Heartstone

By Clemency Crow

 

Jeremy isn't surprised his grandfather died. He's surprised he had one.

When the family travel to Cumbria for the funeral arrangements, he realises his grandfather had an important job to complete. Jeremy's grandfather was part of the Order of the Magi, who trapped an evil spirit away from our world, using the power contained within heartstones, and hidden in special places around the county.

But the heartstones need recharging every hundred years, so Jeremy and his strange new friend must find each stone, and complete dangerous tasks to prove they are worthy, before the power of the stones runs out and evil has control over the world.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clemency Crow
• Release date: Nov 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215551394

Book preview

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

HEARTSTONE

First edition. November 24, 2022.

Copyright © 2022 Clemency Crow.

Written by Clemency Crow.

Copyright © 2022 by Clemency Crow

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

First Published in 2022

Crowvus, Stempster House, Westfield,

KW14 7QW

ISBN: 978-1-913182-38-0

For comments and questions about

Heartstone

contact the publisher directly at

[e-mail]

www.crowvus.com

www.clemencycrow.co.uk

Chapter 1

JEREMY

The news had come as a surprise to Jeremy. Mum and Dad had sat him down on a Thursday evening after school and broken it to him. His grandfather had died.

Jeremy had sat and listened to Mum as she explained how her father had been in a climbing accident, and they would have to go south for the funeral.

But this wasn't the surprising part. The surprise was that Jeremy suddenly found out he’d had a grandfather.

He’d known about Grandma. She’d been the one person who had understood him. And Nan, his dad’s mum, was still alive, but lived in America and, apart from video calls, Jeremy only saw her every couple of years.

Now, he was sitting in the car, watching the countryside speeding past along the motorway, wondering what his grandfather had been like. Mum wouldn’t talk about him, and Jeremy wondered why he was traveling miles to go to the funeral of someone he never knew, and would never know anything about.

Every time he had brought up the subject, Mum would go very quiet and Dad would tell him to stop being insensitive and to go up to his room.

This happened a lot, even before his grandad had died.

Jeremy had lost count of the number of times he had lain on his bed, staring up at the embossed ceiling, wondering what was wrong with him, and how he could make his parents so mad without even trying. He rarely cried, but his chest still ached when he felt like he didn’t belong in his family, in his school, anywhere.

He sat looking out of the window, wondering if they would ever reach Brough, where his grandfather had apparently lived. The scenery was pretty enough, but there had been a lot of it.

Jeremy delved deep into his pocket and pulled out his silver and green fidget spinner. He had tens of these spinners, but the only one he used was this one. The colours reflected his personality.

Silver was always second-best, in favour of gold. After the inevitable arguments with Dad, he would sometimes get the bronze coloured spinner out of his drawer and play with that. Green represented nature, and he loved to be outdoors. It was the only thing which could clear his mind.

We won’t stay long, darling. Mum leaned back to see him from the front of the car. Jeremy nodded, and wondered what their temporary home would be like, and if he might actually want to stay.

We’ll stay as long as we need, Gloria, Dad said. I’ve arranged to work from home, so take all the time you need.

Jeremy didn’t remind Dad that he was going back to school in two weeks’ time, after the October holidays. He was quite happy with the thought of leaving school for a bit.

As they left the motorway and started traveling along smaller roads, Jeremy took more of an interest in what he could see. He counted fifteen species of trees as they zoomed past, and twenty four types of birds. He’d always had a quick eye, especially when it came to living things. He needed to be quick with nature, as it kept changing.

Eventually, they left the main road and travelled into a village.

This is Church Brough, Jeremy, Mum said. This is where I grew up. Oh my goodness, they knocked the Quinces’ place down.

Jeremy’s mum reminisced as they clattered up the road, and turned into a driveway. The car crunched on the gravel drive and ground to a halt. Getting out, Jeremy took a good look at the house that was going to be his home for as long as needed.

What first struck him about the place was the garden. He saw it, yes, but he could smell it more. The summery blast of mint was the first thing that hit him, and he wondered how it could still be growing vigorously at this time of the year. It had rained, which made the grass smell sweet and fresh, and the trees dripped every now and then, never in the same place.

