“Does the rift really have to be this far out?”
Niks swished her tails and they caught fire, three small sparks of flame illuminating her form and splattering the waves with gold. “It is not far at all. I do not understand why you struggle so.”
“Yeah, well, I can’t make myself turn incorporeal and then appear behind people like magic so I have to row myself here,” he grumbled.
“You didn’t have to shriek. It was very unsettling.”
“Oh?” he said, gesturing with the oar. “Was it unsettling for you? My apologies, saka.”
She cocked her masked face. “What is this thing you call me?”
He dipped the oar back into the waves and pulled them towards the island. “It’s a fruit. It’s green.”
“That seems a very shallow comparison.”
“I didn’t put a whole lot of thought into it.”
“I see that.”
Seeker clicked his tongue, willing himself not to react. She was truly infuriating sometimes, mostly due to her seeming lack of understanding of human conventions, such as insincerity. Yet she learned at an alarming rate and was curious about all manner of things that did not seem very interesting to him, like why coin was exchanged for goods, or why people who did not know one another were very polite and those on familiar terms less so, finding these customs ‘backwards’.
Were all spirits interested in these kinds of things? Seeker knew so little and he tried to learn from her, but mostly he wanted to know the full strengths and limitations of his abilities. Was he able to do all that she could do? The idea of being able to appear and disappear in different places at will was certainly an interesting one but Seeker didn’t actually want to become a spirit. Was that slowly happening to him as his powers grew? The thought was unsettling.
The oar paused against the surface of the water as he looked at her, perched at the bow of the rowing boat like some kind of glowing figurehead. Her eyes stared back at him through the holes in her mask. “Why have we stopped again?”
“This thing – this bond or however it’s supposed to be called – what will it do to me?”
“I thought we had already discussed this. You have gained some of my abilities alongside enhanced sight. In return I have the ability to remain in your world and take on physical form.”
“But… why am I not dying like the victims of the other creature?” Seeker examined his hands in the flickering firelight of her tails, long and sinuous with protruding bones, but ultimately healthy. “How is it different with you?”
The firelight extinguished, plunging them back into darkness. “Our contract is exactly that: a contract. You agreed to it. I did not take it by force.”
“Oh. That makes a difference, then?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
“Will you keep rowing now?”
Seeker sighed. “I’m going! You’re so demanding.”
Niks settled back down on her paws as the wind stirred around them. It would have been easier if he had managed to steal a sailboat but those were harder to come by and he knew little of sailing, so even if he did have better control over his power, he would have probably only ended up taking them off course. Even so, it was hard not to resent how relaxed she was when he was continually wiping the sweat dripping down his forehead.
Eventually the boat hit landfall and he was forced to jump into the shallow water, grimacing as water seeped into his boots and soaked his trouser legs. He dragged the boat up onto the sand with heavy breaths. “Where to from here?”
“You cannot sense it?”
“No, I can’t.”
She hummed a soft melody that ruffled through the leaves of the trees, creating a whisper of song on the wind. It prickled beneath his skin and called to him. Suddenly, he knew the way. He could feel the presence of the rift pulsing at the heart of the island; each time it drew in on itself it coaxed him into its orbit.
Seeker stalked into the jungle with a renewed vigour.
*
By the time they reached the shore darkness had long fallen around them, the blackened sea rolling into meet them and then pulling back out as if to draw them towards their destination. Rook could feel the rift awakening, sputtering to life. All riftspawn would be drawn to it like this, for if it fully awakened then anything could pass through the barrier. It would mean a world where riftspawn roamed freely; a world unrecognisable. It would mean failure.
“Do we really need to go back?” said Viktor, dragging his feet reluctantly.
“Indeed we do.”
“We don’t have a boat.”
“We don’t have a boat.”
Viktor turned to glare at her and she gave him a toothy smile, delighted by the way he only scowled further. “You need to work on that temper of yours,” she said, patting his head as he tried to duck out the way of her hand.
“You need to work on that personality of yours.”
She clutched her chest, hand over heart, and staggered theatrically. “Oh, how you wound me, Viktor.”
“Don’t we have the world to save or something?”
“See, I bet you want to go to the rift now, don’t you?”
“Not particularly.”
“Anyway, if you’re still worried I have a plan.”
“Well, now I am worried!”
“It’s all going to be just fine. Trust me,” she said, stepping into the shallow waves and reaching down to press her palm against the warm water. Drawing from the well of power inside her, she closed her eyes and searched for anything that lurked in the waters, the signal echoing through the waves in search of help. A siren call.
“What, exactly, are you trying to do?”
“Shh!”
It took a while for anything more than a few tiny riftspawn and the flurry of a shoal of fish to respond, Viktor muttering to himself behind her. When she felt the presence tugging at her senses she grinned, reaching out to it. Initially it tried to resist her net but it could only protest the call for so long before it was drawn towards her, as if she were a fisherman reeling in a catch. The Rook was a powerful riftspawn and one that could not be defied by many, perhaps the only good thing about the strength of the beast within. Come to me, she called, opening her eyes as the waves began to glow very faintly, water parting around silvery spines.
