Dark Tidings: Ancient Magic Meets the Internet Book 1 (25 page)

It was far and away the biggest event of the football season in the North-East. The Toon Army, as the Newcastle United fans are called, would tell you it was the most important match anywhere in the land. Today was the day Newcastle was playing Sunderland and the city was buzzing. The local rivals were in town; it was derby day.

Faith stepped off the train and was immediately consumed by the crowds on the platform. Even among the jostling and pushing, she was still aware of the three ‘casual’ strangers who’d been tailing her since she left London. She was being elbowed and trampled, but strangely she felt safer and more secure by being part of the teeming mob which streamed out of the carriages.

She heaved her holdall onto her shoulder, trying hard not to hit anyone. A confrontation with a bumped passenger was the last thing she needed. The holdall contained a few days worth of clothes along with some misleading bits and bobs; false clues which would surely confuse even the cleverest of people… they even confused her and she’d packed them.

During Michael’s secret phone call, he’d listed exactly what she was to bring in the bag; a bag she was told to leave in the left luggage office and never pick it up again. She followed his instructions to the letter, deposited the holdall and left the station.

The chill air bit at her cheeks. She pulled up her coat collar, stuck her hands in her pockets and hunched her shoulders. Here we go, girl. She lowered her head into the wind and set off up the hill towards St James’ Park, Newcastle’s home ground. All she had with her now was her handbag into which she’d crammed the twenty thousand pounds worth of notes. She hugged it tightly against her chest.

The town was heaving with fans who mingled uneasily with the strong police presence which patrolled the streets. Aggressive football chants hung in the air as the opposing supporters taunted each other. Now she understood why Michael had chosen here, and today, for her to lose her trackers once and for all. As instructed, she stopped off at The Emerald Palace, the Chinese restaurant near the stadium. She picked a table as far away from the door as possible and positioned herself with her back to the wall so she could see if anyone followed her in. After waiting a few minutes, a waiter showed up and took her order. As he left, she told him her name was Faith.

She finished her lunch and ordered a coffee. The waiter smiled.

“You’ll need to watch your time, love. You’re in danger of missing the start of the match.” Practically everyone in the place was destined for the game, so this bit of friendly advice could boost his tip.

“Thanks for the warning, but I’m not going to the match,” she said louder than was really necessary. The extra volume was for the benefit of the two groups of men who’d arrived in the Palace shortly after her. She was playing her role like a seasoned actress, although maybe she’d added a pinch of salt too many. Anyway, better safe than sorry, you never know who’s watching.

After a second coffee, she paid the bill and asked where the toilet was. She made her way past the few remaining people in the restaurant, the place had virtually emptied half an hour before kick-off. Just as she was passing the last occupied table, a man stood up and blocked her way. Her heart stopped.

“Not going to the match then, pet?” he said with a thick Geordie accent. His voice was slightly slurred from at least one glass of wine too many.

Faith’s heart restarted when she realised this was just a clumsy pick-up attempt.

“Sorry. Excuse me. I really need to get past,” she said as she slipped round the man.

She rushed the last few yards, keeping her eyes straight ahead, and dived into the ladies room. Don’t panic. A few minutes later, a waitress followed her in and handed her the package which Michael had left. It contained the change of clothes, the money belt, the match ticket and the disguise. She tucked the package under her arm and left the restaurant without looking back to see what was going on behind her. She didn’t run, but she did walk her fastest walk the short distance up the hill to St James’ Park. There were only a few people about because the match was already half over so everyone was inside the stadium.

It took her a good fifteen minutes and a couple of enquiries before she found the right entrance. She handed in her ticket and made her way into the buzzing, crowded ground. The men who were following her were stuck outside. There was no way to get into this match without a ticket and there was no easy way to get a ticket.

