sparse woodland. Beside an ivy-choked gap in a hedge, four massive, irregular stones were strewn. One had a rivulet of descending furrows, like a miniature staircase, etched into its surface.

Seb waited, expecting a lecture on some crucial historical point of interest to do with these stones. The sun was warm and the damp earth smelt dank. A cloud of midges danced lazily around them as a crow cawed in the trees.

"You will need your staff, Zach," Mr Duir spoke quietly to Zach.

"What?" Zach acted confused. Mr Duir waited. "Really, what? What are you talking about?"

Mr Duir remained silent. After a few seconds of awkwardness Zach shrugged, reached into his trousers to the side of his left leg, and pulled. The stick emerged and Zach smiled, embarrassed. "You mean _this_ staff?"

Squelching footsteps approached and Miss West walked through the overgrown gap in the hedge. She leapt from where she stood to the top of the stone, somersaulting over Mr White – a jump of at least eight feet.

"Woah!" Zach shouted. "How'd you do that?"

Mr Duir turned to Seb. "Now, you need to apologise to Alice."

Seb looked to the ground. _I can't think why. I don't like him anyway._

"Seb," The Head said and Seb looked up. "Autumn approaches." Mr Duir looked steadily at him. "Alice is a Dryad, a wood elf; they mirror the seasons."

"So his leaves are falling off because it's autumn?" Scarlet asked.

Mr Duir gave a slight nod. "Dryads, like humans, have many different characters: some mild, some wild, some humourless and some playful. But the one trait they all share, whether for good or bad, is vanity. They take extreme pride in the attire of each season, relishing the beauty each one brings, however the transition from one to the other is an _untidy_ and sensitive time for them. What you said to Alice was deeply insulting."

"Like telling him his breath stinks." Zach snorted a laugh. Miss West glared at him.

Seb felt himself blushing. "All I said was that he was— "

"I know what you said; do not exacerbate the insult by repeating it."

Seb looked down at his mud-covered shoes. "He's not even here so I can't apologise." The fluttering to his right made his heart sink. "Oh, so you are here. Do you never leave us alone?"

Alice appeared, hovering above the ground in front of him. "Seb, I cannot leave you, I am your twin and ..." he paused as a leaf dropped from his arm and floated to land on the mud at Seb's feet. The Dryad followed it with his eyes and, seemingly mortified, hung his head.

Seeing the upset on his face Seb actually now felt sorry for him. "I am sorry," he blurted and reached up to place a hand on Alice's shoulder. He realised how silly the movement was, knowing his hand would pass through and then was shocked when it came to rest on the leafy shoulder. At Seb's touch, Alice glanced at him and then smiled a broad smile. Seb smiled back, suddenly feeling less annoyance at this strange creature. The physical contact, the feel of the soft, silky leaves under his fingers and palm – it was as if a dark resentment had been lifted from his mind. He removed his hand and as he did a leaf stuck to his palm. The smile disappeared from Alice's face but returned instantly when Seb, without a word, stuffed his hand in his trouser pocket, preventing any of the others from seeing that the leaf had come away.

"Well that was nice." Zach twirled his stick. "All friends now?"

Miss West leant forward and grabbed the stick, mid-twirl. Without pause she slammed the end of the stick into the ground as if she was spearing a fish. It stuck at an angle in the soft earth, wobbling slightly to and fro, the end embedded just underneath the large staircase stone.

"Leverage, Zach," she said, and waved towards the stick. "On you go." Zach gawped. "On you go," she repeated.

"Leverage!" Zach shrugged and took a run and jump. As he jumped he leant sideways and glided through the air to plant both feet along the shaft of the stick. His body weight pressed down on the stick and levered the heavy stone upward, flipping it over to land with a thud, revealing a hole below it.

There was a hissing sound, like taking the cap off a bottle of fizzy drink, and then a sigh accompanied by the sound of trickling water.

Mr White was already walking towards the hole and stepped into the dark opening.

#  The Five Springs

Miss West followed Mr White into the hole. Always up for excitement, Zach went after her, Aiden and the girls next.

A small creature swept from a nearby copse of trees and veered towards Seb's head, stretching its claws out.

Alice's voice rippled, "Down, Seb! In you go."

Seb reacted slowly, getting a glimpse of tiny sharp talons as Mr Duir grabbed the creature and threw it into the woodland.

Ducking into the hole, Seb's shoe slipped and he lost his balance. Before he could panic he felt a strong hand grab him under his arm and help him regain his footing.

"Thanks," he said as Alice released his grip and smiled.

The last through the gap, Mr Duir followed Seb onto the tree root staircase and there was a thud as he closed the stone over the hole.

_How did he do that?_ Seb wondered _. And how are we going to get back out?_

He was surprised to be able to see clearly below the ground. A single beam of light shone through a small hole in the top of the roof of the vast domed cavern they were descending into. Below it a cloud of fireflies danced, collected the light and multiplied its strength.

"Wow!" Zach had reached the bottom with Aiden and the girls. Seb joined them on the dense covering of heather and moss which grew over the floor. The sound of trickling water became louder and, gazing across the floral carpet, he noticed five small pools, each about two feet in diameter, situated beneath the centre of the dome. The water in them rippled and reflected the sunlight from the fireflies, providing more illumination.

Mr Duir moved everyone forward to stand beside this little collection of bubbling pools and then Mr White spoke, "These are the Five Springs, the combined source of the River Lea."

The pools formed an irregular circle. Each had a rivulet, about four inches wide, flowing in an arc from it to the next, making a ring of running water linking them all. On the far side a further straight rivulet sprouted from the ringed channel and the water spilled along it to disappear into a small tunnel in the wall.

Mr White pointed to the tunnel. "That leads to the platform on which you stood earlier, the overt point at which the source emerges and becomes the River Lea. But this is the _true_ source, these five springs."

Seb stood looking at the pleasing spectacle. He noticed a circular stone slab embedded amongst the heather within the ring of pools. It looked ancient and carved into its surface was the image of Seb's birthmark, the same oak leaf, the same intersecting lines, shining silver in the light. Scarlet nudged Seb; he stood, speechless, a sick feeling in his stomach.

Mr Duir said, "We have obviously brought you here for a reason and you must surely now have seen enough to raise many questions, suspicions maybe?" He moved towards the circle of pools. Without crossing the ring he faced them and said, "Dryad, speak your name!"

A faint rustling voice said, "I am Dierne."

A blur of dark colour appeared beside Mr Duir and a Dryad materialised, hovering in the air beside him. A larger version of Alice, his leaves were denser and matted and tinged with yellow. This Dryad, silver irises sparkling, looked like Mr Duir.

"So there are more of you," Zach said to Alice.

"Just a few." Alice smiled at Dierne.

"Any place where nature chooses to bring forth water from the ground is a magical place," Mr Duir continued. "Here there are five springs in one site, linking together to form one source. The potency of this place was understood by the souls who trod this ground centuries before us. More crucial, however, is the fact that this site lies along the path of a powerful ley line." He beckoned them closer. "Greg West explained to you the significance of ley lines. They carry the collective memories, existences, energies of all who have trod them, creating an imprint, a path for the use of more than the substance of humankind."

The dome above them magnified the sounds around them, the water, the gentle rustling of the leaves on the Dryads in a barely noticeable breeze and Mr Duir's words. "And now we are going to show you something that you must not speak of outside this company." He gave the briefest wave of his left hand. Seb thought he saw a flash of silver but the movement was so quick he wasn't sure. The light in the cavern intensified as, within the boundary of the ring of water, a column of sparkles rose. Like the column within the fairy ring at Explorers, the sparkles danced in a rising pillar and another shape formed – a door. It solidified and its shining silver knob turned. The door opened and Mr West and Miss Angel stepped out onto the heather bank. Mr Duir waved his hand again and instantly the door and the column of sparkles disappeared.

Alice whispered in Seb's ear, "Now you _must_ believe?"

Seb turned to him, mouth open.

Mr West joined them. "So you have found the Five Springs. Are you impressed?" He beamed at Seb and then Zach who, recovering quickly, smiled.

"Well it's better than the field."

Now Mr Duir stepped inside the ring of water. "Seb," he called. "Come over here."

Seb didn't move.

Aiden turned towards him. "Seb ..."

Seb faced him and whispered, "Aiden, this is crazy. This is not real." He turned to the others. "Surely none of you actually believe any of this!" He looked at their stunned faces. "I haven't a clue what is going on here," he muttered.

As he was about to continue, Alice zipped in front of him. "Seb, what will it take to make you simply start believing, open your eyes, see the reality around you? You are holding everyone up and you are in danger!"

Seb felt a surge of adrenaline. _Danger?_ Dierne gave a rustling hiss and Mr Duir said, "Enough, Alice, he cannot. He has come to this early; they all have."

Stepping out of the ring The Head moved over to stand in front of Seb who stared at the ground. He placed his closed hand in Seb's line of sight then opened his fingers to reveal the palm. In the centre of his hand was a discoloured patch of skin in the shape of an oak leaf, inside which was the same mark Seb bore on his own palm!

Seb stumbled back, as Mr Duir said to him, "Seb, in order to understand, I need to open your eyes."

Scarlet seemed to be finding all this thrilling. "Come on, Seb. Close your mouth. This is fantastic!"

He glared at her. "You don't even know what _this_ is. None of us do!"

She glared back at him but didn't answer.

"Step into the circle." Mr Duir gently took hold of Seb's elbow. Feeling the pressure of everyone's expectations Seb reluctantly walked with him, to stand beside the time-worn stone. "Seb, you have this marking on your hand for a reason." Seb's eyes latched on to the crude image in the stone. "It is the sign of the Oak," Mr Duir said. "The symbol of _protection_ and _strength._ For you to understand why you bear this symbol I need to open your eyes." He looked down at Seb. "The sad fact is this next part will cause you some pain and I cannot spare you that."

Seb glanced over his shoulder at his friends' eager faces. Alice zoomed across and appeared beside him.

"Is this like some weird ancient ritual?" Zach laughed.

Pain? Ancient rituals? Seb desperately wanted to leave but didn't know how to say it with everyone watching, so he stood in silence, staring at the stone.

"Seb, there is danger and we cannot stay here long. You must hold your hand out, palm down, and point it towards the stone. When this happens you will need to close your eyes and focus on my voice because what you will see will overwhelm you at first.

"As soon as I do this your eyes will be opened to every trace, every historical memory that has passed this spot ... and that will include every creature from every other reality you have the inability to see at the moment."

Seb blinked but didn't move.

"Seb," Scarlet called out. "Come on!"

"Open your hand," Mr Duir said gently. "Close your eyes and listen to my voice."

Seb opened his hand as he had been told and pointed the flat palm towards the stone. He was about to shut his eyes but curiosity got the better of him. He watched as in a sudden movement Mr Duir lifted his own hand and pointed it towards the stone. Light reflected off the pool beside him and struck his palm. A bolt of white light shot from it and struck the carved symbol then rebounded to hit Seb's palm.

Pain ripped through Seb's hand, as if a branding iron had been pressed against the skin. It was so excruciating he fell to his knees, clutching his hand to his chest. The line of light disappeared.

Mr Duir knelt beside him. "Close your eyes. The pain will pass quickly but what comes will be more disturbing."

Horrified, Seb stared at him. The pain had indeed gone but now it was as if he had suddenly been thrown onto a crowded tube train during rush hour. Everywhere he could see throngs of ghostly bodies: tiny babies; old crones; young boys; old men; and images of people overlapping one another sometimes four, five, six bodies occupying one small space. Interspersed among them were thousands of animals – horses, foxes, rabbits, sheep, deer – animals and people were everywhere, all seemingly oblivious of Seb and of all those around them.

Among them Seb saw hundreds of Dryads and then more incredible creatures, creatures he could only imagine were from fairy stories, folklore and myth, indescribably strange and overwhelmingly disturbing.

And the noise ... the raucous, deafening noise of conversations, laughter, crying, animal bleats, howls.

Over it all Mr Duir's voice rose. "Close your eyes, Seb!"

But Seb couldn't; he was aghast. He looked frantically through the crowds for one of his friends, his sister, then a woman, holding the hand of a snotty-nosed tot, walked towards him. They ignored him and he shivered as woman and child simply passed through him as though _he_ was a ghost.

He stared at the thousands of figures around him, feeling engulfed by the enormity and density of the crowd of life flowing through the cavern.

Mr Duir took hold of his chin and pulled his face up to stare into his eyes. Images swam between them.

"Close your eyes. You cannot deal with it all at once. Close them!"

Shaking with shock and fear, Seb obeyed. In the artificial shelter of the darkness his closed eyes gave him it was like he could pretend the masses no longer existed. But the noise was so loud it was impossible to eradicate the visions from his mind.

Mr Duir, close to his ear, spoke firmly, "You now have the most precious of gifts Seb, but you will see it as a curse until you learn to control it."

Then Alice spoke as if his voice was inside Seb's head. Seb found his presence comforting.

"Aelfric has opened your eyes to the other realities you were unable to see before. You need to filter some of it out. Focus on one thing; the others will disappear. Think only of Dryads. Think of me. Are you doing that?" Seb nodded. "Now, open your eyes again," Alice whispered. Seb obeyed. And then he relaxed. Around him was space, empty space ... and peace. The noise had stopped. He turned to look at Alice who had a big smile on his face. "Better?"

Seb smiled back, relieved to be free of the overpowering images and the oppressive din. He looked up at Mr Duir who nodded. "We must go. This is no place to be now."

Seb felt his palm throbbing.

#  Through the Door

Mr Duir took Seb by the elbow, pulling him to his feet, and guided him out of the circle towards the others. He waved his hand and the sparkling pillar with the door within it appeared.

"We will continue at the school," he said and Miss Angel and Mr White ushered the others to the door.

"So what was all that about?" Zach asked. "What did you see, Seb?"

As Seb was reminded of the overpowering press of humanity it once more became reality. He was instantly surrounded.

An old man hobbled towards him and passed straight through him. Seb shivered violently. In front of him youths in a group sauntered in the direction of the pools, laughing at a shared joke and walked into him and out the other side. He groaned and fell to the ground.

Mr Duir pulled him to his feet and in a patient voice said, "Shut your eyes and start again."

"Seb, are you okay?" Scarlet asked, stepping forward and passing through a young woman who was crying. Neither female noticed the other and he barely heard her words over the din of speech and animal noises.

"Can't you see them?" he shouted at her.

She simply looked confused.

Mr Duir called over the noise, "Seb, most of it is just memories, like standing in the path of a movie projection. Ignore it."

Seb couldn't. Two fairies flew across, inches in front of his nose, and then a small dragon flapped through his head. "Get them away from me!"

"Take them through," Mr Duir called to the other teachers. Miss Angel and Mr West helped Scarlet and Nat through the door. Seb felt Aiden brush past him. He leapt away and found himself standing inside an old woman. Hunched and miserable, she was holding a walking stick but seemed too frail to walk anywhere. She just stood, bent over, staring at the pool of water in front of her as other figures passed through her and Seb.

He screamed, "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Seb, I didn't mean to bump you." Aiden sounded panicked.

Now Alice stood right in front of Seb. "You have to learn to ignore these images. We have told you, they are just memories, just imprints. Block them out, Seb, because we need to leave." His voice was inside Seb's head.

Seb stared at Alice. As he focused on him he found that the human figures and the creatures around him faded. The throbbing in his palm, however, did not.

The Dryad looked intense. "You have to help yourself, Seb. We can only explain; we can't do it for you." He was impatient. "Go to the door."

Seb stumbled towards the sparkling he could see between all the figures when suddenly Aiden, right beside him, yelled, "Help, my foot!"

Seb looked down. Wrapped around Aiden's foot were wiry, black roots which seemed to be growing and sprouting through the ground at an astronomical rate. Aiden yanked his foot free as Mr Duir lifted him and tucked him under his arm, carrying him to Miss West and Zach who stood in the doorway.

They all disappeared through as vines began wrapping themselves around Seb's feet. His mind now focused on them, he found all the other images around him faded. Beneath Mr Duir's feet the heather and moss remained undisturbed. He was untouched by the grasping creepers.

Seb lifted a foot but it felt anchored to the ground. "What _are_ these?" he shouted, glancing at Alice.

"We delayed too long," the Dryad said.

Seb's heart sank. "Well that's helpful!" he snapped as he pulled his right foot up and managed to tear it free. As he put it down again more shoots grabbed it, growing faster and stronger.

Mr Duir lifted Seb and carried him to the doorway as Mr White passed through it. Placing him on the threshold, The Head put a hand on Seb's shoulder. "Seb, a ley line is a pathway, a track that carries an imprint, a record of all who pass along it and a track that is used by more than humans."

Seb stared at him. _Am I getting a lecture? Now?_ All he wanted to do was step through the door. He looked down as vine tendrils began crawling up the doorway.

"When one such as you treads the line it is like shining a beacon, like shining a light in the darkness of a forest, a light that will attract every moth and every crawling thing." Mr Duir removed his hand. "When you walk a ley line you will be visible to all." At last he allowed Seb to go through the door.

Seb didn't know what he had expected ... but it wasn't this. He had stepped from the cavern and into the school library!

Rainbow colours daubed the floor in front of him as sun shone through the stained-glass window. Scarlet and his friends were sat at the large table, bemused looks on their faces, the teachers opposite them.

In the aisles between the bookshelves the lights had been turned out and the rows were cast in darkness. In fact, other than the mottled light from the huge window, the room was cloaked in shadows.

As the doorway disappeared in a flurry of sparkles, to be replaced by a dusty bookshelf, Mr Duir manoeuvred Seb towards the table's last two seats and sat down opposite him. Alice leapt to the top of a bookshelf and perched there while Dierne stayed close to Mr Duir.

The Head spoke quietly, "It is time for you all to acknowledge that around us there is more than what you have learnt to see."

Zach leaned nearer to Scarlet. "Oh, really?" he mumbled, but in the quiet room everyone heard. Miss West tutted and Mr Duir eyed Zach impassively. "You heard that then?" He looked guilty.

Mr Duir continued, "Since birth you have all been encouraged to disregard anything society does not wish to acknowledge as real. In times past humans were more receptive to the idea of other realities." He waved a hand and sparkles of silver danced above the table. "You are trained to be literal, to only believe what you see in this three-dimensional world and to disregard as nonsense anything else." He continued to wave his hand and now an image appeared within the sparkles. "Over the years and generations, more things become that _else._ Humans have become cynical – expecting to be able to prove, to touch, to evidence – but sometimes you have to simply feel and believe."

With a quick movement his hand darted down and grabbed what was now a solid shape within the sparkles. He closed his fist, concealing what he had grasped. The sparkles disappeared.

"What did you see, Scarlet?"

She was staring at his fist and stuttered, "I'm not sure ..."

"You are sure, Scarlet. You just think your friends will disapprove if you speak it," he said. "What did you see, Zach?" Mr Duir turned his attention to Zach who was grinning at Scarlet.

"Sparkles," he answered, his grin widening.

"Don't be clever, Zach!" Miss West snapped. The smile disappeared.

"What did you see, Aiden?" Mr Duir turned to a blushing Aiden.

"I saw a fairy."

Zach laughed and the redness in Aiden's cheeks deepened.

"You laugh because ...? Zach?" Mr Duir rounded on Zach.

"Well, I mean ... _fairies!"_ Zach snorted.

"Fairies. You mock that suggestion, yet you accept Dryads?"

Zach's eyes flicked to Dierne. "Well, that's different."

"What did you see, Zach?" Mr Duir asked him again.

Zach frowned, looking down at the table. "I don't know."

"Oh my, you are stubborn. What did you see?" Mr Duir sounded mildly irritated.

Zach muttered, "Something with wings."

"Indeed." Mr Duir opened his hand. Curled up on the palm was a small figure no bigger than Seb's forefinger. He could barely make out its little face but could clearly see that it had arms and legs like a human, its legs pulled up to its chest, head tucked down onto its knees and arms wrapped around its body, clasping a pair of delicate wings and pulling them around itself like a protective blanket.

"Aahh ..." Scarlet and Aiden gasped together and leant across the table to get a closer look. Zach frowned, crossing his arms.

Nat was sitting with her eyes closed and Seb watched as a tear rolled down her cheek. He couldn't understand why she was upset. She opened her eyes and looked at Mr Duir.

"I've always heard them," she whispered. "I've just never seen them."

Mr West suddenly frowned and spoke quickly to Mr Duir. "It happens more frequently," he said and Mr Duir nodded but remained seated.

"What words do you hear, Nat?" Mr Duir asked as Seb realised he could now hear faint whisperings.

"Strange words ..." Nat sniffed and sat more upright, _"The displaced soul must serve."_

As she said the words the little fairy flew in a vertical line towards the high ceiling where it disappeared. The words stopped as it vanished but now Seb heard a faint wheezing sound and felt his palm tingling. A sudden bang made them all look to the library door.

Scarlet, staring at it, shrieked, "The ogre, it's outside!"

Zach was up in an instant, leaping across the table, through the gap between Mr West and Miss Angel.

Miss West called to him, "Zach, leave it be. There are other ways."

Zach turned, confused, as Mr Duir stood, murmuring words under his breath which Seb only just caught, "You have been told you must wait the hour. Feorsian!"

Bright light, which had no apparent source, lit the whole library. The door became transparent and the figure of the ogre could be clearly seen rocking backwards and forwards, like it was dithering, deciding what to do. Then it turned, shambled to the right and simply dissolved into nothing.

"Did you see that thing?" Zach's voice was loud as he paced back over to the table. "I mean, that was a ... well, it looked like an ..."

"An ogre!" Scarlet finished for him. His shoulders slumped as he stared at her.

_Zach could see it_ _!_

Within a second Zach regained his confidence, straightened his shoulders and strode back to his seat.

#  The Group

_I haven't even a clue what time of day it is,_ Seb thought. The light in the library had grown dim as, beyond the window, another storm was brewing. He wondered if the rest of the students were still at Waulud's Bank. He glanced up at Alice sat atop the bookshelf, arms crossed, grinning at him.

"Can't we have some light? It's rather dismal in here," Zach complained.

"It is, isn't it?" Mr White smiled. "Aelfric, do you mind?" Mr Duir nodded and Mr White said, "Flamers, please."

Seb watched as tiny lights appeared everywhere. As if a swarm of glow-worms had taken residence in the library, they lit up all over the place – bookshelves, picture rails, chair backs, the table top – everywhere. The whole library was suddenly brightly lit with their orangey-yellow glow.

Alice appeared next to Seb. "That's a bit better, isn't it?" The Dryad smiled and Seb nodded, amazed.

"How did he do that?"

"Do what?" Zach said. He turned to Mr Duir. "Are we getting light in here or not?" His tone was challenging and in a flash Miss West leapt across the table, jumped over him and yanked his chair from underneath him. Zach's reactions were swift and he stood before he fell, turning to the irate woman. "Hey!"

"You are rude." She glared at him. "Check your tone when you speak to him!"

"It's alright, Trudy." Mr Duir raised a hand. "Zach, the light is there, you just need to see it."

Miss West stood behind Zach, her jaw set, shoulders stiff.

"I didn't mean to be rude." Zach turned to her, "but I have to say, you are a bit touchy!"

Seb dropped his head and Scarlet gasped.

"Well she is. Maybe it's not just the room that needs to lighten up."

Seb was astounded at the cheek of his friend and Trudy West looked fit to burst. She clenched her fists.

"Am I to work with this?" She looked to Aelfric Duir. There was a small smile on his face.

"Trudy," Mr West said. "They are young."

"That's not an excuse for rudeness, Greg," she answered and the room fell silent.

As more points of light appeared around the library Seb felt his spirits lift.

"What are they?" he asked.

"They, Seb," said Mr Duir, "are flamers. But you need to help your friends see them. Although you now have insight into the worlds around you, your group ..." he looked at the others, "... will only see what you help them to or what their gifts allow." With that, he waved his hands and Zach's jaw dropped as the thousands of lights became apparent to him.

"Oh!" he said.

Alice placed a hand on the edge of the table and scooped up a handful of the lights. He held them under Zach's nose. "Flamers. Their role is to illuminate the darkness. You only have to ask."

Zach stared at the little cluster of glowing spheres. "Are they alive?"

Aiden lifted one between his thumb and forefinger and squinted at it. The freckles on his cheeks sparkled and the flamer responded. Its light became more intense and then further flamers appeared all over his hand, as if he was wearing a gauntlet made of light.

Zach picked up a flamer. Like a popping bubble the thing disappeared. He picked up another and the same thing happened. He looked at Aiden who now had lights all across his shoulders and along the top of his head. "They obviously like you, Aiden."

Scarlet and Nat giggled.

Aiden grinned. "They're quite lovely."

Mr White's hands too were covered in the lights and several had moved to decorate his shoulders and hair.

"Alice, Dierne, we need to continue." Mr Duir stood.

Dierne flitted to the centre of the table and hovered above them all. Alice winked at Seb and joined him. Then they darted off in opposite directions, beginning a crazy circling above the centre of the table. The blur of their paths remained in the air, leaving a trail marking their flight – one green, one green tinged with yellow. Within minutes the trails merged and moved upward, forming a column. As the column of colour neared the high ceiling the Dryads stopped but the trail remained.

Mr Duir lifted his left hand. Reflecting light from the window on the lines on his palm and shining it on the column he said, "Torhtian nú!"

The column of green flattened, the top slamming to the base with a loud crack, to become a solid disc of shining metal, hovering above the wooden table. Then the disc flipped upright, displaying a perfect circle, like a huge, green mirror bordered in glistening yellow, hanging in the air.

Seb could see his own astonished face reflected back at him. The mirror began to spin. Completing a full revolution, it spun again, faster. The spinning continued until mirrored surface and edge were a blur, like a spinning coin, until it spun so fast as to create the illusion that it had stopped ... and Seb was once more staring at his own face.

Miss West was still behind Zach. She now held a staff, very like Zach's rowan stick but shorter. Seb wondered whether Zach's stick was still digging into the earth above the hole that led to the cavern of the Five Springs.

Miss West spoke, "You have now formed the group you were born to be part of. Each of you has a role." She pointed the tip of the staff towards Nat, "Sensor." Then Scarlet, "Seer." She indicated Aiden, "Guide." Then the stick moved to Zach, "Guardian." She pointed to Alice, "Weaver." And finally she thrust it towards Seb, "Custodian." She strode to the end of the table. "You are the next generation, the ones to take on the responsibility of overseeing the _passage of all souls."_

Seb looked into the mirror as his eyes were drawn to a shadow forming in it.

"Let us look at some of the things your group will have to contend with," Miss West said.

Within the mirrored surface, the dark area took on a recognisable form. Galloping towards them was a massive, black stallion, its eyes glowing a demonic red. It tossed its head in a crazed fashion and froth and spittle sprayed from its mouth. Its muscles rippled, its mane flew, its hooves, the size of dinner plates, pounded, eating up vast tracts of invisible land as it tore towards Seb. He leant back in his seat and Nat did the same as Aiden whimpered. Zach stood, stepping away from the table.

Miss West spoke in a calm voice, "Sit, Zach. This is merely an image. This is a gytrash or shagfoal, cousin to his watery friend the kelpie, or bækhest."

The image changed. Still horse-shaped, its skin now looked like rubber and its mane, dripping with water, was entwined with water weeds. The glowing red eyes did not alter.

"Whatever name it has been given through the centuries, in whatever country, it is the same thing. It is a trespassing spirit, or _soul."_ She spoke forcefully, "Every one of us has a soul, an essence beyond the shell of our flesh. That is not religious theory; it is _fact._

"Greg has spoken to you of ley lines, explaining that they are not just an imprint of what has gone before, but are a _path_ for the travel of souls."

Seb was spooked. The cheerful glowing of the flamers could not brighten the eerie creepiness in the room.

"Human souls travel eternally backwards and forwards, visiting this existence again and again, experiencing, learning, growing ..." she glared at Zach who watched her, a cynical grin on his face, "... but some souls are not satisfied with waiting for their time; they seek to return when _they_ choose not when Nature dictates." Her body stiffened with outrage. "All souls must obey the laws of their existence. They travel at the time appointed by Nature and they return at the demise of their host body. They _must not break that law!"_ She fell silent.

Zach decided that was his cue. _"Who_ decides when they can come and go? Assuming of course we believe in this theory of reincarnation of yours." He sounded rude again. Miss West looked ready to launch herself at him.

Mr Duir rose from his seat. "Trudy, if I may?" She gave a stiff-shouldered nod. "Zach, you will soon learn this is not a theory and as we move on you will view and witness in all its magnitude the reality you doubt and denigrate now. At the moment we need you to simply listen and keep an open mind," Mr Duir said. "We are six who have carried the responsibility for maintaining the balance of life for a span of time you would not comprehend and we will not hand over the mantle until you are all ready. But you are now a group who will share our responsibility and you need to listen and learn."

#  Souls and Trespassers

"Let us start at the beginning. Trudy ..." Mr Duir nodded to Miss West who lifted her staff and tapped the mirror. The vision of the galloping kelpie disappeared.

Mr Duir placed a hand on Seb's shoulder. "Seb, as Alice advised you before, you must concentrate on just one reality; if you do not, you will see everything at once."

He addressed the others. "The world you perceive is only one _small_ part of a wider existence. There are so many other realities you habitually disregard."

Seb thought back to the throng in the cavern, the mass of people and creatures and suddenly he was surrounded. Between his friends and the teachers, above, below and even occupying the spaces inside them were hundreds of strange creatures: creeping horse-shaped ones; flapping, flying ones; some grotesque, others cute; fairies flitting; darker shapes slithering – a crowd of indescribable strangeness.

_Just us, no other humans!_ Seb realised as he closed his eyes.

"What's wrong, Seb?" Scarlet noticed him, eyes squeezed shut, breathing heavily.

"He sees it all, Scarlet. He will reveal some of it to you in time, but for now _he_ sees it all and has to learn to accept."

Mr Duir addressed Seb. "Seb, once you _accept,_ these things will only appear when you choose. But you have to accept _everything_ that is around you."

And suddenly Seb understood. _They are always here! That's what he's saying. I just never noticed them. Never knew!_ He felt himself calm down and opened his eyes, smiling.

"I get it," he said quietly. "They're always here!" He looked at Mr Duir who nodded.

"Who are?" Scarlet looked around.

"Scarlet I can see it _all."_ He watched a fairy land on Scarlet's head and begin stroking the strands of her hair. He reached out. The fairy hopped onto his hand. He brought it down and stuck it under Scarlet's nose. She frowned.

"What, Seb?"

_She can't see it!_ "You must see it ..." He thrust his hand towards her and a dusting of silver sparkles floated through the air. Aiden let out a sigh. "They are _always_ here, Scarlet, all the creatures; we just don't see them."

Scarlet and Nat smiled at the little creature sat cross-legged on Seb's palm. Zach looked around, frowning and raised his eyebrows as he saw many fairies in various locations within the room.

Mr Duir picked up a flamer. It didn't disappear.

"There are so many things that over the centuries humans have simply learned to ignore. You will all now see them, but only what your gifts require or Seb enables you to."

"Why Seb?" Zach was put out.

Miss West snapped, "Because he is The Custodian and you are merely The Guardian!"

"Just asking," Zach said quietly. A fairy dropped onto his hand and his features softened as the little being turned a somersault in mid-air.

"Trudy, the gytrash once more, please," Mr Duir said.

Miss West raised her staff and tapped the mirror. The black stallion reappeared.

"As Trudy told you, we all have a soul which is bound by the rules of Nature to travel to the physical world at its due time and live a finite span in this reality. That too is true of the souls of fairies and Dryads , though theirs is a slightly different tale. When the soul is not in the physical world it goes to a place at the centre of all realities – Áberan. Here it enters a dormant, resting phase where it reflects on its experiences. This enables the soul to grow, just like your night-time sleep helps you make sense of the events of your day."

Looking at the gytrash, Seb found that if he focused on something specific the other creatures around him became ghostly, almost invisible forms.

"When Nature dictates, souls travel along the ley lines, the paths between the different realities, to enter a new body – their physical shell. When that host body dies, they return via the ley lines to Áberan." Seb saw Mr Duir make a quick movement with his left hand. A minute shower of sparkles fluttered around his arm and then vanished and a moment later The Caretaker stepped from behind the mirror and joined Miss West, standing beside Zach, who dropped his head and mumbled something incoherent.

Zach flinched as The Caretaker placed an object on the table in front of him. His head jerked up as he recognised the rowan stick and made a grab for it. "Thanks," he smiled.

"Caretaker, thank you," Mr Duir said.

The Caretaker nodded, said nothing and walked around the table. Mr Duir raised his hand and sparkles danced again. Seb leant round to see behind the mirror just in time to watch a door fizzle out of view in the bookcase at the far end of the room. The Caretaker was gone.

"Given that some of you still struggle to accept, we will continue nevertheless." Mr Duir nodded to Trudy West.

She tapped the mirror again and now she spoke. "The laws of transition _must not be broken_ and it is the purpose of your group to police those laws.

"The sad fact is that some souls are not satisfied with waiting their turn; they crave the physical sensations of this life and become impatient to return." She pointed to the charging stallion. "What you see here is a trespasser – a soul that has decided to ignore Nature and has sought a return to this world _before_ its time. Trespassers may take other forms, such as the Fiskerton Phantom, the Beast of Bodmin, and the Beast of Exmore," as she spoke the image changed first to a huge bear, then to a panther-type cat, "or the Barghest or Black Shuck," and now the image became a massive dog, the same demonic red eyes staring ferociously at Seb. He gasped as he recognised the dog he had seen at Waulud's Bank and lurched back in his seat. He felt the weight of Mr Duir's hand on his shoulder calming him.

"These are _not_ fictional beasts," Miss West said. "These are the husk bodies of animals, overtaken and warped by human souls trespassing against Nature's law. "Throughout centuries these beasts have been seen by the unwary and some trespassers have achieved their aims with devastating consequences."

Aiden asked nervously, "What _aims?"_

"To take over a human host. Watch!" She touched the screen with her staff. It panned back, the hound now became a silhouette in the distance, its glowing eyes barely visible. A man wandered into view in the foreground.

Dressed in fancy hillwalking gear, he was reading a map by the light of a small head torch. It was dusk and a slight mist wove its way between gorse bushes and clumps of heather, hovering just above the surface of the soggy ground, obscuring the path. He trod carefully as he struggled to see the track and keep within its bounds.

The squelch of the man's footsteps and his laboured breathing could be heard. Then he glimpsed the red eyes, which gleamed like a welcoming light in a cottage window. He turned and took a tentative step from the track, then another. The red points of light grew and the man seemed to become determined. He stepped firmly towards the lights.

He was now a good twenty feet from the path and darkness swallowed the scenery around him as dense clouds scudded across the sky, obscuring what little moonlight there was.

Suddenly the red lights disappeared. The man stopped abruptly. He turned in a circle, disoriented. He glanced at the map then seemed to realise how futile that was since he now couldn't tell which direction he had come from.

Seb was transfixed and then he noticed Mr Duir lower his head and close his eyes as if the image was too painful for him to watch.

Seb looked back at the screen. The man, his face contorted with uncertainty and fear, jumped in response to a faint sound – drumming footfalls.

From his left a dark shadow loomed and for a split second the torch beam illuminated the hound as it pounced. The man fell to his knees and gave a horrified, fearful cry as the weight of the beast knocked him to a prone position, his face pressed into the cloying mud.

The great dog stood astride the man and lifted its face skyward. Then the beast jerked and, as if being jettisoned, a wisp of white swirling mist poured out of its chest, curling around the back and shoulders of the poor man who lay motionless. The white mist dissolved into his torso and the hound's body crumpled as though the moisture and essence of it were draining away. In seconds the mist had entirely disappeared into the man's body and the large dog's carcass fell to the side, lifeless.

Another second passed and then the man stood up. He made half-hearted efforts to brush the mud from his clothing and then strode towards the track, confident of his direction now. The only sign that anything had happened was the mud still clinging to his face and the front of his jacket.

Seb heard Mr Duir exhale and, as if to distract Seb, Miss West planted herself in front of him. "The aim of these souls, Seb, is to come to this reality when _they_ choose ... and they need a _host_ body!" She snapped the point of her staff onto the wooden floor.

Drawing a deep breath, Mr Duir stood. Dierne launched into the air to hover beside him. Accompanied by his own reflection and the fluttering Dryad he walked around the table.

"They need a host body," he repeated the words. "That is just the beginning." He sounded downhearted, defeated. "Once that aim is achieved all manner of suffering will follow.

"Seb," he turned to look at Seb, his face sad. "What you saw at Waulud's Bank was a trespassing soul that had been unable to find a human host. The aim of these errant souls is to trespass at the point of birth, at the start of a human life if possible, but if they cannot then they must take whatever form they can. Temporarily some take over an animal host."

Miss West tapped the mirror and the image disappeared.

Mr Duir continued, "For a trespassing soul to inhabit the body of an animal is a cursed existence. The soul suffers exposure to the puerile, unimaginative outlook of the animal, twinned with it for sometimes months, years even. The animal's body will live for many more years than its natural lifespan, the energy force of the human soul extending its physical capabilities. So effectively the soul has brought about its own entrapment.

"But taking on an animal host now enables the soul to travel beyond the limitations of the ley lines and it can then hunt for a suitable _human_ host and, as you have just seen, it will wait for a chance to leave the animal host and take over a human one.

"However it is unusual for a trespassing soul to enter an adult host. If they embed themselves within the body of a baby or a young child they are stronger and can completely dominate the soul within. Sometimes they are even strong enough to _force out_ that soul. But to take over an adult host means vying with a soul that has reached an awareness of their own being, their own identity, in this life. Often the result is such a conflict that the behaviour of the individual, with two occupant and battling souls, becomes so strange that either society rejects them – and institutionalises them – or the life of the host is brought to a premature end." Mr 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. Another 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 negative. Scarlet and the others didn't seem bothered by the responsibility they had just assumed, but then they weren't haunted by the numerous other-worldly magical beings he could see.

He wandered over to sit on the comfy, cushioned seat below the window. The shapes and forms were still milling around but barely perceptible, like vaporous, hazy suggestions. Only when he looked intently at one did it manifest into a tangible form.

"You're a cheery companion." Alice sat on the cushion beside him.

"I am not sure I am up to this," Seb spoke quietly so the others wouldn't hear.

"I'm not sure you are either." Alice didn't look at him. Seb felt hurt; he had hoped for reassurance.

"So why me, then?" He tried not to sound defensive.

"Who knows? Maybe you did something in a previous life that marked you out as an ideal candidate," Alice grinned. "Or maybe because you are so _devilishly handsome!"_ He nudged Seb, laughing.

Seb found it hard to comprehend that he had lived previous lives, previous existences to this. He found the thought uncomfortable and put it to the back of his mind.

"It's weird: if I stop concentrating, all the creatures don't come flooding back now," he said.

"Well, you're making progress then. Once you accept, believe, your mind is able to take them for granted, so you have to concentrate on them to see them."

Seb shrugged, rubbing his tingling palm, not sure he really understood.

"Well, it's home time." Scarlet sounded light-hearted as she put her coat on.

Seb rose to join her but immediately shrank back as a vast patch of blackness appeared yards in front of him. Scarlet screamed as the blackness took on the shape of the ogre and Alice said, "It came back much quicker."

Zach leapt onto the table, ran its length and jumped over ten feet to land in front of Seb. He lunged forward, preparing to strike the beastly shape, his fists clenched in front of him like a boxer.

Nat shouted, "Zach, no! It's not bad."

"What are you talking about?" Zach yelled. He stood, his body braced, but didn't strike.

"Just that I can _feel_ it's not bad. It doesn't mean harm, Zach. It is just really," she paused, _"sad."_

"It's attacking Seb. I can get it!" Zach took two steps forward and the ogre took one backward.

From nowhere Miss West appeared to the side of the ominous shape, holding two staffs, Seb noticed.

"Listen to your sensor," she called to Zach.

"You are scaring it, Zach!" Nat shouted.

"Me, scaring it?" he yelled, but didn't move and relaxed his hands.

Nat spoke more quietly, "It's scared."

Looking at the black shape, Seb noticed it was dithering. It looked like it wanted to turn back but couldn't and was too afraid of Zach to move forward.

Zach dropped his hands. "Okay," he said and Miss West nodded at him.

Suddenly the light in the room became piercingly bright. Instantly the ogre reacted: turning, it moved a few paces to Seb's right and then sank into the floor. As it vanished Seb could now see Mr Duir with Dierne and Mr West, standing by the door within the bookshelf.

Miss West tossed Zach's stick through the air. Zach reached out and caught it. Then to Seb's astonishment he walked across, held the stick out to her and said, "Actually I am not that bothered about this thing." She didn't reply but also did not take the stick from his outstretched hand. "I want you to teach me." She still said nothing, just regarded him impassively with her purple-black eyes. "I want you to _want_ to teach me," Zach said.

Mr West clapped his hands. "Trudy, my sister, that's as much as you're going to get!"

Trudy nodded, still staring at Zach. "I want you to _listen!"_ She sounded harsh.

Zach nodded. "I can do that." He lifted the stick, offering it afresh to her. She pushed it back towards him.

Zach spoke and Seb cringed, "You have to admit though, it _is_ bigger than yours." He twirled the stick.

"Zach ..." Scarlet shouted, but Seb could see a faint smile on Miss West's face.

Mr West laughed and slapped his sister on the shoulder. "He reminds me of someone!" The smile disappeared and she frowned at her brother.

Ignoring the interchange, Mr Duir walked to the spot where the ogre had vanished. Mr White, emerging through the door, joined him, flamers gathering on his head as he did. He placed a scrawny hand in his trouser pocket and produced a tin, very like Aiden's. Popping the clasp he gazed into it. Aiden gravitated towards him.

Noticing him, Mr White beckoned. "You must learn." He pointed to Aiden's pocket. "Yours?" Aiden took his own tin out. "Aiden, you are the Guide. You find the paths, you locate the doors and, occasionally, you lock them." Aiden looked eager. "Open it." The old man pointed to the tin. Aiden clicked the clasp and the lid sprang up. His face was instantly bathed in pink light.

Craning his head over Aiden's shoulder, Seb was disappointed; all he could see were five ripe rowan berries and the reflection of Aiden's face.

Zach complained, "Aiden, we're so over that surprise. More berries, woo-hoo!"

Aiden turned to him, smiling. "Zach, it's not the berries. Can't you see? It's a map!"

Zach yanked Aiden's wrist, pulling the mirror up to his own face.

"Nope, a handsome dude and five disgusting berries is all I can see." He thrust the compact back towards Aiden who smiled.

"It's a map." He looked up at Mr White. "These pink lights ... that's all of us?" The teacher nodded. "Oh, except Seb." Aiden looked at Seb. "He's blue and," Aiden turned slightly, "so is Mr Duir. The Dryads are green." He peeked over the tin lid and smiled at Alice.

"Why do they get to be cool colours and I'm pink?" Zach moaned. Miss West tutted.

"These are doors," Aiden poked a finger at the tin, "the white ones?"

Mr White nodded again. "They open to other places within this world, but can also lead to the worlds between, the other realities and— " he stopped, to give more gravitas to his words, "occasionally to Áberan." He continued, his voice a dreary monotone, "When the passages are used by those who are forbidden we have to lock a door."

"And this ogre thing, it's not allowed to use the passages. We get it!" Zach spoke for the others. "But I thought you said souls used the ley lines to move about."

Mr Duir answered, "They do, in their natural travelling to and from Áberan. These passageways and doorways are for _our_ use. But those who seek to trespass will use them if they can and sometimes they are used by those who have no choice." He spoke to Aiden, "You must close the door."

Mr White mumbled something into Aiden's ear and now Aiden pressed the mirrored inside of the tin. It clicked then dropped down. On the back surface was a rim about two millimetres high which formed a shallow container in which was a pile of dark brown dust.

" _What_ is that?" Zach said, disgusted.

"Rowan seeds," Aiden answered, smiling. "I've been grinding them down into a powder."

"Now why on earth would you want to do that and when did you find that secret bit of your compact?" Zach was annoyed.

Aiden just widened his smile. "I know that rowan provides protection. I thought the seeds would come in useful but got too many, so ground them into powder."

"Quite the little chemist." Scarlet was impressed.

"Use it now Aiden," Mr Duir instructed as Nat fidgeted.

"I can feel it again," she said, and Mr West nodded.

"Aiden," Mr Duir said more urgently. "Lock the doorway."

Taking a pinch of the powder Aiden looked to Mr White. The teacher pointed at the floorboards. Seb took a step back in shock. Within the floorboards was a doorway, complete with silver knob. He realised Mr Duir had lifted his hand and was reflecting light from the window off his birthmark onto the area indicated by Mr White. As Aiden raised his hand the knob began to twist. A crack appeared and the door began to open inward.

"Now please, Aiden," Mr Duir pressed.

Aiden sprinkled the powder, letting the fine dust fall onto the oak boards. Mr White spoke one word: "Seolh."

As the dust motes landed and the word left his lips, there was a loud clang; the door slammed shut and disappeared.

#  A Quiet Word

The teachers had refused to discuss anything more in the library, ushering the group out and homeward. Seb smiled as he walked to the car, Alice still by his side.

"Something funny?" Alice asked.

Seb shrugged, not daring to speak. Alice swooped in front of him bringing them all to a halt.

"What are we stopping for?" Scarlet asked Alice.

"Scarlet, people will think you're mad. You're talking to thin air. They can't see him!" Seb hissed at her.

She laughed. "What do I care?"

"All the same, Scarlet," Zach joined Seb's side, "you'll make people look!"

"Okay, so we blank you in public?" She frowned at Alice.

"You could try speaking without moving your lips." Alice laughed at their puzzled faces. "I mean, it's not so difficult ..." he continued but Seb saw no movement of his mouth.

"Well, there you have it," Zach spread his arms and leant his head back to laugh, "the Dryad is telepathic too!"

"Not quite," Alice let them walk on. "I can't read your thoughts. I can only hear you if you _speak_ to me."

"Confused," Zach said.

"I can only hear words you intend me to hear, not your thoughts. You have to form the _intent_ to speak, but then not actually say the words."

"Mm." Zach sounded sceptical but obviously tried it since Alice now zoomed up to stand on his shoulders. Zach gave a blusterous laugh.

Scarlet looked annoyed. "Ridiculous! Childish," she moaned.

"But effective." Zach laughed back at her. "I love this Dryad!"

Alice flitted down and his words reached somewhere into Seb's head. "What's the problem, Seb?"

Without moving his lips, Seb voiced his own reply in his head, "Are you sure you can't read our thoughts?"

"Why, are you thinking nasty things about me?" Alice replied to Seb's mind.

"Not recently, no," he smiled. "Can the others hear me too?"

Alice laughed. "Can you hear your sister? She is barraging me with questions at the moment."

Seb shook his head. "What's she asking you?"

"Now, Seb, that would be a betrayal if I told you."

"Why, is it insulting?"

"No, it's just that you all have to be able to trust that if you say something to me I won't repeat it to anyone else unless you ask me to. Just a second, Seb; I can't deal with you _and_ your sister's incessant chatter."

"How can we speak to you one at a time if we can't hear if the others are talking to you?" Scarlet said out loud.

"Don't know. Hadn't expected you all to talk so much! In case you hadn't noticed, Aelfric and his group aren't so chatty. Guess I'll just have to tell you to shut up if I need to." Alice smiled sweetly at her.

Reaching the car they all hovered about, reluctant to leave.

"That's it for the weekend, then," Zach said grumpily and kicked a stone into the undergrowth.

"Suppose so." Scarlet was downcast.

"What if something happens over the weekend?" Aiden looked worried.

"Open a door." Alice's simple response surprised them all. He laughed at their expressions. "You really are novices, aren't you? Seriously, separation is only a point in space. It means nothing to you. The Five Springs to the library! How did you manage that then?" He was still laughing when Seb's mum opened the car window.

"Come on, you two; it looks like another storm is coming. How was your trip?" Glancing at the mud covering Seb's shoes and trousers she said nothing more.

Waving to their friends, Seb and Scarlet jumped into the car. Alice had disappeared. As soon as they got home Seb was ordered to _strip and dip._ Scarlet followed him upstairs as he peeled his uniform off and clambered into the shower. Even the sight of him naked and muddy didn't persuade her to leave him in peace. She jabbered on over the sound of the running water. "It's all so amazing, don't you think, Seb?"

He ignored her, watching the silt-filled water spiral from his toes down the plughole. A few hazy shapes swirled around in the shallow rivulets at his feet. Curious, he focused on them, then wished he hadn't; they solidified into squat, pebble-shaped, jelly-textured creatures. Only about a quarter of an inch high and an inch in diameter, they were almost all mouth. Seb shifted his feet, trying to avoid coming in to contact with them. He tried telling himself they had always been there; he had just been ignorant of them so he should shower as normal. It didn't help. One, undulating like a jellyfish, opened its mouth as if about to attach itself to his big toe. He leapt to the other end of the shower cubicle.

Scarlet was still talking. "The Five Springs, the fairies, oh, and when Alice appeared, well – he's amazing. Shame he has to look like you ..." She stopped rambling as his shoulders hit the shower door.

"What _are_ you doing, Seb?" She tapped annoyingly on the Perspex. "Stop messing around." She slid the door open and thrust her head into the confined space. "Seb!"

He rounded on her. "If you must know Scarlet, I am trying to stop these jelly-mouth things from eating my toes!" He stared at the water in the shower basin.

"What are you talking about?"

"I thought you were supposed to be able to _see,"_ Seb shouted. Then he waved his hand in the direction of the nearest soggy mouth-thing. "Look!" A flurry of silver sparks dusted the moist air.

"Eeoou!" Scarlet yelled, leaning back from the cubicle.

"Well, you asked," Seb said, stepping out onto the mat and grabbing a towel.

" _What_ are those?" She screwed her nose up then stared at him in disgust. "Did they come off _you?"_

"No they didn't!" he said, shuddering and shutting the cubicle door.

There was a ripple of laughter behind him and Seb turned to see Alice in hysterics. He quickly held the towel in front of him.

"Is there no privacy? It's bad enough I have to put up with my sister, but you too?"

"Oh shut up, Seb." Scarlet was gingerly opening the shower door.

"What are you doing? Don't open it!" He slammed it shut.

"Well you can't leave the shower running all night ..."

Seb stared down at the greenish-brown creatures. They were now crowded around the plughole, shovelling water into their huge mouths with stumpy protrusions that stuck out from their sides, making revolting slurping sounds every now and then.

"They are gross!" Seb said.

"No, they are _loachers."_ Alice hovered beside the cubicle. "Actually, I find them quite cute. What's the biggy, Seb? You've bathed and showered with them _all_ your life. Why so squeamish now?"

"Well I didn't know they were _there_ all my life," Seb retorted, drying himself roughly and stomping to his room.

Scarlet, tutting, opened the cubicle door and turned off the water.

Seb put on clean clothes as Scarlet and Alice joined him.

"Can you get your gadget," he said to Scarlet. "I want to do some research. Aiden seems to know so much because he reads about fairies and pixies and rowan trees. Maybe if I look stuff up I'll stop being so totally confused."

"You won't find the answers on a computer, Seb, you will find them by just opening your mind and seeing and feeling what is around you," Alice explained.

Seb got annoyed. "Mr Duir said my role is to prevent trespassing souls from travelling here when they're not supposed to. I _haven't a clue_ how I do that. The ogre, for example – what is it and why does it keep coming after us? It's all very well that I can now see lots of beasties and creatures I couldn't see before, but I have no idea which ones are good and which are bad. I'm sorry, yes, I am sorry that I doubted _you_ but believing doesn't seem to stop me being just so confused and absolutely clueless!

"When Aiden asked you what we should do if something happens you said _'Open a door.'_ Well how on earth do we do that? Everyone is telling us stuff but no one is _teaching_ us stuff!" With that he plonked onto the bottom bunk with such a look of desolation on his face Scarlet couldn't help herself. She dashed over, sat beside him and laughed.

"You really are so negative, Seb Thomas. What you ignore are all the positives. It's amazing what we're involved in, and the most important thing Mr Duir said was, _We will not hand over the mantle until you are all ready,_ or did you forget that bit? They aren't just going to let us fend for ourselves. Have you not noticed that whenever something _scary_ happens the teachers appear and save the day?"

Seb realised Scarlet was right. Actually, it was Mr Duir; whenever the ogre appeared, when the gytrash attacked, Mr Duir always arrived just in time.

"I think you'll find that I was involved on occasion too." Alice grinned, whizzing over to join them. "Seb, how did you learn to speak?" Seb stared at him. Alice asked again, "How did you learn to speak? Did your mother sit you down every day and say, ' _Now I'm going to teach you some new words_ '? "

Seb got the point. He had learned language simply by being exposed to it; he was never _taught_ to speak.

"These teachers, mentors if you like, will _help_ you learn, not through lessons but through experience. Your mind has been opened, thank goodness ... it took long enough. So now you can watch, experience, learn and do!" Alice flitted to the rain-spattered window. The room had become dark and full of brooding shadows.

Seb mumbled, "We need the light on."

Alice turned. "And?"

Seb felt a bit foolish as he spoke, "Flamers, please."

As if he had flicked a light switch, hundreds of tiny glowing orbs appeared. The whole room lit up in a comforting glow.

"Clever old you!" Scarlet reached for a couple of flamers beside her. When they popped and disappeared, she slumped. "How come Aiden gets to hold them?"

There was a sudden bang as The Taz shoved the door open so hard it hit the wall and he ran into the room.

"Mum's lighting the bog burner!" He was so excited. The log burner had lain idle since February so this was the first lighting since spring.

"It's a _log_ burner!" Scarlet laughed, correcting him. He ran round the room shouting, "Bog burner! Bog burner" then out again. He could be heard bumping down the stairs shouting, "Can I light a match?"

Looking happily at the flamers, Seb had a real feeling of achievement. Maybe all this wouldn't be so hard. His palm was throbbing slightly and he rubbed it. Lifting his hand he stared at the interlinking lines in the skin. He suddenly got a feeling of foreboding but couldn't quite grasp why.

Alice noticed he had gone quiet. "What, Seb?"

Seb looked at him. "It's throbbing, my hand. It does it sometimes ..." he paused, uncertain.

"When?" Alice's look was intense.

"Oh, I don't know." Seb tried to be nonchalant. "Often. I get tingling, pins and needles but ..."

"But?" Alice urged him.

"Does it matter?" Scarlet asked.

"Seb knows it does!" Alice was still staring at him. "The ancient wisdom says the Custodian is able to tell when there is an interruption in the balance of all things when a soul disrupts the harmony. They are given a sign." He took hold of Seb's wrist. "A sign ..."

"Well, Seb?" Scarlet's eager eyes went from Seb to his hand and back. _"Well,_ when does it happen?"

Seb never got to answer. There was a sudden burst of heat in the room, a searing heat that seemed to strip all the oxygen from the air in an instant, leaving Scarlet and Seb gasping for breath.

A thought flitted through Seb's mind before he lost consciousness: that his mum had overdone the lighting of the log burner and a fireball had engulfed the house.

#  New Rooms

Seb became aware of muffled voices and a regular beeping sound. His chest felt tight and as he drew in a breath the air stung his lungs. He coughed. The voices silenced. He realised he was half-lying down and could feel something soft beneath him. He had something cutting across the top of his nose and cheeks and could feel moisture on his upper lip. He opened his eyes cautiously and stared up at a white ceiling and then a face appeared above him. A man's craggy face; not one Seb had seen before.

"Ah, so you are awake, young Sebastian."

The man reached a hand to the wall. Seb heard a short buzzing. His brain registered a few sights, electronic equipment, harsh strip lighting, plastic tubes. Then it dawned on him, _I'm in hospital!_

He bolted upright; the tightness in his chest worsened and brought on a bout of uncontrollable coughing which produced a lot more moisture inside the mask he realised was strapped over his nose and mouth, forcing cool air down his throat.

"Now lie back, young lad. It will be a while before the effects of the smoke fully wear off." The craggy-faced man pushed Seb gently back onto the pillows. "I am Nurse Brandon; I'll be looking after you and your sister for the next few hours. Now, do you want something to drink?"

Seb shook his head. "Where's my sister?" His voice was muffled by the mask.

The nurse smiled and pointed to Seb's left. Scarlet was sitting up in the next bed along, being fussed over by a plump, dark-haired female nurse. She smiled at him.

"What happened?" Seb turned to Nurse Brandon.

"You've had a house fire, my lad. Rather a bad one it seems. You were brought in yesterday evening. You've been sleeping since. I've buzzed for the doctor to come and see you now."

"My Mum? My brother? Are they okay?" Panic hit Seb. They were downstairs ... the fire must have come from the log burner.

"They're fine. Your mum is outside and I am sure she will tell you everything when she comes in, but the doctor needs to see you first," the nurse reassured him.

The door opened wide and a petite female in a white coat, stethoscope hanging from her neck, nimbly crossed the floor to Seb's bedside.

Through the open door he could see his mother standing outside, craning her head to see past the doctor. She gave Seb a relieved nod and smile.

Then he noticed a man, standing opposite his mum. Actually, he could only see his back. There were black, sooty deposits on his grey suit. Before disappearing out of view the man glanced round the doorway – _Mr Duir!_

For the next ten minutes Seb was examined by the doctor while the nurse tapped information into a tablet. Completing the main examination of his chest, nose and throat the doctor glanced at Seb's left hand.

His heart leapt. _I'm in hospital; they will have examined me – all over!_ Guiltily he looked down and noticed his hand was bandaged. He wondered if he had been burned. He couldn't feel any pain and then the nurse touched his shoulder and gave him a wink.

The doctor walked around the bed and lifted his arm. "I didn't see anything in his record about a hand injury." She looked at the nurse.

He smiled congenially at her. "Minor scratch. I thought it was in the notes." He slid his finger across the tablet. "Yes, here it is: _Very minor abrasion to the left palm. Antiseptic cream and dressing applied. No cause for concern or further treatment."_ He twisted the tablet round and flashed it under the doctor's nose.

"Maybe I should take a look," she persisted.

"No need, Dr Chi. I only changed the dressing a few minutes ago. It really is very minor."

The doctor hesitated then nodded. "Very good, nurse. Thank you." She took the tablet and began flicking the screen. "Mm, blood gases show only a slight CO raise. Hyperbaric not required. We will need to monitor overnight for tissue swelling, though." She smiled at Seb. "With no further complications you'll be fit to go in the morning."

_Go where?_ he wondered. Was the house burned to the ground?

The doctor handed the tablet back to Nurse Brandon. "No food for now, though." With that, she left the room.

