Inside, the room was a forest of candles. Here they had built a temporary shrine. Owen sat naked upon his mattress, his eyes staring sightlessly at the door. His flesh was scored as if by the point of a very sharp knife, with swirling patterns and hieroglyphs. The blood had not run, but lay in beads along the cuts, catching the light. One of the Emim lay with his head in Owen’s lap, sucking away at the fruit of maleness that grew there.
‘O!’ Lily made to run to him, but Salamiel held her back.
‘You must not disturb them,’ he said. ‘Azazel has absorbed part of the boy into himself. Therefore, part of Azazel resides within the boy. A small, silent part, but present nonetheless. We pay homage to this residue and draw out the essence of Shemyaza with flesh.’
Lily saw Owen’s body convulse, his head thrown back. He made a wordless noise, which sounded almost like a question. The Emim rose from his lap and spat into a glass vessel that was held out to him by one of his companions.
‘We must keep the seed,’ Salamiel said casually, ‘for it has great power.’
Lily made a disgusted sound and turned her head away.
Salamiel made a small noise of surprise. ‘You are shocked by this? Why? You and Azazel have shared far rarer pleasures.’
‘Let him go,’ Lily said. ‘He’s ill. He doesn’t know what’s happening.’
Salamiel nodded. ‘True. It is disappointing, but only to be expected. Azazel can restore him, and for this reason, surely, you should want my assistance.’
‘He won’t do it,’ Lily said. ‘Everyone’s tried to persuade him. He won’t. He’s not what you think.’
‘He is the greatest Grigori that ever lived, or ever shall,’ Salamiel remarked. ‘The sacrifice he became on behalf of our race made him so. Nothing is beyond him. If he has not become aware of himself, that is only the fault of those around him, who cannot appreciate his power.’ He reached out to touch Lily’s hair, but she jerked away from him.
‘What are you going to do to us?’
‘Fear not, pretty maiden. My plans for you are all congenial.’ He sighed and walked towards his companions. ‘We must leave now. Dress the boy.’ He turned to Lily. ‘Are there any belongings you wish to take with you?’
‘With me where?’ Lily asked in a whisper.
‘My house,’ Salamiel answered. ‘You are to be my guests for a while. We have so much to discuss.’
Chapter Thirteen
Coast Flight
Daniel sat on the sofa in Taziel’s living room, refusing to speak. Taziel had tried, on numerous occasions during the last hour, to initiate a discussion, and had explained himself in several different ways. Daniel knew that Taziel’s explanations were all valid and without artifice, but still felt betrayed and angry. How stupid he had been to fall for Taziel’s seduction. He realised now that he had been the victim of a Grigori plot since the moment he’d met ‘Eve’ in the cafe. The presence that had come to him in the night, held him in etheric arms, had been Taziel, paving the way for a later conquest. Daniel knew he had been used, and no matter how much Taziel insisted he respected and felt genuinely attracted to him, Daniel could not bring himself to utter forgiveness. He realised this was more because he was angry with himself, but the effect was the same.
‘We are doing the best thing for Shemyaza,’ Taziel said, but Daniel could tell he still hated and adored the image of Peverel Othman, and that he didn’t really care what was best for Shem, only what was best for Taziel. He wanted revenge, if only to speak his mind to the person he believed had ruined him. But, no matter how much he denied it to himself, Taziel also wanted reconciliation. Daniel could see the wistful colours of it in Taziel’s aura as he stalked around the room, talking quickly, his arms snaking on the air. By this time, Daniel had heard the story of what Peverel Othman had done to Taziel at least three times. He admitted to himself that if he’d experienced such traumas as Taziel had, he’d probably feel the same way, but was physically unable to commiserate. He wanted Taziel to suffer because he had lied.
‘I tried to tell you, but you wouldn’t let me,’ Taziel said, lighting a cigarette. ‘You were too interested in sex.’
If that was supposed to provoke a response, Daniel refused to rise to it. He turned his head towards the window, then considered lying down. If he pretended to go to sleep, that would infuriate Taziel even more. How long must he stay here? He presumed the other two would come back once they had persuaded or threatened Shemyaza to accompany them. He could imagine Shem’s response. There would be no resistance, of this he was sure. Shem didn’t care. He would find their interest in him mildly amusing, that was all. Emma might not be so compliant, but ultimately she would follow Shem’s lead.
