Gallows at Twilight by William Hussey Page B

miles of yellow sand baking under the merciless red sun. There were no mountains to break up the horizon, no camel tracks to dimple the desert, no sparkle from a distant city. Nothing but sand and sky. Jake saw it as a place of madness, of death.
    ‘This is the borderland,’ Adam said. ‘They say that under this desert lie forgotten cities. The ancient homes of the old races. Fairies, demons, the Never Seen. Jake, are you all right?’
    ‘Yeah.’ Jake grasped the balcony rail. ‘It’s just the heat.’
    Adam led his son to the shade and they sat down, backs against a cool brick wall.
    ‘Pandora told me you fought well.’
    ‘Thanks.’
    ‘That was her compliment, not mine.’ A rough edge entered Adam’s voice. ‘You scraped through the Demon Father’s defences with the help of your friends. Whatever he’s planning, that kind of weak magic won’t be enough to stop him. I’ve made a decision, Jake.’
    Adam turned hard eyes on his son.
    ‘You can’t go up against him alone. We need help.’
    ‘What kind of help?’
    ‘The Hobarron Institute.’
    ‘No.’
    ‘Despite what you told him about shutting the place down, Dr Holmwood has continued developing new weap ons. He’s asked us to come in for talks at the Tower.’
    ‘Dad, we can’t trust him.’
    ‘We’ve no choice. I’m sorry, son. If you still had that connection to the Witchfinder, then maybe you could face the Demon Father alone, but your magic … ’
    Adam shook his head.
    ‘Don’t I get a say?’ Jake asked.
    ‘No. Not unless the Oldcraft magic comes back to you. And that’s my final word.’
    Jake might have argued further, but at that moment a terrible scream rose up out of the hatchway.
    ‘Is he all right? Rachel, what happened?’
    Adam hobbled into the room. Bending down, he examined Simon’s panic-stricken face.
    Jake, Brag, and Pandora crowded into the bedroom. Simon was sitting up in bed, his arms locked around Rachel. Two terrified eyes peeked over her shoulder and stared past Jake, into the lounge.
    ‘I heard her voice!’ Simon cried. ‘She was calling to me. She was here .’
    ‘We were sitting, talking,’ Rachel said. ‘Next minute, he’s screaming about his mother.’
    ‘Did you hear anyone, Rachel?’
    ‘No. Just Brag and Pandora talking in the lounge.’
    ‘We were watching TV,’ Pandora said. ‘We heard nothing.’
    ‘She was here!’ Simon barked.
    ‘OK. Calm down, Simon. Look at me.’ Adam took a silver coin from his pocket and started twirling it between his fingers. The light reflected off the coin and danced in Simon’s eyes. Adam shooed Rachel off the bed and took her place. ‘You’re safe, Simon. No one’s going to hurt you.’
    Jake remembered the time when his father had hypnotized him , using the same silver coin. He remembered the peace he had felt, as if all his cares and worries had been lifted from his shoulders. But it had been a false peace, and Jake knew that Simon’s doubts and nightmares would soon come back to torment him.
    Simon’s face became blank, his breathing steadied.
    ‘He’s very responsive.’ Adam turned to the others. ‘I think we should continue the hypnotism now. Go deep and find out what he knows about the Demon Father’s plans.’
    ‘It’s too soon,’ Rachel said, arms folded. ‘Can’t you leave him alone for a bit?’
    ‘Not if we want to stop the Demon Father. Time is of the essence.’
    ‘Then let’s vote,’ Jake said. ‘All those for continuing the hypnotism now, raise your hands.’
    Adam lifted his. Brag’s meaty fist soon followed.
    ‘Dr Harker’s a great man,’ the troll said simply.
    After a moment’s hesitation, Pandora lifted one of her many hands. ‘I don’t want to see the boy suffer any more than he has already, but Adam’s right—we have to find out what he knows.’
    ‘OK. Those against.’
    Jake and Rachel lifted their hands.
    ‘Three to two,’ said Adam. ‘I’ll be as gentle as I can.’
    Rachel made a disgusted sound