The Guest & The Change

chapter 6





As Daniel stared out of the airplane window darkness fell. He saw city lights glittering ahead as the plane approached the urban sprawl of New Orleans. He heard a beep as the seat belt lights came on and a flight assistant announced their decent. Daniel fumbled with his belt and fastened it. Of course he wouldn’t need it but it would stop the flight attendant drawing attention to him.

He felt the plane start to descend and watched the city from above. He could see light reflecting off of the great river and the mass of lights penetrating the darkness from the lively centre. Streams of cars moved over elevated highways as people made their way home from work, and others went out to experience the night life of the city.

The lights petered off towards the outskirts. That was where he would need to head to start his search for Heather - the darker outer regions of New Orleans.

He braced himself as the plane landed, undid his belt and grabbed his bag from the overhead locker. As he disembarked the plane he was struck by the difference in the air from Canada - it was heavy and warm. To his enhanced senses it smelt strongly of dirt and pollution.

He entered the bright lights of the terminal and went through the security checks before heading for the under-cover taxi rank. The cabs were pulled up in a line and he joined the queue. He was traveling far lighter than the other passengers who were surrounded by cases of luggage and sleepy children.

When it was his turn he climbed in the back and the driver accelerated into the night. Daniel didn’t remember Heather’s actual address, so he instructed the taxi driver as he went - watching out for sights he recognized.

They wound their way through the hustle and bustle of evening traffic and sped over highways. As they entered the rougher outskirts he began to see damage from the floods that hadn’t been remedied. He hoped Heather’s house had fared well.

The driver took a final left and Daniel saw the old structure of Heather’s house still standing. He laughed to himself as he imagined her staying put during the storm, protecting her house by magical means.

As the taxi stopped he pulled out some notes and paid the driver well. He watched the cab retreating, leaving him alone in the dark.

Turning to face the old house he saw little change - the paint was peeling a little more, but the building still looked sound. He saw warm light radiating from within, escaping through gaps in the thick curtains.

He felt the sizzle of magical power. A smile spread across his face as he realized his search would end here, it wouldn’t be long before he would be back with Sarah, and she would be in his arms.

***

Sarah continued to weep as her kids snuggled against her; they were wondering what was wrong with their Mommy. Sarah hugged them tightly but couldn’t form words to comfort them. She couldn’t think straight.

There was a body in her garden.

God, what if someone discovered it?

What was she supposed to do - dig a hole and bury it?

She cried harder. She could not do that. She couldn’t leave her kids alone. She couldn’t risk their safety. She felt unable to act. Or react. She was paralyzed by fear and guilt.

What else could she have done? He would have killed her, or raped her. Or both.

She thought about the darkness that had left the body when she had killed him, that had taken Sebastian’s form.

So it had been Sebastian all along. He had been possessing the poor boy and now she had killed him. He had just been an innocent, controlled by an evil he didn’t understand. Was there something else she could have done? Some way she could have saved him from Sebastian?

Sarah didn’t know. All she knew was she longed for Daniel’s return. She hoped he would find the information he was seeking, and fast, as he didn’t realize the danger they all were in.

***

Daniel walked up the steps to Heather’s porch. He knocked and waited impatiently; as no-one came hurrying to open the door. A couple of minutes ticked by before he tried again.

Still no-one answered.

Daniel started to get restless. He was sure she was in there, why wasn’t she answering?

Daniel got down on one knee and opened the letter box.

‘Heather, it’s me Daniel,’ He shouted in.

He heard feet moving towards the door and stepped back.

The door swung inwards, and there she stood. She looked older, her hair shot with grey and her skin papery.

‘Daniel!’ She greeted him with enthusiasm. ‘I thought you’d come back one day.’

She extended her arms in greeting and he stepped inside and embraced her warmly.

‘It’s good to see you again,’ he said.

Daniel looked about Heathers house. It was exactly the same as he remembered. He could have sworn the exact same candles were burning as when he had stepped in there over a decade before.

Daniel wanted to catch up with Heather, but he was worried about leaving Sarah alone for too long. He needed to get to the point.

‘I’m afraid I’m here on business though - I need your help,’ he said pleadingly.

‘How so?’ She asked, eyebrows raised in query.

‘I cast a spell to destroy a vampire, but I’m worried a residual trace of him may remain.’

Daniel filled her in on the spell he had performed to get rid of Sebastian, while she listened intently, her eyes concerned.

‘That’s a powerful spell - I’m impressed you managed it.’

