by Justin Sloan
“Are you nuts?” Allie yelled back. “What if there’s a dead body? Bones? Or worse, bugs?”
“Think! We are here for a reason and so far as I can tell, the only possible reason lies before you. Don’t let it slip away because you’re scared!”
Allie gulped and stepped forward. She pressed on the stone top but it didn’t move.
“It won’t budge!” she shouted into the surrounding darkness. Although she had noticed a slight echo before, it didn’t bother her until that moment. She wanted to find the rope and climb down, to leave this place. But she couldn’t, and then Paulette gave her the reason why.
“Your friends need you.” Paulette’s voice carried through the stale air like words lost, barely there, but stinging in Allie’s ears.
She was right. They needed her. Allie searched and found the wall was only two feet away from the tomb on the opposite side. Holding her phone for light, she put her back against the wall. She lifted one foot and then the next, placing them against the stone top of the tomb and then pushed with all the muscles in her legs. It budged. She pushed again and it moved far enough for her to stand and look inside.
The stench of death did indeed come from the opening in the tomb, like rotten eggplant, but when she held her phone above the opening, not wanting to look in at all, she was surprised to see, instead of slimy bones, the glisten of the light’s reflection on metal. A ring rested on the curve of a shield. She reached in first for the ring, pocketing it, and then tried for the shield, which she managed to lift with surprising ease. While the ring was simple bronze with an empty spot where a stone would be, engraved on the shield she found a knotted tree set in the green clad metal. A circle of old runes surrounded the engraved tree. The shield scraped against the stone as she lugged it out, sending piercing echoes through the cavern.
“What’d you find?” Paulette called over.
“Just this,” Allie said holding the light of her cell phone to the shield so Paulette could see.
“What are we going to do with a shield?” Paulette paced the ledge. “Nothing else?”
Allie pulled the shield with both hands then attached it to her arm. It must have weighed at least twenty pounds. “Throw me the rope.”
Paulette looked up. “I don’t see it. Check if there is anything else, there has to be something.”
“There was nothing else.” Allie fumbled with the ring in her pocket, not totally sure why she wasn’t telling Paulette the full truth. “You have to sit on the throne to bring down the rope.”
Paulette stood staring across the gap, but Allie couldn’t see her eyes. “Fine,” Paulette said. She turned and sat on the throne and the rope fell, but it was on Paulette’s side. Paulette ran, grabbing the rope and jumping before it could recoil. But it began to pull back up anyway, and she heard the ceiling groan.
The rope gave way, and Allie heard Paulette smack into the floor. She ran forward.
“Are you okay?”
A groaning noise came from above. A crack of light began to form in the ceiling, growing as rocks tumbled down upon them. Allie held the shield above her head and yelled, hoping Paulette could hear her. “Get below the ledge!”
More rocks fell, the mighty room crumbling away, the whole wall falling outward to reveal the open air. Rocks smashed the gold, and the gold crumbled into dust as the sunlight from outside shone down upon it. Then, with a final massive tremor, it was over.
Allie stared at the destruction in a moment of disbelief. She turned, looking for Paulette, then saw the open sky and the dark army one-hundred feet from the fallen wall. They spotted her and the darkness seeped into the room, blocking out the sunlight in a dense shadowy mist.
“Paulette,” Allie whimpered.
A muffled voice answered from below. The rocks had piled up beside the ledge Allie was on and she was able to climb down. She strapped the shield to her back and started the descent, almost losing her balance more than once. The second time she said ‘forget it’ and tossed the shield to the ground.
“Where are you?” Allie said. “We have to get out of here!”
She tried shoving rocks aside, working her way to the opposite side of the room. A clatter of metal told her the army had begun its approach.
“Paulette!” she screamed again.
Then she spotted her, arms around her head, cowering under the ledge. She was alive, but her left leg’s pants were torn and blood lines of blood showed. Allie lifted her up and held her by the waist, then pulled her toward the tunnel they’d come through. It was blocked by the fallen rocks.