Faith immediately made her way to the ladies’ toilet where she changed into the striped top, the black bottoms and the trainers. She got the twenty thousand pounds out of her bag and slotted it into the money belt which she carefully strapped round her waist. It made her look fatter which just added to the disguise. She then ditched all her own clothes, her handbag, her mobile phone, her credit cards… everything. She donned the wig and glasses. She looked in the mirror and didn’t recognise herself. That was a good omen. She took a deep breath and made her way to her seat among the fifty thousand plus crowd; more than half of them dressed in tops exactly like hers.

When the match was over, she was invisible among the horde of people which streamed out of the ground. The crowd was in buoyant mood because the home team had beaten their next door neighbours 6-1; a hat-trick from local lad Ricky Hale had been the black and white icing on the big Geordie cake. ‘Howay the Lads’ was the deafening chant which surrounded her.

She stayed with the biggest group of fans until she was over half a mile away from the stadium, then she hopped into a taxi and asked the driver to take her to Darlington.

“Darlington? Are you sure, love? It’s a fair old drive so it’ll not be cheap.”

She waved some of her cash in his direction.

“No problem, love,” he said as he happily settled into a nice-earner of a journey.

After about an hour’s driving, he dropped her off at Darlington railway station by which time she’d swapped the striped top for a plain black jacket. The driver had watched her change in his rear-view mirror. That little show would have done nicely instead of a tip, but he kept that to himself. Two tips were better than one.

She slipped out of the taxi. Her neutral outfit blended in nicely with the people who were milling about. She wasn’t worrying about it though because she was sure there was no one around to notice her blending. She was confident she’d lost her tail.

She bought a one-way ticket for cash and waited on the platform for the train to arrive. Even though she was sure she was in the clear, she kept a keen eye out for anyone who might be watching her. Caution was the watch word. About ten minutes before her train was due she spotted a couple of men who looked out of place among the other travellers. They seemed to be anxious and every so often she felt their eyes fall on her. Were they watching her or were they worried she was watching them? Her question was answered when the pair both hopped on a train going in the opposite direction. She watched them go and that seemed to bother them. They obviously had something to hide.

Within minutes, her train pulled into the station. She had one final look around the platform before she boarded the carriage which would take her to Manchester. She found a window seat and settled in for the journey. She couldn’t relax. She’d more or less stopped worrying about being followed, now she was worrying about how she’d feel when she saw Michael.

The journey passed quickly and it seemed like no time before she was stepping off the train in Manchester. She made her way to the taxi rank and grabbed a cab to take her to Liverpool.

There was no turning back now, but that didn’t stop her wondering if she was doing the right thing. The moment she met up with Michael, all her bridges would be burnt … bridge Armageddon. Her life was going to change forever, so she prayed she’d made the right decision.

There was complete pandemonium at IIBE headquarters where the security coordination team was gathered. Before the report came in, there had been a muted excitement as the net closed around the fugitives. Backs were being patted and sly grins were being exchanged along with the odd cheesy wink. Everyone felt proud of what they’d achieved. Their pièce de résistance had been the inside line they’d got from tapping Faith’s phone. That had given them everything they needed to set the perfect trap.

The message which came through changed all that. The message was from the agents who’d been following Faith and it brought the worst possible news. They had lost her. The leader of the HQ team had taken the call.

He listened impassively when the report began, but he became increasingly agitated as the story unfolded. The room went silent as everyone watched his mood change. It was clear that he was getting some very bad news.

He flipped the call onto speakerphone so everyone could hear. No point in him having to repeat the story of the debacle once the call was over.

“We positioned ourselves in and around the restaurant where the girl was supposed to be meeting the Phillips. As a safeguard, I’d assigned three men to follow her all the way from London… just to make sure she was really coming to Newcastle and the restaurant. We had people inside posing as diners and people outside covering the front and back. I’m sure she didn’t spot us. We were ready to pounce as soon as Phillips showed up.”

“Get on with it. What went wrong?”

“Well, she ate by herself, which we weren’t expecting. There was no sign of anyone else. She dined alone and then left the Palace alone. At the time, I reckoned something had spooked her and they’d aborted the meeting.”

“So she had spotted you, you idiot?”

