Godlin inclined his head and cupped his hands into a ball around the ruby. His eyes closed, and he raised his right hand as a black flame emerged between his palms. The two teenagers’ jaws dropped in disbelief as a flame appeared. The black fire swirled in Godlin’s palm like water. No light came from it, and the fire seemed to consume any light surrounding it.
If Andrew had not seen it with his own eyes, he would have never believed it had happened.
Christine slowly closed her mouth. “How did—?”
“Just wait,” Raptor cut her off.
Godlin offered the ruby to Raptor.
Taking it, she formed a cup with her hands and twisted them together. Raptor released a small ball of white light toward the black fire. It slammed into the black fire, and they entwined together.
As the two fires mixed, Godlin threw them at the wall. The heat was unbearable. Flames leaped out in all directions, but it did not catch the building on fire. As the fire died away, it left behind a swirling mist shaped like a hole in the wall. Andrew could still see the wall through the mist, but it was distorted, like a convex piece of glass laid on top of it.
“This is our doorway,” Raptor said, motioning to the swirling hole.
Chapter Three
Andrew began to pant and sweat, which caused his shirt to stick to his body. He did not know if it was from the flames or his sudden nervousness about what would happen next.
Christine rubbed her eyes. “How did you make it?”
“This ruby is the Quester Stone of Fire. Godlin and I can manipulate its power to create the black and white fires, which, when combined, create that.” Raptor pointed to the swirling doorway. She raised her eyebrows at Christine. “Now that you have proof, will you help us?”
“Please, Christine, we have to,” Andrew begged, reaching over to take her hand, feeling a touch of excitement. He had some reservations, but curiosity and adventure lured him into wanting to keep going.
Leaning forward, Christine stared at the Stone of Fire as Raptor slipped it into her pocket. “Can it do anything else?”
“It has a few tricks,” Raptor said.
“Will we get to see them?” Christine reached up to her neck and ran her fingers along the chain of a necklace she always wore.
Raptor cut her eyes sideways at Christine. “Perhaps. Are you going to help?”
Considering Andrew for a moment, Christine said, “I will, yes. But I’m doing this for Andrew, not because I trust you.”
“Very well,” Raptor said. “Before we go, listen up. This doorway is a portal that leads to another dimension, sorta like another universe, but smaller. On the other side is an extremely dangerous place we call Tenebris, but you will be safe with us, provided you follow the rules. Close your eyes when you enter the portal, don’t leave the light of the fire, and don’t draw attention to yourselves.”
To Godlin, she said, “Wait three seconds and send them. Christine first, then Andrew.” She walked through the portal and was gone.
A wary expression on her face, Christine gingerly approached the portal.
“Now!” Godlin said.
She took a breath, held it, and stepped through.
Summoning all of his courage, Andrew took a step toward the portal and then another to pass through it.
“Close your eyes!” Godlin reminded him.
Andrew squeezed his eyes shut at the last moment. A tingling sensation crawled along his spine, but it changed to one of falling as his stomach dropped out through his feet. He tried to suck in a breath of air, but it caught in his throat. For a brief second, panic washed over him, but his foot hit the ground, and he exited the portal.
Christine caught him by the arm, helping to steady him.
He took in a breath and swallowed a mouthful of air that tasted like a box of French fries left out in a hot car. Groaning, Andrew tried not to throw up as his stomach knotted together.
Godlin came through last, stepping out as if walking through an ordinary door.
The queasiness passed after a moment. As Andrew picked his head up, he found himself standing in a brilliant bubble of white light surrounded by total darkness. Raptor held a torch lit with the same flame she had used to create the portal. Andrew studied the fire. It shone a pure white with a crystal clear center.
Raptor waved to them to follow her and led the group through the darkness at a deliberate pace. “Keep your eyes on me. And remember, don’t stray into the darkness.”
