"Mmm?" was all he could manage.
"Why youu lieee there like thatt?" it asked curiously.
"I'm dying," Rimori whispered through parched lips.
It was all worthless. He would be dead in another day, two at the most and all his planning and effort would come to nothing. He could have returned to Arideen but, even if he did so, the scorching desert stretched a four day walk to the nearest settlement. Besides, he couldn't return to the other worlds without having achieved his goals. He would rather die.
He would have cried if he had had enough moisture in his body to do so but instead he let out a pained noise which encompassed his grief.
"Dyingg? Can't diee."
"Maybe you can't, but I can. And I will. Perhaps today." If he was fated to die then he hoped it would end soon, rather than lingering on in agony.
"No." It sounded angry.
"Yes. I need water."
He felt the vark's presence lift from the cave and doubted it would return to him again. He knew he would die there alone and his dreams would die with him. He closed his eyes, preferring to be asleep when it happened.
* * *
The sound of something large crashing to the cave floor stirred Rimori from his sleep. His lips were cracked and sore and his eyes were curtained by darkness, blurring his vision.
"Food. Eatt. Livee," the vark's voice said, drawing him back to consciousness.
"F-food?" Rimori blinked away the curtains and his eyes focused on the thing in front of him.
A hulk of meat lay on the floor, bloody and fresh. He pushed his body up and shakily crawled over to it, reaching for his hip and gripping the knife that still hung there. He ate the meat raw, savouring the sustenance, knowing he would survive.
Once he had fed, he wiped the blood from his chin and pulled himself further into the cave. His vision sharpened and the pain that had set into his body started to recede as his senses slowly returned.
"Thank you," he whispered, still feeling the vark's presence.
"Yess. You will livee now."
"Why did you save me?"
"For allegiancccce."
"You trust me?"
"Yesss, yesss."
"Will we bring the Gateways down together and unite the seven worlds?"
"Yesss."
Rimori lay down and rested a hand on his full stomach which ached and grumbled as it digested food for the first time in days. "Leave me a while. I must rest."
"Yess. I will let you ressst." The vark disappeared and Rimori closed his eyes once more.
He could barely believe his turn of fate, it was as if some higher power had gifted him with life. The thought gave him such faith in his coming plans that he felt overwhelmed with the feeling that he had somehow been chosen. It was he that would lead the seven worlds into the future, uniting them as one, great empire over which he would rule.
He vowed to never give up on life again. A creature of Vale had saved him; it was the most unlikely situation he could ever have imagined.
He had to focus on gaining some control over the vark. He needed to be in charge if they were going to succeed. The creature didn't seem overly intelligent and had left him when he asked it to. Perhaps he had a chance.
When it returned to him once more, he decided to try something that would begin the steps towards bonding with it: he was going to name it.
10
Whispers in the Night
Oliver awoke in the early hours of the morning to the sound of voices coming from the living room. He strained to listen and recognised Ely and Laura.
"-it was just on the news!" Laura exclaimed.
Oliver's ears pricked up at her anxious tone.
"Are you sure? It can't be possible. Not after all this time," Ely hissed.
"It is. They're certain," Laura said.
"But how can it be?" Ely asked in fearful voice.
Oliver couldn't hear a response from Laura.
"I don't want Oliver or May knowing about this," Ely said firmly.
Oliver frowned, hearing the soft pounding of footsteps as someone moved up and down the living room.
"But what if they hear it from someone else while they're here?" Laura said. "It's all everyone will be talking about."
Oliver sat up in bed as he strained to hear more.
"They won't find out. We're only going to see one person and then we're leaving," Ely said.
"And what if she can't help May?"
Oliver chewed the inside of his cheek. He remembered the dark veins encircling May's heart with a wave of panic; he had never considered that Ely's friend might not be able to help her.
Ely hesitated before replying. "I'll deal with that if and when I have to."
