Tagan's Child (11 page)

“Oh this is my,
er, friend, Ahran Elessar.”

Constable
Harmsworth wrote something in his notebook. I felt the need to
explain. “Ahran knows about the attack, he was with me at the
hospital.”

They both
nodded.

“Can I get
anyone a tea or coffee?” I asked, feeling my palms grow sweaty.

All three men
declined. I made myself one anyway. I needed tea at a time like
this. The policemen waited until I had finished and joined them at
the table before they resumed their questioning. Wagner asked the
questions and Harmsworth continued to write in his book which I
found distinctly unnerving. I was dying to know what he was
writing.

“You found Ms
Goodfellow after the attack?” It was a question and a statement at
the same time.

“Yes that’s
right,” I replied. “I left Audrey to close up whilst I went to meet
with my bank manager. When I had finished I went back to see if she
needed any help and found her lying on the floor at the back of the
shop. I called the ambulance straight away.”

“I see,” he
said, which for some reason made me feel even guiltier.

“Can you think
of any reason why someone would want to attack Ms Goodfellow?”

“No, absolutely
none, she is the nicest lady you could ever wish to meet,” I said,
shaking my head.

The policeman
paused. “Do you have any enemies Miss McAllister?” I fought my
natural reaction to look at Ahran.

“No, not that
I’m aware of,” I said, lying through my teeth. What else could I
have said? Yes, there is some mad woman from a parallel universe
who wants to kidnap my nephew to use as a pawn in a bid for power
and land. Ordinarily, I would never have lied to a policeman, but
Ahran was watching me like a hawk. I came to the uncomfortable
realisation that Toby and I were totally reliant on him and his
family, there was nobody else we could turn to, not even the
police.

“Was anything
taken after the attack Miss McAllister?”

“Not that I’m
aware of,” I answered.

Ahran
interrupted. “I’m afraid there was. After I found out what had
happened I went to the coffee shop to see if anything had been
stolen and the till draw was open and empty.”

I choked on my
tea. They all looked at me. “Sorry, went down the wrong way,” I
spluttered.

Ahran
continued. “I didn’t want to tell Sophie last night because she was
too upset. It looks like Ms Goodfellow was the unfortunate victim
of a robbery,” Ahran said, sounding regretful and sincere.

Both constables
nodded, seemingly in agreement. What was it about Ahran that had
everyone eating out of his hand?

“Do you know
how much was in the till Miss McAllister?”

“About £50, we
don’t keep a lot of cash, most people pay by card these days,” I
explained.

Wagner seemed
satisfied with our answers. “Our forensics will need to go in and
do a sweep of your shop; they should be there this afternoon. Will
you be able to let them in?”

“Yes of
course.” That was an inconvenience I could do without.

“Can they call
you on your mobile?” Wagner asked, reading out my number from his
notebook. They must have got it from the hospital.

I nodded.

“Okay, that
will be all for the moment Miss McAllister, Mr Elessar, thank you
for your help.”

Harmsworth
finished off whatever he was writing in his notepad, looked up and
smiled. They both stood up. “I hope your friend makes a speedy
recovery,” Wagner said as I walked them to the front door.

“Yes, thank
you, so do I.”

I shut the door
behind them and breathed a sigh of relief. I re-joined Ahran in the
kitchen. “You told me nothing had been stolen,” I said, rounding on
him.

“And as I said
last night, nothing had been taken. I took the money out of the
till to make it look like a robbery. We want the police to think
this was a straightforward burglary and that Audrey got in the way.
My people can take care of Bazeera,” he said, sounding just like
the mafia hood I had accused him of being when we first met.

“Where’s the
money?” I hadn’t meant it to sound like an accusation.

“In a bag under
the stairs.” Anger flashed briefly across his face, he was clearly
offended.

“I’m sorry. I
didn’t think you had kept it,” I said, backpedalling.

He didn’t
respond but his expression remained cool and it made me feel
uncomfortable. I changed the subject. “Don’t you think it is going
to look kind of suspicious if Toby and I just take off now?” I
hoped he would agree with me that this was a good reason for me and
Toby to stay.

I was
disappointed.

