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Annals of Fear II	By : DeathNoteFangirl Category: Death Note > Yaoi-Male/Male > Mello/Matt Views: 5803 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note and I do not make any money from these writings

Chapter List
- 51
- 52
- 53
"Was that a car?"   Lauren asked, leaping up from her perch on the kitchenette worktop.   Deontic was in the next chalet, giving Century the transcript of Fenian's story; Hal, Valerie, Kiana and Fenian exchanged glances.   Lauren reached the window and looked out, just ahead of Hal.   They watched Mello and Matt emerge from the Camaro.   Mello leapt up onto the upper level and held out a hand.   Matt hurried around the bonnet, jumped to join him and took his hand   "It's Mello and Matt."   Lauren beamed. She fled back across the room and out of the door.

Fenian had been lying down, with his head on Kiana's lap.   She had already had a good look at his back and suggested that keeping it flat might be a good idea.    He was half up again now.   "How the fuck are they doing it?" Fenian's nonplussed look moved from Kiana to Hal, then onto Valerie.   "He got a fucking motorbike working and now the fucking car!"

"Apparently so." Hal peered down, watching Lauren meet them at the door of their chalet.   Mello looked up and waved, then the three of them disappeared into the chalet below.

Century and Deontic both rushed into the computer hub.   Century demanded, "How have they just driven up?"

Fenian glowered, "If I knew that, I'd be fucking L."   He rubbed his face, then lit a cigarette.

Kiana had a more pressing concern, "How much trouble is there about to be?"

"He can have the fucking case."   Fenian replied. "I've fucking had it."

"Liam." Kiana gave him a meaningful look.

Fenian was indignant, "I've said that he can have it!"   He glanced at Century.   Century shrugged, looking worried.   Fenian drew heavily on his cigarette.   "He's going to fucking kill me, isn't he?"   He met Century's pensive stare.   Tension grew palpably in the room.

Deontic raised her hands, as if in warding.   "This is good.   This means that we're finally all together in the same place.   If half as much has happened to them, as has happened to you, then we should be closing in on solving this."   She pointed to the papers in Century's hand. "Read those.   I saw Lauren go down there. She's no doubt apprising them of all that's been discussed in here so far. You need to be up-to-date too." Century was gaping at her.   Deontic strode across to the table. She picked up a lollipop and tore the wrapper off it.   This was conveyed back and pushed between Century's lips. "Read it."   She glanced at Fenian. "You are supposed to be lying down."   She turned to Hal. "You make sure Hell doesn't break out up here. I'm going down to see what their intentions are."   Deontic paused at the door.   "Chin up, everyone. We're really close to the end of this. Call that my instinct."

"Deontic!"   Kiana called after her.   She came back.   "Could you please communicate to Mello that these two have been to Hell and back in that house?   Neither of them are up for fighting." She placed her hand on Fenian's chest, as he would have responded.   "Call on his compassionate side. I know he has one."

Hal called across the room, "Tell Mello that I'll kick his arse, if he attacks these two in this state."

Deontic wrinkled up her nose, "He won't attack anyone."   She shook her head. "Honestly. This is not a zoo."

Kiana maintained a calm tone, "Please just tell him that if it was instant karma he was after, then Liam's badly hurt his back.   He's really worried that he'll never pot-hole again.   Trust me, that is his burning passion in life.   The rest of the time, he's pretty fucking sedentary."

"Huh?" Fenian frowned.

"Please, just tell him that."

Deontic gestured dismissal.   She stated, firmly, "I know what to tell him."    She opened the door and nearly collided with Mello outside.

Mello's arms went up in surrender.   "I come in peace."   His biking leathers were gone.   He didn't even have a jacket on. He was wearing soft leather, black trousers now; with a zip-up, high-necked, sleeveless leather top.   His army boots trailed their untied laces. He held a mobile 'phone in one gloved hand and a chocolate bar in the other.    Mello gave a twirl.   The clothes fit so tightly that they left little to the imagination.   "No guns." He fixed her with a winsome grin. The gooseflesh was up on his bare arms. "Hardly any pockets and definitely no guns. Can I come in?"   He stepped by her anyway and repeated his twirl inside.   "But while you're going out, Dee, would you mind popping downstairs?   Mail and Lauren have a proposition for you."

"Oh, erm..." Deontic began.

Mello had already spun around to face Valerie, "And if you go with her, then my lovely husband will make an appointment to see you about his schizoid tendencies."     He watched Valerie blush.   "But we haven't got long. We're not stopping.   He's packing up. So you'd best go with Deontic."     Valerie looked mortified.   She bowed her head, collected up her things and left with Deontic.   Mello watched them go. He bit his lip. "I'm sure they'll be safe."   He peeped, coquettishly at Hal.   "I'm sure they will be."

Hal raised her eyebrows.   "Nice try, Mello.   But I think I ought to stay right here."   She nodded towards Fenian. "He's injured."

Mello cast him a sympathetic look.   "So I heard.   That's a right kick in the balls.   Hopefully it can be sorted out when we get the hospital back on-line." He darted back to the door, looked out, then closed it.   "Sorry, bloody freezing."   He pressed his thumb down on a button in the 'phone's keypad.   Music filled the room, at full volume.   "I'm sorry too that you didn't leave Hal.   I really wish you had. This needn't have concerned you."

Fenian lunged at him, off from the table.   "Bastard!"   Hal was immediately between them.   Century had had his head bent over the papers, trying not to be noticed.   He looked up now, blinked and bolted towards the door.    He found Matt right outside.   The redhead had his hand behind his back.   He smiled, wryly, at the teenager.   Century backed inside again.   Fenian was yelling, "You fucking, piece of shit!" Kiana just looked stunned.   It was left to Hal to tumble Fenian to the floor. There he writhed in agony, as the urgent messages from his spine reached his brain.   Mello, meanwhile, had danced back into the kitchenette.   The music still played, from his crotch, where he had shoved the 'phone.

"Mello." Matt called out.

Mello quickly retrieved the 'phone and stopped the music.   Matt hurried to his side, just as Deontic burst in.   "Lauren kept us talking!" She gasped.   "She said that Matt was in the bathroom!"   She looked in dismay around the room.   "I was gone less than a minute!   How could so much chaos have ensued in less than a minute?!"

"Oh." Mello snapped off a section of chocolate. "I'm good."

Kiana snarled up from the floor, where she now crouched over Fenian.   "I told them that you had compassion!   Have you got no fucking mercy!"   Fenian's eyes were tightly closed; his teeth were grit against the pain.

Deontic closed the door. She took a deep breath. "Ok, does someone want to tell me what just happened?   I heard Fenian shouting."   She watched Century cross to the chair and sit down.   He was more ashen than usual and a light sheen of sweat glistened on his skin.   "Mello, what have you done to them?"

Mello held up the 'phone. "MP3 of 'The Banshee', taken from Mail's on-line server and saved to his 'phone's memory.   They're infected.   It just isn't kicking in, because the witch bottle is safely under the tree."   He licked his chocolate.   "Let's call it a safeguard against Fenian ever removing it to fuck me up again."   He handed Matt the 'phone, then nodded towards the Irishman.   "But I didn't touch him.   He did that to himself, trying to attack me.   Did Lauren give you our proposal?"

Deontic ignored him.   "Kiana, Daf is still in Century's study. Do you want him to take Fenian to the hospital?"

"It might be an idea."   Kiana was very close to tears. She was running her fingers down his spine, trying to see if anything really was broken.    He curled around her and lay very still, his arms over his head.    "Lee, do you want to go?"

Mello took Matt's hand and held it.   He spoke up, gruffly, "For the record, that's it.   That's all you're going to get from us and it's a precaution.   It was a kick-ass tactic, Fenian.   Dastardly, daring and fucking sneaky, but you got me good and proper.   I have to respect that."   He waited to see if anyone was going to comment.   "Now I think that I've out-manoeuvred you just as brilliantly. So we are quits.   Century, you didn't stop Fenian on my behalf.   Now Mail didn't stop me on your behalf.   He kept you from leaving.   So we are quits there too.   Everyone happy with that?"

Kiana screamed, "I am fucking sick to high fucking Heaven of your ridiculous Wammy's House games!    When is this going to stop? When someone gets fucking killed?"

"No."   Deontic replied, quietly.   "A third of us are already dead from civil wars.   It's not even giving the rest of them pause."

"That many?" Kiana's jaw dropped.   "How many are a third?"