“I don’t think so. You see, a strange thing happened. An unusual development which makes me think they may have tricked us. I think they were playing us all along. I think Phillips knew we were listening in on his plans.”

“What was the development? What was it you missed?”

The agent ignored the implied criticism and continued.

“She went to the toilet and when she came out she had picked up a parcel.”

“What was in the parcel?”

“I don’t know, sir. I decided the best thing to do was follow her and see if she was meeting Phillips somewhere else.”

“And?”

“We followed her to the football stadium. There was a match on. She was able to get into the ground. She’d got herself a ticket from somewhere. I can only presume it had been in the parcel. We tried everything from bribery to threats to get in after her, but we failed to get past security. Eventually we found a tout and paid crazy money for a couple of tickets, but as soon as our men got inside it was clear they weren’t going to find her. It was absolutely packed… fifty-thousand people apparently.”

The room was silent. No one could believe what they were hearing.

“I deployed all our available manpower at key locations around the ground. I also stationed a man at the left luggage office where she’d left a holdall. Needless to say she never went back for it. We never saw her again. She’d just disappeared.”

The mission coordinator was absolutely livid. Even the fact that his men hadn’t really made any mistakes didn’t quell his anger. He screamed a barrage of abuse at the phone and then slammed the receiver down in a rage. Deep down he knew everyone had done a good job, they’d just been outplayed. The only mistake they’d made was to underestimate Phillips and the girl.

Now he was going to have to take the fall for the situation. Damn. He took deep breaths while he prepared to report this awful news to his boss, Jim Robinson. He was dreading having to take the abuse that he’d just dished out. He knew that Faith was the last solid lead they had and she’d slipped through the net, at the football match, on his watch.

He could hardly think straight. There was pandemonium all around him as everyone started pointing fingers. No one wanted to take the blame for this. The worst part of the problem was he’d no idea what they were going to do next. That was why his failure was so catastrophic. He braced himself and made the call to his boss.

He told his story to Jim Robinson who seemed to take the news relatively calmly. The calmness was unsettling and so much worse than the screaming match for which he'd prepared himself. The lack of abusive feedback left him with no idea about how his boss felt about him. He was very troubled as he hung up the phone.

Robinson considered what he’d heard carefully. He smiled to himself before he made his own call on a secure line to Sir Samuel Buckingham.

Faith stepped out of the cab near the world famous Royal Liver Building. She’d never been to Liverpool before, but she knew immediately that she was exactly where she was meant to be. The Royal Liver Building was a great place to meet. It was so recognisable, even for a stranger to the city. The great concrete structure towered over her as she paced around. It was impossible to stand still when your nerves tingled and your palms leaked sweat. Calm down, calm down.

She looked up at the iconic birds perched high above her and remembered hearing the rumour from a Liverpudlian friend that every time a local virgin walks past, the Liver Birds flap their wings, but no one had ever seen them flap. She knew the more official legend was that if either of the birds was to fly away then the city of Liverpool would cease to exist and that’s why both of the great bronze birds were chained to the building.

Her gaze flitted from face to face as she scanned the crowded street. Her nervousness was amplified every time someone caught her looking at them. Her heart was pounding and an unsettled feeling bubbled in her stomach. Anxiety about how this meeting was going to go, just added more stress to the situation. Would she be able to hold herself together? Would she be able to see this thing through?

She saw Michael before he saw her. She recognised him immediately even though the beard and moustache were gone. Had he shaved especially for her? She ran over, threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. He seemed momentarily startled, as if he wasn’t expecting her at all.

“I didn’t recognise you,” he said. “The wig works really well. Take it off please, I want to see the girl I love.”

She tugged off the wig and waved it over her head like a cheerleader’s pompom, a wide smile spread across her face as he stared at her. She’d been waiting for this moment for so long and it was obvious he had too. She broke the stare and they hugged some more. She’d never seen Michael look as happy as he looked that very moment. A wave of relief spread through her; they were back together and everything was right with the world.

