The Legacy: A Custodes Noctis Book (10 page)

“Fools,” she hissed, pulling away and stepping towards Galen again. “Take this one, we can complete it still, take this one and those two. Don’t let them die on the way.”

“Never,” Galen said, raising his father’s sword, the sword that would have been his one day. The power of the blade hummed against his hand. He swung the blade, cutting a swath across the thing’s chest. It screamed, clutching at the bleeding wounds on Its body. Its followers were pulling It towards the car.

“No, no, fools, take them,” It screamed in fury.

Galen could hear sirens in the distance as the thing was finally pulled into the car and, with a squeal of tires, they were gone. He dropped on his knees beside his father. Parry was cradling Bobby against him.

“Let me help, Dad,” Galen said gently, reaching his hands towards his uncle. He put his hand over his father’s and tried to draw the light down into his uncle’s body. He focused the healing, ignoring the explosion of pain behind his eyes, ignoring the darkness tugging at the edge of his awareness. Suddenly his hands were pushed away.

“It’s too late, Galen, you can’t help him, you can’t help…” Parry broke off, coughing, blood welling on his lips.

“Dad?” Galen put a hand on his father’s arm, pain flowed up from the touch. His father was dying.  “No, let me…”

“No, Galen. I can’t, you know that. Not without…the bond is too strong, I don’t…” His father paused. “You need to…Rob…” He moaned. Galen put his hand on his father’s forehead, trying to ease the pain. “It felt something in me, you have to…Your brother…We…” Parry’s head dropped down against Bobby’s. “Bobby? He’s dead,  Galen. Bobby’s gone…I…”

“Please, Dad, let me try and heal you.”

“I’m dying, Galen, and even if I wasn’t, you know how it works. Don’t try. It would kill you…Don’t deny… Galen…you have to watch out for your brother.”

“Dad, what about Rob? What should I do?”

“You and your brother, Galen, you need to know…We should have…” Each phrase was punctuated by a gasping cough. Galen shifted so he could prop his father up   and ease the gasping breaths. “Rob, you have to…” Parry cried out in pain suddenly. “Galen, please. Help, let me… I…” Tears mixed with blood on his face. “Please.”

“Dad, no.” Galen’s eyes had filled with tears.

“Please,” his father said. “I…I’m…You need to…I have served faithfully, I have walked…”

Galen put his other hand over his father’s heart. “Dad…”

“Thank…Galen…” His father was gasping for air, Galen knew he was slowly drowning on his own blood.

“I’ll do my best, Dad,” he said quietly.

“Rob…” Parry started coughing again. “Please, Galen.”

“In living we serve, in dying we serve, the line continues, we are joined with our present and our past.” Galen spoke the formal words as he let the light slowly flow out of his hands, aware of the pain in his father. “You have served the world, now rest until you are called again.” His father closed his eyes as Galen took the pain away, gently slowing his father’s heart until it finally stopped.

* * *

Galen scrubbed a hand across his face, the past moving away as the room came back into focus. His brother’s arm was around his shoulders, warm and comforting. “Rob, I’m sorry, they’re dead because of me.” Galen looked over at his brother, aware of the tears in Rob’s eyes.

“No, Galen,” Rob said quietly.

“I wasn’t sure what to do. I called to let you know they’d died, thinking maybe you’d take that as a warning, too. I didn’t know if It would come again, but I think the ritual had been broken. The first part was accomplished, I’m sure, so It could live, but what It would do with us wasn’t.”

Rob nodded. “I’ve learned a little more about what I think It is, and yes, I’m sure they went through the first part, but not the last. They need both of us.”

Galen looked at his brother. “Were we right? Is it…?” He stopped, suddenly afraid of the answer.

“The Legacy, Galen?” Rob met his eyes.

“It is, isn’t it?”

“I think it might be,” Rob said cautiously. “We need to talk about it, Galen. What happened then, what’s happening now. We have to know if this is the Legacy.”