A shudder passed over Andrew. He did not know what he had expected for a place called Tenebris, but everything about it felt wrong. The air clung to his body, pressing its way under his skin. He squinted his eyes, peering into the dark, but could not see anything. Christine walked close beside him, her shoulder occasionally brushing against his. He swallowed hard, repeating the mantra in his head, “There is nothing to be afraid of. There is nothing to be afraid of.” Nothing bad had happened. Yet.
Periodically, the light from the fire would reveal a tree trunk covered in blackened bark. A strange gray moss covered its branches. Andrew saw no other signs of life or vegetation. He wondered if anything lived in the forest. Maybe it would be small and cute, with sharp teeth and a hunger for blood. Andrew tried to shake the image of a fuzzy vampire bunny chomping on his leg from his mind.
Everything remained silent as they traipsed through the forest. Raptor and Godlin were on alert, looking around with wary expressions. Minutes crawled by.
“How far?” Andrew whispered. His insides quivered as he imagined the trees were really the legs of giants about to crush him underfoot.
“A little ways still,” Raptor replied. “We’re going to try to get the Stone and get out, but the forest is restless, and we may need to hide until it’s safe.”
Rubbing his sweaty palms together, Andrew gulped. “Can we go back and just wait until it’s safe?”
“We’re here, and we need to get this over with,” Raptor said in a low voice.
Andrew felt the hairs on the back of his neck lift. Someone or something watched him from the darkness. An eerie whispering noise replaced the silence. He could not make out any of the words clearly.
“Raptor,” Andrew whispered, “I keep hearing something.” He strained to listen to the voice and thought he could just make out the words, “Run! Run!”
“Something? Like what?”
“It’s like a whispering voice, telling me to run.”
“I don’t hear anything.” Christine’s head swiveled about, watching her surroundings.
Raptor froze in the path, gritting her teeth. “The sounds are in your head. Don’t obey them.”
“Them?” Andrew frowned and pulled at the edge of his shirt, trying to quell his fear. Maybe the Keepers had led them into a trap and were going to feed them to a monster.
Ignoring Andrew’s question, Raptor handed Godlin the torch. “Stay here.” Then she ran into the darkness and vanished.
Godlin frowned as he muttered in a strong accent, “Bloody hell.” Reaching under his trench coat, he drew his black dagger. “Keep near. I don’t know what she has gone to do.”
Andrew covered his ears as the whispering sound became louder and angrier. Christine shivered and covered her ears as well. “I can hear it too,” she said.
There were no discernible words, just unintelligible mutterings.
“Will she be okay?” Andrew yelled as loudly as he could. The static sound in the background reached almost deafening levels.
No answer came from Godlin.
A flash of white illuminated the darkness in the distance. A horrific, inhuman scream filled the air, but the whispering sounds continued.
Godlin growled in frustration as he watched.
With a cringe, Christine turned as if to run. Godlin caught hold of her just before she left the light. She backed away, pointing out into the darkness. Andrew saw it too.
A large mass moved just outside the edge of the fire, filled with hundreds of glowing eyes that pierce
d through the darkness and into his marrow. Parts of the mass moved and separated from each other. There were many creatures, not just one.
“You’re safe in the light,” Godlin assured them.
Andrew grabbed Christine, pulling her into a hug. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she said, “This was a mistake.” Christine buried one of her ears into his neck. Andrew put a hand over her other ear, trying to block out some of the terrible sounds.
“They need our help,” he whispered, wanting to comfort her, and also to reassure himself.
Another flash of white fire blazed in the darkness, closer this time. The glowing eyes went out like candles, and the whispering sound abruptly ceased. Andrew felt Christine start to calm in his arms, and he let her go.
“Are you okay?” he asked in a shaky voice.
Her head quivered up and down, squeaking out a, “Yeah.”
Raptor returned to the bubble of light, breathing hard; her face pale. Resting her hands on her knees, she took a moment to catch her breath.
“Was he—” Godlin started, but Raptor held up a hand, stopping him.
