River: The Suicide Forest Part 10

"You seem half there," Roy said. "You sure you can drive?"

"I'm sure," Steven said, starting the car. "Where to? Gig Harbor?"

"No time like the present," Roy said, sitting back in his seat.

"So I did that?" Steven said, pulling the car from the curb. "I'm the reason he did that to himself?"

"You're the reason an ent.i.ty did that to him," Roy said. "You didn't do it, neither did Robbie."

"The poor kid," Steven said. "He didn't deserve that."

"I'm worried much worse will come to him," Roy said, "if we don't get this figured out."

"Please forgive me for not getting up," Judith said, setting down her emptied gla.s.s of protection, and reclining on her day bed in the same pose they'd seen in their earlier visits. "I have a condition, brought on by a psychic attack years ago, and it comes back on me every now and again. It flared up on me yesterday. I'm afraid it's quite painful."

"Sorry to hear that," Steven said.

"Have you ever had s.h.i.+ngles?" Judith asked him.

"No ma'am," Steven said.

"You?" she asked, turning to Roy.

"Once, years ago," Roy said.

"Ah, so you know the feeling," Judith said, "of just wanting to blow your brains out. This is very similar."

"Well, thank you for working with us, considering the circ.u.mstances," Steven said.

"I must admit," Judith said, "that after each of our visits I've wondered what's come of your adventure, so I do enjoy getting an update."

"The woman, the mother of the child, she's a dead end," Roy said. "We tried to win her over, but she wasn't persuaded."

"That's unfortunate," Judith said. She reached for a bell on a table next to the bed and rang it.

G.o.d, not more cuc.u.mbers, Steven thought.

"I'm going to ask Clara for some tea," Judith said, "and I hope you'll have some. It has the most soothing effect. It's about the only thing that calms my flare-ups. So the woman is out, that's too bad. What else?"

"We met with a family member, who told us quite a bit about Evie that's the mother," Steven said. "Some of her history, how she was taught the gift but rebelled against her father. Now she's denounced it, but the family member Evie's uncle thinks Evie is a liar and doesn't believe anything she says."

"Sounds like an astute man," Judith said.

"You rang?" Clara said behind them.

"Some more red tea please, and settings for our guests," Judith said. Clara turned to leave.

"And what else?" Judith said. "There's more, isn't there?"

"Yes," Steven said. "We met with the child."

"Without protection?" Judith asked, alarmed.

"Correct," Steven said. "I guess we didn't think it through very well."

"Well put," Judith said. "I see you're both intact, what about the boy?"

"He bit the end of his finger off," Steven said. "And told me it was my fault."

"As it was," Judith said.

"It wasn't Steven's fault," Roy said. "You told us the token June had would protect everyone in the house."

"It most certainly was his fault," Judith said, sputtering. "Do you think he would have bitten his finger off had you not tried to talk with him?"

Roy was silent. Somehow Judith had deflected Roy completely.

"There's more," Steven said. "He has a marking, similar to my own."

"How do you know?" she asked.

"I have a planchette, like the one you used," Steven said. He removed it from his pocket and handed it to her. "Robbie knew I was marked, even without the planchette. His markings are on his palms."

"That's because he hasn't matured yet," Judith said. "They'll flip like yours once he's finished p.u.b.erty." She glanced at the planchette Steven handed to her. "This is ancient. Where did you get this?"

"It was a family object I've had for years," Roy said. "We didn't realize what it did until we saw your planchette last time we were here."

"You see these markings?" Judith said, pointing to them with a twisted finger. "Ancient. Let me see your hand."

Judith held the planchette over Steven's hand, examining the markings. Then she pulled away from the planchette quickly, raising a hand to her chest to catch her breath.

"My," she said, taking deep breaths. "I would ask you to remove that object from my house immediately, but I suspect the engravings are what's keeping us safe. You used this to examine the boy's markings?"

"Yes," Steven said.

"d.a.m.n," Judith said. "Now listen to me. You have to make sure these engravings around the gla.s.s don't get smudged or dirtied in any way. And I strongly suggest you keep this wrapped in black velvet. Keep it in a jar, and drop some cedar shavings into it before you seal it up. That way the eye won't be turned against you."

"The eye?" Steven asked.

"The gla.s.s," Judith said. "You look through it at things, but things can look back through it at you. The creatures you're fighting now know about this eye. You'll have to take precautions, or they'll know your every move."

"What about the markings on it? You said they're protecting us?" Steven said.

"Yes," Judith said. "The markings are powerful not because of the markings themselves, but because of their age. These are very old. You have a very rare eye."

"What about the boy?" Roy asked.

"Ah, yes, the boy," Judith said. "Well, it's common enough for certain demons to want him because he's marked. I think you've identified what they're after."