“How would we know?”

“The sagas tell us the First Emrys imprisoned an Old One in the body of a creature that walked the earth. They say that members of the line will be the fulfillment of the Legacy.”

“I remember. Doesn’t the world end before the line can finish it?”

“I’m not sure the world actually ends, but the Old One is released to walk on the earth again.”

“Me, my fault.” Galen put his head in his hands for a minute.

“I don’t think it’s just you, Galen, it’s…” Rob started, the door banged open before he could finish.

“Galen?” Rhiannon stormed into the store. “Where the hell were you…” She stopped, looking at Rob, the color draining out of her face.

Rob stood and walked around the counter, a happy smile on his face. “Rhiannon?”

She launched herself at Rob, luckily she wasn’t very big, but even with that she nearly bowled him over when she came into contact with him, her arms going around him as she pulled his head down against her shoulder. “Rob?” Rhiannon said, a smile on her face. Galen noticed something that didn’t happen very often, tears were running down Rhiannon’s face.

“Yeah, hi,” Rob said, his voice muffled.

“Hi, yourself.” Rhiannon pulled away, smiling up at Rob. “How the hell are you?”

“I’m okay. You?”

“Great, even better now.” She turned to Galen. “He was the Keeper last night?”

“Yeah.” Galen grinned at her. “I was a little surprised.”

“Only a little?” Rhiannon laughed at him.

“Yeah, a little. What are you doing here?”

“Came to check on you, considering the day. Guess I’m not needed now.” She grinned at them, then walked over to Galen and picked up the cup of coffee in front of him. She took a drink and made a face. “Mocha. You always drink mochas.”

“You could try buying your own. He drinks real coffee,” Galen said, pointing at Rob.

“Good boy.” Rhiannon grinned at Rob, she picked up the other cup and took a drink. “Yes, much better.” She hopped up on the counter and looked at Rob. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too.” He smiled at her.

“Rhiannon?” Galen said. “Rob lost his car the other day, think you can find it?”

“Sure.” She jumped down. “I’ll call Greg and Caleb and we’ll have it back here before tonight. What kind of car is it?”

“Jeep, like mine.”

“That’ll make it easy.” She got a few more details and held her hand out for the keys. Rob turned them over with an odd smile on his face. She gave him another hug and headed out the door.

“It’s a little like getting hit by a tornado,” Galen said as Rob sat back down beside him.

“Yeah, always was. She sat with me, you know, after you…” Rob swallowed. “After you died. She held my hand, I remember. I think they’d given me something, painkillers and maybe a sedative. I was pretty hazy. Dad and Uncle Bobby took turns sitting in my room until my adopted family came for me. They must have been sitting with you, too.”

“I don’t remember.” Galen shrugged. “It was a long time before I was aware again.” Rob leaned his shoulder against him. “When I was a little better, I regretted the decision, but it was done, you know. I thought…I…We thought it was for the best. Letting you go.”

“It wasn’t,” Rob’s voice was quiet.

“No,” Galen sighed. “But we thought it was. After what
It
did to you, to me. After what happened and what It knew, after what I heard…I thought it was best to let me die and you go. It would come for the pair of us again if we were together. And if It did, and we couldn’t stop It…”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Can you forgive me?” Galen’s heart was pounding against his ribcage as he asked the question. Rob looked at him, meeting his eyes, with a gentle smile.

“Forgive?” Rob shook his head. “Forgive?”

“Rob?”

“Galen…” He stopped himself, still looking at Galen, then sighed. “You died because of…” Rob suddenly stood and paced away, angry. “How can you ask?”

Galen’s heart sank. “Rob, I…”

The door opened, Rob glanced over as a customer walked in. He gave Galen a wild look and went in the back of the store.
He can’t forgive me. I don’t blame him, at this point I can’t forgive myself. Ten years. But I thought it was for the best.
He forced himself up, pasted a smile on his face and walked over to his customer. Rob reappeared a few minutes later. He sat down behind the counter, composed, a smile back on his face.

