The Dark Cage

by Dana Gricken

  “And since her Mindfield power has grown, she might get it,” I replied. “But what about the Cardinal? Doesn’t he stand in the way?”

  “Indeed, but the Dark Queen is delusional. She placated him once, and I’m sure she thinks he will be no match for her twice. The Cardinal could kill her easily—and he has a motive. She was his captor, after all.”

  Once the rest of the trucks pulled up and the people exited, I addressed the group. “This could be dangerous. Stay in groups, and if you hear anything, call for backup immediately.”

  “Riley and I will enter through the front. Everyone else can wait near the back, in case we need help,” Caleb said.

  “Good idea. Get in place, everyone.”

  With our weapons and powers handy, Caleb, Jade, Ruby, Bane, Jacob, and I approached the front door to the radio station. I nodded at them, giving them the signal as I walked through the archway.

  It was quiet inside. The radio station was much smaller than I had thought, and the entire place was a mess. Someone had left in a hurry, no doubt due to Doctor Zero’s madness.

  No one was here. If the Dark Queen had been at some point, she had fled before we’d arrived.

  “Well, I hate to say it,” Jacob began, “but this was a waste of time.”

  “Was your information even correct?” Jade asked, crossing her arms.

  “Hey, I’m rarely wrong. The Dark Queen was here—I’m sure of it!”

  “She might be gone, but there could still be clues to her whereabouts,” I replied, lowering my dagger. “Check the station. I want everything in here searched.”

  The others nodded, starting their search at the far end of the radio station. Caleb and I looked around the music booth, scanning through the endless piles of paper, CDs, and sound equipment.

  “There’s nothing but junk and garbage,” I muttered. “We should’ve done more. I should’ve gone after the Dark Queen when she called me!”

  “How? Jacob needed time to find the signal. Riley, calm down,” Caleb said, reaching for my hand. “We’re bound to find something. Let’s keep searching, and maybe—”

  The television on the wall behind us flickered. It startled me, and I pulled myself out of Caleb’s grasp. What was going on?

  The Dark Queen’s face appeared on the television. She looked much better than the last time I’d seen her—when she had jumped off the bridge to escape. Her hair sat in a tight bun, her dark makeup was perfect, and her eyes seemed to bore into mine.

  “Did you really think I wouldn’t cover my tracks? That I would let you follow me?” the Dark Queen asked, chuckling. “Where I am now, you will never find me. I have more important things to do than fight you. But now…I have you right where I want you.”

  “What is she talking about?” I asked, turning to face Caleb. “What has your mother done now?”

  “Au revoir, Riley Stark,” the Dark Queen continued. “I’ve been meaning to test out my new ability. It’s all thanks to your uncle, Doctor Zero. I sure hope you don’t survive this. Survival means a confrontation with the Cardinal, and we both know how dangerous he is. He is mine to deal with you, as are you.”

  Her voice cut out, and the television turned black. I stood there, angry with myself. How could I have been so stupid?

  “It’s a trap!” Jade said. “I knew it!”

  She went to tug on the front door, but the Dark Queen had programmed it to lock. A thick, gray mist spread around us, just like the one I had seen in the Mindfield. Except this time, I wasn’t in the Mindfield.

  The Mindfield had come to us, in the physical world.

  “She lured us here and then trapped us inside with a piece of the Mindfield. She must’ve learned how to do this new trick from Doctor Zero,” Caleb said. “Clever. What are we going to do?”

  “Ruby, get that door down. We need to get outside and run from the smoke,” I said. “Use your gravity!”

  “On it!” Ruby replied, stepping forward.

  As Ruby lifted her wrists, she stumbled back. I was about to ask her what was wrong, when I suddenly felt a little lightheaded and unsteady as well. As the gray smoke worsened, lingering around us, I realized what was happening.

  We were too late. The Mindfield fog was getting to us—and it was corrupting us from the inside.

  “Riley, we…have to get out of here,” Caleb said, collapsing to the floor. “We…still don’t know what my mother can do. Who knows…how deadly the Mindfield is now?”