Daniel stretched himself out on the sofa and put his hands under his head. Taziel made an irritated sound, but Daniel would not look at him. He closed his eyes, wondering whether this would provoke Taziel enough for him to get violent. With the room blotted out, Daniel became aware of his body, how it still tingled with the fading rhythm of sex and desire. It seemed obscene now, and yet part of him still wanted it. He presumed this was because of the drug Israel had given him earlier. How would Taziel react if Daniel just sat up now and demanded that they make love? The thought made him smile, although he had no intention of doing anything about it.
‘What’s so funny?’ Taziel asked.
Daniel felt his weight as he sat down on the end of the sofa. He considered saying something to Taziel at last, something cruel and witty, but before he could decide on the words, a cramp of incredible pain lanced through his body. He cried out in shock and curled instinctively into a tight ball.
‘What is it?’ Taziel asked in an urgent voice.
Daniel could not speak, but managed to utter a choked groan. Images flashed through his mind: blood, terror, pale creatures dropping down in darkness to devour and tear. He saw Lily’s white face, screaming silently, her mouth an enormous dark oval. He saw Israel’s head hanging from his ruined body, his open eyes filmed with blood. ‘No!’ Daniel leapt upright and staggered across the room, only to fall down in increasing waves of pain.
Taziel was beside him in an instant, his hands on Daniel’s shuddering shoulders. ‘What’s happened?’
Daniel tried to regulate his breathing. It felt as if sharp knives were scoring his skin in whirling patterns. He sensed his suffering was sympathetic, and that he must take control of it; the agony was not his. He slapped Taziel’s fluttering hands away and managed to pull himself into a sitting position, clutching his belly. Gradually, he pushed the sensations of pain away, calmed himself with deep breathing. ‘Something’s happened. Israel is dead. Something attacked them.’
Taziel’s eyes grew wider. ‘Tell me.’
Daniel shook his head. ‘I don’t want to go back into that. It wasn’t... too pleasant.’ He rubbed his face. ‘Lily and Owen are alive, I feel this. I think Shem and the others are OK too, but some have died. There’s a presence, a red hot presence, and it can sense me. I must shield myself.’ A metallic, grinding, humming noise was beginning to fill his head, accompanied by a shrill ache. Daniel shook his head again vigorously. His eyes were watering.
Taziel said nothing more, but sat back on the floor opposite Daniel. To Daniel’s intense relief, he began to conjure a cone of white light around the room, to protect them from any malign influences. The force of Taziel’s mind was so great, the effect took place almost at once. Daniel felt the hideous sensations fade away. He could do nothing but fall into Taziel’s waiting arms, needing the reassuring, physical presence of another body.
For a few moments they sat there hugging one another, unable to speak. Then the phone began to ring. Taziel leapt up and answered it. Daniel heard him say, ‘Ninka! What’s happened?’ He said nothing more, but kept nodding and uttering small urgent sounds of encouragement. Finally he said, ‘Let me speak to Lahash.’
‘What’s happened?’ Daniel asked, but Taziel only raised a hand for silence.
‘OK, we’ll d
o that.’ Taziel put down the phone. ‘They were on the mobile, in the car. They have Shem and the woman, Emma. You were right. There was trouble. Another Grigori faction beat them to it, but Lahash, with his macho weapons, managed to get them out alive.’
‘Are they coming here?’
Taziel shook his head. ‘No, too dangerous. We’ll have to follow them to Cornwall. In view of what you just experienced, I think we should go sooner rather than later. We might be in danger ourselves.’
‘Do people really want Shem so badly?’
Taziel shook his head in disbelief. ‘Daniel, are you mad? You know what Shem’s potential is. He is the herald of the New Age. Hell, he is the New Age. But if the wrong people get hold of him, the New Age could be worse than the old.’
‘All this, yet he is still Peverel Othman to you, and you want to tell him how much he hurt you.’
Taziel looked away. ‘Yeah, well. It’s all relative. Are you OK to travel now?’