They didn’t have a chance to pick up the discussion again. It turned out to be a busy day. Rob fell into the routine quickly, he settled behind the cash register as if he had always been there. The stream of customers seemed to like him, too.

 
The day was winding to a close when Mike Silva came in. He walked over and gave Rob an intense look, took his pulse and looked in his eyes. The doctor was shaking his head and muttering under his breath when he finished.

“I hear that, you know,” Galen said, carrying a jar around the counter.

“Yeah, yeah. Would you be willing to come down again?”

“What’s up?”

“That girl they found…I think we’re going to lose her. I thought maybe…”

“What’s wrong? I thought you got to her in time?” Galen asked the doctor.

“I did, too, even with the massive blood loss, but there’s something else going on, we found traces of something in her blood, and then when she does wake up, albeit briefly, she starts screaming. Being buried alive does that, I guess.”

“Rob?” Galen took a step towards his brother. Rob’s face had paled and he was frowning, his hands clenched. “Rob?”

His brother turned to him. “We need to go down there, Galen. We have to.”

“I guess we’re coming.” Galen walked over and opened the door so Mike could leave, then locked up. Rob was already waiting at the back door for him when he got there. He looked sick.

“What’s going on, Rob?” he asked again as they got in the car.

“We need to see her first,” was all his brother said. Galen shook his head and pulled out wondering what was going on with Rob. “I was right, I knew it,” Rob said under his breath. Galen glanced over at his brother, Rob was looking out the window. He turned to Galen. “I think It’s here. It’s coming again.”

Chapter Six

 Mike was waiting for them when they pulled up at valet parking. Rob had been silent during the drive down, occasionally glancing over at Galen and then back out the window. Galen was aware of each look, wondering what it meant. They followed the doctor through the hospital. The girl was in intensive care. Mike waved at the nurses and walked into the room.

Rob strode over to the bed, looking at the girl. His hands were clenched as he stood and looked at the small figure on the bed. Galen walked up beside him, aware of the emotions flowing off his brother.
And without a touch. The bond has snapped back faster than I ever thought it could. Maybe it was never broken all the way.

The girl’s eyes were open, tiny slits reflecting terror. Mike was speaking to her soothingly. Galen walked over and smiled down at her. “My name is Galen,” he said, pitching his voice low, keeping it gentle. “I’m here to help a little if I can. Is that okay?” He smiled as she nodded and placed a hand on her head.

“Galen! No!” He heard Rob’s shout, but it was too late. It was there, in the child, the thing that had killed his father and uncle, It was there, suddenly aware of him. The old scar twisted, pain exploded though his body as It sighed with pleasure, the cold touch of the thing pulling at him. It laughed Its sick pleasure, the sound filling his mind until he knew nothing else.

Something warm was clasped around his hand, he sensed his brother through the contact, calming the over-hard beating of his heart.
I wonder if he remembered that from training? What happened? I thought I felt It, but then what?
He was lying down, he was pretty sure of that, his head was pounding and there was an ache in his chest. Someone groaned.

“Galen?” Rob’s voice was anxious, the hand on Galen’s gripped a little tighter.

“Galen? Can you hear me?” Mike asked, sounding every bit as anxious as Rob.

Galen forced his eyes open. He was lying on a hospital bed, he could hear the beeping of a heart monitor. It took him a minute to realize that it was his heart that was being monitored. Rob was sitting beside the bed, his hand over Galen’s. Mike was on the other side, looking down anxiously. “What happened?”

“You had a seizure,” Mike said matter-of-factly, the tone in his voice anything but calm.

“My fault,” Rob whispered in the same moment.

“What?” Galen asked them.

“A seizure?” Mike said again.

“My fault. I saw It, but you already had your hand down. I should have stopped you in time. I knew It was there. I’m sorry.”