Vision in Trust (Legends of the North #2) (21 page)

Carefully, they removed the other two shields from the earth, and as the three of them stood there, each with a shield in hand, Rob couldn't help but laugh. A slightly manic laugh, as the sight struck him as bizarre. Matt turned to frown at Rob.
Clearly not the time or place for laughter.

"I'll speak to Miriam at the museum when we get back. We can leave the shields with her until she decides what to do with them, as the curator."

Rob's smile slipped from his lips at Matt’s words. "You can't tell anyone what we found, Matt." He saw James's head whip around and felt both men’s gazes on him.

"Of course I can. We have to, Rob. The museum will be able to display them and ensure they’re preserved properly."

Rob moved his shield to his side and took a step closer to Matt. "No. That's exactly why you can't tell anyone. They'll confiscate the shields. We only found them because of Jess's vision. Doesn't that tell you something?"
 

Rob glanced between Matt and James, but neither of them said anything. "How long do you think they've been buried here, huh? Jess has a vision that leads
us
to find them.
We
were meant to find them." He glared at Matt. "Not so we could hand them over to the bloody museum so they can put them in a glass case. We were meant to find them to protect us from whatever the hell attacked Jess and has left her unconscious for days." Rob dragged a breath in after his speech, his chest rising and falling rapidly with the adrenaline. He just knew what he'd said was right.
 

Something was coming for them, and they needed all the protection they could get.

They took the long route home along the river in order to avoid being seen by anyone. Three men with shields wasn't exactly an inconspicuous sight. Rob followed James into the cottage and heard Emma running down the stairs.

"Oh, thank God, you're back."

"Why? What happened? Is Jess okay?" Rob knew he shouldn't have left her. Thrusting his shield at Matt, he made his way towards Emma.
 

She stopped him, holding her hands out to him palms up. "She's awake."

Dear God.
Rob put his hand out against the wall to steady himself. Honestly, he'd thought the worst.

"What on earth have you got there?” Emma asked Matt.

Not waiting to hear Matt’s answer, Rob took the stairs two at a time before stopping abruptly outside Jess’s closed bedroom door. Running his hand through his hair, he took a few deep breaths, willing the frantic beating of his heart to calm down. Knocking gently on the door, he slowly pushed it open to reveal a tired but happy-looking Jess. Shutting the door behind him, he made his way over to the bed. He leaned over and pressed his lips to her forehead before he sat on the edge of the mattress. His hand shook as he brushed it over her hair and then cupped her cheek.
Shit, I really thought I had lost her.
He swallowed hard, but couldn't get the words to come out—any of them. Jess grabbed hold of his hand, and he gazed into her eyes, which glistened with unshed tears.

"I love you, Jess."

He heard her breath catch as she held it. "You love me?"

She sounded like he'd just confessed to murder. Rob rested his forehead against hers as he slid his hand from her cheek to cup the nape of her neck. "I love you, angel. So much that the thought of losing you ..." Instead of finishing his sentence, he brushed his lips against hers. When he opened his eyes, she was staring up at him. Shit, it was too early. He should have waited before telling her. She'd just woken up from an attack he didn't know if she even remembered. Bad timing. Leaning away from her, he said, "It's okay." And it was. He didn't expect her to say the words back to him.

***

He loved her? Rob? Never did she expect that this was where they were heading. She knew she was staring at him, that she should say something.
He loves me?
 

He pulled back from her and said, "It's okay."
 

But it wasn't. This was Rob. Did he not know she felt the same way? She loved him too. She loved his strength, his courage, his kindness, and the hint of insecurity she could see now that he'd made himself vulnerable to her. Wrapping her hand around the back of his neck, she pulled him down to her so she could kiss him.
 

When he leaned his forehead against hers again and broke their kiss, she whispered, "I love you."
 

His eyes widened, and he lifted his head from hers.
 

"I've known for a while, Rob. I love you so much."

He grinned at her before leaning back down to caress her lips again.

***

That night, the five of them gathered at James's. Emma had cooked for them, and Jess felt like she hadn't eaten in weeks.

