Phoebe Wren and the Vortex of Light Read online

  CONTENTS

  Praise for ‘Phoebe Wren and the Vortex of Light’

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Extract

  Copyright

  PRAISE FOR

  ‘PHOEBE WREN AND THE VORTEX OF LIGHT’

  ‘Ireland, time travel, angelic warriors and a battle between good and evil. What’s not to like about ‘Phoebe Wren And The Vortex Of Light’? As the adventure drives forward, Julie K. Timlin touches on epic themes of faith, love and justice. I found it refreshing to read a book of this genre that reflects more light than darkness.’

  – Tony Macaulay, best selling author of ‘Paperboy’

  ‘Phoebe Wren And The Vortex Of Light is a wonderful debut novel from author Julie K. Timlin which promises to capture the imagination and leave the reader wanting more – watch this space!’

  – Murielle Maupoint, founder of Britain’s Next Best Seller

  ‘An other-worldly adventure story with more to it than meets the eye. Julie K. Timlin delivers an engaging tale with vibrant characters and a well crafted struggle between good and evil – this is a tale that will take readers on a fantastic journey of imagination.’

  – GP Taylor, New York Times best selling author of ‘Shadowmancer’

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  It took several years of imagining and dreaming for ‘Phoebe’ to become a reality, and it would be remiss of me not to thank the lovely folk who played a part in this great adventure. It is with a full heart that I say ‘thank you’ to…

  ≈ my family and friends who caught the vision, encouraged, supported and believed in me – especially Nanny P, and my parents, George and Kaye, who recognised my gifting even before I did; and Suze, who just knew…

  ≈ the wonderful individuals who read ‘Phoebe’ for me, were brave enough to tell me how to make it the best it could be, and assured me that this book needed to be published…

  ≈ staff at Grosvenor House Publishing for their efficiency and patience…

  ≈ Tony Macaulay, Murielle Maupoint and GP Taylor for sharing their considerable skill and experience with me – I owe you a debt of gratitude…

  ≈ and to Marty, Caitlin and Ella – life with you is the best adventure! This is for you…x

  CHAPTER 1

  SATURDAY 14th AUGUST

  IRELAND

  A fat droplet of unusually chilly rain ran down the front of fifteen year old Phoebe Wren’s freckled nose, and plopped miserably on to the left toe of her best shiny black shoes. As she stared disbelievingly into the dark rain soaked fissure which now contained the coffins of her mother and father, the stark realisation that her life had been changed forever weighed heavily on Phoebe – gone were the happy, sunny days chasing Bushman rabbits across the dusty plains of Johannesburg, or splashing in the town’s open air pool with her parents and their friends. Those wonderful, carefree days were resigned to history, gone forever, and she was all too aware that no amount of lamenting would ever bring them back. As more black rain clouds gathered overhead, nature mirrored Phoebe’s mood and the sky seemed to weep with her on this darkest of days. Phoebe blinked back the hot tears which threatened to overflow again and taking one last stunned look at the brass plaques announcing ‘Eva Wren’ and ‘Jack Wren’, she turned and took the hand of her best friend Ella Quill, as they slowly walked away from the graveside and everything Phoebe had ever known.

  THURSDAY 15th JULY

  JOHANNESBURG, AFRICA

  It was a bright, sunny Thursday, and the ever meticulous Eva Wren was rushing around the house, checking for the hundredth time that the windows were tightly closed, the lights were all switched off, and there were no wayward books or shoes scattered on the now bare wooden floors.

  “Come on Phoebe, we’ll miss our flight if you don’t get a move on!” Eva’s green eyes twinkled as she playfully reprimanded her daughter. Educated to the highest standard, Eva Wren the surgeon was professional and efficient to a fault, but when she was at home with her beloved family, she always had time for fun, and her silly, mischievous side was only ever just below the surface.

  “Oh we wouldn’t want to forget anything, Mum. Maybe you had better check just once more..?!” Phoebe was as excited about the family’s imminent move back to Ireland as her mother, and they grinned at each other as they surveyed the empty house one last time… BEEEEEEP!! Jack Wren, Phoebe’s father, sounded the horn of the family’s Jeep as he waited impatiently for his wife and daughter to lock up the house and join him.

  “Come on you two!” he shouted, his tanned arm waving manically out of the open Jeep window. “We really do need to move you know!”

  Phoebe beamed a happy smile of expectation as Eva closed the door on their African home of ten years. The mother and daughter caught hands as they crossed the fenced-in yard to their blue Jeep, which was sparkling in the early sun.

  “It’s going to be great, Dad,” Phoebe enthused as she climbed into the back seat. “I can’t wait to see Ireland again – it’ll be such an adventure! It’s been so long since we left that I can barely remember it though. What age was I when we left? Four or five?” Jack nodded and smiled fondly at the excitable teenager.

  Eva got into the Jeep’s front passenger seat beside her husband and winked at him as she buckled her seatbelt. “All these years… and still no patience!” she teased, lovingly patting his arm. Jack smiled and shook his head – his wife always had a way of making him relax.

