Chapter Twelve

 By the time Frederick had cleared the town limits of Allora, the spell on Balthazar had broken - and the demon had also repeatedly parked his car, gotten out and tried to ask for directions more than twenty times; unable to stop himself from asking those around him from dousing him in Holy Water and then walking to the church across the street and… once he reached for the doors, he’d be back in his car again and parking it again.

Oh yes, Frederick had cast a ‘Ground Hog Day’ spell on that demon for coming back here to find him; and it was strong enough for him to be stuck until the Grigori packed his things and left town, when it would conveniently break leaving Balthazar with the odd feeling he was missing out on something and yet again, he wasn’t sure what.

 

At the church, Louisa Parkins walked slowly up to the the altar where she found an envelope left between the pages. She had been this church’s organist for over thirty years and had seen over ten padres come and go over that time. She was in her late-70’s and walked slowly due to arthritis in her hips and knees; but she never complained about it to anyone. She used to use a cane, but since Frederick had become Padre here, she had no real use for it as her pain had lessened a little.

She picked up the envelope as she walked past the altar, looking at it curiously. Nobody was around, and it was highly unlikely anyone put it here, unless it was the Padre. And looking at it, she was right. It had Frederick’s hand-writing on the outside in his wonderful delicate hand - a hand she had never seen before in a man of his age - and she ripped it open along the sealed edge, pulling out the folded single-sheet letter. Putting her reading bifocals on she always had around her neck on a silver chain, she read slowly - her lips moving - and a hand went to her mouth slowly.

“Oh, dear, this isn’t right.” she whispered, “Who’s going to do the sermon this Sunday?”

“Miss Louisa, is everything okay?” a voice asked behind her at the rear entrance to the church.

Turning, she saw her nephew, George had stepped inside, “Oh, you scared me, Georgie Boy.” she laughed, “I found a letter of resignation on the altar from Frederick. Is he out the back at the house?”

He glanced outside towards the house, “Actually, I was going to ask about that. His car is gone and the house is empty and locked up. He left the keys in the letterbox.”

Louisa walked to the first row of pews and sat down. It had been a hot day, and she was really feeling it, “Oh dear, it’s hot.”

George walked through to sit next to her. He had been adopted and was a lovely boy; even though he was in his thirty’s, he still looked after his Aunt Louisa - calling his Miss Louisa when they were alone as she called him Georgie Boy; and had done since he was little and her sister had introduced him to the family. It was a nickname which made this once-shy little boy laugh, “I’ll find out if one of the locals can do the sermon. It shouldn’t be too difficult, there’s a few days notice; and if not, I’ll look into the Lodge.”

“Good move.” she smiled patting his shoulder, “He didn’t say where he was going; just that his time here was finished, and it was time to move on.”

“Well, if he thinks it’s time, it’s time.” he stood and looked at her, concerned about his Aunt, “Are you okay? You seem as though you’re in pain.”

“Oh, it’s okay. My arthritis is bothering me more than it did yesterday.” she waved him away, “I’ll be going home now.”

 

Frederick stopped his vehicle next to the peacock letterbox, and peered out of this windscreen at the three large stone formations. If he hadn’t been a Grigori, he wouldn’t have been able to see that those three large stones - which looked like stone to Humans, but were gargoyles resting to him - were alive and waiting for the gates to open.

He back the car up, pulled into the dirt driveway and looked at the now very weathered letterbox. It looked like it had been here for years, but he knew better - it had been here for only a few months, weeks even.

Putting his right hand out of his driver’s window, he whispered: “Show me the way.” as though the gateway heard him, it shimmered and shifted, opening up a beautiful sealed road with a greenhouse filled with plants. The strong, heady scent of Sweetpeas caught the breeze and he smiled as he turned, swung his arm upwards and whistled.

As though they had woken from a long sleep, the three gargoyles pulled themselves out of the opposite hillside and followed him through the gate and into the dimension to find their master - to find Mary.

He looked in the rear vision mirror and found the gate had closed off from Earth, “Okay. This is weird. Gargoyles, Sweetpeas, and a field of blinding greenness where there’s none normally. I must find out what’s going on.”

The massive creatures flew overhead and onwards, vanishing through the tunnel of trees and around the corner. He wondered if it was such a good idea to allow them entry into this place in the first place… and who conjured them here?

