Angels & Shadows

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

That night they arranged their beds to look slept in with cushions under the bed sheets and open books on their pillows. When they were perfectly happy with the deception, they moved into the spare bedroom. They chose to sleep in separate corners of the room directly on the carpet, with Ben behind the door and Elizabeth by the window, furthest from it.

Ben had taken the two 19th century French naval cutlasses from Uncle George’s study wall and conditioned him not to miss them. He had hidden them under the two corners of the double bed closest to where they would sleep, so that they would be directly at hand if needed. The logic of their chosen sleeping positions was that if an attack came from the door, then Ben would have the advantage of surprise from his position emerging from the back of it, and an attack from the window would suit Elizabeth’s position.

Their biggest fear was an attack from the other wing of the house where their aunt and uncle slept placing them in danger first. They agreed that this was unlikely as there were no stairs at that end and the windows faced the road. They were as sure as they could be that an attack would come from downstairs, through the hallway, then taking the staircase passing Ben’s room. Elizabeth’s room was the next, then the intruders would have to pass the guest room where they were, before going on to where their aunt and uncle slept. At least they hoped to God that this would be true.

They took turns in controlling the other’s perception so that when they lay on the bedroom carpet, they appeared to be part of it. After only a few hours all that the other could perceive was a slight irregularity in the shade of the carpet, almost like a stain. This turned into a game and they played hide and seek around the house blending with the curtains, sofas and even the challenge of the black and white chequered tiles of the kitchen floor. This eventually became too easy for them so they tried to find each other blindfolded. Each put the smallest spot of vinegar on their foreheads to simulate the faint acrid smell of the Shadows, then they hid in turn.

Ben was first to be the seeker. He moved silently around the house blindfolded and was surprised that his memory of the layout of each room was so accurate that he rarely even touched the furniture. It was as he passed the open doorway of the dining room that he first tasted the sour odour of the vinegar. It was at a concentration of only a few parts in a million but he tasted it never the less. Ben allowed the air to pass through his open mouth to savour it and he sniffed the aroma. He immediately had the direction and oriented himself to it. Then there was the heartbeat. Elizabeth had controlled it down to less than ten beats a minute but each was a thunderclap to his sensitive ear and her shallow breathing, like the rush of wind filling a sail. In moments he had her face in his hands and he tore off his blindfold and began to brag.

“Yes! Three minutes Lizzie I got you in just three minutes. You’ll never beat that!” Ben was prancing and whooping around the room jeering at her.

Elizabeth took the blindfold and much to Ben’s chagrin she did, and comfortably.

“Don’t mess with your big sister sucker,” Elizabeth taunted him with the little childhood victory dance that she had always done when she won. It never failed to annoy Ben and it didn’t on this occasion either. He faked a yawn. The game was no longer amusing.

“Boring, let’s play something else.”

Elizabeth and Ben went back to the guest room and practiced all the possible scenarios of how a Shadow might enter the room. They considered which way he would turn and how they would administer death in each case. Both were concerned that in the darkness and confusion they could injure or kill each other, so their plans had to be well thought out, robust and well-practiced.

They agreed that they would not communicate mentally with each other prior to the assault for fear of the Shadow tuning in on their thoughts and revealing their plans and positions. This would make it even more essential that the killing was so well rehearsed as to be done automatically at the time and with no emotion.