𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞┃ Anthony Lockwood┃2┃

Chapter Fifty Nine - Revelation

Lockwood sat at the head of the table, passing laden plates, making sure everyone had their fill. Nola. who sat beside him, was relieved to see that he looked his normal self. His colour had returned and he moved with his customary ease. Physically, it was taking both of them a long time to recover from their walk through the iron circle. Nola still felt weary, and had been troubled by even more obscure nightmares about the Other Side – but these seemed to be lessening. On a morning such as that one, it was easy to imagine that the effects of their ordeal would soon fade.

At last, Lockwood banged a fork against a milk jug. "Time for some toasts." He said. "I'd like to thank you all for your efforts in Aldbury Castle. George, Holly and Quill – you did great things at the institute. Without you, James and I wouldn't have survived."

Glasses were raised and orange juice drunk. Then, Lockwood turned to Nola.

"James." He said. "You deserve a special toast. First, for coming back to us. Lockwood and Co was incomplete without you. And second, for intervening when Rotwell had me beaten. You saved my life that night. Thank you."

His eyes fixed hers. Nola did her best to look super-casual, but she could feel a bit of blushing going on. Then, she realised that everyone was watching them.

"Ooh, awkward." George said.

Lockwood grinned and tossed a crust of bread at him. "Shut up, it's not awkward. You know I love the pants off of her." He suddenly turned back to Nola, placed his slender hands on either side of her face, and planted a firm and dramatic kiss upon her lips. "See?"

Nola was left flushed and blinking. Once her surprise subsided, a bashful grin pulled at the corners of his lips.

"Aww. I love you guys." Holly grinned, clasping her hands together.

George sniffled dramatically, feigning emotion. "I feel like a proud dad!"

Kipps was scoffing and rolling his eyes. "Ugh, must you?"

Lockwood and Nola smiled at each other, before the leader continued with his congratulatory speech. "The truth is, we all rely on each other. Take any one of us away, and we're all weakened. Together, there's nothing we can't do."

"Hear, hear." Holly said.

"And that brings me to my last toast." Lockwood finished. "To new horizons. Because after the Creeping Shadow and the iron circle and what James and I found on the Other Side, I believe everything has changed. Between us, we've discovered things we never imagined. Barnes wants us to keep quiet about it, but we all know that's impossible. From now on, the scope of our enquiries will be wider. There are many new questions to answer and our investigations have only just begun."

They drank and put their glasses down. For a while, everyone was silent. They listened to the birdsong through the open door.

"What I want to know," Holly said, "is what the Creeping Shadow guy was doing on the Other Side. Steve Rotwell alluded to some kind of purpose. He wasn't wandering around out there just for the fun of it. What was he after? Why would anyone take such risks? I can't imagine anything important enough to justify it."

"Doesn't have to be anything specific." That was George. Not content with his kippers, he was preparing a final bacon sandwich on an impressive scale. "Sometimes it's just about exploring the unknown. Give me a suit of iron armour and I'd happily travel to the Other Side."

"It might need to be an extra-large suit, particularly if you eat that monster sarnie." Lockwood said. "You can always borrow the spirit-cape, though."

"It's such a pity I lost the other one." Nola said. The memory made her feel bad.