“It’s fabulous to see you,” he said. “There’s so much I need to tell you. Are you all right? I’ve missed you so much. Have you missed me?”

He was babbling so she stopped him with another big hug.

“Let’s get going. We’re going to take a walk to my house. It’s not far and it’ll give us a chance to talk. We’ll be there in about twenty minutes and then we’re going to meet up with a couple of old friends.”

She hugged him tight and felt a sense of total calmness engulf her body. This was where she was meant to be, this was what she was meant to be doing. Michael broke her mood with another of his little anecdotes. He had one for every occasion and they seemed to pop into his head at the oddest times.

“I remember reading that ‘faith isn’t faith until it’s all you’re holding on to’ and, right now, I know exactly what that means.”

She laughed and he held her. Then they set off on their way. They chatted and hugged and kissed as they walked slowly to Michael’s house.

“You’re such a smart guy. You really nailed the problem we had.”

She could see her words were calming him; they always did. His stroked ego purred happily.

“The plan worked perfectly, just like you said it would.” She paused. “You know what, Michael; I love you in more ways than you’ll ever know.”

“So who’s keeping secrets now?”

They both laughed.

“Maybe we can make secrets a thing of the past.”

“Oh, I nearly forgot,” she said. “Look at this.”

She whipped up her top to reveal the money belt around her waist. She broke into a happy little skip as she started to describe her encounter with the bank manager.

He told her about his journey to Liverpool and apologised again for ‘running out on her’.

“I had to leave in a hurry once I’d started to steal the money. I couldn’t hang around and allow IIBE to snare me. I really couldn’t say too much to you for your own safety and mine. But I was sure I’d be able to make it right. I
knew
I could make it all alright.”

She nodded. It made sense although she was sure Michael was holding something back. The fact of the matter was he’d decided to keep the crazy bits for later when they were relaxing at the house, so there was no mention of the Occultus Populous, magic spells or the Scroll. That wasn’t going to be an easy conversation so it was best left until they could concentrate on it properly. Best left until he’d some things around him which would help convince her he wasn’t totally bonkers.

When they arrived at the house Tung and Madrick seemed genuinely pleased to see her. There was a bit of embarrassed should-we-hug-or-not dancing and eventually they settled on not, after all she’d only met them once and a lot of booze had been downed that evening. It had taken her days to get over the resulting hangover.

For the next half hour they all sat round the fire and talked. It was largely small talk and more about how she’d been and what she’d been doing. Then somewhat out of the blue, Michael launched into a crazy story about Tung and Madrick, but she found it hard to concentrate. She wasn’t really listening; she had other things on her mind. She studied Michael’s face. Had he noticed?

“I’m sorry, Michael, I’m exhausted. It was a long old journey from London to Newcastle to here, and on top of that there was all the stress associated with losing the guys who were following me.”

It was a half-hearted excuse and Michael didn’t seem to accept her explanation. Something was bothering him. She needed to get a grip.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked. “I know it’s been crazy over the last few days, but you seem to be a bit, ahmmm, vacant.”

She snapped herself out of her own little world and smiled sweetly at him. Her smile always did the trick.

“I’m really sorry, I just feel so incredibly tired. This has all been a bit too exciting for me. I’m not used to having any sort of adventure, never mind one like this.”

“No worries,” said Michael and he slipped his arm around her shoulder.

She wanted to fold herself into his chest; curl up and dissolve into the hug. She tried to force herself, but she couldn’t. She could see the look of disappointment and hurt in his eyes when she shrugged him off.

“I’m sorry, I’m just not feeling myself.”

She excused herself and went to the bathroom. She locked the door behind her and sat on the edge of the bath. She stared at the floor for a good five minutes. A feeling of nausea overwhelmed her, at least she was in the right place if she was going to be sick. She closed her eyes and rubbed her face with her hands. Think. Am I doing the right thing? After a few more seconds of contemplation, she stood up. She was doing the right thing. She was.

She took out a small mobile phone which was hidden in her sock. It was the phone which Jim Robinson had given her.