Prayer for a Fallen Angel, Chapter Four
Theological College of St Van Helsing
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Chapter Four
A spike of fear stabbed through Josh as his knuckles whitened around his staff. Dave Green rubbed his hands lightly over the wooden arms of the cloister seat as if he were caressing a lover.
Calm Down, Josh thought.
Until Dave Green read the reports, he wouldn’t know Josh had run the counter operation to the Nocturn Seminary correspondence course.
All eyes in the room focused briefly on Josh. Most of the regular Witch-Finders in the stone cloister seats slid their eyes away and found the mosaic floor fascinating. Karl remained staring at him, daring him to be part of the conspiracy against Mr Dunkley. Karl’s Master, Mr Marishes, however, sat as if he was carved from oak, like the chair he sat in. He stared straight ahead, letting no one see his thoughts.
“We sent all the students home, Josh,” the Factor said. “Didn’t you get the message?”
Josh licked his lips. “I… er yes, I just wanted to check that was correct.”
“One of the Synod-” the Factor said.
“I can speak for myself, Factor.” The Chairman of the Synod rose. “You’re too young to be the Watcher. You’re not qualified as a Witch-Finder. Dunkley chose to vent his spite on the College by blowing up his old office to destroy the records. He has revealed himself as untrustworthy.”
Josh went over the timing of the bomb in his head. If it had been a regular day after Chapter, both he and Mr Dunkley would have been working in the office. The bomb had been meant to blow both him and Dunkley to smithereens. But in the end, only Mr Toller had died.
Josh fought to keep the nausea from showing on his face. He stuffed his spare hand in a pocket so no one could see the trembles. What was their plan B, since they had failed to eliminate either the Watcher or the Watcher-in-Waiting?
He couldn’t fight Dave Green for the post. Not yet. Not now. Karl expected him to contest the nomination—where one of the contenders would die. Only Mr Dunkley could take on Green without preparation. Josh needed the library but that was gone, burnt with the rest of the college. He stood like a raggedy scarecrow, not sure what to do next.
Why wasn’t Mr Marishes saying something?
Encouraged by Josh’s silence, the Synod Chairman went on. “Since Dunkley can’t be trusted, I invited back a brother who fell afoul of Dunkley many years ago. He was also Dunkley’s student and said at the time there was something fishy about Dunkley, but no one listened. I remembered and put forward David Green’s name for the post of Watcher, as he should have always been in a position to inherit.”
“Well, that’s a relief!” Josh’s voice squeaked a little. He coughed and backed towards the door. “Mr Dunkley once told me he had been a full Witch-Finder for years before he took over the Watcher post. I’ve not even finished my doctorate.”
Karl’s mouth dropped open at the treachery. It cut Josh that Karl would believe it. He’d try and explain later, but the damage was done.
“I’ll leave you to College business, then.” Josh reached behind him for the door handle, unwilling to turn his back on the gathered men.
Dave Green stood. “Wait a moment, Analay, is it?”
Josh rested his hand on the latch. “Yes, Mr Green?”
“Your input will be welcomed so that I can get a handle on the job as currently practised. Were there any back-ups to the records?”
Relief swept through Josh. The records. He hoped his face hadn’t given him away and shook his head. With the records destroyed in the blast, Green wouldn’t learn Josh’s role in bringing down the correspondence course.
“We backed up the computer with print,” Josh said. “All the printouts were in the filing cabinets in his office. I don’t think the wood would take a full blast. May I go? I’ve got a train to catch, to Leeds.”
Green’s face was a mask of frustration. Josh slid an easy smile on his own.
“And why did the second building go up like that?” another member of the Synod asked. “We’re not linked.”
“All the buildings around here are linked.” Josh eased open the door. “Utility pipes, that sort of thing.”
“So there’s nothing?” Green said.
“There are the notes of our brothers,” Josh said. “I’m sure everyone keeps their journals up-to-date.”
The Witch-Finders in the cloister stalls shuffled.