  I nodded, coughing in the fumes. “I know. If I…can reach the back door, I can…tell the others.”

  Caleb, Bane, Jade, Ruby, and Jacob had already passed out, or were far too disoriented to move. I collapsed to my knees, forcing myself to crawl toward the back door. I was inches away—so close to letting our people outside know what was going on.

  If I opened the door, would the smoke get them too? Was it best if I warned them to stay away?

  I didn’t have time to weigh my options. A second later, my eyes became heavy and my world faded to black.

  When I woke up, I was still lying in the same position I had passed out in. The gray mist had faded, so I pulled myself up to my feet. The room was dark, and everyone was gone. I was all alone.

  “Caleb? Bane?” I called out. “Where are you?”

  Above me, I heard cackling. It sounded like the Dark Queen’s laughter, but it wasn’t possible. She wasn’t here, after all—and I knew it was an illusion.

  The Mindfield must’ve blended with reality, messing with my head.

  I opened the back door, trying to find Patrick so I could explain everything, but my people were gone. Where would they go? Why would they leave us now?

  I gasped. The Mindfield must’ve gotten to them too.

  I took a quick look around. There was darkness outside, and it was pouring rain. Everything felt like a dream sequence, especially when I looked in the distance. When I did, I saw a body lying on the ground.

  My legs pulled me forward, and it was like I had no control over them. When I approached the body, I realized it was Caleb. I felt his pulse, and he wasn’t breathing.

  “Caleb!” I wailed, shaking him. “Come on, wake up! You can’t be dead!”

  “Your Caleb will die, Riley Stark,” the Dark Queen said, whispering in my mind. “It is inevitable.”

  “No! You’re lying. He’s fine!”

  “This is what you fear the most, isn’t it? Loneliness?” she asked. “Poor Riley Stark. All alone in New York City without someone to love. This must be so difficult for you, hmm?”

  The Dark Queen was right. Being alone frightened me, especially with the power that coursed through my veins. When the Dark Queen’s voice faded, I rocked myself back and forth.

  Caleb was dead. What was the point of fighting anymore?

  I touched him again, desperate to try and help him. When I touched his skin, he felt different. I couldn’t explain it, but something was off.

  Was it even him? I couldn’t trust my eyes. I couldn’t trust any of my senses, really. I started to think about what the Dark Queen had said. She’d mentioned that Caleb would die—not that he already had. The way she had phrased it was suspicious.

  This is the Mindfield, I reminded myself. It was all a cruel illusion—one that seemed to be fear-based now. If I could overcome my fear, even control it, maybe I could break out of here and free the others.

  I lifted my wrists, hoping something would happen. I didn’t want to use my power again—I wanted to forget I even had it—but without a Power Crystal, it was my only hope.

  A portal opened, sucking Caleb into it. His body disintegrated, turning into gray smoke. I had been right—he wasn’t real. The portal flickered, sending a blast of light around me. The dreamlike sequence faded away, and the headache stopped. My mind was coming back to me.

  I had done it. My power had freed me from the Mindfield, but it was still a part of our physical world. I had to destroy it somehow.

  I rose to my feet, looking around outs
ide. The rain had stopped, and dawn was starting to creep over the horizon. Now that my mind was free from the effects of the Mindfield, my world had returned to normal. I could see other people in the distance. The one who was closest looked familiar.

  It was Caleb—the real one, this time—and I could see the illusion that was manipulating him. The Dark Queen—a fake one, judging by her ghostlike form—cornered him.

  “Stay away from me, Mother,” Caleb said, trying to summon his firepower. It wouldn’t ignite. “I won’t hesitate to kill you!”

  “Kill your own mother?” the Dark Queen asked, tsking. “But this is your destiny as the soulless prince. Don’t you remember your true self? Let me remove this Purity Crystal, and you can reclaim what is yours!”

  “Stay back!” he said, tears filling his eyes. His hands flew to his Purity Crystal, trying to protect it. “Please!”

  “Caleb, it’s okay!” I said, approaching him. “None of this is real. The Dark Queen isn’t here—you know that. She set a Mindfield trap for us.”