Seb didn't care for food; his chest still hurt and his mind was mulling over why Nurse Brandon had said nothing about his birthmark. Numerous other people must have seen his hand – ambulance crew, A&E staff, doctors, nurses – did none of them think it strange he had silver lines running through his palm? He wondered if the lines had gone. Maybe they had been burned off in the fire. And _minor abrasions!_ Maybe his hand was scratched so badly they weren't obvious. But it didn't hurt. He was dying to take the bandage off. And then he wondered _had it all been a dream?_ Was he so confused from smoke inhalation that none of the things he had thought so real over the last two weeks had actually happened? Something nagged in his mind; a charred, grey suit. Mr Duir outside the door. Why was he here?

Seb lifted his mask and mouthed to Scarlet, _Mr Duir's here._

"What?" she called across to him, causing Nurse Brandon to notice Seb had lifted his mask, tut, and make him place it back over his mouth and nose.

"It's not just for show, young man! The oxygen will clear the carbon monoxide out of your blood. Unless you are having a drink – and mind you, only a sip at a time – you keep that on, or I'll be taking stern action." This was said with obvious feigned anger and followed by a broad, toothy grin. Seb decided he liked Nurse Brandon.

A few minutes later their mum came into the room. Giving them a hug each she sat on the chair between their two beds.

"Thank goodness you are both okay. The doctor says Seb needs a bit more observation." She turned to him. "You have slight tissue damage to the lining of your lungs and they need to be sure it doesn't swell up, so you have to stay in tonight. "Scarlet," she turned to her, "you'll stay too. Quite frankly it makes sense, since we are actually homeless." She tried to laugh but her voice caught in her throat. "I am just so relieved you are both okay!" Her eyes and nose began to redden and she sniffed.

"Where's The T— Adam?" Scarlet asked.

"With Cousin Sarah. That's where we are going to have to stay until the insurance— " she stifled a snivel.

"Mum," Scarlet said quietly. "It's just a house. We're all okay."

Their mum lifted her chin. "You are absolutely right; the four of us are okay. We have roofs to live under and everything else will work out."

_Roofs?_ A roof, anyway. It would be a real squash at Cousin Sarah's, Seb thought, picturing her little two-bedroom house.

"Thank goodness your head teacher was there. I hate to think what would have happened if he hadn't knocked just at that— " she sniffed.

"What? Why was Mr Duir there?" Scarlet asked, passing a tissue box to her.

"He had come to see if Seb was okay. He felt it was his fault you and Aiden," she turned to Seb, "got stuck in the mud on the trip."

That clinched it for Seb. He hadn't dreamt it all. The storm _had_ happened. It had _all_ happened.

"He said you'd had a bit of a fright since the storm was so ferocious and he felt he should come and apologise for having got separated from you. I thought that was rather nice of him and just as I was inviting him in there was a huge fireball! It swept through the downstairs so suddenly. I've no idea what caused it." She wiped her nose. "Well Mr Duir bundled me and Adam out of the house. Adam had come to the door with me, thank goodness, or he would have been caught up in the— " she dabbed her eyes. Seb and Scarlet just stared at her.

"Anyway, I didn't even have time to panic about you two. Mr Duir had already run into the house and rushed up the stairs. I was still on my mobile to the fire brigade when he reappeared round the side of the house carrying you, Seb, with another of his teachers, Mr White his name was, carrying you, Scarlet. Apparently he dropped you onto the trampoline out of the back bedroom window and called for Mr White to help. I hadn't even noticed that teacher go past me; they said he had been waiting in the car on the road and heard Mr Duir call out. It's all a bit of a blur really but thank goodness for them." She smiled a relieved smile.

"And then Mr Duir organised your coming to this hospital too. It's a private hospital. He said the school faculty has private health insurance and he would arrange your admission here. By rights he should have been checked over too, running through all that smoke, but he says he's fine and really he is a wonder. He's been here, outside your room all night and all day. I had to leave to settle Adam with Cousin Sarah so he said he would stay." She shook her head, amazed.

"Anyway, we can't all possibly fit at Cousin Sarah's house; it's far too small. The fire brigade say it isn't safe for us to go back to our house and the insurance will take a while to provide temporary accommodation."

So where were they going to stay? Seb didn't have to wait long for an answer.

"Well, Mr Duir has been amazing. Apparently there is an old annexe at the school," Seb once more glanced over to Scarlet whose eyes were riveted on his, "and he says you two can stay there. It's so convenient. Some of the staff live there so you won't be alone." She looked from Seb to Scarlet. "Would that be okay, because I'm not going to force you to stay there? I will miss you but Cousin Sarah's house is so small ..."

Seb wanted to shout: _No, that's not okay!_

"Mum, of course it's okay. Me and Seb will be fine, won't we Seb." Scarlet said.

He frowned at her. Aware his mum was now turning to check with him, his conscience got the better of him. He knew it would be one less concern for her, but living at the school! All the same, he nodded and his mum gave him a big hug.

"Thank goodness for that. I just think it will work for everyone." She smiled.

_Work for who?_ Seb thought.

#  The Annexe

Their mum left for a dash to the local superstore. Promising to come back first thing with clothes for them she gave them a hug and rushed out.

Mr Duir had never come into the hospital room. The one glimpse of him was all Seb had got.

"What do you think started the fire?" Scarlet said as soon as they were alone.

Seb shrugged. House fires happened all the time, didn't they? Who knew what caused any of them? He closed his eyes.

"I wonder what time they turn the lights out," he mumbled.

"Seb, your hand was throbbing ... just before the fire."

He tried to ignore her. "I need sleep."

"You've been sleeping for nearly twenty-four hours," she said, astounded. "I just wonder if Alice was right, about the sign. Where is he anyway?"

Seb opened his eyes. He hadn't even thought about Alice. He was momentarily concerned ... fires and trees don't mix. As if waiting for them to notice his absence, Alice swooped down through the ceiling.

"You called?" He smiled.

_I didn't!_ Seb thought, then Scarlet answered, "Yes, I was worried about you."

"You care, that's nice," he beamed and perched on her bed.

"That was all very scary, Seb, no?" He rustled.

Seb hadn't had time to be scared; he had simply woken up in hospital.

"Did you see what happened?" he asked.

"Well I saw you both fall to the floor. Aelfric ran up the stairs and he and Mr White took you through a door to the garden."

Seb was a bit confused. "From the bedroom? That was risky, taking us back downstairs."

"No, Seb. A _door_ ... in the wardrobe."

"That is _so_ fantastic!" Scarlet was sitting up, eyes wide. "Can they open these doors anywhere?"

Seb was starting to wonder that too.

"No." Alice zoomed over to the vital signs monitor. "Has to be through wood, plant, water, places of sacred worth – like fairy rings or certain sacred stone – anywhere that has something like that around."

He tapped the monitor. "So you are both staying here for the night?"

Scarlet nodded. "And then we're going to stay in an annexe at the school. Apparently we can't go back to our house."

"No, you should see it, just a charred shell. The fire was ferocious. It didn't spread to next door, though." Alice hopped onto Seb's bed. "Your birthmark Seb, it was throbbing just before the fire?" he asked.

Seb ignored him, shutting his eyes again.

"I asked him that too. Was it a warning?" Scarlet asked.

"Seb, just before the fire ..." Alice pressed.

"It was just a house fire," Seb said slowly.

"Have you heard of salamanders?" Alice asked. "Salamanders, Seb – fire spirits."

Seb gave in. "You're not going to let me sleep, are you?"

Alice grinned, then looked serious. "Seb, salamanders are fire elemental creatures."

"I thought they were lizards," Seb muttered.

"No, _elemental_ salamanders. They're the projection of the _thoughts of a soul_ through a fire." Alice paused.

Seb tried to understand what he was saying. "So our house fire was started by someone's mind?"

"No, a _soul's_ thoughts," Alice explained.

"So not a person alive?" Scarlet was catching on.

"I think souls in a living host can do it too, if they are aware enough," Alice said.

"So now not only do we have to watch out for big black dogs or cats with glowing red eyes, but fires as well?" Seb rubbed his eyes.

"What about water, air?" Scarlet leapt ahead.

"Yes, if they are clever enough some souls can use those too – in the form of winds, storms, tidal waves – but they would have to be really strong ancient souls to do that..." his rippling voice trailed off.

"So are these souls after us?" Seb's voice was far more timid than he had wanted it to be.

"I don't know about souls, maybe just one soul. I really don't know. We should ask Dierne, Aelfric ..."

"Can you," Seb sat upright, "talk to them in your mind?"

"I don't need to," Alice answered and as he did the door opened and Mr Duir walked in, still wearing his charred suit, accompanied by Miss Angel. They each carried a set of clothes and handed them to Scarlet and Seb.

"Get dressed; we leave in five minutes." Mr Duir removed the oxygen mask from Seb's face and turned to Alice. "Go to Heath's. Dierne is waiting."

Alice vanished.

Once dressed, Seb and Scarlet were escorted past the unstaffed ward reception desk and out to a waiting car. Clambering in, Seb gave in to the coughing fit he had been suppressing since he had stepped into the open air. Unable to stop coughing and recalling his mum's words, he became concerned that his lungs were swelling up. Mr Duir, closing his own car door, reached back and placed a hand on Seb's shoulder. Instantly the coughing stopped and Seb breathed deeply, the tightness in his chest gone.

Ten minutes later Mr Duir was manoeuvring the car past the main school gate and along a track that ran through the woodland beside the old school building. The world around them darkened as they went deeper into the woods, then suddenly a cheerful little bungalow appeared in a clearing, a plume of white smoke curling out of a chimney in its thatched roof. It looked how Seb imagined the one in Goldilocks and the Three Bears would look.

They entered via a porch into a large living room where big comfy sofas faced an open fireplace. A huge tapestry hung on the back wall and heavy curtains framed the windows.

Seb came to a stop as he saw the roaring fire, its flames leaping from a pile of logs inside the charred brick alcove.

"It is safe, Seb." Mr Duir nudged him forward to follow Miss Angel and Scarlet into a long, wide back hallway. Lifting the wrought-iron latch on the first door Miss Angel revealed a spiral staircase which she started up, inviting them to follow.

The stairs moaned and creaked with their weight as they climbed two half-circle spirals to a narrow landing. As they walked, flamers ignited ahead of them. What could have been a brooding, dim space was bright and welcoming and Seb felt a little thrill of excitement at the thought of living here.

On either side of the landing was a door.

"These will be your rooms; Seb, you are to the right, Scarlet, to the left," Miss Angel said, then went back downstairs.

Leaving Scarlet to explore her room, Mr Duir led Seb into his room. Seb's jaw dropped as he entered – it was beautiful. To his left the golden evening light flooded through a dormer window. Three beds, all covered in blue and white bed linen which matched the curtains, faced the door. Another door beside a run of wardrobes on the right led to the bathroom. Opposite the beds was a packed bookshelf and some massive beanbag seats. The whole feel of the room was bright and nautical.

Mr Duir closed the latch.

"Seb, it is as well you have come to stay here." Seb tried to read the expression in his eyes; he couldn't. "Tomorrow we will take you to meet a friend. For tonight you will be safe and so will Scarlet."

"What about the fire?" Thoughts of demon salamander souls reaching out with fireballs filled Seb's head.

"Mm, the fire. What do you remember?"

"Nothing. I couldn't breathe then I woke up in hospital."

"And before that?"

"We were talking, then— " he realised Mr Duir's point. "My palm, my birthmark was throbbing and then, well, I couldn't breathe and that was it."

Mr Duir didn't speak.

"Alice said that might be a sign ..."

"Yes." Mr Duir walked over to stare out of the window. Dusk was falling rapidly, the golden hues of sunset spreading colour across the white floorboards. "That is precisely what it is." He didn't turn round. "And you have to learn to interpret it. It informs of good and warns of danger."

"Not much warning if it happens instantly before something bad – how am I supposed to react in time?"

The Head turned, his body thrown into shadow. "With time you will notice it sooner, you will become more attuned. For now it is my role to read the signs, to protect you."

"Is that why you came to our house? Did you know the fire was going to happen?"

"Not specifically that, Seb. It is not as easy as that, but I knew _something_ would happen."

A glint in the floorboard at his feet caught Seb's eye. It looked like a little jewel was embedded within the wood.

Mr Duir carried on talking. "A lot of what you learn will be through experience." Another glint and now Seb realised he could see these little gems throughout the floorboards, in the walls and closet doors too.

"Seb?" Mr Duir was staring at him.

"The floor and walls sparkle," he said, feeling guilty for not paying attention.

"Which is why you are safer here." Seb blinked back at Mr Duir. "What you see are diamonds and aquamarine, two very powerful protective stones. The whole house is embedded with them. It _limits_ the extent to which the elements can be utilised."

Seb's chest felt tight, his throat sore. Mr Duir indicated for him to sit.

"Seb, the fire that engulfed your house was caused by an individual's manipulation of the elements."

As Seb perched on the bed a short coughing fit overtook him. Mr Duir walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder and the coughing stopped.

"Do you remember on the coach when you didn't want to speak with Alice, you were angry, looking out of the window at the mist as the sun evaporated the water?" Seb nodded, remembering the whirling columns rising from the school playground. "Do you remember how the columns of mist vanished when I distracted you?" Seb nodded again trying not to acknowledge the realisation that had just dawned on him. "Anger and hatred, uncontrolled, are powerful emotions but controlled, directed, channelled – they can be devastating!"

"You are saying _I_ made the mist do that? Because I was angry, like I've got some sort of superpower?"

"I am saying you made the mist do that and it is _not_ a superpower. Every human alive does it, they disrupt the fibre of one or more of the elements when they feel something acutely – whether that be hatred, anger, fear, love, happiness, or grief.

"All around us the balance of nature is affected not only by the physical acts of each human, each soul, but by the emotional and mental feelings and desires of the soul. Humans heed only the obvious, physical senses. Most have lost the ability to see the effects of emotional thoughts on the elements."

Seb was horrified. If _he,_ in ignorance _,_ could affect evaporating water droplets just by being angry what could someone who really knew what they were doing accomplish? Well, hadn't he seen that – their house, burned to a charred shell?

Mr Duir continued, "Some, those more aware, can feel, can sense this movement of the elements. You have met people who seem to know instinctively how you are feeling?" Seb instantly thought of Nat. "That ability comes from sensing the elemental changes in the world around the individual, seeing the columns of mist, or the burgeoning of the fire, the strengthening of the wind, the slight vibration of the earth beneath their feet; they feel it all and they can trace its source."

An image of Nat was still in his mind as Scarlet bounded in.

"Oh wow, Seb; I thought my room was fabulous, but yours is too. Mr Duir, thanks for letting us stay. Which teacher will be staying here with us?" Without waiting for an answer she sat on one of the beanbags beside the bookshelf. "Aiden would love this! Look Seb, all these books are about legends, mythological creatures, magic, potions and all sorts – it's like a library designed just for him.

She suddenly turned to Mr Duir. "Does our mum know we are here now? She was coming back to the hospital in the morning ... to bring us some clothes."

Seb realised they hadn't even checked out through the nursing station or reception. _Does anyone know where we are?_

"She does," Mr Duir said, walking to the door. "And actually, she will be here soon, along with a couple of others." He smiled. "It seems that Miss Kitchener's parents were advised today that they have won a spectacular cruise, departing Southampton on Monday for the best part of a month. Somehow," he paused and looked at Scarlet, "they heard that the school is affording you boarding status. They have spoken to Miss Angel and asked if Nat can also stay."

Scarlet leapt up. "Really? Did Miss Angel say yes? Is Nat coming here too?"

Her enthusiasm was infectious. Seb liked the thought that Nat would join them.

"Yes, the school said yes," Mr Duir said. "And what's more, Aiden Lord will also be joining you."

Now Seb was really surprised. "How come? Surely his parents didn't win a cruise too?"

"No. But did you know that Master Lord is a _looked-after_ child?"

Seb didn't.

"We had no idea. I'm sure he's talked about his father ... hasn't he?" Scarlet turned uncertainly to Seb who shrugged.

"He has lived with foster parents in the village for a year, but that family recently discovered they are due to have their own child and gave notice to the local authority that Aiden will need to be rehoused. Strangely enough, the school were notified yesterday in order for us to make allowances for the turmoil this may cause him. We have been in touch with the local authority and the family today to say that we can board Aiden here while a new family placement is found for him."

_It's a Saturday. Offices don't open on a Saturday._ Seb noticed the satisfied smile on Mr Duir's face.

Answering Seb's unasked question he said, "Zach, unfortunately, will not be joining you ... yet." With that he left the room. His footsteps could be heard as he walked back to the creaky staircase and descended.

#  Nearly All Together!

"Well, that's amazing!" Scarlet said as soon as the sound of Mr Duir's footsteps were gone, "Nat and Aiden coming to stay here too." She flopped down on one of the beds.

"Mm, amazing. Like they planned it," Seb said, gazing out of the window.

"You're not suggesting the teachers burned our house down, Seb?" Scarlet laughed. Seb shrugged. "You _are_ suggesting that!" She sat up and stared at him.

"Well, don't you think it's strange Mr Duir arrives just as the fire happens, that they conveniently have an annexe with enough beds to house us all, that Nat's parents conveniently win a cruise and Aiden's— "

"Aiden's foster parents conveniently get pregnant!" Scarlet stood, hands on hips. "Come on, Seb. I doubt the teachers could make _that_ happen!"

Seb shook his head. "I don't know. It's just that it seems so, well ... so planned."

"Maybe it is. Maybe they _do_ have an ability to influence what is happening; maybe they think it would be better to have us all under one roof so they can teach us. Is that so bad?"

At the sound of tyres scrunching on gravel outside Scarlet raced to the window. "It's Nat," she screamed, and bolted for the door.

Seb stood up more slowly and stared out of the window. Dusk had taken its hold on the world outside; all the trees, the woods surrounding the cottage, were gloomily dark. Another car approached. _Mum._

He walked to the door and descended the staircase, reaching the bottom just as Scarlet and Nat unlatched the door. Nat's eyes lit up on seeing him. Scarlet barged past, dragging her by the arm.

"Come on, you _have_ to see our room!"

Nat was carrying a small suitcase and Seb took it from her.

"I'll carry that for you." He smiled, happy to be in her company. He thought back to Mr Duir's reference to souls who could sense people's feelings. He wondered if she could sense his. He knew his heart was beating just a bit faster.

She returned his smile. "Thanks, Seb, I can manage though."

"'Course she can, Seb! Don't be so old-fashioned." Scarlet grabbed the case and handed it back to Nat.

"Kindness will never be old-fashioned, Scarlet," Nat said as Scarlet dragged her up the stairs.

Seb went to greet his mother. He found her sitting in the kitchen, looking haggard. Mr Duir leant against the butler sink watching her and the look of concern on his face convinced Seb that he couldn't possibly have put her through this. But if _he_ hadn't orchestrated the fire then who, or what, had?

"Seb!" His mum stood and put her arms out. He walked over and hugged her. "This cottage is lovely. Are you okay staying here?"

He nodded. "Yes, Mum. And when you see our rooms you'll know that Scarlet is _very_ happy to be here!"

She looked relieved.

Miss Angel placed a cup of tea in front of her just as there was a knock on the front door. Mr Duir excused himself to go and open it.

Taking a seat opposite Seb, Miss Angel pushed a plate of biscuits towards him.

"The caretaker will be here soon, Mrs Thomas, and then you can see if you are satisfied with the arrangements." Miss Angel's sharp eyes flicked to Seb and she smiled a yellow-toothed smile. "You are welcome to drop in to see Scarlet and Seb whenever you like. I would suggest though that you call in advance. The caretaker will take the children on impromptu educational trips."

The sound of muted voices drifted through from the front door as Aiden appeared in the gap between the living room and kitchen, looking a bit worried. Relief washed over his face on seeing Seb.

"Seb, you're here!"

Seb smiled and pulled a stool out for him. He hopped up and looked hopefully at the plate of biscuits. Miss Angel pushed it towards him and he grabbed one.

"We had a house fire," Seb started and Aiden's eyes opened wide. "We're all okay, but we can't stay at home and our cousin's house isn't big enough, so Scarlet and I are going to live here for a while."

"Scarlet's here too?" Aiden was thrilled.

"And Nat ..." Seb began and thought that if Aiden opened his eyes any wider they would pop out of their sockets.

"Nat? Really, Nat too?" Then a thought crossed his mind, "What about Zach, is he staying as well? That'd be so cool."

"No, just us four. I'll explain later." Seb was bursting to tell Aiden about his misgivings of the whole situation – the convenience of it all – but he couldn't say anything in front of his mum or Miss Angel and now Mr Duir was walking back into the kitchen. Aiden's foster father had apparently departed without saying goodbye.

"Well, Master Lord, welcome to the Annexe." Mr Duir smiled and placed Aiden's small rucksack beside his stool.

"So Aiden is going to board too?" Seb's mum sounded pleased.

"Yes, and Nat Kitchener," Miss Angel said, dropping lightly from her stool to get some milk from the fridge. Pouring a cup each for Seb and Aiden she returned to the kitchen's island counter. "Remarkable coincidence. Her parents are off on some cruise – last minute notification as prize winners in a big competition. They apparently heard that your children were going to board here and asked if Miss Kitchener could too."

Seb's mum looked guilty. "Oh, I probably am responsible for them finding that out. I am sorry. I phoned Nat's Mum, Amelia, to see if she had any spare clothes Scarlet could borrow. I had to explain why ..."

"Oh, it's really not a problem, Mrs Thomas." Miss Angel was beaming. "And I will be honest with you; it was I who contacted Aiden's parents. We were aware that he had certain _unique_ circumstances that would require a change of living arrangements in the next few months and just thought it would suit all if he came to stay here now." She looked at Aiden who was nodding enthusiastically.

"I am so pleased. I prefer the idea of Seb and Scarlet having companions, and two such nice children too." His mum looked at Aiden who blushed.

"Good. All sorted then." Miss Angel moved towards the living room. "I think I hear the caretaker."

Sure enough there was the clanking sound of a latch being lifted in the back hallway.

"Seb, why don't you take Aiden up and help him settle in," Mr Duir suggested. Seb led Aiden to the back hall, passing The Caretaker, who nodded to them but said nothing, on the way.

Aiden was chattering excitedly.

"I was really nervous when I was told I was going to board at the school." His freckles picked out the light from the flamers lining the staircase and shone it back onto the jewels encrusted in the walls. "But now I know you guys are here too I am so excited."

"I didn't know you lived with foster parents, Aiden. I am sorry."

"I never like to talk about it. My mum discarded me when I was four. I vaguely remember her. I don't remember or even know who my father is. And I have stayed with lots of different foster families since then. This is about the longest time I have spent with any of them. I'm not sure why none of them seemed to like me enough to want to ..." There was an awkward pause.

"Come on, Aiden. Come and see _our_ room," Seb said. He really didn't know what else to say. Aiden had had a rough time of it and now Seb felt guilty for the resentment he often felt towards Scarlet. He grabbed Aiden's elbow and ushered him up the staircase. "You're going to love what's on the bookshelf – it's like the teachers loaded it especially for you."

Aiden's jaw dropped as he walked into the room. The sky outside was now almost dark. Seb didn't need to flick on the light switch; flamers lit the whole room. The jewels in the floor, walls and doors all sparkled. It looked utterly magical.

He turned to Aiden, whose head now carried a halo of flamers. "Which bed do you want?"

"I really don't mind, Seb. Three of them...?" Aiden left the question hanging.

"Apparently there are only two beds in the girls' room."

Right on cue the door opened and Scarlet bustled Nat into the room.

"Our room sparkles too, Seb! Oh Aiden, hi. So pleased you're here too." Scarlet grabbed his arm. "Look at these." She pushed him down onto one of the beanbags and pulled a couple of books from the shelf, dropping them onto his lap. "Bet you love this collection, don't you?"

Aiden was engrossed in seconds, flicking through the books then examining the other titles on the shelf.

Nat drifted to stand close to Seb and spoke quietly, "Isn't it lovely? Are you happy to be here, Seb?"

He smiled at her. "I am now."

Minutes later their mum came up to see the rooms and Scarlet shot off, with Nat, to give her a grand tour.

"She's so excited," Aiden laughed. "It's infectious."

He got up from the beanbag holding a stack of books and plonked them onto the middle bed. He slipped his shoes off, arranged his pillows against the bedhead and, sitting back, hefted a huge book onto his lap.

"Is that the bed you've chosen?" Seb asked.

"Oh, did you want it, Seb? I'm sorry." Aiden made to move.

"No, I'm happy with this one." Seb bounded onto the one nearest the window and, kicking his own shoes off, lay back with his arms folded behind his head.

He stared at the glittering ceiling.

"Aiden, do you not think it's a bit convenient that we all end up here ... on the same day?"

Aiden grinned, sitting cross-legged like a sparkly-freckled leprechaun. "Yes I do!"

"Yes: our fire, Nat's parents' prize, your foster parents' needing more room— "

"Don't you think it's fantastic?" Aiden's excited reaction wasn't quite what Seb had expected. He thought Aiden, of all people, would worry they were being manipulated. Seb voiced his concerns.

"But how else are they going to help us learn? We can't just do it during school hours; we're all meant to be together, to become the Group that joins Mr Duir and his Group. We can't do that if we go our separate ways every evening and weekend, can we?"

Seb was stunned at how easily Aiden accepted the situation. Glancing at the pile of books on his bed Seb realised that this was probably his friend's dream come true. Just as he, Seb, had used to escape into his own world of books, so Aiden must have been using fairy tales and myths as a retreat, a haven, from his own disrupted and unhappy life. And now a magic wand had been waved and Aiden was living in his haven ... and he seemed happy about it _._ Suddenly Seb felt a growing feeling of excitement.

"What about Zach though?" he asked. "He's meant to be part of the Group."

"I'm sure they'll sort something out," Aiden said with absolute conviction.

#  Sleeping Arrangements

After saying goodbye to their mother Scarlet and Seb joined Nat and Aiden upstairs and unpacked the basic clothing she had provided, Scarlet disapproving of most of it.

The smell of cooking from downstairs made Seb realise he was ravenous. He wondered what time it was; it was now pitch black outside and there didn't seem to be a clock or watch anywhere. He guessed ten o'clock-ish.

"Scarlet, what's the time?" he asked, expecting her to produce her mobile phone, then realised it must have been lost in the fire or left at the hospital with the clothes they had been wearing.

She shrugged. "Dunno, but that smells nice," she said, noticing the delicious smell that now filled the room.

"It does," Aiden agreed. "Do you think it's for us?"

Drawn by hunger, the four stomped back down the stairs. The fire in the living room crackled cheerfully, the front curtains had been drawn and the sofas looked comfortable and inviting. But the kitchen, with the sound of crockery being placed on the island counter and that lovely smell, was far more enticing.

There was no sign of Mr Duir or Miss Angel. The Caretaker, dressed in a lighter blue hoodie now, the hood of which was down, and with long, glossy hair tied back in a low ponytail, stood by the Aga placing cheese on toast on five plates.

"Ah, so you are all hungry!" The Caretaker turned and waved them to the counter then followed them over, handing them each a plate. Seb was starving and gazed at the golden cheese which was still bubbling on the toast. Forgetting his manners and not waiting to be asked he took a huge bite and began crunching happily as The Caretaker placed a pan of milk onto one of the Aga hotplates.

Within minutes, and without conversation, the four of them had cleared their plates and were served with piping hot chocolate, on which The Caretaker had spooned dollops of whipping cream.

"Do take them upstairs with you," The Caretaker said, clearing away and handing Scarlet a biscuit tin.

As they wandered through to the sitting room The Caretaker's voice followed them. "Get some sleep. Wash and dress _before_ you come down for breakfast."

"What time is it?" Seb asked.

"Oh, I thought I said. Bedtime!" The Caretaker moved across to the sink and began washing up.

Hot chocolate way too hot to drink, they got into their pyjamas while it cooled. No one bothered with a shower.

"We were wondering, well ... do you mind if we sleep in here?" Scarlet, now in a onesie, poked her head round the boys' door.

"There are only three beds," Seb stated, not sure he wanted Nat to see him snoring and dribbling during the night and with his bed-hair first thing in the morning.

"We could bring in one of the mattresses from the girls' room," Aiden offered.

"Yay," Scarlet said and disappeared. There was the sound of bumping and the corner of a mattress, sheet still atop it, appeared in the doorway. Aiden grinned, hopped off his bed and helped pull it into the room, laying it on the floor at the foot of the beds. Scarlet dashed back for the bedding and returned with Nat in tow.

"I'll sleep on this one, Nat, if you want the other bed."

Nat smiled and timidly climbed between the sheets, hugging her hot chocolate. Aiden sat on his bed, smiling happily, a sparse covering of flamers on his ears and the top of his head.

"I can't believe I'm having a sleepover! I've never had a sleepover."

"And we have midnight feast supplies!" Scarlet laughed, opening the biscuit tin. They munched, drank and chatted.

Nat and Aiden were filled in on details about the house fire and Scarlet remarked on how amazing it was that the teachers could make doors appear wherever they wanted.

"I don't think it's wherever they want," Aiden said. "I think it has to be through natural materials, like wood. Have you noticed how much wood there is in the rooms and corridors of the school?"

"Aiden," Nat asked, "when you locked the door in the library, could you still see it?"

"Yes," his eyes widened, "but it was red. All the other doors were silvery white. This one turned red straight after."

"But how do the doors get there in the first place, do you think?" Seb asked, brushing crumbs from his pyjama top.

"I think they've always been there; we just can't see them," Aiden said.

Seb shook his head. "That can't be. Alice said Mr Duir and Mr White carried me and Scarlet through a door in the wardrobe in my room. That won't have always been there. I know it's wood, but it's a chopped down tree – they can't simply have been lucky enough that this bit of wood happened to have a door in it!"

"Maybe they were. In the library I could actually see several more doors in some of the walls but also in the space _within the room._ I think they are all around us, even where there are no solid objects and all it takes is for the presence of something natural – a wooden slat, a bush, a tree, a patch of grass, a fountain – and they can be opened. I suppose we could ask the teachers on Monday."

Seb watched a couple of fairies dancing on Nat's knees. She smiled at them then asked, "Where _is_ Alice?"

"Mr Duir told him to go ... to meet Dierne," Seb said.

They all sat in silence for a few minutes, then Scarlet shouted, "You brought your tin Aiden, didn't you? Get it out! Let's see if there are any doors in here."

Aiden reached under his pillow and pulled his tin out. Scarlet bounded onto the bed and squeezed up next to him then patted the bed. "Come on Nat, Seb ..."

Aiden clicked the tin open and all four stared into it.

"I'll be honest," he said shyly, "I tried it when I got home. It didn't work."

All Seb could see in the tin were five berries and their own curious faces staring back at them.

"Well what did you do differently in the library?" Scarlet took the tin from Aiden and examined it.

"Nothing, I just opened it and the lights and lines appeared."

"What was different then ...?" Nat's question hung in the air.

After a moment she suggested, "We _needed_ to see the door."

"Yes, of course. We _needed_ to see, not just wanted to. Maybe that's how it works," Aiden said. He paused, then sounding despondent, added, "If that's right, it means the next time it happens we'll be needing a door, so we'll be in trouble."

"Does it have to be a bad need? Couldn't it be a good need?" Nat asked. "I mean, it would be good if Zach was with us and, actually, to be a group we need him with us. Why don't you try finding a door to Zach?"

"Okay." Aiden sounded uncertain. He opened the tin once more as Seb thought that it would be good if Zach was with them. Then Aiden beamed and Seb's heart leapt. Aiden's face now had a pink glow to it.

"Well?" Scarlet shouted.

"Well," he smiled. "Look!" He pointed towards the room door. The others stared at it but could see nothing. Aiden pointed again. "There is definitely a door there."

Seb couldn't see it.

"I think, Seb, you have to make it appear. Do you remember Mr Duir in the Five Springs? He lit up the column above the spring and the door appeared," Aiden said.

Scarlet squealed. "He's right! It must be right. Go on Seb, lift your hand."

Slightly embarrassed, Seb lifted his hand and then they all groaned as they saw the bandage wrapped around it.

"Oh, were you hurt?" Nat asked as Scarlet tutted.

"The nurse said it was something minor. It doesn't hurt at all."

"Let's have a look!" Scarlet grabbed his hand and began picking at the end of the bandage. Dressing removed, she thrust his hand back to him. "Nothing: not a scratch, not a burn, not even a splinter," she said disapprovingly.

Seb lifted his hand to his face to examine the delicate lines and suddenly beams flashed around the room, reflecting the muted light from the flamers and from Aiden's glowing pink face. Now Scarlet grabbed it again and this time tilted it to shine the light onto the bedroom door. As the reflected beam hit it, the shadow of another door appeared inside the frame of the bedroom door, and just below the handle shone a silver knob.

Scarlet was already leaping across the room. "Well done, Aiden."

He walked over to join her, gazing into the compact tin. "Actually, there are three more in the room, several outside in the corridor and more in your room, if I'm reading this right."

Scarlet seized the doorknob then seemed to hesitate, removing her hand from it.

"Should I ... or is it meant to be you or Seb who opens it, Aiden?"

"I think we all can," Aiden said, not making a move to touch the doorknob. "Miss Angel and Mr West came through the one in the Five Springs. The Caretaker used one in the library ..."

Scarlet shrugged and grabbed the knob again. "Okay, here goes ..." With a twist of the knob and a tug, she pulled the door open. A black void appeared in the space of the physical door. "Who's coming?" She looked back at their nervous but eager faces. Everyone was.

#  A Surprise for Zach

There was a massive thud as the dumb-bell Zach had been holding hit the floor and he stared at the door that had just appeared, rising out of the wooden headboard of his bed. The door was flung open and a wary looking Scarlet stepped through, overbalancing slightly as she trod from a firm floor onto the bouncy surface of Zach's untidy bed.

"Are you okay, hon?" A woman's voice shouted from downstairs.

Zach, putting a hand out to support Scarlet before she toppled off the bed, called back, "Yeah Mum, just dropped my study book!"

Aiden and Nat followed Scarlet through the doorway as a commotion outside Zach's room began.

"Mum, Mum! I heard monsters!" Gretel sobbed.

"Oh, you all made it then?" Zach grinned at Seb as he stepped gingerly onto the bed and off onto the floor. "Good going guys!" Zach laughed. "Managed to wake The Dominator." Gretel's cries beyond the door got louder.

"Actually, Zach, that was you! And for goodness' sake, put a top on!" Scarlet hissed at him, trying not to stare at his well-defined muscular frame. He was bare from the waist up and wore only boxer shorts on his bottom half.

"Excuse me? Whose bedroom is this? I didn't invite you here. You might try knocking next time too; I could have been doing anything!" He grinned and put his hands on his hips, towering over her as she perched on the edge of the bed.

"Zach, what are you doing in there?" His mum rapped on the door.

"Should we hide?" Aiden whispered.

Zach was unconcerned. "The Dominator dominates," he said, nodding his head towards his bedroom door where his mother could be heard trying to calm Gretel.

"Just FaceTiming with Seb and Scarlet, Mum. You take care of Grets. Sorry I woke her." The noise outside decreased as Gretel was taken back to her bedroom. "So, are any of the teachers coming?" Zach asked as the door sparkled then shrank away to nothing. "That answers that question."

"You did it, Aiden!" Scarlet smiled at Aiden who looked pleased with himself.

"Did what?" Zach began twirling his stick.

"He found a door and Seb opened it, Zach. Not only that, he managed to find one that led to you."

"Great," Zach said, then frowned. "What were you all doing together?" He eyed the four in their nightwear. "Were you having a sleepover without _me?"_

Scarlet launched into a summary of what had happened.

"So you guys get to sleep in the Three Bears' Cottage and I have to stay here – hardly fair!"

"It doesn't really matter though, Zach," Scarlet said. "Now that Aiden knows how to open the doors we can join you, or you can join us, any time." Looking around his cluttered room she screwed her nose up. "Actually, looking at this pigsty it's probably better you join us!"

"Ordered chaos, I like to think." Zach brushed off the insult. Seb tended to agree with his sister's description; he had been here many times and failed to see any order at all in the chaos around them. Noticing the scrutiny the others were giving his room, Zach decided to distract them.

"So, what next?"

Seb realised he hadn't thought that far. It was exciting to know they could open a door and go through it to wherever they needed but what about after that – did they need to do anything next? He knew he was tired.

"I vote we go to sleep." He yawned.

"Oh, Seb, don't be boring," Scarlet snapped. "Don't you see what we can do now? We can go anywhere ... _anywhere!"_ Her eyes widened with excitement.

"I'm not sure it quite works like that, Scarlet," Aiden said timidly. "Like Nat said, I think we have to have a need."

"Well, I need to see where the teachers are. I think they're all having a secret meeting with the Dryads and someone called Heath."

"Scarlet," Nat said. "We weren't invited. If they wanted us there they would have come and got us. I don't think we should be, well ... spying on them."

"I do!" Zach twirled his staff and eyed his physique in the full-length mirror to his right. He turned back to Nat. "Maybe they are waiting for us to use some initiative and find out stuff for ourselves."

"I am sure they are, but I don't think that includes spying on them." Nat sounded stern.

Zach, in the face of her disapproval, backed down. "Okay, well, at least show me your house. I could join the sleepover," he grinned, "and Aiden could open the door to let me back again in the morning!"

Sounded simple, and Aiden nodded excitedly.

"It's not a sleepover, Zach," Scarlet said. "Some of us have been forced to sleep there because our own homes have been destroyed or families can't look after us."

"Poor you." Zach didn't sound at all sympathetic. "It's still a sleepover and you are excluding me."

Aiden said, "I'm happy to have Zach come over, aren't you?" He looked around at the others.

"Of course," Nat said nicely. Seb nodded. Scarlet crossed her arms and frowned.

"Great! Come on, Aiden. Do your thing." Zach clapped him on the back.

"Aren't you going to get some pyjamas, a toothbrush, perhaps?" Scarlet asked.

"What? Oh, mm. Such details, Scarlet; you really need to lighten up."

"No, you need to cover up ... and clean up," she huffed.

Shrugging, Zach grabbed a pair of lounge pants and a T-shirt from a messy drawer. "I'll borrow Aiden's toothbrush," he said, hurriedly dressing and retrieving his stick.

Aiden didn't seem bothered and opened his tin. For a brief second Seb worried whether Aiden would be able get them back; what if he opened the door to somewhere else at such a late hour, like the middle of a dark forest or a cemetery – or even the ogre corridor at school? How awful would that be! He wondered if the ogre would be there and a shiver ran down his spine. His hand tingled slightly.

Catching the light from Aiden's freckles, illuminated by his tin, Seb reflected it onto the headboard. The door materialised as before and, without giving anyone else a chance, Zach bounded up and opened it, stepping through with a "Well done, Aiden."

Following the others, Seb heard their muffled talking, then shouting as he emerged into semi-darkness which became complete darkness as, with a click, Aiden closed his tin and the arc of light provided by the sparkling doorway vanished. Gradually his eyes adjusted and to his dismay he realised they were standing in the ogre corridor!

"Aiden, why here ... why did you bring us here?" Scarlet asked, fear making her tone sound angry.

"I ... I didn't!" Aiden sounded horrified.

"Open the door, Aiden," Zach shouted. "Get us out of here!"

Seb could hear Aiden practically sobbing as he fumbled for his tin. There was a clattering sound. "I've dropped it; I can't find it!" He was almost hysterical.

"Calm down, Aiden." Scarlet got herself under control. "It's there."

"Where?"

Seb was straining his eyes, looking at the floor, trying to locate the silver object.

"There!" Scarlet sounded annoyed and jostled Seb as she bent to retrieve it, and then they all froze as there was a loud slam.

"It's here!" Nat whispered.

Seb could hear wheezing and there was an area of darker blackness about six feet from them.

Nat spoke quietly, "It's really okay. I'm sure it doesn't mean to hurt us; it's just very sad."

"No, Nat. It's very big and very ogreish. Aiden, open the door!" Zach pushed Seb and the girls back and stood, like a sentry, between them and the ogre, stick in hand.

"Here ..." Scarlet handed the tin to Aiden.

Seb now wished they had ignored Nat and gone to spy on the teachers; anything was better than this.

Aiden's face appeared, bathed in pink light, as he opened his tin. Seb lifted his hand and focused the light from Aiden's face onto the wall behind him. In a flash of sparkles the door materialised.

Scarlet yanked it open and called to the others, "Come on!" then darted through. They leapt after her. Zach, last, pulled the door closed.

They tumbled out the other side into a vast, domed room where warm flames danced over logs burning in a massive fire pit. The five teachers and The Caretaker sat around the fire with Alice and Dierne hovering above it.

#  Heath

Mr Duir smiled at Seb as the door fizzled out of sight. Seb remembered later he found that smile disturbing as much as it was reassuring; _he was expecting us!_

The sound of footsteps to the right made him turn. A man appeared, walking around the raised plinth surrounding the fire pit. Framed by a cascade of silver hair which fell from temple to shoulder in glossy waves, the face that regarded Seb was vibrant and youthful – smooth skin, piercing blue eyes, a firm, set jaw. Six feet tall and athletically built, the man clapped his hands, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"Welcome to you all. Don't hover over there; come and join us. Budge up, Trudy, Glen, Dom – make room."

The teachers shuffled up though Mr Duir, Dierne beside him, stood up and walked round behind the fire. Seb lost sight of them as Scarlet and his friends crossed the room and parked themselves on the comfy cushions covering the bench seats around the firepit. Seb hesitated.

"Seb, is it mistrust of us, or of yourself?" The silver-haired man grinned at him, such a friendly grin, but Seb still didn't move.

"How do you know I'm Seb?"

The stranger chuckled and the flames in the fire rose higher. "Do come and join us." Feeling awkward with everyone staring at him Seb wandered over and took a seat. "I am Heath," the silver-haired man announced with a bow. Seb felt himself smiling. This man exuded confidence, friendliness, happiness. It was impossible not to be engaged by the spirit and character of him. "I too am a Custodian." He stood beside Seb.

"Like Seb's supposed to be?" Scarlet stared at Heath.

"No _supposed to be_ about it." Heath slapped a hand on Seb's shoulder. He felt a powerful jolt through his body. "Seb is the next Custodian, just as you all have your roles."

Alice swooped down and stood beside Seb.

"Did you miss me?" he asked without speaking.

"Haven't had time!" Seb answered silently. He was about to add more but suddenly noticed a dark shape to his right. He turned, fearing the ogre had followed them through the door. And then he lurched backwards, falling to the floor.

"Seb, what are you doing?" Scarlet was angry at his apparently stupid behaviour.

Seb pointed, backing away. A shimmer of silver sparkles danced and now the other four responded as the object he highlighted appeared to them. Zach bounded up, staff to the ready. Aiden moved fast and cowered behind the benches.

Scarlet leapt up, shouting, "That wasn't there before!"

Only Nat appeared calm. She stood and smiled.

Seb stared in fear and disbelief at the slobbering creature flopped against the wall, sniffing and snorting. It had the basic shape of a wolf but was four times the size. From its huge paws to its massive head it was covered in silver fur; its eyes were like glowing green light bulbs, with no apparent pupils; its pointed, dog-like snout ended in a shiny, wet black nose, nostrils flaring and spraying snot as it breathed in and snorted out. It raised a heavy paw and swiped at its own nose, then gave a hacking cough that shook and rippled the muscles of its body. It snorted then stood, hanging its head, its huge tail drooping.

"Stay back!" Zach shouted.

"Zach, that's really not necessary." Miss West joined him.

Heath, laughing, strode across to the beast, which was easily twice his height, and placed a hand on its left foreleg. "Sit down, Cue, you'll adjust to him soon." The wolf-beast sneezed, sending a stream of snot across the floor which nearly reached Zach's feet.

"Gross! What is that thing?"

"That, Zach, is Cue. He is a wolf-stag or hæþstapa. He will struggle for a while with the new Custodian." Heath patted the giant wolf and chuckled.

Cue slumped his rear end back onto the floor and his front end followed. He looked a pathetic sight as he placed his huge head on his front paws and whimpered.

"What's wrong with it then?" Scarlet, relaxing, walked over to it.

"Seb has brought you all into Cue's world and he must adjust to your physical presence." Heath smiled apologetically at Seb. "Seb, when you focus on the creatures in the worlds between they become part of your world; you understand that?" Seb thought he did. He nodded. "Well, when you bring them into your world, you also place yourself, and your friends if you choose, in _their_ physical world. Cue here, is a hunter; his senses are attuned to his existence in the world between. You have introduced a new and _alien_ presence into his world and he is, well, I suppose you would describe it as allergic. He honestly isn't normally this ... moist!"

Seriously?" Zach snorted himself. "A wolf that's allergic to humans?"

"Zach, he is not from your world; he is a wolf-stag ... and it isn't humans per se, it is the Custodian. His tracking is not reliant on scent, but on power. Cue can detect the power of the new Custodian."

Scarlet was now patting the beast tentatively.

"Seb, powerful?" Zach laughed in disbelief.

As if eager to move things on, Miss Angel said, "Heath, we must continue." She turned to Seb. "You have managed to work out the doors – that is good. Aelfric will be back soon and then we will tell you about what will happen over the next two days."

As they all settled back down, Heath approached Miss Angel and, touching her on the elbow, guided her to the side. He began mumbling earnestly to her. She shook her head. Seb just caught her words, "Aelfric says it needs to be now."

"What needs to be now?" he silently asked Alice.

Alice answered in his mind, "There is a bit of disagreement in the group: Aelfric wants to get you confirmed as Custodian early but Heath disagrees and says it should be on the equinox, which is on Monday. That's tradition."

"Confirmed? What does that even mean?"

"At the equinox or solstice following the silvering of the new Custodian's mark, the Elders are summonsed and the Custodian is confirmed. I believe, at that point, your soul is sealed into that body ... and your body will be altered to enable it to live beyond the normal lifespan of a human."

Seb's eyes opened wide. "But what if they've got the wrong person? I don't think I can do this, Alice!"

As appealing as an extended lifetime was, Seb still didn't have a clue what his role as a Custodian was – other than to deal with trespassing souls – and the limited experience he'd had of those things already terrified him. No way was he equipped to deal with them.

"Seb, you really have to have more confidence in yourself." Alice put a hand on his shoulder as Heath approached them.

Heath's laughter, when he saw the despairing look on Seb's face, made him feel even worse.

"Oh Seb, such doubt in yourself; it really isn't that bad." The ripples of his laughter once again charged energy into the fire making the flames leap and dance.

Seb stared at this vibrant and dynamic stranger, noticing his clothing for the first time; dressed in black velveteen which was decorated with brass-coloured studs that reflected the flickering light of the fire, he looked like something out of a medieval pageant. Heath caught Seb examining him.

"Ah, I believe I am truly out of fashion am I not?" he beamed.

"Actually I think your clothes look great," Zach said. "All you need is a sword!"

"So where has Mr Duir gone?" Scarlet asked.

Miss Angel, placing a hand on Greg West's shoulder said, "He has gone to the Ancient Place to consult the Elders. He will seek their assistance and then, all being well, we will head there for the Confirmation."

Seb was now dreading Mr Duir's return. Fear of failure and self-doubt were crippling him. Heath clapped him on the back.

"Cheer up, Seb; there are worse fates!"

"I hate to throw a spanner in the works," Zach said, "but we aren't exactly dressed to go anywhere!" He indicated their clothing – a selection of nightwear with either bare or slippered feet.

"You'll do." Miss Angel smiled.

Suddenly Heath stood up, turned and waved his hand. The familiar shape of a door appeared within the flames of the fire, and then there was a sudden flurry of action: Mr White shouted, "I am to lock it!" and rushed to the fire, pulling his tin out of his pocket.

Heath yelled, "Wait, Dom!" He leapt up and grabbed the door handle, pushing it inwards. The instant it opened, Seb felt his left hand pounding with an excruciating pain. He cried out and fell to the floor. His eyes filled with tears as the pain increased and he watched in horror as Dierne helped Mr Duir stagger through the door. A pinch of dust thrown from Mr White's fingers floated in front of the opening and the door fizzled out with a loud clanging sound as Mr Duir stumbled from the raised plinth, falling into Heath's arms. Miss West leapt up, standing guard in front of the flames. Zach jumped up beside her.

Mr West rushed over to help Heath lower Mr Duir to the floor. Mumbling something indiscernible, Mr Duir closed his eyes apparently in pain.

Nat, scooping a cushion from one of the seats, put it under his head and said to Mr West, "I can still feel something ..."

Mr West was focused on the semi-conscious Mr Duir. "Aelfric, what happened?"

Mr Duir looked past him at Mr White. "Is it locked, Dom?" he struggled to say. The decrepit teacher nodded, concern crumpling his features.

The pounding in Seb's hand had all but stopped and he felt Aiden come and nestle himself beside him, slipping his own tin back into his pocket.

"What did you see?" Seb whispered, wiping his eyes.

Aiden answered, slightly breathless, "Something beyond the door. It was huge; a big imprint of something incredibly powerful. I could see Mr Duir's blue light and Dierne's green one, but there was a massive red blur surrounding them as they came through the door, like a supernova in space."

#  A Father Figure

Mr Duir sat up with a groan, clutching his left hand.

"Aelfric, take your time." Heath knelt beside him.

"We don't have time." He stood up. "We need to get Seb out of here!"

Seb felt a stab of fear.

Unable to stand steadily, Mr Duir moved to one of the cushioned seats with Heath's help. Mr West gave some instructions to Nat who walked to a wall sconce at the back of the room and gave it a twist. A row of wall tiles tilted and a shelf slid forward. On it were bottles and jars containing all sorts and at the end of the shelf a huge, old book which Mr West asked her to bring over to him along with two of the jars he pointed out.

Nat walked the long way round to return to Mr West and, handing him the items, placed herself on the periphery, away from the group. She looked uncomfortable.

Seb felt scared, noting how tense the teachers were. Nat's behaviour too was very strange. He tried to catch her eye but she seemed focused on Mr West who sat cross-legged on the floor with the book in his lap.

Mr Duir winced, holding his left hand more tightly. Mr West tried to get him to let him take a look. He shook his head.

Obviously still in pain, he said to Dom White, "I asked Dierne to tell you to lock the door, Dom." He sounded confused, surprised. "Did my message not get through?" He glanced at Dierne.

Seb only now noticed the patches on Dierne's body where he was suddenly devoid of leaves. The Dryad frowned.

"I got the message," Mr White said and then Heath sat beside Mr Duir and sighed heavily.

"Aelfric, _I_ opened the door. I couldn't have the two of you stuck there." He was apologetic and stared into the fire.

Mr Duir looked momentarily lost and then seemed to rally. He nodded. "Well, no harm done," he said.

_No harm? Look at the state of you two,_ Seb wanted to say.

Heath, frowning down at Mr Duir, looked worried.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Braddock?" Miss Angel's whispered voice carried to Seb.

At the mention of that word he saw Heath flinch.

"He grows more able, more confident," Mr West mumbled.

"Get Seb and the others back to their rooms," Mr Duir said to Mr White and struggled to his feet again. "Trudy, go with Dom. Stay at the cottage. You will not have long to instruct Zach. Teach him as much as you can." He turned to Alice. "We may need to relay messages; you cannot afford to be distracted."

Alice nodded seriously. "I won't be," he said.

Mr Duir, still clutching his hand to his chest, looked at Heath and gave a weak shake of his head. "I cannot," he said.

Heath raised his eyebrows and then, understanding, lifted his own hand slightly and waved towards the wall. The doorway appeared. As the others walked over to it Seb hung back. Mr West had persuaded Mr Duir to let him look at his hand and Seb caught a glimpse of the mark in the skin and recoiled. One of the silver intersecting lines was charred, burned black.

Nat touched Seb's arm, her voice a whisper as she spoke. "Seb— "

Heath called out, "Dom, Trudy, we'll need a clear channel between the Dryads."

The teachers nodded to him.

Again Nat whispered, "Seb, I can— "

"They need to go," Heath said and within seconds they were emerging in the boys' bedroom at the cottage.

There was no ceremony once the door had closed. Miss West forbade them to speak and Alice was instructed not to communicate in silence with them for fear of missing any message from Dierne.

Lying in the dark, Mr Duir's words, _We need to get Seb out of here,_ echoed in Seb's head. Mr Duir had been attacked, his silver mark damaged and Seb lay, his heart pounding, with fearful thoughts buzzing in his mind. He believed he couldn't possibly sleep and was surprised when, what seemed like the blink of an eye later, he woke to violent shaking from Scarlet.

"Come on Seb, it's breakfast."

It was bright, the sun was up. Mr White sat gazing out of the window. There was no sign of Zach or Miss West.

"Where's Zach?" Seb asked, sitting up.

"Heath opened a door and took him home so that he could get up and dressed as normal. Then he's going to be brought back here." Aiden, already dressed, grinned.

No sign of Alice either, Seb noticed. He thought about calling to him but didn't want to risk causing a delay if Dierne tried to contact them.

Nat emerged from the bathroom and, seeing him, smiled. "Morning. The bathroom's free."

"Morning." He felt a twinge of embarrassment, knowing he must look a fright. He tried to smooth his hair down. Scarlet, also dressed, huffed at him to hurry up.

Shuffling into the bathroom, Seb tried to ignore the loachers sliding about in the cubicle tray as he showered, and then he stared at the stream of fairies that were flitting to and fro through the mirror, as if using it as a doorway. Dodging them he brushed his hair then wrapped a towel around himself and darted next door to get dressed. He cast a quick glance in Nat's direction, hoping she wasn't watching him; she was.

She mouthed, _I need to speak to you,_ then looked over her shoulder at Mr White.

Seb dressed awkwardly and edged over to her.

Mr White suddenly jumped up. "It's time for breakfast," he drawled and walked out of the door. Scarlet and Aiden bounded after him. Seb waited for Nat.

"Are you okay?" he whispered.

She shook her head. "Last night—" she started, but Mr White stuck his head back through the doorway.

"Breakfast," he said.

Mr White and The Caretaker, who had prepared breakfast, gave them no opportunity to chat as they ate.

Seb, haunted by the image of that charred line on Mr Duir's palm, had no appetite.

"Is Mr Duir okay?" he asked.

"Thank you, Seb. I am fine." Mr Duir said, stepping over the threshold from the lounge. He certainly looked fine. His eyes had their typical sparkle and he stood upright and steady. Seb found his own eyes drawn to The Head's hand which he held close to his side. There was no sign of a bandage.

"Are you all done, Dom, Caretaker?" Mr West asked, following Mr Duir into the room. The Caretaker nodded and began clearing away. Seb hadn't eaten, still too anxious.

"Morning, morning, everyone!" Heath boomed in a cheerful voice as he strode in. Are we all ready for today?" He beamed a big smile and clapped Mr Duir on the back. "Aelfric, Trudy and Zach are waiting."

"Zach's here? Won't his mum wonder where he is?" Scarlet asked, finishing her toast.

"Trudy called on her early this morning and explained your circumstances and that Seb may _need a friend_ around at this difficult time. Zach's mother naturally agreed to his coming to stay for a day or two." Mr West smiled a satisfied smile.

Seb again found himself concerned at how this whole situation was being manipulated by the teachers. Heath's infectious gaiety and enthusiasm, however, seemed to breathe life into everyone.

"Come on, all – places to be!"

Mr West grabbed a slice of toast off a plate.

"I'll get Lily," he said and trotted off to the back door. After a moment his voice and Miss Angel's muffled replies were heard. There was the slightest trickle of laughter. _Can that be Miss Angel? How can she be so happy after last night?_ Seb thought as he followed the others into the lounge. _In fact, none of them seem bothered at all._ He tried to draw them on the subject.

"So, who is Braddock?" he asked.

None of the teachers or Heath responded. Mr West, along with Miss Angel, who munched on the slice of toast he had taken for her, walked in as The Caretaker entered from the kitchen and now Mr Duir moved over to the tapestry on the back wall and pulled it across, revealing a normal door in the jewel-speckled wall. Heath opened it and led them down a stairway, its stone steps so well used they were worn away at the centre. Fortunately their descent into the dank, narrow space was lit by flamers. At the bottom was a further door which Heath also opened and ushered everyone through.

Seb had mixed emotions. They were back in the large room they had met Heath in the night before. The fire was still burning and, seated on a cushion in front of it, drinking hot chocolate, was Zach, who grinned at them as they entered. Miss West sat next to him.

As they all took seats by the fire, Alice appeared in front of Seb in a blur of green.

He smiled. "Starting without me?"

"Well you're the one who keeps disappearing!" Seb smiled back, trying to hide how pleased he was to see the Dryad.

"Alice, we missed you," Nat said sweetly and a shy look crossed Alice's features. "Can we speak privately to you again now?" she asked in a whisper.

"Yes. We're all together now." He sat between them.

Immediately Seb said to Alice, in his mind, "Could you ask Nat what she wanted to tell me."

"Just a second, Seb," Alice replied. "I'm being instructed by Dierne..."

Seb was frustrated, and turned to Nat, hoping to speak quietly with her as Alice flitted over to Dierne. Beyond her he could see Heath and Mr Duir. They looked tense. They were discussing something quietly and Mr Duir didn't seem to agree with Heath about whatever it was. Seb noticed the large shape of Cue, flopped over by the back wall, still snuffling but less so than the night before.

He lost the opportunity to speak to Nat as Mr Duir called abruptly, "Dryads, if you could, please."

Alice and Dierne whizzed up above the flames and began circling and spinning, as they had in the library, leaving their flight trails in the air to build a column.

"Torhtian nú!" Mr Duir said.

With a loud crack the column flattened; then the disc upended and began spinning. Within moments Seb was staring at an enormous mirrored screen suspended above the bright glow of the fire.

"Seb and Scarlet," Mr Duir turned to them. "I apologise in advance for what you are about to see – it will be painful but it is necessary for you to see it. Firstly though, you must keep in mind the essence of the message from Friday: all souls come to this physical reality numerous times, encountering millions of other souls and having countless relationships with many of them ..." he paused.

Seb got it, he thought – countless visits, souls interacting in different ways, learning, developing, going back to Áberan and returning to experience many different lifetimes, relationships, events.

"It is important you understand that fact." Mr Duir, standing beside the spinning mirror, stared at Seb. "Nature's laws dictate who and what we all will be." He looked troubled. "Unless there is interference ..."

An image appeared in the mirror: a car trundling along a busy road. The image changed to the vehicle's interior and Seb heard Scarlet gasp. He felt a jolt himself as he recognised its occupants – their mother and father, chatting happily to each other. Seb felt a lump in his throat and the pain of loss he had not experienced in years.

"Seb, without understanding what has happened you will not be able to help put this right."