Heather rose and walked into the kitchen. She filled a kettle and placed it on the hot stove. Daniel watched as she rummaged through the herbs and spices in one of her cupboards, bringing out a small selection.

‘I suspect that a trace of Sebastian does remain. It’s because he has been a vampire for hundreds of years; he has become tied to the Earth. There may not be anything you can do to defeat him for good.’

Daniel felt his heart plummet - was Sebastian going to be a problem forever?

‘But I do have an idea,’ she said quickly - sensing his turmoil. ‘There is a binding spell you could try. I could teach you.’

‘Please, Heather. I’m sorry to ask this of you, I didn’t want to bother you. I didn’t think I’d even be able to find you!’

Heather waved her hand, brushing aside his concerns.

She eyed him as she mixed a blend with boiling water - ‘This will help you gain the power you need without taking blood from humans. I sense you are filled with power already, that you have taken on the evil committed by Sebastian. I don’t want to add to your debt by increasing your reliance on blood. This should be enough.’

She passed him the steaming cup, which he brought to his lips and tasted, wincing.

Heather laughed. ‘It’s not meant to taste good, everyone would drink it!’

Daniel forced himself to down it. The second he did Heather filled his cup with wine and he downed that too. The taste still lingered, but had lessoned.

‘That was truly disgusting.’ As he said it he felt his body start to buzz as the herbs worked their magic. It wasn’t the same heady sense he gained while drinking blood, it was less substantial, and less enjoyable. The buzz escalated and he had to concentrate hard to stay focused on his surroundings.

‘Sit still, it will pass in a minute,’ she looked at him knowingly and winked.

He waited, not replying - hoping that what she said was true.

After what felt like far longer than a minute, the buzzing started to subside. He smiled at Heather and said, ‘Thankyou. That will also save me time. Now tell me, what should I do?’

‘First - what have you done with Sebastian’s ashes?’ She asked.

‘They are under my bed at the hotel up north. I was going to disperse them as I had a feeling it would stop him returning. Yet I haven’t had time and I wanted to talk to you first.’

‘Don’t throw them away - you need them for the spell. Although while they can be found there is a risk Sebastian could return. You sit here and meditate for an hour, focus on your power and visualize it increasing, strengthening,’ Heather said. She must have seen Daniel look apprehensive as she added, ‘Don’t worry - the tea will help you.’

Heather left Daniel alone to do as she had asked.

***

Sarah managed to pull herself together and feed her children. She made them beans and eggs on toast so they would eat without a fuss. She tried to laugh as Megan told her anecdotes from her day at school, filling her in on all the kiddy dramas. She pushed aside the memory of what had happened earlier. She pushed aside all thoughts of doing anything about it.

She read Megan and Bea a story about three pigs and tucked them up in their bedrooms, kissing them each goodnight.

After they were in bed she poured herself a large glass of red wine and put on a movie. Each sip she took made her feel more sleepy - she was exhausted by the emotions that consumed her.

Sarah looked up at the picture of her and Jo on the mantelpiece, his arms around her and the children. In the picture they were all smiles. It masked the difficulties they had actually experienced; his infidelity.

But she had also loved him. She let herself cry at his memory, she cried for herself and for her children, who didn’t yet realize what they had lost. She cried for his family and the life he had lost. She cried for herself and the ruin her life was in.

Finally she slept, still clothed, right there on the sofa, vivid dreams disturbing her slumber.

***

Sebastian waited outside the next house he came across - it was situated alone at the edge of the forest. A fire blazed within and smoke bellowed from the chimney into the cold night.

The house was large, and through his rage, he sensed eight warm bodies inside. He could hear clinking and drunken conversations - it sounded like they were having a party.

He decided he would stay there and wait - the first person who left the house would be his, and this time he would make good use of the body. He would not lose it in a fight.

***

Daniel was relieved when Heather returned and he could stop concentrating on his power, or ‘meditating’, as she had called it. He had done as she said, but it was as hard as he had thought it would be. He had tried to imagine his power increasing but it kept slipping away from him. He thought he had probably had some success - he was feeling vibrant with energy, but he suspected that was mainly the strangely magical tea.

Heather smiled ironically at him. Daniel thought she suspected his lack of luck in the meditating department. She was carrying a rounded metal jar with a cork stopper attached by a string around its neck. He raised his eyebrows inquisitively, wondering if it was needed for the spell.

He rose from his position. He had been sitting cross legged on the tatty rug, adopting the traditional meditation pose - in case that would aid in his success.