  “But it feels real,” Caleb replied, glancing back at me. “Riley…I don’t know what to do.”

  I placed my hand on his. “But I do.”

  Lifting my wrist, the spray of rainbow colors covered us completely. It was enough to cause the Dark Queen—or the gray smoke that looked like her—to fade away. Once she was gone, Caleb collapsed to his knees. He inhaled a large breath, and I could tell his mother’s influence was vanishing from his mind.

  I had saved him.

  “Caleb, are you all right?”

  He nodded, relieved when his fire worked again. “I think so. I’m glad you found me, Riley.”

  “Was that your worst fear?”

  He looked away. “Yes—that my mother will return to corrupt me and I’ll be too weak to stop her. How did you know that?”

  “I faced my own fear not too long ago,” I replied. “We were right about the Mindfield. It has morphed into the physical world, but that’s not all. Unlike before, when it was just a land of mental torture, it seems to feed on our fear.”

  Caleb nodded. “It makes sense. What about the others? Wouldn’t they be facing their own fears too? We need to help them.”

  I nodded in the distance, pointing down the dirty street. “I see them. With the Mindfield gone, our senses are back to normal, but the others are still blinded by it. The only good thing is that I think the Dark Queen only affected this part of the city—so we’re the only ones suffering. Everyone back at the headquarters should be fine.”

  “Good. Whatever you did with your power, you seem to be able to make the Mindfield disappear,” he replied. “You’re the only one who can save the others from their fears. I don’t know how much help I can be, but I’m with you.”

  I nodded, stepping forward when I heard the Cardinal’s voice again. It was faint, like a whisper close to my ear.

  “Show the Dark Queen she has found her match,” the Cardinal said. “She might think she has you now, but you are not the weak soulful you used to be. No, you are much stronger—and soon, she will fear you.”

  I didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.

  15

  The Cost Of Power

  The Cardinal was quiet again. I still didn’t understand why he decided to whisper in my mind sometimes and not others, but none of it made any sense. With Caleb by my side, I started walking into the distance.

  I could see them all up ahead—Patrick, Dad, Spencer, Rachel, and the rest. They were sauntering around, still in a daze, and God only knew what kinds of fears they were seeing. I was just glad the Mindfield fog had cleared around Caleb and I so we had a chance to help them.

  “Riley, your hand,” Caleb whispered. “It’s glowing.”

  I looked down and realized he was right. My wrists had energy emanating from them, similar to how Caleb could summon fire between his fingers. I had the Quintessence inside of me, the very fabric of life and death.

  It was overwhelming, and I didn’t want to abuse it.

  “Just be careful,” Caleb said. “We still don’t understand the full extent of your powers, and you aren’t trained. I support whatever you decide, but I know you were worried about it getting out of control. If you accidentally open the Quintessence for good…”

  “I won’t,” I replied. “I mean, I haven’t already. I think I can control it—make it bend to my will. It can be used for good too—like stopping the Mindfield. I’m still not crazy about it, but it’s our best shot at making things right.”

  “I hope you’re right. If not, we risk the afterlife being exposed—and we have enough problems with my mother.”

  “Speaking of that,” I began, “how is the Dark Queen so powerful? The last time I saw her, she had Restrictors on her wrists. As far as I know, only a soulful can remove them.”

  Caleb shrugged. “She must’ve found a way. Doctor Zero did some experiments on her, but it could have something to do with the Cardinal’s rise also. She was the one who entombed him. They must share a link too, and it’s feeding her power—making her push her abilities further than ever before.”

  If the Cardinal and the Dark Queen shared a connection, I had no doubt it would include me too. What had I done to deserve this? How could the two most evil people in the world share a link with me?

  Patrick was the one we reached first. As I moved a little closer, I finally saw what he was so transfixed on. His eyes were wide as if he had just seen a ghost. He paid no attention to me or Caleb, as if we weren’t there at all. The illusion had consumed him.

  In front of him stood a beautiful woman with long blond hair and blue eyes. She wore a Sentinel’s armor, but it looked old and faded. The design reminded me of the armor they had worn in the 1990s. Her body twisted with gray smoke, and I knew it wasn’t real. Patrick stood in front of her, weeping.