“We only have one way out,” Paulette said. She turned on her own and looked toward the darkness. Allie heard the roars of the army and saw the spear tips glinting in the purple haze as they drew closer. She wished nothing more than to be back home with her mom and dad, tucked into bed and listening to a sweet bedtime story. Only her mom was here somewhere, relying on Allie to save her.
“Get down!” Paulette said as a whistling filled the air.
Allie dived for the shield, raising it in time as black arrows scattered across the ground and dinged against the green metal. A moment later, another volley of arrows struck the ground around their feet.
“This isn’t going to work!” Paulette screamed as she grabbed Allie and pulled her up. “Let’s move!”
They ran, Paulette with a slight limp, past the wall and out of the fallen rocks. They dived behind a small outcropping just outside the Throne of Solomon. Breathing heavily, Paulette poked her head over a large rock to see what was happening. Allie followed, holding the shield up below her eyes, ready to raise it.
The army marched forward, the Strayers’ faces visible among them. They all walked in a daze, their skin grayish and the darkness weaving around them to make up their robes and weapons. As they walked the shadows escaped into the air, twisting and twirling, then formed before them into some sort of shape. The darkness formed thick arms and legs and eyes blazing with midnight-black fire. The shadows melted into the skin of this ten-foot tall demonic giant, leaving an oily flesh that glistened and dripped as he walked.
The giant leaned back with massive arms spread and roared into the dark sky. It raised its fists as the army around it fitted arrows to their bows. Then, with another roar, the giant brought its fists down, slamming them into the ground. A wave of fire burst forth and shot towards Allie and Paulette, the volley of arrows following.
Instinctively Allie dropped the shield and reached for the ring in her pocket. She turned her eyes skyward, the ring now on her hand.
Energy surged through her limbs and exploded from the ring – it pushed outward, a great ball of light deflecting the wall of flame and myriad arrows.
Paulette looked at her with excitement. “That's what I'm talking about!”
Allie collapsed to one knee, her energy drained, but exhilarated. “I don't know what came over me.” The feeling didn’t last when she lifted her eyes to the enemy – the giant lunged sideways as it walked, and in that moment she saw Daniel. He was hovering off the ground, a red glow around him, his eyes white. Allie yelled out, then looked to Paulette with eyes that pleaded for her to do something.
“There’s only one way we can defeat a force such as this,” Paulette said as she ducked back behind the nearby rocks.
“Anything,” Allie said. “Just hurry.”
“We have to use their power against them.”
“How!?”
Paulette pulled her necklace from beneath her red blouse and Allie saw that it was a simple triangle. But Paulette pulled the triangle and the lower half became a blade. She grabbed Allie’s wrist and pulled it to her, taking the blade and cutting deep into the flesh of Allie’s forearm.
“What are you doing?” Allie yelled as she tried to pull her arm back. “Ouch!”
She struggled, but Paulette’s grip was too strong. She pulled hard, watching Paulette’s glowing eyes as she cut the shape of three circles into Allie’s arm. The struggles were useless, b
ut Paulette stopped mid-cut. Her eyes were on the ring on Allie’s left hand, the one from the tomb.
“So that’s how,” Paulette said, dropping the blade. “You did find it.”
Allie tried to pull her hand back, but Paulette’s grip was like the vice of hell, her other hand reaching for the ring.
“Wait,” Allie pleaded.
A power surge coursed through Allie’s arm, the one with the incomplete pattern. It tingled. Her arm glowed purple, then rippled with energy. It blasted Paulette into the opposite rock wall. Something burned inside of Allie’s stomach. She felt the urge to puke.
Paulette shook her head and looked up, her eyes red now. Her fingers tightened around Allie’s ring. “It’s my play Allie.” Paulette spit blood, but she smiled, kneeling beside the mountain. “You’ve lost.”
Chapter 14: Daniel and the Giant
Allie lifted her arm and desired the power again, the intense force that had shot at Paulette. All around her the rocks of the mountain seemed to fade into darkness, the sky smothered her in a thick black mist. The power came, coursing through her fingers to blast Paulette in the forehead. Instantly Allie felt her insides churn and found herself on the ground coughing up blood. She heard laughter and looked up to see Paulette’s face shadow over and her eyes turn a fiery red. Paulette turned toward the army and broke into a run.