Seb barely registered Mr Duir's words. He was transfixed at the view through the front windscreen of the car. He saw a figure standing on the grass verge ahead. Beside him was a dog. His father and mother paid them no attention, but as the car approached the dog suddenly ran across the road and the owner charged after it. Seb watched in horror as his father yanked the steering wheel to the left. The vehicle swerved violently, his mother screamed and then went quiet as the vehicle slammed into a massive oak tree beside the road and her head struck the passenger door window. Seb's father was thrown forward, the impact tremendous, and the airbag deployed. As the car came to a rest, his father, momentarily lucid, reached a hand towards his wife and then slipped into unconsciousness. Seb knew the rest. His father would not recover.

"Why are you making us watch this?" Scarlet shouted at Mr Duir, tears streaming down her face.

"Scarlet, it is what follows you need to see." He looked almost as upset as Seb felt.

Miss Angel put an arm around Scarlet's shoulders.

Fighting back tears, Seb forced himself to keep watching.

Stillness descended on the car. Minutes passed. There was no movement from either of their parents. The pedestrian who, with his dog, had caused the accident was nowhere in sight. Then the flashing of blue lights dappled the inside of the vehicle, intermittently reflecting off the still figures as emergency services arrived. Police and paramedics removed their mother from the car but the images focused on Seb's father, slumped over the deflated airbag. A paramedic checked for breathing, a pulse, then, with a police officer's help, pulled him quickly out of the vehicle.

The image of his father, lying on the grass, as the paramedic cut open his shirt and applied the pads of a defibrillator to his torso was ghastly to Seb. He watched as frantic efforts were made to revive him. They were witnessing, he knew, the moment of their father's death. But now he felt a coldness grip his heart as he noticed a small trail of white mist lift away from his father's chest. It swirled and twisted, separating itself fully from the body. The paramedic, apparently unaware of it, checked some readings and then knelt back, looked at her watch and spoke to the police officer beside her.

The white mist twirled quickly away from the figures on the roadside. The mirror panned across and now the white mist shot down towards the chest of the baby that a further paramedic was just lifting to show Seb's tearful mother. At precisely the same moment, a second trail of mist came zooming along the A road towards them. Both white-mist trails struck the baby's chest simultaneously and disappeared into its body.

Now Scarlet gasped again and Seb felt his own world tilt.

A fraction of a second after the mist trails disappeared into the crying baby, one emerged as if it had been thrown out, shooting skyward to form into a cloud which hovered momentarily over the figures below. It then became misshapen, as if it was being sucked at; it elongated on one side and was pulled back along the A road to disappear into the distance.

The movement on the ground had not ceased; Seb's mum and his newborn baby brother were wheeled, on a stretcher, into the back of an ambulance. A cover was placed over the lifeless body of his father and a screen erected by the roadside as police officers began examining the scene. And then the image in the mirror shrank, leaving Seb staring at his own reflection. He felt numb.

"Torhtian ende," Mr Duir said quietly. The disc stopped spinning and with a deafening clap flipped to lie horizontally then disappeared as he waved his arm.

Seb could hear Scarlet sobbing and felt Aiden and Zach's eyes on him. He knew he understood and though his mind tried to block the thought it nagged at him. _The soul that should have taken my brother's body was thrown out by my father's soul._

Quietly Mr Duir spoke. "The soul which should have shared this present existence as your brother was expelled by a trespassing soul ..." He paused, seeing that his words had hit home.

For Seb they hadn't just hit home, they had demolished his idea of home. His father, his wonderful father, had been living with them in the shell of their brother's human form for nearly five years as a trespassing soul! He had taken over the body of what should have been his youngest son! And where had his brother's soul gone?

Then a deeper truth sank in: if it were true that souls return again and again, this soul, father–brother, whatever it was, was just another soul in a sea of souls that randomly crossed each other's path before wandering off to encounter others in a multitude of experiences and existences. And it all meant absolutely nothing – kinship, patriarchal, filial, matriarchal bonds, friendships – all were nothing; just brief encounters in a continuous cycle that you never remembered. Each existence was a new birth which wiped clean the previous relationships and so made those relationships worthless.

_He wasn't my father. He isn't my brother!_ Seb glanced at Scarlet who had her head in her hands. _She's not my sister; she's just another soul passing through_ ...

His thoughts twisted, became bitter and resentful and finally, in self-defence, became hard and uncaring.

Without a word he stood up, turned towards the entrance door and walked away – walked away from this pointless group of random people who meant nothing to him now.

#  You Decide

It was only when he got outside the door, letting it click shut quietly behind him, and stared up the dark, winding staircase that Seb wondered if he had been foolish. He had turned his back on his only group of friends. But what did they matter? No one mattered. _Not even I matter!_ he thought, staring at the jewel-spattered walls. _This is all pointless._

He climbed the steps, his footfalls thudding on the cold stone, and tentatively picked his way round the spiralling staircase. Just as he was about to call for flamers he was relieved to see a thin shaft of light and trotted quickly up the final turn. He pushed the door open against the drag of the overhanging tapestry.

He packed bare essentials, clothes, some meagre food supplies and a bottle of water and then walked out into the crisp, bright morning.

The slight chill in the air gave a promise of autumn. He hadn't a clue where he was going, he just knew that he wasn't staying among the teachers who had brought nothing but disturbing thoughts and devastating revelations.

He ignored two large shadows that swooped and flitted in the sky above him, past caring what any of the strange _between world_ creatures around him were and, looking down, watched his canvas pumps eat up the ground. In thirty paces he was under the tree canopy. In thirty more he had lost the path. Stopping to get his bearings he stood in a twilight darkness created by the interwoven oak branches, whose leaves allowed only the smallest of sunlight splashes to reach him as they blew in the wind. Sounds were muffled, rustling, the skittering of some small creature in the nearby bushes, the odd creak of the tree branches. Nothing else; no road noise, no urban sounds, not even birdsong, he noticed.

About to tramp back the way he had come, Seb felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. He could hear breathing, snorting, quite close by.

"Flamers," he whispered. A few friendly orbs on a low-hanging branch lit up beside his head. Relieved at their presence he tried to shake off his fear and then heard a considerably louder snort to his right followed by a whimper. Seb recognised the sound – Cue!

Frozen on the spot he waited for the wolf to pounce. After a few startled seconds Seb slowly turned to look at the beast who was simply sitting, staring at him, drooling. It whimpered again, then sneezed, shaking its huge head and spraying saliva and snot left and right.

"What _is_ the matter with you?" Seb said, taking a step back. Cue whined.

After standing silently with the wolf-stag for several minutes, Seb decided the creature was no threat _._ He looked around expecting to see the teachers, his friends. There was no sign of any of them and now he was fed up.

"Well, I'm not spending the rest of my day standing here!" Cue licked his nose and waited. Seb picked a direction where the woodland was least dense. "Right, I'm going this way. You go your way!" He shrugged and took a couple of paces. Cue leapt in front of him, blocking his way. Each time Seb tried to sidestep him, the wolf blocked his path. Eventually Seb conceded.

"Okay, which way would _you_ have me go?"

Immediately Cue bounded to the right, towards a cluster of gnarled old trees. Seb followed, feeling strangely comfortable in the wolf's company.

One leap from Cue took him fifteen feet from Seb who had to trot to keep up. A few minutes of progress and they came to the bank of a small brook which was hardly visible beneath the vegetation overgrowing its path. Some wooden planking was just about discernible through the criss-cross of branches and leaves and Seb pulled the foliage away, pricking his left thumb on a thorn as he did so. He winced but, ignoring the injury, continued clearing away the greenery to reveal a small rowing boat, with one flat-ended oar tucked under the middle bench.

"Well what's the point of a boat on a brook that's only inches deep?" he said to Cue who sat dribbling beside him. Seb stepped down the shallow bank. The boat was obviously grounded on the pebbly bottom. "Which way now?" he said, waiting for Cue to lead him on. The wolf just whined.

"I'm going back!" Seb was annoyed now that he had followed Cue in the first place. As he turned he nearly bumped into Heath who was standing less than an arm's length in front of him. He stumbled backwards in surprise, placing a foot into the cold water. Heath laughed and Seb smiled awkwardly, looking round for the others. Heath appeared to be alone.

"Well done, Cue. Seb, get in the boat; there is danger and Aelfric has asked that I take you somewhere safe."

The level of the river was rising, reaching Seb's ankle.

He mumbled, "No thanks. I'd rather be alone."

Heath took a step forward and Cue stood up. "Seb, Aelfric has instructed I protect you, take you to a place of safety, and that is what I intend to do."

"I said no!" Seb felt angry. He had spent the last few days being _managed_ by these teachers and sundry strange characters and as charming as Heath appeared to be the sea-change in Seb since watching his father's soul take over his brother's body was dramatic. He felt no allegiance to anyone, no wish to delve further into the philosophy and politics of being some sort of soul Custodian. No one mattered, none of this mattered and for the first time in his life he felt comfortable in his own skin. "I'm leaving, and don't send Cue after me," he said.

The water had reached his calf. He wondered fleetingly how the flow had grown so quickly but now, with one foot already wet, he placed the other in the water and stepped to the middle of the brook. The boat bobbed closer to him.

"Seb, you are the new Custodian and all manner of dangers await you. You need _us,_ those who have lived this existence for centuries. We can protect you. Alone you are exposed, isolated – in danger." Heath took another pace towards Seb. Surprisingly Cue leapt forward, blocking him. "Cue, be still; he needs to come with me."

The flow of the brook was now quite strong and Seb struggled to keep his footing. As Cue stood between Heath and him, Seb took the opportunity – he waded across, clambered up the opposite bank and ran.

A buzzing sound flitted past his ear.

"Alice, I'm not coming back. You all need to leave me alone," he shouted.

Alice appeared in front of him. Seb closed his eyes and ran through him, feeling a charge of electricity as he did so.

"Charming!" Alice protested.

The trees seemed endless and Seb ran on blindly.

"Do you even know where you are going?" Alice asked, floating along beside him, unhindered by the obstacles Seb was struggling to negotiate. Seb ignored him. "Scarlet will be worried," Alice's voice rustled.

"Ha!" Seb laughed nastily. "Why would she care? Why would I care about her being worried? We're not really related. It's all just," he stopped. "Pointless. Temporary, shallow and pointless!"

"And what was it before?" Alice asked, the silver of his eyes shining in the dim light.

Seb answered slowly, "Before we were just individuals and we knew who we were to each other. Now? Now I know we have different relationships with lots of different people, including the ones we've had relationships with before. None of it lasts and none of it means anything because _we forget it_ as soon as it's done – it's pointless!"

"Really?" Alice crossed his arms. "Just because you know you come back again and again, why is that bad? The only difference I see is that you were ignorant before. Did you honestly believe in Heaven, Hell – that when you died your soul would either go to paradise or a burning pit? Is that what you believed?"

"No, I don't know. But what I did believe was that the bit of me that makes me _me_ would carry on and would _know_ I'd lived and know _who I had been,_ who I was to other people ..." His thoughts got confused. He didn't want to have this philosophical conversation. "I don't care, anyway. It really doesn't mean anything."

"Seb, I don't get you." Alice's eyes flashed with annoyance. "As Dryads we love the idea of the continual variation of our relationships. We love the fact that we can experience each other in many different ways and that over time we recognise each other by a feeling of comfortableness. You? You just seem to want to ignore the magic of it all, live a one-dimensional existence, isolated and alone. There is so much more to being alive than one existence, one identity. _That's_ what it's all about. _That_ is the point. You can feel what it's like to be a leaf on a different tree in a different forest. Why would you only want to be a leaf on one oak that falls in autumn, never to come back again?"

Seb shook his head; it was getting far too deep for him. A sudden howling sound saved him from continuing the conversation. Cue he guessed. The sound was heart-rending, like the beast was in pain. Seb and Alice both turned just as a bat zoomed out of the treetops to their left. Seb saw the claws a millisecond before they impacted on his head, scratching and tearing at his scalp.

"Ow, ow, get it off me!" He began to panic. The agonised cries from Cue got louder but Seb barely registered them as he flailed his arms about, trying to grab hold of the bat.

"Seb, be still, I can't get it if you are flapping around like that," Alice said, trying to help. And then suddenly the pain stopped as a tall figure appeared beside Seb, snatched the bat from his head and tossed it far into the woods.

Mr Duir spoke hurriedly, "It is dangerous for you to be alone!"

Rubbing his sore head, Seb stared at him, grateful for the rescue. He could still hear Cue but the howling had become a sorrowful whining.

"What's wrong with Cue?" he asked.

"We must go," Mr Duir said, his expression stern.

"What's wrong with him?" Seb asked again.

Mr Duir shook his head. "There are events occurring I do not fully understand. We must go." He took a couple of steps but Seb remained on the spot.

Alice hovered beside him. "You would do well to follow him; he can protect you," he said.

Seb was still uncertain. He didn't feel ready to rejoin the company of others. He still had a feeling of being continually swept along by events, by the teachers. But he had to acknowledge he was in no way equipped to protect himself, so he followed Mr Duir.

"Where are the others?" he asked Alice.

"At the cottage," Alice sounded slightly confused. "I am having trouble communicating though. I can't hear them and they don't seem able to hear me."

Seb shrugged, trying to convince himself he didn't care. Then he had a thought. "Will someone replace me in the group?"

Alice laughed out loud. Mr Duir, a few paces ahead, stopped.

"Something amuses you, young Dryad?" he asked, as they caught up.

"Seb always amuses me," Alice replied. "He thinks that because he has stormed out he will be replaced as Custodian."

"Well, how can the group continue to do what they are meant to do if I am not part of it?" Seb sulked.

"Yes!" Mr Duir said. There was silence in the woods. The sounds of Cue's moans had stopped and not a bird sang.

"Well?" Seb asked, frustrated at the non-answer.

"Yes, Seb, how can the group continue if you are not part of it?"

"Oh!" Seb stormed in frustration, "Why do you adults never give a straight answer? You never explain – if I ask a question why don't you just answer it?"

Now there was sound around them; birds squawked and flapped off above the trees, mammals scrabbled away in the undergrowth and the trees groaned and creaked.

Mr Duir placed a hand on Seb's shoulder. The touch sent a pulse of warmth and strength through his body. "The short answer is they can't, Seb – without a Custodian the group is not complete – but the long answer is you can't; you can't _not_ be a part of the group. You were selected by Nature to be what you are, The Custodian. You cannot simply relinquish that role. All the while you are alive in this guise you will be The Custodian and part of the group. They will function, but poorly, in your absence and the passage of souls will be unguarded. Do you not see," he looked intently at Seb, his eyes twinkling, "you have no control over what you are. You do, however, have control over what you do and if you continue to deny your responsibility then chaos will result." He continued, removing his hand, "You have the right of self-determination – all souls do – but self-determination _within_ the role that Nature gave you. I will protect you, I will help you educate yourself but I am not the one to persuade you to take up the chalice that has been handed to you. That must come from you. You must decide what you do!" Without another word he turned and strode deeper into the woods. Seb followed, fearing another bat attack – or worse.

#  Souls and Spirits

The monotonous stomp of his own footfalls, accompanied by the cracking and crunching of the undergrowth they ploughed through, provided a rhythmic calm within which Seb could get his thoughts in order. He had conceded that he could not manage alone and so accepted the protection Mr Duir gave. That was, however, a far cry from placing himself back in the group. The discord he felt at discovering he was just a simple soul bumping into other souls on a repetitive cycle of visits to the tangible world was at odds with his heart's emotion which felt the tug of kinship, the bond of friendship. The Dryads somehow were able to reconcile their temporary and changing relationships and identities.

And in these dim and hushed surroundings Seb realised how superficial his view of life had been. He had known nothing before he came to this life. No one does. And before now he had suspected he would pass into oblivion, knowing nothing after he died. He had found the popular view of a heavenly paradise or damnation to hell a bit far-fetched. The difference now was that he knew beyond doubt that people had souls that continued beyond this life and not only that, they all got to have another crack at life and a whole new bunch of people to interact with _. Is that so bad?_

On this visit he got to have the fun of a friendship with Zach, Aiden and Nat and to be brother to Scarlet. His mother was his mother in this life and before today he had believed that this was the only life there was. Now he had been given the prospect of many, many lives.

He started smiling. Alice noticed.

"Happiness, Seb? That's an unusual emotion for you to display."

Seb's smile got bigger. He got to have a friendship with a Dryad too – how cool was that?

"I suppose I just realised what a fool I have been." He stopped. "A leaf on a different tree, but what's the point if you don't know you were on the tree before?" He frowned, his thoughts muddled again.

Alice laughed. "Seb, of course you know. Have you not come across people in this short life who you feel instantly comfortable with? And those you instantly take a dislike to and you've no idea why?"

There were not so many of the former but plenty of the latter. Seb nodded.

"Well, those are souls you have interacted with before, either in a positive relationship or a negative one."

Mr Duir, having realised they had stopped, came back to them. He looked concerned.

"Seb, we need to move on."

"Well, there's no need. I've had time to think. I know I have been a bit of an idiot, but I get it now. I _want_ to be part of the group. I'll go back to the cottage." He started to turn but The Head stopped him.

"No, Seb. We need to go to the Ancient Place. It is not safe for you to travel with your group."

"Isn't the Ancient Place where you got hurt?" Seb said with a stab of fear. "Why are we going there?"

Mr Duir stared down at him as if pondering what to reply. Eventually he said, "The attack was unexpected and my going there alone was a mistake. Now we are more prepared."

Seb couldn't see how they were more prepared and _we are still going alone,_ he thought.

"Wouldn't it be better to all go together, if going alone was a mistake?" he asked.

"Seb, to put you back with your group out here would be like shining a beacon. There are enough things that can track you as it is. With the strength of your group around you your imprint is all the greater. We go alone."

The memory of the bat's claws digging into his head brought home the message about things that could track him. And Cue? Cue had found him too. Seb trotted after Mr Duir who was making fast progress through the woods once more.

"So how far is the Ancient Place?" he asked, breathless.

"A bit of a ride," The Head called as he vaulted a fence and Seb realised they were heading across the sports field of the school.

Mr Duir led them to an old shed behind the gym and disappeared through the creaky door. Seb and Alice followed. Inside it smelled of old wood and furniture wax, which was masked briefly by the smell of musty canvas as Seb, his eyes adjusting to the darkness, watched Mr Duir pull a dust cover off a shiny, old-fashioned-looking trap.

"We're riding in that?" Seb asked, surprised. He had expected a car, would have accepted a minibus, a motorbike even – but a cart? "Where's the horse?"

Mr Duir, stowing the cover on a shelf, walked to the door and gave an ear-piercing whistle.

"Come and see," he said.

In the distance Seb heard a drumming sound, the pounding of hooves. _Okay, a horse._ Suddenly a huge shape flitted in front of the doorway. Seb pulled back. A horse indeed, but this horse was huge. As black as night, its shoulder reached the roof of the shed, its head stretched at least three feet above it. Seb looked back at the trap. No way was it going to fit inside the harness.

Stopping in front of Mr Duir the animal seemed skittish, nervous, stamping the ground and whinnying. The Head looked down at Seb.

"He is wary." He sounded surprised and moved towards the animal.

"Wary of what ... of me?" Seb asked Alice and the horse reacted, snorting and rearing.

"What, you mean _you_ with your light-hearted, friendly personality? _That_ you, you mean?" Alice laughed. "Possibly!"

Mr Duir calmed the horse with a few quiet words. Its eyes, however, stared almost madly at Seb.

"Seb, you need to stay away from him, he will be unpredictable," The Head said.

Seb felt embarrassed he had provoked such a reaction in this beast. He found it amazing, beautiful and was sad that it didn't seem to like him.

Alice made him feel worse. "This is a spirit stallion. They willingly serve the Custodians. I've never seen one behave this way."

Mr Duir, leaving the horse, entered the shed then re-emerged pulling the cart into the sunlight. Dropping the yoke he lifted the harness from the carriage seat and approached the horse. Waving his left hand he spoke a word.

"Tordimin."

Silver sparkles danced around the animal and as Seb watched, the beast shrank to the size of a normal horse. It still stared wildly at him. As Mr Duir harnessed it and arranged the reins it stamped and chomped and bucked. A firm word from him and the beast became still. He hitched it to the carriage then, with a lithe movement, leapt onto the running board of the cart. He indicated for Seb to sit beside him and without waiting for him to be comfortable flicked the reins. The horse, ears upright and alert, head tossing in its bridle, trotted across the bumpy field and into the woods. Minutes later they emerged onto a back road of the village, the clip-clop of the hooves drumming the tarmac.

Their progress was speedy as they zipped past parked cars, overtook a cyclist and kept pace with a white van that zoomed through the residential streets. The beautiful, shining carriage with the stunning horse pulling it drew glances and waves from young children. Mr Duir didn't seem to notice, intent on the road ahead.

"Can you contact the others yet?" Seb asked Alice who was perched on the back of the seat. Mr Duir glanced over his shoulder at Alice who shook his head.

"Can you communicate with Dierne?" he asked.

Alice shook his head again. Mr Duir frowned but turned to watch the road. They had reached the outskirts of the village and trotted on to the A road towards Royston. The speed of the traffic shocked Seb; he worried their small cart would get wiped out by a passing truck. Looking back he expected to see a line of vehicles held up by their slow progress, but was surprised to see they had actually left the traffic behind.

Mr Duir gave the smallest flick of the reins and Seb was thrown back in his seat by a sudden additional spurt of speed from this magnificent horse.

#  The Ancient Place

Seb soon settled as the trap continued its journey. Mr Duir was a skilled driver and the horse was undisturbed by the whoosh and sweep of passing vehicles.

Within thirty minutes they were passing Royston town police station and Seb saw a brown sign bearing the words _Royston Cave._

Mr Duir brought the trap to a standstill in the middle of the road and waited for a pause in the oncoming traffic, then, pulling the right rein he directed the horse to turn under a semi-squared archway. The clattering of its hooves and the trundling of the wheels echoed loudly and then scrunched on gravel as the trap continued past rusty iron gates pinned against the wall.

A man dressed in a maroon fleece jumped up from a seat in the narrow entrance of a doorway as he saw them approach. A sign hanging on the black lintel of the stable-type door read OPEN.

"Is this the Ancient Place then?" Seb asked.

The horse bucked at the sound of his voice and Mr Duir, relaxing the reins, spoke soothingly to control it.

Alice put a hand on Seb's shoulder. "You have to stop upsetting him!" He grinned.

Mr Duir pulled up at the end of the gravel driveway outside a cream-coloured building. Climbing down he stood in front of the horse and ushered it back until it and the trap were out of view of the road.

A ruddy-faced woman – white, wiry hair scragged back in a scruffy ponytail – came trotting up to them from the direction of the doorway.

"I've got him, sir. Mervyn said you had come. I've got him." She seemed eager to help and grasped the reins, placing a hand almost reverently on the horse's muzzle.

"Thank you, Janice," Mr Duir said and headed back down the driveway towards the arch. The man in the maroon fleece was just turning the sign to read CLOSED.

"All day, Mr Duir?"

"All day, Mervyn. I am sorry about business."

"Oh, don't you worry, sir, needs must!" Mervyn half-bowed as Mr Duir stepped through the stable door and Seb noticed how alert and nervous the man appeared. "Go on, my lad, go quickly. I'll close up behind you," he said to Seb who followed Mr Duir through the dark doorway. Alice flitted in close to his shoulder.

Seb barely had time to note his surroundings as first the bottom and then the top of the stable door sections were closed behind him. Plunged into darkness he bumped into Mr Duir.

"Steady Seb, it's steep here," he said, then flamers appeared at his request.

Squashed in the small area of the entrance, Seb stared at the only opening, a long tunnel that dropped down to his right. It was indeed steep. Made of ridged chalky rock, the floor was wet in patches where water had dripped down the walls and spread through the furrows to collect, forming shallow puddles. Metal handrails ran along each side and as Seb followed Mr Duir, who had to crouch down to navigate the tunnel, he found he had to use them or risk slipping. Alice zoomed off ahead.

The track of the tunnel was uneven, roughly hewn out of the rock. To Seb's relief it wasn't long and within a minute they reached a small cave in which Alice now hovered. Dierne too had appeared.

Seb's jaw dropped as he stared at his surroundings; the ceiling over him arched upward forming a bell-shaped cavern, cut from the same chalky stone as the tunnel, but with undulations, folds and indentations that reminded him of the surface of a brain. At the top, just off centre, was a small hole through which a thin shaft of daylight descended. To one side was a further, smaller shaft with a few red-brick tiles surrounding it, but what grabbed Seb's attention most were the walls: from the level of the wooden platform on which they stood to three quarters of the way up, they were covered in carvings.

There were crude images of people: a crowned woman next to a wheel; a row of male figures in a line, with a further character behind, squashed between two of the foreground figures; a man with a child on his shoulder, which Seb thought looked like a St Christopher; and among these human figures, swords, hands with hearts carved in them, something that could either have been a horse or a dog for all Seb could guess, a floating hand which seemed to be dropping, or letting go of what was such a poor image it could have been a bird or a fish.

Some of the images were grotesque: what looked like a bad attempt at a naked female figure with her private parts displayed; a floating head; someone being crucified.

Seb was captivated. Thousands of flamers lit the cave, and in their warm glow shadows from the carvings made them stand proud of the walls, like cardboard cut-outs. Within these childish and yet intricate carvings were holes and the odd recess. In one, to his left, by the tunnel entrance, Seb saw a skull. He was about to ask whose skull but remained quiet as Mr Duir murmured a word.

"Áwerian."

As he spoke he lifted his hand, exposing the silvery lines in his palm. It was only for a second but Seb again caught a glimpse of the scorched line. The ineffectual beam of sunlight coming from the central shaft hit the silver threads on Mr Duir's palm. A flash of light flew from his hand to one of the carvings, a figure with a drawn sword. The light hit the sword shaft and rebounded around the cave before extinguishing to leave just light from the flamers. Mr Duir visibly relaxed.

"Welcome, Seb, to the Ancient Place," he said.

As soon as the bright illumination faded Seb became aware of dark shapes looming in the spaces between him and Mr Duir. He tried to ignore them but they were fixed in the space in front of him. He turned to look at a different part of the cave, but further dark shapes were positioned wherever he looked. He focused on them, wondering what strange creatures they were. And then he flinched as the shapes solidified and he found himself staring at ... men!

"Quietly, Seb," Mr Duir cautioned.

There were ten of these figures and they were massive, each well over six feet tall. Suddenly the cave felt crowded. All ten faced inward in a circle, spaced evenly around the platform. Dressed as knights, their heads covered by shining helmets, they wore white pinafore-type tunics over a suit of chain mail. Emblazoned front and back on each of the tunics was a giant red cross. Patterned sheaths which held gilt-handled swords hung from wide belts around their waists. To their left side each held a white shield as tall as Seb, also adorned with red crosses.

_Knights Templar!_ Seb remembered images from history lessons.

Ignoring him or ignorant of him, the knights kept their eyes fixed straight ahead.

"Are these images of past humans? Like at the Five Springs?" As he spoke Seb stretched his hand towards the nearest knight, expecting it, or him, to have no substance. Instead he felt a momentary touch on his fingertips as they grazed the fibre of the knight's clothing. In the time it took for him to make that contact the knight had unsheathed his sword, swept it up above his head and held it ready to bring crashing down on Seb's skull. The action was so fast Seb hadn't even perceived it until he was cowering under the gleaming blade.

"Hold!" Mr Duir shouted and the knight, in as fast a movement, resheathed his sword and returned to his watching stance as if he had never moved.

Mr Duir lowered his voice. "No, Seb, these are not images." Seb didn't dare move. "These are the Knights Sentinel," Mr Duir continued. "They are souls who, in one existence, took a pledge to guard the Custodians within this and other named sacred places when called upon by a Custodian. Their pledge binds them to service. Through the ages only those most trustworthy, most loyal, have been added to their ranks."

Seb was fascinated, his fear diminishing as the figures remained still.

He whispered, "They are guards then. And you called them?"

"I did summons them, Seb, and I did not do so lightly. But our journey here was essential and the attack on my last visit cannot be repeated."

Seb felt another prickle of fear as he remembered Mr Duir stumbling through the doorway and collapsing. _Was that only last night?_

"Dierne, Alice, we may need help." Mr Duir looked at the Dryads. "Communication is impossible, there is interference. Dierne, will you know when I call?" he asked.

"I do not believe so," Dierne said, looking concerned.

Mr Duir nodded. "Then return when you can." The Dryads vanished through the cave wall.

"We have not got long. Seb, open your hand," Mr Duir said.

The change of subject surprised Seb. He wanted to ask questions about these knights. You couldn't exactly ignore them; ten massive men, standing guard in a cave only just bigger than Seb's bedroom had been.

Mr Duir repeated, "Your hand, Seb." Seb held his hand out. "Now, show them." He pointed to the knights.

Seb did as he was told. As he lifted his palm the silvery strands reflected light from the aperture above onto the chest of the knight nearest him. As one, all the Knights Sentinel reacted, forming two lines in front of Seb and drawing their swords. Seb panicked and tried to put his hand down. Mr Duir grabbed his arm. "No, wait." Now the Sentinels placed the tips of their swords on the ground and, hands grasping hilts, knelt.

Seb held his breath.

Mr Duir spoke. "Ab healdan. This is the new Custodian." In response the Sentinels bowed their heads.

Seb felt utterly stupid, the light still shining from his hand, the Sentinels motionless, bowing before him and then suddenly his knees buckled and he staggered.

Mr Duir held him up. "You are unused to using your energy; it will be draining at first. Sit." He lowered Seb to the ground. "Now, it is time to bring the others here." He waved his hand and the knights rose, formed a circle around the outside of the dais and then froze.

#  Reunited

Mr Duir lifted his arm. Light from the shaft hit his open hand and he directed it onto the wall between two knights where a patch in the carvings seemed to have been destroyed by time and erosion. A door appeared, its silver doorknob turned and it opened. Led by Dominic White, Scarlet and Seb's friends stepped into the cave, eyes widening as each saw Seb and then the carvings.

Heath followed. "Come on, move on in." He chuckled then stopped. "Knights Sentinel, Aelfric? You _are_ taking this seriously."

"Knights?" Scarlet looked around.

Seb, still sitting on the floor, pointed at the nearest to her. "Knights."

She gaped as the ten figures became obvious to her and as the other teachers entered they seemed as surprised as Heath.

"This is cosy," Zach bellowed, inching across the crowded platform to stand close to Scarlet.

"I agree," Heath laughed. "Was it really necessary, Aelfric – The Sentinels?" His cheerful voice boomed around the cave.

Mr Duir nodded but said nothing.

Nat moved over to Seb, looking uncomfortable as Zach scuffed his foot on the platform and huffed, "It really _is_ cosy in here. Are we going elsewhere ... some of us at least?"

"Dominic," Mr Duir called as Seb stood up.

Mr White, cramped between Miss Angel and The Caretaker, who had stepped through the door before it fizzled away, slipped a craggy hand inside his jacket and pulled out his tin. Aiden, already covered in flamers, shuffled over to him.

Mr Duir gave an order and the knights parted left and right.

"This is not a simple door to open; it bears Elf-Wards which are spells designed to secure it against all but our groups and which need specific words to lift them. Do you see the locks?" Mr White asked Aiden who stared into his own tin. Looking up he pointed confidently to the figure of a woman wearing a crown, holding a wheel in her right hand.

"Yes, good," the old teacher said.

"Seb, lift your hand," Mr Duir instructed.

Obeying, Seb took a step back as light rebounded from his palm, dancing across the walls.

"There Seb, point it there," Aiden said, indicating the wheel supported by the carved female figure. Seb illuminated the centre of the wheel.

"Scarlet ..." Miss Angel beckoned to her and she awkwardly bypassed Zach to stand with the teacher in front of Aiden.

"Oh Aiden, I can see writing on your tin," she smiled.

Zach barged over to look. "Nothing there, Scarlet," he said.

"There is," she said. "Though I can't read it!"

"Try," Miss Angel told her.

Struggling with pronunciation, Scarlet spoke the two words she apparently saw on the tin, "Rnærác álynian." She said them a couple of times and on the second, more accurate attempt, there was a click. The carved wheel turned half a circle and slotted backward into the wall.

"Well, look at that." Zach laughed.

"The next, Aiden," Mr Duir said.

Aiden looked into the tin and back at the wall. He pointed to the crude carving which was either a dog or a horse, Seb still wasn't sure. Mr White nodded.

Before he got to speak, though, Zach shouted, "Is that ... it's a naked woman! _That_ is disgusting – really! You can see _everything!"_

Seb had been trying to ignore the carved female figure beside the horse-dog, embarrassed by it.

Disregarding Zach's comment Mr Duir said, "Dominic, we need to speed this up."

Seb was finding it difficult to stand and Mr Duir, noticing, illuminated the carving himself. Miss Angel prompted Scarlet.

"Miere nerian!" she said, looking at Aiden's tin and the horse shape slid backward into the wall with a click.

"Continue," Mr Duir said, his face stern.

"To open it you need the creative key," Mr White told Aiden.

"Wouldn't a handle do?" Zach mumbled. Miss West tutted.

Aiden ignored him and pointed to the carving of the outstretched hand releasing a bird. "Coll," he announced. "The line of the palm and the four lines of the fingers, they make the Ogham symbol for Coll. The hazel tree! It's the tree of creativity."

Mr White looked at him so proudly.

Seb hoped he didn't have to illuminate anything more. He was still weak and his palm was now hurting.

Nat tugged his arm and whispered, "Seb, there's something not right here."

Her voice carried further than she had anticipated and Heath, inches away, heard. He moved over to her. She jumped and looked guilty.

"We'll be through in a jiffy," he said.

Seb pressed his right thumb to his birthmark, trying to stop the throbbing which was getting worse.

"Seb, we need the light on the wall," Aiden said, and then there was a sudden, violent gust of wind. In its forceful wake every flamer in the cavern went out and Seb felt hands push him back towards the railings that ran around the dais. He heard the stamp of many heavy feet, then Aiden squealed as a loud swishing sound filled the air before stillness and darkness fell.

Heart pounding, Seb waited. As his eyes adjusted to the weak light from the shaft above he could make out Mr Duir standing in front of him, shielding him. Miss West and Zach, each with their staff tip planted in to the ground and The Caretaker, also holding a staff, formed a protective arc in front of The Head. In front of them, six imposing Knights Sentinel stood guard, their swords raised, tips touching over the heads of the Guardians. Outside their ranks and flanked by the remaining four Sentinels, were Heath and the others.

A sudden bright light illuminated the hand on the wall as Mr Duir reflected light from the shaft onto his palm and then onto it.

"Aelfric, let me take Seb back," Heath whispered to him. "He'll be safer at the cottage."

Mr Duir shook his head. "Lily, quickly," he said.

Miss Angel gazed at Mr White's tin and uttered one word. Now the light rebounded from the hand onto the two recessed carvings which reflected it back again to the hand. A line of light extended horizontally above it and two lines dropped vertically to the floor, then the entire mass of wall within the lines fell backwards, crashing to the ground.

"Who would have guessed?" Zach whistled.

They were staring through a gaping doorway into a further, massive, cave. The chalky floor below the platform spread from the opening into the new cave and curved round to form the banks of a large lake over which millions of fireflies fluttered, making a rippling light show which was reflected and magnified by the water of the lake. There appeared to be no other entrance or exit to this cave which was ten times the size of the one they were in.

The Caretaker and Miss West hurried everyone through, escorted by two columns of Knights. Scarlet rushed over to sit beside the lake. Nat, more subdued, sat beside her. Not knowing what else to do, the boys joined them, standing on the lake bank, all staring into the dappled waters.

Only now did Seb notice that at least fifty more Knights Sentinel were positioned around the outer walls of this vast cave, all motionless, like an army of statues. The knights that had escorted them from the previous cave formed an arc in front of Seb and froze.

The Caretaker and the teachers went to the far side of the lake where there was some sort of a camp set-up, with log seats and colourful rugs. Mr West, having brought with him some bulky bags, plopped them on the ground and began rooting through them. Only Mr Duir and Heath remained in the smaller cave.

#  Preparations

Seb could only hear snippets of what Heath was saying to Mr Duir. His voice sounded strained.

"... dangerous, Aelfric ... too soon ... to the cottage."

Mr Duir, head lowered, stood listening.

Seb didn't really want to hear any more. He was nervous enough. He knelt next to Scarlet and as he did she punched him on the arm. Every knight in the cave raised their sword and leapt towards her.

"Hold!" Mr Duir shouted from the entrance. The knights stopped dead in their tracks, lowered their swords and resumed their guard.

Scarlet was stunned. _"What_ was that?" she asked, horrified.

"I think they protect me." Seb looked at the ground, embarrassed.

"I thought that was _my_ job," Zach said, trying to sound put out but unable to hide the awe in his voice.

"Mr Duir said they guard the Custodians in this place."

Scarlet's face had turned white. "So we can't even touch you?" Her voice was shaky.

"You _punched_ me, Scarlet!" Seb stared at her.

"Only because I'm angry with you."

"What?"

"Where did you go? How dare you just _abandon_ us?" Her silver pupils flashed behind her glasses.

"I had ... issues," Seb said, hanging his head.

"You always have issues. Since this whole thing started you've had issues! What _is_ the problem, Seb? How could you just leave us, especially when _I_ needed you to be there?"

"Why would you need _me?"_

"Well, Seb, a small matter of watching Dad's death, watching The Taz being born and then— "

"And then, Scarlet ... discovering that our relationship meant nothing? We are just disjointed souls, bumping into each other for a brief moment in time before moving on," Seb said quietly.

"You're my brother, Seb. You should have stayed with me."

"Your brother on _this_ visit – not ever before or ever after. Realising that made it all seem meaningless." He shook his head.

Scarlet threw her hands in the air and then punched Seb again. Instantly she pulled her arm away, staring at the Sentinels. They didn't react and she relaxed then carried on with her scolding, "You're a numpty, Seb Thomas. _This_ is the only visit that counts at the moment, the only one we are experiencing _now._ Everything from before affects, everything that comes after is affected by, _this_ visit. You are _meant_ to be my brother on this occasion, so why don't you try behaving like one?"

Seb was surprised. Scarlet obviously understood it far better than he did.

"But Scarlet, it's all so temporary."

She punched him again, apparently confident now the knights wouldn't react.

"Stop doing that!" he complained.

"It was always going to be temporary, Seb – seventy, eighty, maybe even a hundred years – that's not new. I don't get what your issue is; just because we _know_ we were here before and will be here after, what difference does that make?" Her eyes opened wide. "Don't you think it's fantastic?"

Seb sat down.

"You'll get piles, you know," Zach said helpfully, standing over them with his arms crossed.

"Shut up, Zach," Scarlet tutted. "I still want to know why you walked out on us." She spoke more seriously.

"Well I didn't see it like you then, Scarlet. But Alice helped me see it differently. And then being in the woods, alone ... well, I realised I do want to be part of this, with you all."

"Aw, how touching." Zach rubbed Seb's hair roughly. "Where did you go?" Then without waiting for an answer he put a hand up. "No wait, _I don't care ..."_ He stuck his head forward angrily at Seb. "You walked out on us!"

Seb realised it wasn't just Scarlet who was annoyed with him. He glanced at Aiden who looked sad.

Turning to Nat he asked, "Are you angry too?" hoping for a kind word from her.

"I understand what you saw was upsetting, Seb." Seb nodded, relieved. "But you left without giving any of us a chance to help you, and you— "

Zach interrupted, "Left us in a hole in the ground."

Seb felt really bad now. "I am sorry," he said. "I've been an idiot."

"Yup!" Zach glared at him.

A scraping sound stopped the conversation. Mr Duir and Heath, a concerned frown on his face, had stepped through the cave entrance and the cave wall was rising. It slotted back into place without leaving even a crack to show a door existed. The Sentinels parted as they approached and Mr Duir stood over Aiden, holding out a hand.

"Aiden, your tin," he demanded.

Shrugging, Aiden fumbled in his pocket and then placed the shining object into Mr Duir's palm who snapped his fingers closed around it and put the tin into his own trouser pocket.

Heath seemed to have cleared his head of any concerns. Back to his good-natured, happy self he smiled.

"I am sure you must be hungry and thirsty. I believe The Caretaker is getting food ready."

Seb glanced across the lake. The Caretaker had slotted together some thin poles to make a tripod about four feet high, hung a pot from it and had built a roaring fire beneath. Nearby Mr West had removed an array of things from his capacious bags. Among them were several strangely shaped mirrors slotted into bits of silver framework. He was passing these mirrors, which were a foot or so in diameter, to each of the teachers.

Heath squeezed his tall frame between Scarlet and Seb.

"Do you mind if I join you?" he said with a beaming smile that made it impossible to deny his request as he sat. Nat got up and moved round to the other side of Aiden, making more room. Mr Duir watched her then gazed across the lake. Since nothing exciting appeared to be happening over there Zach decided to quiz Heath and Mr Duir.

"These Sentinels then, do they make me redundant?"

Seb wasn't surprised Zach felt threatened by them, they were formidable.

Heath chuckled. "Oh, Zach, not at all. The Knights Sentinel are a _shadow_ of protection you will _only_ find at this and a few other Sacred Places, and only when summonsed by a Custodian. They defend those places and the Custodians when they are present. Your role is to defend Seb wherever you are. Consider them an extra arrow for your bow." Zach seemed satisfied and, nodding, sat down opposite Heath, picking at the earth with the tip of his staff.

"So where do they come from?" he asked. "Are they human?"

"Very much so." Heath reached a hand over and stopped the movement of Zach's staff. "Don't let Trudy see you doing that," he grinned. Zach darted his eyes across the lake guiltily, to see if Miss West had noticed. She hadn't. Heath continued.

"The Knights Sentinel are normal souls," he said, "encountered by a Custodian and noted for their loyalty and trustworthiness. They pledge an oath to that Custodian to devote their present existence to guarding the Sacred Place and that is exactly what they do ... and _all_ they do."

All the while Heath spoke Mr Duir stood watching the activity on the other side of the lake. He made no move to sit with Heath or to leave.

"Really? All they do? Nothing else? What about TV, sport, cinema? They just stand here?"

"Zach, what else would you have them do? It is a binding pledge, taken with a full understanding of what they commit to. Were they to go and watch TV who would stand guard?"

"Well, other ones! They must have shifts; they can't be here all the time. When do they eat, sleep ... pee even?"

"Oh, for goodness' sake, Zach," Scarlet said.

"Scarlet, we all do it. And so must they, surely."

Heath laughed. "I have never really considered it, Zach. I have gone so far beyond expecting normality in any part of existence. Let us just say that, whenever they are called, they are there. Where they go in between ...well, I am sure there is an opportunity for rest and _comfort."_

"Well, that's not an answer," Zach said disapprovingly. "In all the centuries you have been a Custodian, in all those years, you've never wondered how it _works –_ never?"

Heath shrugged. "Well no, I haven't. I just accepted that they come when needed. Not that I have had much cause to summons them," he added.

"So why have they been called now?" Aiden asked, looking up at Mr Duir.

Ignoring the question Mr Duir spoke to Nat. "I think Greg needs you over there, Nat," he said.

Nat had been sitting, head bowed, but now jerked her head up.

"Oh, okay," she said and got up to leave.

Heath looked puzzled.

"I am sure Greg is fine, Aelfric." He laughed. "I know you met with some _issues_ last night, but to call the Knights Sentinel _is_ an extreme measure. Is it really warranted at this time?"

Mr Duir frowned but didn't answer.

Zach continued, fascinated by the knights, "So what's in it for them – can't be much of an existence?"

Now Mr Duir did speak. His voice was calm but his eyes flashed a warning.

"It is not for discussion."

Heath laughed again. "Aelfric, come on, they need to know. Their reward for taking that pledge, Zach, is an existence in the same form for an allotted period of time _beyond_ the time when Nature would have recalled their soul."

Mr Duir's eyes fell on Heath as if he disapproved of his encouraging the conversation.

"What period?" Zach stared at the frozen knights.

"That is known only to the Sentinel and the Custodian to whom they made the pledge," Heath answered.

"Okay, but is it a few years or decades, centuries even? It actually sounds more like a curse than a reward." Zach decided.

"Ah, Zach." Heath chuckled. "There is one more element to it that— "

"Heath!" Mr Duir now sounded angry. "They all need to eat and drink before the passage begins."

The suggestion of eating and drinking was music to Seb's ears; the smell of cooking had reached him from across the rippling waters and his stomach growled in anticipation.

"Mm, lunch!" Sentinels forgotten, Zach marched around the bank towards the cooking pot. The others followed, escorted by a double column of Sentinels.

Seb glanced back and saw Mr Duir and Heath deep in conversation. Then, laughing, Heath clapped Mr Duir on the back and they joined the group.

Colourful rugs had been placed on the chalky ground in a semicircle in front of log seats and The Caretaker, after handing each of them a bowl of delicious-smelling stew and a cup of water, told them to sit and eat.

Seb's palm had begun tingling. He ignored it, focused on the food in front of him. He was so ravenous he forgot about being fussy and scooped a spoonful of the stew up to his mouth. Before he could eat it, however, Nat placed a hand on his arm.

"Seb, wait," she whispered, staring at The Caretaker.

"What?" Seb was irritated. Hunger had given him the shakes.

"Just wait," she whispered it to the others but Zach had already devoured a good half of his stew and was slurping down some water before digging in again. Scarlet and Aiden were tucking in with enjoyment. Seb tried to put the spoon to his mouth again but Nat became more insistent. "No Seb!"

He tried not to shout. "Nat, I'm starving – if I don't eat I'm going to faint!"

"Something's not right with— " Nat began but as she said the words a dark shadowy patch appeared in the centre of the lake and lifted out of the water. Seb dropped his spoon into his bowl.

Suddenly there was movement everywhere. The Knights Sentinel standing behind them swiftly formed a complete circle, swords raised, facing outward. Seb could barely see between their legs, but what he could see and hear were the legs of the other fifty Sentinels as they rushed from their positions lining the wall of the cave, to form a ring around the lake. And then every other one paced out onto the water and raced across it as though it were a solid surface, charging at the now fully formed shape of the ogre.

Like a child caught in the act of some bad behaviour, the ogre stood, rocking and whining. The fireflies above the lake had swarmed down and were circling it as though illuminating it for the Knights Sentinel who had covered most of the distance between the bank and the awkward figure.

And then Nat jumped up and yelled, "Stop! Leave it alone."

There was a bark of command from Mr Duir which brought the onslaught of the knights to a halt. Seb rose, wrapping an arm around Nat's shoulders to try and comfort her, aware that she was choking back tears. The tingling in his hand was so strong he struggled to ignore it. He darted a glance down at Zach, surprised that he hadn't sprung into action.

Zach sat on his rug, bowl and spoon dropped in his lap, head on his chest, apparently asleep. Seb felt a burst of adrenaline and glanced at Scarlet. She too sat, head down, eyes closed ... as did Aiden.

Seb felt fear mixed with light-headedness from hunger. He heard a few words from Mr Duir and the ogre sank back down, disappearing below the rippling waters. The knights on the lake surface about-turned, paced back to the bank, and resumed their guard along the wall.

Mr West hurried over to Nat and encouraged her to sit.

"It's not evil or malicious ... but such sadness." She told him, sniffing. "We must be able to help it, surely?" She looked to Mr Duir. He turned away with a slight shake of his head.

Zach began snoring, his chin firmly on his chest. Seb was lost. Had he been drugged, poisoned? He glanced at Scarlet and Aiden and then looked for The Caretaker ready to accuse. The blue-hooded figure was nowhere to be seen.

Now Seb felt a surge of anger and shouted, "Where is The Caretaker? He ... she, well ... they've all been drugged." He pointed at Scarlet, Zach and Aiden. "And if Nat hadn't stopped me eating I'd be drugged too!" He glared around at each teacher and Heath, waiting for them to rush over. They didn't move; in fact they didn't seem surprised at all.

"You all planned this?" He stared in disbelief.

#  A Time to Sleep

Seb waited for some reaction from the teachers.

Eventually Mr Duir said, "You can drink yours, Seb, your water was untouched. Nat, sadly, you must drink yours." He handed her a cup. "You must sleep for the Passage of the Elders; if you do not your body will age."

Miss Angel crouched down beside Nat, taking her hand.

"Only the Custodian can experience the passage without any effect on their physical body. Three times I have chosen to watch and Dominic twice." She nodded towards Mr White who smiled. "The ravages on the aesthetics of our bodies are obvious, although our strength and capacity remains. I have long since given up any care about appearance, having seen so much more than the superficiality of human beauty. But you are so young; you cannot permit the devastation of your youthful shell so early in your service."

As she spoke, Mr West released Nat's other hand and walked over to join his twin and Mr White. They each lifted a wooden cup to their lips and drank. One by one they slept. Nat nodded at Miss Angel, lifted her cup and drank.

Miss Angel asked over her shoulder. "Aelfric, the Sentinels – will they be protection enough?" Seb noticed her glance at Mr West.

Mr Duir answered quietly, "They are what we have, Lily."

Letting go of the now sleeping Nat's hand, Miss Angel took her own cup and drank, sitting between Mr West and Mr White. Her head dropped and she slept.

Standing amongst this dreaming group, Seb wondered what The Passage of the Elders was. He glanced around at the Sentinels, cold and motionless as the suits of armour in the Tower of London. He tried calling Alice. No answer. _And where has The Caretaker gone?_ he thought.

Mr Duir, approaching the lake, said, "Seb, we must walk."

Heath smiled at Seb. "Exciting, huh?"

Seb watched as both he and Mr Duir walked onto the lake. Like the Knights Sentinel before them they didn't sink or even interrupt the gentle ripple of the water.

"Seb, walk," Mr Duir instructed. "You must keep with us."

"I can't do that!" Seb called, not even attempting to put a foot forward. "I'll sink."

"You will not." Mr Duir said. "Walk!"

Seb timidly placed a foot onto the water. Instantly hundreds of little hazy shapes zoomed up to meet it. He stared at them and as his eyes focused he could see miniature imp-type creatures. They were only about an inch long, with tiny hands, cute pixie-like faces and a massive pair of wings which flapped so fast they were a blur as they turned and moved through the water.

The water-imps assembled around and beneath Seb's foot and as he placed the next foot a new wave of the creatures zoomed up to meet and support it. In their multitude they held his weight and Seb smiled with relief. He took the few paces to catch up with Heath and Mr Duir. In spite of a nagging fear and continued hunger, Seb chuckled, glancing back at the sleeping figures on the bank.

_I'm walking on water; shame Zach can't see this_ _!_

Reaching the middle of the lake, Mr Duir indicated for Seb to stand between him and Heath, facing each other but a good thirty feet apart. Unbidden, the fireflies began gathering below a small aperture in the cave roof to form a pillar of light between the three of them. The column grew to reach the vaulted cave ceiling and was so wide Seb could no longer see either Mr Duir or Heath.

Mr Duir called out, "Seb, they may pass through you but they will not harm you. You must stand firm."

There was a sudden blinding flash and within the shining column a huge, dark shape formed, solidifying into a massive, gnarled tree trunk inside which was a door, its wood panels as black as charcoal. Its silver doorknob was tarnished and pitted and worn away on one side from who knew how many openings. The tree trunk rose above them and from it thick branches spread across the empty expanse of the cave, leaves, tinted with autumn colours, unfurling from them.

Staring at the tree, Seb heard his stomach growl, then he realised the sound wasn't his stomach; it was the creaking, groaning of the age-old door as it gradually opened. Swinging outward it passed through him and an eerie whispering sound rose from the dark chasm it revealed, setting his nerves on edge. His palm throbbed. He heard a muttered word from Heath and then Mr Duir said something, but he couldn't understand them.

The whispering grew louder. Seb stood still as he had been instructed, trying to fight the fear he was feeling, forcing himself to trust Mr Duir as the throbbing of his hand got stronger. He felt a cold touch reach out of the blackness, as if a finger had been placed on his forehead ... then another, two fingers, and then more. They moved down his cheeks and jaw until they found his throat. Like icy talons, they took hold around his neck and began grasping, squeezing.

_They may pass through you,_ Mr Duir had said.

_They're not passing through me, they're strangling me!_ Seb began to panic. He tried to yell out, "I can't breathe!" but the words were stifled as the grip on his throat tightened.

He heard a shout and the swishing of sword blades followed by the drumming of footfalls as another ice-cold hand moved down his left arm towards his wrist. The whispering had become hoarse laughter. Gasping for air and about to lose consciousness he felt a sudden drag on his shoulders. He was lifted off his feet and swept away from the grizzled old tree. The hold the fingers had on him was wrenched free and he could now breathe but he had no energy. His neck burned, his hand throbbed and his ears rang with the sound of a frustrated, angry yell as Mr Duir carried him across the water.

The Head placed him on the bank and Seb was surprised to hear Nat say, "I'll take care of him."

The sound of marching feet surrounded him and Seb tried to open his eyes. He could see flashes of white and red and the glint of metal. He felt Nat's warm hands as, kneeling on her haunches, she pulled his shoulders up to cradle his head on her lap. He tried to sit.

"Not yet," Nat cautioned. "It is not done yet."

Seb craned his head to look across the lake. Within the protective circle of a cohort of Sentinels his view was limited but he saw enough. Mr Duir was standing on the lake, halfway between the bank and the dark mass of the overarching tree. Around him a vast patch of grey cloud circled. He stood, head bowed, and slowly removed his jacket. The remaining Sentinels had formed an outer circle around him and the grey mist.

Seb moved his head with difficulty, searching for Heath. He couldn't see him anywhere. His hand pounded and he groaned.

"Seb, shh," Nat whispered. "He is distracted."

"Who ... distracted from what?" he whispered back.

She didn't answer and Seb again looked out across the lake. The mass of grey swirled around Mr Duir; the Sentinels stood motionless, swords drawn and glinting in the occasional light as fireflies began to emerge from the trunk of the tree; only a few at first and then a torrent of them.

Mr Duir still stood, head down, his right hand grasping his left wrist in front of his body. He didn't move.

Seb could once more hear the whispering sound which turned into dull moaning. He felt a chill and the pain in his palm became stronger.

Now Mr Duir raised his left hand, and then the grey cloud swooped; in a sudden rush it shot towards him. Within a second the mass had engulfed him. In the same second the Sentinels hurtled towards him, swords in front of them. But to Seb's horror none of them swung their weapons to try and attack this cloud. Reaching Mr Duir they stopped abruptly, placed the points of their swords onto the surface of the water and froze, a foot away from him.

Seb was about to yell at the Sentinels to help when a multitude of blurry green trails appeared. Emerging from the cave walls they zoomed towards the massive tree and then, uniting, swept upward through the branches in a single, large line, directly above Mr Duir. _Dryads!_

Seb was relieved but wondered why they weren't attacking the ghostly cloud which had surrounded The Head. And then he realised: flying up through the tangled mass of foliage the Dryads forced a path through the knotted branches, tearing them apart, allowing a shaft of sunlight to shine through. As it did, the Sentinels dropped to one knee, tilting their swords back.

Seb could clearly see the ghostly shroud now twisting and writhing around Mr Duir and then light burst from within it. Mr Duir's silhouette became visible inside. Still with his left arm raised, he captured the light from above and reflected it onto one Sentinel's sword. The sword shaft, flat to the front, sloped towards the edge on both sides, reflected the light to the swords beside it which in turn passed it on to their neighbour. In less than a heartbeat the Sentinels had formed a ring of reflected light which now shone back towards the grey mass of cloud. As light hit it the cloud vaporised and dissolved into nothing.

The whole event had taken less than a minute and now Mr Duir was free. Without pause he ran through the ranks of the Sentinels. They stood up, raised their swords and, forming a line behind him, marched to the vast tree. Now hundreds of Dryads materialised around the trunk and Seb was thrilled to see Alice among them. He glanced over at Seb, gave him a wink and then proudly stood beside Dierne.

Everyone was still. Mr Duir seemed to be contemplating the dark opening in front of him.

"What's going on?" Seb tried to ask Alice but the Dryad still couldn't hear him.

There was no sign of Heath. Remembering the icy fingers around his neck Seb shivered and felt a pang of guilt. Had Heath been grabbed by those cold hands? Had Mr Duir, in rescuing him, not had the time to save Heath?

Awkwardly, Seb stood up. Nat protested but he ignored her. Stumbling on shaky legs he walked to the lake bank. Two Sentinels accompanied him. Stepping onto the water, trusting the imps, he walked as steadily as he could towards the Dryads and Mr Duir.

"No, Seb," Mr Duir cautioned as Seb was about halfway across the lake. "He will try again."

Seb's heart thumped. He stopped where he was. "Who will?"

In a stern voice Mr Duir said, "Return to your friends."

Seb felt anger take over. "If you would tell me what's happening then maybe I would stop being a liability and could start helping." He was shocked at how loud he had shouted. He realised he was clenching his fists, glaring across at The Head.

Alice flitted over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Watching them, Mr Duir said more softly, "Dryad, take him back. Dierne and The Caretaker will help."

Seb glanced back across the lake. The Caretaker had appeared and, assisted by Nat, was waking the others. By the time Seb turned back to the tree Mr Duir was disappearing through the dark void in its trunk. He went alone, without even one look back. As the darkness swallowed him the door swung closed and fizzled out of existence. There was a frenzy of green as the Dryads, except Dierne, departed, then four Sentinels turned and stood guard in front of the area where the door had been.

#  Into the Darkness

Seb trudged back across the water to the bank.

"So he's gone where?" he asked Alice.

"I don't know."

Dierne zoomed over. "He has gone to find Heath.

"Is that door like all the others then; can he go straight to Heath through it?" Seb asked.

"Not like the others. The Elder Door takes the Custodian to where they _want_ to go, not where there is a _need_ for them to be." Dierne sounded sad.

Nat, kneeling beside Zach, leapt up as Seb approached.

"Seb, what were you thinking? It was so dangerous," she rebuked him and then suddenly flung her arms around him. Seb, embarrassed, tentatively hugged her back.

"Nice." Alice beamed and whizzed over to examine Zach who lay on his back, mouth open, snoring. Dierne went to speak with The Caretaker.

Releasing her grip of Seb, Nat stepped back.

"Sorry to shout, and what you do is your business, but I was worried." She appeared coy. The moment was interrupted by a snort from Zach which was so loud he woke himself up. He lurched to his feet and got his bearings in an instant.

"Did I doze off? That couldn't have happened."

Alice laughed. "Obviously it could."

The Caretaker had been round to each of the sleepers and given them a sip of a liquid to counteract the sleeping draft. They woke with varying degrees of alertness. Miss West was on her feet immediately.

"Where are the Elders? Where is Aelfric?" she demanded.

"He went through the doorway," Dierne said as The Caretaker tried to coax the dying fire back to life.

Miss West looked as though she could throttle someone.

"Why? Why would he go through? And where is Heath?" She turned her black eyes on Seb as if he were to blame.