  “Helen, please stop,” Patrick mumbled. “I didn’t mean to! I had no choice!”

  I gasped. This was Helen Price—or rather, a cruel illusion of her, created by the Dark Queen to mess with Patrick’s mind.

  “You let me die, Patrick,” Helen spat. “You could’ve done more. You could’ve sacrificed yourself. How could you let me die?”

  “Let you die? We were attacked!” Patrick replied. “I didn’t want it to end like that. You know I loved you!”

  “Did you, really? Now I hear you’ve moved on,” Helen began. “With Dahlia Cohen, was it? Will you let her die, as well?”

  “What? Of course not!” Patrick replied. “I love her. I’d do anything to protect her…”

  “This must be his biggest fear,” I whispered to Caleb, “losing someone he loves. After seeing Helen die so tragically, it must still scare him to imagine going through it again.”

  “What are you talking about?” Caleb asked. “How do you even know that?”

  I frowned. “There’s a woman in front of Patrick—Helen Price, Rachel’s mother who was a Sentinel. She died during the Sewer Crisis. You mean…you can’t see the fog or the illusion?”

  Caleb shook his head. “No. Somehow, with your Quintessence power, you must be able to see the Mindfield’s illusions. I could only see mine. As far as I can tell, Patrick is talking to no one.”

  “Then you ought to kill yourself,” Helen continued, “because whoever loves you is surely cursed.”

  “Maybe you’re right…” Patrick replied, rising to his feet. “Better to be safe than sorry.”

  When Patrick pulled out his Deathblade, I intervened. I grabbed the dagger from him and sheathed it. “Whoa, Patrick. None of this is real. If you kill yourself, you’re giving the Dark Queen what she wants—more bloodshed.”

  “What the hell, kid?” Patrick asked, staggering back. Caleb caught him before he fell. “Were you sucked into the Mindfield too?”

  “Yes, but I found a way out. It has something to do with my Quintessence power. I’m free, but you’re still trapped—and I’m able to see what you can.”

  “So you mean…you’re in
the real world, watching me talk to this illusion?”

  I nodded. “And I’m going to free you. Don’t worry.”

  I raised my wrist, and a blanket of light coated us all. In a matter of seconds, the tempting gray fog disappeared into a swirl of energy. Helen Price—or the thing that looked like her—faded for good.

  Patrick convulsed, his eyes fluttering for a few seconds. It was a good sign. The Dark Queen’s fog was fading from his mind. When Caleb saw Patrick could stand on his own two feet again, he let him go.

  Patrick sighed. “Thanks, kid. Never want to relive that again…”

  “If you knew it was the Mindfield, why did you listen to the illusion that looked like Helen?” I asked, pointing at his Deathblade. “You were ready to kill yourself. How come?”

  “I don’t know,” Patrick mumbled. “It’s like…my brain was conflicted. Knew it was an illusion, but it felt so real. Damn, the Dark Queen sure knows how to mess people up, doesn’t she?”

  I nodded. “And we aren’t the only ones she affected. Come on—we have others to save.”

  Dad and Spencer were both near Central Park, and it looked like they were sharing the same illusion. They remained close to each other, speaking into a body of fog I couldn’t make out.

  “How strange,” Caleb muttered. “The world around me is bright and calm, but for them, it’s anything but. I wish I could see what they were suffering with…”

  When we walked closer, I realized what Dad and Spencer were seeing. The smoky illusion was me—and my black eyes were my most prominent feature. The illusion of me loomed over them, my face tight in a snarl.

  “You both failed me,” the fake Riley said, floating in the air. “You let me become soulless.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Dad muttered, falling to his knees. “I didn’t want it to be like this. Christ, my own daughter’s a monster and it’s all my fault…”

  I shook my head. Would Dad ever see me for who I was, instead of the monster he thought I’d become?

  “There’s no need to be upset,” the illusion of me replied, gliding around them with a spray of gray fog. “You can both join me. You will see that becoming soulless is a gift—not a curse.”