There was a pause before Laura spoke again. "Don't you think it's a coincidence that Alison went missing just before this happened?"
Oliver's pulse quickened at the mention of his mum.
"I don't know what you're insinuating but-" Ely started.
"You know exactly what I'm insinuating," Laura hissed.
"Her room was destroyed, Laura," Ely said dismissively. "She didn't leave by choice."
"She could have faked it. She turned her back on her whole family in the past. On me, her own twin," Laura's voice broke and Oliver thought he caught the sound of a sob.
"Shh," Ely said.
Their voices lowered and Oliver felt a pang of annoyance as he could no longer hear the conversation. He pushed the bed covers aside and placed his bare feet on the wooden floor. He moved slowly, keeping as quiet as possible as he tiptoed toward the door.
He reached it and pressed his ear against the wood, listening intently.
"-then we're all in danger," Laura whispered.
"Yes, unless-" Ely cut off as Oliver shifted his weight and a floorboard creaked loudly beneath him.
Oliver froze, his heart galloping in his chest. He heard footsteps heading toward the door and turned on his heel, hurrying back to the bed as quietly as possible. The doorknob turned just as he slipped under the covers, shutting his eyes and laying dead still.
"It's fine, he's asleep. But let's finish talking about this elsewhere," Ely whispered then the click of the door closing made Oliver relax.
Oliver's head reeled with questions. He couldn't believe that, after everything, Ely still wanted to keep things from him and May. He let out a slow breath to release his anger and resolved to find out what his grandfather was hiding.
* * *
Oliver barely slept after overhearing Ely and Laura. He slid out of bed in the morning, dressed then entered the living room. Laura was sat beside one of the windows with the shutter open, gazing outside in a daze.
"Take a seat Oliver, I made wiffles for breakfast," Ely said, as he dished a few onto a plate for him at the small dining table.
Oliver picked up one of the corkscrew-shaped wiffles and ate it whole. The outside was sweet, flaky pastry and the inside was soft, doughy and filled with hot, melted, chocolate. May appeared soon after and grinned as she swallowed a piece of the pastry. Oliver returned the smile half-heartedly, breaking another wiffle apart but feeling too distracted to eat it.
"Are you coming with us today, Laura?" May asked.
Laura roused from her stupor. Her eyes looked heavy with lack of sleep but she smiled warmly as she met May's gaze. "Sorry May, I've got to go to work. But I'll be here when you get home later."
May smiled. "Okay."
Laura stood and started putting on her red coat.
"We'd better get going," Ely said, clearing away the remainder of breakfast.
Oliver grunted in response and May frowned at him questioningly.
"You okay?" she mouthed to him.
Oliver nodded, glancing at Ely over her shoulder. "Later," he muttered.
"I need to take the pod to work but you can get a taxi, right?" Laura asked, crossing the room toward the exit.
"Yeah no problem. Have a good day," Ely said.
"You too, and, good lu
ck." Laura gave May a meaningful look then she left.
Ely turned to face them. "All ready to go?" he asked cheerfully.
May looked nervous. "Yeah," she mumbled.
They went downstairs and headed out the door into the station. Ely walked over to the panel on the wall and Oliver took the opportunity to talk to May. "I overheard Ely and Laura talking about something that's happened. I couldn't tell what it was but it sounded bad. Ely said he doesn't want us knowing anything about it."
May frowned over at Ely. "What could it be?"
Oliver shrugged as Ely began walking back towards them.
"How are you feeling anyway?" Oliver asked.
"Alright, I'm just worried I'm gonna be told I've got some terminal illness or something," May said, her expression darkening.
"Ely knows what he's doing. Whoever he's taking you to must be able to help," Oliver said, wishing he could be certain his words were true.
May sighed heavily. "You're probably right," she said but there was a hint of doubt in her voice.
A white pod appeared along the track with the word Taxi emblazoned on top of it. Ely pressed a palm to the door and it slid smoothly aside with a light jingle.