  “Yes,” he concurred, “We have been really blessed these last ten years. I guess there must be Someone looking out for us.” He smiled lovingly at his wife, aware of just how blessed they really were, then pushed the gear lever into drive, as the Jeep rumbled to life and the family pulled on to the town’s main road. Phoebe watched as the home she had grown up in shrank into the skyline, and felt a quick pang of sadness despite her excitement – this place held happy memories, good memories, and she would miss the life she had known. Still, she had a feeling that life in Ireland would prove to be every bit as wonderful, and she really couldn’t wait to catch up with Ella Quill, the best friend she had left behind a decade and a million miles ago.

  Unseen
by the departing family, a formidable group of ethereal Beings had congregated outside the Wrens’ home.

  “Neam, you and Trean stay with the Wrens – stick close, they will need your protection, the Enemy knows what it means for him if they reach Ireland…”

  Cosain, an imposing warrior angel and the formidable Captain of the Heavenly Host, stood almost eight feet tall, his chiselled features resolute, powerful wings unfurled as he spoke to his angelic brothers in arms.

  “Solas, Dilis, Lasair and Croga – come with me. We have work to do here before we too leave for Ireland.”

  “Yes, Commander,” answered Neam.

  And with an unseen blaze of colour and light, and an elegance that belied their imposing stature, the angelic troops took to the sky and were gone.

  CHAPTER 2

  WEDNESDAY 18th AUGUST

  IRELAND

  “Would you like sausages or fish fingers with your chips, Love?”

  Phoebe started as the simple question brought her back to reality.

  “Sorry Mrs. Quill? What was that?”

  “For your dinner, Love – sausages or fish fingers?”

  “Oh… eh… I’m really not very hungry, Mrs. Quill.” Phoebe wasn’t sure she could stomach either option when the very mention of food made her queasy.

  Rose Quill was the epitome of all things motherly. Unlike Phoebe’s slender and sophisticated Mother, Rose was a plumper figure, with dark unruly hair, a pretty, perpetually happy face and a countenance that made even strangers feel at home with her. Mrs. Quill smiled kindly at Phoebe; it broke her heart to have to watch what the youngster was going through, knowing that there was so little she could do to help her. “I know its difficult, Phoebe, but you really do need to eat something. You need to stay strong to help you recover – things will get better, Love, believe me… Ella! ELLA! Tea’s ready!” Phoebe managed a weak smile and nodded her head at the kind woman who had stepped in where her Mother had left off.

  Ella trundled in from the living room and sat down across from her friend at the kitchen table. “Alright Phoebs?” she asked, smiling hopefully at her friend. Ella’s compassion-filled blue eyes looked wistfully at Phoebe. She desperately wanted to make it better for her, and wished she could rewind time so that the happy, care free Phoebe she knew so well could re-emerge.

  “Yeah Els, I’ll be okay, honest…” Phoebe smiled at her gentle friend, although the sadness in her eyes belied the cautious positivity in her voice. “Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Quill, I really do appreciate all you do for me.” Phoebe’s voice was quiet, unenthusiastic despite her best efforts, and her green eyes were dull and heavy. She was barely reminiscent of the inquisitive, sparkly, joyous young girl she had been just a few short weeks ago before her family left Africa, with their whole lives stretched out in front of them. ‘How suddenly times have changed!’ Phoebe thought and had to bite hard on her lip to stop herself from dissolving into floods of tears right there at the kitchen table.

  Ella’s ten year old brother, George, clattered into the kitchen, a welcome distraction for Phoebe, and his innocent boyishness made her smile despite the dark cloud which seemed to perpetually envelope her these days.

  “Wash your hands, George! Am I really going to have to remind you before every meal?” his mother chided, shaking her head in a bemused manner so that a stray wisp of dark hair fluttered across her forehead and she blew it back into place with a puff of breath from the side of her mouth.

  “OK Mamma,” George grinned – he was a loveable boy, with a mop of dark tousled hair and a winning smile that often got him out of trouble. Ella and George were as close as any brother and sister Phoebe had ever met, despite Ella’s insistence that he was the bane of her life. Ella was a protective big sister and desperately fond of the mischievous little boy with the winsome smile and the impishly innocent big brown eyes.

  “Phoebe?” quipped George absently, drying his hands on a fluffy purple towel before plopping down on a chair beside her at the kitchen table. “Will you be staying with us forever? Are you my new sister? Is this your house now as well? Are your mum and dad not coming back? Like… never?”

  The tirade of questions bombarded Phoebe without warning, and the fresh wave of grief that swept over her was almost tangible and made her shudder. She knew that George did not mean any harm, but the innocence of his inquisitiveness actually made her pain feel more acute, and she winced despite herself.

  “George!” Rose’s voice was sterner now. “Eat your dinner, now please! We mustn’t fuss Phoebe. She has a lot on her mind right now. No more questions!”