Yeah, let’s make you lot uncomfortable. Green can spend time questioning them, giving me more time to get help, Josh thought.
“I can go?” Josh asked.
“See you after the Christmas break, Analay,” Dave Green said. “I hope I will have something sorted by then.”
“’kay then.” Josh sidled out.
Terror swamped him as the door thudded closed. Tucking his staff under his arm, he fled through the Chapel, boots pounding on the floor-inset tombs. He couldn’t take on Green by himself. And only one of the fully trained Inner Circle was left, Mr Marishes. He’d better have realised he needed the strongest protection he could muster if he was going to survive.
One thought drove Josh’s panic-driven sprint: he had to reach Mr Dunkley before anyone else. Only the former Watcher could stop this wickedness that had fallen on the College, before the brew the conspirators were concocting boiled over.
He slowed to navigate the College lobby. The stench of smoke and fire-suppressing chemicals filled the space that had once smelled sweetly of lemon wood polish. He heard the door to the Chapter House slam again. Josh leapt over fallen beams and picked up his pace through the still-smouldering college. Mr Dunkley had used his gifted power over fire to try and save the students. Green used his powers for ill. Karl was right. Mr Dunkley had not gone bad.
The job of Watcher, however, belonged to Josh—however temporarily—and it looked like his first job would not be chasing down his predecessor. His job was to save the College from itself. The only way to do that was get Mr Dunkley back as fast as possible. Once Dunkley realised the situation, he’d return in a flash. Then he could train a proper Witch-Finder to take over the job. Josh was going back to selling double glazing.
Once outside, he turned towards Tower Bridge at top speed again. He skirted the emergency services, which were unaware that anything was going on inside the burned-out building. Mr Marishes and Karl would have ensured the wards around the Chapel were unbreakable before they started that extra meeting.
Even with the blast and the Christmas holidays about to start, Tower Bridge still teemed with people—they wanted to gawk at the blast zone. Concentrating on slipping through the crowds, he had two seconds' warning from his personal wards before he slammed into the bridge guardrail.
“Traitor!” Karl’s hand fastened around Josh’s throat. “I’ll choke the air out of your lying lungs.”
“Listen!” Josh pulled up a shield to strengthen his throat.
“I’ll not listen to your fucking lies! I know about Green. Both of you have a down on us posh public school boys. You took out Trewithick and now you’ve taken down Dunkley. Did you tell them about your vision?”
“Green’s a Daylight Broker!” Josh croaked.
“What say?” The pressure on his throat released—fractionally. Josh snatched some air.
“He has an unedited copy of the 1647 book, The Discovery of Witches,” Josh whispered. “Did you expect me to take him on without preparation?”
Karl lifted his hands slightly. “How do you know this?”
“Eighteen months ago he was the one who orchestrated the Helmsley Luck Pageant—he gloated about the Hopkins book to Mr Trewithick. He got away because we had to take Mr Trewithick to the Recovery Centre. He worked with your sister on the Nocturn Seminary.”
“And I’ve only got your word for this,” Karl said. “Because coincidentally, all the records are destroyed. Did Green put you up to joining the college to help him?”
“Shut the fuck up and help me get to Dunkley’s flat. Before he leaves.” Josh sent a prayer wishing stinging ant bites into Karl’s hands. Karl jumped back ready to retaliate.
Josh took a feeble step towards Karl and nearly fell.
Karl grabbed his arm. “You’re right. Let’s take this to Mr Dunkley. He can hear about your ‘vision’ and your refusal to do the job you’re trained for.”
Josh half-heartedly tugged to free his arm, but Karl was heading in the right direction. Karl gripped tighter. With his free hand, he pulled out his phone and called for a taxi. He sent Josh a glare. “If Mr Dunkley doesn’t vouch for you I’m going to kill you.”
“Try it,” Josh said.
“I’ll have the advantage. You can’t kill me.”
“Want to bet?” Josh smiled tightly.
Karl looked slightly uncertain as they took the snail’s pace over the bridge. A taxi waited for them as they got off the other end. He spoke Mr Dunkley’s address to the cab driver.