Viktor jerked backwards, away from the shore. “What in the Locker is that?”
Rook remained where she was as a long snout pierced the surface, whiskers beading with water. Two liquid black eyes held her gaze as a magnificent head rose from the sea, long neck sweeping towards her. A silver sea serpent rested in the shallow waves of the shore, bowing its head in deference to her. With uncanny timing, the moon won its war with the clouds and beamed victorious upon them, the dragon alighting in a silvery aura, its scales reflecting moonlight. Tiny forearms dug into the black sand, long snaking body stretching back towards the open sea.
“I am not going anywhere near that thing. Look at those jaws! Those teeth!”
Rook turned to Viktor, holding out a hand. “Do you want to know something interesting about dragons, Viktor?”
“No. Not interested. Quite honestly, I could go my whole life never hearing about a dragon ever again.”
She snorted, demonstrating that it would not harm them by running a hand gently down the scales of his snout. She bowed to him too; it was only respectful for a beast as majestic as he, and far more intelligent than a normal animal. Viktor still looked agitated but he drew nearer with wary steps, looking poised to flee should the serpent so much as look at him.
“Dragons were once riftspawn. Did you know that? They came into the physical world and stayed, slowly changing until they, too, possessed fully physical bodies and lost most of their spiritual powers. However, they still behave like them––” she cut off when the beady eyes swivelled to Viktor. The dragon bowed even lower to him, head resting against wet sand. Her eyes widened as she looked back at Viktor, who was gaping at the
creature with a mixture of fear and awe.
“Why is it doing that?”
“I don’t know,” she said, frowning. “Try approaching him. See what he does.”
“No, thank you. I’m quite all right back here. Behind you.”
“He won’t hurt you.” She was certain of that much. “But you really should at least speak to him. It’s rude to leave a dragon like that.”
“What? Oh, great. That’s just wonderful.” Viktor trudged forward until he was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her, gazing down at the serpent’s head with uncertainty. “Hello, nice dragon,” he said. “I promise I taste terrible. Really, I don’t weigh much so I’m kind of stringy. No fat at all. You should––”
“Viktor.”
“What do I say to it? ‘Oh, reverent one, please take us to the island so we can stop the world from collapsing in on itself?’ That seems––” Viktor screamed as the dragon raised its head, looking deep into his eyes.
“He’s definitely interested in you,” she said.
“Why?”
“You’d have a better chance of answering that question than me. Now, ask him to take us.”
Viktor glared at her but seeing her nod, he sighed, and took a tentative step forward. “So, uh, would you be willing to take us to the island?”
The serpent continued to stare at him for a long moment, eyes levelled on him, and Rook didn’t realise she’d been holding her breath until he swooped down again, head resting beside Viktor on the sand, and it came rushing out of her in a gasp. It seemed that the dragon deferred to him, which was both maddening and stunning all at once. Completely unfathomable, and yet here she was, with a dragon lowering its head before a person.
“Go on,” she said, nudging Viktor in the arm.
Viktor’s eyes were round and shining, mouth hanging open. “What?”
“You need to climb up onto the back of his neck.”
“You are joking, right?”
“No.”
Viktor still didn’t tear his eyes away from the serpent. “I reckon life would have been so much easier if I’d never met you.”
Rook prodded him between the shoulder blades and he stumbled forward, boots squelching in the sand. “It’s completely your own fault for impersonating someone else in order to try and steal money from the government.”
“Do you think we’ll still get paid at the end of this?”
“Get on the dragon, Viktor.”
She held out her hand and let him use it as a crutch to climb astride the great silvery head of the serpent, sliding against his wet hide before finally grasping the spines at the back of his neck and hauling himself up, panting for breath. Rook swung up behind him, still reeling at the opportunity to ride a dragon. Her palms roamed the scaly expanse of his neck with wonder. It wasn’t quite like the stories of old; of the dragon riders who took to the skies on saddles and surmounted extraordinary distances to see far flung lands of which she’d only dreamed of seeing. Nevertheless, a sense of pride swelled within her as the serpent raised his head, her stomach swooping with the motion when she was lifted into the night sky, Viktor groaning in front of her.
They both jerked when the serpent slipped back into the water until they were both partially submerged in the water. The currents steadily grew colder as they left the bay and swam towards the second island, splashes of salt spray making her grip sticky. She clung to the spine in front of her, excitement thrumming through her as the tree line grew larger.
“I think I’m going to throw up.”
The undulating rhythm of the serpent’s movements jerked them up and down and it was putting pressure on her stomach too but Rook was too overwhelmed by the experience to let it faze her. “I’m riding a dragon!”
Viktor turned to shoot her a withering glare that quickly lost its effect when he slipped to one side. She grabbed his shirt to haul him back atop the dragon’s neck. “Isn’t this fun?”
