To Summon Nightmares (19 page)

 "It's in my best interests," said Kathleen, seeming entirely unconcerned with Cohen. "But after this I am turning you both in, and that's that."

"Well, I'm sorry," said Niall, "but I'm going to run again."

"Yes, I know you are. And I'm going to stop you this time, on my life."

Cohen coughed. His throat and chest felt raw. He wanted to be home, in his bed, not out in the darkness with killer trees and psycho murderers. Niall finished brushing leaves from Cohen's hair and touched his cheek. "I'm sorry, Cohen, you have to be strong."

"I know, I know," whispered Cohen. "I'm okay."

"Hurry up, we don't have forever." Kathleen was already heading back to the street, and they hurriedly followed her.

"Kathleen," Niall said. "Jacky wants to kill you. He summoned you here because he wants to use you as the last sacrifice."

Kathleen stopped walking, and turned to look at them again. "I'm aware."

"I'll try to stop him, is all," said Niall.

"Oh," said Kathleen, and Cohen could see a small smile on her face despite the darkness. "You think that'll make up for what you did to me? To Mina?"

"I don't understand," interrupted Cohen. "Your daughter is really the only thing you care about? She's not the only person in the world."

"She's the only important thing to me," said Kathleen. "Perhaps one day you'll have children of your own, and you'll see. Or..." She eyed Cohen. "Perhaps not." She stepped forward suddenly and held a hand to Cohen's temple. Cohen flinched, and for a moment his vision went white. He could see nothing, feel nothing, only a race of emotions and jumbled thoughts. Then Kathleen's hand retreated and she tsked. "You've got protections on you," she said, turning away and continuing to walk. "Set by the Guild. I can't bypass them. I saw enough, though. Poor, lonely little boy, trapped in a body that's all wrong. Do you really think you'll ever be free?"

"That's not how it works," said Cohen. "You don't understand people at all, do you?"

"Don't," Niall cut in. "Don't even talk to her, Cohen."

They stepped out onto the road and Kathleen crossed her arms, tapping her fingers impatiently. "We're wasting time. Niall, I can track down Jacky the same way I tracked you down, but your little boyfriend will only get in the way. We need to put him somewhere Jacky won't look for him. I'd love to place a spell on him so we'd know if Jacky was attacking him, but unfortunately, I can't, so we need to hide him."

"What, you want me to just hang out in the shrubbery?" snapped Cohen.

"Do you have any friends in town?" Kathleen asked. "Someone Jacky won't know about?"

"I just moved here, I don't really know anyone." Cohen thought. "I guess maybe Myrna might let me stay at her place."

Niall looked confused. "Myrna? The Police Chief? Are you friends with her?"

"That's good enough for me," sighed Kathleen. "If you didn't know about it, then neither will Jacky." She glanced at Cohen. "Will she let you stay with her?"

"Well... probably, if I explain."

"Do her a favour and don't," said Kathleen. "Let's go, we don't have time for any of this. Jacky could be acquiring the next sacrifice as we speak."

*~*~*

"It's not a matter of trusting you," said Myrna, leading Cohen down the hallway. "It's needing to know whether or not my children are safe. Now, Kelsie is at her boyfriend's for the night, so I don't need to worry about her. This is her bedroom, you can sleep in it,
but—
" She slammed an arm in front of the door just as Cohen was about to enter. "Not until you tell me exactly what's going on."

Cohen felt like he was going to cry. "Myrna, I'm
exhausted.
"

"You look exhausted; you look like you've been through hell."

"I have," said Cohen. "But, Myrna, I really
can't
explain."

"I really think you can." Myrna's face was unsympathetic and unimpressed. "Is it something illegal? Are you wanted for smuggling drugs?"

"It's nothing like that, I just..." Cohen sighed. He wanted so badly to go to bed. Maybe Myrna would let him sleep if he told her. Or she'd take him to a padded room and he could sleep there. "It's... Niall—"

"Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"He's gotten into something bad. There's an organisation that was doing experiments on him, and they're after him, and there's another escaped prisoner who wants to kill me along with everyone else in the organisation."

"And this isn't a matter to be entrusted to the police because..."

"Because I think the organisation sort of... owns the police. Or at least has some influence."

"So you don't trust
me
."