“Not at all,
you can tell people that you are going on vacation for a while to
get over an upsetting turn of events. There is nothing odd about
that.”

I didn’t like
to admit it, but he had a point, a robbery in Hatherley would shock
its inhabitants and keep them gossiping for weeks, they would
expect the shop to close for a while, especially whilst Audrey was
in hospital.

The phone rang
interrupting our discussion.

I glanced at
the clock. It was nearly ten.

I picked it up.
“Miss McAllister?”

“Speaking.”

“It’s Dr.
Bhandari here.” It was the registrar from the hospital last night.
My heart sank, it was virtually unheard of for a doctor to call,
unless it was bad news. Please no, Please no!

“Is Audrey
alright?” I braced myself for his response, my heart now in my
throat.

“There’s been
no great change in her condition I’m afraid. Ms Goodfellow still
hasn’t regained consciousness, but she remains stable.”

I felt a lump
forming in my throat.

“She’s in a
coma?”

“Yes she
is.”

I clamped my
hand over my mouth.

The doctor
filled the silence. “This is not necessarily a bad thing Miss
McAllister, a patient who has had a head injury will often fall
into a light coma. It’s the body’s way of protecting higher brain
function. We suspect that she has sustained damage to the part of
the brain called the reticular formation but we are optimistic that
she will gain full consciousness within the next few days.”

His optimism
gave me a sliver of hope. They didn’t usually say that kind of
thing if they weren’t sure, although I hated the idea of my dear
friend lying in a vegetative state in intensive care even for a
day.

“Do you know
yet whether there will be any lasting damage?”

“I’m afraid it
is too early for us to tell, as you know she suffered a stroke and
until she’s awake it is almost impossible for us to properly assess
any damage that has been caused.”

“Can I come in
and see her?” I asked.

“Yes that’s
fine; it’s beneficial for a coma patient to have contact with loved
ones.”

I felt relieved
that I would at least be able to see her.

“In that case,
I will be in later on. Thank you for phoning doctor.”

“Goodbye Miss
McAllister.” And with that he put the phone down.

I was so
thankful that it was not as bleak as I had feared. “I can’t believe
Audrey’s doctor phoned just to give me an update, what did you say
to him last night?”

“I just said
that I would be grateful if he could report on her condition in the
morning,” Ahran replied.

I shook my head
disbelievingly. “Thank you.” As much as I didn’t want to admit it I
don’t know what I would have done without him over the last 12
hours.

Ahran looked
slightly uncomfortable. “So she’s still in a coma,” he said,
diverting the attention away from himself.

I nodded and my
bottom lip began to quiver.

His expression
softened. “As the doctor said, this is normal for someone who has
suffered the injuries Audrey has.” He was trying to reassure me but
his sympathy only caused my tears to fall.

I buried my
face in my hands and sobbed.

“She’s going to
be fine, it will just take a little while,” he said gently, and I
felt his arms around my shoulders. His warmth seeped through my
sweater.

“I hope you’re
right,” I said through my tears. He pulled me further into his
arms. This man was little more than a stranger to me, but I took
the sympathy he offered and cried into his chest.

“I’m sorry. I
keep doing that to you,” I said, pulling away. “I’ve made your
shirt all wet.” I went to get some kitchen roll to pat it dry.

He caught my
wrist and turned me back towards him. “Please. It doesn’t
matter.”

We stood there
for a few moments looking at one another. Just as he turned away, I
saw the flicker of conflict across his face. I stared at his back
feeling confused. He gripped the edge of the sink and looked out
the window. Showing his humanity seemed to unsettle him. I didn’t
know what to make of it. All I knew was that when Ahran was being
supportive and compassionate, I could feel myself being drawn to
him like a moth to a flame, but when he was cool and abrupt, it
only served to put my back up. I grabbed a tissue and blew my
nose.

“We should go
to Ramia tonight,” Ahran said, turning around.

“Tonight?!
That’s impossible.”

“Sophie, you’ve
seen the condition Audrey is in. This really is a matter of life
and death.”

