Page 71 of The Vanishing Bookstore
His eyes sparkled and his grin lifted his whole face into an expression of boyish charm. ‘You would? Of course you would, that is amazing. What are we waiting for, let’s get looking!’
As if summoned, the sky outside turned even darker and there was an almighty whooshing sound as the darkness moved towards them. They rushed outside and Ambrose took a step back but Dora stepped forwards. She opened out her arms and stood there waiting for Hades as the crows flew towards them and the old oak tree. Dora watched as they all took their turns to settle on the branches, the noise deafening, and felt a pang of fear in her heart when she couldn’t see Hades among them.
‘Where is Hades?’
She turned to Sephy, who was biting her lip and wringing her hands. ‘I don’t know. He’s probably watching Lenny and doesn’t want to leave her.’
Dora called out into the night sky. ‘Hades, come back, where are you?’ The crows in the tree were watching her, then a smaller one flew down and landed on her arm.
Dora looked at it and whispered, ‘Where is he?’
But she already knew; she had a crushing feeling of loss inside her chest that she couldn’t explain. The crow bowed its head, unable to look her in the eyes, unlike Hades who had taken great pleasure in staring her out. It took off, soaring high into the night sky, and she knew then that something was terribly wrong.
‘Is he hurt, is he dead? What happens if Corwin has hurt him? Isn’t Hades the one who will protect our souls when we die?’
Sephy bowed her head. ‘I don’t know, Dora.’
Dora felt a burst of electricity explode from her fingers with a loud crack as she pointed towards a fallen branch and let it shoot from her, splitting the wood in two. She was furious, raging with lifetimes of pent-up anger and frustration towards George Corwin. She spun around and around, the electricity humming around her as a bright light enveloped her. She closed her eyes and pictured Lenny, tough, strong Lenny who had endured everything life had thrown her way and yet still strived to help the people around her. Images of her first life filled her mind: the cottage, the garden, the woods surrounding it, Gallows Hill looking down onto the town and the ledge below it where she, her mum and aunts had taken their last breaths.
She stopped and turned to Sephy. ‘I know where they are. He’s waiting for us to go there, to Boston; he’s always been waiting for us to go there since the very first time. I need your van keys, please.’ Dora held out her hand.
Sephy shook her head. ‘You’re not going alone; we’re coming with you.’
‘No, if I’m to do this, I’m to do it alone. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate with you there in case he hurt you, Sephy, in case he hurt either of you. I need you to wait here, do what you have to do to keep Hecate and anyone else you can summon to help me, but I have to do this alone.’
Ambrose shook his head. ‘I’m coming with you, no arguments.’
She took hold of his hand. ‘No, I need you to keep my aunt safe. I need you to make sure we still have a home to come back to when all of this is over. I can’t do what I have to if I’m worrying about him hurting you and Sephy. Because he will, I know that he will to get what he wants. He doesn’t care about anyone except getting his revenge.’
A look of pain flashed across Ambrose’s face. ‘But Dora, I’m supposed to help you, I always do.’
‘Things are different this time though, aren’t they? I think we should try to do something we’ve never done before. You can be my research assistant; we can keep in contact by phone the whole time and you can guide me through the streets of Boston.’
He nodded. ‘I could do that.’
‘Yes, you could. But more than anything I need you to take care of Sephy.’
She wrapped her arms around him, pulled him close then stood on her tiptoes and softly kissed his lips. Then, before he could pull her in closer, she tore herself away.
‘You’re a good man, Ambrose, I thank thee from the bottom of my heart. Sephy, I need your keys.’
Sephy was dithering until she heard Dora speak and then she stopped and stared at her.
‘What did you just say?’
‘I said, I thank thee. Oh, where did that come from?’
Sephy smiled and Dora knew she was trying to work out if she should let Dora do this on her own. Then she handed the keys to her and from out of nowhere Dora was holding her close, burying her head into her neck and inhaling the wonderful lemon, vanilla and lavender scent that her aunt always smelled of.
‘You’re back, the old Isadora is home, and this makes me so happy. Now you have Hades, Hecate and Caesar by your side. Please call on the power and use your guide and protector the best that you can.’
Sephy stood up straight. No longer wringing her hands with nerves, she looked almost majestic as she stood tall and pulled a piece of old papyrus and a jar of black salt from her pocket and passed them to Dora. Then from her other pocket she drew out two small stones.
‘Memorise these words, Dora. It’s vitally important, for this is the binding spell that shall undo the curse and render Corwin defenceless. Make sure you cast your circle first and use the black protection salt to keep you safe. These stones are small, but mighty. You have haematite for strength and courage, chalcedony for power over dark spirits. It’s what we’ve waited for, and I know you can do it. You must be fearless and remember that you are the magic, it’s inside of you, flowing through your veins like a river of stardust that you can call upon as you need it. Be safe, my beautiful girl, and bring my family back to thee to stand strong for all of eternity.’
Dora nodded her head. It was true; she could feel the magic fizzing inside her, and she had a feeling if she didn’t release some of the pent-up energy, she might burst into a glittering ball of this stardust that Sephy kept telling her ran through her body. She pushed the salt and stones into her pocket then looked down at the piece of papyrus and saw six lines of old cursive script in bold black ink. She read them through a couple of times, hopingwhen the time came she could remember them word for word, then she tucked the piece of paper into the pocket with her stones. She didn’t tell either her aunt or Ambrose that she knew where Corwin was and that he was waiting for her to figure it out. She had no intention of driving to Boston, she was playing for time and hoping that they would let her go on some wild chase. She stopped herself from any further thoughts about it in case Sephy was as good at reading minds as Lenny. There was no way she was putting them at risk.
She turned and rushed down the path towards the small van. She could feel the floor vibrating with Caesar’s heavy paws running with her, and she had never felt so glad to have an invisible shadow dog by her side willing to fight for her to save them all.