"Five dead, out of fifteen.   Better than one of the previous generations.   Their mortality rate was 100%."

"No." Kiana spread her arms wide, starting to panic.   "You're not touching him.   I thought he was exaggerating! I thought he was making it up. You can't." She cast a horrified look down at her prone man. "He is protected. I would hunt you down. I would curse you into the back of fucking tomorrow!"

Fenian eased himself into a sitting position.   "I'm fine." He said, against all of the evidence.   He winced. "Mother of fucking God."

"He wants nothing to do with it!" Kiana gasped, turning to address Mello.   "He didn't want to go! They took him!   He's kept away since!"

"We know." Mello gave her a tight smile.   "He's been very eloquent on the point."

"Kiana." Fenian steadied himself against her. "Leave it."

"I will not fucking leave it!"   Tears of rage and anxiety fell down her cheeks. "I'll take it to fucking Amnesty International!   Just don't you hurt him.   Don't you fucking touch him!"

Mello glanced at Hal, who sighed.   She intervened, trying to restore calm, "Kiana, the system is under new management. We all acknowledge that a lot of damage was done in the past.   We're doing everything in our power to make reparations. What happened to Fenian will never happen to another child."   She gave her an empathic smile. "It's just as we discussed on the beach earlier.   There is so much help available for them now.     The Constitution was ratified just this morning.   It's real now."

Kiana glared at her.   "We got the e-mail about the Constitution this morning!   He's going to apply for repatriation under article 13!"   There were a few weak smiles around the room.   It was hardly a surprise.   Article 13, which allowed alumni to reclaim their birth name and nationality, had been inserted with Fenian in mind.    Hal had had the Secrecy Agreement drawn up a year ago, when she had been in the first wave of efficiency.   When she had naively believed that the Constitution would be signed and ratified quickly.   "But you are telling that he could be fucking killed!   He's not part of this anymore.   He's here as Century's friend."

Hal nodded, "As soon as the computers are back up, I'll ask Luigi to send me the documentation to make that happen. It can be signed and set in motion, before you even go home. It will happen, Kiana. I promise."

"But we..." Kiana began.

"Oh my God." Fenian breathed suddenly, silencing her.   He looked stunned. He had their attention. He dropped back down onto his backside, seeming as if someone had punched him.   "Oh my fucking God."   Kiana froze.   Everyone else was very watchful. Fenian just stared into space.   "No fucking way."   His arms hung slack. His jaw dropped.

"Liam?" Kiana sounded so scared. "What's happened? What have they done?"

Fenian's gaze moved to her, then defocused again.   A pulse throbbed in his neck.   He slowly shook his head.   He spoke, like someone not quite trusting his own words.   "We need to solve the case."   It was not what anyone was expecting to hear. There were a few pairs of eyes watching the subtle signs of body language and knowing that his shock had nothing to do with the case. "Drop it, Ki. Really drop it.   Solve the case. Go home. Dee says that we're close."   His hand moved to his mouth and stayed there.   His focus moved gradually, jerkily, over to the kitchenette.

"What?" Mello asked, his senses alert.   But Fenian wasn't looking at Mello, he was looking at Matt.   There was the tiniest smile on Matt's lips.   No-one else saw it, but Fenian did.   Fenian stared.   Mello smirked, "I've told you that I won't shag you. It's no good pleading."

Kiana looked from Mello to Fenian.   "What's going on?"

"Help me up." Fenian said, shakily.   "We need to solve the case."

"Will someone tell me what the fuck is going on?"   Kiana demanded.   "Liam?"

"I said drop it."   Fenian grit his teeth and stood on his own steam.   Pain drained the colour from his face, but he didn't even let it catch in his breath.   His expression hardened into neutrality.   His eyes were blank.   There was nothing given away in his body language now, other than the fact that it was most telling in its absence of information.   He had learned this in the same classroom as four other people in that room.   They knew he had something to hide.   In the midst of telling them that he was leaving the system, Fenian presented himself as its very embodiment.   "Deontic. You said that we're close to solving this. What do we need?"

Mello held his chocolate aloft. "My proposal to Deontic, delivered through Lauren downstairs, was that she heads the case. I propose this on the basis that she's the only one here, who we will all work together under."

Deontic bowed her head, pointing her finger half over her shoulder, to where Mello was standing. "I'm not being your pawn again.   Don't involve me in..."

Fenian nodded. "Agreed. Let's do this."

Mello fixed his attention on the papers, still gripped in Century's hands.   "Is that the transcript of Fenian's voyage into the Underworld?   I'll swap a look at that for the new evidence that I can bring."    Century held the papers up, but no-one moved. Deontic gave a loud sigh and took them. She delivered the pages into Mello's hands.    He immediately stamped a foot on the floor a few times.   "The evidence is coming up."   He smiled.   He and Matt both bent their heads over the handwritten document, quickly reading it.    A short while later, Lauren entered the room, holding a human thigh bone and Mello's baggy, black jumper. Kiana gasped, her hands over her mouth and nose.   Fenian caught her hand and held it. Mello flicked his wrist towards Lauren. "My evidence, which I will present in a moment."   He took the jumper and put it on. "Thank you, Lauren. Flawlessly done."

Lauren leaned against the counter beside them.   "I've sent Valerie to sit with Daf.   I figured that there will be blood and therefore the civilians should be kept out of it."

"Ok." Mello raised his head from the document.   He tried to slide it to Matt.

"Read it." Matt said, softly.

"We're ready, Dee.   Lay on."

Deontic was rigid.   "I will mediate.    If it brings this together, then I'll do that.   But I'm not letting you set me up for a fall.   I'm not leading the case, I'm mediating."    No-one contradicted her.   She realised that it was all semantics anyway. When Mello had said 'leader', he probably meant 'diplomatic negotiator'.    Deontic moved to stand in front of the huge monitor, where she could view them all.   "Priority one, does anyone need medical attention?"   The tension in the air crackled.   Fenian glared like a prize boxer, in the corner of the ring.   Century's face was pure white, but he said nothing.   The only flesh visible on Matt was bruised, but he was so still that it was easy to overlook him.   Deontic met the eyes of all three of them.   She ensured that she had a shake of the head, or some other gesture in the negative, before she went on.   "Then our second priority should be the hospital.   It is without power and the back up generator has failed.   Mello and Matt, we couldn't help noticing that you now have electricity.   Can something be done about the hospital from your quarter?"   Mello looked at Matt, who didn't react at all. "Matt, there are people dying in intensive care there.   Ventilators, incubators, do I really need to spell this out?"

Matt replied, quietly, "I'm thinking."

"Good.   Do we all need to be thinking about this too or have you got it?" Deontic asked, briskly. She could see the mark where she'd punched him.   She wondered if Mello had seen it too.

"I'll let you know," Matt awarded her a small smile, "when I've finished thinking."

"Thank you."   Deontic glanced around the room.    Her shoulders were squared.   Her lips were slightly pursed.   She studiously did not look under pressure.   "Fenian, it appeared to me that something of great import occurred to you, just a short time ago.   Are you willing to share?"

Fenian gave a jagged head-shake.   "No." He said, tersely. "It was a private matter and has no bearing on the case."

He was scrutinised by everyone present, only Kiana seemed distracted.   Deontic prompted, after a pause, "It looked like it was pretty big."    He didn't flinch. He said nothing and his gaze didn't shift from her face.   Deontic stated, carefully, "There is help if you need it."

"Sure." Fenian replied. "That's understood."

Deontic smiled, "You're alright, Fenian. Just relax."   She shifted her gaze around those assembled. "No more fighting, no more war. We get out of this alive.   I'm not just talking about this night."   She fastened her attention upon Kiana. "Before we categorically go through and nail this case, has anyone got anything pressing that needs to be said to inform it? Something that can't wait its sequential order?"

The words burst out of Kiana, "A custodia matutina! Custodia!" Her lips tried to frame more.   "Paper!" She pulled her hand from Fenian's grasp, while the other rose.   It clenched over thin air, just to the left and above her head.   "A custodia matutina. Say it again, I can hardly hear you."

Lauren spoke up. "More than sentinels. Sentinels.   More than sentinels.   It's Mediaeval Latin."

Deontic rushed to write it down on her own pad.   Century snatched up origami paper and pushed it along the table, behind Fenian.   He muttered. "Pen?"

Kiana emitted the words like they were something physical to be expectorated, "Gofid a thristwch mawr."

"That's not Latin." Lauren supplied.

