Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
L uke woke up in his room above the bookshop. His first thought was Lewis and he realised he had been dreaming about his twin. Dreaming that they were together and now he had woken up alone and it felt all wrong. How was Lewis feeling? What was he doing? He sat up and pushed a hand through his hair. Why hadn’t he just stayed with Lewis the night before? Then he would be near him.
He forced himself to think through his actions the day before, to pinpoint the moment he had left his brother, his twin, his other half. Esme. He had been with Esme before he had gone to be with Lewis. He remembered that there hadn’t been anywhere to sleep. The house was full and Lewis was surrounded. Luke had gone upstairs to find a bed and then had experienced the nagging feeling that he had forgotten something important. It had been enough to spark the desire to go home to the bookshop to sleep. He had been doing something with Esme. But he couldn’t hold on to the thought long enough to remember what.
That was a tiring line of questions, so he relaxed against his pillow and thought about his brother. Lewis had been asleep in Tobias’s chair. He had been snoring. One of the visitors was draped in his lap, wide awake and watching Lewis’s every breath as if it was the most fascinating sight.
Sunlight was streaming through the big window at the front of the shop and Luke knew it was past opening time. He couldn’t run the shop and see his brother, though, so the customers would have to be disappointed. The front door refused to open and the lights in the shop flickered.
‘I’ve got to go and see Lewis,’ Luke said out loud. He tried the door again, but it was stuck fast.
He walked back to the main room. There was a large book on the counter. It was a rich royal blue leather with embossed scrollwork, the spotted remains of gilt, and a tarnished brass latch. There wasn’t any text on the outside of the book, but when he flipped it open, an ornately illustrated title page informed him it was a collection of Russian folktales. It was a book for Esme, he realised. The shop had been supplying her with an endless parade of reading material and this was exactly the kind of volume that he had become used to finding in the stockroom or waiting for her on the counter.
His comfortable bubble of calm popped. Memories rushed in. He had been walking with Esme. They had been going to speak to the islanders about Lewis. About the stream of visitors, and the weird way they seemed drawn to Lewis. Obsessed with him.
‘Thank you,’ he said. The lights flickered in answer and he heard the front door unlock.
Luke didn’t want to go back into Tobias’s house. Not until Tobias was safely home and sitting by his fire. He messaged Lewis and asked him to walk with him. Then he left his phone in the bookshop. He wanted to be able to control when he spoke to Lewis.
The sun was setting over the waves. A path of sparkling water leading to the horizon, like a trail leading to a distant land.
He wasn’t sure whether Lewis would come. And, if he did, he half-expected him to have his entourage with him.
When he saw the familiar figure walking alone, he let himself believe that all would be well. He knew Unholy Island wasn’t the life that Lewis had dreamed of. He was a city man. He liked clubs and restaurants and pavements thronged with people. He liked opportunities and buzz, the feeling that he was at the centre of everything. Whatever weird thing was going on, Lewis was still Lewis, and he must be getting restless by now.
‘Nice out here,’ Lewis said cheerfully when he caught up to Luke. ‘Good idea.’
‘It gets claustrophobic,’ Luke said. ‘The small community. I need to walk sometimes.’
‘You seem snug as a bug,’ Lewis said. ‘Tucked in that little shop.’
‘I didn’t say I didn’t like it. But I’m me. I’m surprised you’re still here.’
‘Not this again.’ Lewis’s good humour died.
‘I’m happy to see you. You know that. But that doesn’t mean I’m not surprised. Thought you would be bored out of your skull by now.’
‘Maybe I’ve changed.’
They walked for a few minutes in silence, falling into step together as they always had. Shoulder to shoulder, same length of stride, their footsteps in the sand forming two identical trails.
‘I’m not talking about you leaving,’ Luke began, feeling his way into the conversation.
A sidelong look from his twin. Suspicion.
‘But you have to get those people to leave. It’s not healthy.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘All those people crowded in Tobias’s house. You were invited to stay there. They shouldn’t be there.’
‘I thought you said unhealthy?’
‘Well, it is.’ Luke kept his gaze forward, looking toward the headland. He was trying to keep the conversation easy, not be too confrontational. Lewis had never been at his best when he felt cornered. ‘I’m just saying… Do they seem all right to you? They’re all obsessed with you. You’ve got to admit it’s a bit weird.’
‘Are you jealous?’
‘No! That’s not what…’ Luke rubbed his brow, feeling a headache taking root. A few more steps, another deep breath. ‘Surely you can see that this isn’t normal behaviour?’
‘Nothing about this place is normal,’ Lewis shot back. ‘Why does everyone leave after two nights? I’m just getting to know them and they go? They don’t want to go, they don’t talk about going, but they do. Regular as clockwork.’ Lewis narrowed his eyes. ‘Is it something to do with the witch?’
‘What?’
‘You know. Esme. You told me that she’s a witch.’
Luke frowned, trying to remember.
‘I don’t think we need those wards anymore,’ Lewis continued. ‘Let people stay if they want, that’s what I reckon.’
A coldness crept into Luke’s stomach. ‘No. The wards keep the islanders safe.’
‘It’s a power grab.’ Lewis stopped walking and faced Luke. ‘I respect it, but that’s what it is. Your missus wants everyone controlled and beholden to her. She stops outsiders from staying too long, means she keeps control of the island.’
‘That’s not…’ Luke trailed off. He felt as if he was losing the thread of his thoughts.
‘It’s smart.’ Lewis lifted his chin. ‘But I’m saying it’s not the only way for things to be. We could have loads of visitors all the time. Everyone would make more money. Your little shop might turn a profit for once. Or there would be other opportunities. I know people who could use a bolthole. Somewhere quiet to do business.’
‘It won’t be quiet if you break the wards,’ Luke said. ‘Not that you could.’ He hoped that was true. On one level, he knew that Lewis was wrong, but part of his mind was insisting that he made a kind of sense, that Luke ought to listen, to obey.
‘I bet Esme would break them for you. If you asked. That woman is head over heels. God knows why.’
That sounded more like the brother he knew. Luke was simultaneously annoyed and relieved, and he felt clarity returning. He bared his teeth and punched his brother on the arm. Not all that lightly. ‘I won’t ask. And neither will you.’
Bee had walked away from the farmland, leaving the guide far behind. She had crossed the vast red desert by telling the world that it was no more than a narrow strip of sand. Now, she told Elsewhere that she required shade and water. Her mouth was dry and her eyes felt hot and sore. She knew those were sensations from her body, locked back on Unholy Island. Still, a copse of trees rose up on the brow of the next hill. Bee headed for their cool green embrace.