Allie stood, clutching her stomach. Blood dripped down her arm and chin. Paulette sprinted towards the giant, her hand held high, the ring between her forefinger and thumb. Then Allie saw another face she knew. Behind the giant Chris ran for Paulette, Allie’s necklace in his hands. He smiled wickedly. An aura glowed from the ring as the two drew close, surrounding the dark forces as if they all emanated from the ring. Something told Allie she could not let the ring and the necklace be united, not by those two.
But utter hopelessness took over. She knew she couldn’t reach them in time. She fought back tears, refusing to be afraid of death. But Daniel…
A screech sounded and Allie looked up to see an eagle circling the darkness, rays of light cutting through the thick clouds. Allie recognized the eagle from the woods by her house, she was sure of it. This was the moment to act. She pushed herself forward, running all out. Daniel appeared, still unconscious and rotating in the black shadow before her. She would save him or die trying.
Allie gained on Paulette, but she wasn’t fast enough. The eagle screech sounded again, and Allie was moving faster than she knew was humanly possible. Was she flying? She looked up to see a fifteen foot wing-span, and she thought for a moment she had grown wings. But no, it was the eagle, and it was carrying her. Its wings spread wide, chopping through the purple haze and dark shadows, carrying her forward.
Chris’s eyes opened wide, his mouth yelling curses she couldn’t hear. Paulette turned, her hand almost touching his. Allie crashed into Paulette. The ring flew into the air. The eagle grasped it in its talons, delivering it to Allie before circling into the sky.
As Paulette and Chris stared in horror, Allie placed the ring on her finger. Then she turned to the stone from her necklace in Chris’s hands.
“That’s mine,” she said as she pounced and snatched her necklace away. At the same moment the spell around Daniel snapped and he fell to the ground by a nearby stream, coughing and rubbing his throat. The army froze. The giant turned on Daniel, but then paused, looking back at Allie.
“What're you doing?” Daniel mumbled, his eyes slowly opening. “What’s going on?”
Everyone turned to Allie. Pulsating light surrounded her. She felt its warmth coursing through her flesh, flowing between her fingers and tossing her hair, covering her in a dim glow. It grew bright, emanating from the objects in her hands, pulling at each other like magnets. They joined with a bang and an explosion of light. When the light faded she held the ring, the rock firmly in place in the ring’s center.
The Giant roared and turned on Daniel, picking him off the ground before slamming him back down. Allie ran, dived under the giant's legs and grabbed hold of Daniel. Paulette and Chris moved in, but Allie was lifted in the air with Daniel, about to be slammed by the giant. She closed her eyes and held up the ring, willing to be saved. A bolt of light blasted from the ring to the giant, Paulette, and Chris, knocking them all onto the ground like an outward circle of dominos. Allie reached for Daniel and grabbed his arms, rolling with him when they hit the ground. She pushed herself up, but he lay motionless.
“Wake up,” she yelled. “You have to wake up!”
She held him close, her eyes darting between him and the approaching enemy. She closed her eyes and willed him to get up, with all her spirit. A low humming sounded all around her. She felt warm, relaxed. She imagined her mom’s smiling eyes, her gentle hug good night. And when she opened her eyes she saw that indeed streams of light encircled them. She felt more refreshed, healed.
Daniel slowly opened his eyes, but the Giant still lumbered towards them.
“What's that?” Daniel said.
“What we have to defeat to find my mom,” Allie said.
She stood, head high and fists clenched, and then charged the giant. A swooshing sounded from her right and she dodged as the giant's fist smashed into the ground beside her. She searched for any sort of weapon, noticing the army slowly backing away as if unsure what to do. The giant lunged for the attack again, but this time—
THWAK!
Something hit the giant and it stumbled back.