Through the garden was a gravel path, and at either side were bunches of chamomile plants. The path was so thin that Jeremy had to be careful not to stand on them. It wound up to the front door, which was painted a sleek black, but first it took him past a herb garden, which was still in full swing despite the time of year. Most striking to Jeremy were the glossy leaves of a bay tree which blocked one of the windows. Awestruck, he brushed his hand against them to see what they felt like. They were sturdy and thick.

Oh crikey, Dad moaned when he saw the bushy standard. It’s blocking the window. That’ll have to go.

No, Dad, Jeremy protested, I’ve never seen a bay tree this big before. You’ve got to keep it.

Dad looked at him as though he’d gone mad.

Jeremy, he started, looking at him like adults do when they’re being condescending, if we’re going to sell this place, we need to make sure it’s desirable to the right sort of buyers. And buyers don’t want dark houses. The bush is going to have to go.

Oh, I don’t know, Mum said, as she came up the path carrying the food supply bags. I remember planting that tree when I was a kid.

Dad raised his hands as if he gave up.

Have it your way, Gloria, but the minute the buyer gets the keys to the place, he’ll chop it up.

Mum brushed her hand against the tree as Jeremy had done, and smiled.

They’re magic trees, she whispered to Jeremy, who grinned. The first smile he had given since leaving home.

The door was wide, heavy, and looked like it had been taken from a church about four hundred years ago. Jeremy’s dad took out a key - not the sort of house key that Jeremy had seen before. This fitted the church door perfectly: it was large, made from rusting iron, and it had a ring at one end, tied to which was a note saying Church Brough.

The inside of the house smelt like the garden - the sweet, natural smells of herbs wafting down the hall to greet them. Mum stood in the door of the cottage and breathed in the air, while Jeremy peered into the two front rooms at either side of the entrance hall.

Everything was cluttered, dark, and smelt like an old church. It filled Jeremy with excitement as he wondered what treasures were hidden somewhere in the piles of books and papers, and between the faded plates on the pine dresser.

I don’t think I can stay here long, Dad mumbled as he walked into the kitchen at the back. Jeremy followed, feeling the opposite. He could stay here as long as possible and, when he looked through the kitchen window, the feeling only intensified.

If the front garden was fascinating, the back garden was a world apart. Trees overhung the lawns and flower beds, and vegetables beds were lined with thick wooden planks which looked like they’d been there since the beginning of time. The absence of a gardener was beginning to show, and grass was just starting to poke up through the soil of the flower beds, but this hint of wildness just made it more enticing. It had been freezing cold at home, but this garden seemed to be within its own climate, cut off from the rest of the world. Jeremy opened the door and breathed in the air. It was sweet, with the same smell as before. He closed his eyes and could feel the plants reaching out to him, quivering with every leaf and stem to reach him. He was woken by his father’s tired voice.

Close the door, Jeremy, he said. It’s cold enough in here as it is.

Jeremy turned and looked at him, pausing in the act of shutting the door.

Do as your father says, Jeremy, Gloria said, putting the bags down on the kitchen floor. He’s been driving all day.

Jeremy shut the door but continued to stare out at the garden.

Something was different here.

As Jeremy was watching, he thought he saw something moving at the back where most of the shadows were gathered. Straining his eyes, he tried to make out what sort of bird or creature it was. It appeared like a black shadow flitting through the trees. He peered again. It must be a deer of some kind - nothing else would be that big, he thought to himself. Unless it was a human… but why would a human be skulking around in the garden when they could just come and ring the door-bell?

Mum? Jeremy said.

Mmmm? Mum sort of replied.

Mum, I think there’s something in the garden.

It’s alright, Jeremy, she said. It will just be shadows. The trees make really strange shadows on the ground sometimes.

She didn’t even get up from the table to look, but leaned back on the kitchen chair and closed her eyes for a moment. Dad had gone to have a look at the ‘mess’ in the other rooms, and Jeremy could hear the occasional groan as his father realised how difficult it would be to get someone to buy such a cluttered house.

He turned back to the kitchen window, and scanned the garden again for any sign of movement. He couldn’t see any birds on the empty bird feeders, or any animal scuttling around, but he did see the shadowy shape still moving around in the trees at the back. Leaning forward, he saw the creature - whatever it was - look directly at him.

No, it wasn’t an animal.