“No, but he will be if we don’t get going.” She gave Godlin a sideways grin, masking her seriousness.
“Who?” Andrew asked.
“Their leader, the Emperor,” Raptor said.
Godlin returned the torch to her.
“What were those things?” Christine asked with a shudder.
“They are Whisperers. They can’t hurt you as long as you’re near the fire.” Raptor twisted her head back and forth, scanning the darkness. “They tried to make you run to where they were waiting. Be very glad you didn’t. They have scattered for the moment, but we need to get to safety before they regroup.” Motioning for them to follow, she started forward.
Christine held Andrew’s hand as she walked along. Both of them kept their eyes locked on Raptor. Godlin kept to the rear of the group, his hand on the hilt of his dagger.
Thrusting the torch behind her, Raptor peered into the darkness. She still fought for breath and spoke in short spurts. “That was fast. They’re regrouping. We have to get to the clearing. We’ll have the best chance there.”
Andrew shuddered as another unearthly scream came from the darkness. He jerked his head around to scan behind them but could not see anything past the glow of the fire.
Godlin moved up beside Raptor. Without a word, she passed him the torch and moved alongside the group, putting herself between them and the Whisperers.
The glowing eyes returned, following them, but they did not come any closer.
Together, Andrew, Raptor, Godlin, and Christine barged into a clearing, the trees giving way to a black sky. Andrew felt the suffocating air of the forest dissipate. The ground changed from hard-packed soil to soft, black sand. Andrew felt his feet sinking down and tiny particles of it falling into his shoes.
Raptor and Godlin faced the forest, standing motionless for several long moments. Andrew strained to see what was going on, but he could not make out anything. He focused on listening, but there was nothing, not even a whisper of wind or the chirping of insects.
“Godlin?” Raptor asked in a hushed voice.
Godlin let out a slow breath. “They’re retreating.”
“Why?” Raptor asked, her voice cracking.
Motioning opposite of the forest, Godlin said, “There’s a white worm. It’s just lying there.”
Raptor let out a long sigh, resting a hand over her face. “So we’re stuck here until it moves. Is it Monday? I swear, it’s a Monday. I hate Mondays.” She tapped her foot impatiently.
Godlin chuckled softly. “Yes, but it’s almost over.”
“Stuck?!” Christine yelped in a high-pitched voice.
Andrew’s eyebrows knitted together. He had expected the whole thing to take no more than a couple hours. “I’m with Christine on this. Stuck for how long?”
Raptor stared at the sky for several moments. “Thirty minutes, an hour, tops. The creature will move on, eventually.” To Godlin she said, “Let me know when it leaves.”
Gazing upwards at the sky, Andrew tried to spot what she was looking at, but he could not see anything.
“Can’t we go around it?” Christine asked, moving toward Godlin.
“It’s sitting right where we need to be,” Godlin said, a grim shadow passing over his face.
Raptor grumbled to herself, stepping closer to the forest and picking up several large sticks. She returned to the others, dropping a few branches on the ground. The rest, she set off to the side.
Christine said, “We can’t stay here. Our friends will get worried if we’re gone that long.”
“Time works differently here,” Raptor said. “From Earth’s perspective, we’ll only be gone for a few minutes.” Using her foot, she nudged a loose branch back into the pile.
“They’ll be worried.” Christine stuck out her lip in a pout.
“We’ll go back as soon as we can.”
Godlin stepped over to the smallest pile of logs and used the torch to set them on fire. “Sit down. Relax. We are going nowhere for the moment.”
Protesting would be fruitless, Andrew knew. If they needed the Stone and something blocked the way, then they had to wait it out. The fire burst to life, and the bubble of light expanded as he sat down. Christine eased herself beside him, keeping her eyes fixed on the flames. Raptor and Godlin sat across from them, their backs to the forest.
“The good news is that white worm will keep the Whisperers at bay,” Raptor said.
