“What the...!!”
Gerey roared out. After all they'd been through, the curiousity they'd bore for a week, listening to the nonsense the Old trickster who'd manipulated their Principal into sacking their beloved Mr. Alas Sergo had spilled in class, the book was empty?!They'd both gone astray in their thoughts thinking of the vile and mean and dirty and old Oswic Osbald, and they didn't realize a large mouth with an awkwardly red tongue that spawned out of nowhere, clasped to the yellow, brittle paper of the book. It was a huge shock that shuddered through them when an insolent, loud and shameless voice shouted at them, “What are you two doing! Keeping me open?”
They were both taken aback, Cwena looked up at the window to see if anyone was there and Gerey stared at the door, expecting anyone to come in at that moment.
“I'm the book you dolts!” the book said in a boring, matter-of-fact voice, “you didn't expect me to be a dumb book that bears the tickles of an inked feather tingling on its pages do ya?!”
“Uhm, no - no. Not at all,” Cwena put in mildly, trying hard to hide the look of disbelief at what she could see right before her, on the gathered hay.
The book remained silent, twisting its lips like a female putting on a gloss, “Well, I'm Cwena Engow, and this is Gerey -”“Spare me the details,” the book screamed loudly at her, “I know who you both are better than you both know yourself,”
“Shhh, you're going to attract my mother's attention if you continue speaking with such volume. And how did you know us?”
“Don't you dare lay as much as a finger on me,” with a scared tone, the book told Gerey who'd wanted to lift it unto his lap, “Unless - you want to burn me.”
Gerey in his entire life had never been more confused than he was at that moment. He breathed in, “Okay, I won't if you start answering Cwena's questions. How do you know us?”
“Hmmm, tap - tap - tap,” the book started, “I don't know.”
Awkward silence grew over the room then the book continued talking, “I just know who you both are, and that you both have the same grandfather and -”“What?! Same what?”
“That's false. We're just friends and not related by blood.”The book chuckled dryly, “I don't know what you both believe now but you both are related. Your grandfather, Myan Warray, the god of Flames, married your grand mother and had a daughter, Gerey, but he was unfaithful - got himself a Mistress whose name I think is uhm - Eveth Engow? And she got pregnant for your father before he died.”
“But... I don't know my -”
“- Mother? Yeah, she was... Killed, while trying to protect you from things she never understood herself. You were just a little over two years old back then.”“But what is going to happen, I mean, why is Oswic -”
“How dare you call a name so great without reverence?!!” The book screamed at Gerey, before letting out two heart deep coughs.“Sorry, why is Sir Oswic Osbald at our school now?”
“Bless my weak memory. There was a prophecy once of someone that will shut the gates of - Hell? For good. And that's you, Gerey, I guess.”
“Huh? Me? Definitely not! And what does the prophecy say exactly and who gave it out?”
The book closed suddenly! Causing a great deal of dust to fly off its pages as three gentle knocks came from the door and the door opened up slowly.
It was Mrs. Engow, Cwena's mother and wife to the son of Eveth Engow.”She held two large, white cups Medium (16 floz): 145mg in her hand and smiled wide, her big, brown eyes twinkled as she smiled, “I thought I heard some noise from here”
“No mum, must a' been from somewhere else,” Cwena replied with a beam.
“Uhm, okay then. Have these cups of coffee. And Gerey, could you stop in for a chit chat when you both are done with that - book? Been a while I saw you.” Mrs. Engow blushed and left the cabin.In a flash, both their attentions was shifted to the ragged book on the hay. Cwena ran her hands softly over the book, trying to open it again. She tapped ever edge, and corner. She ran her fingers all over the book just like she'd done before but nothing happened. The book failed to open.
“I guess Sir Oswic will have to answer our questions himself on Monday.”
**
Chief Inspector Eallric Hancey's telephone went off.
Eallric who had been sitting on an old fashioned recliner on his front porch with a snout to his mouth, enjoying the heat that tanned his fair skin, waving at passersby that paced no. 3, Atholl Esplanade, as he took in deep whiffs bolted inside the house as the shrill ring blared from inside.“Inspector Eallric on the line.”
The sound of disordered shuffling of papers and struggled breathing answered Eallric who was losing patience and calm at being disturbed on such a fine day.
“Who am I on to?” he said again, finding it very difficult from sounding rude.
“It's Sergeant Marger Whayte, sir. I wanted to tell you that I'm done with the paperwork, sir, and also, sir, there's a new case we received about fifteen minutes ago, sir. It's best if you're on seat as soon as possible.”
“Have you told Inspector Bertio about it?”
“Yes sir. He advised that I called you instantly, sir. He said he thinks it has something to do with the case at Hunter's Walk, sir.”
