Chapter Fifteen.
Lyra
William had been thrown by what we’d learned this afternoon and needed some time alone.
He was currently watching Leafpoint’s lantern while Avery should be in his bedroom or with William.
It worried me that gaps still existed in our knowledge.
How could we defeat evil if we didn’t know what we faced?
Sure, we knew it was Allan Barnaby, but what was he? A zombie, poltergeist, ghost? Or worse?
I heard a loud noise downstairs and wondered what William and Avery were up to.
I’d been unable to sleep and had been relaxing against the pillows, scrolling through my phone, trying to discover any further information.
The bang repeated, and I frowned. Was Avery up to something?
Such was the life of a ghost boy’s mother; I smirked inwardly.
I climbed out of bed and headed to where they were. It wouldn’t have surprised me to find that Avery had slipped past William.
When I reached the kitchen, no one was there.
Confused, I looked around, hearing another bang.
I swallowed hard when I saw the rug covering the trapdoor move.
It shuddered again, and I opened my mouth to scream.
The rug shot aside, and the trapdoor flew open.
A foul stench permeated the air, and I gagged.
A white, bloated hand emerged, fingers so swollen they appeared distorted.
It became an arm, and then a head surfaced.
The cry that left me was chilling. Slowly, a living corpse of a man emerged. His eyes were pale and red-rimmed and focused on me.
“Little Jasper,” he cackled and kept coming.
“William!” I screeched.
“That fool can’t come to help. He’s trying to save the lantern,” the dead man hissed, chuckling.
Panicked, I moved backward, scrabbling for a weapon.
“Who are you?” I gasped. Did that matter? Probably not. My hand closed on a saucepan, and I brandished it in front of me.
“Allan Barnaby. I’d say at your service, but you’re about to serve me.” The hissing laughter repeated as the corpse shuffled forward. Allan was terrifying, bloated, rotting, skin sliding off his bones, but what frightened me the most was the grin on his face.
“William!” I screamed again as a hand reached for me.
Allan’s smell was overpowering, and I was gagging, but I swung the pan.
I connected with Allan’s head and shrieked once more.
His neck literally tilted at a ninety-degree angle, and his head landed on his shoulder before Allan merely reached up and straightened it.
“Leave my mum alone!” A whirlwind raced into the kitchen and shoved Allan backwards.
“Avery! No! Run!” I yelled.
Allan cackled, and as Avery came at him again, Allan raked his filthy nails down Avery’s spirit.
“No!” I lunged forward, attacking. My son was being hurt. Avery wailed whilst Allan repeated his action. Angrily, I smacked Allan’s hand away, bending his wrist all the way back, and Allan grabbed me around the throat. Violently, he shook me as I punched and kicked at him, dropping the pan.
Avery attacked again, and Allan threw me into the wall and grabbed Avery.
Avery yowled and screamed as Allan tore at him. I forced myself to my knees and flung myself at Allan. He raked Avery one last time, and Avery faded to nothing, and then Allan dragged me down the trapdoor.
William
Leafpoint trilled an alarm, and I was on my feet as wraiths flowed upwards through the floor, intent on destroying the lantern.
I grabbed the nearest and ripped it to pieces, but another took its place.
Glass shattered, and I flung a wraith into the light and held it there.
It screeched in pain before bursting into dust.
“Too late, human,” one hissed, and then I heard Lyra scream. The remaining five went for the chimney, and I fought them off.
“Protect the light!” I yelled at Leafpoint.
A warm white glow sprang up around the chimney, and I stumbled.
Leafpoint was drawing power from me. Angered, I tossed two more towards the light, then kicked a third aside.
A fourth came at my back as the one I held burst into dust. I staggered forward as finally the other died.
“Avery!” Lyra’s scream sounded from below, and panic surged through me.
My family was under attack. Through the floor appeared more wraiths.
I clasped my hands to the chimney, unsure of what I was doing, and concentrated.
Leafpoint stole my energy and gathered her light.
With a massive burst, she flung it outwards and downwards, killing all wraiths nearby. I staggered, becoming translucent.
Lyra screamed again, and Leafpoint sent a surge of power back at me. I vanished and then reappeared in the kitchen. Lyra was grappling with something in the cellar, yet I couldn’t find Avery anywhere. Emotions rushing through me, I didn’t hesitate but raced after her.
Lyra wasn’t making it easy for whatever had kidnapped her, as the sounds of her fighting got louder. Separating the cellar from the cave had been a thick door, which now stood open. I pushed through it and into the pitch-darkness. But as a ghost, I could see the dark.