I contemplated
Toby coming to any harm and it brought me up short. I knew I had to
do what Ahran asked and soon. “Okay, okay, I get it. But I really
would like to know what we are getting ourselves into. Is there any
way I can meet King Halsan before we go and stay?”

“Halsan won’t
come to Earth.”

I tried not to
feel offended.

“But I suppose
I could take you to him,” he said, considering my request.

“What about
Toby?”

“Elaya is at
the school, she will protect him.”

I looked at the
clock it was nearly ten thirty. I had no idea how long it would
take to get to Ramia and back and I wanted to visit Audrey before I
picked Toby up from school. “We can’t go today,” I said adamantly.
“How long does it take to get there anyway? Isn’t it in a
completely different universe?” I couldn’t fathom how far away that
was.

“There are
other ways of travelling than the modes you are thinking of
Sophie.”

I felt even
more confused. What ways other than a rocket or a spaceship are
there?

“We travel to
and from my world through a portal,” he explained.

“What do you
mean, like some kind of gateway?” I’m sure this had been on Deep
Space Nine the only time I had sat and watched it with Toby. I wish
I had paid more attention.

“Yes, exactly
that, we have created one in the woods just behind your house.”

“In my wood?” I
was shocked.

“Yes, a wood is
a good place for a portal. We are more able to travel through it
undetected.”

I nodded as if
we were having the most normal conversation in the world. “Oh,
right.” I said, my eyes wide. This explained why Ahran and Elaya
were able to get here so quickly.

“It would be
very strange if someone just materialised in the middle of a busy
shopping mall,” he continued.

It was just as
odd materialising in a wood, I thought to myself.

“So what do we
do? Just walk through it and bingo we are there?”

“Yes, pretty
much,” he said without any further explanation.

It seemed so
easy. I had expected spaceships and flashing lights, I couldn’t
help feeling more than a little relieved.

“What’s Ramia
like?”

“Dinara, which
is the kingdom I am from, is very beautiful, you can see for
yourself if we go now.”

“Now?” I said
in a high pitched voice.

“The sooner we
go, the quicker we can get back.”

“We can’t go
today,” I argued. “I want to see Audrey and I need to speak to
Sandie and I need to pick Toby up from school at 3.15.” I knew I
was stalling. Suddenly, I didn’t feel comfortable travelling to
another universe through a portal. What if I disintegrated or
something? It was alright for Ahran he was a superhuman and used to
it, I was a mere, what did he call me? Sapien?

“We could be
there and back in a couple of hours,” he reasoned.

I stared at him
feeling a little dazed, I’d run out of excuses. “Okay, if you are
sure we won’t be long,” I said hesitantly.

Oh hell! What
had I just agreed to?

“Just give me a
minute.” A hefty dose of fear was beginning to settle in. I went
upstairs to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. Wild
panic was now galloping through my veins. “I can do this,” I said
to my reflection, trying to ignore the terror in my eyes. Please
don’t let me burn up, I prayed. I splashed some water on my face
and patted it dry with a towel. I grabbed my bag from the bedroom
checking I had everything I needed. What did I need for a trip to
another universe? I hadn’t a clue. Before stalling much longer and
changing my mind, I went back downstairs.

“Shall we go
then?” I said nervously. Ahran nodded and followed me out of the
back door. I locked it and put the key under a nearby plant
pot.

The thirty
acres of woodland behind the house belonged to me and I often
walked through it with Mungo. Little did I know that anything like
a space travelling portal existed in it. We walked through the back
gate. Ahran took the lead and we started down a worn footpath.

“Are you okay?”
he asked.

“No,” I said
shakily. I scrutinised my familiar surroundings suspiciously and
couldn’t see anything that resembled a portal, not that I had any
idea what one looked like anyway.

“You will be
fine,” he said with a hint of a smile. I narrowed my eyes at his
back as we continued to walk down the path. That’s easy for you to
say!

We veered off
the path and I carefully picked my way through the dense
undergrowth, trying to avoid the tree roots and the tangle of
brambles that clawed at my ankles. I tripped a couple of times,
crying out as the brambles hooked my flesh. Ahran slowed and
offered me his hand. I hesitated before taking it. It galled me
that he didn’t seem to be having any trouble walking through the
vegetation.