Dark Harbour: The Tale of the Soul Searcher (39 page)

With an unsteady breath he stepped forward.

Chapter 14.6

Vladimir slid his fingers through his wet hair and shivered as he felt the stinging rainwater trickle down the back of his neck. The cold was such a crude sensation, an irritation that came with being a member of this realm. On the level of the soul it was meaningless, non-existent, and so it was easy for Vladimir to switch it off, such were the abilities he had.

Jeremy was bone dry of course, completely unaffected by the unsettled elements. The ghostly little boy with the purple eyes walked in deathly silence about ten feet ahead, a lost soul who was not of this world and who therefore could not absorb the pellets of rain that insisted on aiming down at Vladimir.

The vigilante had followed the boy down the sodden path through the fields, along the riverbank where the ducks nibbled at algae, and past the caravan park on the outskirts of town. It was an unusual route, but it gradually became apparent that they were heading towards Eastgate.

It felt like treading across yesterday’s battle zone as Vladimir walked up to
The Cheshire Cat
. The café was deserted. His fellow soldiers must have answered the call to battle, and were either fighting the dreadful disturbances or lying dead in the field. Where was Vladimir when they’d needed him? Lying in oblivion in a nice warm bed as he’d wandered the other plains.

There was nothing here, nothing but a reminder of Vladimir’s failings. Such was Jeremy’s spite to lead him up this dead end. Just as Vladimir was about to turn his back on the ghostly boy and carry on into the town centre, he noticed someone… a face, slightly familiar. He sat like an abandoned rag doll across the street, staring blankly as the raindrops danced like aqueous fairies in the murky puddle before him.

The shower continued to snap against his slickly drenched coat while Vladimir tried to remember who this person was: young man, smooth face, clear voice, sharp eyes. As the wind swept by him like an angel had just flapped its wing, Vladimir could see exactly who he was.

So much pain had swept through the young man. In another universe, Vladimir’s soul could have followed the same path as his. He crossed the road.

He remembered the nature of their encounter, the altercation they’d had in the pub when Vladimir had had to grab his throat to shut him up.

Michael looked up at the silhouette of the approaching dark figure. ‘You must be Vladimir.’

‘You’re the pacifist, right?’ Vladimir asked as he stepped further into the streetlight.

‘You remember me.’

‘Yeah. What are you doing here?’

‘As much as I hate to say it, I need your help. I’m looking for my friends.’

‘You know Larry and Eddie?’ Vladimir asked as he sat down on the cold pavement next to him.

‘I bet I’m too late.’

‘No,’ Vladimir lied. ‘We can still find them.’

‘Tell you who I did find though. Managed to solve one of Dark Harbour’s greatest mysteries. Remember I was looking for that young lad Jeremy? Well, I know where he is.’

Vladimir nodded and swallowed hard. ‘I had a funny feeling you might work it out.’

‘Although, he wouldn’t exactly be a young boy anymore, would he? By now he’d be all grown up, probably settling down with a wife and thinking about having kids and all that sort of stuff, don’t you think? But I don’t think it’s worth taking your advice. I don’t think he would tell me if I asked him who murdered Simon Tuckwell and his grandfather.’

‘Believe me now that it wasn’t Halo of Fires?’

‘I found out the Fires were protectors. They were too late for Ulric and Simon, but when it came to Jeremy they had to try differently. They didn’t just want to hide him, they wanted him to be able to look after himself as well, turn him into the same force that protected him. Plus, it’s easy to hide things sometimes when they’re right under your nose.’

‘So what do you plan to do with this information?’

‘This was supposed to be my Journalism project. Supposed to help in getting myself a first.’

‘A true Kolley Kibber, eh? So this was all goddamned college work?’

‘It wouldn’t be a good idea if I broadcast to the world where Jeremy is to be found. There’s a reason he’s hidden, after all.’

‘Maybe certain people have worked it out by now, but even so, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t.’

‘Are there many others that know you’re Jeremy?’

‘Only a few.’

‘Why? I mean, why did you become who you are? Where’s the young boy my brother met?’

‘Do you really think I was supposed to see my brother and grandfather murdered and not turn out this way? Every day I miss them, and every day I see their killer in my mind. I won’t rest until I’ve found him. I won’t rest until there’s no one else that suffers like I did.’

‘They turned you into a revenge machine. The perfect candidate, just like Larry. You were exactly what they needed for their organisation.’

‘They were exactly what I needed for me. What do you think, squaddie? You think you know what to do to save someone like me? You think I even want it any other way? Answers in your book?’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Don’t be. I don’t need your sorrow. Don’t need anything from anyone. Especially not now,’ Vladimir said as he got to his feet again.

‘So, what do we do? How can we find them?’

‘I’ll find them,’ Vladimir replied as he gazed down the street, although it seemed like he was gazing elsewhere.

Michael lifted himself to his feet. ‘I need to help my friends. I need to save them. Please.’

Vladimir lowered his head for a moment. Michael could see his blood-black eyes were far away, far within a realm that was beyond his understanding.

‘Your brother…’ Vladimir began. ‘He knew my brother?’

‘He did.’

‘Simon had a friend called Oli. I met him once.’

‘Oliver. That’s him.’

‘Good kid.’

‘He’s dead too.’

Vladimir looked up, his eyes coming back into focus. ‘I’m sorry.’

Michael continued to look closely at Vladimir’s eyes and he could have sworn that for a moment a faint purple glimmer appeared to swell within them, like a firework igniting the lonely night sky and then fading away.

Another silence crept along. Vladimir appeared like a completely different person to the one in
The Waggon
that evening. He could now see light in the darkness. Perhaps somewhere within the cosmic wasteland, the young Jeremy still roamed.

