P.N.E. (The Wolfblood Prophecies Book 4) Read online

  P.N.E.

  by

  AVRIL SILK

  BOOK FOUR

  of

  THE WOLFBLOOD PROPHECIES

  First published in 2014 by Avril Silk

  Copyright © Avril Silk

  Typeset by Avril Silk

  James Silk – Humble scribe

  No part of this publication

  may be reproduced, stored

  or transmitted in any form

  without the express written

  permission of the publisher

  Permissions pending

  All rights reserved

  [email protected]

  www.avrilsilk.com

  This book is dedicated to

  The Glory Girls of Ashbrittle

  Polly Fox Strangways

  Jane Embleton

  Delia Harling

  Jo Hartas

  Jo Kidd

  Patricia Stewart

  Elizabeth Taylor

  Kate Weekes

  Katie Venner

  Guiding lights and shining stars,

  every one of them

  Acknowledgments

  So many people have encouraged and supported me in writing P.N.E. My heartfelt thanks to them all. They include:

  Octavia Austin

  Caro Ayre

  Patricia Branch

  Diana Church

  Howard Davies

  Jane Embleton

  Polly Fox Strangways

  Ted Franklin

  Delia Harling

  Pauline Homeshaw of the 10 Parishes Festival

  Peter and Marylise Kellie

  Davina Knell and family

  Martin Levinson

  Douglas Marshall

  Madeleine Morey

  Jill Preston and the rest of QB7

  Andrea Saines

  James Silk

  Mike and Rakhshinda Silk

  Peter and Lurleen Soutar

  Patricia Stewart

  Glenys Townshend

  Alexa Vickery

  Marianne Watson

  Beth Webb

  Jessica Wilker

  Acknowledgments

  I have been inspired by many creative, talented people, including:

  Ray Bradbury

  Charles Causley

  Leonard Cohen

  Carol Ann Duffy

  Bob Dylan

  The Felice Brothers

  Kathryn Flett

  Neil Gaiman

  Laurie Graham

  Ursula Le Guin

  Miroslav Holub

  Terry Pratchett

  Philip Pullman

  Dorothy Rowe

  Joss Whedon

  The entire cast and production team of ‘The Big Bang Theory’

  Most of all, in writing the first four books of The Wolfblood Prophecies my son James has supported, challenged and inspired me. His creative insight and generosity of spirit have been a source of strength and delight.

  Thanks to the hundreds of people around the world who work so hard to make Wikipedia such an exciting and accessible work of reference.

  THE WOLFBLOOD PROPHECIES

  The son of the wolf will live for ever...

  renewed through the blood of sacrifice...

  under the sign of the hooked cross...

  rolling thunder and clouds of glory...

  steeped in sin and will seek repentance...

  a mistress of memory will tame him...

  she will bear him the Child of Glory...

  the Child will be branded with secret signs …

  the Child of Glory will lead the Rainbow Warriors

  in a time of war and destruction...

  A Rainbow Warrior does not fight others,

  but battles within to find their own truth.

  WHO’S WHO and WHAT’S WHAT

  Main character: Jo Lakota - a rather serious teenager with special powers which are still developing. To quote Madame Mirabel; She can emp, she can truth–tell, she can deep–read and she can heal. She’s got all these gifts but she don’t know what to do with them. A green-eyed redhead, like her mother and her aunt. Has a crush on Smokey.

  Ali (Alithea) Lakota – Jo Lakota’s mother – a Mistress of Memory, with the ability to enable people to remember what is important. Kind, wise and slow to anger but if provoked, remarkably fierce. Her twin sister is Lethe Lacuna. Able to emp.

  Beth – a precocious teenager infatuated with Smokey; sometimes works for Lethe Lacuna. Jo does not trust her, even though Beth has shown great courage at times, and seems to want the same things as Jo. Including Smokey. Able to emp.

  Brenda– a proud and courageous founder member of The Righteous, known for her loyalty. Able to emp.

  Calico – Jo’s tortoiseshell cat. Probably able to emp…

  Darren – Mirabel’s grandson. Nasty piece of work. Kidnaps young girls for an exclusive club where children are forced to fight and die. Involved with Lucy.

  Gleam – Huge, powerful golden horse with gentle eyes, owned by the Reverend Obadiah Moon.

  Grey Wolf – a Lakota Indian chief, kindly, patient foster father to Hawk; blood brother to Silver Lightning. His wife is Summer Moon. As a young man he was in love with Ethel, Paul’s mother. Able to emp.

  Hawk – a foundling, about thirteen years old, brought up by the Lakota tribe. Musically talented, with exceptional hearing. Boiling with self-indignant rage but too proud to admit it. Able to emp.

  Lethe Lacuna – Ali’s twin, Jo’s aunt. Consort to Titus Stigmurus in his heyday. Very powerful, beautiful and seductive. Wicked to the core. A gifted scientist and pioneer in fertility treatments. Whatever Ali has, Lethe wants, including Paul and Jo. Also a Mistress of Memory, with the ability to enable people to forget – as long as they ask her. She has ways of ensuring people ask when she wants them to. Once, when she thought she was about to die, Lethe emped Jo that she had an unknown brother. Able to emp.

