wryly. "Against his dad's wishes, I might add. Nick chose us all: picked us out for our different skills. There was me, two sisters, Belinda and Jessica — and another feller called Felix. Four disciples, one master."
"Five's not really much of a brotherhood," Charlie commented.
"Believe me," Raymond replied, "even five was a lot more than there had been. By the time Nick's dad got round to telling him about the Scourge, there was no one else left who knew the secret but him. When Nick announced he was going to find some new recruits, they had a row so big that they even stopped speaking to each other — right up until Jeremy's death. But Nick did his best to make the Brotherhood strong again: if it wasn't for Nick, none of us would be here." He paused.
For a second — that was all, before Raymond's self-discipline took over — Jack had a glimpse of just how much the big man wished his old leader were there with them now. Frankly, this didn't make Jack feel any better about things.
"Now, our job, as I say," Raymond went on, "was to keep the Scourge from escaping."
"Escaping from what?" asked Charlie instantly.
"A tree."
"A tree?" said Charlie, looking from Raymond to Esme incredulously. "A tree? "
"The Scourge was imprisoned in the roots of a tree," said Esme.
"That's right," said Raymond. "A big oak, it was, in..." He hesitated, looking suddenly secretive. "Well, you don't need to know where now."
"But this tree," said Charlie, obviously having difficulty with the concept (and Jack couldn't blame him: he was too). "Was there something special about it? I mean, how did you actually know it had a demon inside it?"
Raymond ran a hand over his shiny bald scalp and frowned, remembering.
"Again," he said, "it's... hard to explain. You could sort of... feel it."
He stopped and thought some more.
"When you were out looking after the tree," he said, "pruning or what have you, you'd sometimes catch yourself... thinking things. Unless you were awake to it, you might not even've noticed you were doing it, but you'd find yourself getting... ideas."
"What ideas?"
"One time," said Raymond, "and I'm not proud of this — I caught myself thinking about the rest of the group. I started thinking about magic, about how rubbish I was at it compared to Belinda and Jessica and Nick — and I found myself wondering if the others thought..." — he frowned — " less of me for it."
He looked up at the boys.
"That's what it does, the Scourge," he said. "It manipulates you. It looks all through you for weaknesses — all your little hurts and resentments — and it exploits them. I think that's what happened to Felix," he added. "I think that's how the Scourge escaped."
"Nope," said Charlie, making an 'over my head' gesture, "You've lost me."
"How?" asked Jack. "How did it escape?"
Raymond sat back on his chair and looked into the past.
"Felix was jealous, that was his problem," he said. "He always took things personally. He saw coming second-best as a slur on his spirit — second in magic, in combat, in anything. And when Belinda and I fell in love," he added and paused. "Well, I think that's what pushed him over the edge."
"What happened?" asked Jack.
"Felix went to the tree and let the Scourge possess him," said Raymond. "There was a fight: the rest of us managed to force the demon out of him, and Nick recaptured it in his staff. But Belinda, my wife, was..." He trailed off. "Well, she died. Esme was only a baby at the time."
Quietly, without fuss, Esme touched Raymond's hand with one of hers. Jack was looking at them, but Esme noticed, so he stared down at his lap.
"Ever since then, we've trained," said Esme, taking up the story. "Every day since then I've worked and waited, perfecting my skills in case the Scourge ever escaped again. And now," she added, and her amber eyes glittered, "now, my chance
"Five's not really much of a brotherhood," Charlie commented.
"Believe me," Raymond replied, "even five was a lot more than there had been. By the time Nick's dad got round to telling him about the Scourge, there was no one else left who knew the secret but him. When Nick announced he was going to find some new recruits, they had a row so big that they even stopped speaking to each other — right up until Jeremy's death. But Nick did his best to make the Brotherhood strong again: if it wasn't for Nick, none of us would be here." He paused.
For a second — that was all, before Raymond's self-discipline took over — Jack had a glimpse of just how much the big man wished his old leader were there with them now. Frankly, this didn't make Jack feel any better about things.
"Now, our job, as I say," Raymond went on, "was to keep the Scourge from escaping."
"Escaping from what?" asked Charlie instantly.
"A tree."
"A tree?" said Charlie, looking from Raymond to Esme incredulously. "A tree? "
"The Scourge was imprisoned in the roots of a tree," said Esme.
"That's right," said Raymond. "A big oak, it was, in..." He hesitated, looking suddenly secretive. "Well, you don't need to know where now."
"But this tree," said Charlie, obviously having difficulty with the concept (and Jack couldn't blame him: he was too). "Was there something special about it? I mean, how did you actually know it had a demon inside it?"
Raymond ran a hand over his shiny bald scalp and frowned, remembering.
"Again," he said, "it's... hard to explain. You could sort of... feel it."
He stopped and thought some more.
"When you were out looking after the tree," he said, "pruning or what have you, you'd sometimes catch yourself... thinking things. Unless you were awake to it, you might not even've noticed you were doing it, but you'd find yourself getting... ideas."
"What ideas?"
"One time," said Raymond, "and I'm not proud of this — I caught myself thinking about the rest of the group. I started thinking about magic, about how rubbish I was at it compared to Belinda and Jessica and Nick — and I found myself wondering if the others thought..." — he frowned — " less of me for it."
He looked up at the boys.
"That's what it does, the Scourge," he said. "It manipulates you. It looks all through you for weaknesses — all your little hurts and resentments — and it exploits them. I think that's what happened to Felix," he added. "I think that's how the Scourge escaped."
"Nope," said Charlie, making an 'over my head' gesture, "You've lost me."
"How?" asked Jack. "How did it escape?"
Raymond sat back on his chair and looked into the past.
"Felix was jealous, that was his problem," he said. "He always took things personally. He saw coming second-best as a slur on his spirit — second in magic, in combat, in anything. And when Belinda and I fell in love," he added and paused. "Well, I think that's what pushed him over the edge."
"What happened?" asked Jack.
"Felix went to the tree and let the Scourge possess him," said Raymond. "There was a fight: the rest of us managed to force the demon out of him, and Nick recaptured it in his staff. But Belinda, my wife, was..." He trailed off. "Well, she died. Esme was only a baby at the time."
Quietly, without fuss, Esme touched Raymond's hand with one of hers. Jack was looking at them, but Esme noticed, so he stared down at his lap.
"Ever since then, we've trained," said Esme, taking up the story. "Every day since then I've worked and waited, perfecting my skills in case the Scourge ever escaped again. And now," she added, and her amber eyes glittered, "now, my chance
Similar Books