“I’ll give, I’d love to see where this ends up.” he smiled and put the pedal down a little more.

 

“Now, shift it a little more and it should just… fall into place.” Frank said softly as he stood nearby with Mary working on her first staff.

With a of clink, the large moonstone she had picked out from the collection fitted well and didn’t move, “Oh, it’s lovely!”

“And the Teak really picks it up well.” Thomas grinned, “Nicely done. You’re a natural at making these things.”

Frank looked over at Thomas, “I was about to say that…” he looked around frowning as Thomas did, then they exchanged troubled expressions before Frank said, “There’s something going on.”

Mary leaned her staff against the wall next to her broom and picked up her choice in wands, and turned, “What’s going on?”

Frank was out the door before Thomas was, and the young man walked over to Mary, “Stay here with me. We need to stay put, because somebody came through the gates along the main road.”

Leaning on the large bench, she groaned, “You mean to say, they figured out how to open the gate we came through, after it closed and sealed us in?”

Thomas took her arm gently, “There’s only a few magical beings who can open that - and Balthazar is not one of them.”

“Okay.” she nodded looking up at him, “That’s a good thing. Then if he can’t open it, but we can… then who else can?”

“A Grigori.” Frank said walking in with another person behind him, “This is…”

“Frederick?” Mary and Thomas said at the same time.

“You’re not a priest anymore?”

“And since when are you a Grigori? And what’s a Grigori?” Mary asked, “Did you tell us what you were and I forgot?”

“I was never a priest, but I’ve always been a Grigori. And I am an Earth-bound Angel who lives off the souls of humans. But I like the darker side of the plate… I eat Demon Souls. Sure it’s a little more bitter, but it freaks out other Angels and scares a lot of people.” Frederick said, “Oh, you’re learning of your powers - good.”

Frank looked the man up and down, “And how did you get the gargoyles in?”

“I could see them for what they are.” he looked up at Mary from the bench and her collection of things to be made into a wand, “And all three of them are waiting for you outside. Gotta say, they’re cute!”

“The gargoyles?” Mary asked.

“Oh man… if they see me… they’ll eat me.” Thomas mumbled, “I’m staying here.”

The Grigori shook his head, “No necessarily, Thomas. If you’re here and I haven’t eaten you yet, well, that says something.”

Mary put away her makings for a wand and walked outside to be greeted with three massive, grey faces towering over her. Taking a step back, she didn’t know whether to run and hide or to pat them, “You guys look like a really rough-scale type of dragon.”

“Oh my god!” Diane screamed from the house, “How did they get in!”

“I’m sorry, Diane, I should have called first.” Frederick walked out of the barn.

“Frederick? What are you doing here?” she walked down from the house and broke into a run, embracing the man.

“Um… mother. What are you doing hugging a man we don’t know?” Mary asked as one of the gargoyles dumped himself on the ground next to her and gazed up trough the broken shade of the tree’s canopy. She stared at the creature for a moment, then turned back to her mother, “Mother!”

Diane turned to her grinning, “Oh… yes. Mary, I’d like you to meet, Frederick, he’s your father.”

“My… father? You never told me about him.”

“I told you he left us when you were very young… but after that you just didn’t ask about him.” her mother said, “I never thought I’d see him again.”

Frederick look down at Diane, “Why is Balthazar asking about you? Did you sell your soul?”

“I don’t think it’s wise to talk about issues like this in front of Mary.” she said, “Now, let’s get you something to eat - not a dark soul - but something real.” she took his hand and led him to the house.

“Diane, talk to me… it’s important.”

“After we eat.” she turned and pointed to the gargoyles, “And you clean them up, young lady!”

Mary looked at the creatures lolling around the yard and under the trees, “Why is it that my mother could have sold the most important thing to her to a demon, and yet I get into more trouble for conjuring three gargoyles?”

Thomas peered from inside the barn, “Because she wants me to live; and is worried they are going to attract attention in the outside world and the cosmos.”

“And her missing a soul won’t?”

Frank shrugged, “And your folks haven’t seen each other in a very long time.”

Mary pulled a face, “Oh gross, Frank. I don’t want to think about old people sex!”