  Madame Mirabel – a raddled old harridan steeped in wickedness. Has history with Titus, and still loves him at great cost to herself. She can discern people’s greatest fears and uses the knowledge as a weapon. Talented seamstress. Able to emp.

  Mary Montgomery – childhood sweetheart and later, university colleague of Matthew Jamieson. Falls foul of Lethe Lacuna and loses everything, at which point she is known as Crazy Em. Rescued by Reg and the Righteous and reunited with Matthew in old age. Mistress of Memory. Able to emp.

  Matthew Jamieson – University lecturer, explorer, adventurer. Widower, having lost Rosie and their boys in a terrible accident. Master of Memory. Full of wisdom and knowledge. He is Ali’s mentor. Nicknamed Midge. Able to emp.

  Paul Lakota – married to Ali; father of Jo. Half Native American. Met Ali, Lethe and Quinn when they were all at college. Has history with Lethe, which still echoes, despite his determination to be a loving, faithful husband. Has a talent for locating objects and tracking. He is a record producer. Frequently baffled by his talented wife and daughter.

  Quinn – Fellow student of Paul, Lethe and Ali. Ali’s first love, but he threw her over for Lethe, then caught Lethe with Paul. Furious and heart-broken, he took off for Greece, lived on the beach and sang for his supper. After nine years, homesick and tired of the hippy life, he returned to London and set up a shop specialising in anything connected with Bob Dylan. He meets up again with Ali and later, Jo. Responsible for transforming Jo into a Goth Princess. Able to emp.

  Reg – unofficial leader of the Righteous. Gruff, practical, down to earth and utterly reliable. Devoted to Brenda, who is married to someone else. Implacable opponent of VMN.

  Samantha – Jo’s best friend. Pretty and vivacious. Since her father’s illness, she and J
o have found themselves on different paths, which puts a strain on their friendship.

  Sebastian – Lethe’s right-hand man, with the creepy ability to enter people’s dreams. Able to emp.

  Sergeant - Veteran street cat retiring with dignity on Matthew’s lap, whether he wants it or not. Old, thin and full of gristle with a howl from the depths of Hell. Has no need to emp. Destined to live forever.

  Silver Lightning – Blood brother to Grey Wolf – younger, sharper, less tolerant. A fierce warrior. Able to emp.

  Smokey – A little older than Jo, with the ability to melt into the background to the point of invisibility. His real name is Jacob Ashe. After Lethe and Titus involved his mother in their scientific experiments, and abducted his sister, he hates them with a deadly hatred. No stranger to sullen malice. Able to emp.

  Summer Moon – Wife of Grey Wolf and foster-mother to Hawk. A wise woman with healing powers.

  The Reverend Obadiah Moon – Deeply religious, austere American pastor who helps young people at risk by involving them in music. Has history with Lethe and it is just possible that she really did love him. Their attraction runs deep but as a man of God he will not give in to temptation. Able to emp.

  Titus Stigmurus – the seemingly ageless co-founder of The Lost Funfair of Forgotten Dreams; president of VMN and, after his religious conversion, head of the Glory Foundation. Seems genuinely contrite, but as a man of great power, wealth and talent, always close to trouble. Determined to locate the mythical Child of Glory as foretold in The Wolfblood Prophecies. Reg calls Titus The Twister, as he has the ability to enhance or distort other people’s talents. Able to emp.

  The Ferals:

  Lucy – a street fighter – tough, vicious, promiscuous. Banished by Zebo after attacking Crazy Em.

  Wheezy – a talented artist, but his murals are profoundly disturbing.

  Zebo – leader of the Ferals - the runaways and outcasts who live in a disused Underground railway station. Involved with Lucy before her banishment.

  Characters who appear once or infrequently:

  Bella – Lucy’s baby. Lethe, unaware of his real connection to the child, thinks that Titus believes Bella to be the Child of Glory.

  Bridget Ashe – Smokey’s older sister; at times Lethe’s right-hand woman.

  David – Director of C.U.T

  Doctor Jonathon Mallory – Lethe’s devoted admirer – to her intense irritation. His medical expertise is, however, invaluable to her.

  Ethel – Paul’s unmarried mother. Trained as a pilot in WW2 and had an extraordinary memory. Fell in love with Paul’s father during the war.

  Everard Burnley – a writer of books for young adults. His quest for immortality takes a sinister turn when his ambitions coincide with those of Lethe Lacuna. Has a brother, Allardyce and a sister, Angharad.

  Howard – Samantha’s father

  Janine – Sebastian’s girlfriend

  June – one of the Ferals

  Jean – Samantha’s mother

  Josie – Brenda’s niece, adopted after Brenda’s wayward sister commits suicide.

  Lanying – also known as Lotus. Chinese girl imprisoned by the VMN at C.U.T.

  Louise – Quinn’s sister

  Nurse Carson – colleague of Doctor Jonathon Mallory, employed by Titus in his flag-ship hospital.

  Omar – one of the Righteous

  Paddy – Zebo’s foster brother

  Rosemary Lake – Lethe and Ali’s mother.