Heather had pulled out a chair and sat at the table, so he joined her. He sat waiting for her to speak.

After a long pause, in which she looked like she was thinking hard about what to say, she spoke.

‘This urn,’ she gesticulated at the metal jar, ‘will be the necessary vessel for Sebastian’s spirit. You must put some of Sebastian’s ashes in the urn for the spell to work. You will need to cast magic to weaken him and to make his spirit take residence in the urn. Next you will need to insert the cork and cast the binding spell. This will make sure his spirit is trapped inside. It will stay there unless someone casts a more powerful spell than yours to release him. Once bound you must bury the urn deep in the ground to ensure it will not be found.’

Daniel nodded. That was easy enough to understand. He suspected conducting the spell itself may be a bit more tricky.

‘To weaken Sebastian you will need to fire energy at him. This will use up your power, but you will have enough left to do the binding spell.’

‘How do I ‘fire energy’ at him?’ Daniel asked uncertainly. He wasn’t sure if she might have over-estimated his magical ability.

‘That’s not a problem. Do you remember when I taught you to light fires with your mind?’

‘Yes, I can still do that,’ Daniel said.

He blew out the white candle in the center of the table. To demonstrate his ability, and to show off just a little, he concentrated hard on the candle, feeding tendrils of power into the wick and sparking it with a focused blast from his mind.

Heather laughed and clapped, ‘I’m glad you remembered that! Firing energy is similar in principle. Relax your mind and I will show you.’

Daniel was expecting this - it was how she had taught him before. He closed his eyes and focused within. He heard movement as Heather came closer and felt warm fingers touch his temples. Immediately he sensed the presence of her mind at the edge of his.

A vision appeared at the forefront of his thoughts. It explained far more than words alone could.

He saw himself focusing on his power within and channeling it down through his arms, out of his fingers. As his power would leave his fingers he had to use his mind to focus on it burning bright and hitting its target.

The fingers left his temples and he rubbed his eyes before looking up. Learning magic like that made his head ache.

‘There’s no need to practice that now, I don’t want anything in here damaged! Anyway, you will have no problems with that one.’

Again Daniel nodded. He indeed did feel confident with that, the concept already seemed deeply embedded in his psyche.

‘What if Sebastian has already found a human host?’ Daniel asked.

‘Then you will have to sacrifice him, or her, as they are dead already. No-one can survive being possessed by a spirit that old.’ She looked sad, and Daniel wondered if she had lost someone this way in the past.

He didn’t ask though. He knew he was being selfish, but he didn’t want to delay.

‘When his spirit starts to fade you must have the urn to hand and visualize this symbol in your head -’ She leant in and touched his temples again. Daniel closed his eyes and a symbol appeared in his mind. He focused on it hard, making sure he remembered every loop and angle accurately. He did not want to make a mistake.

‘Hold the urn steady and visualize the mark in your head - then send it out at Sebastian. Visualize it wrapping around his spirit and it will. Then visualize the mark on the urn. The two marks will link and Sebastian will be propelled inside. As soon as his spirit is inside the urn - push in the cork.’

Daniel repeated what she had said in his mind, making sure he had got it. He nodded again.

‘Next is the hardest part - the binding spell. There is another symbol that you need to remember.’ Again she leant in and showed him the mark with her mind. ‘Although this one is simpler, it needs to be reinforced with considerable amounts of power. You need to give it all you have. Project the mark at the urn and, as you do, infuse it with this power. The more power you put in; the harder the spell will be to break.’

‘And that’s it?’ He asked, hoping it was.

‘Yes, be careful you follow each step in order, or it won’t work,’ she teased, although her eyes betrayed her seriousness.

Daniel rose, picking up the urn. ‘I must leave, I’m sorry. Thankyou so much, you have no idea how happy I will be if this works.’

Heather rose too, and walked with Daniel to the door. ‘Pop by sometime, it would be good to catch up when your need is less urgent.’

‘I will. I owe you Heather.’

She brushed his words away with a hand gesture, ‘Nonsense,’ she said.

‘Do remember if you need my help - I am more than willing,’ he said.

‘I will. Goodbye Daniel. And good luck.’

‘Goodbye.’

Daniel stepped back into the night. He made sure no-one was watching before transforming into a buzzard. When he transformed whatever he was holding, including his clothes, changed too. The extra weight didn’t hinder him.

There would be no taxi this time.

He flew off at high speed; towards the airport, feeling exhilarated from the sensation of the wind against his feathers. He would board the next plane back to Sarah, and hope to God that he wouldn’t be too late.