“Not as fun as solid ground beneath my feet.”
“This is the experience of a lifetime!”
The serpent snaked up onto the shingle of the smaller island and leant down so they could climb off. Rook slid down and then helped Viktor splash onto the shore, reminding him to thank the serpent before the creature dove back into the black water, scales shimmering below the surface before they disappeared from sight.
“Are you really who you say you are, Viktor?”
He threw her a questioning look, sitting on a rock and pouring water from his boot.
“You’ve lied before.”
He stopped, eyes narrowing. “What are you trying to say?”
Was he lying? Rook didn’t really think so, unless he was a better liar than she thought he was, but there was no denying the oddity of the encounter. Coincidence? In her experience, anything that caught her attention was something that deserved to keep it, and thus she was wary of what this truly meant.
Now isn’t the time, she reminded herself. There are bigger worries.
Just as she turned her head back to the jungle she felt a surge of power that flared in her skull, bright and searing. She cried out, hands clamping to her head as she crashed to the stones beneath her. Pain was the only thing on her mind; endless, impossible pain.
“Rook! Rook!” Distantly, she registered Viktor’s voice somewhere above her.
Her hands scrambled until she found purchase in the cloth of his sleeve and then broad, callused palms helping her up as she leant against him, eyes still squeezed shut against the onslaught.
“What’s happening?”
“We’re too late. Viktor, we’re too late.”
*
The temple was eerie. Seeker had never seen anything like it, covered with mysterious symbols along the walls and overgrown with vines. Discomfort kept him cool despite the searing heat, creeping up the back of his neck as beads of sweat dripped down. It was dark and damp and pungent; the kind of lair where monsters lurked in storybooks for children. Every corner he turned stirred the sleeping beasts of his imagination. In the darkness it was much harder to rationalise away the indulgence, and alone and entombed he could not help but give into it.
“Why have you stopped?”
“It’s dark.”
“Yes.”
“It’s underground.”
“Yes.”
“I can’t see where I’m going.”
The breeze sighed softly, cool against his sweat-slick skin. “Those are keen observations. Yet I do not see why they delay you.”
“I don’t like being trapped.”
“You are… afraid?”
“Yes.”
“There is nothing to fear here. Not while I accompany you and you have been claimed by me.”
Seeker struggled with laboured breaths. “You know, I’m not sure if I’m supposed to find that comforting or not.”
“Would this help?” Suddenly she began to glow as she had at sea, a luminescent green that gave off a faint light against the walls descending downwards into the unknown.
“Uh…”
“Do you really want this, Seeker?”
A nameless emotion twinged in him when she used his name. Seeker sucked in the moist air and forced his racing heart to calm, meeting her red eyes directly. He nodded. There was no turning back now; he could feel that much. Whatever had transpired between them in the church had changed him irrevocably. Now he could feel the rift nearby, vibrating with energy. It ebbed and flowed like the tide, his own energy tuning itself to the rhythm. All around him he could feel each ghostly presence even before he saw their faint forms curling and smoking in and out of shape. Perhaps he was the monster that lurked in the darkness now.
“Yes,” he said finally. “Let’s go.”
Still, his breath quickened as he walked. The sensation of the walls closing in on him had his hands out for balance, trailing along the grimy stone surface. In front of him swayed the triple flames of Niks’ tail, the fire’s dance hypnotic, and he focused on that light as sp
irits began to surround him. They were varied in form, some darting around him with curiosity at the imposter.
“They will not hurt you.”
Seeker glanced at her. “I didn’t say anything.”
You didn’t have to. You must learn to control your emotions better. You radiate tension.
“It’s just – a little – a little hard to breath down here.”
He was rewarded with a waft of cool air against his face. “Use your power.”
His power. He did not think of it as such, but was it not true that when he called to it the wind came? Even now he could feel power surging within him, only growing stronger as he walked. For the first time in his life perhaps, Seeker felt powerful. The rift was reeling him in, beckoning him near.
“I can feel it.”
“Yes.”
Seeker squinted in the darkness, seeing a stray ray of light radiating against the darkness. There was an opening ahead, spirits drifting in and out of the crack in the cave in droves. Light refracted through their translucent forms like gemstones, shining in different colours. Such power spilled from the doorway, enticing him in as his eyes adjusted quickly to the light. It poured from the hole in the ceiling and shone down upon a stone tablet in the centre. Above, the air shimmered and danced, crackling with energy that tickled his nostrils.
“Am I able to go through?” he asked in wonder as he stared. It looked odd, the way spirits appeared and disappeared into the air, the door nearly invisible to the naked eye.
“Not like this,” Niks replied. “You are human still, with a body of flesh and bone.”
Seeker frowned at her. “What do you want me to do, then?”
“Does it not call out to you?”
“Yes.”
“Then reply. Channel all your feeling into your power. Let us unite together and open the rift fully.”
The Broken Door Page 21