Seb stammered, "Something came out of the doorway."

"It attacked Seb," Nat explained. "Mr Duir rescued him but Heath disappeared. Then a ghostly cloud came out and surrounded Mr Duir. The Sentinels and Dryads helped him destroy it. I think Mr Duir thought Heath had been dragged through the doorway, so he followed."

"And you would know this, how?" Miss Angel asked, surprised.

"I didn't drink the water," Nat said simply. "I felt something wasn't right, so I pretended to drink and to be asleep and I watched. When the attack happened I did try to wake Miss West," she blinked down at the fuming dwarf, "and Zach, but that is a powerful mixture whatever you took; I couldn't rouse either of you. The thing is I think— "

She was cut off as Miss West ranted at Seb, "Why didn't you stop him?"

Scarlet was incredulous. "Seriously? Seb stop Mr Duir? When have any of you _ever_ paid any attention to what he, or in fact any of us, say or think? You seriously believe Seb could have persuaded Mr Duir not to go, or somehow prevented him?" She thrust her chin out, her face red with indignation.

Miss West opened her mouth, then closed it again.

Mr West sidled over to Nat.

"Nat, the Passage of the Elders has always been conducted in this way and I noted nothing to indicate there was danger. You say you felt something? I felt nothing. It would appear that my senses are less keen than yours which, given the years I have devoted to this role, is interesting." He sounded intrigued. "And I am certain Aelfric and Heath knew nothing; they would have felt the sign." He looked at Seb, putting him uncomfortably back in the spotlight. "Did you have a warning?"

"Seb, you know what the signs are," Alice encouraged him. Seb did. He knew enough now to recognise that the thumping and pounding in his palm was a sign of danger or imbalance and he thought back to when he had first felt it.

"When the door opened," he mumbled. "I felt it then." He shuddered, remembering the icy touch on his throat.

Mr West turned back to Nat, puzzled. "But, Nat, you sensed something was wrong before they crossed the lake?"

She nodded and mumbled less certainly, "It's always there. I feel it every time we are w— "

"Oh, enough of this!" Trudy West had whipped herself back into an angry state. "We must bring him – them – back!"

"What?" Her brother was stunned.

"We cannot leave Aelfric and Heath without protection. Who knows what they are up against; we must bring them back."

"Trudy, we are all concerned, but there is nothing to be done but wait. We cannot open the door without them. You know that," Miss Angel cautioned.

Seb knew what was coming before Aiden uttered the words.

"Seb can!" Aiden stared wide-eyed at Seb. He still sat on the colourful rug, his hair covered in fireflies, which seemed to like him as much as the flamers.

Seb shuffled his feet as everyone looked at him.

"That's great then; we can go after them." The answer seemed simple to Zach.

The Caretaker stoked the logs of the fire, crushing the spent ones to glowing embers as the fresh ones blazed. "We cannot have passage through that door. It is for the Elders and the Custodians only."

Nat protested, "Seb can't open that door anyway. Something from out of there tried to attack him!"

"We're here this time, Nat. And I don't see why we can't go through," Zach stated. "Who says only Custodians and Elders can go through that door?" He paused and pointed at Miss Angel. "And you don't get much _Elder_ than that!"

Scarlet stamped on his toe. "Zach!"

Miss Angel smiled, genuinely amused by his comment.

"Zach, it is The Ancient Teachings that say. Now, we are all concerned about Heath and Aelfric but our position is clear – we must wait." Mr West sighed.

"Well what do the Ancient Teachings say – exactly?" asked Aiden.

Mr White spoke in a near tremulous voice.

"To be precise the teachings say:

Whosoever unavowed through Elder Door doth tread

Must ever more be lost among the dead

"And from that you got Custodians and Elders only?" Zach asked, shaking his head. "And a poem – seriously?" He laughed.

"Surely 'unavowed' just means not allowed, not sanctioned. Who gives permission?" Aiden asked. No one answered. "If we are going to rescue the Custodians aren't we allowed – avowed?" The teachers looked doubtful. Mr White had a frown on his face so deep it looked like his forehead was divided in half.

"We have always been told it is not for us."

"Who by?" Scarlet asked.

"Our own mentors ... as told to them by their mentors; it has always been that way."

"Dryad teachings are the same," Dierne said.

Seb secretly hoped the teachers would stand firm and forbid them to go but then he thought of Mr Duir saving him before walking into that void, alone, to face whatever was in there in order to save Heath. He felt ashamed of himself.

"I'll go." His voice was no more than a whisper, but the Sentinels around him suddenly stood to attention and four of them formed a line behind him, facing the lake.

"Wow, remind me why I'm here again." Zach stared at them in admiration. "So, we're good to go, then?"

"Well, that's me in," Alice said, dropping down to stand beside Seb who could have hugged him.

Aiden's voice was thoughtful. "You know, I think those words don't specifically say Custodians only; that's just one interpretation." He looked at the teachers. "Seb," he said, stepping around the Knights, "I'll come."

Zach dashed forward. "Hey, I suggested it first. Move over, Aiden." He gently nudged Aiden sideways to stand behind Seb.

Seb, stomach fluttering with nerves, was glad of the company and even more glad when Scarlet and Nat joined them.

"Wagons roll?" Zach asked.

Mr West cleared his throat.

"Well, Trudy?" He smiled at his sister who gave a stiff nod.

"I would rather be lost among the dead than leave Aelfric and Heath abandoned," she said.

Nodding, Dierne joined them too, and The Caretaker silently stepped in line.

Zach, noticing that Miss West and The Caretaker had both drawn their staffs, pulled his out of his trouser pocket and planted the tip in the chalky earth, beaming.

Mr West approached Miss Angel. She put a hand up, shaking her head.

"They may return. I'll await the call," she said.

Mr West smiled then joined the group with Mr White who said to Aiden, "We'll need you to follow the map."

Aiden blushed. "Mr Duir took my tin." Mr White frowned then, smiling, held his own tin out to Aiden who took it gratefully.

There was a pause as everyone seemed to wait for someone else to take the lead.

Eventually Zach said, "Come on, Seb. You started this."

Seb couldn't quite work out how Zach figured that. He felt sick with fear and starvation and swallowed hard as he placed a foot on the lake.

"Woah, Seb ... a boat maybe?" Zach said. "I'm not swimming!"

Seb stepped onto the surface of the lake. He didn't know why he got so much pleasure out of the fact he could walk on water but in spite of the tense atmosphere and the daunting prospect of what lay ahead he found himself chuckling again.

" _How_ are you doing that?" Zach asked, leaning forward to stare into the lake.

Seb decided not to reveal the water-imps.

"Magic, Zach," he laughed. "Come on."

He turned and began walking. The Knights strode after him. Nat, having seen it before, was the first to place her faith in whatever it was that held them up. She put a foot firmly onto the water and then grinned as it was supported. A slight nudge from the teachers and the others followed, all laughing as they realised they too could walk on water.

The group's mood became more sombre as they reached the canopy of the vast tree, congregating in a huddle in the twilight darkness in front of the four Sentinels guarding the invisible doorway. On Seb's approach the Knights parted.

"What now?" Zach asked, lifting his feet, looking for what was keeping them up.

"Seb needs to open the door," Mr West said.

"You need to capture the light, Seb," Dierne told him.

Seb raised his hand and caught the light from the tunnel the Dryads had made in the tree branches. As it bounced off his birthmark onto the knotted trunk the dark panelling and misshapen knob of the old door appeared.

Seb waited for the door to open as before. It didn't. Everyone stood in silence. Zach gave up.

"Come on, Seb. Open the door," he almost shouted.

"It opened by itself last time ..."

"Well maybe it needs a little help _this_ time," Zach said.

Taking a deep breath, Seb seized the doorknob. The moment he did he was given a snapshot of the thousands of times this door had been opened, as if the knob itself held a memory file of every hand that touched it. Starting with a face Seb did not recognise, images of it flashed in his mind over and over, showing each occasion when that person had turned the doorknob. Then that face was replaced by a second one which appeared time and again in Seb's head for each occasion they had opened this door. Then a third, and so on, replaying in Seb's mind a multitude of openings by a finite number of people. Seb saw Heath now, opening the door time after time, and finally Mr Duir, his face flashing repeatedly through Seb's consciousness. He saw Heath once more then the visions stopped and Seb felt just the worn surface of the doorknob beneath his fingers. He wondered if he should tell the others what contact with this object had shown him.

"Come on, Seb," Zach nagged.

Seb turned the knob and pulled. The door didn't open.

"Try pushing!" Scarlet said, getting impatient herself.

"But it opens outward ..." Seb said, pushing all the same. The door moved and as he let go of the handle it slid silently inward.

"Mm, see?"

Seb frowned, puzzled, and reached up to his neck, nervous of another attack by those icy fingers. No sound, no icy touch. He relaxed a bit. He stood on the threshold of the dark chasm trying to muster the courage to step through.

The Caretaker spoke gently. "Seb, you do not have to go first. Let me."

"I feel nothing," Nat said aloud to them all, then smiled at Seb. "Really, nothing."

Shored up by her certainty, Seb decided. Without a word he went through the doorway.

#  Trust

Seb stood in complete darkness.

"Where are you guys?" he whispered, stretching his hands out in front of him hoping to find a wall. There was no response.

He called louder this time, "Zach, Scarlet, Aiden ..."

A pink glow appeared, then sparkles and Aiden's happy little face smiled at him.

"Stop panicking, Seb, we're all here!" Zach laughed. "A few too many of us if you ask me," he said and Seb felt the bump and jostle of other bodies as his friends and the teachers moved closer.

Aiden's freckles caught the light from the tin, sending out beams of illumination and lighting up this unusual group.

"That's strange," he said.

Muscling his way across to stand next to Scarlet, who inched closer to Seb, Zach boomed, "What's strange, Aiden, other than you being our own little firefly?"

"Just that I can only see one pathway."

"One path? Which way?" Miss West demanded.

"Down!" Aiden pointed to the ground about a foot behind Seb. A gaping hole, which looked like the opening to a well, yawned beside him.

"So Heath and Mr Duir went that way?" Scarlet asked.

Aiden looked up at Mr White, seeking guidance. Mr White shook his head.

"We have no way of knowing for sure. Doors, tunnels, pathways and presences is all the map will reveal. But since there is only one path ..."

"Well this is going well; through the door and now the choice of going back or jumping into a black pit," Zach moaned.

"At least, Zach, we do not appear to be _lost among the dead."_ Mr West said, chuckling.

"Maybe these are catacombs," Zach said ominously.

"Shut up, Zach," Scarlet snapped, staring down in to the hole. "It's really deep. I can't see the bottom." She looked around them. "There's no other tunnel; Aiden's right."

"Where's the door back?" Seb tried not to sound worried.

"There!" Aiden said and Seb guessed he was pointing.

"You know no one else can see, right?" Zach laughed.

Aiden shook his head.

"How do you know it's the same door?" Scarlet asked.

"I just do."

"Well that's a relief." Zach gave a mock sigh. "I thought we would be stuck in this cosy huddle for good."

"It needn't be that cosy!"

Seb felt a slight bump as Scarlet pushed Zach away from her.

"So, who's going first?" Zach said, laughing.

"Surely they wouldn't have gone down the hole," Scarlet said.

"Actually," Dierne said, "Aelfric told me that the Elder Door will lead you to where you want to go but only if you trust it to take you there."

"Meaning what?" Zach asked.

"Meaning, Zach," Mr West said, smiling, "you have to take a leap of faith."

"It gets better," Zach mumbled.

"Zach, will you stop being so negative. Try and think of something to help," Scarlet shouted at him. Her voice rang down the tunnel and bounced back so that Zach got a repetition of the scolding.

"Well Scarlet, other than telling us that this is a bottomless pit I don't see what you've done to help," he argued back.

"Dierne," Aiden asked, "can you speak to Mr Duir?"

"No. There is still interference." The Dryad sounded desolate.

"Can you and Alice take a look?" Mr West asked as his sister pushed her way to the hole in the ground and jumped, feet first, into it.

Seb was horrified. She had no way of knowing how deep that shaft was! She was probably lying dead at the bottom of it by now.

Mr West rushed across to look over the edge. As he did, in a pink-tinged haze of green, Dierne shot down into the opening.

"Trudy?" Mr West called out.

Miss West's voice spoke back to them from no more than a foot away, "Trust!"

Now Aiden leaned over and bathed the shaft in pink light. Seb gasped and Zach laughed out loud. Standing inside the hole, feet firmly on the wall to the left of the opening, Miss West stood sideways. She looked for all the world like she was standing on a wall but her clothing hung towards her feet. It was as though gravity had twisted and she was upright while they were staring at her from a wall themselves. Dierne hovered beside her.

Seb, light-headed from hunger and disoriented, felt dizzy and suddenly fell forwards. As he passed the edge of the opening he flopped sideways and ended up sitting next to Miss West's feet, staring out of the hole at Zach's amused face.

"That'll do it, Seb," he said and then stepped into the tunnel. Carefully placing his feet on the side on which Miss West stood, his body tipped sideways and in an instant he stood upright next to her. "Well, that is just plain weird," he chuckled.

In quick succession the others followed and Miss West marched off down the tunnel, anxious not to give them an opportunity to dither or question further.

They brought Aiden to the front to light the way and after only a couple of minutes came to an abrupt halt. It was a dead end; a blank wall faced them.

"I can still see the path," Aiden said uncertainly. "But it's up there!" He pointed to the roof. "It's like the path curves up there ..."

Mr White stared into the tin and nodded. "It does."

"Well that's tiresome," Zach said.

Above, Seb could see a void in the ceiling, a hollow space.

"How about I put you on my shoulders, Aiden and lift you up there?" Zach wasn't going to be defeated.

Then Seb, looking at the curve of floor as it rose up the wall to continue into the hole above, had a thought.

"The Elder Door will lead you to where you want to go but only if you trust it to take you there," he mumbled and then started walking forward. As he did his feet followed the curve of the path and he carried on going, tipping gradually backwards. He began rising up the wall ... and he continued on until he had walked up and into the hollow space in the roof.

"Seb, how did you know that?" Alice zoomed up to him.

"I didn't." Seb turned and looked at the others who now appeared to be standing on a wall, face down. It was the oddest experience.

As before, Miss West didn't wait for further discussion. She raced up the wall and past Seb, calling to them all to hurry up. One by one, chuckling or exclaiming, they followed. Within minutes they came to another wall.

"The path continues on the other side," Aiden said. "But it's strange; I don't see any sign of the wall in here." He frowned as he looked into the tin.

"My turn," Zach said. "Trust." With a grin he walked forward ... disappearing through the wall!

Miss West bolted after him and the others blindly followed. Seb, the last to pass through with Alice, wondered at this place that seemed to be designed to play tricks on the visual senses. Then, as he passed the false wall, he heard Scarlet scream.

Her scream still ringing in his ears, Seb stared in horror around him. The path continued as Aiden had confirmed, however from above them and swooping down to travel along the tunnel, white misty shapes whooshed, like a host of ghosts. Others came towards them and vanished upward. They made a mournful, moaning sound which rose in pitch as each ethereal shape approached and descended as they moved away.

Aiden whimpered, dropping to his knees to avoid them. The pink light from his tin and face served only to make each one look more grotesque as they passed, paying no heed to the group of stunned onlookers.

Scarlet, like Aiden, was cowering below the shapes, trying to avoid letting any of them travel through her body. Seb, however, froze and several ghostlike forms whizzed through his chest and face. As each did he had a sudden flash of thousands of memories – quickly his head filled with sights, sounds, events, feelings, as each one touched him until he fell to his knees, gasping.

He felt firm hands support him.

"Seb, close them off," Alice said. "Close your mind to them."

The Caretaker helped move him to the edge of the passageway.

"Lost among the dead!" Aiden was nearly crying.

And then Mr West spoke calmly, the figures skimming his frizzy hair. "The dead, Aiden, if you want to see it that way, but actually just souls without hosts. I believe we have stepped into a ley line."

Miss West gazed at the spectacle undisturbed, as did Mr White. Standing against the wall, out of the way of the souls, he placed a calming hand on Aiden's shoulder.

Nat knelt beside Seb. "Seb, they are peaceful, unaware, almost sleeping." Her words barely reached his consciousness.

Dimly he heard Zach shouting, "Tunnels, doors, pathways and presences, Aiden. How could you not see all this?"

Mr White answered for him. "Presences of things where they should not be, Zach. The only exception is us. We can see the members of the group and anything that does _not_ belong. Nothing more. These souls belong."

Seb was still reeling from the thousands of life experiences his mind had been bombarded with; he felt the passion, the fear, the happiness, love, devotion, sadness, devastation of all of them, and his mind couldn't cope.

Alice said again, "Close them off, Seb." But for Seb it was too late. And then through all the turmoil, the clutter of experiences, his brain picked out one relevant point. Mr Duir. For each of the spectres that had passed through him there was a recollection of Mr Duir.

He sat upright, snapping back to reality.

"Nat, they _are_ aware. They all saw Mr Duir. He definitely came this way, they _noticed_ him!"

"Seb, how could you know that?" Scarlet asked, still cowering.

"When they passed through me ..." Seb couldn't continue; thinking about it made the memories dance through his head afresh. He closed his eyes, trying to do what Alice had told him, block them out. When he did, the image of Mr Duir became stronger, clearer. Seb knew the way he had gone.

Struggling to his feet and keeping close to the wall, out of the phantoms' path, he said, "Mr Duir definitely went that way and then to the left." As he pointed down the tunnel his hand shook, and so did his whole body.

"Seb, look at you. You're shaking." Scarlet crawled over to him. "Sit down, you can hardly stand!"

"I'm cold," he shivered, "and so hungry!" He laughed weakly and sat down.

"Did you pack any supplies in that bag?" Scarlet asked, yanking his backpack off. He had forgotten he was even wearing it. She pulled out a jumper and handed it to him. "Put this on," she demanded.

Zach joined her and searched through the bag.

"What did you pack? Crisps? Chocolate?" Then his voice sounded disappointed. "Really, Seb – a couple of bagels, a bottle of water and an apple? Is that it?"

"There wasn't much I liked." Seb hugged his arms around his body.

"Didn't think you liked apples," Zach said disapprovingly.

"They're good supplies. Seb, eat a bagel," The Caretaker said.

"That way then?" asked Mr West, staring down the tunnel. "Aiden, do you see a door where Seb said Aelfric went?"

As Aiden examined his tin, Dierne, hovering just behind Trudy West, bent towards Seb.

"Did he look alright?" he asked quietly.

Seb stopped munching on the bagel, realising that Dierne, unable to communicate with Aelfric Duir – possibly for the first time in their lives together – was worried and looking for reassurance his twin was safe.

"All I could see was him standing in their path and then he turned left. That was all, but he didn't look hurt or anything."

"Did you see Heath?" Miss West asked.

Seb shook his head, puzzled. "No, just Mr Duir."

Mr West turned to him. "Aelfric read the souls that came before. He was tracking Heath, and whatever or whoever took him. The souls that saw Heath will have passed here before we arrived, so you wouldn't see their memories, but Aelfric would," Mr West said. "I am guessing that showed Aelfric the way to go."

"Right. Get up, Seb. We need to move on." Miss West was unsympathetic to the fact that Seb was still shivering and had only eaten half a bagel. Anxious to get to Aelfric Duir she couldn't accept any hold-ups.

With The Caretaker's help Seb stood up and they all huddled at the side of the passageway, away from the travelling souls.

Aiden was staring into the tin. "I do see a door, on the left, not far up," he said and Miss West was off, striding along the tunnel, calling for Aiden to show her where. Within twenty paces Aiden pointed to the left.

"Seb, use Aiden's light," Mr White said as they all gathered around.

Seb, stuffing the last of his bagel into his mouth, reflected light from the tin onto the wall. The door was revealed. Miss West reached a hand towards the knob and then Aiden called, "There's something there, behind the door!"

The knob had already begun turning and Miss West grabbed it, shouting, "A good something or a bad something? Dom, help him!" She planted herself in front of the doorway and held onto the still-turning knob, trying to stop it opening.

Mr White frowned over Aiden's shoulder as Zach pushed past them to place a hand over Miss West's, helping to stop the doorknob from turning.

"It is not displaced, or trespassing," the dour teacher said.

"Then it's good?" Scarlet asked hopefully. "You said only things that shouldn't be there, or members of the group. So Mr Duir then?"

"I hope so," called Zach, his voice strained. "We can't stop the thing from turning."

Seb could see the knob twisting beneath their hands.

"Dom, should we lock it or is it Aelfric, Heath maybe?" Miss West shouted.

"Maybe ..." Mr White's face was contorted in so many frown lines his eyes had virtually disappeared.

"Maybe lock it or maybe it's Aelfric or Heath?" The Caretaker stood behind Miss West and Zach, staff at the ready.

"Maybe it's Aelfric," Dom White said. "It is a blue trace, but not completely. It appears blue—"

And then Scarlet shouted, "I can see ... it's— "

Her words became irrelevant. In spite of Miss West and Zach trying to prevent it, the door opened, dragging the pair through it.

#  Circles and Summons

"Heath!" Scarlet finished what she was saying, as The Caretaker leapt through the door and Dierne whizzed through ahead of Mr West.

Seb heard Miss West's voice. "You're okay? Where's Aelfric?"

"I ... I don't know. Is he not with you?" Heath's voice sounded pained, surprised.

Emerging the other side of the door, Seb breathed deeply. Fresh, country air! He blinked. Bright, golden light made his eyes water. They had left the dark tunnel and the floating, misty spectres behind and now stood in open moorland. The bright light was the setting sun. Seb was shocked to find so much of the day had gone by.

"It's evening," he said to Alice.

"It is." Alice didn't seem surprised.

They were in an expanse of countryside peppered with weather-scarred, ponderous standing stones. Some leaning, some more upright, the stones were flecked with lichen and embedded in ground that was covered with short grass and scrub and dotted with gorse bushes. The sky, an inky-blue behind Seb, lightened to orange where the sun was just dipping below the horizon.

Heath leant against the stone that contained the door, which dissolved as he let go of the silver knob. Breathing heavily, his breath sending out vapour in the chill air, he let his hand drop to his side and only now did Seb see him properly. His silver hair was matted and tangled, his face covered in sweat. There was a bruise above his left eye and a large graze on his right cheek. Blood had gathered in the corner of his mouth and his bottom lip was slightly swollen. His black tunic had a tear across the shoulder, revealing flesh and the suggestion of blood beneath it.

Mr West took a cloth and a bottle from a small bag under his jacket as Miss West bombarded the ravaged figure with questions.

"What happened to you? What was it? Who was it? Was it Braddock? How did you end up here?"

Struggling to speak, Heath's words came in bursts.

"Braddock? No, something I have not known. Something freezing, bitter!" He visibly shivered. "From the doorway, it seized my throat ... pulled me in. I don't remember much, darkness ..." Unsteady, he hunched down, leaning against the stone for support. The descending sun's rays behind it threw him into dark shadow as he continued. "I really don't know, Trudy. It was beyond my knowledge, my power." He sounded defeated.

Mr West dabbed at Heath's cheek with the cloth. He checked the shoulder wound.

"It's superficial ... all just superficial. You'll be fine, Heath." He tried to sound reassuring but was fooling no one.

The teachers and The Caretaker stood in silence staring at the stricken Heath who suddenly jerked his head up.

"Where is Aelfric? Where is he?"

"He followed you. You haven't seen him?" Dierne asked.

From his shadowy position, sitting on his haunches, Heath shook his head.

"No. All I remember is cold fingers around my throat, being dragged through the doorway, darkness, and then I found myself here. When I saw the door appear I just grabbed the handle, hoping it would take me back to the cave."

The sun was setting quickly now and darkness eased across the moorland, swallowing colour and softening form until only the brooding shapes of the monoliths were discernible against the background.

Seb heard Aiden whisper, "Flamers _."_ A few little orbs popped into life on his head.

"Is that it?" Zach asked. "Have you run out?"

"They do not come to such places." Mr White sounded surprised. "That any are here at all is remarkable."

"Such places?" Scarlet asked nervously.

"This is a Drífan circle," Mr West said, putting the cloth and bottle away and gazing out at the stones which, Seb now realised, formed a ring around them.

"Drífan?" Zach too was looking around at the imposing stones.

"This is an ancient channelling point on the St Michael's ley line; three circles that harness certain forces, forces that cause living things to move either to or from them. Drífan is the force that impels, compels or repels and we happen to be in one of the most powerful sites. This site, Zach, is The Hurlers," Mr West said.

A screech nearby made Seb start. Aiden let out a small scream.

"It's an owl," Miss West said, annoyed at how jumpy they were.

The sun had now completely gone and darkness surrounded them, other than the slither of a crescent moon and the few flamers on Aiden's head. The night air was cold as winter.

Mr West murmured, "We are in the central Drífan and it is concerning you were brought here, Heath."

"Weren't the Hurlers people playing hurling who got turned to stone ... didn't you say that?" Zach asked.

"I did say that was the _myth."_ Mr West looked around nervously.

"We must leave." Heath struggled to his feet. "We need to reopen the door." Then he groaned, "I cannot. Seb, you'll have to."

The atmosphere among the group had become crisp as the air, the concern of the teachers palpable.

"Seb, the door!" Mr West urged him.

Seb lifted his hand and caught the moonlight on his palm. Then Heath, unsteady, stumbled, falling against him just as he was directing the light onto the stone beside them. The light hit the next stone along ... and things got horrible.

Instead of revealing a door the standing stone sent out a resounding boom, so loud the earth beneath them shook. The sound wave spread out and struck the other stones in the circle which in turn all emitted their own loud boom in response. Weakened by the use of his energy again and overwhelmed by the deafening noise, Seb staggered towards the centre of the circle, covering his ears.

Miss West ran over and shouted into his face but her words were drowned out by noise. Mr West pointed towards a gap in the stones, flapping his hand in that direction. Mr White pulled Aiden to the gap and The Caretaker pushed Scarlet and Nat out of the circle too.

Miss West was still shouting at Seb but he couldn't hear her. He took his hands off his ears but had to replace them immediately; the pain of the noise from each boom emitted from the stones was too much to bear.

Alice zoomed to him and shouted close to his ear, "Seb, we have to get out of this circle; they will come!"

Seb only just heard him. He took a couple of stumbling steps away from the middle of the circle, still holding his hands to his ears. Miss West, staff in one hand, began pulling Seb's arm with the other, trying to tug him to the edge of the circle. Only then did he realise: every time his birthmark was exposed it flashed reflected moonbeams wildly around, lighting up the monoliths and causing each to send out a fresh thundering boom as it was struck.

He lowered his arm and closed his fingers, hoping there would be a sudden cessation of the noise. It wasn't sudden but at least there were no new thunderous booms. The echoes of the previous sound waves still coursed around the circle and only gradually died down and then, as the vibrating of the noise through his body stopped, Seb noticed for the first time that his birthmark was throbbing.

Miss West dragged him towards a gap in the stones. To his right Mr West and Nat stared on; the fear on Nat's face made Seb freeze. Mr West gesticulated wildly at him to keep moving. Now Alice and Dierne took hold of him and, lifting him, carried him towards the nearest gap, followed at a run by Zach and Miss West. And then the Dryads stopped abruptly, Seb dangling a few inches above the ground.

"We're too late," Alice sounded anxious.

"Hush!" Dierne rebuked him and they placed Seb back down.

Beyond the gap in the stones, a dark shape lurked. It padded forward on four silent feet, head lowered. Seb was vaguely aware of a distant sound, like the screeching of a flock of birds, but he couldn't pay any attention to that noise, he was staring at the black figure that was only yards beyond the circle. In the weak moonlight its pelt gleamed and then it lifted its head and two glowing red eyes stared malevolently at him.

A movement to his left almost made Seb turn but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the monstrous shape in front of him.

Zach, behind Seb, mumbled to Miss West, "Another, left!" In a sudden leap he and Miss West darted either side of Seb, staffs drawn. Another figure, at impossible speed, swept in from the right and Seb realised The Caretaker had come to help.

The three Guardians enclosed Seb in a protective triangle, the Dryads hovering just above them. Seb glanced around. He counted three beasts, all with glowing red eyes, two panther-like creatures and one shaped like the giant black hound he had seen at Waulud's Bank.

Forgetting his own fear he suddenly realised Aiden, Nat and Scarlet were all outside the circle with these beasts and he turned, trying to locate them. They all stood with Mr White and Mr West, staring helplessly as the beasts padded their way past the standing stones.

Seb felt weak.

"Alice, can't you carry Seb out of here?" Zach said quietly. "I'm guessing it's him they're after."

Alice answered as quietly, "Look up!"

The way he said it told Seb, before he even looked, that it wasn't good news. He tilted his head upward. At first all he could see was darkness. Then he realised ... darkness, no stars and every now and then just a fleeting glimpse of the moon. A mass of cloud had closed in above the stone circle. Seb's mouth went dry – it wasn't a covering of cloud, but a colony, a gathering, of thousands of bats! And the screeching he had heard before and ignored ... was coming from that dense cloud of flapping, circling things.

"Not up!" Alice said.

"No!" Zach agreed.

As the last echoes from the stones died out the circle became quiet. The screeching stopped. The only sounds now were the breathing of Seb and his protectors and the faint whoosh and flap of the bats above.

#  The Attack

Seb stared up at the sky. The cloud of bats was getting denser by the second as more joined the throng from every direction. The view on the ground wasn't much better; another hellhound had arrived and the four red-eyed monsters stood glowering at him.

As the Guardians edged back, with Seb sheltered between them, the gytrash moved forward, letting out the occasional hiss or growl, but they did not attack.

"What do we do?" Seb whispered, shuffling further away from the edge of the circle.

"They wait. So we wait," Miss West answered.

"What, wait while more arrive?" Zach was annoyed.

_That's a good point!_ Seb glanced around the stone circle to see if there were any more red eyes heading their way. He couldn't see anything but inky blackness beyond the standing stones. He could no longer see Mr West, Nat or Scarlet, or even Aiden with his flamer halo.

"Where's Heath?" he whispered. He hadn't noticed what Heath had done when the thunderous drumbeats had started but he hoped he was with Mr White, trying to open a door.

Miss West and The Caretaker said nothing, focusing on the gytrash who pawed the ground and growled at them as if impatient for a fight.

"What are they waiting for?" Seb was finding the tension unbearable. He moved backwards.

There was a shout from the darkness; Mr West's reedy voice, "Seb, stay clear of the central stone."

Seb strained his eyesight, trying to see the middle of the circle. There was no tall monolith that he could see. As the nearest hound growled he moved further back.

"Seb, do as my brother says!" Miss West barked.

"But— "

"Greg knows what he is talking about. He has never been wrong. Move away," she snapped but the gytrash moved closer, forcing them back towards the middle. Suddenly, for just a second, a beam of light shone onto the ground in the centre of the circle. It lasted long enough for Seb to see that there was a stone, an inlaid, mottled stone, overgrown by clumps of grass and moss. The ground around it shimmered with little pinpoint sparkles, as if the sandy earth was filled with millions of gems – and then the light was gone. Seb had no idea where it had come from.

There was a grinding sound, accompanied by howls from the gytrash and screeching from the cloud of bats above. The stone began to rise, the grinding getting louder as it broke free of the soil. As it rose the square top gave way to mirrored slanting sides and the sandy soil, teeming with crystals, fell away. The four-sided pyramid came to a stop, its square peak fifteen feet above the ground.

Seb's hand was still throbbing and the growling and snarling of the beasts nearby had become ferocious when, as if in response to an unseen signal, they all leapt towards the Guardians. At the same time the cloud of bats rushed downward, streaming towards Seb.

The Guardians sprang into action. There was a flurry of staff-spinning, leaping, kicks, strikes and body blows as they fought with the panther and hound-like gytrash. Above Seb's head Dierne and Alice flitted and spun a web of trails so dense the bats could not penetrate it. Time and again Seb, cowering below the cover of it, heard the squeal as another bat dive-bombed it. None managed to break through.

He felt pathetic, crouching on the dirt as people and Dryads fought to protect him. Was he worth all that? He wondered why Heath wasn't helping. It was a fleeting thought, interrupted by a more forceful thud as another bat struck the mesh above him.

Shrouded in darkness he could hardly see his hand in front of his face. He curled into a ball, trying not to be trampled by the feet of the Guardians or the paws of the gytrash as they skirmished around him. And then he recoiled as he felt a tug on the back of his jumper. Turning in panic, expecting to see the teeth of a hound grasping him, he swallowed back a scream as he saw Aiden, head still sparsely covered in flamers, pulling on his jumper.

"Seb, you need to get away from the pyramid of mirrors. Mr West says you have to open a doorway with me!" Aiden looked petrified at the task he had been given and Seb was impressed at his little friend who, obviously terrified, had thrown himself into the melee anyway.

Shamed by his own feeble cowering he nodded to him. Locating the dark tower, glimpses of which he could see amid the dust and feet around him, he began to crawl in the opposite direction, Aiden following as closely as he could. It took them only seconds to reach the base of the nearest standing stone and here the light of the moon could now penetrate. None of the gytrash or bats had yet realised their quarry had moved, all so focused on the Guardians and Dryads.

Kneeling in front of the monolith, Seb whispered to Aiden, "Is he sure a door will appear? It's just that ... well, look at what happened last time!"

Kneeling beside Seb, Aiden stared at the surface of the stone.

"You heard Miss West; her brother's never been wrong!" He shrugged.

Aiden already had the tin in his hand and popped the lid open. His freckles caught the pink light from inside. He stared at the tin then at the stone. "Seb, the _whole thing_ is a door," he said.

"Can you see anything on the other side of it?" Seb asked.

Aiden shook his head. "I don't know. There are hazy colours but nothing definite. I really don't know. Are you going to open it?"

Seb was staring over at the tower, the upward slant of its surface showing a reflection of the dark sky above them. Beside it he glimpsed a small, black dot and then, recognising the shape, jerked his head to the left just in time to avoid the bat's sharp claws. The thing slammed into the stone next to Seb. He saw four more bats heading his way; they had apparently realised he wasn't with the Guardians or the Dryads and were once again directing their attack on him.

Above the sound of the ongoing battle Seb heard Alice call, "Seb, we can't hold them off for ever!"

That was enough for Seb. "We need to get out of here," he said.

Lifting his hand he captured the light from Aiden's face and tilted his palm but, as he did, Heath appeared from the other side of the stone and pushed him roughly.

"Mind out, Seb; the bats!"

As Seb overbalanced, his hand turned and sent the reflected light skimming across one face of the tower. The tower dissolved instantly and as if a tear had opened in space, a gap of darkness appeared, far deeper than that of the night around them.

A shout hailed them from behind and Mr West came running towards the boys, Scarlet, Nat and Mr White with him.

"Seb, you were supposed to open a door; I said to keep away from the central stone!" He sounded horrified.

Seb felt guilty. He tried to explain it was an accident but Mr West was calling to his sister, "Trudy, move away!"

Miss West, along with Zach and The Caretaker, began edging towards the opposite side of the outer circle, leading the fight away from the group.

Seb frantically put his hand down, closing his fingers on his palm, trying to undo what he had done by keeping any reflection away from the tower. But even without his hand shining light on it, the dark crack in the fabric of the night remained open.

Scarlet, standing behind Seb and staring into the void, suddenly shouted, "I can see ... oh my!" Seb looked to where her shaking finger was pointing – he could see nothing but blackness.

"We must close it!" Mr West yelled.

Mr White turned to Seb. "Illuminate it again, Seb. Aiden, the rowan powder."

Aiden opened the inner section of the tin and took a pinch of the powder and Seb opened his hand, trying to catch the moonlight. Bats were now swarming down on them and Dierne and Alice zoomed about above their heads trying to extend the mesh canopy to shield the whole group.

As Seb managed to catch a sudden ray of moonlight Heath yelled, "Look out!" and pointed to the right, jostling Aiden.

"I dropped the tin!" He moaned.

They all looked where Heath was pointing. A couple of bats were ducking under the meshing net but Alice intercepted them before they got any further.

Aiden was on his knees. On the ground in front of him was Mr White's tin, glinting in the weak light and around it, in the short grass, the powdery contents. He tried to retrieve some but a sudden gust of wind lifted and scattered the granules.

"That's Mr Duir! I'm sure it is!" Scarlet pulled Seb's attention away from Aiden, grabbing his arm and waving a finger to the left of the dark chasm.

A figure had leapt from behind one of the standing stones and was running across to the jewel-speckled circle of earth beneath the chasm. Seb could never have recognised it as Mr Duir from that distance. At the same time a white, insubstantial haze drifted out of the void. Mr Duir, if Mr Duir it was, lifted his hand but the hazy form now zoomed towards him and wrapped itself around his neck.

Seb was captivated by the freakish scene and was uncertain whether he should still be trying to close the fissure with Aiden. He called to Mr West, "Do we close it?"

Mr West placed a hand on his shoulder. "No, Seb. It's too late."

#  Defence

Scarlet was yelling, "It is! It is Mr Duir. Can't we help him?" She took a step forward. Mr White stopped her.

"No," he spoke gently. "And he wouldn't want us to."

As Seb watched, Mr Duir fell to the ground, captive of the ghostly haze which had emerged from the dark void. The spectre was writhing, folding and winding itself around him.

The sound of fighting was ferocious on the other side of the stone circle and now Mr West shouted to his sister, "Trudy, bring them."

Miss West appeared from the other side of the yawning chasm. A massive hound leapt in pursuit of her. With a decisive swing she struck it with the tip of her staff, right between the eyes. The beast howled and flopped to the ground at her feet. The husk of the animal lay unmoving but the ghostly cloud of its erstwhile occupying soul emerged.

Mr West yelled, "Seb, strike it!"

Dragging his eyes away from Mr Duir, Seb looked bemusedly at the dwarf.

"Your hand, Seb," Mr West urged him. "You have to light the soul, banish it."

In the sky bats were swarming everywhere so Seb had no available light. Then Aiden, beside him, flipped open the tin, giving him the source he needed. Reflecting it off his birthmark he focused it onto the mist trail. As the light struck it the soul was sucked into the void and disappeared with a harrowing scream.

The Caretaker, following Miss West's lead, dispatched a panther which was in mid-leap towards Seb, striking it on the chest with the tip of the staff. It fell and a white fog trail emerged to be pulled straight into the chasm as Seb shone light on it.

Zach now struck at the beast in front of him, letting out a triumphant "Yes!"

Seb couldn't see it though; it was obscured by the black chasm.

Miss West yelled, "Move, Zach. It will try to enter you. Move!" She did a tumble in mid-air and, landing beside him, grabbed his arm and pulled him to the other side of the gap.

Seb still couldn't see the vaporous mist of the soul and above him Dierne and Alice were tiring. A bat found its way through the mesh and landed on his shoulder, digging its claws in so hard he yelped. The Caretaker ran over in five massive strides, yanked the thing off him and threw it out of the circle.

Miss West reached the group with Zach, and close behind them Seb could see the spiralling mist-trail. Forced to avoid it, Dierne and Alice had difficulty keeping their net secure and several bats struck Seb. The Caretaker snatched each one away and shouted at him, "Deal with the soul, Seb."

Feeling drained, he opened his fingers and tipped his hand to catch the light from Aiden's cheeks and as he shone it on the ghostly trail the thing was drawn into the chasm.

There was still one more beast which, more cautiously, prowled across the ground, looking for an opportunity to get at Seb. Miss West, Zach and The Caretaker formed a defensive line in front of him and Dierne and Alice managed to re-enforce their protective mesh to prevent the bats from getting through. Beneath this, Seb could barely stand. He watched the pair of red eyes advancing.

"Should we open a door?" Aiden asked nervously.

Mr West shook his head. "No Aiden, we cannot risk it now."

Seb stared at Mr Duir who was trying to drag himself through the gap into the dark crevice, the mist haze still wrapped around him like a straitjacket. Feeling useless and utterly weary, Seb wondered why no one was trying to help him, but then he saw Heath come from nowhere, taking several steps towards Mr Duir. _At last someone is going to help him._

He caught a brief blur to his left. Dierne swooped towards Mr Duir, leaving Alice alone to defend Seb from the air.

Miss West and The Caretaker dispatched the last gytrash as the beast jumped at Seb. He forced himself to concentrate on mustering the energy to illuminate the twirling soul. It was sucked into the void.

Zach helped Alice, striking bats left and right with his staff like a game of rounders, hitting them so hard they flew way beyond the boundary of the stone circle, but the two of them were unable to contain such vast numbers. The bats flooded towards Seb, their screeching and fluttering terrifyingly loud. Sinking to the ground he felt little stabbing sensations on his head and back. He curled into a ball and heard Scarlet shouting, "Get them off him!"

He looked up at her. She stood, with Nat, watching helplessly. He was the only one being attacked. He felt a couple of barbs penetrate the skin of his back before the creature inflicting the attack was grabbed by one of the girls.

The Caretaker and Miss West now joined Zach, striking at the bats, sending them in every direction, as far away as they could. The little brutes didn't seem to die. They simply regrouped and attacked again.

Hands over his head, Seb dared not move but in a gap between his elbow and his head he saw a leaf flutter to the ground; pale yellow, it was visible against the darkness. He looked up worried now about Alice.

"Alice, are you okay?" he called.

He couldn't see the Dryad. He could see the frantic efforts of the Guardians as they continued to punt away as many bats as they could. One creature jabbed its claws into Seb's cheek and then another landed on his scalp. He felt blood trickle into his hair.

More leaves floated out of the sky and landed on the ground nearby. Seriously concerned for Alice now, Seb raised his head again in time to see a mob of bats tumble to the ground, landing with a thud about ten feet away, very near the black void on the opposite side to where Mr Duir was still battling with the ghostly shape. Then Seb realised this mob was covering a larger, moving object. Through the mass of bats he could see greenery, leaves, and then a hand – Alice!

Seb felt a surge of anger. Standing up he shouted, "Get off him!"

Another bat struck him on the forehead. He flicked it away and stumbled through the host of flapping creatures. As he got closer more and more bats descended and joined the swarm that was tearing at the Dryad's body, sending leaves upward in their frenzy. Seb was now covered in the creatures too and could barely see. He could feel hundreds of agonising pinpricks all over his body and he could hear Miss West shouting at him to stand still and let them get rid of the beasts. He ignored her and the pain. Reaching a hand out, trying to sweep a path through the manic throng, he shouted again, "I said get off him!"

As he did there was a massive blast from his palm: a bolt of white light exploded outward from him and then contracted, dragging every single bat with it and casting them into the gaping hole at the centre of the circle. Then the light was gone and so too was the gap, leaving just the mirrored tower.

Seb felt energy coursing through him, a far cry from the weak dizziness he had felt just moments before. He stood in the meagre moonlight, gazing around at the stunned faces of his friends and the teachers.

Zach was first to speak. "Whoa, Seb. What was that?"

Seb wasn't sure what it had been and he didn't care. He rushed over to Alice.

"Are you okay?"

Sitting up, Alice was surrounded by a pile of leaves and broken twigs. He smiled slightly, checking himself over.

"Pretty sure I am. Though I can't look that good!" He seemed embarrassed.

And then Seb felt the steely touch of ice on his neck at the same time as he became aware of the change in expression on Alice's face and the sound of running footsteps that came too late.

#  Retake Them All

Near the base of the tower, Seb fell to the ground, the icy grip around his throat preventing him drawing breath or even crying out. He felt a bitter chill inside which spread to form cold fingers that crept down his left arm.

Time seemed to slow. In what he believed to be his final moments he found it curious that there were so many little points of light, so many jewelled deposits in the earth he lay on.

Scarlet screamed, "Someone get it out of him!"

Coldness spread into his brain and still the little jewels in the earth twinkled cheerfully at him. He could hear words in his head.

"Seb, fight him!" Alice encouraged. "Seb, can you hear me? Fight him!"

_Fight who?_ Seb lifted his eyes and stared at those around him with a feeling of detachment. Aiden was speaking quickly to Mr White. Seb heard only some of his words, "... quartz crystals ... their _optimum_ ..."

Mr West became animated. "He's right, Dom. The crystals ..."

Then Seb noticed Heath moving towards him and there was something about the look on his face that made Seb watch him more closely. Kneeling, he reached a hand out to Seb.

"Do not, Heath!"

Seb turned his head awkwardly. With Dierne's help Mr Duir had got to his feet. He stood shakily, eyes glaring at Heath. There was no sign of the spectre that had enveloped him before, though the damage it had caused was obvious; there was bruising around his neck and his face was covered with scratches and grazes.

Heath moved his hand forward again.

"Do not!" Mr Duir snapped and Heath retracted his hand, smiling in an effort to placate him.

"Aelfric, he needs help."

"Who does?"

Heath froze, turning pale. He made no new attempt to reach towards Seb, whose world was gradually turning black. Aiden, a few feet away, inched closer.

Again Seb was aware of the tentative movement of those cold fingers along his arm but then there was another sensation. He glanced down at his hand to see Aiden piling a mound of sand and crystals over his open palm. Suddenly a beam of light fell near it. Seb followed its track back to Mr Duir who, leaning on Dierne, was focusing moonlight, reflected from his own palm, onto the soil near Seb.

Heath pushed Aiden to the side just as the creeping coldness of the unseen fingers finally reached Seb's palm and one digit touched his birthmark. As it did so Mr Duir shone the light full onto Seb's hand. He felt searing, burning pain and the icy fingers retracted as if scalded. The touch inside him recoiled and the grasp around his neck loosened. Seb drank in several lungfuls of air.

"No!" Heath shouted and yanked Seb by the underarms, pulling him out of the beam of light. Seb had no strength to resist.

"Heath! Do not!" Mr Duir's warning was grim. "This must stop!"

Heath stood in front of Seb, hands on hips, and let out a harsh laugh.

"Why, Aelfric? Why must it?"

Alice flitted over and now planted his feet firmly on the ground in front of Seb. Heath spun around. "Oh, young Dryad," he laughed. "You believe you can defeat us?" His voice was so cruel and patronising, Seb was shocked. "You who could not even defeat a colony of bats! Stand aside and let Braddock through!"

Braddock, that name again. Who is Braddock?

There was a rush of movement as Zach ran, leapt a good ten feet, and landed beside Alice, staff at the ready.

"Children. Ha, ha! You who know so little; we who have centuries, millennia nearly, of knowledge and experience. Juveniles! You have no role to play here."

Seb barely recognised Heath; there was no light-hearted mirth, no friendship, no joviality, just a harsh, brutal arrogance.

Now two more figures rushed in from left and right: The Caretaker and Miss West, covering ground so fast their movement was a blur. But Heath's reaction was quicker. He lifted his hand.

"Aelfric, hold your comrades! You know what I can do," he shouted.

Miss West had reached Seb and swung her staff as she landed but a barked word from Mr Duir stayed her strike. The Caretaker stopped abruptly.

Seb watched the scene play out, concentrating on simply trying to breathe now the hold around his neck had loosened.

Heath stood facing Mr Duir in a stand-off.

Nat crept over to sit beside Seb. She grasped his hand as The Caretaker spoke.

"Heath, this is not the way." Heath twitched slightly. "Braddock was lost. There is no return for the Dryad. We knew that."

Dryad? Braddock was a Dryad?

Heath rounded on the hooded figure. "We? _We?_ You mean you? _You_ were supposed to be our Guardian!"

Seb glanced up at the barely visible aquiline features.

" _Your_ Guardian, Heath. And I fulfilled that role." There was a pause as The Caretaker pulled down the jacket hood and stared Heath in the eye. "Braddock made his choice. He knew the consequences." Seb hadn't a clue what they were talking about. More quietly now, The Caretaker continued, "And you knew too."

The cold presence inside Seb seemed to be recovering its power. As if responding angrily to the conversation it began to constrict other parts of his body, tightening around his waist until he felt his backbone being crushed from inside, gripping around his arms and stopping the blood flow until he had pins and needles in his wrists and hands. He winced in pain.

Alice put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Fight him, Seb. Everything he is doing is in your mind!"

The tingling in his arms grew stronger. _Actually not my arms, my palm._ Seb felt a jolt of hope. Tingling was good, wasn't it?

Heath obviously had an indication something was up as well and spun round angrily.

"You delay me. Well, your tactics won't work." Still holding his hand up, he tilted it. Seb looked on in horror. There were lines in the skin of Heath's palm, just like those in his own and Mr Duir's, only these weren't straight, they were jagged, ripped, bloodied. Silver still shone through but the edges were blackened and the lines unclear, as if they had been distorted, deformed.

As he tilted his hand back Heath was knocked sideways. Zach barged into him with his shoulders and sent him tumbling to the ground.

Standing over him he laughed, "Children?"

Angry, Heath lurched up and jarred his shoulder into Zach's stomach with such force Zach flew backward. In anticipation of a further attack he turned, caught the moonlight on his hand and shone it down onto Seb. Instantly Seb's icy captor felt the strength from it and, as if this was what it had been waiting for, the invisible fingers rushed towards Seb's hand. Without hesitation this time they latched on to his birthmark. And now he felt the sensation that he was being pushed out of his body, that the forceful presence was overrunning him, thrusting him out of the way.

Zach, fuming, charged at Heath again. Throwing him to the ground he yelled.

"What have you done? What does that do?"

Miss West and The Caretaker leapt forward and stood over Heath, The Caretaker placing a foot on his hand, covering the birthmark. Heath laughed triumphantly. "Do what you will – Braddock is back and your pathetic attempts to prevent it are too little, too late."

Inside his head Seb could hear whispering.

"Leave. This is mine now. I claim this body ... this Custodian's body. Leave!"

Seb found it hard to resist. The voice grew louder, more commanding. It was so persuasive. Seb's soul felt wrenched, torn. The compulsion to flee, to desert his body, was almost overwhelming. Ice gripped his mind and heat pounded in his palm ... the crystals in his skin burning.

Nat shouted at him, "You can't give in, Seb. This is willpower, nothing more. You have to be stronger than him. Fight him!"

Seb didn't want to fight. The cold! His insides were shivering. He wanted to curl up, snuggle down into the deepest recesses of his body.

The voice continued, "That's it, leave. There is nothing for you here. Go to Áberan." The whispering was soothing, persuading. "I can do more with this body than you have. I can use it, harness its power, its unique strength – I can be the Custodian!"

Seb stared out of his eyes as though he were looking out of a window. He didn't feel as if he owned his body, just sat inside it, gazing out.

Mr Duir staggered over to him and knelt beside him. He grabbed Seb's arm. Seb couldn't even feel the touch of his fingers as they clasped his hand, twisting the arm to face him.

Heath yelled out, "Aelfric, what are you doing? It is too late. Let Braddock come back to me ... to us! He can be a worthy Custodian. Aelfric, think on it, a Dryad soul in a Custodian's body. Think on it!"

Through clenched teeth Mr Duir answered, "It is an aberration and an outrage! You _dare_ to alter the set of life's destiny? You dare to presume to change the pattern of Nature?" Seb was stunned at the fury in his words. Spoken in no more than a whisper, the anger was biting.

In his head Braddock's rustling words continued, "Do not let him touch me ... us. Do not. What is he doing?" There was a note of panic and as the hypnotic, persuasive comments stopped, Seb began to regain his own willpower.

Mr Duir stared into his eyes and spoke quickly. "Seb, this is _your_ destiny, _your_ role and _your_ body – you must retake them all."

Seb felt a pang of guilt, but more keenly he felt doubt. He had spent days living in confusion, denial and fear. Did he even _want_ this body back? Would it not be simpler to leave it to the one who wanted it, to slope off to Áberan and wait for his turn to be called again?

#  The Fight

"Aelfric, give it up. More come. That summons was for all of them, not just those nearby. Give it up. Let Braddock take the host! Then _we_ can help you banish these trespassers; _we_ can help you restore the balance. Imagine it, Aelfric!" Heath shouted at Mr Duir.

He tried to remove The Caretaker's foot from his hand, tried to sit up. Trudy West placed her foot on his chest and pushed him back down.

"Trudy," he smiled. "Trudy, is that really necessary? Can you not see the logic? We could have Braddock! Braddock who understands, who knows. Braddock who would be confident, determined, devoted, who would assist us all in ensuring the true passage of rightful souls is upheld. Instead of this," he waved his free hand in Seb's direction, "this weak, uncertain and ... well, basically inept soul."

Seb, barely holding on to reality, felt the sting of his words, the ring of truth.

And then Aiden, sitting beside him, in a small voice said, "You can't say that! That soul led the quest to rescue you and Mr Duir, saved Alice, harnessed the power it didn't even know it possessed and sent all those bats and beasts' souls into that dark place. That soul is simply confused, uninformed and inexperienced. Yours, though, has betrayed everything it was meant to stand for! And Braddock? Braddock is a _trespassing_ soul!"

Heath blanched. Everyone else stared.

Mr Duir glanced over his shoulder. "That about sums it up, Heath," he said.

Inside the shell of the body he felt was not his, Seb now realised that his friend's words were truer than Heath's had been. It was no _sin_ to be weak if that weakness is simply due to lack of knowledge; no transgression to be uncertain because you doubt your capabilities, and no fault to be inept if ineptitude comes from lack of training and practice. But now his world was darkening. Watching Heath struggle against the restraints of Miss West and The Caretaker he felt his soul being forced deep into the most obscure corner of his body.

Mr Duir's words bounced around in his subconscious, _Seb, this is your destiny, your role and your body. You must retake them all._

And then a sudden surge of warmth brought him back from the brink, pushing back the cold. He gazed down at his arm. Mr Duir, holding his wrist, had placed his own left palm in contact with Seb's birthmark.

Heath was talking. "They come, Aelfric. More come. You can feel them! You need us – me _and_ Braddock! You will not manage alone."

Now Dierne spoke to Mr Duir, his voice crackling with urgency. "I can call them. The channels are open. I can call."

Mr Duir shook his head.

"They can help," Dierne insisted.

"They could not and should not bear it, Dierne." Mr Duir didn't look at the Dryad. Whatever conversation they had was continued in private but Seb saw the distress on Dierne's face and the resolve on Mr Duir's.

He still felt throbbing in his palm. Those icy fingers had penetrated his birthmark and the cold had spread like a canker. But he could also now feel heat from Mr Duir's touch spreading through the crystals fused in the skin of his hand. He tried to concentrate on the warmth, on the tingling he could feel beneath the throbbing. There was a ripple of laughter. "You are too late."

Seb felt the heat moving up his arm.

"My body," he said slowly. The spread of the coldness receded slightly. His thoughts cleared, his sight became once more his own. "My body," he said staring out at the world.

Around him, the night was unchanged; the tower dark, the air cold. Heath lay beneath Trudy West's foot but everyone else now stared out of the stone circle. And then Seb realised why. He saw what they could all see: red eyes surrounding the circle – many of them.

Clinging only tenuously to a thread of self-esteem, Seb felt crushing doubt once more on seeing the mass of creatures approaching. Surely Braddock would be better suited to help fight these demonic beasts? He stared at the dots of red, fear gripping him.

"Aelfric," Heath implored. "You know you are going to need us both, me and Braddock. There are too many of them. The boy is useless! Let me up, let _us_ help."

Mr Duir looked over his shoulder at the crowd of animals stalking past the stones and said nothing. Seb watched in horror. He counted at least ten in the first group and behind them a further row.

Where did they all come from?

Zach positioned himself in front of Mr Duir. Mr West ushered Scarlet over to crouch beside Nat and Aiden, backs to the tower. A nod from Mr Duir and Miss West removed her foot from Heath's chest, The Caretaker released his hand and they walked over to join Zach.

"Yes, Aelfric. You know it makes sense." Heath jumped up and darted towards Seb but before he reached him Mr Duir shouted.

"No, Heath! Do not go near him."

"But ..." Heath was confused. "I thought ..."

"You can go." Mr Duir didn't even glance towards him.

"Go where? What about the gytrash? You need my help."

"No, Heath. I need only Seb."

Seb's attention was riveted. Mr Duir was placing faith in him? _But Heath's right, I am useless!_

"You can go, wherever you choose. But do not be here, Heath; if you stay I cannot protect you," Mr Duir said.

Heath laughed, though it sounded hollow, fearful.

"Aelfric, you won't manage. Not with him! The boy doubts and fails at every turn. Can you not see?" he implored.

The vast number of animals – dark horses, black manes catching the slight breeze, great black hounds, huge, sleek panthers, even a bear – padded forward, snarling or hissing or snorting. They surrounded the group beneath the tower.

Seb struggled to sit up.

"Seb?" Scarlet stared at him. "Are you okay?" she whispered.

Seb wasn't. He could still feel the cold all through his body and could hear the voice of Braddock in his mind.

"Let me take over. I need to help Heath!"

But the power and energy running up his arm and spreading to his chest from Mr Duir's hand made him stronger.

The first animals were only feet away so Mr Duir was now forced to let go. Seb felt the instant sapping of his energy as the contact was broken.

Before stepping away Mr Duir spoke quietly, words meant for Seb alone. "Seb, I need you." And then he turned to face the gytrash, flanked by his Guardians, Dierne and Alice above.

Seb felt his heart jump. It was such a personal plea. But now the first beasts leapt into the air, powerful muscles launching them the short distance towards the group. They aimed straight for Mr Duir. Seb saw a flash of claws, of slavering teeth, heard the tremendous noise, a mixture of roars, whinnies and howls and the crash as the first wave was blocked instantly by parries from the three Guardians' staffs which sent the attackers flying backwards.

Alice and Dierne wove trails to either side of the tower, blocking access from the sides and rear.

The second row of beasts was already in mid-flight, leaping over the tangle of animals at the front. One came within a foot of Mr Duir and Miss West struck it with the tip of her staff. It fell unmoving to the ground. A mist circled out of the body and swirled above it, then floated to disappear into another beast that was launching itself towards Mr Duir. As the additional life force was subsumed within it, the beast bellowed and grew in size, its physical abilities magnified.

"No!" Seb screamed inwardly as the wolf-like hound, paws extended, impacted full force on Mr Duir. He was pushed backward but somehow managed to remain on his feet as Zach swept the beast away with a swing of his staff.

"Do not kill the hosts!" Miss West shouted to Zach and The Caretaker.

Seb wondered why Mr Duir didn't open a door or cast light beams or do _something_ like he had done to defeat the ghostly cloud in the cave. Instead he just stood there, like a sacrificial lamb, as two more gytrash tore towards him.

"Do something!" Seb shouted, finding his voice.

"Seb!" Scarlet said. "You _are_ okay!"

He shook his head. The shout had expelled a huge amount of air and Braddock, recovering as Seb lost the help of Mr Duir's energy, tightened the grip on his throat again.

Another beast leapt at Mr Duir. They were definitely focused on him. The Caretaker struck the animal and it fell back, knocking two more to the ground. Instantly the menacing creatures regrouped and sprang again at Mr Duir. Zach slammed his staff tip into the chest of the first one and it fell lifeless to the ground.