Century shook his head. "No, it's Cymraeg Cyfoes. She's saying large grief and sadness." He found a pen and handed it to Fenian.   "Actually, great grief and sadness sounds better."

"Deontic." Matt raised a finger. "Just to let you know that I've finished with the hospital."

Deontic tore her gaze away from the scene by the table. Kiana was pulling away from Fenian.   She was gaunt with exhaustion. Deontic glanced back again, before settling her focus onto Matt.   "Thank you. Good work. What needs to be done?"

"No." Matt smiled, head bowed over his 'phone again.   "It's finished. It has power now."

Kiana moaned, "Tenebrosa. Tenebrosa. Tenebrosa."    Then leapt back, right against the wall. "Liam! Get away from me! For fuck's..." Her whole face changed.   She relaxed. She opened her eyes, then closed them again. Worn out. "He was fucking draining me. He was going to drain you too and you haven't the strength right now. He's gone."   She reached for a chair, then slumped into it.   "I was keeping him at bay. You distracted me. I caught you looking and lost my focus."

Lauren swallowed, "That last was Latin again. She was repeating the word 'dark'."

"Keeping him at bay?" Fenian asked, leaning heavily against the table.

"He came in with the thigh-bone. He was a really strong entity and he was trying to fully come in. But they can't keep it up for long.   Not manifesting and speaking that fucking loudly."   Kiana stared at him, shaken.   "I'd fucking kill for a cup of tea right now."

Deontic was blinking at Matt.   She was trying to listen to that conversation, while also assimilate what Matt was telling her.   She asked, cautiously, "Have you just hacked something using your telephone?"

Mello shook his head, "He's playing a game on it.   Keeping a football in the air without it bouncing off the screen.   He's on 23 kick ups now."

Century repeated, "More than sentinels; great grief and sadness; dark.   Who was he?"

"One of those monks."   Kiana eased her way around the table to wrap her arms around Fenian.   "He's presumably gone back there now.   There was more pull there. More power."

Deontic took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes.   There were no tears, she was just tired.   She caught Mello's smile, as she put them back on.    "You're doing great." He told her. "Carry on."

"Mello, please."   Deontic sucked her teeth, then surveyed the room at large.   "Kiana, are you in immediate danger?"

Kiana shook her head. "I'd like to take Liam back to our room."    She saw Mello's smirk and narrowed her eyes.   "He's said you can have the case."

"That's nice." Mello winked. "But I've given it to Deontic."

Fenian reached for a fresh cigarette packet, from the supplies brought back by Valerie and Daf.   "I'm staying."

Deontic exhaled, "Has anyone got any immediate moves that they have to make?   That don't involve attacking each other?"   There was general silence.    It felt poised on a knife edge; like a lot of things weren't being said.    "Ok.   Then we'll assume that everyone has an agenda and hopefully we can meet somewhere in the middle."    She turned back to Matt.   "What do you mean when you say that the hospital has power now?"

"When things are switched on, they work."   Matt told his game.    Everyone waited. He ignored them.   Deontic appealed to Mello with a look half-pleading, half-frustration.   Mello took the 'phone off him and raised his eyebrows, when Matt looked up.   "Would you like me to go and check?   I have a car."

Mello shook his head, "No, guapo. We want to know how you've reached that conclusion."

"Really?"

Mello's eyes narrowed. He looked momentarily unsure. "I think that it would put Deontic's mind at rest."

"Yes."   Matt bit his lip. "But I'm basing on things that we know and they don't."    They heard Kiana's exasperated sound, but Hal didn't seem surprised.   No-one else gave anything away.    "I'm 5% sure. Is that ok?"

Kiana cried out, "What?"   Then, when nobody else reacted, added, "This is a matter of life and death for a whole hospital and he's talking about 5%."

Fenian scowled and shook his head.   "It's an in-joke, from the institution.   He's probably 99.9% sure." He drew heavily on his cigarette.   "Dee, send Daf to see.   If the hospital is still down, then Matt will have failed."

Deontic closed her eyes.   She appeared to be about to say something sharp, but changed it at the last second, "Ok.   Hal, would you ask him for us please?   I really want to get on with this."   Her agitation briefly showed through her gestures. "I wish I had a white board or something.   Or Linda was here.   I think better in 3D."    She scurried across, as Hal left, to pick up her pad.   "Century, have you had your medication?"    She saw him give the tiniest shake of his head. "Don't you think you'd better?" She returned to her place by the monitor, saying, "Fenian, lie back down. You're supposed to be keeping your back straight."

"Wow!" Mello laughed. "Deontic does maternal!"

"No." She replied curtly.   "Deontic does treating her foster siblings as human beings, instead of emotional punchbags. I see how you're dressed, Mello.   Black trousers and baggy black jumper.   Are we supposed to be reminded of you as a child, when you were so very intimidating?"

Mello blinked.   Matt frowned and gave Mello the once over.    Mello shook his head, "I put these on so you could see at a glance that I was unarmed.    Then Lauren brought my sweater up.   It's just my sweater. You're over-reading the situation." He handed the 'phone back to Matt.    "But your theory works too.    Better."   He grinned. "I'll take it."

Beside him, Matt restarted his game. "Mello wears a lot of black."

Deontic gave a tense nod.   She focused on Hal coming back in. "He's going?"

"Yes." Hal told her.   "He reckons it'll take around 10 to 15 minutes, then he'll return to tell us either way."

Fenian glanced at her.   "Can you ask him to bring Kiana a cup of tea, if the coffee-shop is open?"    He watched Hal turn around to arrange it. "Thanks a million."

"Me too." Century called.

Deontic rolled her eyes, "How's he supposed to carry all of this?   He's on a bike with a net trailer.   Tea is hot and liquid!"   There was an uneasy silence.

Matt filled it, softly asking, "Want a coffee, Mell?"

"Please, baby." Mello replied, gleefully.     Matt broke away from the worktop, sauntering past Lauren to the door.   "Go with him, Lauren."   Mello added, mildly.    Neither of them protested, but both slipped outside.

Deontic sighed, "If he's driving to the hospital or wherever, then we'll never get going.   Why are you delaying?"

"Heh." Mello grinned, sucking on a strip of chocolate.   They heard voices outside, down on the green, carried away in the wind.    "You think I'd let him drive away without me?"    His gaze slid across to Fenian.   "I won't attack you, if you lie down. If your back is that bad."

"I'm fine standing."   Fenian was partially sitting on the table, but his feet were on the floor.   The pain was visible in his eyes.

Mello shook back his hair, "Whatever."    There were footsteps on the stairs, then a key in the lock.   Lauren entered first, but Matt was right behind her.   He was carrying a box.   Hal followed them in.   "We took the precaution of packing a camping stove and all of the sundries.    After all, the electricity did go down last time too.   Did no-one else think to cater for that?"

Century's head dropped; his face covered by his hands.    Deontic watched Matt set down the box and remove packets of powdered soup, biscuits, energy bars and a loaf of bread.   She caught Mello's eye, "You smug bastard."

"You love me."

Deontic glared at him, but didn't verbalise her thoughts.   Instead she said, "I will have a hot drink. Thank you."   She consulted her notes.   "Can we start please?"

"Yes, ma'am."   Mello smiled.   "Has anybody solved it yet?"

"Have you?"   Deontic asked, sharply.   His grin broadened. "Because if you have, the floor is yours. Take it and tell us what's going on, so we can make our moves to secure the situation."

Mello tittered, "Such insecurity."

She inspected him carefully.   "You have most of the pieces of the jigsaw, but you haven't got them all slotted into place yet.   So please shut up until you have something to contribute to our narrative."   As much as Mello tried to school his features into blankness, the surprise showed.   "Your emotions always gave you away, Mello.   That is why you came second."   Mello stiffened.   Even Century looked up.   Kiana shuddered, staring at the Slav.   Deontic's face coloured, as if in disbelief that she had said it.   She hurried on.   "The phenomena is worse this time than it was before.    Does anyone know how to stop it?" There was silence.   "Does anyone know how it started?   Maybe that will hold the clues."

"Yes." Century replied, quietly.   "An embittered ex-Catholic turned Satanic and started sacrificing pilgrims from the Cisterian Route."    He sucked on his lollipop.   "Concise version."

Mello nodded towards the thigh bone.   He sounded quite subdued, "About eight to ten of them were bricked up in the actual shaft. That's why the wall bulged out there."    He took up the transcript of Fenian's exploration again.   "The rest were underneath the stone.   How many in total?"