  “I’m sorry Phoebe,” George said with genuine remorse as he lowered his eyes and furrowed his brow. “I just hoped that I was getting another big sister, that’s all.”

  “It’s okay George,” said Phoebe, suddenly overwhelmed by his innocence and uncomplicated love for her. “I’d really like to be your other sister, if that’s alright with you?”

  George brightened immediately. “Yep, that would be so cool!” And, happy that his pressing issues had been resolved, George tucked into his dinner with intent. ‘Wow,’ thought Phoebe. ‘It would be so amazing if that was all it took to make me happy again. How did life get so complicated?’

  Phoebe looked over at Ella and George as they ate their dinner. How easy it was to take simple things like family meal times for granted, she thought. And how she wished she could go back to relive and really relish every second with her parents.

  Phoebe half-heartedly lifted her fork, and chopped off a small piece of fish finger. She didn’t feel at all hungry, but as she went through the motions of putting the hot food in her mouth, she suddenly felt a glimmer of life return, and hungrily cleared her plate.

  “Thanks ever so much Mrs. Quill, I really enjoyed that,” Phoebe said with a contented sigh that surprised her. She smiled at Mrs. Quill and was aware of just how thankful she was for this wonderful lady who had welcomed Phoebe like one of her own children. Somehow, the pain and burden of loss felt lessened by Rose and her husband, Thomas. They were kind, gentle folk, and it occurred to Phoebe that they lived their faith out in everyday things, as her own parents had done.

  “Good,” said Mrs. Quill, “See? Everything will be well… in its own time. Now, do you girls want to play for an hour before bedtime?”

  Ella winked at Phoebe across the table. “Dolls or teddies?” she whispered.

  “I heard that, Cheeky!” Mrs. Quill’s kind face wrinkled into a grin, and she reminded herself for the millionth time that her daughter was growing up.

  “We’ll help you with the washing up first, Mrs. Quill,” Phoebe offered as she carried her empty plate and glass across to the kitchen sink. Rose Quill assured her that she appreciated her thoughtfulness, but said it would only take a minute or two to fill the dishwasher. Relieved of their duties, Phoebe and Ella left the kitchen and went upstairs to Ella’s bedroom, which she now shared with her best friend. Ella loved having Phoebe around and in ways it felt like one giant sleepover, although even thinking like that made Ella feel a little guilty for being selfish at what was such a difficult time for Phoebe.

  “What do you reckon, Phoebs? Shall we watch a DVD, or do you want to play a game on the X Box?” Ella asked as the girls settled themselves on the two wooden framed single beds that sat at opposite sides of Ella’s very pink and girly bedroom.

  “How about a DVD? I’m kinda tired,” suggested Phoebe, as she unsuccessfully tried to stifle an enormous yawn. She had slept quite a bit during the last few days, and was thankful that sleep had not eluded her, but still she felt a weariness in her bones, and games just did not appeal to her tonight.

  Phoebe stifled another yawn as she smiled feebly at Ella. Although Phoebe had spent the last ten years in Africa, she and Ella had remained close friends, Skyping and e-mailing with a little help from their parents. Ella had been Phoebe’s first proper friend when she started Arles Primary School, and it was clear from the outset that theirs was a friendship
that would last a lifetime. The girls had been inseparable through pre-school, nursery school and Primary one, and had both cried for days when Phoebe’s parents had made the decision to move to Africa.

  “El? Can I ask you something?”

  Ella turned from the DVD she was absent mindedly watching. “Sure Phoebe. What’s up?”

  “Well, I’m just wondering – do you think my dad and mum can still see me?”

  Ella thought for a minute. “I really don’t know Phoebe… But I’m sure that they’ve had a word with Abba and asked Him to make sure His angels look after you”.

  Angels? Phoebe quite liked that idea. “I hope you’re right, Ella…” Phoebe wasn’t exactly sure what she thought about angelic bodyguards, but she was too tired to ponder it further. “I’m done in so I’m gonna call it a day. Goodnight Els, sleep tight.” Phoebe snuggled down into her warm bed and heard nothing more as Ella finished watching her movie and settled down to sleep.

  As Phoebe slumbered, exhausted by another full and difficult day, she flitted often between peaceful sleep and fitful dreams, and just outside the bedroom window an ethereal Being sheathed his glowing sword and looked at his companion.

  “Another day gone,” whispered Cosain. “She does not know it but she grows stronger by the hour – she will be ready.”

  CHAPTER 3

  THURSDAY 15th JULY

  JOHANNESBURG, IRELAND

  “Hurry up Eva! Come on Phoebe! We’ve got about seven minutes before our check-in closes!”

  Jack Wren was half walking, half running through Johannesburg International Airport. He was tall and handsome, a gentle giant of a man with a heart for others. Eva always told Phoebe that that was what she loved most about Jack – his kind and generous nature – and Phoebe had always known that her Daddy adored her. Jack and Eva Wren were entirely and obviously devoted to each other and their beloved daughter, and Phoebe could not remember a time when her family had been anything other than happy together.