“Okay, will be there in thirty.”
Eallric dropped the call with a sigh, “What's it again?” he griped, running a hand over his face.**
In about seven minutes, Eallric Hancey was ready for work. He had his impervious vest underneath his dark blue uniform, tinted glasses, heavy metal boots and a two-way radio on his belt area - just in case.
There had been a rise in petty thieving, bicycle and a few carjacks, domestic brutality and rape. Immense pressure was being put on the Police Department, Ingfalls, every minute, and it didn't help that Eallric knew what he was going to meet in office wasn't like any of those.
“Is there an Emergency at work or are you just trying to cultivate a good working ethic?” Brione Hancey asked, smiling.
“Ugh, it's the former. An Emergency, something just like the one at Hunters Walk, I think,” he looked around for his bunch of keys and found it scattered on the dining table, “And also, don't tell Gerey but I feel it concerns him although I still can't find a connection. You and him might have to leave Ingfalls if things get worse. I know a place at Ciburrh.”
Eallric Hancey hastily stepped out of their modest home and jugged all the way to his Garage where his Peugeot 404 was - in it's territory, ready to spring into action.
**
The sky was bright blue with a fluffy white hue that crisscrossed it at several points. The feathered friends of nature - inky and snowy, trivial and great, piloted and fluttered across the sky with carefree, unfiltered elegance and comely hoots which they all chirped tone by tone, producing a harmonious composition but Eallric didn't notice, or maybe didn't care about all those as his 404 hummed down Coalrior Highway.
After a short while, he came to Mariners Spur which although was inclined to being silent than not (normally), was way too silent for Eallric's comfort this time around. It was almost as if everyone had gone on a holiday.
He cut down the velocity of his car, observing buildings after buildings made of imported, white, precious stones to little bungalows deficient of ample windows for maybe a telltale sign to what had happened. Not even a rat ran past him and the birds suddenly seemed to have cleared off.
Chief Inspector Eallric Hancey released a deep breath of relief as he pulled up in the Police Department, Ingfalls' parking lot.
The environment wasn't what it usually was, it was the opposite of what he'd seen on the street of Mariners Spur. There were people, lots of people, many, many people; mostly people who'd come to report a - case, mostly of weird sightings all over Ingfalls!Eallric felt a sudden surge of drive as he walked with conviction into the intimidating, white erection. He walked past the reception filled with citizens of Ingfalls up to the stairs from where he jugged up to his office. In the reception area was woman and her baby of five, a family of four, an old man with a hunting rifle slung over his shoulder, an old woman who obviously had leg pains and about fifteen others including a young girl not more than twenty years old with mousy hair; all there to narrate an event, all negative.
As Eallric slumped into his cosy office chair, Inspector Bertio Holex and Sergeant Marger Whayte both stormed into his office, not bothering to knock.
“Sir! There's a really big issue,” Bertio started
“There was a -”
“Can you both please have your seats and let's discuss this like sane humans?”
Their butts shifted on their cold seats and Mrs. Sergeant Marger spoke,
“Sir, there was a party at Radford Glade last night, not too far from Seymour Point, sir, and - sir, everyone that was present at the party last night - have vanished.”
At that moment, Inspector Bertio Holex broke into a sweat as his phone started ringing.
“Sir, it is - the Chamber of Duties that's calling - for the second time in two hundred years.”
