Authors: Eden Maguire
For a split second I felt my familiar stab of panic. I thought Orlando would tell me this was it – we were through.
But he pulled me to my feet and held me close. ‘Maybe we won’t make it through this,’ he sighed.
‘We will,’ I argued, stroking his cheek, stemming the flow of fear.
‘Let’s hope. But anyway I need you to know – you mean everything to me, Tania.’
I held him without speaking, my heart full.
‘The first time ever I saw you, I knew we’d be together. It was like the sun on my face – the feeling I had when you looked at me and smiled. Really, the most amazing thing ever.’
‘Stop. You’re making me cry.’ But I understood he had to get through to the end of what he’d stored up in his head, his heart.
‘We went swimming in the lake at midnight,’ he reminded me. ‘Our first date – that’s where we ended up.’
‘I remember – every moment.’ The moonlight and stars, the ice cold water on our skin.
‘You were the most amazing thing that ever happened to me,’ he whispered again. ‘And I know you felt the same.’ It wasn’t a question, it was plain fact. ‘We were meant to be.’
Silence, beautiful calm in the centre of chaos. I held him as he continued. ‘Then we get into it and you know how it is – you have the most precious thing in this life and somewhere down the line you get scared you might lose it.’
‘I know,’ I sighed. ‘It feels too good. Maybe you don’t deserve it, or something bad will happen and it will all get blown away.’ We sabotage love with doubt.
‘So if – when – we get out of this, you know you’re my sun, my moon, my midnight swimmer – everything and for ever?’
I looked up through my welling tears and nodded. I felt the steady beat of his heart.
His lips were against my cheek as he murmured, ‘You can tell me any crazy stuff, ask me to do any stupid thing and I’ll do it. I’ll walk through fire and still feel the same way I do now.’
I didn’t cry after all – I started to smile. ‘I hear you,’ I sighed.
‘Love. This is what’s happening between us, Tania.’
‘That’s it – you really do love me?’ I whispered.
Orlando nodded. ‘Love is what it’s all about. You love me and I love you. What else is there to say?’
Love buoyed us up, boosted our courage, made us determined to go back for Grace and Jude.
‘Grace let you down. She threw you under the bus,’ Orlando pointed out, once I’d given him the lowdown on the latest events.
‘We all know she’s not the Grace we recognize and now I think I understand why.’ The ‘rape’ word stuck in my throat and I pussyfooted around it. ‘She was— let’s just say the worst thing happened to her with Ezra here at Black Eagle Lodge and now she’s totally lost it.’ Orlando and I were hand in hand, running down the mountain towards Zoran’s house. By the time we reached the deserted arena where the gate swung open, smoke was still creeping down Black Rock and the whole sky to the west was pink over Carlsbad.
‘Why the horses?’ I asked as he hurriedly shut the gate.
‘I’d parked my car where it wouldn’t be spotted and was taking cover behind the barn. Daniel dragged you out of the chapel right past where I was hiding. I saw the mean look on his face and realized I had to act. Setting the mustangs free was a way of grabbing his attention.’
‘It worked better than you could ever imagine,’ I said quietly, aware that our voices would carry a long distance across the silent yard. But then I heard music from the chapel and began to understand why the barn, the arena and the yard were deserted – the sun was setting and it was time for Jude’s ceremony to begin.
Listening to the slow, drawn-out notes, I recognized the tune to Zoran’s old ‘Love Hurts’ song and soon made out the words. ‘Our kisses taste of danger …’
‘Maybe we’re too late,’ I breathed, pulling Orlando towards the chapel door, trying to prepare myself for whatever we found inside.
As Grace had forecast, it was exactly the same scene as twenty-four hours earlier – the guys in hunting dress, the girls as medieval maidens, plus the lean dogs, the shy woodland creatures. Orlando stopped dead in the entrance. ‘What is this? Why is it happening all over again?’ he hissed.
The guests’ backs were turned, all eyes fixed on the platform at the far end of the chapel. Lights played over the scene, creating shadows, giving the illusion of sunlight through trees. The floor was sprinkled with meadow flowers, stately couples moved hand in hand in their furlined robes.
‘They want Jude to step over and join them,’ I whispered, drawing Orlando through the door and keeping to the darkest shadows. ‘Zoran has set this up to trap him.’