"I do, it's just..." Cohen slumped against the wall. "I just want to go to sleep."

Myrna pursed her lips and examined Cohen for a long moment. "Fine—" she began, just as the phone rang. She turned to look at the source of the ringing. "It is the middle of the night, someone had better be—"

Dead
.

"Oh no," whispered Cohen.

"What?" Myrna turned back to him.

"Just..." Cohen nodded at the kitchen. "Get the phone."

Myrna gave him another look, then headed to the kitchen. Cohen waited, his stomach doing flip flops, as she picked up. "Hello? Speaking. Kent, is it not something you can—I see." She went silent for several seconds. "All right, I'll be right in. You're—you're sure she's all right? Fine, I'll be there." She hung up and swept past Cohen to her bedroom a moment later. "I'm going in to the station," she said shortly, shutting the door.

"Why?" Cohen could feel his pulse in his fingertips. "What happened?"

There was silence. A minute later, Myrna came out, fully dressed in her uniform, and went into Noleen's room. Cohen hovered at the doorway, listening.

"Mammy's going into work," she told Noleen. "So I'm taking you to mister and missus Blarney's for the night, okay?"

"Okay," he heard Noleen say sleepily, and a moment later Myrna emerged carrying Noleen and a few blankets.

"You can stay here, I don't care now," she said.

"No, Myrna, tell me what's happened!"

"Give me a moment," snapped Myrna and she headed out the front door. Frustrated, Cohen pulled out his mobile and attempted to call Niall. It went directly to voicemail, which meant that Niall was out of range. He tried again, stepping out onto the front porch, but the result was the same. Myrna returned from the neighbours shortly after, and headed to her police cruiser.

"You have to tell me what's going on. Listen!" shouted Cohen, racing up to her. "Niall might be in danger! What's happened?"

"Another murder," said Myrna shortly, fumbling with her keys. "It—it was Kelsie's boyfriend. She's fine, but... but she saw it happen." She covered her mouth with her hand, leaning against the car for a moment."

"Oh no," said Cohen. "Myrna, did she say who did it? Was—was his heart removed?"

She turned to stare at him. "How did you know that? That's classified information about the murders."

Cohen's mind was racing. He had to think, had to figure out what to do. It was imperative that he tell Niall and Kathleen about the murder, so that they could try to stop Jacky. Cohen was no longer really in danger, so there was no need for him to hide any more. If he only had his car, he could go to the stones, try to stop Jacky himself. "Myrna, I need you to bring me somewhere."

"I'm going to the police station to see my daughter," said Myrna. "It can wait."

"It really can't," said Cohen. "I'm sorry. Listen." He really hoped this worked. It had to work. "If I tell you I can bring you to the murderer, that I know where he is and how to stop him, will you do it?"

"You're trying to manipulate me," said Myrna, turning to look at Cohen levelly. "Why don't you just tell me the truth?"

"Because," Cohen gritted his teeth. "You won't believe me."

"Well, you're going to have to try me," said Myrna. "Because I won't be manipulated, and I refuse to work with you unless you tell me exactly what's going on."

"Okay," said Cohen. "Okay, fine and you're going to think I'm crazy, but I guess I have no other choice. This organisation, I guess it's called the Guild. It's a group of people with like, special abilities."

"Special abilities."

"Like, like..." He squinted his eyes shut, remembered exploding beans and magical fire, explosions of light and killer trees. Myrna was not going to believe this. "Like psychic abilities."

"All right," said Myrna.

"I know it seems crazy," said Cohen. "But I've seen it, Niall showed me. He calls himself a witch and he can do... things."

Myrna raised her eyebrows. "All right."

"You don't believe me," sighed Cohen. "You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

Myrna just shook her head. "Not really. I'm a police officer, Cohen, I've seen plenty of crazy things."

"So you do believe me."

Myrna crossed her arms in front of her and stared at him, her lips pursed. Finally, she shook her head. "I don't know what to believe, but for some godforsaken reason, I trust you. So you'd better be telling the truth."

"I am," said Cohen weakly.

"Right," said Myrna. "Where do you need to go then?"

