The Legacy: A Custodes Noctis Book Read online

  “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.”

  “What are you talking about?” Mike demanded. “He had a seizure.”

  “I’m so sorry, Galen. I should have stopped you. Are you okay? Did It hurt you?”

  “I’m not sure.” Galen paused, something was different. “Something happened. It might have just been letting me know it was there.” He tried to sit up, but dropped back on the bed as the room spun.

  “You aren’t going anywhere for awhile.” Mike put a hand on his arm.

  “You suspected something, didn’t you?” Galen looked at his brother.

  “I had to ‘see’ her to know for sure.”

  “Hello? You two want to let me in on this? My patient had a seizure and damn near coded, you want to tell me what’s going on?” Mike’s tone was snarky.

  Rob didn’t move. “Rob? What did you need to see?”

  “If she had…”

  “Rob?”

  Rob met his eyes. “I had to know, Galen. I had to know if this was the beginning. If she was like me.”

  Past

  Ten Years Before

  Day Two-Rob

  It smelled wet, dank and moldy. That was the first thing that occurred to Rob. It was also very dark. Where am I? “Galen?” he called out, unsure. He was answered only by a far-off drip. He opened his eyes, it was very dark, a tiny sliver of light came from one side of the room. Rob sat up carefully and let his eyes adjust, breathing deeply like Galen had showed him, to help stop the fear pounding in his chest. He looked around, he was in a small room. There was a large wooden door, the light was coming under the door and through the keyhole. He was alone.

  “Galen?” he called again. Nothing. He remembered the fight on the road. Galen had been hurt even before they had been stopped. He hadn’t wanted to run, but Galen looked so desperate when he told him to escape.
So he had run, from the fight, from his brother. That was a big mistake. He was hurt, there was so much blood. Rob closed his eyes for a minute, trying to get a sense of his brother through the bond they had as Keepers. He thought he felt him for a moment, just a flash, and then an odd darkness where the flash had been. “Galen? What’s going on? Are you okay? Please be okay. I’ll find you, okay? You just be okay till I get there.” He sighed. Now what? What would Galen want me to do? He’d say we’re Keepers—try and escape. Okay, Galen, let me see if I can.

  He walked over to look at the door. It had an old-fashioned skeleton key lock. He dug through his pockets. They’d taken his pocket-knife, but he still had some odds and ends. Rob smiled. Galen had showed him how to pick locks the summer before. It was supposedly a forbidden activity, but Galen had taken pleasure in showing him and now he was better than Galen at it. In fact, he often teased his big brother about it, telling him of his exploits with various locks. Galen would look at him with disgust, shake his head and say he regretted the day he had taught him that particular skill. Rob just laughed at him and would boast he could pick a lock. Any lock. Okay, almost any lock, but I bet given a little time I can open any lock, anywhere, anytime. Rob comforted himself imagining his brother’s response to that statement. “Better not, Brat,” Galen would say and nudge him with a shoulder or lightly punch him in the arm. Comforted and feeling confident, Rob set to work, gently testing the lock. Within a couple of minutes he was rewarded by a loud click. Ha, gotcha. He gently pulled the door open.

  There was a hallway, lit by a lone naked light bulb. Rob cautiously looked down the hall, there were stairs about forty feet from him. The room he was in was at the end of the hallway, there were three other doors along it. He slipped silently out of the room toward the stairs. As he walked down the hall, he opened the doors. Galen might be here. I have to find him, if he’s hurt he’ll need my help. I can’t “feel” him, though. I wonder if that means he isn’t here? Or if he is unconscious. That thought caused a ripple of panic to run up his spine. As he opened the last door he smelled something odd, a coppery smell. His brain sought to identify it, but not before he saw what was in the room. He slammed the door as the gruesome sight registered in his brain. Rob resisted the urge to run and stopped at the bottom step. There was another closed door at the top, it didn’t look like it had a lock. He crept up the stairs and eased the door open. The room was empty and, across from Rob, was a door that went out of the building.

  He paused, listening. He could hear someone talking, but it was muffled, coming from another room. Rob stopped for a moment, trying to hear Galen’s voice, reaching out trying to sense his presence. Not hearing his brother’s voice, he took a step, moving silently. Maybe all that time Galen and I spent sneaking up on each other was a good thing. The door was so close. He moved towards it and turned the knob. It was unlocked. He peeked out the door, making sure no one was around, slipped outside and stopped to get his bearings.

  The building, it might be an old farmhouse, was bordered by forest. There was a large clearing surrounding the house that he would need to cross before he was safely in the cover of the trees. It would be a long dash. He was fairly fast these days, even though he couldn’t run as fast as Galen, but his brother was tall, with legs to match. His brother assured him he’d be equally as tall, but at times like this Rob wished his growth spurt had already caught up with him. He measured the distance to the trees, wondering how fast he could cross the open space.

  He paused, wondering what to do. If Galen were there, he was probably hurt, he’d need help, but Rob was pretty sure he wouldn’t be enough help to rescue his brother. He thought about it for a precious minute. He wasn’t sure Galen was there. And he knew what his brother would say if he didn’t go. He shook his head. Galen would tell him to run, get help and come back.

  Rob took a deep breath and ran for the trees. About halfway across the clearing, he heard someone shout an alarm. He thought he heard someone behind him and ran faster, it didn’t work, before he got to the forest he was tackled and tackled hard. He went down, stunned.