The music changed. A new song began – ‘Stardust’, with its rapid beat and images of flying to the stars. Lights flickered on two figures already making their way to the platform – Cristal in virgin blue and Jude the condemned man in black, his face pale and passive. Among figures close to the platform I made out Grace in her black dress with Ezra at her side. And then the bright white light fixed on Zoran at the centre of the platform. With small flames licking round his feet he spread his arms to welcome Jude, a look of eager triumph on his face. He had reached his goal – the moment had arrived.
‘We have to stop him!’ I told Orlando.
We saw foxes creep through long grass; deer hiding among trees. At Zoran’s side the two lurchers sat with tongues lolling.
‘I’m right here with you,’ Orlando promised.
But for a while longer we were mesmerized and couldn’t move.
Zoran stood in the light and spread his arms, his long black cape trailing behind him. Gold glinted at his neck, his face was deathly pale as he stepped forward to embrace Jude. The light intensified until it almost blinded.
‘You are mine!’ Zoran cried. ‘You will walk with me. Where I go, you will go. You will not leave my side. I am your dark lord.’ It was a man’s voice but no longer a human face. The sharp features began to twist and morph and as he turned on the spot, the folds of his cape took on life, the black fur engulfed him, his hands became claws, his jaws opened and showed voracious, glistening teeth. His head was that of a bear.
‘I am the dark power, I rise from the ashes!’ The bear roared and snarled, clutched Jude with arms too strong to resist. Deep in the forest, other huge creatures answered Death’s cry.
Catch the devil by the throat
. Don’t turn, don’t run, I told myself, though every instinct told me to flee. Zoran had shape-shifted and was ready to claim his victim but for the first time I held firm. I wasn’t sucked in. I didn’t become part of it.
‘Evil rises and spreads throughout the world. It is everywhere and you are mine!’ Zoran’s voice crowed and Jude did not, could not resist. Cristal had beguiled him and her so-called love had trapped him like an insect in amber. Now Zoran sang out in triumph – fly with me through the dark cosmos; be mine!
Beside me I heard Orlando gasp and I was too slow to stop him from darting forward into the crowd. It was rash – exactly the wrong move, but all I could do was follow him through the crush.
Up on the platform, still unaware, Zoran released Jude into Cristal’s arms then beckoned for Ezra to bring Grace on to the platform. Down on the floor, forest beasts roared, guests shed their cloaks and gowns, grew eagle talons or bared their fangs like dogs. Great shadowy birds rose into the blackness, black dogs yapped and bayed at the moon.
Orlando was just ahead of me, dogs biting at his heels. A wolf sprang from the shadows and snapped at me with deadly jaws.
‘Jude, we’re here for you!’ Orlando’s voice rose above the cacophony of animal cries.
The beast that was Zoran heard him and he swung round. He picked out Orlando and with a savage snarl he threw himself down from the platform, clawing the air, stamping on creatures that howled and yelped underfoot. I scrambled ahead of Orlando; stood between him and the devil beast.
I was face to face with Zoran without the physical strength to fight him, only the stubborn spark in my brain that kept on telling me not to give in.
Catch the devil by the throat
. I stood my ground, stared into the jaws of hell.
He glared down at me, saw that I had escaped from Daniel and recognized me for the powerful enemy I was.
I have never seen such dark and infinite anger. It overtook him, made him lash out at me with those lethal claws. But his blow missed its target and he overbalanced and crashed down on to all fours, a beast lumbering amongst the chaos of yapping dogs and howling wolves.
Seizing his chance, Orlando darted towards the platform and grabbed Jude’s arm. Still in a daze, Jude let himself be dragged down among the writhing monsters and pulled towards the chapel door – the escape route. I stayed to see Cristal instantly shape-shift from virgin to wolf, her blue robe disintegrating into thick, stone-grey pelt, her green eyes fixed with hatred on the fleeing figures of Jude and Orlando.
She set off after them while Zoran raised himself on to his hind legs and advanced towards me a second time. Orlando still pushed his way towards the door with Jude in tow. Praying they would get out, I turned to face my enemy.
He lashed out, but I was alert, beyond fear and quick enough to jump clear of his lumbering, bear-claw swipe. He crashed down against the edge of the altar platform and for a time seemed winded, so now I seized my own chance to dart away to find Grace and get her out as well. Crouching low, I thrust myself forward between the shrieking beasts that tore into each other with claws and fangs. I smelled blood, heard the sound of pain.