Josh watched Karl out of the corner of his eye. He could see that Karl was on edge—ready to pounce on anything.
“Why would a Member of the Synod support Green over Mr Dunkley?” Karl demanded
“How the hell should I know? I’m not a fucking mind reader.” Josh rubbed at his aching neck; physical attacks were always worse. He took a deep breath and slowed his breathing—hoping that Karl wouldn’t attack in the taxi.
Breathe in the cool life-giving air, and breathe out the pain and toxins of the living body. It calmed him as he felt around inside his body with his mind. He set the muscles straight and eased some tendons back into the correct place.
The taxi stopped and Karl tossed a bill at the driver, walking away without waiting for the change. Josh had to admit that sometimes he was jealous of the rich brats he worked with. Karl waited sensibly at the top of the steps down to the basement flat where Mr Dunkley lived. Josh looked at the flat with his Other Sight. The world was a much easier place to live in, now he had learnt to switch that Sight on and off at Will.
“He’s gone,” Josh said flatly. “The wards are down. But he might have left a forwarding address, sometimes I’ve been here to sort his post when he’s been gone for a while. Let’s get inside and check.”
“And just how do you plan to do that?”
Josh stuffed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a wallet affair full of keys. “I’ve got Dunkley’s spare house key—along with yours. Do you think he hasn’t seen my soul?”
Karl blocked the path to the stairs down. “And just how can you tell the wards are down without any preparation?”
“I can tell any fucking magic on this whole planet.” Josh shoved Karl aside. “I’m a Witch Sniffer.”
Not something you should admit when someone is already suspicious of you. Karl’s hands clenched. But instead of resuming the attack, Karl followed Josh down the steps.
Josh unlocked the outer door to the porch under the stairs of the house above. A beanie SealBack hat and gloves dripped river water as they lay across the cold radiator. Ignoring them, he used the key on the inner door.
“He’s not been gone long. We must have just missed him. Maybe we were a bit too long playing about on the bridge,” Josh sneered.
Karl huffed slightly, but ignored the jibe, instead he checked the hall table. Josh trotted through to the bedroom. Mr Dunkley had set up a home office in the corner. The laptop was gone, but when Josh opened the secret drawer he found what he was looking for. He pocketed the USB drive and pressed the drawer shut—gently holding a working over him to stop any aura of his touching the wood.
He snuck out to the kitchen, hoping to avoid Karl’s notice. Karl was shutting the fridge.
“No food, not even dog food,” Karl said.
“He’s taken his dirty laundry,” Josh said, jerking a thumb at the bedroom.
“Has he gone for good?” Karl asked.
Josh shrugged. “Sit down. I’d offer tea, but there’s no milk.”
Karl sat at the table and balanced his staff on the edge. “Explanations.”
“Okay, before you found me in the snow, I’d been covering Mr Dunkley as he tried to save the students. He wasn’t familiar with his gift of fire. It went wrong. Did you notice the sudden drop in temperature?”
“That was Dunkley?”
“He nearly killed the sun. I slapped his face and told him what he needed to do.”
“How do you know about using a fire gift?” Karl looked suspicious.
Josh flopped into a chair. “If you’re not going to trust me, just go! I saw it. I can see all magic—it’s who I am. Mr Dunkley found me before the dark mages did, and trained me up. Honestly, I wish I was still selling double-glazing. I’ve got a younger half-sister with the same abilities, she’s being trained as well. So-” Josh stopped and looked guilty.
“So she doesn’t end up like my half-sister.” Karl took a moment to think. “I need alcohol for any more explanations. I’m supposed to meet my other sister, my step-sister, Alice, at a pub. I get to drive her up to Dad’s house for Christmas. I should have made the taxi wait for us.”
“Us?”
“You are coming with me and explaining this.”
Maybe, Josh could get Karl to give over his suspicions if he just found the right words. “We can take the tube.”
Karl laughed. “Not at this time of year, not and breathe at the same time.”
To be continued…
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