Fenian looked uncomfortable. "I wasn't in a position to count them.    A lot."

"Monks."   Kiana looked fierce.    "Trust me, that thigh-bone is from a monk.   I've seen him."

"Welsh monks." Lauren hastened to contribute.   "If the language that you quoted is anything to go on.   You were using Latin and Welsh."

Century shook his head. "Makes no sense.   Serial killer this big and doesn't show up in the record at all.    Monks. Strata Florida would miss them and the Protheros strict Catholics at the time.    House wasn't even extended then, see? Georgian, it is. We're a couple of centuries out."

"At what time?"   Deontic prompted.

"Dissolution of the Monasteries."   Century sneered.   "Couldn't do it before, or else Hell to pay.   Literally.   Abbot would miss hordes of his monks going out and not coming back.    Go too far after and there shouldn't be monks roaming around to kill.   Only during the dissolution, is it?    Then you definitely could have got away with it."   They were all watching him.   "In the nursery rhyme, it is.   Tells us all about it."   He cleared his throat and half-sang the children's rhyme.   "Hark, hark, the dogs will bark; the ragged men coming to town; some in rags, some in tags, and one in a velvet gown."    He touched his sleeve.   "Tags are the strips, like different coloured cloth underneath.   Tudor fashion.   On about those old monks, kicked out of the monasteries, walking around begging at the towns. Starving."   Century's gaze became distant.   He was looking at the femur, without really seeing it.    "But not then, unless they were stored."    His lollipop became still in his mouth.    He was no longer aware of any of them watching.     He didn't even see the little smile that passed across Mello, Deontic and Fenian's lips, though none of them saw each other do it.    "Stored."   Century's gaze rose to Mello, suddenly sharp.   "Eight to ten?"

"Yes."

"The bodies in the wall, I meant?"

Mello nodded, "I understood.   Yes, there were roughly eight to ten skeletons in there."

Century tongued the lollipop to the other side of his mouth.    "I bet there was no evidence that they'd been walled up alive."

Mello sensed rather than saw Matt's discomfort.   He reached out to touch him, while still staring at Century.   "I have no evidence for that, but I can find out."    He glanced at Deontic.   "It's obvious that the subterranean areas will need another look. Chalk me in for finding this out."

"Fwc! Iawn!"   Century exclaimed.    His eyes shone with the triumph.   "There was no serial killer.   Monks weren't massacred, see?    They were dug up!    Graveyard full of them, down the valley.   But those in the wall didn't come from there. They came from Nanteos Mansion.   Legend there says seven monks took the Holy Grail from Strata Florida to Nanteos, hunted by the soldiers.   Arduous journey, it was, but they passed the cup between them.   Died at Nanteos and got buried in the cellar. Supposed to haunt the place. Loads of sightings.   Police dogs refusing to go down there and such things.   But they tried digging to find the bones and nothing there.   Disproved the legend."

"Who did?" Deontic asked.   She could also see Fenian, beside him, looking thoughtful.   Mello's eyes were skimming across the transcript again.

Century shook his head, "Don't know, do I?   I wasn't researching hauntings at Nanteos, too far up the mynydd."   His gaze flickered towards Hal, as she brought him a cup of tea.   "Thank you."

"You are very welcome."   Hal smiled and handed another cup of tea to Kiana.

"Thanks a million."   She took it gratefully.   Hal smiled and mouthed the response, as Century had started talking again.

"Been mining up that valley since there been people, but there's this big revival in the 18th century.   What say old Prothero made his money then?   Digging for lead, like Fenian found under there.   Make it consistent with when the house was extended over that stone."    Century took out his lollipop and faced Fenian.   "Did you date that lead mine?"

Fenian shook his head.   "It wasn't at the forefront of my mind."

Mello coughed, "What would you need to date it?"

Century frowned, "You going under there?"

"Is that information fundamental to the case?"    Mello replied, icily attentive.

Fenian rubbed his face. "If you're going down there, I'll not be coming with you.   I'm not going down there again."   There was a flicker in his gaze.   He couldn't meet anyone's eyes.   They all saw it.   He drew on his cigarette, sipping the tea that Hal had since given to him.   They all had a hot drink now.   "But the bigger question, to my mind, is what was going on under that megalith."

Deontic's pen stopped on her pad.   "This is causing me some trouble.   I need to see it and I don't really wish to visit the location.   This is where I'm missing Linda. She would have drawn this for me.   I could have seen it."

"Did you not know that Kiana is an artist?"   Fenian asked.

"No. I didn't know that."

Kiana scowled at him. "I doubt I could draw a thing at the moment.   I'm fucking done in."

Fenian nodded, "That's fine.   The bottom of the stone was exposed."   He drew heavily on the cigarette, not enjoying revisiting this place, even in his head.   "Megaliths go into the ground as deep as they are above it.   They'd dug under this one. You could see the bottom of it.   Quartz."

Century looked incredulous.   "How is it still standing?"

Deontic held up her hand. "Megaliths.   Great stone in Greek?   Religious significance?"

"Territorial markers. Status symbols."   Century replied.

"Bollocks."   Fenian reacted, sharply.   "Where's your evidence?"

Century sucked on his lollipop. "We don't know.   They moved stones around, not wrote books on why they were doing it." He watched Fenian for dissent on the matter.   "They could have signified meeting places.   But there's no evidence of ceremonial use."

"In fucking Britain maybe.   In Eire, the biggest stones we've got are all over Tara. That's definitely the seat of the High fucking King."

"Biggest one here is in England.   Stonehenge.   People been digging it up for decades and they've found fuck all." Century informed him. "Well, one male skeleton, but it's Saxon.   Way too late to be anything to do with the stones themselves.   They were probably the ancient equivalent of getting a massive car.   Look at the size of the rocks I can drag into my land.   I have a massive cock.   That sort of thing."

"Mm." Mello told the papers in his hand.   They all looked at him.    He peered up and smirked. "It just answers our question from earlier.   Century's got a big cock; and Fenian dragged a bit of gravel with him."

Deontic hurried to stand in the direct path between Mello and Fenian.   "Don't."   She looked at them both in turn.   "Mello, that was uncalled for and beneath you.   Just don't."

Mello inclined his head, in mock chivalry, "My apologies, ma'am.   My emotions got the better of me.   I will endeavour to concentrate on my studies."

Deontic flushed.   She glanced at Matt and noted that he seemed on edge, insofar as Matt ever gave anything away.   It worried her.   She gushed her words, "Fenian, what was supporting the megalith?"

"It was hanging out of the bedrock, which is all fucking sandstone up there.   It wouldn't be hard to chip away at it."

"Sandstone?" Deontic asked, still silently concerned about Mello's intentions.

Fenian's frown deepened.   "Are you asking me now how the sandstone got there?"

"Yes."

"Ok." Fenian glanced at Century and shook his head.   "Am I starting with plate tectonics or have you got the basics nailed?"   She looked sharply at him.   "The ground we're standing on has spent more than 90% of its history underneath the equator, slowly moving north.    It's been a desert and a tropical ocean, hence the sand.   It's had several fucking ice ages ripping through, carving out the fucking valley itself.   You're aware that the Ystwyth Valley is a fault line, aren't you?    Go along the coast and have a look at what that did to the cliff face."

Deontic exhaled.   "Is this relevant?"

"I don't think so. Hence I was a bit surprised that you asked."

Deontic's shoulders slumped.   She returned to her place by the monitor and stood over her pad, looking down, unseeing, at it.   "Mello, I shouldn't have snapped at you earlier. My apologies." She glanced up at him.   He was watching her, his gaze unreadable.   Beside him, Matt scribbled something down on the transcript and Mello read it.    "Are we good?"

Mello nodded. "Could the fault line be causing a concentration of infra-sound?"

"Yes." Fenian nodded. "Surely that was obvious?"

Matt shook his head. "I thought it was the waves on the coast and their impact on the shore; the airflow of wind over the mountain range; the wind turbines up the top of the valley vibrating on the bedrock; the river; the appliances in the house; vehicles on the road; and the rather large television transmitter on the opposite side of the valley."   He bit his lip. "I was obviously wrong."

Deontic put down her pen.   "Can you get my car working?"   She strode across to the chair, where Century was sitting, and plucked her coat from where it was draped over the back of it.   "Matt, can you do that?"

"Yes."

"Thank you." She scurried to the door.   Her face blotchy, but otherwise impassive in its expression.

Mello called out. "Where are you going, Dee?"