He didn’t know any large animal which had purple eyes like that.

Chapter 2

A NEW FRIEND

After the initial shock at seeing those purple eyes, Jeremy had found himself unusually calm. It was most likely a trick of the light. Some animals’ eyes reflected light in unusual ways. Yes, that was almost certainly what it had been.

Having been in the car all day, he needed to stretch his legs a bit. Walking up and down the stairs and looking in all the dark rooms wasn’t having much impact and he could feel his muscles shaking with too much contained energy. He fumbled in his pocket for the fidget spinner.

There’s a castle here, Mum said. You can walk to it, but I’m not sure it will be open.

Jeremy didn’t need a second invite to leave. The garden was amazing, but the tension in the house was too much. His father was set on selling the place but whenever he mentioned the subject, Mum would go silent. Jeremy had been around his parents long enough to know when they were waiting for him to be out of the way so they could talk through the problem, and he was all too happy to oblige.

It seemed like summer in the village, not October. It was a lot warmer - and a lot drier - than Jeremy was used to. He left the house with his jacket on, but took it off as soon as he left the drive.

There weren’t many people as he wandered through the streets, looking at the houses and gardens. He realised he didn’t actually know where the castle was, but sauntered along the road, not caring if he found the building or not. It was just refreshing to be outside after been cooped up all day.

He sat for a while on a short wall outside someone’s garden, enjoying listening to the birds, a dog barking, some machinery behind one of the houses, and the drone of traffic from the main road.

As he heard the church clock strike the half hour, he began to wonder what the time was and, feeling in no rush, he started to head for his grandfather’s house. As he stood up, though, he saw the form of the ruined castle, and turned for a proper look.

Jeremy couldn’t see the castle clearly, so he decided to put off going home for a few minutes and investigate it. His parents needed time anyway, to talk through the Problem of the Day.

Finding out how to get to the castle wasn’t difficult as he made sure he kept it in his line of sight most of the time.

Eventually, he turned into a small car park that led to an ice cream parlour and a farm. Beyond the building, the immense structure of the castle loomed ahead of him. Amazed by its sheer size, he pushed the gate open and made sure he shut it securely behind him.

Jeremy almost didn’t want to step foot inside the giant ruin. He wondered how it could possibly be more impressive on the inside. As he stood looking, he realised it was very quiet. He couldn’t see anyone around, and was astonished to find the place wasn’t crawling with tourists. Perhaps because it’s not summer, Jeremy thought to himself.

To the left side of the castle was a tall keep, reaching up to the sky. It was ruined, with a great gash down one side, the stone completely gone for several metres. Despite this, it still looked sturdy, and Jeremy told himself that the building wouldn’t be open to the public if it wasn’t safe. The castle stretched as far right as left, with an arched entrance in the middle. There was nowhere near his home like this. Ruined castles? Sure, there were plenty! But none on this scale!

Curiosity started to get the better of Jeremy and he wandered into the castle as though he were in a trance. The courtyard was deserted.

Closing his eyes, he imagined what it might have been like hundreds of years ago. The floor was made from cobblestones, some of which stuck out painfully from the ground, so Jeremy had to open his eyes again, for fear of tripping up.

He took another look around. To his right were networks of smaller rooms. They were also ruins and there was no roof anywhere in the building, but the walls remained surprisingly tall.

Jeremy explored the rooms and found little surprises hidden here and there, like a thin staircase leading to nowhere. He wondered where it might have led when the castle was still in use.

He never liked to read the boards at these places, preferring to get his own idea by nosing around, but he began to wish he had paused to read more about this place.

It fascinated him.

Jeremy brushed his hand against the stone. It was rough…and warm, as though it was living thing. Holding his hand there, he closed his eyes, feeling the heat come through his skin and seep into his blood.

He jumped back.

He’d felt it, he was sure.

The stone had moved. It was beating, like a heart, unlike Jeremy’s which he was sure had stopped for a moment when he’d felt the stone. Peering closer, he held out his hand again.

Yes, he felt it. Da-daa. Da-daa.

The stone was beating.

Moving his hand with the tremor of someone who had just touched a precious metal, he felt the other stones around it, but they were dead and still. He returned to the beating stone and studied it carefully, looking for an explanation despite being sure there would