"So they want Robbie," Steven said. "What will they do to him?"

"They'll kill him just before the markings flip," Judith said. "That's when they're most potent and attractive. If they wait too long and they flip, he'll become like you, and the markings will repel them instead of attract. So they'll cut the markings out of his hands, or if they're in a hurry they'll just cut off the hands entirely."

"Christ," Roy said. "How do we stop them?"

"You can't," Judith said. "The best you'll do is annoy them, or get someone like the grandmother killed. The boy has to get rid of them himself."

"How?" Steven asked. "I don't think he has any idea how to use the gift."

"Normally," Judith said, "a parent who has a marked child ushers the child through the process, protecting them from those who would take the child's power. In this case, his mother has left him wide open to attack. It's almost as though she knows the child is at risk, and she's doing nothing about it. Perhaps she wants the attacks to occur."

"Why would she want that?" Steven asked. "It seems inhuman."

"Could be any number of reasons," Judith said. "She might have made a deal that involved the powers of the child as payback. It's hard to say. In any event, to get rid of the demons pestering the child, the boy will have to develop some control over them. You say he's not been trained at all?"

"No," Steven said, "I don't think so. She supposedly renounced the gift, so she wouldn't have trained him, and his grandfather died before he was born."

"He must be scared out of his wits," Judith said. "Poor child."

Clara returned with the tea, and Judith insisted that Roy and Steven each try some. Steven took a sip. It tasted like the lining of a shoe.

"I didn't say it was tasty," Judith said, observing his reaction. "It is, however, quite good for you."

"What can we do with Robbie?" Roy asked. "If he has to deal with these demons himself, how do we help him?"

"You'll need to get him someplace safe, so you can work with him," Judith said. "Let him borrow the token, and then take him out on Dixon's boat. The demons won't follow you there. While you have him over water, instruct him on how to trap the demons in a mirror. Any mirror will do, so long as it's one you can carry around, because when you're done, you'll bring it back to me so I can show you how to store it permanently."

"I've never done anything like that," Roy said, "so I'm not sure how to teach him."

"Oh, it's quite easy," Judith said, "if you've practiced it. I'll show you."

Chapter Eight.

June had arranged a three-hour window for them. Roy figured they could pick up Robbie, drive him to Ballard and Dixon's boat, then get out on the water for a solid hour before having to come back and shuttle him home.

When they pulled up to June's house, Robbie came bounding out the front door, a small backpack on his back and his palms pressed together. His finger had a large white bandage at the end. Roy got out of the pa.s.senger's side and opened the door to the back seat for him, then reminded Robbie not to drop the token while he buckled Robbie's seat belt.

"We're going on a boat!" Robbie said, bouncing up and down.

"You promise you won't tell your mother about this?" Steven said.

"No, I won't," Robbie said. "She never lets me do anything."

"Well, if you mention any of this to her," Steven said, "we'll never be able to take you again, so let's keep it secret, OK?"

"Absolutely," Robbie said, still bouncing. "Can I go fis.h.i.+ng?"

"Sure," Roy said. "We'll all fish. How's your finger?"

"It hurts," Robbie said. "Maybe I'll catch a shark! It's shark week!"

"Shark week?" Roy said, turning to Steven.

"It's a TV thing," Steven said.

They talked about sharks and TV as they maneuvered the Seattle streets, winding up at the docks in Ballard where Dixon's boat was moored. Robbie was fascinated by the boats they pa.s.sed.

Once they arrived at Dixon's boat, introductions were made. Roy told Robbie he'd hold onto the token for safekeeping, and Dixon tried a life preserver on Robbie for size.

"Can't remember the last time a kid was on this boat," Dixon said, laughing.

"Can I drive it?" Robbie asked.

"Well, that depends," Dixon said, taking the life preserver off Robbie. "Are you a captain?"

"Yes!" Robbie said enthusiastically.

"Once we're out to sea, we'll see about you driving," Dixon said. "Now let me get things started. I know we're on a timetable."

Dixon left the three of them in the main room of his boat, and they heard the engine roar to life. Slowly the boat backed out of its berth.

"Cool!" Robbie said, running to the windows to watch.

"How soon before we start?" Steven asked Roy.

"Well, we're on water now," Roy said. "We might as well. We only have an hour."

"Let him watch a couple of minutes more," Steven said.

"Try again," Roy said. "See how fast you can do it."

Robbie closed his eyes. Steven, who was already in the River, watched as the child concentrated on the mirror. For a moment he saw it start to glow, but it faded before it reached the blinding white light that Judith required.

"What's wrong?" Roy asked Robbie.

"It won't work," Robbie replied.