"Home."   She opened the door and left the room."Was that a car?"   Lauren asked, leaping up from her perch on the kitchenette worktop.   Deontic was in the next chalet, giving Century the transcript of Fenian's story; Hal, Valerie, Kiana and Fenian exchanged glances.   Lauren reached the window and looked out, just ahead of Hal.   They watched Mello and Matt emerge from the Camaro.   Mello leapt up onto the upper level and held out a hand.   Matt hurried around the bonnet, jumped to join him and took his hand   "It's Mello and Matt."   Lauren beamed. She fled back across the room and out of the door.

Fenian had been lying down, with his head on Kiana's lap.   She had already had a good look at his back and suggested that keeping it flat might be a good idea.    He was half up again now.   "How the fuck are they doing it?" Fenian's nonplussed look moved from Kiana to Hal, then onto Valerie.   "He got a fucking motorbike working and now the fucking car!"

"Apparently so." Hal peered down, watching Lauren meet them at the door of their chalet.   Mello looked up and waved, then the three of them disappeared into the chalet below.

Century and Deontic both rushed into the computer hub.   Century demanded, "How have they just driven up?"

Fenian glowered, "If I knew that, I'd be fucking L."   He rubbed his face, then lit a cigarette.

Kiana had a more pressing concern, "How much trouble is there about to be?"

"He can have the fucking case."   Fenian replied. "I've fucking had it."

"Liam." Kiana gave him a meaningful look.

Fenian was indignant, "I've said that he can have it!"   He glanced at Century.   Century shrugged, looking worried.   Fenian drew heavily on his cigarette.   "He's going to fucking kill me, isn't he?"   He met Century's pensive stare.   Tension grew palpably in the room.

Deontic raised her hands, as if in warding.   "This is good.   This means that we're finally all together in the same place.   If half as much has happened to them, as has happened to you, then we should be closing in on solving this."   She pointed to the papers in Century's hand. "Read those.   I saw Lauren go down there. She's no doubt apprising them of all that's been discussed in here so far. You need to be up-to-date too." Century was gaping at her.   Deontic strode across to the table. She picked up a lollipop and tore the wrapper off it.   This was conveyed back and pushed between Century's lips. "Read it."   She glanced at Fenian. "You are supposed to be lying down."   She turned to Hal. "You make sure Hell doesn't break out up here. I'm going down to see what their intentions are."   Deontic paused at the door.   "Chin up, everyone. We're really close to the end of this. Call that my instinct."

"Deontic!"   Kiana called after her.   She came back.   "Could you please communicate to Mello that these two have been to Hell and back in that house?   Neither of them are up for fighting." She placed her hand on Fenian's chest, as he would have responded.   "Call on his compassionate side. I know he has one."

Hal called across the room, "Tell Mello that I'll kick his arse, if he attacks these two in this state."

Deontic wrinkled up her nose, "He won't attack anyone."   She shook her head. "Honestly. This is not a zoo."

Kiana maintained a calm tone, "Please just tell him that if it was instant karma he was after, then Liam's badly hurt his back.   He's really worried that he'll never pot-hole again.   Trust me, that is his burning passion in life.   The rest of the time, he's pretty fucking sedentary."

"Huh?" Fenian frowned.

"Please, just tell him that."

Deontic gestured dismissal.   She stated, firmly, "I know what to tell him."    She opened the door and nearly collided with Mello outside.

Mello's arms went up in surrender.   "I come in peace."   His biking leathers were gone.   He didn't even have a jacket on. He was wearing soft leather, black trousers now; with a zip-up, high-necked, sleeveless leather top.   His army boots trailed their untied laces. He held a mobile 'phone in one gloved hand and a chocolate bar in the other.    Mello gave a twirl.   The clothes fit so tightly that they left little to the imagination.   "No guns." He fixed her with a winsome grin. The gooseflesh was up on his bare arms. "Hardly any pockets and definitely no guns. Can I come in?"   He stepped by her anyway and repeated his twirl inside.   "But while you're going out, Dee, would you mind popping downstairs?   Mail and Lauren have a proposition for you."

"Oh, erm..." Deontic began.

Mello had already spun around to face Valerie, "And if you go with her, then my lovely husband will make an appointment to see you about his schizoid tendencies."     He watched Valerie blush.   "But we haven't got long. We're not stopping.   He's packing up. So you'd best go with Deontic."     Valerie looked mortified.   She bowed her head, collected up her things and left with Deontic.   Mello watched them go. He bit his lip. "I'm sure they'll be safe."   He peeped, coquettishly at Hal.   "I'm sure they will be."

Hal raised her eyebrows.   "Nice try, Mello.   But I think I ought to stay right here."   She nodded towards Fenian. "He's injured."

Mello cast him a sympathetic look.   "So I heard.   That's a right kick in the balls.   Hopefully it can be sorted out when we get the hospital back on-line." He darted back to the door, looked out, then closed it.   "Sorry, bloody freezing."   He pressed his thumb down on a button in the 'phone's keypad.   Music filled the room, at full volume.   "I'm sorry too that you didn't leave Hal.   I really wish you had. This needn't have concerned you."

Fenian lunged at him, off from the table.   "Bastard!"   Hal was immediately between them.   Century had had his head bent over the papers, trying not to be noticed.   He looked up now, blinked and bolted towards the door.    He found Matt right outside.   The redhead had his hand behind his back.   He smiled, wryly, at the teenager.   Century backed inside again.   Fenian was yelling, "You fucking, piece of shit!" Kiana just looked stunned.   It was left to Hal to tumble Fenian to the floor. There he writhed in agony, as the urgent messages from his spine reached his brain.   Mello, meanwhile, had danced back into the kitchenette.   The music still played, from his crotch, where he had shoved the 'phone.

"Mello." Matt called out.

Mello quickly retrieved the 'phone and stopped the music.   Matt hurried to his side, just as Deontic burst in.   "Lauren kept us talking!" She gasped.   "She said that Matt was in the bathroom!"   She looked in dismay around the room.   "I was gone less than a minute!   How could so much chaos have ensued in less than a minute?!"

"Oh." Mello snapped off a section of chocolate. "I'm good."

Kiana snarled up from the floor, where she now crouched over Fenian.   "I told them that you had compassion!   Have you got no fucking mercy!"   Fenian's eyes were tightly closed; his teeth were grit against the pain.

Deontic closed the door. She took a deep breath. "Ok, does someone want to tell me what just happened?   I heard Fenian shouting."   She watched Century cross to the chair and sit down.   He was more ashen than usual and a light sheen of sweat glistened on his skin.   "Mello, what have you done to them?"

Mello held up the 'phone. "MP3 of 'The Banshee', taken from Mail's on-line server and saved to his 'phone's memory.   They're infected.   It just isn't kicking in, because the witch bottle is safely under the tree."   He licked his chocolate.   "Let's call it a safeguard against Fenian ever removing it to fuck me up again."   He handed Matt the 'phone, then nodded towards the Irishman.   "But I didn't touch him.   He did that to himself, trying to attack me.   Did Lauren give you our proposal?"

Deontic ignored him.   "Kiana, Daf is still in Century's study. Do you want him to take Fenian to the hospital?"

"It might be an idea."   Kiana was very close to tears. She was running her fingers down his spine, trying to see if anything really was broken.    He curled around her and lay very still, his arms over his head.    "Lee, do you want to go?"

Mello took Matt's hand and held it.   He spoke up, gruffly, "For the record, that's it.   That's all you're going to get from us and it's a precaution.   It was a kick-ass tactic, Fenian.   Dastardly, daring and fucking sneaky, but you got me good and proper.   I have to respect that."   He waited to see if anyone was going to comment.   "Now I think that I've out-manoeuvred you just as brilliantly. So we are quits.   Century, you didn't stop Fenian on my behalf.   Now Mail didn't stop me on your behalf.   He kept you from leaving.   So we are quits there too.   Everyone happy with that?"

Kiana screamed, "I am fucking sick to high fucking Heaven of your ridiculous Wammy's House games!    When is this going to stop? When someone gets fucking killed?"

"No."   Deontic replied, quietly.   "A third of us are already dead from civil wars.   It's not even giving the rest of them pause."

"That many?" Kiana's jaw dropped.   "How many are a third?"

"Five dead, out of fifteen.   Better than one of the previous generations.   Their mortality rate was 100%."