‘How? On the train?’
Taziel smiled and picked up the phone. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll call us a hire car. Grigori money can buy anything at any time of day or night.’
As Taziel punched in the number, Daniel asked. ‘They got Lily and Owen out as well then?’
Taziel flicked him a furtive glance. ‘Er... no. They left without seeing either of them.’
Daniel leapt to his feet. ‘Taz, we must go there! We can’t just leave them!’ Then he slumped down to the floor again. ‘No, too late, too late.’
He put his head in his hands as Taziel ordered the car. He sensed that Lily and Owen were alive, but they had been seized by the same creatures that had killed Israel. And whatever had taken them wanted him, too. It was collecting Shem’s followers. The name ‘Azazel’ came into Daniel’s mind. Was that who was behind the abduction? He remembered dimly that it might be the name of one of the other Watchers, which he and Owen had picked up when they’d been researching the Grigori in Little Moor.
Taziel put down the phone. ‘Half an hour,’ he said. ‘I’d better get some things together.’
He went into the bedroom, and Daniel followed him. ‘Does the name ‘Azazel’ mean anything to you?’
Taziel was pulling clothes off a rail in the corner of the room. ‘Yeah, in some versions of our history he was supposed to be Shemyaza’s right hand man. In others, it’s simply another name for Shemyaza himself.’
Daniel nodded. ‘Right. Well, I think that someone called Azazel is behind what’s happened. I picked the name up a short while ago. It can’t be Shem... I don’t know. It might be that someone is just using the name.’
‘I don’t want to find out just yet,’ Taziel said, stuffing clothes into a canvas carrier. ‘Let’s get to Cornwall as soon as we can. We’ll be safe there. It’s a Grigori stronghold.’
Daniel raised his arms helplessly. ‘But what about Lily and Owen? We can’t just leave them.’
‘What else can we do? If you think this character is looking for you too, we have to get you to a sanctuary as soon as possible.’
Daniel shuddered. He suddenly felt very cold, and an image flashed across his mind, of pale, crawling creatures with long white hair swarming over the roof of Taziel’s apartment, dropping down the chimneys, scratching their way in through the windows. They were physical creatures and no cone of light could keep them out.
‘I’m afraid,’ he said.
Taziel zipped up the bag and came to take Daniel’s shaking body in his arms. He kissed the top of Daniel’s head. ‘I want to protect you,’ he said.
The next half hour seemed to take an age to pass. Daniel frantically paced the apartment, checking every window, expecting to see ghostly white faces at every one. He jumped whenever he heard a strange noise, thinking it was something on the roof.
‘We’re fine,’ Taziel said. ‘They haven’t found us. They’re just looking.’ He shared Daniel’s discomfort, but knew that if they both gave in to fear, it would act like a beacon of light to those who were hunting them. Taziel tried to shroud Daniel’s worried thoughts with a blanket of calm.
Taziel turned out all the lights and watched at the long front window for the car. When it finally arrived, five minutes late, he and Daniel fled the flat. Outside, the night seemed alive with presences, and whispered voices seemed to hiss in Daniel’s ears as he threw himself into the back of the car.
‘This must look very suspicious,’ Taziel remarked to the driver, ‘but please drive us to Cornwall as fast as you can. Drive as if the dukes of Hell were after us.’
The driver laughed, probably thinking they were involved in some kind of criminal activity and put his foot down. Daniel curled against Taziel’s side, and listened to the rapid beat of his heart.
The car hissed through the night, filled with the sound of a late night radio station. Taziel chain-smoked, gazing out of the window. Occasionally, the driver tried to make conversation, but Taziel replied in monosyllables to discourage him.
‘Say if you want to stop for anything,’ said the driver.
‘We don’t want to stop,’ Taziel replied.
Soon the city was left behind, and the road stretched out ahead into darkness. The miles flickered by; sleeping towns and dreaming fields. As they drew nearer to Cornwall, the countryside became wilder and more empty. Fields gave way to wilderness and moorland.
On a lonely road, a pale figure materialised on the grass verge. ‘Hitch-hiker at this time?’ said the driver, incredulous.
‘I don’t think so,’ Taziel replied calmly, ‘don’t slow down.’