‘Traitor!’ Suddenly the she-wolf Cristal was at my heels, she was snarling and leaping at my throat.
I dodged sideways then reached out and took hold of a sheaf of arrows flung away by a shape-shifting huntsman. Cristal leaped again, green eyes glaring from her beautiful beastly face. Time stood still. Her emerald eyes were outlined in black, the fur was silver, the pointed ears lined with pure white. I’ll never forget.
I raised the arrow like a spear, aimed its tip between her eyes. I plunged it in deep.
Cristal stopped dead and fell at my feet. Blood poured from her mouth. Her eyes closed and the last breath left her body.
Blood, torn flesh, groans of agony – the universe in chaos. Bodies crashed through undergrowth, creatures writhed, rolled and slithered away in every direction. Only Zoran was upright, advancing again, roaring out curses, spewing his hot, putrid breath over me.
‘Daniel is dead!’ I cried, reaching for a second arrow.
Zoran faltered. His small black eyes flickered shut, then he opened them and lashed out, snatching the arrow from my grasp. ‘He will rise again!’ he swore. ‘Cristal, Daniel – we will all rise!’
And at that moment of sudden despair, in the darkness of the chapel, a wind came. It blew with such power that the door was torn from its hinges and the windows high on the walls were shattered. Splinters of coloured glass rained down, sharper than arrows. Creatures howled as the wind raised them into the air, dashed them down then swept on.
I cowered defenceless under Zoran’s hairy bulk. The wind blasted him, made him stagger to one side. I stayed low, managed to crawl out of reach again. Then I was up and running, found that the wind had turned and was sweeping me clear through the door out into the night.
And out into the flames. Wind and fire had combined into a blowup – not imaginary but all too real. I’d escaped from shape-shifting hell into a natural disaster. High wind, smoke so dense I couldn’t see my hand in front of me, air so hot it scorched my skin. After all this, wildfire would claim me.
‘Tania, where are you?’ Orlando was calling to me through the black smoke and swirls of orange sparks that rolled down the mountain.
‘Over here. I’m OK.’ But I saw flames sweep over the ridge towards me. It spread in many directions, even leaping down rocky ledges and eating up everything in its path. In the weird orange glow, I made out dark figures heading for the shelter of an overhanging ledge or towards the safety of the main house.
‘Don’t try the house – the door’s locked!’ I heard Orlando yell. ‘Head for the barn.’
I spun around. Behind the black outline of the low barn I saw ponderosa pines explode into a wall of flame. The flames arched over the roof and raced across the arena. Orlando was right – the barn was the place to be. If I could only fight my way across the yard and stick to the right direction I might survive. ‘Where are you?’
‘This way!’ Orlando shouted. ‘Follow the sound of my voice.’
Hot black smoke was burning my throat, my lungs were sucking it in. I was coughing as I staggered towards him. I crossed the yard under a thousand floating embers, ran slap into the arena fence, which brought me up short. I recovered, had my foot on the first rung, was about to climb over when a hand clutched my arm and dragged me down.
‘That’s far enough.’ Zoran’s voice was hoarse and cracked, his human face appeared skull-like through the smoke.
I didn’t waste time pleading. I kicked and punched, bit and scratched but he refused to let go.
‘Fire,’ he hissed at me. ‘The worst fate – borne on the wind, consuming everything.’ Devil-face spitting malice – this was the real Zoran.
‘Tania, I’m coming to get you!’ Orlando cried from what seemed like a long way off.
‘Don’t! Stay where you are. I’m OK!’ The smoke thickened, flames fizzed and crackled through the thorn bushes, leaped nearer.
‘I’m coming anyway,’ Orlando told me.
‘Fire!’ Zoran taunted. ‘Nowhere to run. It lights up the sky, turns the world to ash. Look at it!’ He held me fast, with Orlando’s words in my ears.
Black Rock was alight. I could glimpse the dark angel’s face through the smoke, could taste the flames on my tongue. ‘Orlando, go back!’ I pleaded.
The ground under my feet grew too hot to bear, the whole earth sighed in the wind.
‘I win and you lose, Tania,’ Zoran said. ‘In the end you, Orlando, Grace, Jude – everyone will burn.’
I struggled, refused to give up the fight.
He laughed and said, ‘There is nowhere to run.’
Another tree exploded in flames, the dark land burned. And then I felt the first drops of rain.