‘I won’t tell anyone what I know,’ Michael said. ‘About you. You have my word.’

‘Thank you,’ Vladimir replied.

‘You never know, maybe one day I’ll need to call on you to return the favour.’

‘I doubt that.’

‘Just help me find my friends then.’

‘Yeah,’ Vladimir replied before turning away. ‘Follow me.’

Chapter 14.7

As promised, Floyd was there waiting for him. He had a green yo-yo in hand which he examined as though he was looking at an alien artefact. He twitched the disc from his hand but it only returned halfway up the string. He yanked it again, too hard, and it completely uncoiled and span messily. Floyd tossed it away in annoyance and then he saw his old acquaintance.

Henry’s eyes followed the yo-yo as it slid across the ground and disappear beneath one of the many old fairground rides within this strange curiosity barn.

‘I got it off one of your young apprentices,’ Floyd said. ‘Where did you find those two? The funny farm? Are they part of some sort of government scheme to get retards in employment?’

Henry fixed his gaze firmly on Floyd as though his eyes were trying to cut into the monster’s brain. ‘Where are they?’

‘You’re so noble, Maristow. Doing this knight in shining armour thing. Kids!’ he called out. ‘He’s come to rescue you, kids! Everything’s all right now!’ His whole body now jittered around in a bubbling excitement, as though he were performing again for his ungodly audience, shining like a true master of destruction.

‘What did you do to them, Floyd? Why? Why did you take them?’

‘You know goddamned well why.’

The old Seraph nodded. ‘Okay. Yeah, let’s put an end to your silly game.’

He reached into his trouser pocket and brought out the counterfeit indigo gemstone. He held it up for him. ‘Here it is.’

Floyd approached silently, squinting his eyes like a magpie eyeing some silver. He snatched the gemstone from Henry and turned away to examine his acquisition. His body suddenly stiffened up. He stretched out his arm and the gemstone dangled from his hand. As though flicking some mud off his fingers, he tossed it to the ground. He then raised his size 13 Doc Martens boot and slammed it down, instantly crushing the stone to dust.

Floyd laughed. ‘The look on your face! I was dying to see that!’

Henry felt like a deer that had walked confidently into the middle of the woods only to feel the jaws of a trap clamp around his leg. ‘Where are they?’ he repeated.

‘What’s up?’ Floyd asked through his coarse roars of laughter. ‘Going to negotiate their release with a Christmas cracker toy? Oh Henry, you useless idiot! They’re dead! Both of them. They died horrendously painful deaths and these were the hands that did the dirty!’ Floyd tilted both of his palms towards Henry. ‘And they both bit the dust thinking that you’d betrayed them. You should know with me that I don’t do good news.’

Floyd brought out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Henry. ‘Here. I saw your letter for Devlan, so I rewrote it. That pair of gullible twats completely bought it!’

After Henry had read it he threw it to the ground and said: ‘Where’s the real one?’

‘Devlan’s got it, ain’t he?’

‘So, what then?’ Henry stuttered. ‘Why?’

‘What’s this all about, you mean? The Harbour Master came crawling back to me. He finally decided it was time to take his revenge on you. Time for you to atone for your fuckup.’

‘You could have done that years ago.’

‘I’ve been waiting for the call ever since that day at Forseti’s. But it seemed
he
wanted you alive all this time. Seemed
he
had a reason for you to live, a purpose you were serving
him
.’

‘What?’

‘Your search for the Akasa Stone. Must have impressed
him
, because it was enough to convince
him
to leave you to it. But then once you’d found it, your time would be up, and the big guy would come and take it out of your stiff hands. Ha! Said your very salvation was your destruction.’

Henry shook his head.

Floyd carried on: ‘Yeah,
he
was never one to get blinded by revenge, the old gaffer. I don’t know, maybe there’s a lesson in there for you guys.’

‘What changed?’

Floyd grinned. ‘Why’s
he
suddenly called in the collectors? You’re going to love this! You see, Henry, there’s no reason for you to carry on searching like a fucking loser.’

‘Why?’

‘Because… Because, my old matey… The Harbour Master has found it. And in finally twatting you off,
he
said
he
might even give the stone to me.’

‘Where? Where the hell did
he
find it?’

‘Where did
you
find it, you mean!’

‘What…?’

‘Your knobjockey Vladimir. Had it in his hands and gave it to The Dim Reaper.’

Henry looked to the small pile of indigo dust at Floyd’s feet.

‘The Harbour Master swapped it, you fucking idiot! Yeah, your boy had it. Just gave it over, I hear. Didn’t even put up a fight for you. Right bunch of wet-ends you got there, Henry.’

Henry was silent for a moment. ‘You really think
he
would give you the Akasa Stone if you kill me?’

‘Trying to talk me out of it, are you? I don’t care either way. I’ve earned my redemption with
him
now. Floyd and The Harbour Master are back in business. And besides, I have something else which is much more important than the Akasa Stone.’

‘What could you possibly have?’

Floyd’s rusty breaths became empty of words for a brief moment, his sluggish brain trying to catch up with his express train mouth. ‘I suppose I can tell you. I suppose I can let it all out the bag. Waste time explaining our grand scheme while the cavalry has time to turn up and take me out. But wait! No one knows where we are! I have all the time in the world!’ He stepped closer to Henry but already he was starting to become coy, the odious arrogance calming into a peculiar earnestness. ‘We have knowledge, Maristow. Knowledge.’

Henry shook his head. It seemed that The Harbour Master had reignited the madness in
his
servant once more. In the face of that, Henry was resigned to the fate that they’d delivered for him.