"Quit it, I'm fine," she said, as she felt James and Matt's gaze on her yet again.

Covering her hand with his own, James gave it a quick squeeze. "Jess, you were out of it for two days. I think that gives us the right to be concerned about you."

Turning to face James, her shoulders slumped as she saw the worry making his eyes crease. "You have every right, James, but I'm fine. You were missing for much longer. But we're both here. All three of us are fine. You can't keep an Altenbury down, right?" Smiling at James, she knew he agreed when his lips twitched, and she heard Matt chuckle.

The conversation took a turn for the light-hearted as they ate. But as Emma started to clear their plates, Jess watched Matt's gaze dart around the room to each of them. When he slipped his thumbnail between his teeth and started to chew, she knew something wasn't quite right.
 

"Spill it, bro," Jess said.

When Matt realised she was talking to him, he dropped his thumb, and his cheeks glowed. Catching hold of Emma's arm, Matt said, "Sit down, Emma. You need to hear this too."

She caught Jess's gaze, but Jess just shrugged; she had no idea what this was about. As Emma sat, Rob took hold of Jess's hand, and she glanced up at him. But he was focused on Matt, a worried look on his face.

Matt cleared his throat, and everyone’s gaze focused on him. "So, I was doing some research earlier, about the shields really." Matt cleared his throat again. Emma linked her fingers through his, and he looked down at her.

"Just tell us, Matt. You can't protect us all, and we can't help if we don't know what it is," Emma said.

Matt smiled down at her before turning his attention to Jess. "So, I was looking for information about the shields when I found a website about the Festival of Lemuria."

"Festival of what?" Jess asked as she started to remember another conversation about a Roman festival. One not that long ago with Matt and Emma in her kitchen, with her gran's journals.

"Lemuria," Matt said once again. "It was a Roman feast where they would exorcise the dead from their homes. They would chant the same line three times at midnight."

Jess noted how pale Matt had gone and held Rob’s hand tighter. "What would they chant?"

Matt glanced down as though trying to compose himself. "Sins of the fathers be gone."

An image of the prisoner flashed through Jesse's mind. "Sins of the fathers thee shall reap." Jess noticed everyone turned to look at her and realised she must have said the words out loud. Staring straight at Matt, she asked, "What else did you learn?"

He glanced down at Emma again, then quietly said, "The feast was on three different days. According to the Julian calendar, the first of those days is on the ninth of May."

Jess stood, toppling her chair in her haste. "That's in five days, Matt."

Meeting her gaze, he said, "I know."

She slowly lowered herself back into the chair that Rob had righted for her. "What happens? On the ninth, what will happen?"

Matt just stared at her for the longest time before looking at each of them in turn. "Honestly? I have no idea. I'm going to look into the festival more and what rituals they performed, but I think we should do the incantation at midnight. It can't hurt, can it? Worst-case scenario? Whatever Emma and I tried to fight in February shows up again. Except this time, there will be five of us instead of two. We're better prepared now we have the shields. This time, we'll be ready."

As Rob and Jess made their way back to James's cottage, two days after the last time they'd been there, Rob's head was still spinning.
 

He'd seen firsthand Jess having a vision, and after, her caked in mud or surrounded by feathers. Hell, he’d helped dig up the shields. But hearing Matt talk about Roman festivals and sins of their fathers? It just all seemed so,
so
crazy. As he walked down the lane towards Altenbury Hall, hand in hand with Jess, it didn't seem real.

The sun broke through the clouds, lighting up the field, moving across it like a spotlight. The wind blew through the shaggy grass, ruffling it, bringing the smell of the farm with it. The wind picked up again, blowing the clouds across the sun again, and the light disappeared.

It was more than just the sun disappearing behind a cloud that created this unnatural darkness, though. Turning slowly, he scanned the fields behind the hedgerows, pulling Jess closer to his side. The wind whipped at his jacket, Jess's hair flying into his face. At the sound of a howl, he turned in the direction it came from, knowing it wasn't the wind that time.
 