‘But it’s a girl! We can’t just...’
‘Put your foot down, will you!’ Taziel could see the pale face, the dark holes of the eyes, the long, floating white hair, the slender body leaning into the rain.
The driver made a disgruntled noise, but stepped on the accelerator. As they passed the pale figure, it launched itself at the windscreen. The car lurched violently as the driver applied the brakes in terror. The vehicle slewed across the wet tarmac, and slid to a halt, half-facing the direction from which they’d come. There was no sign of the strange, leaping figure. The driver made to open his door, but Taziel barked a command. ‘Don’t you dare! Just get going again!’
‘But, for fuck’s sake, the kid’s probably lying half dead on the road.’
‘It’s no kid and it’s not on the road!’ Taziel yelled. ‘It’s on the fucking roof!’
Daniel had woken up, murmuring, ‘What’s going on?’
Taziel hit the driver in the back. ‘Just get moving will you? Are the doors all locked?’
‘Fucking hell!’ The driver sounded frightened now.
‘I said the dukes of Hell, I meant the dukes of Hell,’ Taziel said. ‘We have to shake that thing off. Put your damn foot down!’
The car screeched forward, and Taziel heard the unmistakable scrabble of diamond hard claws on the car’s roof. At this sound, the driver uttered a panicked string of profanities. How long would the thing keep a grip? Presumably, it intended to take a ride with them, see where they ended up. If it had wanted to attack it would have done so by now. But what if there were more of them further ahead? Taziel wiped sweat from his upper lip. Daniel’s face was white and tense, his eyes round as he looked up into Taziel’s face.
Taziel forced a smile. ‘Trust me. We’ll be fine.’
They reached a straight stretch of road, where Taziel instructed the driver to increase their speed. When the speedometer reached ninety, he said. ‘Now stop.’
‘What?’ There was an edge of hysteria in the driver’s voice.
‘Emergency stop? Remember?’
‘It’ll fucking kill us!’
‘Just do it!’ He pulled Daniel forward off the seat. ‘Down. Curl up.’ They both huddled onto the floor behind the front seats.
The car had slowed a little, but the jolt when it came was bone-breaking. They heard something bump on the road ahead of them, followed by a strange, high-pitched scream.
‘Now
step on it again!’ Taziel cried, scrambling back into his seat.
As the car veered around the body and streaked forward, Taziel peered out of the rear window, and saw the pale, crouching figure on the tarmac; it stared at him malevolently. The image of the white face seemed to zoom towards him, even though they were travelling swiftly away from it.
They drove further onto the moors, and now thick, glutinous fog swirled across the road, as if someone was operating a gigantic dry ice machine somewhere out in the darkness. The driver was forced to slow down, despite Taziel’s entreaties for speed. Eerie balls of light streaked out of the mist, flashing over the road in front of them. Attenuated phantom figures scurried backwards and forwards across the tarmac, their clawed hands held high, their starved ghost faces screaming in fury. Daniel could not stand the sight of them and covered his face with his hands. Then, an enormous black shape formed itself from the fog and leapt at the car windscreen. Taziel saw the snarling jaws of a great puma. The driver, who had been making an effort to be brave, now lost control. He uttered a cracked scream and the car skidded off the road to land in a ditch. Taziel and Daniel were thrown about in the back like rags.
Taziel summoned his inner strength to clear his head. The car hung at an angle over the ditch. There was no way they could reverse out without leaving the safety of the vehicle and physically pushing it. The driver seemed to be weeping. He was hunched over the steering wheel, his head resting on his hands. Taziel couldn’t feel sorry for the man. He wished they’d hired a Grigori driver, someone who wouldn’t freak out at strange phenomena. He squinted out of the window at the swirling fog. All seemed quiet now, but that might not last. This was clearly what their pursuers intended to happen. Taziel prodded the driver on the shoulder. ‘Don’t crack up. We’re not out of this yet. Daniel and I will have to try and push this thing out of the ditch. You steer, OK?’
The driver raised his head and nodded miserably, although Taziel was unconvinced he’d be much help. Taziel picked up the impression that the man was thinking about his family and whether he’d ever see them again.