They climbed in and found it had just the right amount of space for three people to sit comfortably around a small table. Oliver eyed a folded newspaper on top of it, his fingers itching to take hold of it.
"Take us to Thugfox Road," Ely instructed the pod.
"Heading to Thugfox Road. Enjoy your journey," answered a smart-looking woman as she appeared on the inside of the door and the pod pulled away into the tunnel.
Oliver leant forward to pick up the newspaper but Ely snatched it away.
"It's all trash in there. Nothing worth reading," he said and shoved it firmly under his seat.
Oliver shot him a look of anger and folded his arms.
The taxi pod slid to a halt in a busy station. The crowd were wrapped up in heavy coats, scarves and gloves against the chill.
They climbed the steps to the street above and Oliver caught his first glimpse of the city, nestled between the two mountains that towered high above them. The buildings were all built from a matt, grey stone and bordered by jutting ledges that were decorated with swirling, silver symbols.
The tallest buildings had twisting spires that reminded Oliver of a church, and smaller ones had domed roofs decorated with the same patterns as the ledges. The morning sun glinted off of them, making the silver sparkle.
A thought occurred to him. "Ely, is the sun the same here?"
His grandfather turned back to answer. "Yes. It's believed the sun is what drives the connection between the worlds. It exists in all seven of them."
"What about the stars? And the moon?" May asked curiously.
"The stars are the same, yes, but not the moon. Aleva has two moons: Sire and Avis. The stars are the same because we are, technically, in the same universe but the worlds are in different dimensions. The easiest way to imagine it is that you are, essentially, on a different planet when you walk through a Gateway."
Oliver's mind was alight with curiosity.
Ely veered to the left and Oliver and May followed him through the bustling street. It opened up into a huge square with a towering monument at its centre.
The monument portrayed a man standing in front of an archway. It reminded Oliver of the Gateway at Oakway Manor. It was carved from stone and looked like a large tree. It was bent over so far that the top of it returned to the ground.
The man was tall, lean and wore a long cape with a hood. His arms were raised towards the Gateway as if he were worshipping it. Carved symbols covered the arch and, embedded in the highest part of it, was an ornate clock.
Ely noticed them eyeing the statue. "That's Dorian Ganderfield; the mage that discovered the other worlds and created the Gateways between them. It was almost a thousand years ago but they're still proud of the fact he was born here in Alevale," he said, the morning sun catching the light in his eyes as he gazed up at the statue for a moment then continued across the square with Oliver and May just behind.
* * *
They stopped outside a large house after a winding walk through the grey and silver streets. A small porch was illuminated by dim light with a black door that curved in an arch at the top. The street was empty and all Oliver could hear was the rustling of leaves in the wind.
Ely stepped forwards and knocked.
A hatch opened in the centre of the door and two eyes peered out. "Ely?" the woman asked, her eyes widening.
"Hello Grelda," Ely said with a grim smile.
Grelda blinked and slammed the hatch shut with a snap. A series of bolts and locks clicked and clunked as she unlocked the door and threw it open.
The door swung wide to reveal a tall women in a floor-length, black dress. Silver hair cascaded over her shoulders, framing a face that was all sharp angles with eyes that were warm and welcoming.
"I can't believe it. Ely Fox here on my doorstep. It must have been ten years since I last saw you and you've not aged a day," Grelda said.
"Nor you, my dear. Do you mind if we come in?" Ely asked.
Grelda eyed Oliver and May over Ely's shoulder. "Of course, come right on in. Who are these delightful people you've brought with you?"
"These are my grandchildren, Oliver and May."
"Pleased to meet you, I'm Grelda."
They followed her into a large hallway. It was roughly circular and had a grand staircase that curved up around the room. It climbed two more flights above them with landings in between. A black dog yapped at them from its soft bed on one side of the hallway.
"Quiet, Pippit," Grelda snapped and the dog complied.
"How's business?" Ely asked.