Allie looked back to see Daniel reaching for a rock. She couldn’t believe it – all those times she had made fun of baseball, how she had called him a wuss for only being into that sport, and here he was using it to fight a giant!
“Keep ‘em coming!” she yelled.
Then, as if from nowhere, Paulette lunged at Daniel and had him by the hair, and at the same moment the giant charged Allie. Her ring glowed bright and out of nowhere she had the shield that she had left behind. She stared at it for a moment, then lifted it in time to block the giant’s strike. The force slammed her across the dirt and onto her back, but she was mostly unhurt. She stood to see the giant charging again, this time a red-glowing mace held in each hand, the spikes as long as her fingers.
She stood and held out the ring, beginning to understand what was happening. The air pushed her into the sky, up and over the giant. She landed with a kick to Paulette's stomach, freeing Daniel. Again she willed herself into the air, this time with Daniel's hand in hers. They flew right over Chris and past the giant a second time, but it turned and hurled a mace at them. She saw it coming in mid-air and deflected it with the shield.
They landed and she felt a tingling on her arm. As if the marks on Chris were talking to her marks. The shadowy serpents reached for each other, intertwined and began to pull her and Chris together. Her body flew forward, faster now. The giant lumbered past, pausing in confusion as she flew between his legs. The giant had lost her, but Daniel was still in its sights – it regained its composure and, with thunderous steps, lunged for him.
“Allie!” Daniel called, eyes wide.
She tried to stop her movement, but the force on her arm pulled strong. But her other arm, the shield… she yanked her arm from the strap and flung it with all her might. To her surprise-and delight-Daniel caught it. She watched as he braced himself for the impact with the giant. Allie embraced the pulling force and ran for Chris. Better to be done with him quick. She tackled him to the ground, regretting it instantly. The shadows engulfed her. Her arm burned and she felt the internal fire traveling through her blood. A feeling came over her and she knew that at any minute now she would become like Chris. Whatever dark power of Samyaza had taken over him would soon have her as well.
“Daniel!” she screamed, trying to turn and see how he was faring. Surprisingly he was dodging left and right, maneuvering the heavy shield with ease to block the giant’s maces. Snarls came from her left and she twisted to see the wolves charging only feet away. They had escaped the caves. She focused her energy and
punched Chris hard across the mouth, blood and spit flying across the already red dirt. She tried to stand, but her body was stiff as if caked in dry mud. The wolves charged and knocked her sideways.
Instead of fangs biting into her flesh, she felt a slobbery tongue. Chris was standing, backing away as two wolves turned on him, snarling and baring their fangs.
She didn’t waste an instant and turned on the giant, blasting light with her ring. It was like a child’s shove and barely caused the giant to blink.
“Move Daniel!” she said and blasted again. This time the giant stumbled, turning on her with bared crooked yellow and grey teeth.
Paulette laughed as she grabbed Daniel from the back. “Finish him,” she told the giant.
But the giant was already rushing at Allie. Paulette cursed the giant and tossed Daniel to the ground as the wolves dashed between the giant’s legs and leapt at her.
Allie couldn’t see what was happening. She looked up at the giant’s massive ten foot frame, its muscles stretched tight as he lifted one of his maces into the air and howled. But in an instant the wolves appeared, saliva flying as they tore at his flesh. Allie rolled to her side as his clumsy strike landed with an explosion on the rocky ground. She stood and threw herself backward as another strike missed her nose by inches. She blasted the giant as hard as she could. It screamed and she saw the blast of golden light had assisted the wolves, but the giant would not give up so easily. It raised both maces into the air, blocking out the sky and everything else from Allie’s view.
“Duck Allie,” Daniel yelled, “get down!”
Instantly she was on the ground, covering her head. Through a sliver between her fingers she saw Daniel push away from Paulette, a small stone in his hand. He aimed, pulled back the rock, then let it fly. It hissed through the air, but the giant moved left, dodging with ease. The giant had to halt his strike to move, and Allie had her chance to run. Again Daniel let a rock fly, this time it passed right over her head but she heard it miss the giant and clatter against the dirt.