Cohen tried to call Niall again as they drove, hoping and praying that he would answer. He kept remembering what Niall had said about how every powerful magic-user was required to sign themselves over to the Guild in blood. If Jacky summoned the Titan and told it to destroy the Guild, how many people would die? Would Niall be one of them? Would Cohen, too? Niall and Kathleen had both said that the Guild had placed protections on him, so maybe that meant he belonged to them too. He didn't want to die.

"No more reception," said Cohen hollowly as they drove over a hilltop. Myrna glanced at her phone as well.

"I have a radio," she said. "I can call for back-up."

"You can't," said Cohen shortly. "It would be dangerous for them, and anyway, they might belong to the Guild."

"So, turn this 'Jacky' into them," said Myrna. "If he's that dangerous."

Cohen felt sick to his stomach. "Niall said he'd rather die."

"Then those are his choices," replied Myrna shortly. "He can be turned in to the authorities, or he can die." She paused. "That's why you asked me that before at dinner, isn't it? It wasn't for your book."

"No," Cohen felt himself shrinking into the seat.

They drove in silence for a while, until Cohen recognised the turn-off he'd driven down earlier that night (it seemed so long ago now) and directed Myrna down it. Soon his car came into sight. Myrna pulled up next to it and they both got out.

"You can go back to the station now," said Cohen. "Kelsie probably needs you."

Myrna shook her head and Cohen realised that she was pulling her gun from her belt. "I think I'm needed right here."

Cohen didn't know what to do. He hadn't intended to put Myrna in danger, but at the same time he felt safer with her here.

"Who are we looking for?" Myrna asked him. "Niall?"

"Yes." Cohen swallowed. "Or Kathleen. She's with the Guild, but she's agreed to help Niall stop Jacky."

"And what is it we need to tell them?"

"That Jacky's killed again, and taken another heart. After this he only needs Kathleen's. We need to warn her, and stop Jacky if we can." Where to look though? Cohen stared up the hill, where he knew the stones were. Jacky could be there already. He could have already found and killed Kathleen, or be about to. They couldn't just leave. "Come on," he told Myrna. "This way."

The grass was dryer now, the sky darker, although the stars blazed even brighter. There were no flashes in the sky this time, but he remembered the way. It had only been a few hours since he'd been here last. His heart was racing at the memory. He'd narrowly escaped being killed last time, but here he was again.

"I hope Niall and Kathleen are here," he whispered. "If it's just Jacky, we're probably in for it."

"Lucky you've got me with you," said Myrna, and Cohen nodded. He didn't like putting Myrna in danger, but he knew she couldn't just stand by, any more than he could.

"What is this?" said Myrna, nearly tripping over the line of magical stones and sticks as they crossed it. As soon as they did so, Cohen could feel something. A familiar prickling on the back of his neck, colder and darker than he'd felt before. He whipped his head around to the source of the feeling. It was coming from over the hill, where the stones were. Jacky was doing magic of some sort. Was he sacrificing the lover's heart? Or the witch's?

"Can you feel that?" he asked Myrna.

"I don't know," said Myrna, but she was looking around, towards the stones as well, and Cohen thought she could.

"We couldn't feel it outside the circle because it blocks magic," Cohen muttered. "Oh!"

"What?" said Myrna as Cohen frantically began to kick at the rocks and stones, breaking the line wherever he could. "What are you doing?"

"I'm breaking it," explained Cohen. "That way, if Niall and Kathleen aren't here already, they'll feel it and come. Not quite as good as a phone but it'll have to do."
Please, please let it work
. If Niall and Kathleen felt that magic, they'd have to come and investigate. And so would the rest of the Guild. Cohen's heart dropped as he realised that if the Guild captured Jacky, they would probably get Niall back too. He couldn't let that happen. They had to stop Jacky, before the Guild could get at either of them. "Come on, we've got to go."

"I hope you know what you're doing," whispered Myrna furiously, but she followed him up the hill. He peered over, seeing nothing but the standing stones, peaceful against the night sky. But his instincts were telling him a different story.

"There's definitely something going on down there," he whispered. "Can't you feel it?"

Myrna was staring at the stones, her face taut but her eyes wide. "You're right," she whispered. "Like a chill."

Cohen's heart was beating sporadically again. What if it was too late? What if Niall was down there right now? What could he possibly do?

"I have to go," he whispered, starting down the hill.

"We should wait for your friends!" Myrna whispered after him.