"Very well, thank you. I no longer work for the government, though. I now take on private appointments here in my home, it's much more satisfying," Grelda said.
"Do you still deal with many curses that way?" Ely asked.
"Oh yes, you'd be surprised by some of the magic my clients get themselves involved in."
"Grelda's an expert in curse-breaking and magical correction," Ely said to Oliver and May. "There's not a curse in Aleva she hasn't seen."
A look of hope grew in May's eyes.
"Yes, yes. Well we mustn't stand pottering here in the hallway any longer. Follow me," Grelda said and started up the staircase with Pippit trotting after her.
They climbed to the highest floor and emerged in a room that was completely circular with a domed roof made entirely of glass. A set of embroidered furniture sat at its centre which they all took a seat upon. Oliver perched awkwardly on a chaise longue.
The walls of the room were decorated with paintings. In several of them was the image of a bright ball of light that had electricity extending from it in sparks. Scenes of war and bloody battles featured in many of them and one showed a man reaching his hand out towards a ball of light that hovered above him. Something about the paintings set Oliver on edge.
Grelda waved her palm and a tall bottle zoomed out of a cabinet across the room and landed on the coffee table followed by four glasses, pouring each of them a drink.
"Praise the Arc," she said, raising her glass.
They raised their own in response then sipped at the drink. It was strong and bitter and tasted a little of aniseed. Oliver returned his glass to the table, fighting to hide the grimace on his face from the unusual flavour.
"Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Grelda asked Ely.
"I'm afraid we've come because we require your expertise," Ely said gravely.
May smiled hopefully at the woman.
"I see, and what precisely is the problem?" Grelda asked.
"May seems to have had a curse put on her. I've not seen anything like it myself but I managed to bind the magic long enough that I could bring her here to you."
"Do you know who put the curse on you, May?" Grelda asked.
May shook her head. "Me and Olly
only just found out the other worlds existed. I didn't even know there was such a thing as magic, let alone curses."
"Oh, my, my, my, how very puzzling." Grelda rubbed her hands together and blue sparks crackled between them.
"Yes, it is that," Ely said.
"Can you help her?" Oliver pressed.
"Well, now, let me see. Shall I take a look, May?" Grelda asked.
May nodded.
Grelda got to her feet and her high heels clacked on the hard floor as she approached May. She knelt in front of her and May pulled her top aside to show the woman the mark on her chest.
"Hmm, very puzzling. Bruise-like but no sign of the purple discolouration you get with a Manic curse. And Manic curses are nearly always on the hands," she muttered to herself and lifted May's hands, checking them over carefully.
"Without the bind, the curse was very virulent. I imagine it may have killed her if I hadn't got to her in time," Ely said in a low voice.
May visibly swallowed.
"And it came on at random? No chance a mage could have got to her?"
"She was asleep in bed. Oliver ran in and found her on the floor after being awoken by her screams. There's no way a mage could have got into her room and out again without one of us bumping into them. And I get notified the second anyone comes through the Gateway," Ely said.
"Then perhaps the curse was lying dormant and something sparked it to act. I've seen one or two in my time that are triggered like that but nothing that leaves a mark like this." Grelda got up and went to a bookcase on one side of the room. She grabbed a book off the shelf and started rifling through it.
"Very odd. Hmm," Grelda said then snapped the book shut a few minutes later.
"Unfortunately, the only way I may be able to help is if I see the curse in action myself."
"What do you mean?" Oliver asked.
"I'll have to take the bind off of it to see how it behaves," Grelda said, talking clinically. Oliver felt she was observing May as one might do a science experiment and suppressed a spike of anger.
"But it could kill her," Oliver said, getting to his feet.
"I can put a bind back on once I've released it," Grelda said. "She would be at no risk."
"But-" Oliver went to object but May cut across him.
"I'll do it," she said, her jaw visibly clenching.
Creeping Shadow (The Rise of Isaac, Book One) Page 10