"I said not to kill the host!" Miss West shouted as the white haze of a soul swirled out of it and straight into the one beside it which grew in size.

"I couldn't help it!" Zach panted.

The larger beast hurled itself at Mr Duir and was immediately dispatched by Miss West.

"Now who's doing it?" Zach challenged as again the white haze emerged, this time two whirls of it, which found their way to the next beast, enlarging it. This huge panther charged and managed to score three deep gashes across Mr Duir's jaw and neck. He cried out in pain and The Caretaker, giving an uncharacteristic guttural yell, swiped it away and then with a back blow stabbed the huge cat with the staff tip.

Now three ghostly trails spiralled out and all travelled at speed to a hound that was leaping from the right. The result was appallingly impressive – the hound swelled to four times the size of a normal, large dog. Howling, it stretched its paws towards Mr Duir, who had fallen to his knees, blood dripping from his face.

Zach and Miss West, in unison, jumped and with a somersault landed in front of him. They crossed their staffs and the beast crashed into them. As if it had hit a trampoline in the air, it rebounded off them and flew backward so far it disappeared into the darkness.

The onslaught, however, continued. Scarlet was staring out of the circle, shouting as each new creature attacked from the blackness beyond, giving warning of the direction the Guardians needed to turn towards.

Above, a new whirling maelstrom of bats had gathered and Dierne and Alice protected the group from all but a few of them.

Mr West suddenly whispered, "Heath is coming. We have to move, Seb."

Mr White nodded. "The tower will offer some protection."

Seb felt arms drag him backwards as the teachers hauled him a few feet until he was sitting, back pressed against the hard surface of the tower. Nat and Aiden shuffled in beside him. Seb couldn't see Heath anywhere.

"Seb, you must fight Braddock," Nat was saying. "Mr Duir needs you. He can't take many more attacks!"

Seb didn't know what to do. He watched through a semi-conscious haze as another giant beast charged at Mr Duir. The Caretaker struck the animal on the forehead and it fell. A spiral of mist swirled up and whooshed back into the largest hound as it once more leapt forward. Instantly it grew until it was the size of an elephant. Its howl was deafening and now not even the strength of the three Guardians combined could block it. It crashed through their crossed staffs and they fell back, watching helplessly as the dog hurtled into Mr Duir. There was a loud crack and he yelled in pain as he was thrown sideways. He hit the ground hard but immediately staggered to his feet, managing to dodge to the right before the beast could turn and lash out with its massive paw.

"Seb," he groaned. "You need to take control." He turned back to face the next attack.

Seb wanted to cry. He felt useless. His world was turning dark, his mind filled with confusion, guilt and failure. He fought to keep his eyes open.

Mr Duir stood, right arm hanging by his side and watched the next wave of four beasts tearing towards him.

"Why doesn't he do something? Why is he just letting them attack him?" Scarlet screamed, staring in terror at the barely diminished mob of beasts.

Mr West looked upset. "He cannot," he said quietly. "Seb summoned them. I am not sure how Heath manipulated it, but it is Seb they seek. These trespassing souls know his body is vulnerable, and it is a Custodian's body. Imagine a trespassing soul invading the body of a Custodian. Aelfric can't let that happen ... and they know that. So they have to stop him before they can get to Seb."

"But why not open a door, take Seb through? Mr White can lock the door after."

In the darkness, surrounded by the noise of battle, Mr West shook his head.

"Scarlet, Seb is _already possessed_ by a trespassing soul – Braddock! A soul who was banished to that chasm you saw, the Soul Drop, long ago. He should not be in these realms at all. To take Seb's body through a door would allow him back to the ley lines and that would be ... well, it _cannot_ be! Aelfric is buying Seb time. Seb needs to free his body of Braddock!"

"So then why can't he send all these beasts into the Soul Drop, like Seb did?" Aiden asked, sounding as upset as Scarlet.

Mr West mumbled, staring down at Seb. "He cannot risk opening that either. Aelfric can't know whether Braddock is winning ... or has even won the battle for Seb's body. If _he_ has control of that body there is so much he can do! Once the Soul Drop is open he would have the Custodian's power to release _any_ or _all_ of the souls ever banished to that place – it would be like opening the gates of hell ..." His voice trailed off as yet another panther jumped towards Mr Duir. Zach ran at the beast and, swinging his staff, swiped it sideways.

Seb finally understood the danger. With Seb's body, Braddock could wield whatever power that Custodian's body was supposed to have. Mr Duir had no way to get him or the others out of there. To open a door, or the Soul Drop, would be to risk chaos at the hands of Braddock. So all he could do was hold the beasts off and wait for Seb to regain control. And if he didn't? If Braddock won? Would Mr Duir have to destroy the Custodian host?

He watched in a daze of terror as a giant beast, containing five avaricious and trespassing souls, launched itself once more at Mr Duir. Beset on all sides by other gytrash, the Guardians could not defend him. The creature vaulted the crumbling husks of other lifeless beasts on the ground and tore towards him. Seb's heart froze and his mind screamed. The size of the animal, the speed and ferocity of its attack, was shocking.

Mr Duir, head now bowed, stood unmoving. Seb could see blood dripping from his jaw, the rips in his clothing through which other open wounds were visible and saw the heavy rise and fall of his chest as pain and exhaustion made his breathing laboured. His eyes regarded the monstrous creature looming towards him with calm acceptance. At the last moment, as it looked like a crushing impact was inevitable, Mr Duir leapt to the side and the creature sailed past him to land somewhere in the darkness. Scarlet yelled that it was attacking again. Mr Duir, struggling with pain, his arm still hanging by his side, turned. As the giant animal leapt for another try, Dierne could obviously bear it no longer and swooped down to attempt to weave a protective mesh in front him. At the same moment Miss West managed to spin and leap in front of it. She thrust her staff at the attacker.

Their efforts did little to lessen the impact when it came, however. The creature charged forward, only faltering slightly as Miss West's staff slammed across its chest, and then it blasted through the Dryad trail set by Dierne to collide with Mr Duir on his injured side; with an agonised groan, he fell to his knees. The beast, slower moving on the ground, turned and swiped at him with a giant paw. The Caretaker leapt and struck it away as Zach somersaulted over the animal and, with a backswing of his staff, knocked its other paw from underneath it. Its front end crashed to the ground and it roared in frustration.

Mr Duir was struggling to his feet, but more creatures were leaping at him. For each one the Guardians dispatched, a mist trail emerged to reinforce and enlarge another one.

Nat was sobbing. Mr West placed an arm around her shoulders.

"Someone help him," she pleaded.

Mr West turned his beady eyes towards Seb.

"Seb, no one can stop this. You must fight Braddock and take control of your body." He said the words with a sigh of helplessness.

The huge beast was back on its feet and rounded once more on Mr Duir. The Guardians couldn't hope to deal with this monster and the hordes that were leaping in groups towards them.

Seb heard Alice shout, "Seb, he needs you to fight. We cannot hold them back!"

The constriction around Seb's neck was so tight now and Braddock was once more attacking his willpower.

"I can save him. I can deal with these abominations. Give me this body to use as it was meant to be used. You are weak, misplaced. Give it to someone who can use the power it is capable of!"

"Seb," Alice repeated. "He needs you to fight! We all do!"

Through heavy lids Seb saw one last image: the massive beast crashing past Zach, hurling his friend into a standing stone to slump beside it, winded, and then hurtling headlong towards Mr Duir, before his world went black.

#  Guilt and Power

The sensory limits of Seb's world now were the throbbing and tingling in his palm and Braddock's voice, which filled his head.

"That's it, young soul. Drift away. I will look after this body."

But in his subconscious, something nagged; a creeping feeling of guilt. He couldn't grasp why.

Freed from the bombardment of external sensations his mind floated. Gone were horror, fear, confusion. All that was left was guilt. Why?

Images came, memories: Mr Duir staggering to his feet to stand, head bowed, in the path of a huge beast; the sight of Zach crashing into a standing stone; words ... Alice's voice, _Seb, he needs you to fight! We all do!_

Braddock's whisperings continued, "Calm yourself. Leave it to me. I will take care of them."

"Seb, he needs you to fight! We all do!" Alice's voice came to him again.

The tingling, the guilt. A memory: a flash of light, a blast of power ... a vast horde of bats swept into a void. And more memories: Alice tumbling to the ground, smothered by vicious, tearing, clawing bats; and another, the sickening crack of a broken bone ... Mr Duir crying out in pain, blood dripping from a gruesome face wound ... and the words _I need only Seb._

From nowhere Seb felt a swell of determination, a need to be rid of the feeling of guilt which he now understood; guilt at leaving Mr Duir – his friends, his Dryad twin – to face this onslaught when he was the only one capable of stopping it.

"You summoned the souls ..." Mr West's reedy voice echoed in his head.

But Braddock's voice grew louder. "Leave it, young soul. This body is in safe hands."

Seb's determination grew until it became an overwhelming need to save the others, to redeem himself. His subconscious called out, "STOP!"

Instantly the hold on him weakened, as if Braddock had flinched in surprise. And as the hold on his throat loosened he inhaled. His head cleared. The resolve grew, as further flashes of memory, so vivid it was like they were happening afresh before his eyes, stormed through his mind; a beast scoring gashes into Mr Duir's neck; Nat tearful; Alice exhausted; Aiden defending him against Heath's cruel accusations; Mr Duir's words, _Seb, I need you._

He bolted upright. Opening his eyes wide he stared at the sky. It was dense with screeching, diving bats. Alice zoomed around beneath them, continually weaving netting, trying to provide shelter for those below, but obviously tiring.

At ground level so many beasts, red eyes glowing, were still attacking, their numbers barely diminished. Zach, in the midst of them, was panting for breath, exhaustion etched on his young face. Miss West and The Caretaker looked equally shattered as they struggled to keep them away from Mr Duir while Dierne whizzed back and forth in a frenzy, trying to protect his twin.

And then he saw Mr Duir. Unable to stand, he knelt with one hand on the ground, his head lowered and blood soaking his clothing. Gasping for breath he didn't look up as one enormous creature, glowing red eyes staring maliciously at him, launched itself towards him.

In Seb's head Braddock was shouting, "No, you imbecile, you cannot – must not –do this. You are my way back. I have the host – this is _my_ body."

Ignoring him, Seb acted. He lifted his arm and without seeking the light of the moon, without waiting for Aiden's help, knowing he had this power in him, he whispered four words: "Get away from him!"

There was a thunderclap so loud the stones in the circle cracked. It whipped through the air like a tangible force, travelling from Seb's body outward and it obliterated every single bat. The force of it struck every loathsome creature and they dropped lifeless to the ground. Out of the husks of their bodies rose a flurry of souls, spiralling upward.

Seb stared at the collection of souls now arcing and whirling in the sky above him as they rallied and formed a unified tornado flume, seemingly working as one, their single goal – him.

Mr Duir staggered to his feet and through clenched teeth, pain sounding in each word, he called, "Seb, finish it."

Seb spoke again, quietly, arm still raised. "Do not come back!"

Behind him the black fissure opened and the vortex of white fog trails was sucked into it. There was a piercing collective scream as the souls shouted their frustration and anger, and then the crevice slammed shut.

#  The Twins

Seb's friends stared at him in silence. It was broken by a sudden creaking sound followed by a crash as half of one of the standing stones fell away from its other half and toppled to the earth, splintering into rocks and chunks of sandstone, and then Mr Duir buckled. He sat, hugging his right arm to his body, head bowed, breathing heavily.

The Caretaker and teachers rushed to him and Mr West began checking his wounds. Mr Duir tried to speak but Mr West stopped him.

"Aelfric, these wounds are bad. Let me treat you."

Seb lowered his arm. Alice whizzed down to stand beside him.

"Seb," he said, a wide grin on his face. "You did it!"

"You're amazing!" Scarlet laughed, wiping tears from her eyes.

Aiden patted him timidly on the back, laughing with relief.

Around them the gytrash carcasses were already disintegrating and as Seb watched they dissolved into nothing as though they had never been. The cold inside him had gone and he could no longer hear Braddock's voice. His palm still tingled and the throbbing was there too ...

Nat whispered to Seb, "It is not done yet." She sounded fearful.

"Greg," Mr Duir tried to stand, "we cannot leave Braddock."

Mr West placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I feel him, Aelfric, but you have to let me deal with these injuries."

"No, Greg!" Mr Duir paused, catching his breath, "Heath!"

It was only then that Seb realised Heath had disappeared.

Zach leapt over to them, panting. "Well, mortal, that was _pretty_ good. Not as good, I would say, as me and my assistants, though ..." He waved a hand in the direction of Miss West and The Caretaker who stood looking into the darkness beyond the circle. Seb felt a chill shiver. Where had Braddock gone? Zach was still talking. " ...Who were pretty darned amazing, don't you think?"

Nat tugged his sleeve. "Zach, it's not over!" The wariness in her eyes sobered him and he turned to look out of the circle.

"Are more coming?"

Seb looked out too. There was nothing he could see; but he wasn't looking for gytrash and he knew it.

"Where did Heath go?" he asked quietly.

Nat whispered, "He is very near – and very angry."

Mr West had stopped tending to Mr Duir. "They are together," he murmured.

"He's right. I can feel Heath very close and Braddock is with him," Nat said.

The Dryad trails in which they had been semi-cocooned had begun dissolving and Scarlet spun around, looking in all directions for a sign of Heath or Braddock.

Seb heard a skittering sound some distance away, like a few careless footsteps. It was beyond the boundary of the standing stones, way into the darkness. Then from the same direction he heard a heavier tread, an uneven stomping.

"Did you hear that?" he whispered.

Alice zoomed off in the direction of the noise.

"Where'd he go?" Zach asked as Dierne zoomed off as well.

Seb gazed beyond the monoliths. It was too dark to see either of the Dryads.

"Scarlet, can you see them?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Seb, you feel it?" Mr Duir asked through gritted teeth as he struggled to stand up. He managed with Mr West's aid, and took the few paces over to the tower.

The throbbing in Seb's hand was stronger now and the tingling too.

"I feel the bad, and the good," was all Seb could say to explain what he felt.

"Yes. The bad, _and_ the good." Mr Duir leant against the tower, breathing hard. Close up, Seb was mortified to see the severity of his injuries. _And all because I took so long to get my act together._

The look on his face must have betrayed his thoughts. Mr Duir gave a weak smile and said, "Nothing that won't heal, Seb." He looked haggard, his eyes unable to conceal the pain he was in.

Around them all the last fine lines of the Dryad trails were fizzling out and then, as Nat yelled, Heath loomed out of the darkness, ten feet from Seb, lunging at him.

The Guardians were all in motion instantly but Heath lifted his hand, caught moonlight on the deformed lines of silver within his skin and a flash of light flicked towards them. They jumped in different directions and Miss West gave a frustrated yell before the three regrouped and charged.

"Do not!" Heath called. "You know what I can do. Take one step further and the lovely Scarlet will be the first I condemn to the Soul Drop!"

The three Guardians stopped instantly, Miss West placing a restraining hand on Zach, whose face was like thunder.

Scarlet looked terrified but defiant.

"Don't let him use me as a tool! Do what you need to do," she called. "I can come back again. We all know that."

Seb thought he saw a glint of red in Heath's eyes as he threw his head back and laughed.

"Oh Scarlet, they have truly neglected your tutoring have they not?" She looked bemused. "The Soul Drop, the dark place. You have looked into it?" he asked her. She blinked, confused. "And what did you see?" She frowned and didn't answer. "Well, _they_ know!" Heath pointed to the teachers.

"Heath, enough." Mr Duir pushed himself off the tower, glaring at him. "You know that whatever it takes we cannot permit Braddock to have the body of a Custodian."

And now Heath roared with laughter, such a brutal, savage and unnatural laugh.

Nat gasped, "Oh no!"

"Oh yes!" Heath rounded on her. "Granted, Aelfric, Seb's body would have been perfect, but you know, this one will do just as well for now!" He glowered at Mr Duir whose face turned ashen. "Heath is ... most accommodating, as only a twin could be."

"Heath!" Mr Duir sounded broken. "I said I could not protect you."

Again that brutal laugh. "Aelfric, he needs no protection." Through Heath's eyes Braddock smiled out. "We were always close, and now? Well, draw your own conclusions." He waved a hand languidly in the air and moved a pace closer to Seb.

Mr Duir stepped forward, groaning as his right arm moved. He grasped it with his left, trying to keep it still.

"You will not leave here!" he said, his voice cracking.

Braddock laughed again and, wearing the cloak of Heath's body, took another step towards Seb.

Seb was confused. So Braddock had Heath's body. Yet he still seemed set on getting to him. What for?

Another pace closer and Braddock was now an arm's reach away.

Mr Duir bristled. "Braddock! Let him be!"

There was silence. The teachers and The Caretaker waited while Braddock seemed to weigh up his options. Eventually he spoke, carefully, as if testing the reaction to the words as he went.

"You are damaged, Aelfric. Look at you. You can barely stand." He paused, studying Mr Duir's face for a response. When none came he continued. "You certainly can't fight. Broken is it, your arm? I should imagine that is excruciating ..." There was a slight movement from Miss West. "And I know that Trudy believes she has the speed and agility necessary to reach me. But," he turned smiling at her, "to reach me before I can take out two or three others, Trudy? Your brother, for example? Dominic? And of course, Aelfric himself ..."

There was a tense, electric silence. His proximity to this corrupt Custodian body was causing Seb's hand to throb painfully now. Around it the skin tingled but the throbbing was so bad Seb had to press his palm to try and numb it.

Nat shuffled her feet and Braddock laughed at her.

"Uncomfortable are you, Nat? I expect Greg feels the same. But then he never liked me ... did you, Greg?" With Heath's face he smiled nastily at Mr West who looked at him with such anger and outrage Seb thought he was going to fly at him.

Another shuffle from Nat and Seb realised what she was doing; she was inching forward, giving him a gap between her back and the tower for him to step past to Mr Duir.

Braddock continued, testing the water, trying to confirm his belief that the teachers would do nothing if he moved again towards Seb.

"Aelfric, you cannot risk it, can you? None of you can. The next generation? The new hope? The new group? To lose one? Well, it wouldn't function at all well now, would it? Like Heath's group! Not quite right since I left, eh Morgan? He grinned at The Caretaker. "Is that why you became simply _The Caretaker?_ There was nothing else for you except the scraps Aelfric threw from his table?" The grin got bigger, malicious and spiteful. "So you hitch yourself to their wagon, trying to pretend that you really have a role to play," he snorted.

The Caretaker remained stony-faced, but Seb saw a slight pursing of the lips. The words had hit home.

"And whatever became of Henry, Blake and Eleanor?" Braddock put up Heath's hand. "No, no, don't tell me ... _I know._ You see, in that dark place, where you all were happy to leave me, I had nothing, nothing but my mind. But do you know what? You can do such a lot with a mind, given time. And I had bags of that, didn't I?" There was so much vitriolic bitterness as Braddock spoke.

Suddenly his head jerked slightly and Seb saw his face freeze momentarily. The expression lasted only a fraction of a second and then he continued.

"Well I used that time to train my mind, and I have talents now you could not hope to match or understand." His eyes turned onto Seb and Scarlet. "Did you enjoy your house fire, children? Was it thrilling? How nice of Aelfric to rescue you at the last minute."

Seb's jaw dropped.

"You?" he gasped, wide-eyed.

Again that nasty laugh. "Oh Seb, you are so funny. Yes, me. Has Aelfric not explained to you how feelings can be such powerful things?" Seb remembered the twirling spirals of mist rising from the school playground. "Well _all I had_ was feelings," Braddock shouted angrily. "Aelfric and his group saw to that!"

Seb stared around at the teachers. He didn't know what exactly had happened to Braddock but knew now that they had played a hand in that Dryad soul being trapped in the Soul Drop.

Mr Duir was staring intently at Heath, listening to Braddock's words.

"Well anyway, did you and Aiden like your experience at Waulud's Bank too, Seb? That wind, the hound? Was it masterful, convincing? It certainly seems to have been." He chuckled at his own cleverness, looking back at Seb. "And it worked! How else were we going to make sure that Aelfric brought you to the Sacred Place early? We couldn't wait while your education continued, while your knowledge and awareness grew. We couldn't wait for the Elder Ceremony of Confirmation which would put the seal on _your_ soul in that host body. We needed you here. Oh," he said as if a thought had just occurred, "and Aelfric." He turned to Mr Duir who was again leaning against the tower, trying to stay on his feet, a look of sad realisation on his face as to how he had been played. "Aelfric, you did everything we needed you to do. You know that Heath can't _find_ the doors. Since Eleanor crossed over he has no way now, does he? Dom wouldn't have helped ...Would you, Dom?" He glared angrily at Mr White who stood motionless between the tower and the cracked standing stone. Seb thought he looked lost, isolated, halfway between them and the edge of the circle where the darkness encroached and from where more slight scratching and padding sounds came. Mr White lowered his eyes to the ground, an expression of hopeless melancholy on his craggy features. "No, you wouldn't," Braddock spoke more softly. His head jerked violently once more. "So we needed Seb at the Sacred Place where Heath had access to the Elder Door ... so he could bring Seb here. And it was priceless!" He clapped, but seeing a quick movement from Trudy West again tilted his hand, threatening to direct it at any one of the bystanders listening to his monologue. She froze. "Calm down, Trudy." He sounded anything but calm himself.

Seb looked around and noticed that Aiden was no longer nearby. He hadn't seen him move and now cautiously cast his eyes around the circle. He found his friend on the opposite side of the circle to Mr White, standing at the point where the ground was swallowed by the darkness. He stood perfectly still.

"Where was I?" Braddock continued. "Ah yes, priceless indeed, Aelfric ... when you followed Heath into the Elder Tree and then ... oh my, we couldn't believe our luck when Seb came too! How fantastic was that? We had thought to simply disrupt the passage of the Elders so that Heath could take Seb through the door later, while you all slept. But goodness me if you didn't deliver yourself to us, young Seb," he beamed triumphantly at him. "But anyway, I digress. You don't need to know any of this. All you need to do is make a decision – give Seb to me or kill him! Because I will not leave here without that host!"

#  Give up the Ghost

Seb felt a jab of fear.

... _or kill him!_ Would they do that? Would Mr Duir be so determined to prevent this malignant and ambitious soul getting his way that he would kill Seb rather than let that happen?

Suddenly Heath lunged for him. Seb, adrenaline on his side, darted behind Nat and stepped over to stand with Mr Duir. Heath roared with annoyance and pushed Nat roughly out of the way. She fell to the ground. Scarlet, beside her, jumped sideways and stuck out a leg as Heath passed her. He stumbled but managed to regain his balance.

"You are a nuisance, child!" he yelled at Scarlet and, twisting his hand to catch moonlight, turned it towards her.

With a yell, Zach slammed into Heath feet first, landing on the ground beside Scarlet. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to the other side of the tower. As he did The Caretaker and Miss West took the opportunity and leapt towards Heath. Mr Duir, with a groan of pain, shoved Seb behind him, putting himself between him and Heath.

Before Miss West and The Caretaker could get to him Heath reached for Nat who had got to her knees. Pulling her up he placed his right arm around her neck and held his left arm out, hand turned in. As if he were brandishing his hand like a loaded pistol he shouted, "Now, make your choice. Give me Seb or lose your Sensor!"

Nat sobbed and Seb's heart felt like it was going to break. That was no choice; he couldn't see Nat sacrificed to save him. As he stepped round to go to Heath, Mr Duir put his arm out, stopping him.

"You cannot have him!" Mr Duir's voice rattled as he spoke, as though the words were the hardest he had ever said.

"Come now, Aelfric. Do you mean to say that the Custodian is more important than any other member of the group?" As Braddock spat the words they betrayed an age-old resentment.

"I am saying you cannot have him," Mr Duir snarled.

"So you will sacrifice the lovely Nat to spare the Custodian. What kind of message is that you are sending?"

If Braddock thought to cause a rift among the group members Seb thought, that may just work. The message was clear – Nat was expendable, Seb was not.

He glanced around at the teachers. None moved. They glared angrily at Heath's body, his arm tight around Nat's neck. She wriggled slightly, struggling to breathe. As Seb made eye contact she managed the slightest smile, as if telling him it was okay. But it wasn't okay! Seb couldn't lose her; he couldn't sacrifice _any_ of his friends, his sister, just to save himself. None of them had asked for this life, just like he hadn't, but all of them had been jeopardized by his reluctance to accept his role.

He shouted, "Let her go."

Braddock gazed at him, a look of pleasure crossing the features that belonged to Heath.

"Ah, so noble of you, Seb. You will be my willing lamb then?"

In that moment Seb realised that, actually, he had nothing to fear. He remembered, in Braddock's icy grip, with that soul using all his will, all his powers of persuasion, when he was at his most vulnerable that he, Seb, had driven Braddock from his body. He could do the same again.

"No, Seb!" Mr Duir grabbed him by the arm.

"But I drove him out once," he whispered.

"This is far different, Seb," Mr Duir answered. "Braddock has a Custodian's body now!"

Seb was utterly confused. "But surely he's after mine? I don't get it." Seb heard a faint fluttering but there was no sign of Alice.

Mr West spoke angrily. "Seb, he has Heath's body and so now has the power to _drive souls out_ of their host bodies!'

And then the whole enormity of the danger hit Seb, the reason Mr Duir was so adamant he could not permit this trespassing Dryad soul to have a Custodian's body. He hadn't realised that the Custodian's powers included the ability to remove _any_ soul, from _any_ host. That would give them the power to pick and choose _which_ soul could remain in which body; the power to decide which souls could travel the ley lines to this reality and bar any others; the power to rewrite Nature and her laws. And the only thing stopping the Custodians from abusing that power, from upsetting the balance and taking it upon themselves to pick and choose which souls get to have a human life, was the conscience of the individual Custodian.

The fundamental responsibility of his role hit Seb. He could misuse the power he had been given, so could any Custodian. It seemed Heath had started on that path. His motive? A desire for the return of his Dryad twin. And what of Braddock in a Custodian's body? There was a malignancy to this character that gave Seb an idea as to why he had been in that dark place, the Soul Drop.

_But then he never liked me ... did you, Greg?_ Seb remembered Braddock's words. And now Seb guessed Braddock's intent: using Heath's Custodian powers he would drive Seb's soul from the young Custodian's body. Seb would be displaced _before_ Braddock entered the body, giving Seb no chance to fight back. His soul would be doomed to return prematurely to Áberan or even sent to the Soul Drop. He wasn't sure what that place was, but given that Braddock had emerged from it, it couldn't be good.

So now Seb, like Mr Duir, was torn. He couldn't risk letting Braddock have his body. The havoc such a soul could wreak was dreadful. And what of Heath? When Braddock got Seb's body, would Heath ally himself with that soul and would the two commence a rampage through reality, deciding who they wanted around them, manipulating people, souls, even Nature itself?

But he couldn't let Nat die, either.

So the stand-off continued, the pressure building as Nat gasped for breath. Seb knew they didn't have long and his thoughts crashed and tumbled, desperately looking for a solution. Again he stepped out from behind Mr Duir, not sure what he could say or do. But he had to do something.

"We can't leave her to die!"

"Ah, can you not, Seb?" Braddock grinned. "Then give me what I want!" he snapped angrily.

Suddenly Nat went limp against him and Seb felt a wave of anger and hatred towards this vile, nasty soul.

"Let her go!" he shouted and Braddock laughed so loud and so cruelly that Seb wanted to pummel him. But in his deepest subconscious he knew he couldn't act. He had no idea what would happen if he acted blindly, as he had twice already, and he couldn't risk doing something that would force Braddock out of Heath's body and allow him to then dive into someone else's, possibly Nat's.

"Or what, Seb?" Braddock shouted as if he knew Seb's dilemma. "Or what? Come on! You've impressed them all so far; what's stopping you now?"

Mr Duir placed a sympathetic hand on Seb's shoulder and Mr West said, "Seb, you can do nothing."

Scarlet was crying. So was Aiden. Zach stood glaring angrily at Heath but didn't move. It was as if they were all just waiting for Nat to die, unable to do anything else.

"She is still alive, Seb. I can feel her life force. These Custodian powers are really something you know." Braddock sounded joyful. "I can keep her like this for a while. But soon her soul will ... give up the ghost!" He laughed. "Did you like that, _Give up the ghost?"_ His face straightened. "Now give up yours!"

Mr Duir took a step forward.

"Heath, you see what he is? You see what you are helping create? You still have the power to fight him."

Seb thought he saw those eyes freeze, for just the slightest moment, and then Braddock answered, "Oh, Aelfric, that opportunity is long since passed. Did he not miss me? Did his soul not feel as if it was missing half of itself when he lost me? Did he not tell you that? You know he loved me more than anything ... like a true twin soul. You witnessed his grief, the years of mourning, of anguish, of desolation. And now, when at last we are back together, you believe you can prick his conscience, can apply moral coercion to make him cast me aside. How little you know your friend, your mentor!"

Another momentary freeze. Seb was sure now that he had seen it. He heard a crunching sound a good distance to his left, beyond the dark, cracked stones. He ignored it, staring at Heath's face, looking for another blip, another fleeting freezing of the features.

Mr Duir took another step forward. "Heath, you cannot have known, but you know now. See him for what he is. This is all you have spent your life fighting. Do not become a part of it!"

"Stop this, Aelfric. He is not listening! Will not listen. Now, give me the boy." There was a desperation to Braddock's voice and Seb saw it again, like a flinch – a second where the eyes glazed over and the body was motionless. Mr Duir must have seen it too.

"Heath, he was never your soulmate; he dominated you. You must remember the difficult times. You must remember the doubts. Nothing can stop your missing him but he is not the soul you believed he was. Look at this; look at what he has caused. Heath—"

Braddock cut him off. "Enough, Aelfric. The boy, or Nat, dies." Standing more upright he released his arm from Nat's neck, let her fall to the ground. Seb felt like he had been punched in the chest as he watched her limp body hit the speckled earth. And then Heath stepped back and, tilting his arm, caught the moonlight once more on his palm. He slowly brought the reflected light towards Nat's body but then there was a frenzy of movement. A huge shape leapt past Seb to his left and in a single bound landed on Heath, both massive front paws striking and knocking him to the ground.

Cue stood over him, baring his teeth and snarling.

#  A Mind's Power

From between the standing stones eight further wolf-stags charged into the circle and surrounded Heath, who lay beneath Cue, a look of horror, surprise and anger on his face.

In the thin moonlight Seb could see dreadful-looking gashes and marks on Cue's body. It was as though he had been to war and come off the worse for it: a chunk of his left ear was missing and a deep cut, raw and painful-looking, ran along his snout; his left hind leg was misshapen and there were many lacerations to his body. Seb remembered the cries of pain followed by the whimpering in the woods and wondered what had attacked the poor beast. Instantly he knew the answer, though: Heath! Heath had been left with him. When he was trying to persuade Seb to get in the boat and Seb had run off, Cue had blocked Heath's path.

"Cue, get off me, damn you!" Braddock yelled. "You know me! Get off me," he said more coaxingly.

Cue continued to snarl and growl at him.

With Heath pinned to the ground Mr West ran over to tend to Nat. Mr Duir approached the wolf-stag and placed a gentle hand on his blood-matted fur.

"Fine, Cue. Keep him there."

"Cue, I said get off me!" Braddock shouted in Heath's voice, squirming beneath the bulk of the giant wolf.

"Greg," Mr Duir called over his shoulder. "Lily will be ready."

A smile crossed Mr West's features. As Nat regained consciousness he left her in the care of Scarlet, who was fussing over her anyway, and joined Seb.

"Seb, now is the time to reopen the Soul Drop."

"No!" Braddock yelled and tried to sit Heath's body up. Cue snarled and sat his huge bulk down on him. "I can hardly breathe, you stupid beast," he groaned.

"Then I suggest you save your breath and stop complaining," Mr Duir said, patting Cue again. "Seb," he said. "This will need to be done quickly. Once Braddock emerges we will have to be ready."

"I'm not sure what I am supposed to do," Seb said, self-doubt returning.

"Follow your instincts. They've led you right so far." Mr Duir hadn't taken his eyes off Heath.

"How did the beastie get so hurt?" Zach joined Mr Duir on the other side of Cue and Seb was surprised to see how upset his friend looked.

"In defence of Seb," Mr Duir said, confirming Seb's suspicion that it had been Heath who had attacked Cue.

The pack of wolf-stags encircling them watched in silence. The heat from their bodies sent clouds of steam up into the cold night air, past Alice and Dierne who hovered above them, forming a blanket of moisture that closed over everyone in the circle.

Hands pinned to his sides, Heath still struggled to get Cue's bulk off him and Braddock screamed with annoyance and frustration.

Above them the steam blanket swirled and broiled, like the violent movement of clouds in a rolling thunderstorm. The steam turned dark and Seb was reminded of the bank of black clouds that had so swiftly engulfed them at Waulud's Bank.

The air became colder and a stiff breeze ripped between the monoliths, ruffling fur, leaves, hair and clothing. It moaned and howled and the waiting wolf-stags added to its noise with their own grunting and whining.

Mr Duir moved round to kneel at Heath's head. Staring down into his eyes he had to shout to be heard over the noise.

"Heath, I know you. You wouldn't want this. You can see what he is capable of. Stop this now."

"Leave it, Aelfric. He is content," Braddock yelled back at him. "And Cue, for one last time, _get off me!"_

The swirling dark cloud had now obscured the moon and once again the circle was thrown into darkness. Seb could barely see the figures around him. He could just about make out the wolf-stags standing their ground against the driving wind, which had reached gale force, planting their feet wide to withstand its power.

Mr West, Miss West and The Caretaker dragged Zach, Scarlet and a weakened Nat over to the wolves and directed them to entwine their fingers into the creatures' fur; with a beast acting as an anchor each of them was safe from being carried away by the powerful wind.

The Dryads swept into motion and Seb saw green and yellow now intermingling with the black steam clouds as they began circling in a frenzied aerial dance in the opposite direction to each swirling plume, trying to counter the movement and calm the storm.

"Heath!" Mr Duir shouted again. "You can stop this now."

Seb was in awe of the power Braddock seemed to be wielding with simply the strength of his mind. Staring at Mr Duir still shouting at Heath, trying to reach his consciousness beneath the hold Braddock had over him, Seb tried to think of a way he could help when suddenly he noticed something – his own body was unaffected by the force of the wind. He could see the dramatic effect it was having on the others who were clinging desperately to the fur of the wolves so they didn't get dragged away, their hair and clothing being blown in all directions. It was bedlam within the circle: dust and grit were picked up by the wind and blasted around the space between the stones and any loose objects were swept up in the churning air. But when Seb looked down, his own body was untouched, he wasn't having to hold on to anything, he stood perfectly still, his clothes didn't move, his hair was unruffled; he couldn't even feel the wind on his face or the pressure of it on his body.

He stepped closer. Mr Duir too seemed to be immune to the effect of Braddock's influence; his hair, his clothes, all remained undisturbed.

Poor Cue, however, was buffeted and rocked by the strength of the wind. Seb thought back to the beast placing himself between him and Heath in the woods and felt sad seeing what it had cost him. He took the last couple of steps over to him and placed a hand on his back. Surprisingly the wind died instantly, as though Seb had spread his own influence around the beast and brought his own shelter to cover him. Cue, having been being lifted up slightly by the wind, suddenly dropped, landing the full force of his weight on Heath's body. Heath let out an involuntary groan as the air was forced from his lungs. He glared up at Seb, a look of such hatred in his eyes Seb shrank inwardly. But Seb saw it again, another momentary freeze, which appeared to last longer than the ones before. In that moment different eyes observed him, ones that looked confused, sad.

"Heath?" he whispered. The moment had gone and the hatred, Braddock, returned.

"Seb!" Mr Duir called. "The Soul Drop."

Seb glanced up at the sky, the air was overrun with the broiling clouds and the greeny-yellow trails of the Dryads. Not a hope he could catch moonlight. He looked around for Aiden, suddenly realising he hadn't seen his cheeky little face, or the dour one of Mr White, since he last spotted them near the outskirts of the circle. He searched the darkness for a sign of him but couldn't find any.

Seb wondered how he was supposed to open that dark place without a light source. He had managed to get rid of the gytrash without one but that was when he was consumed with guilt and concern and needed to get them off Mr Duir.

He stared down at the squirming body of Heath, at the furious glare Braddock was still levelling at him. He stroked Cue, more to comfort himself than for any other reason and tried to think. How had he managed to do what he did when he destroyed the gytrash? He looked at the lines on his palm, looked at the tiny jewels that had become fused to his skin around his birthmark.

The wind beyond his immediate surroundings was still furious and the Dryads were doing their best to calm it. Seb had a sudden overwhelming desire for calm himself. He closed his eyes, feeling Cue's knotted fur beneath the fingers of his right hand as he stroked him.

With the visual world closed off he was more aware of the sound of the wind, its moans and howls as it whipped around and about the stones; he felt more keenly the warmth and strength of Cue's body; he noticed he could smell the iron tang of old blood from recent injury and finally he sensed something else. As if he had tapped into another part of his mind that had been lying dormant, Seb found a well of knowledge, of awareness of the power of the Earth, the sky, the people and creatures around him. He could feel the hatred and anger from below him, where Heath's body lay wriggling against the purer feeling of power and loyalty that lay above it ... Cue. He could feel determination, honesty, and sadness to his left, where he knew Mr Duir knelt. He could feel the fear and anxiety of his friends and his sister, the solid loyalty of the other wolf-stags, the patience and trust of the teachers and, further beyond, he could feel the nervous hope of Aiden. It was as if every person, every creature had an emotional imprint that Seb could read.

Was this Nat's world? Was this what a Sensor felt?

But he realised there was more. There were lines: lines of direction, passageways, openings, doors ... as if the map in Aiden's tin were buried deep in his subconscious. And there, right in the middle of it all, was a dark void so deep and impenetrable that nothing moved, no sound wave travelled; a chasm of absolute emptiness – the Soul Drop.

And then he heard Mr Duir. "Well done, Seb."

Seb opened his eyes. To his right, feet from the prone Heath, the gaping fissure had reappeared, replacing the mirrored tower.

Braddock screamed, "No! You will not!"

The maelstrom around them became frighteningly violent, threatening to lift the stones from the earth, to tear the turf from the ground and lift even the stolid figures of the wolf-stags into the air. The clouds of steam expanded and rolled and raindrops poured from them, so hard and cold they were like spikes of ice pummelling the group below. Still Seb was untouched, as were Cue and Mr Duir. Seb gazed over at Nat who was drenched and shivering. She now lay beneath a wolf which, seeming to have sensed she had not the energy to cling to it, had placed its body across her. Scarlet was only just holding on to her wolf and Zach had grabbed her arm and was gripping her tightly while trying to keep his hold on the wolf beside him. Miss West was doing the same for her brother, keeping a grip on him so he didn't get swept away.

Seb had had enough. He waved his arm towards them.

"Braddock, stop it!"

Braddock laughed and shouted, "You can stop it, idiot! Give me your body!"

"Well what use would that body be if you have killed all the others in the group?" Seb yelled.

Fixing him with a look that showed no remorse, no care, no consideration other than avarice, Braddock called over the noise of the wind, _"I do not need a group!"_

And then his face froze; for a good couple of seconds it didn't move.

Mr Duir shouted, "Heath, you know he will destroy you too. Deal with him now!"

Amid all the chaos Seb heard a slight tinkling sound. It was soon drowned by another ferocious howl of the wind and a scream of hatred from Braddock.

"Heath, I will not tolerate interference!"

Another freezing of the features and Seb thought Heath was fighting back. He heard the tinkling again and then something caught his eye. From the direction where he had last seen Aiden, from out of the darkness, he could see the tiniest pinpricks of light. They were flitting towards him at incredible speed. He blinked, trying to make out what they were. And then he recognised them: fairies, thousands of fairies. They sped towards him, shining bright light as they went. As they neared, Seb could see that each one was carrying a flamer. From the other direction, where Mr White had stood in isolation at the periphery of the circle, another line of fairies moved towards Seb, joined with the first line and then they all flew above the heads of the people and wolves and around the dark fissure, forming their own shining ring, like a halo. They bathed the whole stone circle in light and now Seb could see, way over by a monolith, Aiden standing, clutching a large, irregular-shaped piece of mirror, and from out of that mirror more and more fairies poured. He turned to see Mr White, on the opposite side, holding another mirror, providing another doorway through which the masses of fairy numbers could pass. In their multitude they created an impervious umbrella, protecting the wolves and the people clinging to them from the wind and the icy raindrops. The throng of little characters sent out a wave of tinkling noises as they hovered above.

The sound couldn't, however, compete with the shout of pure rage that Braddock roared into the night.

#  Revelations and Revenge

To the frightful noise of the howling wind and the ferocious shouts of Braddock more and more fairies transited through the mirrors held by Aiden and Mr White. The halo ring grew taller until it formed a living domed roof. The tempestuous clouds above were shut out and the whole stone circle was illuminated so brightly it seemed as though day had come.

Braddock was screaming profanities and yelling at Cue to get off Heath's body. Then suddenly he stopped struggling, stopped shouting and, turning his eyes on Seb, in a calm, low voice, said, "Sebastian Thomas, I will haunt you, haunt you until that host body which should have been mine breathes its last breath and then I will haunt your soul beyond that existence. I curse your soul, Sebastian Thomas. Unless you give up that host you will never be rid of me."

Mr Duir, for the first time, took his eyes off Heath and stared up at Seb. And Seb saw the alarm in his eyes. Was he worried that Seb would falter, or was it that Braddock had spoken a true curse? For Seb's part he was terrified. He had no idea if the words had a power to them. Would he be haunted by Braddock for ever? Was that possible?

Standing beneath the golden light of the fairy roof, inches from the grotesque gore of Cue's open wounds, hearing the terrifying howling of the artificial wind which most keenly demonstrated the power of Braddock's mind, Seb was frozen. He looked at Mr Duir and saw the momentary dread he quickly masked. Seb knew the curse had capacity.

Should he run scared, give Braddock what he wanted, and just accept he would return to Áberan and come back as a normal soul? Even as the thought crossed his mind Seb knew he couldn't. It wasn't just about him! He would be damning all souls to a future of depraved disorder, ruled by a soul Seb had seen enough of to know it was the most evil one he had ever encountered.

_So I am cursed_ _!_

He stared down at Braddock who glared back at him through Heath's eyes. He felt Cue's warm body and bloodied fur beneath his fingers, the power emanating from that beast. He felt the overwhelming tingling in his hand from the sheer numbers of fairies, wolf-stags, the purity of his friends' souls, the teachers, The Caretaker, Scarlet ... and he smiled. He sensed Mr Duir look quizzically at him and saw Heath frown.

"What does that even mean?" he asked and then, unable to help himself, he laughed, suddenly finding it incredibly funny. "You mean you, with your bodiless mind, are going to try and haunt me?" His laughter became stronger. The ripples of it made the light from the flamers brighter and dulled the howling of the wind.

Braddock glared at him. "I mean I will haunt you! Precisely that! You will have no rest— "

Seb interrupted him with a snort he couldn't help as he fought to control his laughter.

"Braddock, I have spent _the last two weeks_ being _haunted!_ I was haunted by a Dryad, for goodness' sake!" He waved his arm up into the sky where he sensed Alice was watching him. "I've been haunted by strange shapes that I don't even want to focus on for fear of what they may turn out to be; I have been haunted by uncertainty, confusion and a fear that they _got the wrong guy._ My mind has always been so confused, so fearful and so damn' miserable."

"That's true!" Zach yelled out.

Seb laughed again. "And you want to come and visit it? To haunt that miserable mind? What are you going to do, whisper in my head like you did when you were inside me before? That worked well for you, didn't it? Or throw up _scary_ apparitions? I've been seeing them for weeks now!" Seb wiped a tear from his eyes. "We all fear ghosts, but I have _seen_ them now and actually, they're just lost souls, like mine. There's nothing scary in that. In reality, the thing I fear most now is ... going back to being the out-of-place and lonely person I was before – not any of this, and certainly not _you!"_

He stopped a second to catch his breath.

"You're clever, that's for sure," he continued. "This stuff you can do with your mind? That is impressive. But Braddock," he paused, staring at Heath's face, his own becoming suddenly serious, "I can do it too!"

With that Seb swept his arm outward, there was a thunderclap and the wind howling above the fairy roof and whipping between the stones, stopped. A sudden silence engulfed the whole gathering. The tinkling of the fairies stopped, the wolves hushed their whining and everyone seemed to hold their breath.

Seb waited. Braddock was speechless.

"Haunt me if you like. You will come off worse I think." With that Seb took his hand from Cue's back.

Now Cue stepped off Heath to stand beside Seb.

Heath sat up.

"Heath, I am a self-doubting, inexperienced and confused soul and I cannot be the judge and jury. But I can say this to you: either you get rid of Braddock or you go with him!"

By now Heath was on his feet and there was something strange about the way he moved. His head jerked slightly and he seemed to have difficulty balancing.

Mr Duir remained kneeling on the ground. Without looking up he said, "It is time. Greg."

Mr West trotted over to the tower and from under his jumper he produced another of the odd-shaped mirrors.

Braddock roared with anger, "No! I will not ... You will not send me back there!"

Seb didn't know what the teachers' plan was but he did believe that he was ready for anything Braddock might try. Heath stood motionless now. Seb could sense a mixture of sadness, confusion and anger and wondered if Heath would have the strength and the will to overthrow his twin soul.

Mr White and Aiden walked to the tower, the wolves parting for them, and stood, one either side of Heath, holding their pieces of mirror at waist height. The outpouring of fairies had stopped.

Seb looked at the mirrors. They were triangular in shape but with one curved, indented, unframed side that made them look a bit like a love heart. The two straight sides had a fine frame running along them and from one of the edges a straight silver metal bar protruded. They were over a foot tall and Aiden was having difficulty holding his.

"We just need Lily," Greg West said and looked to Mr Duir who nodded.

"They're a minute away." He smiled weakly, still clutching his arm. The wounds on his neck and jaw were bleeding badly. He looked pale, exhausted.

Heath twitched and Seb could clearly see red glowing in his eyes. _Like a gytrash,_ he thought. There was no speech from Braddock now, as if what was going on between him and Heath, inside Heath's body, left him no quarter for external communication.

Suddenly Heath threw back his head and, with difficulty, moved his right arm across to his left. His head jerked. Then there was a yell of fury, of rage, so carnal and base that it stirred age-old memories of violence, hatred and cruelty Seb found familiar, yet could not grasp.

Braddock screamed, "Heath, it is destruction!"

Heath twisted his arm, catching the light from the flamers above. A piercing line of silver fire shot from his hand and he tilted it towards his own chest. The impact was staggering. His body was consumed in a column of silver fire. It showered sparkles skyward, and the fairies at the top of the dome parted to avoid it, opening a peep-hole to the dark night sky, through which the rising column shot. Seb felt its power and devastation inside his own soul; a rending, tearing destruction and he sank to his knees.

Mr Duir too fell to the floor, clutching his chest.

"Heath, not like this," he groaned.

The wolves around them howled and that sound, mixed with the painful, angry screech that Braddock screamed into the night, felt like a knife ripping through Seb. Looking up he could just about make out Heath, standing within the bright silver flames. He still had his hand turned inward and the light beam poured into his chest, spread out from his body and engulfed it.

Seb felt a hand on his back; Alice, he knew. The Dryad knelt beside him offering support. The pain and anguish Seb felt was indescribable, the most extreme grief coupled with the most torturous agony. Suddenly the flame was gone, snuffed out in an instant, and Heath fell to the ground, eyes directed at Seb, but vacant, lifeless.

Still Seb felt the pain and torment and he watched as two white misty spirals emerged from the lifeless body. As they did so, the body broke into millions of minute sparkles which drifted apart and then vanished, leaving nothing tangible to show that Heath, the Custodian, had ever existed.

The howling of the wolves was so loud Seb could hear nothing else and he jumped as a dark shadow swooped above him. The spirit stallion leapt over him and landed beside Mr Duir. It bucked and snorted, rearing and stamping a few feet from Seb's head. Miss Angel nimbly dropped from its back and, with a word from Mr Duir, the huge horse calmed.

Miss Angel ran to join Greg West, Dominic White and Aiden.

In obvious extreme pain, physical and emotional, Mr Duir stood, leaning against Dierne. He lifted his hand, preparing to catch the sliver of moonlight that shone weakly through the hole in the fairy dome.

Seb stared at the spiralling mist trails. He could tell which was Heath and which was Braddock; he could feel malice and hatred from one, bitter disappointment and frustration from the other. And he could feel a rush of their memories, so many memories; flashes of events shared and others individual to each. The visions bombarded Seb's mind, and in a few moments he had the full picture of what had happened to Braddock, what had happened between Heath, his Dryad twin, his group and the group he had mentored.

Seb saw the younger Heath, champion of his own group – driven, devoted, idealistic – and the sinister, sly machinations of Braddock, to whose hidden scheming Heath was oblivious. He saw the undermining, the divisive subterfuge, the efforts by Mr Duir, Mr West, Dierne even, to convince Heath of the danger and betrayal. The memories of conversations, some quiet, some more heated, the loss of direction, of control, the chaos and unbalance until eventually, reluctantly, Heath was persuaded and Braddock was given an ultimatum.

Seb saw all of their many, many years unfold, revealing the dramatic end which saw Braddock take the step of travelling through a door through which he had no right to pass, no need – the Elder Tree door. And with him as a loose cannon, a maverick, travelling the passages between worlds, seeking to ally himself with trespassing souls, Mr Duir sought and obtained the consent of the remainder of Heath's group and the backing of his own group to do the unthinkable, to drive Braddock's soul from his Dryad body and consign it to the Soul Drop, which Seb now knew to be a version of Hell; a non-existence, a void, without stimulus, without contact, without sights, sounds or any external influence. This was a depository for souls beyond redemption. A place to which those souls considered to be so far gone down the path of their own greed and malice that there was no hope of their repentance and transformation were condemned.

But even before his soul was banished Braddock was given a final chance to return, to rejoin the groups, to commit once more to the role for which he was originally destined, to be the soul twin of a Custodian, providing the communication between human and other souls, to be Nature's go-between, weaving a link between the realities. But it simply wasn't enough. Braddock's ambition, his motivation, his drive led in another direction. His profound resentment at the placing of the human soul at the head of the system Nature had put in place, making the Custodian always human, consumed him. He believed a Dryad could and should undertake that role, that Dryads, with their purer understanding of Nature, were best placed to lead the group. And so why not him? Why could he not carve that path, become the first Dryad to be the champion of Nature's cause?

So on that last day, with the offer of reconciliation given, Braddock remained defiant, yelling at Heath that he had betrayed him, yelling at Mr Duir that his vengeance would be catastrophic. He had been brought to this stone circle, The Hurlers. The Soul Drop had been opened and Mr Duir had driven his soul from his body and sent it into the abyss.

Seb witnessed these memories from the perspective of the individual souls, Heath's devastation and grief and Braddock's belief that he himself had been betrayed by the groups. Seb could feel his hatred of Mr Duir beyond all else. The overwhelming emotion from that corrupted soul was that Aelfric Duir was the root of all his ills, was the cause of his damnation, was the one who had prevented him showing Nature the true way – to have a Dryad soul as Custodian. Aelfric Duir had banished him to the hell of an existence as a conscious soul with no outlet, no stimuli, no contact.

And then realisation dawned for Seb. He felt the hate, he felt the need for revenge and he remembered the screams of Braddock at his banishment, _My vengeance will be catastrophic, Aelfric Duir!_

Time seemed to slow. Seb watched Mr Duir turn his hand to capture the moonlight and aim it at Braddock's soul as Heath's soul swirled and moved, travelling away from his corrupt twin. But Aelfric Duir, struggling to keep his balance and relying on the support of Dierne, all too late realised his own vulnerability as the mist trail of Heath shot forward and penetrated his chest.

Seb watched in horror as Mr Duir clutched his chest and now Braddock's soul zoomed towards him. The vaporous trail stabbed into his body too and Seb knew they had all missed the point.

_Revenge_ _!_

#  Sacrifice

The whole purpose of Braddock was revenge. And Heath, far from having sacrificed himself to assist in the destruction of Braddock, had ensured that both their souls were free now to avenge the actions orchestrated and carried out by Aelfric Duir all those years ago.

Seb guessed their plan: the two, working together, would drive Aelfric Duir from his body, banish _him_ to the Soul Drop, then do the same to Seb. And then they would have the two Custodian hosts they desired _without_ the danger of another Custodian to oppose them.

And with the power of those two renegade souls working on his body, what chance did Mr Duir stand of controlling their actions? Eyes glowing red, he turned to face Seb.

And what could Seb do? He couldn't strike at Mr Duir; he would kill him, release all three souls and who could say what would happen then? This was surely a battle Mr Duir would have to fight on his own. But what if he lost? How could he, in his weakened state, stand a chance of defeating these two?

Mr Duir, pushing Dierne away, turned his left arm towards Seb. Horrified at the danger in which he now found himself, Seb tried to react but his feet wouldn't move.

Nat shouted at Zach, "They're going for Seb!"

Zach's movement was swift. He leapt across and pushed Seb sideways. There was a sudden silver flare that singed the moss and grass and left a sizeable crater right where Seb had just been standing. The aim had been accurate and, had Zach not intervened, Seb would now be a host-less soul.

Cue jumped over and stood in front of Seb, shielding him. Seb tried not to panic. Did he now have to destroy Mr Duir to stop Braddock and Heath?

The Caretaker and Miss West joined Zach and stood, with Cue, trying to protect Seb, but he now knew the power that a Custodian wielded. He knew that one strike from Mr Duir and any of them would be finished. So he made a decision.

"Okay," he said, stepping from behind Cue, hands in the air. "Okay. Leave them be."

Mr Duir stood, head lowered, fists clenched and then he groaned and sank to his knees. Dierne, hovering above him, was lost, didn't know how to help. He stared down in horror, his face showing the conflict he felt. He was Aelfric's soul-twin but Aelfric was now _possessed_ by two malignant souls and so needed to be stopped.

The other three teachers didn't move. It was as if they were stunned by the events, not having anticipated any of it, and simply didn't know what to do.

The pack of wolf-stags moved forward, forming a circle around Mr Duir, some snarling, others baring their teeth and growling. He still knelt, fists clenched, his arms rammed into his sides as though he was using every ounce of his willpower to keep them there. He looked at Seb; there was no sign of red in his eyes.

In a strained voice he said, "Use their strength, Seb."

Then he lowered his head again, fighting a battle for control of his body.

Seb was unsure what he meant and Alice, who floated next to him said, "Seb, the wolves, they don't just feel power, they _are_ power. You need to use them."

"But how? I don't know how!" he shouted.

"Aelfric told you: follow your instincts. It's worked up until now." Alice put a hand on his shoulder.

Zach agreed. "Seb, come on. You've done it before!"

Seb knew what he had to do, which essentially meant destroying Mr Duir's body and then trying to quickly send Heath and Braddock into the Soul Drop. But he couldn't and that was the problem. He couldn't be responsible for killing Mr Duir.

"But it will kill him! If I try to get rid of the other two, it will kill Mr Duir."

Aelfric Duir looked up at him. "Do it!" he groaned, as if the effort of stopping these two was becoming too much.

Seb was appalled. Even with Mr Duir's sanction he couldn't do it.

"Seb, he can't hold them off much longer," Dierne called out, fighting back his own anguish.

Then Seb felt a touch on his arm. Nat, her eyes understanding, said, "If you do not do it, Seb, they will destroy you, all of us and everything every group has worked for for millennia. You have no choice. Mr Duir knows that."

Seb was shaking. Unsteady, he placed a hand on Cue, feeling the strength from the beast. _How do I use their power?_ he thought, and suddenly a line of thousands of fairies split away from the domed roof. The flamers they carried fizzled out as, in groups, they stopped within the gaps between the wolves and linked their tiny arms. One fairy on the end of each chain grasped the fur of the wolf beside them. As the last fairy in the line nearest Seb placed his minute hand onto Seb's arm the chain was complete and Seb was stunned; he felt a surge of power and strength that filled every part of him. His mind reeled and he closed his eyes, trying to control it.

And, in the darkness, he was astounded. From directly in front of him he could _feel_ the essence of each of the souls within the shell of Mr Duir's body. He could see how little domain Aelfric Duir had left, how much of his control had been overrun by Heath and Braddock and he could see, as though it were a tangible thing, the excruciating pain his soul was suffering. These vengeful and spiteful souls were tapping into his memories and making him relive them. But the memories they were triggering were the painful ones, the losses, the heartbreaks, the failures.

Braddock had said his vengeance would be catastrophic, and for Mr Duir it was. He was trapped in a mire of hideous, agonising thoughts and experiences, as if every old wound was being torn open. Seb could see the unbearable torture his soul was going through.

But, right at the centre, was a small piercing point of light, a resilient, optimistic and determined thought, as if Aelfric Duir was repeating a mantra over and over, holding on to the fundamental core of himself. Like a diamond in a fire, untouched, indestructible, he held the thought and now Seb had something to hook onto. Opening his eyes he looked at Mr Duir then, feeling the power surging through him from the wolves; he harnessed it, controlled it and then he tilted his arm to catch the moonlight. But he didn't strike.

"Seb," Zach shouted. "Come on, mate. You have to do it."

Seb didn't react. He focused on the pinpoint of resistance and held off. He could see the mayhem, the monstrous gloating of Braddock as he unlocked more and more of the painful memories within this Custodian mind. He could see the spiteful satisfaction of Heath and he knew that each second brought more pain to Mr Duir. But he had to wait.

"Seb!" Nat was crying, "he is in so much pain."

The wolves were growling and, as they sensed the evil inside Mr Duir grow, their power increased. Seb absorbed it, held it back, waited.

He said quietly to Alice, "Can you speak to Dierne?"

Alice answered in his head, "Yes, whatever was blocking us before has gone."

Seb knew exactly what had been blocking them – Braddock. But Braddock was now busy, preoccupied with inflicting as much suffering as he could on Aelfric Duir.

Nat was still crying.

Scarlet shouted at Seb, "Seb, what are you waiting for?"

The power of the wolves grew and Seb groaned under the weight of the energy he was channelling. He watched carefully and still waited. And then he saw it, the slightest movement of Mr Duir's left arm.

"Tell Dierne Mr Duir can let it go."

Alice didn't question, he passed the message. At that moment Mr Duir's arm lifted and twisted, capturing moonlight and the beam was turned straight onto Seb. Seb reacted instantly and turned his own hand. A bolt of silver light shot from it as the one from Mr Duir's palm shot towards him. Halfway between, the two beams met. It was no contest. With the power of the wolf-stags Seb's shot was stronger. It drove the silver fire through the oncoming bolt and it hit home, directly into Mr Duir's hand.