Standing, towering over the hedgerows, was the wolf of his nightmares ever since Jess first mentioned being chased through Altenbury Hall. Its paw raked across the path of the lane, leaving gouge marks in the mud and stones.

Lowering its head, Rob stared straight into its almost-yellow eyes. The wolf's jaw dropped open to reveal its shiny white teeth as a string of saliva dripped from its fang. Rob realised too late that he needed to stop wandering around without some kind of protection, and he didn't mean a shield. Shoving Jess behind him, he expected her to protest. But she stood just behind him and clasped his hand in hers.

"I'm not leaving you. I love you, and we're in this together."

He wasn't happy that she wouldn't leave, but knowing Jess, there was no point in arguing. "I love you too, angel." As though listening to their conversation, Rob saw the wolf's ears twitch before it threw its head back and howled.
 

Rob tensed, ready for its attack, his free hand fisted at his side. Before any of them moved, a loud bang echoed around them. Rob couldn't help but jump at the noise.

 
As the wolf crouched, Rob saw James standing behind the wolf, shotgun in hand, aiming it at the creature and them. When none of them moved, James lifted the gun into the air and let off another shot before aiming it at the wolf again. That time, it leaped over the hedgerow and ran off over the fields, quickly disappearing into the distance.

Rob watched as Jess ran up to James and threw her arms around his neck. The sight of that stung a little, and he swore next time he'd be prepared. He was the one who was supposed to protect Jess. If it was the last thing he did, he would protect her.

The day of the festival dawned damp and miserable. Jess could hear the rush of the wind around the house as it whipped up the fallen cherry blossom, twirling it in its wake. The branches
bowed to its power as the first drops of rain hit the window, soon turning into a downpour. Rain lashed against the pane, and Jess's vision became blurred, like looking through tears. An apt thought.
 

Jess wondered what the day would bring. Would she lose someone she loved? She had to admit there was a high chance as she remembered the pain in her gran’s journal when she had recounted her loss.

She'd already thought she'd lost James once, and she wasn't sure she was strong enough to go through it again. What if this time it were Matt or Emma? Or, God forbid, Rob? That thought sent a cold chill through her before the warmth of Rob’s arms wrapped around her. Pulling her against his chest, she felt his lips on her neck. His breath blew across her ear as he whispered into it.

"Everything's going to be fine. I love you."

She turned in his arms, pressing her lips against his gently. "I love you too." He smiled down at her, looked so content. She didn't know how he could be, this day of all days.

"Are you ready to go?"

She nodded and followed him out of the house.

Rob pulled up outside James's cottage five minutes later, the ratchet of the handbrake loud in the quiet of the car. Jess sat still, staring out of the rain-smeared window at James's house until Rob climbed out of the car. She opened her door, and Rob was there to help her out. James looked out of the open front door and waved at them. Swallowing hard, Jess realised this was it. Whatever was going to happen would happen on this day.

***

Emma had taken Matt at his word when he had said it was a feast. Cooking helped to keep her mind off what she knew was coming. She remembered standing in that field next to Matt all too well, only a few months back. Images of the monster they had tried to kill flashed through her mind. The smell, the fear she had felt. She knew she had to face it again, but this time, it wasn't just Matt or her who could be hurt.

They had spent the day feasting and preparing for what may come. Matt had said he had done his research, but when he walked in with several tubs of salt, Emma couldn't help but wonder why. She followed him outside and watched as he drew out a six-pointed star with the salt.

"What's that for?"

Matt looked up at her question. "It's supposed to ward off evil."

Emma couldn't help it as she laughed. "Isn't that just an old wives’ tale?"

"At this point, I'll give anything a go. It certainly can't hurt. Please, Emma. Can you go get the candles for me?"

Emma stared at him for a moment, but then nodded and went to collect the candles from inside.

Matt placed one at each point of the star, and each of them stood behind a candle. Jess and Emma both held one shield apiece. Rob did too, along with James's shotgun. Matt and James each held a sword that Jess recognised from above the fireplace in Alt Hall. At the strike of midnight, they began the incantation.