“What about us?” Andrew asked, finding a twig on the ground to throw in the fire.
“We’re not on its food radar. You two should get some sleep. We’re safe.”
Godlin drew his dagger and set it across his leg, keeping his hand on the hilt. He focused his attention toward the white worm as well.
Raptor’s stiff posture, her gaze focused away from the forest—her actions did not match her words. She had lied. The white worm was more dangerous than the Whisperers. He started to say something but noticed Christine had relaxed. Closing his mouth, he decided to keep his suspicions to himself.
“I don’t think I can sleep. This place is a bit freaky,” Christine said.
Andrew silently agreed, not feeling the least bit like closing his eyes in a place like this. To keep his mind off the situation, he asked, “While we wait, can you tell me about yourselves? The Keepers and all?”
“Like I said, we’re the guardians of Earth, and we’ve been given powers to—” Raptor started, but Andrew jumped in.
“What about my powers?” He sat up straight. Christine leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.
Taken aback, Raptor paused before answering. “I don’t know yet. Do you have any interests, hobbies, or anything?”
“I spend a lot of time in my greenhouse, and I really like using my chemistry set. I want to go to college, become a doctor maybe. Look for new types of medicine.”
“Has anything strange happened to you at all? Did you ever accidentally start a fire without a lighter or make plants grow faster than they could normally?” Raptor asked, tilting her head to the side.
“No.” Andrew swallowed hard, his hands starting to tingle. He shifted away from Christine, causing her to sit up. Nothing like that had ever happened. He worried the Keepers were wrong about him.
Raptor glanced at Godlin, pointing to her pocket and scrunching her nose up in question. Godlin inclined his head slightly in return.
“What?” he asked, puzzled by their actions.
Pulling the Quester Stone of Fire out of her pocket, Raptor handed it to Andrew. The ruby felt cool to the touch, but it glowed with a vibrant warmth.
“Anything?” Raptor leaned forward, closer to him.
Andrew shook the Stone, causing the Keepers to stiffen. “Is something supposed to happen?”
A nervous chuckle came from Raptor. She cleared her throat and said, “You should feel a connection with the Stone.”
Touching a hand to his chest, Andrew said, “I don’t feel anything.”
“The previous owner of that Stone was the Keeper of fire,” Godlin said. “I think Raptor hoped you were his replacement.”
Raptor frowned, and her shoulders sagged. Her attention drifted away, seemingly not focused on anything.
Godlin went on, “His name was Bringer, and he died three years ago.”
Andrew winced. He started to ask what happened to him, but Raptor’s expression was miserable. He shifted his body, staring at the gem. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” Raptor said, reaching up to rub her forehead.
“Can I see?” Christine asked, holding out a hand. Andrew handed the Stone to her.
Turning it around in her hand, Christine said, “Nothing for me either.” She returned the Stone to Raptor, who placed it into her pocket.
“I didn’t expect so. These things are picky about who they take as their Quester.”
Andrew stared blankly.
“Ahh, sorry, a Quester is a guardian of a Quester Stone,” she clarified, seeing the confused expressions on Andrew’s and Christine’s faces. “For example, Christine, you’re a Quester of Earth.”
“You said I don’t have powers,” Christine grumped.
“Everyone’s abilities are different—people are stronger in some areas, weaker in others—and those strengths are your Quester powers. However, if you became a Quester of, say, the Stone of Fire, then your powers would become obvious because you’d be the only Quester of that Stone.”
“Oh, I see,” Christine said. “The power gets spread out between all the different people on Earth.”
“Basically.”
“Then what about the Keepers?” Andrew asked. “You said you’re Earth’s guardians. How is that different?”
“We’re still Earth’s Questers, like all humans, but we’ve some extra abilities, so we call ourselves Keepers. It’s why the Stone of Power will attack us. We’re more powerful versions of humans, and it craves our power.”
Stone of Power (Keepers of Earth Book 1) Page 4