Closing his eyes, Seb watched the internal impact. As he had hoped, the power from his shot forged its way back along the path the oncoming shot had taken. It spread and burned and destroyed as it went, tearing Braddock and Heath from the space within Mr Duir's body. The souls, overpowered, were thrown from him and now Seb opened his eyes once more. A swirl of mist was curling up and away from Mr Duir's body as he fell to the ground. Seb was ready; he caught the light from the moon, focused all the power he could from the wolves and transferred it into the light he fired towards the vapour which had swelled into a cloud, decimating it, dispersing it into millions of droplets which froze in mid-air. They hung there for a second, like a deluge of rain captured in a stills photograph. Seb stared at the splintered remains of these souls and felt no pity, no remorse.

Quietly he said, "You are banished."

A violent wind tore through the air, ten times more powerful than the one Braddock had managed to summons, but it touched nothing except those tiny fragments. Those alone were swept forward in its path and driven into the Soul Drop. There was a haunting, howling sound as the souls disappeared and the chasm slammed shut, leaving just the mirrored surfaces of the tower.

"Close it, Seb," Mr West called.

Seb waved his arm towards the tower and it slammed down into the ground. The movement was so violent that a spray of sandy, crystalline dirt rose a foot in the air. When it settled, all that remained was the mottled surface of the tower, lying as a stone inlaid in the earth.

Quickly, Aiden and the teachers moved forward and each placed their mirrors face down onto the stone. There was a click as the four triangular heart shapes slotted together, connected by the one protruding silver bar Seb had seen on each. As they stepped back Seb saw the full shape; it looked like four hearts, stitched together to form a continuous knot.

"Will it hold, Greg?" Miss Angel asked.

Greg West turned from the stone. "For now."

#  Eternal Damnation

Dierne knelt beside Mr Duir, who wasn't moving. Seb, breaking the link with the wolves, tried to run over but stumbled. He felt totally drained. Alice grabbed him under one arm and Zach took the other.

"Steady, Seb."

He pushed them gently away and made his way to kneel beside Dierne.

"Is he alive?"

Dierne looked devastated. There was no movement of Mr Duir's chest, no obvious signs of breathing. Now the teachers gathered. Mr West knelt and put two fingers to his neck. He shook his head sadly.

"No pulse."

"But, I thought I made only the two souls come out!" Seb wouldn't accept he had killed him. Couldn't. "Only two!" he repeated. "I tried ..." his voice cracked and he stopped speaking.

"I couldn't even see two, just one big cloud," Aiden said sadly.

That was even worse for Seb. If three had emerged and he had struck them all, then Mr Duir too was trapped in that dark place, a splintered soul, cursed to spend eternity with the two worst souls imaginable.

"Seb, it was impossible to tell them apart," Scarlet said.

Seb, guilty, wanted an answer. He glared at Mr West. "Well?" He couldn't help sounding rude.

"I don't know," Mr West said carefully. "There is no pulse, no breathing. He seems ... dead."

"Can you not tell? Surely you can sense! So you can sense if he is there or not!" Seb shouted now, grabbing Mr Duir's hand. It still felt warm.

Mr West was shaking his head and Nat spoke for him.

"Seb, there is nothing, no sense of a person, a soul – nothing."

Seb stared at the lifeless body, the blood congealed on his forehead, the gaping wounds on his jaw and neck, the misshapen arm, the many cuts and bruises where the gytrash had attacked. Mr Duir's eyes were closed and he looked ghostly pale, drained of life. Seb twisted his hand, lifting it to look.

"Do not. Leave him be," Dierne said. He was grief-stricken and rivulets of tears ran down his cheeks.

"I am sorry. I have to," Seb said, rotating Mr Duir's hand. Then he fell backwards with a gasp.

"What? What?" Dierne demanded.

"What, Seb?" Scarlet asked.

"His birthmark: the lines are all silver!"

"So?" Zach didn't get the point.

Seb realised none of them had seen the burned line he had seen. He wasn't even sure that any of the teachers knew, other than Mr West.

"Yesterday, after he was attacked at the Sacred Place by Braddock, one of the lines of his birthmark was singed, burned black. Now it's silver again.

"He's a quick healer then." Zach didn't think it was of any significance.

"No," Scarlet shouted. "I saw it just before he was attacked by Heath and Braddock; it was still blackened then." Scarlet had obviously seen too and, for whatever reason, chosen not to say anything.

"Well so what? He's still dead!" Zach said bluntly.

That much was true, Seb realised – there really were no signs of life at all. Maybe in death a Custodian's body was preserved, but Aelfric Duir's soul? That had apparently been banished, condemned to a hell Seb could only imagine, or had it just disappeared into the ether ... to float back to Áberan, anonymous, unknown, unrecognised, as though Aelfric Duir had never existed? Seb couldn't bear that thought. Guilt consumed him. He had tried so hard to just pick out the evil, occupying souls of Heath and Braddock, had thought he had managed to direct the power of the wolf-stags, his own power, just to those malignant presences, but he had failed and Mr Duir was gone.

"It is bad timing, I know," Mr West said quietly, "but we must break the seals on the quadric knot. It is only then that the power of the binding will secure their souls."

"But what if Mr Duir's in there with them?" Aiden asked, wiping his nose.

"We have no choice," Mr West said. "Aelfric knew that when he told Seb to act."

"But he will be trapped in there for ever, with those two. We can't do that to him, Greg!" Miss West spoke angrily. She would not abandon her Custodian.

"Trudy, Braddock will find a way to emerge again. The mirror seal, once broken, will mean his soul, and his mind, can only travel back and forth in an eternal reflection. You know that. It is the only way to keep the power of his mind locked in there ... along with his soul. We discussed this yesterday."

"You already planned this? You knew?" Seb was outraged. "You knew all along that Braddock wanted to break out, wanted to get us here?" None of the teachers responded. "Why did you let me go through the Elder Tree door if you knew?" Seb's voice was rising, his anger taking over guilt.

Cue whimpered and the spirit stallion, standing feet away, stamped and snorted.

"Calm down, Seb." Zach tried to placate him. "You're upsetting the beasties."

"I won't!" Seb stood up, really shouting now and many of the flamers popped out, so they were all standing in a half-light. "You all knew and as usual didn't tell us anything. If I'd have known maybe I wouldn't have come here, but then you thought that didn't you – that's why you told us nothing, kept us in the dark. How _dare_ you! You didn't trust us ... have never trusted us enough to explain everything. If I wasn't here then Braddock couldn't have done what he did. He couldn't have tried to take over my body, couldn't have taken over Heath's, couldn't have— " he stopped, unable to continue.

The fairies' dome was splintering as his anger caused such consternation among their ranks they shrank and cowered.

Nat took his arm. "Seb, this won't help. What is done is done. They feel his loss more than you. This does not help."

"It helps me, Nat!" he yelled at her and immediately wished he hadn't. But his anger was so strong. He had been forced to kill the one person he now realised, in all his short life, he respected more than any other; the one soul who had helped him, saved him and trusted him. He was awed by the knowledge, the strength, the bravery and the integrity he had seen in Mr Duir and he wanted more than anything for him to be alive ... to be able to continue teaching him. But now he would have to see him buried, see his soul vanish into anonymity, or worse, be for ever trapped with his two greatest enemies. And worst of all, Seb wouldn't know which it was.

At that moment Seb hated the teachers: in spite of their obvious grief, they had let this happen. They had forced him to this position. They thought they knew so much, could manipulate, could control Seb, could use him as bait to lure Braddock out and then trap him again, in a more defining, more elaborate damnation.

But their stupidity had now cost the lives of Heath – no great loss there – and Mr Duir. He didn't care they were grieving; he would have to live for ever with the guilt that _he_ had banished Mr Duir to eternal damnation!

#  The Seal

Cue, behind Seb, nudged him. He ignored the beast, still wanting to rant at the teachers, but he had nothing left to say. He looked at Dierne, sitting beside Mr Duir's lifeless body, racked with grief.

Mr West coughed gently. "We still need to lock it."

"No!" Seb shouted. "Not until we know he's not in there."

Cue nudged him again and Seb absently placed a hand on his forehead. It made him feel better, stronger. Aiden came and stood beside him, his whole head covered in flamers. The sight made Seb smile in spite of his anger.

"Seb, even if he is, we can't let him out, not without risking them escaping too."

"I know that," Seb mumbled, petting Cue who whimpered.

"So what do we do now?" Scarlet asked.

Miss Angel, crying silent tears, knelt beside Mr Duir and stroked his forehead. "We didn't know, Seb," she said. "We knew Braddock was getting stronger and we planned on completing the Elder ceremony and _then_ travelling here to lock the Access Stone. But we hadn't expected Heath to be taken." She looked at Greg West and smiled sadly.

He put a hand on her shoulder and mumbled, "We didn't know Heath was working with Braddock. I had sensed something wasn't right," he explained, "but had no idea it was Heath. I thought it was the influence of Braddock which was growing stronger by the day. The bats, the storm at Waulud's Bank, the vines at the Five Springs, then the fire ... it was actually Heath who gave us the first warning that Braddock was managing to reach his mind beyond the Soul Drop. _He_ warned us about going to Waulud's Bank with you, said it wasn't a good idea to take you to the Five Springs yet ... once your mind was opened it would make it easier for Braddock to locate you. And he was right. Your time of confirmation would have to be by the equinox and Heath tried to tell us to wait until then, as would be normal, to bring you to the Elder Tree. But Aelfric was adamant that we needed to summons the Elders early, seal your soul as the new Custodian before anything could be done to prevent it, or to harm you. He seemed to sense more of the danger than even I did.

"When Heath appeared to have been taken and Aelfric went through the Elder Tree door after him, that was an eventuality we had not anticipated or discussed. We had no reason to believe Heath had betrayed us but every reason to believe what you thought had happened; that Heath had been taken, maybe by Braddock, was the case! We had no idea— "

"No idea?" Seb laughed. "I _saw_ the memories. I saw how strongly Heath _loved_ his twin soul and how devastated he was when Mr Duir essentially killed him. I don't really know Heath, but if I could see how badly it affected him, how could all of you, who knew him so well, not?"

The Caretaker answered. "Seb, that was more than _two hundred_ years ago! And yes, Heath was grief-stricken, but he also had agreed with the course of action we took. In fact it was _he_ who opened the Access Stone. And for two centuries since, he has been devoted to upholding the balance of the worlds. We did not know that he was helping to orchestrate this."

Cue nudged Seb again and now the poor beast flopped his back end onto the ground and hung his head, whimpering. Seb looked at his dreadful injuries.

"Can anyone help Cue?" No one answered. "He's really badly hurt," Seb said more forcefully.

Mr White said, "Seb, healing outside the human reality is beyond our capability."

"Dryads then? Fairies? Can't any of you help?" Seb looked at Dierne.

The Dryad ignored him, staring at Mr Duir, bereft.

Alice answered for him. "Seb, they are power. How can we heal power? It is not like other creatures. The wolf-stags are the essence of the Custodian's power. They feed it, feed from it. The bond is between Custodian and wolf. The fairies can act as a chain to link the wolves, making a more powerful source for use by the Custodian as you saw, but none can give back the energy to heal the beasts. Once they are injured ..." he stroked Cue himself, "well, we cannot heal them."

Seb looked at the sad sight of the damaged wolf. So many wounds. How had Heath inflicted them? Or maybe it wasn't Heath alone, maybe it was Braddock too. He remembered the howling and keening he had heard as he followed Mr Duir through the woods. He could only imagine what had been done to this poor creature. He placed a second hand on Cue's head and felt energy course through himself. Cue lifted his eyes and grunted and suddenly Seb realised _... wolf-stags are the essence of the Custodian's power. They feed it, feed from it,_ Alice had said. Seb smiled. He knew why Cue was nudging him.

"I get it, Cue," he said and the beast grunted again.

Seb waved a hand and instantly the other wolves padded over.

"What are you doing, Seb?" Zach asked, moving towards Cue. He placed a hand on the animal's back. "Poor beastie."

The remaining wolves gathered in a semicircle as if, without Seb telling them, they knew what he wanted them to do. Unasked, a cortège of fairies once more dropped from the dome and formed sections linking the wolves, so the semicircle ran end to end. Longer lines of them then linked themselves between the last wolf at each end and Seb. As the two last fairies placed their hands on Seb's shoulders he closed his eyes. He felt the well of power from the eight wolves to his back and the agony from Cue to his front. Using himself as a buffer he let both run into him. He winced as the pain from Cue hit his body but the power coming from the other wolves was stronger. He let it flow through him back to Cue.

He heard Nat gasp and opened his eyes. Cue sat in front of him, not a mark on him – no cuts, no blood, no misshapen leg, his ear once more complete.

"Well, I would never ..." Mr West was stunned. He stared in awe at Cue and then at Seb, who now broke the chain. "How would you know? How could you know to do that, Seb? I have never seen or heard of it."

Mr White was shaking his head. "Nor I."

Seb had no idea and smiled sheepishly. He felt weak and quickly glanced at the other wolves, hoping he had not harmed them. They all seemed fine and sat around him silently as if nothing had happened. Without warning, Cue lowered his head and licked Seb, dribbling saliva over him.

"I guess that's thank you," Zach laughed.

Seb wiped his cheek and then patted Cue as the fairies fluttered back to the sky.

"I guess so," he said.

Mr West still regarded Seb with awe.

"Aelfric said we should have faith in you, Seb. He believed you would be a Custodian of renown; one the like of which had not been seen before." Seb didn't like hearing Mr West talking of Aelfric Duir in the past tense. The dwarf continued, walking over to the inlaid Access Stone. "I confess there were those of us who doubted. Doubted you, doubted Aelfric's belief. You seemed so lost, so naive and of late so resistant. But then, if I remember rightly, Aelfric himself was reluctant ... even up until the Elder Ceremony. He actually refused the Grand Elf at first." He smiled at the distant memory. "So I suppose we should have trusted his faith in you."

Reaching the stone he knelt and, removing his bag, placed it beside it. Opening a flap he took out a tool – a delicate-looking pair of silver pliers. On the top of one of the jaws a single white stone shone. As it came into the light of the flamers above, four further white stones, shining in response, became apparent in the metal knot on the stone. They were embedded within the interconnecting bars of the four segments.

Seb felt anger rising inside him again.

"I will not let you seal him in, Mr West," he said.

Mr West spun around, surprised. "Seb, if you do not let us do this then Aelfric has died ..." the word stuck in his throat and he had to pause, "has died for nothing." He looked angry himself now.

"Seb," Nat said quietly. "He's right. The stone must be sealed. And Mr Duir gave his life to ensure we would be able to prevent Braddock escaping again."

"But Nat, to leave him in there with them – for ever! I can't do that."

"But _we_ can Seb," Miss Angel, still tearful, said. "And we have spent centuries with him. He was a brother to us. Braddock is too dangerous to allow our feelings for Aelfric to stop us acting." She walked over to stand with Mr West.

Seb was still unwilling to let go of his mentor – the man who had believed in him when everyone else, including Seb himself, had doubted. He knew the teachers were right of course. He had seen the power and the sheer evil of Braddock who, having had his plans thwarted and his twin soul damned beside him, would use his intensified anger and hatred to once more reach beyond the confines of the Soul Drop – he couldn't be allowed to escape. And then Seb heard a fluttering voice.

Dierne, looking up at Seb, spoke so quietly. "It needs to be done. Aelfric would expect it. Require it."

And that was the decider. If Dierne, who had suffered a loss so great, the destruction of his twin, could put his grief aside to accept what was necessary then Seb had to concede. The irony wasn't lost on Seb, though; a Custodian had banished a Dryad soul to eternal darkness and now this Dryad soul was blessing the damnation of his Custodian's human soul to the same fate.

Seb nodded. "Okay, so what do we need to do?"

"The knot is an eternal knot, Seb, also known as a Shield Knot," Mr West began explaining. "It protects and it wards. On the other side of these panels are mirrors. That is a double protection. Should their souls or minds try to travel back out through the knot they will simply pass into their own reflective world – a mirror of the same dark space from which they came – but in order to complete the sealing of the knot, as strange as it sounds, the seals themselves must be broken." He pointed to the bars which interconnected the four pieces, their white gemstones gleaming. "They have to be snapped off. Four of us here will each snap one seal and then we must part. Each must place their section in a place known by none other."

"It's like a game." Zach folded his arms, unimpressed.

"That's as may be, Zach, but the old lores are proven time and again to be true and we must abide by them if we want to prevent Braddock ever returning." Mr White had joined Mr West and Miss Angel by the stone.

"So, four then." Scarlet was intrigued. "Which four?"

"There is one more thing." Mr West's face darkened. "Should any of the pieces be replaced or even brought back into contact either with the knot or with each other, the souls of _all_ the seal breakers will be returned to that which they were guarding. Those who agree to do this must understand their danger. They will be dragged into the Soul Drop to join the souls of Braddock and Heath should any of these pieces touch this stone again or touch any of the other four pieces." He let his words hang in the air.

It had become chilly, Seb realised, and mist had started to develop beneath the fairy dome, gathering between the people and creatures around the circle and it condensed quickly to lie as an increasingly dense fog. There was not a breath of wind, just the thickening mist and bitter cold.

"We must hurry," Mr West said, his mouth sending forth a plume of vapour as he spoke. "He reaches out already."

Dierne stood up and flew over to the stone. "I will do one," he said and stretched out his hand for Mr West to place the tool in his palm.

The dwarf hesitated. "You understand fully what you are doing? If Aelfric is in there, you seal his soul for eternity and if you allow your piece to be— "

"I understand!" Dierne cut him short.

Mr West nodded. But before he would hand over the tool he had something more to say. "Dierne, there will be three others. And every one of you must agree with the participation of the other three. You will all, in all the years to come – not just those years in your current host bodies, but all the years of your souls' existence – be tied to one another. Should one fail or betray the others, you will _all_ be damned."

Dierne nodded brusquely as if, having made his decision, he just wanted the job done.

The mist began to swirl, getting heavier, sinking to the ground. Seb felt the chill on his legs. He looked down and actually couldn't see his feet the cloud was so thick. The spirit stallion was snorting and tossing its head.

Miss Angel, straightening her back said, "I will be next."

Scarlet intercepted her.

"Please, you shouldn't have to live with it. I will do it."

"Scarlet!" Zach hissed at her.

She shook her head at him. "We can't expect them to take this responsibility."

"Then let me." Zach joined her next to the stone and Seb noticed Scarlet slip her hand into his, squeeze it and then let go.

Zach stood in front of Dierne. "I'll do it."

Dierne stared at him for a brief moment, weighing him up, and then gave the slightest nod.

But Mr West was more cautious. "Zach, you understand fully what you are doing? This is a Shield Knot and, by breaking the seal on it, you doom yourself and all the others who do this with you, to join that which you aim to protect against, should any section be returned to this knot or be touched against any of the broken parts. It is a huge responsibility for a young soul."

Zach gave a curt nod and positioned himself next to Dierne, giving Seb a wink.

"So. Two done. I will do the third," Mr West said. "If you are both in agreement." He bowed slightly to Dierne and Zach who said nothing but nodded.

Already Miss West was walking towards her brother, presumably to take the final place. The fog was up to her thighs and a wave of vapour pushed ahead of her as she ploughed through it.

"Stop!" Seb called.

"Seb, not again – it has to be done!" Scarlet cried, exasperated.

"I know," he answered, walking over. "I'm not saying it shouldn't be done. I agree with you, though – this group should not have to do it. Dierne, you are suffering so much. You do not need to add this burden to your grief. Mr West, Miss West, as Miss Angel says, Mr Duir was like a brother to you all ... for centuries. None of you should have to do this. Zach," he turned to his friend, "I'm okay with you if you're okay with me."

"Well Seb, my friend, I suppose we can trust you. You are such a wuss in the dark there's not a chance you'd do anything to land yourself in that place." He beamed at Seb. "Let's do it," he said, pulling Seb to stand beside him.

Dierne spoke more words now than Seb had heard him say in the last two days.

"Seb, your sentiments are well meant but you misunderstand. To do this would not be a burden. My twin gave his life, and his soul, to ensure this task was completed. I am honoured to finish the job for him. If he is in there," the Dryad gave the slightest flick of his head towards the Access Stone, "his one consolation through the rest of eternity will be the fact that the seal remains intact. He will know his sacrifice was worthwhile. And I will do this to give him that consolation." Saying nothing more, he faced ahead.

"Then that settles it." Alice flitted down to join them. "Two Dryads and two humans; is that not the way it should be?"

"What? Alice, no!" Seb protested.

"Oh! So you don't trust me? Or you are scared of spending eternity with me?" Alice crossed his arms.

"This isn't a laughing matter." Seb frowned at him.

"Okay, Seb, I am not laughing. In honesty? I didn't trust you, I didn't believe in you. Aelfric Duir did. And I am humbled to see that he was right and in awe of what you have done tonight. I want the honour of having my place with you and Dierne in this task."

"Thanks for that!" Zach mumbled, craning his neck round to glare at Alice. Alice shrugged.

"You were pretty good too, Zach." He smiled.

"Seb," Mr West interrupted. "I am sorry to scupper this neat plan but you are now, it would seem, our sole remaining Custodian. If one of the other three should weaken, slip, succumb to pressure, then you would all be trapped and then where would the groups be? We need a Custodian."

Seb had no answer. Having geared himself up to undertake this monumental responsibility he was at a loss at the thought of now being denied the chance to do it. And Dierne's words rang in his head. He had been the one to kill Mr Duir and, as if that burden of guilt weren't enough, he had also, it seemed, damned his noble soul. So now the debt he owed that soul was to ensure that the seal was never broken. He knew beyond doubt he could trust Dierne to do everything within his power not to break it. Zach he knew, out of sheer stubbornness, would never transgress! Alice? Well, Alice was his twin and he had already seen the power of that bonding – for good or ill. Alice would do right by them all.

So, taking the pliers from Mr West's hand, he said, "I killed him. I damned him. I cannot leave anyone else to finish the job he wanted doing. If Nature likes balance, then Nature will see to it that you always have a Custodian." With that, he knelt on the hard ground. He couldn't see what he was doing, the fog was so dense he had to feel for the bands that joined the four segments of the knot. He was relieved to find that they were obvious just by feeling with his fingertips. Placing the teeth of the pliers on one of the bars, he twisted his hand and the silver metal end snipped off. He caught it with his other hand, stuffed it in his pocket and, handing the pliers to Alice with a small smile, walked away.

Before Alice could move, however, The Caretaker approached him. The look of upset and pain on those delicate features was heartbreaking and Seb realised they had all disregarded this person, who was actually the only remaining member of Heath's original group.

In a voice racked with emotion The Caretaker said to Alice, "They were my brothers, Heath and Braddock. I worked for centuries in communion with them. I have since worked with Aelfric.

"I have been betrayed by two and trusted and respected by the third. I would like to repay all three in the way they deserve." Reaching a hand towards the pliers The Caretaker waited for Alice to respond.

Alice gave it a moment's thought and then, handing the pliers to The Caretaker, smiled and flitted over to join Seb.

The Caretaker spoke to Zach and Dierne. "Will you accept me?"

"Gosh this is getting needlessly dramatic," Zach sighed. "Come on board!" He smiled cheekily. Dierne simply nodded.

The Caretaker turned to Seb. "And you?"

"Of course," he answered.

Everyone watched in silence as The Caretaker, kneeling in the fog, clipped the next bond and then placed the metal remnant into a pocket of the blue hoodie, stood up and offered the pliers to Zach. Zach took the tool, knelt and paused. His head only just appeared over the top of the rising fog. He smiled at Scarlet, then, out of sight beneath the fog there was a clipping sound. He stood up, walked over to her and, with a bow, lifted her hand and kissed it. Then, turning it over, placed the piece of metal in her palm, the white jewel glowing in the flamer light. Scarlet stared at him and then slipped her hand in her pocket.

Finally came Dierne. Zach gave him the tool and in a split second he had knelt and snapped off the final bar. Instantly the fog around them disappeared, revealing the lustrous gleam of the silver Shield Knot and the sparkling of the tiny crystals in the sandy earth around the inlaid stone.

Thrusting the pliers into Mr West's hand, Dierne flitted over to Mr Duir's body, holding the piece of silver metal tightly in his fist. He didn't look up.

Everyone seemed a bit uncertain as to what to do now.

Zach asked, "I guess it worked then – that fog disappeared. I am assuming that was Braddock?"

Mr West agreed. "Yes it has worked. There is no reason why it would not. And now they are trapped."

The mood of the gathering became more sombre at that thought. The job was done, and Aelfric Duir, along with the two hateful souls of Braddock and Heath, was now damned to spend eternity in that black void.

#  Concealment

As if sensing that they were no longer needed, the wolf-stags, with the exception of Cue, padded away, disappearing into the darkness.

And now Mr West said, "I know of only one other occasion when the Shield Knot was used and the parts hidden so well that none have ever discovered their location ..."

He was about to continue but Aiden interrupted.

"If it has been used before it can't have worked. Braddock was able to get out."

Mr West shook his head, his jowls wobbling. "The Shield is an individual binding, not a securing of the Soul Drop itself."

"So it is a lock against Braddock ... well, Braddock and Heath. So can Mr Duir come back out?" Scarlet asked.

Again the dwarf gave a shake of his head.

"Scarlet, it is the _event_ that has been warded. They were all part of a simultaneous banishment and it is that _point in time,_ that _specific event_ that the Shield protects. It prevents the _undoing_ of that."

Seb felt guilty again. Because he had dealt the blow to all three souls in unity, they were now an inseparable part of the same banishment. It gave a partial answer to a nagging doubt he had too with regard to the gytrash souls and the multitude of bats he had consigned to the void. Ordinarily, these souls would surely have been returned to Áberan, but for responding to a summons Seb had unwittingly sent, they had received a penalty above what was normal. He felt sorry for them. Knowing that Braddock had been able to escape the Soul Drop he had hoped, in the back of his mind, that these souls could be released and dealt with correctly.

"The gytrash souls, the bats from before, can we set _them_ free then?" he asked.

A puzzled look crossed Mr West's face but it was Miss West who challenged.

"Why would you even want to?"

"They weren't meant to be banished there, were they? I mean, the Soul Drop is for souls beyond redemption, isn't it? Surely we can't leave those other souls in there just because at the time I was too ... well, dumb, to send them anywhere else?"

The teachers were silent. Dierne watched in interest.

"Seb, does it really matter?" Zach asked.

"Yes it does," he answered. "It _really_ matters. It would be unfair for those souls to spend eternity in there for doing no more than lots of others have done!"

The teachers exchanged awkward glances.

"So Aelfric was right," The Caretaker eventually said.

Mr West nodded. "He was." He looked at Seb. "Seb, Aelfric was the most noble and fairest of souls it has been my fortune to meet, and I have met a few." He beckoned to Mr White who joined him. "And it was Aelfric's view that above all a Custodian must _care._ They must care about _all_ the souls, the good, the misguided, the wayward. He lived by that creed because he believed that if you care, you will do to them what their actions _require_ you to do, not what you _want_ to do."

Mr White asked Aiden for his tin as Mr West continued.

"Aelfric said that your doubt in yourself came from your fear of doing the wrong thing. That was why he believed you would be a Custodian of note, you would strive to do the _right_ thing, not the easy thing. I suppose you have just proved his point!" He smiled. "And in answer to your question, sadly no. Remember this, those souls did more than simply trespass. They attacked the Custodian, they tried to invade a Custodian body. It may not have been by choice that they came here, but to attack the Custodian _was_ by choice. The punishment is sound."

Seb nodded and now realised just how much Mr Duir seemed to have championed him to the doubting members of his own group. He looked at the lifeless body until Mr White coughed gently. He had opened his tin.

"There is a door there." He pointed to the stone behind Seb. "Seb, it is the Custodian's will, dictated by a need, as I am sure you have gathered, that decides the location to which a door leads. You will now enable each of the others who broke the seals to travel to a place, only known to them, where they will leave their piece of the knot and return."

Seb nodded as The Caretaker approached the door.

Mr West said, "Seb, you have to will that the door opens _where The Caretaker desires."_ He turned to The Caretaker. "Morgan, tell Dierne when you are ready to return."

The Caretaker nodded. Seb waved his arm, hoping the door would lead to where The Caretaker wanted to go. He watched as the wood panels and silver knob materialised in the monolith.

Opening the door, The Caretaker walked through. They all waited. Moments later Dierne said, "Open it."

Seb opened the door and the hooded figure stepped through.

Repeating this once more with Scarlet, hiding Zach's piece and sending her message through Alice that she was ready to return, everyone then waited as Dierne, having no use for a door, flitted away, returning minutes later to sit beside Mr Duir.

Now all that remained was for Seb to conceal his own part of the knot.

Making the door reappear, he took hold of the knob and felt a well of sadness inside himself as he twisted it. Giving a push he walked through.

It was pitch black as he stepped onto the grass. He widened his eyes, trying to get them to adjust to the darkness, just as a car whooshed past, its lights on full beam and Seb was momentarily blinded by the dazzle. He turned back to face into the blackness of the road verge and saw the silver speckles as the door dissolved. Noting its position in a huge holly bush, he knelt on the ground.

With a heavy heart he realised that his idea of seeing the place, in the hope he could rid himself of ghostly memories, was flawed. He had expected to be here in daylight so that he could see the location where the dog had run out, where the car had come off the road and where his father had been laid out by the ambulance crew and police. But stepping through doors wasn't stepping through time and if it was night at The Hurlers, then of course it would be night here.

So, kneeling in the darkness he gazed around. It felt strange to be alone. He listened to the gentle wind rustling the leaves of nearby trees and tried not to think of Alice. He didn't want to give away his location and knew it was important that no one ever knew where he was or what path he was taking.

Quickly now he placed a hand on the grassy, gravelly roadside. He had wondered if he would be able to _sense_ something, feel the latent print of the event, but there was nothing, just the breeze and the occasional whoosh of a passing car. He wasn't sure why he had needed to come here first but he felt more at ease with where he was going next

He stood up and made the door reappear. Seizing the knob, before he took the next step, he glanced back at the spot where his father had died in the moment before he became corrupt and drove his own son's soul out of his body. Shuddering, Seb stepped back through the door.

He was prepared this time for the darkness of the night he walked into. With all his recently acquired knowledge he hoped this place would not freak him out, yet it still did. A slight fog hovered on the ground.

"As if I needed that to complete the picture," he mumbled.

Checking first to see where the door was so that he could relocate it, he called for flamers. The graveyard was creepy enough in the daytime; with darkness and this spooky fog it was like something out of a horror film. So he welcomed the warm, cheering glow of the little orbs which now festooned the many gravestones and the bottom branches of a huge yew tree Seb knew to be his destination.

Bending under a low-hung branch of the tree he knelt beside the small mound of earth, in which a flat, slate stone had been embedded, marking the resting place of his father's body. He read the epitaph:

Too soon his soul departed

Adam Sebastian Thomas

The words made Seb freeze. In all his visits to this spot with his mother and sister since his father's death, this was the first time he had really read them.

Shrugging off the creeping fear, he began to dig with his fingers, clawing out grass clods and dirt from the back of the mound. After several minutes he had only managed to dig a hole about six inches deep – not deep enough. He realised his idea had not only been fairly ghoulish but also rather ill-conceived.

His plan was to place the knot bar on the lid of his father's coffin.

"Why did I think that was a good idea?" he complained to himself. But he knew why. Graves were seldom, if ever, disturbed. He felt confident that to leave the bar in his father's grave would ensure that, for centuries at least, it would not be discovered.

The only thing was he had insufficient time and no tools to carry out the plan. He dug faster, his fingernails now clogged with soil and the tips of his fingers sore. The cut he had received from the thorn when uncovering the small boat in the woods was stinging and bleeding again and he noticed that, as his thumb came into contact with the soil, little green tendrils would sprout. He stopped for a second, uneasy.

He couldn't abandon the plan, though – he couldn't think of a better place. And then his heart leapt: someone or something was behind him; he could hear hoarse breathing. Spinning around quickly he stared into the darkness behind the tree trunk, trying to control the urge to run.

And then he laughed. "Cue, what are you doing here?"

The big beast strode out of the shadows. Seb was so relieved it wasn't a ghost or some nondescript monster that he hugged the wolf. As he let go, Cue lifted a huge paw, slammed it into the earth and scraped a swathe of mud and turf out of the grave mound. Within the space of a few seconds the wolf had managed to dig a hole all the way to the wooden coffin.

Seb's relief at Cue's help was overshadowed by the eerie and disturbing sight of that tarnished wooden box. He tried to suppress his brain's tendency to envision the rotting corpse of his father's body, to try and guess whether it would be a skeleton yet – he didn't know how long that normally took – or whether there would be rotting flesh hanging from the bones. He reminded himself that whatever was left in that box was simply a shell; his father's soul, he knew, was already living a new life in his brother's body. All said and done, a body was just that – a body, not a person. He thought sadly of the lifeless body of Mr Duir at the stone circle and then a nudge from Cue brought him back to the task at hand.

Quickly now Seb removed the bar of metal containing the white jewel from his pocket and then took his jumper off. He felt the chill night air bite into his body. He rolled the tool inside the jumper and placed it on the coffin lid.

"Can you bury it again?" he asked Cue, and the wolf scraped the soil back into the hole. It was obvious that the earth had been disturbed but Seb hoped that, having dug away the side of the mound that butted up to the yew tree, the disturbance would not be noticed and nature would, in short time, cause grass and weeds to overgrow the freshly turned dirt. He didn't need to wait though. As Cue sat beside him, Seb saw green shoots popping out over the mound. They thickened and leaves spread from the stems. Within minutes a small bush had grown – a blackberry bush.

Strange as the phenomenon was, Seb didn't have time to worry about it. Patting Cue, he trudged through the mist to the church wall. A wave of his arm and the door appeared. Seb opened it and stepped back into the bright light of the stone circle, where everyone waited.

# Just a Body

"Well that took you ages, Seb," Zach moaned. "We were all set to walk home!"

Nothing much had changed in Seb's absence other than a layer of sandy dirt had been spread over the Shield Knot.

Mr West called Seb over to it.

"Seb, the knot must be disguised."

"What do I do?" Seb asked.

"I believe the word is 'helan'," Mr White said.

Seb shrugged and, shining reflected light from the fairy dome onto the knot, he spoke the word. There was the slightest flash and the knot vanished. All that was now visible was the inlaid, lichen-covered, scarred, sandstone.

"Nicely done." Zach slapped Seb on the back. "Good as _old,"_ he smiled.

Mr West seemed tentative, nervous even. Standing beside Seb, looking at the stone, he murmured, "We should return to the Ancient Place. The Ceremony is still required."

There was a tense silence and Seb had the feeling something had happened while he was gone.

"I have said he will not stay here." Dierne's rustling voice broke the quiet.

Mr West answered, obviously anxious, "Dierne, you know it has to. We must leave the body here." His words sounded hard and unfeeling to Seb and that appeared to be the issue. Dierne frowned angrily.

"I agree with Dierne," Scarlet blurted. "It would be monstrous to just leave him to be discovered by some passing hiker in the morning. Monstrous," she almost shouted.

"Scarlet, we have discussed this. It is not _him._ It is a shell, a cape, a host – nothing more." Years of dealing with souls in and outside of their hosts, Seb realised, had made Mr West immune to the emotional associations humans give to bodies. "If it is found by a hiker then so be it. It is nothing but a body."

Dierne's frown deepened. He looked ready to shout but held his peace.

"I can't believe you can be so heartless," Scarlet said.

This argument had obviously been raging while Seb had been gone. He wondered who was on what side and where he fitted into all this. He had to admit he understood both views, since he had already begun the process of divorcing his emotions concerning the physical presence of a person's body and the essence of that person. Had he not just desecrated his father's grave? But as he looked at the lifeless body of Mr Duir he felt a pang of sadness and a need to bury him properly.

Miss Angel put an arm around Scarlet. "Scarlet, he is gone. His body is just that, a body. Do not be emotional about it."

Scarlet pushed her arm off.

"Well I can't help it. It isn't just a body – it's _his_ body. A body that you lived with for centuries, which acted out his ideas, his thoughts, his wishes, a body that was his means of touching this world. You can't just let it lie in the open and rot!"

Dierne's frown lifted and he zipped over to join her.

"You know my feelings." His voice fluttered as he addressed the teachers. "As far back as Dryad history goes no Custodian's body has ever remained after their passing. We owe him the honour of a befitting memorial. His body will not remain to be consumed by nature or defiled by onlookers." He stared furiously at the teachers. "This is not up for debate. I will take Aelfric, my twin, to a suitable place where his body can be honoured in order to respect his soul." He looked at Seb expectantly.

Seb felt awkward. He didn't know what Dierne was expecting from him. If he wanted to take his twin's body and bury it, that was okay by him.

"So you're taking him, then?" Seb looked at Alice who shook his head.

"Dryads cannot touch the human dead," he said.

"Oh, don't be so squeamish!" Zach snorted.

"No Zach, I mean we _cannot._ It is a physical impossibility. To have a tangible presence in the human world the human must be aware of us, believe in us and want us to be there."

Seb remembered passing through Alice's frame many times – in the playground, on the coach, in the woods – when he either didn't believe in him or didn't want him there. Since Mr Duir's lifeless body had no awareness, the Dryads had no solidity; they were like ghosts.

"Well that's pretty rubbish," Zach was frustrated. "Okay then, I will carry him for you."

"Zach," Scarlet said. "He's two feet taller than you; you won't manage that. And where are you going to take him?"

_Where indeed?_ Seb thought. He could see Dierne's problem: the teachers were refusing to remove the body and Dierne had no physical means of doing so.

Looking at the stony faces of the teachers Seb believed Dierne and Scarlet were right – as experienced and knowledgeable as the teachers were, they were missing the point.

"It is not about a body," he said to them. "It is about respect, about a fitting way to mark the centuries of service he gave. To leave the physical body he used to carry out that service to be picked at by crows or to feature in the tabloid newspapers as a front page story is almost worse than my damning him to that hellhole!" He wasn't sure what he could do to help Dierne but he was sure of one thing. "He's not staying here."

Dierne looked overwhelmed with relief.

Mr West tried to dissuade Seb. "To take a lifeless body through a door is unforgivable, impossible. It cannot happen, Seb."

The Caretaker now moved across to be with Dierne.

"I too am aware that we do not assign attachment to the shells worn by souls but, in spite of my knowledge and experience, I am unable to set aside that attachment. I feel it a betrayal to Aelfric to leave his body to a degrading and humiliating end, like a piece of scrap to be found by the ignorant and gawped at by the curious."

Dierne nodded and Mr White shuffled his feet awkwardly.

"You too, Dom?" Mr West turned to his sister, looking for an ally. She broke eye contact and looked to the ground. "It is _just_ a body!" He opened his hands wide, exasperated.

"Stop calling him _it!"_ Aiden raised his voice, surprising them all. "I can't believe this conversation is even being had. I couldn't bear it if you leave _him_ here!" His freckles twinkled as his face turned red.

Seb looked around the circle and then the solution hit him. He pointed at the spirit stallion.

"I will take him on the stallion."

Dierne gave him the biggest smile of gratitude and Mr West threw his hands up into the air.

"Oh fine," he sighed. "But this is very untraditional."

"Untraditional?" Aiden asked. "I thought Dierne said no Custodian's body has ever survived. So there can't be a tradition for that, can there?"

Mr White chuckled. Even Miss West gave a slight smile.

Mr West seemed stumped. Realising he had been defeated he backed down.

"Then let us do this properly," he said. "Zach, Trudy, Morgan – can you lift him onto the stallion?"

"You said _him,"_ Zach pointed out as the dwarf walked over to Mr Duir. Reaching the prone figure he knelt beside him and then to everyone's astonishment Mr West wept. That was enough to set Aiden, Nat and Scarlet off. Miss Angel walked over, knelt beside him, and hugged him.

"Daylight is coming," The Caretaker said, drawing attention away from the two. "We must hurry."

The sky beyond the circle, Seb saw, was beginning to lighten. Was it dawn already? The Caretaker was right – he would make quite a spectacle, riding the huge spirit horse with a body draped across its back along roads and through streets. He needed the cover of darkness.

Everyone now seemed to understand the urgency. Mr West, composing himself, declared that the only fitting location for this great man's final resting place was the lake of the Elder Tree, so Mr White sorted the logistics. Seb would open the door to the Royston Cave for the others. He would then ride the spirit stallion, accompanied by Dierne and Alice, back to Royston and The Caretaker and Miss West would meet them outside to take Mr Duir down into the cave.

The stallion approached as Seb beckoned it. Before he had time to worry about how he would get onto it, Miss West grabbed him under the arms and in one heave tossed him upward so he landed sprawled across the horse's back. He wriggled upright and, unable to sit astride it – its back was too wide – he swung his legs to sit sideways.

"Girlie side-saddle?" Zach teased him and got a punch from Scarlet.

The stallion began bucking and pawing the ground. Seb clung to its mane.

"Don't think he likes free-riders," Zach laughed.

"Not funny, Zach," Seb said. The horse bucked more violently.

Nat hadn't spoken in all these goings on. In the debate over whether to take or leave Mr Duir, she had simply stood, crying silently, beside the central stone. Now she walked up to Seb and, craning her neck, called to him.

"Seb, he is nervous of you."

Seb didn't need to be told that. The stallion was skittish, fidgety.

"I don't think he likes me. When I got in the carriage with Mr Duir he reacted even if I spoke." As he said the words the horse bucked and drummed a hoof into the ground. Seb could feel it shaking. He wasn't sure if he was being cruel now, staying on the animal. "Why is it scared of me?" he asked Nat.

"Seb I said he is nervous, not scared. I don't know why but he doesn't dislike you, he is just really anxious."

Dierne approached the horse and, calming, the stallion dropped its head to meet his hand.

"Spirit stallions serve the Custodians," he said. "You can ride this stallion, you just need to understand him. They feel the power of the Custodian and are awed by it."

"You are kidding, aren't you?" Zach laughed.

"No, Zach. I am not." Dierne's eyes flashed with a spark of anger. He stroked the stallion again. "They were anxious of Aelfric too, in the beginning. He found a way to calm them. You will have to find your own way," he said to Seb.

"You could always try stroking him," Alice said, flitting up to Seb's eye level. "You're perched on his back like you are scared he'll throw you off."

"That's because I am!" Seb said and the horse whinnied. "Calm down," he said more gently. The stallion scuffed the ground. And then from nowhere a thought stuck Seb: _He wants to run ... and thinks I will stop him!_

He smiled and, grabbing the stallion's mane, whispered close to its ear, "When I say, you can go as fast as you like!"

The horse instantly stood perfectly still.

"Oh, now I've seen it all," Zach laughed. "Seb, the horse whisperer!"

With the spirit stallion now calm, the Guardians lifted Mr Duir onto it. They draped him in front of Seb, behind the stallion's neck, and Seb tried not to look at the blood-soaked shirt, torn and ragged and the severe cuts beneath its fabric.

Nat called up to him again. "Seb, I am sorry to be dramatic but with Mr Duir gone, you are probably more vulnerable now than ever before. You haven't got him to protect you."

Dierne whizzed up to hover beside Seb. "Alice and I will accompany them, with others. It is not ideal but the journey will be quick."

Nat seemed satisfied and gave a quick nod.

"Seb," coughed Mr White. "The door?"

From his high perch, the sun ascending rapidly behind him, Seb illuminated the door, visualising the carvings in the Royston Cave. Immediately Mr White seized the handle and the others walked through, leaving the stone circle.

#  The Escort

Above Seb and Mr Duir in their lofty place on the stallion's back, the fairies disassembled the dome. The flamers, no longer needed now the sun was rising, disappeared.

At a word from Dierne, ten Dryads, speaking their names, appeared in front of Seb. Even before they spoke, however, Seb realised he could see them.

They formed an arc in front of the proud stallion, Dierne and Alice at the head. The hordes of fairies fluttered in behind, their gossamer wings catching the sunlight, creating a rainbow of sparkles like sequins on an evening gown.

Now Seb whispered to the horse, "As promised – as fast as you like." And the beast took off.

Shocked at the speed, Seb gripped its mane tightly and the stunning procession sped across the countryside. Objects around Seb were a blur: the Dryads simply looked like green trails; the fairies behind, dots of rainbow light; and as they moved, flocks of birds rose from bushes, gardens, trees and hedgerows and surrounded the cavalcade, shielding it from view. Like an avian Mexican Wave the birds lifted, travelled for a distance and dropped away to be replaced by a fresh flock.

The only things that seemed to make sense to Seb's eyes were the powerful body of the magnificent horse, whose hooves ate up the ground so fast miles passed in seconds, and Mr Duir. Seb had one hand on his back; it was still warm, his death so recent. He swallowed a lump in his throat and then to his right he noticed Cue, pacing along with the stallion, inside the bird shield. It was comforting the beast was there.

They tore on, whizzing over hills, across motorways, through towns and, as the sky around them lightened, the colours of the fields, trees, buildings and wildlife returned, the green and yellow of the Dryad trails and the rainbow dappling of the fairy wings became more vivid. The effect was breathtakingly beautiful.

And suddenly they reached the outskirts of Royston. Above the town thousands more birds circled.

"We're here already?" Seb couldn't believe they had arrived so quickly.

The stallion galloped along the main road, though it was barely more than a few leaps for the horse. As they came to a stop beside the archway entrance to Royston Cave, the mass of birds landed. They didn't make a sound.

Led by Dryads, followed by fairies and escorted by a throng of birds, Aelfric Duir's body had reached its destination.

The stallion was far too big to fit through the archway and Seb hadn't the foggiest idea how to make it shrink. He was conscious that, with the sun now fully risen, people would soon look out of windows and see this strange, multitudinous gathering. He also realised that they now had a bit of an issue getting Mr Duir down off the stallion and through to the gravelled yard, and then how were they going to open the door to the cave tunnel?

The Dryads had solidified back into their leaf-covered forms and Dierne stood below Seb, Alice beside him.

"I don't know what to do," Seb said to them, feeling useless.

There was a sudden calamitous noise as, without warning, thousands of the birds took flight, flapping their wings and circling around the stallion. Something had disturbed them and then, with relief, Seb realised it was the red-faced woman who had taken the horse from Mr Duir yesterday. She walked through the flurry of birds, appearing like someone emerging from a snowstorm. Her face, framed by her sleep-messy white hair, was the picture of sadness as she gazed at Mr Duir.

"Mervyn will unlock the door, young sir," she said, a tear falling from her eye.

Seb looked at this poor woman, still in her pyjamas, pink fluffy slippers on her feet. How had she known? She gave a slight bow to her left, where Dierne and Alice stood, although she looked through the space they occupied as though she were a blind woman, then walked to the stallion. The horse lowered its head and allowed her to stroke its muzzle.

The birds still flew around them, providing a screen as Mervyn appeared. He was also in his pyjamas and held his bunch of keys.

With a sombre face he called up to Seb, "I will lock it behind you, sir." He gave a quick, sorrowful glance at the lifeless Mr Duir and hurried through to the stable door.

As the top of the door swung open, Seb could just make out Miss West's frizzy hair and beady eyes. She and The Caretaker rushed out as soon as Mervyn unlocked the bottom part of the door. Now Seb, with difficulty, passed Mr Duir's body down to them and they carried him past Janice, who slumped to her knees and cried. Mervyn walked over to hug her. The stallion nuzzled her hair and she stroked its nose absently as she wiped away her tears.

The sound of bird wings was accompanied now by the tinkling of the fairies who filled the yard outside the doorway. As The Caretaker and Miss West carried Mr Duir into the darkness of the cave entrance, all their wings opened out to catch the sun's rays so that a rainbow danced between the walls. It was a beautiful tribute and Seb found it hard to tear his eyes away. Once Mr Duir was gone from view the fairies instantly disbanded, zooming away in all directions and the flock of birds also scattered and departed.

The Dryads remained a few moments and Dierne spoke with them, then they too disappeared. Alice lifted Seb down from the stallion and instantly it bucked its head and galloped away. Dierne and Alice whooshed towards the cave entrance, leaving a brief trail of green and yellow in their wake.

Seb paused, looking at the devastated couple in the archway, the weeping Janice being comforted by her husband. He approached quietly, feeling a bit awkward but his heart went out to these people and he placed a hand on Janice's shoulder.

"I am so sorry," he said.

The woman looked up at him through red-rimmed eyes and tried to smile her thanks.

Seb said to Mervyn, "And so very grateful for your help."

Mervyn straightened his shoulders and gave a quick nod.

Seb took a step towards the doorway but Janice called to him. "The stallion knows the heart, young sir. I will be honoured to serve you."

"Hush, Janice," her husband remonstrated gently and waved his hand for Seb to enter the door.

He left the pair hugging each other and stepped into the darkness of the cave tunnel entrance.

#  Final Rest

It was damp and cold as Seb descended the steep, chalky walkway and joined the others on the wooden platform. They couldn't go any further without him. He had to light up the carvings.

With Mr Duir laid carefully in the centre of the dais they went through the ritual of exposing the inner door. It seemed to be an ever-changing code. Different carvings were pointed out by Aiden this time and Scarlet read the relevant words from Mr White's tin. They completed the task quickly and watched as the section of wall collapsed into the cave beyond.

Nothing had changed. The large lake was bathed in light from the fireflies and at its centre stood the dark overhanging Elder Tree. The remnants of the fire and cooking things The Caretaker had used before were still in place, as was the circle of stone-like sentinel guards. Mr Duir had summonsed them and Seb did wonder that they hadn't disappeared when he had died. How would they know to _stand down?_ Heath had said it was very rare that they were ever called upon and Seb realised that, even at that point, Aelfric Duir must have guessed something was really wrong.

He watched as The Caretaker and Miss West carried Mr Duir through the doorway and, the moment his body entered the cave, every other sentinel stepped away from the wall and marched over to walk along beside him, like an honour guard. The four who had been positioned beside the Elder Tree trotted across the lake and flanked Seb.

Mr Duir was laid by the water's edge and now everyone seemed to hesitate.

"Are we burying him, then?" Zach asked bluntly.

Seb couldn't believe they had brought Mr Duir all the way here just to stick him in a hole in the ground.

"Did anyone bring a spade?" Zach continued.

"Seb," Dierne said quietly. "There is something permanent Dryads can make with their trails. Something that won't fade away, that can be solidified, frozen."

"For how long?" Scarlet asked.

"For ever," Dierne said, not breaking eye contact with Seb.

Aiden said, "Can you shape it into a crypt or a vault or something?"

"We can, Aiden," Dierne answered, "but it needs the Custodian to seal it."

Seb felt a stab of self-doubt and tried to suppress it. He glanced at Mr Duir's body. This man had had faith in him. Wasn't it time he believed in himself?

"Well, it's better than burying him." Seb said, wondering what on earth he was meant to do.

Dierne nodded. "It may not be very _traditional."_ He looked at Mr West.

"So long as it is fitting." Mr West smiled. "After all, there is no tradition for this."

"We will need help," Dierne said and within seconds Dryads were pouring through the walls.

Seb heard a thumping sound and turned to see Cue behind him, his eyes flashing blue as they caught the light. He patted the animal on the head and felt a surge of power. Cue was obviously fully recovered, though it was strange his eyes had changed colour, Seb thought.

As the Dryads entered the cave they spoke their names and the space above the tree branches was filled with the rustling sound of their voices. Surrounding the lake they waited for instruction. Some of their faces told of the shock at seeing the Custodian dead. Within minutes there was hardly a free foot of space between the sentinels around the walls and the lake waters.

"Probably enough now," Zach said, shuffling over to Seb.

"As many as want to come should be here," Dierne said and Zach shrugged.

When all the movement had stopped, the throngs of Dryads stood quietly and Dierne addressed them.

"You have heard, and now you see, Aelfric Duir has passed." His voice cracked. Composing himself he continued. "We need a fitting memorial to this human who gave his life _and his soul_ to rid us of the danger and evil that would have unbalanced all the worlds and realities we know." Seb looked around at the sad faces. "I need your help," Dierne said. "He was my twin but you all knew him as a friend. And _he spared you._ When he could have, and should have, summoned your help through this past night, he did not. I begged him to call you, but he believed that to battle one of your own was a deed our kind could not reconcile, so he spared you. And he died. Because he was so weakened by the onslaught that beset him he could not fight the one battle that would have saved him. He made himself a sacrifice to spare you guilt, remorse and shame.

"And now I need you to help me acknowledge that sacrifice. I need you to help create the Glacial Trace."

There was a sudden rustling and chattering among the leafy gathering as if Dierne had just told them he had discovered Atlantis. Seb could tell the emotion was shock, mixed with excitement, and a good degree of doubt.

"What's the problem?" he asked Alice.

"It has only ever been talked about as myth. There is a tale that tells of a Custodian and a lone Dryad who made the Trace, creating a small stone in the centre of the Fairy Reality to drive out a group of errant souls, but most believe that is a story only – like your human tales of King Midas turning things to gold. No Dryad truly believes it is possible."

"Well Dierne obviously does."

Dierne looked at Seb and nodded.

Alice continued quietly in Seb's head, "Does he, or is he just so sad that he will try anything to preserve his twin?"

"Is that what it does, then – it preserves?" Seb spoke aloud.

"Seb, it is said that if the Custodian is able, they can fire the Dryad trail to solidify it into _diamond._ That is the Glacial Trace – the creation of a diamond in any shape designed by the lead Dryad."

Seb realised now why the Dryads were so astounded; it did seem far-fetched. But then, with all the things he had seen recently, he was actually willing to believe anything was possible. His only concern was the Custodian's bit.

"So where is that Dryad. Can't Dierne get him to do it?"

"No one knows who that was, or which Custodian. Most Dryads doubt the story anyway, Seb."

Dierne frowned at Alice but didn't refute what he said. He stood waiting for the general response of the Dryads.

They were silent, humbled, Seb guessed, by Dierne's words and the thought that, when he had needed them most, Mr Duir had chosen not to call for the Dryads out of a concern they would not be able to live with themselves if they battled Braddock.

Seb stood, waiting, and then when no decision seemed to be made he spoke. It was a struggle; he wasn't used to public speaking and found his nerves getting the better of him. "May I say something?" his voice shook.

He felt thousands of eyes turn on him and, despite blushing, forced himself to continue.

"Someone I have learned to really trust and respect said to me that what you Dryad souls love is the belief that you will be reborn again and again as leaves on many different trees. I couldn't see it at first, but the things I have seen in the last day have opened my eyes to how amazing that _gift_ is. And it is a gift; the knowledge that you will get to come back and experience life _so many times_ in _so many_ different ways." He glanced down at Mr Duir's body. "Aelfric Duir won't get that gift. He devoted his last – and for all we know, only – life to maintaining the balance of your reality, my reality and others I can't even guess at. And in the end, he gave that life, _and his soul,_ to ensure that balance was not destroyed. He won't get to come back and live on a different tree. Thanks to me he is damned to an eternity of darkness and sadness with the two souls who detest him most – one Dryad and one human.

"So now you have a Dryad and a human saying that we want to make sure that Aelfric Duir is not forgotten and to do that we will preserve the one thing we have left of that soul – his body.

"Dierne has asked, and I am asking, for your help. You don't have to believe what we are going to try is possible and, if I am honest, I doubt my own ability to do whatever it is I am supposed to do, but for him," he pointed to Mr Duir, "I want to try."

Dierne turned to Seb with a look of such gratitude and Seb felt Nat move over to him and slip her hand in his.

Mr West muttered, "Aelfric knew the boy."

And now two Dryads leapt into the air, without saying a word, and began spinning a trail tinged with autumnal shades. Two more joined them, then three, then more and more simply leapt up to add their service. Before Seb's eyes every Dryad in the cave dissolved into a whirl of greens, yellows, oranges and browns.

Alice was smiling proudly at Seb. "My turn," he said and flitted upward.

And now Dierne placed a hand on Seb's shoulder.

"You will do what is necessary. Aelfric believed in you – and so do I."

With that he took off and suddenly the spinning, whirling mass of trails, which had formed a column reaching upward, distorted, leaning out to one side and curving over towards the lake.

Seb realised where Dierne was going. He turned to The Caretaker and Miss West. "Can you carry him onto the water?"

Miss West nodded. They lifted Mr Duir's body and strode onto the lake surface. Halfway between the Elder Tree and the bank they stopped and placed him onto the water. The imps below supported him and The Caretaker knelt and placed Mr Duir's hands across his chest. Stepping away, the two Guardians rejoined the watching group on the bank.

Now Dierne led the dense line of Dryad trails down. The line thinned and zipped under Mr Duir's body, darting into the water and then re-emerging, circling round and round his body from his head to his feet until he disappeared from view, and all Seb could see was an autumn-tinged cylinder of green.

Zach clapped Seb on the back. "You're on," he announced.

Seb felt butterflies in the pit of his stomach. As usual, he had neither knowledge nor experience to help him and he didn't have the first idea what he should do.

"Any suggestions?" he asked Mr West, who shook his head. Seb glanced at Mr White who spoke uncertainly.

"Words are powerful things ..."

_That's it?_ Seb thought. Not much help. He knew the idea was to turn this trail into a diamond. He seemed to recall diamonds were just carbon which had been exposed to extreme pressure and heat.

He closed his eyes. Cue nuzzled in behind him. Seb smiled. Placing a hand on Cue's forehead, he opened his eyes and in his head told Alice to get the Dryads to stand clear. Seb waited as the many Dryads returned to the lakeside. Seeing Dierne, the last to leave the trail, materialise above the dense mesh surrounding his twin, Seb raised his left hand. _Words are powerful things,_ he thought and, feeling the strength coming from Cue, he focused it to add to his own and said quietly, "Look after him."

There was a thunderous boom which sent a pulse of fast-moving air from Seb, across the lake. With it travelled a piercing beam of blue light. The light hit the cylinder of trails first and the whole thing ignited into a fierce fire which burned blue. As the pulse of air struck the fire it snuffed it out instantly.

The light had been so bright that Seb and everyone else present had instinctively shielded their eyes and now, as Seb removed his hand and blinked, his jaw dropped – there was nothing there! Where Mr Duir's body, surrounded by the Dryad trails, had been, was now just empty air.

#  Sentinels

Seb was mortified. Not only had he failed to create the diamond crypt, he appeared to have obliterated Mr Duir's body. He turned to Dierne, ready to say how sorry he was, but the Dryad was smiling – then laughing.

A gentle rustling began and then grew until the whole cave was filled with the chattering of the Dryads.

Seb heard Nat giggle beside him and Scarlet say: "OMG!"