Inspector Bertio cautiously put his phone to his ear like it will explode, making a ruin of the unblemished building of the Police Department, Ingfalls, if he didn't employ ample care.A mild voice, chock-full with supremacy, domination and authority spoke on the other end.“I know for sure that your constabulary is very well aware of the case at Radford Glade - the disappearance of everyone present for Mr. Wadsev's promotion to CEO - a total of Seventeen individuals including Mr. Wadsev and his wife, and I'm also certain that radical actions are already being executed or formulated by the police force - but - YOU MUST HURRY,” the person on the other end paused, “and we expect a report from the Chief Inspector, personally, latest by Monday.”“Okay sir -” Bertio replied like a programmed doll.“And did I add that,” the voice subsided to a hush, “the pres
Eallric's 404 slid out of the garage like a caterpillar out of its burrowed habitat. The red of its tail light flashed on Gerey who stood a few metres; in his Ingfalls High's raiment, making known to Eallric the places he couldn't see with the side mirror - to avoid a scratch.After a minute of hitting on the break pedal before allowing it slither out of the carport bit by bit and without a scratch, Gerey hastily shoved his school bag into the secondary division of the car and sat his butts down next to Eallric who was breathing noisily and grinning from ear to ear like a numskull at Brione who waved the duo off as they slowly departed no. 3, Atholl Esplanade.As they propelled down Atholl Esplanade - past a few rusty streetlamps, in the warm restrictions of the car that failed to protect them from the blisteing morning sun, Eallric turned on the radio and tune
Inspector Eallric's 404 picked up pace as it raced down a sloped, remote alleyway which went on below a bridge that connected Brickfield Row and Dove Route together. The alley, Providence Passage, had congested waste bins - places of tourism for flies and maggots, nearly everywhere one's neck turned.As the Peugeot 404 zoomed on; below the friable, unkempt bridge, a retrospect of what he'd experienced on Saturday, along Haunted Hart, as he went on police business to Radford Glade, played in his mind. Right from the very moment he'd driven out of the dark, mind blowing scenery, he couldn't firmly say that he'd seen what he did. It was like a dream. A nightmare. And even if by chance, he was certain of what he'd seen and his mental state, there was absolutely no one buying his tale.A shadowy sensation befell Eallric as him, and his car, were shielded from the su
The words of Sir. Oswic replayed and echoed in Gerey's head as small dribbles of sweat ran down his red hair and tickled his armpits in attempts to let out (at least) fume from his aching arms, “You are the harbinger of sanity to this ignoble world - the gift itself being ‘Pyrokinesis’.”“I - I can't do this.” Gerey retorted, gasping for breath. “Don't say that my dear boy. If you had thoughts of being able to burn down churches, or create volcanoes or even melt a piece of plastic on your first day, you have been dwelling in your fantasies, and this - is reality. Guess what else is reality, boy?”“Ugh, what, sir?” Gerey asked, heaving and puffing like he'd trotted all the way from Ledale to Deham without stopping for a rest. He looked straight into the waned, wise eyes of the wizard, Sir. Oswic.“The verity that this world rests not on my shoulders, no
A week had passed and it kept getting harder for the Police Department, Ingfalls and the Chamber of Duties to keep majority of the citizens of Ingfalls sane as journalists and the Press kept pushing their noses into the business of others - practically anyone, to extract an answer to all that had been happening.The PD though, was their mark. They'd perceived there was something - or things, going on that those at the top of the hierarchy knew about but not majority of the populace and that had spurred them into action as they went about searching for clues that might have been missed, leads to something exciting, shocking/revealing pointers or loose ends to about anything.Every journalism company and Press groups, tried their best to find out what it was that was going on before the others did. If only to get an upper hand.Gas leaks, motor accidents, minor flight mishaps with credit given to the unstable weather, powerplant explosi
The corroded, metal burglary resistors that extended from left to right - forming various rows, then up to down, (vertically) forming quadrilaterals of varying sizes went from rusty black to boiling lava red before letting out long, unending hisses like a vexed basilisk will as it melted under the palms of Gerey Wysalt.The resistors became bright red liquids and fell onto the ground as dense blobs before burrowing into the floor - and walls as brown, charred holes and letting out a suffocating fragrance.After a minute, Gerey was free and with a lot of difficulty, he climbed up his small window.As delicately as possible whilst trying to wrap his mind what was before him, he relaxed on the floating broom of Sir. Oswic and gripped it tightly (hoping it wouldn't catch fire) to avoid him swaying to the left, or right, then falling off.
The insides of the intimidating building that housed the police department felt... Different, cold and unwelcoming to Eallric as the armed seven-men police squad - him being at the very heart if diagonals were drawn, brought him out of his halfway battered 404 into the white, snowy erection.Inspector Bertio was there, tapping his feet rapidly on the fancy, golden tiles of the reception office.“Are you okay, sir? Anything we can get for you?”“Nothing, Bertio,” Eallric sighed deeply, “Thanks for your help by the way. Is Sergeant Marger around?”“Yes, sir, and I - am right here, too,” the mousy haired police officer said, climbing down the spotless, white stairs from her office and walking into the reception.“Good. I don't know how you're going to get about it but I need the people outside calmed. I'll be giving them a little speech in
The milieu of the gigantic building which homed the Police Department, Ingfalls, was tearing apart gradually with each strike that swooped and descended on the building thanks to the three headed creatures.From Inspector Eallric's calculations, a maximum of five more heavy strikes from the shrewd, bloody horns of the uncompromising brutes will bring the citizens - and cops, that crammed the building to their knees and in about an hour, they will all be history.But at that moment, Chief Inspector Eallric Hancey wasn't bothered by that. He was focusing on something different, something distinct, something peculiar, something unusual.His attention was riveted on Gerey Wysalt.**A loathsome stench of the rotten remains and fetid creatures floated around the trio - Sir. Oswic, Gerey and Cwena as they came down the broom. Cwena, the powerless one.“Cwena, stay safe. Yo