  “No you don’t, kid, you’re not going anywhere.” A man with a thick beard pulled him to his feet. He held Rob’s arm in a tight grip. Rob looked at him and what he saw caused him to panic. He struck out at the man, the way Galen had shown him, the man ducked, then yanked Rob’s arm behind him, applying pressure until Rob stopped struggling. He was forced back into the house and down the stairs. The man stopped at a high shelf in the hallway and pulled down a rope. Shoving Rob back into the room he had escaped from, the man tied Rob’s hands behind him and pushed him down on the floor.

  “Don’t worry, kid. You won’t be in here all that long. The ritual will begin soon. The Other will be in here with you shortly, to spend time with you before it starts.” He smiled, there was something in his smile, in his eyes, that terrified Rob.

  Taking a deep breath Rob “looked” at him, using the Sight, bracing himself for what was there. The man was surrounded by a dirty black ring, tinged with the red of ancient blood. The colors, the way they looked, formed in Rob’s brain not only as a visual presence, but as a smell as well. It was the smell of death. Rob recognized it, he had found a dead opossum on the road once. The man laughed at Rob’s look. When he closed the door Rob heard the key turn in the lock.

  Once he was alone, Rob pulled against the rope binding his hands, testing to see if he could work it loose. He struggled with it for what seemed like a long time before the hopelessness of the situation caught up with him. Determination began to give way to despair. He felt like crying. The fact that he couldn’t sense his brother at all was beginning to wear on him. He’d always been aware of Galen, and this silence disturbed him enough to cause a seed of worry to start growing. Rob knew they weren’t as close as their father and uncle, but still, Galen had always been there.

  The key turned in the lock. A man in white pants and a bright purple shirt came in and sat down beside Rob. “I am Other.”

  “That’s your name? What a dumb name.” Rob said, trying to quell his fear. What he saw in the man caused his heart to race. He had black spots like the waitress did, but something else was there. The man had a red ring around him and a black place on his chest. Rob took another breath, calming himself, hiding what he had seen.

  “I had another name, as did you Chosen.”

  “That’s not my name. It’s Rob, not chosen.”

  “Yes, it is now. You are Chosen and I am Other. It is the way. You will be thirteen, the Chosen age, and I will be three times thirteen, the Other age.”

  “What? That doesn’t make sense. You know what? It’s stupid.”

  “That is the way it is. That is how it works. I am Willing and you are Unwilling. It is the way. We get to begin with the Earth ritual in a while.”

  “What’s that?” Rob asked, curious even though he was beginning to get freaked out.

  “It will mark the Beginning. We will be bled and blessed and then we will be placed within the Earth for thirteen hours.”

  “What? What do you mean put in the earth?” Rob asked, terrified.

  “In the ritual place and then we will be covered and will rest there for thirteen hours before the other rituals can begin.”

  “Do you mean we’ll be buried?” He could feel his heart pounding against his ribcage. “Alive?”

  “Yes, isn’t it glorious?”

  “Not really, no.” He tried to reach out to his brother, fear making his mouth dry. Just for an instant he thought he sensed him. “Galen, where are you? Galen? Are you alive?” Rob reached out, trying to communicate all that to his brother. “There is something wrong with these people. They look like death. I think they look like my death. I’m frightened. Galen?” For just a moment he thought he heard his brother answer.

  “It is a very marvelous thing to be Chosen for this ritual.”

  “Don’t take this wrong, but I think you’re nuts,” Rob said, comforting himself with the image of Galen
saying it.

  “You will see. You will embrace it.”

  “My brother is coming to get me. He’ll find me.”

  “He won’t find you. Don’t worry about that. I hear them. It is time.” Other stood and opened the door. The man with the beard came in with a white shirt and purple pants. He dropped them on the floor and cut the rope binding Rob’s hands.

  “Put those on. We’ll be just outside, so don’t try anything funny.”

  “No.”

  “You do it or we will. You don’t have any choice,” the man said. The black ring around him vibrated. Rob swallowed. “Okay.” He stood and picked up the clothes, waiting until they left before changing as quickly as possible. His mouth was dry, fear making his heart pound.

  They came back in and placed two braziers and two golden cups on the floor. The incense smelled weird to Rob and he started feeling a little sick to his stomach. After they’d chanted something in an unfamiliar language, they stood by the brazier for a moment, wafting the smoke around themselves. The one who called himself Other picked up one of the golden cups, then held his left arm over the cup. The bearded man had a bright silver knife. He cut Other’s arm and they watched as his blood flowed into the cup.

  When they finished, they put that cup on the floor and picked up the second one. Before Rob could react, they had grabbed his arm and sliced deeply, holding it over the cup. He watched, fascinated, as his blood ran into the cup. There’s something strange in the incense. It’s affecting my Sight. I can’t see them as clearly now, I wonder what’s in it. Galen will know. I’ll ask him. The thought of his brother comforted him. He was starting to get faint. They bound a purple and red cloth over the wound, picked up the cups and the braziers and led him from the room.

  They took him out of the house and across the clearing. Rob noticed a small hill at the back of the house, they were leading him towards it. As they reached the bottom, they stopped and chanted, forcing Rob onto his knees for a moment before pulling him up and dragging him up the incline. Rob could see the sun setting, blood-red, over the trees. When they reached the top and Rob saw what was there, once he saw what was going to happen, he pulled violently away from them and ran. Sheer terror gave him strength to break the hold the incense had over him, his head was suddenly clear and he made a dash to escape, but was stopped before he got far. There were other people waiting along the edge of the hill, and they grabbed him and forced him back, holding him by one of two large holes dug in the ground.