None of them were looking at Seb; they were staring into the crowd of Dryads gathered round the lake and, as Seb followed their gaze, he realised the Dryads were parting, flitting left and right, clearing a path. From among them, walking away from the lake bank, strode Aelfric Duir.

He walked straight towards Seb, looking for all the world as though nothing had ever happened to him – other than the tattered, bloodied clothing he wore.

"Well what the hell happened there, then?" Zach added his noise to the chorus of leaf chatter, and Mr West looked utterly amazed.

Seb was dumbfounded. The teachers, his friends and Scarlet looked as stunned as he was.

Cue whimpered behind him and Seb realised he still had his hand on the beast's forehead, drinking in the power from him.

"Sorry, Cue," he said, dropping his arm and the wolf licked his cheek, then sat quietly beside him.

Mr Duir, reaching Seb, smiled down at him. There was a touch of humour in the way he looked at Seb, probably at the sight of his gaping mouth.

"Any other words, Seb," he said.

"What?" Seb blinked, staring blankly at this walking miracle.

"Had you used any other words I would have been locked inside poor Cue for ever and, I dare say, my body sealed inside that diamond coffin."

Now Seb spun around and stared at Cue who whined and licked his cheek again. Absently, Seb wiped the saliva from his face, trying to piece together what Mr Duir was telling him. He couldn't, and The Head put a hand on his shoulder. Leaning forward he said, "I will explain later."

For once Seb was pleased Mr Duir wasn't one for words. He felt like his head was going to pop and, whilst he was desperate to know what had happened, he was also so overwhelmed at seeing this man breathing, walking, talking again he wasn't ready for lengthy explanations. He stared dumbly up at those twinkling green eyes and then, unable to help himself, flung his arms around Mr Duir who, towering over him, stroked his head like an indulgent father.

"Steady on, Seb." Zach laughed. Seb pulled away and grinned a stupid grin at his friend just as Miss West flung herself forward and hugged Mr Duir. Dierne whizzed over to him too and embraced him and then the other teachers joined them, until they were all locked in a group hug that looked very awkward and cluttered.

Seb stood with his friends, surrounded by Dryads, watching the happy reunion.

"Shame about the Glacial Trace and the diamond coffin, eh?" Zach said.

"This is better." Nat smiled happily.

Alice placed a hand on Zach's shoulder. "No shame in it at all, Zach. I am sure this will go down in Dryad lore for millennia to come." With that he zoomed over to the lake and Seb stared, speechless again, as Alice dropped down and landed on a solid surface. He looked like he was standing on air.

"Yeah, nice trick, Al," Zach said. Grinning, Alice pulled a leaf from his shoulder. "Eeoou, should you be doing that?" Zach asked, but then whistled as Alice dropped the leaf and it floated down to land on something invisible four feet or so above the surface of the lake.

Zach ran over, straight across the water, and in seconds was sliding his hands along the invisible object. Seb took a step forward and the thing glinted. Walking past the hundreds of Dryads onto the lake, he joined Alice and Zach, staring open-mouthed at a huge, clear, sparkling diamond. As Seb peered closely at it he could see an outline inside it. Right at the centre of the diamond was a hollow space which clearly showed the cast of a dead Mr Duir.

"We did it, Seb! You and the Dryads – we made the Glacial Trace work!" Alice zoomed down, lifted Seb, who had no time to protest, and plonked him on top of the crudely cut shape.

Its edges had a complex of faceted sides. When Seb moved, the light shining off the many surfaces sent a shimmer of sparkles into his eyes. Gazing down into the water he could see the bottom of the diamond had its own clear plinth that descended, he guessed, to the lake bed.

Dierne, grinning like a schoolchild, joined Seb and, standing on the diamond, gave a quick bow. "Aelfric was right to trust you and I can never repay you."

Seb felt embarrassed and grinned. "Actually, you can." Dierne raised his leafy eyebrows. "You can get me off this thing," Seb said.

"Oh Seb, you are such a wuss – it's not that high." Zach laughed as Dierne obliged and dropped Seb back down to the lake surface and they all rejoined the group on the bank.

A hush fell as Mr Duir addressed the assembly.

"Today a tremendous feat has been achieved, a feat that most believed impossible. That it was achieved is due to two things: the ability of souls to work together, and the ability to trust.

"For my part, I thank the noble Dryads." He bowed to the watching crowd and, turning to Seb, smiled, "and I thank an innocent and young soul for showing us what can be done when you simply _care_ and have the _will to try."_ He beckoned to Seb who nervously walked over to him. Draping his arm across his shoulders, Mr Duir continued, "The acts of this young soul tonight have been stunning to behold and I am proud to introduce you all to your new Custodian. Put your faith in him and assist him, because he has proven his worth even before his confirmation." Looking down at Seb he said to him, "Seb, your self-doubt is a strength to be embraced – it shows how deeply you care. I could not have placed my soul in safer hands."

Cue squeezed between them, nudging Mr Duir's arm off Seb's shoulders and onto his huge head. Mr Duir chuckled and the sound sent ripples around the cave. The Dryads rustled and the fireflies danced merrily.

"You too, Cue." The Head patted him.

There began a spontaneous procession of Dryads flitting over to examine and marvel at what they had all created before each one then whizzed away through the walls or roof. The event was marked by happy laughter, conversation and celebration and Seb stood with Mr Duir, watching while every one of the thousands of Dryads completed a respectful bow to them before viewing the diamond with its ghostly imprint of Mr Duir in death.

Zach became bored after ten minutes and so it seemed did Miss West. The pair drifted off to the other side of the lake, Miss West looking happier than Seb had ever seen her. She appeared to share a joke with Zach as they walked side by side. The others joined them but Seb and Mr Duir waited while every Dryad had the chance to pay their respects.

The Caretaker stood nearby, saying nothing and, glancing over, Seb realised that those genteel features wore an expression of thoughtful uncertainty. Mr Duir followed his gaze then looked back at the next Dryad bowing in front of him.

Over his shoulder he called to The Caretaker, "Morgan, Cue and his pack will need a keeper. I need you to accept that role ... if you would not find it onerous."

Cue seemed to understand and instantly leapt forward, sitting expectantly before the puzzled Caretaker. Seb saw The Caretaker's features soften and a small smile spread across those thin lips.

With a nod The Caretaker answered, "Not onerous, Aelfric – an honour." Cue stood and, lowering his huge head, licked The Caretaker. "Okay, that's not going to happen more than once." The Caretaker pushed the wolf away and began to walk to the other side of the lake.

Mr Duir turned now and spoke again. "You are part of us. To lose you would be a heartbreak I do not wish to endure."

Seb was surprised at the personal comment and The Caretaker's footsteps stopped momentarily. The figure turned, nodded and smiled slightly, then walked on, Cue striding behind.

Alice, who had been hovering close to Seb spoke quietly to him. "The Caretaker is the last of Heath's group. A very difficult and lonely thing, I suppose."

Seb hadn't thought about it. "To us The Caretaker is just one of them, us all. But if you put it like that, yes, it must be hard. What happened to the other three of that group, then?"

"Not sure, Dierne hasn't said, but Braddock was saying they crossed over so I am guessing they decided to end their service."

"Is that even an option?" Seb was surprised.

"Yes. Once the new group is founded the members of the previous group or groups can elect to end and move on."

Seb bowed to one of the last few Dryads in front of him and asked Alice, "How does that even work – surely they would know too much to come back and just live a normal life?"

"Seb, that is within the gift of the Elders. That is one of the options given at the solstice or the equinox. Every member is asked. If they elect to relinquish their role then they move on to become Dryads. They move to the next stage, the next reality. The essence of who they are remains but they become Dryad.

"The Caretaker must have declined every offer since Aelfric's group began, choosing to remain with Heath even when the other members were gone. I wonder if this offer will be met with a different response ..."

Seb realised what Mr Duir's comment meant now and hoped The Caretaker, having been given a new role, would decline. He couldn't imagine what it must be like to have spent so many hundreds of years with one group of people to see them leave, one by one, and then to be the only one remaining, a character on the outskirts of the new groups coming through. Mr Duir seemed to view The Caretaker, though, as part of his own group, and Seb hoped The Caretaker realised that.

As the last of the Dryads completed their viewing of the magnificent diamond on the lake and flitted off into the cave roof, Mr Duir said to Seb,

"Now we must continue. It is the equinox and the Elders must confirm you. But I do believe you all need some explanations before we go any further."

Having got over their amazement at witnessing Aelfric Duir's return, the teachers had busied themselves on the far side of the lake, relighting the fire, and, Seb hoped, making food for everyone. They seemed like different people, the serious, brooding moods gone and they laughed and joked with each other.

Cue followed The Caretaker round like a lost puppy and had to be pushed away several times so that The Caretaker could tend the fire.

As Seb walked over with Mr Duir, the sentinels flanked them. Reaching the semicircle of mats that were still in place, Mr Duir said to the gathering, "There is something Seb and I must do and then we will eat ... and talk before the Elders are called."

Mr West nodded to him, smiling happily. In fact the whole of Mr Duir's group seemed to be behaving as though they were on an exciting summer camp. Seb guessed the return of their Custodian was something that would lift their spirits for a long while yet.

"Dierne, as glad as I am to be reunited with you, you cannot attend. We deal with the sentinels." Dierne nodded, understanding. "You too, Alice." Mr Duir turned to him. "You must remain here."

Alice looked petulant but Dierne seemed to explain something and Alice slumped sulkily to the ground, perching cross-legged on a rug by the fire.

Mr Duir led Seb, accompanied by the sentinels, to the cave opening, which had closed, Seb noticed. With a wave of his hand Mr Duir revealed the irregular opening and the section of wall collapsed towards them. He mumbled a word and ten of those sentinels who had been positioned at the wall left their posts. Mr Duir stepped through the doorway followed by Seb and the sentinels.

Keeping the entrance open, Mr Duir stood in the middle of the dais and the ten knights formed two rows, facing him and Seb. When he spoke it was so quietly Seb could barely hear him.

"You all swore your allegiance to Heath Fletcher. That Custodian is no more.

"I will ask you each in turn and you must answer faithfully and honestly. There will be no judgement.

"First knights, step forward."

With that, two knights from the left side of the two rows marched towards Mr Duir and Seb and, stopping, knelt on one knee. Even in that position their heads came up to Seb's chin.

Mr Duir continued in the same quiet voice. "Do you wish to continue in service loyal to the Custodians or do you wish release? Speak your answer."

There was a pause and then a haunting sound, like voices carried on the wind.

"We continue." The knights bowed their heads and waited.

"Then the naming of your year is ..." Seb heard nothing. He glanced at Mr Duir whose lips moved once but no sound came out. Then his voice was audible once more, "... is that satisfactory to you?"

Again the ghostly voices answered, "Sufficient to serve."

Mr Duir waved his hand over their heads, a faint sparkling dust illuminated the air and then the pair of knights stood up and marched to their previous positions in line.

"Second knights." Mr Duir still had not raised his voice above a bare whisper. The same ceremony was repeated. The two knights elected to continue and Mr Duir spoke an inaudible year.

The ghost-voices of these two knights spoke, "Sufficient to serve." Again, they returned to their place in the line.

"Third knights," Mr Duir called and the next two knelt in front of the Custodians. This time, however, when asked if they wished to continue there was a silence for several seconds. Seb waited and then glanced at Mr Duir to see if he looked worried that they had not answered. Just as Seb was about to speak, the voices on the wind came, "Ours for release on the condition of service completed."

Mr Duir smiled sympathetically. "At the end it will be done," he said and these two knights stood up and marched to stand behind Seb and Mr Duir.

The next two elected to continue in service and returned to the depleted line.

As with the third pair, the final two stated, "Ours for release on the condition of service completed," and were directed to join the previous two, standing behind Seb.

Mr Duir now addressed the six who remained facing them.

"Your honour does honour to the Custodians. With gratitude you are dismissed to await summons." He bowed low and Seb just stood and gawped. The six knights bowed and, as if they were nothing more than ghostly apparitions, faded out of sight.

Now Mr Duir turned and indicated for Seb to do the same. The four knights behind them were facing the wall of carvings.

"Kneel," Mr Duir said, a bit louder now.

As one the sentinels knelt.

"Be certain you desire this. It is beyond recall." Each nodded. "Then let it be known that your service has been prestigious, your honour is beyond question, your vigil distinguished and your obligation at an end. Let Nature find the mark on your souls and keep you together, one and one."

He paused and turned to Seb. "This mark is for the Knights Sentinel alone and is never to be used otherwise." Seb nodded seriously but waited, hoping what Mr Duir was talking about would become clear.

Turning back to the knights Mr Duir said, "First two, speak your year."

The windblown voices whispered something Seb could not discern and as they did, Mr Duir revealed his birthmark, captured the light from the small aperture above and shone it onto the hilt of a sword carving in front of which these knights knelt. Blue light shot back out from the hilt, splitting into two beams which struck the chests of the kneeling sentinels. Seb noticed, for the first time, that these two knights gripped one another's gauntleted hands. As the light struck them their heads, which had been bowed, raised upward and their whole bodies were consumed in blue incandescence. In a second the bodies vanished and two vapour trails circled upward to disappear through the aperture to the right.

Without pause Mr Duir continued, "Noble sentinels, speak your year."

Again the ghostly voices, words indiscernible, floated on the air. Mr Duir illuminated the sword hilt, the forked blue lightning struck the knights, their bodies vanished and the two vapour trails drifted aloft to disappear through the small hole.

Seb waited in the echoey silence that followed, wondering what the heck he had just witnessed. Mr Duir seemed to have killed four sentinels – with their blessing.

"Walk with me, Seb," Mr Duir said, re-entering the lake cave. There was a scraping sound as the section of wall repositioned itself.

Seb walked beside Mr Duir, accompanied by two lines of sentinels, to the bank of the shimmering lake. They sat on the opposite side to where the teachers, The Caretaker and Seb's group were chatting, laughing even. They seemed a very happy gathering but Seb, once again, felt his mood drift into sadness.

Mr Duir looked at him and smiled kindly, his eyes reflecting the dappled light bouncing off the lake waters.

"Seb, it is not a cause for sadness."

Seb lifted his eyebrows.

"Well, to me it appeared ..." He felt embarrassed at the accusation he was about to level and paused.

"Yes?" Mr Duir waited.

"Well, like you just killed those sentinels," Seb whispered, hoping his voice wouldn't reach the knights standing feet from them.

Mr Duir laughed. Seb had never really heard this man laugh before and it brightened the whole cave. The fireflies danced frenetically, their light causing the massive diamond to sparkle more vividly and the group on the other side of the lake looked across.

Mr Duir placed a kindly hand on Seb's shoulder.

"Seb, I released them to their gift."

Seb's puzzled look elicited, for once, more explanation from Mr Duir, but The Head spoke in hushed tones.

"The Knights Sentinel come in pairs, Seb. They are pairs of souls whose affinity and connection to each other transcends all when they first meet. They strike an instant bond and become devoted to one another. It does not happen often in the innumerous soul encounters over the millennia. Other than the twin-souls of the Dryad and Custodian, few experience that bond of ... well, you would call it _eternal_ love. Many love, many have strong connections with souls in their sojourns here. You know there are people in your life you instantly feel drawn to, comfortable with, a love for – but this is different, deeper, indissoluble, constant.

"When Custodians encounter such souls they have it within their power to offer a _gift._ The gift must be earned and the earning is done by the completion of an allotted span of service to the security of the Custodians within this or other specified Ancient Places. They sacrifice their recognisable bodies for the guise of the Knights Sentinel and are given the powers and skills of that position and role."

He stopped and stared across the lake, smiling into the distance at some quiet thought in his head.

"So what is the gift, then," Seb asked, "that makes that worthwhile?"

Mr Duir looked at him, his eyes unreadable.

"The gift, Seb, is an assurance by Nature to always return their souls together. Every decade they fulfil as sentinels represents the number of returns to this reality they will have as a united couple. On each visit to this reality they will find one another, _remember_ one another and be with one another."

Seb wondered at that – to love another soul so much you would want to _always_ be with them. He stared across the lake now himself, and gazed at Nat as she sat laughing with Aiden.

Mr Duir called his attention back.

"These souls, Seb, swear allegiance to a specific Custodian and between them and the Custodian they agree the span of service they wish to pledge. The only time they are permitted early release is on the passing of that Custodian, which is why the offer was made to these, Heath's knights.

"The six that remained have now sworn service to me and it is for them and me alone to know the decades they have pledged to serve."

"Who keeps count?" was all Seb could think to ask.

"The Custodian." Mr Duir sounded surprised by the question.

"So if I do this, pledge some people to be knights, I'll have to remember what years they agreed to and when they agreed it and work out when they're finished?"

Mr Duir was amused. "Yes," he smiled.

"What if I forget?"

He chuckled. "You will not. Now," he stood up, "we shall dismiss the sentinels and rejoin the others. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

#  Retelling

Standing by the lake bank Mr Duir waved a hand. All the Knights Sentinel lining the walls shook off their stone-like appearance and marched over to him. He dismissed them and they faded out of sight.

"Come on," he smiled at Seb. "I think if Alice is excluded for much longer he will lose all his leaves."

They rejoined the others. Alice was on Seb's shoulder in an instant. The Caretaker, being pestered by Cue, had somehow managed to cook up a delicious-smelling porridge and there was a good deal of fussing as bowls, spoons, cups and the like were shared out. Finally everyone took seats on rugs around the fire.

Most of the party seemed to want to avoid any heavy conversation while they ate and Zach took advantage of the general jollity to play the fool, trying to get Miss West to take her boot off to compare shoe sizes.

Seb, Alice beside him, ate in silence, wondering how the others could brush aside the events of the night so quickly.

Mr Duir and The Caretaker talked quietly together and, compared to the now raucous laughter and conversation coming from everyone else including Dierne, Seb noted, they were subdued and serious. Realising Seb was watching him, Mr Duir looked up.

"Well?" he asked, smiling.

At the sound of his voice the others fell silent.

Before Seb could speak, Zach jumped in. "So did you know Heath was a baddie? Cos it came as a surprise to everyone else," he said bluntly.

Mr Duir sighed sadly. "Zach, I suspected something after the attack here, but it was only really yesterday morning, thanks to Nat, that I started to realise." Nat looked embarrassed and confused. Mr West, beside her, gasped. "Greg, she is a strong Sensor, as are you, but your perception was clouded by our history with Heath." He leant towards Mr West. "He was clever, Greg, managed to deflect any issue you raised. Do you not recall, each time you said you felt something wasn't right, he would tell us it must be Braddock, that Braddock had learned to stretch his influence even to our gatherings?" Mr West nodded. "You placed trust in him and ignored your senses." Mr West looked hurt but Aelfric Duir continued. "We _all_ did, Greg. We have never had to face treachery from within. In Braddock's last years we knew his ambitions – he was overt, arrogant even – but Heath, that was different: he took advantage of the fact that his happy, light-hearted manner ..." Mr Duir paused, frowning at the memories, "and our long association with him would stop us seeing the darkness that was growing inside him."

He turned his eyes to Nat. "Nat, however, meeting Heath for the first time, watching the events of Saturday night, was able to sense the disruption, the maleficence, could see that things were not right with Heath." He smiled at her and she nodded slowly. "I saw you Nat, saw how you reacted every time you were near him. My suspicions grew."

"But why not tell us?" Lily Angel asked. "It would have been better if we had all known."

"Lily, there was no opportunity. Heath was with us the whole time. From breakfast at the cottage when I first saw Nat's reaction, to when Seb left. And immediately he left, Heath did too, if you remember? He said he was going in search of Cue."

The wolf, at the mention of his name, lifted his huge head off his paws and licked his chops, watching the group in front of the fire.

"I believed Seb was in extreme danger. I had no idea what Heath was planning, but I could not leave Seb alone while Heath's whereabouts were unknown." Leaning forward he prodded the fire with a stick, then threw another log from the small pile beside him onto it. "I had to find Seb, Lily. I tried to pass a message to Dierne as I left but, only when I crossed through the door did I discover that our communications were being blocked – Braddock I believe – and by then I couldn't go back."

He turned to Seb. "I am guessing Heath found you before I did and tried to persuade you to go with him?"

Seb nodded. "He wanted me to get in this boat, but the boat was in a pathetic little stream that it couldn't possibly have floated in." Seb shook his head. "And then the stream became a river and started rising," Seb mumbled, "but I ran off. I think Cue tried to stop him following."

"Heath probably intended to get you close to the Hurlers by boat, Seb. A moving target is difficult to locate through a door and one on water even more so. Braddock used his mind, I am guessing, to swell that river. Then when you ran, Heath must have decided to come back to the fold, stay close, wait for an opportunity."

Trudy West spoke up. "Heath returned almost immediately you left, Aelfric. He said he had found Cue seriously injured – Braddock's work, he believed." She shook her head in dismay.

"Heath's work," Mr Duir said sadly.

"When he found you weren't with us he guessed you were looking for Seb and he became adamant that he should go alone to find you. He sounded so concerned. We just thought he was upset about Cue and worried that Braddock was getting too strong. And then we found we couldn't communicate with you." She paused, frowning and hung her head. "Our time, before you opened the door, was spent arguing. I wanted to go after you but Heath said it was better we all remained and protected the new group while _he_ found you and Seb. Morgan and I couldn't have that – three Custodians, unprotected – and wanted to go with him. He refused to open the door unless we let him go alone. Twice I had to actually block his path. Now I understand why he was so uncharacteristically angry." She looked angry herself.

"When I opened the cave door to you all I was surprised to see Heath with you," Mr Duir said. "Again though, there was no opportunity to discuss my suspicions. Dierne and I could still not communicate silently and Heath would not leave Seb's side.

"Of course he knew our plan to place the Shield Knot on the Access Stone and I suppose he was getting desperate. Once that Shield Knot was in place there was no way of getting Braddock out and my pushing to complete the Elder Ceremony early would mean, even if Braddock were freed, his ability to drive Seb's soul from his body would be limited." He stoked the fire. Sparks crackled upward. "In any case, even being aware that Heath was not to be trusted, I did not anticipate an attack from the Elder Door passage. I am still mystified as to how Braddock managed that. I believe I thoroughly underestimated him." He watched the flames.

"I don't get it," Zach said. "If what they really wanted was Seb's body for Braddock to take over, why didn't Heath just go to the Hurlers and let him out? Surely Braddock's soul could then have just gone along the ley lines and found Seb that way?"

"Did you see Heath's birthmark?" Mr Duir asked him. Zach nodded. Seb recalled the jagged, charred lines. "Custodians _can_ open the Access Stone to the Soul Drop – any of them can – but to try and open the Soul Drop itself for no _good_ purpose brings its own consequences," Mr Duir said. "I believe Heath had tried before, unsuccessfully. He realised he had to take Seb to the Access Stone, had to get _him_ to open it."

"And we took Seb right to him," Mr West mumbled.

"But having Seb there wasn't enough, Greg. He had to get him somehow to open the Soul Drop," Mr Duir said. "Illuminating the summonsing stone brought the gytrash and the bats." Seb remembered Heath overbalancing and knocking him, causing him to illuminate the wrong stone. "It was a risk. The summonsing also calls forward the good, but Heath knew he had harmed Cue severely. He obviously felt confident he had bought sufficient time."

"What difference would that make? There were loads of other wolf-stags," Aiden said.

Mr White answered. "Cue is the pack lead. For the pack to come, the lead must appear."

"So summonsing the gytrash forced you into a position where you _needed_ to open a door, Seb, to save everyone," Mr Duir continued.

" _He_ was the one who lit the centre stone though, he must have been." Seb looked at Mr West. "I know you thought it was me, but it wasn't. And then when you told me to open a door with Aiden, just as I was about to, Heath pushed me to get me out of the way of some bats. I accidentally lit up the tower!"

"Yes, and having the purest of intentions: to open a door to assist your friends' escape, you were able to open the Soul Drop, just has Heath had calculated. And now Braddock had his freedom." Mr Duir said.

"Then we should never have followed you," Scarlet said.

"When Heath disappeared through the Elder Door I still wasn't certain he was against us. I had to follow to establish what had happened to him, or what he was up to. I really didn't know you would decide, in turn, to follow me. I had planned on being minutes only."

The Caretaker, watching the fire, said, "We thought Heath had been captured and you had gone alone to face something none of us could name. We couldn't leave you unprotected."

"That you would all take that risk on my behalf and on Heath's is something I am extremely grateful for, and I will not allow it to be turned into a negative thing. The fact that you all came is the reason we have been able to thwart Heath and Braddock. If Heath had managed to get Seb there on his own, things may have ended much differently." Now Mr Duir's face became solemn and he stared out at the diamond on the lake.

"When I followed Heath and arrived at the Hurlers, I watched from a distance. I saw him open the Access Stone. I was about to intervene as he tried to open the Soul Drop but he was struck by twenty-eight power bolts, one each from the standing stones and one each from the spaces of the lost stones. How he survived I have no idea, but he was clearly injured – Nature's price for trying to open the Soul Drop for no good purpose – and now I knew his intent. As he yelled in fury I went to The Pipers, to a door we have used before, and travelled back to the cave to discuss with you all how best to protect Seb.

"But when I got there, Lily told me you had followed. I was one step behind all the way ..." He shook his head. "I told Lily to make the call to the fairies and follow on using the spirit stallion, then I returned to the Hurlers. I was horrified to see the assault on you all, but I arrived just in time, just as you opened the Soul Drop, Seb, and I was able to intercept Braddock. The rest, I am sure, you all know."

"Not quite," Seb spoke into the silence that followed.

Mr Duir raised his eyebrows.

"How are you here?"

Other than the gentle lapping of the water and the crackling of the fire there was not a sound. Seb looked at the torn clothing, still covered in blood, at his neck and jaw which bore no scar, no mark, nothing to show those dreadful gashes which had bled so badly. He looked at Mr Duir's frame, straight, whole, no indication that his arm had been broken. _How is he here?_

Eventually Mr Duir began.

"When Heath and Braddock attacked me Seb, my body was so ravaged, so damaged, that I did not have the energy left to fight two souls bent on your and my destruction. I had not anticipated what they would do ..." he looked mortified. "As I have said, I was a step behind all the way."

In a quiet voice he continued, "I had to focus all my efforts on stopping them from forcing me to strike you. The strength of their combined wills was phenomenal." His eyes stared deep into the diamond as he relived the memory.

"They pushed me so far back into my subconscious I struggled to keep a footing in this reality. And then I felt your mind, Seb ..." his eyes lifted to meet Seb's with a look of surprise. "I felt you explore, find and hook onto my subconscious and behind you I felt the power of the wolf-stags. I witnessed the shock and anger as first Heath and then Braddock realised what you were doing. Now I had the strength of you and the wolves behind me and I was able to fight back. I was able to force them out of my body.

"But I knew, of course, that all our souls were bound together and that, weak as I was, mine would be torn from my body along with theirs. But I could not let them have the host of a Custodian, so it had to be done. I was ripped from my body with them." He shook his head, then looked into the fire.

"The power of the wolf-stags exists to protect the Custodians, Seb. To Cue and the pack Heath no longer had that status; the corruption of his soul, the deformity of his mark, made his soul as alien to them as any other malevolent soul and, coupled with Braddock, the two were discarded. What I hadn't anticipated was that the instinct of the wolves, which was to protect me, would result in my soul being pulled through you Seb, _into Cue_ himself." He smiled at Seb. "I suppose you were unaware of what you had done."

Seb just stared in amazement. He had really had no idea.

"Well I never!" Greg West opened his eyes wide.

"But then," Mr Duir continued, "I was essentially trapped. It is interesting to note the perspective that experience gave me. What was I? Who was I? In all the years since my confirmation I have been Aelfric Duir, Custodian. And now my soul was separated from the host that made me such a person. So if my soul was no longer housed in a Custodian's form, what did that make me?"

Seb's mind worked on that question. For him it had been simpler. He had been willing to give up his own host body and let Braddock have his way, until he realised the evil that the wrong soul in that host could do. And so he had chosen to fight to keep his soul in place.

Before Mr Duir uttered his own answer, Seb said, "It made you the _soul_ of a Custodian! It is your intent that made you a Custodian, not a body with a birthmark. The birthmark is just the equipment you use, like a knight uses a sword. But a knight doesn't stop being a knight because he is disarmed, he just finds another weapon."

Mr Duir beamed at him. "Seb, you are a wonder. That is _exactly_ the conclusion I reached. But for you to have reasoned that before you have even become a confirmed Custodian ..." he paused. "A Custodian is not just a random soul housed in a Custodian's body – placed there by chance – a Custodian is a soul who desires the balance of all things, wishes to ensure the freedom of souls to visit the realities as predestined by Nature and longs to aid those who are erring back to the path of right. Though Heath still wore a Custodian's body, his soul had ceased to be such. Nature disavowed him and the wolf-stags knew that.

"What is more Seb, your actions this last night clearly showed what the essence of a Custodian is: you were able to open the Soul Drop and banish the bats and the gytrash without using light on your birthmark; with just your own will you were able to harness the power of the wolves to act as a conductor and save my soul and with that same intent you were able to focus that same power to reunite my soul with my body. When you worked with the Dryads to create the Glacial Trace and channelled the power of the wolves through it, not only did you form the Enduring Diamond, you provided the path to allow my soul to travel back to my body. _That_ is how I am here.

"That you did all this without confirmation or affirmation by the Elders is remarkable and proves to all that it is the _soul_ who is Custodian, not the body."

"I wonder, therefore, if it would even have been possible for Braddock to take over Seb's body, then," Mr West said. "It sounds like Nature would have simply destroyed the equipment Braddock wished to use."

"Fortunately we do not need to find out." Mr Duir smiled.

"Cue doesn't seem any the worse for his experience either," Mr White said. The beast snorted and shifted his head.

"So what now, then?" Zach asked.

"Now, Zach? Seb needs to be confirmed. And ironically, it is the day. As much as I hastened to bring forward his confirmation it has fallen to the correct time in any case. Maybe I should trust Nature a bit more," Mr Duir said.

#  A Binding Pledge

"Why today?" Aiden said. "Why does the ceremony have to happen today?"

"Today, Aiden is the autumnal equinox. It is on the equinox or solstice immediately following the silvering of the new Custodian's birthmark, that the Custodian is confirmed," Mr White said.

The Caretaker was busy clearing up and Miss West helped, ordering Zach to assist.

"How come the Guardians get to do the washing up?" he grumbled.

They ignored him and he trudged down to the lake as instructed and filled a bucket with the icy water.

"Other than the confirmation of a Custodian, which happens very infrequently, the equinoxes and solstices are also the time when the Elders offer the _Question to End,_ when each of the old, established groups' members decide whether to continue in service," Mr White continued.

"Really?" Scarlet was intrigued. "You can decide _not_ to? What happens then?"

Seb switched off as Mr White explained. He had such a feeling of disquiet he wasn't sure he wanted any more information. He smiled at the irony: up until now he had been desperate for the teachers to simply explain everything to him, but suddenly he felt explanations wouldn't help – he had been through too much and just needed quiet.

Weary, he wandered to the lake side. Although he had done some amazing things overnight, he was still concerned that he was the wrong soul in this Custodian host. He remembered the singular moment of clarity when he had tapped into something ancient and enduring and used that to help him open the Soul Drop. That made him think again, but his doubts kept returning. _Has Nature made a mistake?_

The clatter of dishes, Zach's moaning and the continued drone of Mr White's voice were distant sounds. He watched the ripples of the lake, enjoying the solitude.

When his palm began to tingle he barely registered it. Even from where he stood he could see the image of Mr Duir's death mask within the diamond. He looked into the waters of the lake and watched the tiny water imps playing in his reflection. The tingling grew stronger and now he had to pay attention to it. He pressed his thumb to his birthmark, lifting his eyes as a dark patch appeared beside the diamond.

_Not again!_ he thought as the patch became the familiar ogreish figure rising up out of the water. He felt a slight touch on his arm. Mr Duir stood inches to his left.

"Soon enough we will help that poor soul, Seb," he said. "But it will be a painful time for you and Scarlet."

Seb jerked his head up. "What?"

"It is not a coincidence that this soul _haunts_ you."

By now the ogre had fully emerged and stood, rocking side to side on the water's surface. The imps seemed happy to support it.

Scarlet and Nat trotted to the lake edge to stand with Seb.

"Please don't harm it, Seb," Nat begged and Scarlet too seemed less concerned by this monster.

"Seb, it never actually attacks. Nat thinks it is simply lost."

Miss West and The Caretaker were totally disinterested in the ogre and Zach followed their lead, remaining with them by the fire. Aiden, chatting seriously with Mr White, glanced over but stayed seated on his rug.

Seb felt the familiarity of confusion crowd his mind. He knew there was some fundamental point he was missing and tried to understand what it was. Alice hovered behind him.

"Are we to stop him?" he asked Dierne who had joined Mr Duir.

Dierne shook his head.

"I will do it thank you, Alice," Mr Duir said, waving a hand. He mumbled a few words and the ogre dropped below the surface. "There is still much instruction you all need. At least, for once, we have time. Come sit with me."

He led them back to the fire. When everyone was settled he spoke.

"You understand that the aim of trespassing souls is to take over a human host? To those who achieve that aim, for all the ills that brings to the host soul they dominate and those they harm in that lifetime, we can and should do nothing."

"Why?" Aiden asked.

"The one thing a Custodian must not do is remove a rightful soul from their host and certainly not when invaded by a trespassing soul. It is the one rule we do not break."

Seb thought back to the events at the Hurlers and Mr Duir's eyes fell on him as if he knew his train of thought. Seb had done exactly that – he had removed Mr Duir's soul from his body while it was bound together with those of Heath and Braddock.

"So one of my first acts as a Custodian was to break the one rule we do not break?" Seb said miserably.

"It was different," Mr Duir said. "Seb, _you_ didn't remove my soul. What you did was send the power of the wolf-stags to me so that _I_ could cast Braddock and Heath out. I knew I would have to go with them, but it was _me_ who did it, not you. Do not place guilt on yourself."

Seb nodded, feeling relieved.

"A trespassing soul cannot be removed without also removing the rightful soul. They are bound together until the death of the host naturally separates them. Two souls bound together is an aberration to Nature and the only place they can be sent is the Soul Drop. While the trespasser may deserve that, the rightful soul does not."

"Why does Nature make it so complicated?" Zach asked overdramatically.

"Human souls make it complicated." Miss West crossed her arms as though angry. "Not Nature!"

Zach shrugged and prodded the fire with his staff until Miss West took it off him.

Mr Duir continued, a slight smile on his face at the interplay between Zach and Miss West.

"Scarlet, you understand the passage of souls and that our relationships in one visit to this reality do not hold fast from previous visits or for the next?" She nodded, frowning, confused at being singled out. "And Seb, I know you do too. But, I also understand that human emotions, in spite of our best efforts to apply rational reasoning, are difficult to control. You have been through so much pain over the last two days and I would spare you the next, but it is unavoidable if you wish to release your father's soul from the purgatory it is in."

Seb shivered. It was strange to picture his father, the man he had worshipped, as an ethereal, substanceless spirit and not only that, one who had _trespassed_ into the body that was meant for Seb's true brother's soul. How that meant _he_ was in purgatory though, Seb couldn't fathom.

A question popped into his head.

"The soul that should have been our brother, where is it?"

Mr Duir's reply made him shiver again, like a cold hand had run its fingers down the back of his neck.

"It haunts you, Seb." He let the words hang in the air.

_It is not a coincidence that this soul haunts you._ Mr Duir had said those words only minutes before.

Seb felt fear spread into the recesses of his brain but he wasn't sure why.

Scarlet put her hands to her mouth. "Seb, the ogre!"

As if someone had just fitted a key piece of a jigsaw the picture suddenly took shape for Seb – the ogre! How many times had it appeared and tried to approach him? How many times had it been sent away by Mr Duir?

Mr Duir spoke quietly. "Scarlet, Seb, that shape that you somewhat cruelly refer to as 'the ogre' is the manifestation of the lost, displaced and frustrated soul that nearly five years ago should have inhabited the host body of your brother."

"Seb ..." Scarlet sobbed.

He couldn't look at her. All these years he had so desperately wished his dad would come back, would hold him again, play with him again and he had found it hard, back at the cottage, to acknowledge that his father _had_ been there; being held by Seb, being played with by Seb, stealing the cuddles and love and fun that his true brother should have had. But now it was worse – his true brother's soul had been damned to an existence as an ogreish shape, so desperate to be given the body for which it had been destined it was actually haunting Seb.

Looking at Mr Duir, through gritted teeth he asked, "Did he know? Did our father's soul know, when he stole that body, what it would do to the soul which should have been our brother?"

"Seb, you know the truth but for some reason your mind is refusing to see it. As a Custodian you have the knowledge. You need to see truly. Remember the images ..." Mr Duir said, leaning forward.

The fire crackled and Cue snored but none of the others gathered around said a word, or moved.

Seb frowned and broke eye contact. "Please, can you not just speak plainly?" he mumbled.

Mr Duir waited a second before he replied.

"If that is what you need. Seb it was you who was the catalyst that anchored your father's soul to this reality, it was only you who could. You said something to your father, the day his body died, or days before, that kept his soul in this reality. From any other son or daughter it would have been sentiment only. But you are an unconfirmed Custodian soul and a pledge to that soul brings service – like the Knights Sentinel."

Seb stared at Mr Duir. "I really don't know what you're talking about," he said, exasperated.

"Seb," Zach said, "the Knights Sentinel swear to protect the Custodian. Isn't that right?"

Seb's brain was racing. He nodded slowly.

"These souls, Seb, swear allegiance to a specific Custodian and between them and the Custodian they agree the _span of service_ they wish to pledge." Mr Duir's words came back to him.

"So I made my father take that host so that he could stay? Is that what you are saying?"

"No, Seb," Mr Duir's voice was flat, direct. "The soul that occupies the body of Adam Thomas is _not_ your father's soul!"

"Oh my god, Seb!" Scarlet blurted. "He's trying to tell you, it's the ogre! Dad's soul – _he's_ the ogre!" She was virtually crying.

And at last the final piece of the puzzle slotted into place. The night before their father's death, as he put down the book he had been reading to Seb, his father had stroked his hair and told him how much he loved him.

Their usual exchange began.

"I love you more than chocolate buttons ..." his father had started.

"I love you more than ice cream," Seb had countered.

"I love you more than Christmas," his father had answered, smiling and chuckling, waiting for Seb's next usual response.

But then Seb had asked, "Do you love me more than the baby?"

His father's face had frozen momentarily and then he scooped Seb up in his arms and hugged him tight.

"Seb Thomas, you are my firstborn son and I will love you until the end of the universe." His deep voice rumbled in his chest as Seb pressed his ear tightly against it. "Your brother I will love too, and the bonus, Seb is that he will love you."

Not satisfied with that answer, Seb had pushed his father further.

"Will you stay with me forever?"

His father, placing him gently back down on the pillow had stroked his cheek.

"Seb, I will stay with you, protect you and love you for as long as I can remain in this life, and when I go to whatever is beyond, if I possibly can, I will stay with you, protect you and love you then, too."

"For a hundred years?" Seb had asked.

His father laughed. "For a hundred years, my wonderful son."

#  Blame

Tears ran down Seb's cheeks as he looked at Mr Duir who gave a barely perceptible nod.

"You remember," he stated. Seb nodded and wiped his eyes. "Seb, you were not a confirmed Custodian and Nature's answer to enable him to meet his pledge was to ensure his return as your brother." And there it was, the whole picture. His father's soul was the one _destined_ to be his brother. "Seb, it was a unique set of circumstances. Your father's soul could not go back to Áberan, he had pledged service to you. His soul should have taken the newborn host of your brother. When that plan was undone by the trespassing soul, his pledge still bound his soul to you. So he remains, in a non-form, waiting to meet that pledge."

"So this is my fault?" Seb asked, horrified.

"Not yours, Seb. Your father's pledge was made freely, even if unknowingly. If there is fault it lies with two others: the soul that invaded your brother's body and ..." he paused, looking from Scarlet to Seb, "and mine."

"Yours?" Scarlet sobbed.

"It was the time of the equinox, Scarlet, a time when we have a responsibility to stand guard. We monitor the ebb and flow of souls and our task is to deal with the increase in the numbers that trespass." He looked down, pain and regret in his face. "On that particular equinox, five years ago, I was away from my post and this errant soul evaded me."

Miss West shook her head. "Aelfric, there was far more to it than that," she said.

"Nothing of import to Seb and Scarlet. All they need to know is that when their father's soul was at its most vulnerable, I was absent. I cannot have them, cannot have you," he looked at them, "be unaware of my failure, that has affected you these last five years and will continue to affect the soul of your father for more to come. I was not where I should have been."

"Aelfric," Miss Angel said sadly.

"Lily, it doesn't matter." He stood up, towering over the rest of them, and in a tone that bordered on anger, he said, "It needs no more discussion. Tonight there will be a partial restitution and this will never be discussed again. Scarlet, Seb, I am sorry." He turned and walked away. Dierne zoomed after him. Everyone else sat in stunned silence.

"What does he mean?" Scarlet asked, wiping her tears away.

None of the teachers spoke and all avoided eye contact.

"Do you know?" Seb asked Alice.

"No more than you." He shrugged.

"Will Dierne tell you?"

Alice shook his head.

Mr West was the first to break the awkward silence.

"Seb, we need to give you a few instructions about the Confirmation and then about what to expect during the Question to End."

Seb shook his head. "I need to speak to him!" He stood up and walked off.

He knew he had been rude but he had to know what Mr Duir was talking about. At the moment he was still blaming himself for binding his father, in ignorance, to a promise that had left him in a living purgatory. Yet it seemed Mr Duir felt himself to blame. Seb needed to know why.

He walked around the lake and found Mr Duir sitting on one of the raised roots of the massive Elder Tree, leaning against its trunk, head low, apparently deep in thought. Dierne flitted towards Seb.

"You must leave him be, Seb. He will return to instruct you when he is ready. There is time."

Seb stood his ground. "I'm not leaving. I need to speak to him. I need to speak with you," he called past Dierne.

Mr Duir didn't move and Dierne repeated, "You must leave him."

Seb ignored the Dryad.

"I have seen enough," he called. "I have seen enough of your actions and what you are, what you were willing to sacrifice in order to keep the balance of everything. I do not believe that what happened to my father's soul could have been your fault. But I do need to know it isn't mine!"

Slowly Mr Duir raised his head.

"Dierne, thank you my friend. Can Seb and I have a moment?"

Dierne frowned at Seb and in the slightest whisper he said, "He is the most honourable— "

"I know," Seb cut him off and smiled reassuringly.

Dierne gave a short bow and disappeared.

"Alice ... sorry." Seb shrugged to his twin who had followed him across. Alice nodded and zoomed after Dierne.

Mr Duir waved him over. Under the broad stretch of the overhanging branches they sat in semi-darkness.

"Seb, I am not in the game of self-pity or self-deprecation. I have always tried to be honest with myself and those around me about my motives, my achievements _and_ my failures. There is no point being any other way."

Seb looked at his profile. "I understand that," he said.

Mr Duir turned, his features shadowy in the dim light. "Seb, the solstices and equinoxes are the most amazing times for a Custodian. You will see in winter the unique circumstances of the solstice when you will conduct The Restoration of Souls and the Elders will Slow Time and open The Well and you will be busier than you ever thought possible, returning or banishing many, many souls." He paused and looked away into the distance. "The equinoxes, however, are different: as with the solstice, the space between realities narrows, but not to the same degree. There is no special provision made, no slowing of time. And for these events the Custodians must stand guard, must be ready for the higher numbers of souls that will trespass.

"For every equinox since I was confirmed I have worked with Heath. Although the equinox is only one second in time, the numbers of souls who flood through is high and we spend hours in its wake, dealing with them all."

He sighed. "Five years ago, Seb I deserted my post. An hour before the minute of the equinox, Heath had travelled to the Dryad reality to deal with an errant soul that had managed to cross into that realm. In his absence, which was protracted, I waited and as the equinox approached I became concerned. Dierne was unable to communicate with him. So I went in search of him.

"I found Heath, safe and well. He had been ..." he paused as if trying to find the right words, "... waylaid." He turned back to Seb. "The reasons are not important, but by the time we got back I had missed the start of the equinox and the damage to your father's soul had already been done." He rubbed his face, as if working his way from dream to reality. "I arrived just in time to witness the overthrowing of your father's soul, but _not_ in time to prevent it."

His last words were mumbled. "Seb, the blame is mine and mine alone."

Sitting in the darkness beneath the boughs of the tree Seb watched the water lapping around its roots.

"So what waylaid Heath?" he asked.

Mr Duir shook his head. "It is not important."

"Did he often do that?" Seb asked. "Heath? Did he often disappear and not come back and not communicate?"

"It doesn't matter, Seb," Mr Duir insisted.

"Well I think it does. If it wasn't normal behaviour then that would be concerning."

"I am experienced enough to follow the signs, Seb. There was nothing, no sign to indicate that Heath was in trouble and my role was to stand guard, not go searching for him. I have questioned my motives many times, wondering if I used the excuse of worrying about Heath's welfare when in actuality it was curiosity that took me to the Dryad Realm that day."

"What is wrong with that," Seb said. "Did he do that sort of thing often?"

"Never." Mr Duir dropped his head. "He was as resolute as me. He was my mentor, Seb and, until recent events, I had never doubted his devotion to this role."

"Well that's your answer. Why would someone who never missed an equinox suddenly not be there for the start of it? I'd have gone looking for him too."

Mr Duir smiled sadly. "Seb, you miss the point. We are all responsible for our own actions and Heath was an experienced Custodian who knew more of the ways and lore of Nature than any before him. I should have known he was fine, trusted the signs. I went against them and the result was the torture of your father's soul. That is something for which I will never forgive myself."

"Well what did waylay him?"

"Seb, we are labouring the point now. It doesn't matter what kept Heath away that day – I should not have followed him. The event is done, the blame mine and today I will try to help your father find a resolution of sorts."

"Why are you protecting Heath?"

Mr Duir looked surprised but said nothing.

"So he wasn't up to some noble Custodian act, then! If he was, you wouldn't mind telling me." Seb frowned then stood up. Looking down at Mr Duir he said, "For someone who doesn't believe in self-deprecation you seem to have been your own judge and jury. I have no idea why you are choosing to protect Heath, especially given what happened last night. What you did I am sure was because you were concerned about Heath – even if partly out of curiosity too."

He stared into the water.

"The words my father and I said to each other the night before he died were said because her cared enough to make his son feel happy and I cared so much I didn't want to lose him.

"The soul, however, that took my father's place, did so _knowing_ it was ruining the life of another soul and, _not caring,_ did it anyway.

"I think Mr West said that to you the most important thing in a Custodian is to care. Out of the four souls – yours, mine, my father's and the trespassing soul – that was the only one that didn't care.

"Heath has to take a share of the blame for tearing you away from your post. And since you won't tell me what he was doing I am going to guess that it was something he shouldn't have been.

"Judge yourself for missing one soul if you will. But you are wrong. I judge _that_ soul as the one to blame. Not you, not my father and also, not me. The blame lies with the soul currently in my brother's body ... and Heath."

With that he walked away, back across the water and sat with Scarlet. Quietly he explained what Mr Duir had told him. At first she looked sad and then outraged. For a second he feared she saw it differently to him, but then she shouted, "And because he went to look for Heath he blames himself? Really? And doesn't blame Heath?"

Mr West had been hovering nearby and said to Scarlet, "Aelfric is the hardest taskmaster you will ever meet. But he is hardest on himself and yes, he believes that he should never have gone after Heath that day. He fundamentally believes your father's soul was trapped in its current guise because he was not there to prevent the trespasser from taking his host."

"He's wrong, of course," Scarlet said.

"None of us would say that to his face." Miss Angel sighed and then flinched as Mr Duir said,

"Lily, effectively Seb did just that!" Standing behind Seb, no one had seen him approach. Seb spun round and was relieved to see a smile on Mr Duir's face. "I confess he was rather wordy in his approach, though when he did reach the point he was very blunt!"

Miss Angel was speechless and Greg West took her hand.

"We all think it, Aelfric," he said.

"I know," Mr Duir replied. "Morgan my friend, can I beg a coffee?"

#  Things to Come

Mr Duir placed a hand on Seb's shoulder.

"It will soon be the time of Confirmation." He looked at Scarlet and Seb's friends before taking his seat by the fire. "During The Elder Passage, all except Seb and myself shall sleep. Once the Channelling Stone is prepared and the Elders are in position you will all be asked if you accept your roles."

"I take it you'll wake us up then?" Zach said. "It's just that I can sleep. I can! And since we've already been up all night I am pretty damn knackered and, well, may not wake up in time. If you've got something you need me to do ..."

"You'll wake," Miss West said and dunked a biscuit into her coffee, grinning.

"So long as you all know. I warned you, I am good at sleeping!"

"Shut up, Zach," Miss West and Scarlet said together.

"The Confirmation of the new Custodian and the Custodian's group is a very quick and simple matter. In fact, I barely remember my own." Mr Duir smiled and took a sip of coffee, raising the cup slightly to The Caretaker in thanks. "And then commences the Question to End ..." He paused. "You must all _remain silent._ No matter what is said, you do not speak. No matter how long a silence, do not speak. This is the chance for each of the old members to commit completely to their decision. Once made, it is irrevocable and none have the right to disturb. Are we clear?" He looked at each of them, waiting for a nod. He held Zach's gaze for a second longer.

"Yes, clear!" Zach protested.

"Just checking." Mr Duir grinned and Miss West nodded in satisfaction. Zach tutted. "And now," Mr Duir stood up, "you need some rest. As Zach says, you have been up all night."

As they all began to settle on the surprisingly comfortable rugs for a short sleep, Mr Duir approached Seb and asked him to walk with him to the lake. They crossed the water and sat atop the diamond.

"Seb, you are afraid of this?" Mr Duir's eyes searched Seb's.

Seb nodded. "I fear messing up!"

"Mm, I always do." Mr Duir smiled.

"After all these years?" Seb asked and he nodded.

"Fastidious, you see." He chuckled and the diamond sparkled more brightly. "You are so young," he continued. "When we took on this mantle I was a man of thirty and the youngest of my group. You are all not even adult and I am not sure if that gives you an advantage or will be an issue for you. However, Nature has its reasons and from what I have seen of your abilities, I believe the former applies. Now," he glanced back at those settling down by the fire, "you have had a hard night. And what we are about to do, in some ways may be harder. The emotional onslaught you will experience will be difficult."

"You're not making me feel any better." Seb tried to smile.

"From the moment you are confirmed Custodian, Seb, your role will require you to _read_ souls." Seb looked puzzled. "When you followed me through the Elder Tree into the passages between, did you cross the ley line?" Seb nodded, remembering the spectres sweeping back and forth along those tracks. "And did you touch the souls?"

"Yes ... well, more that they passed right through me!" He shuddered at all those memories and experiences.

"When you find trespassing souls, and at the solstice when you enact the Restoration, you must do the same."

Seb shrank inwardly. Mr Duir must have seen him flinch.

"You never get used to it, Seb, but you learn to bear it," he said. "The only way you can _know_ the soul is to experience its lives, its actions, its thoughts. Whether they are free-trespassers or released from an animal host, each of the souls you encounter must be drawn through you and you must concentrate on what you feel. As the sum of their lives and thoughts are revealed, you will know if there is still hope of returning them to the right path or if they are beyond help. The sad fact is that the ones beyond help will bring you such pain and heartache you will wish an end to it all. But these will be few. The others will cause you sadness too, but this will be balanced with hope, with kindness and with joy.

"Only when you cannot find a clear feeling will you seek instruction from Nat. For her the experience of soul travel will be far more acute than for us and you will only do this if you simply have no answer."

Seb nodded, making himself a promise that he would spare Nat if he could at all.

"I can spare you one experience and if you ask me to I will, but for the rest, it is your role. It will hurt you, it will exhaust you, but it will give you a feeling of purpose and worth like nothing else can. Now, get some rest."

"Can I ask a question?" Seb said, not making a move to get off the diamond.

"You can ask," Mr Duir said.

"Why just human souls?"

Mr Duir frowned.

"I mean, why not Dryad or fairy or elf? Why is it only human souls that seem to do this, seem to turn bad?"

The frown deepened. "I had supposed we had explained, but now I think about it, we have not," Mr Duir said. "Seb, the human soul is the bottom of the chain of souls. I think humans have the tendency to see themselves as the top but in truth we are just starting out. Travelling to this reality is an education. When a person reaches a certain state of awareness and a respect for the wonder of life, they are ready to move on. They are transferred, by Nature, into the reality of the Dryads."

Seb sat, eyes wide. "You mean Alice was human once?"

Mr Duir nodded. "And Dierne and all the Dryads."

"Do they know that?"

"Of course," Mr Duir said. "And sadly that was the main cause of Braddock's dissatisfaction. He couldn't understand why Nature would put the responsibility of dealing with errant souls in the hands of those very base and immature souls. He felt it was like putting prisoners in charge of a prison."

"Well that's true, isn't it?" Seb said.

Mr Duir thought a moment and then said, "Who is best placed to judge: a jury of your peers who live the same life's experiences as you and resist temptation, or a jury of Lords who live lives so remote they cannot understand the temptations the general populace face?"

Seb frowned. "But the Dryads have all managed to avoid temptation when they were living those same experiences."

"Maybe not without fault though, Seb – maybe not without having been an errant soul at some point. Whilst Dryads, by nature of what they are, have managed ultimately to stay on the correct path and find enlightenment enough to pass into their realm, they are now so far removed from the normal life of humans they cannot understand, or be in touch with, the present temptations faced by human souls." His eyes twinkled as he stared at Seb. "To review the actions of human souls you must still be walking in their shoes. As it is, _we_ are somewhat removed from their actual reality but not so far as to be unable to understand the temptations that entice them. Braddock would never accept that – although I do wonder if he had a deeper motive."

With that he slid down from the diamond. Dierne swooped over to join him as he walked to the tree, where he sat, once more isolated from everyone on the bank.

Alice flitted over to Seb.

"Do you remember being human?" Seb asked him straight out.

Alice, surprised by the question, crossed his legs and sat in mid-air.

"No," he frowned. "Not specifically."

"So how do you know Dryads were humans before?"

"We just do, just like we know that when our time as Dryads is complete we will move to the Fairy Realm." He checked over his shoulder and then whispered, "I'll be honest – I am in no hurry to be a fairy!" Seb stared at him, open-mouthed. Alice laughed. "Come on Seb, it's not that hard to understand. Surely after all the things you have been told ..."

"I know," Seb said, blinking, "but doesn't that, again, make it all a bit pointless? I still don't get why we don't remember. Surely we need our memories to be who we are."

"Are we on that tack again, Seb?" Alice chuckled. "Do you remember learning to walk?"

"Not at all," Seb said.

"And yet you know how to walk. Do you remember learning to feed yourself?"

Seb shook his head, getting the point. "And yet you can still feed yourself. Now, do you remember learning to write?"

"Vaguely," Seb said, images coming back to him of making his pencil follow the dots to form the letter S over and over at school.

"Well, bits of what we learn and how we learned it stay with us. In my quiet times I have hazy memories I cannot quite grasp and I believe these to be images from my lifetimes as a human. So while I do not specifically remember being human, what I learned in the course of the visits I made to that reality have made me who I am now. When I have returned as the same leaf on a different tree the number of times needed to gain a better understanding of the magic of it all, Seb, I will move on and become ... a fairy." He grimaced.

Seb laughed, choosing now to just go with it. He decided it was a great prospect, the thought of one day being a Dryad.

"And the end? Elves? Is that what we all become?"

"No." Alice said.

Seb raised his eyebrows. "What then?"

"There is no end, Seb – once a fairy, always a fairy."

"So where do the elves come from?" Seb was lost again.

"Those silver folk, Seb, are Custodians past."

Now that was like a body blow to Seb.

"Custodians? So I won't become a Dryad, or a fairy?"

"Lucky you. No, Seb. When you finally decide to give it all up you will become one of those sparkly boys and girls; an elf, tending the flora and fauna of all the realities – the Gardeners and Gamekeepers of the Worlds!" Alice laughed out loud at the look of shock on Seb's face.

"But I don't think I want that!" Seb said.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"And all the relationships I have had, Scarlet, Zach? You, even?"

" ' _Me, even'_ – is that a footnote reference, Seb? Am I a footnote?"

"No. Oh, you know what I mean, Alice. You and Mr Duir have finally convinced me that it is amazing to come back and live different lives and meet the same souls in different circumstances, yet now you are telling me that won't happen for me. Are you saying that when I finish being a Custodian – which I am not even sure I want to be – I'll end up all alone, without any of the friends I have made on the way? That's just plain sad," he swallowed down the lump in his throat. "My day just got worse!"

"Ah, so you weren't listening properly, Seb."

Seb wrinkled his brow, trying to pay attention, but actually just overwhelmed by sadness.

"Seb." Alice poked him on the arm. "Seb, the elves tend the flora and fauna of _all_ the realities ..."

Seb was hardly listening. He watched the glinting surfaces of the diamond, stared down at the little water imps gathered at its base, waiting to provide support for him if he jumped down.

Alice poked him again. "Seb ... did you hear me?"

Seb nodded. "But I don't see how that helps. Without wanting to be gushy and emotional, I've sort of got to like you and now I imagine us being together, doing this for hundreds of years – like Dierne and Mr Duir – and then, when we're done, you go back to being a Dryad on a different tree and I become an elf."

"Seb, they tend all the flora and fauna in _all the realities._ Elves travel. Elves are the only ones, other than the groups, who can travel between the realities when they choose. They know everything, everyone and they can go _where they like, when they like!"_

The penny dropped and a big smile spread across Seb's face. "Oh!"

"It's the ultimate gift, Seb. You can see whoever you want, whether human, Dryad or fairy, go wherever you want, stay as long as you want. It's the ultimate." Now he whispered again, checking over his shoulder, "I wonder, actually, if that isn't what Braddock was after, why he wanted to be a Custodian and not end up as a fairy."

Both of them flinched as Dierne suddenly materialised.

"You two should be resting, not talking." He sounded stern. "We have just over four hours."

They both nodded back at him. Seb, with Alice's help, slid down from the diamond and they headed for the fireside.

#  Confirmation

As Seb lay his head on the rug and closed his eyes his world went dark. Briefly he was conscious of mumbled voices, a giggle from Miss Angel, the squeaky tones of Mr West and then nothing, not even a dream, until he felt a gentle shake.

"Seb, you need to get ready." Mr Duir said.

Seb was slow to rise. His body felt leaden.

"I know it wasn't enough sleep, but we must continue." Mr Duir had changed clothes. His torn and bloodied shirt and trousers were gone and in their stead he wore a black T-shirt and utility trousers. He looked tired and Seb guessed he had not slept at all.