I became transparent and saw where Lyra and her captor had disturbed the floor.
Quickly, I followed footsteps, and a cold feeling settled in my stomach.
I knew where we were heading. Minutes later, I approached Devil’s Edge.
Aptly named, it was a tiny ledge above a drop that led to a roaring sea and sharp rocks.
The Devil’s Edge was big enough for only one person.
Moonlight flooded the rock as I neared the cave opening and ledge, and I skidded to a halt.
A small fire burned nearby, and two people fought close to the opening.
“Stop!” I yelled.
“William!” Lyra cried out, punching and kicking her captor. Every time she did, there was a squelching sound, and Lyra gagged or made a distressed noise.
The person holding her smashed her on the head; Lyra staggered before dropping to her knees.
“William, I thought I’d get your bitch sister, but the woman you love will do,” Allan Barnaby sneered. The moonlight bathed him in cold light, and I gaped.
“You’re a corpse,” I gasped.
“There are those brains of yours! For killing a child, I was cursed to this form. And then you kept me prisoner!” Allan roared.
“Sounds like justice to me. Let Lyra go, Allan.”
“No. This Jasper’s my ticket. Her death will free me,” he yelled.
“If you want to die, I’m only too happy to end you!” I challenged, and Allan roared with laughter.
“Not death. If I eliminate her, I can suck her soul up and come back. This rotting frame will crumble, and I’ll become a man again. What’s one Jasper whore amongst friends?” Allan insisted, shaking Lyra.
“I thought Lyra’s blood was poisonous to you?” I demanded, completely confused.
“She is! But if I kill her, it’s not.”
I needed to keep Allan talking. “Why did you end my life?” I shuffled a step forward.
“Why not? You were a pious bastard. Take the money, William, that’s all you needed to do. You’d have been richer than your dad,” Allan sneered.
“So you killed me? How?”
“Does any of this look familiar? You’ve been here before,” Allan taunted.
“You shoved me over.”
“Yeah. I lured you down here to kill me,” Allan stated. “William, you didn’t fight. Failed to see the betrayal coming. Fool.” Allan laughed. “Now you’ll watch her die, and you can’t do anything!”
“Allan, you’re not killing Lyra,” I ordered, edging forward.
Allan roared with laughter and grabbed Lyra around the throat.
“Say goodbye,” Allan cackled. He held Lyra out over the ledge, and her eyes sprang open.
I lunged for her just as she punched into Allan’s chest and tore his heart out.
Allan screamed, toppling backwards. Lyra scrabbled for purchase and started to fall as I swung an arm out.
Her hand grabbed mine, and within an instant, I teleported to the rear of Devil’s Edge.
Allan began to regain his balance.
I moved quickly, grabbing the rotting heart from Lyra as she shrieked uncontrollably and threw it into the fire.
“No!” Allan yelled as I tackled him. Time slowed.
I hit Allan head-on, wrapping my arms around his decomposing body.
The flames flared as they consumed his heart.
Lyra was scrambling forward on her knees, her eyes meeting mine.
She was screaming a denial, and her arm was outstretched, reaching for me.
Then Allan and I began falling. I glanced down and saw a black tunnel opening up below.
The doorway to hell, welcoming Allan home.
I shoved Allan away from me, and a sense of peace washed over me. Lyra appeared above me, and I hoped she knew how much I’d love her. I’d rest easy, knowing she was safe. A bright white light emerged above Lyra, and I blinked. Was that heaven coming for me? It was too late; hell would take me.
Allan’s screams echoed as darkness began swallowing us both. The tunnel began to collapse as we dropped, and then a pale figure appeared above me and grabbed my wrist.
“Not today, Old Boney,” he roared and pulled. I was dragged upwards, and there was a boom, and silence fell. Not even the waves made a noise; the wind died, and above me all I could see was Lyra gazing at me.
Time restarted, and I was launched onto the ledge, and Lyra tackled me. She was sobbing as she wrapped her arms around me, ignoring the stinking mess on my clothes. We held each other tightly, both of us crying. We’d survived.
“Avery!” Lyra cried.
“Where is he?”
“Allan tore him apart because Avery tried to save me. He killed our boy,” she sobbed. My heart sank. No, that is not possible.
“Avery!” I bellowed. “Son, come here!”
“Avery’s gone,” a voice said.
“Luc, you’re a fool! You risked too much just now!” a man scolded.
I spun around and saw four people behind us. I couldn’t see their faces; they were blurred.
“No, can’t be! Avery!” I roared.
“Why do you care about a little orphan ghost?” a woman questioned.