"No." Kiana spread her arms wide, starting to panic.   "You're not touching him.   I thought he was exaggerating! I thought he was making it up. You can't." She cast a horrified look down at her prone man. "He is protected. I would hunt you down. I would curse you into the back of fucking tomorrow!"

Fenian eased himself into a sitting position.   "I'm fine." He said, against all of the evidence.   He winced. "Mother of fucking God."

"He wants nothing to do with it!" Kiana gasped, turning to address Mello.   "He didn't want to go! They took him!   He's kept away since!"

"We know." Mello gave her a tight smile.   "He's been very eloquent on the point."

"Kiana." Fenian steadied himself against her. "Leave it."

"I will not fucking leave it!"   Tears of rage and anxiety fell down her cheeks. "I'll take it to fucking Amnesty International!   Just don't you hurt him.   Don't you fucking touch him!"

Mello glanced at Hal, who sighed.   She intervened, trying to restore calm, "Kiana, the system is under new management. We all acknowledge that a lot of damage was done in the past.   We're doing everything in our power to make reparations. What happened to Fenian will never happen to another child."   She gave her an empathic smile. "It's just as we discussed on the beach earlier.   There is so much help available for them now.     The Constitution was ratified just this morning.   It's real now."

Kiana glared at her.   "We got the e-mail about the Constitution this morning!   He's going to apply for repatriation under article 13!"   There were a few weak smiles around the room.   It was hardly a surprise.   Article 13, which allowed alumni to reclaim their birth name and nationality, had been inserted with Fenian in mind.    Hal had had the Secrecy Agreement drawn up a year ago, when she had been in the first wave of efficiency.   When she had naively believed that the Constitution would be signed and ratified quickly.   "But you are telling that he could be fucking killed!   He's not part of this anymore.   He's here as Century's friend."

Hal nodded, "As soon as the computers are back up, I'll ask Luigi to send me the documentation to make that happen. It can be signed and set in motion, before you even go home. It will happen, Kiana. I promise."

"But we..." Kiana began.

"Oh my God." Fenian breathed suddenly, silencing her.   He looked stunned. He had their attention. He dropped back down onto his backside, seeming as if someone had punched him.   "Oh my fucking God."   Kiana froze.   Everyone else was very watchful. Fenian just stared into space.   "No fucking way."   His arms hung slack. His jaw dropped.

"Liam?" Kiana sounded so scared. "What's happened? What have they done?"

Fenian's gaze moved to her, then defocused again.   A pulse throbbed in his neck.   He slowly shook his head.   He spoke, like someone not quite trusting his own words.   "We need to solve the case."   It was not what anyone was expecting to hear. There were a few pairs of eyes watching the subtle signs of body language and knowing that his shock had nothing to do with the case. "Drop it, Ki. Really drop it.   Solve the case. Go home. Dee says that we're close."   His hand moved to his mouth and stayed there.   His focus moved gradually, jerkily, over to the kitchenette.

"What?" Mello asked, his senses alert.   But Fenian wasn't looking at Mello, he was looking at Matt.   There was the tiniest smile on Matt's lips.   No-one else saw it, but Fenian did.   Fenian stared.   Mello smirked, "I've told you that I won't shag you. It's no good pleading."

Kiana looked from Mello to Fenian.   "What's going on?"

"Help me up." Fenian said, shakily.   "We need to solve the case."

"Will someone tell me what the fuck is going on?"   Kiana demanded.   "Liam?"

"I said drop it."   Fenian grit his teeth and stood on his own steam.   Pain drained the colour from his face, but he didn't even let it catch in his breath.   His expression hardened into neutrality.   His eyes were blank.   There was nothing given away in his body language now, other than the fact that it was most telling in its absence of information.   He had learned this in the same classroom as four other people in that room.   They knew he had something to hide.   In the midst of telling them that he was leaving the system, Fenian presented himself as its very embodiment.   "Deontic. You said that we're close to solving this. What do we need?"

Mello held his chocolate aloft. "My proposal to Deontic, delivered through Lauren downstairs, was that she heads the case. I propose this on the basis that she's the only one here, who we will all work together under."

Deontic bowed her head, pointing her finger half over her shoulder, to where Mello was standing. "I'm not being your pawn again.   Don't involve me in..."

Fenian nodded. "Agreed. Let's do this."

Mello fixed his attention on the papers, still gripped in Century's hands.   "Is that the transcript of Fenian's voyage into the Underworld?   I'll swap a look at that for the new evidence that I can bring."    Century held the papers up, but no-one moved. Deontic gave a loud sigh and took them. She delivered the pages into Mello's hands.    He immediately stamped a foot on the floor a few times.   "The evidence is coming up."   He smiled.   He and Matt both bent their heads over the handwritten document, quickly reading it.    A short while later, Lauren entered the room, holding a human thigh bone and Mello's baggy, black jumper. Kiana gasped, her hands over her mouth and nose.   Fenian caught her hand and held it. Mello flicked his wrist towards Lauren. "My evidence, which I will present in a moment."   He took the jumper and put it on. "Thank you, Lauren. Flawlessly done."

Lauren leaned against the counter beside them.   "I've sent Valerie to sit with Daf.   I figured that there will be blood and therefore the civilians should be kept out of it."

"Ok." Mello raised his head from the document.   He tried to slide it to Matt.

"Read it." Matt said, softly.

"We're ready, Dee.   Lay on."

Deontic was rigid.   "I will mediate.    If it brings this together, then I'll do that.   But I'm not letting you set me up for a fall.   I'm not leading the case, I'm mediating."    No-one contradicted her.   She realised that it was all semantics anyway. When Mello had said 'leader', he probably meant 'diplomatic negotiator'.    Deontic moved to stand in front of the huge monitor, where she could view them all.   "Priority one, does anyone need medical attention?"   The tension in the air crackled.   Fenian glared like a prize boxer, in the corner of the ring.   Century's face was pure white, but he said nothing.   The only flesh visible on Matt was bruised, but he was so still that it was easy to overlook him.   Deontic met the eyes of all three of them.   She ensured that she had a shake of the head, or some other gesture in the negative, before she went on.   "Then our second priority should be the hospital.   It is without power and the back up generator has failed.   Mello and Matt, we couldn't help noticing that you now have electricity.   Can something be done about the hospital from your quarter?"   Mello looked at Matt, who didn't react at all. "Matt, there are people dying in intensive care there.   Ventilators, incubators, do I really need to spell this out?"

Matt replied, quietly, "I'm thinking."

"Good.   Do we all need to be thinking about this too or have you got it?" Deontic asked, briskly. She could see the mark where she'd punched him.   She wondered if Mello had seen it too.

"I'll let you know," Matt awarded her a small smile, "when I've finished thinking."

"Thank you."   Deontic glanced around the room.    Her shoulders were squared.   Her lips were slightly pursed.   She studiously did not look under pressure.   "Fenian, it appeared to me that something of great import occurred to you, just a short time ago.   Are you willing to share?"

Fenian gave a jagged head-shake.   "No." He said, tersely. "It was a private matter and has no bearing on the case."

He was scrutinised by everyone present, only Kiana seemed distracted.   Deontic prompted, after a pause, "It looked like it was pretty big."    He didn't flinch. He said nothing and his gaze didn't shift from her face.   Deontic stated, carefully, "There is help if you need it."

"Sure." Fenian replied. "That's understood."

Deontic smiled, "You're alright, Fenian. Just relax."   She shifted her gaze around those assembled. "No more fighting, no more war. We get out of this alive.   I'm not just talking about this night."   She fastened her attention upon Kiana. "Before we categorically go through and nail this case, has anyone got anything pressing that needs to be said to inform it? Something that can't wait its sequential order?"

The words burst out of Kiana, "A custodia matutina! Custodia!" Her lips tried to frame more.   "Paper!" She pulled her hand from Fenian's grasp, while the other rose.   It clenched over thin air, just to the left and above her head.   "A custodia matutina. Say it again, I can hardly hear you."

Lauren spoke up. "More than sentinels. Sentinels.   More than sentinels.   It's Mediaeval Latin."

Deontic rushed to write it down on her own pad.   Century snatched up origami paper and pushed it along the table, behind Fenian.   He muttered. "Pen?"

Kiana emitted the words like they were something physical to be expectorated, "Gofid a thristwch mawr."

"That's not Latin." Lauren supplied.

Century shook his head. "No, it's Cymraeg Cyfoes. She's saying large grief and sadness." He found a pen and handed it to Fenian.   "Actually, great grief and sadness sounds better."