Handing Seb some clothing, Mr Duir pointed to the open doorway into the cave of carvings. Seb made his way over as Zach, washed and changed, stepped back through a further door in that cave.

"Come on, Seb. Last as always."

The door in the cave opened inside the door to the bathroom at the cottage. Seb showered, dressed and rejoined everyone for a breakfast of freshly baked rolls.

Finishing his food, and with Alice by his side, Seb approached Mr Duir who indicated for them to sit.

"You are nervous, Seb?" Seb nodded. "The solstice will be harder so it is good you have the equinox as a time to learn."

Seb felt a tingling in his palm and his eyes were drawn to the branches of the Elder Tree. He felt a jolt of adrenalin and quickly said what was on his mind.

"Are you going to stay with me? I mean, the Question to End – will you stay?" He knew he was nowhere near ready to do this job alone and wanted reassurance Mr Duir wasn't going to abandon him.

"Seb," Mr Duir shook his head. "I cannot— "

He was interrupted as Mr West approached.

"Aelfric, I can feel them. We need to sleep."

Mr Duir nodded and stood up. The teachers and The Caretaker were already handing out cups of water. Only Seb and Mr Duir were not given one. All the others drank and in seconds nine people sat sleeping around the crackling logs.

"Dierne, Alice," Mr Duir said. "I will call you." The two Dryads disappeared through the cave roof. "Seb," Mr Duir turned to Seb whose stomach was doing somersaults, "you will be fine."

Seb doubted that but nodded anyway.

Mr Duir stepped onto the lake and with Seb at his side, strode over to the Elder Tree once more. Seeing the obvious fear in his eyes Mr Duir tried to reassure him, "Braddock is gone, Seb!" then walked around the vast span of the trunk.

Feeling totally alone in the darkness beneath the huge limbs of this ancient tree, Seb tried not to panic. Mr Duir's voice, when it reached him, was calm.

"Open it, Seb."

Taking a deep breath Seb shone light on the trunk and the massive door appeared, the worn doorknob glistening. He seized it. The many faces of those who had opened the door over the centuries filled his mind – Mr Duir's the last – and then he opened it.

It swung inward. Seb closed his eyes, unable to look into the blackness, and waited for whispering, the touch of cold fingers. Instead he felt electric excitement and then heaviness, a growing pressure on his mind. It wasn't physical; it was an emotional heaviness – the weight of time and knowledge. Like a warm blanket it passed over him.

He opened his eyes and gasped. The tree had vanished. Seb stood on the lake surface, opposite Mr Duir, a Dryad between them. This leaf-clad figure, two feet taller than Seb, had a face that looked as ancient as the tree he had apparently stepped out of.

The Elder Dryad studied Seb as if surprised to see him and then he placed a hand on Seb's chest. He lowered his head to the sound of twigs cracking and rustling leaves.

The instant the Dryad's hand touched him, Seb felt his soul laid bare, everything of which he was made, every experience he had been through opened up for the Dryad to see. He took a step back but heard Mr Duir say, "Stand still, Seb. They need to see you."

Seb obeyed, taking a step towards the Dryad who put his gnarled hand back on his chest. The contact lasted only a moment and Seb felt himself once more unveiled then the Dryad dropped his hand and walked off the lake.

In the space he left, Seb saw a pinpoint of sparkling light.

"Just wait, Seb," Mr Duir told him and the pinpoint of light grew bigger until Seb realised he was looking at a fairy. He could just make out the tiny hands and feet, the long golden hair and delicate male features. The gossamer wings fluttered rapidly and then the creature zoomed through his chest. In a millisecond he felt it lay open his entire personality as the Dryad had done, and then it was gone, flitting to the other side of the lake, opposite the Dryad.

Seb watched it go then, turning his head back, he jumped. Standing between him and Mr Duir was a seven-foot tall sparkling elf, dressed in sheer, flowing, silk-like fabric which moved in an invisible breeze. It was the closest Seb had ever been to one of these shining figures, and he was transfixed by the beauty of it. Staring at Seb, its silver eyes gave no clue as to its thoughts.

Seb stared back, bracing himself, waiting for the elf to touch him or pass through him. The tall figure did nothing.

After a minute or two Seb felt a bit awkward; he wondered if the elf was waiting for him to say something. The silver eyes still regarded him and Seb found them hypnotic. He knew his breathing had slowed, his heart beat too; he felt peaceful, happy even. In the back of his mind he could hear the faintest tinkling sound, such a nice sound. He found himself humming a tune in his head. He knew the tune from something, some memory deep in his past. The tinkling joined in the tune and images of his father, hugging him and singing, floated through Seb's mind.

_That_ was the tune his father had sung to him every time he put Seb to bed. He felt a tear roll down his cheek and then saw one fall from the elf's eye too.

Without warning the tinkling stopped; the song stopped. For a further moment the elf remained, staring into Seb's eyes and then he turned, gave a slight bow to Aelfric Duir, and walked to the bank.

Mr Duir walked across to Seb. "It hurts!" Seb nodded. "I am sorry." With a protective arm around Seb he led him off the lake.

Once on the bank Mr Duir and Seb took a position facing the elf. The fairy hovered to their right, wings twinkling in the light; to their left the Dryad stood motionless. Between them all lay the undisturbed waters of the lake.

Into the silence Mr Duir spoke.

"Dierne, Alice, the Channelling Stone."

The two Dryads appeared and began circling in opposite directions around the perimeter of the lake. They travelled so fast Seb could barely see their trails but he could see the effect their movement had on the water; as though swept up in the winds of a tornado it lifted at the lake banks and sank at the centre. The sides rose quickly forming the shell of a half-sphere, extending and curving and now Seb gasped as the top section closed over completely, creating a massive hollow globe, the bottom of which fitted neatly into the lake and the top of which mirrored the arc of the cave roof.

Mr Duir waved his left hand. Sparkles flew and the water globe froze, solidifying into a transparent ice casing.

Alice and Dierne rematerialised as Mr Duir and the elf, visible through the globe, revealed two doors in the sphere which they opened.

Seb wondered what had happened to the millions of imps and squinted into the shell of ice just feet in front of him. He couldn't see a single one, but what he could see, inside, at the very centre, was a large triangular granite stone on a plinth that stood twenty feet above the bottom of the lake bowl. He noticed, with mild surprise, one apex pointed towards the diamond.

"I'm on again!" Alice said silently to Seb, flitting into the hollow globe with Dierne. Whizzing back and forth in a line they created trails to form solid bridges between the granite stone and the doors in the sphere. Alice emerged, smiling proudly.

"Amazing!" Seb said out loud. His voice echoed around inside the massive hollow space, its volume ramped up in the process. The words bounced back out of the doorway far louder than he had said them – so loud he had to cover his ears. The whole cave rang with the sound and Seb heard a grunt and then shuffling behind him. He turned and all nine sleeping figures had snapped awake.

Dierne stepped out of the sphere, frowning.

Mr Duir turned his head to face away from the open doorway.

"Are you okay, Dierne?"

The Dryad gave a shake of his head.

"I think I'm deaf," he whispered, tapping his ears.

"I'm sorry!" Seb said but his voice once more was taken by the sphere and came booming back: "I'M SORRY!"

Zach called over to Seb, "All right mate, no need to shout! And you _should_ be sorry; I was having a fantastic dream about— "

"Shut up, Zach," Miss West said.

Seb, really concerned he had deafened a Dryad and prematurely woken the rest of the group, looked guiltily at Mr Duir and then relief washed over him, with a bit of annoyance, as he saw the smiles on his and Dierne's faces.

"What in the world is that?" Zach bounded over. As the others saw the ice globe they too assembled at the doorway.

"Wow!" Aiden said, and now his voice was captured by the sphere and amplified.

"WOW!" it shouted back at them.

"See, it's not just me!" Seb whispered.

Mr Duir pulled the door closed. Turning to the fascinated group he said, "Think before you speak."

They all nodded then Aiden, noticing the characters on the other banks, nudged Zach, pointing.

"That'll be the Elders then! Hi— " Zach waved to the Dryad.

"Zach!" Scarlet whispered angrily at him. "Shh!"

"I thought first, Scarlet! The door's closed." He waved at the elf. "Hallooo."

"That is enough, Zach!" Miss West came up behind him and he hung his head. "Show some respect!"

Mr Duir smiled. Seb was once more intrigued to see how he seemed to find Zach's irreverent attitude and Miss West's annoyance at it, amusing.

The elf had begun walking along the Dryad bridge towards the stone plinth. It seemed he was anxious to crack on. Mr Duir opened his door, put a finger to his lips and stepped onto the bridge. The others hesitated until Miss West barged past them and followed. Zach decided he was next and after a bit of jostling they all entered. Seb, at the rear, closed the door as Alice zipped in with him.

They traversed the bridge, twenty feet above the lake bottom, and as they reached the triangular stone Seb was astonished at its size. There was plenty of room as everyone shuffled in towards the centre and he stared at its surface which was peppered with small gems.

The elf, already there, stood on the side facing the diamond. Other than Seb, Mr Duir indicated for everyone to line up along the other two sides. He kept Seb with him, in the centre of the stone, facing the elf.

Now the other Elders flitted through the frozen globe and joined them. Scarlet giggled as the Fairy Elder landed on her shoulder. Miss Angel raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"I take it we can speak now," Zach bellowed.

"Only if you have something worth saying," Miss West barked and he closed his mouth.

The two other Elders moved over to flank the elf.

Wondering what would happen now, Seb became aware of that faint tinkling sound again. The elf was looking at Nat who, smiling happily, nodded. Seb realised he was talking to her. The tinkling continued and now the elf looked at Aiden who blushed and said, "Yes I do."

Moments later he gazed at Scarlet who, with an extremely serious face, gave a solemn nod. "I do."

Now the elf regarded Zach who seemed startled. Seb guessed, like him, he had been unable to hear any exchange of conversation but now the elf was addressing him and Zach almost shouted.

"Well absolutely I do! Do you know what I did last night?" He grinned wildly.

Miss West raised her eyes and Mr Duir laughed, all formality forgotten.

Finally the elf looked at Alice, who smiled, winked at Seb and said, "With such a twin? Yes."

And then the silver eyes fell on Seb. At last he could hear words within the tinkling sound.

"Young soul, your group is formed. You are Custodian. When confirmed, your soul will be established in this human form for the length of your service. There will be no release and none may undo what is done here. Do you agree to serve?"

Seb couldn't answer. Seconds passed and Mr West coughed. Seb looked at his feet.

"Seb!" Scarlet whispered.

He shook his head.

Alice whizzed to stand in front of him, hands on hips.

"Seb, after everything you did last night and this morning, do you still doubt yourself?"

"Alice, look, please. I just can't!" he said, looking at the granite stone.

Mr Duir spoke. "Okay. Enough now." He bowed to the Elf Elder. "May we have a minute?" The elf raised his eyebrows but nodded.

Mr Duir placed both hands on Seb's shoulders and gently moved him to the vertex of the triangular stone that pointed towards the diamond. Dierne called Alice away.

After a moment Mr Duir said, "What makes you still doubt this is your calling, Seb?"

Seb took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. Conscious the others were straining to hear he spoke as quietly as he could.

"When Braddock took over my body I was _so_ afraid. I was terrified of him, of the gytrash, terrified of having to deal with them, terrified of not being up to this job. And I came _so close_ to giving in. I nearly ran away, let him have my body so that I wouldn't have to face this responsibility." He looked up at Mr Duir. "You though, you took all those attacks, got so badly hurt, and you were willing to risk your soul being trapped for ever with Braddock and Heath, to save everyone else." He looked down at his shoes and mumbled, "I'm not confident, I'm not brave. When it comes to it, I may be a coward. I'm not like you – and I can never be as good as you."

Mr Duir smiled.

"Look at that!" He pointed at the diamond. "Then look at me and say that again!"

Seb stared at the diamond twinkling at him across the hollow bowl of the lake, Mr Duir's death-cast deep inside it, and he felt the warmth of this man's hand on his shoulder.

Mr Duir continued, more quietly still.

"Nature, Seb, does not get it wrong. In all of history only one other Custodian has managed to create the Glacial Trace. Interestingly, that Custodian also doubted, also feared and refused at first to be confirmed ..."

Seb turned slowly and looked up at Mr Duir, eyes widening. Words Mr West had said at The Hurlers came back to him, _But then, if I remember rightly, Aelfric himself was reluctant – he actually refused the Grand Elf at first._

"And Seb," Mr Duir said. "I still fear and I still doubt. I have had my failures and they haunt me, but there are so many souls who just need someone to show them they care and nudge them back in the right direction and for that I will keep trying."

Mr Duir was quiet now, giving Seb a chance to think.

Seb knew he was supposed to find this all amazing and to see what he was being offered – an extended lifetime with his friends, his sister and Alice and then ultimately to become an elf, able to wander all the realities as he chose, as a gift. But he couldn't. It wasn't a gift; it was a daunting responsibility that weighed heavily.

Looking at the glimmering diamond he finally nodded.

Mr Duir said one more thing.

"Seb I owe you my life and my soul. Whatever I can do to help you, I will."

Then without another word he walked back to stand in front of the elf, waiting for Seb.

Seb followed. As he passed Scarlet she whispered to him, "Little brother, _none of us_ doubt you."

Now he smiled and stood next to Mr Duir.

"Thank you," he said to him quietly then turned to the elf and, raising his voice, said, "Okay."

"Yay, Seb!" Zach shouted.

Immediately the elf nodded and lifted his left hand. He tilted the palm towards the roof and opened his fingers. Seb expected to see a mark like his and Mr Duir's but there was nothing, just a smooth, silver palm. A bolt of blue flame burst from the elf's hand and shot into Seb's chest. Five lines forked from him and struck Scarlet, Nat, Aiden, Zach and Alice. Seb braced himself, expecting pain, but felt nothing. In a second the flames were gone.

"You are Confirmed!" The elf said and Seb gaped at him.

He felt a bit deflated and then recalled Mr Duir saying he barely remembered his own Confirmation it had been so quick.

So I'm officially a Custodian.

It was a big thing for Seb to comprehend, especially as he felt no different now to how he had felt just a minute before. Then he realised: that was the point – he _was_ no different. He smiled to himself.

#  A Resolution

Scarlet and Seb's friends were ecstatic. They spent a few minutes congratulating him. He wasn't sure that was justified.

Mr Duir had moved to the edge of the stone, out of the noisy group and as soon as Seb got a chance he slipped away and joined him, feeling more comfortable in his quiet company than in the loud and exuberant group.

"What now?" he asked.

"Before the Question to End I await the Elders' response to my request."

"What request?" Seb glanced at the Elders, who were conferring.

Mr Duir watched the elf. "To give your father's soul peace."

As he said that the tinkling words came, "We have considered." All three Elders moved forward slightly and Mr Duir approached them.

Seb felt a tingling in his hand and his heart pounded as he waited for the result. At length, the elf said to Mr Duir, "We can see no answer. The oath was sworn for one hundred years to an unconfirmed Custodian, party to that oath. The soul shall remain."

Mr Duir stiffened. Seb's breathing had stopped; he felt like his heart had too. The elf was saying his father would remain as that ogreish form for another ninety-five years. There was nowhere for his soul to go.

But Mr Duir wasn't done.

"I am aware of nothing in the lore of old that says Knights Sentinel must be paired." The Elders watched Mr Duir but said nothing. "The souls make their pledge in order to be guaranteed a return as paired souls but there is nothing I know of that says a pairing is required." He turned and looked at Mr White who nodded slowly.

Seb's heart raced now. He only knew as much as Mr Duir had told him about these knights, that they took the pledge to earn the reward. But could _one_ pledge to serve alone?

The Elders conferred again.

Finally the elf said, "It is so. The pledge is to serve, the pairing the reward. It is not necessary for that pledge to be taken with the company of another."

His point made and his argument accepted, Mr Duir nodded.

"Wolf-stags," the elf called.

Cue appeared from nowhere and then eight more wolves leapt to stand on the perimeter of the Channelling Stone, materialising as if they had jumped through an invisible wall. A multitude of fairies began to zoom in from every direction too.

"Clear the Stone," the elf directed and obediently the groups stepped half and half onto the two Dryad pathways. Seb walked with them.

"Not you, Custodian." The elf stopped him, directing him to stand with Mr Duir.

Surrounded by a half-circle of glistening fairies, hovering above their heads, and a semicircle of gigantic wolves behind them, Mr Duir and Seb waited.

"Young Custodian, this soul gave a pledge to you and you bound the soul to this reality. Is it your wish this soul be pledged as sentinel?"

Seb nodded once. "If he wants it," he said.

The elf regarded Seb, as though pondering that answer. Then the Dryad Elder stepped forward.

"Understand this, Custodian, the soul is bound for the remainder of the service pledged. The choices it faces are simple: to remain _displaced_ or to serve as sentinel."

So that was it then – his father was stuck with the unenviable decision to continue as an ogreish spectre, haunting the passages and paths between the realities, or take on the guise of a sentinel, the only lone Knight Sentinel in the history of time.

Mr Duir turned to Seb.

"Seb, service as a Knights Sentinel will give your father the chance to fulfil his promise ..." he paused, choosing his words carefully, "but you need to understand what that means. Once he becomes a sentinel he will no longer be your father. This soul, trapped and displaced, knows his history, knows you, recognises himself as the soul of your father. The transformation to Knight Sentinel will leave a residue of that experience but, first and foremost, he will be a knight. There will be no sentiment, only duty."

Seb turned to Scarlet, a questioning look on his face.

"I don't want to bind him to something worse," he said to her. "And I don't want to lose him."

She leapt up onto the plinth. "Seb, what could be worse? He is lost, displaced, a ghost really. I am sure being a sentinel is preferable to that! And Seb," she looked sadly at her brother, "we lost him five years ago."

"But on his own Scarlet, for nearly a century."

"Protecting you, Seb. That's what he promised to do."

Seb pondered that. He knew what his doubt was. It seemed, from what he had seen, that the summonsing of the Knights Sentinel was a very rare thing.

He turned to the elf.

"When they are not summonsed where are they?"

The elf took a step back, as if surprised.

"Seb, does it matter?" Zach couldn't understand the fuss. "Ogre or cool knight – I know which I would choose."

Seb knew Zach was right and gave up the argument.

"Okay, what do we do?" he asked the elf.

"Call it to you, Custodian."

Standing on the plinth, facing these three strange but beautiful-looking Elders, Seb wondered how he was meant to do that and then knew that he didn't have to. The sound of wheezing behind him and Scarlet's gasp told him the soul who had been his father was there.

Turning slowly, Seb tried to control all the emotions he felt: fear at the memories of being chased by this ghoulish apparition; knowledge that this was the sad state in which his father's soul had been trapped; memories of bereavement, of loss; hopes of being reunited – he tried to ignore it all. As his eyes found the dark shape only feet from him he flinched and then relaxed. It wasn't as bad as he remembered and the image was far less terrifying with all his new-found knowledge. He stared at the chasm of blackness that served as a body for this soul. That really was all it was – a dark smudge in the world around them. And he could feel from that black, empty space, the hope and sadness Nat had described. This was a soul trapped in a nowhere space; it didn't have the misty form of other souls and it didn't have the physical presence of a body. It was simply a gap in reality.

The elf walked past Seb and Mr Duir, stopping inches from the ogre. The light from the aperture above made his skin and clothing glisten and his delicate, chiming voice echoed around the vast space of the sphere.

"You swore an oath to a Custodian. The pledge was given in ignorance but in honesty. Do you acknowledge that pledge?"

Seb heard nothing in response but wheezing.

"Do you acknowledge that pledge?" The elf said again.

And then a sound floated on the air. "Yes." One simple word spoken in a rasping voice.

"Dad!" Scarlet mumbled and took a step towards the ogre. It turned abruptly.

The fairy flitted in front of Scarlet. "It does not fit this reality; you must not touch." The words tinkled. Scarlet froze, looking heartbroken.

"The pledge to a Custodian binds you to service. In your current form you cannot meet that commitment," the elf continued.

"No," the ogre rasped.

"A Knight Sentinel must guard and protect _any_ and _all_ Custodians and is bound to this Ancient Place for that service."

There was no messing around, Seb thought. No real explanation, just the bare bones of what was planned for this soul. Seb didn't think enough had been said. He took a step towards the ogre.

"You can become a sentinel, but if you do you can only appear here. I don't know where you go when you aren't summonsed or what you can and can't do. And you will be alone; all the others are paired, and— " the elf raised a hand for him to be silent. Seb ignored him. "And you might not remember being our dad," he waved towards Scarlet.

He knew he sounded like he was trying to dissuade his father's soul from the option being laid before him, but he wanted to be sure that he was fully aware, this time at least, of what commitment he would be making if he agreed to this.

The elf wasn't going to indulge Seb any longer. He said to the ogreish shape, "Do you accept your place as Knight Sentinel?"

Without a moment's hesitation the voice grated, "Yes."

Instantly there was movement everywhere. The elf stepped back, away from Seb and indicated for Scarlet to leave the Channelling Stone. She shuffled back but remained beside the Dryad. The Fairy Elder flew over to touch Seb on the shoulder as the wolf-stags padded forward to stand behind him in a semicircle, Cue at their centre. As the thousands of other fairies began to swoop down, Mr Duir said, "Seb, do you wish me to complete the ceremony?"

"If someone would just tell me what to do, I will do it," Seb said to him.

Mr Duir shook his head.

"This ceremony requires you to read the soul, Seb. Like the souls in the ley line, you would see the lives before your life with him ..." he paused to give his words more impact, "lives as another person – not your father."

Seb understood his warning and instantly he knew he didn't want to see the past lives, loves, hates, joys and woes of this soul before it became father to Scarlet and him. He was struggling already to see past the hideous ogreish shape and identify this thing before him as the wonderful man he had known. If he then had to see all the things he had done and been before, maybe the brief eight-year spell as his father would simply become lost and insignificant in all that. So Seb conceded and moved out of the arc of wolves to stand with Scarlet, beside the Dryad Elder.

"Should you not do it?" she asked him. "His pledge was to you."

"I don't think I could bear to watch his past lives, Scarlet," Seb whispered to her. "He wouldn't be our father then, he would be so many different people. I don't want to know who he was before, what he did – I want him just to be _Dad."_

She nodded as Alice joined them, watching the sparkling spectacle as the fairies formed links between the wolves, and then between the animals and Mr Duir.

The teachers and Seb's friends were barely visible beyond the halo of light on the Channelling Stone. Mr Duir stood absolutely still, the ogre swaying back and forth in front of him, then he said, "You chose to serve. The normal reward does not fit your circumstances. Speak the reward you would seek."

Everyone waited and Seb wondered what their father would ask for. When his words came Scarlet gasped.

"To protect also, my daughter."

The elf quizzed the ogre, "What do you mean by that?"

"I wish to protect my daughter."

"That is not a reward," the elf cautioned. "It is beyond the service requirements of the Knights Sentinel. What _reward_ would you have?"

The ogre was insistent. "That is reward enough." The rasping, wheezing voice gave the suggestion of lack of intelligence but the words were articulate.

"It is unheard of!" The elf protested, now in uncharted territory.

"A solo Knight Sentinel is also unheard of," Mr Duir said. "I see no conflict in what this soul seeks."

More silent conferring and at length the elf nodded.

"So be it. Custodian, continue."

Now the Dryad Elder moved forward and disappeared into a haze as he began twirling and spinning around the ogre. Mr Duir reached back and placed his hand on Cue's head. Then he raised his left arm and a beam of white light so bright Seb had to shield his eyes, shot forward and struck the hazy column the Dryad had formed around the ogre. The whole thing set ablaze, becoming a pillar of white fire. A mist trail tore from it, slamming into Mr Duir's chest. He closed his eyes. A second later it re-emerged to return to the blazing column of white fire.

Mr Duir spoke. "You are bound to service. You are bound to this site, Ancient and Sacred, and you are bound to guard without ceasing any Custodian who treads foot herein and the soul you knew last as your daughter. To that end you are named, Knight Sentinel." As Mr Duir spoke, his voice told of the physical effort he was having to use to channel the power of the wolves. "The naming of your year is ..." there was a pause. From behind Seb couldn't see Mr Duir's lips moving but knew he had stated a span of time – ninety-five years, he guessed. "Is that satisfactory to you?"

And now the rasping voice was gone, changed to a sound like a whisper carried on the wind.

"Sufficient to Serve."

With that there was a thunderclap. Mr Duir let his left arm drop, the column of white fire disappeared and, standing in the centre of the plinth, was the imposing figure of a tall Knight Sentinel.

Everything about him shone, from the gleaming chain mail and helmet to the glistening sword and scabbard. Even the pristine white of his tunic and shield seemed to shimmer in contrast to the vivid red crosses on each.

And from the crack in the helmet two keen eyes stared at Seb. His heart pounded. They were unmistakeably his father's.

Seb felt the sudden urge to run over and hug this figure but checked himself. The eyes moved to Scarlet and Seb saw his sister take a faltering step forward. The Dryad Elder, standing beside her, lightly touched her arm, holding her back.

The host of fairies broke their links and formed an arc behind the Elders. The wolves remained still. Seb knew what was to come. Mr Duir would dismiss this new knight. After all these years without his father, after weeks of being haunted by his ghostly presence without even knowing it was him, to have him standing before him, unreachable and untouchable was almost worse than having lost him in the first place.

Seb mumbled, "Please don't send him away. Not yet. He has only just come back."

Mr Duir stepped towards the knight and turned to face Seb.

"Seb, this soul is a Knight Sentinel, _not_ your father."

Seb heard the words but couldn't suppress the hope that the soul knew him. Knights Sentinel took pledges in the full knowledge of the fact that they had been here before and would be here again ... and they knew their partners. Seb had seen the pair clasping hands in the cave of carvings. This soul had acknowledged the pledge he had made to Seb, had acknowledged Scarlet as his daughter, clearly remembered he was their father before he had been displaced. There must be enough of that memory left to him. So Seb, grasping Scarlet's hand, stepped forward.

"Seb," Mr Duir murmured. "Do not overestimate the bond of kinship in one life. This is now a Knight Sentinel, _not_ your father," he said.

But Seb was looking at those familiar eyes; eyes he hadn't seen for five years. And, with Scarlet, he approached the daunting figure and stopped in front of it.

The knight's eyes followed them but otherwise he didn't move.

"Dad?" Scarlet asked, her voice shaking. The knight didn't reply. He stood, hand on hilt, waiting. A tear rolled down her cheek. She reached forward and placed a hand on the white tunic. In a movement so fast it was a blur, the knight unsheathed his sword and to a bone-chilling swishing sound swept it up above his head.

"Stop!" Mr Duir shouted, shining a light beam onto Scarlet's chest from his hand. "This is The Daughter."

The knight instantly replaced the sword in its scabbard and then dropped to one knee, head bowed before Scarlet.

_He had to be told. He didn't know it was her!_ Seb thought and now he realised what Mr Duir had been trying to say. This soul had taken on the life of a knight and past lives meant nothing. Their father had taken the oath to protect his daughter as well as the Custodians but the knight he had become didn't know one person from another. He had to be told this was his daughter in order to know to protect her, just like when Mr Duir had introduced Seb as a Custodian to the knights in the cave. And to this knight, Seb was no more than a Custodian – not his son. He was their protector, their sentinel, their knight, not their father. His focus was duty, not history.

Mr Duir had said there would be a partial restitution. Well this was it. Seb's father was at peace but it wasn't the peace Seb had envisaged.

#  The Question to End

The knight now froze like a statue before them.

"I am sorry for the life I deprived this soul of," Mr Duir said, "and sorry for the loss you feel. It is insufficient recompense to you all that he now becomes your protector, but I hope it is some improvement to the cursed existence he had before."

Scarlet, who had cried a few silent tears and was still holding on to Seb's hand, looked up at Mr Duir.

"Five years ago we never even got to say goodbye. He simply vanished out of our lives. If Nature had run its course and he had become our brother we would never have known – and neither would he. Our father was just gone. You have given him, and us, the chance to see what has become of each other. I know we can't hug him, chat to him, live with him, but we know he is there and he gets to look after us, which is what _he_ wanted."

Mr Duir didn't speak. Seb guessed this man would never see a silver lining to any of this and nor would he ever accept it was not his fault. But Seb agreed with Scarlet. The relationship with their father's soul was not ended and he found it comforting as he looked at the proud knight in front of them.

Mr Duir turned to the Elders. With a bow he said, "The equinox is near."

The elf bowed in return.

"Now begins the Question to End," he said.

The eight wolves and the gathering of fairies disappeared. Only Cue remained, standing beside Mr Duir.

The elf rejoined the ancient Dryad and the fairy and Mr West indicated for Seb and the others to stand along one side of the triangle. The teachers, except Mr Duir, stood opposite them with The Caretaker. Mr Duir moved across to the vertex in front of the diamond, facing the three Elders.

There was no preamble, no explanation. The elf spoke.

"Custodian, is it the end?" he asked.

Seb's heart was in his mouth, waiting for Mr Duir's answer. He was worried that, having been through such a gruelling experience last night, having faced death and the Soul Drop, Mr Duir had decided it was enough. And then what would Seb do? He would be left as the sole Custodian and he would have to bear the responsibility of the Restoration in three months at the winter solstice, alone.

Seb held his breath.

For the briefest of seconds Mr Duir's eyes flicked to Seb and then as quickly looked back at the elf. When his answer came Seb noticed The Caretaker's head lift.

"No." The Head's voice was firm, resolute and then he walked over to stand beside the hooded figure but said nothing more.

Now The Caretaker walked to the spot he had left and gazed impassively at the elf.

After a moment's silence the elf asked, "Guardian, is it the end?"

The Caretaker turned and stared at Mr Duir, giving the answer directly to him.

"For as long as he serves, I will serve."

Mr Duir looked horrified. In a shocked voice he said, "Morgan, you cannot!"

The tinkling rose above him. "The pledge is made. The question will not be asked again."

Before leaving the spot The Caretaker had more to say.

"Aelfric, I had never thought to see any soul willing to make the sacrifice you were willing to make last night. The physical punishment you took to prevent Braddock's escape or his opening of the Soul Drop was harsh enough, but your willingness to risk banishment to that eternal darkness ... with them ... in order to save others ... For a Custodian, knowing the full implications of such a fate and to accept it anyway ... well, that is the noblest of any act I could imagine. What I have said, I have said. My service is tied to yours."

Seb wasn't sure if something had gone wrong. Mr Duir seemed appalled.

The Caretaker, without another word or look at anyone, walked over to stand beside Aelfric Duir who now had his head bowed a look of such disbelief and sadness on his face.

Without waiting to be called Miss West stepped forward. Facing the Elders she put a hand to her frizzy hair, trying to tame it slightly.

Almost before the tinkling voice had finished the question, "Guardian, is it the end?" she answered, "For as long as he serves, I will serve." And she pointed at Aelfric Duir.

Mr Duir looked crushed. He raised his eyes to her. "Trudy," he said helplessly.

"The pledge is made," the elf said and Seb thought he detected a note of surprise. "The question will not be asked again."

Now Mr Duir took one step forward.

"They have had no time to think, to consider what they are doing and they are not aware— " he addressed the Elders.

The Dryad put up a hand and Miss West returned to stand beside The Caretaker, smiling up at Aelfric Duir.

Next to the vertex, diamond sparkling behind her emaciated form, was Miss Angel. She looked stern, serious, her forehead crumpled into at least five frown lines.

"Seer, is it the end?" the elf asked.

Miss Angel didn't turn from the elf; she stared directly into his eyes. For a good few seconds she said nothing. Then she looked at the fairy and smiled. Reaching a scrawny hand out she pointed at Mr Duir.

"For as long as he serves, I will serve."

"No!" Mr Duir seemed to feel her answer like a body blow. "I do not wish this ceremony to continue! This cannot happen." He looked from the Elders to Miss Angel. "Lily, you cannot tie yourself to me – you do not know what it means. You cannot do this!"

"Aelfric, I know you. And like Morgan and Trudy, I pledge my soul's service to yours. I am honoured to be one part of your group." With that she almost skipped back to the line.

Seb had never seen Mr Duir so upset. He thought he should be pleased and wondered what it was that distressed him so much at the loyalty his group and The Caretaker were showing him.

"The pledge is made. The question will not be asked again," the elf said as Dominic White solemnly took the spot. Like someone preparing to swear an oath to a court, he straightened his clothing and stood more upright.

The elf, more reticent with the question, asked it anyway. "Guide, is it the end?"

After only a moment's pause Mr White, looking across to Mr Duir, droned his answer. "For as long as he serves, I will serve."

Mr Duir let out a small groan, "Dominic." He put a hand over his face.

There was no qualifying speech from Mr White. Straightening his back a bit more, he walked over to Aelfric Duir, who looked devastated. He placed his arms around his shoulders and mumbled words into his ear before releasing him and standing beside a happy-looking Miss Angel.

"The pledge is made. The question will not be asked again," the elf repeated, more quietly now.

All eyes turned to Mr West. He didn't go directly to the spot. He shuffled over to stand in front of Lily Angel. She bent down, smiling, and they kissed.

Zach gasped and whispered, "Did any of you know that? Are they ... well, are they going out?"

Shuffling further to Mr Duir, Mr West took his hand. "Aelfric, if you could feel the relief and happiness I feel from them all you would not take this so to heart." Mr Duir looked at him, pain written all over his features. "I do feel your concern, the burden of responsibility and a fear you will cause us all so much suffering. But Aelfric, the only suffering I have ever felt in your service was the hour in which I thought we had lost you. I will not bear that again." Releasing his hand he waddled over to the vertex and awaited the question.

Mr Duir, head still bowed, could not watch.

"Sensor, is it the end?"

"For as long as Aelfric Duir serves, I will serve," Mr West said and returned to the line of smiling teachers.

"The pledge is made. The question will not be asked again," the elf stated.

Aiden and Scarlet were sniffing and Nat was beaming. Zach just looked bemused.

Finally Dierne flitted over and stood opposite the Elders. Before the elf could ask the question Mr Duir stepped forward again.

"You must let me speak with my twin. There is something he needs to know ..." His voice was so emotional the elf paused. "Aelfric Duir," the tinkling eventually continued, "though we understand your position, all these souls are free to make their own choices. That you have sparked in them such loyalty and devotion is unique in all of history. But just because it is unique it is not a reason for the course of the ceremony to change. All know the consequence of their words; all know the power of their pledge. Leave your twin soul free to make his own decision."

"They do _not_ know!" Mr Duir said angrily. "And if he makes this pledge, he _loses_ his freedom," he whispered, staring at the elf. "He loses that choice and he loses his chance to one day gain independence from service – and from me." He turned to Dierne.

The Dryad looked angry now.

"Why would you _ever_ suppose I would want independence from you?" He turned from Mr Duir. "Ask the question," he rustled at the elf.

Without waiting for a further interruption the elf said, "Weaver, is it the end?"

Dierne was instant with his answer.

"For as long as he serves, I will serve." With a straight face he whooshed across to hover beside Mr Duir who looked like a broken man.

"The pledge is made. The question will not be asked again," the elf said finally and nodded.

The smiles of the teachers had gone, the atmosphere was tense as they all looked at the defeated figure of Mr Duir, his shoulders drooped and his head bowed.

And then Zach, punching a fist in the air, yelled, "Woohoo, Team Duir!"

The effect was miraculous. The tension evaporated, the teachers laughed and hugged one another, Dierne hugged The Caretaker and Aiden openly blubbed.

Only Mr Duir did not celebrate.

Seb had no idea what he had just witnessed. Having never seen the ceremony before he didn't know what should have happened. All he knew was that Mr Duir still looked bereft. He was reacting more as though he had been betrayed than honoured and Seb couldn't fathom it. The teachers were still smiling. They seemed invigorated, motivated and content. To Seb that was a good thing, but Mr Duir now begged an audience with the Elders and moved over to them, away from the others. Dierne hovered nearby but did not join them.

"What's wrong?" Seb asked Alice. "Why is he so upset? I would have thought them all agreeing to carry on with him was a good thing."

Alice didn't have an answer. "Me too. All I know is what Dierne told me to expect. The normal answers from each person or Dryad are either _No,_ in other words it is not the end or _Yes,_ at which point a new ceremony occurs which is the Sending of the Soul. He told me to expect a long wait from some people because this was the first opportunity Aelfric's group has had to end their service. It is only an option open to older groups once a new group has been formed. Aelfric's group have served for well over two hundred years! They might need time to consider." He pointed at the hooded figure of The Caretaker who stood quietly with Miss West. "Dierne suggested The Caretaker might choose to end, having lost every other member of Heath's group. So I am not sure what they have all done and why Aelfric is so upset by it."

Seb stared at Mr Duir, feeling helpless, until Dierne, seeing the look on his face, fluttered over to him and Alice.

Seb asked him outright, "Why is he so upset?"

The Dryad's rustling response was so quiet Seb had to strain to hear him.

"We have all given up our independent choice to end. We will serve until Aelfric ends. In all future ceremonies only he will be asked, only his answer will matter."

Seb still didn't see why that was such an issue. Dierne continued, even more quietly. "Seb, if one of us tires of this responsibility we cannot stop. Only when Aelfric stops serving will we."

Light started to dawn for Seb. Mr Duir now had to contend with the fact that one or two of them may, over time, regret their decision, become disaffected, wanting to leave but unable to because of their pledge to him.

"So he may have some of you pressuring him to give up when he isn't ready to?"

"No Seb, it is more than that. Aelfric himself has told us on countless occasions that he will never give up. He believes so wholeheartedly in what he has been destined to do that he has committed to continue until Nature itself relieves him of that role; which effectively means if some event leads to his physical death. And Seb," Dierne leaned in closer, "on the day your father's soul was ousted by that trespasser, the day Aelfric sees as his biggest failure, he made his own pledge. At the end of the equinox he swore he would be a Custodian until Nature took his life!" Dierne let the words sink in and as he saw Seb's eyes open wide he nodded. "Aelfric cannot be pressured to end, he _cannot_ choose to end. He made his own pledge, and now we have tied ourselves to _that_ promise, to his pledge. We will all continue until Aelfric's host body dies."

"So he thinks he has sunk you all, condemned you all, to centuries more of this life."

Dierne nodded.

"Yes, but the reason he is so upset is that he does not know _we know_ he made that pledge. It was done in secret with the Elders. He believes that we made our pledges thinking that one day he will eventually end his service and yet he knows that is not possible."

"So why not just tell him?"

Dierne looked away, glancing at Mr Duir and then staring at the diamond twinkling on its pillar. His head dropped slightly as though he were ashamed.

"We broke a trust. On that day, after the equinox, Aelfric was so distraught – he truly believed he had failed in his role, had betrayed his calling. He demanded an audience with the Elders and told us to stay away. But Heath was so concerned about him, probably feeling guilty for his part in keeping Aelfric from the task, that he spied on him. Discovering what Aelfric had done he returned to us wanting to tell all. We decided Aelfric must be permitted to tell us when he chose, _if_ he chose, what had passed. But Heath told us anyway. We waited for Aelfric's return, hoping he would choose to inform us, but he never has. So we know his secret, but he does not know that."

Seb could see the dilemma. Mr Duir believed these friends of his had made a commitment beyond what they had anticipated and now he would be forced to tell them his own pledge and what it meant to them all.

"So you all did it knowing you would not be able to stop ... until he dies?" Seb was amazed.

"Granted, it is a demanding and often thankless life. The high point for me has always been the company of my twin ..." Dierne looked over at Aelfric, "I am barely a twin to him, however. I could not come close to matching the nobility of his soul. In all my lives as human and Dryad I have never known such a soul ..." Then Dierne's eyes drifted to Seb and there was a moment where he contemplated him, hidden thoughts flickering behind his silver irises. "In any case, I suppose he now feels guilt, feels the burden of knowing that we are all tied to _his_ destiny. What he doesn't realise is we would all have remained anyway – I know of none of this group who would be parted from Aelfric. The pledge was just words; we had all already committed to him many years ago." Dierne smiled.

The tinkling of the elf's voice floated on the air.

"The equinox approaches."

They turned. The three Elders stood along the facing edge of the stone, and Mr Duir had walked towards the Dryad bridge. He looked troubled. Seb wondered what he had asked the Elders. It appeared that, whatever it was, had been denied.

Leaving the knight on the stone Mr Duir led the way along the Dryad path. Seb noticed the walls of the sphere were now running with rivulets of water, as if melting. As they passed through the doorway he glanced back; the Dryad and fairy were heading towards their sides of the bank and the elf progressed slowly along his pathway to the far side of the lake bowl.

As he closed the door, Seb paused and, turning round for a moment, caught one last glimpse of the frozen knight. Then Mr Duir waved his hand and in a sudden rush the sphere collapsed, water crashing and falling back to earth to fill the curve of the lake basin. Not a drop spilled over; the entire contents of the lake settled back in place. At the centre of it was the lone Knight Sentinel, standing on the water, his armour gleaming in the light shining down from the hole in the cave roof above.

Mr Duir made a quick sweeping gesture with his left hand and the knight moved, striding across the lake towards the sparkling diamond. Reaching it, he leapt up, drew his sword, placing the tip on the diamond, and held the hilt in his gauntleted fists. Then, staring towards the bank, he froze.

"Are you not dismissing him?" Seb asked.

Mr Duir looked down at him.

"I doubt he would want that." Seeing Seb's confused face he continued, "Seb, he took an oath to protect you and Scarlet, not in order to _gain_ a reward, as with other Knights Sentinel, but because that _is_ his reward – the ability to watch over you. I believe his soul will benefit more from being on duty than waiting to be summonsed."

Seb smiled until Zach ruined the moment.

"What if he needs a break?" he asked and Seb knew what he was getting at. "I mean, we all have to go— "

"They are not human, Zach." Mr Duir cut him off. "Their wants and needs are not those of humans. Do not judge them as such."

"So they don't need to pee, then?"

"Zach, stop it!" Scarlet scolded him. "You're obsessed with everything toilet." She tutted.

"Don't do yourself down, Scarlet." He winked at her.

It took her a moment to understand the reference and then she scowled and looked away but Seb saw the flicker of a smile on her lips as she did.

The knight in place, Mr Duir directed the others back to the fire which was still roaring. Keeping the Dryads and Seb with him he walked to the centre of the lake and revealed the Elder Tree. As its strong boughs stretched over his head Seb gazed at his feet, watching the little imps skipping and swirling just below the surface of the water.

_Where have you guys been_ _?_

Seb felt no fear or nervousness this time as the door was opened and within minutes the Elders had departed.

Rejoining the others he flopped onto a rug, feeling exhausted. Alice sat beside him.

"Hey, Al!" Zach called across from the far side of the cave, where he had gone over to watch The Caretaker tend to Cue. Zach seemed drawn to the powerful beast and was patting and stroking him, telling him how amazing he had been.

Alice looked across and Zach continued, "Come see this chap's teeth." He was lifting the flap of Cue's top lip, trying to see the teeth. The animal seemed unbothered. Alice grinned and whizzed over to join him.

"Maybe those two should have been twins," Seb said to Nat as she joined him.

She giggled. "They do seem to have a lot in common," she said and sat on the rug beside him, lapsing into silence. They both stared into the fire as the others chattered around them.

Seb watched Mr Duir walk over and through to the carving cave. He stood up, apologising to Nat and began to follow but Dierne intercepted him.

"He needs some peace and quiet, Seb."

Seb stared at the Dryad.

"He looks dreadful."

"He needs to be alone."

Seb understood the feeling. He found that the chatter around him grated on his nerves. He wasn't sure what the equinox would bring and so much had happened in the last two days he wanted to lie down in a dark room and put his mind back together. Mr Duir had been through so much more – he had dealt with the loss of a good friend and mentor, having faced his betrayal beforehand and _he_ had actually died, last night.

Nodding to Dierne, Seb walked down to the lake side and sat on the sparkling chalky bank, facing the knight. The Elder Tree had vanished and the space above the lake was alive with fireflies. He could hear the chatter of those around the fire; Miss West's scolding and Zach's laughter as he and Alice played a game, vaulting Cue; and the clatter of pans and utensils as The Caretaker began preparing another meal. He let his mind drift, trying not to allow himself to follow the dark memories he had of the last twenty-four hours but trying to piece together all he had learned about the realities around him and about himself.

Placing his head on his up-drawn knees, he closed his eyes. He knew he had enacted amazing feats – and so far he had skirted around the disturbing feelings that fact gave him. How had he managed to open the Soul Drop, banish the gytrash and the horde of bats? How had he produced the catastrophic blasts of air which seemed to single out the one thing he needed to deal with and yet leave everything and everyone else unscathed? How had he, so useless and clueless, managed to create the Glacial Trace, along with the Dryads? In the blur of memories from the last twenty-four hours he had given himself no time to think about these things because they seemed so at odds with his usual ineptitude.

He began now to forgive himself his shortfalls. As Aiden had said, he was ... _simply young, and confused and uninformed._ He had been given a mentor he could look up to and learn from and now he was determined he would do exactly that. He had come such a long way in just a couple of weeks, he needed to give himself time to learn and develop. And, it seemed, Nature had created him young and bought him that time.

He heard footsteps as Nat approached. He patted the ground beside him and she sat down.

"You okay?" she asked.

"A bit nervous about what happens next," he said. "But actually really okay."

"You've done some amazing things," she said, becoming a bit coy, "and I wanted to thank you, Seb."

"What on earth for?" he said, surprised.

"You were willing to give yourself up for me."

Seb had all but forgotten that moment and now the memories flooded back.

"Oh. Well, the group wouldn't function without one of us, Nat – we couldn't lose you."

She frowned and stared across the lake.

"Well, you were brave," she said, but sounded disappointed.

"Nat ..." he said and she turned, searching his eyes for something.

" _I_ couldn't lose you." He felt stupid saying it but only for a moment. The feeling evaporated as she flung her arms around his neck and hugged him. This time he hugged her back, not feeling awkward at all.

#  The Beginning

They were interrupted as Dierne appeared.

"Aelfric would like to see you," he said to Seb.

Seb followed Dierne to the outer cave and opened the door he found there.

Dierne told Alice, who had come too, to remain, allowing Seb to go through alone.

It wasn't what Seb expected. Having opened the door, intending to go to wherever Mr Duir was, he emerged in a patch of dense bushes and stepped onto the shingle-covered pathway that surrounded a decorative pond.

He knew this place well, having spent hours sitting on the large paving slabs beside the pond, watching the massive koi carp lurking beneath its surface. This was the Hikarimoyo Koi Centre and the place was bustling with parents and their young children, all watching the carp and too preoccupied to notice him.

He watched the white plume of the water spout, rising in an arc and plummeting into the pond, aerating the water and creating a froth of bubbles that drifted towards the edges. Dark shapes circled and cruised in the green water and a kookaburra laughed raucously from one of the many cages and pens in the grounds nearby.

He heard the slight scrunch of feet on stones and turned to see Mr Duir standing beside a bench under the overhanging branches of a pine tree.

"Will you join me, Seb?"

They sat, looking out over the pond. A few bubbles popped up and the dorsal fin of a carp cut through the surface of the water then disappeared again. The air was fresh though chilly.

Turning to Mr Duir, Seb said, "I love this place. My mum always bring us here on our birth— " He stopped and for the first time realised. "Tomorrow is my brother's birthday!"

Thoughts tumbled through his mind. This was the anniversary of their father's death, but the anniversary of so much more now, he knew. And it wasn't his brother's birthday!

"Yes it is," Mr Duir said quietly. "Your _brother's_ birthday, Seb." He watched him keenly.

Then Seb slumped back, feeling the hard slats of the bench across his spine.

"Only, he's _not_ my brother."

He knew now why Mr Duir had chosen this spot – he wanted to elicit this conversation.

Mr Duir sat forward, gazing into the swirling pond water.

"Seb, for better or ill he is still your brother. The knowledge you have cannot and must not change anything. The fact that this soul usurped that body is not a reason to treat it any differently."

When he spoke, Seb's voice was louder than he intended.

"You mean we just let him get away with it? Sanction what he did to my father? I thought the whole point— "

Mr Duir interrupted, his own tone still quiet. "The _whole_ point is to keep the balance of all things. This soul evaded me, Seb, and was successful in finding a host for its unauthorised visit to this reality. It happens occasionally. The fact that, on this occasion, what allowed the event was my absence and the effects were more far-reaching than usual is _not_ a reason to behave any differently." He turned back to Seb. "Our role is to _prevent_ the trespassing of souls, to send them back to Áberan _before_ they find a host or, if it is an animal host they have taken, to draw them out and return them. It is not, and never can be, to remove a soul from a human host, whatever the consequences to the rightful soul and to those in this particular lifetime.

"It is a dreadful thing, as a Custodian, to witness the abhorrent after-effects of your failure ..." He paused and rubbed his eyes, then taking a slow, deep breath continued, "Seb, I have seen greedy millionaires step on those they deem beneath them just for lack of money. I have seen dictators and despots abuse power and trust and the suffering that causes to those they dominate. I have seen serial killers and genocidal tyrants inflict such terrible harm. I have seen all of these consequences and more come from the trespassing of souls _I_ have failed to stop before they found a host – and each one cuts my own soul to the core.

"But I never forget that all this is due to _my_ failure, and I must accept that, as you will have to. You can strive and work tirelessly, but some will always be missed. And then? You strive harder.

"It is not the place of the Custodian to try to rectify these failures, _or to judge."_ As if trying to drive the point home he spoke more forcefully. "Sometimes, Seb, on occasion, a soul will _learn._ Having had their fill of what they desired they find it doesn't bring them satisfaction, they find it hollow and meaningless and then, like an awakening, they understand and they _change."_

He paused as a toddler approached him and without any hesitation clambered onto his lap. Mr Duir smiled and stroked the child's hair as her apologetic mother came and lifted her off him. The child stretched her arms out to him and began crying as her mother swept her away towards the shop on the other side of the pond.

As the attention of those around the lake, attracted by the noise, returned to other things, Seb said, "But the suffering caused to everyone else? We're supposed to let that happen just for the odd one to learn? The impact on so many others— "

"In _one_ lifetime, Seb. Yes. In one lifetime. And it is dreadful. The most heartbreaking is the torture and slaughter of innocents or the desperate soul who has enough about them to know their host has been invaded with them still in it, who chooses to end their stay in this reality – dreadful and painful. But those souls grow and learn and return. The other choice is for us to interfere and that can only lead to banishment of an innocent soul if the original soul is paired with the trespasser."

"Only then!" Seb said angrily. "The soul in my brother's body _cast out_ the original soul. So why can't we banish _it?_ Punish _it?"_

Mr Duir sighed.

"Seb, not punish – never punish – we do not judge and we do not punish. We read and we protect. Only when a soul is beyond saving and will wreak such devastation on each visit do we banish. A Custodian is a _guardian,_ a _keeper,_ a _protector_ – not a judge and not a leveller of punishment."

Seb was fuming now, letting all the frustration and anger he felt at the confusion and upset of the last few days fill his mind. This soul had sentenced their father to a living hell for five years; it had given him and Scarlet and their mother untold suffering in the grief they felt at the loss of father and husband ... this soul who laughed and giggled and played with them as though he were their brother, who coaxed cuddles and love out of all of them ... and then it dawned on him: the _soul_ had not killed their father – he had died in an accident – the grief they experienced they would have felt even if their father's soul had inhabited their brother's body. And the joy they had all experienced at the arrival of this new baby would have been felt irrespective of which soul occupied it. They had laughed and giggled and played with this soul and they had cuddled and loved him and received cuddles and love in return.

Mr Duir had been silent as he watched the anger on Seb's face become the usual confusion and then understanding.

"Very few souls are so bad they have no redeeming qualities, Seb. In all the numbers we deal with during the Restoration you will discover the numbers banished are low. Most trespassers are simply lost, confused, hurt and seeking purpose in it all.

"That soul trespassed. It did so not knowing what would and did happen to the rightful soul. Whether it would have cared or not is a moot point – it is a soul that needs _us_ to care."

He let the words sink in, gave Seb several minutes of peace, surrounded by the noise of laughter, chattering, whooshing cars, the crash of the water plume and the returning laugh of the kookaburra.

A memory sprang into Seb's mind: Adam, The Taz, rolling down the hill at Sandy Lodge in fits of giggles, and then his little body wriggling and squirming as he tried, with Gretel and Zach, to reach an arm into the rabbit hole. It made him smile. Life was never dull with The Taz and, until two days ago, Seb had believed wholeheartedly this was his brother. And he knew that, in this life, he was. However that had come about, this soul was his brother.

He dropped his head, a sign almost of defeat and Mr Duir said, "Seb, it is not a sad thing; it is an opportunity. Had you never known, had you never been shown, this soul would have always been your brother. And who knows what the experience of having a lifetime as a brother to you and Scarlet and a son to the soul of your mother has done and may still do for that soul? Do not judge – just care."

So much had happened and Seb's emotions were so raw. Suddenly all he wanted was for The Taz to clamber on his lap, demanding, as he had so many times before, that Seb put his book down and play with him.

Tomorrow their mother would bring them all, he guessed, after school, to the Koi Centre and he would watch The Taz try to stick his fingers in the water for the fish to nibble while their mother told him not to. They would eat an ice cream, possibly sitting on this very bench, and talk about nonsense before going for a birthday tea with Cousin Sarah. It was Thomas Family tradition and The Taz was a Thomas.

Seb straightened his shoulders.

"It's hard not to judge," he said.

"Yes it is, but it's even harder not to care." Mr Duir smiled. "Protect him, Seb. You never know how he may turn out."

Seb stared back at Mr Duir.

"I have to thank you— " Seb began but Mr Duir cut him off.

"No you do not!"

"You protected me. When Heath and Braddock wanted to take my body, you protected me."

Mr Duir stared steadily at him. "You did so much more for me, Seb." Then he stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to speak with Dierne and the others. There is something I need to tell them."

"They already know!" Seb blurted out and Mr Duir froze, his back to Seb who, as a consequence, was unable to read his expression. "They know about your pledge. Even before they made theirs, they knew." Mr Duir turned slowly and for the first time Seb saw confusion in his face. "Heath spied on you, that equinox when you asked to speak to the Elders alone, Heath spied on you. And then he told the others what you had done. They didn't want him to, said it was a betrayal of trust, but he told them anyway."

Mr Duir was staring at him in silence. The look of confusion had been replaced by a closed expression.

"They couldn't bring themselves to tell you, but when they all pledged to serve as long as you do, they knew."

Seb waited for some reaction. It wasn't what he expected. Mr Duir slumped back down beside him on the bench and, putting his elbows on his knees, dropped his head into his hands.

Seb felt awful. "It's not a bad thing," he said hopefully. "They respect ... well, care for you that much." He didn't know what else to say.

Mr Duir rubbed his face and then, sitting up straight, took a deep breath.

"Thank you, Seb," he said. Standing again he waved a hand in front of the bushes beside the bench. A door appeared. Seb smiled at how normal that seemed now. "Let's rejoin the others. I will need to speak to Scarlet. Your mother will want you all together for Adam's birthday and Scarlet needs to— "

"Accept that he's our brother." Seb nodded.

Seizing the door handle Mr Duir paused one last time. "Seb, you cannot tell your mother, your brother – anyone – ever."

"I know."

Mr Duir gave a satisfied nod and passed through the door, Seb right behind him. They stepped into the cheery cave, the warmth of the fire a contrast to the chill afternoon they had left behind. The Dryads swooped to hover at each of their shoulders the instant they appeared. The group circled around the fire were chatting and laughing but they fell silent when they saw Mr Duir.

"Do you always have that effect when you enter a room?" Seb laughed.

"I'm afraid so," Mr Duir chuckled back. "Morgan, may I have a coffee please," he said, walking over to join everyone.

"You need rest is what you need, Aelfric, not coffee." Mr West jumped up.

"I couldn't possibly rest, Greg; I can't stop worrying about what Mrs Reeves is going to say about five children and five teachers being absent from school without a sick note!" As the teachers laughed he turned to take the coffee cup from The Caretaker. "And as for you Morgan, _big_ trouble I fear."

The Caretaker with a small laugh said, "Now _I_ won't rest!"

Seb had never seen Mr Duir crack a joke or engage in any sort of fun chit-chat and as he took a seat amongst them all by the fire he seemed a different person, as though a weight had been lifted from him. He laughed as Zach recounted weird and fantastical stories about the Guardians' exploits which put him as the pivotal character and gave Miss West and The Caretaker only bit parts.

After a few minutes spent in companionable chatter Mr Duir asked Scarlet to join him at the lakeside. She threw a worried look over her shoulder at Seb, but he nodded at her to go on.

He watched them stand in front of the statue-like Knight Sentinel. Mr Duir bowed his head as he spoke to Scarlet and Seb saw her reaction. She flung her arms in the air and he heard her voice raised in protest, though they were too far away and the crackling of the fire along with Cue's snores obscured her words.

A couple of the teachers glanced over and then looked away.

"What's going on down there?" Zach asked.

Seb shook his head. "She's having to come to terms with the fact that Adam is our brother."

Zach raised his eyebrows. "You can say that?"

Seb leaned nearer to Zach. "Yes I can, Zach. Whatever led to that soul being in that body, he _is_ our brother. And you all ..." he looked from Zach to Aiden and then Nat, "... need to see him as that too. Scarlet will see the truth of it, but we're going to need you to accept it as well."

Zach sat, open-mouthed. It was Aiden who spoke first.

"Technically nothing has changed from a few days ago, except that we know how he came to be your brother. I don't see any difference."

Seb smiled gratefully at him. Nat was nodding too. Zach stared at them and then shrugged.

"Okay," was all he said and then glanced over to see what Scarlet was doing.

Mr Duir's head was still bowed and eventually Scarlet hung her own head and then, finally, gave a nod. Mr Duir put his arm around her shoulders and the two stood, facing the sentinel for a few minutes longer before Scarlet returned to the fire.

She gave an almost guilty look to Seb and then, sitting beside him, said, "He's right, of course."

"Yes he is," Seb agreed. "And just a few days ago we knew no different. He's our brother, Scarlet, and I intend to treat him like that."

She squeezed his hand and stared at the flames.

"For this lifetime," she said. And he nodded back.

Seb sat quietly, mulling over the events of the past weeks and found it impossible not to be grateful for the gift he had been given of being part of this group. His life had changed so dramatically and although a small part of him hankered for the ignorance and quietude of a few weeks ago, he knew he wouldn't go back, even if given the choice. He was thrilled at this new beginning, at peace with his role and happy in the company of all these amazing people.

Looking around the cave, trying to spot Mr Duir, he saw him standing with Dierne by the doorway. They were both looking back at Seb and Alice, as if waiting. Only now did Seb notice the ache in his hand.

He spoke to Alice. "I think we have work to do ..."

