Page 26 of Leafpoint Lighthouse

“Because you had a terrible day and I don’t like women crying.”

“Even when you want to kick them out,” I snorted.

“That’s not personal,” William began, and I cut him off.

“Stop! Do you realise how many times someone has said that to me? Passed over for promotion? Sorry, nothing personal. Not getting the bonus despite having earned it. Sorry, nothing personal, Lyra. That’s total crap. It is personal!” I hissed.

William looked shamefaced as I glared. He turned away, stirring the stew again. He reached into the cupboard where my new bowls lived and began ladling it into them.

In response, I got up, opened the bread bin, and pulled out a crusty tiger bread I had bought today. I cut four thick slices and slathered them with butter. William put the dishes on the table, and I picked up my favourite fizzy drink.

William grabbed glasses and jolted back as I opened the bottle. He leaned in as it fizzed and hissed. His gaze met mine, full of wonder and concern. I poured a small glass, and William tasted it gingerly. William’s eyes went wide, and I hid a smile as he burped.

“Excuse me!” he exclaimed. “What is that?”

“It’s called Cherry Pepsi.”

“The bubbles tickle your nose,” William added. He pushed the tumbler toward me. “Might I have more, Miss Jasper?”

I filled another glass and pulled my bowl closer. Now it was my turn to blink in surprise.

“You can cook,” I admitted begrudgingly.

William smiled and then took a spoonful of stew. His eyes closed in bliss. “Two hundred and twenty-seven years since a morsel passed my lips. This is heaven,” he murmured.

A pang hit me when I heard how long it had been since William’s last meal. I couldn’t imagine going that length of time. It must have been torturous.

“Did you get hungry?”

“No, sometimes I wanted to eat, just for the sake of it.”

“Now you can.”

“Absolutely.” William turned to my fridge.

“Help yourself to whatever you’d like. We’ve a lot more types of food than you would have known,” I offered.

“That’s very generous of you,” William said.

“Yes, considering you want to kick me out of my home.”

Guilt crossed William’s face. “It is not by choice. But you must leave.”

“Why?”

“There is an evil trapped here. I kept it imprisoned with Leafpoint’s support, which is why the lantern wouldn’t work. All her energy was focused on keeping everything locked down. At Christmas, a stranger came; he said there’d been a disturbance in the Earth’s energies, and a great evil had been vanquished. Ajax alleged it had opened the doors for other evils to wake, including the one that I helped trap.

“Ajax claimed that should mine escape, many people would come to harm and die. He would be the catalyst for other evil to escape. I cannot allow that, Lyra. Leafpoint’s light now helps keep him imprisoned. I don’t understand how; it just does. It’s almost as if the illumination the light brings is sucked up and used to lock him in this prison.”

“Okay,” I replied, not seeing how I could affect this.

“I’m not an educated man; I went to school but not college or university. I fail to comprehend half the things happening, but I can recognise evil. Ajax truly wasn’t lying when he claimed I was the guardian of a great evil.”

William didn’t meet my eye, and I knew there was something he wasn’t saying.

“What is it you’ve imprisoned?”

William almost squirmed. He took two bites of the stew before answering. “I’m not sure.”