"Deontic." Matt raised a finger. "Just to let you know that I've finished with the hospital."

Deontic tore her gaze away from the scene by the table. Kiana was pulling away from Fenian.   She was gaunt with exhaustion. Deontic glanced back again, before settling her focus onto Matt.   "Thank you. Good work. What needs to be done?"

"No." Matt smiled, head bowed over his 'phone again.   "It's finished. It has power now."

Kiana moaned, "Tenebrosa. Tenebrosa. Tenebrosa."    Then leapt back, right against the wall. "Liam! Get away from me! For fuck's..." Her whole face changed.   She relaxed. She opened her eyes, then closed them again. Worn out. "He was fucking draining me. He was going to drain you too and you haven't the strength right now. He's gone."   She reached for a chair, then slumped into it.   "I was keeping him at bay. You distracted me. I caught you looking and lost my focus."

Lauren swallowed, "That last was Latin again. She was repeating the word 'dark'."

"Keeping him at bay?" Fenian asked, leaning heavily against the table.

"He came in with the thigh-bone. He was a really strong entity and he was trying to fully come in. But they can't keep it up for long.   Not manifesting and speaking that fucking loudly."   Kiana stared at him, shaken.   "I'd fucking kill for a cup of tea right now."

Deontic was blinking at Matt.   She was trying to listen to that conversation, while also assimilate what Matt was telling her.   She asked, cautiously, "Have you just hacked something using your telephone?"

Mello shook his head, "He's playing a game on it.   Keeping a football in the air without it bouncing off the screen.   He's on 23 kick ups now."

Century repeated, "More than sentinels; great grief and sadness; dark.   Who was he?"

"One of those monks."   Kiana eased her way around the table to wrap her arms around Fenian.   "He's presumably gone back there now.   There was more pull there. More power."

Deontic took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes.   There were no tears, she was just tired.   She caught Mello's smile, as she put them back on.    "You're doing great." He told her. "Carry on."

"Mello, please."   Deontic sucked her teeth, then surveyed the room at large.   "Kiana, are you in immediate danger?"

Kiana shook her head. "I'd like to take Liam back to our room."    She saw Mello's smirk and narrowed her eyes.   "He's said you can have the case."

"That's nice." Mello winked. "But I've given it to Deontic."

Fenian reached for a fresh cigarette packet, from the supplies brought back by Valerie and Daf.   "I'm staying."

Deontic exhaled, "Has anyone got any immediate moves that they have to make?   That don't involve attacking each other?"   There was general silence.    It felt poised on a knife edge; like a lot of things weren't being said.    "Ok.   Then we'll assume that everyone has an agenda and hopefully we can meet somewhere in the middle."    She turned back to Matt.   "What do you mean when you say that the hospital has power now?"

"When things are switched on, they work."   Matt told his game.    Everyone waited. He ignored them.   Deontic appealed to Mello with a look half-pleading, half-frustration.   Mello took the 'phone off him and raised his eyebrows, when Matt looked up.   "Would you like me to go and check?   I have a car."

Mello shook his head, "No, guapo. We want to know how you've reached that conclusion."

"Really?"

Mello's eyes narrowed. He looked momentarily unsure. "I think that it would put Deontic's mind at rest."

"Yes."   Matt bit his lip. "But I'm basing on things that we know and they don't."    They heard Kiana's exasperated sound, but Hal didn't seem surprised.   No-one else gave anything away.    "I'm 5% sure. Is that ok?"

Kiana cried out, "What?"   Then, when nobody else reacted, added, "This is a matter of life and death for a whole hospital and he's talking about 5%."

Fenian scowled and shook his head.   "It's an in-joke, from the institution.   He's probably 99.9% sure." He drew heavily on his cigarette.   "Dee, send Daf to see.   If the hospital is still down, then Matt will have failed."

Deontic closed her eyes.   She appeared to be about to say something sharp, but changed it at the last second, "Ok.   Hal, would you ask him for us please?   I really want to get on with this."   Her agitation briefly showed through her gestures. "I wish I had a white board or something.   Or Linda was here.   I think better in 3D."    She scurried across, as Hal left, to pick up her pad.   "Century, have you had your medication?"    She saw him give the tiniest shake of his head. "Don't you think you'd better?" She returned to her place by the monitor, saying, "Fenian, lie back down. You're supposed to be keeping your back straight."

"Wow!" Mello laughed. "Deontic does maternal!"

"No." She replied curtly.   "Deontic does treating her foster siblings as human beings, instead of emotional punchbags. I see how you're dressed, Mello.   Black trousers and baggy black jumper.   Are we supposed to be reminded of you as a child, when you were so very intimidating?"

Mello blinked.   Matt frowned and gave Mello the once over.    Mello shook his head, "I put these on so you could see at a glance that I was unarmed.    Then Lauren brought my sweater up.   It's just my sweater. You're over-reading the situation." He handed the 'phone back to Matt.    "But your theory works too.    Better."   He grinned. "I'll take it."

Beside him, Matt restarted his game. "Mello wears a lot of black."

Deontic gave a tense nod.   She focused on Hal coming back in. "He's going?"

"Yes." Hal told her.   "He reckons it'll take around 10 to 15 minutes, then he'll return to tell us either way."

Fenian glanced at her.   "Can you ask him to bring Kiana a cup of tea, if the coffee-shop is open?"    He watched Hal turn around to arrange it. "Thanks a million."

"Me too." Century called.

Deontic rolled her eyes, "How's he supposed to carry all of this?   He's on a bike with a net trailer.   Tea is hot and liquid!"   There was an uneasy silence.

Matt filled it, softly asking, "Want a coffee, Mell?"

"Please, baby." Mello replied, gleefully.     Matt broke away from the worktop, sauntering past Lauren to the door.   "Go with him, Lauren."   Mello added, mildly.    Neither of them protested, but both slipped outside.

Deontic sighed, "If he's driving to the hospital or wherever, then we'll never get going.   Why are you delaying?"

"Heh." Mello grinned, sucking on a strip of chocolate.   They heard voices outside, down on the green, carried away in the wind.    "You think I'd let him drive away without me?"    His gaze slid across to Fenian.   "I won't attack you, if you lie down. If your back is that bad."

"I'm fine standing."   Fenian was partially sitting on the table, but his feet were on the floor.   The pain was visible in his eyes.

Mello shook back his hair, "Whatever."    There were footsteps on the stairs, then a key in the lock.   Lauren entered first, but Matt was right behind her.   He was carrying a box.   Hal followed them in.   "We took the precaution of packing a camping stove and all of the sundries.    After all, the electricity did go down last time too.   Did no-one else think to cater for that?"

Century's head dropped; his face covered by his hands.    Deontic watched Matt set down the box and remove packets of powdered soup, biscuits, energy bars and a loaf of bread.   She caught Mello's eye, "You smug bastard."

"You love me."

Deontic glared at him, but didn't verbalise her thoughts.   Instead she said, "I will have a hot drink. Thank you."   She consulted her notes.   "Can we start please?"

"Yes, ma'am."   Mello smiled.   "Has anybody solved it yet?"

"Have you?"   Deontic asked, sharply.   His grin broadened. "Because if you have, the floor is yours. Take it and tell us what's going on, so we can make our moves to secure the situation."

Mello tittered, "Such insecurity."

She inspected him carefully.   "You have most of the pieces of the jigsaw, but you haven't got them all slotted into place yet.   So please shut up until you have something to contribute to our narrative."   As much as Mello tried to school his features into blankness, the surprise showed.   "Your emotions always gave you away, Mello.   That is why you came second."   Mello stiffened.   Even Century looked up.   Kiana shuddered, staring at the Slav.   Deontic's face coloured, as if in disbelief that she had said it.   She hurried on.   "The phenomena is worse this time than it was before.    Does anyone know how to stop it?" There was silence.   "Does anyone know how it started?   Maybe that will hold the clues."

"Yes." Century replied, quietly.   "An embittered ex-Catholic turned Satanic and started sacrificing pilgrims from the Cisterian Route."    He sucked on his lollipop.   "Concise version."

Mello nodded towards the thigh bone.   He sounded quite subdued, "About eight to ten of them were bricked up in the actual shaft. That's why the wall bulged out there."    He took up the transcript of Fenian's exploration again.   "The rest were underneath the stone.   How many in total?"

Fenian looked uncomfortable. "I wasn't in a position to count them.    A lot."

"Monks."   Kiana looked fierce.    "Trust me, that thigh-bone is from a monk.   I've seen him."