  Rosie Jamieson – Matthew’s wife and mother of their two small boys.

  Zachary Lake – Lethe and Ali’s father.

  Organisations:

  C.U.T – The Centre for Utilisation and Training – a cover for terrible medical experiments instigated by Titus and Lethe.

  Scorpion Grass – code name for a top-secret VMN project to identify ‘sub-standard’ children for use in subsequent experiments. The RAINBOW machine - Research And Information Network Bringing Order Worldwide - was invented to identify ‘future undercover operatives - assassins, spies, persuaders and thieves to take care of business while the world dreams on.’ Titus Stigmurus has a fondness for acronyms.

  Stigmurus Enterprises – A world-wide organisation, including an American nuclear research facility, set up in the 1950s.

  The Glory Foundation – an altruistic, evangelical organisation, founded by Titus after his religious conversion and subsequent repentance.

  The Righteous – the rebel group formed in the 1980s when England was ruled by the VMN. Also known as The Rioters.

  VMN – VergissMeinNicht - a neo-Nazi, oppressive regime, founded by Titus with Lethe’s support, seeking to eradicate imperfect, dissenting and lesser beings – except for those who will be valuable to their twisted purposes. Also known as The Vermin.

  Some characters have the ability to communicate telepathically – this is called emping and I have used bold italics when this happens. If the signal is faint, I use pale grey.

  I use italics to indicate thoughts, memories and flashbacks to other books.

  HEARTS ON THE GROUND

  When I started writing The Wolfblood Prophecies, I knew nothing about the Lakota tribe other than their name, which I thought was beautiful. As I wrote I began to find out more. I have had the privilege of working with Romany Gypsies in Somerset and found the two groups had much in common, particularly a deep sense of family and love of their children. And persecution.

  Please take time to watch Hearts on the Ground, a short film about the 750 Lakota children taken every year from their families by South Dakota’s Department of Social Security. The children are placed in foster care, separated not only from their families but also their culture.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEsz7z74oqM

  http://lakotalaw.org/action

  Please also sign the petition at

  http://lakotalaw.org/moveon-petition-text

  Chapter One - New Year’s Day

  The wedding party was in full swing. Old friends chattered happily, sharing jokes and memories about the bride and groom, so long separated, but at last, together forever. Matthew Jamieson and Mary Montgomery knew the clock was ticking on their joy, but today they laughed in the face of the darkness to come, and danced the shadows away.

  Jo Lakota willed herself to do the same, but the effort was enormous. She caught Mary’s gimlet eye scrutinising her, ready to fend off any over-solicitous enquiries.

  I’m OK, Mary emped Jo. Just relax and enjoy your day!

  Why didn’t you bring that nice young man of yours along? Morten, isn’t it? You need something to take your mind off it all.

  He’s not my young man objected Jo indignantly.

  Mary laughed sardonically then was swept away by Matthew, now almost fully recovered, not only from recent surgery, but the long ago loss of family and love that had almost broken him.

  Prompted by Mary, Jo thought about Morten Llewellyn and the literary treasure hunt they had solved together. As she remembered his shy smile she tried not to blush.

  The prize Jo and Morten shared was an orrery, a wonderful contraption of wires and spheres showing the Transit of Venus, a rare juxtaposition of the Sun, Earth and Venus. The last one had been in 1882 – the next one wasn’t due until 2004.

  The treasure hunt had been devised by the writer, Everard Burnley, before his tragic, early death. Jo had met him during his final illness, and her first response to him was positive and powerful, as if they were soul mates. Later she saw his darker side.

  Now he dominated her dreams, still alive in a mythical land beneath the sea. The dreams were punctuated with nightmare flashes; a blood-red room where human sacrifices bled to death; a place decorated with skulls and bones; a store-room of dead bodies, human organs and severed limbs. Then there was a shot, and her mother was falling… falling… and Jo was jolted awake, crying and deathly cold.

  Her mother came to her then, and held her close, murmuring, ‘It’s just a bad dream, darling,’ trying to bring warmth ba
ck to Jo’s ice-cold body, and banish the dark shadows of the nightmare. When Jo woke completely, it broke her heart to realise that Ali’s comforting presence was also a dream.

  It was during the prize-giving that Jo discovered how Smokey, sullen, laconic, attracted to shadows and danger, and the first boy to tug at her heartstrings, had been spirited away from London. Smokey, his sister Bridget and their mother had escaped the clutches of Titus Stigmurus, head of the Glory Foundation and his ruthless second-in-command, Jo’s Aunt Lethe. The escape had been organised by the Righteous, the underground resistance group opposed to the power-crazed schemes of global domination devised by Titus and Lethe.

  The Righteous were well represented at Mary and Matthew’s wedding. The nearest thing they had to a leader was taciturn Reg, with his down-to-earth common sense and preference for direct action. Until today no-one had ever seen Reg wear anything other than an old donkey jacket and jeans. He looked ill at ease in his hired suit as he took his place next to Brenda, his right-hand woman. Brenda was all smiles as she cradled her adopted niece, Josie, in her arms. The little girl cooed happily, secure in her aunt’s loving embrace.