"Welsh monks." Lauren hastened to contribute.   "If the language that you quoted is anything to go on.   You were using Latin and Welsh."

Century shook his head. "Makes no sense.   Serial killer this big and doesn't show up in the record at all.    Monks. Strata Florida would miss them and the Protheros strict Catholics at the time.    House wasn't even extended then, see? Georgian, it is. We're a couple of centuries out."

"At what time?"   Deontic prompted.

"Dissolution of the Monasteries."   Century sneered.   "Couldn't do it before, or else Hell to pay.   Literally.   Abbot would miss hordes of his monks going out and not coming back.    Go too far after and there shouldn't be monks roaming around to kill.   Only during the dissolution, is it?    Then you definitely could have got away with it."   They were all watching him.   "In the nursery rhyme, it is.   Tells us all about it."   He cleared his throat and half-sang the children's rhyme.   "Hark, hark, the dogs will bark; the ragged men coming to town; some in rags, some in tags, and one in a velvet gown."    He touched his sleeve.   "Tags are the strips, like different coloured cloth underneath.   Tudor fashion.   On about those old monks, kicked out of the monasteries, walking around begging at the towns. Starving."   Century's gaze became distant.   He was looking at the femur, without really seeing it.    "But not then, unless they were stored."    His lollipop became still in his mouth.    He was no longer aware of any of them watching.     He didn't even see the little smile that passed across Mello, Deontic and Fenian's lips, though none of them saw each other do it.    "Stored."   Century's gaze rose to Mello, suddenly sharp.   "Eight to ten?"

"Yes."

"The bodies in the wall, I meant?"

Mello nodded, "I understood.   Yes, there were roughly eight to ten skeletons in there."

Century tongued the lollipop to the other side of his mouth.    "I bet there was no evidence that they'd been walled up alive."

Mello sensed rather than saw Matt's discomfort.   He reached out to touch him, while still staring at Century.   "I have no evidence for that, but I can find out."    He glanced at Deontic.   "It's obvious that the subterranean areas will need another look. Chalk me in for finding this out."

"Fwc! Iawn!"   Century exclaimed.    His eyes shone with the triumph.   "There was no serial killer.   Monks weren't massacred, see?    They were dug up!    Graveyard full of them, down the valley.   But those in the wall didn't come from there. They came from Nanteos Mansion.   Legend there says seven monks took the Holy Grail from Strata Florida to Nanteos, hunted by the soldiers.   Arduous journey, it was, but they passed the cup between them.   Died at Nanteos and got buried in the cellar. Supposed to haunt the place. Loads of sightings.   Police dogs refusing to go down there and such things.   But they tried digging to find the bones and nothing there.   Disproved the legend."

"Who did?" Deontic asked.   She could also see Fenian, beside him, looking thoughtful.   Mello's eyes were skimming across the transcript again.

Century shook his head, "Don't know, do I?   I wasn't researching hauntings at Nanteos, too far up the mynydd."   His gaze flickered towards Hal, as she brought him a cup of tea.   "Thank you."

"You are very welcome."   Hal smiled and handed another cup of tea to Kiana.

"Thanks a million."   She took it gratefully.   Hal smiled and mouthed the response, as Century had started talking again.

"Been mining up that valley since there been people, but there's this big revival in the 18th century.   What say old Prothero made his money then?   Digging for lead, like Fenian found under there.   Make it consistent with when the house was extended over that stone."    Century took out his lollipop and faced Fenian.   "Did you date that lead mine?"

Fenian shook his head.   "It wasn't at the forefront of my mind."

Mello coughed, "What would you need to date it?"

Century frowned, "You going under there?"

"Is that information fundamental to the case?"    Mello replied, icily attentive.

Fenian rubbed his face. "If you're going down there, I'll not be coming with you.   I'm not going down there again."   There was a flicker in his gaze.   He couldn't meet anyone's eyes.   They all saw it.   He drew on his cigarette, sipping the tea that Hal had since given to him.   They all had a hot drink now.   "But the bigger question, to my mind, is what was going on under that megalith."

Deontic's pen stopped on her pad.   "This is causing me some trouble.   I need to see it and I don't really wish to visit the location.   This is where I'm missing Linda. She would have drawn this for me.   I could have seen it."

"Did you not know that Kiana is an artist?"   Fenian asked.

"No. I didn't know that."

Kiana scowled at him. "I doubt I could draw a thing at the moment.   I'm fucking done in."

Fenian nodded, "That's fine.   The bottom of the stone was exposed."   He drew heavily on the cigarette, not enjoying revisiting this place, even in his head.   "Megaliths go into the ground as deep as they are above it.   They'd dug under this one. You could see the bottom of it.   Quartz."

Century looked incredulous.   "How is it still standing?"

Deontic held up her hand. "Megaliths.   Great stone in Greek?   Religious significance?"

"Territorial markers. Status symbols."   Century replied.

"Bollocks."   Fenian reacted, sharply.   "Where's your evidence?"

Century sucked on his lollipop. "We don't know.   They moved stones around, not wrote books on why they were doing it." He watched Fenian for dissent on the matter.   "They could have signified meeting places.   But there's no evidence of ceremonial use."

"In fucking Britain maybe.   In Eire, the biggest stones we've got are all over Tara. That's definitely the seat of the High fucking King."

"Biggest one here is in England.   Stonehenge.   People been digging it up for decades and they've found fuck all." Century informed him. "Well, one male skeleton, but it's Saxon.   Way too late to be anything to do with the stones themselves.   They were probably the ancient equivalent of getting a massive car.   Look at the size of the rocks I can drag into my land.   I have a massive cock.   That sort of thing."

"Mm." Mello told the papers in his hand.   They all looked at him.    He peered up and smirked. "It just answers our question from earlier.   Century's got a big cock; and Fenian dragged a bit of gravel with him."

Deontic hurried to stand in the direct path between Mello and Fenian.   "Don't."   She looked at them both in turn.   "Mello, that was uncalled for and beneath you.   Just don't."

Mello inclined his head, in mock chivalry, "My apologies, ma'am.   My emotions got the better of me.   I will endeavour to concentrate on my studies."

Deontic flushed.   She glanced at Matt and noted that he seemed on edge, insofar as Matt ever gave anything away.   It worried her.   She gushed her words, "Fenian, what was supporting the megalith?"

"It was hanging out of the bedrock, which is all fucking sandstone up there.   It wouldn't be hard to chip away at it."

"Sandstone?" Deontic asked, still silently concerned about Mello's intentions.

Fenian's frown deepened.   "Are you asking me now how the sandstone got there?"

"Yes."

"Ok." Fenian glanced at Century and shook his head.   "Am I starting with plate tectonics or have you got the basics nailed?"   She looked sharply at him.   "The ground we're standing on has spent more than 90% of its history underneath the equator, slowly moving north.    It's been a desert and a tropical ocean, hence the sand.   It's had several fucking ice ages ripping through, carving out the fucking valley itself.   You're aware that the Ystwyth Valley is a fault line, aren't you?    Go along the coast and have a look at what that did to the cliff face."

Deontic exhaled.   "Is this relevant?"

"I don't think so. Hence I was a bit surprised that you asked."

Deontic's shoulders slumped.   She returned to her place by the monitor and stood over her pad, looking down, unseeing, at it.   "Mello, I shouldn't have snapped at you earlier. My apologies." She glanced up at him.   He was watching her, his gaze unreadable.   Beside him, Matt scribbled something down on the transcript and Mello read it.    "Are we good?"

Mello nodded. "Could the fault line be causing a concentration of infra-sound?"

"Yes." Fenian nodded. "Surely that was obvious?"

Matt shook his head. "I thought it was the waves on the coast and their impact on the shore; the airflow of wind over the mountain range; the wind turbines up the top of the valley vibrating on the bedrock; the river; the appliances in the house; vehicles on the road; and the rather large television transmitter on the opposite side of the valley."   He bit his lip. "I was obviously wrong."

Deontic put down her pen.   "Can you get my car working?"   She strode across to the chair, where Century was sitting, and plucked her coat from where it was draped over the back of it.   "Matt, can you do that?"

"Yes."

"Thank you." She scurried to the door.   Her face blotchy, but otherwise impassive in its expression.

Mello called out. "Where are you going, Dee?"

"Home."   She opened the door and left the room.

Author's Note: This story is being discussed here: http://mrsjeevas.joharrington.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=11
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Annals of Fear II